This research can focus on any historical topic related to the Essay

This research can focus on any historical topic related to the course.that is, on any topic covered in class or in your dossie - Essay Example In addition, irrespective of certain female stars’ legendary statuses, gender roles have been firmly reinforced by the roles these women, who are judged on their appearances, have played (Dawson 1995, p.71). This research paper provides a detailed analysis of how Hollywood portrayed women in film, focusing particularly on the 1930s, using Gold diggers of 1933 as a framework. Four themes will be discussed in the paper: the representation of women in early 1930s film, the portrayal of women, and the real-life role of women and criticism of women’s role in 1930s films. The 1930s is infamous as the era of the Great Depression and, therefore; it provides an interesting backdrop to research how women were portrayed as a result of the globally changing morals and cynicism. Representation of Women in 1930s Film Kaplan (1994, p.3) states that Hollywood cinematography in many instances objectified women for the pleasure of men. Mulvey (1989, p.56), argues that the role women play ed is worth looking at but not worth giving a listening ear. As these scholars indicate, during this era men viewed women in limited dimensions, referred to as the Madonna (housewives) or whore complex. To many, women were objects of sexual fulfilment, hence sexually active whores, or simply pristine and powerless Madonnas. Arguably, it is for this reason that Gates (2011, p.23) argues that the manner in which images of women are presented in Hollywood film aims solely at gratifying male viewers. As evident in Gold diggers of 1933, the role of women as sex objects in films is displayed freely and fully. Ginger Rogers, Joan Blondell and Ruby Keeler play the major roles and appear as stereotypical bombshells, slender and beautiful, in many of their appearances where they are dressed in skimpy costumes. Another example of how the characters are presented as sex objects is the presentation of Rogers and Blondell as platinum blonde. Aline MacMahon is the only female character not part of this characterisation. She serves as the sole voice of cynicism and the hard-boiled attitude that prevailed from the start of the 1930s as a result of the Depression. Further, she appears to have a superior intellect as compared to the other female characters. Aside for MacMahon, all female characters in the movie represent the characterisation of Madonna/ whore. For instance, they appear independent, and Lawrence Bradford views their morals from a negative perspective. As the embodiment of the 1930s elite, Bradford indicates the elite opinion on the female role during this era. Interestingly, as the film ends, all the women become Madonnas, since they are no longer showgirls filled with loose morals, but wives. Trixie marries Lawrence’s lawyer, Carol marries Lawrence and Polly marries Brad, therefore, it is arguable that their transformation from whores to Madonnas is thus complete. In short, women’s roles in the 1930s were often stereotypical, with women portrayed i n a sexualised manner for the benefit of men. The way women were shown to choose

Movie reivew Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Movie reivew - Essay Example This paper will analyze the episode that is titled Secrets of the Koran which is a part of the show that called Decoding the Past. To begin with, it would be quite important to provide an accurate account of the major themes of the Quran as they were presented in the episode. The first one that was mentioned in the chronological order is the desire to achieve the social justice. Indeed, at the present moment the people who actually comprise the intended audience of this show consider Islam to be a religion that almost enshrined the social inequality as well as oppression of women. However, the episode suggests that from the very beginning Islam was aimed at the groups of people who dominated the society and did not allow it to develop in the proper manner. In addition to that, a considerable number of scholars would prove that one of the highest virtues of Islam is closely connected to social justice (Gorder 20). Another interesting theme that was emphasized in the video is the war and violence in the Quran. The producers claim that a certain part of this sacred book is largely dedicated to fighting. Indeed, there are some verses which are called sword verses that clearly dictate a true Muslim how they should treat an enemy: fearlessly and fiercely in fight and mercifully after it (Smith and Furnish 77). In spite of that, the above mentioned verses are often recited without any context and they are thought to be aimed at the rest of humanity. The authors of the video suggest that this can be easily explained by the historical context in which the book was written: the newly founded city of the early Muslims was under attack of a powerful enemy and the conflict was primarily triggered by the differences in faith. The next theme of the Quran that was reviewed in the movie is the theological foundation of this religion,

Religious participation and religious organisations Essay Example for Free

