On Ibsens A Dolls House :: A Dolls House

On Ibsen's A Doll's House [This is the text of a lecture delivered, in part, in Liberal Studies 310 at Malaspina University-College, Nanaimo, BC, Canada. References to Ibsen's text are to the translation by James McFarlane and Jens Arup (Oxford: OUP, 1981). This text is in the public domain, released July 2000] For comments or questions, please contact Ian Johnston Those of you who have just read A Doll's House for the first time will, I suspect, have little trouble forming an initial sense of what it is about, and, if past experience is any guide, many of you will quickly reach a consensus that the major thrust of this play has something to do with gender relations in modern society and offers us, in the actions of the heroine, a vision of the need for a new-found freedom for women (or a woman) amid a suffocating society governed wholly by unsympathetic and insensitive men. I say this because there is no doubt that A Doll's House has long been seen as a landmark in our century's most important social struggle, the fight against the dehumanizing oppression of women, particularly in the middle-class family. Nora's final exit away from all her traditional social obligations is the most famous dramatic statement in fictional depictions of this struggle, and it helped to turn Ibsen (with or without his consent) into an applauded or vilified champion of women's rights and this play into a vital statement which feminists have repeatedly invoked to further their cause. So in reading responses to and interpretations of this play, one frequently comes across statements like the following: Patriarchy's socialization of women into servicing creatures is the major accusation in Nora's painful account to Torvald of how first her father, and then he, used her for their amusement. . . how she had no right to think for herself, only the duty to accept their opinions. Excluded from meaning anything, Nora has never been subject, only object. (Templeton 142). Furthermore, if we go to see a production of this play (at least among English-speaking theatre companies), the chances are we will see something based more or less on this interpretative line: heroic Nora fighting for her freedom against oppressive males and winning out in the end by her courageous final departure. The sympathies will almost certainly be distributed so that our hearts are with Nora, however much we might carry some reservations about her leaving her children.

