Ethical practice in counseling Essay

Part A What is ethical practice in counseling? How is this reflected in the skills, competencies and qualities of an effective counselor? Ethical practice within counselling is practice that adheres to a strict set of guidelines created for the purpose of ensuring patient and client safety as well as maximizing the overall outcome of the therapy sessions. These guidelines are essential whether the counselling taking place is under a professional derestriction or between friends and acquaintances. This essay aims to outline the importance of these ethical guidelines and the boundaries they create. It will also take a look at the skills and practices that counsellor’s use and develop to maintain theses boundaries safely and fairly. The ethical framework s aim and purpose is to shape the practice of counselling into a safe, monitored and effective treatment. Due to the trust in place between client and practitioner, as well as the vulnerability of those seeking therapy, extra care has to be taken to protect their mental and physically well-being. The framework is also used to help with the clients understand of the treatment involved and allow the counselor to discuss session times and costs with ease. ‘Ownership and responsibility to practice ethically is an individual process’ British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (2013). Meaning that, although the ethical framework is essential to all counselling and therapy, the practices and skills used by the professionals within these sessions are put in place and used at their own discretion depending on the individual clients needs. The first part of this essay will focus on some of the main points within the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy’s ethical framework and how they are maintained using particular practices and qualities. Boundaries One of the main ways that ethical counseling can be maintained is through the correct use of client counsellor boundaries. This practice can be relevant in professional and friendly counselling sessions. It is very important that the counsellor makes clear the boundaries between themselves and their client and also exactly what they entail. This can be session times and costs as well as their aims for the healing experience. This is essential to avoid confusion and upset later on in therapy. McLeod, J (2008) These boundaries are generally discussed and outlined during the first counseling session, although they may need to be discussed and adjusted at a later date. It is important to note that these boundaries are and can be different for every client. For example some may benefit from having the additional support of knowing they can contact their therapist outside of counselling sessions, whereas in some situations this may promote the individual in becoming far too reliant on the therapist and therefore prohibit them from making positive steps. Another important boundary to made clear is that of what is being offered. This could be especially important when the counseling is happening between friends and nothing more than a listening ear is being offered. It is therefore necessary and common for a verbal agreement to take place to protect those concerned and to form a base for a trusting relationship to begin. McLeod, J (2008) Throughout time these boundaries will be pushed and stretched as the client relies and connects more with their therapist. It is therefore important that the therapist is not only kind and reassuring, but is self aware at both a personal and professional level as they will be required to recognise when boundaries are being overstepped and ensure that relationships do not occur or change because of personal interests. In line with boundaries, at the end of each session a counsellor may request a statement of clarification from the client. This as well as summarizing can help confirm the end of session boundary and also ensure the client that the counsellor is trying to understand the situation as best they can. Being Trustworthy/Confidentiality As with boundaries, being trustworthy and therefore confidentiality is essential to create and maintain the client counsellor relationship regardless of whether it is occurring professionally or as friends. Without the trust associated with confidentiality, successful therapy cannot occur, as a client will not talk freely about personal issues without that reassurance. According to the framework laid out by British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (2013), all information shared in a counselling situation, should be kept strictly confidential at all times, except when the counsellor has evidence to make them believe that the clients or someone else’s safety is at risk. The acting therapist must however discuss the information with the individual to try and solve the issue without breaking trust. The sharing of information is therefore a last call motive to prevent harm when all other attempts at reason have been unsuccessful. It is important to note that the client/patient must be informed beforehand that their information is being/will be disclosed to the relevant persons. Confidentiality is essential for creating integrity between the client and counsellor and in order for trust to develop at its maximum potential, it is important that the counsellor appears to be trust worthy and treats the client with the upmost respect. One way that a counsellor might encourage their patient to trust in them and feel at ease is through the common verbal communication called paraphrasing. Paraphrasing is a method used commonly amongst therapists that require the counsellor to briefly repeat the clients issue to get confirmation, reaffirm trust and also to allow the therapist to confirm tot the client that they are listening and trying to understand completely. Advice To maximize the results from therapy, counsellors are deterred from giving  their clients advice. The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (2013) framework states that it is rarely appropriate or advisable as a counsellor to give advice during therapeutic sessions and that it is much more advisable to encourage patients to develop their own advise or plans. This links in with another ethical principle within counselling that states that the clients should be encouraged to develop and use their own initiative and instincts. By encouraging this behavior, over time, the counsellor will find that the client’s confidence and rationality will rise. Counsellors may use a variety of verbal and non-verbal communication skills to help their client/patient build upon their initiative and progress with their treatment. One way that a therapist might encourage their patient to create their own advice and come to their own confusion is through the asking of open questions. Although it is important to remember that questions should be kept to a minimum throughout sessions, open questions may be necessary to nudge a client into exploring worries and certain activities further. McLeod, J (2008). To be successful with asking the correct open questions, the counsellor would have to be very strong willed and honest to prevent them from asking questions to satisfy their own personal curiosity. Non-maleficence/ Emotional and Mental Safety. All of the ethical guides mentioned combined ensure the safety of the client and counsellor whilst maintaining their dignity. Client safety is paramount and it is essential that the client feel they can full express their emotional needs and feelings without fear of judgment, betrayal or ridicule. Two practices have been mentioned that can help build the relationship and trust between the client and counsellor. It is important during counselling sessions that the counsellor has some kind of input, whether verbal (Paraphrasing) or non-verbal aspects of listening such as eye contact or  head movements. However, counsellors must take great care to adapt these practices and skills to suit each clients individuality as every person’s needs are different, for example a blind client would require more verbal s acknowledgements, whereas some people avoid direct eye contact. Therefore the counsellor should act with and encourage sincerity. To see how important all of these ethical principles and practices are it is necessary to view the detrimental effect that bad unethical counselling may have on an individual. From the D171 Developing Counselling Skills DVD it is obvious to see the harm that the counsellors bad practice is having. From showing a lack of empathy, interest and sincerity, the counsellor is destroying patients’ confidence and self-esteem whilst abusing all trust. The effect on the patient is immediate and shows how even just the common courtesy of acknowledgement or reassurance can really make a difference to the mental stability of someone struggling. D171 Developing Counselling DVD (2008) In conclusion, by being aware of the negative impact that counselling can so easily have upon a patient through negligence, it is necessary for ethics to be reflected and maintained within procedure to allow the effective treatment and practice of therapy. It is also important that counsellors skills and qualities reflect these ethics and are used in according with the guides to maximize the treatment standards. References British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (2013). Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy, http://www.bacp.co.uk/admin/structure/files/pdf/9479_ethical%20framework%20jan2013.pdf (Accessed 14/01/14). McLeod, J (2008) Introduction to Counselling [Ed. D. Langdridge], Maidenhead/Milton Keynes, Open University Press/The Open University The Open University (2008) D171 Developing Counselling Skills DVD, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Part B Briefly set out how your own ethical beliefs, behaviours and values have developed and why they are important. I think my behavior towards boundaries may have changed. It had never occurred to me how important boundaries are within counselling and psychotherapy and realistically I often find myself being ‘friends’ with people who have sought my help, when I may not have necessarily wanted to. I will definitely aim to make my boundaries more clear in the future to minimize the risk of mixed signals. I think this is definitely important, as it is unfair to allow someone to believe they have closeness with an individual when they may in fact not. It is difficult however to maintain that distance when comforting someone who is clearly distressed and upset and in need of affection and comfort. Self Evaluation 1) I definitely feel like I got to grips with the use of some of the counsellors practices, ie paraphrasing and open questions and I feel I can easily recognise when these are being used and when it would be suitable to use them. 2) I very much struggled with the main textbook. I am an avid reader and although I am used to reading very complex material, I found that the way the textbook was written did not agree with me in the slightest. I found it very difficult to absorb and extract the content and found that it made me enjoy this module much less than I thought I would.

Mastering listening

There are five basic senses that human beings have in order to perceive society and in order to interact with one’s surroundings.   The sense of touch is often the way to feel what an object is like.   The sense of sight is the manner by which human beings perceive their environment.   The sense of smell is another way of getting acquainted with the world because it allows one to get a whiff of the air in one’s environment.   Another sense is that of taste which allows man to savor the delicacies that are available in the world.   Finally, and perhaps the most underrated of all senses, the sense of hearing by which a person can hear about what goes on in the world. The sense of touch is a great gift because with it a person can feel what objects are like and it allows people to differentiate between textures and feels.   The sense of smell is another wonderful gift because it allows people to have an olfactory experience that introduces man to the many scents of nature.   The sense of sight is also very useful for without it a lot of what man has right now would never have been invented. The sense of taste is also an amazing gift because it allows people to taste the wonderful foods that are available in the world.   While all of these senses have their own advantages, it is only the sense of hearing that allows a person to know how another person is feeling.   It is the only sense that allows a person to find out what is happening in another part of the world.   It can actually see farther than our eyes and allow us to know accurately what goes on in other places. The gift of hearing and the skill of listening is a talent that many people disregard or take for granted.   Not many people realize that the way to find the window into the soul of another is not through any of the other senses except the sense of hearing.   By listening to another person and allowing that person to bare his or her soul, one can learn so much more about another and arrive at a better, deeper and more complete understanding of who the person really is. The intricacies of the soul are revealed when one actually listens to another.   It has been established at this point that the sense of hearing is actually a very important sense as it is the main way by which a person can listen to another.   The next question that must be addressed is the relevancy of listening as a skill. All the senses of the human body are designed to do one thing, receive input that the brain will eventually process.   The listening, as a manner of exercising the sense of hearing, is a manner by which a person is able to gain input with regard to his surroundings and more importantly other people.   People communicate mainly through speech. While there are some traits, feelings, emotions and thoughts that can be conveyed through other means, the primary mode of communicating still remains to be through speech and the only way of understanding speech is by listening.   Communication is the method by which people interact with others.   It involves not only an exchange of ideas but also involves a certain degree of trust or confidence.   That is the reason why listening is so relevant because it allows people to communicate with each other.   Speaking is but one part of the communication process.   The other part is listening. There is certainly no doubt that listening is a skill that many people are capable of doing but is sadly something that not everyone does.   While most humans are equipped with the sense of hearing, there are still those who can hear but cannot listen.   They may be able to hear every single word that has been said to them but they cannot always be considered as listening.   The next question that must be asked is how one can actually listen or become a better listener. Listening is not simply nodding one’s head and hearing what another person is saying but requires that a person actually pay careful attention to the words of another.   It requires that the listener to do more than just absorb whatever the speaker has to say but in certain instances requires that the listener react in such a way as to encourage the speaker to bring out more.   Listening is a way of reassuring the speaker that there is somebody for him to talk to who listens to him.   It is a way of communicating various feelings to another person without the use of words. In order to become a good listener or to develop one’s listening skills, it is not important that the person is genuinely interested in the other or what the other has to say since the purpose of communication and listening is indeed to come to a better understanding of another person.   The thing that is required in order to develop good listening skills is in being able to know when to simply just â€Å"shut up and listen.†Ã‚   There is a certain timing that is needed in listening because listening may often be confused with boredom or disinterest by certain people.   One has to know when to simply just nod one’s head or smile instead of opening one’s mouth to say something.   This is the most important step at becoming a good listener. It is hard to imagine a world where nobody actually listened or paid any attention to other people.   It would probably be a sad world filled with the endless monologue from the unending conversations of people who have nobody to listen to them.   The people of the world would arguably be much sadder too since there would be nobody to listen to their problems or help them vent their frustrations. It is not hard to see just how important the skill of listening is.   It is also thankfully not hard to become a better listener.   The next time somebody says something, try not to respond right away.   Think, learn and feel first and by doing do listening to what the other has to say.   If man had learned this skill earlier, think of all the wars and bloodshed that mankind could have avoided by simply listening to what the other had to say.

