Emma/Clueless Essay

Emma Essay How has the changing contexts influenced the representations of main issues from Emma to Clueless? Amy Heckerling’s Clueless is a cinematic reconstruction of Jane Austen’s 19th century classic Emma and perfectly encapsulates the idea that the issues of a time, change and adapt with the changing of context. The contemporary text Clueless takes the rustic values placed on courtship, dating and ultimately marriage as well as the social/class distinctions in Regency England and successfully transforms them to better suite the new context of a contemporary audience and less rigid society.In the 19th century, marriage was the sole occupation of women and was the only way for women to rise in social status and to ‘support themselves’. Marriage was a fundamental aspect of Austen’s world and the importance of marriage is highlighted as Emma states that she is â€Å"not going to be married† and Harriet exclaims in a shocked tone â€Å"it is so odd to hear a woman talk so! †. For Harriet, and most women in the 19th century, marriage was an economic necessity to provide a stable financial future.This is reiterated by Emma’s use of short phrases in â€Å"a single woman, with a very narrow income, must be a ridiculous, disagreeable old maid† which expresses her disdain for those women who do not possess fortunes to match hers and reinforces the value of wealth in relation to marriage. Marriage was therefor, not for love but for wealth, as is demonstrated in Mr. Elton’s arrogant proclamation that he â€Å"need not so totally despair of an equal alliance as to be addressing myself to Ms. Smith! † The use of the word ‘alliance’ emphasizes the fact that matrimony was for financial benefits.Marriage in Austen’s time was valued unconditionally and was seen as a means to achieve financial and social stability. While Emma focuses on the importance of marriage in the rigid Regen cy period, in the contemporary American setting of Clueless, although marriage is still featured, the focus has shifted to more contemporary themes relating to the sexuality and fluidity of relationships. Cher’s dialogue when explaining her indecisiveness over who to lose her virginity to: â€Å"You know how picky I a with my shoes, and they only go on my feet! shows how sexual relationships have replaced marriage in the new context, as Cher’s dilemma becomes a question of whom to lose her virginity to and not whom to marry. The role of women in courtship has also changed dramatically as is demonstrated by the zoom in on Cher’s feet rubbing Christians, indicating her desire to have sex with him. This active role in the relationship contrasts starkly with the subservient role women played in the 19th century. Marriage still plays a role in the 21st century and this is shown the last scene; the marriage of Mr.Hall and Ms. Geist. Heckerling does however, employ sa tire through Cher’s voice-over of â€Å"As if! I’m only 16! This is California, not Kentucky. † when audiences presume that she is marrying to gently mock the 19th century necessity to marry early, once again highlighting the shift away from the importance of marriage. In the 21tst century, marriage has been pushed to the side and values in relationships focus more on sexuality. The social hierarchy of Regency England was rigid and dependent on wealth, property and heritage of the individuals and families.The extreme importance of class is demonstrated through the exaggerated caricature of Mrs. Elton, a woman who is quite obnoxious, but still thought to be a better â€Å"catch† than the kind-hearted Harriet, simply because of her â€Å"genteel heritage† and â€Å"wealth†. The rigidity of social standings is further accentuated by Emma’s pretentious and condescending tone in â€Å"the yeomanry are precisely the people with which I fee l I can have nothing to do with† where her disdain for Robert Martin, a farmer in love with Harriet, reflect her disdain for those with a lower social standing than herself.Austen however, challenges the prerequisites of her society through her character Mr. Knightley, who shows generosity towards the lower class despite his own high social standing, even describing Robert Martins as â€Å"respectable, intelligent, gentle†. His use of positive adjectives accentuates Austen’s view that kindness and charity are more important that social superiority; an idea that many in her time did not share. Heckerling appropriates 19th century class snobbery and transforms them to better suite the growing multicultural and democratic setting in Clueless.Although class distinction no longer exists, Clueless depicts a social structure based on popularity, appearance and acquaintance in a high school environment. The importance of popularity mirrors the importance of class in Emma and is established through Cher’s use of dialogue in â€Å"The fact that you hang with Dionne and I, speaks very highly of you. † Close up shots of Cher and Dionne’s disgusted expressions as they scorn Trevor (the Clueless equivalent of Robert Martin) again echoes the class snobbery and disdain shown by the genteel in Emma towards those of lesser standing.Heckerling does however; emphasize the fluidity and flexibility of 21st century class structure, which is the principal difference between the contexts of Emma and Clueless. Tai’s gradual change of costume is in direct correlation to her gradual rise in popularity from â€Å"adorably clueless† outcast to the centre of attention; highlighting the superficial and shallow ‘social’ structure present in the 21st century. Amy Heckerling has taken into consideration the changed context of Clueless and appropriately caused the adapted the Regency England views on social structure to better r eflect the class values of the high school setting.

Ribena Marketing Essay

Ribena Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Product 3. Promotion 4. Price 5. Place 6. Bibliography Introduction Ribena was first made in 1936 when HW Carter, a Bristol based food and drink manufacturer, started making pure fruit syrups to use in making milkshakes. This was when it was discovered that the blackcurrant syrup contained very high levels of vitamin C. People saw how valuable it would be as a nutritional drink and it went on sale in hospitals and nursing homes. The name Ribena was not used during this period but after the War, Ribena went on sale all across the UK and Ireland.The word Ribena was based on the Latin name for blackcurrant â€Å"Ribes Negrum†. The name is very important to the product, it needs to be easy to remember, easy to spell and easy to say especially if the target audience is children. Ribena also has the added advantage that the name has an international ring to it. Ribena has established a strong brand name over the years and it has maintained its position in the market. In recent years Ribena have introduced new flavours to the market such as Strawberry, Raspberry, Apple, Orange, Raspberry and Pomegranate. Product A product is defined as anything that can be offered to satisfy a need or want.To help its product sell in greater quantities, a business must give consideration to the packaging and brand name it uses. Ribena is available in lots of different flavours these include Blackcurrant, Strawberry, Orange, Raspberry, Raspberry and Pomegranate. The blackcurrant flavour is available in original and really light (low calorie). Ribena’s target market is every child and every parent. Ribena is a brand that children love and that mothers prefer to buy for their family because it is rich in Vitamin C and has a unique blackcurrant taste. Mothers are satisfied that they are giving their children a nutritional drink; full of vitamin C.Mothers will be more likely to give their children Ribena to bring to school with them as a drink for their lunch rather than a bottle of coke because of the nutritional value in Ribena. Ribena’s iconic slogan uses their nutritional value to attract customers â€Å"The blackcurrants in Ribena contain four times the Vitamin C of oranges†. Another key aspect of the product is the packaging. The packaging needs to attractive and bright in colour in order to attract the child’s attention. It must attract the consumers’ attention enough to make them want to buy Ribena ahead of all the other brands like Robinson’s, Mi Wadi, Kia Ora†¦Ribena is packaged in glass bottles, plastic bottles and cartons. The glass bottles only come in 600ml, 1 litre and 2 litres. The plastic bottles range in size from 330ml, 500ml, 1litre and 2 litres. The single carton comes in 288ml. The cartons also come in a multi pack; 4 cartons of 200ml and 10 cartons of 200ml. In 2000 Ribena launched â€Å"Ribena Pouch Pack†. It was developed for older childre n who want the great taste of Ribena but in a more grown up and trendy pack. The Ribena Pouch is still very strongly linked to Ribena’s key messages which are that Ribena is full of vitamin C, very nutritional and it has a unique blackcurrant taste.The target market for the Ribena pouch is the children themselves especially older children who are buying their own drinks. It is very up to date with an emphasis on a key point about Ribena that it is purple. The packaging for the Ribena pouch pack is portable, light to carry and re-sealable so can be used again. The colour distinguishes it from its competitors like Robinson’s, Mi Wadi and Kia Ora. Since its launch in March 2000, sales have been very good, with more and more consumers buying into this new trendy packaging. PromotionPromotion involves communicating with customers to let them know about the product and to persuade them to buy it. The four main ways to promote a product are advertising, sales promotions, publ ic relations and personal selling. Ribena put a lot of money into their advertising campaign each year. One of the main reasons Ribena has been so successful throughout the years is due to their strong advertising campaign especially their television adverts. The advertisements change with the years but Ribena’s main message remains the same. Ribena’s core values are based around its vitamin C goodness and its unique blackcurrant taste.The TV advertisements feature the Ribenaberry cartoon characters. They have evolved with the brand over the years. The Ribenaberry cartoon characters are very popular and are an excellent advertising tool. The target market for Ribena is children and most children watch cartoons so they would be able to relate to the ads compared to the Capri sun ad which isn’t as child friendly as the Ribena one. The cartoon characters covey the essence of the drink and the fact that it is made from blackcurrants. They also add an element of fun to the ads which appeals to children. This encourages hildren to buy it and obviously mothers would be more inclined to buy Ribena for their children compared to fizzy drinks because of the nutritional value. Ribena also use a lot of purple in their adverts. Ribena emphasises that it is a very nutritional drink suitable for children and they incorporate this into their advertising, sales promotions, public relations and personal selling. Ribena also use their website to promote competitions, discounts, new products that they are launching etc†¦ In May 2009 Ribena launched a range of sales promotions initiatives as part of their summer campaign. t was basically a loyalty scheme that allowed consumers to collect on-pack tokens and redeem them for prizes that included kites, juggling balls, cricket sets and skittles. In Ribena’s 2009 summer campaign they also gave away 1 million free inflatable â€Å"office assistants† as part of their summer on-pack promotion in ord er to win one of office assistants consumers had to purchase a bottle or carton of Ribena’s and text in an on-pack code. Consumers could also choose between a male or female inflatable. The promotion took place from May 1st and ran for 12 weeks. It was part of a ? 6 million campaign for the brand.In May 2011 Ribena launched their summer advertising and promotion campaign. Their aim was to target more than a million consumers in order to promote the brand and increase sales. The campaign centred around a mobile â€Å"Berry Wagon†. It toured around the UK stopping in in picnic areas giving out free samples. The Ribena tour targeted young adults to mums and families. Ribena also gave away 300 free passes to family friendly festivals around the UK. The promotion also drove consumers to the Ribena website, further promoting engagement with the brand. Inflatable office assistant Ribenaberry cartoon character The Ribena â€Å"Berry Wagon†Price The price is the amount o f money the business charges consumers for its product. It is important that the business charges the right price for its product. If it is too high, consumers will not buy it. If it is too low, the business might make a loss and consumers might think it is inferior. The price of Ribena is quite reasonable considering the nutritional value. . It appeals to parents who believe that the higher price is worth paying because they believe Ribena is better for their children than fizzy drinks such as Coca-Cola, Club Orange. In this way, Ribena makes higher profits from the higher price.The Ribena prices range from â‚ ¬1. 23 to â‚ ¬3. 94. Here is a list of the prices in Euro â‚ ¬: Ribena ready to drink carton 288mlâ‚ ¬1. 45 Ribena ready to drink 500mlâ‚ ¬1. 59 Ribena Pouch Pack 288mlâ‚ ¬1. 45 Ribena Blackcurrant 1litreâ‚ ¬2. 89 Ribena Blackcurrant 2 litreâ‚ ¬3. 94 Ribena Strawberry 1litreâ‚ ¬2. 89 Ribena Ready to drink blackcurrant 10 X 200mlâ‚ ¬3. 49 Ribena R eady to drink strawberry 10 X 200ml â‚ ¬3. 49 Ribena Ready to drink blackcurrant 4 X 200mlâ‚ ¬1. 23 Ribena Ready to drink strawberry 4 X 200mlâ‚ ¬1. 23 The Ribena prices range from 99p to ? 2. 95 Here is a list of the prices in Pounds ? : Ribena ready to drink carton 288ml 99pRibena ready to drink 500ml 99p Ribena Pouch Pack 288ml 99p Ribena Blackcurrant 1litre? 2. 65 Ribena Blackcurrant 2 litre? 2. 95 Ribena Strawberry 1litre? 1. 89 Ribena Ready to drink blackcurrant 10 X 200ml? 2. 59 Ribena Ready to drink strawberry 10 X 200ml ? 2. 59 Ribena Ready to drink blackcurrant 4 X 200ml? 1. 40 Ribena Ready to drink strawberry 4 X 200ml? 1. 40 Place Place involves the business getting its product to consumers by using an appropriate channel of distribution. The product has to be available where and when people need and want it. In order to manufacture Ribena the fruits need to be harvested.Harvest starts in July and it lasts for about eight weeks. Weather conditions are very impor tant to ensuring a good crop. They need a frost –free spring, steady rain in May and June and a sunny harvesting season in July and august. The Scottish Crop Research Institute has been trying to develop new blackcurrant varieties that cope with difficult weather patterns for the past 15 years. They completed a three year trial of two new varieties which were harvested for the first time in 2007 and have been specially bred to withstand the effects of climate change. Blackcurrant harvesters do not cut the berries off the bush.The berries on blackcurrant bushes ripen all at the same time, which makes picking them easier. Speed is very important, blackcurrants are not long lasting and therefore most of them are pressed into juice within 24 hours which are made into concentrate. They are then taken to the Ribena plant at Coleford, Gloucestershire in the UK, where it is held in tanks beneath the factory and is bottled as needed throughout the year. Ribena is well distributed thro ughout England, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia. It is sold in supermarkets, newsagents and garage forecourts around the country.It is available everywhere children might look for it. If they are shopping with their parents in the supermarket, it is there. If their parents pull in to get petrol, Ribena is there also. Bibliography http://www. ribena. co. uk/summer-soundtrack/ http://www. facebook. com/#! /RibenaUK http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=mxf6OPoaXCA http://theodmgroup. com/2011/06/03/gift-with-purchase-promotion-ribena-drinks/ http://www. brandrepublic. com/news/899422/Ribena-launches-range-promotional-activity-2009/ http://www. promomarketing. info/ribena-offers-a-summer-of-festival-fun/P004419/

Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr Duel

Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr meet at Weehawken on July 11, 1804 to end the long rivalry between both of them. The collision between Hamilton and Burr in 1804 was clear that they came from family backgrounds that have contributed to their rivalry. Burr was born into a prestigious social status and Hamilton being an illegitimate son of West Indian parents and had no connection. Therefore, he married Elizabeth Schuyler.Where his father-in-law was a Senate and in 1791 G. Philip Schuyler lost his Senate seat to Burr. Due to Hamilton popularity in Federalist, he blocked the Federalists to nominate Burr for governor. Then in 1792, Burr declared himself a Democratic-Republican. John Adams called Burr â€Å"unprincipled both as a public and private man† Hamilton was a Federalist and Burr was a Republican. Both men have repeatedly opposed each other.Hamilton owned the Bank of New York. Burr broke the stranglehold of the Federalists financers. Hamilton had lost the power of the purs e and his political prominence all because of Aaron Burr. In that year, a tie between the Democratic-Republican candidates Aaron Burr and Thomas Jefferson, Hamilton in effort for denying Burr for becoming the winner for candidate, he favor Jefferson and crushed Burr campaign that let to Jefferson winning the election.On June 27, Burr formally challenged Hamilton to a duel, and Hamilton accepted because Hamilton political led him to refuse to deny the challenge. The duel wasn’t the result of the 1804 election but more of a culmination of their rivalry and disagreement between both of them for decades. Hamilton death was truly a tragedy for America because his efforts during American Revolution and Secretary of the Treasury.

International stll wine trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International stll wine trade - Essay Example Data is the information that is gathered for analyzing, interpreting and making conclusion based on the available information. The source was from â€Å"database of international business statistics† which is accessed across the countries. The important features in the research are the demand and the years of the product production. The first then observations show the demand of the product in the market prior to the introduction of globalization. The subsequent years shows the impact of globalization to the product demand. One of the limitations is the misuse of the data. This involves the use numbers in a biased manner so as to suit the researchers predetermined hypothesis and hence ease in making conclusions that are not scientifically justified. The wrong numbers used lead to misleading graphs and charts being drawn and this encourages error in conclusions (Boudreaux 2008). Statistics are normally based on probabilities hence the results vary from when the each variable could have been used. This makes the results to be amendable and/or provisional. The data collection is always narrowed by moral, financial and practical constrains that affects the conclusions to be drawn. The statisticians/researchers are do not completely agree on superlative methods hence inconveniences. Data manipulations required before estimation is the arrangement of the data in an increasing total over the years of trading. The demand for the products over the periods of marketing should increasing conform the validity of the analysis (Selkirk 2012). The last ten observations highlight the impact of globalization on demand and the sales of the company product. The total sales amounted to 2701M, a mean sale of 245.55M, a median sale of 246M and a mode sale of 262M. From the above descriptive statistics, it is clearly shown that the total sales have increased substantially overtime i.e. from sale of 1177M to 2701M. This is 1524M sales increment

Britain's relationship with European Union Essay

Britain's relationship with European Union - Essay Example However as Schmidt suggests the problems of Britain in adapting to European policies are not related with the EU changes in government practice or EU related changes in the policies of the EU nations although these changes seem to have been significant for these countries and have affected politics, governance and decision making. However the fact that Britain has problems adjusting to EU changes could be related to the fact that the EU policy changes have never been justified or explained within the context of discourse on EU policies or EU law (Schmidt, 2006). Schmidt points out that France had greater changes in policies and practices and greater challenges to ideas than Britain although in cases of Germany and Italy there haven't been too many significant changes due to EU policies. Thus Britain's adjustment problems with EU policies should be comparatively less than France but more than certain other nations. Baker (2005) studied on the enlargement and expansion of the European Union to its membership of 25 as also the agreement on the EU constitution and elections of the EP. These events occurred in 2004. Baker focuses on the fact that the Blair government emphasises on helping to promote better relationships between the US and the EU and although this constrained the EU policy for Britain, the fact that Blair had some support for EU policy was a tool to influence the British public which is obviously more pro Europe rather than pro America. Within the British parliament, Britain's policies on the EU and its policies towards America seem to have contradictory implications and in certain cases spark intra party and inter party disputes (Schmidt, 2006; Baker 2005). Political analysts have argued that despite Britain's apparent closeness to the United States in recent times especially during the Iraq war; historically Britain has been much closer to Europe than to America. Although it was widely speculated that Britain's membership in the EEC could lead to a complete breakdown in its relationship with America, 30 years now, this may not have really happened. In fact the question of Britain's relationship with America is not so much under speculation or doubt as Britain's ambiguous relationship with the European Union. Britain unsuccessfully applied for membership within the EEC in 1961 but within the context of major controversies and the fact that the UK had a special relationship with the US in terms of sharing nuclear weapons. However despite Britain's reluctant approach to the concept of the European Union, Britain joined as a member of the EEC in the 1970s. The election of the Labour party in 1997 led to a more euro friendly approach of government although Blair also seems to emphasise on UK as acting as some sort of bridge between the EU and the US. The 1997 Amsterdam treaty helped Britain maintain its own border controls and despite its membership into the EEC, Britain seems to have stayed away from the crux of EU policies and approaches giving rise to speculations on whether Britain's relationship with EU will ever be resolved and whether Britain could ever be fully integrated within the European Union. The remark made by Ernest Bevin, who was the Labour Foreign secretary in 1949: "our

California drought Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

California drought - Essay Example The climate change is a global situation which California follows. The scientists managed to predict this situation a decade before, when they discovered that â€Å"†¦warming-driven Arctic ice loss would lead to worsening drought in California†. (Romm, 2014). The researchers from Utah State University have found that the â€Å"†¦evidence connecting the amplified wind patterns, consisting of a strong high pressure in the West and a deep low pressure in the East, to global warming.† (Wang, 2014). The increasing index of dipole intensification which California has been facing since the 1970s and still faces up to this moment causes extreme droughts in this state. (Wang, 2014). Global warming is also an important actor in terms of climate-related drought reasons because it results in the Earth’s atmosphere becoming thicker which means also increase of high-pressure indices occurrence, and this is a key factor for temperature, snowfall and rainfall extreme l evels and unorganized patterns of weather observed over the recent years. (Mooney, 2013). The problem of greenhouse gases amount increase in the atmosphere is a global point of concern which result of the ozone layer becoming thinner contributes to temperature increase which, obviously, is another cause of drought in any part of the world, including California. (Takle, 2003). Lack of precipitations in the form of snow is one more natural cause of the California drought. It is also reported that if the temperature is warmer, then reduction of snowpack in winter in the mountains of California is possible, which could result in increasing of the runoff in winter and, on the contrary, decreasing of the runoff in spring. Such shifts in runoffs of the two mentioned seasons can promote conditions for drought in summer, such as too much water loss because of flood and little water saving. (Hanak, Lund, 2008). Rain precipitations are also important in terms of

