Social and Behavioral Sciences Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Social and Behavioral Sciences - Research Paper Example Hypertension is very rampant today affecting even young people when it was considered the disease for the old. It must be understood that it affects all gender, races, and economic levels equally. Hypertension accounts for 45% of deaths due to cardiovascular related diseases making it a more lethal killer than any other known heart disease thus being a significant public health problem (Myat, Redwood, Qureshi, Spertus, & Williams, 2012). The etiology of hypertension is very elaborate and complex since there are several factors falling into two interrelated classifications. There are uncontrolled factors that cause hypertensions, factors that an individual has no capacity to change whichever way he or she tries. Different from uncontrolled factors are those that individuals can influence, manipulate and control. These are factors within the environment and in most cases; people significantly determine how they interact with them. Heredity- this is the likelihood of certain families to have a gene responsible for hypertension. This trait is passed on from one generation to another. There is nothing in plan to stop or control it (Ng et al., 2010). This therefore means that individuals from families with history of hypertension are more at risk of hypertension than those with no history. Gender- men are more susceptible to hypertension than women. The fact that gender cannot be changed makes it had to control hypertension in male gender. The probability is also determined by age and ethnicity. Men prefer dealing with stress intrinsically rather than seek help from counselors or psychologists. Furthermore, men are known to have poor coping skills when under pressure than women (Mounier-Vehier et al., 2012). Age-older people have a greater risk of hypertension than young ones, aging brings with it a period of physical inactivity physiological as well as structural alterations of the cardiovascular system such as arteriosclerosis that make

Essense of Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Essense of Music - Essay Example As the research declares by demanding for an urgent negotiating agreement, the prologue asserts that the trade unions misdirected workers by highlighting an impression that the employees have common interests with the employers. The prologue urges the employees to craft an organization of all "members in any one industry, or in all industries". In addition, the prologue expounds, "Instead of the conservative motto, 'A fair day's wage for a fair day's work,' we must inscribe on our banner the revolutionary watchword, 'Abolition of the wage system.'" According to the study findings the song â€Å"Down in the Coal Mine Underneath the Ground† is melodious and perfectly done. Anyone admires a nicely done song. The first core reason why this song is worth a listen many years into its future is the ingeniously crafted lyrics. The composer was careful enough to include the various stylistic elements that add to the aesthetic beauty of the song. For instance, the script writer adds alliteration, rhyme and repetition to enhance the emphasis and the message of the song. The script writer uses rhyme in these lyrics by using rhythmical words such as â€Å"ground†¦found†¦round†. â€Å"Down in the coalmine, underneath the ground†¦Where a gleam of sunshine never can be found†¦Digging up the dusky diamonds all the season round.† The overall aesthetic beauty of the song is added by the message which promotes the ethical stand of work.

Essay of Mahatma Gandhi Essay Example for Free

Essay of Mahatma Gandhi Essay Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a great freedom fighter. He was born in the town of Porbander in Gujarat on 2 October 1869. He had done his schooling in nearby Rajkot. At that time, India was under British. His father died before Gandhi could finish his schooling. At the young age of thirteen, he was married to Kasturba who was even younger. In 1888, Gandhi set sail for England, where he had decided to pursue a degree in law. After one year of a none too successful law practice, Gandhi decided to accept an offer from an Indian businessman in South Africa, Dada Abdulla, to join him as a legal adviser. The Indians who had been living in South Africa were without political rights, and were generally known by the derogatory name of ‘coolies’. Gandhi himself came to an awareness of the frightening force when he thrown out of a first-class railway compartment car, though he held a first-class ticket, at Pietermaritzburg. From this political awakening, Gandhi was to emerge as the leader of the Indian community, and it was in South Africa that he first coined the term satyagmha to signify his theory and practice of non-violent resistance. Gandhi described himself as a seeker of satya (truth), which could not be attained other than through ahinsa (non-violence, love) and brahmacharya (celibacy, striving towards God). Gandhi returned to India in early 1915, and never left the country. Over the next few years, he was to become involved in numerous local struggles, such as at Champaran in Bihar, where workers on indigo