Stone Cold Definitions: What is a Family?

American society is an interesting place: we value individualism and celebrate freedom, and strive for being the best in all that we do.   The road to achieving this is not an easy one, but as a nation, we understand this.   We train our children gradually by setting small tasks for them.   These tasks are designed to help our children â€Å"practice† for their imminent involvement in the â€Å"real† world, and it is the hope of those who create these â€Å"practice† sessions that children will grow into adults who are well-adjusted, productive Americans. This training includes learning to do a variety of things—from the mundane to the complex—primarily by trial and error.   We put training wheels on bicycles; we spread education out over a period of twenty-plus years; we encourage part-time jobs before careers and raising a pet to learn the value of life and the seriousness of responsibility; however, when it comes to creating a family, we act like it is an all-or-nothing affair.   We define it in a single way, and access it as â€Å"successful† only in the extremist of circumstances.   American society may value individualism, celebrate freedom, and strive for perfection, but it can be an extraordinarily judgmental place for those who fall outside the parameters of the traditional definition of â€Å"family.† Barbara Kingsolver examines the definition of â€Å"family† in her piece, â€Å"Stone Soup: What Does It Mean To Be a Family, Anyway?†Ã‚   Her conclusion: that the defined parameters are simply too narrow and that America’s continuing to use this false standard is detrimental to all people. There can be little doubt that the United States values individualism; however, it seems as though individualism is only acceptable if the involved party conforms to preconceived norms and moral standards set by the majority when exercising this right to be â€Å"individual.†Ã‚   Barbara Kingsolver asks readers â€Å"in the catalog of family values, where do we rank an occasion such as this?† (305). She is referring to a child’s soccer game and the fact that the child in question is surrounded by primary and extended family members—an entire cheering section of his own, but that social construct calls his family â€Å"broken† (305).   Obviously, â€Å"Andy† is not suffering for lack of anything while playing soccer—there is nothing at all â€Å"broken† about him or the people who make up his family.   Kingsolver’s point is powerful, and she demands each of us step back and consider the reason for family and the parameters by which the success of this configuration of people is judged. The point of people joining together to create a unified structure (i.e. a â€Å"family†) is to strengthen the one by adding others.   The make-up of the family structure is rather arbitrary, and as Kingsolver points out, in other countries as well as in America’s past, the presence of several generations under one roof was commonplace (308).   Modern society has changed the basic dynamic of â€Å"family,† expecting the branching out of children as they reach adulthood, and the defining of parenting â€Å"success† by an offspring’s financial and familial productivity out in the world. This does not sound at all like the makings of a strong â€Å"individual†; it sounds very much like a cookie-cutter environment churning out cookie-cutter people.   Kingsolver points out that â€Å"there's a current in the air with ferocious moral force [. . .] claiming there is only one right way to do it, the Way It Has Always Been† and expresses how nonsensical this attitude is (305). If we operated under the guise of â€Å"the Way It Has Always Been,† we’d still have slavery, children working in sweat shops, women who had no control over their own money, legalized domestic violence, etc.   Part of this nation’s strength comes from its ability to recognize flaws in its operations, make the necessary changes, and move on.   Why are we so slow to apply this to family?   As Kingsolver puts it, â€Å"this narrow view [of family] is so pickled and absurd I'm astonished that it gets airplay† (305).   Simply put, a group of people who join together to perform everyday tasks, including caring for a child/children, paying bills, maintaining a home, and caring for one another is a family. People who were born before the internet, cellular phones, and the microwave oven survived, and many of them continue to do so without having adapted or integrated any of those items into their daily lives.   Those of us who make use of modern technology are not harmed by the lack of understanding or participation of those who choose to remain â€Å"behind† the times. However, those who insist on the â€Å"traditional† definition of â€Å"family† and persist in applying derogatory terms to the variety of familial make-ups that have become more prevalent are harming those who choose to acknowledge familial advances.   â€Å"Divorce, remarriage, single parenthood, gay parents, and blended families simply are. They're facts of our time† (307). It seems odd that in a nation that is so sold on individuality and freedom of choice that it has  begun to package cheese in balls, slabs, individually wrapped slices, and sticks that we shy away  from a multi-faceted definition of family.   Perhaps the problem is the way in which people look  at things.   Can it be that only a single parent struggling to get by understands that the slab is  cheapest, and that it has the added benefit of one’s being able to cut it and wrap it in a variety of  sizes and shapes that can be determined based on need?   Isn’t this a simple, physical example of  the old adage that anyway you slice a thing, it is still the thing?   Does it really matter what the  make-up of the family is as long as it fulfills it goals?   There are legitimate reasons for the  changes seen in the modern family. â€Å"Some of the reasons listed by sociologists for these family  reconstructions are: the idea of marriage as a romantic partnership rather than a pragmatic one; a  shift in women's expectations, from servility to self-respect and independence; and longevity† (Kingsolver 307). Prepare a list of the things a person might fight hardest for in terms of â€Å"freedom,† and the freedom to choose a life partner has got to be near the top, and this freedom is not about one’s orientation: it is about one’s freedom—period.   Whether straight or gay, single or married, the freedom to enter into or leave a relationship seems fundamental. Barbara Kingsolver discusses her preconceived notion of marriage and divorce: a notion that was constructed by the society in which she grew up—the society that continues to exist in America (306).   She admits to her naà ¯ve belief that in choosing a mate one could not err, and admitted that â€Å"once upon a time [she believed . . ] that everyone who [divorced] could have chosen not to do it.   That it's a lazy way out of marital problems.   That it selfishly puts personal happiness ahead of family integrity,† but having lived her life and gone through a divorce, she now sees that this is simply not true. This bursts not only the bubble of her expectations, it places the rest of her family, including her children, into a category that implies imperfection and an inability to perform up to expected standards.   Kingsolver equates the â€Å"judg[ing of] a family’s value by its tidy symmetry is to purchase a book for its cover† (308).   Oddly, the â€Å"children of divorce† are profoundly unaffected in many ways, and where adults see defeat, they see the opportunity to have two different homes and two sets of things as advantageous.   Certainly this isn’t always the case—as it is not always the case that a child raised in a â€Å"traditional family† goes unscathed.   Each situation and each experience is—dare I say—individual. The closing anecdote in Barbara Kingsolver’s piece places the term Stone Soup in to context, and it is in this recollection that real advice can be seen.   While the story hinges on the soldiers’ plan, what happens all around them is of equal importance.   The message in the story is that both sides must be ready and willing to accept their opposition: the hungry soldiers gave in to the townspeople who in turn gave in to the hungry soldiers, and in the end, everyone is better for having shared. The same is true of the modern family.   No one should be forced to give up the ideal of â€Å"family† anymore than anyone should give up the ideal of having a cupboard filled with food; however, everyone has got to be willing to acknowledge that their definition of â€Å"family† is relative—much like the â€Å"full† cupboard, and often simply adding to the pot what you can is sufficient. Work Cited Kingsolver, Barbara.   â€Å"Stone Soup: What Does It Mean To Be a Family, Anyway?†Ã‚   The McGraw-Hill Reader: Issues Across Time.   8th ed.   Ed. Gilbert H. Muller.   LaGuardia: City U. of New York, 2003.   305-310.

Part A-Contract law Part B- Case study (letter)

Part A-Contract law Part B- (letter) - Case Study Example As a result, they did not expect the consumer to take them seriously. A misrepresentation, on the other hand, refers to a false statement of fact that a party makes to another party to influence them into entering a contract, even though the statement is not part of the contract. In effect, this makes the contract voidable and the innocent party could repudiate the contract, as well as claim damages (James, 2014: p22). Where a person making the statement knew the real facts and it can be proved, they could not have held their views reasonably as a result, their opinions are taken as statement of fact. In order for a contract to be valid, both parties must make it freely and there should be mutual assent. However, it is possible that pressure to enter into the contract or coercion could affect mutual assent. Undue influence and duress are situations that impact on mutual assent, rendering contracts voidable or void. Duress refers to the exertion of wrongful pressure on a party to coerce them into making a contract that they would not ordinarily enter. It involves threatening to use force or using force intentionally to induce the party to assent to the contract (Carter, 2013: p32). Whether the coercion is mental or physical, it must be to an extent to which the other party does not have freedom of choice or free will, leaving them no reasonable alternative than to assent to the contract. On the other hand, undue influence refers to taking advantage of the other party during the formation of contracts. In this case, the two parties have a relationship, for example, one is superior to the other. Unlike duress that involves the use of direct threats; undue influence involves the use of excessive pressure by a dominant party for the subordinate to assent to the contract, although persuasion alone does not constitute undue influence (Carter, 2013: p33). As a result, the

Is Concept Of Social Science Inherently Utopian Essay

Is Concept Of Social Science Inherently Utopian - Essay Example UTOPIAN APPROACH TO SOCIAL SCIENCES Deductive: The Philosophy to Social Sciences is an a Priori or Deductive method, which moves from the general to the particular, aiming at speculation and laying down what ought to be. Abstract: It is more often than not, characterised by abstract thinking and a more ideal setting; wherein the pragmatic perspective if steered cleared of, and a more idealistic set-up is conjured and pictured as the desired end. Universal Principles: The philosophy to the social sciences relies heavily on general universal principles, and does not move from the conventional notion of what should be the end and the means to achieve the end. It takes for granted, the truth of the conventional thinking pattern. Methodology: A scholar engages himself in laborious theorising and abstract thinking, to explain the nature of social sciences from a philosophical perspective, which is again based on excogitated principles. Ends: The purposes and ends of the state and other social sciences are drawn up from an ethical and philosophical perspective, rather than from an pragmatic or practical perspective. This summarizes the manner in which philosophical approach to the social sciences is formulated. ... y to the social sciences relies heavily on general universal principles, and does not move from the conventional notion of what should be the end and the means to achieve the end. It takes for granted, the truth of the conventional thinking pattern. Methodology: A scholar engages himself in laborious theorising and abstract thinking, to explain the nature of social sciences from a philosophical perspective, which is again based on excogitated principles. Ends: The purposes and ends of the state and other social sciences are drawn up from an ethical and philosophical perspective, rather than from an pragmatic or practical perspective. This summarizes the manner in which philosophical approach to the social sciences is formulated. PROS AND CONS OF THE APPROACH: THE POSITIVES Perceiving the social sciences from the utopian perspective helps in evolving great principles for whose realization, the state and the social bodies are meant to exist and function towards. This also is a eye-opener to the fact that the social scientist should not get lost in the world of mere facts and experiments, and must look towards the realization of the larger good of the society. It has been asserted time and again, by great social thinkers, that the primary purpose of social sciences is to envisage and work towards 'what ought to be'. THE NEGATIVES The approach also does have some drawbacks, mostly because it is impractical and too lofty to be carried out by bringing about a consensus in the entire society. This is inclusive of the

