Compare and Contrast What You Know About the Characters and Lives of Nancy Lammeter Cass and Dolly Winthrop Essay Example

Compare and Contrast What You Know About the Characters and Lives of Nancy Lammeter Cass and Dolly Winthrop Essay George Eliot offers a very rich portrait of nineteenth century rural life in Silas Marner. A key part of the picture focuses on the female characters of Raveloe, the village in which the plot of Silas Marner unfolds. Both in terms of character, social standing, and everyday experiences, two of the principle female characters, Nancy Lammeter Cass and Dolly Winthorp are very different in terms of their social standing and experiences, yet they are both caring and good-hearted women in their own respect. Of the two women, Nancy is the more physically attractive of the two. Her status determines that she in gentile and quite well-born within the rural community. Her family is wealthy by Raveloe standards and, although there is little evidence that Nancy is either well-educated or cultured, she is somewhat sophisticated in terms of her moral code. Dolly Winthorp is the wife of a wheelwright, which determines that she is working class and, certainly in comparison to Nancy, decidedly poor. Unlike Nancy, Dolly is also a mother, not only to Aaron, but in essence, to Eppie as well. Whereas Nancy provides for herself and, eventually, for her husband a strict code of values in an effort to achieve goodness, Dolly helps Silas Marner to raise Eppie in addition to caring for her own family. While Nancy’s moral code forbids her to adopt a child that is not her own, Dolly not only adopts Eppie in practice, becoming a sort of surrogate mother, she also lends Silas the emotional support of a co-parent and spouse in the context of his efforts to raise Eppie. We will write a custom essay sample on Compare and Contrast What You Know About the Characters and Lives of Nancy Lammeter Cass and Dolly Winthrop specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Compare and Contrast What You Know About the Characters and Lives of Nancy Lammeter Cass and Dolly Winthrop specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Compare and Contrast What You Know About the Characters and Lives of Nancy Lammeter Cass and Dolly Winthrop specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer While Silas Marner is distrustful and reclusive towards the beginning of the novel, prior to Eppie’s arrival, Dolly Winthorp is the essential epitomy of faith. She provides instinctive faiths that contrast’s Silas’ own distrust of God and mankind. More than Nancy, however, Dolly not only maintains a strong faith and follows a code of living that makes her a good person, she serves the community and actively cares for others. Nancy, when she initially appears in the novel, is both immature and misguided in her principles. Her introduction reveals as much about her character but also suggests what is to be her salvation. In chapter three, for example, it is revealed that Godfrey â€Å"a fine open-faced, good-natured young man who was to come into the land some day† (Chapter 3, p. 2), may lose Nancy’s affection if he behaves in the same way as his brother; â€Å"for it was well known that she had looked very shyly on him ever since last Whitsuntide twelvemonth† (Chapter 3, p. 2). What this extract also tells of Nancy is that she inherits from her family a very strict code to living: the Lammeters are â€Å"brought up in that way that they never suffered a pinch of salt to be wasted, and yet everybody in their household had of the best, according to his place†. It is also said that Nancy would be â€Å"a saving to the old Squire, if she never brought a penny to her fortune; for i t was to be feared that, notwithstanding his incomings, there were more holes in his pocket than the one where he put his own hand† (Chapter 3, p. 3). In chapter ten there is a portrait of Dolly Winthrop that truly demonstrates her difference from Nancy. She is described as being â€Å"in all respects a woman of scrupulous conscience† and unlike Nancy, â€Å"so eager for duties that life seemed to offer them too scantily unless she rose at half-past four, though this threw a scarcity of work over the more advanced hours of the morning, which it was a constant problem with her to remove† (Chapter 10, p. 4). She is also described as â€Å"very mild† and â€Å"patient† and â€Å"comfortable woman†. While Nancy and Dolly are both formidable women and, in their own ways, both caring and devout, Dolly manifests her caring and faith in actions designed to help others; Nancy, until she forgives her husband and shows him sympathy regarding Eppie and his earlier indiscretions, is rather grave and exacting to the point of being supercilious. Ultimately, George Eliot shows the power of actions and the significance of sympathy and forgiveness throughout Silas Marner. In her presentation of Nancy Lammeter Cass and Dolly Winthrop, these themes continue to be presented.

