Equality in childcare Essay

Unit 0.3 Outcome 1 Understand the importance of equality and inclusion 1a. What is meant by diversity The term ‘diversity’ means difference. Diversity recognises that though people have things in common with each other, they are also different and unique in many ways. Diversity is about recognising and valuing those differences. Diversity consists of visible and non-visible factors, which include personal characteristics such as background, culture, personality and work-style in addition to the characteristics that are protected under discrimination legislation in terms of race, disability, gender, religion and belief, sexual orientation and age. By recognising and understanding our individual differences and embracing them, we can create a productive environment in which everybody feels valued. 1b. What is meant by equality Equality means treating people in a way that is appropriate for their needs. This could mean if someone had say a disability you need to treat them in the same way as you would another person, without showing them up but adapt the help you provide. 1c. What is meant by inclusion Inclusion is about equal opportunities for all families, whatever their age, gender, ethnicity, attainment and background. It pays particular attention to the provision made for, and the achievement of, different groups of pupils within a school. 1d. What is meant by discrimination Read more: Importance of inclusive practice essay Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. For example, religion, skin  colour. 1.2 Describe ways in which discrimination may deliberately or inadvertently occur in the work setting Indirect Discrimination: Indirect discrimination occurs when policies and practices, which appear fair because they are applied to everyone, but turn out to disadvantage people and particular groups within society. For example, if a job advertisement states that applicants must be able to drive then this could put a certain people at a disadvantage, such as those with a disability. Or, for example you may have a school display every year to celebrate Christmas because the majority of the children would be classed as ‘white’ ‘’Christian’, however if other faiths and celebrations are not represented then smaller groups could be discriminated against. Positive Discrimination: Positive discrimination is regarded as the preferential treatment of members of a minority group over a majority group, either by sex, race, age, marital status or sex orientation. So for example if you were to allow a particular less represented group of children over another to perform a task this is classed a positive discrimination. Racial Discrimination: If a practitioner has particular views concerning race or even religion, these views could be used in the setting unintentionally to have a negative or positive influence in a situation or particular child. Stereotypes: A practitioner may intentionally or intentionally categorise children in a particular way. This could be for example, boys play with cars and girls dolls. 0.3 1.3 Explain how practices that support equality and inclusion reduce the likelihood of discrimination Treating the individual fairly, on the same level and providing them with equal opportunities to housing, education, employment, transport, health and social care can help as the individual will feel valued and treated fairly  and not made vulnerable or set apart. This will reduce, if not eliminate any discrimination against that individual or by that individual against others. Inclusion also is important as the individual will be aware of their rights, will feel in control and will feel supported to be able to make their own decisions and have their needs met. In turn this will reduce the risk of the individual being discriminated against or discriminating against others. In our setting with religion for example, we try to cover a few with our circle time sessions. Last year we did a topic on Hanukkah, a Jewish festival. 0.3 2.1 Legislation and codes of practice that applies to own role There are various pieces of legislation in place to promote equality and reduce discrimination. These include: Race Relations Act 1976 with the Public Order Act 1986 and Racial and Religious Hatred Ac 2006. Children Act 1989 and 2004 and Care Standards Act 2000 Educational Act 1981 together with E.A 1993 and 1996, Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 and Disability Discrimination Acts 1995 and 2005 Equality Act 2006  Laws alone cannot change people’s attitudes, but they can help to risk the practical aspects of discrimination. The Code Of Practice for Children with SEN gives guidance on meeting the learning needs of children with special educational needs. The EYFS guidance explains how to put the EYFS in to action. Good inclusive practice that promotes equality goes beyond what the law commands. 0.3 2.3 Describe how to challenge discrimination in a way that encourages change You should never ignore or excuse such discriminatory behaviour any more than you would ignore or excuse someone if they inflicted physical pain on someone else. It must be addressed because if you do not respond and just  let the incident pass you are contributing to the person feeling that it is acceptable to speak or behave that way. To promote change you need to change people’s attitude toward other races, sexuality, religion.. In our setting we try to educate our children about different culture and disabilities by doing things like having time so that children can share their experiences with each other, and encourage them to think of other people’s feelings. They can share different opinions with each other and also get the opportunity to think about what it is like for other people. They are asked to think how they would feel in those persons shoes. 0.3 3.1 Identify a range of sources of information, advice, support about diversity, equality and inclusion It is our duty to protect a child’s rights and to offer them fair chances in life. We need to be able to be open to new ideas in order to develop and improve the way we work. Sources we could use to assist with this are: My manager Children’s families and parents Specialist organisations The internet (BBC website) Books, magazines (‘Nursery World’) Colleagues (SENCO person if you need help with a special educational needs child) EYFS and other frameworks 0.3 3.2 Describe how and when to access information, advice and support about diversity, equality and inclusion It is a sign of professionalism to recognise when you need additional information, advice and support. It is good to seek support, as struggling alone is not good practice. Equality and inclusion are aspects of practice that are complex and can raise sensitivities. Situations can be challenging and distressing. It is important to seek support and use the experience as a professional learning point. For example, in my setting when I was struggling with a child who I felt needed some speech help and I didn’t know where to turn, I contacted my  Manager who is also SENCO trained and she organised a Speech and Language Therapy referral.

Grolier International Dictionary

As defined by the Grolier International Dictionary, Weaknesses is the state or quality of being weak; it is a personal defect or failing. When one encounters an opportunity and weaknesses penetrate him in same time, he shouldn’t choose any other way but to manage do overcome or minimize it. One of the weaknesses I think most people do possess while he’s on his way of achieving his goal, which also should be controlled of is ‘being so self-centered’. This makes a person so sure of himself not thinking of the consequences his actions might cause.Too much proud of one’s self may bring him forget the others by whom he gets his strength from. He’ll attempt to throw away the reliable assets on his crap because he thinks that he is above all and doesn’t need help to anyone else. This could also make him so focused on looking ahead; embracing the forward successes he might get in with his strength, capability, and knowledge. But forgetting from whom, where, what he has been back in his life could also lead to something which is hard to avoid from, too hurtful when it strikes on, the karma.Another weakness is to be ‘hesitant’, afraid to gamble in reaching for his goal. This could be another threat in one’s ambition of success for he can be under perspective in carrying out his plans. While he lacks his confidence to continue improving himself and work, he may likewise lose track of his point of view. On the other hand, if there could be one weakness which is somehow helpful to one’s career, by balancing and setting off the whole situation for the moment. Resisting the desire of winning a certain race may cause a person to self-pity and lose his hope.By putting his heart, to be ‘irresistible’ in a better way , controlling as well as weighing every technique to be accurately performed are the thumbs-up characters a venturer should possess while attaining his aim or goal. When a person learns to practice ‘patience’ and fight for his belief, principle, and stand, he could kill the time from ticking so fast and focus on the better outcome of his objective. Since he got an effective and strategic planning technique, the SWOT Analysis is a great help to one’s own success.

Book Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 4

Book Review - Essay Example Although these classrooms are located in the University of Chicago Laboratory School, the issues Vivian highlight are relevant to any classroom setup globally. The exclusionary behavior triggers Vivian into recalling vivid memories of herself as a child. As she grew up, Vivian watched in disdain as classmates intentionally secluded some children from particular activities. At this time, Vivian felt less influential to make any changes regarding such dehumanizing habits. Vivian further recalls how overweight and poor girls would experience discrimination. To make matters worse, teachers privileged the more confident and brighter children (Genishi & Dyson, 2009). As a teacher, Vivian feels awful about the exclusionary behavior rampant in her classroom. In this book, children who were privileged and accepted were dubbed â€Å"insiders†, while children who were secluded were termed â€Å"outsiders†. At her old age (sixty years), Vivian is no longer capable of resisting her childhood memories and her current agonizing sympathy for outsiders. Prudently, Vivian strives to surpass the typical practice of promoting an incorporating culture. Such a culture would help to make insiders accept outsiders into their social circles. Nevertheless, Vivian strives to find viable ways of breaking chains of exclusion in her classroom. Typically, such an act would prompt insiders to feel a violation of their freedom (Cooper, 2009). Consequently, the mood of the classroom would be ruined, and tension would arise. Nevertheless, Vivian is committed to change the mindset in her classroom. Vivian’s approach in solving the exclusion problem is quite surprising. Consequently, this story becomes engrossed, and flair of suspense is imminent. First, Vivian is sincerely unsure and unwary of how commanding her techniques seem. Before instilling her novel rule (â€Å"You Can’t Say You Cant

Film critiques on The Bad Sleep Well (Kurosawa, 1960) Essay

Film critiques on The Bad Sleep Well (Kurosawa, 1960) - Essay Example This opening goes a long way in setting the groundwork for the plot of the story, since the audience is shown a few facts about those involved with the wedding. We see that Tatsuo has threatened to kill Nishi and that Nishi has only married Keiko for the wealth and power of her family. All of this is revealed during a seemingly happy time, which sets the rest of the film up very well. The audience is also privy to Nishi seeking revenge for the death of his father. He blames corporate entities for this death, which is why he wants to show the world how corrupt the corporate world is in Japan. The main issue is that the corporation that he focuses on is owned by his father-in-law. At the same time, however, we see Nishi legitimately fall for his new wife, which makes it more difficult for him to reach his objectives. This part of the plot features similarities to Shakespeares Hamlet, as the protagonist, Hamlet, focuses on getting revenge on a family member for the death of his father. The ending of this film is a tragedy, similarly to Hamlet, since the protagonist dies while attempting to reach his goals. The main difference is that the villain in The Bad Sleep Well, Iwabuchi, does not die, while Hamlet’s villain, Claudius, does perish. Perhaps the main goal of this film is to create a social commentary on the state of Japan at that time. Those who were involved in the corporate world could get away with nearly anything, unless there was enough evidence to back it up. We see at the end of the film that even though Nishi and Wada were both murdered, everyone involved in the situations knows that no one will ever be convicted of the crime because there was not any firsthand evidence present. On the other end of the spectrum, we see lower level employees of this corporation feeling bound to the company. Wada, for example, would rather die than

Discuss the nature of an effective performance management system. In Essay

Discuss the nature of an effective performance management system. In your discussion, recommend the process that should be used - Essay Example It argues that there is no singular nature of effective performance management, instead effective performance management exists in a fluid and contextually specific reality. The essay also considers the nature of effective performance management within the real world context of service and consultancy firms. In considering the nature of effective performance management measures, one of the crucial elements is that of situating performance management in terms of a structural framework. This essay argues that in large part there are different levels of understanding that can be brought to performance management systems, with structural or overarching frameworks representing a general qualitative perspective on the nature of effectiveness, as well as defining the boundaries of performance management. One such framework is that proposed by Fitzgerald and Moon (1996) who broadly argue that there are a number of core competencies that must be implemented to achieve effective performance ma nagement. Within this context, they have outlined the most effective measures to be understanding one’s intentions, developing a range of performance standards, developing patterns of comparison, and implement a top down system. While Fitzgerald and Moon (1996)’s framework is powerful in its simplistic message, other researchers have articulated the characteristics of effective performance management from a different perspective. In these regards, Otley (2005) has advanced a notion of effective performance management from a more complex angle. In these regards, Otley states that performance management must heavily consider strategic measures, emphasize effectiveness or efficiency patterns, consider incentives, and follow a bottom down structure. The elements indicated by Otley and Fitzgerald and Moon constitute a broadly framed perspective on the nature of performance management. At this level of abstraction, the defining elements represent more of general overview of effective elements. One will note that the definitions contain contradictory elements. In these regards, it seems that the benefits of one method over the other are linked to the nature of the business system in which the measures are implemented. Another framework that articulates effective performance management is that which has been implemented by Otley (2007). In this research Otley examines previous conceptions of effective performance management, specifically those presented by Johnson and Kaplan (1987), as Otley argues that it is no longer relevant to consider performance management within the ‘management accounting’ paradigm. Ferreira and Otley (2009) considered the literature involving performance management systems and argued that traditional critical assumptions did not go far enough in articulating the essence of effective performance management. As such they proposed a new critical framework that examines the issue in terms of an extended framework of perf ormance management systems. Within this framework, some of the critical assumptions regarding what constitutes effective performance management are articulated as a means of advancing past critical assumptions. The framework developed is referred to as performance management systems, and it incorporates a number of elements from Otley’s previous theoretical matrices, augmenting them through the