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Using Facebook at Work - Essay Example People tend to spend hours and hours of their time stocking other profiles, uploading photos, commenting on photos, updating their statuses and catching up with their numerous friends. Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Tagged, etc. although prove beneficial in building up your social network and strengthening relations its use has many adverse effects as well particularly when you are using Facebook while you are at your workplace. Using Facebook at work place has a very few advantages and benefits in comparison to the great many drawbacks and threats it poses to its users as well as the security of the office or the company. Though the use of Facebook is permitted in some companies but many companies have banned the use of Facebook during work hours or limited the access for its users. Advancements in technologies and introduction of smartphones and other multi-purpose devices have made the access to such networking very easy and have brought about problems fo r the offices and companies who do not allow its use. These sites may be of great use if used domestically or at home because it helps you to keep you linked to all your family members, friends, colleagues, workmates and to build new acquaintances but it certainly is not of much use while used during office hours (Sutherland 2011). Executives and managers of many different offices and companies do not allow the use of Facebook to their employees during the office hours. The offices have mentioned in their policy that it is strictly prohibited to use Facebook while at work and can have serious implications if found using in the office. The major reason why the officials are against of using Facebook is that they are major attention diverters. When you get yourself logged into Facebook and start navigating through the page it seems as if the world has stopped behind you and you do not realize how much you have spent just scrolling through pages, visiting

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Social Control Theory - Essay Example My family was the first group of people that I have met since my birth and they are the people that I have known the longest. At a young age, being conscious of the things around you are one of the things that cannot be instantly achieved as our consciousness as kids are not yet sturdy. It was only around my teens when I have understood the exertion of some social control factors as a child. Only with an earnest amount of consciousness and awareness will someone realize the reason for previous events. At present, my family still holds the most authority of influence in my character and behavior. I am blessed to have a family who had made it an effort to mold me into the person that I am today—hard working, diligent, and resourceful. In order to improve the different factors of social control, one needs to remember that the family as it is the family that is the influential in terms of controlling the social actions of the individual in society due to the influences of the family members in the early developmental stages of the people in society (â€Å"The effects of morals,† 2010). Activities that can build better family ties prove to be one of the best solutions any community can offer to its members. Starting positive influences on the young within families prove to be better for the fact that as we age, logic is gained and the closeness of a mind is more possible as changes in perspective do not happen instantly—especially if it contradicts to what people have learned at a young

Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Business Law - Essay Example Finally, the contract should not be objectionable through impossibility, illegality or because it is against public policies (Young 2009, p.10). Discussion (a)In responding to case of Peter and Josephine, the paper will explore more on written contracts in order to determine whether their contract was valid. Having written contracts is much safer than verbal contracts. A written contract offers more certainty and at the same time reduces business risks by making the clarity on the agreement from the start of the engagement. Written contracts act as proof of what was agreed on by the involved parties, which acts as security of any disputes. This form of contract is also essential since it provides details on payments, timeframes, and ways on how to solve arising disputes. The other notable thing regarding written contracts is the provision of how they can be varied and conditions under which the contract can be terminated (Charman 2013, p.23). Looking into Peter and Josephine case, on e can point out that there were attempts by the two to make a verbal contract, but due to the underlying circumstances, the verbal contract was never reached. This is evident from the fact that, after Peter made up his mind that he would purchase the painting, he could not reach Josephine via to reach an agreement that he will be going for the painting. Instead, Peter left a phone message and also sent a letter to Josephine, but Josephine sold the painting before listening to the phone message or reading the letter. Therefore, this implies that the two never made any agreement that Peter would buy the painting, which makes it clear that Peter did not have a valid contract. (b) A brief overview on what the common law says about the exemption clause will be helpful in understanding Peter and Larry case. One general feature of written contracts is the fact that the party issuing the contract seeks to minimize its liability under the contract either wholly or partially. Exemption clause s can claim to reduce what would be the defendant’s duty they can claim to restrict the liability, which would otherwise translate to a breach of contract or claim to exclude the party in default fully to cover the other party. In most cases, exemption clauses are applied by stronger parties against weaker parties (Taylor & Taylor 2007, p.57). In the case of Peter and Larry, Peter issues Larry with a ticket that has an exemption clause at the back. The clause states â€Å"all items left in the cloakroom are at the owner’s risk. We do not accept liability for any loss or damage of items however, caused†. Despite the fact that the same message placed at the back of the cloakroom was obscured, it was Larry’s responsibility to read and understand the exemption clause at the back of the ticket. Since the clause exempts Peter from being responsible for the loss of Larry’s coat, Peter should utilize it in defending himself against compensating Larry for h is loss. In Parker v South Eastern Railway (1877) 2 CPD 416 case, the plaintiff left his bag in the cloak-room at the railway station. The plaintiff was issued with ticket that was written â€Å"see back†. On the back side there were several clauses including one that stated â€Å" Business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 8 Business law - Essay Example Whealan, 1934). The trial judge in the case posed a query â€Å"In receiving the money did Peter Whelan act under threats of immediate death or serious personal violence?† The answer of the jury was in the affirmative. The trial judge actually ruled that even though the defendant was forced to accept the stolen money that is he was under duress, but still this cannot be a defence. It only acted as moderation. The court of criminal appeal noted that if a defendant acts under duress then an acquittal will be rare. Thus because of this the case was decided on the general principle of duress ([1934] IR 518, 524). But the Court mentioned that the application of the general principle will have to be limited to certain extent. In this case the Court stated that â€Å"where the excuse of duress is applicable it must further be clearly shown that the overpowering of the will was operative at the time the crime was actually committed, and, if there were reasonable opportunity for the will to reassert itself, no justification can be found in antecedent threats†.1 Thus, the common range of the protection of duress, as sketched in Whelan, is that; â€Å"the will of the defendant must have been overborne by the threats, the duress must be operating when the offence is committed and if there is an opportunity for the individual will to reassert itself and it is not taken, a plea of duress will fail† (in AG v. Whealan, 1934). In Attorney General v. Whelan, it was found that the defendant was in menaces and this was acknowledged to â€Å"death or serious violence†. In this case even though no real threats were faced by the defendant, but it was found that the existence of the person threatening was armed. It was also noted that the person so armed was such a person who will not hesitate even to use the pistol, was adequate to amount to a risk of â€Å"death or serious violence†.2 The ratio decidendi in the case was based on the principle of "neighbour" even though it was

How Is the Power of Dreams and Dreaming in the Novel of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

How Is the Power of Dreams and Dreaming in the Novel of Mice and Men Essay The idea of moving from one place to another, working hard and trying to raise the quality of life for you and your loved ones is known as The American Dream. Steinbeck invites us to understand how having this dream keeps them going despite the challenging life that each character faces. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck makes this dream the main focus of the story for both the reader and characters. George’s dream is to have independence and to go into town and get whatever I want but most importantly he dreams of being somebody. On the other hand, Lennie aspires to be with George and to tend the rabbits. Ultimately, George and Lennie both wanted to have a little house and couple of acres an a cow and some pigs however, George only tells Lennie about their dream to comfort Lennie. This is shown when Lennie says No You tell it. It aint the same if I tell it. Go on George. How do I get to tend the rabbits. It is only after they all realised that together, this thing they never believed in was coming true Even though the dream is very important to George as well, Steinbeck portrays Lennie as someone who wants the dream a lot more. This is shown through Lennies angry or upset feelings when he feels like he has done something that would jeopardise their dream. George uses this to his advantage to threaten and control Lennie by blackmailing him, If you do, I wont let you tend the rabbits. Consequently, Lennie tries to please George and to gain his approval as much as possible. Another way in which Steinbeck shows the power of dreams and dreaming in the novel is through how much they want it. Steinbeck portrays each character’s desperation through their lifestyle. The dream that each character has reflects what is missing from their life. George and Crooks are both very desperate about this dream because they both want their current lives to be like their past. This is shown when, for a second, George loses track of the present and says â€Å"we’d keep a few pigeons to go flyin’ around the win’mill like they done when I was a kid† which is referring back to his childhood. Similarly, Crooks wants to return to his past. â€Å"The white kids used to play at our place, an’ sometimes I went to play with them. † This shows that Crooks used to be well respected and equal within his community. After all, Crooks â€Å"ain’t a southern negro†; however, he is not treated well at the ranch, therefore, the dream provides comfort for Crooks. Although George wants to return to his childhood, there is a deeper meaning to his dream. George wants to â€Å"just say the hell with goin’ to work† because unlike Candy, George doesn’t want to stay at the ranch too long so he would get ‘canned’. For George, the dream means that â€Å"nobody could can us† Furthermore, George doesn’t want to have to keep moving because he would â€Å"jus live there† and â€Å"belong there. There wouldnt be no more runnin round the country and gettin fed by a Jap cook. † This suggests that he’ll be his own boss. A result of being a migrant worker, no one at the ranch has any friends, which is why Crooks was surprised to hear that Lennie had George. For George and Lennie, the dream of having their own land provides a stable home that will eventually gain them friends and family. On the other hand, Crooks is very pessimistic about the possibility of a dream becoming a reality because he has been segregated in the ranch for as long as he can remember. His cynicism has led him to believe â€Å"Its just in their head. Theyre all the time talkin about it, but its jus in their head. This suggests that his past experiences have affected his power to dream. Steinbeck reinforces the power of dreaming within the novel, as he shows every character’s reaction when they all realise that there is a possibility of George and Lennie’s dream becoming reality. â€Å"They looked at each other, amazed. This thing they had never really believed in was coming true. Once they believed that the dream is a possibility, the tension is ramped up. Suddenly there is something to lose and something to fight for. This massively enhances the power that the dream has over each character and for a while the feeling of doom is lessened. The reader wants to know if each character can escape the curse they seem to be under and reach their goals. For Lennie and candy the dream would provide an exciting opportunity, as both characters are not worth mu ch in the real world. The dream would provide them a chance of appreciation. To Lennie, the dream is an antidote to disappointment and loneliness, and he often asks George to recite the description of the farm to him for comfort. Like a child, he loved the hear George telling him to â€Å"tend the rabbits† correspondingly for Candy it would make him feel more important as he can â€Å"cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some† Even though Curley’s Wife was the reason that the dream fell apart, she had big dreams to be in â€Å"pitchers† Unsatisfied by her surly husband, she constantly lurks around the barn, trying to engage the workers in conversation. However, although she may come across as very flirtatious, she only flirts with the men for attention. Which is what her dream would have provided her if she didn’t marry Curley. Shes so lonely, and so desparate for the attention of the men at the ranch that she even flirts with Lennie as she leans â€Å"closely† at him to â€Å"see if she was impressing him† To look in more detail about how Steinbeck shows the power of the dreams, take each individual character and how they all act to their dreams ending. For example, Steinbeck has made Curley very bitter after the realisation of his dreams ending when Candy’s wife is killed by Lennie. His bitterness shows how much the dream meant to him and how he needed it because he is old and disabled so he will probably get ‘canned’ soon, He shuffles out of the barn which that he has given up all hope, almost given up on life.