Relationship between Media Coverage and Social and Environmental Issues

Relationship between Media Coverage and Social and Environmental Issues Free Online Research Papers Media denotes a section or form of communication channels that is intended to get in touch with a very large audience such as the population of nation or state. Examples include newspapers, magazines, books, televisions radios and the internet. It serves various constructive purposes such as advocating both for business and social concerns, entertainment, and public service announcements. Media also has negative characteristics some of which include the inability to transmit tacit knowledge, manipulation of large groups of people through its outlets, biasness and its inability to act as peoples’ watchdog to wrongs happening in the society. The population covered by media consists of people with diversified characters, opinions, educational backgrounds, and religion. The influence of media to people in a given population- their social, political, environmental, economic and religious issues- is therefore quite variable. Social issues are matters directly or indirectly affecting many or all members of the society and may be considered as societal problems, moral degraders or both. Some examples include poverty, violence, abortion, rape and social injustice. Environmental issues on the other hand are those changes in the environmental conditions which directly or indirectly affect the society such as global warming, climate change, pollution, loss of biodiversity, etcetera. The media has a social and moral obligation to highlight these issues and help in mitigating them if not totally curbing them. This paper describes both negative and positive nature of the relationship between media coverage and social and environmental issues within the perceptual and contextual role of media in contemporary society. The writer assumes that media has continued to maintain a positive relationship with both social and environmental issues facing the society despite its false starts. Man is a social being and cannot exist on his own. He has to depend on others for co-existence. This mutual relationship with others brings forth the aspect of society. Due to the fact that people are of different characters, co-existence portends social problems whose magnitudes depend on how the society copes with them. This is the point where the media comes in. Media are business entities out to make profits (Kiousis McCombs 142). This drive leads them into selecting topics suitable in improving their business through strategies like maintaining their audience by appealing to them. This fact has been stressed further by the agenda setting theory of media which claims that media does not direct people into what to think, but what to think about (Kiousis McCombs 142). This role conflicts with media as a watchdog to and an instrument of fighting social norms. Some social issues which may have a more significant impact on the society are not reported extensively whereas others whic h may not be as important or even negative to societal existence are reported accurately with extensive coverage or sensation resulting in moral panic. Mass media, especially television, has also contributed to some social evils like violence through broadcast of programs which are violent in nature like wrestling or episodes of unnecessary wars. The effect of this has been found to affect severely the children and the youth as depicted in the media’s effect cultivation theory. This theory, developed by George Gerbner, has in its fundamental claim that persistent long-term exposure to television content has little but measurable effects on the perceptual worlds of audience members (Entman 121-122). Gerbner further claims that heavy television viewing creates an exaggerated belief in a â€Å"mean and scary world† and that television has surpassed religion as the key storyteller of our culture (Carrie Bonds 56). The theory is most famous for its applications to the correlations between media violence and violent behavior and according to Gerbner, the children, elderly, African-Americans, Latinos, women and the less educ ated are often the victims of television violence (Bryant Zillman 46-7). Television is not a reflection of the world but a world in itself and a kind of modern day religion that affects every aspect of social life of its audience. People cultivate perceptions of reality by television, meaning that they make assumptions about others, places and things from fictional sitcoms, soap operas, dramas and television news all of which have direct impact on social decisions and actions (Gerbner et al, 17-40). From fictional sitcoms, people tend to take the fiction in them seriously and even go to an extent of reflecting them on their life. From soap operas, they take the stage acting as a real life situation; many envying to live the ‘movie superstar’s life’ forgetting that it is only stage managed. Dramas have similar effects too while the effect of the news is variable depending on its content and area of coverage. For instance, news showing people striking or demonst rating for their rights ends up spreading the message that striking and demonstrating are the solutions to oppression and decaying societal morals. If such news receives countrywide coverage, mass revolts may be opted for instead of conventional democratic processes and political dialogues. The repetitive nature of mass-produced messages and images forms the conventional symbolic environment that people base their perceptions on. For example, most of television programs are commercially designed to be watched by nearly everyone in a moderately nonselective fashion. This design is aimed at widening the target audience. Newsprints and radio programs may also have the same strategy. These strategies cultivate the very predispositions and preferences that used to be acquired from other primary sources like parental counseling and are largely contributed by the continuous absence of parents to preoccupy their children with other activities and to monitor their habits of utilizing the mass media. Children who watch violent television programs like wrestling end up being violent and aggressive in schools (UCLA Center for Communication Policy par 2-14). Later in life, they become more prone to being on the wrong side of law. They grow seeing incidences of violence in these prog rams whose effects are gradual. At first, they may not be influenced much but as time elapses, they unconsciously start engaging in violence when faced with some situations since their minds are already preformed to think that violence can solve problems better. In fact, in 1993, at a conference of the National Council for Families and Television, it was estimated that 10% of the violence in the United States result from television viewing (UCLA Center for Communication Policy par 2-14). Television violence incidences forms a necessary part of plot and character development accurately portraying real life and it is responsible for actual violence in society, a diehard social issue in many societies. Social moral decadence has also been compromised to some extent by the media. When the society gets exposed to some other cultures through the mass media, their moral values become affected. This effect is more rampant in developing countries in the East and in Sub-Saharan Africa where western culture has been of great influence to the youth propagated by the mass media whose coverage extends that far. Western hip-hop music which seems to glorify social evils like adultery, demeaning the feminine as sexual pet, fornication and use of vulgar language is of great impact to the youths who tend to give a try to whatever they hear or see. Evidently, the youths’ modes of dressing have changed from decent wear to scanty clothes whereas cases of premarital pregnancies have been on the rise ostensibly perpetuated by glorification of sex. To this effect the media which is supposed to be the societal guider in maintaining morals and preventing social evils, acts contrarily by promoting t hem. The role of media in propagating environmental issues is an area of concern to many who view it as a champion of societal good. Media coverage has in many instances failed in sensitizing environmental issues facing the society such as global warming, climatic change and resource depletion, loss of biodiversity, pollution, land degradation and global dimming. Instead of having enlightening coverage of the issues, they make them a liberal versus conservative or science vs. scientific hype issues (Boykoff Boykoff par 1-10). Instead of doing analysis, they