Code of Ethics Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Code of Ethics Paper - Essay Example Doctors quiet often come across with difficult situations in which they were confused of whether to inform the patient about his/her critical conditions or not. Most of the patients may develop more stress and their condition may become too bad if they came to know that their diseases are incurable and their remaining time in the earth is limited. This often prevents the doctors from informing them about their exact conditions. But as per medical ethics a patient has every right to know about his medical condition even if it is worst or good. Moreover he/she has the right to know more about his health conditions and to accept or reject treatments. In short, autonomy of the patients in accepting or rejecting treatments often been raises many ethical questions. This paper briefly analyses the feasibility of enforcing autonomy of patients in accepting or rejecting treatments in healthcare sector. Autonomy of patients and ethical theories As per the Utilitarian theory of ethics, the mora l validity of an action is determined by the outcome of the action. But as per Kantian ethical theory the purpose of morality is not to make others happy, but to do the right thing just for the sake of doing (Maccarelli, 2006). Utilitarian always assess an activity based on the utility of it. Suppose a patient is experiencing severe pain and the doctors have no hope in saving his life. Under such circumstances the patient may demand mercy killing. If the doctor accepts the patient’s demand, the patient will be benefitted or the utility of mercy killing will be positive for the patient. However, medical ethics ask the healthcare professionals to save the life of the patients rather than taking it. In other words, the doctor will be put into a dilemma when the patient demands mercy killing. But as per medical ethics the autonomy of the patient should be respected. The patient has every right to know about his/her medical condition and the doctor is liable to explain him/her abo ut the present condition and the future prospects. Legally or morally, the doctor don’ have the right to keep the health conditions of the patient as a secret. Keeping the patient optimistic about the recovery when there is no chance is one way of cheating the patient. The patient has trusted the doctor and hence it is morally wrong to give him wrong information about his/her health condition. In short, according to utilitarian ethics, the autonomy of the patient should be given prominence over the professional ethics of the doctor. According to the principles of utilitarianism, cultural, intellectual and spiritual pleasures are of greater value than mere physical pleasure. When we give autonomy to the patients in determining their future, the patients can prepare themselves for accepting the death just like Britain’s famous reality show celebrity Joe Goody did. Joe Goody has celebrated even her death and she has earned lot of money for her kids by selling the outright claim for telecasting her last moments. In short, respecting the autonomy of the patients in taking decisions about their future will bring material benefits also to the patients and the relatives. Kantian ethics also argues in favour of the autonomy of patients. Kant argued that we usually label a parson’s activity as good or evil based on our traditional beliefs and customs rather than

Nature of Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Nature of Philosophy Essay Philosophy * Comes from the 2 Greek words  « philos -love  » and  « sophia -wisdom  » * tasks that requires a deliberate effort to seek the truth. * The act of questioning or wanting to know initiates philosophy, and most of the time we relate philosophy to thinking. * Knowledge of all things, through this ultimate causes, aquired through the use of reasoning * Is the intense and critical examination of beliefs and assumptions Philosopher * Lover of knowledge * A person who seeks knowledge for its own sake and not for any other motive. * Philosophers examine questions dealing with life’s most important aspects. * Raphael (1994) describes philosophy as essentially divided into two branches: the Philosophy of knowledge and the Philosophy of practice. * The Philosophy of knowledge is attentive to critical examination of assumptions about matters of fact and argument. Included in this branch are: epistemology (study of knowledge), metaphysics (the study of ultimate reality), the philosophy of science, philosophy of mind and philosophical logic. * Philosophy of practice, on the other hand, focuses on critical examination of assumptions about norms or values and includes ethics, social and political philosophy, and the philosophy of the law. It is the Philosophy of practice, particularly moral philosophy, that provides a groundwork for discussion of many of the troubling issues facing nurses. Objectives of Philosophy * To seek the deepest explanations of existence and the nature of being. It specifically uses reasoning to show its natural scope in deriving explanations Spiritual / religious influences * Historically, many of the dominant religious institutions made judgements about the origin and essence of healing and described those who would hold positions as legitimate healers. * Nevertheless, nursing in  some form has existed in every culture, and has been influenced by spiritual beliefs, religious practices, and related cultural values. Gender influences * In every culture, women have been healers * As a result of the perception that women are more humane and more caring by nature, they have been viewed as naturally endowed with nursing talents. *  «Every woman†¦ has, at one time or another of her life, charge of the personal health of somebody, whether child or invalid- every woman is a nurse.  » ~Nightingale ANCIENT / PRESOCRATIC (7th century B. C) * Greek thinkers, called themselves  « wise men  » but of humility. * PYTHAGORAS- * One of the Greek thinkers, wanted to call himself a person who just love wisdom or a philosopher. * From then on, the Greek used the word philosophy for love of wisdom and philosopher as a lover of knowledge. * In the ancient times the position of healer was practiced by those thought to have special spiritual gifts. * When the reigning deity had a feminine, bisexual or androgynous nature, women were leaders in the healing arts. * As the world became a harsher place, and the Gods assumed a masculine nature, women’s role as independent, primary healer was taken away The Early Christian Era. * Early Christian nurses were frequently women of high social status and often became independent practitioners. * When religious belief moved toward a single male God, women’s healing role changed from that of sacred healer to subservient caregiver. MIDIEVAL / MIDDLE AGES * Christian scholars and Arab philosophers were the first to create a direct link of Philosophy to Theology, one of its main inspirations in the Christian faith which became a stimulus to reason. * During this time, monastcism and other religious groups offered the only opportunities for women to pursue careers in nursing. * Much of hospital nursing was carried out by repentant women and widows called sisters and by male nurses called brothers. * Deaconesses, matrons, and secular nursing orders were among the organized groups that had religious foundations and offered nusing services. * Much of hospital nursing was carried out by repentant women and widows called sisters and by male nurses called brothers. * Deaconesses, matrons, and secular nursing orders were among the organized groups that had religious foundations and offered nusing services. * Women who entered nursing orders donated their property and wealth to the Church and donated thier lives to service-believing that  « charity  » was synonymous with  « love  » * The term empirical relates to knowledge gained through the process of observation and experience. * Consequently, people were more likely to seek healing through religious intervention since the position of the Church was that only God and the devil had the power to either cause illness or promote healing * The crusades, which begin in 1096 and lasted nearly 200 years, brought many changes in health and population. * In response to the compelling need, military nursing orders were formed. These orders draw large numbers of men into the field of nursing. * During the Middle Ages, the status of women also declined. In many ways this was directly related to church doctrine. * St. Thomas Aquinas, known as the  « Angelic Doctor  » wrote that one should  « only make use of a necessary object, woman, who is needed to persevere the species or to provide food or drink†¦woman was created to be man’s helper, but her unique role is in conception†¦ since for all other purposes men would be better assisted by other men.  » * St. Jerome remarked that  « women is the gate of devil, the path of wickedness, the sting of the serpent, in the world a perilous object » * It was a popular religious view that women were essentially evil by nature. The pain of childbirth was believed to be punishment for Eve’s transgression, and served the purpose of reminding women of their original sinful nature. * Although the medical profession was officially sanctioned by the church, and male physicians were beginning to be trained in the university setting, there was scant scientific knowledge. They used bloodletting, astrology, alchemy, and incantations * Peasant women were  often the only healers for people who had no doctors and suffered bitterly from poverty and disease * These folk healers had extensive knowledge about cures that had been handled down for generations via oral tradition. * These women developed an extensive understanding of bones and muscles, herbs, drugs, and midwifery * This atmosphere set the stage for Church-sanctioned crimes against women in the form of the witch hunts. * Any women who treated an illness, even if she aplied a soothing salve to the diseased skin of her child, was likely to be acused of witchcraft. * If the treatment failes, she was sough to have cursed the patient. If the treatment succeeded, she was believed to be in consort with the devil * Although women were permitted to practice midwifery, these women were in danger of being accused of witchcraft if anything went wrong with either mother or baby MODERN (16th- 18 century A. D * During this period, Rene Descartes was known as the Father of Modern Philosophy, to his philosophy of rationalism and empiricism * RATIONALISM- is a philosophical doctrine that specifically uses resoning and proof in explaining reality EMPIRICISM: regards experience as the only source of knowledge,for it was during this time that the abundance of knowledge in science became a challenge for all philosophers to prove their discoveries and breakthrough to the aid of the aforementioned doctrines Renaissance and the Reformation * The sixteenth century heralded the beginning of two great movements: the renaissance and the reformation. * The renaissance produced an intellectual rebirth that began the scientific era * The reformation was a religious movement precipitated by the widespread abuses that had become a part of Church life and doctrinal disagreement among religious leaders. * The scientific community made advanced in mathematics and the sciences. * Rene Descartes is credited with proposing a theory that quickly altered philosophic beliefs about the separation of mind and body. * He proposed that the universe is a physical thing, and that everything in the universe is like a machine, which can be analyzed and understood. * Based on Descartes’ work  « cartesian philosophy  » began to replace religious beliefs related to the physical and spiritual beliefs of humankind. * As a direct result, a separation was created between the acts of caring and curing in the healing arts. * The reformation produced a split in the church. * A struggle between Catholic and Protestant groups spread across Europe, as a result, Catholicism lost its power in many countries. * Laws and cusotms in Protestant countries discouraged the humane care of the  « downtrodden and the weak  » CONTEMPORARY (20th century) * The existence of a great variety of doctrines of philosophy strenghtened its grasp in seeking the truth. * Among these are the doctrines of: * Karl Marx- Marxism * Immanuel Kant- Kantianism * Jean Paul Sartre- Existentialism The modern era * Florence Nightingale became a model for all nurses. She was a nurse, statistician, sanitarian, social reformer, and scholar. * she was politically astute, intelligent, and single-minded. * Although she was opposed to using church affiliation as a criterion for admision to nursing programs, her religious beliefs were evident in her dealings with students, whom she admonished to work, work, work, because  « if there is no cross, there is no crown  » * Another of nursing’s great modern leaders is Lavinia Lloid Dock * She was concerned with the many problems plaguing nursing, warning that male dominance in the health field was the major problem confronting the nursing profession.

