Business Related Topic (see page 9 on attachment) Case Study

Business Related Topic (see page 9 on attachment) - Case Study Example Recognizing that the financial analysis will be maximized by more data, it uses 2005 as a comparative year for 2006. Lastly, this paper will also compare the financial data and ratios of British Airways Plc, its key competitors, and industry through a benchmarking analysis. The report concludes with the identification of the airline's financial strengths and weakness. The British airline is rapidly evolving due to external environmental forces. The industry has been faced with a dismal outlook with the onset of economic downturn in the world led by the business cycle in the United States (Sorensen 2006). Furthermore, the emergence of low cost carriers in the European airline industry is a living example of how the strategic directions of business organisations are strongly affected by the changes, trends, and developments and their external environment. It is apparent that the European airline industry has progressed from being dominated by large, business class air carriers to one which is increasingly controlled by the proliferation of low cost airlines (Sorensen 2006). The wide popularity and acceptance of budget air travel puts pressure on large carriers like British Airways (BA) Plc. to implement more aggressive market strategies in order to compete in the marketplace. With this backdrop, it has been expected that the performance of business class air carriers like BA have declined while budget airlines take center stage. This, in turn, is expected to be reflected in the financial performance of the business organization. Financial analysis has become one of the most popular techniques utilized in order to ascertain the health and well being of a business organization. Financial analysis enables decision makers to uncover trends in business performance and compare different business organizations (Keown, et. al 2005). In line with this, it becomes important to analyse the financial situation of the BA in order to understand how it copes with its weaknesses and faces various threats. 2.1. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES Based on its annual reports, its key competitors, and the whole airline industry, this report generally intends to examine the financial situation of British Airways Plc. This report aims to accomplish the following objectives: 1. Determine the trend of growth of BA's key income statement and balance sheet accounts; 2. Evaluate the performance of BA in terms of profitability, liquidity, solvency, and financial leverage through the use of financial ratio analysis; 3. Compare the performance of BA with its main competitor by benchmarking; and 4. Reveal the business organization's areas of financial strengths and weakness. 2.2. RESEARCH QUESTION Based on the aforementioned research aims and objectives, the research question in consideration can be adequately stated as follows: What is the general assessment on British Airways

Brief Memorandum to the Justice with Regard to the Case of Perry v Term Paper

Brief Memorandum to the Justice with Regard to the Case of Perry v. Schwarzenegger - Term Paper Example A decision will be made as to how Justice Robert’s will rule in this case. The answer given will be based on the knowledge we have concerning the work experience and beliefs of Justice Robert’s background. The experience and legal work of Justice Robert will also be reviewed in the process in bid to affirm why we believe that he will vote in a certain way as pertains to the case of discussion. In bid to garner an in depth understanding of Justice Roberts rulings and the bearing his experience will have on the case in question, prior Supreme Cases that he has ruled as pertains to equal protection will also be reviewed. Statement of Case Facts The facts of the case involve Arnold Schwarzenegger who is the official County Governor of California and Perry who represents a lesbian couple that has been denied marriage licenses on the basis of Proposition 8. The plaintiffs have adopted four children and they would like to get married so the children can be accorded benefits ac corded to other children of heterosexual couples. The plaintiffs challenge Proposition 8 which was voter enacted on November 2008 hence amending the California Constitution. Proposition 8 asserts that California will only recognize marriage between a man and a woman. The plaintiffs litigation is based on the notion that proposition 8 denied them due process and equal protection which is divergent to the Fourteenth Amendment hence the defendants violate2. With this genesis, this paper will be aimed at writing a memorandum as to how Justice Roberts should rule in the case of Perry v. Schwarzenegger. The propositions in this paper will be anchored on reviewing Justice Roberts’ work experience, beliefs and previous rulings on equal protection to aid in giving an opinion of how he will rule in this case. Consequently, decision making theories of the judicial system will also be reviewed in the process and reference made to the case and how we expect Justice Robert to rule on this particular case. Argument Background information on Justice Roberts: work experience and beliefs Justice John G. Roberts was born in 1955 in Buffalo New York and in a religious conservative family. Just like his family, Justice John Roberts was and is still a strong Catholic who lives in belief of the Catholic ordinances. Justice John Roberts is a very outspoken icon in the American Justice system considering his repeated appointment into higher offices of the American Law. Justice John Roberts is remembered as a very close legal intimate of George W Bush after having received Presidential nomination to the US Supreme Court and in the position of Chief Justice in 2005. Justice John Roberts is also known for his attempts to reverse the proposals and Supreme Court’s approval of separation of the church from