Tropical rain forest Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tropical rain forest - Research Paper Example Tropical rain forest Tropical rain forests are categorized into three: the monsoon, equatorial rain forests and the subtropical rainforests. They are characterized by very tall trees of different kinds and produce 40% of Earth’s oxygen. The trees form canopies which provide shelter to the plants and animals from the sun. Tropical rain forests host more than half of the estimated 10 million species of plants, animals and insects (Terashima, 49). The vegetation is ever green. The dominant species in the rain forests are plants, animals and insects. Location According to Newman (The Tropical rainforest), tropical rain forests are found on the earth’s surface between the tropic of cancer in the North and the tropical of cancer in the south around 23.5 degrees north and south of the equator. Areas around the equator receive a constant amount of sunlight and rainfall which favours the growth of rainforest. Tropical rain forests are mainly found in central and South America, South East Asia and is lands near it and in West Africa. The largest tropical rainforest across the globe is the Amazon rainforest. Climate According to Terashima (52), ecosystem is usually very wet with the total rainfall between 1500 and 2500 mm per year. Most of the rains stays on the rain forest, evaporates, cools to form clouds and fall again. The rainforest soils are infertile since the nutrients are washed away by the rains. There are usually no dry seasons and the day temperatures are around 30-35 Degree Celsius (Terborgh, The midday sun is always near the vertical and is overhead twice a year at the equinoxes. This means there is more direct sunlight hitting the ground and the sea and much water evaporates into the air (Newman, 2002). At night the temperatures range between 20-25 degrees Celsius. Little difference exists between the warmest and coolest months. Tropical rainforests have a high humidity and the type of climate is known as the equatorial climate. Tropical rainforest climate is found at latitudes within five degrees North and South of the equator. The high humidity is due to the warm sunlight, rainfall and the tree canopies which help retain the moisture. Major interactions Among the Organisms that live in the Tropical rain forests Competition According to University of Michigan (The Tropical Rainforest) there is a wide diversity of animals in the tropical rain forests. The tropical birds such as Costa Rica, parrots, macaws and hornbills eat fruits, nuts insects, seeds and nectar. Monkeys such as gorilla and the Lar gibbon feed on leaves, fruits, leaves and bark while the orang-utan and spider monkey feed on leaves fruits, nuts, seeds and insects. Also in Whitemore (195), spiders which live on the canopies eat fruits and leaves hence competing with the birds and some mammal for food in the ecosystem. Both the birds, monkeys and spiders compete for the same food in the ecosystem. Predation The bats also prey on frogs which also prey on insects. Jaguar feeds on r odents and frogs the bats and the jaguar are the predators whereas the frogs and other rodents are the prey. Snakes which are also predators feed on other rodents (Terborgh, 121). Predators use poison, camouflage and strength to kill their prey. Man is another predator whose prey is edible animals and plants. Men use the animals and plant

Life in Discovery Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Life in Discovery - Research Proposal Example Rosalind Franklin truly lived a "Life in Discovery;" that is to say that Franklin lived her life to the fullest, with the intent of shaping a better future for all, and with little concern for her personal needs or interests. Money and fame were not her motivation; rather, she is known today "for her dedication and commitment to science and is clearly a role model for students, researchers, faculty and all aspiring scientists throughout the world" (Rosalind Franklin University, 1). Essentially, Franklin worked solely to discovery new things and hoped her discoveries could make a positive impact on the world or lead to great advances in science. I believe this is an important thought that should remain on the minds of all scientists, whichever field they choose to enter. Money appears to be an important motivation factor in much of today's world; however, to live and work under the "Life in Discovery" philosophy would mean to work for a larger purpose than money alone. Living a "Life in Discovery" would entail the embodiment of those things that Rosalind Franklin is most known for today: "dedication, hard work, intelligence and courage" (Rosalind Franklin University 1). Although this philosophy could be taken into consideration with any professional field, I believe this philosophy to be most important within the field of science.

The Case of Egyptian Metal Industries (Metalco) Study

The of Egyptian Metal Industries (Metalco) - Case Study Example By employing the traditional costing method, Metalco uses only â€Å"direct labor-hours† (Information Resources Management Information, 2013, p.1432) which shows very little relationship with the accumulation of the â€Å"factory overhead costs† (Information Resources Management Information, 2013, p.1432). This results in distortion of product price and also decreases the inducements for the managers in their way of managing the product costs. It has been found that both the methods are providing different results because the volume-based method of costing uses only cost of direct labor and the method of activity-based costing (ABC) make use of various cost drivers for each activity. There is difference in the way of computing per unit cost of factory overhead under both the methods. The method of traditional costing takes only â€Å"direct labor-hours† (See Appendix 1), while ABC method activity cost driver into consideration to compute the unit overhead cost (S ee Appendix 2). The result from the traditional method shows that product COM is more profitable as compared to RES (See Appendix 3). Whereas, the result form the ABC method reflects that product RES is more profitable then COM (See Appendix 4). Therefore, it has been observed that traditional method does not provide accurate result, whereas, ABC method gives more specific result. It has been analyzed that traditional method of costing does not provide accurate result because it does not utilize activity cost drivers for analyzing the per unit overhead cost. The result which has been obtained from both the methods are different form one another. Traditional method shows that product COM is better than RES, while the ABC method provides opposite result. Metalco shifted its preference from traditional method to ABC method because it gives more accurate analysis of the product cost. The ABC method determines each activity related to producing the item as