Religious participation and religious organisations Essay While it is difficult to know precisely whether or not religious beliefs differ in relation to males and females, it is evident that religious practice and participation does show relatively clear gender differences. This is true across all forms of religious organisation. Almost two-thirds of churchgoers are women. However, as with social factors like class and age, it is clear that there is no overall pattern of male / female religious attendance, since there are evident differences between denominations. For example: For the Anglican Church, the male to female ratio is approximately half and half. For all Christian churches the male female ratio is approximately twenty to eighty percent. While women are more likely than men to be involved in religious organisations, it is relatively clear that, in hierarchical terms, men tend to dominate the most significant positions in any religious organisation. This tends to hold true across the majority of the worlds major religions such as Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. In most religions, women tend to be portrayed in terms of their traditional social characteristics. The Virgin Mary in Christian religion is a good example here. Although a powerful figure as the Mother of Christ, her power, is ideological rather than political, the virtues of purity, chastity, motherhood and so forth are personified through her as ideals for womanhood. In relation to non-Christian religions, Giddens Sociology notes: Females appear as important figures in the teachings of some Buddhist ordersbut on the whole Buddhism, like Christianity, is an overwhelmingly male-created institution dominated by a patriarchal power structure in which the feminine is most closely associated with the secular, powerless, profane and imperfect.. An obvious example drawn from Christianity might be Mankinds expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the result of female duplicity. According to the book of Genesis, God first created man. Woman was not only  an afterthought, but an amenity. For close on two thousand years this Holy Scripture was believed to justify her subordination and explain her inferiority for even as a copy she was not a very good copy, there were differences. She was not one of his best efforts. While women, as has been noted above, feature strongly in both religious participation and, to a certain extent, imagery, it is evident that there has tended to be a very marked inequality between males and females in terms of positions of power and authority within religious organisations. Although some sects have allowed women to preach and teach, the majority of the worlds major religions have tended to relegate women to relatively minor roles in their organisation. In relation to Christianity, the decision, in November 1992 by the Church of England to ordain women as priests is a significant development to note. This decision was not taken lightly and has lead to a great deal of conflict within the Church. While the Church of England has traditionally been more liberal regarding the position of women within its organisation, the Roman Catholic Church has resisted pressure to ordain women, tending to fall back upon the argument that to do so would be blasphemous. Christ ordained twelve disciples, none of whom were women, therefore, women should not be allowed to be ordained. Once again, within a wide variety of sects, women tend, in the main, not to feature in the highly at the top of organisational hierarchies, although there are exceptions to this general rule. The diversity of sects perhaps makes it difficult to generalise about participation along gender lines. However, given that women tend to become involved in all types of religious activity with greater frequency than men, there is little reason to suppose that, in broad terms, sect membership does not conform to this norm. If it is difficult to estimate the numbers involved with New Age cults, it is doubly difficult to estimate with any degree of certainty the ration of male to female involvement. The private sphere of cult activity relates to traditional forms of gender roles for women, motherhood, the home, and child  rearing. New Age philosophy contrasts the concept of Nature unfavourably with a modern technological world, which tends to be characterised as masculine. Historically, where concepts of Nature have been employed, the role of women has tended to be seen in terms of their essential femininity; that is, as naturally different creatures to males, more attuned to the supposed natural rhythms of life and so forth. Thus, within New Age cults, women tend to be afforded a much higher status than men in terms of the various philosophies on which these cults are based, which is one reason that explains higher female involvement.

Nuclear Power Versus Renewable Energy

Nuclear Power Versus Renewable Energy One of the biggest problems that we face in todays modern power hungry times is the decision on a single source of power. As we continue to consume as a society we are very quickly burning through our supplies of fossil fuels to the point at which in a couple of decades we will have all but exhausted existing supplies. It is for this reason that decisions need to be made on what source will generate future generations electricity. The future of energy production will lie with the criteria set out by fossil fuel energy production and how well they fit these criteria. Any new fuel source will have to be readily available and provide a constant supply of energy; it will need to be cheap and safe to produce; the same or fewer emissions than that of fossil fuels, although with todays current eco standards the later will probably need to be true. One particular source of energy seems the logical choice for the main replacement for fossil fuels and that is nuclear power, but how do other more renewable sources of energy compare to nuclear power? In 2002 it was reported by an MIT study that nuclear power supplied 17% of the worlds electricity consumption [1] and if this is compared to renewable sources such as wind power, geothermal and biomass generators which accounts for just 19% as calculated in 2008 [2]. The aim of this paper is to compare and contrast the viability