the state. I8in addition, Justice Roberts is demonstrated as one of the American legal practitioners who respect the American Constitution and would always live to protect a nd uphold it alongside any Federal approved jurisdictions. President George W. Bush had no support for homosexual marriage holding that heterosexuality was God’s wish for human being and had to be codified full in one way or the other (WND). Considering the relationship between Justice John Roberts and the former US President, one can predict the likely stand and ruling of Justice John Roberts on issues concerning homosexuality. For Justice Roberts to qualify for the office nomination by President Bush, it meant that they had a lot in common and that Bush had great obsession on Robert’s interpretation of the law. It can also be argued that Chief Justice of nay state acts as one of the eminent personalities who can advice the president on the

Friedrich Nietzsche On Death Of God Philosophy Essay

Friedrich Nietzsche On Death Of God Philosophy Essay History has welcomed many great thinkers and philosophers, offering new and sometimes revolutionary ideologies which can completely modify a society. From his rejection of Judeo-Christian morality and his commentary on the Death of God, Nietzsche had become one of the most prominent philosophers in Europe. Often, his philosophy isnt fully appreciated or acknowledged because of ad hominem attacks from the insanity of his later years, and the denouncement of his work because of its association with Hitler(Solomon XVIII), which is confused with causation. Nietzsche is sometimes credited with being an influential figure in Hitlers life, and has gained a notion of guilt by association. His philosophies were greatly misinterpreted and omitted by Hitler, they had opposing ideologies in anti Semitism, his views on race were different and their philosophy on power and Religion. Nietzsche was born and raised in Germany and lived from 1844 or 1900 and is cited to be the first existentialist philosopher. He challenged the foundations of Christianity and presents a life affirming philosophy. The German soldiers in world war one would carry a copy of his book Thus Spoke Zarathustra. He had influenced leading cultural figures from different walks of life.(Solomon) Anti-Semitism was a prominent propaganda tool that had grasped the German nation; it was one of the guiding forces that Hitler had used to gain control(Solomon). During Nietzsches time anti-Semitism was a popular ideology and his sister and brother in law had practiced it vigilantly(Solomon 13) . His heros, as well as most of the people around him were anti Semites so many would conclude on the basis of what his peers believed that he was an anti Semite as well. Nietzsche was also strongly against anti Semitism, although he was critical of the Judeo-Christian morality, one must not instantly relate the two. On several accounts does Nietzsche explain his stance on Jews and Judaism, one not look further then in his book Human, all too Human. He states Every nation, every man has disagreeable, even dangerous characteristics; it is cruel to demand that the Jew should be an exception(Amnation.com) implying that the Jews are not much different from other races. He goes on further to sympathize and even praise the Jews, he had stated that they had the most sorrowful history of all people(Amnation.com) and were responsible for the most effective moral code in the world (Amnation.com). Nietzsche was diagnosed as mentally ill in his later years but still continued to address the issue, in his letters to this sister at the time he was openly hostile to her anti Semitism, he stated the name of Zarathustra is used in every Anti-Semitic Correspondence Sheet, has almost made me sick several times(consciencia.org) the book Thus spoke Zarathustra was used as a sort of literature that they claim shared the same views. He even goes as far as to insult them; he states these accursed anti-Semite deformities shall not sully my idea (consciencia.org). Hitler on several occasions demonstrates his Anti Semitism in Mien kampf Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord.(Nobelifs.com) Nietzsche was in direct opposition to Hitler, his writings were corrupted by the misinterpretation of Zarathustra and the people that Nietzsche was around, they believed since he associated with anti Semites that he was among them. The letters to his sister demonstrate otherwise and that ironically enough Nietzsche had sympathized and even praised the Jews The most important ideology to the Nazis is arguably their belief that the Aryan race is the most superior and has the most valued purity. Hitler arrogantly proclaimed his superiority amongst all the races in the world, included the Polish, Slavic, Arab etc. Hitlers use of the term Aryan basically is whoever he proclaimed to be, despite the linguistic and physical similarities of close nations, he considered many non-Aryan. Despite the similar characteristics that most poles have to Germans, Hitler had considered the Poles as non Aryan and had stated that The destruction of Poland is our primary task.(Holocaustforgotten.com) and Heinrich Himmler had also said All Poles will disappear from the world. It is essential that the great German people should consider it as its major task to destroy all Poles.