Scarlet Letter and Feminism free essay sample

Hawthorne’s views and opinions influenced his writing as the Puritans and transcendentalists of the eighteen hundreds viewed women in different ways. The Puritan society was a society centered on the males. It was a common belief that men are superior to women. The thought was supported by the church, which is a big deal (because life revolved around God and pleasing him), in sermons that preached that â€Å"the soul had two parts, the immortal masculine half, and the mortal feminine side. †1 Women were not included in church or town meetings because they were expected to stay home and be a house wife. The fact that the names Patience, Silence, Fear, Prudence, Comfort, Hopestill, and Be Fruitful1 were common names for girls puts women’s place in society into perspective. Women were not supposed to leaders and active members of the community, but more of second class citizens that obeyed the real leaders, men. We will write a custom essay sample on Scarlet Letter and Feminism or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Their main focus was to bear children, tend to the house, and obey the man of the house. With marital sex being encouraged, the status of women was elevated. However, women were typically not trusted in the community as daughters of Eve because it was thought they were naturally greedy for power. With no trust in women, people did not doubt that some of the women in Puritan society were â€Å"witches†. During the Salem witchcraft trials the accused were almost all women with a few exceptions of men being accused. During the Puritanical time women did not ban together and were not viewed upon well. Often women made it worse for other women like in the Salem witchcraft trials it was predominantly women accusing other women. The first chapter in the Scarlet epitomizes the Puritanical view on women. The women of the community thought that Hester’s punishment should be far more severe, to the point hat execution was an option. â€Å"The ugliest as well as the most pitiless of these self-constituted judges,† (36) was the biggest advocate of Hester’s desired demise. It can be implied that based on Hawthorne’s description of the woman’s physical appearance he is also referring to her personality. She is ugly on the outside and inside. These P uritan women were evil and cruel. The overall view Puritans had on women was that their job was to be obedient, helpful, caregivers in a male centered society. The Puritans were a very classical society. Transcendentalism was a fresh new idea that started in the eighteen hundreds. Transcendentalism is the idea that all people equally know themselves and how the world around them is more than what meets the eye. Transcendentalism at the very beginning was influenced by women. In the Transcendentalist Group Margaret Fuller was a major contributor. She was a proponent of Brook Farm, which was an idealist town that lived with Transcendentalist views. More importantly she was the main editor of The Dial, the newspaper that the Transcendentalist Group published. She had final say as to what the group would put in print for the public; a huge job for a women of the times. The responsibility Fuller had was not common and demonstrates how Transcendentalists were giving women more rights. In the group and her especially they stood for women’s rights. This was the beginning of the women’s suffrage movement. Other women such as the Peabody sisters were also important people in the Transcendentalist movement. They were big proponent of education for women. One of the sisters was a trailblazer becoming the first women publisher and owning a book store popular with social reformist. One of the other two sisters, Sophia Peabody, married Hawthorne. Being a Transcendentalist, Hawthorne, was very much influenced by Transcendentalist thoughts and opinions. It can be said that he projects his progressive feminist views and opinions of the eighteen hundreds into his novel. The Scarlet Letter therefore cannot be seen as a true representation of Puritanical society. He is casting his views on a society with completely different values, which he may not have even completely understood. Hawthorne’s portrayal of Hester as the main character who is a strong and self-sufficient women is a view that a Transcendentalist would have on woman. It is not the view a Puritan would have on women. As the protagonist in a feminist novel, Hester displays her strength and superiority to men both morally and with internal strength while challenging traditional gender roles. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne is the main character and protagonist throughout the novel. The entire novel is based around the sin of Hester. The novel is based off her actions. Every step of the way through the novel Hester is involved in one or another. Sometimes she is directly involved and in other scenes she is indirectly involved. When Pearl and she are being ridiculed in the town square she is a main part of the scene. She is indirectly involved in a scene like when Chillingworth examines the chest of Dimmsdale. Although she is not literally in the scene, the scene would never have taken place without her â€Å"betraying† Chillingworth. So even when Hester is not present in the scene she is still involved. As the protagonist in the novel, Hester displays her superiority over men in one way by being much more mentally tough than the main male characters. Mental toughness refers to how calm and poised Hester is when she faces adversity. Hester accepts the fact that she has sinned and is willing to accept responsibility for her actions. She does run away from her punishment, but takes it in stride. By accepting responsibility for her actions she immediately expresses that she is stronger than Chillingworth. The reason that Hester committed adultery is because Chillingworth was a bad husband to her making it so that she could never love him. Chillingworth proves the fact that Hester could never love her when she exclaims, â€Å"I hate the man† (120). Hester at that point is fed up with Chillingworth’s vengeful plan to hurt Dimmsdale. Chillingworth never once accepts or realizes that he is the root cause for her misbehavior instead blaming Dimmsdale. The consequence of Chillingworth being a bad husband is that Hester now loves Dimmsdale. Chillingworth displays his inferiority to Hester as he does not accept the consequences of his actions while she does accept responsibility. Hester also shows strength by not letting the â€Å"A† ruin her life. Instead of going into complete seclusion Hester embraces the â€Å"A† by embroidering it and making the embroidery very elaborate. Making the â€Å"A† ornate implies that she knows she is wrong and has sinned, but is not going to let the sin ruin the rest of her life like the â€Å"A† tarnishes her clothing. Over the next several years while wearing the â€Å"A† Hester does nothing, but good for the community. Through her charitable work in the community and time Hester is eventually offered the opportunity to remove the â€Å"A† from her chest, but declines. By keeping the â€Å"A† on her bosom Hester is telling the community that she is strong enough to continue wearing the â€Å"A† in public unlike her male counterpart, Dimmsdale who is not strong enough. He must wear a shirt over the scarlet letter he has given himself. Not only is Hester mentally tough enough to continue wearing the â€Å"A†, but she also knows that taking off the â€Å"A† is morally wrong because the fact has not changed that she has still sinned. Hester is not only tougher than men in the novel, but she is also morally superior. She may have sinned and committed adultery, but the male characters also sinned. Dimmsdale had sex outside of marriage which is not as bad as adultery, but he never admits his guilt making his actions inferior to Hester. Chillingworth worth throughout the novel plans and tries to inflict as much harm as possible on Dimmsdale which can be considered worse than Hester’s sin. Both Dimmsdale and Chillingworth conceal their