Discussion question week 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Discussion question week 5 - Essay Example s in formal social control like engaging in criminal activities like stealing and killing leads to formal prosecution or punishment by the concerned social authority. On the other hand, failure to comply with the informal social control system often leads to subtle punishments such as mockery, gossip, and even being ignored (Innes 43). An example is discouraging an obese friend from eating too much food on the condition that if he does he or she will be mocked. Deterrence is the act of preventing a certain behavior or act from repeatedly happening. General deterrence is the impact of the threat of legal punishment on the public at large while specific deterrence refers to the impact of the actual legal punishment on the apprehended people (Akers 19). While specific deterrence focuses on an individual in question and aims at discouraging them from future criminal activity by instilling an understanding of the consequences, general deterrence focuses on the general crimes prevention mechanisms with reference to specific social deviances (Akers 20). For instance, violating traffic laws that influence driving behaviors leads to the apprehension with respect to general deterrence while specific deterrence results from actual experience of apprehension and prosecution of the offender. However, both types of deterrence are ways of instilling order in the society as they ensure that people abide by the set rules and

The family is thriving, both as institution and ideology. OR Essay

The family is thriving, both as institution and ideology. OR Motherhood is a social construction which fulfils women around the world - Essay Example Furthermore, motherhood, for the purposes of this discussion, is to encompass the fundamental activities of childbearing and childrearing. Thus, this inquiry will deal not on motherhood as a personal experience, but as social phenomenon that applies to women in general, in seeking to thresh out the issues that have ruled in the debate. From as far back as history can remember, motherhood has been traditionally regarded as the primary, one may say overriding, role of women. From the farmer’s wife to the royal spouse, marriage between a man and a woman has always been presumed to serve the purpose of pro-creation. There has generally been no long-standing quarrel on the matter, until the sixties when the feminist movement took impetus and forwarded the thesis that family and motherhood are at the core of women’s oppression by a predominantly male world. The social presumption that women were meant to bear children appeared to shift at about the sixties. In Australia, demographics show that after the post-World War II baby boom, a decline in births signified that young women delayed the start of their childbearing, while older women ended theirs sooner. Australian women took to the new contraceptive pill, at a rate that amounted to the world’s highest per capita use. The following diagram, shows the total fertility rate of Australia between the years 1924-1994. (Gilding, 1997 p. 206) In general, feminist critiques of family policy highlighted weaknesses in the â€Å"white nuclear heterosexual family† (Dominelli, 1991). Some feminist ideas were born of oppressive treatment of women under a male-dominated society (Johnson, 1980). The feminist position encompassed two streams – the first, radical, stream posited that women’s biological make-up was the source of their oppression; and the second, liberal, stream questioned the acceptance of male values and achievements as the standard by which women were

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS)

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) Modern biomedicine advances have impelled the demand of sensitive, accurate and fast analytical techniques for biodetection and biodiagnosis. Many tools ranging from fluorescence spectroscopy, mass spectrometry or immunoassays have been used to resolve analytical problems related with health. Although these techniques are well established, several drawbacks still limit their fully applicability, e.g. prior sample preparation, time consumption or relatively low detection limits[1]. Recent developments in laser technology and nanoscience have converted surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) as one of the techniques with highest analytical potential. The SERS effect is associated to the intense electromagnetic field enhancements provided, upon light excitation, by localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) at the surface of a plasmonic metal with features in the nanoscale range [2]. The Raman signal of the molecules in close vicinity to the metal substrate is enormously intensifie d, allowing sensing applications down to single-molecule [3]. Since its initial discovery, almost 40 years ago, the field of SERS spectroscopy has experienced an exponential growth, renewing the interest within the scientific community[4]. Among numerous potential applications, SERS has emerged as an ultrasensitive tool for detection and identification of biomolecules, such as DNA. [1, 5]. However, although a wide range of indirect SERS-based DNA approaches have been developed (mostly relying on the mediated capture of the target DNA and the use of extrinsic SERS reporters), the direct SERS spectral analysis of unmodified DNA still remains scarcely used, despite the fact that it provides specific, selective and complete vibrational information. The major limitation has been so far the lack of spectral reproducibility at low DNA concentrations. The investigation of the native structure of DNA (especially double-stranded DNA) based on its affinity towards gold/silver substrates was ma inly hindered by the phosphate backbone of DNA, since it is negatively charged at physiological pH. Recently, the spectral reproducibility issue have been addressed by different scientific groups based on the interaction of DNA with negatively charged nanoparticles, which have renewed the interest indirect SERS-based strategies of detection of DNA.[6-9] On the other hand, Alvarez-Puebla and co-workers developed a successful alternative strategy based on the use of positively-charged silver colloids coated with spermine molecules ([emailprotected]).[10, 11] DNA is the carrier of all genetic information in living organisms. Although it is a stable macromolecule, can be subjected to changes such as mutations derived from evolution, genetic diseases or genomic aberrations which can lead to cancer.[12] Apart from the known four canonical bases contained in DNA and RNA, a variety of modified nucleobases play a major role in gene regulation.[13] In higher organisms, epigenetic information for gen regulation is needed in order to determine their functions and properties. 5-methylcytosine is the most investigated modification in mammalian genomic DNA. However, many cytosine variants in DNA regulartory network such 5-formylcytosine, 5-carboxylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine have been recently identified. In fact, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine is produced in mammalian tissues and depleted in human cancer cells.[14] These discoveries have suggested that new nucleotide variants possess epigenetic functions for gen regulation that have been underesti mated. In addition to epigenetic modifications, an ample variety of nucleobase lesions (such as alkylation, oxidation, deamination, and cross-linking) can take place as a result of carcinogen attacks to DNA.[15, 16] In some cases, carcinogens are inherently reactive toward DNA while others require to be firstly metabolically activated to electrophilic intermediates such as phagocyte-generated reactive oxygen, nitrogen and halogen species.[17-19] Anyhow, all these DNA lesions are mutagenic or cytotoxic and, if not properly repaired by the corresponding enzymatic systems, may induce base mispairing during DNA replication.[16] Accumulation of such mutations in genes controlling cell growth, proliferation, programmed cell death, and cell differentiation is likely to cause cancer.[20, 21] Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are possibly the main class of DNA damaging agents, which generates a wide set of different oxidative lesions [22] such as those produced by the direct attack of the highly reactiv e hydroxyl radical (†¢OH) to the nucleobase double bonds. On the other hand, inflammation-induced formation of 5-halocytosines adducts (5-chlorocytosine and 5-bromocytosine), have been identified in DNA from human tissues.[23-27] Importantly, 5-halocytosines could act as fraudulent epigenetic signals, in part explaining the link between chronic inflammation and cancer.[28-33] Due to the recent discoveries of new nucleotide variants with epigenetic functions, an intense research has been directed toward the development of novel methods to detect, profile, and sequence these base modifications in the genome and transcriptome.[34] These strategies span from pure detection and quantification methods (thin layer chromatography (TLC) analysis,[35] antibody-based detection,[36, 37] 32P-postlabelling[15] and liquid chromatography (LC)-mass spectrometry (MS)[38]) to genome-wide profiling methods and single-base-resolution sequencing methods.[39] A relatively new field in this exciting area is the screening of DNA samples for unknown or unanticipated lesions, which is referred to as â€Å"adductomics†.[40] Nowadays, this sort of analysis is primarily performed with liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution/accurate mass spectrometry (LC−MSn).[15, 40] This technique relies on the fragmentation of protonated modified nucleobases which are then d ifferentiated according to their molecular mass.[15, 40] However, DNA adduct analysis by mass spectrometry is costly and time-consuming since it requires a prior sample preparation which normally involves several standard steps, such as DNA hydrolysis into the corresponding monomers, enrichment of the DNA adducts, removal of unmodified nucleobases and addition of an appropriate internal standard.[40] Extreme caution must be paid to avoid artificial generation of DNA lesions during these processing steps. This research project aims the direct SERS detection of four different cytosine variants in single-stranded DNA sequences, by means of [emailprotected] colloids. 5-methylcytosine (mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (hmC) were investigated due to their epigenetic importance in mammalian DNA. 5-bromocytosine (BrC) and 5-hydroxycytosine (hC) were studied as a representative modification involved in DNA damage. Transition from Raman to SERS The Raman phenomenon is related to the process where inelastic scattered photons are simultaneously emitted upon monochromatic light interaction with a specific molecule (Figure 1a). During the scattering process, a large majority of the photons are scattered at the same incident energy (Raighley scattering), whereas a small part of photons either gain or loose energy (anti-Stokes and Stokes Raman scattering respectively).[41] The resulting Raman spectral bands correspond to vibrational and rotational transitions which are specific to each molecular system providing a vibrational â€Å"fingerprint†. Raman scattering is a weak phenomenon since nearly 1 in 106 1010photons are inelastically scattered[42]. In most of the Raman studies the fraction of the spectrum involving anti-Stokes bands is usually ignored due to the weakness of the bands (Figure 1b). Although the invention of the laser in 1960s implied great improvements in Raman spectroscopy, the lack of sensitivity was stil l a sever limitation. In 1974, Fleischmann et al.[43] observed for the first time an unexpected dramatic enhancement of the Raman signal from pyridine in presence of rough silver electrodes. Later in 1977, a series of independent reports of Jeanmaire et al.[44], and Albrecht et al.[45] explained the origin of such enhancement, which renewed the interest in Raman techniques and paved the way to Surface Enhanced Raman scattering. There are two widely accepted theories that explain the origin of SERS enhancement compared to Raman scattering (Figure 1c): the electromagnetic enhancement (EM) and the chemical enhancement (CE). The EM is considered to be the major contribution of the enhancement and is highly influenced by the characteristics of the metal (composition, shape, size). This EM effect arises upon light interaction with a noble metal surface, generating collective oscillations of conduction electrons named as surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs). The coupling of these LSPRs with the emission of the analyte adsorbed or in close vicinity to the metal surface is responsible for the scattering intensification, which can reach values up to 1010-1011 [41]. In particular, large local electromagnetic fields are observed at the inter-particle junctions (known as â€Å"hot spots†) of noble metal nanoparticles which are in close proximity (mostly Ag and Au). Among others, the EM enhancement drastically decre ases as the distance between the analyte and the metal surface increases [42] which explains the requirement of close proximity between the nanostructured surface and the target molecule. The CE contribution to the SERS signal enhancement is usually weaker and, differently to the EM mechanism, is molecule-specific. In fact, when the analyte adsorbs onto the metallic substrate, a new surface-complex is formed and, new electronic transitions may be possible due to the change in the analyte properties such as the Raman polarizability. These transitions are comparable to the Resonant Raman transitions, which analogously lead to higher Raman cross sections. If both mechanisms (EM and CE) are present, their effect is assumed to be multiplicative[46]. Figure 1.(a) Schematic comparison between Raman and SERS effects (b) Raman and SERS spectra of Rhodamine G (c) SERS enhancement mechanisms***. 1.2 SERS substrates For SERS applications, noble metals substrates (mostly silver and gold) must contain features in the nano-range scale (not higher than the excitation wavelength). In fact, whereas large nanostructures highly hamper the LSPRs, too small nanostructures cannot support these plasmon resonances, leading to low enhancement factors [41]. During the past years great efforts have been made to coherently engineer SERS substrates. Two main approaches have been used for the design of SERS substrates: top down approaches, involving mainly lithographic techniques, and bottom up approaches.[47] Top down approaches allow the controlled manipulation of interparticle gaps and relatively simple functionalization of metal surfaces. In the case of bottom up approaches, nanoparticles are chemically synthetized and subsequently assembled in suspension or in ordered manner. In this context, silver and gold nanoparticles are the most used SERS-active substrates due to their outstanding optical response. Noteworthy, the LSPRs of silver substrates cover a wider wavelength range (comprising most of the visible and nearinfrared spectral region) than gold substrates. Below 600 nm, gold nanoparticles mostly absorb the incident light, hampering the surface plasmon resonances in this spectral range. [48] On the other hand, gold nanoparticles are more stable under oxidative conditions, easily prepared and with high potential tunable plasmon properties. [49] 1.3 SERS instrumentation Current dispersive Raman instruments are coupled with microscopes and several laser beam lines as excitation sources. The choice of the excitation wavelength (mainly from the visible to NIR) depends strictly on the application. An important factor to take into account when performing a SERS measurement, is the Raman scattering efficiency since it depends on the fourth power of the frequency[50]. Therefore, shorter wavelengths improve the Raman sensitivity although the risk of fluorescence or sample degradation also increases and has to be considered [51]. In this particular set-up and in most modern Raman spectrophotometers, the inelastically scattered light is collected at 180o geometry. In the confocal unit, the light from the laser initially passes through a pinhole aperture. This light is then delivered through the notch filters (interference filters) where it is completely reflected into the microscope and reaches the sample through the beam splitter. Then, the inelastically scattered light passes back through the same optics, a monocromator and finally reaches de CCD detector. The Rayleigh scattering is efficiently blocked by the notch filters.