plantations complained of oppressive working conditions, and at Ahmedabad, where a dispute had broken out between management and workers at textile mills. Gandhi had ideas on every subject, from hygiene and nutrition to education and labor, and he relentlessly pursued his ideas in newspaper. He would still be remembered as one of the principal figures in the history of Indian journalism. By this time he had earned the title of Mcthatma from Rabindranath Tagore, India’s most well-known writer. When tragedy happened in the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar Gandhi wrote the report of the Punjab Congress Inquiry Committee. Over the next two years, Gandhi initiated the non- cooperation movement, which called upon Indians to withdraw from British institutions, to return honours conferred by the British, and to learn the art of self-reliance; though the British administration was at places paralysed, the movement was suspended in February 1922. In early 1930, the Indian National Congress declared that it would now be satisfied with nothing short of complete independence (purna swamj). On March 2, Gandhi addressed a letter to the Viceroy, Lord Irwin, informing him that unless Indian demands were met, he would be compelled to break the ‘salt laws’. On the early morning of March 12, with a small group of followers, Gandhiji led a march towards Dandi on the sea. They arrived there on April 5th: Gandhi picked up a small lump of natural salt, and so gave the signal to hundreds of thousands of people to similarly defy the law, since the British exercised a monopoly on the production and sale of salt. This was the beginning of the civil disobedience movement. In 1942, Gandhiji issued the last call for independence from British rule. On the grounds of Kranti Maidan, he delivered a speech, asking every Indian to lay down their life, if necessary, in the cause of freedom. He gave them this mantra, â€Å"Do or Die†; at the same time, he asked the British to ‘Quit India’. After a long struggle, India got independence on 15th August 1947. One evening, Gandhiji was late for his prayers. At 10 minutes past 5 o’clock, with one hand each on the shoulders of Abha and Manu, who were known as his ‘walking sticks’, Gandhiji commenced his walk towards the garden. Gandhiji folded his hands and greeted his audience with a namaskar; at that moment, a young man came up to him took a revolver out of his pocket, and shot him three times in his chest. Bloodstains appeared over Gandhiji’s white woolen shawl. His hands still folded in a greeting, Gandhiji blessed his assassin, â€Å"He Ram! He Ram† and left us.

Devaluation and its impact on different economic sectors

Devaluation and its impact on different economic sectors We are proudly presenting the assigned report. We hope you will find it up to the specified mark. The central thrust of this report is about devaluation and its impact on different sectors of economy. More specifically, this report seeks to analyze the extent to which the current devaluation of Pak rupee has affected the economy on micro as well as macro levels. Information needed to address these issues was obtained from different trade economic journals and also from internet. We also interviewed different professionals and industry people. Well say that this study has been an educating experience, eventually giving us a real sense of achievement. Thank you, Table Of Contents: Description Page # Background and History Devaluation and its functions International Trade and devaluation Foreign exchange Rates International Trade Devaluation and its effects on Export Declining Export and current devaluation Is massive devaluation is avoidable Recent Devaluation and its short term impact Repercussion of competitors devaluation of Pak Economy Advantages and disadvantages of devaluation Recommendations to Govt Conculsion Back Ground and History: Pakistan has unusual history of successive devaluation. The rupee was first devalued in 1950 in response to a similar move by India. Later in 1972, Z.A. Bhuttos government massively devalued the rupee by 133%. The rupee was further devalued in early 1980s during General Zia regime. Moeen Qureshis caretaker government in 1993 also devalued the rupee by 7%. After that it was Benazir Bhuttos government that further devalued the rupee and finally same measure are being taken by the present government of Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. Pakistan has been on a system of managed float since January 8, 1982. For most of the past decade the rupee had been fixed in relation to the US dollar at the rate of Rs 9.9= US$1. The new exchange regime commenced with an official nominal depreciation of 5 percent in the month of January, and a cumulative 30 % for the year 1982. This was accompanied by the abandonment of the fixed peg to the US dollar and its replacement by a flexible basket peg whereby the authorities manage the nominal exchange rate actively. The exchange rate system has remained unlettered up to the present and the Government has periodically re-affirmed its commitment to this flexible management in stabilization and adjustment programs negotiated with the IMF. Since the introduction of the new system there has been a continuous