Government Role Essay

The main role of the executive is to preform leadership like duties such as carrying out leadership roles, ceremonial roles, and preforming symbolic. The leadership role demand formulating, articulating, and implementing goals of the political system. The effective chief executive becomes the spokesperson for the people, attempts to invigorate the people’s support for these goals, and then develops strategies that ease their accomplishment. For the most part the chief executive takes the initiative in a policy form. The executive policy leadership is very crucial during times of crisis, because the executive structure has the potential for a level of coherence and consent of action, which is almost always lacking in legislature. In most political systems the chief executive officer has the power to veto the legislation that the legislature initiates, which may be directly or indirectly. The actors in the executive role usually function as the unifying symbol of the entire soci ety, becoming the lead figurehead for the people. The executive presence becomes a central to many of society’s ceremonies and rituals. In the majority of all political systems the executive has the primary responsibility for implementing the laws and policies of political order. Most systems have an executive cabinet in where each member is directly and personally responsible for some of the major areas of administration. However they are supposed to set a broad set of guidelines for policy and implementation and responsibility for any major mishaps that occur. In parliament for examples, the minster of a department will usually resign if there is a serious shortcoming in his or her area of responsibility. The chief executive must set policy and supervise the organization and utilization of the state’s military capabilities, which is a task that can have the most serious consequences for the security, and well being of the society. Along with this comes the supervision of foreign affairs that involves a complicated pattern of meeting officials from other states and deal with national dealings with other nations usually showing some form of cooperation. The British government and the United States government are different in many aspects but yet share many similarities. A prime minister who handles the majority of the executive responsibilities mainly holds Britain’s executive, and of curse the king or queen handles ceremonial responsibilities like a figurehead would. However the United States has a fused executive system in where the president handles both the  head of state and the head of government roles. 2. Democracy has a wide range of meanings, but true direct democracy is a government of and by the people. An alternative concept in which it is pretty clear is representative democracy. This is a system in which the citizens elect people to represent them in the political aspect of things and to express the values on their behalf of society. Another general term to describe this democracy is a republic even though not all republics are democratic and not all democrats are republicans. Electoral democracy is defined as a political system in where all citizens periodically vote in order to elect political leaders in their society. It also seems important to establish that the people have the power to retain or reject those serving as their political leaders. This additional condition, called the limited mandate, means that the electorate grants the authority to rule for only a short fixed period of time, and then the electorate has the opportunity to elect their representatives again. Meaning that if the political leaders do not gain sufficient votes the political leaders will voluntarily resign office. We can also classify a political system called liberal democracy when citizens enjoy not only electoral democracy but also substantial political rights and civil liberties regarding participation, personal freedoms, and oppositions. The United States is considered to have some like similarities in this regard for the notion that its citizens enjoy the freedoms and rights that come along with voting and individual values. A non-democracy is a concept by with all major decisions especially with those that deal with the state is handled by the person or political group in charge of the state in that time. One conventional concept used to define non democracies is a dictatorship. A definition of a dictator might be a ruler with absolute power and authority. Dictatorship may be further defined as the absence of a limited mandate- a critical factor in the definition of democracy. That is, the citizens of that state have no power to remove the person in office or political leadership period. This government type is often time seen as harsh to its citizens and harsh. Totalitarianism, which is a political system that the allocation of values and its control penetrate into almost every aspect of its citizen’s every day lives. The totalitarian political system demands complete obedience to its extensive  rules in culture, economics, religion, and most of all morality. All organizations are subordinated to the totalitarian state. Every activity is under scrutiny by the state in the name of the public interest. The state might define what is ok to watch or be produce in a movie, what acceptable to say in the media, and It even has acceptable behaviors and thoughts for its people. Another concept that falls under the category of non-democratic is Authoritarian regimes. Many authoritarian regimes such as dictatorships lack empowerment. What really distinguish authoritarianism are the political actions and decisions of the ruler, while the political rights and freedoms of the people are significantly limited. In other words under authoritarianism the population has very minimal political rights. An authoritarian regime places many severe restrictions on the activities of individuals and groups who advocate the people on the actions of the political system. The great majority of the populations are not allowed to participate in any political activities except in ways that expressly encouraged by the regime such as mass rallies and speeches. Citizens of such places are not allowed to question th e political intuitions, procedures, or public policies of an authoritarian regime. 3. There are a few different types of states, first there is the unitary state and then there is central government, which holds all legislative power. While the central government has indivisible sovereignty, it can delegate power or functional responsibilities to territorial units, which have names such as department or regions. These peripheral governments serve only at the convenience of the central government, which can revoke their power or functions at any given time. The majority of all citizens tend to identify with the country as a whole, rather than with regional authorities as they should. A federation is divided constitutionally and functions between a central government and the set of regional governments. On the other hand to a unitary state, there is an explicit sharing of power among the levels of government in a federation, and no level has legal power to dominate any other level in all policy domains. There are five major rationales that make up a federation: large size, prior existence of strong states, desire to create unity or accommodate diversity, the desire to concentrate power and resources, and the desire to disperse political power. A federation can be established to prevent the over centration of power in the central government. A confederation is an association in which states delegate some power to a supranational central government but retain primary power. Confederations emphasize on economic cooperation and or military cooperation’s. It is a loose grouping of states in which each state’s involvement membership, and compliance with the central government are conditional depending on the state’s perception of its own national interest.

