Iago -Betrayal and Loyalty

The Theme of Betrayal and Loyalty Through the Eyes of Desdemona, Othello, and Iago The play The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice, written by William Shakespeare in the 1600’s, has many underlying and reoccurring themes. The major themes are betrayal and loyalty. During the entire play, every character is either betrayed or proved loyal. The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice can be seen through the characters of Iago, Othello, and Desdemona. Othello and Desdemona have both been betrayed in their attempt to be loyal to another character.Throughout the play, Iago manipulates the other characters into betraying one another so that he can get his ultimate betrayal on Othello. Shakespeare uses Iago as the main portrayer of betrayal throughout the entire play. He betrays all the other characters, but his main focus is on Othello. Despite that, he ends up betraying all the people closest to him. Iago’s betrayal starts off from the first scene page of the play right unt il the end. The audience learns Iago’s motive through his monologue: â€Å"Thus do I ever make my fool my pursel hate the moor, and it is thought abroad that ‘twixt my sheets’ has done my office.I know not if’t be true, but I, for mere suspicion in that kind will do as if for surety. † Iago suspects that Othello has had an affair with his wife. However, Shakespeare makes Iago’s motif very unclear; therefore, it can be argued that this is Iago’s excuse and in actual fact he has no reason other than he simply hates Othello. Iago wants to destroy Othello because Othello promoted Casio as chief lieutenant instead of him, which is another reason why Iago wants to destroy him. Iago is one of Shakespeare’s most complex villains. Initially, we see Iago’s character as pure evil, yet later we see him as a completely amoral person.Iago does not push aside his conscience to commit his evil plans, he simply lacks a conscience to begin with. Through Iago, Shakespeare shows us a character that acts against his reputation and betrays all this friends and loved ones. Through some careful thought out words and actions, Iago is able to manipulate others to do things in a way that benefits him and moves him closer to his ultimate goal. He is the main driving force of the play, pushing Othello and everyone towards their tragic end. Iago is smart. He is an expert judge of people as well as their character and uses this to his advantage.Iago is also quick on his feet, making him able to improvise when something unexpected occurs. Being as smart as he is, Iago is quick to recognize the advantages of trust and uses it as a tool to forward his main purpose. Throughout the story he is commonly known as the â€Å"honest Iago†. He even says himself, â€Å" I am an honest man†. Trust is a very powerful emotion that is easily betrayed. Iago is a master of betrayal. He slowly poisons people’s thoughts, creatin g ideas in their heads without risking himself. Iago is capable of anything, not even the brave soldier Othello is safe from this villain.Othello holds Iago to be his closest friend and advisor. He believes Iago to be a person, â€Å"of exceeding honest, who knows all qualities with learned spirit of human dealings†. Yes, he does know about human dealings, but he is not the honest man he appears to be. He uses Othello’s trust in him to eventually turn Othello into a man no better than himself. Othello is introduced to us in the first scene of the play in a negative light, when Iago and Rodrigo refer to him using derogatory terms such as, â€Å"The Moor†, â€Å"the thick lips†, â€Å"an old black ram† and â€Å"a Barbary horse†.Othello may be an outcast in Venice due to the color of his skin; however, he is a highly respected soldier. He is extremely skilled in his field and a loyal man; therefore, valuable to the state. Due to this, we soon learn of Othello as the noble man he is. Othello, however, has the â€Å"tragic flaw†. It is the internal imperfection in a hero that brings him down. His downfall becomes his own doing; he is no longer the victim of fate. The prejudice of those around him destroyed him, and they believed that, â€Å"A black man is an unattractive creature, not quite human, and unworthy of love†.Thinking this made him unable to believe that Desdemona could truly love him. This is why he believes Iago so easily when he convinces him Desdemona has had an affair. Othello betrays his wife by believing Iago’s word over hers, this then leads him to his ultimate betrayal when he kills her at the end of the play. At this point he also shows his loyalty to her by killing himself, stating that he can’t live without her. The man we see at the end of the play is not the loyal man we meet in the beginning.Othello has let the â€Å"green eyes monster of jealousy† turn him from a loyal soldier to a betrayer just like Iago. Desdemona is a lady of spirit and intelligence; she is the most direct, honest and loyal character of the play. She only betrays people to those to who she is loyal. Desdemona is a lady of few words, yet she makes sure every word counts to get her point across. In Desdemona’s eyes, Othello is the hero of many exciting and dangerous adventures; he is the orphan who needs love. These are the reasons Desdemona had fallen in love with Othello, despite all the nasty remarks from fellow Venetian citizens.Her marriage has brought her position and happiness, so much that she finds it unbearable to think that her husband has turned against her. This numbness lasts until she sees that he actually intends to kill her. She then puts up a defense, insisting on her loyalty and innocence. In despair of losing his love, she still defends him from consequences of his actions, but he is past seeing the truth: that she has committed herself to his lo ve, and without it she cannot live. Othello ends up killing his wife, in spite of her loyalty toward him till the very end.By the end of the play, all characters have lost their loyalty to each other from what Iago as done to make them feel betrayed. Desdemona is left lifeless in her room, Iago kills his wife Emilia, as she reveals that Desdemona has been falsely accused of adultery, and Othello kills himself rather than living with what he has done. Iago is the only survivor by the end of the play, which further justifies his intelligence. All the characters have reached their downfall and Iago is finally pleased. He has completed the ultimate betrayal.

The Five C’s Worksheet

The Five C’s Worksheet Directions: Identify the following factor descriptions to their corresponding C of credit. The five C’s are listed below: †¢Capacity means the ability or intent to repay your debts, basing it upon your household cash flow; lenders typically follow different methods to consider my expenses relative to the person’s income. †¢Capital is the household’s net worth, by combining all assets, and making sure that the debts is smaller than the total assets, the lender can verify that the loan will be paid by liquidating all assets should you need to pay your debts, sort of risking all you got in order to get their trust. Collateral can be either your car, home, boat, anything that you can pledge to make the loan safer, and the lender feel that you are not being a high-risk loan, because you can lose your own assets.†¢Character is the history behind your credit, employment, and education, as well as how well you handle your obli gations, such as accrued debts in the past that were taken care of. They measure your trustworthiness. Conditions are the considerations a lender makes after viewing the broad spectrum of your situation, being that every loan is unique in its situations, the lender can take into considerations your economic status, the employment opportunities in your area, or anything that will make you either less of a risk or more. ConditionWhich C? Your household cash flow helps to determine this C:Capacity Under these __________, you may still be approved with a cosignerConditions This demonstrates how much your assets are worth. CapitalUsing your car or house as a promise to payCollateral This makes you a better credit risk to the lender – this could be any of the C’s. For example, assets that are offered as security against default. Collateral and Capital Lenders will evaluate your debt-payment ratio. Capacity The lender is taking your unique situation under consideration. Condi tions Previous credit history This shows how long you have worked for your employer and if you have obtained an education. Character Having more at stake may make you less likely to default on a loan. Capital

Pride of China

The four-century-long Han rule is divided into two periods: the Earlier or Western Han and the Later or Eastern Han. In between these two was the short-lived Hsin Dynasty (AD 9-23). The Chinese show their pride in Han accomplishments by calling themselves the Han people. Philosophies and institutions that began in the Chou and Ch'in periods reached maturity under the Han. During Han times, the Chinese distinguished themselves in making scientific discoveries, many of which were not known to Westerners until centuries later. The Chinese were most advanced in astronomy. They invented sundials and water clocks, divided the day equally into ten and then into 12 periods, devised the lunar calendar that continued to be used until 1912, and recorded sunspots regularly. In mathematics, the Chinese were the first to use the place value system, whereby the value of a component of a number is indicated by its placement. Other innovations were of a more practical nature: wheelbarrows, locks to control water levels in streams and canals, and compasses. The Han Chinese were especially distinguished in the field of art. The famous sculpture of the â€Å"Han flying horse† and the carving of the jade burial suit found in Han period tombs are only two superb examples. The technique of making lacquer ware was also highly developed. The Chinese are proudest of the tradition of historical writing that began in the Han period. Ssu-ma Ch'ien (145? -85? BC) was grand historian (an office that combined the duties of court recorder and astronomer) during the time of Wu Ti. His `Historical Records', which took ten years to complete, established the pattern and style followed by subsequent histories. In the Later Han, the historical tradition was continued by the Pan family. Pan Piao, the father, started to bring Ssu-ma Ch'ien's `Records' up to date. The work was continued by his son Pan Ku (twin brother of the general Pan Ch'ao) and was completed by his daughter Pan Chao, China's earliest and most famous woman scholar. Unlike Ssu-ma Ch'ien, the Pan family limited their work to 230 years of the Early Han. This was the first of the dynastic histories, subsequently written for every dynasty. Pan Chao also wrote a highly influential work on the education of women, `Lessons for Women'. Lessons' emphasized the â€Å"virtues† of women, which restricted women's activities. The Confucianism that the Han Dynasty restored differed from the original teachings of Confucius. The leading Han philosophers, Tung Chung-shu and others, used principles derived from the early Chinese philosophy of nature to interpret the ancient texts. The Chinese philosophy of nature explained the workings of the universe by the alternating forces of yin and yang–dark and light–and the five elements: earth, wood, metal, fire, and water. The Han period was marked by a broad eclecticism. Many Han emperors favored Taoism, especially the Taoist idea of immortality. Earlier (Western) Han (202 BC-AD 9). The Han Kao Tsu preserved many features of the Ch'in imperial system, such as the administrative division of the country and the central bureaucracy. But the Han rulers lifted the Ch'in ban on philosophical and historical writings. Han Kao Tsu called for the services of men of talent, not only to restore the destroyed classics but to serve as officials in the government. From that time, the Chinese Empire was governed by a body of officials theoretically selected on merit. Such a practice has few parallels elsewhere at this early date in human history. The new ruler who restored peace and order was a member of the house of Han, the original Liu family. His title was Kuang Wu Ti, â€Å"Shining Martial Emperor,† from AD 25 to 57. During the Later Han, which lasted another 200 years, a concerted but unsuccessful effort was made to restore the glory of the former Han. The Later Han scored considerable success in recovering lost territories, however. Sent to befriend the tribes on the northwestern frontier in AD 73, a great diplomat-general, Pan Ch'ao, eventually led an army of 70,000 almost to the borders of eastern Europe. Pan Ch'ao returned to China in 101 and brought back information about the Roman Empire. The Romans also knew about China, but they thought of it only as the land where silk was produced. The Han Dynasty lasted four hundred years. The term â€Å"The Han people† comes from the name of this dynasty. (The English term for â€Å"China† comes from the name of the previous dynasty Ch'in). The Han dynasty is the East Asian counterpart of and contemporary with Rome in its golden age. During this dynasty, China officially became a Confucian state, prospered domestically, and extended its political and cultural influence over Vietnam, Central Asia, Mongolia, and Korea before finally collapsing under a mixture of domestic and external pressures. The Han ruling line was briefly interrupted by the usurpation of a famous reformer, Wang Mang, whose interlude on the throne from A. D. 9 to 23 in known as the Hsin dynasty. Historians therefore subdivide the Han period into two parts, Former (or Western) Han (capital at Ch'ang-an, present day Xi'an) and Later (Eastern) Han (capital at Loyang).

