Blindness by Jose Saramago

If an attempt is made to describe Jose Saramago’s Blindness in a single sentence, it will be justified to say that the novel is a product of the author’s extraordinary vision. Primarily an allegorical piece of fiction, Blindness is a literary masterpiece in terms of its subtle delineation of ironic humor and bleakness of existence. Numerous thematic constructs are interwoven into the plot of the novel. Post-modern literary techniques such as long sentences without punctuation marks, indefinite usage of proper nouns and so on are incorporated for illustrating the themes adequately.The haunting prose style is beautifully supplemented by the sparse imageries of man’s worst appetites and weaknesses. The socialistic approach to the novel is as significant as the internal representations. This essay is going to elaborate on the arguments that connect the thematic devices of the novel. It might be noted that there are quite a few themes to be taken within the periphery of discussion in order to substantiate the author’s argumentative claims and subclaims.As the novel nears its end, one of the characters remark during the process of getting his vision back: â€Å"I don't think we did go blind, I think we are blind, Blind but seeing, Blind people who can see, but do not see. † (Saramago 292) This statement highlights the political and philosophical essence of the novel. The story of Blindness centers round a nightmarish vision of disorientation and loss. A city the identity of which is kept undisclosed is struck by a sudden epidemic, leaving its inmates blind. Nobody is able to find any apparent reason behind such a contagion.The general tenor of panic and disorientation triggers a social breakdown. The camps set up by the civic administrative body to cater to the disaster are ill-governed. A sense of hopelessness and loss of direction runs through each individual’s psyche. In the wake of the epidemic, the initial government res ponse involves setting up of large quarantine areas to accommodate the infected people. However, the filthy and overcrowded centers turn out to be grossly unhygienic to stand any chance of the inmates recovering. Soon, living conditions deteriorate rapidly, spreading a wave of nervousness and anxiety outside.As far as the thematic significance is concerned, this anxiety plays a steering role through the length of the novel. Anxiety over inadequacy of food and medicine, anxiety over future and last but not the least, anxiety over administrative laxity collectively bring out the central theme of Blindness – of social system failure and mankind’s inane incapacity to care for strangers. As Bob Corbett points out, â€Å"How are we to imagine a world in which some central part of our meaning system suddenly disappears? † (Corbett 1997) A summoning of horror in the uncertain context of the twentieth century is what Saramago pens down in the novel.The disappearance of t his central part can be understood right from the opening chapter when a man stuck in the traffic light loses his vision. The oxymoronic element present here is quite significant. The fact that this man loses his sight while standing in the traffic light and not in any dark corridor sums up the bitter irony of situation. The following course of events, all in a swift motion, underlines humankind’s perpetual struggle to cope with unexpected changes in habitual infrastructures. As soon as the first man goes blind, a series of misfortunes befalls the city. The person who takes him to an eye doctor also goes blind.The entire plot is unfolded around the doctor and his wife, who eventually suffers the same fate as of others. The mysterious blindness doesn’t spare anybody in the unnamed city. A horrifying vision of the apocalypse, like in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, can be felt at every turn of a city that has gone berserk. The government’s disorganized attempt to restore sanity into proceedings falls short of its intended result as a gang of opportunists assume control of the chaotic surroundings. The political turmoil is juxtaposed against the psychological despair to address the theme of unexpected changes in known order.In fact Saramago is well known for coalescing myth, fiction and history in his works in order to depict abrupt changes. The setting of Blindness allows the readers to embark on a timeless voyage back to the mysterious historical times associated with myths and legends. Modern technological advancements have been satirized by the author to undermine their inadequacy in dealing with unexpected blows: â€Å"[There] must be some mechanical fault, a loose accelerator pedal, a gear lever that has struck,† but none of these technical problems are the cause of the car's prolonged halt.The driver inside starts shouting and â€Å"to judge by the movement of his mouth he appears to be repeating some words, not one word but three, as turns out to be the case when someone finally manages to open the door, I am blind. † (Saramago 1) A group of central characters in Blindness, united as a family in the wake of such an unprecedented disaster, play a crucial role. The characterization is done in a deliberate manner to serve the purpose of the plot. In other words, the storyline doesn’t discriminate between characters that are common in one aspect – they are all blind.The doctor, his wife, the girl with dark glasses, the boy with the squint, the man with the black eye patch and the dog of tears are representative of the small world of struggling survivors in the face of seemingly incurable adversity. It is worth spotting that none of these characters has been given any proper name by the novelist. Blindness doesn’t need any nomenclature – this is perhaps the argument Saramago wants to advocate. They are called according to their position in the society and relation with each other.The literary device deployed by Saramago to support his argument behind characterization involves continuous sentence structuring. Some of the sentences run half the length of a page, without any hyphenation or semi colon. Only commas and periods are used sparsely: â€Å"The amber light came on. Two of the cars ahead accelerated before the red light appeared. At the pedestrian crossing the sign of a green man lit up. The people who were waiting began to cross the road, stepping on the white stripes painted on the black surface of the asphalt, there is nothing less like a zebra, however, that is what it is called.The motorists kept an impatient foot on the clutch, leaving their cars at the ready, advancing, retreating like nervous horses that can sense the whiplash about to be inflicted. The pedestrians have just finished crossing but the sign allowing the cars to go will be delayed for some seconds, some people maintain that this delay, while apparently so insignif icant, has only to be multiplied by the thousands of traffic lights that†¦ †. (Saramago 3) Such writing style may immediately recall the stream-of-consciousness technique which is prolifically used in James Joyce’s masterpiece Ulysses.Separated by almost a century with regards to dates of publication, there isn’t much difference in the treatment of themes between these two novels. This technique is normally adopted to do away with editing of thought processes as the writer writes. In Blindness, the apparent mystery of the situation and the resultant uncertainties require a technique or writing style that can conform to the inner vacuum the characters feel while expressing their thoughts. At the same time, the narrative must also synchronize with the dialogues. Hence, quotation is non-existent in Blindness.Speeches merge onto one another in a continual maze of words. As a reader, one feels how difficult it is to broaden the viewpoint of observation. As if, a blind spot is generated in the actual reading of the novel, which puts interpretive constraints. As some critics have argued, Saramago’s profuse adaptation of allegorical means may have been inspired by his intent to emphasize more on human factors than on fatalistic elements. Although there are a few distinctive references to the contemporary technological aspects, Blindness doesn’t specify any timeframe.Readers are not given any clear perception about the time the novel portrays. Thus, Blindness reflects a universality of creation, a ubiquitous presence upon human realms of perception. However, there are a few speculations made regarding the probable cultural setting of the novel. Tracing the nature of language spoken by the characters and their food habits, it has been argued that the country shown in the novel is likely to be Saramago’s homeland Portugal. The theme of timelessness is relevant in more than just one aspect of this discussion.As is the case wit h Albert Camus’ The Plague, Blindness too is a novel which symbolically represents a widespread affliction, regardless of space or time. The predicament of humanity in the midst of