(Holocaustforgotten.com). Hitler had gone on to systematical kill 3 million polish citizens, as well as many other ethnic minorities. The irony in all this is that Nietzsche himself had stated I am a pure blooded Polish Noblemen without a single drop of bad blood, certainly not German blood(Anti-Christ 77), it seems that Hitler had missed this very important piece of information when he read from Nietzsches books. He goes to describe the lofty position that he holds as a Polish man [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] as a pole. You would not need to go back centurys to find instincts as pure as mine in this noblest race on earth(Anti-Christ 78) which implies a sort of arrogance that he demonstrates for his supposed Polish ancestry, which further increases the irony of Hitlers actions. There is dispute however as to whether he is truly of full polish ancestry or not Nietzsche [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] had no proof but it pleased him to think so(Menchen 3), but it is besides to point because regardless he considered himself one, and insulted the German blood line. He further stresses the importance he prescribes to the polish by saying Germany is a great nation [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] because its p eople have so much polish blood in their veins [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] there were giants in Poland at the time of my fore fathers(Menchen 2) he claims that reason that Germany is so great is because of the polish! It is evident that Nietzsche would have greatly disapproved of Hitlers prosecution of Polish people. On the study of eugenics, the selection of desirable traits for humans, Nietzsche actually favored the breeding of a race more intelligent, free-thinking, and less resentful then the folks he saw around him(Solomon 14) although he didnt discuss any ideas of practicing it. The central philosophy of Nietzsches that Hitler and the Nazis had taken was from Genealogy of morals is the blonde Germanic beast (some claim it just states blonde beast) that they take as support for Aryan superiority, the Historian Kelly Ross believes that Nietzsche was racist, although in the context it can be taken in different direction. In the same book Nietzsche all notes down what he thinks as the noble races the Roman, Arabian, German, Japanese nobility as for the Homeric heroes and the Scandinavian Vikings.(Frisian.com) He expressed praise for both Arabian and Japanese who were not Aryan stock, although what Hitler considered Aryan mainly was exclusive to mainland Germany. Hitler and the Nazi regime had o mitted several important texts from Nietzsche and mainly focused on the blonde Germanic beast and a motivational slogan. Nietzsche had claimed polish ancestry and believed the only reasons their society was successful was because of polish blood, if Nietzsche was alive during Hitler time, he would have resented him for this, not supported him. Many people dont consider Hitler not a Christian, based on his actions, not on what he believed or claimed. Whether Hitlers actions represented that of Christ or not is a separate issue, and from what historians can conclude from the evidence they have collected, Hitler was indeed a Christian. For instance, Hitler proclaimed that I am now as before a Catholic and will always remain so. And had his soldiers were had belt buckles that said Gott min uns (god with us) and had tried to back up his anti-Semitism with religion. Nietzsche however wasnt Christian; in fact he resented religion, so much that he had created the term God is Dead (Saugstad 2000). Nietzsche philosophy was based on atheism (Saugstad 2000), Nietzsche had a basic acceptance of Feuerbachs view that human beings incented God by devising of any sense of their own powers. It wasnt just it didnt believe in religion, It had resented and criticized it. In his book Anti Christ he writes Christianity is the religion of pity (Saugstad 2000) and was skeptical to the church and its ideology (Saugstad 2000). One of his main objectives was to turn the values of Plato and Christianity upside down(Saugstad 2000), Nietzsche had believed that Christianity promoted weakness and pity, and was blemish on the face of mankind, he disliked it so much that he desired for its extinction. Hitlers justification through Christianity and Nietzsches distaste for Christianity are clearly incompatible. Hitler had manipulated Germany, to the point where his authority was basically absolute in the nation. Nietzsche had appeared to be fairly indifferent to politics he very rarely speaks of politics (swgc.com). Nietzsche also had great distaste for authority, in the book daybreak he states in the face of any authority, one is not allowed to think, [instead] one has to obey!(Eurozine.com), if he was in the state of Germany at this time he would have evidently hated Hitlers totalerian regime, beacuse it contradicts what he stand for. There is a photograph of Hitler staring directly into the eyes of a Nietzches bust, and he would oftenly go to the Nietzche musem of Wiemeir to see the bust for himself. Sometimes Nietzche is victimized by the false premise that he himself, was a Nazi. This however is easily refuted because Hitler did not form the Nazi party until 1919 and did not ascend to power with it until 1933, several decades after Nietzsches death. Nietzsche was also not a fascist, his ideology, was more so that, his political beliefs, if he had any at all was the belief in no politics. (Solomon 16). In other words, Hitler had take Fredrick Nietzsche and formulated his own philosophy with little to no influence by him. Their views on anti Semitism greatly contrast each other, Hitler bases much of his political career on the extermination of the Jewish race, while Nietzsche when addressed with being an anti-Semite responds with great hostility as addressed in his letters to his sister. Hitler mystifying concept of racial supremacy, drips with irony for not only did Nietzsche claim full polish ancestry, but he also insulted German blood , and the atrocities committed to the Polish in world war two would evidently not been something Nietzsche supported. Nietzsches position on religion contradicts that which Hitler uses to motivate his troops, Hitler claims to be fully Catholic and motivated by god to destroy the Jewish race, whereas Nietzsche shows mostly skepticism and pessimism. It is clear that not only did Hitler greatly misinterpret Nietzsche, the evidence points that he may ha ve not read much at all, and just created a superficial attachment to Nietzsche, mostly based on nothing.