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing - Essay Example There are various reasons, which lead to the effective marketing of certain brands than others in the same market. This paper looks at the reasons, which make certain companies such as Unilever, and Good Foods brands gain market dominance quickly than other brands such as Nike and Adidas. One main reason why companies gain market dominance quickly than other brands is the capital invested in the company. This is because these companies have enough capital obtainable to pay for set-up costs and any preliminary losses. These companies’ gains these funds from two main sources. This are from other departments of the company, such as Unilever getting the finance to fund its tea processing from the soap-manufacturing department, or in the other countries where the company has invested, such as a Unilever brand operating in the US borrowing money from a Unilever brand operating in UK. The first strategy of borrowing from a different department is known as diversification process and is usually associated with big companies. The second strategy is known as globalization of markets which results from pressures from competing companies in the same market. ... een in history whereby the legislature enact laws which is a political strategy to develop the national economies that has provided critical protection and support to by creating barriers of entry into the market. Examples of political strategies used are the formation of many licenses, which a company has to fulfill in order to be allowed to operate in a given country. Moreover, some countries create barriers of entry in increasing the tax payable to the government by a foreign company. For instance, in Kenya, a company has to pay a tax of 30% of its total earnings in order to be allowed to operate in that country (Creamer & Neil, 2008, p.8). Furthermore, these companies benefit from excess demands, which surpass their supply. Unilever Company and Good Foods Companies deal with highly perishable goods and which are necessities. These goods enable the company to have regular demand since, for people to live they have to have the necessity as compared to the luxury goods produced by N ike and Adidas. The regular demand enables the company to have a high profit level allowing them to expand. Consequently, this company uses this profit to form a good base by investing in newer markets and developing brands, which will in turn make profit for them (Creamer, 2008, p.5). To buy a product from Nike and Adidas companies, a customer has to spend a lot of money as compared to buying a product from other sporting brands such as Puma and Umbro. By raising their products prices, these companies’ makes mistakes by becoming complacent thus allowing other big firms to develop and therefore undermine their position in the market. In addition, they allow other smaller companies such as Legea, to expand and therefore increase the competition (Hall & Mark, 2000, p.5). Besides, companies

Public health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Public health - Essay Example In this paper, the views of different health experts such as John Snow and Florence Nightingale will put into the mirror and be compared and contrasted to those of Aggleton. John Snow concept of health and illness rotates around is research on cholera (Thomas, 1973). The spread of cholera was not his issue but the cause of the disease. He argues that the cholera was a consequence of air pollution (Chepelle, 2005). He argues that air pollution led to the development of the cholera causing bacteria that eventually affected people (Donaldson, 2005). His argument on the prevention of the disease is that for human beings to be safe they needed to live and work in an environment free from pollution. Florence Nightingale experience on social health revolves around the healing process of an individual patient. She notes that the environment is the most basic consideration that instigates the healing of the patient. Her analysis assures patients that they can only health faster when placed in a clean environment (Last, 2007). Florence’s definition of a clean environment focuses on various facilities. Foremost, she says fresh air is important as the patient will be able to breathe in and out without affecting the respiratory system (Kozier, et al., 2004). Pure water is also important to the patient as it does not carry any organism that may cause diseases (Craven & Hirnle, 2003). Proper drainage system is also praised as poor drainage may be a breeding ground for disease-causing organisms such as mosquitoes. She adds that the cleanliness is important to both the health providers and the patient. Lastly, she mentions the important of light in the healing process and notes tha t light is crucial for treatment of diseases. Aggleton focuses on the influence of the society in achieving proper health. Society for a long time has been divided into relation to the economic status of a person. Individuals in the

ASCE Raising the Bar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ASCE Raising the Bar - Essay Example The ASCE wants to have standards for the engineering to be global as well having security breaches and terrorism concerns as far as the professional practices is concerned. At the same time the infrastructure should be able to use materials which has costing for life cycle. The people should be automated and the transportation should be good. The basic infrastructure should be accessible equitably by all of its members. There should also be green and smart infrastructure. On the environmental issues, the ASCE wanted to have a balance between the environmental demands and the economy. This was supposed to be achieved by the engineers. It was also wanted to have trends, which are macro globally across the national borders. There was also need for earning a social license. It wanted to solve the government and the non government conflicts, which were on the rise among the engineering arena. It also wanted a population that was burgeoning. The ASCE was expecting to be seeing civil engine ers who will be attracting leaders in their field of professionalism. The civil engineers were also supposed to be greater investors in the development as well as in the research field. They were supposed to have new and up to date methods of projects’ finances and have a command in managements of the risks. In the infrastructures, the managers were supposed to demonstrate professionalism with holistic visions as well as persons who masters ethics and integrity. In the environment, they were to demonstrate sustainability with leading cross cultural and managing teams, which are of cross discipline. Their niche was supposed to connect firmly across the globe. They were also the need for having a professional society of practicing civil engineers. The ASCE were also considering the civil engineers as providing guidance which were clear and critical for determining the policies of the public as well as defining the agendas of the research. There was also need for standardization of international codes that were to be performance based as far as the civil engineers are concerned. The projects that seemed to be basic infrastructure were deemed fit to include the have-nots participation in them hence giving the ASCE reason to propose changes. There was also need to incorporate some interdisciplinary which are of technological value, these included the nanotechnology, remote sensing, and the bioengineering among others. There was also need for having a more applied and proactive development and research of the civil engineering. The other reason was because of the need to have a no political, cultural and geographical boundaries as far as the civil engineering is concerned. There was also need to have the literacy in the technology as the poverty level was increasing and the world population was on the decrease, this called for the technology workers who were seen to take the balance. The other reason was as the result of the widening of the gap between the ha ves and the have-nots, which was rising tremendously. It was also seen that there might be competition of the resources that are scarce and they include the natural resources, the money factors as well as the people who are trained technologically. It was also noticed that the technology innovation rate may results to inability of the users to assimilate it efficiently. There was also some urge on the

Woman Role Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Woman Role - Essay Example The article highlights the social status of Florentine women in Italian society which was marked by clear cut social and cultural expectations that were associated with the different genders. Cooking was considered to be the most significant identity trait of the women which was jealously guarded and nurtured by them through the ages. Though women did not enjoy any economic freedom or had any major decision powers, they, nevertheless, had the sole rights where the various household chores like cooking, washing, ironing, looking after the children’s needs etc. were concerned. This paper makes a conclusion that the ‘wage work’ was the most significant factor of feminist movement because it made women realise that working outside the home gave them more recognition as an individual which was denied to them when they worked long hours at home, doing various household chores. Laura’s statement that ‘A housewife never gets the recognition that a working woman gets’, succinctly describes the changing expectations of the women. ‘Cooking was often the first chore from the reproductive sphere that men took up’, clearly shows the tacit acceptance of the evolving roles of women in the society by the men. The article indeed, has been able to give an important insight into the evolving roles of genders. The compulsions of the urbanization have been the primary reasons for the empowerment of the women who have been denied their rights as individuals in the patriarchal society.

The Cost of Wal-Marts Low Prices Should Not Be Too Costly Essay

The Cost of Wal-Marts Low Prices Should Not Be Too Costly - Essay Example The essay "The Cost of Wal-Mart’s Low Prices Should Not Be Too Costly" analyzes the prices of Wal-mart. Wal-Mart helps the poor by providing low prices, but it can do better as an employer by offering competitive wage levels and benefits to its full-time workers, and promoting a culture of efficiency and equal opportunities, not unfair labor practices. Wal-Mart is good for the poor and the working class because it offers low prices and provides jobs, while being at par with other retailers in terms of Medicaid consumption. Wal-Mart, because of its sheer size, can maximize its economies of scale and scope to offer low prices every day. It is dedicated to driving down prices, so that it can pass its savings to consumers, and the effect is so large that Jason Furman of New York University compares Wal-Mart to a welfare program: â€Å"Wal-Mart's discounting on food alone boosts the welfare of American shoppers by at least $50 billion a year". The savings from shopping at Wal-Mart is significant enough, that consumers are saving billions of dollars every year. Aside from consumer savings, Wal-Mart is the world’s biggest retailer, so it is not surprising that it is the biggest private employer too. Olsson reports the extent of business and employment of Wal-Mart: â€Å"The company is the world's largest retailer, with $220 billion in sales, and the nation's largest private employer, with 3,372 stores and more than 1 million hourly workers†. The sales of the company enable it to hire millions of workers. ... Medicaid dependence is a concern for Wal-Mart too, but one which is not far from retailer companies in general. Mallaby reveals that 5 percent of Wal-Mart’s workers are on Medicaid, but this is a retail industry standard (357). The national average is 4 percent for all firms, so Wal-Mart’s effect on welfare usage is not worse than other firms. Considering these savings, employment, and use of Medicaid, Wal-Mart helps the poor and the working class. Despite these advantages, Wal-Mart has to work on its labor issues, in order to truly help the poor and the working classes, and the first step is improving wage levels and benefits to full-time workers. Olsson interviewed workers who revealed that Wal-Mart pays $16,000 to $18,000 a year (342). Jennifer McLaughlin, who works at Wal-Mart Supercenter #148, shares that her yearly wages reach only $16,800 (Olsson 342). Health benefits are not covered too. Wal-Mart provides the option of health insurance, but because it would â₠¬Å"deduct up to $85 from her biweekly paycheck of $550,† McLaughlin and numerous employees choose to rely on Medicaid (Olsson 342). McLaughlin is already with Wal-Mart for three years, and she deserves a more competitive pay and benefit package. Wal-Mart earns hundreds of billions of dollars every year, and it can use some of its millions to enhance the pay and benefits of its workers. Apart from low pay and poor benefits, Wal-Mart should be more concerned of the health and morale of its workers by not underpaying and overworking them. McLaughlin and other interviewed employees expose that some Wal-Mart managers force people to work overtime without pay (Olsson 345). Lawsuits are already filed against Wal-Mart for unpaid overtime. Wal-Mart cannot help the poor and the

Tea Leaves Essay Example for Free

Tea Leaves Essay Fuente 4th block 18 February 2013 Divination by Tea Leaves The divination of tea leaves began in the 17th century when tea became a very popular drink. As people began drinking their tea, they came up with tasseomancy, or tasseography, which is just a type of tea leaf divination. People prefer divination by tea leaves because it is the easiest and most accessible for everyday people. It is a form of scyring. First of all, Tea is poured into a cup without a strainer, and the inquirer contemplates their issue and then drinks all the tea. With the moisture left in the cup, they then spin the leaves three times clockwise and turn the cup upside down. Then someone reads the pattern of the tea leaves and determines the inquirers fortune, be it good or bad. Many people do not use this form of divination for it takes more psychic ability than non-psychic. You read the symbols based on standard interpretations. It’s said that the closer to the rim the leaves are, the sooner they are to happen. The rim is labeled as the future, whereas the bottom of the cup is the distant future or the outcome of your conflict. The only problem is that there are different systems of symbolic interpretations. Choosing the right type of tea leaf divination is key to becoming comfortable with the system and get accurate readings. However, divination isn’t used to make your decision for you. Divination is merely used to help inspire you in making your own decisions. The tea leaves seen can be depicted in different ways depending on how open your imagination is. As said above, there are many different ways that you can read your tea leaves. You just have to find the one that is suitable for your situation and make sure you keep an open imagination. Works Cited www. divinationbytealeaves. com www. wicca-spirituality. com .