social, political and ethical degeneration is not a theme that should not be kept bound under a constrained timeframe or spatial margin. Moreover, the way a group of people start fishing in troubled waters, exploiting the helpless condition of others, goes beyond the borderline of time and geographic barriers, echoing the universality of man’s futile but stubborn attempt to cope with disasters.Apart from Albert Camus’ The Plague and Jose Saramago’s Blindness, John Wyndham’s The Day of the Triffids and P. D. James’ The Children of Men also showcase characteristics of human nature as they emerge in a crisis situation marked by rapid and uncontrollable epidemics. Blindness, however, is distinguishable from other novels in one crucial aspect. It reflects the deep-seat ed humanity of those who are compelled to depend on each other for the sake of survival.This yearning for survival doesn’t seem to fit the category of existentialism or other post-modern philosophical doctrines since it is hampered by the loss of external senses of vision. So the vision must come from within. The message of hope in a situation which is least congenial to breeding of hope is conveyed through the character of doctor’s wife. She is the only person who manages to regain sight. When she and other group members flee from the asylum, the plot takes a turn toward the recreation of a world which is not robbed of all hopes.Since she has vision, she can at least guide her companions in finding food and shelter. The argument Saramago’s seeks to put forth through this episode involves that of restoration of orderliness in a world which is blind. It might be noted, however, that only physical blindness is not the construct of the proposed argument. The spirit ual blindness associated with chaos, opportunism and moral degradation is the fundamental base upon which the plot is built. As mentioned earlier, when the central system starts malfunctioning, human beings tend to cling onto each other in search of a helping hand.A sudden change in the known world makes for a total loss of faith and triggers disorientation in the society. Doctor’s wife metaphorically symbolizes the dependable constant around which other variables revolve. But what does Jose Saramago want to tell in Blindness, especially through the thematic inclusion of ‘one person who is not blind’? Since the novel is widely accepted as an allegory, the question remains: It is an allegory of what? Finding a plausible answer to the question stated above is not an easy task in that multiple layers of interpretation can be made to it.The main problem with an allegorical novel such as Blindness is that it accords too much freedom to the reader. It grants the room f or too many interpretations. On one hand, the allegorical literary device helps reveal the basic needs of a social system – the need for food, shelter and most importantly, for fraternity. Hence the thematic concept of allegory refers to the interdependency of individuals within a system which threatens to go astray. But despite this interpretation, Blindness can be approached from a different viewpoint as well.The novel can be studied as an allegory of human damnation. The novelist criticizes the so-called established norms of civilization in a staunch manner. He observes how human beings, when pitted against a failing central system of order, can indulge in brutal acts of cruelty among one another. This is manifested in the events occurring at quarantine centers where no law and order exists whatsoever. Even the military takes an indifferent stance and refuses to supply basic medication. Consequently, a simple infection assumes a deathly proportion, destroying the lives of many.Timely food deliveries are hindered due to the illegal intervention of a gang of opportunists who unleash lethal torture on the hapless inmates. Thus the allegory of the novel can be explicated from a twofold perspective – firstly, it is a literary device which serves the purpose of underlying the fundamental social requirements for a smooth functioning, and secondly, it brings out the condemnable elements of a society devoid of any order or discipline. Corbett argues that the theory of allegory can also be done away with.Blindness can be seen as a masterful piece of author’s logical reasoning of a world which lacks imaginative sensibility. This point of view insists on interpreting the major themes of the novel from a matter-of-fact perspective. There is nothing beyond what is literally apparent. The logical qualities prompt the readers to investigate into a city’s condition when everyone except a single lady goes blind all on a sudden. The only sighted pe rson acts as a vehicle of hope and good fortune in a time when survival seems impossible.According to Corbett, this methodology of explanation is also applicable to two other novels of Saramago, The Gospel According to Jesus Christ and The Stone Raft. (Corbett 1997) The larger social picture painted by Blindness is of worth consideration. The collective physical loss of vision is used by the author as a metaphor for both ‘personal misfortune and social catastrophe’. (Snedeker 1997) The succession of events initiating from a single, odd instance of just one man getting blind while waiting at a traffic signal underscores the broader social context.As the entire population goes blind, the social system starts to crumble under pressure. Public health officials working under the aegis of the government panic and mayhem descend over the city. The disintegration of faith and reliability is apparent as soldiers guarding the asylum premises threaten to kill anyone who attempts t o flee. The disease of blindness is used metaphorically as a limitation from a personal context extending to collective domain. Finding themselves in a society which no longer functions as it should do, the blind men reach the breaking limits of despair and trauma.Due to lack of food and other essential commodities for a healthy survival, the general ways of living begin deteriorating rapidly. Taking a cue out of the broader social significance of blindness, one can critically observe that the metaphor is not restrained to any uni-dimensional mode of interpretation. If approached logically, the sudden onset of the epidemic is nothing but an unfortunate incident that befalls a city, making the lives of its dwellers difficult. So this explanation follows a ‘real’ course.But the symbolic implication becomes apparent when one takes into account the cultural impact of vision impairment that the author leaves ambiguous, arguably in an advertent manner. Hence, the epidemic, no matter whichever way the readers look at it, leads more to the notion of being a realistic literary device. An unnamed city, completely disintegrated by the sudden attack of an epidemic, struggles to combat not just the disease, but also the virtues that make up of human society.A small group of people, led by a woman, find themselves in the squalid and terrifying spectacle of people scrounging for food and shelter. Such visions present a bleak and dreary setting of a post-modern novel. The abrupt ending, nearly as shocking as the beginning itself, goes to show how Saramago eluded the enticement of telling more than what is already indicated. Hence, the construct of allegory, even though it can be discarded from a ‘realistic’ approach, comes back once again. As the blind community of the city gets their vision back, everything seems to fall in pace for the city.The veil of clouds is lifted over from a diseased and desperate existence of the city as if by some mysteriou s power, much to the relief of its inmates. It is apparent that the thematic constructs of change, human coping, the inevitability of disease and the undying spirit to overcome every adversity are extremely well manifested by the literary techniques adapted by the novelist in Blindness. This is particularly true in case of the profuse usage of long, unbroken sentences without too many punctuation marks.Moreover, the speeches without quotation too act as a potent literary device to represent the internal crisis of the characters. Again, the use of descriptive appellation in naming of characters is self-explanatory of its intended purpose. It establishes the interconnection between various characters who are mutually dependent on each other for the sake of surviving in a blind world that does not distinguish between masses. So it can be concluded that characterization, setting and plot work as a cohesive unit in perfect synchronization with the thematic aspects.It is virtually impossi ble to single out any particular argumentative theme if one attempts to focus on the novel in its entirety, especially if that focus takes into consideration the key literary devices. Works cited Saramago, Jose. Blindness: a novel. London: Harvill Press, 1997. Corbett, Bob. â€Å"BLINDNESS. † 1997. 10 March 2009 Snedeker, George. â€Å"BLINDNESS. † 1997. 10 March 2009