Siddhartha Essay: The Symbols of the Smile and the River in Siddhartha

The Symbols of the Smile and the River in Siddhartha      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An important symbol in Siddhartha is the smile. Each of the three characters in the story who attain a final state of complete serenity is characterized by a beautiful smile which reflects their peaceful, harmonious state. In each case this smile is a completely natural phenomenon; it cannot be created at will by people who have not attained the prerequisite state of harmony with life.    The first character who is described as possessing this smile is Gotama, the Buddha. When Siddhartha first sees him, he recognizes him immediately, largely on account of this mysterious smile. Gotama is imperturbable and he retains his smile - and his equanimity - even when Siddhartha engages in debate with him. As Gotama turns to leave, it is his smile which most deeply impresses Siddhartha, for in it the peace and saintliness of the Buddha is epitomized. The narrator comments that Siddhartha was to remember this smile for the rest of his life.    Vesudeva also possesses the mystical smile of peace and harmony. A man of very few words, the ferryman often allows his smile to speak for him, and it is a more effective agent of expression than any words could possibly have been. Like the Buddha, Vasudeva is satisfied that he is at peace with the world, and with existence.    Siddhartha does not possess this radiant smile at first. He sees it in Gotama and Vasudeva and recognizes its significance, but is too engrossed in physical things to be able to smile serenely himself. First, with the Samanas, he concentrates on mastering his bodily needs. Then, through Kamala and Kamaswami, he learns to enjoy sensual pleasures and soon masters this aspect of life. Finally his ... ...e lingering sorrow and pain he feels because of his son's departure. One day when Siddhartha sets out to search for his son, the river speaks to him - but not in its usual soothing tone. This time the river laughs at him. Siddhartha looks into the water and sees his own reflection, which reminds him, however, of his father. He is reminded of the pain he caused his own father years earlier when he departed, never to return, and gradually perceives that the river is pointing out to him the repetitious nature of events. Nothing is new, everything is an integral part of a unified whole, including such things as the inevitable separation of fathers and sons. The various voices of the river, the laughter and the sorrow, seem to merge, and finally Siddhartha hears only the sum: the word "Om."    Works Cited Hesse, Herman. Siddhartha. Dover Publications, 1998.

Dillon V. Champion Jogbra Case Essay

Going green is the new trend now in corporate America. Everyone wants to save in some type of way. Human Resource Management is one of the biggest changes in corporate America today with HRM being the main source for all employees. When someone is employed majority of the time they have to deal with the HR department and this is where they fill out all of their forms and paperwork to make sure that they are legally able to work in United States. It is also where they go to fill out their tax forms and sometimes this is where they do their initial orientation. Times are changing and the changes could be great but then can also cause disappointment. The technological change going on today is the movement from paper to all electronic submissions. Some at first thought this to be a great initiative but later seen that I could cause problems. Take Cari Willis the manager of HR e-business solutions at IBM, she stated that it was absolutely a breakthrough for the HR department, but since the breakthrough happened it got harder to provide self-service in order to meet the needs of more than 140,000 active employees and 116,000 U.S. retirees (Greengard). IBM’s human resource department is almost all electronic today allowing for electric benefits enrollment, succession planning, e-recruiting, and online learning. Even though this new revolution has dropped cost and depleted paperwork there still needs to be someone who can manage the task most efficiently (Greengard). There is a lot that goes into building an e-procurement system; one had to determine what can all be included such as payroll, benefits, and training. You also would need to distinguish what type of access to have available to employees, whether they can access at work or at home. There is now a product out called TrainingNet which is a good example of how an e-marketplace can transform business to business transactions. TrainingNet aggregates various types of instruction such as classroom,  on-site, online, books, videos, and CD-ROMs from over 1,200 providers (Greengard). This hub allows employees to access courses online without having to sit in a classroom with an instructor. Genzyme Corp, a biotechnology firm started using this system in 1999 to move towards e-HR. Before turning to this new revolution they had their own training program that became costly and inefficient (Greengard). Senior vice president of HR Russell Campanello stated that employees from 20 Genzyme offices around that country had to fly into corporate every time that they need instructions (Greengard). The site also allows HR to monitor how employees click through the site and also allows for analysis of what training is needed. HRM has also gone electronic for recruiting as well. Companies are now able to post positions on websites like Monster.com or Indeed.com. These websites also allow perspective employees to apply directly for posted positions. Different websites also give people the opportunity to post their resumes and employers can contact people based on their qualifications. This revolutionary change is great but is it taking away from putting in hard work to find a job. One can sit at home and do nothing and get calls, when years ago you had to get up, get dressed, and go job searching. Now a job can come knocking at your door literally. Lawson Software vice president Larry Dunican believes that this revolution has only begun stating â€Å"Dramatic changes are a foot in the way HR users interact with each other and the external buying community, thanks to the evolution of e-business (Greengard). He also states that it will not be easy and that HR departments need to be aware fully of this new economy, they must understand that there would be new setups of portals and new tools that have to be established for this new evolution to work for them. Here are some ways that human resource can benefit through electronic systems. Portals can create a single interface for accessing key date. Online recruiting eliminates paperwork and can speed up the hiring process. Having self service can automate record keeping. Electronic payroll cuts cost. Electronic travel and expense reporting will cut out paper usage and speed up reimbursements. Online retirement planning can map out employees  future thus eliminating paperwork and questions (Greengard). In conclusion it seems that the technological change in HRM is moving in the right direction. Everyone wants to be able to do things simpler and faster. My job allows for us to log into a system and view our paycheck two days prior to payday, which is nice. The transformation will take a while for some companies, but this is just the start and in some years to come all companies will be forced to move to e-HR just to keep up with the competition.

A Snowflake Is Winter’s Butterfly

A snowflake is winter’s butterfly. When I awakened, very early, the ground was covered with little pearly snowflakes. They had floated gently from the sky, twirling and whirling. Millions in flight, blanketing the ground with sparkling little pictures traced in a line, and shining whitely. Some magician must have come and by the starlight, worked through all the quiet darkness. I must be dreaming, after what happened†¦ Daddy told me he had a surprise for me, boy do I like surprises! We were going to hunt for reindeers in the mountains near our house. My eyes immediately set aglow, my heart felt warm and excitement rushed through my body.I was finally going to kill my first reindeer and he will fall before me after my finger pulled that trigger. Although I was just a little girl, I always wanted to go and hunt with my daddy and now was my opportunity so I packed a full picnic basket with lots of freshly baked cookies. I gazed in wonder at my first coat as we were leaving t he house. We walked and talked for hours. Although the air was crisp and stirring, love kept me warm and laughter filled me with unspeakable joy. We had a map and when dad said he was just going to peek if the river was nearby, as indicated on the map, I saw something and ran after it.I ran till my lungs burnt and finally came to a sudden stop. I looked around in horror for my daddy but he was now where to be found. After minutes of searching, which felt like hours, the sun said good bye and the night sky greeted with a very chilly, thin wind. I was freezing, shivering and shaking like a pudding in a mould. I was colder than the contents of a million ice cream cones. Oh, I could not feel my fingers neither my toes. Wait, there was something but I couldn’t move. It has been hours in this snow storm. It came closer and closer†¦ A reindeer approached me, pushing his nose against me.I was scared to death and therefore prayed for help. A sudden relief swept over me and the re indeer pushed his nose against me for the second time as if to tell me – â€Å"You’re going to be all right†. A sound escaped it’s throat, and the second reindeer came closer, watching, guiding and then in seconds, the two reindeers came lying beside me, covering me, and warming me. I fell asleep as graceful beauty came raining down, each snowflake like a falling star, smiling beauty that spun afar. I felt peace and serenity before me for the first time in hours.The sun rose higher and higher with his wand of golden fire. I was suddenly awake after the most beautiful dream. DADDY!!! He was calling for me. He searched all night and when he saw me lying there he joyfully embraced me. I told him the miraculous story and he smiled down at me with love and happiness. A snowflake is winter’s butterfly. It doesn’t have the intention of harming you, nor trying to kill you with a snowflake-thunderstorm. It touches your soul lightly until finally you are saved by love. Even by the love of an animal you were so excitedly ready to kill. Charlene Total words: 553

The Role of Trade in Japans Economy

The Role of Trade in Japans Economy The purpose of this paper is to examine the proposition that has been put forth by many that Japan's post-war economic success has been due to a policy of export-led growth. It is important to understand that Japan is currently the second largest economy in the world. Even more, the country enjoyed decades of economic growth following World War II that was unmatched by all other countries around the world (Economic Overview, 2007). However, a determination of whether exports are an important part of this growth requires both an analysis of economic policies and developments in the country, as well as a comparison of these policies to a theoretical framework explaining economic growth.Theoretical Framework of ExportsBlumenthal (1972) explained that exports can be an important part of an economy's growth in three different ways. First, exports are how a country obtains money that contributes to growth in its gross domestic product.English: World GDP growth rate and GDP growth rate...In order for a country to see growth in its GDP, it must have a continuous level of exports to foreign countries. In addition, increases in the level of exports from a country actually help to increase the level of production in other industries within the country. For example, a country may have a high level of exports of agricultural products. The exports in the agricultural industry help industries that produce farm equipment, as well as the shipping industry and even the chemical industry that produces the pesticides and fertilisers needed to produce high yields of crops.The third way explains how exports help a country to create a level of trade with foreign countries that in turn bring in new technologies and innovations. As new products are brought into a country through trade, these products can be sold by domestic companies. Even more, they can help to...