sins and never accept their punishment for their sin which tells you about their character. Their moral standard must be lower if they cannot live up to what they have done. Dimmsdale in particular openly denied his sin to Pearl and Hester. When he replies, â€Å"Nay; not so, my little Pearl! † (105) to Pearl’s request to stand with her mother and her at noon, Dimmsdale is not only denying his sin, but also the product of his sin. Lying alone is a sin yet Dimmsdale keeps lying to himself and the public about who he really is as a person. Even though the novel is based on Hester’s sin her, sin is not the worse sin committed in the novel. Hester’s morality is really exemplified when she refuses to tell the town who fathered her child. Nothing good can come of her letting the father be known. If Hester tells the town that their beloved minister is the offender who impregnated her, the town would be devastated. One of the most trusted members of the community would be cast in a different light. He would no longer be an upstanding member in the community or church and the town would no longer have a reverend. She realizes that no one would benefit from the knowledge and wants what is best for everyone. It is obvious her morality is superior to men here because she knows it would be easy to tell the town, but telling the town would also be wrong. Men in the novel frequently take the easy way out instead of the right way. Unlike men in the novel Hester did not take the easy way out. She was a single mother raising a child all by herself and instilled very strong morals in her daughter Pearl. Even though Pearl may seem like a dark child her intuition between right and wrong is almost always right. She appears to be able to tell the morally right and wrong apart from each other when others are not able to see what she sees. Before anyone in the novel realizes that Chillingworth is evil Pearl warns her mother to, â€Å"Come away or yonder old Black Man will catch you! † (92) like he has caught the minister. Pearl is referring to Chillingworth as the Black Man. Since this is early on in the novel it could be a foreshadowing of what Chillingworth will become later. Her sense of morality is especially heightened around Dimmsdale and her mother though. She does not let her mother take the â€Å"A† off her chest even though it makes Hester happy because Pearl knows it is wrong not to accept one’s actions. Pearl realizes that the â€Å"A† represents her and by her mother taking the â€Å"A† off, Hester is saying that Pearl is wrong. Pearl throughout the novel is a dark child because she is smart child. She figures out that Dimmsdale is wrong in denying her. As soon as Dimmsdale begins accepting Pearl it is almost as though she becomes a different person. She is no longer dark, but a very bright child. This occurs because she knows it is right for Dimmsdale to accept her. Dimmsdale is morally right for accepting her and his acceptance changes Pearl. In the novel Pearl has one of the strongest senses of morality which can be directly attribute to her mother who remains calm in the face of adversity because of her mental and moral strength. Throughout society Hester is treated by everyone as if she is the devil all because she committed a sin. In the community Hester is by far not the only sinner and therefore is being judged by hypocrites. Hester’s judgment is almost identical a scene in the bible when a women is about to be stoned to death until Jesus speaks to the crowd that â€Å"the person among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. Jesus’ quote makes the people realize that they all are sinners no matter what they think. It is the same with Hester, she is not the only sinner in town, but she is the only one who has been publicly criticized. It can be said the other sinners in the town who have not publicly admitted their sin are worse than Hester, even if they committed a lesser sin. They would be worse because by not admitting their sin they cannot repent and make good for their sin, making them even more hypocritical when they chastise Hester. The Scarlet Letter through and through is a feminist novel. Hawthorne makes it very clear the novel is a feminist one by constantly challenging gender roles and exposing a double standard. Hawthorne demonstrates his challenging of gender roles particularly through the characters of Hester and Dimmsdale. Hawthorne first challenges gender roles by making Hester the most important character in the novel. Women were not typically the stars of novels then, but side characters. By making Hester more important than men Hawthorne challenged the men first society that both Hester and Hawthorne lived in. A feminist ideal that Hester really exemplifies is that she is self-sufficient woman. She does not need a man to help her and tell her what to do. Hester raised Pearl as a single mother in a time where being a single parent would be unheard of. By raising Pearl well Hester proves that she does not need men, a feministic quality. The most important way that Hawthorne challenges gender role though may be through Hester’s sin. Hester sleeps with a man other than her husband and therefore is choosing her own lover. She is not trapped in the male centered society where a woman has no choice in her man and must marry a man even if she does not love him. She proves that she is not stuck with one man and has a choice. The idea that a woman is choosing her lover is really challenging gender roles. It is challenging gender roles because men were always considered the leader of the family unit and the dominant figure. By not being subject to one man Hester proves she is the dominant figure in her relationships. Hawthorne not only challenges gender roles through Hester, but also through Dimmsdale. The traditional view of a man is strong provider who is honest and hardworking with a good set of morals. A hardworking man does not take the easy way out, he takes the high road. Examining the characters, the above description fits Hester a lot better than it does Dimmsdale. Dimmsdale cannot be considered an honest man with a good set of morals, which is ironic because he is a reverend. He refuses to admit to his sin with Hester publicly. He takes the easy way out by letting Hester take all the blame for the sin. If he would have taken the high road by admitting his wrong and moving forward he would have been fulfilling his gender role. By not fitting into the traditional gender role of a man, Dimmsdale makes Hester the more dominant person in the relationship. Hawthorne specifically challenges traditional gender roles in society by reversing the roles and making the female dominant over the male. The female over the male is the epitome of feminist thought. In Hawthorne’s ground breaking novel, The Scarlet Letter, he implements his transcendentalist’s views to create America’s first feminist novel. I personally believe that this is America’s first great novel and feminist novel all in one. He is the first one to capture America without a European lens and does so with his own beliefs influencing his writing. Unlike Europeans who wrote about the elite and aristocratic, Hawthorne wrote about an everyday normal city, something that is distinctly American. His transcendentalist views made him put feminism at the forefront of issues. I think that a main goal of this novel is for the advancement of women. Throughout the novel he promotes feminism in many different ways. He creates a female character, the protagonist, that is superior to men both morally and inner strength wise. By doing so he is challenging the status quo and the traditional gender roles of men and women. In addition Hawthorne exposes how there is a double standard between men and women and their punishment for the same crime. Women are normally treated more harshly than a man, which is completely wrong and goes against equality for women. Outside research 1 (http://www. ushistory. org/us/3d. asp) http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/transcendentalism/ http://www. ushistory. org/us/26f. asp