Analysis of Scene 5 Act 1 of Macbeth Essay

Macbeth Scene AnalysisAct 5 Scene 11)Plot SummaryIn this scene the gentlewoman who accompanies Lady Macbeth while she sleeps has previously reported to a doctor of her sightings of Lady Macbeths deranged sleepwalking not long after Macbeth left to prepare for battle. Here both of them keep watch to see if any of Lady Macbeths sleepwalking occurs again. It starts off with the doctor and gentlewoman discussing Lady Macbeths condition. During Lady Macbeths sleepwalk she had previously, she confessed to the murder of Duncan that she and her husband committed. However when the doctor asks the Gentlewoman whether In this slumber agitation, besides her walking and other actual performances what at any time have you heard her say? but the gentlewoman refuses to answer as she doesnt want to get involved. Later in the scene Lady Macbeth starts sleepwalking carrying a candle which the gentlewoman states that Lady Macbeth always insists on having it near her bed. 2)Character Analysis Major Characters. In Act V. Scene i. the major character that we see is Lady Macbeth. I think the main message we perceive from this scene about Lady Macbeth is that her bravery was all a pretense and on the outside, but really her conscious was afraid and in shock about what she had driven her husband to do. The metaphor used to describe the lingering shadow of the dirty deed is the spot. When Lady Macbeth starts talking she keeps on repeating the same thing over and over again begging for the damned spot to get off her hands. The spot was the left over blood marks and smell of the murder that all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Shakespeare uses indirect characterization to show us that Lady Macbeth has a guilt side of her that she tried so hard to mask. Although we have always known Lady Macbeth as the strong, ruthless ambitious one of the two however in this scene she falls apart and becomes vulnerable to the guilt that built up inside her. This shows that although the rest of the people of Scotland think of Lady Macbeth and her husband as strong powerful people, this scene lets us know that there is more behind their dynamic characters. 3)Character Analysis Minor CharactersIn this scene there are two minor  characters, the Doctor and the Gentlewoman. Although they are minor characters they play especially significant roles in this scene as they are the ones to witness the confession of the murder of King Duncan that she and Macbeth committed. Things that we learn about the doctor in this scene include that he is a man with patience as at the beginning of the scene he says I have two nights watched with you but can perceive no truth in your report. When was it she last walked? This showed that he either had the patience to wait and see the condition of Lady Macbeth or he didnt want to disobey command of the rulers. He couldve just said on the first day/night that he didnt see any evidence of Lady Macbeths sleepwalking and left to do his job in other places. The doctor is a flat character as he doesnt appear several times throughout the story yet he is still quite important. He is also an inquisitive person as he honestly reports to the gentlewoman of his observations and he asks several questions where it is required. He is straightforward as he doesnt waste time trying to pretend that he knows how to cure Lady Macbeths sleepwalking as he says This disease is beyond my practice;The gentlewoman is also a flat character as she only served as the link to the doctor finding out about Lady Macbeths sleepwalking. In addition, she doesnt reappear in the rest of the story. However she still played an important part as she was the one to first encounter the sleepwalking Lady Macbeth. The gentlewoman is a straight forward person as she directly answered most of the questions she was given. The only thing she didnt answer was about whether Lady Macbeth spoke while she sleepwalked. The gentlewoman seemed loyal as she did not want to get involved with the situation of Duncans murder so she said to the doctor she wont repeat what Lady Macbeth said. 4)Language FeaturesShakespeare uses a lot of language features in this scene. This scene shows a lot of irony compared to Act 2 Scene 2. In that scene she says Retire we to our chamber; a little water clears us of this deed. Which was basically she telling Macbeth not to worry but their actions will not be found out of. Yet here she is the spirits of the deed haunting her still, after several weeks. Contradiction is also used for the same reason and way irony is used. Lady Macbeth contradicted herself from Act 2 Scene 2, by saying nothing will go wrong when we can clearly see that in this scene  nothing is close to right. 5)ThemesThe theme that Shakespeare explores greatly throughout the whole of Macbeth, is moral thoughts. In this scene he indirectly tells us that there is never an easy way out of a bad deed, for whether you are caught or not your guilt will haunt you forever. However in this scene Macbeth uses the theme of Masks. The theme of masks is basically how throughout the whole play we see different sides of the major characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, they put on different masks depending on who they are with. 6)ConnectionsFor this play I found out a very interesting relationship between it and the movie Final Destination. In this movie the story starts off with one of the characters, Alex, having a premonition of him and his friends crashing in a plane ride to Paris, which can be compared to the three witches having a vision of Macbeth as king and giving the information to Macbeth. Then on the plane Alex realizes that everything is going the way things were in his dream, and he runs off the plane in fear, bringing 6 other friends with him. As the story develops, the characters realize they cannot cheat death as one by one they start to die according to how they wouldve died in the plane. They spend the movie trying to find a way to not die, but in the end the only one that survives has locked herself in an asylum room where she goes crazy, just like Lady Macbeth went crazy in Act 5 Scene 1. In Macbeth even though they cheated their way to the throne by killing Duncan, Banquo and the other people meant to get the title of King, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both die at the end as their plans fail and they end up as miserable people. Bibliography: Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Coca cola amatil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Coca cola amatil - Essay Example Therefore, with the new structure, decision making and other management issues the take the form of decentralization. The structure is presented in the chart below: Communication at Coca Cola Amatil takes a top down approach, which involves issuance of information in a hierarchical structure. In this structure, the highest-ranking officials issue commands, which are then transferred through the hierarchy and the managerial structure to the people on the downer level. Information is mostly transferred through board meetings that bring together executives from various departments. These executives then pass on the message of communication to the people under their departments. This can happen through supervisors or directly through departmental meetings. Top-down approach ensures that the employees are informed always of the happenings in the organization. The following is chart demonstrating the top-down