Poverty and Income Inequality in South Korea Essay Example for Free

Poverty and Income Inequality in South Korea Essay South Korea is counted among the world’s leading economies alongside giants such as United States and Germany (Wiseman Nishiwaki, 2006). Before the financial crisis hit Asia in 1997, South Korea was among the fastest growing economies of the world with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate exceeding 5 percent (Kakwani, Khandker, Son). Kwack Lee (2007) report that income inequality had been reduced across the country before the financial crisis. Moreover, between the years 1965 and 2005, income inequality had not significantly increased. All the same, between the years 1998 and 2005, South Korea experienced a rise in income inequality seeing that the Asian financial crisis was massive in its scope (Kwack Lee, p. 20). Also, between the years 1990 and 1997, the percentage of South Korean people classified as poor had steadily decreased from 39. 6 percent to 8. 6 percent (Kakwani, Khandker, Son). South Korea was coming to be known as an â€Å"economy with relatively equal distribution of income and with full employment† (Kakwani, Khandker, Son). But, the Asian financial crisis naturally increased the number of poor people in the country. In fact, the percentage of poor increased to 19 percent in 1998; it was 13. 4 percent a year later (Kakwani, Khandker, Son). According to a study conducted by Kakwani, Khandker, Son, the poor of South Korea were disproportionately affected by the Asian financial crisis of 1997. Even though the South Korean economy started to grow again immediately after the crisis, the benefits of growth did not reach the poor as they did the rich. Then again, the government of South Korea introduced new welfare programs for the very poor during that time. The poor people of the country did not benefit from these programs, however. It was only the very poor that were positively impacted (Kakwani, Khandker, Son). What is more, contrary to the interpretation of income inequality statistics as presented by Kwack Lee, the International Monetary Fund has expressed great concern over this problem in South Korea during the present era of globalization (â€Å"Widening Inequality: IMF Acknowledges Downsides of Globalization,† 2007). A report published in Korea Times in October 2007 reads: †¦Many South Koreans believe the nation has no other choice but to pursue the international trend in a bid to survive fiercer competition with other countries. Policymakers are trying to open the local market wider to foreign products, while promoting sales of Korea, Inc. , under the spirit of freer trade. They go all-out to attract foreign investment by setting up free economic zones and international business towns. Businesses are also expanding their overseas networks for production, sales and investment under the motto of globalization. †¦In this regard, a recent IMF report caught the attention of economic policymakers, company executives, citizens and anti-globalization activists. Last week, the international body published its semiannual economic review, the World Economic Outlook, before the IMF and the World Bank meeting scheduled for Oct. 20-21. The IMF said in the report that technology and foreign investment are making income inequality worse around the world. The review tries to figure out why income inequality has widened in both rich and poor countries in the past two decades. It is the first time that the IMF has come up with such a report admitting to the negative effects of globalization. Over the past two decades, income inequality has risen in most regions and countries,’’ the report said. We can learn much from the report. We have to admit that South Korea has experienced widening income inequality, especially following the Asian financial woes. The income brackets have already been divided into 20 percent rich and 80 percent poor. That is the nation’s middle class has crumbled because the gap between the rich and poor widened. The 20-80 ratio is on the verge of moving to a 10-90 ratio, further worsening the income gap. In addition, businesses have exploited non-regular workers and migrant laborers from foreign countries who suffer from low wages, poor working conditions and other discrimination. A law protecting non-regular workers took effect in July, but little progress has been made to guarantee their equal rights. Policymakers will have to take bolder measures to narrow income inequality and tackle other negative effects of globalization. (â€Å"Widening Inequality: IMF Acknowledges Downsides of Globalization†) It is oft stated that globalization is accompanied by a widening gap between the haves and have-nots of the world. When a Korean farmer suddenly appeared during a meeting of World Trade Organization and committed suicide, the problems facing the global political economy were highlighted – that, in fact, the interests of the poor must be heeded, better than before. The farmer was wearing a shirt that read, â€Å"WTO KILLS FARMERS† (Cho, 2008, pp. x). After all, it is not uncommon for experts and non-experts alike to claim that the World Trade Organization does not represent the interests of the rich and the poor equally. Nevertheless, there is a limit to how much the World Trade Organization can do for the poorest people of the world. It is, in fact, for the government of South Korea to bear greater responsibility for poor Koreans. According to another news report published in South Korea in the year 2007, The wage disparity of the lower 10 percent of earners versus upper 10 percent rose to a factor of 5. 4 in 2006 from 4. 8 in 2001, meaning that wages for the top decile of earners were nearly five-and-a-half times greater than those of the lowest decile of earners†¦ (â€Å"A Look at South Korean Society, 20 Years after Democracy,† 2007) It is for the South Korean government not only to improve income distribution in the country but also to implement policies to end abuse as well as discrimination of the poorest workers. Individual income in South Korea rose fivefold between the years 1987 and 2007. But, South Korea has not made progress to end income inequality. The Gini coefficient is typically the statistical measure of choice to assess income distribution. A Gini coefficient of zero indicates perfectly equal income distribution, while a coefficient of 1 indicates perfectly inequality. In 1987, the year that South Korea became a democratic country, its Gini coefficient was 0. 31. By the year 1997, South Korea’s Gini coefficient had been reduced to 0. 28 as the country had made strides in reducing the gap between the haves and the have-nots. But then the Asian financial crisis ensued. By 2006, South Korea’s Gini coefficient was back to 0. 31. Although the size of the economy had grown from $500 billion to $800 billion, income distribution had been reduced between 1997 and 2006. Unsurprisingly, the poorest people of South Korea are confronting discrimination and abuse. After all, the rich are getting richer at the expense of the poor. As a matter of fact, exploitation of labor is reality in South Korea (â€Å"A Look at South Korean Society, 20 Years after Democracy†). Robert J. Barro, a professor of economics at Harvard University, explains that living standards across South Korea were raised with its dramatic rise in GDP. As examples, the infant mortality rate fell from 8 percent to 0. 8 percent and life expectancy rose from 54 years to 73 years. Additionally, income distribution in South Korea has been more equitable as compared to the United States and Japan. When individual income rose in South Korea, low-income groups were beneficiaries, too, and poverty was reduced (Barro, 2003). Then again, as we have already discussed, the Gini coefficient of South Korea in 2006 was the same as in 1987. This reveals that although the poor people of South Korea have higher wages now than before, the gap between the haves and the have-nots has not been narrowed. So, Professor Barro suggests that South Korea must work on improving its education system. If the poor people of South Korea have access to good quality education, it would be easier to improve income distribution. Moreover, the country needs to enhance corporate governance (Barro). These changes are sure to enhance working conditions and living standards of poor workers. Then again, South Korea may not be able to support half of its â€Å"elderly households† living â€Å"in a state of ‘relative poverty’† with these improvements (â€Å"Korea Highest in Elderly Poverty,† 2008). In fact, the income of these households is lower than 50 percent of average household income in the country. Although South Korea has a pension scheme for the elderly, the percentage of the poor that may benefit from the scheme is small. Because the traditions of South Korea demanded of children to take care of their parents upon reaching adulthood, the country does not have a developed social insurance system for the elderly. What is more, South Korea is aging fast. At least 7 percent of its poor are over 65 today (â€Å"Korea Highest in Elderly Poverty,† 2008). At the same time as social welfare programs remained underdeveloped, South Korea generated 3100 more people owning at least U. S. $1 million worth liquid assets between the years 2000 and 2001 (â€Å"Asian Millionaires: A Tough Bunch,† 2002). According to Australian Banking Finance, among the reasons for this rapid production of millionaires is increasing income inequality (â€Å"Asian Millionaires: A Tough Bunch,† 2002). To put it another way, corporate leaders are raising their organizational revenues, thanks in part to globalization, even as the poorest workers of their organizations continue to be paid low wages. In the year 2007, South Korea experienced the widest gap between the haves and the have-nots since the Asian financial crisis. In fact, the annual income of 20 percent of South Koreans earning the highest incomes was 5. 44 times greater than the annual income of the 20 percent that earned the lowest incomes. In 2006, the rich were earning 5. 38 times more than those that earn the least (â€Å"Income Gap at its Widest Point since 1999 Financial Crisis,† 2008). Analyzing the statistics, The Hankyoreh reports that income and wage gaps between 20 percent of the highest earners and 20 percent of the lowest earners had actually widened by 7. 9 percent and 11. 7 percent respectively between the years 2002 and 2007. What is more, statistics on income distribution in South Korea reveal that the richest people of the nation are earning more than the people of developed countries, while the poorest South Korean households have incomes that are equivalent to those of households in less developed countries. Even the World Bank has confirmed that poor South Koreans have the same living standards as those of the citizens of El Salvador or Gabon. Rich South Koreans, on the contrary, have the same living standards as New Zealanders and Australians (â€Å"Income Gap at its Widest Point since 1999 Financial Crisis†). Professor Barro’s analysis of income disparity in South Korea must be considered incomplete for the reason that there is no â€Å"decline in the burden of consumption on low-income households† (â€Å"Income Gap at its Widest Point since 1999 Financial Crisis†). These households pay their cellular phone and Internet bills with twice as much of their incomes as do rich households. Despite the fact that wages have increased – according to Barro – income disparity continues to widen. Son Tae-jeong, one of the researchers at the LG Economic Research Institute in South Korea, stated that salaries increased between the years 2006 and 2007 to boot. However, the poorest workers do not seem to have availed the benefits of the rise in salaries across the country (â€Å"Income Gap at its Widest Point since 1999 Financial Crisis†). South Korea has introduced necessary legislations to strengthen its social welfare programs. There are social security schemes which are insurance based and applicable only to certain occupational groups. These schemes cover pensions and healthcare among other things. The government of South Korea also offers subsidies for housing on a limited basis. But, most social security programs in the country only offer benefits related to earnings. Furthermore, these social security schemes are structured in a way that limits income redistribution from high-income to low-income groups (â€Å"Social Welfare in East Asia: Low Public Spending but Low Income Inequality,† 2008). Even though there are organizations across the country that continue to retain their unproductive workers, there is no way for them to cure the plague of poverty afflicting the elderly poor of South Korea (â€Å"Social Welfare in East Asia: Low Public Spending but Low Income Inequality†). The poor elderly South Koreans cannot be financially supported by their grown up kids because even though labor productivity and GDP have risen together, real wages have lagged behind (Chung, 2007, p. 228). Poor workers have low standards of living in any case, seeing that corporate leaders must focus on raising their own living standards even if they offer support to unproductive workers. Of course, as Barro has stated, education and corporate governance may work wonders in eradicating the problem of poverty facing the worker and his or her elderly parents in South Korea. Uneducated people usually have low living standards (Savada Shaw, 1990). Moreover, in the workplaces of South Korea, these people are â€Å"treated with open contempt by university graduate managers† (Savada Shaw). Increasing numbers of South Korean workers have migrated from agricultural farms to industrial establishments in recent years. Nevertheless, poverty has not been eradicated (Savada Shaw). Rather, the differences between the haves and the have-nots have remained. The Asian financial crisis had negatively impacted both the rich and the poor of South Korea. But, as mentioned before, the poor were disproportionately affected. Poor South Koreans had to reduce their spending by 9. 8 percent in the year 1998. The rich only reduced their spending by 0. 6 percent. Additionally, as soon as the Korean economy was back on its growth track, the rich are known to have greatly increased their spending. In point of fact, the consumption of luxury goods rose to the extent that sales of golf equipment were increased by 357. 6 percent between 1998 and 1999 (Yim, p. 32). The poor South Koreans, on the other hand, were left to their living standards resembling those of people in underdeveloped countries. Of a certainty, the government of South Korea must be formulating and implementing the kinds of policies required to resolve these structural economic issues once and for all. The country possesses the capacity to grow beyond expectations. But, at the same time, income inequality and poverty create such a burden that a South Korean farmer came to commit suicide at a meeting of the World Trade Organization. The rich capitalists of South Korea pay low wages to workers who go on increasing their productivity nevertheless. Furthermore, poor, uneducated workers are abused and exploited in the South Korean workplace. By instituting good corporate governance programs, the government of South Korea may very well correct this problem. After all, it is because of the poor workers’ motivation to increase productivity that has made South Korea one of the most important economies in the world today. The country would not be able to sustain its economic position if it fails to heed its workers’ needs. References A Look at South Korean Society, 20 Years after Democracy. (2007, Jun 8). The Hankyoreh. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://www. hani. co. kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/214664. html. Asian Millionaires: A Tough Bunch. (2002, Oct 15). Australian Banking Finance. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_hb4849/is_18_11/ai_n28954879. Barrow, R. J. (2003, Jun 9). South Korea: How to Keep the Miracle Going. Business Week. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://www. businessweek. com/magazine/content/03_23/b3836031_mz007. htm. Cho, Y. (2008, Oct 10). Participatory Democracy in the Global Public Sphere: Scale, Media Events, and the Body. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, Sheraton New York, New York City, NY Online. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://www. allacademic. com/one/www/www/index. php? cmd=www_searchoffset=0limit=5multi_search_search_mode=publicationmulti_search_publication_fulltext_mod=fulltexttextfield_submit=truesearch_module=multi_searchsearch=Searchsearch_field=title_idxfulltext_search=Participatory+Democracy+in+the+Global+Public+Sphere%3A+Scale%2C+Media+Events%2C+and+the+Body. Chung, Y. (2007). South Korea in the Fast Lane: Economic Development and Capital Formation. New York: Oxford University Press. Income Gap at its Widest Point since 1999 Financial Crisis. (2008, Feb 15). The Hankyoreh. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://english. hani. co. kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/269809. html. Kakwani, N. , Khandker, S. , Son, H. H. Poverty Equivalent Growth Rate: With Applications to Korea and Thailand. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://siteresources. worldbank. org/INTPGI/Resources/13984_Hyun_Sons_paper_pro-poor-final. doc. Korea Highest in Elderly Poverty. (2008, Nov 8). The Korea Times. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://www. koreatimes. co. kr/www/news/nation/2008/11/113_34066. html. Kwack, S. Y. , Lee, Y. S. (2007, Dec 31). Income Distribution in Korea in Historical and International Prospects. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://www. kdi. re. kr/kdi/report/report_read05. jsp? 1=1pub_no=10341. Savada, A. M. , Shaw, W. , eds. (1990). Social Classes in Contemporary Society. In South Korea: A Country Study. Washington: GPO Library of Congress. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://countrystudies. us:80/south-korea/. Social Welfare in East Asia: Low Public Spending but Low Income Inequality. (2008, Jul). Center for Analysis of Social Exclusion. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://sticerd. lse. ac.uk/dps/case/cb/CASEbrief7. pdf. Widening Inequality: IMF Acknowledges Downsides of Globalization. (2007, Oct 19). The Korea Times. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://www. bilaterals. org/article. php3? id_article=10033. Wiseman, P. , Nishiwaki, N. (2006, Jul 23). Income Inequality Shrinks Japan’s Middle Class. USA Today. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://www. usatoday. com/money/world/2006-07-23-japan-usat_x. htm. Yim, S. Geographical Features of Social Polarization in Seoul, South Korea. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://www. lit. osaka-cu. ac. jp/geo/pdf/frombelow/0308_frombelow_yim. pdf.