drive the issues into political discussions, because they draw better media ratings from making politics out of virtually everything that is contentious. Environmental issues are real and usually find their way into the media, but only in ways that are not so important. They are relegated to the periphery of importance compared to all other topics of media coverage (Kester, 2008). Most media channels do not comprehend the consequences of environmental relapse until the society is faced with them in such a way there is a radical change in the lifestyles of the people. This reflects the fact that many modern journalists find environmental issues unrealistic and not worthy of descriptions that endear journalists to their clients. The old aspirations of journalists to report societal ills and imbalances are equated with words like fairness, accuracy, balance, comprehensiveness and truth only if these describe the more important aspects of news coverage of which environment is not as appealing until its issues are grave. In terms of arising issues, journalists are taught to abide by the norm of balance; identifying the most prevailing, widespread positions and then telling both sides of the story. Balance aims at attaining neutrality. It requires that reporters present the views of legitimate spokespersons of the conflicting sides in any significant dispute, and provide both sides with roughly equal attention. Balanced coverage does not, however, always mean accurate coverage. In terms of environmental issues, balance may allow skepticism. Many skeptics most of whom have vested interests in environmental issues or are not able to appreciate environmental responsibility opting for other forms detrimental to it, use every coverage opportunity to take control of the media (Boykoff Boykoff par 1-10). This is exemplified in the case where carbon based industries fund environmental skeptics to come up with theories contradicting the known causes of global warming in a desperate move to keep themselves in business. On the positive, media coverage can be praised for its efforts in counteracting some social and environmental issues. Mass media coverage promotes civic education to the society; teaching people about their civic rights and enabling them to understand their leaders and the government better (Anderson Meyer 67). Through such coverage, social issues such as injustice, suppression of human rights, social or gender discrimination and affirmative action have been well and clearly highlighted in the society promoting democracy and a unified community whereby all people are equal as per the provisions of their country constitutions. Without civic education, people fail to know their constitutional rights and are likely to be oppressed. Media comes first as the most trusted institution by many people even before judiciary or the government in contemporary society. Due to this, mass media has for a long time been the people’s watchdog; monitoring the government and its agents, other agencies and peer journalistic establishments in their activities. As a result, social issues like corruption have been reduced in places where effective media exist. Nowadays, people have become busy in their jobs and businesses thereby giving little regard to social development of their children on issues like sex education and drug control. This can also be attributed to the fact that some parents fear their children reaction when they initiate these topics. Mass media has been left as the only tool for teaching these topics on a neutral ground evidential in many counseling programs in media broadcasts. Counseling programs do not only benefit the children. Parents also have their share on late night programs which target societal issues like marriages, sex education, societal relationships and politics. In so doing, media coverage helps in providing the necessary information to them on these topics and thus mitigating the long term effects of such societal issues. Media also has played its role as a gatekeeper; mediating the flow of messages by incorporating a diverse and unbiased range of political perspectives and social actors. Through this role, the media facilitates conflict managements which are serious social issues facing many countries. For example, the resigned acceptance in Russia, ethnic violence in Kenya and protests in Turkey and Mexico, the political turmoil and cholera crisis in Zimbabwe, the middle east crisis and many more. Mass media as people’s watchdog has been monitoring government concern toward environment by covering its environmental crusades and since the government needs to appeal to its citizens, it has continually intervened in instances where environmental degradation threatens the very comfort of its citizens. This has somewhat minimized most environmental crises around the world. Media coverage on environmental issues like draughts, pollution and environmental degradation has helped to highlight areas of the environment that are seriously affected. This coverage attract the attention of ‘would be problems solvers’ like the non governmental organizations (NGOs) or community based organizations (CBOs) and other advocates of environmental sanity and sustainability who could not have known the magnitude of the problems had the media not highlighted them. The extensive coverage of the mass media in almost all regions is due to the fact that most media houses have reporters based at grass root levels and who are primary witnesses of devastating societal disregard for environmental responsibility, circumstances that they sometimes report with a passion. During crises like droughts, famine or any other serious environmental or social issue, media coverage plays a significant role in organizing well wishers who are ready to help in such situations. As an example, following the recent draughts and escalating prices of consumer goods early this year, Kenyan media houses hit international news headlines by organizing one of the most successful campaign of its kind in history dubbed Kenya in twenty four hours, whereby well able citizens dropped off food donations at strategic points during the stipulated twenty four hours. These donations were later forwarded to specific NGOs for distribution. In such a case, media coverage played an important role in highlighting the plight of the less fortunate and organizing the citizens towards their rescue. Conclusion The role of media coverage on social and environmental issues remains central to its measure of strength in serving the society. The population covered by media consists of people with diversified characters, opinions, educational backgrounds, and religion and thus the influence of media on them varies as a function of how effective the coverage is the kind of media in use and what the journalists consider profitable and appropriate for its client audience. Media has negative as well as positive characteristics. Its negative characteristics are exemplified in its inability to transmit tacit knowledge, manipulation of large groups of people through its outlets, biasness and its inability to act as peoples’ watchdog to wrongs happening in the society while on the positive, media acts as the watchdog on social and environmental enlightener and as a gatekeeper to societal virtues. Evidences adduced herein suggests that, in reality, the show of media systems frequently fall far s hort of lofty desires, with important costs for the workings of the civic sphere and the general society. Whereas the media has faltered in many instances in its core coverage roles, it is also important to note that it has continue to maintain a positive relationship with both social and environmental issues facing the society. Boykoff, J. Boykoff, M. ‘Journalistic Balance as Global Warming Bias: Creating controversy where science finds consensus’. In FAIR. (2004). Retrieved 01 April 2009 from fair.org/index.php?page=21extra_issue_id=138 Bryant, J. Zillman, D. Perspectives on media effects. Hilldale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1986. Carrie, P Bonds, J. Cultivations of Reality through Television. University of South Carolina Press, 1999. Entman, R. M. ‘Framing public life: Perspectives on media and our understanding of the social world’. Political Communication, 23.1(2006):121-122. Gerbner, G., Gross, L., Morgan, M., Signorielli, N. Living with television: The dynamics of the cultivation process. In J. Bryant D. Zillman (Eds), Perspectives on media effects, (1986). (17-40). Hilldale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Kester, Will. ‘Assessing the US media coverage of global warming’. Helium. 2008. Retrieved 01 April 2009 from Kiousis, S., McCombs, M. ‘Agenda Setting Study: Agenda Setting effects and strength’. MT Journal Nr (2003, March): p. 142. UCLA Center for Communication Policy. The UCLA Television Violence Report 1997. Retrieved 01 April 2009 from Wober, Mallory. The use and abuse of television: A social psychological analysis of the changing screen. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc, 1988. Research Papers on Relationship between Media Coverage and Social and Environmental IssuesEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesPETSTEL analysis of IndiaMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XThree Concepts of Psychodynamic

The Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean Overview

The Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean Overview The Gulf Stream is a strong, fast moving, warm ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows into the Atlantic Ocean. It makes up a portion of the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre. The majority of the Gulf Stream is classified as a western boundary current. This means that it is a current with behavior determined by the presence of a coastline - in this case, the eastern United States and Canada - and is found on the western edge of an oceanic basin. Western boundary currents are normally very warm, deep, and narrow currents that carry water from the tropics to the poles. The Gulf Stream was first discovered in 1513 by the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon and was then used extensively by Spanish ships as they traveled from the Caribbean to Spain. In 1786, Benjamin Franklin mapped the current, further increasing its usage. Path of the Gulf Stream Because these areas are often very narrow, the current is able to compress and gather strength. As it does so, it begins circulating in the Gulf of Mexico’s warm waters. It is here that the Gulf Stream becomes officially visible on satellite images so it is said that the current originates in this area. Once it gains enough strength after circulating in the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf Stream then moves east, rejoins the Antilles Current, and exits the area through the Straits of Florida. Here, the Gulf Stream is a powerful underwater river that transports water at a rate of 30 million cubic meters per second (or 30 Sverdrups). It then flows parallel to the east coast of the United States and later flows into the open ocean near Cape Hatteras but continues moving north. While flowing in this deeper ocean water, the Gulf Stream is its most powerful (at about 150 Sverdrups), forms large meanders, and splits into several currents, the largest of which is the North Atlantic Current. The North Atlantic Current then flows further north and feeds the Norwegian Current and moves the relatively warm water along the west coast of Europe. The rest of the Gulf Stream flows into the Canary Current which moves along the eastern side of the Atlantic Ocean and back south to the equator. Causes of the Gulf Stream The northern branch of the Gulf Stream, the North Atlantic Current, is deeper and is caused by thermohaline circulation resulting from density differences in the water. Impacts of the Gulf Stream The greatest impact the Gulf Stream has on climate is found in Europe. Since it flows into the North Atlantic Current, it too is warmed (though at this latitude the sea surface temperatures are cooled considerably), and it is believed that it helps keep places like Ireland and England much warmer than they would otherwise be at such a high latitude. For example, the average low in London in December is 42Â °F (5Â °C) while in St. John’s, Newfoundland, the average is 27Â °F (-3Â °C). The Gulf Stream and its warm winds are also responsible for keeping northern Norway’s coast free of ice and snow. As well as keeping many places mild, the Gulf Stream’s warm sea surface temperatures also aid in the formation and strengthening of many of the hurricanes that move through the Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, the Gulf Stream is important to the distribution of wildlife in the Atlantic. The waters off of Nantucket, Massachusetts, for example, are incredibly biodiverse because the presence of the Gulf Stream makes it the northern limit for southern species varieties and the southern limit for northern species. The Future of the Gulf Stream There has been evidence that the Gulf Stream is weakening and slowing and there is growing concern about what impacts such a change would have on the world’s climate. Some reports suggest that without the Gulf Stream, temperatures in England and northwestern Europe could drop by 4-6Â °C. These are the most dramatic of the predictions for the future of the Gulf Stream but they, as well as today’s climate patterns surrounding the current, show its importance to life in many places around the world.

High Staff Turnover in Healthcare Industry Lab Report

High Staff Turnover in Healthcare Industry - Lab Report Example This research will help to identify the intensity of the problem persisting in the industry, to examine its different aspects and to make potential recommendations to solve the problem. This research intends to obtain a clear view of the issue based on both primary and secondary sources. In short, this research is aimed to show how a real life problem can be solved using primary and secondary research methodologies. What Do I Hope to Accomplish? This research tries to address staff shortage issues in modern healthcare. Although the recent healthcare reform aims to deliver quality care and increased patient safety at affordable costs, the issue of staff shortage continues to be a potential challenge to smooth performance of the US healthcare sector. In this context, it is relevant to explore the issue more in order to develop strategic measures to deal with this problem in future. For this purpose, this research paper will discuss the significance of maintaining adequately staffed hea lthcare system. Short term as well as long term consequences of staff shortage issue related to the US healthcare can be identified through this research. This research would highlight the necessity of placing a particular emphasis on staffing while developing healthcare policies. The research will give specific attention to the root causes of the staff shortage issue. Such an investigation would be useful to find potential ways to eliminate staff shortage issues in the healthcare. Various studies conducted on this topic indicate that different healthcare sectors adopt different strategies to address the staff shortage issue. Hence, this paper will examine which policy or set of policies would be most effective to avoid current troubles in healthcare staffing. Hence the findings would help to attract more qualified and experienced candidates to this field. In addition, the research is framed to evaluate whether or not geographical factors can have any influence on the staff shortage issue. Finally, the paper will explore some potential practices that can identify staff shortage issue in a healthcare setting on time. Primary Research and Target Group Surveys and interviews will be the major sources used as they would increase the accuracy and reliability of data or information collected. Professional assistance will be sought to ensure the efficiency of surveys and interviews. In addition, the organization’s annual reports will be considered as primary sources because those reports clearly indicate staffing status of the firm throughout the fiscal period under consideration. The organization’s human resource management and senior management team will be the target group for this research. In addition, the research will interview departmental heads in order to clearly identify staff shortage problems in different departments. Finally, external healthcare professionals’ views and suggestions will also be collected for making this work authent ic and effective enough. Potentiality of the Chosen Primary Sources For this research, the above mentioned primary sources would be highly effective. It is obvious that primary research techniques such as interviews and surveys are considered as direct methods of data collection. Through interviewing officials concerned, the interviewer can directly ask questions and record more reliable and accurate information. Furthermore, interview is one of the simplest and cost effective methods of acquiring required data/information within the minimum possible time. In addition, it is the perfect way to get complete information required for the project with less chance of misunderstanding and documentation errors.