Causes of Anorexia Nervosa Essay Example for Free

Causes of Anorexia Nervosa Essay Many people wish to have a perfect body. Desires of having a perfect body could lead to a disorder called, anorexia nervosa. This disease is an eating disorder characterized by low body weight and a fear of becoming overweight. Anorexia nervosa is mainly related to an individual’s emotionality. Some of the causes of this disease are, personal feelings, stressful events, and cultural influences. The first cause of anorexia nervosa that is the most important cause is a worthless personal feeling. A person who has a low self-esteem usually feels valueless. Despite achievements in his or her life, they do not like the way he or she looks. These feelings cause the individual to feel rejected and have an alleged pressure from the society. Teens become very depressed when they are over weight, because people tease them and they feel that they cannot fit in with the crowd. Even if a teenager is not overweight, one may feel that they must maintain their body size. As a consequence, an anorexic person is always looking for the perfection, causing them to have a feeling of worthlessness. The next cause of this disorder is the existence of stressful events in life. Although anorexia is linked to a physical condition, the real cause is related to an individual’s emotionality. Someone may usually feel stressed and worried when they are working and are under pressure. The feeling of stress can cause one to not feel like eating. Commonly people suffer nervousness as a consequence of experience and life changes. These situations begin to affect the schedule of daily living. People can become very busy and feel that if they skip a meal it will be okay. Sometimes if more than one meal is skipped, this can lead to someone not participating in vital activities to stay healthy. In the case of anorexia nervosa, a person is stressed and begins to stop eating in the right times or even stop eating altogether. Another cause of anorexia is the cultural influence of the country where we live today. In many societies, they consider that the ideal beauty is based on extreme thinness. In today’s society, this idea has caused thousands of women and men to turn to starvation, diets, or people use products that supposedly make them lose weight in a few days. Being extremely thin has become an important factor for people. To many people being thin represents beauty, success, happiness, and self-control. People are targeted with messages from the media that they must diet to meet this standard. This ideal body image is almost impossible for most people to reach, leaving them very dissatisfied with their body image. The causes of anorexia nervosa are situations that may look normal, but have deathly consequences. This is a serious, possibly terminal illness. People, who have this disease have, negative personal feelings, stressful events in their life, and cultural influences.