Cross Cultural Marriage Essay

Cross Cultural Marriage Essay The world is an interesting and a diverse place to live in. An Intercultural Marriage is a union of two people involving numerous cultures and backgrounds. When two various cultures combine together, there may be significant challenges they have to face. Each race ensures there own culture. A culture may differ from one to another due socially transmitted behaviour patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought. Culture is a system of shared beliefs and values and is constantly evolving and changing around the world. The presence of intercultural marriages and intimacy is clear and expanding in societies throughout the Culture may consist of shared language, religion, or ethnicity. America is one of the greatest multicultural and multiracial societies in the world at the moment. Nevertheless, this may come across as a shock to most people but as lately as 1966, 17 states in the United States actually had laws against the interracial marriage a nd all of the states regulated marriage between whites and other races in the country. Discriminations against miscegenation are usual nowadays. Despite the significant number of intercultural marriages in the U.S today, mere empirical research has been done to determine the nature of these marriages (Ngye Snyder, 2000) and marital satisfaction. Communication style and interpersonal relationships are fundamental aspects of culture and can vary dramatically from one culture to another. There may be language and communication barriers. It is noteworthy to remember that everyone on this earth has culture, not just those clusters that are considered civilized. The majority of culture is unseen, below the surface. For example, when a Russian man marries an Italian it is not only the differences in native language (Russian vs. Italian) and religion (Eastern Orthodox vs. Roman Catholic) but also a host of cultural differences associated with such factors as expression of emotion, conflict expression and management, the role of the of family of origin in raising children (Sullivan Cottone, 2007). The beliefs and values that lie beneath the surface can be the most difficult to change when it is necessary. (Progressive Scholar, 2010) Interracial marriages are not always intercultural marriages, as in some countries, for example, in t he United States, people of different races can share the same cultural background. (Source Wikipedia, Last access 17th August) it is easy to comprehend why it is difficult to let go of a tradition or expectation. It isnt easy to deal with the legacy that weve all grown up within our ethnic, religious and socio-economic backgrounds. Though it seems to be a very romantic love story, in the beginning, the truth is, it can be very challenging and frustrating in real life. And it is simply not about being racist, marriage has a deeper meaning to it, which dwells in understanding it, is possible to have extremely strong and natural negative feelings surrounding an interracial relationship or a marriage even though youre not considered as racist. Legal or not illegal the question is should interracial marriages be encouraged? The union between two different cultures altogether will give space to different experiences and opportunities in life, but most difficulties in the marriage life where it is concerned. Adoptions to a different culture altogether maybe not turn out to be an easy task. Individually ethnic and cultural variances put pressure on the marriage itself. With two diverse cultures, a family often has struggled with understanding the differences between the families. Most of the time, such differences are not even recognized and unexplained. At this position an even larger problem with intercultural marriages. It is easy to look at why it is difficult to let go of a tradition or expectation. It isnt easy to deal with the legacy that weve all grown up within our ethnic, religious and socio-economic backgrounds. Numerous cultures will consume different marriage laws, customs and also parental disagreements which will lead to disputes. There will be lower material satisfaction, higher divorce rates due to logistics. Language barriers, different traditions and societys disapproval of these factors will lead to higher failure of the marriage. Hence, a union between two cultures should not be encouraged due to the factors mentioned above. The report will consist of three major factors which are mainly focused on miss- contribution towards an inter-cultural marriage. Initially how the marriage is affected by the cultural shock, diverse of marriage laws which can lead into disagreements plus adaptation to various cultures and environmental factors. Secondly, the societys points of view, Spouse facing discrimination due to colour and differences, if he/she is beyond the racial divide. The last point will conclude of dissipation of culture. The report contains information based on various countries and issues with diverse cultures marriages. 2.1 ADAPTATION TO A DIFFERENT CULTURE The main intention of getting married is to emotionally, spiritually and physically unite men and women together, as husband and wife, it is a commitment made in the presence of God, and is valid until death. Intercultural marriages are often influenced by external factors that can create a confrontation and disagreement in relationships. Different cultures endure vastly diverse moral, ethical and value foundations that influence their perceptions of individual, family and societal lifestyle. When these fundamentals are operating alongside the foundation of different cultural roots, as in intercultural marriages, problems and disagreement oftentimes occur. It takes an effort to combine two cultures successfully, and a willing attitude to learn from both partners. The first argument against intercultural marriages is the cultural shock (adaptation to a new culture). When considering an intercultural marriage either one of the partners have to get introduced to a new culture. Ideally, both have to get used to each others cultures and laws to survive the marriage and this will create a lot of problems in the process. For an example A non-Muslim marrying a Muslim will have to obey to certain laws in Islam; Islam forbids marriage between Muslim women and non-Muslim men. Therefore, any partner will have to convert and obey Islamic rules (sound vision, 2010). In the case of Muslim men marrying Jewish and Christian women, the situation is different. While Islam does allow this, Muslim men marrying Jews and Christians need to remember that living in the West, if they end up divorcing, the children will almost automatically be given to the mother. The converting process from one religion to another and adapting to new laws will create massive problems that will even end the marriage. Additional wrinkle in U.S. Muslim family law practices stems from the structure of authority in Islamic jurisprudence since there has never been an official church certifying individuals to speak on behalf of the religion, the field is open for any dedicated Muslim to seek to act as imam and lead a community (Quarishi Syed- Miller, 2001) therefore, non-Muslims have a very rare chance of winning and surviving in the marriage due to different laws in different cultural laws. Moving on, Intercultural marriages have contrasting differences between traditions and cultures. Although a few studies have looked into this aspect, cultural differences also stimulate marital conflicts, particularly in intercultural marriages. In fact, the quantitative study of Takano (2002), pointed out that 19% of the marital discords in interethnic couples involved in his study are attributed to cultural differences.). Couples that enter a cross-cultural marriage bring into their relationship vastly diverse assumptions and expectations about marriage and family life. Many of these assumptions flow out of the values, unspoken rules and belief systems that permeate their primary cultures. These unspoken values have become so much a part of their lives that they are almost hidden from view. For an example, the way of celebrating Christmas is different in Germany rather than America (J). In fact, many of these cultural differences do not surface until after the couple is married. However, New experiences and new culture altogether may interest an adventurous spouse as its a unique once in a lifetime experience and the difficulties greatly depend on how religious and culturally bond the families are. Not all think out of the box, New strange land, parents and language may cause distress at the beginning of the marriage life. One spouse will live in the country of origin and the other will be a stranger in a strange land the pleasantness maybe fall apart after sometime when trying to fit into a different family, culture. Marriage and customs differ from one country and another culture.For example, Indian marriage customs are varying from marriage customs of Chinese traditions. In Japan the Japanese bride to be painted pure white from head to toe, visibly declaring her maiden status to the gods. There are two choices of headgear exist. One which is, the watabÃ…Â shi, is a white hood, the other is called the tsunokakushi, serves to hide the brides horns of jealousy. It also symbolizes the brides intention to become a gentle and obedient wife. During the period of the traditional wedding days, there would be a tilak ceremony (where the groom is anointed on his forehead), a cerem ony for adorning the brides hand then cover the feet with henna (called mehendi) accompanied by Ladies Sangeet (music and dance) and many other pre-wedding ceremonies. Hence, marriage traditions, customs and beliefs may clash due to the above points mentioned so far. Religion runs deeper since they practice their faith and it is a part of their cultural identity that they want to hang on to. The accurate, customs and special days associated with the religion remain significant to them. The regarding the worship of the children will matter some religions deny the validity of all others and insist on conversions or demand that the children should be brought up in that religion. A couple might face difficulty in deciding on this above point and the spouse form the other religion may feel inferior and down. For example, Orthodox Judaism teaches that the family must repudiate (sit shivah for) a child who marries a non-Jew: Islam demands obedience to Gods law only as revealed by Muhammad, and also requires that a Muslim marry a fellow Muslim. The Catholic churches until recent years insisted that a non-Catholic partner sign a prenuptial agreement to raise any Catholic children. Particular Christian sects preach that all outsiders are damned to eternal fire and prohibit any marriage to people of different faith. At this specific point, the problem may occur with the faith plays a major role in decision making this is if the partner is intensely religious. As they approach each others separate territory, there is a new language, new customs and a new standard of normal to be learned. While culture a certain behaviour might be accepted, here it might cause native offence. This sought of marriage is similar to a foreign alliance, with two separate people coming together and discovering the heritage and history of the other. 2.1 Disapproval from parents and rejection from society No man is different from the other; every human being is created equal. Some optimists believe its the mind of one that creates all the boundaries. But over the time when people get used to one way of living, it is likely that they maintain the trend, generation after generation, this is where culture plays a role. Once you are used to that play it is very hard to get rid of it or adopt a different style of living. Culture is a total of the inherited ideas, beliefs, values, and knowledge, which constitute the shared bases of social action (Collins Dictionary). So as these practices are a significant and unique part of a group of people at a particular period, they are no longer equal anymore, one would be different from the other from the thoughts and beliefs. Intercultural marriages go beyond the racial divide, Which will lead to discrimination by people around them and which may make it uncomfortable to family and parents Interfaith, intercultural and interracial marriages are subj ect to special stresses and strains beyond those experienced in most marriages. Issues are apparent from early in the relationship. Differences often emerge during wedding planning, and these can involve the expectations of partners families of origin about the wedding ceremony, etc. Child rearing can also bring religious, cultural and/or racial issues to the surface as decisions about religious practices and education are confronted for the first time. (Patricia S. Gregory A., 2003) Disapproval from parents for a cross-cultural marriage is customary. Parents should play a major role in their childrens marriage set up. As a matter of fact, the parents fear to risk the life of their unmarried children who might face discrimination from the partners family members. There may also be communication problems if they speak different languages. And It is typical of parents to want their children to find a spouse from there own religion and culture, just to make life easier, and this a better place to live. There are situations where they decide to migrate to the spouses country, which Is living far away from there own family. The parents of an interracial couple usually feel that they have been lowered by their children. A cross-cultural communication in a marriage should respect differences. In marriage you just dont marry another you interconnect