The economic performance of the UK compared to Japan since 1990 has Essay - 1

The economic performance of the UK compared to Japan since 1990 has clearly demonstrated the superiority of the Anglo Saxon model over State Led Capitalism. Discuss - Essay Example Where as in state led capitalism, the productive forces are directed and controlled by the government in a capitalist manner. It is a social system combining capitalism with state ownership. Anglo Saxon economic model encourages innovation, competitiveness, and promote overall prosperity, and produces less inequality and poverty at the lowest margins of a society. It creates more jobs and delivers better working conditions as seen in UK where working condition is better than Japan. When people invest their own money, they have a chance to make profit by best efforts. Here production utilises at optimum level as the individual interest is involved. Competition pushes the producer to take up productive steps such as new technology, cost cutting, and use of best supply chain for making good profit (Schmidt, Vivien A., 2002). Other than these advantages, this economy also proves some disadvantages. This model of economy is responsible for a life of low wages and long hours for its employees. It creates inequality in society as the more talented and innovative people build strong financial position compared to less skilled individuals. Adding, poverty rates which were substantially higher in recent years in UK, where the economy is basically followed by Anglo Saxon economy model (Schmidt, Vivien A, 2002). State led capitalism economy advocates for the principle of individual rights. Consistent and rapid economic growth is the proven outcome of this economy. Human welfare is common in this economy. Its decentralised system of coordination is the greatest strength of its economy. But it has also some negative factors in its model. Because of more government intervention, social evils like nepotism, corruption, poor management may hurt the growth rate. In United Kingdom, Anglo Saxon model has allowed higher incomes for low paid workers, and at the same time it enhanced

Adultery and Society Essay Example for Free

Adultery and Society Essay Much has already been said about Couples – John Updike’s controversial 1968 novel about the lives and indiscretions of well-off couples living in the suburban town of Tarbox, Boston. At first glance, the novel may seem like a run of the mill erotic novel – tawdry and titillating, but nothing more. This was, in fact, the common perception that greeted the novel on its debut in 1968, hence its notoriety as a â€Å"controversial† novel. Much of its hype, however, is not lost, considering the amount of sex – illicit and otherwise – that graces the pages of the novel, as well as the forthright manner with which Updike boldly discusses these activities. Scandal and notoriety prevented a proper and contextual understanding of Updike’s novel, leaving it languishing in literary purgatory. In time, however, with the changes in society and modern views on sex, Updike’s Couples has, to some degree, been resurrected and reevaluated with a different perspective and point of view. Though still shocking in its extensive discussion of adultery and lecherous behavior in general, the novel has finally emerged from under its tag as a bawdy piece of B-rated literature to become one of Updike’s signature novels. No longer viewed as eroticized sensationalism, the novel is now seen as a representation of Updike’s most striking leitmotif: suburban adultery. If not erotica for eroticism’s sake, what then is the central thought in Updike’s Couples? Such is the question that this paper now intends to answer. This paper posits that John Updike’s Couples reflects the collapse of traditional values in the face of modernity particularly in the early 1960s. With the parameters of sexuality shattered by the advent of birth control, wealthy men and women living the â€Å"perfect† life are actually morally in disarray. Society, despite its beautiful and urbane facade, is in reality rotting away and slowly experiencing a moral decay. The beauty of suburbia and its polished citizens stand in sharp contrast to the breakdown of social norms and propriety. Such is the theme of John Updike’s Couples. To prove so, it is necessary to first look into the writer himself, John Updike. Much of his writings reflect his personal opinions, of course, and understanding the writer will most certainly provide a better contextual understanding of the novel. Moreover, it is necessary that a discussion of the era (early 1960s, under the Kennedy administration) be conducted in order to fully relay the circumstances that give way to the morally reprehensible â€Å"system† established by the titular couples. Lastly, this paper shall look into the juxtaposition of aesthetics (the beauty of both the people and the suburban town they inhabit) and the rotten structure of banality they willingly cling to. These are the significant aspects of John Updike’s Couples that shall be discussed. First of all, who was John Updike? Little is known about Updikes childhood, except that he was born to a middle class Pennsylvania family in 1932. John Updikes interest in writing began with his mothers instructions, herself a prolific writer. His mothers influence proved intense and enduring, giving him the strength and courage to continue with writing. Despite the lack of sufficient funds for his education, Updikes talents received recognition and earned him a full scholarship at Harvard University, where he joined the Harvard Lampoon. Upon graduation, he joined the New Yorker, which published his first story, Friends from Philadelphia, in 1954. The story would soon be followed by several more of his writings, all published through the New Yorker. By the end of the 1950s, Updike was reaping the fruits of a successful literary career (Pritchard 2000, p. 2). It was not, however, his writing technique that caught the fancy of critics. Though fluid and never boring, it is not his efficient style that gained support for John Updike. Unfortunately, his choice of subject matter overshadowed his style of writing, essentially giving way to the â€Å"controversial† tag. Couples is just one example of his unique point of view and manner of describing even the most intimate of details (Amidon 2005, p. 51). The mention and overt discussion of sex remained quite touchy, if not entirely taboo, even as society during the 1960s had significantly modernized. The effect of his controversial topics, however, had led to a period wherein his writings were shunned, to a certain degree, and remained misclassified as bawdy erotica. â€Å"Suburban adultery†, a topic most associated with John Updike, is born of his own experiences in grappling