Probation and Life in Prison Essay

Probation In the early days of our country, severe punishments were often meted out with little regard to the seriousness of the offense. There was no such thing as being sentenced to probation in the 18th century. The concept of probation, or giving a convicted criminal a chance to redeem himself without serving time in prison, was first introduced in 1841 by John Augustus. In August of that year, Augustus decided to try a radical approach with a man convicted of being drunk and disorderly. The man swore to Augustus that he would change his ways if only he did not have to serve time in the House of Correction. Augustus believed the man and he posted bail. Augustus went on to help others in the same fashion and eventually became regarded â€Å"a private angel and guardian of men convicted of crime† (Friedman, 1993, 162). Massachusetts was the first state to formally recognize this option in criminal sentencing in 1878 with the remaining states following suit throughout the rest of the century and onto into the early part of the 1900’s. It would take some fine-tuning to bring probation up to its current standards. Early probation officers enjoyed no formal training and many states were without prerequisites for passing this form of sentencing. In the early years, probation was often given in exchange for a guilty plea most often to married men, those who held jobs and exhibited no apparent vices. Judges used the sentence of probation prodigiously for several decades. It was only in the 1980’s, when the public clamored for stiffer penalties, that probation lost favor. In 1986, only 28% of male felony defendants were awarded probation as compared to nearly half of those convicted in 1970 (Friedman, 1993, 409). Probation initially became popular as the thrust of the legal system shifted from focusing on the â€Å"what† (the crime) to the â€Å"who† (the criminal) and how to best reform the offender (Friedman, 1993, 168). More recently, the focus has become a bit more equally fixed on both preventing the crime and rehabilitation of the criminal. Today, offenders on probation are closely monitored by correctional officers through surveillance in the community. Often, some sort of restitution is also involved with the goal of making the offender accountable and responsible in order to rejoin the community without potential further risk (Jones, 2). This option allows the offender to serve a sentence under â€Å"house arrest† and maintain a job rather than be integrated into the prison system, which is already strained to its limit. The level of supervision varies based on the crime committed. For those convicted of drug charges, a more constant monitoring system is used, often electronic. Another alternative is to use a â€Å"combination of prison time and work release/community service† (Jones, 3). Probation is often used as a condition of plea bargaining for a lesser sentence in exchange for information or a guilty plea. Plea bargaining came about as a quick, and cheap way, to move defendants through the legal system and probation helps to keep minor criminals out of jail. The concept of probation has evolved in many ways since its inception in the 1800’s but it still incorporates the integral idea of giving a convicted criminal a degree of trust. Prison Life: Comparison and Contrast with Life in General Society According to the dictionary, the definition of a prison is â€Å"A place for the confinement of persons in lawful detention, especially persons convicted of crimes; a place or condition of confinement or forcible restraint or a state of imprisonment or captivity.† Prisons first came about as a means of correctional punishment. In colonial times, punishment was often a way to shame the criminal in public; putting someone in prison did not have the same effect as putting him or her out in public view to submit to shame and scorn. When prison was used for sentencing, jail terms were generally short and in most cases less than 30 days. It was not until the 1800’s that prisons were built in more abundance and courts used them for sentencing on a regular basis. Today prison systems vary widely according to level of security and the state in which they are located. The aim of each and every one is still the same, however, and that is to deprive a convicted criminal of freedom. For a prisoner there is no freedom of choice. He is told when to wake up in the morning, when it is meal time, when to work, when to exercise, when to go to bed. There are no food choices or menus and the prisoner must either eat what is given him or go hungry. No comforts of home await him in his cell; the prisoner is lucky to be able to have a selection of books and perhaps a photo or two to keep him company. At night, lights are turned off at a particular time. Cell checks can be performed at any time of night or day. There is no privacy for bathing or bodily functions. The prisoner is unable to have any items that are not approved by the system. He also has no choice regarding a cell mate unless undue violence forces a cell change. Most prisons do not allow televisions or even radios as forms of entertainment; even when they are allowed there is no satellite or cable attached and no choice of programming. The work program is enforced in many prisons