with another family as a whole.Intercultural marriages can also include people from different races getting together, a sit uation where there are much more complicated issues when it comes to marriage. (the cultural difference is greater). On the contrary, there is intercultural marriages present within the country like in India, The culture of India is an amalgamation of these diverse sub-cultures spread all over the Indian subcontinent and traditions that are several millennia old.Religiously, Hindus form the majority, followed by Muslims The Republic of Indias state boundaries are largely drawn based on linguistic groups; this decision led to the preservation and continuation of local ethnolinguistic cultures. Thus, states differ from one another in language, culture, cuisine, clothing, literary style, architecture, music (Wikipedia) Another problem is that many of the couples have to encounter is societal disapproval. We have to cope up with our society in spite of our own opinion. The society, on the other hand, considers intercultural marriages as straying from traditional values. A Society is an organization of people who share a common cultural and social background. (Oak, 2007) The consequences of marriage affect every aspect of society. It occupies the most intimate aspect of personal privacy and personal love and reaches the pillars of the sacred institutions of a culture. Marriage is the pillar of society, but it is also the pillar of government, business, and the military. (Wood, 2010) There are mere open-minded people who would give all the support they can, there will always be others who would make the couple feel unwelcome. The most abusive treatment would come from other children. During courtship, many of the racial differences might have overlooked, but after marriage, the couple might find t dif ficult to make adjustment as each group practices a different way of life. Another discouraging occurs when the couples try to participate in social organizations. Although societys disapproval will not affect the couple as seriously as parental disapproval, it is still an issue that cannot be ignored. (http://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/25504.html). Sure as it is multicultural marriage requires a lot of sacrifices. We have to cope up with our society in spite of our own opinion. The society, on the other hand, considers intercultural marriages as straying from traditional values. A Society is an organization of people who share a common cultural and social background. (Oak, 2007) The consequences of marriage affect every aspect of society. It occupies the most intimate aspect of personal privacy and personal love and reaches the pillars of the sacred institutions of a culture. Marriage is the pillar of society, but it is also the pillar of government, business, and the military. (Wood, 2010). In this global world nowadays people are becoming accepting more than they used to, and less ignorant. In the eyes of the person who is getting married this may no longer matter as love has no boundaries. It really does not. Maybe our soul mate is from a different country and religion altogether. Marriage is a union of two who are in love. The relationship depends on the person in them. Care and trust are more important than what the persons religious or cultural background is. There will also be less discrimination amongst races. Nevertheless, There comes a point where it really does matter, because a marriage needs to be maintained throughout with commitment and understanding, it is a bond that is virtually irrevocable. In order to be more comprehensive, it is excelling if they have a grip on what it is, even better having practised the same. Parents agreement for a marriage would be very important and as it is a blessing from them indeed in the years ahead, many face this problem, because parents do not think like the present generation does. Also the society holds the view that a marriage is the stability provided by a life-long promise of remaining together which makes marriage the institution most suited to rearing and socializing the next generation of members, a necessary task if the societys norms, values, and goals are to be maintained and if the society itself is to be is to be immortalized (M White, 1995). Each culture has its own way of communicating, arguing, eating, sharing, and showing affectio n. Most cultures remain intact by passing along their nuances, habits, and sayings for hundreds of years, with only slight variations occurring within each generation. (Henshaw, n.d) 2.3 Culture dissipation There are numerous cultures available throughout the world. People around the globe are similar in their essential humanity: we communicate with each other, we sustain ourselves with food, and when we sleep we often dream. Yet we speak different languages, eat different foods, and dream different dreams. These are what we call the cultural differences. (Jervis. N, 2006). Let not scores of men/women abandon their culture and disappoint there parents and family in any way. All religions that accept or desire converts have had to adapt themselves to the cultures where they spread or they would not have been accepted. (Jervis. N, 2006) In the new era, as intercultural marriages are present, dissipation of culture is on the increase. As people migrate, get married to people of different culture and religion, there will be less who maintains the traditions ethics and values that they are nurtured with. These differences like religion, ethics etc. affects the spiritual stability of the marr iage in an unforeseen manner. Why is culture so important? In a society, groups of people are interactive and interpersonal. In order to understand the groups to which one belongs, it is important to recognize the various cultures or habits and traditions within each group. It makes for a better understanding between diverse groups. (yahoo-ask answers) Lets get this through, cultures are constantly changing. The attitudes, values, goals the practices that characterize each society. Technological innovation and contact with other cultures may cause these to change dramatically. An intercultural marriage is one of the causes for cultures to go extinct. And it promotes cultural discontinuity. Cultures do changes, they are never static. The responsibility of us to maintain it .also some convert from one religion to another after an intercultural marriage due to the influence of the new environment this may not always be good. After the marriage the spouse most probably the female might not experience the same traditions and ethics in the new family. There will be no one to maintain its cultures are connected to language and traditions and religions.cultural continuity is important, continuity requires that a culture stays the same thats impossible just that certain central aspects of a culture, such as particular beliefs or traditions, remain (gorigirl, 2009) On the other hand, some people believe an intercultural marriage does bring about many cultures together and ensures freedom, unity in the society and traditions should be revisited because if not women nowadays will be locked up in kitchens like in the 16th century. Cultural diffusion is good. Less racial discrimination because no one is neglecting anyone due to cultural barriers. It will also help over racists minds of few. No boundaries for love will make life easy for couples from different cultures We will always love our traditions and respect it as a part of us and would love to even teach our kids the same way. But with intercultural marriages sacrifices have to be made. Intercultural marriage is a perfect example of the creative destruction that, when successful, leads to both great innovation and happy, meaningful lives. Every marriage consists of the creation of a new family culture -but with intercultural marriages, each individual is bringing a completely distinct culture and set of traditions to the table to be combined. (gorigirl, 2009) Misbelieving in cultures will give a person no direction and sense of identity and uniqueness; people will become less traditional, religious because of the influence of many cultures and will also lead to language death. Part of our culture is language and it affects the cultural identity of the tribes or ethnic groups. They will not stick to one culture and would adjust according to there ideas as the culture is destroyed (mixed) and ignored by them. People would be less civilized after some generation as they are not nurtured according to one way of living, they will easily adapt to any change which maybe gives them no identity. 3.0 Conclusion Diversity and unity amongst people are the best, But this world is not perfect. A relationship is hard to maintain. Especially an intercultural or interracial marriage as they have to face new challenges every day, there are many hurdles they should overcome. Family and society perceptions matters. Unity is a good thing and discrimination should be lessened but miscegenation is always not the solution to reduce or top discrimination, it should come within our selves and not with due to the respect of a relationship as if it is so, it might fade after sometime when the spark of the love is faded. Many difficulties should be overcome by a success of an intercultural marriage like maintain a family. The shared beliefs and values of people should not leave them after some time, it should always in them, an intercultural marriage is affected by the cultural shock, diverse of marriage laws which can lead into disagreements plus adaptation to various cultures and environmental factors. Lang uage barriers and different traditions they are nurtured by people. Spouse facing discrimination due to colour and differences, if he/she is beyond the racial divide and dissipation of cultures occur. Sometimes the differences of each other may be too hard to handle over time also let not let go of our religion and beliefs and values due to a marriage, as our future generations need a proper culture to adapt to and to be brought up properly. Let not our own traditions breakdown. 6.0 Recommendations As intercultural marriages are faced with many barriers, due to family issues and adaptation to the culture. A marriage is not easy to maintain and its more challenging as its an intercultural marriage.As in this modern era people should be more accepting and diverse. Parents should be more attentive about the unmarried childrens desires, think more out of the box and support them throughout regardless of the cultural barriers. They should focus more on the person and the character and not judge them by the race or religion that person belongs to. Pre-marriage counseling would help to smoothen the beginning of the marriage, due to the differences Avoiding conversions to other and have faith in what they always believed in and not to change because of a marriage. Parents should always give there blessings to a marriage no matter how much they like it or not, because it does affect the couple emotionally and psychologically The society should be more accepting to differences They couple should get together and spend more time each of their familys and the places they were bought up , for the spouse to feel comfortable and less strange in adopt to changes Family and relatives should always help and support the couple throughout because its a tough challenge they have to face. Extra attention should be given to the differences and weak points of the couple so they can work on it before things go out of hand.as it is very much possible due to the differences in each other For traditions and cultures to be continued till today people should be more rational and moral. Supplementary research can be done on areas like impact on: Family life, Impact on children, nature of intercultural marriages. As these areas are not covered in the above repot, these will help expand the topic into further branches Recommended areas to research on: Advantages of intercultural and marriages in the new era. Bibiloigraphy Ballard., (2006), The International YWAMer magazine , 6th of january 2006, issue june 2006. Berry, F (1992). Langston huges, before and beyong harlem .USA: Carol PuB.Co.Group.P56-75 Donovan, S Corbin, J (2007), Intermarriages, 5th october 2007, viewed on 16th of july 2010, Available :http://www.jstor.org Deborah T, You Just Dont Understand: Women and Men in Conversation (New York: Ballantine Books, 1990), pp. 188-215 Gorilgirl, ( 2009), Broken Traditions? Intercultural Marriage and Cultural Continuity, 13th of july 2009, Available: http://gorigirl.com/broken-traditions-intercultural-marriage-and-cultural-continuity.Last accessed on 16th of july 2010 Myers; Jane, E.(2005) , Marriage satisfaction and wellness in India and the United States, 22nd of March 2005, Available: http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-133015418/marriage-satisfaction-and-wellness.html.HYPERLINK http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-133015418/marriage-satisfaction-and-wellness.html.LastLast accessed on 22nd of September 2010. Nancy J, ( Ph.D).(2006) What is a culture, (N.d)Available : http://www.p12.nysed.gov//ciai/socst/grade3/whatisa.html.HYPERLINK http://www.p12.nysed.gov//ciai/socst/grade3/whatisa.html.LastLast accessed on 19th of September 2010. Romano, D(2006), Intercultural marriage, prmoses and pitfalls, 8th january 2006, Available: http://www.amazon.com/Intercultural-Marriage-Promises-Dugan-Romano/dp/187786451X. Last accessed on 26th of july 2010 Tiergert, V. Difficulties faced by intercultural relationships (2008)Availble : http://www.helium.com/items/1957887-difficulties-faced-by-intercultural-relationships. Last access on the 1st of September 2010