The Child Left Behind Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Child Left Behind - Essay Example The increased emphasis that the NCLB Act places on the subjects of math and reading undermines the importance of all other subjects that are either equally or more important for the inculcation of the required academic and professional skills in the children. The goals that schools in conventional practice set for the students are not limited to the inculcation of general reading and math skills but also extend to the development of appropriate critical thinking skills, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, self-discipline and the health and safety habits in the students. When there are sanctions to threaten the schools just in case they do not meet their expectations with respect to one particular goal, the schools are bound to have their attention diverted from the rest of the goals that are equally or more important than that one goal. Having been educated in the NCLB culture, my knowledge of or skill in arts, science, music, social studies and exercises is close to negligi ble. This is so because my teachers could not afford to spend time on such subjects because they feared they would have to face the most unfavorable consequences if they did. The problem of goal distortion has been recognized at various levels. Even the former education assistant secretaries Diane Ravitch and Chester Finn have realized the negative impact of overemphasis on one area upon the others. They said, â€Å"[If NCLB continues,] rich kids will study philosophy and art, music and history, while their poor peers fill in bubbles on test sheets. The lucky few will spawn the next generation of tycoons, political leaders, inventors, authors, artists and entrepreneurs. The less lucky masses will see narrower opportunities† (Ravitch and Finn cited in Rothstein). NCLB assesses the students’ learning from the annual test which can in many ways be quite misleading. On certain days in the year, a child’s performance may be outclass while on others, his/her performan ce may be below average. It is not just the studies that are there in a child’s life after all. The child may be upset because of some familial reason. The child may not be feeling well on the exam day. There can be hundreds of reasons for the declined performance on certain days. Taking this into consideration, there is dire need for multiple retesting in order to have an accurate assessment of the child’s learning. In addition to that, the number of subgroups in a school also has an impact upon the child’s academic performance. The margin of error for the academic achievement of a subgroup is enhanced because of the smaller size of the subgroups in a school in comparison to a full-grade cohort. Accountability becomes increasingly inaccurate as the subgroups in a school integrate in increased numbers. Students cannot be sure that all students are proficient at the challenging level as is expected of them even if the math and the reading are paid excessive atten tion towards. The variability in human nature and skills prevents such proficiency irrespective of the disparities originating in the socioeconomic statuses of the students. The normal intelligence quotient (IQ) of the humans that accounts for about 66.66 per cent of the total human population starts from 85 and ends at 115 (Rothstein). What the

Shakespeare's Othello Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Shakespeare's Othello - Essay Example So when, convinced by Iago that Desdemona has indeed deceived him with Cassio, and after accusing Desdemona and hearing her reply of innocence, Othello is able without any doubt to attack with the sarcastic retort, "I cry you mercy then/ I took you for that cunning whore of Venice/That married with Othello" (4.2. 89-91). A long and established friend might be able to place doubt upon a new marriage, particularly in a culture where free exchange between the sexes is not allowed, and a new wife will necessarily be almost a stranger. But why such a sudden and violent response The answer there lies in several places: the culture of the time, Othello's character and Desdemona's character. When Othello begins, Iago reveals to Rodrigo his hatred of Othello. Othello had seen fit to elevate Cassio above Iago in the ranks of the military they both served. It was a position Iago thought should have been his. As Iago tells Rodrigo, Othello's own "eyes had seen the proof/At Rhodes, at Cyprus, and on other grounds" (1.1 26-27) of Iago's worthiness, and yet not elevated him to the position he deserves. Iago views Othello's decision both as a betrayal and a trap: he sees himself forever the Moor's servant, and impotent. He stays with Othello only to exact his revenge: "I follow him to serve my turn upon him" (1.1. 40). Iago's revenge is to destroy Othello, as Othello has destroyed him, not just to kill him; and perhaps to cuckold Othello, as he feels cuckolded by Othello, though via power, not sex. But where is Othello vulnerable In his position as a military leader No, Othello is the Hero-Warrior: his reputation is known far and wide; all who served with or under him hold his military prowess in the highest regard; a stranger to Venetian society due to his background, Othello has risen to a renowned, entrusted rank. Othello is the good soldier, through and through; and Desdemona-a woman of high status in Venetian society, beautiful and wealthy--is the mirror in which he sees himself. Othello, as the good soldier, followed orders and expected others to follow his. Othello came to Venetian society as a slave, kidnapped, and ended by converting, and rising within the new society, almost literally, by tooth and nail. Desdemona, on the other hand, had the opposite response to her treatment as property at least in respect to her marriage: she simply behaved as would a free woman; she loved whom she chose, and married when she chose. In this way, Desdemona rejected her casting in life as property. She had in fact shown no interest in marriage before: "So opposite to marriage that she shunned/The wealthy curled darlings of our nation" (1.2. 66-67). Does it not hint to Othello of a dangerous sense of freedom Desdemona has not acted according to convention; Desdemona has done what she will: what else is Desdemona capable of that defies convention Othello says of Iago: "This fellow's of exceeding honesty/And knows all qualities with a learned spirit/Of human dealings" (3.3, 258-259). Suddenly, Othello begins to suspect depths, complexities, dishonesties, nuances, that

Reconstruction Plans Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reconstruction Plans - Coursework Example However, President Abraham Lincoln was also afraid that the federal Court might contrary his orders on reconstruction. This was a possibility that encouraged efforts of Republican and resulted in emancipation of Thirteenth Amendment. President Abraham Lincoln highly supported this amendment to ensure that the new constitution could improve an essential guide for reconstructed states as well as post-Appomattox High Court. President Abraham Lincoln had a belief that the Constitution was appropriate for reconstruction and states’ unity. Both his innate instinct towards decency and impressive education enabled him to become the President a post that enhanced to reunify as improving the entire nation. In the year 1862, Lincoln asked Attorney Edwin to ensure that the rights adhered to all citizens in the nation. The reply of the Attorney General rested on circuit opinion of Justice Bushrod Washington in the year 1823 in Corfield Coryell. Lincoln ensured that the rights abolished slavery. Lincoln’s plans towards reconstruction were depicted in the year 1862 and 1863 when he ordered black to be included in the military. Qsn 2: reconstruction was an attempt that was started from the year 1865 to 1877in the history of America. The main purpose of reconstruction was to resolve the matters of the Civil War after destruction of both slavery and confederacy. Reconstruction went through three different phases, which include the presidential reconstruction phase, radical reconstruction phase, and redemption phase. The presidential reconstruction phase started in the year 1863 and ended in 1866. This phase was under control of Andrew Johnson and President Abraham Lincoln with the aim reuniting the entire country at a faster rate2. This moderate program was affected by opposition of Radical Republicans a faction that was influenced by 1866 elections. The main aim of the Radical reconstructionwas to improve voting rights and civil rights for the citizens. In the year 1873

About fear Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

About fear - Essay Example Dr. Ivan Kos presents a number of diverse stages of fear. The first is real fear that is based on life experiences and states. If something or someone causes hurt to an individual, there is a reason to fear similar scenarios. The basis of this kind of fear is entirely dependent on past familiarity with emotions that cause tension and mixed interpretations with respect to an individual’s understanding of fear. The second articulates a sense of realistic fear. This focuses on the realities that grounds and drives people to steer clear of risks. The last is the poignant and the larger-than-life fear that heavily reflect on an individual recollecting past occurrences whilst injecting those events into the current state of affairs. Also, this group is particularly applicable to arguments. It generally affects the line of attack of people in dealing with varying positions (Willa 138). Often, conflict is the equivalence of unfulfilled needs and this highlights fears linked to the nec essities. The most prevalent fear in intractable inconsistency is the fear of loss in regard to one’s security or identity. Social groups and individuals recognize themselves in varied ways in the context of language, culture, religion, and race and this renders them opinionated.