Kilarjian v. Vastola Essay Example for Free

Kilarjian v. Vastola Essay Plaintiff’s contended that the difference in the financing costs they experience because of the delay should be presented as damages because the breach by defendants will result in a higher financing cost. Also, plaintiffs strongly stress the breach of contract because they suffered costs and attorney’s fees as well as financing costs for the delay in acquiring a second mortgage obligation; Defendant’s delay should be calculated as damages for plaintiffs. On June 15, 2004, plaintiffs real estate attorney forwarded a time-of-the-essence letter to defendants, setting a closing date of June 25, 2004. Defendants failed to close and are not willing to close on the property. Defendants do not dispute the weight of the contract. However, Mrs. Vastolas spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) began to accelerate. In defense of their position, defendants provided a letter from Mrs. Vastolas doctor, Mark J. Brown, which explained that SMA is a progressive neurological condition that, as a result, disables her from all daily activities because of her arms and legs are weak which results in putting Mrs. Vastola in no condition to sell her house and move. Correspondingly the defendants argue that since the time they signed the contract for the sale of the home, Mrs. Vastola’s conditions become increasingly worse, should excuse the performance in proceeding with the sale of their house. Besides the plaintiffs were well aware of Mrs. Vastola’s condition when they signed the contract. Defendants also advise the court that finances are tight and they should not be responsible for an increase in mortgage rates considering the situation the Vastola’s have recently encountered. Issue: In this case is it acceptable for the court to award costs to the plaintiffs for legal charges and land fees but also void the breach of contract, by the defendant, considering the physical health of the defendant, even if the contract was signed before the defendant was  diagnosed with SMA? Decision: Yes. Plaintiffs are entitled to reimbursement for costs associated with the breach of contract. Compensatory damages are intended to recompense the injured claimant for losses due to the breach. However, a defendant is not chargeable for a loss that he did not have reason to foresee as a probable result of the breach when the contract was made. The specific elements to be applied in any given case of a sellers breach of an executory agreement to sell realty may vary in order to achieve the broad purposes of damages. If the buyer subsequently purchased another property financed at a higher interest, the rate interest differential occasioned by the sellers default might be a proper factor to consider in fixing damages. Overall plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment is hereby denied because of the defendant’s substantial evidence to reinforce the defendant’s illness. Reason: The court is sympathetic to the difficulty of the plaintiffs, who apparently had their heart set on this house and have been waiting for a closing date but this court will consider documentations of interest rates on their mortgage, as well as the out of pocket expenses and attorney fees associated with the breach, so that the court can award costs accordingly to the plaintiffs. Nevertheless, the court would render a heartless judgment to evict a woman whose health has deteriorated badly while the contract was pending and wishes nothing more than to remain in her home during the most difficult days of her illness.

Predicting Bankruptcy of Firms

Predicting Bankruptcy of Firms TOPIC A Abstract The recent world budgetary or financial crisis has expanded the quantity of insolvencies in various nations and has brought about another range of research which reacts to the need to foresee this phenomenon, not only at the level of individual nations, as well as at a worldwide level, offering clarifications of the regular attributes shared by the affected companies. The objective of this essay is to discuss possible useful model for predicting the bankruptcy of the firms that is taking place globally. Introduction This essay concentrates on foreseeing the risk of the bankruptcy of business forms with a worldwide degree. The present significance of bankruptcy prediction models has developed because of the current world financial crisis. This crisis has seen an expansion in the numbers of bankruptcy in a several nations and has served to exhibit that even the best international organizations must be consistently careful concerning their budgetary circumstance and the position of the organizations they work. On the other side, because of the globalization process that the world economy is encountering, a complex system of international connections that has emerged in the business world. A few studies have demonstrated that the globalization phenomenon has resulted the homogenization of the budgetary behavior of organizations, techniques for fund, and the conduct of money related markets. Bankruptcy And Instrument to Prediction A study by Yadav 1986 (cited in BRÃŽNDESCU-OLARIU 2016, p. 258) indicates that the evaluation of the corporate bankruptcy risk has represented a focal theme of the ration analysis since the beginning of the twentieth century. The studies over samples of organizations from everywhere throughout the world have demonstrated the handiness of the monetary proportions in the predicting the bankruptcy. Amid the most recent century, distinctive univariate or multivariate procedures for evaluating the bankruptcy were proposed, as per the characteristics of population. The need to reestablish the approaches is permanent, as the features of the populaces consistently change. A previous research by (Brà ®ndescu-Olariu, 2016a) conducted over a paired sample of 1176 Romanian organizations demonstrated a general characterization accuracy based on solvency ratio of 67%. According to Chung et al. (2008) cited in Brà ®ndescu-Olariu 2016, p. 258, despite the fact that this level of accuracy leaves imperative space for error, it is viewed as enough to make the solvency ratio a helpful classifier. As the tests were performed over a paired sample (588 bankrupt organizations, 588 non-bankrupt organizations), the ideal cut-off esteem was not viewed as fit for the entire populace (which has a yearly liquidation recurrence of less than 3% and a method of analysis was not arranged. The current review sets to build up an approach for surveying the insolvency chance in light of the solvency ratio, applicable to the entire populace. Albeit different instruments for the assessment of the liquidation risk exist, the procedure proposed will offer data quick, with negligible exertion from the part of the analyst, being in the meantime open to all stakeholders. According to Alaminos, del Castillo, FernaÂndez 2016, p. 3 in the development of models that have attempted to offer strict predictions of bankruptcy, distinct reviews are remarkable, with the greater part of these centering on one specific nation or industry as it were. Using samples of American firms, Odom M, Sharda R (1990) neutral network model figured out how to accomplish a precision of 86.8% with a multiple discriminant analysis (MDA) model and 77.0% with neural networks (NN). Zhou L, Tam KP, Fujita H (2016) accomplished 100% precision amid the preparation stage and 97.5% amid the testing stage with NN. Mossman CE, Bell GG, Swartz LM, Turtle H (1998) embraced a relative investigation of four sorts of bankruptcy prediction models utilizing proportions of financial statement, share performance, share capital, and standard deviations of that execution, accomplishing a classification accuracy of 84.9%. Laitinen EK, Laitinen T (2000) apply a Logit model utilizing data from the two years prior to the liquidation. Shumway T (2001) displayed a model to anticipate the likelihood of insolvency using Logit, with which a 54% classification was accomplished. Philosophov LV, Philosophov VL (2005) created a model for the improvement of the structure of firm capital with the likelihood of bankruptcy as the fundamental prohibitive component. El Kalak I, Hudson R (2016) explored whether size influences the probabilities of liquidation by creating four discrete-time risk models (discrete-time, duration-dependent hazard mode), while also using American firms as a foundation for this. Some of people and analysts also think that quarterly financial statement comes helpful in predicting insolvencies. In general, the reviews have found that interim budgetary information are valuable for prescient purposes (Brown and Niederhoffer [1968]; Reilly, Morgenson, and West [1972]; Coates [1972]; Shashua, Goldschmidt, and Melnik [1973]; Griffin [1977]) cited in Baldwin, Glezen 1992, p. 270. According to Chung, Chen, Lin, Lin, Lin 2015, since the Asian 1997 monetary crises start, numerous well known organizations have generated money related misery. The money related crisis lets financial specialists a chance to lessen certainty. In this way, preventing organization failure is a critical issue in finance and bookkeeping field. Wrong basic leadership in many organizations will bring severe budgetary trouble outcomes. For the most part, directors or financial specialists plan to comprehend working or speculation execution of the organization. Predictions of firm bankruptcy have been broadly contemplated in accounting and finance back in the course of three decades. Keeping in mind to enhance the models, previous researchers put a lot of exertion into empirical studies reviews using conventional statistics techniques as well as recently developed artificial neural system (ANN). In 1966-1980, Beaver (1966), Altman (1968), and Ohlson (1980) were the pioneers of the money related trouble empirical approach. These three papers were the essential references about bankruptcy prediction, however they use distinctive techniques and information. Beaver used univariate analysis to predict crashes of companies. Altman conducted MDA in developing the Z-score model. In addition, Ohlson picked conditional logit analysis to dodge some basic issues related with MDA. Both the MDA display and logit regression model have been generally used as a part of practice and in numerous scholastic reviews. They have been the standard benchmarks for the advance default prediction prob lem. In the present states of economy there is an expanding number of companies that are confronting economic and financial related troubles which may, in some cases, lead to insolvency. The risk of indebtedness, and a rupture of any legally binding obligation, is a signal of financial distress. So as to treat the failure phenomenon, the work done in this area has created models that anticipate all the more precisely the companys financial health (Altman, 1968, 1994; Bardos, 1998; Li and Sun, 2009) cited in Jabeur 2017, p. 197. Since the work of Beaver (1966), many authors have been effective surveyed the risk of corporate failure based on financial analysis. Different tools are accessible to analysts; the most frequently used is the linear segregated analysis and logit model. According to Mohammed 2016, p. 71, for evaluating the budgetary health of a commerce firm, there are loads of systems accessible. Yet, the Altmans Zscore ended up being a solid instrument across the world. This model commits to foresee potential outcomes of insolvency of assembling concerns. There has been evidence that it has 76.9% accurateness in predicting the bankruptcy of the basic specimen (Begley et al. 1996). A study by Altman 1968 (cited in Mohammed 2016, p. 71) characterizes five anticipated variables which can be exercised to test the legitimacy of Multivariate model. The model supports financial ratios. According to Mohammed 2016, p. 71, utilizing financial ratios to foretell liquidation can be correct up to 90%, Chen and Shemerda, 1981). Conclusion To conclude, due to the force of generalization exhibited by the global model, multinational firms really need to emphasize to deal with their own bankruptcy models, applying them to customers, suppliers and the companies in which they have holdings. References Alaminos, D, del Castillo, A, Fernà ¡ndez, Mà  2016, A Global Model for Bankruptcy Prediction, PLoS ONE, vol. 11, no. 11, pp. 1-18. Baldwin, J, Glezen, GW 1992, Bankruptcy Prediction Using Quarterly Financial Statement Data, Journal of Accounting, Auditing Finance, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 269-285. Ben Jabeur, S 2017, Bankruptcy prediction using Partial Least Squares Logistic Regression, Journal of Retailing Consumer Services, vol. 36, pp. 197-202. BRÃŽNDESCU-OLARIU, D 2016, Assessment of the bankruptcy risk based on the solvency ratio, Theoretical Applied Economics, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 257-266. Chung, C, Chen, T, Lin, L, Lin, Y, Lin, C 2016, Bankruptcy Prediction Using Cerebellar Model Neural Networks, International Journal of Fuzzy Systems, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 160-167. Mohammed, S 2016, Bankruptcy Prediction Using the Altman Z-score Model in Oman: A Case Study of Raysut Cement Company SAOG and its subsidiaries, Australasian Accounting Business Finance Journal, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 70-80.

Macbeth--a Tragic Hero Essay -- essays research papers

MacBeth In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the character of Macbeth is discovered to be a classic example of a tragic hero. Macbeth is a very ambitious and courageous person who lets three main things turn him into a violent individual. Two of the points, which most greatly contribute to Macbeth’s fall, are the prophecy, which were told to him by the witches, and how Lady Macbeth influenced and manipulated Macbeth's judgment. These two factors along with his tremendous ambition to be king is what caused him to fall from a noble man who was loyal to his king to a violent man who would kill his king to become king! The prophecies, which were told by the witches, was one of the factors that contributed to the fall of his character. If the witches would not have told him that he was going to become the Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis, and King of Scotland, maybe Macbeth would not have went on this killing rampage and maybe order would have still been in Scotland. The only thing the prophecies did was, boost Macbeth’s ambition to be king and to control the future. When the witches told Macbeth all these good things, Macbeth felt as if he could not be beaten. He felt as if every thing was going like he wanted it to. That is until he hears the apparitions. The influence of Lady Macbeth also contributed to the fall of Macbeth’s character. Lady Macbeth's character in the beginning reveals that she is a lovable person. We find out later that in actuality Lady Macbeth was...