In septic patients does the use of Etomidate as an induction agent for Essay

In septic patients does the use of Etomidate as an induction agent for endotracheal intubation increases mortality - Essay Example Rapid sequence intubation is the preferred method of intubation in the emergency and trauma units because it carries a decreased risk of patient aspiration and vomiting (Lafferty & Kunkarni, 2008). To facilitate induction, anaesthetic agents like etomidate or midazolam are used. However, practitioners and experts acknowledge that anaesthesia use for intubation and ventilation is hazardous and poorly tolerated in critically ill patients (Mccormick, 2006, p. 1). Mccormick (2006, p. 1) recommends that a trained anaesthetist should be present when this procedure is undertaken. Hypotension is one of the adverse effects that can manifest after induction, hence, the needed presence of the anaesthetist at this stage of the procedure. However, literature on the use of etomidate as an induction agent has been rendered controversial. Bridgewater (n.d, p. 2) claims that this controversy mainly stems from the fact that etomidate actually causes adrenal suppression. Other studies have yet to subst antially prove or disprove the merits of etomidate use in septic patients. Hence, this study is now being undertaken in order to assess the current researches on this subject in the hope of coming up with an academic and evidence-based resolution to this controversy. Data was gathered for this paper in different databases through electronic and library catalogue searches. The MEDLINE electronic database was assessed through the Google search engine. Catalogue searches included ‘anaesthesia etomidate’ and ‘septic patients etomidate’. Index searches of books included the following keywords: ‘etomidate’ and ‘septic patients’. Electronic searches through the Google search engine used the words ‘etomidate induction septic patients’. In order to further specify searches, the words ‘etomidate mortality risk’ and ‘rapid sequence intubation’ were added in. Websites for the Cochrane Library and the

Research Paper for Funny Fiction course Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Research Paper for Funny Fiction course - Essay Example of the writer for creating such material is to make them laugh not just at the character, but their hilarious, silly and oftentimes unwise behaviours. In a way, works such as Emma, makes a person laugh at oneself, for the actions of the text is a representative of every human’s manners. In this paper we shall argue that the novel is a presentation of a satirical humour that aims to induce laughter in the readers by the portrayal of human actions that the readers are led to believe are our foolishness. We shall see that the laughter the novel sets is based on our knowledge that the actions made by the characters are erroneous. This is possible by making the characters perpetrate repeated actions the inappropriateness of which are realized by the readers as and when the characters themselves realize the same. Our aim in the paper therefore, is to check the deeds, behaviours, attitudes and manners of the characters in the novel that induce laughter to the readers. That laughter is, we shall argue, a criticism of larger human follies that were prevalent in the psyche of the social set-up that existed during the time of Austen. The incongruity theory of humour, the most popular among others, suggests that we laugh at things that are inconsistent with our expectation and when things are strange as against the standard that is considered usual. John Morreall argues that â€Å"we live in an orderly world, where we have come to expect certain patterns among things, their properties, events, etc. We laugh when we experience something that doesn’t fit into these patterns (15-16). He also quotes Pascal to make the concept clearer: â€Å"Nothing produces laughter more than a surprising disproportion between that which one expects and that which one sees (16). It therefore becomes simple to create laughter in people – by creating things, objects, and behaviours that are either unwise or inconsistent with the expected standard. Nothing different seems to be the pattern in

Epigenetics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Epigenetics - Research Paper Example Such environmental factors may include their lifestyles, the foods they eat or even the use of make up. Powerful abnormal persistent memories may lead to changes in one’s behavior. Chromatin modifications relate to learning and memory and could therefore help give an insight into relation between memory and drug seeking behavior (Malvaez, 2009). Individuals addicted to drug use may end up having memory lapses. After extended periods of abstinence, a relapse may occur. This is because relapse may be caused by exposure to external forces previously associated with the drug use like places, people or paraphernalia. (O’Brien, 1988) There may be no history of a disease like cancer in one’s family. However, if one lives a life that predisposes them to conditions that may facilitate spread of cancer, the disease will crawl into their systems. You are born with family history but your lifestyle dictates who you become. The Environment and lifestyle, it could be healthy or unhealthy largely affects the concept of epigenetics. Family history may therefore not play a big role in shaping what one eventually becomes. We’re born with genes of the family. However, our lifestyles end up dictating what we actually become. Besides, our environments end up playing a role in what we become. Environment can be social or natural. If identical twins adopt lifestyles completely different from each other, say one is physically active and the other is not, the physically active one is likely not to suffer from cardiovascular diseases unlike the physically inactive one. With regard to life expectancy, our grandparents may have lived longer than the subsequent generation. This may be due to the lifestyles the grandparents lived which could have impacted on their genes and thus were subsequently passed to the next generations hence manifested