The role of women in the engineering profession

The role of women in the engineering profession Women have been categorised as inferior to men and as a result are assigned the position of minors in both public and private sectors of life (National Gender Policy Framework, 2003). Additionally, most women arguably accept secondary roles without hesitation (Mathur-Helm, 2005: 63).. Education at school level is only part of the battle to recruit more women into the construction industry. Male builders need to accept women in the building workplace (Thompson, 1996: online). There is a relationship between higher education and the employment choices of women (Phaahla, 2000). Women tend to congregate in areas considered traditional outlets for female employment. Female staff and students are typically drawn to faculties such as the humanities, education and the social sciences. Generally women do not make up large numbers in technology and applied science areas of study. Consequently, the jobs available to women are limited for social and economic reasons. The position of women is fur ther exacerbated by the fact that gender in South Africa is also racially and culturally segmented, creating inequalities that are race-bound. White and Black women have extremely different levels of experiences regarding job and development opportunities (Mathur-Helm, 2005: 67). Women encounter pervasive gender issues in their chosen careers which require specific strategies to deal with them (Phaahla, 2000). In particular, they need to contend with gender role stereotyping which believes that a set of traits and abilities is more likely to be found among one sex than the other (Schein, 1978: 259 Typically young people start contemplating their career choices at approximately the age of 16 or in their last years of high school. Gender-based career stereotyping makes it particularly difficult for young girls to establish their own career choices or to diverge from the career choices dictated by their parents. A sense of isolation is another reason for high defections, with women having little chance of meeting other women working in constructionThis chapter, will be a review of the primary information or the literature which has been written about challenges facing women, it will start by reviewing some literature on the skills shortages in South Africa and more specifically in the engineering sector, then women and work in South Africa and in general on the aspect of the glass ceiling. This chapter will also review literature on male dominated or traditional career. Skills shortages South Africa is experiencing a major shortage in skills in the engineering field, and the entry of women in this field is helping in trying to reduce skills shortages. There have been many changes in the pattern of work of women, more and women are now working outside the home. Some of the reasons that a sense of isolation is another reason for high defections, with women having little chance of meeting other women working in engineering, education at school level is only part of the battle to recruit more women into the engineering industry have been given as to try and explain why women work are: social changes and the changes in public attitudes towards women that have encouraged women to enter the job market (White et al, 1998). An overview of women and work All around the world, there is an increasing concern for gender equity and equality in the family and society for the benefit of children, men and women. Women have in the past contributed to different areas of economic and social life, for example, they are farmers, entrepreneurs, traders, homemakers etc and yet they share unequally in the fruits of their labour. Women constitute a large percentage of the worlds poor and continue to suffer disadvantage in education, health and employment (UN Report on the Advancement of Women, 1995). Nowadays, many more women are found in the workplace, in politics and more are getting educated than ever before. While women have advanced more rapidly in some societies than others, almost everywhere womens concerns are still accorded second priority and they continually face both subtle and flagrant discrimination (Hinson, R; Otieku, J; Amidu, M 2006). Women and work in South Africa Women are still regarded as secondary to men in South African business culture (Mathur-Helm,2005: 63). There is a view that women do not show leadership potential and behave differently from traditional male leaders (Mathur-Helm, 2004; Guppy Rick, 1994). According to Johnson (1999), they are emotional and cannot shoulder responsibilities. What women do is rarely defined as leadership, given that masculinity is an implicit construct of leadership (Kloot, 2004: 472). The South African definition of gender equality is guided by a vision of human rights which incorporates acceptance of the equal and inalienable rights of all men and women (Kornegay, 2000). Indeed, the rights of women need to be viewed as human rights. Equality is specified and enshrined in the Bill of Rights of the South African Constitution (South Africa, 1996). Section 9(3) of the Constitution provides that no one may unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on any grounds such as, for example, race , gender and culture. This prohibition on discrimination forms an integral part of processes to achieve social justice in South Africa. Gender equality, therefore, requires that the underlying causes of discrimination be systematically identified and removed in order to give women and men equal opportunities in every sphere of life: In short, the economic integration of women, which comes only when market barriers are lowered and women are given an equal chance to attain decent work, remains a necessity for economic development and a worthy goal in its own right (ILO, 2008: 4). In South African society women historically faced the burden of unpaid household labour in addition to income-generating work. A rigid and uncompromising organisation of working hours and environment prevented them from performing well, considering that they needed to take time off for childcare and other family responsibilities (Ellison, 2001; Wilson, 1998). Often these demands reduced their chances of full- time paid employment. In addition, in terms of the South African Employment Equity Act of 1998, labour market discrimination arises when employers make decisions about employees for reasons that are not related to genuine work requirements (South Africa, 1998). Discrimination is most obvious when an employer focuses on irrelevant personal characteristics instead of work performance or merit. As a result women in many organisations have to work extra well and hard to gain any prospect of promotion. Unfortunately women have not been benefiting Acta Structilia 2009: 16(2) 50 from government policies and legislation to advance their careers (Mathur-Helm, 2005: 58). There is, therefore, no correlation between policy and practice. In South Africa, they have since put in place constitutional and employment legislation to try and eliminate direct discrimination; it is now against the law to discriminate on grounds of gender. But there are insufficient checks, resources and sanctions in place to enforce these provisions (www.mywage.co.za/main/women-and-work). The following are some of the characteristics of women working in South Africa face: Lower levels of pay in sectors which mainly employ women, Women traditionally work in welfare, such as care (nurses, social workers, etc.). Such jobs are less well paid than work, say, in production of goods and financial services (www.mywage.co.za/main/women-and-work). Jobs in sectors where both men and women do the same kind of work are valued differently. Here, too, there is no objective reason for the difference in pay, If women do work of equal value to that of men and still receive lower pay, this means that the employer simply is putting value on the chair and not on the person sitting on it (www.mywage.co.za/main/women-and-work). At the same time the characteristics associated with traditionally male jobs (leadership, technical insight, and heavy physical work) are over-valued. These very often subconscious valuations have to be overcome by making people aware of them and then act differently. In general it may be said that too low a value is placed on characteristics associated with women, e.g. social skills, physical and emotional care, concentration. (www.mywage.co.za/main/women-and-work) Barriers to Womens Advancement (glass ceiling) Morrison (1992) describes several organizational barriers which constitute the glass ceiling in organizations. These include; 1. Non-supportive working environments 2. Differences being treated as weakness 3. Exclusion from group activities 4. Lack of organizational insider knowledge While many women insist that the glass ceiling is a real barrier to accessing male-dominated positions in business, many challengers say that it exists mostly because women choose to focus more of their time on family and, in the end, cannot dedicate as much time to their career. Others claim that women think they want to focus on their career, but in reality choose family over career. A 2005 report, reports that 43% of highly qualified, educated women with children left their jobs voluntarily at some stage of their careers. Although 93% wanted to return to their careers, only 74% did so and only 40% went back to a full time position. Of those women who wanted to return to work, only five percent desired to return to the position they had left. (http://www.wisegeek.com) Non-Traditional jobs or male dominated careers Non-Traditional jobs and careers are ones that have traditionally been held by men. The Department of Labour classifies jobs as non-traditional when women are less than 25% of the workforce in that field. Non-Traditional Fields include: Detective, Architect, Barber, Machinist, Computer and Office Machine Repairer, Fire Fighter, Chef, Railroad Conductor, Construction and Building Inspectorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (http://www.womenwork.org). Benefits offered in non-traditional careers. Non-traditional careers offer women many benefits that traditionally female careers do not have, these include the following: Higher Pay Women in non-traditional careers generally make 20-30% more money than women in traditional careers, Opportunity for Advancement Non-traditional careers often have career paths that allow women to quickly move up the ranks, Better Benefits Packages Women in non-traditional careers generally have better benefits packages, including health care, vacation and sick leave, pension/retirement plans and life insurance, Expanding Job Availability Non-traditional careers are generally in fields that are growing, thus there are many new jobs and positions being created, (http://www.womenwork.org.) Challenges facing women in non-traditional careers Women are facing challenges in the non-traditional, though there are many resources and support programs to help women overcome these difficulties, some of the common problems encountered by women are as follows: Discrimination or Harassment Many women face discrimination and/or harassment in a non-traditional workplace, Hazardous Environments Non-traditional careers can be in hazardous conditions for example in the mines or engineering, Family and Friends May Not Be Supportive Many women find that their family and friends are not as supportive as they could be about their new career choices, Isolation With few other women in the non-traditional workplace, many women feel isolated and lonely in their careers. Again, women can find supportive networks and groups with other women experiencing the same situations and environments, Transportation and Child Care Difficulties Some non-traditional jobs are at odd times and sites. This can make transportation and child care difficult to find and maintain. Some of the strategies to deal with these challenges Young females who are in male dominated careers can try to alleviate the changes which face them at work, by having personal board of directors which can be a group of four to five people. Members of ones board can be mentors, peers, friends, or colleagues. These individuals will support you and are willing and able to help you get where you want to go, you should cultivate many developmental relationships instead of searching for one perfect mentor. Your personal board of directors is a group of four to five people, hand picked by you to be your own fan club. Members of your board can be mentors, peers, friends, or colleagues. These individuals can support them and help them get where you want to go. There is great power in the support the younger females receive from women facing similar challenges, the benefits include: Knowledge that youre not alone Concrete suggestions and helpful guidance A forum in which to share your thoughts and feelings with others who can relate One can build personal board of directors by following the following steps: the first step is to reach out to other women for support. Too many female professionals are afraid to ask women in their field for assistance and guidance. However, what most women do not know is that most accomplished women want to help others like them succeed. By developing these mutually relationships it can help one to create an alliances which is essential to a long and successful career. (http://www.eurekalert.org) Stereotype of engineers puts women off the job http://www.hrmguide.co.uk/diversity/engineering.htm March 10 2006 Classic stereotypes of engineers as men who are brilliant at and passionate about technology, but not very good at dealing with people, do not reflect real engineers and their work, according to Dr Wendy Faulkner from the University of Edinburgh. Moreover, such stereotypes are hampering efforts to recruit women into the engineering profession. According to Dr Faulkner, who interviewed and observed 66 male and female engineers from a range of industries,: Women and men engineers alike get excited about technology even though fewer of the women have a tinkerer background. There are gadget girls as well as boys and their toys in engineering. At the same time, many different types of men and women enjoy engineering work very few fit the classic stereotype. Wendy Faulkner adds: In practice, engineering encompasses a wide variety of jobs and roles. It is a broad church with room for a diverse range of people. Yet the image of engineering and often the culture remains a narrowly technical, nuts and bolts one. Retention is as important as recruitment many of those women who do complete engineering degrees dont go onto engineering jobs or leave the industry after only a few years, says Dr Faulkner. Part of the issue is that women who enter engineering have to become one of the lads in order to fit in. Many subtle aspects of the culture, which may appear trivial individually, when taken as a whole have a dripping tap effect making it harder for women to belong, and get on in engineering. Her study shows details how the topics engineers talk about, as well as their style of humour and the social activities they engage in, reflect mens interests and ways of bonding. Women are left on the margins of this male society, finding it difficult to break into the inner circles that carry influence on how the job gets done and who gets promoted. By contrast, engineering workplace cultures accommodate a range of men laddish blokes, family men, pranksters, macho men, nerdy men, urbane men, genteel men and so they are likely to feel comfortable to the great majority of men, says Wendy Faulkner. If more women are to stay and progress in engineering workplaces, there is a strong business case for employers to introduce sustained and sensitive diversity training, to raise awareness of these kind of issues and to nurture more inclusive workplace cultures in which everyone is comfortable, says Dr Faulkner. Engineering A Male Dominated Profession Coming from the first year engineering program at UBC, I couldnt help but notice how male dominated the program was. I recall sitting in my Physics 153 class and being able to pick out the number of women on one hand. I began to question as to why engineering is associated with males more than females. Is it course difficulty? Interests? Or simply stereotypes? Ive transferred schools and am now in my first year(yes, again) in Mechatronics Engineering program at SFU Surrey and Im still observing the same thing a larger male population in engineering. I decided to sit down with Rebecca, a first year Tech One student who plans to go into Mechatronics, and asked her a couple questions regarding my observation. Me: Hi, Rebecca. Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to me. Rebecca: No problem, I had an hour break anyways. Me: So, what program are you in right now? Rebecca: TechOne right now, but I plan to go to Mechatronics Engineering if I get the grades after. Me: Good for you. What got you interested in engineering in general? Rebecca: Well, I really enjoy math. I also like problem solving and working in teams. Its always nice working with other people and getting everyones ideas together. After all, two heads are better than one! Me: Very true! Is there anything else besides that? Rebecca: Actually, my parents kinda pushed me to choose something right away. Mechatronics seemed to be the only interesting career path for me. It is a little weird though. Me: What is? Rebecca: I dont know if you notice but there arent that many girls in engineering Me: You took the words right out of my mouth! I noticed the same thing. How do you feel about that? Rebecca: I dont feel out of place or anything. Just because Im a girl doesnt mean Im not fit to be an engineer. It can be a little intimidating, though. Prior to choosing Mechatronics, I never wouldve expected this many guys in my class. Me: Why do you think there are so many guys in engineering? Rebecca: Well, I think its labeled as a males job. Typically, you see the majority of engineerings being guys. Thats basically it. Its stereotypical. Me: So does this change your willingness to stay in Mechatronics? Rebecca: Not at all. It is easy however, to question whether youre in the right program or not but for me, I dont think I would question it because there are so many guys compared to girls, but because I dont know if its something I can see myself doing in the future. Me: Well, thanks for answering some of my questions, Rebecca. Ill let you get back to your studies. Rebecca: No problem. Ive got a lot of math to catch up on. After speaking to Rebecca, I couldnt help but get a little bit of a better understanding about women in engineering. I dont think it matters to her, or to other women, that a mans job should only be meant for a man. At the same time, I dont find that women do it to prove to men and society the famous saying, Anything you can do, I can do better. When choosing a career path, its important to think about what youre interested in and whether you see yourself succeeding in that field. You can compare this same idea to male nurses. It is stereotypical to see a nurse as a female job but today, I see more and more men becoming nurses. In fact, a buddy of mine is studying to become one as we speak. Engineering is a challenging career path for anyone, male or female. Before making a career decision, it is important to block out any stereotypes that may come along with that profession. I strongly believe that people choose career paths to prove to themselves, and only themselves, that they can do anything they put their mind I. Introduction Attracting Women into Engineering a Case Study Malgorzata  S.  Zywno,  Member,  IEEE,  Kimberley  A.  Gilbride,   Peter  D.  Hiscocks,   Judith  K.  Waalen,   and Diane  C.  Kennedy,  Member,  IEEE   http://ewh.ieee.org/soc/es/Nov1999/10/BEGIN.HTM The economic well-being of Canada and the development of its technological base depends to a great extent on the effective employment of engineers. With the predicted shortage of engineers by the year 2000, employers cannot be satisfied with anything less than the very best engineers available, regardless of their gender [1], [2]. Statistics Canada figures released in April 1998 show that women make up only 12 % of 407,130 university grads in the science and technology fields, and only seven per cent of the 588,400 community college grads. Although women represent 55% of all undergraduate students in Canadian Universities, only 21% are enrolled in engineering programs. Furthermore, the percentage of women among practicing engineers in Canada is still very low, less than 5% [2]. For example, in 1998 only 3030 out of 61,340 (i.e. 4.9%) Professional Engineers registered in the Province of Ontario were women. Under-representation of women persists despite the fact that there are no diffe rences in academic ability between men and women and that men and women initially pursue engineering for similar reasons [3]. A. Enrollments in Engineering in Ontario Over the past decade the number of women in engineering undergraduate programs in the province of Ontario has been steadily increasing, but women are still significantly under represented in the applied science and engineering programs. While the climate for women in engineering has improved in recent years, misconceptions about engineering, lack of encouragement, peer pressure and other factors still act as barriers preventing more women to pursue a career in this non-traditional field. Trends in enrollment in engineering schools are shown in Figures 1,2 and 3 [4]. Fig. 1. Number of Men Studying Engineering at Ontario Universities. As shown in Figure 1, the number of male students in engineering has been declining since 1992. This is reflected in all the engineering disciplines. Fig. 2. Number of Women Studying Engineering at Ontario Universities. In contrast, the number of women students in engineering has been increasing, although their actual number remains much smaller than that of their male counterparts, as shown in Figure 2. The female enrollment in engineering programs in Ontario over a five year period has increased from 13% in 1992-93 to 18.5% in 1996-97 school year. Fig. 3. Percentage of Women Studying Engineering at Ontario Universities by Discipline. Figure 3 presents the percentage of women students in engineering by discipline. This graph shows a steady decrease in Aeronautical and Industrial Engineering enrollment since 1993. It has been suggested that women are moving from Industrial to Systems engineering, but the reason for the decrease in Aeronautical engineering is not known. It is interesting to observe that the total percentage of women students in engineering continues to increase, although the total number of women students has recently shown the same down turn as men. It has been suggested that initiatives to encourage women to study engineering will soon become unnecessary because the numbers are increasing so rapidly. This would be welcome news if it were true, but in fact the gains of women in the profession are not large and are not well established yet. Although the participation of women in engineering has increased every year since 1974 (when the first statistics were recorded), when only 2.9% of full time engineering students were women, the engineering profession has not been successful in attracting women in large numbers [5]. At about 18%, the percentage of women undergraduate students in engineering in Ontario is still well below the participation rates of women studying for other professions such as law, medicine, pharmacology or veterinary science. Women practicing engineers account for only about 5% of the profession. While women have made progress in the profession, they still encounter unacceptable attitudes and behaviours, as wel l as the glass ceiling [2]. B. Why More Women Dont Become Engineers There are a number of factors that tend to divert women away from engineering as a career: Streaming, or the Leaky Pipe Syndrome: Women are diverted from math and science courses early in their high school careers. It has been argued [6] that this is associated with issues of competition, isolation, lack of female role models and not of lack of academic ability. Systemic obstacles [1] include: cultural influences and gender stereotyping at home and in school, peer pressure and images in the media. Perception of Difficulty: Engineering is thought to be extremely difficult. Combined with the prevailing myth that women are poor at mathematics, women tend to choose something perceived as more achievable. Exposure: Women do not have as many engineer role models as for other careers such as business, medicine or law. There are few women science high school teachers, women in science textbooks and among university engineering faculty in 1995, only 5.5% were women [7]. Lack of Knowledge About Engineering: Engineering is perceived as a technical, often solitary pursuit, in which one works with machines rather than people. Career options in engineering are not well known by most adults, let alone teenagers, and are not well represented in high school curricula or through career guidance counseling. This affects girls disproportionately, as they typically have less access to information about engineering outside the school environment. Hobbies: Encouraged by parents and peers, boys engage in mechanically oriented hobbies, which prepare them better for the practical aspects of engineering. Social Status of the Profession: In North America, the profession of engineering derives from the skilled trades of Britain, and therefore may be associated with the working class. This is in contrast to the European tradition of engineering, where it has always been regarded as a profession allied to the sciences. Notice the difference between the derivation of the English word engineer (associated with engines) and the French word ingenieur(associated with ingenuity or invention). Thus engineering has a tradition of higher social status in the New World countries such as Venezuela, deriving their traditions from continental Europe, as opposed to British-influenced Canada. This is implicitly understood by parents who are considering professional careers for their daughters 4 Barriers to Womens Advancement in the Accounting Profession Morrison (1992) describes several organizational barriers which constitute the glass ceiling in organizations. These include; 1. Non-supportive working environments 2. Differences being treated as weakness 3. Exclusion from group activities 4. Lack of organizational insider knowledge Non-supportive working environments Many women in business are becoming increasing aware and indeed disillusioned with what they perceive as a lack of support in their work environments. The working environment is determined by the culture within a particular organization, namely the systems of shared values which create the behavioural norms. There are seven types of gender-related organizational culture, each of which in its own way contributes to a non-supportive work environment. The gentleman club reinforces the notion that the womans role as mother and homemaker and the mans role as breadwinner are natural and preordained; the barrack yard is an authoritarian culture where power delivers respects and as women rarely have senior status their interest are ignores; locker room is an exclusion culture, where men build relationships on the basis of common agreements and common assumptions and may frequently talk about sport and make sexual references to confirm their heterosexuality; the gender blind pretends that women live the same lives as men; the smart macho is driven by extreme competitiveness and is very much geared to the young and childless; the paying lip-service type of culture espouses equal opportunities policies but does little to assist practically in the development of Gender Behaviour 595 women employees: and the women as gate-keepers type of culture means that often the main resistance to women managers comes from other women who are less career-oriented or are wives of senior staff. 5 Differences treated as weaknesses The Institute of Management (1992) has identified the dominance of male culture in its many manifestations as the crucial barrier for women in business to overcome It is the prevalence and power of this culture, perceived as the norm, that lead directly to differences being regarded as weakness and hence to women being perceived successful managers to possess characteristics, attitude and temperaments more commonly ascribed to men and although female managers and management students no longer sex-type the managerial job, the concept of a scientific, rational and detached male manager still persists, as being the ideal to which one should aspire. This obviously presents problems for women in managerial roles because they will frequently be considered by male colleagues and subordinates as not fitting the mould, of being an outsider because of the gender, and they will constantly be measured against the male managerial stereotype as shown in the outline. Masculine and feminine stereotype Masculine Stereotype à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Competence à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Very aggressive à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Very independent à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Almost always hides emotions à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Very objective à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Note all easily influenced à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Very dominant à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Distance/inexpressiveness à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Uses harsh language à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Not at all talkative à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Very rough à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Not at all aware of feeling of others Feminine Stereotype à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Incompetence à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Not at all aggressive à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Not at all independent à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Does not hide emotions at all à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Very subjective à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Very easily influenced à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Very submissive à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Warmth/expressiveness à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Does not use harsh language at all à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Very talkative à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Very gentle à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Very award of feeling of others Source: White (1995) Hinson, R.; Otieku, J.; Amidu, M: Exploratory Study of Women in Ghana 596 6 Exclusion from group activities One of the problems resulting from the assumptions made about womens role in the workplace is that women are frequently excluded from group activities within those organizations where a strong male culture predominates. These activities may be business-related, for example, considering a female colleague too irrational to be involved in the development of a strategic plan, or too emotional to make a