William Morris: Influences of Naturalism in His Life and Works Essay

The main driving element in William Morris’s life has been the nature around him and the houses he lived in. The most prominent influence was the Kelmscott Manor. Therefore, I chose to go with Kelmscott Manor’s layout plan that exhibits the â€Å"inspirational garden â€Å" that led to most of his design decisions, a map that depicts the pockets in the manor and how Morris was inspired by it. In addition to this, an original drawing of the Kelmscott Manor’s exterior that depicts how the manor amalgamated within the garden. To reinforce this, I picked a watercolor of the Kelmscott Manor and a photo that captivates the various perspectives of the garden in the manor. Moving on to his designs that interprets his love for nature I picked up the very first of his wallpaper design of the trellis that has a very naturalistic touch to it with the vines which seemed to be an extension of the â€Å"inspiration garden† on to the paper. Also chose one of the wallpapers he designed during the middle of his lifetime and one of his last designs as well. The underlying concept behind picking those was to outline the consistency in his design concept throughout his life. William Morris was a poet , whose poetry and compositions were also inspired by nature, and to depict his poetry in form of naturalism concept I picked a stance from one of his compositions that talks about forest, flora and fauna which directly ties to his underlying concept. Also the compositions he wrote always had engraved borders which was ... ...an picking the artifacts. Although I did learn about William Morris and his designs in my history classes I learnt about the concept behind his design decisions and in depth analysis of Morris’s evolution as a designer only when I started working on this exhibit. It is imperative that you do research before arriving on any decision in regard to putting up any exhibit. Furthermore after analyzing the different options, it is imperative that you have facts to back up your decisions of the artifacts chosen. Every artifact that you pick for your case should have direct relation to your concept and it should be consistent among all artifacts. Overall a lot of thought should be put into the exhibit and the concept must reflect the ideas distinctly.

Both ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Of mice and men’ are concerned with the themes of loneliness and dependency Essay

Compare the way Mary Shelly and John Steinbeck write about these human conditions. In this essay I will discuss and compare the similar themes of loneliness, isolation and dependency in ‘of mice and men’ and ‘Frankenstein’. Victor Frankenstein is the main protagonist character in the book ‘Frankenstein’. He is a scientist who challenges common science. He lives in a big family mansion in Geneva with all of his family. At first Frankenstein’s relationship with his family and friends is really close. When he moves to the university in Igolstadt he writes frequent letters to his family and Elizabeth. Frankenstein has an obsession with a desire to create life. He gets this uncontrollable desire from the unfortunate loss of his mother during the birth of his brother William. Frankenstein studied professor Waldman’s research on darker science and when the professor died it gave him the final push towards creating life. Frankenstein thought he owed it to the professor to finish his research. The research was time consuming this made his letters less frequent and shorter. Elizabeth felt isolated because of this and this made Frankenstein lonely as well. Captain Walton is the first narrator of the book. We learn the story of Frankenstein’s monster through his letters to his sister. He is the captain of a ship on an expedition to the North Pole. His ambition is to reach the North Pole where no man has been before. He doesn’t have a good relationship with his fellow crewmates because he is selfish and reckless you know because in the book the crew threaten to mutiny if he doesn’t let them go back home. Frankenstein and captain Walton have a link between them; they both have this deep imbedded urge to follow their ambitions without care of how reckless they are. I think this is the reason they connect so well and become close friends. George is a young, migrant ranch worker who is reasonably small and has well-defined features. He is like a father to his mentally handicapped friend. He shares the dream of owning his own ranch with Lennie. George is a quite a quite lonely man because he hasn’t got a real future, can’t have any long term relationship because Lennie takes up mostly all his time. In the book George explain how he would be able to live easily without Lennie â€Å"God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could get a job an’ work, an no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of the mouth come I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and get whatever I want†. Lennie is a mentally challenged ranch worker. He is a big strong man who is impetuous. Lennie and George are a magnet, Lennie is the north pole and George is the south pole. They are completely opposite however they still attract each other and stay together. Lennie is childish and maybe mentally handicapped however he can still manipulate George. You see this in this quote just after George was complaining about Lennie stopping him doing what he wanted to do with his life. Lennie say â€Å"if you don’ want me I can go off in the hills an’ find a cave. I can go any time.† And George relied by saying â€Å"No-look! I was jus’ foolin’, Lennie. ’cause I want you to stay with me.†. Lennie likes to pet soft things he gets in trouble because of this. Lennie is very lonely because he can’t do what the other men do due to him being mentally challenged and irrational. You can see he is lonely from what he does in this quote † Ever’body went into town,† he said â€Å"Slim an’ George an’ ever’body. George say I gotta stay hear an’ not get in no trouble. I see your light.†. This shows that he is lonely and is searching for a friend because he has been left out. This also illustrates that Lennie is an outcast. Crooks is a black busted back stable buck. He is called crooks due to having a crooked spine where a horse kicked him. Crooks is lonely and isolated from the rest of the workers, he has to sleep in his own place in the stables because he is black and in the time of the book there was a lot of racism and it was accepted that blacks were inferior to the whites. He is bitter and angry due to the way he is treated, it’s a defence mechanism to try and stop him from getting hurt however when Lennie is left alone and he goes in to Crooks room he doesn’t judge him by his ethnicity still Crooks acts bitter because he doesn’t trust that a white man can be his friend this parallels with Frankenstein. In Frankenstein the monster thinks a kid wouldn’t judge him however the kid does. Even though there are differences the theme of judgement are in both texts. The monster in ‘Frankenstein’ is a man made from the severed body parts from dead criminals that Frankenstein put together and brought it to life. He has overwhelming strength and is impetuous. The monster is lonely because he is incredible hideous, repulsive and horrifying which cause people to panic and run away from him. The monster just wants to be loved and have a friend he can talk to; he doesn’t care who it is. In the book he lived in the woods for a while and noticed a family called the De Lacys who where struggling to survive during the winter. He became friends with them and helped the by doing hard manual work. Over time the monster saw what the de Lacy’s had and he fell in love with one of the de Lacys. When he told her his intensions she panic and gave him a look of disgust. Then the monster was mad with anger so he burnt them alive. The monster and Lennie a really quite similar they both are strong, impetuous and similar in appearance. The monster and Lennie have similar dependencies on their creator or carer. The monster is dependant on Frankenstein to build him a companion and eventually to be a father. Lennie is dependant on George to look after him and stop him getting in trouble. Curley’s wife is very lonely, bored and frustrated. She lives on a ranch where there no other women and during the day all the men go to work so she is left on her own being bored because she has no one to talk to. This is shown in this quote â€Å"Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house alla time?†. She is also frustrated that her life turned out this way. She married a violent man who she didn’t love. She imagined her life to be full of glamour, fame and stardom. In the book Lennie and Curley’s are in the barn. Curley’s wife is flirting with Lennie. Lennie starts stroking her hair softly then he got harder and harder until Curley’s wife screams. Lennie panics, covers her mouth and shakes until she was dead. A similar thing happens in the book Frankenstein, the monster tries to be friends with William however William panics and the monster accidentally kills him. The structure and style of both texts are very different. Mary shelly told the story of Frankenstein through letters that captain Walton wrote to his sister and at the end of the book we hear the monster’s side to the story. The style of Frankenstein is gothic horror. It is dark, gory and intense. Steinbeck’s is written in a more traditional structure in the third person. It is an emotional drama. Steinbeck uses description of scenery and animals to build characters however Mary shelly focuses on developing characters. In conclusion I believe that both books illustrate loneliness and dependency very well however I prefer the story of Frankenstein more than Of mice and men because Frankenstein is more surreal and is gory which I like. Of mice and men is realistic and quite boring. I think the fact that they are very different types of books that were written at very different times and still have the same themes is quite interesting.