downward slide in our exchange rate. At present the rate of Pak RS in 2010. This represents a depreciation of 260 percent since Devaluation and its function: Depreciation or devaluation refers to the downward movement of the rate at which the home currency exchanges against the foreign currency or an increase in the domestic price of one unit of the foreign currency. Depreciation is the name given to this drop when it occurs in a free market; devaluation is the same thing resulting from government actions in a market that is not free. Since 1973 most of the currencies are on the floating currency system, through the system of dirty floating still allows government/ central banks to interfere to some extent. The question of devaluing the external value of the currency is one of the hotly debated issues in public policy discussions. On the one hand, the IMF and the World Bank supports devaluation as an important component of their recommended policy package for less developed countries (LDCs). On the other hand many economist and economic policy makers are strongly opposed to devaluing currencies has become a dirty word in many countries. Technically, devaluation of a currency is the last resort when other fiscal and monetary measures like demand management , financial incentive, trade restrictions have proved to be less effective in solving problem of balance of payment, by boosting the countrys exports and decreasing imports. In countries like Pakistan where major economic problem is lack of growth, exports are low because of poor quality of goods rather than the value of the currency. The mechanism of the open market keeps on adjusting exchange rate automatically and has made devaluation obsolete. Balancing Mechanism: Basically devaluation is a measure to correct a fundamental disequilibrium in countrys balance of payments. Equilibrium in a countrys balance is a result of restraint on imports and foreign payments of all sorts and an expansion of exports and foreign exchange earning of all sorts. The restraint on import cannot be achieved through appeals. It has to be done through direct restriction and/or through operation of the price mechanism, that is to say through making imports costlier by operating on import duties, and this in fact has been extensively done in many developing countries, including Pakistan. However, this is open to some objections and limitations so a simple way of making imports costlier is not adjustment of the exchange rate. The entire burden of making imports costlier is not generally placed on the exchange rate mechanism. It is shared by the device of import duties and also quantitative regulations. The import duty mechanism can also be used to make transition to the n ew exchange rate and to give a certain amount of discretionary treatment to individual items of import. The Price Factor: The other major objective of devaluation is to promote export. It should be noted that what is contemplated is an increase in exports in foreign exchange; in term of domestic currency. Exports on the whole will have to increase by more than the percentage of devaluation. Expansion of exports depends upon a number of factors, the elasticity of supply in devaluing country and of demand for the products of that country abroad. Much depends on the prices at which the devaluing country is able to offer its goods. Contractionary Impact: Reluctance to adjust the exchange rate in downward direction is due to its possible contractionary impact on output and employment, re-distribution of income from wages earner to property owners, cost-push inflationary pressure and the initial favourable effect on the balance of payment. All of the above will eventually reserved through a process of domestic inflation and larger imports. When quantitative controls on imports duties are reduced along with the devaluation, imports and exports are not particularly sensitive to price changes especially in the short run. This is particularly applicable in the case of UDCs whose imports are often consist of essential capital goods, intermediate inputs including fuel and fertilizer and sometimes basic consumer goods like food grains, edible oils etc. There is little scope for cutting down these imports. The exports of UDCs on the other hand mainly consist of primary commodities and processed materials whose supply elasticity are rather low in short run. If devaluation has to improve the balance of trade in short run, it should come through a reduction in the level of output and changes in the distribution of income towards high saver which would reduce the demand for imports and generate a bigger exportable surplus. Recession, unemployment and unequal distribution of income are the costs of a successful devaluation. Inflationary Pressure: The ineffective of exchange rate adjustment in securing improvement in the external balance primarily comes from the fact that changes in costs arising from exchange rate movements feed through quickly and extensively into the economy and contribution to the accerlation of prevailing inflationary pressure associated with an improvement of the monetary conditions. The rigid climb in price over a long period has stimulated defensive inflationary responses