EC Enforcement Procedures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

EC Enforcement Procedures - Essay Example Directive 2008/999/EC issued by the Council is regulated by Article 249 of the Treaty Establishing the European Community. The manner in which Article 249 applies to Directives is contained in the following excerpt from Article 249: Article 249 is similarly applicable to Council decisions with the result that the Council’s Directive and decision under Article 226 are both bindings on the UK and Germany. Failure to comply with the instructions to implement the Directive into local law by the time stipulated for doing so constitutes an infringement capable of invoking Article 228’s judicial process for the implementation of sanctions. Likewise, a failure to comply with the Council’s opinion under Article 226 automatically invokes Article 228’s judicial proceedings for the implementation of sanctions.5 Cumulatively, Articles 211 and Article 249 not only ensures that EC laws are adapted and applied throughout the EC Community but also imposes upon the Commission a residual duty to ensure that EC laws are implemented by the Member States. In the Commission of the European Communities v French Republic Case C-177/04 a scenario arose similar in nature to the one involving Germany and the UK. In this case, France had implemented an EC Directive on damages for product liability but had failed to reflect the actual extent of damages prescribed by the Directive. The Commission invoked Article 226 of the EC Treaty and issued a reasoned opinion in which it found that France had not fulfilled its Treaty obligations and required that it do so.  Ã‚     

Bipolar Disorder Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Bipolar Disorder - Term Paper Example Center of discussion in this paper is bipolar disorder as a disease with subtle specificity and sensitivity. With the widening of the diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder comes the loss of specificity and danger of overdiagnosis due to the increase in sensitivity of the subtle manifestations of bipolar disorder. As a result, overdiagnosis poses substantially greater potential for harm as desired treatment may not be appropriate and may lead to induction of hypomania, mixed states, rapid cycling, and worsening of preexisting agitation. Bipolar disorder is difficult to distinguish from other disorders because of mood variations in hormones, personality disturbances, personal stress, sleep problems, ingestion of drugs or alcohol and diseases of the brain, trouble in getting accurate histories because of difficulty in describing mood states to others, and inadequately trained professionals in the recognition of the subtle form of the disorder. These factors, together with the diagnos tic criteria itself, create confusion in the diagnosis of bipolar disorder as certain symptoms can occur in other disorder. Clinicians, researchers, and allied health practitioners are challenged to prevent the over/misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder through different studies and literature, differentiating the subtle forms of bipolar disorder from the true bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder and its subtle forms gained attention during 1983 when the American Psychiatric Association (APA) verified the existence of relatively mild and subtle spectrum of bipolar disorders.... iseases of the brain, trouble in getting accurate histories because of difficulty in describing mood states to others, and inadequately trained professionals in the recognition of the subtle form of the disorder (Miklowitz, 2011, 43). These factors, together with the diagnostic criteria itself, create confusion in the diagnosis of bipolar disorder as certain symptoms can occur in other disorder. Clinicians, researchers, and allied health practitioners are challenged to prevent the over/misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder through different studies and literature, differentiating the subtle forms of bipolar disorder from the true bipolar disorder. Review of Literature Bipolar disorder and its subtle forms gained attention during 1983 when the American Psychiatric Association (APA) verified the existence of relatively mild and subtle spectrum of bipolar disorders (Grinspoon, 1983, 281). The subtle forms of bipolar disorder manifest psychomotor, interpersonal, and vocational dimension, rath er than alterations in mood which is the core symptom of bipolar disorder. According to Grinspoon (1983), the subtle forms of bipolar disorder range between cyclothymic disorder and dysthymic disorder (281). Cyclothymic disorder starts during teenage or early adulthood years and may often be diagnosed as a personality disorder. Cycles are short and last for only a few days and may not meet the category for hypomania due to biphasic course. On the other hand, dysthymic disorders are subaffective and subtle hypomania is present. Onset is indeterminate and cardinal symptoms often occur at age 21. A full range of depressive symptoms occurs at subsyndromal level, and a patient is categorized in the subtle forms of bipolar disorder if patients do not have any diagnosable nonaffective disorder

Frank Gilbreth and his contributions to Management History Research Paper

Frank Gilbreth and his contributions to Management History - Research Paper Example Secondly, Lillian Gilberth made major contributions to the psychology of management. Thirdly, both before and after the death of her husband, Lillian was an active teacher – she trained some of the most significant figures in the world of business. Additionally, she was a significant role model for women in management in her later years (Witzel, 145). After graduating from Boston English High School, Gilbreth later worked for Whidden and Company Construction as a bricklayer’s apprentice. Later, beginning 1895, he founded Frank Gilbreth construction and became its president until 1911. The company put up projects throughout the US. Beginning the year 1912, Gilbreth and his wife formed Gilbreth Consulting Incorporated. While he was working at Whidden Construction, Gilbreth did not find satisfaction with simply learning a skill but yearned to get to know the reason as to why his instructors used different motions as they taught him to lay a brick while when working alone, they used only one set of motion to lay a brick (Witzel, 209). He also realized that the bricklayers were using three dissimilar sets of motions – one for teaching bricklaying to others, a second while working at a slow speed, and a third while working at a quickly (Nelson.com, 9). These observations saw the start of Gilbreth’s groundbreaking work in the study of motion as well as ergonomics (the scientific workplace layout that reduces fatigue and improves work performance at the same time) and brought about his invention. While he was only 24, Gilbreth received the first of numerous patents for what he referred to as his â€Å"non-stooping scaffold†. He designed the scaffold with the aim of improving the rate at which workers laid bricks. As he observed bricklayer’s movements, Gilbreth came to the realization that it was possible to reduce the number of individual movements that workers made while moving every brick to the wall they were building from t he pallet. This would culminate into a double impact of reducing the amount of energy that they would have to use in addition to accelerating the work (Witzel, 209 & Witzel, 144-145). He started studying the various approaches and started doing away with those motions that were not necessary. For instance, he designed a stand that workers could raise to waist height, which eliminated the motion of stooping to lift each brick (Nelson.com, 9). Witzel explains that before Gilbreth’s design, bricklayers used most of their time stooping to lift bricks and then mortar, which they kept beside their feet. Gilbreth’s invention added a second level at the waist height of the workers to aid in storing materials. The scaffold would be hoisted in such a way that the top of the wall that workers were building was even with their torsos at all times. Instead of bending down now and then, workers would only turn and grab the bricks and this was easier and faster (Nelson.com, 9). The m ost significant fact was that the design deliberately decreased the amount of fatigue as well as stress on the backs of the workers – they were able to lay more bricks daily, with less exhaustion, chiefly in terms of back strain (Witzel, 209). Additionally, by giving those workers whose salaries were low the duty of putting all the bricks with their most attractive side facing

Challenges in Motivating Employeess Essay Example for Free

Challenges in Motivating Employeess Essay Why motivating employees is becoming increasingly challenging. The study of motivation is concerned basically, why people behave in a certain way or why people do what they do? Generally motivation can be described as the direction and persistence of action. However different items such as work environment or internal and external forces can influence the person’s choice of action. Managers face a significant challenge in finding ways to motivate their employees. Some employees can often if hard to get motivated for a job even after being employed. Maybe because there is a day job duties repletion, work condition and etc. Below I discuss some of the most significant challenges in employee’s motivation: Money is one of the major variables of satisfaction and motivation, no doubt that employees will feel less motivated if they feel their compensation is not appropriate. Paying employees less will lead to dissatisfaction and of course dissatisfied employee is an unmotivated employee. However we have to consider individual differences in the motivation. Employees have different needs and given reward do not motivate all individuals similarly. Managers should spend time necessary to understand what is important to each employee and the align goal, level of involvement and reward with individual needs. For example professionals and knowledge workers which highly trained with a college or university degree are more concerned with content of work rather than their place on the organization chart. Money and promotions typically are low on their priority list in contrast job challenge and having skill-development opportunities tend to rank high. However motivating low skilled service workers which pay levels are often little above minimum wage such as retailing and fast food is different. Many employees working in low skilled service jobs feel that they do not get the respect they deserve from their employers. Unless pay and benefits are significantly increased, high dissatisfaction is probably inevitable in these jobs. Trying to understand the needs of such employees might help motivate them better. Motivating employees in a unionized workplace environment is another challenge. For example unions have not been very receptive to pay for performance plans. They believe that differential pay to employees doing similar work can hurt corporation and lead to competition in the workplace. In other word in unionized companies providing opportunities for training and advancement and listening to employees concern all help in creating a more positive environment. On the other hand with todays globalized companies we have to consider motivation do not necessarily work equally through the world. Reward practices in different countries are variable based on cultural differences. For example countries that put a high value on uncertainly avoidance prefer pay base on objective such as seniority. Countries that put a high value on individualism place more emphasis on an individual’s responsibility for performance that leads to rewards. Countries that put a high value on human orientation offer social benefits and programs that provide working family balance, such as childcare, maternity leave and etc. Work conditions and environment is another motivation challenges. Changing the way workers are treated may boost productivity more than changing the way they are paid. An employee who feels his working conditions are unreasonable maybe unmotivated. If he feels completing a task would place him in a dangerous situation, he may not see the value doing or completing it. Other thing which could affect employee motivation is training. An employee being asked to do work which he is not qualified for or capable of doing can result in an unmotivated employee. People are generally the most motivated when their jobs give them an opportunity to learn new skills and tasks that are performed and enable them to demonstrate competence. So no doubt having an open, safe and welcoming environment is one of the most important factors. Regulation of the hours of work is another condition. If an employee is working 60 hours a week instead of the standard 40 hours, he may feel unmotivated to show up or give a full effort knowing that he will give more work and expected to stay late to finish project. Multicultural Team is another challenge in motivation. Nowadays most of the companies from big to small have multicultural team. People from diverse culture, background and beliefs. It’s clear we cannot motivate multicultural teams the same way we motivate teams with members all from same culture. Multicultural teams are differing from same culture teams in a variety of aspects. For example people from different culture have different communication style, working method and decision making practices. The expectations of team behavior vary among nationals and ethic cultures. In result managers in these companies have special challenges for motivation. Managing and motivating employees who respect different cultures can be simultaneously exciting and challenging, provide supervisors and managers understand how culture differences inspire organizational excellence, at the same time, employers encounter challenges by separating employees instead of using management and motivation techniques that focus on common traits through the workforce. In these companies as a motivating factor, money is important but only to some extent. Usually After they start getting a fairly level of compensation for their input, money stop being the greatest motivator for most people. Knowing the strength, weaknesses and performance history of each team member are very important. Some training such as multicultural awareness, team building and intercultural management workshop, motivate multicultural team members are very helpful but they must know why they are being trained. Result: All said and done working with a cross cultural team is significantly challenging as the manager must develop strategies to cope not only with differences but also motivate the team to be productive and efficient. Can a manager or supervisor â€Å"empower† an employee? Generally managers used their power as the part of their interaction with employees. In today’s workplace, there is a movement toward sharing more power with employees by putting them in teams and also by making them responsible for some of the decisions regarding their jobs. Some managers believe that to empower people is a real part of leadership as opposed to management and they give examples of way empowerment can actually set people set free to do the jobs they are capable of and also allow them to do self-managing. However managers have different concepts of empowerment, for example one group of executives believed that empowerment was about delegating decisions making within a set of clear boundaries. While another group believed that empowerment was a process of risk taking and personal growth. There is a lot of positive press on empowerment but much of the talk of empowerment, but much of the talk of empowerment, does not result in employees being empowered. Some managers have difficulties letting employees have more power. But most of the managers agree that the employees should understand how their jobs fit into the organization and that they are able to make decisions regarding job action in light of the organization purpose and mission. Empowerment can offer a number of potential benefits throughout all levels of organization. Although there is a continuing debate about the real benefits of empowerment, there appears to be a general assumption motivated staff, quality customer service and improved profits. However all the theories share a common assumption that workers are an untapped resource with knowledge and experience and an interest in becoming involved, and employers need do provide opportunities and structures for their involvement. It’s also assume that participative decision making is likely to lead to job satisfaction and better quality decision and that gains are available to employer (Increased Efficiency) and workers (Job satisfaction), in short an everyone win scenario. According to Erstad, among the many fashionable management refers to the change strategy with the objective of improving both the individuals and the organization’s ability to act. From the context of articles especially in this area empowerment is a complex process. In order to be successful it requires a clear vision, a learning environment, both for management and employees, participation and implementation tools and techniques.