Character Analysis of Hermia and Her Father

Character Analysis of Hermia and Her Father To deepen your understanding of William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream, here is a character analysis of Hermia and her father. Hermia, Believer in True Love Hermia is a feisty young lady who knows what she wants and does whatever she can to get it. She is even prepared to give up her family and way of life to marry Lysander, agreeing to elope with him into the forest. However, she is still a lady and ensures that nothing untoward goes on between them. She keeps her integrity by asking him to sleep away from her: â€Å"But gentle friend, for love and courtesy/Lie further off in humane modesty† (Act 2, Scene 2). Hermia assures her best friend, Helena, that she is not interested in Demetrius, but Helena is insecure about her looks in comparison with her friend and this somewhat affects their friendship: â€Å"Through Athens, I am thought as fair as she./But what of that? Demetrius thinks not so?† (Act 1, Scene 1) Hermia wishes the best for her friend and wants Demetrius to love Helena: â€Å"As you on him, Demetrius dote on you† (Act 1, Scene 1). However, when the fairies have intervened and both Demetrius and Lysander are in love with Helena, Hermia gets very upset and angry with her friend: â€Å"O me, you juggler, you canker blossom/You thief of love- what have you come by night/And stol’n my loves heart from him† (Act 3, Scene 2). Hermia is again compelled to fight for her love and is willing to fight her friend: â€Å"Let me come to her† (Act 3, Scene 2). Helena confirms that Hermia is a feisty character when she observes, â€Å"O, when she is angry she is keen and shrewd!/She was a vixen when she went to school./And though she is little, she is fierce† (Act 3, Scene 2). Hermia continues to defend Lysander even when he has told her that he no longer loves her. She is concerned that he and Demetrius will fight, and she says, â€Å"Heavens shield Lysander if they mean a fray† (Act 3, Scene 3). This demonstrates her unerring love for Lysander, which drives the plot forward. All ends happily for Hermia, but we do see aspects of her character that could be her downfall if the narrative were different. Hermia is determined, feisty, and occasionally aggressive, which reminds us that she is Egeus’ daughter, but we admire her steadfastness and faithfulness to Lysander. Headstrong Egeus Egeus father is domineering and overbearing to Hermia. He acts as a foil to the fair and even-handed Theseus. His proposal to bring the full force of the law on his daughter- the penalty of death for disobeying his orders- demonstrates this. â€Å"I beg the ancient privilege of Athens/As she is mine, I may dispose of her- /Which shall be either to this gentleman/Or to her death- according to our law/Immediately provided in that case† (Act 1, Scene 1). He has decided, for his own reasons, that he wants Hermia to marry Demetrius instead of her true love, Lysander. We are unsure of his motivation, as both men are presented as eligible; neither one has more prospects or money than the other, so we can only assume that Egeus simply wants his daughter to obey him so he can have his own way. Hermias happiness appears to be of little consequence to him. Theseus, Duke of Athens, placates Egeus and gives Hermia time to decide. Thus, the problem is resolved as the story unfolds, though this is no real comfort to Egeus. In the end, Hermia gets her way and Egeus has to go along with it; Theseus and the others happily accept the resolution, and Demetrius is no longer interested in his daughter. However, Egeus remains a difficult character, and  the story  ends happily only due to intervention by the fairies. Had they not been involved, its possible that Egeus would have gone ahead and executed his own daughter had she disobeyed him. Fortunately, the story is a comedy, not a tragedy.

Differences Between Broadsheet and Tabloid Newspapers

Differences Between Broadsheet and Tabloid Newspapers In the world of print journalism, the two main formats for newspapers are broadsheet and tabloid. Strictly speaking, these terms refer to the page sizes of such papers, but the different formats have distinct histories and associations. Discussing the differences between broadsheets and tabloids provides an interesting journalistic journey. History of Broadsheets and Tabloids Broadsheet newspapers first appeared in 18th-century Britain after the government began to tax newspapers based on their number of pages. That made large-format papers with fewer pages cheaper to print than smaller ones with more pages, writes Kath Bates on Oxford Open Learning. She adds: As few people could read to the standard required of those early broadsheet editions, they soon became associated with the aristocracy and more well-to-do businessmen. Even today, broadsheet papers tend to be linked with a higher-minded approach to news-gathering and delivery, with readers of such papers opting for in-depth articles and editorials. Tabloid newspapers, perhaps due to their smaller size, are often associated with shorter, crisper stories. Tabloids date to the early 1900s when they were referred to as small newspapers containing condensed stories easily consumed by everyday readers. Tabloid readers traditionally came from the lower working classes, but that has changed somewhat in the past few decades. The New York Daily News, the most widely circulated tabloid in the United States, for example, had won 11 ​Pulitzer Prizes, journalisms highest honor, as of June 2018. Even with the blurring of clear distinctions between the economic and social classes of their readership, however, advertisers continue to target different markets when buying space in broadsheets and tabloids. What Are Tabloids? In the technical sense, tabloid refers to a newspaper that typically measures 11 by 17 inches- smaller than a broadsheet- and is usually no more than five columns across. Many city dwellers prefer tabloids because they are easier to carry and read on the subway or bus. One of the first tabloids in the U.S. was The New York Sun, started in 1833. It cost only a penny and was easy to carry, and its crime reporting and illustrations proved popular with working-class readers. Tabloids still tend to be more irreverent in their writing style than their broadsheet brothers. In a crime story, a broadsheet will refer to a police officer, while a tabloid will use the term cop. And while a broadsheet might spend dozens of column inches on serious news- say, a major bill in Congress- a tabloid is more likely to zero in on a sensational crime story or celebrity gossip. The word tabloid has come to be associated with supermarket checkout aisle papers, such as the National Enquirer, that focus on splashy, lurid stories about celebrities, but tabloids such as the Daily News, the Chicago Sun-Times, and the Boston Herald focus on serious, hard-hitting journalism. In Britain, tabloid papers- also known as red tops for their front-page banners- tend to be racier and more sensational than their American counterparts. The type of unscrupulous reporting methods employed by some tabs led to the ​phone-hacking scandal and closing of the News of the World, one of Britains biggest tabs, and resulted in calls for greater regulation of the British press. What Are Broadsheets? Broadsheet refers to the most common newspaper format, which is typically around 15 inches wide to 20 or more inches long in the U.S., though sizes vary around the world. Broadsheet papers tend to feature six columns and employ a traditional approach to newsgathering  that emphasizes in-depth coverage and a sober writing tone in articles and editorials aimed at fairly affluent, educated readers. Many of the nations most respected,  influential newspapers- The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, for example- are broadsheet papers. In recent years many broadsheets have been reduced in size to cut printing costs. For instance, The New York Times was narrowed by 1 1/2 inches in 2008. Other broadsheet papers, including USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post, also have been trimmed. Broadsheets and Tabloids Today Newspapers, whether broadsheets or tabloids, are experiencing difficult times these days. Readership has slipped for all newspapers as many readers have turned to the Internet for up-to-the-minute news from a variety of online sources, often for free. For example, AOL, an Internet portal, offers online news ranging from mass shootings and Supreme Court decisions to sports and weather, all at no charge. CNN, the Cable News Network, is known mostly for on-air coverage of domestic and international issues, but it also has a well-established website that provides free articles and video clips of major domestic and foreign news. Its difficult for broadsheets and tabloids to compete with organizations providing such wide-ranging, cost-free coverage, especially when papers have traditionally charged readers for access to their news and information stories. Between 2000 and 2015, annual advertising revenue at all U.S. newspapers, both tabloids, and broadsheets, tumbled from $60 billion to $20 billion, according to The Atlantic. A Pew Research Center study noted that circulation for all U.S. newspapers has fallen annually for the past three decades, including an 8% decline between 2015 and 2016. The Pew Center study did note that The New York Times added more than 500,000 online subscriptions in 2016, a nearly 50 percent jump from the previous year. In that same period, The Wall Street Journal gained more than 150,000 digital subscriptions, a 23 percent rise. Internet Forces Changes The online versions of these broadsheets, however, are more tabloid-like in format; they have flashier headlines, attention-grabbing color, and more graphics than the print editions. The New York Times online edition is four columns wide, similar to a tabloid format, though the second column tends to be wider than the other three. The main headline for The Times online edition of June 20, 2018, was: Trump Retreats After Border Outcry, which was splashed in flashy italic type above a main story and several sidebars about the public debate over a U.S. policy that separated parents seeking to enter the country from their children. The print edition for the same day- which, of course, was one news cycle behind the online edition- featured a much more sedate headline for its main story: GOP Moves to End Trumps Family Separation Policy, but Cant Agree How. As readers gravitate toward briefer stories and instant access to news via the Internet, more broadsheets may begin to adopt tabloid formats online. The push seems to be to capture readers attention with tabloid techniques instead of relying on a more in-depth, broadsheet-like, serious tone.

Food labeling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Food labeling - Essay Example Even while conceding to the fact that most consumers probably do not read food labels and labels add to the cost of foods, there is a strong rationale for labelling. Food labelling provides consumers with a breakdown of the primary ingredients and composites contained in a food product and, of course, its calorific value. More recently, and as a result of growing health awareness, carbohydrate value was added to food labels (Charles, 2001). There are several reasons for the mandatory labelling of food products, the majority of which derive from the notion of the right to know and from health issues. As regards the first, consumers have a right to know the composition of the food products they are purchasing so that they can make an informed purchase decision. As regards the second, food labelling information is imperative for the millions who suffer allergies, have health issues or are required to adhere to a certain diet. In other words, the value and importance of labelling can har dly be overstated, especially when considering that allergies can be fatal. Therefore, there is a strong reason and specific purpose for mandatory food labelling but the question is whether or not the purpose of food labelling is satisfied. Although most all countries have f... According to Weirich (2007) some countries do not have national laws mandating food labelling while others have made the comprehensive listing of all ingredients and composites, a non-negotiable imperative. In the Middle East, and in compliance with both national laws and international standards, the nutritional information of foods is clearly stated on labels printed onto, and not stuck on, food packages. The mandated information is calorific value, nutritional value, ingredients and additives (Weirich, 2007). Laws in the United States have made the listing of all ingredients, additives, nutritional values and calorific value imperative. Again, labels are printed onto and not stuck on the packages for the purposes of avoiding any possibility of tampering with the labels (Weirich, 2007). The European Union has, by far, the most stringent of the food labelling policies. According to Summers (2007), EU food labelling policies mandate the inclusion of all information related to nutritional and calorific value, ingredients and additives and, importantly, a clear indication of whether any GM ingredients had entered into the making of the product in question (Summers, 2007). While much of the information printed onto these labels tends to escape the understanding of consumers as it is highly scientific, it is still important. Its importance stems from the fact that consumers who suffer from specific allergies will be able to, when reading the label, determine whether the food is safe for their consumption or not. Its importance is also due to the fact that food labelling provides diabetics and obese consumers with the information they need for the limitation of their intake of

Current Events and U.S. Diplomacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 9

Current Events and U.S. Diplomacy - Essay Example These wars are commonly known as Proxy wars. Each country tries to contain the expansion of the other. Russia targeted communism. Many historians believe that it had selfish motives planned, turning the supporting countries into military camps, funding the spread of communism in other continents and U.S. trying to cork the leak. In 1947 the U.S. president Truman put forward the Truman Doctrine which served as a platform to voice the very same notion of corking the leak. It was primarily announced to save Greek communists from being overcome by the Soviet Union. The doctrine however did not highlight the particular expansionist country, yet the core country was pretty much evident. It said that whoever tries to establish a stronghold over countries who do not wish to abide willingly will be tackled by the United States of America. The Soviet Union recognized this doctrine as a war cry. (Gaddis 1974). The Truman doctrine was in fact an open effort by the States to contain Communism within every nook of the world no matter how far reached it appeared to be. This laid open an invitation for cold war which proceeded as the States tried to handle various targets set forth by the post war Soviet Union circumstances. The announcement of this doctrine created many adversaries from within the country as well. Many were opposed to the fact of spending millions of dollars just for simple administration in various countries. They felt as if President Truman and the speech he delivered in front of the Congress in 1947 had obligated the country to kibosh communism in every other country. The feared the burden it would be laying on the economy and ultimately on the financial infrastructure. But Truman believed that this containment need not only be via military forces but through peaceful talks, negotiations and other economic means (Zajac, 2013). It felt as a need for the U.S. to provide