Comparison and Contrast of The Destructors and The Rocking Horse Winner

Comparison and Contrast of â€Å"The Destructors†, by Graham Greene and â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner†, by D.H. Lawrence This comparison and contrast of â€Å"The Destructors†, by Graham Greene and â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner†, by D.H. Lawrence will center on selected parts of stories from the opening through the conclusion. I will seek to compare and contrast both authors’ choices of characters, themes, techniques of suspense, moral statements, and conclusions. â€Å"The Destructors† and â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† were both written in the third person by British authors and set in post war Great Britain. â€Å"The Destructors† was written post World War II and â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† was written post World War I. Misery caused by poverty is the underlying theme of each story. The significance of the period each story was penned can easily be understood when considering the miserable living conditions of the people of post war Great Britain. The characters in â€Å"The characters in â€Å"The Destructors† are not as fully developed as those in â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner†. In â€Å"The Destructors† the characters are bound together as a distinct unit or a gang. Their overall interaction is based primarily on the destruction of Old Misery’s house. Dialogue between the gang members is limited to a great extent on the house’s destruction. In contrast, â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† characters, Paul, his mother, his uncle, and Bassett, are in constant conflict over poverty and bad luck as opposed to wealth and good luck. â€Å"The Destructors† is a story about the gang-style activities of young boys living in the inner-city poverty of post-war London and their conspiracy toward destroying an old man’s house. The opening of â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† sets the tone, moo... ...which in turn led him to seek games of chance. The conclusion of both stories is sad. In â€Å"The Destructors†, not only is Old Misery’s house destroyed, but also during the latter part of the demolition, the gang holds him captive in the out-house. The final humiliation appears when the lorry driver is an unknowing accomplice but still finds humor in Old Misery’s house being razed. In the â€Å"Rocking Horse Winner†, tragically although Paul selects the winning horse of the derby and brings wealth to his family, he dies in the end. Paul’s last words to his mother were â€Å"I’m lucky†. In conclusion, the two short stories as compared and contrasted above, depict the degradation of social norms caused by poverty. The two sets of characters’ reactions to this abasement are different, and both prove ineffective attempts to overcome or cope with the situation.

Art Impressionism Essay

Painting Technique & the Making of Modernity† Anthea Callen described the cultural zeitgeist in Paris that paved the way for Impressionism, saying: â€Å"The nineteenth history is characterized in art history as an era of innovation†¦. Science and technology provided painters with a greatly extended range of artists’ materials and pigments, and colour merchants retailed a burgeoning selection of ready-made equipment. It is essential to consider not only the relationship between technological change ad artists’ techniques, but also the new age of which both were a product. She goes on to describe how painting outside became possible with inventions that made it easier to transport easels and paint, which, in turn, aligned with a feeling of egalitarianism and increased democratization of art and of being an artist; the French national motto now is ’Liberte, egalite, fraternite’, meaning â€Å"Liberty, equality, fraternity (brotherhood)†. T his motto, though adopted in the late 19th century, was coined during the French revolution, which by Degas’ time, had had almost 100 years to seep into the collective French conscience. These ideals of overturning monarchy and rejecting hierarchal authority would parallel the perceived headbutting of Impressionist painters against the Academie des Beaux-Arts, the judging body that dominated over who and what style of painting could be shown publicly. The Academie held annual art exhibits that only featured paintings that conformed to its standards. For struggling artists, getting theirs works exhibited gave them a chance at exposure to patrons of the art and could make or break a reputation, start a career, and win admirers as well as fame. Parisian critics of the time largely aligned themselves with the Academie, and were preoccupied with keeping art within a strict and narrow set of guidelines. Anthea goes on to note the power of the art critics of the late 18th century in helping to shape public perception of paintings, stating: â€Å"†¦ The written language of the criticism had the power to interpret the new artistic trends†¦ to a a nineteenth century public both visually untutored and suspicious of change. Therefore art critics, by mediating the meaning of paintings, could successfully defuse the threat of the genuinely radical pictorial statement, disarming it’s political force†¦ † Originally, even the term â€Å"Impressionism† was invented in a critique by then-columnist and art critic Louis Leroy. His first article with the term for the new painting style appeared in the Le Charivari newspaper and used the word â€Å"Impressionist† from Claude Monet’s painting