of different energy sources for the future. What is nuclear power? Nuclear power in its current state is the controlled fission of radioactive material for the generation of electricity. Nuclear power uses Uranium primarily as a fissible material, the first safety issues come from obtaining a source of uranium that is viable to use for energy generation. Uranium occurs naturally in a compound ore form, comprised of 99.3% U238 and 0.7% U235 [3]. Uranium 238 is not a suitable isotope for fission, infact in its natural ore it prevents the uranium from sustaining any sort of nuclear reaction. This can be explained by the energy of absorbed neutrons in the nuclear material, U235 will undergo fission at all energies of neutrons, but U238 will not. To overcome this problem, uranium ore needs to be enriched with a higher percentage of U235 (usually so that U235 comprises 3% to 5% of the ore [3]). The enrichment process introduces safety issues that are not present in other forms of energy production, the process produces uranium hexafluoride that is a highly toxic chemical that is difficult to store due to its corrosive nature. The main waste product is depleted uranium that the radioactive waste from extracting U235 from natural Uranium ore. There has been much controversy over Depleted uraniums use as a weapon and its difficulty in being stored due to its radioactive nature, current estimates put global stockpiles of depleted uranium at 1.5 million tonnes [3]. The generation of power from radioactive sources makes use of a compound nuclear reaction. Neutrons are absorbed by enriched uranium, usually a uranium ore composed of mainly U235, which forms an excited compound nucleus. A compound nucleus will be inherently unstable and result in the fission of the excited compound nucleus and emission of two new nuclei and neutrons. Figure 1 illustrates a possible nuclear reaction inside a nuclear reactor: Figure 1- Example of nuclear reaction. n+U235 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ U*236 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Xe139 +Sr95 + 2n As can be seen from figure 1 the example fission reactions require a single neutron to induce fission of U235 but the final products of the reaction include 2 neutrons which allows the reaction to become self perpetuating, this neutron feeding process is known as a chain reaction. This chain reaction will only occur in enriched uranium. Nuclear power is generated using two different types of reactor that both have their merits and faults with regard to safety: The fast reactor is a reactor based on an equal mix of Uranium 235 and 238 that can sustain the chain reaction required to generate energy. Fast neutrons, hence the name, sustain the reaction, in the case of the fast reactor neutrons interact with U238 whicch forms a nucleaus that does not under go fission but forms plutonium 239 instead. Although Pu 239 is able to undergo fission, it does not do so at the speed required to sustain the chain reaction and infact most of it becomes unused waste in the form of spent fuel. The fast reactor is designed to navigate around this by using the fast neutrons to produce more fissile Pu239 than spent Pu239 by not using a moderator to slow neutrons down this reduces the problem of producing lots of unused fuel as waste. Because this type of reactor does not use a moderator to control neutrons and due to the highly fissile material in the reactor core, it does require an efficient cooling system which does introduce certain safety issues. Fast reac tors require a liquid sodium coolant, chosen due to its highly conductive nature, to remove heat from the core. The use of sodium though has its associated risks because its highly reactive and becomes corrosive when reacting with air which is obviously a problem when surrounding a radioactive core. Thermal reactors use enriched uranium to produce energy instead of an equal mix and the enrichment produces the waste products as discussed earlier. Unlike fast reactors which do not use moderators thermal reactors, and the ones in question use a moderator and coolant. In the case of Pressurised water reactors and boiling water reactors they both use water as a coolant and moderator due to waters inherent property that it is a good neutron absorber. The water based thermal reactors are one of the most widely used nuclear reactors due to the availability and safety of the coolant and moderator. There are contamination risks with the boiling water reactor, as water is pumped through the reactor and boils it will pick up fragments of radioactive contaminants which could be released into the atmosphere via the cooling towers. For note the worlds largest nuclear power plant uses 7 different boiling water reactors to generate electricity and is capable of generating a total of 8,212MW and a typical fossil fuel turbine is capable of generating 1000MW so a typical fossil fuel plant can be compared to outputting a similar amount of energy to that of a nuclear power plant [3b]. Safety of Nuclear Power With the explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the recent meltdown risks of the Fukushima reactors safety concerns are always inherent when discussing nuclear power. Meltdowns are often a buzz word when associated with nuclear power plants and is often the biggest safety concern when considering nuclear power, but what exactly is a nuclear meltdown? A nuclear meltdown is not as serious as the word suggests or as the world media have suggested. A meltdown will occur when there is more heat inside the reactor core than that being removed by any coolant mechanism that are put in place. If this does happen then the nuclear fuel will literally melt causing it to melt through the reactor. This will result in