amoung industrialists, agriculturalist, business mens, and wage earner and has nullified the impact of exchange rate adjustments on the international competitiveness of our exports. It should be taken into account that devaluation corrects the past inflationary and other economic development that led to adverse movement in the balance of payment. This does not protect the balance of payments against further inflationary and other adverse developments. Frequent devaluation of a currency is undesirable. It stimulates speculation and res ults in distortion in income, consumption, industrial growth and public finance. This also erodes the confidence in the currency. DEMAND Management: Unfortunately, for keeping our external accounts disequilibrium within sustainable limits, we have relied rather heavily on exchange rate adjustment and not paid attention to the efficiency dimension of our economic system. Economic efficiency at the macro and micro levels requires high productivity, technological efficiency, high rates of saving and investment, and incomes policy that does not lead to cost-push inflation and fiscal-monetary policy that provides a stable environment for careful demand management. These are the simple and inflexible economic laws that were recognized and grasped. Neither negative controls nor artificial stimuli like frequent depreciation of external value of the currency with help except a little and temporarily. International trade and Devaluation: Globalization is the strategy of todays world. The concept of information sharing has reinforced the process of globalization throughout the world. The consultant and analysts are, therefore, working on the integration of the entire system to run smoothly without any hindrances. Looking at the economic activity in this scenario, there is two major classifications, good and services. The globalization of goods can be seen in the prospective of international trade. By international trade we mean exchange of goods between the nations. Looking at the economies of the world we find that the states are broadening their activities by offering investors to share their share of excellence and encouraging their local manufacture to explore the possibilities of selling their goods in the foreign markets. International trade is very important in terms of increasing the foreign exchange of the country which ultimately prospers the people. The Government of Pakistan has liberalized its trade policy with devaluation of Pak rupee and encouraged the manufacturers to export their goods and invited foreign companies to compete in the local market. The key reason for international trade is provided by the theory of Comparative costs importance of relative cost saving in the production of one item over the other. Obviously it would be better to buy a product from china at the price of Rs 1/= instead of producing it at the cost of Rs. 2/- that can be ultimately be sold for Rs 2.50 in the market. There are various other reasons which strongly support the trading among the countries, few of which are: Decreasing cost Consumption of excess production Difference in taste Foreign Exchange rate: From international trade, we mean buying and selling the goods among nations. The deal cannot, of-course, be taken place without availability of currency to be accepted by the seller, on the other hand an exporter/importer would definitely like to know how the exchange rate of Pakistan rupee into dollar is being fixed, and how can her benefit from it?. At present in Pakistan we have managed float of currency to determine exchange rate as an independent policy instrument. We need some criteria to fix the exchange of currency amoung the countries. It is important to note that only a favourable exchange can really benefits the nation and by favourable exchange, we mean, getting more foreign currency by paying less local currency. Theoretically there are two type of exchange rates: Stable Exchange rate: Altough stable exchange rate has no pratical value now a days, yet it helps in understanding the determination of exchange theory. A stable exchange rate was set by the value of gold. However, with passage of time, the limitation and deficiencies of gold standard started emerging. Few of these were carrying inconvencies, remelting of gold, shipment of gold, different valuation of gold by different countries, and unavailability of sufficient gold to meet with the heavy demand. That is why the gold system was found inadequate ans was replaced with the flexible exchange rate. Flexible or floating exchange rate: Flexible exchange rate is set by the interaction of demand and supply schedule for foreign exchange indepently. The optimum level in demand and supply teory is set at the point where supply equal to the demand. So if a person want to buy electric equipment from America worth $ 100000/- and an American in contrast wants to buy cotton and the parity between US$ and Pak rupee is 1:1, the equation will be somehow similar to as follows: Demand for US$ by Pakistan 100,000 Demand for Rs. By America 50,000 Pakistan is demanding more dollars than America wants to supply. The demand and supply are not in balance, consequently Pakistan shall have to refix the parity