Ethical Issues Essay Example for Free

Ethical Issues Essay Different people have different understandings of what constitutes ethical behavior. There are laws that help define what is legal and what is not, but the differences between moral ethics are not always clear. These types of moral ethics often lead to ethical dilemmas. According to Trevino Nelson (2007), â€Å"it might surprise many people to learn that there were few laws protecting consumers before the 1960s. At the turn of the last century, consumers didn’t even have the right to sue a manufacturer for defective equipment. † (p. 17) No matter what type of business is run, there are ethical and moral dilemmas attached and in some cases, legal issues arise from unethical-based decisions. Berry`s Bug Blasters is no exception to the rule. Berry`s Bug Blasters is a local company that terminates any type of pest including, armadillos, rodents, and bees. The friendly workers at Berry`s work with their clients to design a customized pest control plan. Berry`s mission statement states that they will use the safest methods for your family, home, and environment. One of the top ethical issues among pest control companies surrounds the controversy of the types of chemicals that are used while executing the termination of pests. Most of the pest control companies are known to use toxic, synthetic, and chemically-based pesticides. These types of pesticides have been known to be the most effective in the extermination of pests. However, they are not safe for people or the environment. The most common chemical used in pest control is Diazinon. Diazinon is used for household pests inside the home, or outside on the lawn. It kills a variety of insects and is classified as an acute and chronic health hazard. Diazinon is very toxic to wildlife and can be fatal if ingested. Recently, EcoSMART pest control was created. The scientists wanted to find a pesticide that will not harm a family. The scientists had a challenge on their hands. They had to discover natural ingredients that: â€Å"effectively kill pests, could be used around the home, family, and pets, and leave no toxic residue or run-off† (Meehan, 2010). The scientists found a way of creating the organic pesticide by using â€Å"essential oils that trees and plants use in nature as insect defense. They found all-natural plant oils which target the octopamine receptors in insects† (Meehan, 2010). The management of Berry`s Bug Blasters faced the ethical decision each time that they make a service call. Should they use chemicals that they know are not good for the environment and could potentially cause an individual a lot of health issues, or should they research and use a much safer chemical that may not be as effective as other pesticides. Other benefits of choosing Berry`s Bug Blasters is they are offering a monthly special to all customers for the first month and offer monthly extermination plans. There are ways to make sure that decisions that are made within a business are ethical. A business-person may ask him or herself how they would feel if his or her actions were publicized throughout the community. If the individual would not mind his or her family, friends, and community learning about the actions, then the decision is most likely ethical. However, if the individual did feel bad about others known the actions, the decision is probably unethical and should be reconsidered. The employees and management of Berry`s Bug Blasters will do whatever is in their power to protect a family as well as the environment. Although new ‘green’ pesticides may not seem as effective as older ones, more laws are coming out that prevent pest control companies in using anything toxic in order to protect the community. Berry`s Bug Blasters will face this ethical dilemma constantly as clients insist on using a chemical that will rid the pests once and for all without a doubt rather than take a risk with something not as strong.

Limitations of Qualitative Research

Limitations of Qualitative Research Discuss The Strengths And Limitations Of Quantitative And Qualitative Data In Supporting Knowledge Claims In The Human Sciences And At Least One Other Area Of Knowledge. Theres no such thing as qualitative data. Everything is either 1 or 0†(Fred Kerlinger) All research ultimately has a qualitative grounding(Donald Campbell) Based on what Kerlinger and Campbell said, we can see different angle of views on quantitative data and qualitative data. From Kerlinger points of view, he rejected qualitative data totally but Donald in the other hand said that the basic of all research is qualitative data. One question arises is why do this two contradict views occurred? Before answering the question, a depth understanding on how this two data works should be done at the first place. When we think about quantitative data, immediately our powerful photographic memories will recall everything that deals with numbers such as height, weight and many more. When the word qualitative data comes across our mind, we will think about something which are descriptive such as colours, beauty and so on. Qualitative data can be obtained by the qualitative research which may save the researcher from making inappropriate assumptions as they proceed to design another stage of their work. What is the significant of this two data in human lives? Basically, quantitative data and qualitative data information are evidence to support ones claim. Without the existence of this two data, the validity of a research is unacceptable because of there are no evidence to support the claims. By using our common sense, ask ourselves, can we immediately believe something is said to be true without any supporting data? The answer is exactly no. To answer the first question, the contradiction of views occur is due to the strengths and limitations of both data. Therefore, to get a clear view on how do these quantitative and qualitative data are used as the supporting evidence, we shall discuss in this in the perspective of human science. Human science is about same universal principles, processes and patterns govern and underlie human activities in different fields such as psychology, social and cultural anthropology, economic and many more. Dealing with human being is never going to be an easy task because human are very complex. The complexities of the human being has lead to the a new branch of science which is human science in order to study the behavior of human. One of the behavior that is crucial to be passed on from one generation to other generation of human being is politeness. Reader Digest has came out with a ranking of the most courteous to the least courteous city in the its January 2008 article. New York city, USA was crowned to be the most courteous. On what basis does Readers Digest magazine came out with this ranking ? To establish this ranking, Readers Digest magazine team has set up a test called Politeness Test to prove the truth behind a statement made by Lynne Truss, an author of bestselling book â€Å"Talk to the Hand† which was 70 percent of US people are ruder now than they were 20 years ago. To measure politeness of a human being is a challenging task. However, there is always a way to measure it. The simplest way to measure this is by naturalistic observational method. To apply this method, the reporter of the Readers Digest magazine had set up three tests and one of them was â€Å"document drops† (who would help them retrieve a pile of â€Å"accidently† dropped papers) For consistency, Starbucks Coffee shop was chosen to be the venue of the test. By observing the behavior of the New Yorkers who entered the coffee shop, many perceptions were made by the reporters. For example, people who was willing to pick up the â€Å"accidently † dropped document was conside red as people who had courtesy. The question is, to what extent this qualitative data obtained from the naturalistic observation method is sufficient enough to establish the ranking? The qualitative data is valid because the biggest strength of the method is it shows realistic situation. The realism of qualitative data can be obtained because the observer cannot easily change or introduce a new stimuli into the situation. However, the major weakness of this method is the risk of biasness of the observer. During the observation, the reporter of Readers Digest magazine might be influenced by emotion when observing the rudeness of people. Therefore, this will lead to the inability to draw a correct conclusion of the observation. However, in order to make the politeness test more valid, we need a set of quantitative data to support the qualitative data. The quantitative data can be obtained by establishing a corelational research. This research is structured by introducing two variables and how they interrelated. Therefore a statistical model is carried out to prove the relation between two variables. For example, let the variables be â€Å" number of who lift up the file† and â€Å" the level of courtesy† and test whether they are independent or dependent for each sample taken from a sample population of New Yorkers. The statistics data in forms of percentage will give a strong base to support the Readers Digest Politeness Test. Since politeness is a very subjective matter, this quantitative data also cannot stand alone. Hence both data are needed in supporting this claim. 2008 is the year where economic crisis hit the world. The developed countries were facing hard times because of the many business had to shut down because of the stagnant falling of demand since people controlled the expenses. In the economy cycle, the economist predicted that recession will hit for eleven months in ten years. However, this prediction is inaccurate because recent recession hit economy only in five months. This occur because economist also is in anticipation and future is uncertainties. During economic recession, exports and imports of business are slowed down and the country will experience high rate of unemployment. For the poor country, the recession gave a big impact such as increase in the rate of poverty since many  labors were dismissed. From physicality aspect, we can observe how thin the people in the poor country when economic recession hits the world. However, this qualitative data is not enough to support the economy recession. Therefore, in order to make the claim more firm, quantitative data must be obtained from example, correlation method where two variables which are demand and supply are used. The correlation between both variables shows a clear picture of the worlds economy. The lower the demand, the lower the supply implies that demand is directly proportional supply. This will lead to reasoning part to explain why the demand is falling or rising. So things will fall in the right place the cause has been justified by reasoning. Nowadays, we have seen the emergence of the personality test on the net. Most of the current personality theories concern on the identification and measurement of the specific personality. (Zuckerman, Eysenck , Eysenck 1978 ). Lets look at personality test which is more valid. For example, Dr Campbell, a researcher on the human behavior from University of Michigan carried out a personality research which ion introversion and extroversion. People might say it is easy to distinguish those who are introverts and extroverts based on the way they communicate with the society. Yes, it is true that we can distinguish the introverts and extroverts by observing their communication skill, confidence level, the way they walk and so on. People can easily percept others based on their attitude and this kind of attitude is taken as qualitative data .Again, there might be biasness in judging people. Therefore, Dr Campbell used theoretical treatments of introversion and extroversion in order to support the qualitative data. He applied the corelational method. He came out with two variables â€Å" introversion/extroversion† and â€Å"experience seeking†. A sample of his college students were given a personality scale wish measures the relationship of the variables. According to the theory, extroverts should seek for outside stimulation whilst the introverts seek the inner stimulation. To visualize the relationships, he used Eysenck Personality Inventory and Zuckermans sensation seeking scales in order to plot the data. From there, a quantitative data can be obtained to distinguish to support the qualitative data. However, the test is too objective and there might be possibilities that the sample of college students did not do the test seriously. Art demands a critical thinking in order for us not to be easily swept away along unthinkingly into its pleasures or reject it as a knowledge . In creating the feelings and beliefs, the arts certainly do not avoid knowledge claims. For example, Leonardos famous Vitruvian man drawing represents standard physicality of a human being. What is meant by standard physicality of human being? From observation method, we know a normal human being will have two hands, two legs a head and so forth. Human being is a unique creature and hence we have to explore the entire human being by using our critical and creative thinking. This Vitruvian  man drawing has all characteristics of a normal human being. This contributes to the qualitative data. Different human being has different lengths of hands, legs and so on. Does this reason enough to prove the uniqueness of a human being? Leonardo Da Vinci was the first person who look the uniqueness of from different angle. The Vitruvian man drawing portrays the standard proportion of human body. It was the version produced by Leonardo Da Vinci, who has a vast knowledge of both anatomy and geometry made him uniquely suited to the task. Leonardos famous drawings of the Vitruvian proportions of a mans body first standing inscribed in a square and then with feet and arms outspread inscribed in a circle . By using logic ,he provides the simplest illustrations on shifting the â€Å"center of the magnitude† without a corresponding change of the â€Å"centre of the normal gravity†. This remains passing through the central line from the pit of the throat through the umbilicus and pubis between the legs. Leonardo repeatedly distinguishes these two different ‘centers of a body, which is the centers of ‘magnitude and ‘gravity (Keele 252).† The fundamental measure of 24 palms comes directly from Vitruvius definition of human height being 4 cubits or 24 palms. This quantitative data is a strong evidence to support the claim that human beings are unique. Sometimes the art themselves are not the truth but it leads us to the truth. Dancing is a part of art. It is indisputable dancing has its way of brightening up the persons day. From the aspect of health, dancing gives a significant impact in reducing stress and depression. For example, a person enters a dancing studio after facing a problem will have a brighter smile after going out of the studio. To determine whether our perception is true, we can carry out an interview in order to obtain self report from that particular person. Many questions can be asked such as â€Å"how do you feel after dancing?†and so forth. From his response, we come out with perception that he is stress free. However, this method is going to give us a weak qualitative data in order to support the claim. The interviewer might be bias during the interview session. Therefore, to justify the claim that dancing contributes in reducing stress and depression, an experiment can be carried out. The strength of the method is we have full authority in controlling our variables. For example, our variable is â€Å"number of dance† and â€Å"the number of anti depressant pills taken†. First of all, a sample of people who come problematic background has to be chosen. The hypothesis is, the greater number of dancing, the lower number anti depressant pills are being consumed. A statistical data can be obtained to support the claim. Hence, the validity of the of the claim saying that dancing can reduce stress is justifiable. Based on the justification above, I concluded that qualitative data and quantitative data play important roles on supporting the knowledge claims in human science and art. Some of the claims required both qualitative and quantitative data in order to support the claims. Although both of data have their own strengths and limitations, they are complementary each other in order to justify the every single things and events that occurs in our lives. I respect both views from Fred Kerlinger and Donald Campbell because both of the views are correct and applicable in our daily lives. There is no right or wrong on both views. It depends on situation in order to use qualitative data or quantitative data to support our knowledge claims. References writing.colostate.edu/guides/research/observe/com2d3.cfm â€Å" Qualitative vs Quantitative Research† writing.colostate.edu/guides/research/observe/com2d3.cfm â€Å" Qualitative vs Quantitative Research† Toby Murcott ; â€Å"Alternative medicine on trial?†;2005;New York;Macmillan;(page 97) www.rd.com/living-healthy/good/article27599-2.html Richard S.Lehman;†Statistic Design in the Behavioral Sciences†1991;Wadsworth Publishing Company,California(page 30) www.rd.com/living-healthy/good/article27599-2.html Richard S.Lehman;†Statistic Design in the Behavioral Sciences†1991;Wadsworth Publishing Company,California(page30) Richard S.Lehman;†Statistic Design in the Behavioral Sciences†1991;Wadsworth Publishing Company,California(page30) Richard S.Lehman;†Statistic Design in the Behavioral Sciences†1991;Wadsworth Publishing Company,California(page 28) Economics Course Companion Richard S.Lehman;†Statistic Design in the Behavioral Sciences†1991;Wadsworth Publishing Company,California(page 20) Richard S.Lehman;†Statistic Design in the Behavioral Sciences†1991;Wadsworth Publishing Company,California(page 20) Theory of Knowledge Course companion http://leonardodavinci.stanford.edu/submissions/clabaugh/history/leonardo.html http://leonardodavinci.stanford.edu/submissions/clabaugh/history/leonardo.html http://www.aiwaz.net/vitruvian-man/a6