entitled â€Å"Impression Sunrise† (In french, â€Å"Impression, Soleil Levant†). In the article, he made fun of the new style of painting he was unaccustomed to, and sarcastically compared them to wallpaper and mere unfinished sketches. He wrote: â€Å"Impression—I was certain of it. I was just telling myself that, since I was impressed, there had to be some impression in it †¦ and what freedom, what ease of workmanship! Wallpaper in its embryonic state is more finished than that seascape. † In 1874, Parisian artists from the Cooperative and Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors and Engravers staged an exhibit at the studio of photographer and journalist Felix Nadar. A group of artists composed of Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, and a few others organized the original group of paintings to be shown and were eventually joined by Paul Cezanne, Auguste Renoir and others. The exhibit was an open rebellion against the established artistic standards of the Academie des Beaux-Arts, and featured paintings that directly flouted the conventions of the period. The new style of painting, which featured unusual composition, bright paint colors, and prominent, noticeable brush strokes went against almost everything that the Academie stood for. Degas’ â€Å"The Dance Class† is a perfect example of this style. According to art historian Frederick Hart, Degas differs from the Impressionists in that he â€Å"never adopted the Impressionist color fleck† (Hartt 1976, p. 365 Hartt, Frederick (1976). â€Å"Degas† Art Volume 2. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc. : 365. ), but his use of bright colors, his delight at capturing everyday people in the middle of a moment, and his commitment to showing the effects of light and unusual composition were typical of the Impressionist movement. Even Degas himself did not like to align himself with the Impressionist movement, and historian Carol Armstrong points out in her biography of Degas that he did not like to be called an Impressionist: â€Å"He was often as anti-impressionist as the critics who reviewed the shows†¦. Degas was quoted as saying, â€Å"No art was ever less spontaneous than mine. What I do is the result of reflection and of the study of the great masters; of inspiration, spontaneity, temperament, I know nothing. † (Armstrong 1991, p. 22 Armstrong, Carol (1991). Odd Man Out: Readings of the Work and Reputation of Edgar Degas. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-02695-7) Although Degas did not originally like the term, now he is considered a large part of the Impressionist painting movement. Art historian Charles Stuckey defended Degas’ inclusion in the Impressionist cannon â€Å"it is Degas’ fascination with the depiction of movement, including the movement of a spectator’s eyes as during a random glance, that is properly speaking ‘Impressionist’. † (Guillaud and Guillaud 1985, p. 28Guillaud, Jaqueline; Guillaud, Maurice (editors) (1985). Degas: Form and Space. New York: Rizzoli. ISBN 0-8478-5407-8) The Impressionist use of color was partly influenced by Japanese prints, in what it was called ‘Japonism’ in France; the late 1800’s was a time of European fascination with the Orient, and with Japanese art in particular. These Japanese prints often made dramatic use of the â€Å"cut-off† composition – where the subject is chopped off at the frame – and Degas uses this visual device in â€Å"The Dance Class† as well as throughout his work. Degas was also heavily influenced by the early years of photography, which by the time of the Impressionists, had technologically advanced to the point of the snapshot camera. The blurriness and accidental cropping off that happened in developing a photograph provided an intriguing new way to look at the world, and Impressionists patterned their compositions in ways similar to the new photographs that had captured the public imagination. Like those photographs and Japanese prints, Degas overturns traditional compositional rules, and does so in many ways in â€Å"The Dance Class†; the composition is asemetrical, the the dancers from unusual angles and viewpoints, as though Degas was trying to capture a glimpse that a passing viewer might have. These elements of composition were quite radical for those times, and critics reacted strongly and negatively to Degas’ depictions of ballerinas. In of Degas’ paintings, dancers were shown backstage or in rehearsal, emphasizing their status as professionals doing a job. This contrasted with their public, glamorous persona, and echoed the Impressionist idealization and infatuation with everyday situations–again, a turn away from the focus of the Academie’’s preference of religious and mythological themes. The subject matter of Impressionism is often casual, everyday life, captured with an immediacy enhanced by transient effects of light and atmosphere. In this work, it seems as though the moment depicted is one the viewer happened upon; perhaps walking backstage. In no way do the figures seem posed, or, for that matter, poised. This was a radical departure from how paintings prefered by the Academie treated their subjects, and critics strongly reacted. Wrote Camille Mauclair in 1903: Not only does he amuse himself with noting the special movements of the dancers, but he also notes the anatomical defects. He shows with cruel frankness, with a strange love of modern character, the strong legs, the thin shoulders, and the provoking and vulgar heads of these frequently ugly girls of common origin. With the irony of an entomologist piercing the coloured insect he shows us the disenchanting reality in the sad shadow of the scenes, of these butterflies who dazzle us on the stage. He unveils the reverse side of a dream without, however, caricaturing; he raises even, under the imperfection of the bodies, the animal grace of the organisms; he has the severe beauty of the true. † (THE FRENCH IMPRESSIONISTS(1860-1900)BY CAMILLE MAUCLAIR Translated from the French text of Camille Mauclair, by P. G. Konody. 