with the temptations of sex and desire. The writing of the novel Couples came at a time when he was completely confused in his personal life, particularly with regards to his marriage. Updike was in the middle of a passionate love affair and was, in fact, contemplating filing for a divorce. In the end, he decided not to push through with the plan for divorce (Pritchard 2000, p. 119). The topic, therefore, is described vividly in every scene of the novel, reflecting Updikes own struggle with his inner demons and the destruction of the institution of marriage before his very eyes. The crumbling of his own marriage proved to be the very basis of Couples. To Updike, a certain degree of the story of a failed marriage is â€Å"sad magic† (Pritchard 2000, p. 124). Extramarital relations for Updike are not erotic, despite the manner with which he describes the sexual activities of his characters in the novel. Rather than titillating, the goal of Updikes prose is to portray the emptiness that these affairs and illicit relationships cause. There is no desire to eroticize or sexualize the characters; the idea is to present the weaknesses of their personalities and the ramifications of unbridled desire. It is not specifically aiming for preaching either, focusing only on the emotional hollowness that gives birth to the seed of lust and temptations in the first place. As Updike himself explains, his idea of sex in his literary achievements is far from intentionally erotic. Rather, the idea is to create a portrait wherein sex is a tool; it is a means by which Updike indicts the weaknesses of societys moral fiber. As he said of sex in his writings in an interview with CNN, â€Å"Ive seen it said of my work that its anti-aphrodisiac, that it doesnt – that my descriptions of sex doesnt turn you on. But theyre not really meant to do that. I mean, sex described in detail is not a turn-on† (Austin 1998). Updike is far from a prude, true, yet his writings are not erotic for eroticism’s sake. The goal is to present moral weaknesses, not join banality. Unlike the earlier accusation of critics, the story of Couples is far from erotic, despite its routine use of sexual scenes and explicit activities. The story revolves around the lives of several couples living in an upscale community in Tarbox – a fictional suburb located in Boston. These young couples live wealthy lifestyles and have enough time on their hands to fool around. Piet Hanema, for example, is a serial adulterer. He has trysts with Foxy, as well as with several more of the novels women. His decadence is merely one of the morally bankrupt scenes in the story. It is not just Piet, though, who experiences a life of immorality and lack of a moral center. The couples engage in â€Å"wife-swapping† activities, such as in the case of the Applebys and the Little-smiths. None of the members of the community are entirely above the erotic rondalla, sending everyone in the community into a moral tailspin. In the end, however, it is Piet and his mistress Foxy who are cast out from the lot. Piet, since the beginning of the novel, is insistent on gaining freedom from his marriage. Though initially not bent towards the destruction of his own marriage, in the end, Piet divorces his wife Angela and his thrown out of the apartment with his mistress. As Greiner (1984) points out, â€Å"lovers are drawn as much to what destroys marriage as to what supports it† (p. 146). They are far from completely beyond the trappings of love, hence its effect as a double-edged sword. While it is love that bound two souls together under the sacrament of marriage in the first place, it is also â€Å"love† or whatever passes for it that successfully questions the sacrament and stands as a threat to its stability. Despite accepting the sacrament of marriage and his chained life, Piet needs and wants room, seeking sex and love from elsewhere despite his wifes presence. There is a need to hone his skills as an illicit lover, and the adrenaline rush of such relationships do exist. And yet despite their illicit activities and immoral actions, Updike refuses to view his characters as villains. They are far from perfect, given their morally unstable relationships, and they are all tottering over the edge of hell with their hypocritical Presybterian lives. None of them truly lives up to the Christian ideals, and they can be described as having their own religion – the religion of sex and lust. Despite these errors and flaws, however, the characters are not evil per se. They are, rather, personifications of Updikes understanding of suburbia and the moral decay that goes on behind the facade of wealth and propriety. They are weak, not evil, and are merely caught in the struggle to keep up with the liberal times even with the significant changes in society during this period (Greiner 1984, p. 148). Unfortunately, the highlighting of adulterous Tarbox soon became news across every home in the United States. Rather than view the sublime veins incorporated in Updikes novel, it was soon branded sensationalized and controversial. Protests emerged, decrying Updikes use of explicit words and graphic portrayal of sex. Perhaps most important of these criticisms, however, may be Anatole Broyards criticism of Piet Hanema, noting that there could be no sympathy for a â€Å"fornicator† (Greiner 1984, p. 149). In this the critics see the point of Updikes novel, yet completely miss it as well To classify Updikes novel as no more than a potboiler is to ignore its finer and less prominent points. To many, the adulterous activities and their graphic descriptions are the core of the novel. Looking past beyond such however, is the only way to find the true meaning of Updikes Couples. In the world of Tarbox, sex is just another ordinary day. Despite their preoccupation with it, sex is not the core of the community. It is, of course, an ironic glue that brings various couples together and inevitably unhinges them when the time comes. The characters are simply wandering from one relationship to another, in search not of true love, but of companionship and momentary beauty. Rather than portray the couples as treacherous villains determined to subvert the values of the day, Updike presents them as brats unwilling to succumb to the demands of married life. The central concept of their lives is â€Å"fun†, and with the end of each day, beyond the trappings of the suburban community, husband and wife find themselves alone with the bills, the children, the leftover food and the dishes to wash. To a certain degree, such a relationship is less exciting and not quite as desirable as spending time with the equally bored neighbors (Grenier, 1984, p. 151). The couples, therefore, are far from total villains and much easier to understand as adults with the minds of young