damage to the reactor core and a possibility of the fuel escaping the reactor, but nuclear reactors are contained within a containment structure that is designed to prevent any radioactive material from contaminating the atmosphere and allowing coolant to be pumped into the structure. This only becomes an issue when the containment structure is damaged as was the case during the Fukushima earthquakes, with the exception of natural disasters modern nuclear power plants are designed with the up most safety in mind and have many different precautions in place to prevent and exposure and risk to the general public. Control rods are one of the best designed safety features within a nuclear reactor, they are designed to avoid any rapid increase in reactor core temperatures. When fuel temperatures rise to a temperature at which coolant will be contaminated and need to be ejected, the control rod safety mechanism kicks in. They are designed to slow the neutron flux with in the reactor, much like the moderator does, and hence slow down the rate of energy generation so that coolant can carry heat away without the risk of contamination. Systems are in place so that this precaution is activated immediately when any reactor threat is detected. This safety measure reduces the risk of any radioactive material being ejected via cooling systems. In fact studies suggest that exposure to radioactive sources due to nuclear power stations and nuclear fuel plants are less than 0.1% of human annual exposure to radiation, this can be seen from figure 1. So although there is a high chance of radioactive contamination the safety mechanism that are in place prevent this risks from occurring and keeping exposure down to a minimum. Figure 2- Figures showing annual sources of radiation exposure [4] With this in mind although there are danger risks when considering nuclear fuel as a replacement for fossil fuels, the number of design features installed to prevent this is more than adequate to ensure the safety of the technology. Proliferation concerns One concern with Nuclear power is not the safety risks of the power station or the waste they produce but instead that enrichment facilities can produce Uranium that is enriched for use in nuclear weapons. This is much a concern in the developing world where governments are not as stable and it would not take long for a fuel enrichment facility to start producing weapons grade uranium. Renewable energy sources So far we have looked at some of the pros and cons of nuclear power and it seems like a viable alternative to fossil fuels, but technological advances have allowed renewable energy sources to become a viable option for industrial production of energy. Renewable sources of energy cant produce energy on the scales that nuclear power plants can but they do not suffer from the contamination complications that nuclear power does. Solar power Solar power exploits natures biggest source of energy the sun, which outputs a massive 3.8410^26W [5] of which we receive 1.7410^17 W or 1.366kW/m^2 [6]. This is a huge amount of energy to exploit and an obvious choice for renewable energy because the sun is expected to remain in the sky for the next four and a half billion years. This seemingly perfect candidate for energy production seems relatively unused as solar power accounts for just 0.9% [7] of worlds energy production. One of the main issues with solar technology is the photovoltaic cell, this being the standard solar panel technology, it has a relatively low efficiency and as a result the amount of energy outputted does not represent the full potential from the energy put in, also with the sun being an intermittent energy source, the only way photovoltaic cells can produce energy at nights is with the use of large banks of batteries, which are expensive and an environmental hazard. There are seemingly new technologies creeping into the solar market, much simpler than the photovoltaic cell and much more efficient. One such technology is the solar tower. The solar tower uses a large field of heliostats which are mirrors that track the sun to focus the suns light on a single point which is a central tower. The central tower uses the heat supplied to drive a steam turbine capable of generating between 10 and 100 MW (dependant on the number of mirrors), for example the PS10 solar power plant in Spain uses 624 heliostats to generate 11MW and is still being constructed[8]. This may seem like a small amount of energy but a larger area solar power tower could provide much more energy, by increasing the area of the plant, by increasing the number of heliostats. One such project is currently under way in the Mojave desert which covers 4000 acres and aims to generate enough electricity to power the city of San Francisco [9]. Unlike Photovoltaic cells solar power towers hav e the capability of producing energy at night. When the suns energy is focused on the central tower some of the heat which is used to drive the turbines is also used to heat salts to molten temperatures in excess of 200 C, molten salts can keep their temperature very well if insulated properly, and when required can be pumped through the turbine to generate steam to generate electricity [10]. Given enough time Solar power could become a replacement for fossil fuel energy production, but in the meantime it suffers from high initial costs, a large carbon footprint and a lack of backing. Currently Spain appears to be the pioneers of this technology and have already constructed numerous solar power towers including PS10 as discussed earlier. Wind power One by-product of the suns energy that has yet to be mentioned is that it supplies energy into the atmosphere causing temperature and pressure differences, this produces a bulk movement of air