Free Essays on The Paradox of American Power

In the book, The Paradox of American Power, Joseph Nye, discusses American power and influence from a global level of analysis. Moreover, Nye explains America’s challenges as a major player in an ever-changing world. There are many factors Nye refers to regarding America’s role in the game of world dominance. Many are obvious, but some are not so obvious. Nye refers to power as the ability to effect the outcomes you want, and if necessary, to change the behavior of others to make this happen (4). According to Nye there are three types of power. The first two are military power and economic power. These are examples of hard command power, which the government has a good amount of control over. The third is a phenomenon in which government has very little control over called soft power. Soft power can be summarized as influence gained by the â€Å"attractiveness† of a country. All of these qualities can be characterized on a micro-social evel. When you were growing up you can remember the kid that had influence because he had a great deal of money, he had a big house to play in and many toys to play with. While your parent’s idea of a fun day was a trip to the park, which was free, his was a trip to Disneyland or Six Flags. Then there was the school bully, his influence stemmed from fear of getting beat up. T he third was the kid who was just plain cool. He was the funny guy who carried himself well. His influence came from the fact that people wanted to be like him. All of the three characters in this analogy have power and influence, but all in different forms. Soft power, although not entirely apparent, plays a great deal in the international food chain of power. Nye refers to this aspect of power as â€Å"getting others to want what you want† (9). He goes on to say â€Å"soft power rests on the ability to set the political agenda in a way that shapes the preferences of others.† The idea of soft power i... Free Essays on The Paradox of American Power Free Essays on The Paradox of American Power In the book, The Paradox of American Power, Joseph Nye, discusses American power and influence from a global level of analysis. Moreover, Nye explains America’s challenges as a major player in an ever-changing world. There are many factors Nye refers to regarding America’s role in the game of world dominance. Many are obvious, but some are not so obvious. Nye refers to power as the ability to effect the outcomes you want, and if necessary, to change the behavior of others to make this happen (4). According to Nye there are three types of power. The first two are military power and economic power. These are examples of hard command power, which the government has a good amount of control over. The third is a phenomenon in which government has very little control over called soft power. Soft power can be summarized as influence gained by the â€Å"attractiveness† of a country. All of these qualities can be characterized on a micro-social evel. When you were growing up you can remember the kid that had influence because he had a great deal of money, he had a big house to play in and many toys to play with. While your parent’s idea of a fun day was a trip to the park, which was free, his was a trip to Disneyland or Six Flags. Then there was the school bully, his influence stemmed from fear of getting beat up. T he third was the kid who was just plain cool. He was the funny guy who carried himself well. His influence came from the fact that people wanted to be like him. All of the three characters in this analogy have power and influence, but all in different forms. Soft power, although not entirely apparent, plays a great deal in the international food chain of power. Nye refers to this aspect of power as â€Å"getting others to want what you want† (9). He goes on to say â€Å"soft power rests on the ability to set the political agenda in a way that shapes the preferences of others.† The idea of soft power i...