between $ and rupee at a level where our demand for $ will become equal to the supply of $. Now if we reduce the price of our goods by half of the existing price: Demand for US$ by Pakistan 100,000 Demand of Rs by America 25,000 This reduction price will have dual effects: Dollas will become more expensive, the American goods will become more costly. Pakistani Rupee will become more cheaper, our goods will become cheaper and as a result the demand for our goods will increase. From the above it can be included that demans for imports should be in line with supply of exports. Total value of imports and exports of a country can also help manufacturers to design their plans for future expansion. With an expensive foreign currency, export may be increased with relatively low price supply of goods and quality production within the country. At the same time with a cheap currency investment can be made in foreign countries to utilize the cheap resources and ultimately increases the value of the firm. DEVALUATION its effects on Exports: As the reason for the devaluation has been to strengthen the countrys balance of payment by stimulating exports, curtailing imports and by encouraging overseas Pakistanis to remit their earning through banks by narrowing the wedge between the official exchange rate and the kerb rate in the open market. It is universally accepted concept that the exchange rate mechanism is used to create a balance between the imports and exports but what is lesser known fact is that this mechanism need to be implemented at the right time and for the right economic reasons to be fully effective in achieving the desired purpose. Advantages and Disadvantages of Devaluation Advantages of Devaluation Devaluation helps in obtaining international market demand perfection in quality and reduction in price up to a competitive level. As both developed and underdeveloped countries function in one international market therefore, it is not easy for Pakistan to sell a product which is also produced by France, Germany or Holland if the prices are high. However, we are competing with the underdeveloped countries, it is, therefore, very necessary for us to adjust our prices with the prices of our competitors to serve in the market. Every new product has four stages, out of which the first stage is introduction stage. An introduction stage demands lot of efforts to promote the product and create awareness among the buyers. At this stage it is vital to sell it at even below the cost. That is why the government provides certain duty drawbacks for a specified period, until that time when the product is self-sufficient. Each country maintains an account for its total imports exports schedule along with balance of payment chart. At times when its imports increase from its exports and the balance of payment deteriorates it becomes vital to increase its exports immediately. The reduction in prices is one of the quickest ways of increasing the exports. At times when people tend to buy imported goods and local industry start suffering, it is necessary to discourage the people so that they cut down their expenditure towards foreign buying and direct towards local goods. Devaluation is one of the techniques to decrease imports and encourage the local industry. Reduction in price through devaluation has long term effects, which can be seen over a period of time. All the above conditions are currently prevailing in Pakistan. However the question arises as to why all these conditions have comparatively more drastic affects on our economy. The answer to this question relates to our policy of income projection and receipt from foreign donors and countries. In the past, we were used to manage our budgetary gaps with the help of aids and debts. But this time the situation is different we could not did any foreign source of income. The IMF was used to extend loans for our development programs in the past. However, during the current year the IMF had stopped its $300 million trench of its ESAF credit. The result is quite obvious: devaluation and imposition of new duties/taxes Disadvantages of Devaluation Devaluation with all its disadvantages has become an irregular policy. It is rater an ad-hoc arrangement for less demand. Instead imperfect planning is essential to forecast the future when the original price level will be maintained again. Devaluation involves high risk of inflation with the country for e.g if the exports do not increase as the result of decrease of price the country will suffer losses due to increase cost of all imports as well as local imports. Loss resulted due to decrease in prices in international market. Devaluation automatically increases the value of external debts and correspondingly the amount required for debt servicing Devaluation of a currency is considered as a last step to be taken after failure of all other fiscal and monetary measures. Before devaluing currency to boost economy through increasing exports, other factors need to be evaluated, for example, lower exports may be because of poor quality of goods, trade barrier, lower value added goods, unavailability of export items e.t.c Continued depreciation of currency may result in unlawful import of goods within the country. Such