molecules resulting in the wind. The wind is a much more exploited energy source compared to solar power, with wind power producing 2.5% of the worlds electricity[11]. Wind power generates electricity in a very similar manner to a conventional power generator, but instead of using water as a fluid to turn a turbine, the wind is the fluid that turns the turbine. Although there is a significant amount of power available in the wind not all of it can be extracted and a theoretical limit has been calculated for the amount of energy that can be [12]. This limit means that 59.3% of energy in the wind can be used for energy generation. In reality much less than this is extracted because wind is not a uniform medium and as such suffers from intermittency issues similar to solar power, in that wind is not a constantly accessible resource. Hydroelectric Power One already established form of renewable energy is Hydroelectricity, the generation of energy using the conversion of gravitational potential energy of falling water through a turbine. Its currently the 4th largest form of power generation behind coal, gas and nuclear power producing 20% of the worlds current electricity demands [13]. Interestingly though Hydroelectricity has been exploited in the 1st world, with almost all possible sites being developed for hydroelectricity, its only in the developing world where hydroelectricity could be utilized to improve renewable energy generation, this would explain why it is the 4th largest energy provider [13]. Unlike wind power and solar power, hydroelectric power does not suffer from intermittency issues. The idea behind a hydroelectric dam is that it uses the water at a higher gravitational potential to fall through a turbine generating electricity. When there is a smaller demand for electricity the flow rate can be reduced and the reservoir can be used to store excess water, this provides the dam with water on demand, which is a unique feature of hydroelectric power. Three gorges dam in china is a fantastic example of a 21st century hydroelectric plant, for reference it is capable of producing 22500MW [14] this is greater than 100 times the amount of energy produced by a solar power tower, and 5 times more energy than the largest nuclear power stations, so obviously hydroelectric dams are useful and utilizable replacement for fossil fuels. Hydroelectricity does have its environmental faults, and is probably the most hazardous of the renewable power sources. In order to construct a hydroelectric plan a large enough volume of water is required with a big enough drop for potential energy conversion to warrant building a hydroelectric plant. To do this a river must be dammed which upriver will flood a large area of land, this causes huge amounts of destruction to natural habitats, downriver there is a chance that drinking water is contaminated which has obvious human impacts. Conclusion on energy types We have discussed the different aspects of nuclear power and many different types of renewable energy sources. It is my opinion that despite certain renewable already being established they have still not reached their potential to replace fossil fuels, especially with certain intermittent issues and as a result are not ready to replace fossil fuels. On the other hand, while renewable sources develop into a more viable energy source nuclear power is ready to replace fossil fuels in the interim. If we compare energy production it would appear as if hydroelectric dams are the best option, but as discussed all sites in the developed world have been exploited and for comparison nuclear power stations are still being built as many possible sites still exist. Despite its safety issues and the non-renewable nature of nuclear fuel, nuclear power is capable of producing a steady supply of power that will meet demands upon request. In reality there is no one replacement for fossil fuels, as a society we have created a huge dependence on them and it is going to require a mixture of different power sources in order to develop a secure energy future and as a result our future probably lies with renewable energies and nuclear energies working in conjunction with each other. References 1. Deutch J.M et al, Future of Nuclear Power, An interdisciplinary MIT study, 2009, page 1. 2. El-Asjry M. et al, Renewable energy policy network for the 21st century, REN21, 2010, page 9. 3. Falk J. Bodman R.,Uranium Enrichment, Energy Science, November 2006, page 2. 3b. Power and technology, Full statistics of turbine energy generation, http://www.power-technology.com/projects/kashiwazaki/, accessed 16 April 2011. 4. Nuclear safety, The institution of engineering and technology, 2006, page 3. 5. Zeilik M. et al, Introductory Astronomy and Astrophysics, Saunders college publications, 1992, page G-11. 6. Wilson R. C., and Mordvinov A. V., Secular total solar irradiance trend during cycles 21-23, Geophys. Res. Lett, 2003, page 1199. 7. Wirman C., Electrical power annual: generation, US energy information administration, 2009, page 3. 8. Garcia-Sobrinos G., Tower of Power, Civil engineering, 2009, page 42-49. 9. Zook D., County supervisor concerned by Brightsource Mega Solar Project Impacts calls for a full review, Best Syndication News, 2011. 10. Barth D., Development of a High Temperature, Long-Shafted, Molten-Salt Pump for Power Tower Applications, Journal of Solar Energy Engineering, 2002 11. Ragheb M., Wind Power Systems:Harvesting the Wind, College of Engineering University of Illinois, 2011. 12. Gijs A.M. van Kuik, The Lanchester-Betz-Joukowsky Limit, Wind Energy Journals, 2007, 10:289-291 13. Hydropower and the Worlds Energy Future, International energy agency publication, 2000, update 2009. 14. Fabian A., Taming the Yangtze, IET publications, 2009.