Training in Clinical and Counseling Psychology

Training in Clinical and Counseling Psychology Graduate school applicants who want a career in the field of psychology often assume that training in clinical or counseling psychology will prepare them for practice, which is a reasonable assumption, but not all doctoral programs offer similar training. There are several kinds of doctoral programs in clinical and counseling psychology, and each offers different training. Consider what you want to do with your degree counsel patients, work in academia or do research when you decide which program is best for you. Considerations in Selecting Graduate Programs   As you consider applying to clinical and counseling programs remember your own interests. What do you hope to do with your degree? Do you want to work with people and practice psychology? Do you want to teach and conduct research at a college or university? Do you want to conduct research in business and industry or for the government? Do you want to work in public policy, conducting and applying research to address social problems? Not all doctoral psychology programs will train you for all of these careers. There are three types of doctoral programs in clinical and counseling psychology and ​two different academic degrees. Scientist Model The scientist model emphasizes training students for research. Students earn a  Ph.D., a doctor of philosophy,  which is a research degree. Like other science Ph.Ds., clinical and counseling psychologists trained in scientist programs focus on conducting research. They learn how to ask and answer questions through conducting carefully designed research. Graduates of this model get jobs as researchers and college professors. Students in scientist programs are not trained in practice and, unless they seek additional training after graduation, they are not eligible to practice psychology as therapists. Scientist-Practitioner Model The scientist-practitioner model is also known as the Boulder Model, after the 1949 Boulder Conference on Graduate Education in Clinical Psychology in which it was first created. Scientist-practitioner programs train students in both science and practice. Students earn Ph.D.s and learn how to design and conduct research, but they also learn how to apply research findings and practice as psychologists. Graduates have careers in academia and practice. Some work as researchers and professors. Others work in practice settings, such as hospitals, mental health facilities, and private practice. Some do both. Practitioner-Scholar Model The practitioner-scholar model is also referred to as the Vail model, after the 1973 Vail Conference on Professional Training in Psychology, when it was first articulated. The practitioner-scholar model is a professional doctoral degree that trains students for clinical practice. Most students earn Psy.D. (doctor of psychology) degrees. Students learn how to understand and apply scholarly findings to practice. They are trained to be consumers of research. Graduates work in practice settings in hospitals, mental health facilities, and private practice.

September 11, 2001 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

September 11, 2001 - Essay Example This paper will show that these changes are fully justifiable in the context of the ends justifying the means. The social contract theory is among the most influential theories in political sciences. The theory proposes that in order to have peace and stability, it is relevant for people give up some elements of their freedom to the ruling parties. Though these principles were used to justify the presence of all-powerful monarch, it was later revised to show that the state also has responsibilities to protect her citizens (Boetke, 2014). This theory shows that stability, real stability, takes sacrifice. The social contract theory proposes that it is necessary to sacrifice some freedoms in order to uphold others. For example, in the current situation, the state is only trying to protect the right to safety by infringing on some of the other rights. Before the terror attacks, the state held no interest in personal information such as banking statements and secret mobile monitoring of suspects. However, opponents of the social contract theory propose that the new regulations make the state more powerful that is good for the citizens. Therefore, the new rules infringe on the rights of citizens that were previously untouchable. There is an argument that it takes the control of the state closer to the monarchs powers that resulted in the revision of the social contract theory (Boetke, 2014). The idea of an all-powerful government would make the contemporary society a little uncomfortable. Opponents also propose that the new rules make no sense because they are an attempt by the state to cover for its mistakes. For example, terrorism is widely viewed to be the product of American involvement in the affairs of the Middle East, especially the support of establishment of the nation of Israel, and American support of that nation in the gulf war. What these opponents fail to realize is that the international policies adopted by the state benefit

Interpersonal Communication Week five journal Essay

Interpersonal Communication Week five journal - Essay Example My experience with verbal aggressiveness was really unpleasant since this involved a close relationship with a long-time friend. This friend is actually a good person but he has a way of saying things that could be considered sarcastic. The thing is that he agrees with me on most topics (that is why we are friends) but he has a negative demeanor towards other people. For example, whenever we order at a diner and the waitress commits a little mistake, he calls them â€Å"stupid† and says other nasty remarks which I could consider demeaning. I am embarrassed by such manifestations of verbal aggressiveness since I always try to put myself in other people’s shoes. One time I broke news to him about the misfortune of another friend and all he said was that â€Å" he got what he deserves†. He goes on rationalizing that life is what we make it so if it turns out bad , it is due to our poor choices. While there is a grain of truth in such statements, it would be so inappropriate to tell it to someone who is already feeling miserable. Because of this, I would react to him and I myself would experience verbal aggressiveness from him since he would criticize me for my beliefs. The readings taught us that power plays must be put to a stop so the patterns would not be repeated. The person using power play would be aware that his statements are not healthy and defeating development of interpersonal relationships. As for physical aggressiveness, I only experience it during contact sports when we have Physical Education class way back in high school. We were taught how to play basketball and that meant experiencing physical contact especially coming from the opponent. There were times that I get pushed or held back which made me upset but I never lose my patience. I had the right frame of mind and understood that this is just sports. However, it would be a different story if an opponent deliberately hit me in the face since