children, unwilling accept responsibility yet entirely willing to pursue the cult of fun. To say that they are the product of a determinedly lost generation is to heap unnecessary blame on the characters. It is not that they preeminently wished for the structure of such a morally reprehensible situation. The issues in the novel are, in fact, the product of the times. The characters are merely swept up in the current, following the changing values and transitional problems that occur when modernity clashes with traditional values. There are changes in society, with growing wealth and scientific advances, and it is simply not possible to ignore the changes; the characters succumb to the call of the â€Å"wild† despite their surface urbanity. As mentioned earlier, it is not an innate â€Å"evilness† that Updike wishes to uncover in his Couples. The underlying core is less sinister than what critics and censors of his day had easily assumed. In truth, the story of Updikes novel is no more a potboiler than a thriller. It is simply a portrayal of Updikes own nostalgic view of the changes in society, including the slow deconstruction of a small town similar to the one he grew up in. Throughout the novel, the tone is largely wistful, reminiscent of a different past. There is something in the manner with which Updike contrasts the beautiful town and the rotting away of its core; a resounding sigh seems to escape Updikes lips with every word. Much of the storys very core is essentially reliant on the time frame of the novel. Updike pegs it on the early 1960s, under the Kennedy administration. As he himself pointed out, there is no way that the plot couldve existed in a different era. He noted that the action â€Å"could have taken place only under Kennedy; the social currents it traces are as specific to those years as flowers in a meadow are to their moment of summer† (Neary 1992, p. 144). There is something specific in the era that Updike particularly takes note of: the introduction of the bill and the liberation of women from the yokes of pregnancy. Without fear of pregnancy hanging over their heads, sex outside of marriage becomes a much more realistic possibility. It is what Updike calls the â€Å"post-pill paradise† (Sheed 1968), a world wherein the problem of unwanted pregnancy no longer exists. Updike describes his characters as wealthier than their predecessors, having been born into an era of relative prosperity. There is no limit to their desire for fulfillment, regardless of the price. They are driven by the id, raised in a culture of â€Å"me† and supported by the changing society. It is not just Tarbox which is changing. It is far from a microcosm entirely separate from the rest of society. Updike does not portray the suburb as a cancer entirely separate and different from the rest of the country. Rather, the suburb of Tarbox is a representative of many. The characters, themselves generic, are easily interchangeable and quite possibly recognizable in any town across the United States. In this world of change, not omly the couples of Tarbox are transformed. They are part of a larger social transformation, and Updikes focus on their interactions and illicit affairs present his understanding of society (not just suburbia) in general. The couples, though seemingly too deviant and unbelievable to be considered general stereotypes, are in fact Updikes definition of the moral breakdown of society. It is not an indictment of suburban life (despite the use of the term â€Å"suburban adultery†). The location of his subjects is more of a realistic portrayal than an unfair indictment. His judgment is not one of localization. Rather, Updike is presenting the class most affected by the changes in the Kennedy administration, primarily due to their wealth and social status. It is also in this level that the reality of class versus crass becomes most realize. Behind the beautiful homes and educated facades, there is darkness. The players randomly select their next partner, playing a grand, elaborate and ritualistic game of musical chairs with their neighbors. Play, again, is a significant theme in Updikes novel, being the central concept that drives the couples to pursue sexual adventures again and again. The significance of the time period should not be ignored. Updike describes his characters as the products of national tribulations. Following the Great Depression and World War II, these young couples find themselves thrust into a new America, one that struggles to keep up the facade of decency while slowly eroded away by modernity and the vulgarity of the new world order. These characters are far from intentionally indecent, however. Their initial goal was to be enveloped in beauty, separate from the staleness of the rest of the nation and the vulgarity that threatens to creep up the morality ladder (Sheed 1968). In the end, however, they find themselves in a vulgarity of their own making, hidden under the sheen of decency and beauty that the suburbs signify. Quoting Updike, â€Å"the ultimate influence of a government whose taxes and commissions and appetite for armaments set limits everywhere, introduced into a nation whose leadership allowed a toothless moralism [sic] to dissemble a certain practiced cunning, into a culture where adolescent passions and homosexual philosophies were not quite yet triumphant, a climate still furtively hedonist† (Neary 1992, p. 146). The passage describes Updikes view of the world in which the couples were molded. For all their failures and flaws, these characters were but the products of a bigger problem. Society itself, led by the government, was far from the pristine, moral structure it once was. The Applebys, the Little-smiths, the Guerins, the Constantines, the Hanemas etc. are merely the by-products of a flawed era. The destruction of society, therefore, does not begin and end with suburban adultery. It is merely a microcosm of a larger decay – one that goes beyond the wife-swapping activities of the inhabitants of Tarbox, Boston. In part, Updike’s focus is on the period and the circumstances that give rise to the opportunities for suburban adultery. One significant detail that Updike notes is the introduction of birth control. Whereas the novels of the 1950s focused on the â€Å"everyone is pregnant† motif, in Updike’s novel it is more of an â€Å"everyone is guilty† narrative (Greiner 1984, p. 145). Previously, pregnancy outside of marriage was the biggest obstacle for illicit lovers. Physical consummation, after all, could always leave an undeniable proof in the woman’s womb. With the introduction of the pill, however, a new â€Å"paradise† is opened to the people, with the characters of Updike’s Couples taking full advantage of the situation. These new methods of birth control had, to some effect, liberated