with prisoners being allocated to do jobs that benefit the community or provide food or clothing for the system. Any â€Å"luxury† items must be earned and paid for with pitifully low wages. In comparison, life in general society is full of choices. As a free citizen, people in this country are allowed to choose where they live, where they work, what they eat and what they do. There are no proscribed times in which they are forced to do anything and if they are unhappy at their job, they are allowed to quit and find work elsewhere. The times in which free citizens awaken in the morning and go to bed at night are at their own discretion; if someone wishes to never turn out the light and stay up all night, he may do so. He has the ability to go out and purchase items at will, as needed or desired. The private citizen can choose to live as he wants whether that be in clean or messy surroundings, in a house filled with knick knacks and furniture or a more austere setting. Entertainment options abound. In short, nothing short of illegal activity is prohibited for a free citizen. Whether in prison or out in general society, there are still rules made by our national and state governments to be abided by and morals which govern our actions. In prison it is more closely monitored while in general society citizens do not warrant such close supervision. As well, people in either situation must earn what they have. Loss of freedom is the biggest difference between living in prison or living outside. Contrast and Comparison of Georgia and Florida State Prisons In the Georgia state prison system, the dormitories shown are used for housing groups of prisoners who require minimal security. Rows of bunk beds are stacked two high and furnished with a thin blanket and pillow. A box beneath the bunk is the only place for personal items. The lighting is industrial and the flooring is utilitarian and easy to keep clean. It is surprising that there is a wide expanse of windows. Other than the addition of appliances and counters, the prison kitchen looks much the same as the dormitory. It looks to be well stocked, much as a large commercial kitchen might be furnished. The health intake area is set up like a school room with rows of small wooden desks headed by a larger desk manned by a prison employee. The state of Georgia’s correctional system offers a boot camp, a diversion center, probation detention, and transitional centers in addition to the state prisons. The state runs several farms, which provide all the food for the prisoners incarcerated at the low cost of $1.51 per prisoner per day. The Florida state prisons use a traditional cell configuration built in two stories overlooking a central corridor as well as the dormitory concept. According to the website, most of the Florida correctional facilities use dorm housing. The bunks in these dorms are not stacked but are situated individually in rows. A row of small, high windows lines one wall while fluorescent lighting illuminates the area. Cells house either one or two men and have two cots that pull down from the wall with a thin blanket and pillow on each. There is one small window in the exterior wall and a narrow door. A sink and open toilet are the only other furnishings. Death row cells are even more sparse and small with a total size of 6’ x 9’ x 9.5’. They have no window and a barred entrance. Death row cells are configured for only one person. The majority of inmates in the Florida state correctional system are enrolled in either a substance abuse program, a vocational education or adult education program. They also participate in Prison Rehabilitative Industries and Diversified Enterprises or Prison Industry Enhancement work programs. Inmates also grow some of their own food and both prison systems seem to be doing a good job of keeping food costs down through farming their own vegetables. The two prison systems are similar in their housing set ups. Cells and dormitories are sparse and barren. Both systems require prisoners to be involved in production of the food used within the facilities and offer work programs. Both Florida and Georgia’s state systems offer probation and transitionary facilities. The Florida state correctional system has more programs available and more options for rehabilitation of prisoners. The Georgia system seems to offer more minimal security facilities although they did not have a virtual tour of anything other than dormitories posted on their website and they most certainly house death row inmates. Georgia’s website is set up more for the convenience of family members of those incarcerated while the Florida website focuses more on the hard facts of prison life as a deterrence measure. While both states offer model facilities for incarceration of criminals, neither system looks particularly inviting or homey. References Friedman, Lawrence M (1993). Crime and Punishment in American History. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. Jones, Calvin. â€Å"Alternatives to Standard Methods of Incarceration†. Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Retrieved November 8, 2007 from the FDOLE Web site: â€Å"Virtual Prison Tour. Georgia Department of Corrections. Retrieved November 8, 2007 from the GDOC Web site: http://www.dcor.state.ga.us/AboutGDC/VRTour.html.