Bilingual Education Essay -- essays research papers

Benefits of Bilingual Education David Hosterman The issue of bilingual education is a very controversial issue and many people have different views concerning this subject. "Bilingual education began in 1968 as a small, $7.5 million federal program to help Mexican-American students, half of whom could not speak English well when they entered first grade" (Chavez 23). In addition, it began 23 years ago as a historic order for busing students to schools to achieve racial integration. One would believe that the supporters of bilingual education are Latino's but in actuality they are black and white professionals who know the advantages of their children being bilingual. It has been proven that students who are enrolled in bilingual classes have better scores on standardized tests, such as the ACT's and SAT's, than those who are not enrolled in bilingual classes. Bilingual education is beneficial for our country and enables students to learn English as well as keeping their native tongue for future success in our global econ omy. Bilingual education works in our society and should stay intact within the schools and should be funded to enable students who wish to take these classes should be able to. In aspect of Rudolph Giuliani's view that bilingual education doesn't work and that it is too expensive should be better thought out and he should look at the benefits that come from it. Giuliani was quoted regarding bilingual education by saying, "It's cruel to them and gives them less of a chance to succeed" (Willen 8). This is a bizarre view that Giuliani is issuing considering that it has been proven that students who are enrolled in bilingual classes perform better on standard eyes tests. This is an advantage for these students to succeed considering that the better the test grades the better the opportunity to get into good college. In addition one can notice that knowing more than one language can "utilize the strengths of bilingual children to prepare all students to compete in a global economy that increasingly calls for multilingual and multicultural expertise" (Beyer 11). Bilingual education can be seen beneficial in many schools and helps students prep are for a future in corporate America. In El Paso at a secondary school bilingual education can be seen as helpful for both the students and credibility of the school. At this... ... September 1998:11 EV. Bowen, Ezra. "Education: For Learning Or Ethnic Pride? Parents Politicians and Pedagogues Battle Over Bilingual Classes" Time 8 July 1985: 80. Chavez, Linda. "Bilingual Education Was to Teach English, Not Trap Students" Minneapolis Star Tribune 2 April 1995: 23A. Gonzales, Patricia. "Why Is Bilingual Education Opposed?" The Dallas Morning News 11 July 1996: 23A. Pratt, Chasity. "One Class, Two Languages/ Both English, Foreign Benefit Bilingual Schools." Newsday 4 April 2000: 6A. Ruano-Martinez, Natalia. "Should We Abolish Bilingual Education? No: It Prepares Kids For Global Economy." USA Today 2 June 1998: 13A. Weber, Brian. "Native Tongue Denver Schools Wrestle With Bilingual Education As Feds Make New Demands" Denver Rocky Mountain News 19 October 1997: 40A. Willen, Liz. "Bilingual Debate/ Rudy's Push to Limit Education Programs Draws Flak" Newsday 16 January1998: 8A.

Its Time to Make Prostitution Legal :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

It's Time to Make Prostitution Legal Prostitution has long been called the world's oldest profession. For as long back as we have records, evidence can be found of people selling sex for some sort of gain. When the colonists were running around slaughtering the natives, they also were enjoying the pleasures of local prostitutes. In fourth century, Athenian orator Apollodoros stated "we have courtesans for pleasure, and concubines for the daily service of our bodies, but wives for the production of legitimate offspring and to have reliable guardians of our household property." And yet in "progressive" America, a land were people claim to be the most socially advanced, prostitution is an illegal act that results in the sheltering of rapists, drug dealers, and abusers. Legalization of prostitution could solve a lot of problems caused by its illegality, but it's unlikely that those rich old white guys in Washington are going to make the change. They prefer to ignore the issue, occasionally making the token gesture at trying to end it completely. Reality check folks, if prostitution has been around this long, it's not going anywhere. You can throw more laws at it, up the punishment, even do like Minnesota and post those arrested for prostitution (not those just found guilty) and stick their pictures on the internet, but you aren't going to change reality. Nevada has already seen the light...why not the rest of country? If this country were to legalize prostitution, we could make a fortune while also improving the health of our country and the "character" behind it all. Look at Nevada. Let's take prostitution off the streets by requiring services be offered in a brothel or on appropriate web sites. As for the common streetwalker, arrest them for solicitation, but just solicitation, no more tacking on the prostitution part. Change the law to require condoms and regular health checks and AIDS testing. Where prostitution is legal in Nevada, the number of AIDS cases among the workers is now down to 0 (where the illegal hookers have topped 25% infection...that's a one in four chance of paying to get AIDS). By having it legal, prostitutes will no longer have to fear going to the cops when they get raped or beaten.