Politics of the European Union: Literature Review

Politics of the European Union: Literature Review Nugent, N. (2003) The Government and Politics of the European Union, Palgrave. Nugent offers an analysis of the European Union in a historical context. He argues that many of the problems that sceptics tend to rely upon as criticism for EU membership were, in themselves, already present before the integration of the EU actually occurred. Many critics assume that the EU has significantly eroded and displaced the sovereignty of states. Nugent, however, posits that this occurred much earlier, and that integration into the EU cannot solely constitute the basis for erosion of sovereignty in nation-states. He suggests, in a historical analysis, that â€Å"the member states of the EU were seeing their sovereignties being steadily eroded long before the EC / EU was established† (1), and the rest of the book is informed by this view. He argues that the EU plays only a minor role in eroding state sovereignty, as broader economic factors such as movements in financial markets, multinational corporations and the general side-effects of dominance by the U.S. tend tow ard this model. In fact, Nugent suggests that the EU may in fact help to preserve autonomy in some ways because it provides a voice, albeit one marred by bureaucracy and corruption, that can compete economically with America and the emergent China. Nugent looks at the question of the EU in a historical way. He provides a historical analysis of state relations prior to the instigation of the EU. In this analysis, he insinuates that, while prior to the war states were notably more different in economic, cultural and in political ways, the period after the war signalled a significant shift in the ways the European states tended to interact. The integration of the EU was therefore defined by these factors, and present criticisms about the overwhelming bureaucracies that operate in Brussels merely represent something that is necessary. Bache, I George S (2006) The Politics of the European Union, 2nd Ed., Oxford University Press The Politics of the European Union provides a detailed and comprehensive overview of the operative and dynamic processes that determine how the EU functions from day to day. While some historical analysis is supplied, the focus is also focussed upon certain key issues in government. The book is split into five discrete sections. The first section looks at the theories of European integration, and essentially provides the background as to why European integration should (or shouldn’t) happen, dependent upon a number of different views. It also looks at how the European Union should be organised based upon these theories, and looks at ways in which the European Union should go in the future if it is to be adherent to these particular theories. Part two looks at the history of the European Union, and upon how certain developments in European politics led to the integration of the EU. Part three provides an atomised look at the various member states of the EU, with a particular fo cus upon Germany, France and Britain. Although other member states are mentioned in a brief chapter, the absence of analyses of other significant countries in the EU, and more detailed analysis of Eastern European, Spanish and Scandanavian member states gives the book a certain biases toward the previous three countries. Part four provides an interesting analysis of how the various institutions of the European Union operate, with a focus upon the nuts and bolts of the day to day functioning of policy change and implementation, rather than more detailed historical analysis. Finally, Part 5 looks at how the EU has implemented certain policies and why, ranging from its policies on agriculture, on the single market, on the monetary union and on external relations. Overall, the book provides a good textbook overview of the basic functioning, purpose, and theory behind the EU. Bomberg, E Stubb A. (2003), The European Union: How Does it Work?, Oxford University Press Again, The European Union: How Does it Work? provides an interesting and detailed analysis of the various ways in which the European Union has come to be what it is, and also focuses upon the institutional, theoretical and historical factors that have determined how and why it operates. The book is organised in a similar way to the previous book, insofar as it focuses first upon the historical and theoretical basis for European Integration, and then looks in more detail at the various policies that have been implemented, and the member states that act as players in the EU. Of particular importance is the analysis of how member states operate within the complex framework of the EU. Bomberg and Stubb concentrate upon the complexities of the EU, and try to rationalise the often overwhelmingly complicated issues at stake, using simple logical statements. They argue that, far from being an institution racked with bureaucracy which serves neither the interests of the EU nor the interests o f individual states, that the mechanisms and institutions in place create a series of checks and balances that allow the opinion of every participant state and political parties that operate within these states to function more appropriately. They argue that â€Å"What emerge as national interests from domestic systems of preference formation remain central to how the EU works†, and also suggest that what is implemented officially is also affected by considerable and sophisticated â€Å"horizontal networking† behind the scenes. This tendency to look at the actual, rather than the theoretical or institutional realities of the EU is a strength of this book, however, this intrinsically makes the project of the book more ambiguous and difficult to pinpoint. Rather than providing a coherent overview of the surfaces of the European Union, the book delves into the complexities and the awkward issues that inform and orient decisions surrounding policy, power and practice. Describe how Politics comes into the Process of European integration The process of European integration is a very complex one, and if a nation state chooses to integrate itself into the complex political arena of the European Union, one has to consider the effects that this will have upon the given state internally, and externally. In essence, the integration of European states means that a given state will take its interests from the domestic front and into the European Union. As Bomberg and Stubb (2003, p. 70) comment, â€Å"once a state joins the Union, politics may begin at home but no longer end there. National politics, polities, and policies become ‘Europeanized’.† As such, the externalisation of internal quandaries that, previously were a matter for the sovereign state, now have to be considered as an integral, institutional and political whole. While Nugent argues in The Government and Politics of the European Union that sovereignty was being eroded anyway before the processes of European integration took place, the polit ical processes that operated within nation states to deal with problems concerned with globalisation were not. A political climate emerges in the process of European integration as a result of conflicting or combined interests that interweave. Such issues as the integration into the single market, the single European currency, and agricultural policy levelled to prevent the overt exploitation of free markets and the production of substandard goods. The question of governance is also a complex political one regarding the EU, and the question of who governs shines light upon how politics tends to function and become a part of the process of European integration. The policy process of the EU is extraordinary in global political affairs, because it is not governed by a central body, moreover, it is governed by a series of nation states Stubb and Bomberg (2003, p. 148) comment that â€Å"No state or other international organization makes policies through such a complex, transnational process in which politicians, officials, and interested groups from across a continent interact to shape – sometimes to prevent – shared policy outcomes.† As such, politics becomes intertwined into European integration because of the melange of interests that operate under the umbrella of state, governmental, or political interest. Because no state, political or official group is in overall control of the policy making process, poli tics is essentially a part of European integration because it is via the institutions and the backroom political wrangling that the European Union makes its overall policy and political decisions. The political process in Europe enters the system through a variety of means. While supranational organisations tend to confirm political issues, it is often left to the member states and elected representatives of these states to conduct policy based upon how they would like political developments to proceed. The EU is an example of â€Å"networked governance†, and the ways in which the member states, individuals, pressure groups and other officials interact in the EU act to determine overall political policy. While a coherent political policy based upon the interests of these states tends to be cumbersome and bureaucratic, this is how politics tends to become instigated into the process of European integration. By becoming a member of the European Union, states have to recognise that their own sovereignty has been reduced by a political process that operates within a more European context. What are the challenges facing European integration today? The EU faces a number of significant challenges as it changes to adapt to new economic, political and supranational factors that determine and legitimate its efficacy as a political institution. Firstly, the expansion of the EU poses significant challenges for both existent member states and those that are new to the European Union. For instance, the integration of Eastern European member states such as Poland and the Czech Republic have proven to be controversial issues, because both these countries have a significantly different economy than those that are currently established. The challenges that face the EU is to consider the political climate of these emergent countries while making sure that the interests of those states currently in the European Union are considered. The policy processes and changes that take place in the European context must juggle these interests, while remaining firm to previous trade policies. As such, in the words of Bomberg and Stubb (p. 71), expansion and continued expansion into Eastern Europe and possibly Turkey and Cyprus, facilitates the importance of tolerance within the European Unions institutional framework: â€Å"managing difference is thus a key challenge to the Union.† Secondly, the economic challenges facing the European Union on a global basis will undoubtedly prove to be extremely important, especially following the successful implementation of the Euro into economic affairs. The EU is a significant global player on the economic field, and trade with the emergent countries of China and India as well as with established superpowers such as America and Japan have to be considered very carefully if successful relations are to be established. The presence of global aid programmes and other benevolent factors such as an easily mobilised team of peacekeepers is also an issue that is linked indirectly to processes of globalisation. The recent crisis in the Balkans was marred by the inability for the EU to make a coherent decision on troop assignment to the region. As such, issues of defence and aid may prove to be one of the central challenges facing the EU in the future. The relationship between the EU and the states outside of the EU may prove essential to determining a process whereby aid or trade can be granted to developing countries in a system of integrated change. The EU’s response to global crises has been far from efficient in recent years, and changes in the dynamic of the EU, which includes its expansion into regions of Eastern and Central Europe have further exacerbated tensions on this issue. While the EU have always been relatively generous in the giving of aid to other countries, the general trend posited in the WTO report is that the giving of aid is simply not enough to resolve problems on a global scale. Instead, the EU have to implement foreign trade more effectively into its policy, and, because of varying interests from its different participants, this may prove to be a stumbling block for more successful European integration. Lax spending programmes and bureaucracy concerning the giving of foreign aid may also hamper deve lopments in the global context: â€Å"the Commission had far to go before it escaped charges that it was the ‘worst development agency in the world’ (Bomberg Stubb 2003, p. 204). Does spill-over imply that there are no limits to the number of policies that can be dealt with at the European level? The concept of â€Å"spill-over† is defined as a process whereby the integration in one sphere of policy begets a residual impact in other spheres of policy, and creates a more generalised integrated series of policies in all areas of the European Union. For instance, the integration of agricultural policy in Europe tends to affect the internal policies of that sovereign state in ways that harmonise it with other nation states. Naturally, this facilitates the integration process because it allows for discrepancies and disagreements between various regions, officials and member states to be ironed out more generally. As such, it can be argued that this concept of ‘spill-over’ allows for significantly greater integration to occur, and the gradual homogenization of European member states may provide a forum by which all member states operate on a very similar basis. Therefore, by this method, all policy decisions can be discussed in the European Union. However, this system of spill-over is not without its flaws or its criticisms. For instance, political processes in some powerful member states that feel directly affected or marginalised by processes in the European government may not succumb to the integrative factors of spill-over, and regional, geographical and political factors still require consideration. While domestic policy is further eroded by the concept of spill-over, some tenets of policy that impede upon concepts of sovereignty, or perhaps indirectly attack or influence one particular region or nation-state operating within the framework of the European Union may disallow an invasive series of policy making decisions to be integrated into the European agenda. While a great many issues have been affected by the concept of spill-over, and the general process of unification that occurs as a result of spill-over into other policies on a European level tend toward a process of unification, some policies still remain too sens itive or regionalised to implement into European political processes. Bibliography Bache, I. George, S. (2006), The Politics of the European Union, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press. Bomberg E. Stubb A., ed. (2005), The European Union: How does it work?, Oxford University Press. Nugent, N. (2003), The Government and Politics of the European Union, Pelgrave.