unlawful import and export may creat unlawful parallel economy within the country, which will be completely out of the control of the government. Devaluation is always supported by special incentive package to reduce the internally produced items for export. By critically analyzing all the above referred factors, it is proposed that the following necessary action should be taken to improve the situation: Tax Network should be enhanced by a) levying tax on agriculture, b) improving collection procedure, c) bringing small businessmen under tax nutshell etc. Imports should be discouraged by encouraging locally produced quality goods. Export of value added items should be increased instead of increase of low value exports to compete with the other developing countries. Needless to say that government should reduce drastically its own expenditure. It is vital for government to build up its creditability through investing money in public projects very honestly. The proceed from privatization of public sectors should be utilized to pay off our external as well as internal debts. Rescheduling of the debt should also be requested from the lenders. In case of our low priced items in the international market, we should prove that the reason of our low price quality items is not government support but cost efficiency. This can be done only with the help of very competent professional people i.e management accounts, engineers and managers. With the current devaluation, it is vital that necessary incentives must be given to industry and fixed income group for their survival and to reap the benefit of devaluation. The government should build capacity to deal with economics problems on both macro and micro level. It is generally believed that the government does not possess necessary capabilities, out of elected representative and bureaucrats to deal with it. That is why most of our key position holder is either current of Ex World Bank/IMF officials. It is also suggested that major businessmen and industrialist should be taken into confidence before any major decision. Effectiveness of price control committees very necessary. In countries like Pakistan where every individual has the power to determine the price of his own product, inflation is automatically multiplied Conclusions Clearly, devaluation has not been the answer. It has rather contributed to a further increase in the trade gap. The important consequences of devaluation are the burden it is putting on the repayment of the foreign debts. The ensuing depletion of reserves has such a negative effect that the positive impact, if any, is more than wiped out by the increased foreign exchange burden. Reviewing the policy of devaluation by successive governments in the last 50 years, one finds that devaluation has miserably failed to resolve any problems or improve the macro or micro economic conditions in the country. Rather, devaluation has been counterproductive. In the existing scenario of the forces of demand and supply, the rupee is expected to continue with its downward trend. If the counter measures through cost cutting and efficiency management are not taken to check the inflation, which is already running in double digit, the advantages of devaluation will be offset as in the past, leaving adverse impacts as our economy which mainly depends on imported raw-materials, fuels and capital goods. That will certainly bring more hardships for common Pakistani people because our industry has substantial imported inputs in a wide range of locally produced goods and will also retard the process of industrialization in the country. Similarly defense budget and debt servicing will c ost more due to costlier dollar. Our main problem is still uncontrolled i.e. the rise in non-development expenditures, which has given rise to the culture of living beyond means. This can be countered by adoption of practical harsh measures by the government especially at the top level to set the example for the whole nation.

Conan Doyle´s The Speckled Band vs Visitor´s by Brian Moon Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This essay will examine both "The Speckled Band" by Conan Doyle and "Visitors" by Brian Moon and will look at how each one conforms to or diverges from the conventions of the detective story and also how each story is representative of the century it was written in by how it presents the woman, the hero and the villain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The conventions of the detective story were mostly established in the early twentieth century yet "The Speckled Band" was written in the late nineteenth century. However, it still conforms to most of the detective story conventions, therefore I conclude that it deserves to be called a detective story   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the conventions of the detective story is that the detective if frequently an amateur. In "The Speckled Band" Holmes does not work for any official body, like the police, for example. He is not, however, an amateur in the sense that he solves crimes for a hobby, he says, â€Å"as to my reward, my profession is my reward.'; Holmes is an amateur in the root sense of the word â€Å"someone who works simply for the love of it'; However the way that Holmes uses the word â€Å"profession'; shows that he does not consider himself to be an amateur.