Reader Reaction to John Cheevers The Swimmer Essay -- Cheever Swimmer

Reader Reaction to John Cheever's The Swimmer One of the main ideas that is conveyed in John Cheever's The Swimmer is the way in which life consists of different mental stages and how they each affect the consciousness of the mind. In The Swimmer, Neddy goes through different swimming pools and this represents the different journeys in his life. He progresses from boundless optimism to endless despair as the seasons go by. The times when Neddy is in or out of the water also represents the emotions he is going through and perhaps can correlate to the emotions felt throughout the duration of ones life. For example, when Neddy is not swimming, he tends to feel down or aggravated. During this sad period, he is usually in search of alcohol. Even after he has had a drink or two, he is always ready to go back into the pools, which shows a lot about Neddy's ambitious character. Neddy's journey through the pools is longer than an afternoon. In fact, we see this when he mentions the "storm passing" and the season change is shown through the phrase "red and yellow leaves." When Neddy finally reaches home, he is tired and weak. This displays aging through life and how one becomes fatigued easily as life goes on. When he sees that no one is home, it is obvious that Neddy's journey has come to an end and it seems as though Neddy has died, because his home can symbolize the heart and the soul, and since no one is home, Neddy's heart and soul is dead. Although The Swimmer and the recent American film "A Beautiful Mind" both have differing plots, their main characters have some commonalities. Russell Crowe, the young mathematician who becomes a natural code ... ...xpected of him with his wife and kids having left him. It was clear that Neddy was also annoyed at this point in time, however before he blew up at Mrs. Biswanger, she suddenly became nice to him once again. This part in the story goes to show how cruel society can be, and instead of helping out Neddy in his poor state, he is disrespected and furthermore, abandoned. It is also evident that friends can be betraying and deceiving and that one can never be too sure about their status. I feel that the society in which Neddy is living is quite shallow and irrational. Neddy is an unfortunate character and his treatment from Mrs. Biswanger shows her nature of thinking that friends are expendable which in my opinion is quite irrational. It also shows that the status in ones culture weighs heavily on their association with certain people.

What are the greatest challenges facing planet Earth in the 21st Century?

Throughout the 21st century it is easy to see that more and more challenges confront the Planet. It would be difficult to say which is the most important or serious as each concerns a different part of the world. It is clear that the planet is changing and it is happening at alarming rate. People around the world are suffering from Poverty and malnutrition while others fear about the demand for natural resources and how much time we have before they run out. Population growth is a huge matter in countries such as China and India where as in Australia depletion of the ozone layer is a big worry. However, we have been aware of the most of these problems for a while and for me the biggest challenge to face the earth yet is climate change. A big cause of climate change is global warming from greenhouse gases and carbon emissions. Human impact is causing more greenhouse gases to be produced by burning fossil fuels and deforestation and this is causing them to get trapped in the Earths atmosphere making the temperature rise. It is now a fact that the world is getting hotter and Earth is the hottest it has been in at least 400 years, and possibly even the last 2,000 years. Studies show that the global surface temperature has increased by approximately 0.3-0.6à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C over the last century. This may seem like a small difference but it has big consequences. These temperatures will continue to increase and by the end of the 21st century average global temperatures may increase by 1.4-5.8à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C. Besides resulting in more hot days, many scientists believe an increase in temperatures may lead to changes in precipitation and weather patterns. Ocean waters will become warmer and this may result in more intense and frequent tropical storms and hurricanes. The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in the last 30 years and will continue to increase with global warming this will not only cause catastrophe for human population but also to the unchangeable fragile environment. Sea levels are also expected to increase by 0.09 – 0.88 m in the next century, mainly from melting glaciers and rising seawaters. You can read also Waves Most of the world's population lives on or near the coasts. Global sea levels could rise by more than 20 feet with the loss of shelf ice in Greenland and Antarctica, devastating coastal areas worldwide. If the polar ice cap were to melt then sea levels world wide would increase by 20ft, Shanghai home to 40 million people would be underwater, the Bay of Bengal, Calcutta, India home to 60 million people would be completely gone. Think of the impact of a few hundred refugees and then imagine 100 million the planet will be destroyed if something is not done. Global warming may also affect wildlife and species that cannot survive in warmer environments and these may become extinct. At least 279 species of plants and animals are already responding to global warming, moving closer to the poles. Coral Reefs are suffering from coral bleaching the process caused by loss of algae that colour and nourish them. Also, human health is also at stake, as global warming may result in the spreading of certain diseases such as malaria, the flooding of major cities, a greater risk of heat stroke for individuals, and poor air quality. India's worst heat wave in 50 years killed more than 2,500 people in May 1998. Britain in 2006 suffered from major heat waves throughout the summer, 1 year later floods have swept all over the country. All challenges that face the planet interlink with each other and relate to one another. Rapid population growth is not only a challenge to other humans but also to the environment. As the population increases there is more demand for food and this is also a problem with global warming. There will be more droughts making it hard to grow crops and importing from other countries will start to become more expensive. Some policies have been introduced in the past to try and control the population such as Chinas one child policy. However, such policies have not been accepted by other nations as they seem to breech human rights. Other nations such as Singapore now suffering from an ageing population are trying to increase their population which is not helping the population crisis. Cities are growing larger and larger the natural land around them is being turned into homes and office buildings. Cities are becoming more and more overcrowded and job opportunities are harder to find with a rising number of the population becoming unemployed. The Economic trend from 1975 to 2003 showed that from 1979 to 1989 the average Unemployment rate was 4.7%; 1990 to 2000 the average unemployment rate was 5.1% reaching 5.5% between the period 2000 and 2007 therefore the rate of unemployment is increasing gradually, this will continue increase will the population growing and will cause many problems. With urbanisation occurring it is using more and more lumber and other natural resources for the buildings. The environment is being scarred and this is also increasing global warming. Deforestation is not the only problem but as the population increasing the demand for energy is rising. Natural Resources are quickly disappearing. All over the world we are digging up to try and find Coal, oil and gas and we are using our resources at alarming rates. The burning of fossil fuels in factories to make products and power, and the fuels used by trucks, automobiles and jet planes have caused acid rain and a great increase in carbon dioxide and pollution in the atmosphere. However, with natural resources running out there could be a positive outcome. Scientist are trying hard to develop new ways to use clean energy sources which come renewable energy sources that are better for the environment such a solar and hydroelectric. About 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes, according to the United Nations. This is one person every three and a half seconds or a 2004 Asian Tsunami occurring almost every week. Yet there is plenty of food in the world for everyone. The problem is that hungry people are trapped in severe poverty. Part of poverty is caused by lack of social services. Education and heath services are nearly non existent in poverty stricken nations which causes much of the problem. This leads to diseases such as Phenomena, Malaria or Tuberculosis, 2 of these diseases are highly contagious and with help could be put under control but instead have millions of people die each year. Poverty however, it is not the individuals fault. They are not lazy or have made poor decisions but instead there country is most likely been exploited by MEDCs or TNCs or they have a corrupt government. Transnational corporations are globalizing mainly in poorer countries as it is better for them. The laws on the environment and labor are less stringent meaning they are able to bypass certain rules, however this leads to labor exploitation. Countries that suffer from poverty is also because they have a lack of natural resources they have nothing to offer companies to locate to there country. The don't have oil like the America or farmland like Australia. The physical environment could be very much a desert like Mali or Sudan; it could be land locked like Laos which means that it is hard for things such as trading to take place. In Australia one of their biggest concerns is the depeletion of the ozone layer. It is caused by a build up of man-made chemicals in the atmosphere. One of the main chemicals is generally known as CFC or chloroflurocarbon. We use CFC's as refrigerants, aerosol spray propellants, as solvents in electronic chemistry, and in the expansion of polystyrene foam. This CFC's drift into the atmosphere and release chlorine. Through these reactions the ozone is broken down. This affects both the humans and the eco systems. Even minor problems of ozone depletion can have major effects. Every time even a small amount of the ozone layer is lost, more ultraviolet light from the sun can reach the Earth. This leads to damage of the cornea and other aspects of the eye and is a big cause of skin cancer. It also, inhibits growth of certain plants such as rye and wheat and stresses marine ecosystems as high levels of UV kill plankton. In Conclusion, it has been shown that the Planet does not face just one issue but has a number that concern the planet. Global Warming is the challenge that associate with other concerns like ozone depletion and rapid population growth but poverty is a matter that we have been facing to decades now. People are now becoming more and more aware of the issues facing the planet are trying to do something about however a lot more will need to happen if we want to reverse the damage we have done.