Analyzing Group Process and Skill Selection Research Paper

Analyzing Group Process and Skill Selection - Research Paper Example The group has two Professors who act intermittently as group facilitators and group therapists. The group is sitting in chairs in a small circle in a relatively large and empty room. The circle immediately sets the group up to manage issues around closeness and distance. The circle formed allows the members to make (or not make) eye contact. Additionally, who is to say that people are comfortable sitting at such close proximity to each other In a physical structure where members might feel they can't manage the intensity of the group experience physically, i.e. physically move away from the group, the members are left to find other ways to regulate their experience. Let us look at how the members of this group manage being in a group and what the group is most interested in. The group's primary focus is personal survival and the self-regulation of emotions. The group initially focuses on films which tell stories of survival. However, as time passes, it becomes clear that the group members are talking about their own survival, their own struggles in life, and whether 'breaking down' will leave them weak and overwhelmed. The group sets the pitch early on by discussing very emotional challenges in their life through the objective vehicle of 'favorite film'. This sets the pitch and the group is involved early on in a struggle of regulation. How much emotion How much is too much Professor Rullo's role is to encourage and facilitate emotion and self-disclosure. Meanwhile, Professor Smith's role is to sum up emotional experiences for the group and to contain the boundary for the emotional expressions for the group. The group finds itself moving between the people who are comfortable with emotions (Renee and Amy) and the people who are less comfortable (Roosevelt and Maria.) These two sub-groups within the group are partly generated by the Professors taking opposite positions which leaves the group in the position of taking 'sides'. This tension is difficult for them to experience and there is an obvious tension after Amy cried about her 9-11 experience and Professor Smith interrupts her story and reminds her of Maria's struggle to open up earlier, and how Professor Rullo told Maria, "That's enough". Amy hears Professor Smith say, "that's enough" and she bolts her emotion down. There is some silence in the group and Roosevelt expresses this discomfort and uncertainty by gesturing a thumb to leave the room; he does this approximately three times. At this point, the group is at a crossroads: to disclose or to be objective, to survive or breakdown. The next significant moment for the group is when Natasha B. responds to Renee's concerns about being, "Scared to open that box." Natasha B. sobs about how tough life is for her and for others in the group and she demonstrates the level of cohesion in the group. Immediately following her sobs, we see two things happen almost simultaneously. Firstly, Taryn smiles, presumably with discomfort. She has done this before when someone else was in distress. Immediately after Taryn's smile, Professor Smith captures the emotion in the room and begins to sum it up again, talking of "The struggle, the accomplishments." Later on in the session we see this theme of emotional self-regulation once more. In this vignette, we see Professor Rullo redirect the group. Camille says, "I don't want to have an emotional breakdown." Professor

Men vs women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Men vs women - Essay Example Irrespective of their race, religion & class women were not seen as women in the society in the beginning of this century.The woman, often conceived and the childbirth have become dangerous. There was no birth control system in yester-years. They did not follow any contraceptive methods, as the same were not available or discovered. The system of divorce was so complexes and was not within the reach of the poor in yesteryears. The women were not encouraged to learn education. The abortion was treated as an unlawful thing.They did not follow any contraceptive methods, as the same were not available or discovered. The system of divorce was so complexes and was not within the reach of the poor in yesteryears.The women were not encouraged to learn education. The involvement of women workforce were a little below half of the British work force and that of women in USA, they were above half of workforce in recent days. During this century, the life styles of women have changed vastly. The activities of women have brought an important role in transformation of women. Many workingwomen have reached pinnacles in their selective fields. They have become champions in the fields of educational institutions, science and technology. Now the women are more economically stronger and independent than a century ago.The women are not involved in union activities.Now the women in UK & USA can exercise their franchise not like in olden days. Now the women are well educated and participated in national politics. The women were first employed in jobs during the currency of First World War. After the First World War, the services rendered by the woman were forgotten, as they did not enter into domestic service. The start of industries gave some opportunities to women to get good jobs with good returns. The involvement of women in second world war and the role played by them brought changes in awareness and consciousness within the women and the in the society too. The politicians thou ght of safeguarding the interests of women at their respective work place. The women desired to stick to their jobs by showing their individuality but some women wanted to come back to their domestic service. The work force of woman has largely increased in the year 1940 when compared to the work force of women in the year1939. After Second World War the need of education in higher education and technology has been increased for women after 1960, the entire world wanted to bring a change in inequality irrespective of their class, race and religion. The history of the women is the product of time of century old women. It is the growth of the women for the last 25 years, which focused on their memories, testimonies and pointing out women's experience. After events of revolution in 1968, the socialist feminism is possible once again the world, liberation of women in capitalism. At the end of 1960, the emergence of feminist framework and civil rights movement could be seen. In 1980s Thatcher and Reagan have elaborated the same. In both the countries of USA and Britain have contrasts of class, race, ethnicity, along with region, age and disability. The books did not carry a definite socialist analysis of the history of women in 20th centuries. The working class woman has not transformed the liberation of women forward. In 20th century, the women have achieved, in many nations, the right to vote, increased their changes in educational and job opportunities. Women used to feel wifehood and motherhood were most important events in the ir career. History shows that women is creative source of human life, women are always treated as inferior to men, since olden days. The attitude towards women was favorable in the east. In USA, the women were felt weaker than men as they couldn't do hard work which requires muscle power. In women, the Americans found lack of intellectual development. The women were allowed to attend domestic works such as caring of children, cooking cleaning of house and washing clothes. It was felt that women's main role in the society was to give birth to children. In the present scenario, because of major publicity to follow contraceptive methods control over number children besides legalisations

Hofstede's cultural dimension australia vs vietnam (management Essay

Hofstede's cultural dimension australia vs vietnam (management subject) - Essay Example Hofstede says that culture â€Å"is the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the member of one group or category of people from another†(Tjosvoid and Leung, 2003, p 31) Hofstede has captured cultural values in terms of cultural dimensions which are broad attitudes of the people in a society concerned with identification of evil, good, dirty and clean, moral and immoral, irrational and rational.(Tjosvoid and Leung, 2003, p 31) The work of Hofstede stemming out of a lengthy survey of employees of the well known IBM multinational spread over some 70 countries and his later work have categorised the cultural dimensions in five values of Power Distance (PD) , Uncertainty Avoidance (UA), Individualism and Collectivism (IDV), Masculinity and Feminity (MAS) and Long Term v Short Term Orientation (LTO). (Hofstede, 2001) The five values need to be explained before examining the case of Boost juice organisation of Australia entering Vietnam.Power Distance: Classified as high and low power distance, it signifies the extent to which a person can exercise power against the others. It applies to power equation with the Government, employer and with the family members. If the distance is high, power is considered as concentrated in a powerful minority and if low, it is decentralised meaning that people in the society enjoy freedom. According to Hofstede, some cultures are characterized by high power distance and some others by low power distance. In high power distance, individuals accept power as part of society by which superiors consider their subordinates different from themselves and vice versa. Countries such as India, Africa, Brazil, Singapore, Greece, Venezuela, Mexico and the Philippines have high power equation and people there think power and authority are facts of life. Similarly, countries su ch as Austria, Finland, Denmark, Norway, the United States, New Zealand