Confucian Philosophy in the Han Dynasty Essay

This paper will evaluate a brief evaluation of the rise of the Han Dynasty and how Confucian corresponds with it. With included references to authors, Tanner, Liang, Dubs, and Wang, will supply knowledge regarding to Sima Qian’s historical points, incorporation of Confucian principles within the Han Dynasty and the emperor, and within the social lives and families. I will highlight some of the major points of beneficial factors to Confucian thought as well as a brief opinion on how it isn’t always good to base a society of false claims regarding to divinity and how the society originated. However, I hope to make clear a better understanding on why and how the Chinese people in general came to be in current day China. â€Å"Before the founding of the Han dynasty, thinkers of every stripe cited the Five Classics to legitimate their ideas, but the transmission of the Zhou’s cultural heritage was not clearly documented until Sima Qian (second century B. C. E. ) traced the study of the Five Classics back to Confucius. † Sima Qian finished an essay called â€Å"The Collective Biographies of Confucians,† which â€Å"summarizes classical learning from the beginning of the Western Han to the end of the reign of Emperor Wu. † He is considered the first great exemplar of the Chinese historical tradition; however, before he was able to finish his works and had angered the emperor, he took the option of being castrated over controversial writings about a general that had been defeated and surrendered to the Xiongnu, to finish his writings. Sima Qian was a man dedicated to his work for which he chose castration over having to commit suicide. â€Å"The style of Sima Qian’s work was didactic, its purpose to communicate the moral lessons of the past. ’ â€Å"In both its organization and its approach to history, the ‘Records of the Grand Historian’ served as a model for all subsequent officially sanctioned Chinese historical writing. † Ban Gu eventually took up Sima Qian’s work in 90 B. C. , although he was imprisoned at first for his unauthorized history of the Han emperor, but was freed later due to the emperor’s liking of his work. Regardless whether the historical contexts of both Ban Gu and Sima Qian, it shows that the histories were often dishonest due to the preferences of the elite, but as. Ban Gu was pardoned, there might be more truth to what the Han’s historical past entails. â€Å"It was during the former Han period that Confucianism developed from being the teaching of a few pedants in a semi-retirement, at the end of the Chou period, to become the official philosophy of the government, which had to be adopted by anyone who hoped to enter public life. † Although it was a gradual process, early Han emperors embraced Confucianism by incorporating its teachings in education and establishing a Confucian Imperial University, which ultimately distributed literati among offices in the government. As this concept became bigger and more popular among the elite, the development of the examination became prominent as there was a high importance of literary ability and Confucian training, to be able to obtain a position within a government entity. It was believed that with all of the claimed advantages of Confucianism, â€Å"unifying the country intellectually by making one system of thought current among all educated men led to the elevation of Confucianism. † In 141 B. C. , Tung Chung-shu, advocated a principle to Emperor Wu that all non-Confucian philosophies should be destroyed with intellectual unification of the country—Emperor Wu did act upon this by proscribing Legalism and elevating Confucians to be his highest officials. With the rise of Confucianism in the Han Dynasty, it not only effected the elites’ primary preferences for what should be within the government body, but it also effected the view of the emperor himself. The conception of the central government of the Han Dynasty from a Confucian perspective was that the ruler must be a man, be of noble origin, ordained by Heaven, having great wisdom and virtue, and must be a ruler that is â€Å"all-under-Heaven. † To strengthen the claim to the throne, â€Å"all the rulers of China before Liu Pang were believed to have been of divine origin. † â€Å"However, the living Han ruler, like the rulers of other dynasties, was not regarded as a god, nor was any worship instituted for him. † It was common practice, as in all histories, to have a greater social distance between those who command and those who obey, often times through rituals and ceremonies. The Confucian scholars introduced ceremonies in 201 B. C. which was considered necessary for a new ruler to elevate to an â€Å"unapproachable position. † This of course resulted in the emperor or ruler to be catapulted into the highest authority. Much like in other empires, that due to this common practice of using divinity as the main aspect of the throne, that anyone who goes against, protests, or is considered disrespectful, most often paid the price through draconian laws and usually sentenced to death. The morality of Confucian belief as it was incorporated into the social lives of the common people, also included what the roles should be within the family. Ban Zhao (48? -116? CE), historian Ban Gu’s sister, was famous for her writings on the expected roles of women in Han society. Ban Zhao believed that it was the husband’s duty to control while the wife serves him, but at the same time the wife would be allowed to be educated and literate. Ban Zhao further mentions that the husband and wife must play their roles, but men have the ultimate responsibility to control and to have authority. She further continues, â€Å"If women are to understand and perform their expected roles, then they must learn to read so that they can learn from the same ritual texts as men do. † This all of course is stemming and adding to the Confucian ideology. Perhaps, even though she was a remarkable matriarchal woman, she believed that this ideology is a cornerstone for maintaining a strong and healthy nuclear family environment. In conclusion, it is very apparent that Confucian ideology was the main stronghold for both the Eastern and Western Han Dynasty. Confucianism, with Sima Qian, Ban Gu, Ban Zhao, and a collaboration of other historians, had a major influence on how the elitists, the government, and the common people, were to go about their daily lives and follow what was considered a respectable social order at that time. The ideology of Confucianism built a halo around the emperor to catapult him to a position of higher order, causing the people to look up to him rather than revolt against him for being in a position undeserving. As with many empires, which all rise and fall at some point, the elitists and the emperor always has a philosophical tale which tries to explain where its origins came from, sometimes referring the emperor as a god himself. In essence, there is usually no ground proof what the true history was, mostly due to the perversion of some historians’ ideology relating to their religious affiliations. Perhaps too, with fear of draconian laws and punishment, especially with low self-esteem and high-ego type of authority, that history in itself will only boil down to â€Å"his story. † Regardless, despite whether or not the histories of Confucianism and the Han Dynasty are valid, there is strong evidence that the Confucian principles still exist today as we see in the current-day Chinese culture regarding to the social lives and families of many. Bibliography: Liang, Cai. 2011. â€Å"Excavating the Genealogy of Classical Studies in the Western Han Dynasty (206 B. C. E. -8 C. E. ). † Journal of the American Oriental Society 131, no. 3: 371-394. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (Accessed February 25, 2013). Dubs, Homer H. 1938. â€Å"The Victory of Han Confucianism. † Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 58, No. 3: 435-449. American Oriental Society. http://www. jstor. org/stable/594608. (Accessed February 25, 2013). Wang Yu-ch’uan. 1949. â€Å"An Outline of the Central Government of the Former Han Dynasty. † Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 12, No. ?: 134-187. Harvard-Yenching Institute. http://www. jstor. org/stable/2718206. (Accessed February 25, 2013). Tanner, Harold M. 2010. â€Å"China: A History. † Hackett Publishing Company, 118. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Liang, Cai. â€Å"Excavating the Genealogy of Classical Studies in the Western Han Dynasty (206 B. C. E. -8 C. E. ). † Journal of the American Oriental Society 131, no. 3 (2011): 371. [ 2 ]. Liang, Cai. Excavating the Genealogy of Classical Studies in the Western Han Dynasty, 372. [ 3 ]. Tanner, Harold M. China: A History. Hackett Publishing Company (2010), 118. [ 4 ]. Tanner, Harold M. China: A History, 118. [ 5 ]. Tanner, Harold M. China: A History, 118. [ 6 ]. Tanner, Harold M. China: A History, 118. [ 7 ]. Dubs, Homer H. The Victory of Han Confucianism. Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 58, No. 3 (Sep. , 1938), 435. [ 8 ]. Dubs, Homer H. The Victory of the Han Confucianism, 446. [ 9 ]. Dubs, Homer H. The Victory of the Han Confucianism, 447. [ 10 ]. Dubs, Homer H. The Victory of the Han Confucianism, 448. [ 11 ]. Dubs, Homer H. The Victory of the Han Confucianism, 448. [ 12 ]. Wang Yu-ch’uan. An Outline of the Central Government of the Former Han Dynasty. Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 12, No. ? (June 1949), 139.. [ 13 ]. Wang Yu-ch’uan. An Outline of the Central Government of the Former Han Dynasty, 139. [ 14 ]. Wang Yu-ch’uan. An Outline of the Central Government of the Former Han Dynasty, 140. [ 15 ]. Wang Yu-ch’uan. An Outline of the Central Government of the Former Han Dynasty, 140. [ 16 ]. Wang Yu-ch’uan. An Outline of the Central Government of the Former Han Dynasty, 140. [ 17 ]. Tanner, Harold M. China: A History, 121. [ 18 ]. Tanner, Harold M. China: A History, 121. [ 19 ]. Tanner, Harold M. China: A History, 121. [ 20 ]. Tanner, Harold M. China: A History, 121.