Should Surrogate Motherhood be Allowed? Essay -- essays research paper

Surrogate Motherhood is when one women carries to term the fertilized egg of another woman. This procedure is chosen by married couples who can not conceive a child in the â€Å"natural way†. In some occasions the mother may be able to produce an egg, but has no womb or some other physical problem which prevents her from carrying a child. Whether or not the husband can produce a large amount of sperm is not a problem. Once the egg and sperm are combined in a petri dish fertilization is very likely to occur. The couple will then choose a surrogate mother and make an agreement in which she will carry the baby and release it to the genetic parents after the birth. There are four different kinds of surrogacy arrangements. Total Surrogacy is when the woman bears a child that has been formed from the gametes of another woman and man and implanted in her body. Partial Surrogacy occurs when the birth mother contributes the ovum and the sperm is introduced by artificial insemination. She is a biological parent of the child. Commercial Surrogacy means a business-like transaction where a fee is charged for the incubation period. Lastly, there is a Non-Commercial Surrogacy in which there is no formal contract or any payment to the birth mother. It is usually an arrangement between close friends or family members.(1-10) There is no federal policy on the issue of surrogacy, all fifty states have been left to decide theses issues themselves and create their own policies. The majority of the states have not yet legislated on this subject. Those states that have taken positions differ greatly from one another, such as California and Virginia, who have taken opposing viewpoints California is the state that is the most sympathetic to the genetic parents. Under California law surrogacy agreements are enforceable and the genetic parents are given all legal parental rights to the child. In Virginia, all legal parental rights to the child are given to the surrogate mother. Who is the legal mother? In the case of Johnson v. Calvert, in Virginia, the surrogate mother was found to be the legal mother of the child. If this case would have taken place in California, the biological mother is the legal mother. So it really depends on which state the act of surrogacy is taking place to name the legal mother. Are contracts for surrogate motherhood enforceable under American law? Again, i... ... both expert medical and psychological evaluations. Another major question that arises is whether or not the commissioning parents have the right to tell surrogate mother how to live? Can the couple ban smoking, control alcohol, and other substance intake? These issues need to be taken into mind before choosing a surrogate mother and needs to be stated in the contract.(1-2) In conclusion, surrogate motherhood raises many legal and ethical dilemmas, especially that of who the legal mother is. Surrogate motherhood dramatically alters society norms and creates many different legal viewpoints. But no matter which legal body is dealing with this issue, they all face the same moral and ethical dilemma: that a child born out of surrogacy has a bond with both the genetic mother and the surrogate mother. The bond between these two women and this child is permanent and cannot be changed by law. The law can only govern which woman has the legal right to raise the child. Works Cited Centre Points, Volume 1, No. 1, Article #2, Surrogate Motherhood and its Human Costs, Suzanne Rozell Scorsone, Ph.D. ;1-2 Johnson v. Calvert, 5 Cal. 4th 84, 851p.2d 776, 19 Cal. Rptr. 2d 494 (1993); 1-10

Why Wealth and Status Dont Play a Key Role in Jane and Mr. Rochesters Relationship :: Jane Eyre Wealth Social Status Essays

Why Wealth and Status Don't Play a Key Role in Jane and Mr. Rochester's Relationship "My bride is here because my equal is here, and my likeness. Jane, will you marry me?" When one talks about marriage in the Victorian society, wealth and status is first considered. Love comes last or, more often, it is never considered. In the novel Jane Eyre, the relationship between Mr. Rochester and Jane is quite different. This is clearly shown when Blanche Ingram changes her mind about marrying Mr. Rochester, preparations for Jane's abortive first marriage, their attraction for each other without the presence of money, and when Jane inherits money and she makes a surprising move. The importance of wealth and status in Victorian marriage is immense. In Victorian England parents made their girls marry men from similar wealth and position. If a woman did marry purely for love and not for wealth she risked a life of poverty, homelessness, and hunger. This factor can also be seen in Jane Eyre, because Jane's mother was married to a poor clergyman against the will of her father. She married purely for love and therefore risked a life of being poor. This was almost a punishment for Jane's mother as she married against her father's will and only married for love. Wealth and status is also important in the novel Jane Eyre, although they are important in different aspects of the novel and important to different people. There are two opposing views. Blanche Ingram, a very spiteful character is going to marry Mr. Rochester because of his wealth but when she is called to the gypsy to find out her future, she "finds out" that he is not as rich as he seems and therefore cancels all plans to marry him. "She (Blanche) considers the Rochester estate eligible to the last degree; though I told her something on that point about an hour ago which made her look wondrous grave".1 However there is another view to the importance of wealth and status. Jane Eyre, the main character says, "Were I a gentleman like him, I would take to my bosom only such a wife as I could love".2 Money and status are not important to her. In her opinion marriage should not be an act of convenience. During the preparations for Jane's abortive first marriage, Mr. Rochester wants to buy Jane expensive items e.g. clothes and jewels. Jane has no intention of buying expensive jewels and clothes, as they are not important to her. She says, "Oh, sir! - never mind jewels! I don't like to hear them spoken of. Jewels for Jane Eyre sound