Stricter Penalties on First-Time Drunk Driving Offenders Essay Example for Free

Stricter Penalties on First-Time Drunk Driving Offenders Essay According to a study done by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, one in three Americans will be in an accident involving a drunk driver during their lifetime (Phong). Something needs to be done to address this matter considering the frequency of these accidents, the fatality of many of these accidents, and the accessibility of alcohol in today’s culture. An increase in penalties for first time offenders could significantly lower this statistic by encouraging drivers to not repeat their offense. Understandably, some people make mistakes and can correct them after their first offense. However, a larger number of people repeat this offense and are found driving under the influence or intoxicated after their first offense. Stricter penalties and punishments should be established for first time offenders because most drivers are inclined to repeat their offense, drunk drivers impact other people, and the current laws are ineffective. Stricter penalties need to be established to show drivers the importance of driving sober. First time offenders are incredibly likely to drive drunk again simply because they think they can get away with it. According to various studies, first-time drunk driving offenders are on the road anywhere from 88 to 500 times before they are caught in the act of driving drunk (Mejeur). To drunk drivers, it is worth driving drunk and running the risk of getting caught because they believe the chances of them getting arrested are close to none. This mindset needs to be changed completely. Intoxicated drivers need to understand that it is not worth the risk of driving under the influence. When deciding whether or not to hit the road under the influence, the punishments need to out weigh the benefits of driving intoxicated in the drivers’ mind. Mejeur reveals in another article that â€Å"5% of alcohol related fatal crashes involved drivers with more that 5 previous DWI (driving while intoxicated) arrests† (9). This means their first five arrests for driving under the influence did not deter them. Stricter penalties will encourage drivers to choose not to repeat their actions. Finally, â€Å"39% of the country’s drunk driving cases involved second time offenders, and 11% involved third and fourth time offenders† (Phong). Even after being convicted of a drunk driving charge, 50% of these drivers chose to drive on the roads drunk, endangering thousands of people. Clearly the legal system is not efficient in discouraging drunk driving after a driver’s first offense. This just shows that most first-time drunk driving offenders choose to drive under the influence of alcohol multiple times before getting caught, and even after, they choose to continue this incredibly dangerous behavior. Stricter penalties will deter drivers from getting behind the wheel under the influence. Since the actions of drunk drivers not only affect themselves, but they also affect others, there need to be more severe punishments for drunk drivers. In just 2004, 320 people were killed by drunk drivers every week, which is â€Å"roughly the equivalent of a weekly plane crash killing everyone on board. If that were the case, no one would fly and the public would demand change† (Savage). Many people are killed by drunk drivers, but the public has become so accustomed to hearing about drunk driving accidents, that no ones seeks to change this, because it has become the norm. The truth is that the number of people killed by drunk drivers has increased since then, yet there has been little change. When a drunk driver takes a person’s life, that person’s family must live with that decision the drunk driver made to get behind the wheel, for the rest of their life. When drivers drink and drive, they put thousands and thousands of people in danger. Their actions reach much father than they even realize. Of children ages 14 and under who died in a car accident last year, in 16% of these accidents had alcohol as a factor (Messenger 2). These are innocent children who find themselves either in the car with a drunk driver, or the victim of an accident with another drunk driver. If penalties were stronger for first time offenders, the number of innocent children whose lives are taken would drop. There are so many sad stories of people loosing loved ones to the poor choices of drunk drivers. In a story published by The Washington Post, Michael Pangle was arrested in 2002 for drunk driving and was released to the custody of a friend that same night. His friend drove him to his car where he went to another bar, got behind the wheel, and got into an accident killing himself and another driver; a father of three on his way home (Phong 3). Not only did Pangle lose his life, but he also took the life of a father of three; a husband to their mother. The family will have to live with this loss the rest of their life. The actions of drunk drivers can affect innocent people for the rest of their life. Laws need to be made to try and prevent this irresponsible behavior. The final reason to enforce stricter penalties is that the penalties in place now have little to no affect on the drivers and often fail to do any justice. Pam Louwagie found that ? of drivers pulled over by a police officer decline to take a breath test which results in a suspended license. Failing the test means losing your license, facing a drunk driving conviction, fines, and potentially jail time. Drivers’ auto insurance jumps, jobs can be in jeopardy because they now have a prior offense on their record (3). The choice is clear for a driver pulled over that has been accused of drunk driving. The penalties for refusing the test are a lot less severe than taking the test and failing. According to findings by Joe Mahr, â€Å"When drivers refuse to take a breathalyzer test, the law allows them to appeal the one-year suspension in civil court. But most prosecutors bargain away the suspensions as part of plea deals in criminal DWI cases. The end result: Defendants admit to drunk driving and don’t miss one day of driving† (2). It is evident that drunk drivers have found a way around the legal system. It should not be that easy for drunk drivers to get off a charge and be allowed to continue driving on the roads. Even after putting so many people in danger, including themselves. Stricter penalties are a necessity. Another weakness of the legal system is at the trial and sentencing phase. If offenders do not show up for a trial, a warrant is issued. However, people on warrants are rarely tracked down unless they are involved in another crime (Mahr 2). They can potentially avoid prosecution indefinitely. Many offenders know how to work the system to their advantage. The legal projection and punishments of drunk drivers needs to be reevaluated. Too many drunk drivers get out of being convicted of DWIs or DUIs and can continue to drive drunk, endangering many people. Since most drunk drivers are inclined to repeat their offense, the actions of drunk drivers affect on others, and current laws are ineffective, stricter punishments need to be established. The number of fatalities as a result of drunk driving is only going to increase if no action is taken, causing pain to thousands and thousands of people. This irresponsible act needs to be addressed because drunk drivers continue to get behind the wheel everyday with no regard for the law or those they put in danger. By demanding change and encouraging stricter punishments for first time drunk driving offenders, the number of fatalities will decrease and drunk driving will become less of a problem all across the nation.