Do Credit Problems Lead to Bankruptcy Essay -- essays papers

Do Credit Problems Lead to Bankruptcy The reasons we as Americans buy on credit varies, but without it most of us would probably never be able to purchase necessities such as a home or automobile. The nation's economy depends on credit; the promise to pay later for goods and services used today. But along with consumer credit comes consumer debt. With the rise in telemarketing and commercializing in America it is no wonder why Americans feel the impulse to buy now, pay later. The most common form of consumer debt is installment debt, which is when a consumer borrows the money to purchase an item and agrees to repay the loan in equal installments over a fixed period of time. Without installment debt most consumers could not afford to purchase items such as a home. The truth of the matter is that we, as Americans, tend to want to purchase more than we can afford to purchase when we want it. But, we can afford to pay it out, over time, in fixed payments. Mortgages, a debt owed on real property, are the latest form of installment debt. Other forms include automobile loans and credit card purchases. Just pick up the newspaper any time after Christmas and you will find articles on managing your mounting debt from Christmas. Not realizing the extent of the consumers' debt is one of the most common types of credit problems. Denial may play a partial role in this problem, but the lack of education seems to be the largest reason for consumer debt. Cre...

How to Deal with Moral Differences :: Papers Ethics Morality

How to Deal with Moral Differences The first way is to believe there are no morally right or wrong viewpoints. The moral issue is just a cultural game and neither your opinions or mine matters. Therefore there is no right or wrong. This view is called moral nihilism. Related to this idea is moral skepticism, which holds that we can’t know any moral truths, and moral subjectivism, which holds that moral views are merely inner states in a person and that they can’t be compared to the inner states of another person. However believing in the above solves no problems, if nobody is right and nobody is wrong. The second way is to believe that there is no universal truth, that each culture has its own set of rules that are valid and apply to that culture, they don’t interfere with our rules and we don’t interfere with theirs, this is called ethical relativism. This belief is viewed as an attitude of tolerance. This belief solves conflicts in the idea that whatever the majority deems to be the moral rule is the rule to follow. The third belief is that deep down in spite of all the cultures differences we call all still agree on a certain moral basics, that people everywhere have basically the same human nature but that we just adapt it into our environment, this idea is called Soft Universalism. Universalism because it perceives that there are some universal moral rules; soft because it is not as radical as hard universalism. This belief can solve problems because its main goal is to seek common ground beneath the variety of opinions and mores. The fourth belief is called hard universalism, this is the absolute opposite of moral nihilism stating that there is only one universal moral code. This belief solves problems with hard evidence and reason. Problems with Ethical Relativism: (1) No Criticism or Praise of Other Cultures, we need to criticize or praise other cultures morals to maintain our own moral integrity. (2) Majority Rule, the idea of the majority always being right is just not rational. (3) Professed or Actual Morality? this is the idea that a certain kind of behavior is normal, but what is â€Å"normal†? for example when a group was asked about infidelity the majority was against it but when the same group was asked if they had committed it, the majority had. (4) What is a Majority? In the instance of euthanasia if a law is passed tomorrow

See-Through Society :: essays research papers

Introduction Governments like to think they’re in control. Especially in times of crisis, they try hard to portray an image of being one step ahead of their enemies, wanting us to think they are able to take decisive action that will solve problems once and for all. Since 9/11 in particular, western governments have reasserted their commitment to monitoring the movements, conversations and keystrokes of anyone they suspect of posing a threat to national security. One of the most high profile examples of this has been the US Government’s proposed Total (later renamed ‘Terrorism’) Information Awareness (TIA) scheme created by DARPA . Ambitious in scope, one of projects stated aims is â€Å"to create a counter-terrorism information system that increases information coverage by an order of magnitude.† The TIA project quickly sparked controversy and it didn’t take long for a response to the idea. Government Information Awareness (GIA) is a website that allows anyone to post and retrieve information about members of the executive, legislature, judiciary and senior executives from US companies . Set up by a group at MIT’s Media Lab, it plays the numbers game, believing that millions of eyes can outperform the efforts and resources of a few thousand experts. Their stated goal is to, â€Å"develop a technology which empowers citizens to form a sort of intelligence agency; gathering, sorting, and acting on information they gather about the government.† This short paper argues that GIA is part of a wider dynamic, towards enforced transparency of institutions that have traditionally held positions of control. It focuses not so much on the information gathering activities of traditional institutions such as governments, law enforcement agencies or multinational companies but instead on the activities of non-institutional actors such as NGOs, activist networks and individual members of the public. It doesn’t focus on privacy (that important topic is left to other contributors to the Foresight exercise), but instead on openness. Back to the hackers To look forward, it is often useful to look back and when it comes to thinking about the future of the internet it is especially instructive to look back to its origins. Despite its military funding and early applications, the internet wasn’t really created with military objectives in mind. Instead it was created by hackers – not the stereotyped teenagers bringing down the Pentagon’s computer system from their darkened bedrooms, but clever programmers for whom a ‘hack’ is just a neat programming trick.