A Clean Well Lighted Place Analysis Essay

A Clean Well Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway is a cryptic short story about a deaf man in a bar late at night with the waiter getting frustrated with him because he wishes to go home. The dialogue slowly turns to two waiters who inject a symbolic exchange. This entire piece of full of symbology and is in my opinion a story up the the interpretation of each individual reader. â€Å"In the daytime the street was dusty, but at night the dew settled the dust and the old man liked to sit late because he was deaf and now at night it was quiet and he felt the difference. In this sequence we see the first comparison made between light and darkness, and we see the daytime being described as dusty and the in the night the dew eliminated the dust. This state of moistness or lubrication perhaps represents a state of mental lubrication, free from the dullness of the day. It’s also interesting that a deaf man would be able to tell the difference between the sounds of the day and sounds of the night. In my opinion this means that at night when it’s expected to be desolate the man feels more at home than he does in the daytime when there is expected to be commotion. â€Å"Last week he tried to commit suicide,† one waiter said. â€Å"Why? † â€Å"He was in despair. † â€Å"What about? † â€Å"Nothing. † â€Å"How do you know it was nothing? † â€Å"He has plenty of money. â€Å"† This is a humorous dialogue about the condition of money vs happiness. The man is described as being in despair, but yet they know now what he has to be despaired about if he has means to provide him happiness. However they do not see the true ironic sadness of the situation. A old man is sitting alone in a cafe at night downing shots of brandy. It is obvious to the reader that the old man does not have a very pleasant life. They sat together at a table that was close against the wall near the door of the cafe and looked at the terrace where the tables were all empty except where the old man sat in the shadow of the leaves of the tree that moved slightly in the wind. A girl and a soldier went by in the street. The street light shone on the brass number on his collar. The girl wore no head covering and hurried beside him. † This is the second time the â€Å"shadow of the leaves of the tree† is mentioned, this is demonstrative by the author that this is important and essential symbology to understand. Obviously the eaves can produce no real shadow since it’s night, however since it is under an electric light the leaves produce a false shadow from a false light. The legal definition of false light is a â€Å"portrayal that is highly offense to a reasonable person† but not so much so that it’s defamation. This allows the old man sitting there to perhaps portray himself as offensive to the waiter, as we will see in a later exchange, but not so much so that he defames himself. The man is also able to view from the terrace the soldier and the women passing by. This might be the man looking down and reminiscing on memories of old. Another exchange that struck me was between the two waits discussing the events of the attempted suicide of the man. â€Å"†He’s drunk now,† he said. â€Å"He’s drunk every night. † â€Å"What did he want to kill himself for? † â€Å"How should I know. † â€Å"How did he do it? † â€Å"He hung himself with a rope. † â€Å"Who cut him down? † â€Å"His niece. † â€Å"Why did they do it? † â€Å"Fear for his soul. † â€Å"How much money has he got? † â€Å"He’s got plenty. † This exchange shows the audience the severity of this mans drinking, and drinking almost goes without symbology itself as an expression of relieving anything from stress, to recreation, to wallowing in pity. They again fail to recognize the plight and sorrow this man has, they suffer from a delusion that this man’s great wealth brings him joy and happiness, however again we can tell that it doesn’t. The waiter’s also state that the man’s niece who came and saved him did so out of fear for his soul, not fear for his life, but fear for his soul. To me this is indicative that this man’s life is in such a sorrowful that it’s not worth saving, but his soul is all that remains of him, and the only thing that is worth saving of him. Again we see in the continued dialogue between the two waiters, and we see the more they speak the more they reveal about this man. They also continue to speak about him in a false light, that is being offensive without defamation. â€Å"†He stays up because he likes it. † â€Å"He’s lonely. I’m not lonely. I have a wife waiting in bed for me. † â€Å"He had a wife once too. † â€Å"A wife would be no good to him now. † â€Å"You can’t tell. He might be better with a wife. † â€Å"His niece looks after him. You said she cut him down. † â€Å"I know. † â€Å"I wouldn’t want to be that old. An old man is a nasty thing. † â€Å"Not