Free Essays on A Hanging

A Hanging by George Orwell is a harsh, wake up call as to how cold and blind the human race can be. This story takes place in Burma, India in the 1940’s. Orwell is a warder for a prison in Burma and he tells about his one experience as he prepares and puts a prisoner to death. They all gathered around him, six warders, and walked the prisoner out of his cell and towards the gallows. The prisoner went calmly but was very afraid – for his life is coming to an end in a mere 2 minutes and there is nothing he can do to change that. As the prisoner makes his way to the gallows, Orwell watches the him as he walks and notices that he came upon a puddle and steps aside to avoid getting his feet dirty, even though he is about to be put to death. Orwell starts to realize that the prisoner is a human being with feelings and thoughts, who is about to be cut short of his life. As they were walking to the gallows, into the yard comes this dog. Wild and happy to see so many people together, he went round the men, barking and wagging his whole body around. In an instant, the dog made a dash for the prisoner, trying to lick his face. The superintendent of the prison became angry, for he wanted to get along with the execution so in that way the other prisoners can get there breakfast. They escorted the prisoner to the gallows. Two warders then placed a noose around his neck and tightened it. The prisoner then began to cry out to his god – â€Å"Ram! Ram! Ram!† (Orwell, A Hanging, 234). It was a steady and rhythmical cry, not fearful and urgent. In hearing this sound, the dog answered with a whine. The warders then put a cotton bag over his face, but the sound muffled by the cloth, over and over again. Throwing up his head, the superintendent made a swift motion with his stick. â€Å"Chalo† he shouted fiercely. There was a clanking noise, and then dead silence. The... Free Essays on A Hanging Free Essays on A Hanging A Hanging by George Orwell is a harsh, wake up call as to how cold and blind the human race can be. This story takes place in Burma, India in the 1940’s. Orwell is a warder for a prison in Burma and he tells about his one experience as he prepares and puts a prisoner to death. They all gathered around him, six warders, and walked the prisoner out of his cell and towards the gallows. The prisoner went calmly but was very afraid – for his life is coming to an end in a mere 2 minutes and there is nothing he can do to change that. As the prisoner makes his way to the gallows, Orwell watches the him as he walks and notices that he came upon a puddle and steps aside to avoid getting his feet dirty, even though he is about to be put to death. Orwell starts to realize that the prisoner is a human being with feelings and thoughts, who is about to be cut short of his life. As they were walking to the gallows, into the yard comes this dog. Wild and happy to see so many people together, he went round the men, barking and wagging his whole body around. In an instant, the dog made a dash for the prisoner, trying to lick his face. The superintendent of the prison became angry, for he wanted to get along with the execution so in that way the other prisoners can get there breakfast. They escorted the prisoner to the gallows. Two warders then placed a noose around his neck and tightened it. The prisoner then began to cry out to his god – â€Å"Ram! Ram! Ram!† (Orwell, A Hanging, 234). It was a steady and rhythmical cry, not fearful and urgent. In hearing this sound, the dog answered with a whine. The warders then put a cotton bag over his face, but the sound muffled by the cloth, over and over again. Throwing up his head, the superintendent made a swift motion with his stick. â€Å"Chalo† he shouted fiercely. There was a clanking noise, and then dead silence. The...

The Prefix Co-

The Prefix Co- The Prefix Co- The Prefix Co- By Mark Nichol If you’re the betting type, and you wager on whether a given word beginning with a prefix is attached directly to the root word or linked with a hyphen, bet against the hyphen: The trend- in American English, at least- is to close prefixed words and compound words. However, you won’t always win, because there are exceptions, even among words beginning with a particular prefix. Take the prefix co-, for example. Using the Merriam-Webster’s website as the authority, we can see that virtually every word beginning with the prefix is closed. Exceptions include most words in which the root word begins with o, including co-official, co-organizer, and co-owner. Co-op takes a hyphen when it serves as an abbreviation for cooperative, even though the full term is not hyphenated- though it, like many other words containing prefixes, once was. (However, the unrelated term coop, referring to a shelter for birds or other animals, has no hyphen.) In British English, which is generally more conservative about orthography and word treatment, the correct form is co-operative (and co-operate and co-operation). Co-opt, however, is standard in both dominant forms of English. An all-but-obsolete treatment of such words to signal that the o’s are separated by a syllabic break- this style quaintly persists in the pages of the New Yorker- is the inclusion of a diaresis (two dots) over the second instance. Avoid attempting to attach the prefix to a phrase, as in â€Å"co-personal assistant,† which fails because it describes an assistant who is co-personal, not a personal assistant who shares responsibility with another person holding that title. A natural solution is to employ a slightly sturdier en dash in place of the hyphen to convey the prefix’s relationship to the entire phrase, not just the first word (equivalent to the stronger symbol’s usage in such phrases as â€Å"pre–Industrial Revolution†), but this strategy is not standard; instead, merely substitute co- with fellow. Finally, avoid the prefix altogether if it is always redundant, as in copartner, and consider doing so if, in context, it is often so, as in co-conspirator. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Beautiful and Ugly WordsWhat is the Difference Between Metaphor and Simile?Drama vs. Melodrama

Une Fois Que Uses the French Future, Not Subjunctive

Une Fois Que Uses the French Future, Not Subjunctive Une fois que  (once that) is a type of conjunctive phrase that does not take the subjunctive because it expresses facts, which are considered certain; this makes the subjunctive unnecessary in this case. On the other hand, there are many more conjunctive phrases that do express uncertainty and, thus, do require the subjunctive. Future Tense With These Conjunctive Phrases, Not Subjunctive The subjunctive  mood  is dedicated to expressing actions or ideas that are uncertain and subjective, such as will/wanting, emotion, doubt, possibility, necessity, judgment. Une fois que and other conjunctive phrases like it are usually followed by the  future  tense, not the subjunctive, as illustrated below: Je lachà ¨terai une fois quil arrivera.Ill buy it once he arrives.Mangeons quand il arrivera.Lets eat when he arrives.Une fois que tu aura compris, tout sera plus facile.Once youve understood, everything will seem easier. Note that there are a number of idiomatic expressions that contain the word fois, such as une fois, cette fois-ce, bien des fois and encore une fois, but they are not relevant to understanding the verb tenses that the conjunction un fois que requires. Other Conjunctive Phrases Like Une Fois Que Here are more conjunctions that  do not  take the subjunctive because they express facts, which are considered certain and, thus, contrary to the subjectivity of the subjunctive: ainsi que   just as, so asalors que  Ã‚  while, whereasaprà ¨s que**  Ã‚  after, whenaussità ´t que**  Ã‚  as soon ascar  Ã‚  since, becauseen mà ªme temps que  Ã‚  at the same time thatdepuis que  Ã‚  sincedà ¨s que**  Ã‚  as soon as, immediatelylorsque**  Ã‚  whenparce que  Ã‚  becausependant que  Ã‚  whileplutà ´t que  Ã‚  instead of, rather thanpuisque  Ã‚  since, asquand**  Ã‚  whentandis que  Ã‚  while, whereasune fois que**  Ã‚  once **These conjunctions would be followed by the  future tense  in French, while in English we use the present tense.