The use of water Essay Example for Free

The use of water Essay The use of water has been steadily increasing recently all around the world. Some of the reasons that account for this are due to the improvement of living standards, population expansion and human activities including but not limited to, agriculture, industrial and personal-use like, cooking, washing of cars and clothes. In Kuwait for example, the consumption rate of water increased rapidly specially after the discovery of oil in the 1930s. One can just imagine how a small country with a size of 17,820 km2 and a population of 2,505,559 (around 1,291,354 are non-Kuwaiti citizens) has seen tremendous rate of increase in water. Kuwait, consisting of flat desert with arid soil, little or no irrigation water and harsh climate is located in the Middle East region and is characterized by its hot climate in summer with high evaporation rate (long season), and another nearly cold climate season, winter, with a small rate of rain (short season). In the past, Kuwait counted on rain water found on the surface in shallow wells because there was no other water source. After some time, in 1905, a large fresh water capacity well was discovered in Hawally area. However all of those wells were no longer sufficient because of the increasing growth of population and the small rate of seasonal rain. Accordingly, Shaat Al-Arab (in Iraq) was the alternative solution at that time utilizing dhows (special ships) that brought fresh water which were stored in tanks. Thus, a primitive network for distribution was established. After the first oil shipment was effected in 1946, the wealth age of Kuwait began and from then Kuwait had to look for alternative industrial solutions. Two of the main concerns orf the government involved available water and electricity for the country’s development and construction expansion. In fact the water consumption in Kuwait is divided into two main parts, fresh water from desalination plants, and brackish water which usually come from groundwater. Both of them are delivered to households, farms, irrigation and industrial facilities but in separate pipes. However, brackish water delivers only two days per week (specific days for each town). Brackish water is distributed through network pipe lines which are parallel to the fresh water distribution line and is provided from the main distribution water system. It is used for blending with distilled water, irrigation and landscaping as well as for house-hold purposes, livestock watering and construction work, while the fresh water is for the human use. Moreover, the brackish water is distributed for consumers for free (free of charge). The consumption of both types of water has increased because of the growth of population and lifestyle development especially when the oil was discovered and Kuwait became a developed rich country. News released by (†¦) states that the Ministry of Electricity and Water indicated the need of new desalination plants which aim at producing 375 million imperial gallons per day due to the increase of the water consumption. There were also reports that in the final quarter of 2006, freshwater distribution was lower than the estimated consumption. The minister also noted that the consumption of fresh water in November 2006 was around 303. 6 Million Imperial Gallons (MIG) and in 2005 of the same month it was at 279. 6 MIG. Going back to the fifties, it is to be noted that the population of Kuwait was only ten thousand then and it reached around two million during the nineties which resulted in an increase of water consumption. Specifically, in 1957, the consumption of fresh water was 648 MIG and increased to 6638 MIG in 1970. In 1989 it reached 47605 MIG but it has decreased due to the Iraqi invasion in 1991 to 30814 MIG. The consumption of fresh water is gradually increasing since 1992 and reached 67464 MIG in 1996. For more details, the consumption rate until year 2005 is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1: shows the gross consumption and the daily average consumption of fresh water from 1988 to 2005. On the other hand, 527 MIG was the consumption of brackish water in 1957, and then it went up to 9750 MIG in 1980 and increased in 1989 to 17998 MIG. The fresh water consumption decreased in 1991 due to the Iraqi invasion, brackish water consumption has decreased for the same reason to 1669 MIG. Since 1992, brackish water consumption is increasing and has reached 19697 MIG in 1994. There was a slight decrease due to the change in supply system in 1995 to 15957 MIG. The consumption of brackish water in 1996 has increased again to 17875 MIG. For more details, the consumption rate until year 2005 is shown in Figure 2. Figure 2: shows the gross consumption of brackish water from 1989 to 2005. Most of the consumers received the two types of water by the distribution network but some of them were received by car-based tanks (tanks) specially the new towns that did not get the distribution network service yet. The distribution network makes the consumption rate higher and easier because of the availability of water while consumers from tanks have limited water. The consumption of both types of water usually increases in summer due to the arid location, very hot climate and dust during the season resulting in the need for more cleaning, cooling and irrigation, etc. For more details, the consumption rate per month for year 2004 and 2005 is shown in figure 3 (fresh water) and 4 (brackish water). Figure 3: shows the production and consumption of water monthly for year 2004 and 2005. Figure 4: shows the production and consumption of brackish monthly for year 2004 and 2005. Agriculture has not been a priority compared to other sectors of development. According to the weakness of natural resources and the availability of fresh water, Kuwait’s agriculture used to get water from the brackish groundwater or some fresh water wells (very rare and some are human made) in some places such as, Al Abdily, Al Wafra and Fontas. Since the introduction desalination plants and the improvement done to the distribution networks, agriculture has developed and expanded. Farms in Al Wafra and Al Abdily became the highest water consumers in Kuwait. These farms are divided into two sections: †¢ Private farms which consumes †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¢ Government farms which consumes †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Meanwhile, irrigation for planting streets, decorating roads, deck dress towns and public parks are also expanding in Kuwait. Some of these plants are irrigated by a specific distribution system, drip irrigation and others by water tanks. Kuwait is regarded as a non industrial country compared with other countries like USA or Japan but it has some minor industrial facilities. Most of its products are produced from oil such as those from plastic, aluminium, and the most important manufacturing part. It must be noted that Kuwait is one of the biggest countries in producing oil for exportation. Oil derivatives are used to cover public needs such as, pesticides, benzine, diesel, plastic, blacktop etc. This makes the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) as the company with the greatest water consumption section when compared with other industrial facilities. In 1951, the consumption of water was 80000 G/d for the KOC. Currently, the production of oil is around 2. 5 million barrels per day and this means the need for water required for oil processes such as cooling systems, cleaning, pumping and many others. Due to the growth in oil production, the mount water needed has increased sharply compared to the one consumed in the fifties. However, in the past, technology was not as developed as now, and currently part of the water used by the KOC comes from the oil production wells themselves. In contrast, while the oil is pumped out, water comes out as well but this water is usually very acidic (effluent). This water is first treated to reduce its acidity to a level close to the sea water level otherwise it can be harmful to the environment. The water is then pumped back to the ground in order to create enough pressure to push the oil up. When the amount of this effluent water is not enough, additional amount of water (sea water) is used to maintain such pressure. In some cases, average quality water is also produced; this water is treated and used for cooling systems and cleaning. Another source of water consumption is the desalination factories where they use non-negligible amount water for cleaning and cooling system in order to continue their processes (see figure 5). Figure : shows the water consumption inside the desalination plants in 2005. The consumption for households is the largest among all and is the priority concern in Kuwait. Since Kuwait became one of the richest countries, the lifestyles of most of the people there have completely changed. For example, people in Kuwait own big houses and the average number of bathrooms in each house is approximately six and around five cars per house (2-3 cars for people in each apartment). Additionally, the prices of water became very cheap compared with the income of each person. Furthermore, a statement released by (†¦) says that Kuwaiti people wash their cars daily for at least four days a week. Clearly, these reasons will result in more consumption of water besides the hot, dry season and dust storms in summer. Therefore, the consumption of water in summer is more than in winter because of the dust which needs more cleaning (the house, cars, cloths, more showering etc) and cooling for the very hot climate. It is to be noted that most of the houses in Kuwait have gardens (average size of 8 x 6 meters), and this means more water is needed for gardens’ irrigation. In 1960, the mean consumption was 4851 IG per capita and this has further increased in 1970 to 9252 IG. In 1980 it reached 16734 IG, then it increased to 29583 IG in 1992 and in the year 2000 it was 36931 GI. In 2005, the mean per capita consumption was 37279 GI which estimated as one of the highest in the world. Figure 6: shows the consumption of fresh water per capita from 1985 to 2005. The increase in consumption is largely due to the residential areas in Kuwait which have introduced piped water, together with the increase of population and the development of new residential areas. Finally, the consumption of freshwater per capita has reached its saturation levels. Conclusion It is evident that water consumption in Kuwait has increased rapidly in recent years as compared to the past two decades. It has been considered one of the current major concerns since the consumption has been very high as compared with the country size and population. The increase of water consumption is due to several factors. One of these is the discovery of oil in 1991 which made Kuwait one of the richest country, having more facilities and activities most of which are water-based such as big gardens and swimming pools and artificial aqua. Although it has decreased in 1991 due to the Iraqi invasion, it gained momentum and started to increase rapidly again after the war. Water consumption has also increased due to the increase of agriculture and industrial activities.