1903) â€Å"The Dance Class† shows many ballerinas at the end of a dance lesson. The asymmetrical composition has the whole bottom right completely empty space while the upper left of the canvas is full of figures. Several ballerinas are cut off at the edge of the painting (like photographs and Japanese prints), and they are in the middle of preening, slumping and seem completely unengaged while watching their teacher, the principal figure in the middle of the canvas. Degas closely observed the most spontaneous, natural, ordinary gestures, and was reported to regularly watch dance practices at the Paris Opera, and shows one ballerina scratching her back while looking on, disinterested and seated on top of a piano. Degas took pains to show these women as they really were: tired and inattentive ballerinas at the end of what undoubtedly was a long and athletically rigorous grueling rehearsal. This depiction exemplifies what Impressionism stood for: a desire for ordinary people to be elevated as worthy of being depicted in art, a desire to capture movement and vibrant color, and a turn away from the rules and confines of the desires of the art elite. Perhaps Degas himself might not like it, but he most certainly characterizes Impressionism perfectly!

Is Rosalind the Perfect Heroine? Essay

â€Å"As You Like It†, is yet another Shakespearian play that pities nature against civilisation, masculinity against femininity, idealism against cynicism, youth against age, child against parent, time against timelessness, and love against hate. It’s both a gentle, pastoral comedy of love, and a dark and sexually ambiguous comment on gender construction. Rosalind as a character is both a heroine and a portrayal of feminism. The evolution of feminine identity within a patriarchal system of power informs both the setting and characterization of this play. Rosalind dominates the play. As the audience we fully realise the complexity of her character. We understand her emotions, her subtle thoughts, and the fullness of her character that no other character in the play can match. She is successful as a knowledgeable and charming critic of herself and others â€Å"I would give him some good counsel for himself, for he seems to have the quotidian of love above him.† The definition of a heroine looked up in a dictionary is: a woman possessing heroic qualities or a woman who has performed heroic deeds. This definition can be subjective however depending on the context and the time in which the heroine’s character was portrayed. The definition of a heroine changes and evolves over time which is why what a modern audience would class a heroine characterisations is different to the definition of a heroine during the Elizabethan times. The traditional method takes the idea that all characters are real and have lives of their own. This is very different to the modern method as it is structured around the idea that characters are only functions that portray Shakespeare’s ideas. They are all part of Shakespeare’s stage craft. They reflect the bigger aspect of the play. They all have particular dramatic functions, and are set in a social and political world with particular values and beliefs. Looking at a play from a traditional approach is a more imaginative and less academic, however this does allow the audience to become involved and emotionally attached to the characters. This way of approaching a play was used in the time of Shakespeare as plays were made purely for performance. Features of a 17th century heroine differs from a modern day heroine. In the Elizabethan times, beauty, innocence, intelligence, wit and independence would have been classed as heroine qualities. A modern day heroine is thought to be a person that has strength of character, a courageous and original person. Nowadays facial features and beauty does not really count as a heroic quality. However perceptions and ideas of heroines differ from one person to another and this needs to be kept in mind. The portrayal of Rosalind is open to interpretations. It has been interpreted differently by different versions of performances and films. It has also been interpreted differently by different characters in the play. Celia sees Rosalind (Ganymede) as someone who has â€Å"misused our sex†. Other characters like phebe fall in love with (Ganymede) â€Å"I love Ganymede†. In Elizabethan times Rosalind would be viewed as a very feminine character who was at liberty when dressed as a male. This is because in the Elizabethan era, women were viewed as being weak and men as being in control and powerful. Therefore when a woman was dressed as a man she was at more liberty and could do things that she couldn’t have done if she was in form of a woman. Nowadays Rosalind can be viewed a tomboy. Rosalind is a particular favourite amongst the feminist critics, who admire her ability to subvert the limitations that the society imposes on her as a woman. With boldness and imagina tion she disguises herself as a young man for most of the play in order to woo the man she loves and instructs him in how to be a more accomplished and attentive lover, a tutorship which would not be welcome to her as a woman. â€Å"You shall never take her without her answer, unless you take her without her tongue. O that woman cannot make her fault her husband’s occasion, let her nurse hr child herself, for she’ll breed it like a fool.