Intercultural Communication in the Workplace paper Essay

Intercultural Communication in the Workplace paper - Essay Example This is what good actors do and there is a difference between a ‘wooden actor’ and ‘expressive actor’ who conveys whole reams of feelings with expressions, dialogues and inflexion of speech. It is not just enough to be good looking or to have a good voice and while these help to enhance the impact, a poor speaker cannot rely on only these physical traits. â€Å"Language is our principal means of communicating, but it isn’t the only one we use. We communicate whenever we transmit information about ourselves to others and receive such information from them. Our facial expressions, bodily stances, gestures, and movements, even if unconscious, convey information and are part of our communication styles" (Chapter 15, p. 256). In organizations, particularly during team meetings or convocations, an effective speaker manages to get over physical barriers such as plan looks, thick accents and other barriers but still manage to keep people interested, by gaugi ng their mood and changing tonal inflexions. This is a very important issue in intercultural communication, to keep the audience interested and at the same time get your message through. By culture, we mean the accepted norms of social behavior and acceptance of what is right and what is wrong and what is ethical. To give an example, a woman smoking in US or Europe would not be noticed but a similar action in Arab countries would raise a lot of attention. Organizations such as Microsoft, Ford, GM, Toyota, British Petroleum and many others that operate globally need to adapt to various cultures and understand these norms yet remain committed to their core values. This is an area that is best handled by effective intercultural communication and the skill is in using an inclusive method where the message blends across cultures and brings a sense of uniformity. This requires skill and experience and simple language, checked for

How Far Do You Agree that Video Games Have Had a Negative Effect on Essay

How Far Do You Agree that Video Games Have Had a Negative Effect on Society - Essay Example There is a constant need to update oneself in the field of technology. Although video games are considered a separate industry of computers and online games it is extremely popular all around the world. It is for this reason that the need arose to study the effects of video games on society. Research has it that these games have had negative impact causing the society to collapse due to globalization. Video games are a virtual mode of entertainment. This form of entertainment received much attention when there was any better to be done in order to utilize time. Eventually the senior generation and traditional values became things of the past. One of the major negative effects of video games is the violence caused by it. The violent form of entertainment made the world scarier place forcing the youth to carry guns to places like school for their own protection which indirectly increased the chance of getting shot (Gentile, 2003). This vicious circle was a result of addiction to video games which included online games as well. The negative impact could easily be controlled if allowed access in a proscribed atmosphere. Unfortunately the world of gaming dragged the feeble mind into an abyss from which it was very difficult to pull oneself out. Another very significant downbeat influence of video games is the desensitization towards the harsher realities of life. The actual violence which occurs all around the world seems to be of lesser importance with the next level of the game in mind. The preoccupied mind fails to integrate the daily life situations with personal interests (Gentile, 2003). â€Å"Highly involving games would be more likely to disrupt cognitive rehearsal of thoughts related to positive mood† (Vorderer & Bryant, 2006). This implies that negative moods are likely to be generated with the exposure to violent and aggressive video games. Studies link exposure to violent content of these games (Gentile 2003). Video games became the center of disc ussion ever since the over-playing of these games started to reflect among children and especially teenagers. A lot of research has been done on the effect of video games hence there is much hype about the negative aspect of gaming. Games are good for human mind. But society in the modern world is surrendering to the latest development in technology allowing experimentation on younger minds without putting disclaimers on games which are easily accessible through the internet. Video games have become a source of comfort for the teens. They console them in times of loneliness and alienation from their own family (Ritzer, 2004). Social trends in the United States have been observed to go in a decline because of lesser interaction among people. This is because they spend more time on the computer mostly playing video games or using the social media network which has confined their socialization to a box instead of open gatherings (Sparks, 2006). It is a fact that video games are not age restricted. They are played by people of all age groups. The rate of playing video games increased from two hours a week to two hours a day in the 1980s. Everyone, however, does not agree that video games have an adverse effect on children. Psychologists point out that this may not be the case. Video games can damage the cognitive development of people and lead

Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 34

Accounting - Essay Example Therefore, what matters is quality decision and hence the need of managerial accounting in an organization. Unlike in financial accounting, the decisions made in management accounting are meant for internal users only. The internal users of information are the top managers, employees and departments in a company. Many organizations use enterprise resource planning system (ERP) to report, gather, arrange and supply information and converting it into meaningful information for decision making (Jackson, Sawyers & Jenkins, 2009). Managerial accounting is a career unit and helpful to students as it prepares them on their duties and responsibilities as future managers (Jackson, Sawyers & Jenkins, 2009). In management accounting, students are taught costing methods, decision making techniques and pricing methods which are the core functions of a manager. Also, students get conversant with ways to solve accounting problems like cost minimization and profit maximization techniques. Students are able to acquire the main concepts in both financial and managerial accounting, which changes their attitude to accounting as a discipline. Accounting as a profession is essential to everybody since it is practiced in all sectors. This forms the basis of future successful entrepreneurs in the society. Therefore, managerial accounting matters to student as it is applicable in all careers especially in decision making. The role of a manager is beyond controlling and issuing commands and directives. There are many skills that a manager should have in order to manage the activities in an organization. Good communication is very vital in an organization, and without it everything will be disorganized. Many companies look for competent leaders with good communications skills as a qualification. Managers with reputable organizational skills tend to improve the performance of a business as they make things done in an organized manner.

Henry the VIII and the English Reformation Research Paper

Henry the VIII and the English Reformation - Research Paper Example Henry thus needed a male heir who could succeed him and help protect the English legacy from the potential enemies within Europe. The frustrations of Henry in his search for a male heir is a story worth telling due to a dramatic twist of events that finally led to major reformation in England and beyond. Henry was a man full of drama and he always ensured that he gets what he wanted and this is the reason why he broke from the Catholic Church to form the protestant church. The decisions Henry took in his quest for what he wants to have a lot of impact on the implications for English policy and the monarchy. About Henrys Life According to Knowles and Hadcock (1972), he was a young boy who would later become the king after the death of his father was born in 1491 as the second son and he became an heir to the throne in 1502. He was described as an intelligent boy and an athlete with a good understanding of French, Latin, Spanish and was a very religious man due to his upbringing as a s trong Catholic. He was a go getter who was extremely fond of hunting and never takes a diversion without tiring eight to ten horses. His scholarly interests included writing books and music and thus was accomplished a player of many instruments and a composer of various songs. About that time (1500AD) Enduring social order of the early modern church depended entirely on the production of male heirs in most of the cultural settings since most people do not believe in the leadership of a woman. In most cultural settings, women are forbidden from taking the crown and its thus required that the hair to the throne be a man. For some communities, lacking a surviving male heir is like inviting a curse, uncertainty, political disorder, and ultimately war that may lead to tremendous loss of lives. England learned the cost of women's leadership when an infant took the leadership in the year 1442 that eventually led to wars and the rise of the Tudor dynasty that destabilized their power system (MacCulloch, 2003). Most English people also feared giving power to women since they can be married to foregin land thus diluting the culture, heritage and the influence of their country. Divorce in the ancient Catholic Church was highly disregarded and it was unimaginable for ordinary people. Divorce could only be considered for the rich, powerful and the royal but only when sanctioned by the catholic pope himself and thus it was equally hard for everybody. Those who tried divorce without papal approval were highly trading on the dangerous path by inviting severe punishment and excommunication by the church (Knowles, 1979). The Catholic Church and its leadership faced a test of their time when the king himself needed a divorce, considering the power and authority he has over the land. The refusal to grant Henry permission to divorce his first wife who could not sire a man to be the heir of the throne made Henry break ranks with the Catholic Church (Knowles, 1979; Rex, 2006; Skidmo re, 2007). This marked the beginning of protestant churches and the split of the Catholic Church that used to be the sole church for the people of England. The rebellion of the pope was considered illegal and liturgical and thus was considered by most of the churchgoers as an invitation for a curse in England. The Catholic Chu

Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 34

Accounting - Essay Example Therefore, what matters is quality decision and hence the need of managerial accounting in an organization. Unlike in financial accounting, the decisions made in management accounting are meant for internal users only. The internal users of information are the top managers, employees and departments in a company. Many organizations use enterprise resource planning system (ERP) to report, gather, arrange and supply information and converting it into meaningful information for decision making (Jackson, Sawyers & Jenkins, 2009). Managerial accounting is a career unit and helpful to students as it prepares them on their duties and responsibilities as future managers (Jackson, Sawyers & Jenkins, 2009). In management accounting, students are taught costing methods, decision making techniques and pricing methods which are the core functions of a manager. Also, students get conversant with ways to solve accounting problems like cost minimization and profit maximization techniques. Students are able to acquire the main concepts in both financial and managerial accounting, which changes their attitude to accounting as a discipline. Accounting as a profession is essential to everybody since it is practiced in all sectors. This forms the basis of future successful entrepreneurs in the society. Therefore, managerial accounting matters to student as it is applicable in all careers especially in decision making. The role of a manager is beyond controlling and issuing commands and directives. There are many skills that a manager should have in order to manage the activities in an organization. Good communication is very vital in an organization, and without it everything will be disorganized. Many companies look for competent leaders with good communications skills as a qualification. Managers with reputable organizational skills tend to improve the performance of a business as they make things done in an organized manner.