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another convention of the detective story is that the detective will have a confidant through whom he can explain his reasoning to the reader. Holmes has a confidant, Watson, who is the stereotypical gentle doctor who is plain and uninteresting so as not to draw attention away from Holmes. â€Å"I had no keener pleasure than in following Holmes in his professional investigations'; this implies that Watson lead an uninteresting life, without many interesting hobbies or pastimes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another convention of the detective story is that the detective is in competition with the police, however, in "The Speckled Band" Holmes is not in competition with the police. Holmes does, however, express his disgust with the official police force â€Å" fancy his having the insolence to confound me with the official detective force'; this line shows that Holmes considers the police force to be incompetent and ineffective.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A convention of the detective story is that it has a variety of suspects for the detective to choose between, "The Speckled Band", however, does not have many suspects, only Dr Roylott and the gypsies. Roylott is a suspect for the murder as he is violent â€Å"uncontrollable in his anger'; and the local... ...tray a hero and a criminal, the difference is that in ‘The Speckled Band’ they are different people while in ‘Visitors’ they are arguably the same person. In ‘Visitors’ the police are expected to act the heroic role but don’t look or sound the part, in this way ‘Visitors’ appears not only to fail to comply with the conventions but also to be a paradoxical story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My essay has shown that both stories conform to a certain extent to the conventions of the detective story. Both show views of the woman, hero and villain, and in ‘The Speckled Band’ this highlights the complacent, satisfied attitude of the Victorians, while ‘Visitors’ shows the less complacent, worried, changing attitude of the late twentieth century, influenced by the social devastation of two world wars.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After looking at ‘Visitors’ and ‘The Speckled Band’ I have come to the conclusion that ‘Visitors’ does not really deserve to be called a detective story as it does not really have a detective in it or even a crime to solve, however I still think that ‘Visitors’ is an exceptional story in its own right and a better story than ‘The Speckled Band’ because of how the important issues it brings up are dealt with.

Flattery in Pride and Prejudice Essay example -- Pride and Prejudice

Flattery in Pride and Prejudice Since its composition in 1797, Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice has enjoyed two centuries of literary esteem not because of its witty dialogue or its tantalizing plot, but because of its universal themes that allow modern readers to identify with early Victorian life. Although the novel focuses on the etiquette of courtship, related social rituals are also prevalent throughout the story. William Collins, a rector in Pride and Prejudice, uses excessive flattery to persuade people to look upon him favorably. He even lavishly praises himself to enhance his self-esteem. While the sycophant's peculiar behavior is comical at first glance, its emphasis in the story portends a greater social meaning that is illuminated upon evaluation of his flattery with relevance to the plot. In Pride and Prejudice, Austin suggests through Collins' mannerisms that one flatters others to enlist their future support and one flatters oneself to ensure individual prosperity. Pertaining to others, Austin endows Collins with a motive of personal gain and later removes that objective, establishing a strong correlation between flattery and selfish advantage. As the legal heir to the Bennet family's estate once its patriarch dies, Collins offers unwarranted praise along with his hand in marriage to one of the daughters. Apart from flattering the family to marry one of its girls, his profuse compliments also extend to his wealthy benefactress and also, of course, to himself. However, Collins' compliments toward the family end after he fails to marry on... ...lattery may have academic influence, she allows Collins to smother praise on anything that might prove advantageous to his affluence, from which one may surmise that flattery contributes to personal prosperity in any form. This truth becomes readily apparent upon contrasting Collins' behavior in situations wherein he may or may not have something to gain through flattery. Of course, this mundane reiteration about flattery must be particularly monotonous to a reader who has already demonstrated a profound grasp of literature by deftly maneuvering through and deliberating upon mistakes previous to this point, so it is for that intelligent and sophisticated reader that this paper ends abruptly. Work Cited Austin, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Norwalk: The Easton Press, 1997.