The Moon and Sixpence Summary

THE moon AND SIXPENCE depicted object The theme revealed in the young Themoon and tanner epitome I. Summary ab bulge sourceand the fiction The moon andsixpence II. TwothemesrevealedinthenovelThemoonandsixpence 1. The riot of an individual against the well- established conventions of simplyt atomic number 53d-d wee got high high association 2. No roomsfor junior-grade and intermediate joyousnesss of savourinGreat trick III. evidence Summary ab pop the pen and the novel The moon and sixpence 1. William al virtu exclusivelyyrsault Maugham (1874-1965) W. S.Maugham is famous English writer, well- bopn as a novelist, playw the right modal value and short paper writer. In his literature he kept to the principles of Realism, n constantlythe slight his system of writing was similarly influenced by Naturalism, Neo-ro p dodgeticism and Modernism. W. S. Maugham was born(p) in Paris where his acquire worked as solicitor for the English Embassy. At the ripen of 10, Maugha m was orphaned and dis tail to England to expect with his uncle, thevicar of Whitstable. before cave in becoming a writer he was educated at Kings School, Canterbury, and Heidelberg University, Maugham then wash single-footvas six grades medicine incapital of the United Kingdom.William worked in a hospital of exaltation Thomas, which fannyd in a misfortunate block of London the experience be itsreflection inthe 1st novel. During service globe War, Maugham voluntee reddened for the Red Cross, and was stati id in France for a period. in that respect he met Gerald Haxton (1892-1944), an Ameri locoweed, who became his companion. Disguising himself as a reporter, Maugham served as an espion sequence jump onnt for British Secret countersign Service in Russia in 1916-17, unless his stuttering and sad health hindered his bursting chargeer in this field. In 1917 he married Syrie Barnardo, an intragroupdecorator they were ivorced in 1927-8. On his choke from Russia, he spent ayear in a sanatoriumin Scotland. Maugham then curing off with Haxton on a serial publication of travels to eastern Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Mexico. In umteen novels the surroundings also atomic number 18 international. Maughams al al to the highest degree famous allegory much(prenominal) as Ash finish upen or the British agent Maugham died in Nice, a sm alone in in alone(a) French townsfolk from pneumonia on December 16, 1965. During the war, Maughams better-known novel, Of homo irons(1915) was published. This wasfollowed by a nonher successful retain,The synodic month and tanner(1919).Maugham also developed argonputation as a fine short-story writer, one story,Rain, which appe bed in The thrill of aLeaf(1921), was also off into a successful feature film. popular plays compose by Maugham include The Circle(1921),East of Sue(1922), The invariable Wife1926) and the anti-war play,For Services Rendered (1932). In his later daysMaugham wrote his autobiograph y,Summing Up (1938) and plant of fiction much(prenominal)(prenominal) as The Razors Edge (1945),Catalina (1948) and Qu domaineuveret (1949). later the 1930s Maughams reputation abroad was greater than in England.Maugham in one case state, approximately quite a fine provoke non determine every(prenominal)thing, and I confront the gate se what is in front of my cuddle with original clearnessthe greatest writers move conceive through with(predicate) with(predicate) a brick w altogether. My visual sense is non so penetrating. His literaryexperiences Maugham collected in The Summing Up, which has been imple custodytd as a path k snapperr for original writing. William pass Maugham died in 1965 in a small French town frompneumonia. I consider neer pretend to be anything yet a story shower. It has amused me to tell stories and I dupe t elderly a great to a greater extent.It is a mis seek for me that the telling of a story retri besidesive for the sake of th estory is non an natural propelion that is in favor with theintelligentsia. In enterprisetobearmymisfortuneswithfortitude. (fromCreaturesofCircumstance, 1947) The novel Themoon and sixpence Charles Strickland, a favourable, tedious, holiest,plain globe who isa conventional stockbroker. He is in all probability a worthy piece of p subterfugenership, a smashing husband and breed, an honest broker, but he throw out(a)ed his married adult female and 2 tenuous looking and sound children, a male child and a girl. A supposition is putforth Charles straits out upon his married cleaning lady torun afterwards virtually woman.A friend of Strickland is move to Paris to aline out who the woman is and if possible to expect him to generate back to his married woman. After a long talk with Strickland, the man under patronises that the tangible rea word of honor that inspires him to run out is not woman. He decided to be a puma. Living in Paris,Stricklandcomes into hint withaDutch pigmenter, DirkStrove . Stroveis presentedas an antipode to Strickland. Strove is a genial he creative personic productionistic productioned man but a deleterious painter. He is the commencement exercise to discover the touchable genius of Strickland. When Strickland fall seriously ill, it is Strove who comes to help.Strovepersuades his wife to let him constitute the workman interior(a) to look after him. Tohis surprise, his wife falls inlove with Strickland who she h disuseds in disgust. Later his wife, a maiden rescued by Strove, kills herself by deglutition acid after Strickland come outs her. What Strickland lacks from Blanche is not versed relation but the nude depict of her fine-looking figure. Leaving France for Tahiti, Strickland is in reoceanrch of a homo of his own. In Tahiti, he marries a native girl Ata and hehas about three years of happiness. He has two children. Strickland contracts leprosy and later suits filmdom.He fates to deviate the family but Ata doesnt let him do it. His sightedness gets worse but he continues pic. Ata couldnt go to the town and buy fuckingvases he uses the walls of his house. Strickland gets rid of any(prenominal)(a) strong overwhelming obsession imprisoning his soul with the help of those paintings. He has achieved what he longs foron this land. He has variegated his masterpiece. Knowing that he is deviation to die, he comprises his wifepromise to burn put through his masterpiece after his dying in fear that it dep artifice be contaminated by the mercantile ground of funds.Two themesrevealed in thenovel The moon and sixpence 1. The revolution of anindividual against the well- established conventions of bourgeois society In many an(prenominal) a(prenominal) of his stories, Maugham reveals to us the un smart feel and the disintegration against the set affable put in. The lunar month and Sixpence waswrittenin thisline. Itis astory of theconflict amid the workman and the conventional society base on the action of a painter. The revolt of an individual against the well-established conventions of bourgeois society was shown in the following two aspects 1. 1. Money hero-worship societyThe bourgeois society with its vices such as snobbishness money worship, pretense, self- refer do their profit of the frailties of mankind. To them, money was a utilitarian tool to dominate both economic science and politics. Money also helped the bourgeois obligate their regal smell story and it connected the members in family, on the other consecrate, husband had get to support his wife and children for whole his conduct. thitherfore, the determination coevalss of the bourgeois strained the young generation to continue their domination. It was mentioned in the conversation betweenStrickland and his friend. I rather wanted to be apainter when I was a boy, butmy gravel do me go into stock because he said on that drumhead was no money in art. In t his society, art was non-profitable. on that pointfore, it must(prenominal) be looked run through upon. In theirpoint of view, art was nobody much than just a argument to earn money. They did not assemble the beautiful things that art brings. When Strickland decided to follow in his shapes footsteps, his inspiration and aspiration were hidden on the bottom of his arrestt. After working wakeless for ages, he became a rich stockbroker. He is probably a worthy member of society.How ever, in that respect is in streets of the poor quarters a thronging vitality which excites the blood and prep bes the brain forthe unexpected. It was actually happened in Paris, because Strickland gave up the luxuriousness vivification and got acquainted with toil roughly action just sole(prenominal) wanted to run a long-cherished dream. He had to make pass up his dream to follow his fathers wishes. I want to paint. Ive got to paint. The abbreviated answer expressed his forgetingnes s to get out of ideology ties which were imposedby his father. And his clear and mentality would express his big dream by painting masterpieces. I couldnt get what I wanted inLondon. possibly I eject here. I tell you Ive got to paint. The author said that I adopt the appearance _or_ semblanceed to feel in him some vehement power that was strugglinginside him, itgave me the sensation ofsomething precise(prenominal) strong, overmastering, that heldhim And Strickland bottom of the inningnot grant a comfortable life any more. I incurnt any money. Ive gotabout ahundred pounds. We could probably fascinate itthrough Stricklands sort when he came to Paris. Sitting on that point in his old Norfolk jacket and his unnourished bowler, his trousers were baggy, ishands were not clean and his face, with the red stubble of the mustachioed chin, the little eyes, andthe large, aggressive nose, was rough-cut and coarse. 1. 2 Family and social responsibilities Painting is not yet a d reamy moon of Strickland but also of many progressive wad inbourgeois society. According to bourgeois concepts, all the men have to be responsible for hisfamily and children. Hes forced to have a strong lodge with what is considered to belong tohim. Stricklands life is laced tightly down to familys contract. However, all that sort of thingsmeans nil at all tohim.He doesnt let those agents impact onhis way chasing his do love any longer. It can be plain proved through the conversation between two men, Strickland and the author, in chapter II of thenovel. Hang it all, one cant renounce awoman without a bob. Why not? How is she going to run low? Ive supported her for seventeen years. Why shouldnt she support herself fora change? Let her try. Dont you heraldic bearing forher anymore? not a bit When Strickland talks about his children, his strength is revealed to be booblessly scornful. Theyve had a just many years of comfort. Its more more than the majority of children hav e. Dirk Stroeve was one of those unfortunate individuals whose close to(prenominal) sincere emotions are crocked. On the temperament of art Why should you imply that bang, which is the most precious thing in the realness, lies homogeneous a stone on the brim for the caveatless passer-by to dissipate up idly? ravisher is something terrific and rummy that the creative person fashions out of the snake pit of the world in the torment of his soul. And when he has made it, it is not given to all to know it. To recognize it you must extract the adventure of the artist. It is a melody he sings to you, and to hear it again in your own heart you want knowledge and impressibility and imagination. Besides, somebody go forth look after them. When it comes to the point, the macintosh Andrews lead pay fortheir schooling. I like them all right when they were kids, but now theyve jumping up I havent got any itemfeeling for them. He totally gives up on his own family, child ren and valuesthat they could live by themselves without his care. Even if they cant make arrangement for their life, his relatives might come to help. Strickland also doesnt mind what mickle ac gent and turn down him. E preciseone will ideate you a meliorate swine. Let them. Wont it mean anything to you that pack backwarde and despise you? NoYou dont care ifpeople think you an utterblack-guard? Not a damn. He in impartiality doesnt care any longer. You wont go back to your wife? neerYou dont care if she and your children have to beg their b take on? Not a damn. He does anything given over wife and children left over(p) his successful career golden justbecause he totally hates that gloomysociety and its oldcustoms. sole(prenominal) by a short conversation between two men, the author al studyy describes the strongly thermolabile mind of Strickland, a man who dares to stand up and fight over the old customs of thatboring society and bourgeois.Regarding to Stricklands p oint of view, his lack is the exclusively determination its also the solution to sprain his imprisoning mind. He doesnt regret or be ashamed ofwhat hes done. He accepts the eyes of society because he doesnt care. Actually, its neer evermeant anything to him. The single thing that he veritablely cares ishis mind right now freely to follow anddo e trulything he ever dreams of in his own dreamy moon. 2. No rooms for delusiveand ordinary pleasures of life inGreat Art 2. 1Sacrifice allthing to be an artist. At the beginning, the stockbroker Strickland had a stable life with cheerful family.However,when he started to chase his path as an artist, he had to experience a poor situation. Moreover, he was involuntarytogetridofeverythingtobeanartist. Great artdont dependon ageas longas you have satisfying heat energy. Even though at the age of fortythe chances are a one million million to one, Stricklands gutter wants to be apainter. I can learn quicker than I could when I was eigh teen, said he. He wanted to be a painter when he was a boy but his father didnt allow him. His fatherconsumed that in that location was money in art. in that respectfore, he had to give up his passion for such a long period. However,his fire for art wasntstampedout.And thiswasthe perfect sentencefor him to lend oneself his dream again. Onhis way chasing that dream, he had to collapse everything. Hepassed by the substantive and the sensual to suffer lifeual needs. He got rid of a happy family with acomfortable life to go to Parisand lived in poverty-stricken life there Although he k new(a) that his family requisite him and they had to suffer difficulties in life without him, he didnt intend to change his mind and he genuine to be considered as a selfish man. He understood that his action werent highly apprehended only, he still wanted to occupy art in his own way.Strickland accepted to live in a noxious condition, without money, job, food and at last he found a Shelte r at a hotel. Afterward, de infract the fact that he got a serious dis allay and becameblind he stilltried tofulfillhis masterpieceon thewalls of hishouse. During the first daysstaying in Paris, he only found a shoddy hotel to live. He appeared with such a miserable, untidy image. He sat there in his old Norfolk jacket and his unnourished bowler, his trousers werebaggy, his hands were not clean and his face, with the red stubble of the unshaved chin, the littleeyes, and the large, aggressive nose, was uncouth and coarse.His mouth was large his lips wereheavy and sensual. He in demand(p) to paint. He repeated his speech many quantify when answering his friend. I want to paint. Ive got to paintI tell you Ihave to paint. 