The five functions of management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The five functions of management - Essay Example The five functions of management This function enables the managers to distribute authority to individual job holders or other employees (Martin and Fellenz 1-75). Controlling can be seen as a four step process of establishing performance standards based on the company’s mission and objectives, measuring and reporting of actual performance, comparing the two and taking of other corrective or preventive actions that may be deemed necessary to solve a particular problem. The main purpose of controlling is to identify deviations from the objectives and taking corrective action (French, Rayner and Rees 12-25). Directing refers to the ability to influence people’s behavior through the motivation, communication, group dynamics, leadership and discipline. The aim of directing is to channel the behavior of all the personnel to accomplish the organization’s mission and objectives while at the same time helping them accomplish their own career objectives (French, Rayner and Rees 12-25). Staffing is fillin g and keeping filled with qualified people all the positions in the business. Some of the specific activities included in this function include recruiting, hiring, training, evaluating and compensating employees. In order to carry out this function properly a manger will liaise with the human resource department. The use of incentives has been seen as advantageous because they encourage and promote appropriate safe behavior among employees at the work place. It is a way that companies are able to demonstrate that they care for their employees and recognizes those who work safely. Secondly long term behavior can be changed through awareness and the provision of financial rewards for proper behavior and this will result in improved morale and reduced worker compensation costs. Third safety incentive programs reduce accidents at the work place as they encourage employees to work in safe conditions (Princhard). The disadvantages of safety incentive programs are that, first they do not o bligate any changes in the existing processes or procedures. Accidents are generally as a combination of some unsafe conditions and therefore by giving employees rewards they try to minimize accidents but the sane processes are still in existence. Incentives also ignore reasons such that they deflect attention from real issues and can disguise genuine deficiencies, flaws or safety management process within the organization. Third incentives are based on a wrong assumption that is unsafe acts. They assume that accidents are intentional acts and that these incentives will cause employees to stop behaving improperly which is wrong (Princhard). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is a theory of motivation that is used to explain the spectrum of human behavior. He proposed that motivation is a function of five basic needs – physiological, safety, love, esteem and self-actualization. He said that these categories are arranged in a hierarchy- that human needs emerge in a predictable stair-step fashion. When one need is satisfied another need up in the ladder emerges or is activated. The process continues until the need for self-actualization is activated (Harold Koontz 290-98). Physiological needs include the following: food, water, warmth, rest and shelter. Safety needs include the

The Minimum Wage Debate Essay Example for Free

The Minimum Wage Debate Essay Minimum wage laws set legal minimums for the hourly wage paid to certain groups of workers (Gorman). Minimum wage laws were invented in Australia and New Zealand with the purpose of guaranteeing a minimum standard of living for unskilled workers. In the United States, workers are generally entitled to be paid no less than the statutory minimum wage. In the United States, amendments to the Fair Labor Standards Act have increased the federal minimum wage from $.25 in 1938 to $7.25 in 2013. Some states and municipalities have set minimum wage levels higher than the federal level, with the highest state minimum wage being . 19 per hour in Washington State as of 2013 (Wikipedia). President Barack Obama’s call for increasing the minimum wage during his State of the Union address has renewed debate among policy experts, politicians and economists, who argue that if enacted the proposal could either drive up unemployment or create more stability for America’s poor. President Obama wants to increase the minimum wage from its current $7.25 to $9.00 an hour, which he said would reduce the number of people in America who work full time but who live in poverty. President Obama states â€Å"this single step would raise the incomes of millions of working families; it could mean the difference between groceries or the food bank; rent or eviction; scraping by or finally getting ahead. For businesses across the country, it would mean customers with more money in their pockets† (White, 2013). This paper will examine President Obama’s proposal to increase the minimum wage by evaluating the history of the minimum wage, the people affected by the minimum wage, the economic way of thinking, and the writer’s perspective of the debate. In conclusion, this paper will provide an alternative to President Obama’s call for an increase in the minimum wage. - The Minimum Wage The minimum wage has a strong social appeal, rooted in concern about the ability of markets to provide income equity for the least able members of the work force. The obvious solution to this concern is to redefine the wage structure politically to achieve a socially preferable distribution of income. Thus, minimum wage laws have usually been judged against the criterion reducing poverty (Wikipedia). Minimum wage laws were also proposed as way to control the increase the spread of sweat shops in manufacturing industries. Sweat shops employed large number of women and young workers, paying them substandard wages. The sweatshop owners were thought to have unfair bargaining power over their workers, and a minimum wage was proposed as a means to make them pay their workers fairly. Eventually, the focus changed to helping people, become more self-sufficient. Today, minimum wage laws affect workers in most low-paid fields of employment (Wikipedia, 2013). There is great disagreement as to whether the minimum wage is effective in attaining its goals. From the time of their introduction, minimum wage laws have been controversial politically, and have received much less support from economists than from the general public. Despite decades of experience and economic research, debates about the costs and benefits of minimum wages continue today. - Literature Review Researching the minimum wage resulted in an abundance of scholarly reviews as well as opinionated news articles which provided the pros and cons of the minimum wage increase proposed by President Obama in his State of Union Address. David Neumark and William Wascher evaluates the effects of the â€Å"Minimum Wage and Employment† states there is a wide range of existing estimates and, accordingly, a lack of consensus about the overall effects on low-wage employment of an increase in the minimum wage. However, the oft-stated assertion that recent research fails to support the traditional review that the minimum wage reduces the employment of low-wage employment of low-wage employment is clearly incorrect. They characterize economist in the debate as those economists who claimed the low-wage labor market at the time as â€Å"marginalists† and those who claimed that it was not as â€Å"institutionalists† (Wascher, 2006). Their findings resulted in studies that provide evidence of positive employment effects of minimum wage, especially from those studies that focus on the broader groups (rather than a narrow industry) for which the competitive model predicts disemployment effects. They also found that studies that focus on the least-skilled groups provide relatively overwhelming evidence of stronger disemployment effects for these groups. Also, John Schmitt reviews evidence on eleven possible adjustments to minimum-wage increases that may help to explain why the measured employment effects are so consistently small. He states that the most important channels of adjustment are: reductions in labor turnover; improvements in organizational efficiency; reductions in wages of higher earners; and small price increases. His report found that little or no employment response to modest increase in the minimum wage and evidence on a range of possible adjustments to minimum-wage increases that may help to explain why the measured employment effects are so consistently small (Schmitt, 2013). As mentioned, online articles from Newsweek, Wikipedia, and Deseret News provided background information as well as opinions that determined the direction in which the writers would approach in this paper. - The people affected by the Minimum Wage Minimum wage workers tend to be young. Although workers under age 25 represented only about one-fifth of hourly paid workers, they made up half of those paid the federal minimum wage or less. Among employed teenagers paid by the hour, about 21 percent earned the minimum wage or less, compared with about 3 percent of workers age 25 and over (See Table I). About 6 percent of women paid hourly rates had wages at or below the prevailing federal minimum, compared with about 3 percent of men. (Of minimum wage earners overall, 67 percent are women, and 33 percent are men). The percentage of workers earning the minimum wage did not vary much across the major race and ethnicity groups. About 5 percent of white, black, and Hispanic hourly-paid workers earned the federal minimum wage or less. Among Asian hourly paid workers, about3 percent earned the minimum wage or less. Among hourly paid workers age 16 and over, about 10 percent of those who had less than a high school diploma earned the federal minimum wage or less, compared with about 4 percent of those who had a high school diploma (with no college) and about 2 percent of college graduates. Part-time workers (persons who usually work less than 35 hours per week) were more likely than their full-time counterparts to be paid the federal minimum wage or less (about 11 percent versus about 2 percent). About 7 in 10 workers earning the minimum wage or less in 2012 were employed in service occupations, mostly in food preparation and serving related jobs. Among the states, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennes see and Oklahoma had the highest proportions of hourly-paid workers earning at or below the federal minimum wage (about 6 percent). The percentage of workers earning at or below the Federal minimum wage was lowest (1 percent or less) in Alaska, California and Oregon (Rampell, 2009). Table 1. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage by selected characteristics, 2012 annual averages| Characteristic| Number of workers (in thousands)| Percent distribution| Percent of workers paid hourly rates| | Total paid hourly rates| At or below minimum wage| Total paid hourly rates| At or below minimum wage| At or below minimum wage| | | Total| At minimum wage| Below minimum wage| | Total| At minimum wage| Below minimum wage| Total| At minimum wage| Below minimum wage| AGE AND SEX| | | | | | | | | | | | Total, 16 years and over| 75,276| 3,550| 1,566| 1,984| 100.0| 100.0| 100.0| 100.0| 4.7| 2.1| 2.6| 16 to 24 years| 14,909| 1,797| 862| 935| 19.8| 50.6| 55.0| 47.1| 12.1| 5.8| 6.3| 16 to 19 years| 4,044| 854| 484| 370| 5.4| 24.1| 30.9| 18.6| 21.1| 12.0| 9.1| 25 years and over| 60,367| 1,753| 704| 1,049| 80.2| 49.4| 45.0| 52.9| 2.9| 1.2| 1.7| Men, 16 years and over| 37,113| 1,263| 567| 696| 49.3| 35.6| 36.2| 35.1| 3.4| 1.5| 1.9| 16 to 24 years| 7,454| 673| 333| 340| 9.9| 19.0| 21.3| 17.1| 9.0| 4.5| 4.6| 16 to 19 years| 1,922| 366| 207| 159| 2.6| 10.3| 13.2| 8.0| 19.0| 10.8| 8.3| 25 years and over| 29,659| 591| 235| 356| 39.4| 16.6| 15.0| 17.9| 2.0| 0.8| 1.2| Women, 16 years and over| 38,163| 2,287| 999| 1,288| 50.7| 64.4| 63.8| 64.9| 6.0| 2.6| 3.4| 16 to 24 years| 7,455| 1,124| 529| 595| 9.9| 31.7| 33.8| 30.0| 15.1| 7.1| 8.0| 16 to 19 years| 2,122| 489| 278| 211| 2.8| 13.8| 17.8| 10.6| 23.0| 13.1| 9.9| 25 years and over| 30,708| 1,163| 470| 693| 40.8| 32.8| 30.0| 34.9| 3.8| 1.5| 2.3| RA CE AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY| | | | | | | | | | | | White (1)| 59,180| 2,760| 1,185| 1,575| 78.6| 77.7| 75.7| 79.4| 4.7| 2.0| 2.7| Men| 29,691| 984| 444| 540| 39.4| 27.7| 28.4| 27.2| 3.3| 1.5| 1.8| Women| 29,490| 1,776| 741| 1,035| 39.2| 50.0| 47.3| 52.2| 6.0| 2.5| 3.5| Black or African American (1)| 10,049| 533| 277| 256| 13.3| 15.0| 17.7| 12.9| 5.3| 2.8| 2.5| Men| 4,522| 183| 85| 98| 6.0| 5.2| 5.4| 4.9| 4.0| 1.9| 2.2| Women| 5,527| 350| 193| 157| 7.3| 9.9| 12.3| 7.9| 6.3| 3.5| 2.8| Asian (1)| 3,403| 117| 48| 69| 4.5| 3.3| 3.1| 3.5| 3.4| 1.4| 2.0| Men| 1,568| 39| 16| 23| 2.1| 1.1| 1.0| 1.2| 2.5| 1.0| 1.5| Women| 1,835| 78| 32| 46| 2.4| 2.2| 2.0| 2.3| 4.3| 1.7| 2.5| Hispanic or Latino (1)| 14,404| 718| 337| 381| 19.1| 20.2| 21.5| 19.2| 5.0| 2.3| 2.6| Men| 8,114| 295| 127| 168| 10.8| 8.3| 8.1| 8.5| 3.6| 1.6| 2.1| Women| 6,290| 423| 210| 213| 8.4| 11.9| 13.4| 10.7| 6.7| 3.3| 3.4| FULL- AND PART-TIME STATUS| | | | | | | | | | | | Full-time workers (2)| 54,745| 1,261| 501| 760| 72.7| 35.5| 32.0| 38.3| 2.3| 0.9| 1.4| Men| 30,052| 491| 197| 294| 39.9| 13.8| 12.6| 14.8| 1.6| 0.7| 1.0| Women| 24,693| 770| 304| 466| 32.8| 21.7| 19.4| 23.5| 3.1| 1.2| 1.9| Part-time workers (2)| 20,411| 2,286| 1,063| 1,223| 27.1| 64.4| 67.9| 61.6| 11.2| 5.2| 6.0| Men| 6,998| 772| 370| 402| 9.3| 21.7| 23.6| 20.3| 11.0| 5.3| 5.7| Women| 13,413| 1,513| 693| 820| 17.8| 42.6| 44.3| 41.3| 11.3| 5.2| 6.1| Footnotes: (1) Estimates for the above race groups (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. (2) The distinction between full- and part-time workers is based on hours usually worked. These data will not sum to totals because full- or part-time status on the principal job is not identifiable for a small number of multiple jobholders. Full time is 35 hours or more per week; part time is less than 35 hours.| NOTE: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are incorporated (U. S. D. o. Labor, 2013). - Economic Thinking When considering the debate about President Obama’s proposal to increase the minimum wage, it can be framed around select guideposts of economic thinking. The first guidepost that can be applied to the minimum wage debate is â€Å"beware of the secondary effects: economic actions often generate indirect as well as direct effects† (Gwartney, 2013). The direct, immediate effect of increasing the minimum wage is an intended one, but secondary effects, or unintended consequences also present themselves. The law of demand states that the quantity demanded will decrease as the price of the good increases, with all other variables holding steady at constant. In this case, according to the law of demand, an increase in the price of labor, the minimum wage, will cause a decrease in the amount of available positions in the job market. The higher minimum wage will draw more workers into the market, but simultaneously, the higher price of labor will cause employers to offer less employment opportunities for lower skilled workers. Opponents of this viewpoint argue that an increase in the minimum wage will have a more positive secondary effect: $18 billion injected into the economy, along with 100,000 new jobs by 2015, supporting economic growth (White, 2013). President Obama’s proposal to increase the minimum wage appeals to a moral sense; people prefer to see fairness in the job market when it comes to wages. The conservative side of the argument echoes the law of demand. The true test of an economic theory is its ability to accurately predict, another guidepost of economic thinking. The law of demand is a strong one, but considering the changes in other economic variables, it cannot be considered absolute. In New Jersey, the number of fast food jobs actually increased after an 18 percent increase in the minimum wage was instituted (White, 2013). - 2 Sides of the Debate (the writers’ perspective) Increases in the minimum wage have consistently fallen behind inflation, so that in real terms the minimum wage is substantially lower than it was in the 1960s. Meanwhile, worker productivity has doubled. If the current minimum wage seems low, raising it would cost jobs. But there’s evidence on that question. And while there are dissenters, the great preponderance of the evidence points to little if any negative effect of minimum wage increases on employment (Krugman, 2013). It is also important to understand how the minimum wage interacts with other policies aimed at helping lower-paid workers, in particular the earned-income tax credit. The tax credit is also good policy. But it has a well-known defect, some of its benefits end up flowing not to workers but to employers, in the form of lower wages. And guess what? An increase in the minimum wage helps correct this defect. It turns out that the tax credit and the minimum wage aren’t competing policies; they are complem entary policies that work best in tandem (Krugman, 2013). President Obama’s wage proposal is good economics. It is also good politics; a wage increase is supported by an overwhelming majority of voters. Yet G.O.P. leaders in Congress are opposed to any rise. Why? They say that they’re concerned about the people who might lose their jobs, never mind the evidence that this won’t actually happen. We will learn that an increase in wages will restore strength to the economy. We will see room that even more increases in wages will improve the economy. Social costs of labor will be better covered and the economy will work better. The US economy is a mature economy, and that means that labor needs to be paid more of the % of national income as real GDP increases. The real job creators are the bottom 90 percent, including those right at the bottom who would benefit from a minimum wageconsumers, those who spend nearly all of their income on real goods and services and hoard very little of it. And truth be told, without spending there are no sales; without sales there are no profits; without profits there is no demand for workers; without demand for workers there is no job creation; and without job creation there is no recovery. Overall raising the minimum would help some family live a little better and not stress as much with paying for food and utilities. It will help build a sense of pride and self-esteem†¦ after all is this not the land of opportunity (Krugman, 2013). The minimum wage makes it harder for unskilled workers to gain the labor market experience and on-the-job training that would raise their productivity and future pay. Unskilled workers are less attractive with a higher minimum wage because they produce less per hour and th eir hiring diverts more senior workers from revenue producing activities to training and supervision (Shemkus 2011). Firms will only invest in human capital if they expect to receive a return on their investment. Firms will not pay for general skills if workers are likely to leave before firms recoup their investment costs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that 69% of jobs started by workers age 18 to 24 last less than a year. Turnover is even higher for teen age workers. Young workers must therefore pay for the general (often informal) training they receive by accepting a lower wage (Shemkus, 2011). The good news is that once these workers have some experience and training they can command a higher wage. A higher minimum wage encourages firms to hire already trained and experienced workers, eliminates some opportunities for experience and training, and puts an even bigger burden on our vocational schools to train unskilled workers. The effects on employment rates would be exactly the opposite of those supporters foresee. A higher minimum wage, they claim, would be too heavy a burden on employers, especially small business owners. And those employers, in turn, would be unable to hire as many people an undesirable result when unemployment continues to hover at about 8 percent (Shemkus, 2011). When legislators raise the price of low and unskilled labor, it is usually low- and unskilled laborers who end up paying the price, increasing the minimum wage has not proven to be effective at lowering the poverty rate. Multiple studies have demonstrated little to no relationship between a higher minimum wage and reductions in poverty. So it looks like the minimum wage will probably be staying right where it is for some time to come (Shemkus, 2011). - Conclusion In conclusion, the writers’ personally support the President’s call to increase the minimum wage to $9 per hour. However, the writers’ must realistically look at both sides of the debate and recommend an alternative that will ease the minds of US citizens, politicians, and economists (on both sides of the debate). We recommend continuing to allow individual cities and states to mandate the minimum wage deemed necessary for the citizens of their jurisdiction. The Department of Labor states that there are 4 states that have a minimum wage set lower than the federal minimum wage and 19 states (plus DC) with minimum wage rates set higher than the federal minimum wage. There are 22 of the states that have a minimum wage requirement that is the same as the federal minimum wage requirement. The remaining states do not have an established minimum wage requirement (D. O. Labor, 2013). With this said, the Federal minimum wage law will always supersede state minimum wages w here the federal law minimum wage is greater than the state minimum wage. In those states where the state minimum wage is greater than the federal minimum wage, the state minimum wage prevails (D. O. Labor, 2013). This recommendation would protect the minimum wage employees in less than statutory minimum wage states, while granting the federal government a reprieve until the economy get back on its feet. Along the same line, the writers’ also recommend allowing states to regulate their citizen’s minimum wage, the minimum wage would be linked to a consumer price index. This linkage would increase the minimum wage each year. Currently, there are 10 states (AZ, CO, FL, MO, MT, NV, OH, OR, VT, and WA) which already have this recommendation in place (D. O. Labor, 2013). The economy in these states has not been affected by the increase each year. Employees earn enough to live on in their prospective state and the employer’s bottom line is not affected because their charges for products or services are also increased due to inflation. - References Gorman, Linda.). Minimum Wages. Retrieved April 4, 2013, 2013, from http://www.econlib.org/cgi-bin/printcee.pl Labor, Department Of. (2013). United States Department Of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm Labor, United States Department of. (2013). Characteristics Of Minimum Wage Workers: 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://www.bls.gov/cps/minwage2012.htm Rampell, Catherine. (2009). Who is affected by a higher minimum wage? Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/24/who-is-affected-by-todays-minimum-wage-hike/ Schmitt, John. (2013). Why Does the Mininmum Wage Have No Discernible Effect on Employment? (pp. 2-24): Center for Economic and Policy Research. Wascher, David Neumark and William. (2006). Minimum Wages And Employment: A Review Of Eveidence From the New Minimum Wage Research. National Bureau of Economic Research, NBER Working Paper No. 12663, 2-432. White, Mercedes. (20 13). The great minimum wage debate: how Obamas proposal to increase the minimum wage will impact the economy. Retrieved March 27, 2013, from http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865573603/The-great-minimum-wage-debate-how Wikipedia.). Minimum wage in the United States. Retrieved April 15, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_wage_in_the_United_States Wikipedia. (2013). Minimum Wage. Retrieved April 14, 2013, 2013, from