† Rosalind and Celia develop into women. In the court these are inexperienced girls, yet as the comic action moves forward, they are forced to take on disguises and discover what it means to be a woman. Rosalind derives her power from her masculine disguise, and much of her humour is antifeminine. It can be said that this detracts her from being a perfect heroine. She can not exercise such power and control when being simply herself. It’s Celia who actually makes the first step into adult heterosexual womanhood. She’s angry over Rosalind’s boorish behaviour as Ganymede, Celia berates her cousin and says â€Å"we must have your doublet and hose plucked over your head, and show the world what the bird hath done to her own nest.† As mentioned before Rosalind’s character is open to a myriad of readings. Harold Bloom describes her as a character that â€Å"is at once so accomplished in wit, and so little interested in the power that great wit can bring if properly exercised.† Completely contradicting this, Camille Paglia writes â€Å"Rosalind and Ganymede pretend to be a rakish lady killer and, at her assumption of that sexual persona, actually becomes one. She is all sex and power.† Such critical disagreements are not uncommon for plays such as â€Å"As You like It†. In my opinion both of these critics are right in what they say. However Paglia is a bit too unfair and biased. I understand her point about Rosalind being all â€Å"sex and power†, but I disagree with her saying that she’s a â€Å"radish lady killer.† In my opinion Rosalind is a character that challenges feminism. When dressed as Ganymede she portrays the thoughts of men at the time. Shakespeare uses Rosalind to put this point across. That is the fact that at the time men misrepresented and repressed women. This is quite ironic as Rosalind is herself a female and the fact that at some points during the play, she puts females down is due to the fact that she’s trying to act like a man and the men at the time had these types of approach and attitudes towards females. In my opinion she’s not acting the way she does to put women down, but to show the audience how ridiculous it is for men to behave that way towards women and to introduce dramatic irony into the play. In my opinion Rosalind is a perfect heroine, however like any character or any other human being she has fatal flows which in this case has been sheltered by her virtues of character. I completely agree with Bloom on his describing of Rosalind. He also says that she’s â€Å"harmoniously balanced and beautifully sane†, which again I consent with. However he says that Rosalind is not interested in the power that her wit brings her. I think that Rosalind as a character is well aware of the power that she has as Ganymede and the power that her wit brings her. I do also think that she’s interested in the power that being dressed as a man gives her and she enjoys using that supremacy. In my opinion Rosalind is a manipulative character (in a positive way) and can be described as a heroine in most cases. When Orlando asks her if she is a native of the forest, Rosalind makes an ambiguous remark about being as much of a native as a rabbit is to the place where it is born. Here we see how she uses her wit to protect her disguise. In other words, she never quite answers the question directly. She uses this kind of verbal sidestepping again in act V, scene2, when she says that she is in love with no woman and that she’ll marry phebe if she is going to marry any woman at all. She also makes phebe promise that if she refuses to marry her, she’ll marry silvius. Rosalind manipulates the other characters through her use of language, but she does so far one purpose and that is to ensure a happy ending to the play. In my opinion this makes her a genuine heroine. As mentioned before Rosalind subverts the typical role of women in the Elizabethan period. She has great wit and wordplay and this is subversive of Shakespeare to bequeath a female with such qualities. One of the reasons that this play would have been counted as a comedy is the fact that the audience would have found Rosalind’s courage and wit quite funny and they would not have taken it seriously. However Shakespeare would perhaps have wanted to get a very serious and important point across. Some people believe that Shakespeare was a feminist and this is the point to prove it. He could’ have chosen to endow these qualities to another male character, but he chose a female character to reflect on all of these points. Some feminists are keen to stress the utter oppression of women in Elizabethan society in all areas of life; economic, domestic, sexual, familial and personal. Whilst it is certainly true that women were in no way regarded as equal to men in official aspects of life, the plays have an important part to play as pieces of evidence as about the status of women in this period. They are not separate from their background but part of our understanding about women’s lives in this period. This plays has a strong emphasis on the importance of gender at the time and the limitations that females were under due to this. Shakespeare uses Rosalind to undermine this and to illustrate that women can be as witty as men. However significantly and in a sense ironically she is only able to show this to the audience when she is disguised as a male. She is the supreme representation of the possibilities of human personality if there is freedom and if oppression can be overcome. She also shows the p ossibilities of female ability once liberated which in Rosalind’s case is liberty in disguise. At court Rosalind’s status was lower than Celia’s, for Celia was the daughter of the ruling duke â€Å"within ten days if that thou beest found so near our public court as twenty miles, thou diest for it.