Study of Social Networks users types, models, and effect of new Article

Study of Social Networks users types, models, and effect of new features using pattern recogniton and data classification techniques - Article Example Social networking users are generally classifies into six types. These types of users are classified based on their personality and its types. The various types of social networking users are essentialist, transumers, connectors, scene-breakers, collaborators and entrepreneurs. The essentialists are people who make use of the social networking sites to be in contact with their family and friends. The next category, transumers are people those who adhere to the trends. These people implement the latest improvements and innovations in the technology. Connectors are the next category of users who look out for creative trends and other unique features of the social networking sites. Around 10 percent of the social networking users are classified as connectors. Scene-breakers are the next category of users who are interested in learning new concepts. They are regular browsers in the social networking sites and they communicate their talent to the other users in the social networking sites . Another set of users are collaborators who work for the integration of users to create and explore new projects. They form a group to create and develop new events and they are knows as online traders. The basic social networking models rely on the presentation of each and every user. Then the relationship among the other users are established which enables the user to find the person whom he intends to. The advancements in the technologies are used in ... II. FEATURES The social networking sites incorporate various new features and implement the latest updates on their sites. The advancements in the technologies are used in the development and improvement of social networking sites like facebook, linkedin and orkut. The features of such social networking sites include creating personal profiles, user images and the communication with the help of text. The networking sites allow the users to create personal profiles with their name, date of birth, location and their personal interests. This enables the other users to easily identify a particular person in the networking site. The next best feature is the ability to upload personal images that helps others to easily find and track the person whom they are searching for. The most important feature of a social networking site is that it facilitates the users to send messages in the form of text, graphics and sounds. This makes the communication process much easier. The objective of a social networking site is to establish connectivity among the people and to communicate with them in a hassle free manner. With the advent of such social networking sites a user can interact, communicate, perform an activity and form groups which are referred to as communities. II. DATA CLASSIFICATION TECHNIQUES Apart from these common features several other features are introduced using the data classification techniques. The data classification techniques classify the data by dividing them into quantiles, equal intervals and natural breaks. The social networking sites implement these data classification techniques to classify the information regarding the users [3]. The users are classified based on their way

Diversity Management, a New Organizational Paradigm for Equality Essay

Diversity Management, a New Organizational Paradigm for Equality Policy-Making - Essay Example According to the paper the different diversity can be categorized into two, the social allied and the individual allied. In the social diversity, it is further subdivided into what is referred to as the six strands of diversity, which includes; ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender, age, and religion. In the individual differences, they can be classified into the following castes; personality, lifestyle, appearance, work style and education. The equal opportunity tends to downplay the aspect of discrimination based on the diversity factor. It is hinged on the emphasis of equal treatment of the individuals regardless of their social groups. The equal opportunity aspect is anti-discrimination program intended to provide relative social justice in the process of individual selection. From this study it is clear that most of the human resource managers in organization today appreciates the need to embrace diversity in the human resource and they have realized that if taken po sitively, the diversity aspect can make an organization realize it goals in the most efficient and predictable way. The tolerance for counterparts in the work place is highly encouraged and any discrimination unfairly advanced to anybody be it on social or individual level is taken seriously sometimes to the legal redress. How Management of Diversity Has Contributed To Equal Opportunity The realization of the dangers of discrimination based on diversity led to the consideration of what is referred to as Equal Opportunity. In the equal opportunity aspect, politics have gotten into it and there are several schools of thoughts, other arguing that it is like a baskets of fruits -this it to mean that even though there is equal treatment and opportunity for all, individual differences can still be recognized and be used in their reference. The other school of thought is that equal opportunity is like a melting pot, it assumes that under equal opportunity there is no recognizable differenc e among those to be considered. In this regard, the neo classical and the sociological approaches of understanding equal opportunities are interchangeably used to satisfy certain selection criterion. The union of trade organization has addressed the issues, laws have been enacted in the legislative assemblies, and the issue of equal opportunity has become not just a matter of benevolence but also that o procedural way of going about things. Acts of parliaments have been adopted and violations of the acts by anybody in the employment area will be liable for the charges of demonstrating discriminatory tendencies of a given nature.

Essay Question 3 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Question 3 - Essay Example chists obtain power through it because they can control the public by ensuring that equality on some commodities and activities are championed (Spaaij, 2010). In the second principle, anarchism employs proactive approaches, where they assume that not everyone in society has the ability to get access to the free services offered. Therefore, it is upon those who have to make sure that they share with those who do not have. While people may confuse anarchism and terrorism as being one thing, they are completely two different forms of leadership. Even though both of them employ oppression theories, anarchism tends t o champion for equality and protecting human rights where possible (Fleming, 2000). On the other hand, terrorism, which is motivated by extreme radicalization of religious ideologies, has little thought of what human rights are. They believe dying is the only way through which people can protect the Islamic religion and have an external peace. However, anarchism has varying schools of thought, where individualist anarchism and anarcho-capitalism believe that all natural resources should be privatized. The same case is common in the Middle East countries, where people are allowed to own oil wells, while those who are not lucky are either poor or into other businesses. The other school of thought, which involves libertarian socialism and geoanarchism believe that natural resources should remai n public so that every person benefits from the revenue. Terrorist organizations identified with anarchism include Anarchist Black Cross, Autonomous Action, Foot Not Bombs, and International of Anarchist Federations among others (Book chin, 2005). Most terror groups seem to use anarchism, with the thought that by owning natural resources, especially oil, uranium, and other weaponry mineral will make them superpower militia groups and would control every activity in its boundaries. However, a good thought on anarchism makes it different from what terror groups carry

Myocardial Infarction Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Myocardial Infarction - Research Paper Example When a portion of myocardium is affected thus, the function of the whole heart is affected resulting in blood supply to other parts of the body like brain and vital organs (Fenton, 2008). This leads to multiorgan dysfunction. Arteries that supply the muscles of the heart are known as coronary arteries. These arise from the aorta and lie on the surface of the heart. There are 2 main coronary arteries, namely the right and left coronary arteries. The right coronary artery supplies the right ventricle and the left one supplies the lower parts of the heart. Most of the left ventricle is supplied by left anterior descending coronary artery. The circumflex artery supplies the back portion of the left ventricle (Zevit, 2006). Atherosclerosis, which results in coronary artery plagues is the most common cause of myocardial infarction. Other causes of myocardial infarction are respiratory failure, profound anemia, cocaine abuse, carbon monoxide poisoning, anamolous coronary artery and coronary artery vasospasm (Fenton, 2008). Risk factors for myocardial infarction are advanced age, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, male gender, abnormal lipid profile, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, family history of ischemic heart disease and hypertension. Compensatory mechanisms Physiological response to myocardial infarction include increased heart rate, increased mean arterial pressure, increased respiratory rate and raised serum cortisol levels (Cherrington et al, 2002). Medical treatment The goals of treatment in a patient with myocardial infarction are to restore oxygen supply to the heart, to prevent worsening of ischemia, cause relief of pain and finally to prevent and also manage various complications related to myocardial damage. Treatment of patient diagnosed to have myocardial infarction includes oxygen administration, aspirin, sublingual nitrate, betablockers and pain relief using morphine. Administration of aspirin in the prehospital phase or even after immediate arrival to t he hospital has shown to decrease mortality and chances of reinfarction. Those allergic to aspirin must be administered clopidogrel. Sublingual nitrate decreases preload and also decreases paon. However, this drug must not be administered in right ventricular infarction and hypotension. Betablcokers decrease the heart rate and hence decrease the oxygen demand of the myocardium. Morphine decrease pain and thus demand of oxygen. Further treatment depends on the type of infarction (Fenton, 2008). In STEMI, immediate reperfusion therapy must be initiated and this includes either percutaneous coronary interventions or thrombolytic therapy. NSTEMI patients must receive antiischemic treatment along with percutaneous coronary interventions. Reperfusion therapy must be started immediately in STEMI patients. Percutaneous coronary interventions are better than thrombolytic therapy (Fenton, 2008). These are done after angiogram. Adjunctive intravenous heparin therapy is given for maintenance of patency of the arteries (Fenton, 2008). The patient under discussion was given aspirin, heparin, Vitamin E,B and D and protonix. Protonix is proton pump inhibitor and it is give in conjunction with aspirin therapy because of risk of gastrointestinal complications following aspirin therapy. Nursing management Nursing management

English paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

English paper - Essay Example She has little brown eyes with curly dark eyelashes. She is smiling wide with glittery white teeth. Queen Latifah is also wearing a pair of gold round earrings on her ears. To make it more attractive, the words† Covergirl† runs across her forehead in bold green letters. In the right hand corner, the words Queen Latifah are written in green letters below. The photo is small from the head to the shoulders just sufficient for the people to see the Covergirl products. Queen Latifah’s clothes and the Covergirl product appear to be of the same color, olive green. She has her hair in a long ponytail. The advertisement succeeds in using logos, ethos and pathos to lure the viewers in buying the products. The first tactic is using logos to make the viewer think about the Covergirl products. Covergirl say that their products are tailored for women of all types of skins and all ethnic backgrounds. The ad claims that the product they are promoting, Covergirl mascara is fade proof, waterproof and ignore-proof. They claim the product has been in existence for a long time and is continually growing and maturing diversely. They say the product is faseproof to mean that the product will remain on the skin no matter how long it is worn in a day. It also weathers sweat and tears. The waterproof quality is meant to lure those who would want the makeup to remain even after rain or a swim session. When they say ignore-proof, they mean that the product will leave your skin looking beautiful like that of Queen Latifah. They have ensured to catch all the aspects of what of what people look for in mascara. The buyers have been guaranteed that the mascara will not fade, wash away or not grab attention . Another appeal that they have employed to lure the buyers is ethos. The ad has featured one of the most popular people in actresses. She must be a big mover of the company’s products. Covergirl wants the customer to have the idea that

Criminal Justice Problems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Criminal Justice Problems - Essay Example However, all is not lost yet. . One of the best ways t o exert a crease on such occurrences, is through education. Education helps refine children and their thinking processes. Since they can be moulded easily and brought into a certain fold, imparting education to juveniles is necessary. By doing so, delinquency rates can experience a dip, while also facilitating the rehabilitation of juveniles who have been led on to the wrong path. This paper attempts to explore the justification of juvenile crime and to seek a better mode of addressing the issue, rather than mere punishment as justice. Education can play an important role in helping the juvenile return to normalcy and achieve success, by changing his pattern of thinking, infusing a sense of tolerance and optimism, and by helping them emerge out of a pessimistic and criminal mindset. This can be done by following policies and programmes in schools and juvenile rehabilitation centres, in order to help juveniles overcome their psychological problems, first and then to help them adapt to leading a life of normalcy and success. Next, the interaction between studen

English paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

English paper - Essay Example She has little brown eyes with curly dark eyelashes. She is smiling wide with glittery white teeth. Queen Latifah is also wearing a pair of gold round earrings on her ears. To make it more attractive, the words† Covergirl† runs across her forehead in bold green letters. In the right hand corner, the words Queen Latifah are written in green letters below. The photo is small from the head to the shoulders just sufficient for the people to see the Covergirl products. Queen Latifah’s clothes and the Covergirl product appear to be of the same color, olive green. She has her hair in a long ponytail. The advertisement succeeds in using logos, ethos and pathos to lure the viewers in buying the products. The first tactic is using logos to make the viewer think about the Covergirl products. Covergirl say that their products are tailored for women of all types of skins and all ethnic backgrounds. The ad claims that the product they are promoting, Covergirl mascara is fade proof, waterproof and ignore-proof. They claim the product has been in existence for a long time and is continually growing and maturing diversely. They say the product is faseproof to mean that the product will remain on the skin no matter how long it is worn in a day. It also weathers sweat and tears. The waterproof quality is meant to lure those who would want the makeup to remain even after rain or a swim session. When they say ignore-proof, they mean that the product will leave your skin looking beautiful like that of Queen Latifah. They have ensured to catch all the aspects of what of what people look for in mascara. The buyers have been guaranteed that the mascara will not fade, wash away or not grab attention . Another appeal that they have employed to lure the buyers is ethos. The ad has featured one of the most popular people in actresses. She must be a big mover of the company’s products. Covergirl wants the customer to have the idea that

Conference Decision Week 1 Case Analysis Essay Example for Free

Conference Decision Week 1 Case Analysis Essay 1) Define the decision problem? This case describes the problem of an accounting system user’s conference cannot be held on time due to the Hurricane Katrina, and the management has to come up with a decision of either moving to a new location or to switch to other dates under all circumstances at a short period of time. 2) What is the general nature of the problem? The most significant aspect of the problem is that due to the Hurricane Katrina, the conference will probably not be held, and the last minute announcement of switching location will make the company lose customers and reputations due to the cancellation of flight and hotel and all other costs. 3) What event triggered the situation? In fact we see from the root, Hurricane Katrina triggered the situation which is an irresistible natural disaster. Actually I believe that the management board should be liable for this situation as well since the weather is foreseeable, why wouldn’t able for them to prevent this situation, for instance, they can make a plan B in case the unforeseen event happens. 4) What are the imposed constraints on the situation? The imposed constraints from the attendees who had prepaid the attendance fee  will have to decide if they will still go to the conference, the fact is that people might have to change or cancel their flight and hotel which might be a potential cost, or they are not coming at all which might affect company’s profit and reputation because if the location or dated has been rescheduled, they maybe not attend. Furthermore, things that considered being constraints are things cannot be controlled, such as the unforeseen natural disaster, hurricane. 5) What are the underlying elements of the problem? The underlying elements can be for instance, the city has been destroyed by the hurricane and it will cost some time to rebuilt the fundamental, also for the company, it takes time to reorganize the conference. During the process, the company might lose profit from the disaster. 6) Describe the dependencies on other decisions? Attendees are expecting the sponsor to make a satisfied decision with regarding to the current situation. However, it is easy to neglect important factors, miss desirable options, or base the decision on unreliable information. Company’s dependency is the profit lost from the prepaid attendance as well as the potential new customers. On the other hand, the conference attendance’s dependencies are looking for their business opportunities from the conference, and to find a better way to prevent the loose from not going to the conference.