Change in Life from Antebellum to the New Deal Essay -- essays researc

Modern America can be considered one of the world’s economic and industrial leaders. This didn’t happen instantaneously. It was a long process that took centuries to occur from when America was first colonized by England. America started slow and far behind England and other European countries in the technology race but a diverse culture and the work ethic of American people all helped to push this country forward. From antebellum America in the 19th century, to the Progressive Era in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and finally to the New Deal period in the 20th century, many changes occurred as millions of people lives were affected greatly during this time. Throughout these eras in U.S. history, there was a general improvement in the lives of most Americans from the progression of economic life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the antebellum period, the United States was a predominantly pre-industrial society. There were very few factories open at this time. Most of the factory workers were from rural and village cultures. These jobs usually required no skill or knowledge and were quite simple to learn. Working conditions in factories were at its worst with extremely low pay, long workdays, and dangerous conditions. Most workers remained as farmers and artisans. They devoted their lives to their work and were skilled at their jobs. Artisans usually worked closely with agrarians to make different products. Farmers worked the fields, growing crops and raising livestock. Their work would occasionally become easier from new tools made by artisans. Women during this time were housewives. They were doing everything at home. They took care of the children, the house, and the food for the family. Sometimes, life demanded that they work the fields with their husbands. Most women did not have jobs outside the home but a small number did work outside in factory jobs. There was a great influx of immigrants at this time. Many of them worked at factories, usually taking the lowest paying positions available. Their different cultures and work habits often caused many problems because they were not accustomed to the American customs. Most of the immigrants chose to settle in American cities, where most jobs were located. As a result, the cities became extremely crowded. Housing in cities became a major problem from the large number of immigrants. Most ... ...evel administrative positions due to various New Deal agencies and programs. Not many reform programs were intended for women. Most of their benefits came indirectly from programs targeted at men. From the three eras of America, antebellum, Progressive, and New Deal, there seems to be a general increase in quality of life in the workplace and outside. Although there were also many inhumane things that happened, such as the growth of monopolies which prevented many small businesses to fail, the overall improvement of life is still evident. From the antebellum period, when Americans were having trouble finding jobs and many jobs were taken by immigrants, to the New Deal, when Americans have their rights protected and secured by the government, the quality of life has improved. Especially through the efforts of the Progressives and their reforms and Roosevelt and his New Deal, the American worker has never had more security in their life than ever before. Because of the security of their jobs and wages, the number of people that can live relatively comfortably have increased since the last 19th century. Therefore, in general, most people did improve their lives during these perio ds.

Shoeless Joe Question Session

In today’s water cooler report about the novel Shoeless Joe, a lot of interesting questions were asked. One of the questions that was asked was how has baseball changed since Shoeless Joe’s day? Do you like the changes? As the discussion started, Jay said â€Å"there are more drugs in baseball now days than in Shoeless Joe’s time. † Everyone agreed with Jay. Dhiren said that the player’s salary is a lot more, â€Å"like in the millions†. Pravena said that the baseball games were in the night. However, I disagree of that statement because in the book it clearly states that there were lights for the night games. Another question that was raised about in out discussion which asked should Ray have told his father that he was his son? Would you want to know your fortune? Would you ever tell someone their fortune? It was clear that everyone agreed with Jay’s statement which was â€Å"If you mess with the past, you change your present and future, if you mess with you future, you change your present. † For the next question about if Ray should have told his father that he was his son, Dhiren said that he just shouldn’t mess with the past. Everyone else agreed. Dhiren and I said no to the question â€Å"would you want to know your fortune† , while Pravena and Jay say that they do want to know what their fortune is because they want to know if they will live or die and have a good job or not. For the final question we all said that we would only tell someone of their fortune if it was the matter of life and death, otherwise we would just keep it to ourselves. Another question which was softly touched was the discussion about was the one which asked about whose dreams have been fulfilled in the novel? And what is your own dream? When this question arose , I jumped to my feet and I started to say things like flying, running really fast, super strength, heat vision, etc. As I said my list of dreams, everyone else said their own. Overall, the group agreed with each other that almost all the character in the novel got their dreams fulfilled. In general, out group participated and put in their own inputs when needed. Yet, I believe that Dhiren and Jay interacted the most, as a final point, the water cooler helped out group understand the story and meanings better.