The Rosetta Stone :: essays research papers fc

Introduction The Rosetta stone the key to the Egyptians I chose the Rosetta stone because of its mysteries and unsolved scripts and hieroglyphics. It occurred to me when I was reading up on Egyptians. I hope to learn the guarded secrets it holds so I can know to decipher the ancient texts and to reveal the secrets of the Egyptians. The Rosetta stone is found in a British museum in London. The Rosetta stone is three feet nine inches long, two feet four and a half inches wide, and eleven inches thick. The Rosetta stone was discovered in 1799 that may mean that it has been lost for almost 1400 years. Athanasius kircher, a German priest of the 1600s, wrote the first grammar and vocabulary of Coptic, the language of the Christian Egypt. The French general Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt with an army of 38,000 soldiers. Egyptians wrote on stones called slabs. In 1802, the Rosetta stone was shipped to England. On august 1st the British army caught the French fleet off guard and completely destroyed Alexandria. After almost one hundred years of deciphering the Rosetta stones hieroglyphics were translated in 1850. The Rosetta stone has three different scripts. People who could write in ancient times were called scribes. Scribes wrote on paper called papyrus. The advance language called Coptic replaced the ancient Egyptians language. Coptic had then had been replaced by a further advanced language called Arabic. Egyptians wrote in sign called hieroglyphics. Instead of the word people in Egyptian language it was called demotic. On July 1,1798 Napoleons army captured the city Alexandria. Napoleon entered the Egyptian capital, Cairo in July on the 21st. Egyptian text that was enclosed in an oval outline is called a cartouche. Cartouche a French word meaning cartridge. French surrender to British September 1801. Jean Franà §ois Champollion was born 1790. Champollion graduated in 1807. Champollion, in 1822 was reserved a position on deciphering the hieroglyphics on the Rosetta stone. Thothmes was a pharaoh who ruled from 1501 to 1447 B.C. A book on hieroglyphics was published in 1824. On March 4, 1832 Champollion died in series of strokes. By 2500 B.C. complete sentences began appearing on tomb inscriptions. Demotic was first known as hieratic. The French discovered the Rosetta stone in 1799. Conclusion The researcher learned that the Rosetta stone is one of the most important artifacts of the Egyptians. It was written in three ancient scripts and is located at the British museum in London.

Scientific Empiricism Essay -- Essays Papers

Scientific Empiricism In 1513, Nicholas Copernicus, composed a brief theory that stated that the sun is at rest and the earth is in rotation around the sun. In 1543, just days before his death, Copernicus published this theory in On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres. This theory was meant to dissolve the long lived belief in Ptolemyà ­s theory which stated, "The earth was at the center because it was the heaviest of objects(Kagan331)." This was a common belief at that time, which supported the religious beliefs that the earth was the center of the universe and God in the heavens were surrounding the earth. Copernicusà ­s theory was shocking, but he published such a controversial theory without sufficient evidence, it had to be considered invalid. Tycho Brahe, a Danish astronomer, held a great belief in the importance of empiricism in relation to scientific theories. He was one of the greatest opposer of Copernicusà ­s On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres. Brahe believed the Copernicus theory was not founded on a sufficient amount of "practice." Charles W. Morris, an author of The Encyclopedia and Unified Science who specialized in Scientific Empiricism, believes that practice is found at the heart of empiricism. Morris defines the importance of practice in scientific theories as: "The activity which gives rise to the sentences of science is, like any other systematic activity proceeding in terms of rules or canons(72)." It was based on these feelings of empiricism that inspired Brahe to, "collect the most accurate astronomical data that have ever been acquired by observation with the naked eye(Kagan331)." Brahe held the common belief among empiricist that, "It is willing and able to admit i... ... been the underlying factor in many scientific advancements. Morris believes that, "It is an empiricism which, because of this orientation and the use of powerful tools of logical analysis, has become positive in temper and co-operative in attitude and is no longer condemned to the negative skeptical task of showing defects in the methods and results of its opponents(Neurath68)." The great accomplishments of Brahe, Kepler, Newton and the many others are due to the advancement of scientific empiricism. Works Cited - Kagan, Donald, Ozment, Steven, and Turner, Frank M.. The Western Heritage. Vol. 2. New Jersey:Prentice Hall, 1996 - MacKinnon, Edward A.. The Problem of Scientific Realism. New York: Appleton-Century- Crofts, 1972. - Neurath, Otto, et al. Encyclopedia and Unified Science. Chicago:University of Chicago Press, 1938. Scientific Empiricism Essay -- Essays Papers Scientific Empiricism In 1513, Nicholas Copernicus, composed a brief theory that stated that the sun is at rest and the earth is in rotation around the sun. In 1543, just days before his death, Copernicus published this theory in On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres. This theory was meant to dissolve the long lived belief in Ptolemyà ­s theory which stated, "The earth was at the center because it was the heaviest of objects(Kagan331)." This was a common belief at that time, which supported the religious beliefs that the earth was the center of the universe and God in the heavens were surrounding the earth. Copernicusà ­s theory was shocking, but he published such a controversial theory without sufficient evidence, it had to be considered invalid. Tycho Brahe, a Danish astronomer, held a great belief in the importance of empiricism in relation to scientific theories. He was one of the greatest opposer of Copernicusà ­s On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres. Brahe believed the Copernicus theory was not founded on a sufficient amount of "practice." Charles W. Morris, an author of The Encyclopedia and Unified Science who specialized in Scientific Empiricism, believes that practice is found at the heart of empiricism. Morris defines the importance of practice in scientific theories as: "The activity which gives rise to the sentences of science is, like any other systematic activity proceeding in terms of rules or canons(72)." It was based on these feelings of empiricism that inspired Brahe to, "collect the most accurate astronomical data that have ever been acquired by observation with the naked eye(Kagan331)." Brahe held the common belief among empiricist that, "It is willing and able to admit i... ... been the underlying factor in many scientific advancements. Morris believes that, "It is an empiricism which, because of this orientation and the use of powerful tools of logical analysis, has become positive in temper and co-operative in attitude and is no longer condemned to the negative skeptical task of showing defects in the methods and results of its opponents(Neurath68)." The great accomplishments of Brahe, Kepler, Newton and the many others are due to the advancement of scientific empiricism. Works Cited - Kagan, Donald, Ozment, Steven, and Turner, Frank M.. The Western Heritage. Vol. 2. New Jersey:Prentice Hall, 1996 - MacKinnon, Edward A.. The Problem of Scientific Realism. New York: Appleton-Century- Crofts, 1972. - Neurath, Otto, et al. Encyclopedia and Unified Science. Chicago:University of Chicago Press, 1938.

World Wide Fund for Nature

There are well over five thousand endangered species on Earth and humans are the cause of it. Many animals are suffering and several hundred are already extinct. Many of the most beautiful creatures are now evanescent. People are also causing the destruction of the environment, which is home to millions of animals worldwide. Through poaching and obliteration of nature, humans have managed to diminish the very place they call home. There are charities such as the World Wide Fund for Nature with the motive to halt and reverse the annihilation of the environment.The international organization World Wide Fund for Nature works on issues regarding conservation, research, and restoration of the environment. The WWF was formed on April 26, 1961, when a small group of passionate individuals had the idea of building a future where humans live in harmony with nature. Their mission was to preserve the planet’s resources, reduce pollution, and conserve the world’s life diversity. Th e WWF’s original name was World Wildlife Fund and was later changed to World Wide Fund for Nature.The panda has become the logo for WWF because it was an endangered species and served as a strong recognizable symbol that was adored by many people in the world for its appealing characteristics. Originally, their aim was to protect the wildlife species and habitat. Today, organization has grown to repopulating several different species worldwide and seeks to didactically educate people on how to have a more ecologically friendly lifestyle.The World Wide Fund for Nature is the world’s leading environmental conservation organization with a global reach of one hundred different countries. They help protect endangered animals and their habitats. The WWF does this by collaborating with businesses, governments, local communities, and other organizations to secure funds and ensure the safety of wildlife. They focus on the underlying causes of environmental deterioration.The ent ire planet depends on organizations such as this, and without it, the nature living on it would continue to be whittled down by apathetic people until it is too late. Humans will soon become their own nemesis, unless they show some solicitude, and be a partisan in restoring the planet. The WWF, with over one million members in the United States and nearly five million worldwide, is one of the most impactful charitable organizations in history. The WWF gives hope to the future of the environment and fixes the problems that previous generations have caused.Because of this organization, the earth’s environment’s status has drastically improved. They are bringing back the serene environment, and shielding the forlorn animals that inhabit it. The World Wide Fund for Nature is a very impactful charitable organization that aids in restoring the planet’s environment and saves the lives of animals that are in need. The international organization World Wide Fund for Natur e works on issues regarding conservation, research, and restoration of the environment.

Retail Management Essay

What can an independent retailer learn from this case? An independent retailer can pull several insights from this reading. First and foremost the market is becoming severely competitive which means that independent retailers will have to adapt to the environment. Adaptations such as; benchmarking other retailers, pinpointing customer needs & wants, developing a long-term strategy for adaptation are to be made. It is imperative that retailers find ways to draw-in and maintain customers by changing with the market. Soft line specialty stores have found that the recent economic downturn has hurt the industry and in turn created intense competition for retailers to find new ways to get more sales from existing customers. Some good ideas for retailers to consider after reading this case are, repositioning old images, continuing to target the youth market, and creating a life cycle of retailing whereas, when a customer outgrows a particular brand, you have another brand for the consumer to grow into. There are also many ways that our ever-advancing technology can be incorporated into retailing to aid companies in increasing revenues.