Chemical Definition - Chemistry Glossary

Chemical Definition - Chemistry Glossary There are two definitions of the word chemical as the term is used in chemistry and common usage: Chemical Definition (adjective) As an adjective, the term chemical indicates a relationship to chemistry or to the interaction between substances. Used in a sentence: She studied chemical reactions.They determined the chemical composition of the soil. Chemical  Definition (noun) Everything which has mass is a chemical. Anything consisting of matter is a chemical. Any liquid, solid, gas. A chemical includes any pure substance; any mixture. Because this definition of a chemical is so broad, most people consider a pure substance (element or compound) to be a chemical, particularly if it is prepared in a laboratory. Examples of Chemicals Examples of things which are chemicals or consist of them include  water, pencil, air, carpet, light bulb, copper, bubbles, baking soda, and salt. Of these examples, water, copper, baking soda, and salt are pure substances (elements or chemical compounds. A pencil, air, carpet, a light bulb, and bubbles consist of multiple chemicals. Examples of things which are not chemicals include light, heat, and emotions.

Diversity in the german workforce essays

Diversity in the german workforce essays The Diversity of Women and Guest Workers in the German Workforce Management of diversity through out the German workplace is much like building a bridge. Think of 5 different mountains, all different in their own way and all separate from each other. In order to explore each one of these mountains there must first be a clear connecting pathway that allows a safe and reliable passage from one to the next. A bridge. With out these pathways it becomes unclear as to what the next mountain holds and one is only able to make assumptions about what stands in front of them. When this concept is brought into the workplace it is easy to see that sometimes these bridges do not present a clear cut pathway. People begin to make assumptions with change becoming somewhat of a negative and becoming opposed by the majority. In order to best understand the people around you it is necessary that? and methods are available so that? and accepting diverse people is less of a challenge. In an ideal world everyone is treated differently, no matter what their rac e, ethnicity, colour, religion, education and sexual preference. In reality, very few companies around the world have reached a stage where diversity is truly valued, especially within Germany. Through out the past century Germany has become riddled with historic moments which have caused dramatic changes to the diversity of their workforce. Though these are significant topics it is not to be the focus of this paper. The purpose of this paper is to show exactly how events such as World War II and the fall of the Berlin wall affected the acceptance of both women and guest workers within the country. For many centuries, a woman's role in German society was summed up and constrained by the three "K" words: Kinder (children), Kirche (church), and Kche (kitchen). Sometimes the fourth "K" is mentioned: Kleider (clothes). However, throughout the 20th century women have gradually w...