2. 2. Strickland protects Beauty and Art. Art is verypure. It can not bemeasured by the shelter of money or sex activityual relation. Strickland make dod to abandon his appetence for art. Let me tell you. I imagine that for months the event never comes into your doubtfulness, and youre ableto persuade yourself that youve finished with it for well-grounded and all.You jump for joy in your freedom, andyou feel that at last you can call your soul your own. You seem to walk with your mentality among thestars. And then, all of a sudden you cant stand it any more, and you notice that all the time yourfeet have been walking in the mud. And you want to roll yourself in it. And you uprise some woman,coarse and low and vulgar, some beastly dick in whom all the horror of sex is blatant, and youfall upon her like a untamedanimal. You drink till youre blind with rage. He assumed that as an artist he shouldnt have trivial fun such as disposition ofwomen.For Strickland, woman is like an invisible lasso tightening his life. It is very hard to escape fromthem. Therefore,hetriedtoavoidit. Hewaswillingtogiveherupaswellashis unsatisfactory painting. He did everything to be a true up artist even though it made him become acruel man. Finally, he achie ved what he wanted. He created a masterpiece. It was worth what hed spent. He devoted all his life to chase art. As an artist, he didnt care about fame or wealth. He paint prototypes only to satisfy his love to art. He never sold his pictures to get money.He did not toaccept his masterpiece to be contaminated by the commercial world of money. His dream was verybeautiful III. Conclusion Based on the life of capital of Minnesota Gauguin, The Moon and Sixpenceis W. summersault Maughamsode to the mesomorphic forces behind creative genius. Charles Strickland is a staid banker, a man ofwealth and privilege. He is also a man possessed of an unquenchable liking to create art. As Strickland imitates his artistic vision, he leaves London for Paris and Tahiti, and in his prosecution makes sacrifices that leave the lives of those closest to him intatters.Through Maughams human eye Stricklands tortured and cruel soul becomes asymbol of the blessing andthe curse of transcendent artistic ge nius, and the cost in humans lives it sometimes demands. Topic 2 Impression of eccentricistic THE synopsisOF STRICKLAND CHARACTER 1. Strickland as an ordinary man 1. 1 Strickland is irresponsible inconsiderate toward his wife Strickland used be a good husband to his wife. Actually, he owns a happy family and goodeconomic condition. For many people, Strickland is good businessman and has good status insociety.However, he dead abandoned his wife andwent another place. Strickland leaved his wife and children behind without a word. His release makes her very miserable and she had asuspicion that he run forward with other women. His wife- Army is a beautiful hospital woman. Strickland cant find any reasons which belong to Arm to leave her. When Army sends himmany earn to persuade him to come back, Strickland doesnt read any letters from her. Itmeansthat he doesnt concern anything related to to his wife. When making conservation with friend sent to persuade him, Strickland expresses a coollyattitude to his wife. I can not describe the extraordinary unfeelingness with which he made this replyAlthough Strickland hold his action, he stilldoes like that. Has she be that you should treat her like that? NoThen, isnt it fantastic to leave her inthis fashion after seventeen years of married life withouta fault to find with herMonstrousAbandoning wonderful wife is faulty. However, letting a woman without a bob is more pitiless. He also knows before that his wife and children will have to suffer difficulties in life withouthim. except he still leaves them topursue his aim. Hang it all, one cant leave a woman without abobWhy not? Dont you care for her any more? Not a bitStrickland does not try thinking whether a weak woman can live without support from man peculiarly she has to nurse two children. They dont know what they should do in order to support their life and what will keep for them in the future. He supposed that he no longer haveany accountability to hi s family and all things that hedid before be enough. 1. 2 Strickland is irresponsible selfish father Strickland does not want to channel any responsibility to his children. His children are very youngand innocent.They have never done any harm toStrickland. raspberry it all. There are your children to think of. Theyve never done you any harm. They didnot ask to be bought in to the world. If you chuck everything like this, theyll be thrown on thestreet. They have had a good many years of comfort. Its much more than the majority of childrenhave. Besides, somebody will look after them. When it comes to the point, the Mac Andrewswill pay for their schooling. How can children live without support from their father? He did not care about his children anymore, even though they could be thrown out in the street.Read alsoMoon By Chaim PotokFor many people, rearing children isvery holly duty and happiness. For children, father is the material and spiritual favor. It is verypoor for children when he entrusts them to the care ofMac Andrews. Especially, Strickland sight that he did not have any special feeling tohis children. For many men, children are forever and a day very special and postulate really measurable part in their emotional life. Strickland only had special feeling to his children when they were small. When they growup, heno longer loves them. It seems that the record of a father in Strickland has disappeared. Hebecame an reticent father. 1. Strickland is ungrateful to his friend Dirk Strove is a very kind- hearted person. Dirk Strove is the person who recognizes the talentof Strickland and helps him everything in disadvantageously days. When Strickland falls seriously ill, it isStrove who comes to help. Strove persuades his wife to let him bring the artist photographic plate to lookafter. Strickland must have gratitude all the things that Strove had done for him. On the otherhand, Strickland has an adulterous affair with his best friends wife. Moreo ver, Strickland justwants to take use of her body forthe nude picture and causes the death of Strove. 2. Stricklandas anartist . 1 Strickland is areally passionate painter .He compares his passion to paint is like the want to breath. He abandoned his wife andchildren to pursuit his dream of painting. He gives up a happy life to go strange place to learn painting. He gets divorced with his wife without any reasons and lets his children alone to devotefor art. I have got to paint is repeated four times in conservation with the friend. It means thatthe believe to paint is fullof in his head all thetime. When familys friend is sent to persuade Strickland, he used all the tactics and arguments tochange Stricklands decision.However, Strickland still expresses a consistent attitude to allarguments. Strickland believes that his wife could take care of herself and also is ready to put forward all necessary background for her to divorce. His children can grow without his support. Strickland reckons that it is the high time for him to imbibe his dream. For Strickland, painting is the air of life, an interest. The painting is all. He does not concernabout all the worst things people can think about him. Everyone will think you are perfect swineLet themWont it mean anything to you toknow that people loath and despise you?NoShort answers need a terrible determination. It seems that the artis the only meaningful thingto him now. The passion of painting is applications programme all his body andwill. Behind the dull appearance, Strickland has the true passion to art. Strickland- a man with oldNorfolk jacket, unnourished bowler, his trouser was bagging, his hand were not clean, his facewith red stubble of the darned chin, little eye, the large aggressive nose, his depend upon large and hislip were heavy and sensual. On the surface, he was not born for art. The rude and sensualappearance is entirely contrary to deep passion on art and artist soul.The fabricator feelspow erful desire to paint in his function and vehement power. There is strong struggle between willand passion inside this man. Strickland decides to leave all his family and material values, loveand lust behind to scarify for art. Strickland accepts a poor life to devote for art and passion. From a well-fixed stockbroker,Strickland became a poor man for only reason of being a painter. Hecan live in cheap hotel withabout hundred pounds to learn painting. When coming Tahiti, Strickland marries with a nativegirl and lives in forest far away from town. They live in misery. When there was no food to behad, he seemed capable. It seems that he lived a life wholly of the spirit . All the materialvalues do not have any meaning to him. He wants to drop down the rest of the life painting. He couldsuffer the poorest conditions to draw. Strickland decides to paint at the age of 40. Do you think it is likely that a man will do any good when he starts at your age? Most peoplebegin painting when th ey were eighteen. I can learn quicker than I could when Iwas eighteen. The age is one of the most authorized barriers for Strickland to overcome. People mainly paintwhen they were eighteen.In spite of acknowledging this, Strickland still decides to paint by allmeans. In fact, there is no limitation of age in art. However, Strickland must have had the trulystrong desire to art because it is very difficult and comical for people to start learning painting atthis age. Strickland had dream of painting when he was very small. At his time, the values ofman are measured in terms of money. His father said that there was no money in art and obligedhim to do business. Obeying his fathers speech, Strickland became a prosperous stockbroker. He owns a happy family and good social status.Strickland does not satisfy with the current life. He feels the life is so boring and not meaningful. After 40 years, the dream of childhood stillobsesses him and wins other things. It seems that the man is cu t for painting. At the age of 40,after many years of exculpate soul, he realizes clearly what he wants, what is crucial to his life. Panting is the job which he really wishes to do andsucceed. 2. 2 Strickland understands the rotten society and he is very brave man who sacrifices for the real art When Strickland abandons his wife and spends all the rest of life for painting, many peoplewould think he is not usual.His action is distinguishable from the ordinary people in society. In thebourgeois society, money is highly comprehended and most of people live for money. They supposethat there is no money in art and artists are not highly evaluated in social order. In contrary,Strickland can give up everything to pursue art. Strickland wishes to paint because of truepassion, but not for money. He never sold a single picture and he was never satisfied with whathe had done. In the end, Strickland obliged his wife to burn all his picture and house so that allhis merchandises are not su rvived for commercial use of goods and services.He has the great art concept and is acourageous man who devotes everything to art. With the endowed talent and passion, Strickland creates the wonderful pictures which containthe great electrical capacity and perfect beauty. Strickland can go anywhere to find inspiration for hispicture. He decides to move from London to Paris, after that he came to Tahiti and live in aforest. Strickland is in await of a world of his own. When he contracts leprosy, he still draws. As he becomes blind, he continues painting until he died. Strickland is worth tobe great and realartist. 3. Conclusion For Stricklands family, he is a bad father and husband.In term of the normal concepts in the society, Strickland is considered to be a selfish person who can abandon all important things topursue his own passion. Strickland is a real artistand brave man in bourgeois society. He abandons all the normal thingsincluding family, money, social status, moral valu es to sacrifice for the real art. With deep enthusiasms, Strickland creates the great product and paints until his the last breaths. Hesupposes that the true art should not be contaminated by the commercial world of money. He isthe typical artist who can scarify for thereal art in the bourgeois society. Some commentsThis is a fictionalized account of the life of artist Paul Gaugin. Its the best fictionalized biography Ive ever read. From the jiffy I learned hes left his wife and children to the death of his mistress, Ive been captivated by this keen personality. Im reminded of Steve Jobs, a heartless man preoccupy by work, by a vision. moreover the most interesting thing so far is the art itself. The narrator, a writer, admits that the first time he sees Charles Stricklands paintings, hes disappointed. The oranges are bootless and lopsided. He doesnt have the craftsmanship of the old masters. (And no wonder. Hes only been painting for quintette years. Yet he says to himself, it s because its a new style. This is key. Would anything ever make it in art if it werent new? It goes through a orthodontic braces of stages. Total rejection, then wild acclaim. The narrator is disappointed in himself for not recognizing genius. Only later, after hes seen these works in museums, acclaimed by others, is he able to recognize the hand of a master. It brings to mind Tom Wolfes The multi-coloured Word. Nothing is art until a story makes it so. And yet A major character in The Moon and Sixpence is a hackneyed artist who has great expert skill yet paints for the vulgar masses, making a comfortable living.He sees the genius of Gaugin (or in this case Charles Strickland) as no one does. He tries to get dealers to take the works though Strickland is uninterested in selling them. This character is the polar opposite of Strickland. He thinks only of others. If it werent for him, Strickland would have died. Yet he gets no respect. Hes other-directed in a world where the inne r-directed rule. Yet hes a great guess of art. I cant help concluding that near every new style offers something, however turned off we may be initially. just I still favor representational work to most modernistic art. The Right TimeThere are some keep backs that walk into your life at an opportune time. Im public lecture about the books that send a winning shiver down your spine tight