Garden of Eden and Utopia Essay

Everyone has an ideal world in which they’d want to live in. Of course no one wants to live in a place in which there is violence, cruelty, bad energy etc. But, for some, in order to achieve their ideal perfection of a utopia; they must do anything in their power to get close to what they have envisioned there ideal place would be like. Sure, some may say there is no such thing as perfection, others think otherwise. With variety of opinions whether a utopia can exist there many conflicts too many opinions and believes. Filmed by the director Guillermo Del Toro â€Å"Pan’s Labyrinth, section of Walden by Henry Thoreau and Genesis three, shows how dystopia is introduced as the story goes along. Because so many want to achieve utopia, many believe that the idea of having a perfect society does not exist and eventually will turn into chaos. In the movie Pan’s Labyrinth, the idea of a perfect utopia was displayed by one, going back to the years after the Spanish Civil War, in which â€Å"La guerilla† (the rebels) tries to fight the military of Spain. The purpose for the rebels to fight off the Regime was to oppose to the new government that wanted to control and create a New Spain. These rebels were not happy since they had different believes that the new government was strongly to oppose which was equality. Because both were displeased a war broke out and Spain was in war with itself. Both sides thought society could be run better if things either changed or stood the same. Having a war was a step of creating a utopia, but created a dystopia at the same time, for the simple fact that it created so much chaos and violence. There were many death, even, injured men who fought for their believes. Two, El Capitan Vidal who controls Spain’s military believes that fighting, things will go your way, he believes that they will give up due to the fact the rebels do not have enough food, armor nor enough men to win the battle. However not only does he have to deal with these rebels trying to win this battle but he also has to deal with his impregnated wife Carmen along with her daughter Ofelia. Ofelia being a young child with such a big imagination notices the domination that her new â€Å"stepdad† has towards her mom and she cannot do anything but obey. As the movie progresses, you could imagine how Ofelia dos not feel the love from her mother due to a delicate pregnancy and her stepdad that cannot stand her at all. There is no utopia here but a dystopia in Ofelia’s world and it is understandable in her eyes to realize that she lives in tough times but need the care and love from both adults. Every child desires to love and to be loved back, you don’t want to feel as if people don’t care nor bother to appreciate you for the smallest things, but for Ofelia is different. Because of the lack of care she receives in the real world, she relies on her fairytale stories not to just comfort her but to let he explore the magical place in which she wants to go and call home. Since the Captain is more eager and cares more about changing Spain he forgets his family and puts them to the side. As the movie almost gets to the end, the Captain seemed to start losing control of what he had once had control of. Though he showed strength and devotion towards his country many of â€Å"his† people were spy’s for the rebel and worked for him. At the end of the movie, El Capitan Vidal is surrounded by the rebellions after killing Ofelia inside the labyrinth and he now realizes his troops and himself were defenseless and rounded up. After trying to make all these changes to Spain and putting so much effort in trying to defeat the rebellions, his idea of perfection collapses in a matter of minutes To create a utopia you must obey and never question nor answer back. According to Genesis three, God created man and woman already who he called Adam and Eve. These two first humans were in the Garden of Eden and God had clearly told them â€Å"You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? † So they obeyed and did what God told them what to do. Adam and Eve were just humans who thought everything was roses and ponies, their world was perfect; no harm, they ruled the earth. God to them was someone to look up too so they did what he told them to do. However, everything changed when one of the animals God created deceived Eve to eat an apple from the Garden of Eve. At the end she ate this apple and convinced Adam to eat; all of a sudden both gain so much knowledge and realize there both nude. They knew they disobeyed God, they knew that something was going to happen and it actually did. God punished both Adam and Eve severely and it’s obvious that God reprimanded both for not obeying, God obviously started setting rules and he didn’t like the simple fact they didn’t go by one rule he expected them to follow. A place where everything was supposed to be unlimited to both became a nightmare when both went against God’s will. Nothing turned out to be perfect. Deciding to live in the woods and leave everything back is very hard to do, but it can be done. In the section of Walden, Thoreau decides to live in the woods because he has realized that he has not lived his life. Most people would think that he is insane for wanting to live in the woods and leave everything behind him just to explore Mother Nature. People would love to live in rural areas, but Thoreau decides that he will want to live here because it is a choice he made. Usually society would think this is wrong, just because it’s thought to be game but then Thoreau seems like he doesn’t care and wants to be able to explore. That is why he is telling the reader the reason why he is doing this. In conclusion trying to reach utopia means doing so much that can lead to destruction, even lives destroyed. To reach perfection is like reaching something impossible, and when you try to reach hard there rare chances of getting to it or reaching it. Chaos and an imperfection society is what we live in now, and no one has a full vision of what a utopia should be. Different mentalities, different livings, its hard as a society even a nation to decide what’s right and wrong.

Similarities and Conflicts in ” a Streetcar Named Desire”