Business Social Responsibility

According to Riahi (2009), an organization (such as FirstGroup plc) can actually be regarded as a deliberately constructed social unit to pursue a specific goal. In this respect, it also evoked an empathy with a pessimistic dialogue: Milton Friedman pointed out that in 1970's New York Times magazine article, the only commercial social responsibility was increased profit. In his book Capitalism Freedom he wrote that company is a tool to own shareholders and will prevent individual shareholders from deciding how to dispose of their own funds if the company contributes . (M. Initially, the three authors argue against other companies by expressing their beliefs on what company social responsibility should be, then further promoting their ideas. For example, TJ Rodgers believes that company social responsibility is to maximize profits by raising efficiency and lowering prices. This is more logical than John Mackey's approach and enhances social efficiency. However, John Mackey believes t hat corporate social responsibility should bring value to customers and businesses in the long term, and TJ Rodgers and Milton Friedman are considering narrowing the scope I suggest that. be concerned about. However, Milton Friedman believes that social responsibility of the company is to act for the owners 'own interests and that this kind of interest is to maximize shareholders' interests. Everyone is not thinking that a company should have a social conscience. Economist Milton Friedman said, Because of its loose analysis and lack of rigor, commercial social responsibility is convincing. Friedman believes that only individuals can have a sense of social responsibility. Because of its nature, business is impossible. Some experts believe that social responsibility ignores the essence of business. Business Social Responsibility According to Riahi (2009), an organization (such as FirstGroup plc) can actually be regarded as a deliberately constructed social unit to pursue a specific goal. In this respect, it also evoked an empathy with a pessimistic dialogue: Milton Friedman pointed out that in 1970's New York Times magazine article, the only commercial social responsibility was increased profit. In his book Capitalism Freedom he wrote that company is a tool to own shareholders and will prevent individual shareholders from deciding how to dispose of their own funds if the company contributes . (M. Initially, the three authors argue against other companies by expressing their beliefs on what company social responsibility should be, then further promoting their ideas. For example, TJ Rodgers believes that company social responsibility is to maximize profits by raising efficiency and lowering prices. This is more logical than John Mackey's approach and enhances social efficiency. However, John Mackey believes t hat corporate social responsibility should bring value to customers and businesses in the long term, and TJ Rodgers and Milton Friedman are considering narrowing the scope I suggest that. be concerned about. However, Milton Friedman believes that social responsibility of the company is to act for the owners 'own interests and that this kind of interest is to maximize shareholders' interests. Everyone is not thinking that a company should have a social conscience. Economist Milton Friedman said, Because of its loose analysis and lack of rigor, commercial social responsibility is convincing. Friedman believes that only individuals can have a sense of social responsibility. Because of its nature, business is impossible. Some experts believe that social responsibility ignores the essence of business. Business Social Responsibility According to Riahi (2009), an organization (such as FirstGroup plc) can actually be regarded as a deliberately constructed social unit to pursue a specific goal. In this respect, it also evoked an empathy with a pessimistic dialogue: Milton Friedman pointed out that in 1970's New York Times magazine article, the only commercial social responsibility was increased profit. In his book Capitalism Freedom he wrote that company is a tool to own shareholders and will prevent individual shareholders from deciding how to dispose of their own funds if the company contributes . (M. Initially, the three authors argue against other companies by expressing their beliefs on what company social responsibility should be, then further promoting their ideas. For example, TJ Rodgers believes that company social responsibility is to maximize profits by raising efficiency and lowering prices. This is more logical than John Mackey's approach and enhances social efficiency. However, John Mackey believes t hat corporate social responsibility should bring value to customers and businesses in the long term, and TJ Rodgers and Milton Friedman are considering narrowing the scope I suggest that. be concerned about. However, Milton Friedman believes that social responsibility of the company is to act for the owners 'own interests and that this kind of interest is to maximize shareholders' interests. Everyone is not thinking that a company should have a social conscience. Economist Milton Friedman said, Because of its loose analysis and lack of rigor, commercial social responsibility is convincing. Friedman believes that only individuals can have a sense of social responsibility. Because of its nature, business is impossible. Some experts believe that social responsibility ignores the essence of business.

Advance Database Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Advance Database - Essay Example The report gives a detailed technical description of the systematic formation of the system’s data model. The objectives of the report intend to encompass the important details related to the four major phases involved in building the proposed database design: 4. Implementation of the database design in Oracle and testing of the design through scenario specific SQL queries. The correctness of the result would prove the correctness of the proposed database design. The major constraint in designing a class diagram of a scheduling management database is in relation to a large number of variants brought about by the seasonal change of train journey, planned and unplanned maintenance of trains and rearrangement of weekdays and the holiday. Though the calendar stating of each train, the entry number description for a particular day, time and station makes the whole process cumbersome. The approach requires not less than 2 million records to accommodate the train scheduling the proposed relational database. In addition, to hold the schedule for a long time raises the number of records the key issue is the operation of updating changes in the schedule. Another key constraint is the issues relating to objects that have overlapping lifespan. This is very profound when this object overlaps. The situation is peculiar since the object maintains its state actuality even after changing (IBM 2003). It only takes place in that given a short time during the replacement. This will result in a situation where we have multiple real time tuple which describes the different versions that the same object has. This idea does not merge the previous RDBMS concept, therefore it is inherent to develop special data queries which will solve this situation. To form a structural model for the system, all critical entities of the TFR for which data is stored and that are part of the daily business operations were