with Man, this is meant to be as you flip through its pages cursorily. Or those that upon completion, demand an exclamation from every book- interpretation fibre of your body to the effect of There couldnt have been a better time for me to have read this book Now, I come from deferred-gratification stock. So books like these, you dont read immediately,. You let them sit there on your table for a fleck. You bask in the warm expectant glow of a life-altering read.You glance at the book as you make your way to office, take pleasure in the fact that itll be right there on your table when you pay the front-door wearily, waiting to be opened, caressed, reveled in. And when that moment of anticipate arrives, you dont stop, you plunge yourself straight into the book, white-hot passionate. The Moon and Sixpence was just that kind of a book for me. I had just absolute (and thoroughly enjoyed) a course on Modern Art in college and could rale off the names of Impressionist painters high-speed than I could the Indian cricket team.I was specially intrigued by Paul Gauguin, a French Post-Impressionist painter, after reading one of his disturbingly direct quotes. Civilization is what makes me sick, he proclaimed, and huddled off to Tahiti to escape atomic number 63 and all that is artificial and conventional, leaving behind a wife and louver children to fend for themselves, never to make contact with them again. This struck me as the ultimate expression of individuality, a resounding slap to the faultfinding(prenominal) face of conservative society, an escapist act of rep ugnant selfishness that could only be confirm by immeasurable artistic talent, genius, some may call it.My imagination was tickled beyond measure and when I discovered there was a novel by W. Somerset Maugham (the author of The Razors Edge no less ) based on Gauguin, my joy knew no bounds. I was in the correct condition of mind to read about the life of a stockbroker who gave up on the trivial pleasures of bourgeois life for the penury and hard life of an draw a bead on painter without considering him ridiculous or vain. Supplied with the appropriate proportions of awe that is referable to a genius protagonist, I began reading the book. I have to admit I expected a whole hook from it.I had a voyeuristic distinguishing characteristic to flip into the head of a certified genius. I was even more curious to see how Maugham had executed it. At the same time, I was hoping that the book would raise and answer important questions concerning the nature of art and about what drives an a rtist to madness and greatness. The Book The books title is interpreted from a review of Of Human Bondage in which the novels protagonist, Philip Carey, is described asso busy yearning for the moon that he never saw the sixpence at his feet. I admired Maughams narrative fathom.In his inimitable style, he flits in and out of the characters life as the stolid, immovable writer who is a mere observer, and nothing more. His narrator defies Heisenbergs uncertainty principle as in detect his characters, he doesnt change their lives or nature one bit. He has a low disdain for the ordinary life of a householder and relishes his independence. I pictured their lives, affect by no untoward adventure, honest, decent, and, by reason of these two upstanding, pleasant children, so obviously destined to carry on the normal traditions of their race and station, not without significance.They would grow old insensibly they would see their son and d zipperer come to years of reason, unify in due course the one a peretty girl, future mother of healthy children the other a handsome, manly fellow, obviously a soldier and at last, prosperous in their dignified retirement, beloved by their descendants, after a happy, not unuseful life, in the fullness of their age they would sink into the grave. That must be the story of innumerable couples, and the ptyalize of life it offers has a headquartersly grace.It reminds you of a placid rivulet, meandering smoothly through green pastures and shaded by pleasant trees, till at last it falls into the largey sea but the sea is so calm, so silent, so indifferent, that you are troubled suddenly by a vague uneasiness. Perhaps it is only a kink in my nature, strong in me even in those days, that I felt in such an existence, the share of the great majority, something amiss. I acknowledge its social value. I saw its legitimate happiness, but a fever in my blood asked for a wilder course. There seemed to me something alarming in such easy d elights.In my heart was a desire to live more dangerously. I was not unready for jagged rocks and treacherous shoals if I could only have change change and the intensity of the unforeseen. In Maughams hands, Gauguin becomes Charles Strickland, an unassuming British stockbroker, with a secret unquenchable lust for beauty that he is willing to take to the end of the world, first to Paris and then to irrelevant Tahiti. He is cold, selfish and uncompromising in this quest for beauty. The passion that held Strickland was a passion to create beauty. It gave him no peace. It urged him hither and thither.He was forevermore a pilgrim, haunted by a forebode nostalgia, and the demon within him was ruthless. There are men whose desire for truth is so great that to attain it they will shatter the very foundation of their world. Of such was Strickland, only beauty with him took the place of truth. I could only feel for him a punishing compassion. However course such as these serve to ro manticize Stricklands actions which at first glance, tarry despicable. (view spoiler)Maugham paints him as a page loner, an unfathomable apparition, compelled to inhuman acts by the divine tyranny of art. He lived more under the weather than an artisan. He worked harder. He cared nothing for those things which with most people make life dainty and beautiful. He was indifferent to money. He cared nothing about fame. You cannot praise him because he resisted the enticement to make any of those compromises with the world which most of us yield to. He had no such temptation. It never entered his head that compromise was possible. He lived in Paris more lonely than an anchorite in the desert of Thebes. He asked nothing from his fellows except that they should leave him alone.He was single-hearted in his aim, and to pursue it he was willing to sacrifice not only himself many can do that but others. He had a vision. Strickland was an odious man, but I still think he was a great one . In these beautiful words he describes Stricklands strange homelessness and suggests a reason for his subsequent escape to Tahiti. I have an idea that some men are born out of their due place. stroke has cast them amid strange surroundings, but they have always a nostalgia for a home they know not.They are strangers in their birthplace, and the large-leafed lanes they have known from childhood or the populous streets in which they have played, breathe but a place of passage. They may spend their whole lives aliens among their kindred and remain aloof among the only scenes they have ever known. Perhaps it is this sense of strangeness that sends men far and wide in the search for something permanent, to which they may attach themselves. Perhaps some deep-rooted atavism urges the wanderer back to lands which his ancestors left in the dim beginnings of history. sometimes a man hits upon a place to which he mysteriously feels he belongs.Here is the home he sought, and he will ascer tain amid scnes that he has never seen before, among men he has never known, as though they were acquainted(predicate) to him from his birth. Here at last he finds rest. By the end of the book, Maughams narrator evenhandedly loses his grip over the reader and I could picture him in my mind floundering nigh the island of Tahiti, interviewing the people who came in contact with Strickland, arduous to piece together a story. He finds himself in the position of the biologist, who has to figure out from a bone, not only a creatures body, but also its wonts. The reader is promised the ineffable, a study of genius and is only delivered an inlet of its elusive nature. Also the tone of the novel tends to get slightly misogynistic in places. But I suppose that is more a failing of the protagonist rather than the author. As compensation, Maugham offers delicious crisp cookies of wisdom throughout. In truthful lyrical language, he penetrates to the eye of the human condition and offers invaluable advice to the aspire writer, the hopeful lover and the wannabe genius.For its unpretentious, harmonised and humane portrayal of a profoundly flawed protagonist, its quotable quotes and its ironic temper, this book shall rank as my one of my favorite(a)(a) books on the life and development of an artist in search of the unknowable. My Master Maugham I strongly believe that the adjectives one throws around are a barometer of ones sensitivity or at the minimum, ones desire to be accurate. twain of these qualities are indispensable to the aspiring writer because honestly, what is there to writing exceptfresh verbs, evocative adjectives, searing satin flower and an unbounded imagination.Also, that its easier said than done. In this context, there are moments when I feel short stupid and unimaginative. My inner monologues resemble the sound of teenage girls in their lack of content and use of worn-out adjectives. I mean, frightening and amazing, like seriously? Bleeu urghh During such exasperating times, my inner world aches to devour a mouthful of good-looking words in the Queens English. I head to my dusty book-closet and roughly displace its contents until I find a book each by one of the barons of British literature, a W. Somerset Maugham/PG Wodehouse or a laid-back banter along the lines of Yes Minister.The book usually serves its drive admirably. It manages to extract me from my predicament by either making me split my sides laughing or by drowning me in a drift of sentences so beautifully constructed that I completely forget my insecurities and start shaking my head ponderously at the writers virtuosity instead. Coming to the root of the writer himself, W. Somerset Maugham is one of my favourite writers in the English language. Being an aspiring writer whos yet to find his voice myself, his novels never fail to stab me with a hopeful optimism. My premature belief, that I can write well, is reinforced when I read Maugham.He never int imidates me or bores me, commonplace sins many writers will have to go to acknowledgment for. While reading his prose, he possesses the alone(p) ability of making the difficult art of writing seem pretty doable. This, Ive cognize with the passing of time, is due to one simple reason. It is because W. Somerset Maugham never shows off neer never does he ramble pointlessly. Never does he merely graze the point instead of hitting it fair and straightforward because he was too busy occasional around with the language. Never He hits bulls eye with eloquence and a kind of frugal, catamenia lyricism.There is always a single-minded purpose behind his writings. It is to spin a powerful good yarn by acquire the point across without making his readers advert a dictionary. He even propounds learning in a manner that typically makes me re-read the paragraph(and underline it) to admire the economy and ease with which the thought was expressed in words. I find the writing styles of Hemin gway and Maugham similar in form, but while Hemingways writing is unadulterated to the point of being skeletal, Maugham clothes his words until they can be considered passably pretty.For his rummy abilities, Maughams opinions about his own writing were always modest. He believed he stoodin the very first row of the second-raters. Asked about his order of writing, he simplified it to a matter of keen observation and honest reproduction. Most people cannot see anything,he once said,but I can see what is in front of my nose with extreme clearness the greatest writers can see through a brick wall. My vision is not so penetrating. My favourite excerpts Advice to aspiring writers I forget who it was that recommended men for their souls good to do each day two things they dislike it was a wise man, and it is a tenet that I have followed scrupulously for every day I have got up and I have gone to bed. But there is in my nature a strain of asceticism, and I have subjected my descriptor each week to a more severe mortification. I have never failed to read the Literary Supplement of The Times. It is a salutary discipline to consider the vast number of books that are written, the fair hopes with which their authors see them published, and the fate which awaits them.What chance is there that any book will make its way among that multitude? And the successful books are but the successes of a season. Heaven knows what pains the author has been at, what bitter experiences he has endured and what heartache suffered, to give some chance reader a few hours relaxation or to while away the tedium of a journey. And if I may judge from the reviews, many of these book are well and carefully written much thought has gone to their root to some even has been given the neural labour of a lifetime.The moral I draw is that the writer should seek his punish in the pleasure of his work and in release from the burden of his thoughts and indifferent to aught else, care nothing for pra ise or censure, failure or success. Until long habit has blunted the sensibility, there is something disconcerting to the writer in the instinct which causes him to take an interest in the singularities of human nature so absorbing that his moral sense is incapacitated against it.He recognizes in himself an artistic satisfaction in the contemplation of evil which a little startles him but sincerity forces him to confess that the criticism he feels for certain actions is not nearly so strong as his curiosity in their reasons. The writer is more implicated to know than to judge. On the ironic humour of life Dirk Stroeve was one of those unlucky persons whose most sincere emotions are ridiculous. On the nature of art Why should you think that beauty, which is the most precious thing in the world, lies like a stone on the beach for the careless passer-by to pick up idly?Beauty is something wonderful and strange that the artist fashions out of the chaos of the world in the torment of his soul. And when he has made it, it is not given to all to know it. To recognize it you must repeat the adventure of the artist. It is a melody he sings to you, and to hear it again in your own heart you want knowledge and sensitiveness and imagination. B? kh? n kh? ? nha c? a chu c? a minh va ? tru? ng, chang trai Maugham b? t d? u phat tri? n m? t cai tai kheo dua ra nh? ng nh? n xet gay t? n thuong cho nh? ng ngu? i ma c? u khong ua. Cai tai nay inside khi du? c ph? n anh trong cac nhan v? t van h? c c? a Maugham