Summary Stella and Blanche are in the bedroom on an August afternoon. Blanche breaks out in laughter at the untruthfulness of the letter she has just finished writing to Shep Huntleigh, prompting Stella to ask her about the letter’s contents. Blanche gleefully reads the letter aloud. In it, she suggests that she visit Shep in Dallas, and she claims that she and Stella have been amusing themselves with society parties and visits to luxurious country homes. Stella finds no humor in her sister’s stories. Their conversation is interrupted by the sound of Steve and Eunice fighting upstairs. Eunice accuses Steve of infidelity and cries out as he begins to beat her. After a huge noise, Eunice runs out of her flat, yelling that she is going to the police. Stanley, returning home from bowling, asks Stella why Eunice is so distraught. Stella says that Eunice has had a fight with Steve, and she asks whether Eunice is with the police. Stanley replies that he has just seen her at th e bar around the corner, having a drink. Stella responds lightheartedly that alcohol is a â€Å"more practical† cure than the police for Eunice’s woes. Steve comes downstairs nursing a bruise on his forehead, inquires after Eunice’s whereabouts, and grumpily hurries off to the bar. In the Kowalski apartment, Stanley and Blanche have a tense conversation. Blanche makes superficially charming comments to Stanley that subtly insult his lower-class disposition. Stanley is unusually rude to Blanche. He insinuates that he has acquired knowledge of Blanche’s past and asks her if she knows a certain man named Shaw. Blanche falters immediately at the mention of Shaw’s name and answers evasively, replying that there are many Shaws in the world. Stanley goes on to say that the Shaw he met often travels to Blanche’s hometown of Laurel, Mississippi, and that Shaw claims Blanche was often the client of a disreputable hotel. Blanche fiercely denies Stanley’s accusation and insists that Shaw must have confused her with someone else. Stanley says he will check with Shaw the next time he sees him. Eunice and Steve stroll back to their apartment, affectionately wrapped in each other’s arms. Stanley then heads off to the bar, telling Stella to meet him there. Stanley’s remarks leave Blanche horribly shaken, but Stella doesn’t seem to notice. Blanche demands to know what people in town have been saying about her, but Stella has no idea what Blanche is talking about. Blanche confesses that she has behaved badly during the past two years, the period when she was losing Belle Reve. She criticizes herself for not being self-sufficient and describes herself as â€Å"soft,† claiming that she has to rely on Chinese lanterns and light colors to make herself â€Å"shimmer and glow. † She then admits that she no longer has the youth or beauty to glow in the soft light. Offering Blanche a soda, Stella responds that she doesn’t like to hear such depressing talk. Blanche says that she wants a shot of alcohol to put in the Coke. She tries to get it herself, but Stella insists on waiting on her, claiming that she likes to do so because it reminds her of their childhood. Blanche becomes hysterical and promises to leave soon, before Stanley throws her out. Stella calms her for a moment, but when she accidentally spills a little soda on Blanche’s skirt, Blanche lets out a shriek. Blanche tries to laugh off the fact that she is shaking, claiming that she feels nervous about her date that evening with Mitch. She explains that she hasn’t been honest with him about her age and that she feels she lacks the forces of attraction her youthful beauty once provided her. She has not gone to bed with him because she wants Mitch’s respect, but she’s worried he will lose interest in her. She is convinced that she must maintain her act if Mitch is to love her. She wants him very badly and says she needs him as a stabilizing force—and as her ticket away from Elysian Fields. As Stanley comes around the corner, yelling for Stella, Steve, and Eunice, Stella assures Blanche that everything will work out. She gives Blanche a kiss and then runs off to join Stanley at the bar. Eunice and Steve run after her. Sipping her drink, Blanche sits alone in the apartment and waits for Mitch. A young man comes to the door to collect money for the newspaper. Blanche flirts with him, offers him a drink, and launches a seduction. The young man is uncomfortable and nervous. Blanche declares that he looks like an Arabian prince, then kisses him on the lips and sends him on his way, saying, â€Å"I’ve got to be good—and keep my hands off children. A few moments later, Mitch appears with a bunch of roses. Blanche accepts the flowers with much fanfare, while Mitch glows. Analysis Although Stella’s reassurance and comforting of Blanche about her relationship with Mitch is a rare moment of unchecked affection between the two sisters, by not revealing her past Blanche prevents Stella’s full comprehension of the desperate nature of Blanche’s situation. Even without Stanley around to prevent free and open communication, Blanche cannot bring herself to explain her belief that Mitch is her last chance of salvation from ruin. Because Stella does not know the full weight of the baggage Blanche is carrying, she cannot provide the advice and support Blanche needs, and she simply expresses hope that Mitch will bring Blanche the same contentment that Stanley brings her. When she throws herself at the young newspaper boy, Blanche reveals her hypocrisy—she is lustful underneath her genteel, morally upright facade. Blanche condemns Stanley and Stella’s purely sexual relationship, but we see that her urges are every bit as strong as Stella’s, yet much less appropriate. Compared with Blanche’s behavior, Stella’s love life looks healthy and wholesome. Eunice and Steve’s quick reconciliation after their fight also underscores the notion that Stella and Stanley’s violent love is the norm in these parts. Like the sexual attachment between Stella and Stanley, Eunice and Steve’s sexual attachment appears far healthier than Blanche’s, and Blanche’s expectations for love begin to seem unrealistic. As a dramatic device, the scene with the newspaper boy prepares us to learn the truth about the circumstances surrounding Blanche’s departure from Mississippi. She is one of the â€Å"epic fornicators† of her clan, the last in a line of aristocrats who secretly indulged in forbidden acts because they could not find a stable outlet for their desires. When a bumbling Mitch arrives at the apartment for his date with Blanche, he quickly becomes an antidote to Blanche’s strong carnal desires. As the identity Blanche has constructed for herself begins to disintegrate, she begins to lose ground in her battle against Stanley. Stanley’s questioning of Blanche about her acquaintanceship with Shaw is the play’s first direct mention of Blanche’s blemished past. Blanche does a poor job of pretending not to know Shaw. Her claim that she needs to avoid revealing her past to Mitch further supports our suspicions about her truthfulness. Up to this point, Blanche’s jitteriness and her need to hide herself from the outside world have suggested that she also had a past to hide. Now, the emerging facts of Blanche’s past begin to confirm the hypocrisy of her social snobbery. Opposing Backgrounds: When Stanley mentions the Flamingo Hotel, Blanche replies that she would never be seen in it. That sort of establishment is too common, low, and base for a girl of her upbringing. She thinks herself too proper to associate with it. Opposing Backgrounds: Blanche admits to pretending to give the impression of wealth. She tells Stella that she wants Mitch to want her. He thinks that she is proper and refined. She gives the impression that she is, secretly knowing that she is not. She needs to believe that she is in order to keep up her facade. Sexuality: Stanley leaves the house without kissing Stella on purpose. This lack of sexual contact illustrates the power he has over her. By withdrawing his kisses, he is withdrawing himself from Stella, in turn showing her how upset he is without using violence.SexualityBlanche sees the young man collecting money for The Evening Star. She is very attracted to him sexually and tells him so. She seduces him into a kiss and then forces him to leave. She knows she cannot get mixed up with a young boy when she is a grown woman. This sexual desire seems to be a weakness for Blanche. Lies/Honesty: Stanley mentions a man and place from Blanche's past and tests her honesty by asking about him. She tells him that she does not know him and would also never be seen in a hotel like the Flamingo. However, she is nervous and does know the things about which Stanley speaks, which implies that she is lying. Stanley knows the truth and so does Blanche. Lies/Honesty: Blanche tells Stella that she wants to deceive Mitch into wanting her. She wants to affect someone else through a type of deception or lie. This lie will make Blanche feel better about herself. Scene Five of A Streetcar Named Desire begins with a bit of fleeting optimism. Blanche DuBois is writing a letter to a wealthy male acquaintance, hoping to sweet talk her way into some form of financial security. She reads a draft of the letter to her sister, Stella; however, the women are interrupted by violent shouting upstairs. Eunice and Steve Hubbell, the neighbors who live in the apartment above, battle each other — presumably over Steve's infidelity. The noise escalates from loud insults to the sounds of dishes and furniture smashing against the walls. Eunice escapes the apartment, threatening to summon the police. Instead, she races around the corner and goes into a bar. Our brutish yet attractive antagonist, Stanley Kowalski enters the scene. Blanche tries to make small talk about astrology. When she mentions that she is a Virgo (aka â€Å"virgin†), Stanley laughs contemptuously. He claims to have met an old friend of hers, a man named Shaw who used to meet her at an ill-reputed hotel in her hometown of Laurel. Blanche denies the allegation, but since the stage directions indicate her growing sense of fear, readers/audiences will sense that there might be something lascivious about Blanche DuBois and her past. Then, who should return, arm in arm from the local bar: Eunice and Steve. She sobs â€Å"luxuriously† while he is â€Å"cooing love-words. Playwright Tennessee Williams once again demonstrates the abhorrent pattern of domestic abuse followed by an emotional â€Å"make-up† period. Stanley leaves the apartment, expecting Stella to meet him at the Four Deuces bar. He doesn't want to kiss Stella in front of Blanche, once again showing his animosity towards Stella's sister. As soon as Stanley leaves, Blanche asks if Stella has heard any rumors from Laurel. Blanche then goes into an almost confessional monologue in which she admits that she has not been â€Å"good† in the last two years.BLANCHE: When people are soft – soft people have got to court the favor of hard ones, Stella.Have got to be seductive – put on soft colors, the colors of butterfly wings, and glow – make a little – temporary magic just in order to pay for – one night's shelter! That's why I've been – not so awf'ly good lately. I've run for protection, Stella, from under one leaky roof to another leaky roof – because it was storm – all storm, and I was – caught in the center. (Pause. ) People don't see you – men don't – don't even admit your existence unless they are making love to you. In the above monologue, Blanche is trying to confide something upsetting and shameful. For the past two years (perhaps longer) it seems as though Blanche has been offering her body in exchange for temporary security (very temporary, it would seem). However, Stella refuses to pay attention because Blanche's words are too morbid. This exchange between them represents a significant moment; Stella is now beginning to detach emotionally from her sister. Blanche's problems are becoming too complex and disturbing to deal with. Like Blanche who seeks security from men, Stella will soon be siding more and more with her husband in subsequent scenes. Instead of delving into her sister's emotional problems, Stella offers her a coke. Blanche accepts, hoping the drink will contain a shot of alcohol. When the coke spills over the glass, Blanche lets out a manic scream, again revealing her fragile mental state. Blanche explains away the scream by stating that she is just nervous about her date with Mitch that evening. Blanche views the affable, soft-spoken Mitch as one of her last chances at security. Stanley calls from the street, and Stella runs to him after giving her sister a quick kiss and reassuring her that the date will go well. Blanche is alone in the apartment, listening to the sounds of the dysfunctional lovebirds, Eunice and Steve. Then, a young man knocks at the door. He is collecting money for the local newspaper (The Evening Star — in case there are trivia buffs reading this). Blanche flirts with the teen, comparing him to a â€Å"young Prince out of the Arabian Nights. † Then, she kisses the young man. She says, â€Å"Now run along, now, quickly! It would be nice to keep you, but I've got to be good – and keep my hands off children. † How should reader's interpret the above line? It could be viewed as something odd but ultimately harmless. Or, the kiss could indicate that Blanche has made these sexual advances toward younger men before. After all, she never explains why she stopped teaching high school English. This is probably not her first offense, further indicating her mental instability. After the teen leaves, her date arrives. Mitch brings flowers and Blanche gaily accepts them, thus ending Scene Five of A Streetcar Named Desire. Motifs, Themes ; Connotations: Conflict ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is suggested that Eunice is having trouble with Steve, shown through the stage directions ‘Eunice’s voice shouts in terrible wrath’ indicating her rage and anger towards her husband Steve, claiming him to have been unfaithful to her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We find Blanche in conflict with Stanley as he questions her about her acquaintance with Shaw. This is important as it reveals that Stanley is the first person to actually see through Blanche’s facade. The stage directions: ‘Her face expresses a faint shock. ’ reveal the unsettling effect that this has had on her. ?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although not a physical conflict, the difference between the opposing backgrounds of Blanche and Mitch are made obvious when she says: ‘Look who’s coming! Mr. Rosenkavalier! Bow to me first! Now present them! ’ – This clearly shows a difference in status between the two different people. Mitch, comes from a working class background whereas Blanche comes from a well educated family. The different levels of the characters at the point of bowing indicate this hierarchy of status? The conflict between Eunice and Steve is also reflected through this scene, beginning with a fight and ending with their eventual reconciliation. This relationship reveals key points about the society, as it seems to be similar to that of Stella and Stanley’s relationship, where they fight in a loud and possibly violent manner, yet soon seem to return back to normal as ‘Eunice shrieks with laughter and runs down the steps. Steve bounds after her with goat-like screeches and chases her around the corner. † (p. 172) Furthermore, Stella’s calm response to this argument â€Å"she and Steve had a row† shows that this type of situation is quite normal as and even though it seems quite dramatic as Eunice threatens to â€Å"call the police†, the other characters do not interfere and are not concerned or alarmed. This argument also reflects the extremely intense lifestyle in this society, thus depicting the kinds of vibrant, raw and animalistic relationships common in this society. The different reactions towards this argument by Blanche and Stella further reflect their characters, as Blanche seems excited by the situation as she says ‘brightly’ ‘did he kill her? ’, in contrast to Stella’s understatement, revealing how she has accepted and is used to this society. Loneliness and the need for Protection? Blanche writes letters to Shep, her high school sweetheart, in which she embellishes facts about herself in order to create a respectable facade to present to him. There is also a sense in which she is trying to make this illusion real for herself ? Blanche briefly reveals her misdeeds from her ‘last two years or so, after Belle Reve had started to slip’ away from her. She says ‘I never was hard or self-sufficient enough’ and here we being to learn of Blanche’s experiences and sullied reputation, although the pathos created does evoke sympathy for her as we see her (or at least she paints herself) as the victim of a cruel, harsh and unloving world. Although sex is not explicitly mentioned, it is implicitly suggested through her long speech to Stella announcing her reasons for her actions – ‘I’ve run for protection’, ‘It isn’t enough to be soft’ ? Blanche’s desires to ‘have’ Mitch are expressed; although it seems that she desires him more for the protection that he can offer her from the harsh world than out of true love. This is implied in Blanche’s selfish ‘I want to rest! I want to breathe quietly again! Yes – I want Mitch†¦ very badly! Just think! If it happens! I can leave here and not be anyone’s problem†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ – the use of ‘if’ suggests a kind of desperation – as if she is clinging to a fragile hope. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On pg. 169 Williams evokes sympathy for Blanche by portraying her as weak and vulnerable: I’ve run for protection, Stella, from under one leaky roof to another†¦People don’t see you men don’t-don’t even admit your existence unless they are making love to you. And you’ve got to have your existence admitted by someone†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ This not only evokes sympathy for Blanche but also represents women’s dependence on men in the play and the society of the time. Blanche further shows that this dependence is not only for financial security but further for happiness and indeed life itself. Fantasy’s Inability to Overcome Reality .(pg. 165) Blanche: ‘Darling Shep. I am spending the summer on the wing, making flying visits here and there. And who know, perhaps I shall take a sudden notion to swoop down on Dallas! ’ When Blanche is writing her letter to Shep she finds herself telling lies about what she has been up to the past few months. †¦Most of my sister’s friends go north in the summer but some have homes on the Gulf and there has been a continued round of entertainments, teas, cocktails, and luncheons –‘: As the audience we oscillate between finding Blanche’s lies pathetic, after all she is attempting to seduce this Texas oil millionaire into helping her, and feeling sympathy for her as she is unable or unwilling to admit that she can no longer take part in the indulgences of the wealthy, such as ‘spending summer on the wing. ’ Obviously, looking at her surroundings and her dependence on Stella and Stanley she will be doing no such thing. Beyond this tension in Blanche’s character we can see that Shep is another male figure in the play that Blanche is appealing to. Thus, there is the reoccurrence of the idea of female dependence on men for financial (and other) security. Stanley attempts to unsettle Blanche’s by asking about a man named Shaw, indicating that he knows about her shady past and that the illusion of gentility which she has surrounded herself with will soon be challenged by the ugly truths that Stanley has learnt from his contacts. In response, and with a touch of desperation, Blanche tells Stanley that he has been told lies and that she would never be seen in a hotel like ‘The Flamingo’; however, her nervous appearance implies that she is lying. Stanley knows the truth and so does Blanche. Stanley seems to the first character of the play to see through Blanche’s ‘show’ as he slowly acquires information about Blanche’s past from Shaw. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Blanche’s ‘†¦Of course he – he doesn’t know – I mean I haven’t informed him – of my real age! ’ implies that Blanche is sensitive about her appearance. She feels her appearance/beauty is the only thing going for her as she constantly needs reassurance that she maintains a particular ‘young’ appearance. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ‘I want to deceive him enough to make him – want me†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Although her manipulation of Mitch is selfish, there is pathos in Blanche’s implicit admission that she does not believe herself truly worthy of someone to love her. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (pg. 169) the discussion between Blanche and Stella is important relating to this theme, as Blanche suddenly defends herself through her long speech. Men don’t – don’t even admit your existence unless they are making love to you. And you’ve got to have your existence admitted by someone’, here Blanche reveals her emotional need to be recognized and we feel sympathy towards her as women seem to merely be a tool used by men for pleasure, a tool which only ‘exists’ if a man recognizes them. Throughout this speech by Blanche we see her at her most honest and vulnerable; this tragic manner creates sympathy for her and reflects her loneliness and ultimate need for constant comfort from men. Blanche believes that you have to ‘put a – paper lantern over the light’ revealing the idea of pleasant dreams verses reality, as she is covering the light / the truth and reveling her inability to face the truth. Furthermore, throughout this speech she reveals that she is fading and that she is putting up appearances, one again revealing Blanche as an honest character who knows her that she uses her looks for seduction but who is now, again tragically, aware that this power of hers is fading. While we are aware that Blanche did use her sexuality for comfort and that she continues to live this ‘pleasant dream’ and create ‘temporary magic’. the majority of the audience probably do sympathise with Blanche’s idea of trying to add ‘magic’ to the ugly reality and this reveals how Williams possibly appreciates her motives for lying as she is attempting to make the world a better place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The presence of paper particularly at the start of this scene is also related to the theme of inability of pleasant illusions to overcome the ugly reality. The letter that Blanche is writing at the start reflects how paper is used to hide reality and lie. It is similar to the legal documents present at the start of the play concerning Belle Reve, while the legal documents detailing the sale of the Belle Reve estate are true they reveal that Blanche’s pretentions and aristocratic grandeur are all unfounded. Therefore the presence of paper here suggests the deterioration of the upper class since Blanche only appears to be wealthy on paper, thus depicting the decay of the ideals of the upper class and the possible decay of Romance. ? Finally, Blanche’s physical attraction towards the young man enhances the idea of a pleasant dream and temporary magic as she describes him as a ‘Prince out of the Arabian Nights’ which is representative of her constant attempt to Romanticize things by depicting them as more attractive than they really are. This ‘dressing up’ of events and attempts to romanticize them, contrasts to Stella and Stanley’s relationship, which is blunt but pure. The Destructive Nature of Desire/ Sexuality/ Lust ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Blanche seems to be leading Shep on in her letter as she flirts with the idea of swooping down to Dallas to see him, thus emphasizing her lustful and flirtatious nature with men. The idea of swooping here seems almost predatory. ?Blanche’s flirtatious and lustful actions towards the young newspaper man slowly begin to reveal her true sexual desires. This incident reveals that Blanche’s conservative and proper faced covers a lustful nature; ironically, it is Stella’s sexual relationship with Stanley that Blanche condemns; however we learn at this point that she is just the same, perhaps worse than her younger sister and that she is hiding the truth of her past. Here we again see Blanche in the role of wicked temptress and the line ‘I’ve got to keep my hands off young boys’ foreshadows Stanley’s later revelations about the reasons for Blanche’s dismissal from the school in Laurel. Blanche’s attraction to her husband broke her heart, her attraction to other men (especially the soldiers near Belle Reve) destroyed her reputation in Laurel, her attraction to the schoolboy ended her career there and her final partial attraction to Stanley (and in particular) his attraction to her will be what eventually steals her sanity. Beyond this, this incident in the play goes to show the audience that Stella uses younger man as a means to build her own self-esteem and comfort herself as her looks have begun to fade. The scene ends with Mitch’s arrival and Blanche says â€Å"look who’s coming! Bow to me first! Now present them. † The contrast between this behaviour and her obvious lust for the newspaper boy emphasises Blanche’s deceitful nature and the sympathy we feel for Mitch. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although Blanche admits that she ‘want(s) Mitch†¦very badly! ’ (p. 171) it would be a mistake to interpret this as a sign of passion, it is a more a hunger for protection and shelter. Colour   ‘Stanley comes around the corner in his green and scarlet silk bowling shirt’ – the hideous appearance of his shirt colour suggests his gaudy and low status but at the same time its bright vibrancy suggests life, energy and vitality – in contrast to the exhausted and washed out whiteness of Blanche ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Blanche: ‘Right on my pretty white skirt! ’ – The connotations of the colour white suggest purity. However, in this case, we as the audience know that Blanche is not so pure and therefore find this ironic. The fact that her skirt is ultimately unstained merely suggests her ability to hide her past reputation, her lies and her drinking problems. Alcohol/Smoking ? Stanley: ‘Naw. She’s getting’ a drink. ’ – This suggests that the majority of the characters turn to alcohol when times fail with their relationships. This is further emphasized with Blanche’s drinking and later Stanley’s drinking after getting into an argument with Blanche. Alcohol represents a means of escape for nearly all the characters in the play. In Eunice’s case it is from domestic abuse. This type of escape is interestingly accepted when Stella says it is more practical than the police. In the case of Blanche her need to drink further shows her need to escape from her situation and reality in general, having just been questioned by Stanley. ? Blanche: ‘Why, you precious thing, you! Is it just coke? ’ – In this case, it is suggested that Blanche had prior alcoholic problems as she fails to have a drink without having a shot in her soda. Characters: Blanche Dubois Visits her younger sister, Stella, and her husband, Stanley, in New Orleans and stays with them throughout the summer. She is initially seen as a conservative, proper and condescending however, she drinks, smokes and tells lies to those around her. Stella loves her sister, though Stanley dislikes her, possibly because of the challenge she poses to his control of the house and the different value system she represents, which is at odds with his own. Blanche is overly concerned with her appearance, accessories and age and therefore doesn’t want to be seen in direct light. She has a romance with Mitch in this scene and once again the audience sees the precarious state Blanche is in. She fails to have a full grasp of reality and her surroundings. Beyond this, she is unable to admit her actions in the past as shown by her denials to Stanley in the scene. Furthermore, she has strong sexual urges as shown by the encounter with the newspaper boy, but she puts on the airs of a woman who has never known indignity. From this scene above all else we find that Blanche avoids reality, preferring to live in her own imagination reaching into this escape again through drink. Stella Kowalski She is Blanches’ younger sister and the wife of Stanley’s, she moved to New Orleans from Mississippi when she was young and fell in love with Stanley. As the audience, we learn she is pregnant and is eventually torn between her love for her husband and devotion to her sister. Stella continues to be the gullible ‘foil’ to the other two characters as she represents the majority of us torn between the competing values represented by Blanche (the beautiful dreams / lies of aristocratic gentility) and Stanley (the vibrant, thrusting competitive nature of modern Capitalist America. Throughout this scene Stella is further contrasted with Blanche as Blanche constantly attempts to ‘dress’ events up, however Stella seems to accept the society she has chosen to live in, for instance as when the row between Eunice and Steve is occurring she does not interfere or seem disturbed or exited by the situation, unlike Blanche. Stanley Kowalski Stella’s husband, he is strong and good looking. He works in a factory and has had a limited education. He has trouble controlling his rage. However, he is ‘street smart’ and he is the first one to see through Blanche’s superficial appearance. He bowls, drinks and is in love with Stella. Stanley’s insistence on questioning Blanche about a man named Shaw and The Hotel Flamingo shows that he has a personal vendetta to discredit and do away with Blanche. Further Stanley is depicted as a shrewd individual. Although Blanche attempts to subtly insult his lower class position, by brushing off her statements then raising questions as to Blanche’s somewhat murky past Stanley asserts his authority and undermines Blanche’s remarks. Mitch Mitch is a friend of Stanley’s from the factory who in this scene develops a romance with Blanche. For the majority of the play he is the object of sympathy as the audience see him beguiled and manipulated by Blanche. The end of this scene demonstrates how he is clearly being used to undermine Blanche’s character in our eyes as she takes advantage of his good natured gentility. Shep Huntleigh Although unseen throughout the play, Blanche is constantly mentioning him. He is now a Texas millionaire who Blanche used to date in college. Blanche believes that he will save her from the New Orleans trap that she currently lives in. In a sense he represents the dream world that Blanche wants to live and the fact that the audience is aware of the implausibility of him coming to rescue Blanche reveals how we are also aware that Blanche’s dreams of safety and happiness are unachievable. Shaw A friend of Stanley’s who also remains unseen throughout the play. He knows of Blanche’s past and reputation, and tells Stanley much of the information he knows that he uses against her. In contrast to Shep, Shaw represents the intrusion of unwelcome realities / truths into Blanche’s life. In the end he (along with Stanley and Kiefaber) are the ones who tie a tin can to the tail of the kite of Blanche’s dreams. Imagery ; Setting: Scene 5 of A Streetcar Named Desire is mainly set in the Kowalski household. Throughout this scene, we find that Blanche and Stella can hear Eunice and Steve arguing from their apartment above, emphasizing the idea that even the walls seem to be permeable, suggesting lack of privacy, safety, refuge and escape, the very things that Blanche is so desperately in need of. Relation of Part to Whole: This scene is important as we slowly begin to learn of Blanche’s past through the discussion with Stanley and her lustful actions towards the young newspaper man. Furthermore, the fight between Steve and Eunice and their reconciliation represents another example of the numerous instances of domestic abuse followed by forgiveness that we find throughout the play. This reveals the reliance of the women on men as they return despite the abuse. This is accentuated when Blanche’s desire for Mitch is revealed,   when she says ‘I guess I am just feeling nervous about our relations†¦ men lose interest quickly†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ suggesting that she is afraid to lose him as she feels he is her escape from New Orleans and Mississippi. Furthermore, Blanche’s desire for Mitch also reflects her ultimate need for comfort and to have her ‘existence admitted by someone’. Though we feel deeply sympathetic towards Blanche in this scene as she seems to reveal and honest side of herself (p. 69 speech) and further conveys her ideal of creating a better impression of reality through her self created ‘temporary magic’, this pathos is ultimately undermined due to manipulative nature. Finally, this scene additionally develops further the motif of drunkenness as both Eunice and Blanche turn to alcohol as means of escaping from distressing situations. Analysis The quarrel between Eunice and Steve re veals a relationship similar to that between Stanley and Stella. Sexual passion is strong, and there are frequent violent outbursts from the man. But they are quickly over and the couple makes up. Both couples seem happy with this uninhibited state of affairs; there is a raw animal vigor about it that satisfies the man and seems to arouse admiration in the woman. It is a kind of sensual paradise for them. Not for nothing is the area in which they live called the Elysian Fields. The Elysian Fields were the happy land in Greek mythology in which those who have found favor with the gods lived forever. This is in complete contrast to Blanche’s fragility and neuroticism. Each scene reveals more of the real woman behind the facade that she tries so hard to keep up. Her letter to Shep, for example, reveals her as an accomplished liar, although one senses that it is only desperation that drives her to such lengths. The audience is likely to sympathize with her because she has considerable self-awareness about what is happening to her. She reveals this in her confessions to Stella in this scene. She is a highly sensitive, â€Å"soft† woman, ill-suited to survive in a harsh world. If she is not to be destroyed, she must somehow shield herself from reality and keep the illusion going, both for herself and others. It is not an easy task. Blanche's deceptions begin to crumble in this scene, as Stanley reveals his investigations into her background. He comes close to an outright accusation, but chooses to instead make sure that Blanche knows that he knows, and to let her sweat while wondering exactly how much he has been told. Blanche's shadowy past has been foreshadowed since early in the play, but now we begin to see the truth about her background. Blanche is the last member of that long line of aristocrats with â€Å"epic fornications† that led so disastrously to the family's downfall. Stella escaped both the responsibility for the family's estate and the burden of its common sin, while Blanche is truly one of the family. Blanche expresses to Stella her anxiety about her reputation – she does not want to confess, but wants to find out what Stella already knows. And, tellingly, rather than apologizing she rationalizes her behavior. In a moment of self-awareness – of seeing realistically rather than romantically – she admits that she is a soft person, not hard or self-sufficient, but with her waning attractiveness she doesn't know how much longer she can sustain the illusion. Or, in her interesting choice of words, how much longer she â€Å"can turn the trick. † This choice of idiom implies that Blanche is prostituting herself – not literally, most likely, but rather that she is using her body and her charms to buy stability and comfort and association in a cruel world, and she is aware that this is a commodity with its expiration date fast approaching. But this moment of poetic lucidity is followed by a moment of imbalance, as Blanche shows uncomfortably strong emotion for her sister and then cries out as her drink spills. Stella sees for the first time that her sister is perhaps not quite mentally stable, as her emotions ride far out of sync with the content of the exchange. The heightened unreality that will characterize the tone of the second half of the play first begins to show here. Although we do not yet hear the Varsouviana or see the shadows on the wall, the cracked inside of Blanche's mind is beginning to show from her behavior on stage. Blanche blames her nerves on worry about her relationship with Mitch, making clear her intention to win his hand, to turn one last trick with her faded propriety and buy herself ome permanent stability. Her affection for Mitch is real, but her concerns for her personal welfare and security are more real, and they drive her to manipulate Mitch into behaving as she desires. Her intentions are undermined in the last part of the scene, before Mitch arrives, when we see a glimpse of just what it means when Blanche says she â€Å"wasn't so good the last two years or so. † Culture looks more kindly on female nymphomaniacs than male – Blanche does not appear to be a predator as she flirts with the paperboy, so much as sad and pathetic. She is drawn to children, children who are innocent and gay as she imagines herself to be. Trapped emotionally in a fictional past – was her childhood so innocent with the epic fornications of her family, or her youthful love so pure with her â€Å"degenerate† husband? – she grasps at the straws of youth that she sees in the paperboy and countless other youths before him. Analysis Note that as soon as Blanche says that she was born under the sign of the virgin, Stanley chooses this moment to ask her about the man named Shaw. Blanche becomes visibly agitated during the cross-examination. At the end, when Stanley leaves, she is trembling and in need of a drink. This, then, is Blanche's past life beginning to close in upon her. This is also the beginning of Stanley's plan to destroy Blanche, and she feels herself being trapped. Thus in this encounter between Blanche and Stanley, Blanche is seeing her own valued world disintegrate under the force of Stanley's attack. This scene also illustrates Williams' fondness for the use of symbols. The astrological signs, the spilled coke on Blanche's white dress, and the cherry soda that the young man mentions are all used as slightly suggestive symbols. At this point in the drama, the scene with the young boy might seem puzzlingly out of place. It is not until later that we learn Blanche had once married a young boy and had been terribly cruel to him when he most needed her. Therefore, her sexual promiscuity returns to her guilt feelings over her failure to help her young husband. She seeks to relive the past and longs for a young lover to replace the young husband who shot himself. In other words, since she once denied help to her young husband, she now tries to compensate by giving herself to almost anyone.