Free Pride and Prejudice Essays: Characters Guilty of Pride and Prejudice :: Pride Prejudice Essays

Characters Guilty of Pride and Prejudice Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen marvelously portrays the life of a middle-class country family in England during the early nineteenth century. The family, the Bennets, is presently engaged in finding suitable (rich) husbands for their five daughters. The main character, Elizabeth Bennet, is an intelligent, witty, and opinionated young woman. She has already rebuffed one would-be suitor because she felt he was unfit, and in this scene, she turns down another, Fitzwilliam Darcy, because she feels that he is arrogant and cruel. This scene portrays a lively exchange between the two, with Elizabeth accusing him of prejudice and Darcy charging her with being full of pride. The scene opens with Darcy entering the room where Elizabeth was reading. After inquiring about her health, he pauses for a few moments and then suddenly declares, "You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you" (Austen, 142) He then proceeds to tell her all the things that are wrong with her family and her own "inferiority" (142). Despite all this, he still loves her. Darcy seems sure she will accept, but Elizabeth's dislike of his pride and arrogance make it impossible for her to accede. They then proceed to enter into a heated argument and each volley cutting insults upon the other. Austen's wording during this exchange adds to the liveliness of this quarrel. Elizabeth first disparages his proposal by saying, "Why with so evident a design of offending and insulting me, you chose to tell me that you liked me against your will, against your reason, and even against your character" (143) Darcy's proposal was a far cry from romantic and it convinced Elizabeth that D arcy wants a wife inferior to him, something she would never stand for. She goes on to accuse him of being prejudiced against another by laying charge after charge upon him and concluding with, "You have done all this! and yet you can treat the mention of his misfortunes with contempt and ridicule" (144). He retorts, "These offenses might have been overlooked, had not your pride been hurt by my honest confessions of the scruples that had long prevented my forming any serious design" (144). She counters by saying, "You are mistaken, Mr. Darcy, if you suppose that the mode of your declaration affected me" (145). She goes on to say, "You could not have made me the offer of your hand in any possible way that would have tempted me to accept it" (145).