Essay on Barack Obama Leadership

Essay on Barack Obama Leadership Choose an example of a successful leader from the public/political or private sphere; and explain why s/he is a good example of leadership personified. Support your claim and bolster your argument with the theories and concepts in the text and lectures. Be sure to use facts, statistics, figures, and academic or scholarly articles to support your claims INTRODUCTION Leadership is the art of motivating or inspiring a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal. A leaderÂÂ  stepsÂÂ  upÂÂ  inÂÂ  timesÂÂ  ofÂÂ  crisis, and is able to think andÂÂ  actÂÂ  creatively in difficult situations. There are numerous leaders out there who have been successful in leading a group of people, an organization or the general public. Functions of a leader includes: Engaging followers, integrating them, catering to their needs, aspirations, and goals in a common organization while making them better citizens, followers and leaders. (Simmons, 2008). A good example that fits this category of leadership is Barack Obama. Barack Obama was catapulted into national prominence, in part, because of his skill at building bonds of empathy with supporters from a seemingly impossibly broad political base (Noble , 2009). Conservatives marveled at his use of language and metaphors that resonated with their core beliefs, while Liber als and progressives believed that the rise to prominence of a self-identified African American with impeccable civil rights credentials represented a triumph for their own core agenda (Noble , 2009). This paper will focus on the leadership of Barack Obama; how he made history and was able to lead the country during the time of crisis. Furthermore, the theoretical standpoints of postmodernism and transformational leadership will be implemented to discuss some of the reasons he was successful as a leader. BIOGRAPHY Barack Obama was born in 1961 to a father from Kenya and a mother from Kansas. He was raised with the help of his grandfather, who served in Pattons army, and his grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle management at a bank (Luce 2008). After working his way through college with the help of scholarships and student loans, he moved to Chicago, where he worked with a group of churches to help rebuild communities devastated by the closure of local steel plants. After that, he went on to attend law school, where he became the first African-American president of theÂÂ  Harvard Law Review (Luce, 2008). After graduation, he returned to Chicago to help lead a voter registration drive, teach constitutional law at the University of Chicago, and remain active in his community. Barack Obamas years of public service are based around his unwavering belief in the ability to unite people around a politics of purpose. In the Illinois State Senate, he passed the fir st major ethics reform in 25 years, cut taxes for working families, and expanded health care for children and their parents (Luce, 2008). As a United States Senator, he reached across the aisle to pass ground-breaking lobbying reform, lock up the worlds most dangerous weapons, and bring transparency to government by putting federal spending online (Luce, 2008). HISTORIC ELECTION November 4, 2008 was an historic day for Americans, as they celebrated the election of Barack Obama as the 44th President.ÂÂ  The election was the longest presidential campaign and the most expensive in history (Green Roberts, 2012). Moreover, the historic event marked the first time that two US senators ran against each other. New York Senator Hilary Clinton was the first serious female presidential candidate, while Senator Barak ObamaÂÂ  was the first African American nominated by a major party for president. For the Republican Party, Arizona Senator John McCain had hoped to become the oldest person elected president to a first term in America. His running mate Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was the first woman vice president candidate for the Republican Party (Green Roberts, 2012). The whole presidential race was full of historic moments and it was an election like no other. During the historical presidential race, the media and other experts would often discuss whether a multiracial candidate could win. Some observers argued that Obama may not win because of his racial background. Conversely, other observers viewed him as a post-racial candidate (Green Roberts, 2012). Other opponents mentioned that Obama was too inexperienced, untested, and unready to become the president. Nevertheless, his political savvy, innovative election strategy, and charismatic personality was enough to make him victorious. The former Senator has managed to inspire astonishing numbers of people from different races (Black, White, Latino, Asian etc.) with his wisdom, optimism, wit, and exuberance. In one of his speech that took place on 27 July 2004 at the Democratic National Convention in Boston he spoke of his belief that, Theres not a liberal America and a conservative America, theres the United States of America. Theres not a Black America and White America and Latino America and Asian America; theres the United States of America. (Noble , 2009). TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP After the end of George Bushs presidential reign, the American people had grown tired of the same political atmosphere. Voters wanted something new that could bring change to the country. Transformational leadership places intrinsic motivation on their followers, thereby creating a massive appeal to supporters (Green Roberts, 2012). Bass and Riggio (2005) suggested that transformational leadership assist followers to grow and develop into leaders by responding to individual followers needs, by empowering them, and aligning the goals of the individual followers. Transformational leaders possess the personal characteristics of other effective leaders, especially charismatic leaders (Dubrin, 2013). Transformational leaders who possess a clear and compelling vision can impose their views of reality on followers violating the foundational principle of individual and collective knowledge creation autonomy characteristic of the postmodern value system (Green Roberts, 