The Future of Londons Museums

The Future of Londons Museums The following research paper investigates the present condition of London’s museums, focusing upon three aspects: their historical development, their present issues and debates, and their strategies for ensuring future survival and prosperity. To ascertain these facts five senior management figures from five leading London museums were interviewed and asked to complete questionnaires discussing the themes mentioned above. The research focuses at much length upon the decision of the present Labour government to introduce free admission to London’s museums and to finance this policy with funds from the National Lottery. Another key aspect of the research was to determine the level of competition posed to London’s museums by European, American and other international museums; further, to discover how London’s museums might raise their performance to match this competition. In addition, another type of competition faced by London’s museums is that of domestic attractions perceived by tourists and the public to be more sensational and exciting than ‘old-fashioned’ museums. Famous examples include the London Eye, Madam Taussards, and the Tower of London amongst others; these attractions fit well with the zeitgeist of modern British youth and it is a major problem for London’s museums as to how they will re-assert their prominence. A third central aspect of the research, viewed both from the sides of museum management and from the government, is the question of the strategies that London’s museums will pursue in the twenty-first century. The survival and success of London’s museums will very much depend upon the decisions made regarding such strategy and its efficacy once put into place. The present research assesses the likely efficacy of such strategies, and the consequences that their implementation will have upon the public’s ‘museum experience’. The results of the research paint double-sided picture: on the side, of optimism regarding the increased admissions figures witnessed since free admissions began, and, on the other side, a gloomy scene dominated by the London museums’ lack of financial support and by the negative consequences of the government insistence of putting attendance figures before a qualitative artistic and cultural experience. Section 1: Introduction Since the foundation of the British Museum almost two hundred and fifty years ago, London has had an international reputation as the museum capital of the world, as the city with the finest collections, the best specialists and the most to offer the fascination of the public. In addition to the British Museum, London can boast the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the London Transport Museum, the Victoria Albert Museum and the Theatre Museum amongst numerous other world-class museum-experiences. In their early decades London’s museums flourished through the generosity of private donations and gifts, and through royal and government funding; these ample resources gave museums such as the British Museum unrivalled funds for the construction of magnificent architecture and the gathering of the most splendid specimens and pieces from across the globe. But by the early 1990’s, and reflecting Britain’s changed economic circumstances, London’s museums found themselves in need of considerable new funds to pay for refurbishments and developments so as to keep pace with other museums in the capital cities of Europe and in America. The advent of the National Lottery in 1994, and the terms of its constitution whereby a majority of its funds would go to museums and galleries, apparently offered the very chance to bring about a revival in the fortunes and prosperity of London’s museums. Thus between 1994-2003 more than  £13 billion was given to good causes by the National Lottery and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) (Selwood Davies, 2005: p.3);  £1 billion was given to six hundred museums across the country (Selwood Davies, 2005: p.3). These funds were intended for the construction of new buildings and exhibition halls, and to compensate museums and galleries for the loss of revenue that they would incur once free admission was introduced. A few smaller museums were also enabled to open in London because of grants from the HLF. The next radical step in the recent history of London’s museums came when the Labour Party in their 1997 manifesto, promised that when elected they would introduce free admission into London’s museums a move that it was anticipated would greatly increase attendance from members of the general public. In the event, this prediction turned out to be just right, particularly in the two years immediately succeeding the introduction of free admission. The government minister then in charge of museums in 2001, Estelle Morris, spoke of 2000 as ‘an unprecedented season of openings and flourishing’ (DOC, 2000) for London museums. The year 2000 witnessed nine major construction or refurbishment projects in London’s great museums and a total of  £379 million spent on this ( £193 million of which came from lottery sources) (Selwood Davies, 2005: p.4). The most spectacular of these projects was the construction by Norman Foster of the Great Court at the British Museum costing  £110 million (of which  £47 million was derived from lottery sources) (Selwood Davies, 2005: p.5). All in all, it seemed that the lottery was proving a vital fertilizing force in the rejuvenation and restoration of London’s great museums. This optimism was very clearly reflected in the visitor figures following free admission. In 2001/2002 London museums that had previously received capital funding from lottery sources noticed a staggering rise in visitor numbers of 5.3 million when compared with the 1999/2000 season; in 2002/2003 this figure jumped again to 6.3 million extra visits compared with 1999/2000 (this representing an increase of 89%). In stark contrast London museums that did not receive lottery funding say they annual attendance figure drop by 7% in 2001/02 and 13% in 2002/03 when compared to the 1999/00 season. To take an individual instance, the Victoria Albert Museum witnessed an increase in attendance from 75,773 in November 2000 to 132,882 in November 2001 (this figure even jumped 270% by March 2002). Likewise, attendance figures at the Science Museum rose by 120% and the National History Museum by 74% in the same period (All figures: Selwood Davies, 2005: pp. 6-10). Nonetheless, this stream of incessantly impressive and rising admissions figures masked a major concern unsettling many of the managers and director’s of London’s leading museums. These figures of course welcomed lottery funding as a vital means of rejuvenating London’s museums and making them competitive with museums found in New York, Paris, Berlin and elsewhere. Nonetheless, the advent of free admission introduced at the same time a far greater degree of vulnerability and uncertainty in the financial arrangements and security of London’s museums. It was obvious to museum strategists and directors that a great deal of lottery money would be needed to compensate for the loss of revenue endured once free admission was introduced. Crucially, it would be paramount that lottery contributions of the levels of 2001 would be sustained for the long-term; nothing would be worse that one spectacular year for two of prosperity and massive investment followed by ten or twenty years of under investment and decline. It is recent charge imputed by many museum directors against the government and the HLF directors that they were naà ¯ve in profoundly underestimating the levels of investment that would e required to sustain not only the rejuvenation of London’s museums but merely also their survival. The British Museum alone, for instance, according to its director Neil MacGregor stands to lose  £80 million over ten years from lost revenues and reclaimed VAT. Increased attendance figures are welcomed naturally by all museum directors on the absolute condition that sufficient funds are made available to pay the costs of this increased attendance. Selwood and Davies calculated that since the advent of free admission and 7.3 million extra visitors each of these visitors cost London’s museums on average  £3.56 per visitor  £3.56 extra that has to be found by the museums from non-lottery funding (Selwood Davies, 2003: p.8). Thus free admission has had a bitter sting in its tale, and it may be said that presently a great many of London’s famous museums find themselves in financial difficulties, unable to pay for restorations and improvements; unable to compete with American and European museums for the finest pieces and exhibitions, unable to attract the brightest researchers and curators and ultimately in danger of losing the great reputations that some have nurtured for as long as two centuries. It is clear to all, museum directors and government officials alike, that the present funding arrangements of London’s museums are precarious and that a serious strategy needs to be devised to offer such museums long-term financial security and thus a platform to compete with the other leading museums of the world. This present dissertation conducted interviews, by way of questionnaires with five senior figures from five of London’s leading museums the British Museum, the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, the London Transport Museum and the V A museum to ascertain their thoughts and attitudes regarding the present state and the likely future state of London’s museums. These senior figures were questioned on their beliefs regarding the lottery funding of museums, on the advent of free admission, on the extent of government funding, on international competition, and on future strategy. The picture that emerges from these interviews is one of profound uncertainty over the future survival and prosperity of London’s museums; buffeted on the one side by the loss of revenue from free admission, and on other sides by the short-fall in promised lottery investment and the present government’s obsession with the quantitative aspect of museum attendance at the expense of the quality of the visitor’s experience. Section 2: Literature Review It perhaps appropriate to preface this literature review with a few remarks about its undertaking. Often when undertaking research that refers to relatively recent events, the researcher finds that the academic world has not yet had time to catch-up in print and publish scholarly books and articles covering these events. With the present research however the proposition was entirely opposite; even though the subjects of lottery funding, free admission and so on are relatively recent, there is nonetheless an abundance of literature dealing with the specific question of the future of London’s museums. The task of the researcher was thus to sift this material so as to isolate its most pertinent and relevant parts. Another unusual aspect of this present literature review is its wide use of government documents and announcements. An overriding theme throughout the present paper is the intimacy of the relationship between the government and museum managers and directors. Naturally, the government perspective upon events is not published through academic books and journals, but by speeches, white-papers, press releases and so on. This research of course made much use of the outstanding museum journals, pre-eminently Curator: The Museum Journal. Of the several articles from this journal used in this dissertation, one was of seminal importance in providing statistical and analytical evidence of the impact of lottery funding and free admission upon London’s museums, this being: S. Selwood and M. Davies (2005) ‘Capital Costs: Lottery Funding in Britain and Consequences for Museums. The article excellently articulates the dilemma that has crept upon London’s museums now that the inadequacy of lottery funding to meet extra visitors numbers has become apparent. There are hints in the above article to possible solutions to the funding crisis facing London’s museums, and these solutions are discussed in greater depth in R. Baron’s ‘Reinventing a State Program for Museum Funding’ (2003). Question marks as to the thoroughness and efficacy in practice of the government’s free admissions policy is raised in several places: Freudenheim’s ‘That Politics Problem’ (2005), Babbidge’s ‘UK Museums; Safe and Sound? (2000) and Sharp’s ‘Controversy and Challenge: British Funding Increases Nationally, But Not to National Museums’ all echo the apprehensiveness and fear felt by many museum directors and staff towards the financial liabilities that would arise in the wake of free admissions (2006). Freudenheim, in particular, highlights a certain naivety in government’s attitude towards the workings of national museums; citing in particular the government’s inveterate insistence upon the increasing of admissions figures no matter what the effects of this upon either museum costs or the aesthetic museum-experience of visitors. The government’s position, and its obvious delight and sense of fulfilment at increased attendance figures since free admission, is given in a number of documents. Principally, the paper London Cultural Capital – Realising the Potential of a World Class City published by the London’s Museums Agency (2004) establishes the governments intentions and strategy towards the future of London’s museums. The paper gives fifteen government policies, under the headers value, access, creativity, and excellence by which the government’s museum strategies will be delivered in future. The government, in association with the National Lottery, has written in several places of its satisfaction at the results of the introduction of the policy of free admissions. In particular, the paper One Year On Visitor Numbers Soaring At National Museums Following Abolition Of Entry Charges published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 1 January 2003 gives a sense of the euphoria and achievement perceived by the government. Also, the paper Two Years On Free Admission to National Museums Draws Even Bigger Crowds again published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 9 March 2003 gives much the same impression. In each of these documents the government stresses its loyalty and commitment to the principle of free admission and to the extension of this principle as far as possible. At the same time, there is little reference in these documents to the nervousness and trepidation felt by museum directors and managers about the future prosperity of the institutions they preside over. It is in this absence of self-criticism, that the reader perceives the origins of the discrepancy between that government’s perception of the financial condition of London’s museums and the reality of their condition. The possible consequences of such as disparity increasing, and of a competition gap widening between London’s museums and those in America and Europe, are well delineated in Cain’s article ‘Museums and the Future of Collecting’ (2005). In short, the extant literature paints the present picture of London’s museums as a time of grave uncertainty with respect to their financial predicament and thus their world-class legacies and reputations. These sources also acknowledge the considerable benefits already brought by lottery funding and free admission, and point also to the great future potential of these schemes; they instil in the reader at the same time a warning that idealism must be checked by pragmatic considerations before London’s museums can attain the future they deserve. Section 3: Methodology The principal method of primary data collection for this research was the interviewing, by way of questionnaires, of several senior figures at five of London’s leading museums. The decision to interview senior management and directing figures, rather than members of the public, had the obvious advantage that the answers obtained would be the specialist opinions of people with an intimate knowledge of the subject matter of the research. Members of the general public, especially those living in London, often show much interest and curiosity towards the subject of the prosperity and fate of London’s museums, but at the same time are not professionals with direct experience of the key debates and consultations. To arrange these five meetings, the researcher wrote fifteen letters to major London museums. Of these fifteen requests for an interview, seven positive responses were returned to the interviewer, of which five eventually furnished the opportunity of an interview. In requesting these interviews letters were sent to the director of each museum, irregardless of the sex, race, or religion of the person. Of the five eventual interviewees, three were men and two women; their ages ranged between forty-one and sixty-three. At the behest of interviewees, all of whom preferred to speak off the record due to the sensitivity of many of the issues of discussion, neither their names nor their titles are given in the final publication of this research. Thus, in the transcripts presented in the appendix of this research, each of the five interviewees are referred to as ‘a senior figure’ and ascribed a coded number following the simple scheme 001-002-003-004-005. This sensitivity, arising from the various present tensions over funding between London museums, the HLF and the government, clearly raises certain ethical questions about the present research. Above all, is it permissible to expose senior figures to possible embarrassment or worse, for the sake of the findings of this research. In answer to this question, the present researcher would say two things: firstly, that explicit consent for every interview was obtained by the researcher before the commencement of each interview, thus all interviewees participated at their own volition; secondly, following Utilitarian principles of seeking ‘the greatest good for the greatest number’, the researcher decided that the possible positive benefits and improved public understanding of the topic that might arise from this research could justify the slight ethical risks associated with the carrying-out of this research. It is a belief of the researcher that by informing the academic community and the public of the chief issues and controversies now affecting London’s museums, that the debate generated from this knowledge will lead to greater consideration on all sides being shown towards the preservation and improvement of London’s world-famous reputation as a museum centre. A number of criticisms may be levelled at the methodology discussed in this section. Firstly, it might be asked, with some justification, whether or not the interviewing of only five museum figures can produce results characteristic of attitudes and opinions of London’s museums as a whole. Naturally, critics might ask how the researcher can infer from the collection of five opinions general trends governing the many hundreds and thousands of senior figures working for the management of London’s museums. Likewise, why does the report interview exclusively figures from museum management and not from the government or from the National Lottery? In response to the first question the reply must be that with limited resources and limited time, it seemed most prudent to the researcher to restrict the field of investigation to a narrow focus, where the results obtained could be subjected to a significant scrutiny and analysis something which resource constraints would have rendered impossible had the field been extended much wider. Moreover, whilst only five persons were interviewed, these figures preside over London’s five largest museums which between them see greater attendance figures and government investment than all of London’s other museums combined. Thus the opinions of the figures interviewed actually are far more representative of London as a whole than would first appear likely. In response to the second question, a similar answer might be given: only museum directors were interviewed because they are the persons with the most intimate knowledge of the matters under discussion. If the present researcher were in future to extend the present research, then the opinions of others outside of museum management would certainly have to be included. As it was, the present report incorporates sufficient expert opinion, to make its findings relevant to the better academic and public understanding of the issues affecting the future of London’s museums. Section 4: Results Analysis The aim of the present research was to investigate the likely future of London’s museums; this research was undertaken by way of interviews with five senior figures from five leading London museums. From the information gained from the literature review undertaken by the researcher it seemed most appropriate to question these museum directors on five main subjects: lottery funding, the advent of free admission, international competition, future strategy and the employment of new researchers and curators. The expectation of the researcher was that the general opinion of these senior figures would have initially been one of welcome to the proposed lottery funding, but that this initial welcome would have turned to mild scepticism in the wake of free admission and the provocation of severe uncertainty following the extra costs incurred by increased visitor numbers and lesser-than-expected lottery investment. What opinions then did these results produce in actuality? (1) Lottery Funding. The five interviewed senior figures unanimously (5 of 5) welcomed the original government proposals to aid London’s and Britain’s museums through funds made available by the national lottery. Museums such as the British Museum, with its newly built Great Court, was given considerable lottery funding amounting to  £47 million (Selwood Davies, 2003: p.3). Museum directors were quick to concede that such developments would have been impossible without these lottery funds or an extremely large, but unlikely, private donation. In short, museum directors were united in their praise for proposed lottery investment. (2) Free Admission. The chief feature of the respondents’ answers to questions posed about free admission were twofold: on the one hand, respondents welcomed the opportunity to open their doors to ever greater numbers of people, thus disseminating cultural and scientific experience as far as possible; on the other hand, words such as ‘apprehension’ and ‘scepticism’ were used liberally by nearly all of those interviewed. What most strongly prompted this apprehension was the ‘twining’ of free admission introduction with the compensation for lost revenue by lottery funding. Directors confided that when allowed to charge admission fees their museums did at least have a degree of self-sufficiency and so could determine their own future strategies and successes. But lottery funding conditioned by the introduction of free admission policies has subjected London’s museums to a profound financial vulnerability and loss of independence. These museums, now depend upon the HLF for often as much a half of their income; if controversies or difficulties arise with the lottery directors or with the ministers directing them, then the museums are forced to abide by outside instruction and policy. Moreover, the great fear that lottery investment would not be sustained appears to have come true for all of the five museums whose for whom senior figures were interviewed for this research. So too, insufficient lottery funding has been made available to compensate for the extra costs incurred by the vastly increased visitor numbers experienced after the introduction of free admission. Interviewees hinted at a certain naivety and lack of preparation on the part of ministers and lottery managers with respect to the projected visitor increases following free admission and the costs that would be incurred by this. (3) International Competition. On the question of international competition there was further unanimity of opinion amongst the senior figures interviewed. Each respondent vigorously asserted that the collections of the museums he or she presided over as a manager were the equal of any equivalent museum anywhere in the world. Managers from the British Museum and the Natural History Museum, not to mention others, could rightly boast that their reputations were pre-eminent amongst international museums. At the same time, three of the figures interviewed (the exceptions presided over specialist museums with little international competition) confided that many American and European museums simply had far better funding and so purchasing-power than their own London museums. For the immediate future, this gap will mean that these international museums will continue to purchase new pieces of exceptional public interest whilst London’s museums will have to remain content with their exi sting impressive but static collections. In the medium- and long-term future, if this purchasing disparity continues then a qualitative difference will emerge ever more clearly between the museums of London and those of America and Europe. (4) Recruitment. When embarking upon the present research the researcher did not anticipate that ‘the difficulty of recruiting new researchers and curators’ would be a major concern to London’s museums regarding their futures. Nonetheless, as the searching through the literature review proceeded and as the topic came into better perspective this problem seemed to be a central concern for several of the major London museums. Specialist museums like the V A and the Theatre Museum do not, according to results, face such problems; but senior figures from the Natural History Museum, the British Museum and the Science museum may all face crises over recruitment in the near future. According to these figures the recruitment of new staff has been a subject neglected by the government in their ceaseless quest for higher admission figures and in ‘measuring the value’ of a museum-goers’ experience. The science museum can no longer attract top scientists and researchers because they are paid so little:  £20,000 as a starting salary, peaking at  £50,000 ( ). Commercial companies and American museums offer far better salaries and improved facilities. If this ‘brain-drain’ continues for much longer, then it may prove to be the greatest of all dangers to the future prosperity of London’s museums. These institutions are sustained not only by their pieces and specimens, but by the care and expertise of their curators and other staff; it is this expertise and the respect that arises from it that gives these institutions their world-class reputations. If this expertise evaporates, then no amount of increased admission or funding or improved strategy will protect the legacies and future prosperity of London’s museums. But towards the re-capture and enticement of these experts the government and the lottery fund seem somewhat blinded; given the extent to which London’s museums now rely upon government funding, it is precisely with the government that the responsibility lies for providing sufficient funding for home-grown and international experts to crave as they used to the opportunity to work in the prestigious museums of London. (5) Future Strategy. The senior figures interviewed for this research are nearly as one when they declare that future strategy has to be built around the attainment of financial stability; this is to be sought through an improved, more efficient and more effective relationship with the government and the HLF. A better balance has to be struck between the government’s ardent desire for ever increased admissions and the practical and pragmatic methods by which these extra admissions, dragging with them their extra costs, will be paid for. If a resolution and balancing is not achieved here then the obvious and inevitable path down which London’s museums must slide is that of ever greater debt and so lesser purchasing-power for new pieces and so a general decline in the standing and reputation of London’s museums. The reality of this predicament is brought home, even as this dissertation is written-up, by the announcement today of the London Theatre Museum (BBC, 2006) that they face imminent closure unless a major cash injection from the lottery fund is received. The alternative strategies are these: firstly, an abrupt about-face by the museums whereby they begin to charge for admission. This path is unattractive as there are numerous legislative, ethical and civil obstacles to this policy’s reinstatement. Another alternative is increased public funding from a source other than the lottery; this however looks most unlikely in the short-term. Thus, setting aside the remote chance that a massive private donation will save them, museums must, in their strategising come to agreement with the government about how extra funding from the lottery may be obtained. In short, the results obtained from this present research point to two things: firstly, that senior figures from the five museums interviewed welcomed in general lottery funding as a means to achieve rejuvenation and restoration; secondly, that this optimism changed to apprehension and tentativeness once it became clear the extent to which lottery funding would be dependant upon free admissions policies. Thirdly, it is obvious from all the interviews, that London’s museums are at a cross-roads and a defining moment in their illustrious history. To the left, is the danger of an ever greater financial disparity caused by increasing visitor figures and inadequate lottery funding; to the right is offered a sound financial structure that will ensure the continuation and prosperity of London’s museums’ world-class reputation. Section 5: Conclusion In the final analysis, it seems most appropriate to say that London’s museums are now at a seminal moment in their historical development a moment of both opportunity and precariousness. The opportunities promised by massive lottery funding at first seemed likely to engender a great rejuvenation of London’s museums; indeed, this new source of funding promised to keep London’s museums competitive with the other great museums of the world for the foreseeable future. The advent of free admission was met with both tentativeness and warmth by the senior figures interviewed by this researcher; apprehension because free admission, and thus loss of revenue from admission charges, meant a far greater degree of dependence upon the government and the LHF and thus greater financial uncertainty. If the new relationship between lottery funding and free admission worked in practice as some had suggested in theory that it would, then London’s museums would have a bright and perhaps glorious future. If, on the other hand, the organization and administration of lottery funding was inadequate or improperly practised then a disparity would open between increasing admissions numbers and the ability of museums to pay the extra costs of these visitors. In the event, both expectations and fears were realised by the introduction of free admission in London’s museums. As the figures cited throughout this dissertation attest, visitor figures rose spectacularly in the wake of free admission. Greater numbers of the British general public and international visitors than ever before were able to receive the cultural and scientific treasures of London’s great museums. Nonetheless, once the honeymoon period had waned, it became clear to many museum managers and directors that insufficient lottery funds were being supplied to compensate for loss of revenue incurred after the dropping of admissions charges and after the increase of visitors also from this policy. In the years since free admission was introduced, London’s museums have acquired ever greater deficits on t