A Case Analysis: Integra and Intex’s Problem Project

Marketing and promoting new technology has always been undemanding due to the growing trend in business and commerce of going electronic. However, not all technology is successful in their entry into the world of business.One very good example of this incident is that of Integra and Intex’s Banking and Loan Insurance Software System (BLISS) project. Although the software was completed, it was never introduced to credit unions. What happened then? How come such a very innovative project became a wasted product?   What were the mistakes made? Most significantly, what can the two businesses do to cope with the damaging effects the project has brought about?Case BackgroundThe BLISS project was spearheaded by two firms, namely, Integra Financial Corporation and Intex Consulting. Integra Financial Corporation, a life insurance company based in Quebec, Canada, is active in insurance, trust services, securities brokerage and asset and portfolio management (Roy, 2003, p. 445). The co rporation is responsible for approximately 8 billion dollars of assets while the work force consists of more than 2,200 permanent employees (Roy, 2003, p. 445).On the other hand, the partner company, Intex Consulting is a firm that specializes in the installation and design of information systems. It is actually a Canadian branch of a large international information system integration firm who wishes to gain its prominent place in Canadian banking business (Roy, 2003, p. 445). The firm is widely known for its expertise in the U.S. banking industry concerning system integration and development (Roy, 2003, p. 447).Although Integra has a competitive share in the insurance banking business, it does not have the whole of Canada. The company only emerges in Quebec due to one of its unique insurance plan. This plan is the Loan and Mortgage Insurance plan, also called the corporation’s â€Å"cash cow† (Roy, 2003, p. 446).What makes it different from plans of other insurance co rporations is its special software that enables a customized calculation of the expenses per client and directly links Integra’s database with the participating banking institutions. However, the software is limited for use only in Quebec where the banking institutions have somewhat similar structures. When it comes to the national market, Integra cannot venture into it since the different banking structures and institutions are diverging and dissimilar. Thus, the loan insurance plan was inapplicable.This very challenge has allowed the search for a way to penetrate the loan insurance business in the national network. It is in this situation that contact was made with Intex Consulting regarding Integra’s dream software. Thus, after the meeting of the two business establishments, the BLISS project was born and launched in the beginning of 1996 (Roy, 2003, p. 448).The primary goal of the joint project was to develop an appropriate technology solution to connect Integraâ⠂¬â„¢s loan insurance systems with its prospective clients’ banking and loan systems, particularly, a software system that can bridge the differences of the different structures of the diverse banking institutions and loan systems (Roy, 2003, p. 447).Key persons in both companies were then appointed for the project’s completion. Everyone was eager to see the results and was very optimistic because at that time, the project was a major endeavor and a promising success.Everyone saw the proposal as a means to expand the company. In addition, everyone was confident with the decision of pursuing the project. One would actually ask why but why not? Everyone believed that Integra is capable of doing so, due to its very long and successful experience in loan insurance business and that Intex has the guts of designing and developing an error-free software system since the firm is known for its competitiveness (Roy, 2003, p. 448).

Does birth-order have an effec

Does birth-order have an effec Research Question: Does birth-order have an effect on personality? Birth-order could be one way to gain an understanding of friends, family members and co-workers. Research has shown that the birth-order indeed has an effect on personality. Birth-order of course does not explain everything about human behavior, personality is also affected by many different factors such as heritage, the environment of the upbringing, family size, education etc. There are four basic classifications of birth-order: the oldest, the only, the middle and the youngest born. Each has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. The birth-order factor is not always exact, but it does give many clues about why people are the way they are (Leman, 1985).First-born children tend to be highly motivated to achieve. In school, first-borns tend to work harder for grades than later-borns do. They often grow to be more competitive and have higher educational and career goals.Icebreaker: Birth order storiesOf the firs t twenty-three astronauts sent into outer space, twenty-one were first-borns or only children. Some characteristics of first-borns are: goal setting, high achievers, perfectionist, responsible, organized, rule keepers, determined, detail orientated. Only children are considered as a specialized type of first-borns. They are generally characterized much the same as first-borns who have siblings. Some famous first-borns include Mikhail Gorbachev (Russian leader), Jimmy Carter (president), Albert Einstein (scientist), Sally Ride (astronaut), and Steven Spielberg (producer). Some famous only children include Brooke Shields (actress, model), Franklin D. Roosevelt (president), Leonardo da Vinci (artist), Frank Sinatra (singer), Danielle Steel (novelist).Middle-born children are usually well balanced. They are good mediators and have superior cooperation skills. They don't have their parents all to themselves or get their own way. Therefore, they learn to negotiate and compromise. Middle-b orn children often make excellent managers and leaders because of these skills. Some characteristics of the middle-born...