2012). During the 200 8 presidential election, there was a strong desire by many citizens for change in leadership. There were a number of things that needed to be fixed such as, the imploded housing market and the collapse of the economy. The bush administration achieved one of the lowest approval ratings in history (Green Roberts, 2012). During the presidential election, there was a cry for change. Young voters wanted a leader who inspires and possesses a clear vision. This was exactly what Barack Obama did as a leader. He captured the young voters attention and gave the American people the change theyve been longing for. He is a good example of a transformational leader. LEADING DURING CRISIS Barack Obama got sworn into office during the time of an economic crisis. The country was undergoing a recession but nonetheless, he came into office ready to take action. One of his first priorities after getting into office was to tackle the financial crisis. His stimulus package and some of the carryover from the Bush administration pushed money into the economy when it was needed the most. His auto bailout gave manufacturing a lifeline (GM, Chrysler, Ford), and his support for credit starved banks, slowed down the spread of subprime contagion (Barmak, Beer, Brearto, Castaldo, Cowan, 2012). Even though some believe he did not make the economic life better in his first four years in office, he certainly prevented it from getting much worse. And on re-election day, voters rewarded him for that. According to exit polls, more than half of voters still blamed George W. Bush for the sluggish economy. Only 38% blamed the president (Barack Obama). Surprisingly, four in ten people told po llsters they believed the economy was getting better. Among that cohort, 88% sided with Obama (Barmak, Beer, Brearto, Castaldo, Cowan, 2012). In the last full quarter before the second election, real GDP in the U.S. grew at a slow rate of 1.3% and Joblessness remained very high. No sitting president had ever won re-election with unemployment above 7.4% in the months leading up to a vote (Barmak, Beer, Brearto, Castaldo, Cowan, 2012), but Barack Obama was able to pull it off. During his second and most recent presidential campaign, ObamaÂÂ  argued that the only solution to Americas deficit problem was a mixture of increased revenues and lowered spending. In contrast, Mitt Romney consistently maintained that he could eliminate the deficit without raising taxes. He even promised to cut them below their current rates. Mitt Romneys plan was not realistic and his political agendas were rather inconsistent. Obamas plan was a far more realistic approach. By promising to increase marg inal rates on the very wealthy-essentially by allowing some Bush tax cuts to expire-Obama offered a path that, while not perfect, at least heads in the direction of future deficit reduction (Barmak, Beer, Brearto, Castaldo, Cowan, 2012). POSTMODERNISM According to research, younger generation in the United States and throughout the developed world now possess a more postmodern and post-materialist value system. For the first time in American history, there are four generations co-existing in the workplace. Which are, the Greatest Generation (1922-1945), the Baby Boomer (1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1980), and Millennial (1981-2000) groups (Green Roberts, 2012). It became clear that Obamas campaign communication methods and message appealed to the Millennias sense of community involvement. Barack Obama used the opportunity to connect with his generation and the younger voters population. The Bush administration was not able to meet the new set of values and expectations that the millennial generation is driven by. Some core postmodern traits include challenging authority, attacking conventional wisdom, tolerating ambiguity, accepting diversity, and building constructive reality (Green Roberts, 2012). Consequently, postmodernist s find themselves distrustful of institutions and hard facts. Baby Boomers leadership style is characterized by an autocratic mentality while Millennial are governed by a democratic approach (Green Roberts, 2012). These divergent generational leadership traits inspire some followers while inhibiting others. It is important for a leader (Presidential Candidate) to understand the cultural differences of this postmodern generation in order to win them over as followers/supporters. For example, Barack Obamas inclusiveness regarding the issue of religion was consistent with postmodern assumptions that reject mutually exclusive truth claims (Green Roberts, 2012). He was also able to connect with the younger generation through the internet (e.g. twitter) and was successful in getting more than the usual amount of youths to go out and vote for him. Therefore, one may conclude that Obamas understanding of post-modernism and all the cultural differences of the new generation made a big diff erence for his campaign and contributed to his success as a historic leader. CONCLUSION To summarize in short, Barack Obamas knowledge of postmodernism and his appeal to the different cultural groups across America (Blacks, Latino, Whites and other races) are some of what contributed to his success as a leader. He is a good example of a transformational leader. Barack Obama was catapulted into national prominence, in part, because of his skill at building bonds of empathy with supporters from a seemingly impossibly broad political base. His charisma, honesty and wit made him a unique leader. He believed in the slogan of Change which was what the American people wanted after the Bush administration left office. He was also able to connect with the younger generation through his savvy communication methods and through the internet which got more than the usual amount of the younger generation to go out and vote. This paper analysed the leadership of Barack Obama; how he made history and led the country during the time of crisis. It also incorporated the theoretical standp oints of postmodernism and transformational leadership to discuss some of the reasons why he was successful as a leader. His leadership during the time of crisis was also touched upon with some credible statistical data to back it up.