Obsession in The Tell-Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado :: Tell Tale Cask Comparison Compare Essays

"Determination becomes obsession and then it becomes all that matters." -- Jeremy Irvine Poe presents the narrators of "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Cask of Amontillado" as devious, obsessed characters. Both are overpowered by the need to consume the life of their victim. Though they use different strategies to carry out the murders in different ways, obsession is the driving force in both. It is this obsession that inspires them to design cunning strategies and carry out the executions. The obsession of Montresor in "The Cask of Amontillado" and of the narrator in "The Tell-Tale Heart" is obvious throughout the stories. The narrator in "The Tell-Tale Heart" is actually obsessed with the old man's eye, rather than the old man himself. It is this obsession with the eye that drives him to commit the murder, despite his relatively good feelings toward the old man personally. This is why he is unable to harm the old man when the eye is concealed. His obsession with the eye is what controls him and his actions. Without it in sight to enrage this obsession, he is unable to harm the old man. This also is why he must shine the lantern light upon only that eye. By leaving the rest of the old man in the dark, he in a sense de-humanizes the victim. His obsession intensifies and takes full control of his actions. He eliminates the old man from the equation and is able to charge him and make the kill. Montresor in "The Cask of Amontillado" is similar to the narrator in "The Tell-Tale Heart" in that his obsession with consuming the soul of Fortunato influences his every action. However, it is with Fortunato himself that he is obsessed. He feeds off of Fortunato's pain, unlike the narrator in "The Tell-Tale Heart" who's obsession is with destroying a menacing inanimate object. Montresor's entire conspiracy is focused around making Fortunato suffer, and for him to know just who is causing this suffering. This is why he goes to such lengths to put together this intricate strategy. It could have been so much easier to kill Fortunato in some easier, quicker way. Instead, he dedicates himself to torturing Fortunato. He creates a plan that leads Fortunato into the depths of the catacombs beneath his home, and kills him in an excruciating manner.

Learning Forgiveness :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

Learning Forgiveness When I opened my yearbook, I began to reminisce about my half year of high school in China. As I flipped through the pages of the yearbook, a picture of an old man with a benevolent smile caught my eyes. Daydreaming about the incident, my eyesight became hazy, and I felt my hands becoming swollen, which always refreshes my memory of his profound words. His name is Mr. Zang, my high school teacher in China. A very thin and tall man, Mr. Zang is very caring and always tries to understand the students' concerns and finds joy in having conversations with them. Mr. Zang and I used to discuss my plans to go to the US and why I studied English so intensively. He helped give me confidence that I would find success in the US, and I began to think of him as a very respectable man. When I found out that Mr. Zang, unlike most teachers in China, never hit students, I began to respect him even more. Unfortunately, other students had negative opinions of him and thought he was a coward. "You know what? Your favorite teacher, Mr. Zang, is really sissy." Chang-Min screamed, pointing a finger at me. "I think he is afraid of students. That's why he can't hit students." Staring at him enraged that he would speak badly about my favorite teacher, I dashed at him and yelled, "Don't talk about Mr. Zang that way. OK?" A constant troublemaker at school, Chang-Min was shocked that I stood up to him and looked at me surprised. He thought I was always introspective and would never stand up for myself, and he could sense his hard-earned notoriety slipping away. Looking at his ridiculous, surprised face, I grew even angrier. Ironically, to defend a teacher who didn't hit students, I resorted to violence to deal with Chang-Min. Suddenly, I kicked him in the stomach, and we started fighting. Phil-bong, the vice-principal, caught us and brought us to the student life center for punishment. Phil-bong didn't even ask us why we fought; he simply asked who hit first. Admitting that I did, Phil-bong proceeded to beat my hands until they were swollen and reddish. Watching me getting hit by Phil-bong angered Mr. Zang, and afterwards he asked me why I hit Chang-Min. Mr. Zang convinced Phil-bong to forgive me, and I started to blame my classmate for my sore hands, and I asked Mr.

What Were the Social and Political Impacts of the Partition of India and Pakistan?

India gained its independence from Britain on the 15th of August, 1946 but then was previously faced with another issue. Partition. Muslims and Hindus wanted to be separated into their own countries, but what impacts would this have economically and socially? I will answer this question, analyzing both aspects, throughout this essay. This essay is based on books and articles I have read as well as interviews from my family members and detailed research through the internet. One source I mainly used was a book by Gyanesh Kudaisya and Tai Yong Tan: The Aftermath of Partition in South Asia, which gave me a good idea of the aspects that were mostly impacted by the partition and how I should format this essay properly to thoroughly answer my question. Another book that greatly helped me was, The Economic Consequences of Divided India: a study of the economy of India and Pakistan, by Chandulal Nagindas Vakil. This book helped me answer the question of economy more detailed. I also interviewed my grandma, which gave me more of a cultural feel on how to answer this question. Towards the end of Britain’s 190 year rule over India, unavoidable issues began rising. These issues would be the reasons of Independence from Britain. Once the British began to see that their reign is coming to its end, they decided that they would first split the Hindus and Muslims before allowing India to gain its independence. So rose the issue of Partition. Though Hindus and Muslims had once lived peacefully together as brothers, that was soon changed and the notion of partition spread like a deadly virus. Muslims wanted to return to the previous days when India was under the Mughal Empire, which was the Muslim rule. They could not bear the idea of Hindus becoming more powerful or even equal to them. They also â€Å"†¦refused to learn English and to associate with the British†¦,† but once they saw â€Å"†¦that the Hindus were now in better positions in government†¦,† they knew that they had to put these differences between the British aside for now (Keen). Hindus were the same way, in the matter that they could not see Muslims ruling over them once again even though it might not be directly ruling but rather in higher authorities. Also, political leaders Jawaharal Nehru and Mohammad Jinnah were in a fit about who shall be the Prime Minister of India. This task of deciding was giving to Gandhi because of the high amount of respect everyone had for him. Choosing either one could lead to major controversies as well as violence because Nehru was Hindu and Jinnah was Muslim. After much contemplation Gandhi decided that they will divide India so that Jinnah could control the Pakistani Congress and Nehru the Hindustani Congress. Violence ensued and overnight people left their houses in a hurry to avoid being robbed, raped and killed. The social aftermath of the partition includes the civilians and their society. During this extreme upheaval and â€Å"†¦movement of some 12 million people, uprooted, ordered out, or fleeing their homes and seeking safety. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed, thousands of children disappeared, thousands of women were raped or abducted,† (english. emory. edu, Economist). Each religion were trying to reach the â€Å"†¦regions where their ancestors were from,† and like this â€Å"15 million refugees poured across the borders to regions completely foreign to them,† (Keen). Families were separated, uprooted and all in all destroyed. Other social impacts were that of simply talking to one another in society. Hindus would not talk to Muslims and vice versa. They mercilessly killed each other out of senseless rage of their differences. An example of this senselessness was when Gandhi was shot by a Hindu. Gandhi was also Hindu. Then why did this fellow Hindu kill Gandhi, a man of such high virtues and a major cause for independence? A man that was never a supporter of violence but in the end died of violence from his fellow Hindu? The cause was simply that â€Å"the Hindu detested Gandhi’s tolerance towards Muslims,† (Trueman). This caused an already unraveling society to unravel the last of its binding seams. It was literally rare to see a Hindu and Muslim together in a time of such anger and hate. There was nothing safe about this time and it was considered a blessing to come out alive even if in the poorest of conditions. The partition not only had an immense impact on the social aspect of the society but also on the economic aspect. Impacts included a decrease in confidence in enterprising and there was â€Å"an atmosphere of uncertainity and suspense,† (Anand). Investors and business men didn’t know if their shop would be burnt down the next day or if they were putting themselves and their family in danger by making themselves known. It also caused a â€Å"gap in demand, for products like cotton textile, glass, aluminium, vegetable oils, rubber goods, foot wear†¦,† (Anand). Also shortages of raw matierals were experienced in industries such as the â€Å"paper,leather tanning and some chemical industries,† (Anand). Another impact of the partition was that many of our skilled laborers were forced out of the country into the country of their ancestors. The partition of India was done in unnecessary rage over religion, society and a fight with the past that they could not let go. This partition broke the country into two parts so opposite from each other and whose hatred has not yet simmered down after all these years. This partition left so many scars on both the lands both socially and economically though the social impacts being more lasting and greater than the economic. These social impacts have remained though not as intense or violent as in 1947 but they have not yet gone and might never end but the economic issues listed previously have been dealt and handled and now India is a major rising power in the world.