† Inn the forest of Arden, Rosalind dressed as a man, has higher status and Celia’s role almost fades away. The play has been under a lot of political criticism. It is possible that Shakespeare wrote the play for political reasons. It is a play that describes character like Rosalind and Celia fleeing from the oppression and coercion that they had to deal with when they were at court. Duke Fredrick has been Associated with Queen Elizabeth for his vindictive deeds towards his own daughter and Rosalind. The play is about power and social structure. The court is seen as being the place of higher classed people, whereas the Forest of Arden is supposed to be for the undersides of the society (at the time) like women, exiles, outcasts and people in lower status. The play describes the court as being a patriarchal society and the forest as being a place of justice and equality. However we find out that this is not the case as there are wealthy landowners that enrich themselves of the poor. Phebe and Silvius are examples of these as they are shepherds that work for a rich and cruel man. This goes to show that the forest has the same hierarchy structure as the court. Shakespeare could have been trying to portray the fact that there’s always injustice in â€Å"enclosures†. The end of the play is very significant to the irony of the play. Rosalind loses her independence, autonomy and freedom when she gets married to Orlando and when she takes off Ganymede’s clothes â€Å"to you I give myself, for I am yours†. This is so ironic as after all of Rosalind’s efforts and all of Shakespeare’s efforts to portray her as a witty, intelligent character and a Feminist, she has gone back to being her old powerless self. I think that Shakespeare did this to show the audience that things like antifeminism had to be established and dealt with properly. I think that Shakespeare wanted to bring to light the fact that it wasn’t good enough that Rosalind did all the things that she did, as at the end of the day, Orlando had more power over her and he was in control and she dedicated herself to him. Shakespeare was telling the women n the audience that they would never have rights if they didn’t stick up for themselves and if they didn’t manage to get feminism established. Shakespeare transforms Rosalind’s character throughout the play. From a love struck powerless girl to a dignified, aloof woman who managed to manipulate and influence other characters like Orland (the hero) and Phebe (Ganymede’s lover). Rosalind becomes a very sardonic, scathing and witty character to show that women can be as derisive and satirical as men if they were given the opportunity to be. She fulfils a very important role and a very significant dramatic function. Then he allows her to mould back to her original, immobilized character to show that there had to be a vital change in society otherwise women are never going to get the respect that they truly deserve if the society wasn’t revolutionised and modified.

Censorship and Banning Books essays

Censorship and Banning Books essays Over time at one point or another, there has been issues about freedom of speech and censorship. I believe that there are fine lines to where there should be censorship, but not in all cases of what we see, read, or hear in everyday life. Books should not be banned because it goes against everything that our country was founded for, freedom to be what you want to be, to read what you want to read, and say whatever you want to say. I feel that I should not be told what to read and what not to read. People need to think for themselves and not let other people make decisions for them. Question Authority. Think a little more about what people tell you to do. Do you feel it is right? Use your own judgment wisely. Then conclude your own opinions on what you are told. The main reason books are banned from schools is because of sexual content, use of profanity, or the way the book may influence you. People in our society today should be wise enough to think by what they see and not by what they hear. Censorship could be defined as any individual or a group of individuals trying to impose their morality on all of society as a whole. While its important that we live in a moral society, the level of morality would be established naturally by and through the opinions on society as a whole. Not by any individual or small group. Our country was founded, there was something written in the Constitution called the First Amendment. The First Amendment gives us the freedom we have to think, see, speak, hear, etc. what we want to witness. Banning books takes away that freedom of the Constitution. The main purpose of books are to educate. If the book does not serve that purpose, chances are it wont be used at all. Society should not really be concerned about books with no redeeming value being used in schools. If they have no value to them, chances are they are not going to be used. People need to get a better understanding of things and th...