Emma by Jane Austen Essay

The selected passage from the eighth chapter is a part of the dialogue between Emma and Mr. Knightly, based on Harriet and Mr. Robert Martin’s match making issue, which is strongly condemned by Emma on the basis of difference of social and intellectual status between Harriet and Mr. Martin but Mr. Knightly supports Mr. Martin for being comparatively more respectable and dignified as he is a self-made farmer as compared to Harriet who had grown as an illegitimate child. This passage holds certain biased female gender statements by Jane Austen which lifted the rhetorical expertise of her novel with the immensity and intensity to create a difference in the opinion of a general public and also of an individual, who had possessed the conventional views of the rigid class structure and orthodox ideas of overlooking women as mere symbols of fanciful appearances. Emma appears with a strong debate for advocating about the intellectual ability of a woman and adamantly suggests the men of her era to become aware of this point of view of a woman being conscious about their individual identity. Mr. Knightly on the other hand speaks justly on behalf of the men of developing class of the society who could equally possess the status of gentlemen in the society. Thus this argument was more of a social debate that led both the characters argue logically against certain beliefs of the society that needed to be reformed to let the people grow more as individuals than as just the product of social and conventional beliefs. Austen surprises her readers when Emma acknowledges the superiority of Harriet over Mr. Martin for her individual intellectual capabilities despite her illegitimate identity of parental background that was mentioned as her handicap in the social status by Mr. Knightly. This manner of expression by Austen discovered a new dimension of analysis and execution of the subject in the novel writing in the eighteenth century literature, which was based on reality but focused through the psychology of the characters. This psychological realism of Jane Austen let her penetrate the minds of the people who existed in the limited sphere around her but even this limited world provided her with the vastness and variety of hidden and suffocated ideas that yearned to expressed openly since ages. As compared to her contemporary or predecessor novelists Jane Austen enjoyed an edge of being more innovative and meticulous in the accomplishment of her subject. Her dexterity in weaving the plots of her novels which have mostly been based on several characters interrelated with each other through the complexities of their thinking and believing, proved her magnitude of apprehension and deep analysis of the variety of people she had observed around her. In â€Å"A History of English Literature† written by Emile Legouis, and Louis Cazamian and Raymond Las Vergnas, Jane Austen has been compared with her contemporary novelist Miss Burney and they have been specifically compared for their distinct manner of expression and choice of the fate of their somewhat similar (or rather conventional) subjects, which mostly dealt with the issues of love, status of the characters and ultimately ending in successful marriages. But Jane Austen has been praised for her rather mature â€Å"clear-sighted eyes† that could â€Å"read through the inner minds of those who live around her, or of the beings whom she invents and animates just as if those minds are transparent†; whereas Miss Burney’s world of novels were more of a depiction of her time and the society that she moved in and about how would a woman succeed through the critical events of her life to achieve a happy marriage. Jane Austen’s world of her novel was more of a depiction of the heroine’s world and how her thoughts, beliefs and notions critically evaluated the world in which she dwelled. Thus Austen’s world is operated through the mind of her heroine whom she provided with a wide range of liberty to interact with a variety of people and also to develop notions about them. This was a perplexed mode of expression which Austen successfully accomplished in most of her novels. Surprisingly Jane Austen’s apathy about the socio-political scenario of her time never inculcated her knowledge to an extent to show a vivid impact in her writings. She remained quite ignorant about the after math of the French Revolution and the emerging Romantic traits of intellect and expression in the field of art and literature. Her sole focus had been on how to read and depict the variable minds of the people who lived with or around her and she believed in expressing for the suffocated thoughts and ideas of the muted minds. She preferred to remain aloof from the moral and social code of conduct in the matter of her psychological analysis she would analyze and deal with the most sensitive aspects that were more felt and less expressed by the people of her time. This is the reason why Emma speaks in favor of Harriet and rates her quite high in an intellectual status as compared to Mr. Martin, despite the fact that Harriet had no legitimate parenthood to satisfy her high social status. The expression of reality requires the cohesion in the acquisition of thoughts that cause concrete notions in our mind and then it requires coherence in the process of development of such potent thoughts that cause the need for an expression. Austen must have deeply observed the psyche of the women of her surroundings to be subtle enough to create Emma or perhaps Austen animated her as a mixture of such women who spent more time in knowing others than knowing themselves. For many readers Austen’s novels are limited and based on almost claustrophobic room of action that gives us a strong sense of the confined nature of a woman’s existence in early-nineteenth-century rural England, but in the social context, Austen’s commitment to reason and moderation can be seen as feminist and progressive rather than conservative. And her profound hypothesis of the varied psychologies of people from different groups of society enabled her to create intelligent and resourceful heroines who stand in constant contrast to the limits of the constricted world of courtship and marriage defining their sphere of action.