The Role of the Proof in Math Essay example -- Mathematics Mathematica

The Role of the Proof in Math The notion of proof has long played a key role in the study of mathematics. It is in my opinion the role of proof that separates mathematics from the sciences and other fields of study. It is the existence of proofs that give mathematicians the confidence that their work is credible and thus allows them to continue to build upon prior work without the need to second guess what has previously been accomplished. Based upon this observation, it becomes natural to ask the questions pertaining to the use of proof in learning and understanding mathematics. If the concept of proof is so important to the field of mathematics, then is it possible that by writing proofs and studying proofs that an individual will be better equipped to understand the mathematics for which the proofs pertain? And if this is possible then when should a person be first exposed to proofs and at what level? In this paper I will give my views pertaining to these questions, as well as, a few more of my views pertaining to some other topics related to these questions. Before discussing the virtues of proofs as a means of learning and understanding mathematics, I feel that it is first necessary to begin with a brief discussion of the functions of proof within mathematics. Following I will give a list of the functions of proof that I have comprised from three sources (Hanna [2], Knuth [3], Tucker [6]): 1.verification, the act of arguing that a statement is true 2.explanation,providing reasons for why a statement is true, which in turn may lead to understanding 3.systematization,organizing statements and definitions into a system of axioms, lemmas, theorems, etc. 4.discovery,creating knowledge and new results .. ...ducation, V178 N1, pp. 35-45 [2]Hanna, Gila (2000), â€Å"Proof, Explanation and Exploration: An Overview,† Educational Studies in Mathematics, V44, pp. 5-23 [3]Knuth, Eric (2002), â€Å"Secondary School Mathematics Teachers Conceptions of Proof,† Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, V33, pp.379-405 [4]Lester, Frank K. (1975), â€Å"Developmental Aspects of Children’s Ability to Understand Mathematical Proof,† Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, V6 N1, pp. 14-25 [5]Selden, Annie and Selden, John (2003), â€Å"Validations of Proofs Considered as Texts: Can Undergraduates Tell Whether an Argument Proves a Theorem?,† Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, V34 N1, pp. 4-36 [6]Tucker, Thomas (1999), â€Å"On the Role of Proof in Calculus Courses,† Contemporary Issues in Mathematics Education, MSRI Publications, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK

Painting Analysis in Jane Eyre Essay

From the opening chapter of Charlotte Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Jane Eyre the reader becomes aware of the powerful role that art plays. There is something extraordinary about the pictures Jane admires from other artists, as well as the work she creates herself. Her solitary pastime often operates as an outlet of pain, either past or present, and offers her the opportunity to deal with unpleasant emotions and memories. Jane’s art transcends her isolation by bringing her into contact with others who see it; it functions as a bridge between her desire to be alone and her need for companionship. Despite her struggles with inner conflict and the people in her life, Jane’s art helps her find personal power, marking her true identity as her own woman. Whether it is her love of drawings or the creations of her own, artwork has provide Jane a means of agency to survive the harrowing conditions afforded to the orphan child, allowing her to emerge as a wealthy, independent social equal. The first glimpse of Jane’s resourcefulness and mental escape comes from one of the first activities in the novel. She escapes from her powerless place in the hostile Reed household temporarily through a book â€Å"taking care that it should be one stored with pictures† (2). She retreats to a solitary window-seat, â€Å"having drawn the red moreen curtain nearly close†¦ shrined in double retirement,† and buries herself in Berwick’s A History of British Birds (2). The window offered protection, but not separation from the outside: â€Å"At intervals, while turning over the leaves of my book, I studied the aspect of that winter afternoon† (2). Through the images and quotes contained therein, Jane manages to acquire the only kind of power to she access to- knowledge, â€Å"Each picture told a story; mysterious often to my undeveloped understanding and imperfect feelings, yet ever profoundly interesting† (3). Her interpretation of the illust rations provides training for the young girl, who will later produce her own images. Her quest for identity and power has begun, and the young orphan begins to discover how she can begin her journey to find her place as a social equal. Interrupting her happy retreat, looking at the pictures, is her wretched cousin John Reed. He claims that Jane, as a dependent in his household, has no right to look at books without his permission. As punishment for her transgression, he throws her favorite Berwick’s Birds at her, physically knocking Jane down with its force (3-5). A fight ensues, with Jane comparing Reed’s actions to those of murderers, slave drivers, and Roman emperors. Adults intervene; Jane is blamed for the conflict and is confined to the â€Å"red room† where she experiences terrible suffering. In this incident, Jane’s visual pleasure takes the form of looking at art objects in prints and illustrated books. Instead of being a harmless leisure activity, â€Å"this looking is regarded by the male character as a provocation, setting off various stratagems aimed to reconfirm rights of ownership by laying down restrictive or subordinating conditions of access† (Kromm 374). Confron tations between Jane and male authority would follow her from her removal from the Reed home to her schooling at Lowood. Early on in her education at Lowood, Jane finds herself in a situation similar to that of the breakfast room incident at Gateshead. Trying to escape the notice of the headmaster Mr. Brocklehurst. With no massive curtain to shield her this time, she â€Å"held [her] slate in such a manner as to conceal [her] face† (62). The â€Å"treacherous slate† slipped from her grasp and crashed to the floor. As she â€Å"rallied [her] forces for the worst. It came† (62). In a humiliating flight of indignation, Mr. Brocklehurst, placing Jane on a stool for all to see, publically admonishes her for dropping school property. He further attempts to ostracize her from the others by condemning her a liar (information he received from Mrs. Reed, Jane’s wretched benefactress). Jane serves the time, designated by her punisher, sobbing and full of shame. She realizes that this wrongdoing would eliminate Miss Temple’s promise to teach her drawing and to learn French. Jane descends from the stool in search of Miss Temple, her beloved superintendent, who often â€Å"listens to Mr. Brocklehurst’s sermonizing in ladylike silence with her mouth ‘closed as if it would have required a sculptor’s chisel to open it’† (Gilbert 784). Miss Temple kindly allows Jane to speak in her defense, such an unfamiliar concept coming from the Reed residence. Once Jane’s story is corroborated she is rewarded with beginning lessons in drawing and French. Her subsequent years at the Lowood Institution, although glossed over by Brontà «, are when Jane emerges as an artist. Her first sketch is landscape with a crooked cottage whose graphic limitations bring about a daydream that evening in which she envisions a feast of â€Å"more accomplished imagery†(72). Each imaginary scene is one she anticipates producing with her own hands: picturesque landscapes with ruins, lowing cattle that recall Dutch painters like Cuyp, butterflies hovering near roses, birds pecking at fruit. Through this elegiac, bucolic, wish-fulfilling dreamscape, she sees herself become adept at making â€Å"freely-penciled,† rather than minutely copied, renderings of the natural world intensively and expansively observed. (Kromm 377-378) Jane’s goal is clearly much higher than reproducing other’s works. She sees herself acquiring the skills of a professional artist. Jane learns at Lowood that she can create and lose herself in alternate worlds when she draws and paints. She shows the ability to envision a cheerful life different from her circumstances. However, following Miss Temple’s departure from Lowood, Jane returns to feelings of isolation. Once again she finds solace gazing out a window, realizing the promise the other side has to offer . Her â€Å"restless desire† of life outside the classroom leads Jane to seek employment elsewhere. It is through her preparations to leave Lowood that the reader learns of Jane’s growth and achievement as an artist. Her â€Å"pictorial facility is a landscape, a watercolor given to the superintendent of Lowood, who had interceded on her behalf with Brocklehurst to obtain for Jane a reference and permission to leave the school† (Kromm 379). The painting was framed, and placed prominently â€Å"over the chimney-piece,† in the parlor at Lowood. Her painting is one of several accomplishments that impress Bessie, the Gateshead servant who visits upon learning of Jane’s departure for her next job at Thornfield. Bessie thinks the painting is beautiful: â€Å"It is as fine a picture as any Miss Reed’s drawing-master could paint, let alone the young ladies themselves, who could not come near it† (90). Jane now possesses the accomplishments of a lady, and â€Å"to a degree which will ensure her economic independence as a teacher. The picture Bessie sees is not described; it has no significance for Jane other than as a social gesture†¦it functions simply as a milestone on her advance to independence† (Milligate 316). Jane’s artistic confidence and her newly acquired â€Å"social status,† follow her to her next adventure at Thornfield. During her time as a governess, Jane’s art continues to gain the attention of others. Shortly after Rochester’s first appearance at Thornfield, he summons Jane and tries to get to know Jane’s qualifications as governess for Adà ¨le. Rochester asks to view again some of her work the young girl had shown him, adding, â€Å"I don’t know whether they were entirely of your doing: probably a master aided you?† (124). Jane vehemently denies his accusation, yet Rochester remains skeptical. He orders Jane to â€Å"fetch her portfolio,† and investigates her work, promising her, â€Å"I can recognize patchwork† (124). Somewhat satisfied after his perusal, that the work is from one hand, a hand that she confirms is her own. Focusing his attention on three watercolors he asks Jane, â€Å"Where did you get your copies?† When Jane replies â€Å"Out of my head,† he continues to goad her, â€Å"That head I see now on your shoulders?† (124). Jane passes his critical judgment without becoming unsettled. She offers her own critique of her work that is occupying Rochester’s attention: â€Å"her judgment upon them was ‘nothing wonderful’ because her manual skill was not quite able to capture the vivid subjects that she had imagined with her ‘spiritual eye’† (Gates 36). The watercolor landscapes, although produced at Lowood, are far from the scene that been so admired: â€Å"A seascape, a landscape, and polarscape respectively, each fantastic natural setting has the disturbing feature of a dead, fragmented, or cropped figure† (Kromm 379). In the seascape, a wrecked ship’s mast rises above the water in â€Å"composition dominated by rough seas and clouds.† A lone cormorant sits on the mast with a sparkling bracelet in its mouth â€Å"pecked from the arm of a woman’s corpse lying almost submerged in the foreground† (Kromm 379). The second painting shows a leafy, grassy hill with a large stretch of dark blue twilight sky. â€Å"Rising into the sky† is a bust-length view of a woman: â€Å"She is an allegorical figure, her gauzy lineaments and crown justifying her description as a ‘vision of the Evening Star.’ The pleasant otherworldliness of this princess-like delineation is subverted by the account of her features, which include wild-looking eyes and hair streaming in enervated disarray† (Kromm 379). The third watercolor is a polarscape whose winter sky is â€Å"pierced† by the peak of an iceberg against which a gigantic head rests, its forehead supported by two hands. The focus â€Å"is entirely placed on the singular head whose black, bejeweled turban registers a note of orientalist exoticism. The eyes of this giant are glazed, fixed, blank, communicating only a sense of despair† (Kromm 379). Her descriptions of her work display the limitless depths of her imagination. They are, as Rochester observes, like something Jane â€Å"must have seen in a dream† (126). He asks whether she was happy when she painted them and remarks that she must surely have existed â€Å"in a kind of artist’s dreamland while [she] blent and arranged these strange tints† (126). â€Å"Here Rochester catches the essence of surrealistic art, which tends toward the kind of involuntarism best known in dreams, aiming at automatism and toward the unconscious. Jane of course was not aiming anywhere† (Gates 37). Jane says she was simply ‘absorbed† and her subjects has â€Å"risen vividly on [her] mind† (126). Jane has the visions but lacks the skill to accurately portray them: â€Å"whereas the superintendent’s picture indicated accomplishments with social and economic value, these pictures reveal Jane’s emotional status†¦she has made little progress† (Millgate 316). Jane is still maturing. The paintings may evidence a halt in her artistic promise, however, the conversation with Rochester, about her artistic promise, ignites a sense of equality between the pair. Jane views Rochester’s investigatory comments as a, â€Å"breath of life†¦ he is the only qualified critic of her art and soul† (Gilbert 352). Jane and Rochester’s shared love of art plants the seeds of their mutual affection and appreciation of one another. Besides using her art as a means to access Jane’s thoughts, Rochester offers Jane’s work to the public. Rochester becomes, â€Å"the link that enables Jane to expand her ability to share imagination† (Cassell 112). She informs her reader, â€Å"One day he had company to dinner, and had sent for my portfolio; in order, doubtless, to exhibit its contents† (129). â€Å"Jane placidly accepts Rochester’s display of her work, perhaps as an affirmation of the value of her talent, or perhaps as a means to communicate her imaginative self with a larger audience† (Cassell 112). Jane takes a risk and allows herself, through her work, to be vulnerable to society’s scrutiny. Personal scrutiny, in addition to public, accompanies Jane’s work as it transitions from the familiar natural landscapes, to the unfamiliar world of portraiture. Here Jane uses her art as a sort of punishment for not seeing reality. The way Jane’s creative imagination goes to work on its materials is quite precisely revealed in the genesis of the pictures she actually completes while at Thornfield, those contrasting portraits of ‘a Governess, disconnected, poor, and plain’ and of ‘Blanche, an accomplished lady of rank’ which she intends as medicine for a mind which love of Rochester has infected with wishful thinking. (Millgate 317) Jane’s ivory miniature of Blanche Ingram is executed before Jane has laid eyes on Blanche and is based upon Mrs. Fairfax’s flattering description of her. When Jane asks Mrs. Fairfax for her opinion of Rochester, she says of the woman’s response, â€Å"There are people who seem to have no notion of sketching a character, or observing and describing salient points, either in persons or things: the good lady evidently belonged to this class† (104). However, when describing Jane’s rival for Rochester’s affection, Mrs. Fairfax’s word is bond. Studying her own face in the mirror, she finishes her a charcoal self-portrait in less than two hours, â€Å"omitting none of what she calls her defects, the harsh lines and displeasing irregularities of her face, refusing to exercise the artist’s option to use the chalk to soften or blur the sharp planes of her features† (Kromm 382). Jane paints Blanche’s portrait on smooth ivory, â€Å"taking a fortnight to finish it, and the result is a Grecian beauty whose features are called smooth, soft, sweet, round, and delicate† (Kromm 382). Looking at both portraits, she asks herself which woman Rochester would prefer: â€Å"The contrast was as great as self-control could desire† (162). The painting exercise becomes a means of self-discipline, and â€Å"a way of representing social hierarchical position through the creation of concrete images† (Azim 192). Contemplating the two works, and their disparities, she puts herself firmly in her place. She scolds herself for her romantic fantasies about Rochester that could ruin herself and her career. The contrast between the real and the ideal â€Å"is imagined and put forth, to keep in mind the distance between desire and reality†(Azim 193). Here Jane paints out of her mind’s eye, not in order to indulge her imagination, but to control it. Jane returns to Gateshead to visit her dying Aunt Reed. Bessie greats her kindly, but Jane otherwise receives a cold greeting from her aunt and cousins. Returning to such a disheartening place, coupled with missing Rochester, Jane uses her art as a means of comfort. She carries her art with her because art supplies her with â€Å"occupation or amusement† (250). â€Å"Her first sketch there shows her thoughts in line with Rochester’s as she sketches the characters that he often associated with her† (Cassell 116). She draws: â€Å"Fancy vignettes, representing any scene that happened momentarily to shape itself in the ever-shifting kaleidoscope of imagination: a glimpse of sea between two rocks; the rising moon, and a ship crossing its disk; a group of reeds and water-flags, and a naiad’s head, crowned with lotus-flowers, rising out of them; an elf sitting in a hedge-sparrow’s nest, under a wreath of hawthorn-bloom. (236-237) Her fantasies shift to real possibility, she sketches a face-Rochester’s, all in heavy black pencil and complete with flashing eyes (237). Jane describing her own work and the qualities she seeks to emphasize in the portrait – strength, determination, flexibility and spirit – reinforce what Jane finds attractive in Rochester. The portrait of Rochester is involuntarily made and, in fact, â€Å"helps to close the gap between the mind and the representational object: spontaneity, imagination, sexuality, and sexual desire combine to produce a portrait that faithfully represents the painter’s state of mind† (Azim 195). In a time of emotional need, she unconsciously conjures up â€Å"a speaking likeness† of the man she loves (237). After leaving Thornfield, following the interrupted marriage ceremony, Jane’s art provides a temporary asylum, as she grieves for Rochester. During her stay at the Moor house, her artwork earns her the admiration of Diana and Mary Rivers. They are so impressed with her talents that they give her all of their drawing supplies (360). Once again Jane attributes her talents with social status when she remarks, â€Å"My skill, greater in this one point than theirs, surprised and charmed them† (360). Their appreciation of her artistic skills, and their generosity help strengthen Jane’s weakened disposition. As Jane struggles to cope with losing everything that mattered to her, her artwork enlivens those around her-especially Rosamond Oliver. Jane’s art excites admiration, impressing Rochester with its â€Å"peculiar† power and â€Å"electrifying† Rosamond with surprise and delight. Jane’s painting and sketching quietly â€Å"satisfy an impulse toward a kind of display that is itself subordinated to pleasure in looking, as when she happily agrees to sketch a portrait of Rosamond: ‘I felt a thrill of artist-delight at the idea of copying from so perfect and radiant a model’† (Newman 157). Jane’s first description of Rosamond presents a figure seen entirely from an artist’s angle: â€Å"eyes shaped and colored as we see them in lovely pictures†¦the penciled brow†¦the livelier beauties of tint and ray†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (372). â€Å"The ease with which this terminology is manipulated shows a new detachment in Jane, as well as suggesting a certain superficiality in the figure she exams† (Millgate 319). Even though Jane can use her imaginative faculties to alleviate the pain of reality, she does not separate from reality (Cassell 116). She grieves constantly for the loss of Rochester and her identity. Her art does not offer the same gratifying rewards that it once did. Her work has continued to mature and is evident by Rosamond’s portrait. Mr. Oliver and St. John Rivers authenticate the precision of the portrait. The painting also â€Å"causes St John to admit to Jane what she already knows – that he is in love with Rosamond – and it is while he gazes at the picture that he allows himself to give way to his feelings for a set period of time – ‘a little space for delirium and delusion’, he calls it† (Losano 256). The painting also serves another function. The portrait of Rosamond Oliver brings to fruition, Jane’s aspirations for independence. St. John recognizes her as the rightful heir of a fortune. His proof of her identity consists of a signature in â€Å"the ravished margin of [a] portrait-cover,† which Jane confronts as if it belonged to another: â€Å"He got up, held it close to my eyes: and I read, traced in Indian ink, in my own handwriting, the words ‘JANE EYRE’† (392). Jane construes her signature as â€Å"the work doubtless of some moment of abstraction† and thus disowns it as the product of her own volition, even as it fulfills the conditions of he uncle’s will and her own desires to be financially independent and to belong to a family (Marcus 217). Jane Eyre’s art is mode of self-expression, revealing in rare glimpses her depth of character and aspirations for independence. As Millgate suggests, â€Å"her work is one means of charting her growth to maturity† (315). Beginning in the window-seat at Gateshead, a ten-year-old girl escapes abuse and neglect by escaping through images in her beloved books, through twenty years of creating herself through her art, Jane ends her career as an artist when she becomes Mrs. Jane Rochester. In the account of her married life in the final chapter, all her imaginative activity and visionary skill are devoted to the task of embodying in words, for the benefit of her blind husband. Her gift of words helps her to create a new artist identity-a storyteller. Works Cited Azim, Firdous. â€Å"Rereading Feminism’s Texts in Jane Eyre and Shirley.† The Colonial Rise of the Novel: From Aphra Behn to Charlotte Brontà «. London: Routledge, 1993. Brontà «, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: Barnes and Noble, Inc, 2001. Cassell, Cara. The â€Å"Infernal World†: Imagination in Charlotte Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Four Novels. Diss. Georgia State University, 2001. Gates, Barbara. â€Å"Visionary Woe and Its Revision: Another Look at Jane Eyre’s Pictures.† ARIEL, Vol. 7 (1976): 36-49. Gilbert, Sandra. â€Å"Plain Jane’s Progress.† Signs, Vol.2 (1977): 779-804. Kromm, Jane. â€Å"Visual Culture and Scopic Custom in Jane Eyre and Villette.† Victorian Literature and Culture, Vol. 26 (1998): 369-394. Losano, Antonia. The Woman Painter in Victorian Literature. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 2008. Marcus, Sharon. â€Å"The Profession of the Author: Abstraction, Advertising, and Jane Eyre.† PMLA, Vol.110 (1995): 206-219 Millgate, Jane. â€Å"Narrative Distance in Jane Eyre: The Relevance of the Pictures.† The Modern Language Review, Vol.63 (1968): 315-319. Newman, Beth. â€Å"Excepts from Subjects on Display.† Charlotte Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Jane Eyre: A Case Book. Ed. Elsie Browning Michie. NewYork: Oxford University Press, 2006. Starzyk, Lawrence. â€Å"The Gallery of Memory†: The Pictorial in Jane Eyre.† Papers on Language and Literature, Vol.33 (1997): 288-307.