Does your resume pass this key checklist

Does your resume pass this key checklist Life is better with checklists: Highly Organized, Bilingual Administrative AssistantSummary:  This is a short list (or brief paragraph) of the key bullet points that make you most qualified for this particular job. This is a place where you can really tailor the content to the job description, to grab the attention of the reader (or robot reader seeking keywords). You can also use it to highlight your most relevant skills. A summary works best for job seekers who have deep experience or skills in their field.Objective:  This is a short statement letting the reader know your goal(s), coupled with your top-level qualifications. It’s basically a formula: Strong traits + The role you want to fill + Good fit for the company = Objective. The objective works best for people without a lot of experience, or experience in a different field (changing careers).This section sets the tone for the rest of your resume, and can help make the difference between someone reading through the r est of the resume or tossing it aside.The Meat-and-Potatoes Section (Skills and Experience)This is the heart of your resume, so it’s extra important to make sure you’re not leaving anything out. You should include:Your Skills:  Whether you put these before or after your experience (depending on which you want to emphasize for the reader), it’s important to include a standalone section of bullet points describing your relevant skills. Be sure you’re only including the most relevant ones. Your abiding love and talent for playing the tuba may be a huge part of your life, but if it’s not directly relevant to the job for which you’re applying, leave it out.This section should include any applicable hard skills (specific job-related technology or certifications) and soft skills that can be directly applied to the job at hand.Work Experience:  These are separate listings for your most relevant jobs, working backwards through your career. Each w ork experience section should include:Job titleCompany nameDates worked4-6 bullet points outlining your most relevant duties there. As much as possible, describe achievements over simple tasks or responsibilities. You should also be choosy about which jobs you include. If you’ve already held two or three full-time jobs in your career, you can start leaving out part-time jobs or internships that you held in the past. If you need to include a job so it doesn’t look like you have large gaps, you can do that, but you don’t have to include too much information about your job unless it’s relevant to the one for which you’re currently applying. You can use those instead to highlight particular skills you used/developed.The Education Certifications SectionEducation is one of your best assets in a job search, and you should sing it loud and proud on your resume. Just make sure you’re including the most relevant education information, moving back in reverse order. If applicable, you should include:Professional training programs:  If you’ve completed a non-degree course or training program related to your field, include it here.Professional certifications:  If you have a license or certification in your field, include it here.College, university, or professional training program:  Unless you’re in high school, or you’re specifically asked about it, there’s no need to include information about your high school education here. You also don’t need to include graduation dates if you don’t want to do so- employers are forbidden from asking you about your age, so if you feel like this would be offering too much info, you can just include the school name and the degree you received.The Nice-to-HavesIf you have room after including everything outlined above, then there are some other pieces of info you can include on your resume, if they’re applicable to the job.Volunteer experience :  Are the skills or experience from this volunteer position relevant to the job you’re seeking? If so, include. If not, leave it out.Hobbies:  Again, make sure these are relevant to the job for which you’re applying.The Style ChecklistOnce you’ve got all your core info included in your resume, it’s time to take another pass and see how you’ve done, writing-wise. Is your resume:Saved as a standard document format?  Is your resume saved as an uncommon file extension, or one that most computers will readily recognize (like .doc or .pdf)?A short read?  Brevity is key here. We’ve all heard the â€Å"one page† rule, but if you simply have too much experience for one small page, make sure you haven’t gone overboard, length-wise.Organized in a clear and readable way?  The resume should be laid out in a clear, relatively uncrowded outline, so that the reader can easily follow what’s going on. If you’re seeing ma ssive chunks of narrative text, go back and revise it into more manageable bullets. Margins should be no less than 1 inch all around, for readability. Your font should also be consistent all the way through, easy to read, black, and between 10-12 points.Full of action verbs?  Strong verbs can not only grab interest, they can help you cut down on your overall word count by getting straight to the heart of what you want to say.Customized for the job?  Generic resumes are not fun to read, and a one-size-fits-all behemoth may not get you the interview opportunity you want. Take the time to make sure that your skills and experience especially are directly relevant to the job/company for which you’re applying.Proofread?  This one is non-negotiable. No matter how eagle-eyed you may be, we all miss small mistakes in our own writing occasionally. Find a trusted friend or family member to check your resume for mistakes.Taking the time to check these elements help ensure that your final product ends up looking just as smooth and professional as you are.The Un-ChecklistIf you have any of these things on your resume, time to take them out. You should not include:Pictures or visual elements:  Unless you’re doing a portfolio or a visual resume, don’t illustrate your basic resume. And you definitely don’t need to include a picture of yourself.Lies:  Just don’t do it! If anyone questions you or catches you in a falsehood, I don’t think you need me to tell you that it would not be good for your hiring prospects for this job.References:  If the hiring process gets to the point where you need to provide references, you’ll be asked for them. There’s no need to include them upfront and take up valuable space on your resume.References to age, gender, or family status  This information really isn’t necessary, and could introduce potential discriminatory elements, even though employers are forbidden from aski ng you about them.So†¦there you have it, your checklist for building a full and successful resume. Does your resume check all the right boxes?

Public Administration 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Public Administration 2 - Essay Example With any career, ethics will always play a crucial role. People come across many ethical circumstances and it trickles down to the individual to decide on how to act. In Tenet’s situation, it was not any different. In his political profession, Tenet faced numerous ethical predicaments. A number of these ethical impasses comprise him acting as a mediator rendering his work politically intricate. Tenet was unable to directly communicate and disagree with the associates within the President Bush’s administration. Tenet would even back the President knowing very well that the President was wrong. This placed George in a cross road between being loyal to the President and executing his duties (Boyle, 2008). Tenet had continually viewed CIA’s role as an â€Å"authentic broker that eluded direct participation in formulation of foreign policy†. In 1998, Tenet acted as a â€Å"mediator† for Binyamin Netanyahu (Israel’s Prime Minister) and Yasser Arafat in a peace dialogue hosted by the Head of state Clinton. This action contradicted Tenet’s statement that the Central Intelligence Agency was the single entity, which both parties could entrust. The CIA acting as a mediator instead of a spymaster, rendered those at the inside somewhat uncomfortable (Stillman, 2000). When the actions of 9/11 transpired, Tenet was aware it was al-Qaeda’s work and he held the full backing from President Clinton to do whatsoever he deemed necessary to have the job completed. The problem arose when Chaney (Vice President) declared at the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) conference, that Saddam Hussein possessed the armaments of annihilation. George did not approve that assessment; indeed, he indicated that the speech had gone fittingly beyond what CIA analysis could hold. Since George had not engaged in that discussion with Chaney (Vice President) concerning his speech, it ignited the