Korean “Comfort Women” of Wwii Essay

â€Å"†¦Use curiosity to ask challenging questions about what appear as normal, everyday banalities in order to try and understand make visible’ the hidden gendering of the practice and theorizing of international relations† –Cynthia Enloe In times of armed conflict, women are most susceptible to violence and silencing through the sexualization, dehumanization, and stigmatization of their identities. Janie Leatherman highlights this point when stating â€Å"gender based violence often intensifies and becomes more extreme in a crisis, even escalating into a tool of war â€Å" (4). This is inevitable in a patriarchal society where hegemonic masculine values construct gender norms and gender expectations. Sexual violence during armed conflict does not develop in isolation from the society’s preexisting socioeconomic and culturally shaped gender relationships. Furthermore, the patriarchal nature of a society does not work alone in creating injustices, such as sexual violence, against women during and after armed conflict; there must be a â€Å"framework that embraces the realities, contradictions, and intersections of various global relations of power† (Kempadoo, 29). These intersections include the relationships between gender, race, class, cultural, and societal ideologies. In my paper, I take on Cynthia Enloe’s challenge of using an enquiring, gendered lens to explore the silencing of women during and after war by examining the case of the Korean ‘comfort women’ of World War II. I will analyze how the intersection of prevailing social determinants and ideologies have regulated and perpetuated the rationale and, thus, the invisibility of the Korean comfort women during and in the aftermath of World War II. Literature Review & Research Methodology Yoshiaki Yoshimi’s Comfort Women: Sexual Slavery in the Japanese Military during World War II, Margaret Stetz’s Legacies of the Comfort Women of World War II, as well as Toshiyuki Tanaka’s Hidden Horrors: Japanese War Crimes in World War II were mainly used throughout my research to gather the testimonies of surviving Korean comfort women. All three books give a comprehensive look into the phenomenon of the Japanese military comfort women system with historical background and an abundance of testimonies and documentation of the Korean comfort women. Because my research focuses on the silencing of Korean comfort women during and in the aftermath of World War II, these oral histories provide crucial supporting evidence throughout my paper. Besides two testimonies by one Japanese soldier and one Japanese military doctor, testimonies by other Japanese soldiers and government officials that have acknowledged the existence of the comfort women stations were difficult t o find. Therefore, throughout these testimonies, I specifically looked for patterns that revealed evidence of Japanese gender hierarchies through the diction and accounts that imply any dehumanization and objectification imparted by Japanese soldiers. To investigate the determinants that had cultivated the Japanese comfort station system and, more importantly, the targeting of Korean women for the system, I specifically used Cynthia Enloe’s Maneuvers: The International Politics of Militarizing Women’s Lives as well as Janie Leatherman’s Sexual Violence and Armed Conflict. Both authors give insights and analyses of the causes and consequences of sexual violence during armed conflict. They both emphasize the interplay of patriarchal systems, gender constructions/norms, and political/economic/cultural structures as large contributors. In addition to these specific determinants, I incorporate Sara Ahmed’s analysis to sexual violence by considering the â€Å"cultural intersections between gender, race, and colonialism† in my analytical approach (138). By applying and intertwining the critical approaches of Enloe, Leatherman, and Ahmed, I am able to isolate the multifaceted, yet intersecting institutions and ideologies that had fabricated the invisibility of and the rationale for the Korean comfort women. Background of the Japanese Comfort Stations The euphemism ‘comfort women’ was the name assigned to thousands of women –mainly Korean but also Burmese, Chinese, Dutch, Eurasians, Indians, Indonesian, Filipina, and Taiwanese –who were forced into the Japanese comfort station system (Japan’s military controlled whore houses or brothels) throughout World War II (Yoshimi). These so called ‘comfort stations’ were far from comforting. The conditions of the physical spaces have been described as â€Å"barrack-like facilities, rudimentary tents, [or] shacks† (Yoshimi, 25). One Japanese military doctor has testified that the women were treated like â€Å"female ammunition† and that their dehumanized bodies were reduced to the likes of â€Å"public toilets† (Wantabe, 20). The testimony of Hwang Kum-Ju, one of the first Korean comfort women to testify in public, only reveals a glimpse of the sufferings she and fellow comfort women had to endure: â€Å"There were so many soldiers. Sometimes, we had to do it with twenty to thirty soldiers a day. I think ours was the only comfort station in that area, and soldiers and officers came whenever they had some spare moments. Higher-ups came freely, and at night we usually slept with officers. Women who contracted venereal diseases were simply left to die or shot. Anyone resisting the advances was beaten† (Kim, 97). Comfort women were subjected to daily rapes, sexual diseases, torture, murder, and other forms of mental, physical, and sexual violence. The comfort stations were created during World War II as a solution to the aftermath of the Japanese military committing mass murders and rapes as they moved across mainland Asia. The catalyst for the creation of the comfort system was the most infamous massacre known as the â€Å"The Rape of Nanking† in which the whole village of Nanking was murdered after the Japanese soldiers raped approximately 20,000 village women. Because this particular massacre caused such an outcry in the international press, Emperor Hirohito of Japan ordered the creation and systematic expansion of the comfort stations. However, the purpose for which these comfort stations were created was not out of concern for the safety of local women of in the territories in which the Japanese soldiers were stationed. Naoai Murata, the Defense Agency Director of the Secretariat in 1992, claimed that they were created in order to ‘†¦maintain order [and] to ease the anti-Japanese feeling aroused by the Japanese soldier’s deeds’ (Schmidt, 88). This would restore the image of the Imperial Army by confining and concealing rape and sexual violence to military controlled facilities. Additionally, as the war progressed, these comfort stations transformed into spaces that provided opportunities for the Japanese soldiers to have sex as a means of relaxation and comfort, a boost for morale, a space to assert their masculinity, to relieve the stress and fear of combat, and an outlet from strict military discipline (Yoshimi, 53). The following interview of one Japanese soldier highlights the psychological influence and importance of the comfort women to the Japanese soldiers: â€Å"Even though we had just returned from lengthy military operations at the front, the thought of having sex made us leave immediately for the [comfort women]. When we arrived at where the women were, soldiers took their place in line and mulled over life and death while waiting for their turn. There was nothing else like the supreme feeling of completeness that the soldiers experienced when engaging in sex with the women. This was the only way for them to whole-heartedly escape from their abnormal existence† (Yoshimi, 54-55). The advocacy and rationale for the comfort women system reveal the dependency of the military on women. The comfort women system was considered an important element for the war efforts, even if only temporary. Why Korean Comfort Women? Approximately 80% of the 100,000 to 200,000 comfort women were Korean with ages ranging from 13 to mid-20’s (Yoshimi, 67). The question that can be elucidated from this statistic is simple: ‘why were the majority of the comfort women Korean?’ The answer to this question can be answered with: â€Å"†¦the military usually does not need – or want- all women to provide all these militarized services. Rather, government officials have needed women of some classes and some races and some ages to serve some of these functions†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Enloe 2000, 44). Furthermore, in order to further pinpoint the determinants to why this marginalized group was targeted, there needs to be â€Å"an engagement with the interplay of global relations of power around gender, race, nationality, and the economy (Kempadoo, 29). These underlying intertwining ideologies and institutions that have contributed to the explicit targeting of Korean women for the Japanese comfort stat ions need to be explored. Racial Ideologies: Racism The excessive usage of Korean women for the Japanese comfort system is directly linked to the elements of racism. This phenomenon can be analyzed by the intertwined relationship between colonialism, race, socially constructed gender ideologies. As Sara Ahmed emphasizes, â€Å" a consideration of cultural intersections between gender, race, and colonialism is important for two main reasons. First it demands that feminism reject any approach, which isolates the production of gender from race and colonialism. As a result, it requires us to consider how certain feminisms may themselves function as part of the colonialist culture† (138). With this framework in mind, it can be elucidated that the targeting of Korean women stems from the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 from which Korea became a protectorate of Japan and later officially colonized in 1910. Despite the fact that Korea had become a colony under Japan’s rule, the Japanese government and society’s sentiment â€Å"dictated that the [Korean] population was still considered to be racially inferior† (Tanaka, 96). While exploiting and objectifying Korean women, the Japanese military did not see it appropriate to exploit their own women to the same extent: â€Å"[Japanese] officials believed [international] laws were not applicable to Japan’s colonies, and this, combined with the belief in the superiority of Japanese women and the suitability of women of other races for prostitution, cemented to use [Korean] women from the colonies as comfort women† (Tanaka, 97) The Korean comfort women were positioned and identified as ‘uncivilized,’ inferior, subjugated, and promiscuous by the Japanese masculine colonial mindset. Derogatory and sexualized words, accompanied by violence, were used against the Korean comfort women at the comfort stations as racially discriminatory identifiers of the superior and the inferior groups. These words included ‘Ppagayor! Senpino kuseni!’ which translates to ‘Idiot! Nothing but a Korean cunt!’ (Yoshimi, 113). Enloe explains that objectifying foreign women makes it easier for military officials to marginalize them: â€Å"it was far easier for commanders to send women if they could be portrayed as rootless, promiscuous, parasitic, and generally a drag on the military’s discipline and battle readiness† (2000, 40). The images inscribed on the inferior, ‘colonized’ Korean comfort women rose from the colonialist, racial, and masculine institutions. The importance of the intersection of these institutions is emphasized by Kempadoo â€Å"a large number of women upon whose bodies and labor such constructions of masculinity depend are of nations, races, and ethnicities other than those of men is a reality that cannot be neglected or ignore† (31). These constructions of the Korean comfort women’s identities fabricated a justification that only naturalized the Japanese nation’s domination over Korean through the Korean comfort women. Gender Ideologies: Sexualized Femininity/Militarized Masculinity During World War II, the prominently patriarchal nature of the Japanese society reestablished the preexisting gendered, dichotomous construction of sexuality for both men and women in which the degree of masculinity of soldiers was greatly dependent on the comfort women. Cynthia Enloe highlights this notion by recognizing that â€Å"the women were one of the strengths, which maintained the military organization† (Enloe 1988, 187). Enloe draws attention to this dependency by stating ‘the military needs women as the gender ‘women’ to provide men with masculinity –reinforcing incentives to endure all the hardships of soldiering (Enloe 1988, 214). During World War II, within the Japanese military, there were socially constructed forms of masculinity and femininity that were reinforced by the onset of war and the military. The service of and dependency on the objectified women’s body s tems from what Carole Vance explains to be social constructions of gender and sexuality, not as â€Å"natural† and â€Å"unchanging† biologically determined notions of gender and sexuality. Socially constructed gender roles have shaped â€Å"sexuality as a form of power† (Mackinnon, 2). Catherine Mackinnon further describes these powerful gender roles: â€Å"the social beings we know as man and woman are bound by social requirements of heterosexuality, which institutionalizes male sexual domination and female sexual submission† The woman’s identity becomes inexplicably attached to her sexuality, becoming â€Å"that which is most of her own, yet is most taken away† (Tong, 111). Sexuality becomes distorted into an ideal of sexuality that reduces women to sexual objects while placing men as the dominating, sexual subject. The highly hierarchical gender system of Japan during World War II fostered an inequality between men and women in which â€Å"men create the demand and women are the supply† (Hughes, 11). The objectification of the Korean women was necessary for the militarization of men. (Enloe 2000). During times of war, the ideologies of masculinity that â€Å"their love and respect can only be met by being