The Fifth Child Essay -- literary Analysis, Doris Lessing

The intricate complexity and astonishingly realistic descriptions of space in Doris Lessing’s The Fifth Child masterfully illuminates society’s dire inability to cope with it’s imperfection. Society demands immaculate perfection, a world free of defect, and the lust to live in a flawless utopia drives the identification and elimination of crude invalids. These desolate individuals are feared and deemed to be barbarous degenerates who must be placed beyond the boarders of functioning society to assure an uncorrupted world. Less desirable beings are cast into heterotopias or â€Å"counter-sites† while society denies their existence and feigns perfection. Lessing’s novel tears this image down and hastily exposes society’s despicable attempts to marginalize, blame, and exile those regarded as abnormal and dysfunctional in the supposedly immaculate world. In The Fifth Child the precisely executed heterotopia of the institution draws on this theor y of a parallel space as a capsule for undesired bodies and Harriet, the mother of a repugnant beast, is victim to society’s brutality. Harriet is an outcast and her remarkably horrific interaction with the cruel institution further alienates her from her family and miserably casts her into her own tumultuous heterotopia. Throughout the novel Harriet’s striking differences are juxtaposed against the societal trends of the time and she is commonly viewed as a misplaced oddity. Early descriptions in The Fifth Child define Harriet as abnormal and her image places her outside of the robust and transitional society in which she lives. Harriet is a curious misfit and she â€Å"sometimes felt herself unfortunate and deficient in some way† (10). This recognition of inexplicable peculiarities soon establishe... ...ly illuminates and exploits the despicable views and problems in society. The novel exemplifies society’s elitist attitude and unjust marginalization of individuals who are regarded as degenerate, invalid and grotesque through Harriet. Her harrowing interactions with the magnificently developed and horrific institution highlights the pathetic attempts of society to displace individuals and dispose of them beyond their functioning boarders. In addition, Harriet’s parallels with the institution lead to her alienation from the world. She is regarded as grossly unnatural, criminalized, and left alone to raise her difficult son Ben. It is clear that Harriet’s unfortunate interaction and connection to the ghastly institution uncovers society’s unforgiving demeanor and demonstrates the terrible and irreparable rift between misunderstood, peculiar individuals and the world.