the characters from the burdens of pregnancy. Now as long as his mistresses would remain on the pill, Piet would have no problems keeping his affairs in order. No longer would the characters of Updike’s novel fear the repercussions of sex outside of marriage, hence the ease with which they gradually fall into the abyss of sexual debauchery and adultery. And yet it seems as if this is just the tip of Updike’s metaphorical discussion. More than an indictment of the potentially â€Å"evil† consequences of birth control (such as the encouragement of promiscuity, perhaps), Updike’s inclusion of the pill is less of a reproach and more of a symbolism. It is not the pill per se that drives the characters into the arms of others. It is the slow break-down of society, particularly religion. The pill is merely a tool by which society slowly presents its disintegration. In itself, it cannot be identified as the cause of social decay. Rather, it is a sign of the changing times – a symbol of the struggle of the old traditional values to keep up with the changes in the modern world. In Updike’s own point of view, the concept of the novel is not really adultery. It is a discussion of the disintegration of society through the disintegration of church. Marriage, after all, is a sacrament. The destruction of marriage, therefore, does not signify the end of a union alone. It is a metaphor for the slow destruction of the church and its foundations. Sex is the new religion (Greiner 1984, p. 149). With the church crumbling and religion not as reliable as it once was, the characters of Updike’s Couples seek comfort and solace from another source. Marriage is not enough to provide the human warmth the characters require. They are not villains, just people trapped by circumstances and incapable of escaping from the needs of the flesh. It is a religion in itself, this search for fun. Quoting from the jacket blurb of Couples, Sheed (1968) notes how one character is supposed to be a priest and the other a scapegoat. In some ways, the idea of a spiritual leader leading the empty towards greater hypocrisy and shallowness is apt for the story. Fred Thorne is identified as the priest, the leader who organizes parties and games for the bored couples. His party on the night of Kennedy’s assassination is telling; the couples swear to be solemn yet soon revert to their partying ways. In a sense, this invokes a feeling of emptiness, of floating through space. These characters have nothing else but their physical selves to cling to. The government’s leader is assassinated, God strikes his own church with lightning and society is giving way underground to new bores. In essence, they are free of religious and political encumbrances, only to realize that without these structures there is almost nothing to hold on to at all. In the end, there is nothing but the warmth that sex provides – be it illicit or otherwise – giving a physical reality to the world. Without this physical connection, they are lost. The couples move around, shuffle in their beautiful clothing and beautiful homes. Beyond the facade however, are emptiness and a world of gradual moral decay. Works Cited Amidon, Stephen. â€Å"Unzipped: John Updike’s Prose is as Supple as Ever in This Chronicle of a Lifetime’s Erotic Exploits. † New Statesman, 134. 4724(2005): 51 Austin, Jonathan. â€Å"His Characters Allow Updike to be ‘Free’. † CNN. Com, 16 November 1998. Available 27 April 2008, from http://edition. cnn. com/books/news/9811/16/updike/index. html Greiner, Donald. John Updike’s Novels. Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 1984 Neary, John. Something and Nothingness: The Fiction of John Updike and John Fowles. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1992 Pritchard, William. Updike: America’s Man of Letters. South Royalton, VT: Steerforth Press, 2000 Sheed, Wilfrid. â€Å"Couples. † The New York Times, 7 April 1968. Available 27 April 2008, from http://www. nytimes. com/1968/04/07/books/updike-couples. html? pagewanted=1 Updike, John. Couples. NY: Ballantine Books, 1999

Peeling Back the Label Essay -- Sociology

Have you ever heard yourself mentioned by someone else as â€Å"mature or immature?† This status is so easy to place on people that they often don’t even realize that they are slapping a label on someone. Have you ever pondered why this person is acting immature? Often people see someone do something obnoxious or stupid and their first thought is â€Å"that person is so immature.† However, what about the effects that leads up to them behaving in this manner? Within my paper I plan to broaden your viewpoint and ideology and show you that immaturity and maturity aren’t just labels, but are the results of many leading affects in a person’s life. The first idea we want to look at would be, â€Å"what does maturity or immaturity really mean and what all does it involve? Maturity and immaturity are only two parts, and the most commonly heard, however there is a third aspect; pseudomaturity. According to the International Journal Of Behavioral Development, pseudomaturity is an attained social maturity without the psychological maturity. Drug abuse can be categorized in the pseudomature area because people who become addicted to drugs do it to look cool, or fit in, not because it is a better way to understand themselves or because is it healthy for them. Maturity is often used to define someone, or their actions, instead of themselves. A teen graciously takes over watching her little siblings without being asked and her Mom instantly praises her with, â€Å"sweetheart, you are becoming so mature these days.† This type of labeling is becoming so common in our culture, because parents throw the word out and the teen comes to connect the word mature with their actions. Maturity in actual reality is not whether you perform a task correctly or what you did, but... ...o, David, Seung Hee Yoo, and Johnny Fontaine. "Hypocrisy Or Maturity? Culture And Context Differentiation." European Journal Of Personality 23.3 (2009): 251-264. PsycINFO. Web. 25 Apr. 2012. NIV Bible Rutger C. M. E. Engels, et al. "Parent-Child Relationships, Partner Relationships, And Emotional Adjustment: A Birth-To-Maturity Prospective Study." Developmental Psychology 43.2 (2007): 429-437. PsycARTICLES. Web. 25 Apr. 2012. S. Alexandra Burt, et al. "Genetic And Environmental Influences On Personality Trait Stability And Growth During The Transition To Adulthood: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study." Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology 100.3 (2011): 545-556. PsycARTICLES. Web. 25 Apr. 2012. Wim H. J. Meeus, et al. "Maturation Of Personality In Adolescence." Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology 96.4 (2009): 898-912. PsycARTICLES. Web. 25 Apr. 2012.