always. This old man is clean. He drinks without spilling. Even now, drunk. Look at him. † â€Å"I don’t want to look at him. I wish he would go home. He has no regard for those who must work. † The man stays up late because he is lonely, and had a wife, but the other waiter speaks of him in a false light because he says â€Å"A wife would be no good to him now† which would be in my opinion considered offensive. They also speak ill of his age, however the other waiter defends him by saying he is clean and doesn’t spill, even while drunk. Being clean represents the man exercising a lack of vulgarity, and he is civilized and dignified by not spilling, even in a compromised state of being intoxicated. They also continue to be offensive to him by one of the waiters stating â€Å"I don’t want to look at him. I wish he would go home. He has no regard for those who must work† The exchange between the two waiters further reveal the reason and life behind the lonely man in the cafe. â€Å"†Why didn’t you let him stay and drink? † the unhurried waiter asked. They were putting up the shutters. â€Å"It is not half-past two. â€Å"†I want to go home to bed. † â€Å"What is an hour? † â€Å"More to me than to him. † â€Å"An hour is the same. â€Å" â€Å"You talk like an old man yourself. He can buy a bottle and drink at home. † â€Å"It’s not the same. â€Å"No, it is not,† agreed the waiter with a wife. He did not wish to be unjust. He was only in a hurry. â€Å"And you? You have no fear of going home before your usual hour? † â€Å"Are you trying to insult me? † â€Å"No, hombre, only to make a joke. † â€Å"No,† the waiter who was in a hurry said, rising from pulling down the metal shutters. â€Å"I have confidence. I am all confidence. † â€Å"You have youth, confidence, and a job,† the older waiter said. â€Å"You have everything. † â€Å"And what do you lack? † â€Å"Everything but work. † â€Å"You have everything I have. † â€Å"No. I have never had confidence and I am not young. † â€Å"Come on. Stop talking nonsense and lock up. † â€Å"I am of those who like to stay late at the cafe,† the older waiter said. â€Å"With all those who do not want to go to bed. With all those who need a light for the night. † â€Å"I want to go home and into bed. † The hurried waiter speaks that he wishes to leave so he can get some sleep, and they reveal that the extra hour saved by the waiter meant more to the man than it did to the waiter. The two waiter’s eventually get into the topic of having youth and confidence, where one states that he has great confidence and youth and the other says he has never had confidence and is not young. This statement reveals more about the nature of the old man, showing that the old man lacked youth and confidence that he used to have, and drinks to regain what’s left of his dignity and pride, as demonstrated earlier. The older waiter also states that he doesn’t desire to leave earlier, as to provide a sebastion of hope and light for those who need it, like the deaf man. The waiter thinking to himself while sitting at the bar shows us the real reason why the deaf man tries to commit suicide, and the real reason why a clean and well-lighted place is needed in the middle of the night. Turning off the electric light he continued the conversation with himself. It was the light of course but it is necessary that the place be clean and pleasant. You do not want music. Certainly you do not want music. Nor can you stand before a bar with dignity although that is all that is provided for these hours. What did he fear? It was not a fear or dread. It was a nothing that he knew too well. It was all a nothing and a man was a nothing too. It was only that and light was all it needed and a certain cleanness and order. Some lived in it and never felt it but he knew it all was nada y pues nada y nada y pues nada. We see here now that the man wanted to end his life because it was nothing and he was nothing, and that a empty hollowness that he had. He did not despair and was not in grief, but simply felt an emptiness and only a clean well-lit place such as this cafe provided. In closing we find the older waiter conversing with himself â€Å"He disliked bars and bodegas. A clean, well-lighted cafe was a very different thing. Now, without thinking further, he would go home to his room. He would lie in the bed and finally, with daylight, he would go to sleep. After all, he said to himself, it’s probably only insomnia. Many must have it. † We find here that this older waiter does to some extent feel the same emptiness as the old man does. He find the daylight as a time to sleep, opposite of normal. He finds the daytime as a lack of activity, and the night as a time for activity. The waiter is in some ways institutionalized and imprisoned to the service of those who feel empty. After all of this we find the significance of all of this imagery and symbolism we see the story of a man whose life has essentially finished it’s course, only that his heart remains beating. We see a man who is often looked down upon because of the extent of his drinking and is seen in a â€Å"false light†. We find a man who does not drink to forget or drink to remember or drink because he is in sorrow or grief, but he drinks because of nothing. He drinks because he feels nothing and experiences nothing. We find that his wife and days of youth and confidence have left him and not he has absolutely nothing. This man and many others like this find cafe’s such as this one that are clean and well-lit to be bastions and beacons of hope to those who have this feeling of nothingness.