masculine, powerful, and ult imately violent† are fuelled (Kokopeli, 233). This is because the military as a social institution is constructed by ideals of male sexuality. The sexualization of the female body aids the military in the marginalization of women as it depicts women as objects and tools for the soldier’s sexual satisfaction. Vance states that all â€Å"social construction approaches adopt the view that physically identical sexual acts may have varying social significance and subjective meaning depends on how they are defined and understood in different cultures and historical periods† (29). Militarized masculinities are sexualized in violent forms, which was clearly the case among the Japanese soldiers. The socially constructed feminine identity at the time was one of which sexuality was merely designed to service individual men and male defined institutions. This explanation creates a foundation for the upheld rigid distinctions between masculine and feminine ideals in the Japanese society during World War II. For the Japanese male soldiers, the militarized masculine model of sexuality embodied notions of dominance, destructi on, aggression, and sexual conquest. On the other hand, the Korean comfort women subjected to this patriarchal society were merely reduced to submissive, obedient, and sexual tools. Enloe also argues that wartime sexual violence provides ‘masculinity-reinforcing incentives to endure all the hardships of soldiering’ (1988, 214). The practice of going to the comfort stations to have sex with the comfort women became a routine for the Japanese soldiers; the women were seen as a â€Å"necessary evil† (Tanaka, 67). Whereas on the battlefield, the Japanese soldiers had little control, having sex with women against their will gave the men the masculine power of dominance and self-assertion. In battle, Japanese soldiers were merely seen as military ammunition for combat, but they were able to reinforce their own masculine subjectivity and agency through the sexual objectification of Korean comfort women. This can be comprehended through the account of one Korean comfort woman, Yi Sunok: â€Å"There were many times when I was almost killed. If I refused to do what one man asked, he would come back drunk and threaten me with his sword. Others simply arrived drunk, and had intercourse with their swords stuck in the tatami. This left the tatami scarred, but this sort of behavior was more of a threat to make me accede to their desires and give them satisfaction† (Tanaka, 56). The Korean comfort women provided an environment where the men could reinforce militarized masculine at the expense of the women’s dehumanization as well as their mental and physical health. The Korean comfort women not only suffered enforced sex, but sex routinely accompanied by routine violence and torture. Although the comfort women station system was blatant throughout World War II, it was rationalized by socially constructed, yet biologically justified, notions of male sexuality. Vance would call this justification as â€Å"biological determinism,† which is the belief that biology determines fundamentally all behavior and actions. The belief that the comfort women were needed because of the male Japanese soldiers’ biologically determined, uncontrollable sexual needs can be perceived in the secret report by a psychiatrist of the Konodai army hospital in 1939: â€Å"The army authorities established comfort stations†¦because they assumed that it was impossible to suppress the sexual urge of soldiers. The main purposes of setting up comfort facilities were to relieve soldiers of daily stresses by giving them a sense of sexual satisfaction and to prevent rapes which would damage the reputation of the Imperial army from happening† (Yoshimi, 1992, 228). This understanding of male sexuality inadvertently reduces the rationale for the comfort station system to a biological one. It justifies the creation of the comfort women system as unavoidable and inevitable as though there was no other solution. The biological determinism argument is a legitimizing tool for it positions this constructed masculinity as outside of human control. The trope of ‘uncontrollable military male sexuality’ rooted in the ‘nature’ rationale only suspends moral and legal restrains on the comfort women system while perpetuating and justifying the women’s objectified, subordinate position. Socioeconomic Status The majority of the Korean women that were targeted in the comfort station system were from a low socioeconomic class. Hughes reiterates this point by pointing out that recruiters of areas in the sex industry â€Å"take advantage of poverty, unemployment and a desire to emigrate to recruit and traffic women into the sex industry† (11). Hughes also includes a report from the Women’s NGO which states, â€Å"†¦economic hard times has lead to a depression of women’s psychological state with a loss of self esteem and hope for the future. Women accept unlikely offers of employment in unskilled jobs at high salaries with the resignation that ‘it cannot be worse’ than their present lives. Recruiters for the sex industry target the most economically depresses areas† (12). The Korean women of low economic status and class were vulnerable to the deceitful recruitment methods of the Japanese. For example, the Korean population in the Japanese colonized territories was very poor during World War II because Japan had taken any available means of production of food and clothes for the war effort (Argibay, 378). This left most of the young Korean women and girls living in poverty and starting menial labor at a very early age in order to support their families. ‘Recruiters’ would encourage compliance by convincing the women that they would obtain high paid jobs as seamstresses and nurses or working in a hospital or a factory (Stetz, 10). One comfort women named Suntok Kim recalls that when she was being ‘recruited,’ the prospects of being a ‘comfort woman’ for the Japanese seemed promising because she came from a poor family and had no education. Working in a factory was far better than her current working and living conditions (Stetz, 10). Furthermore, the U.S. Office of War Interrogation Report No. 49 reports that when being recruited â€Å"Korean women assumed that comfort service consisted of visiting wounded soldiers and generally making the soldiers happy, and that many Korean women enlisted on the basis of these misrepresentations† (Arigbay , 378) Another means of recruitment that targeted Koreans of low socioeconomic class was through the method of debt bondage, indenturing the Korean comfort women to the Japanese military. Economically destitute rural families were deceived into thinking that they had a choice of whether or not to sell their daughters to the Japanese military; however, in reality, they were being coerced with violence and had no agency in this matter. Many reports have indicated that families who refused to sell their daughters were killed and girls taken to the Japanese military bases after. The Japanese would also threaten to destroy â€Å"the whole village, kill the elders and children and commit other violent measures† (Arigbay, 278). Many Korean comfort women did not have the agency, autonomy, or the economic option to oppose Japanese forces. Offering a payment was simply a customary ruse by the Japanese military to justify their methods in taking these powerless Korean women. Continuum of Injustice & Invisibility in the Aftermath Stigmatization: Cultural & Social Institutions In the aftermath of World War II, the experiences of the comfort women were silenced for approximately 50 years. This silence was finally broken in the early 1990s when the issue was brought to light as former comfort women began to release their testimonies to the public. When this issue began to gain public attention, the Japanese government immediately declared that the comfort women system did not exist in the Japanese military and thus â€Å"there could be no question of any apology, memorial, or disclosures by the Japanese government† (Uncomfortable Truths). To this day, comfort women are still waiting for an apology for the violation of their human rights and for the objectification of their bodies and identities from the Japanese government. Many grassroots organizations and feminist groups have been created since the early 1990s to draw attention to issue of the comfort women. These include the Korean Research Institute for Chongsindae and the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Sexual Slavery by Japan. Since the early 1990s over one hundred women in South Korea have registered with the Korean government as former comfort women (Kim, 74). However, despite these efforts, the stark question of ‘why’ the surviving Korean comfort women were silenced for so long still remains. The surviving women have not only suffered from mental and physical injuries, but also had to suffer from additional social injuries. Many of the surviving Korean comfort women have had to live a stigmatized and isolated life as they tried to assimilate back into the communities. They were â€Å"condemned to live out their lives as social, pariahs, shunned by their families, tortured by injury and illness, some sent mad by their ordeal†¦some committed suicide, others became insane† (Askin, 13). This stigmatization can be attributed to the Confucian societies in Korea for the Korean comfort women were products of this culture. The Confucian definition of the traditional feminine identity highlights docility and emphasizes chastity as a woman’s most important virtue (Stetz, 13). As Iris Chang reiterates: â€Å"Asian Confucianism-particularly Korean Confucianism- upheld female purity as a virtue greater than life and perpetuated the belief that any woman who could live through such a degrading experience and not commit suicide was herself an affront to society] This cultural ideology demanded that unmarried women must be virgins and blamed the women for not being able to prevent any forms of sexual violation (53). With high moral value attached to chastity and purity, the comfort women â€Å"invariably emerged from their wartime experiences defiled, yet unable to accuse their abusers† (Askin, 25). The fear of isolation and stigma from their defilement only silenced them, leaving these sexual atrocities in the dark for 50 years. The internalization of this feminine identity caused Korean comfort women to lose self-respect, to live in shame, and ultimately perpetuate their own stigmatization. Furthermore, the social stigma and shame attached to rape and sex were fostered by Korean society and the Korean comfort women’s own families. Patty Kelly explains this stigma as â€Å"a blemish of individual character that [the] women cannot escape†¦the stigmatized person is perceived as possessing weak will, unnatural passions, and treacherous beliefs† (192). The stigma of rape and sex embody has implications on community, family, and responsibility. Kelly asserts that stigma associated with sex work â€Å"circumscribes one’s social relations†¦causes fear and shame†¦creates inauthenticity in daily life† (194). Keith Howard describes the lives that the surviving Korean comfort women had to endure in their communities: â€Å"When they returned to Korea†¦they were neither faithful nor chaste. They were not exemplary women. The families of the comfort women feared the ostracism they would suffer if the shameful past were discovered; the women became an extra burden, and there was little chance to marry them off† (7). This social stigma and discrimination oppressed the surviving Korean comfort women. As Kelly points out, social relations with the family were tainted. Some of the Korean comfort women were seen as a disgrace to their family by their own family and by the rest of society. One Korean comfort woman by the name of Tokchin Kim has revealed that the honor of her family and the relationship with her family hindered her from publicizing her experience, which only allowed the comfort station system to remain invisible. Tokchin Kim had tried to register at the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan as a former comfort woman. However, her nephew expressed â€Å"You will only bring trouble on your family and your children will be traumatized† (Yoshimi, 4 9). Because of the stigmatization, humiliation, and disgrace that inevitably arose from their past as comfort women, the Korean comfort women’s experiences had unjustly remained hidden for an inordinate amount of time. Conclusion The Japanese comfort stations during World War II completely disregarded comfort women’s rights and silenced their past as a product of the rationale for the system. Leatherman explicates that the silences and justifications â€Å"undergird[ed] the economic, social, cultural, and political power structures of patriarchy. Patriarchy is a hierarchal social order centered on dominant or hegemonic forms of masculinity† (4). The justifications and invisibility stem from the intersection of socially constructed gender, cultural, racial, and socioeconomic institutions. Comfort women have had to unjustly bear the â€Å"shame, ostracism, and dishonor that should be imputed to the perpetrator of sexual violence† (Askin, 31). There has been a continuum of this disregard into the present day as the Japanese government has failed to give an official apology for their wartime atrocities after 50 years of ignoring the existence of comfort women. This untiring neglect reproduces injustice and invisibility of the comfort women to this day. As of right now, there are only 63 registered Korean comfort women in South Korea waiting out their last years to be fully recognized as comfort women by the Japanese government. In order for there to be any strides in this movement, it is imperative that the social and gender hierarchies encumbering Japanese and Korean societies be deconstructed and reevaluated. Additionally, the vast gap between the value of the female and male’s experience and rights in the patriarchal nature of Japan’s society needs to be closed. Bibliography Ahmed, Sara. â€Å"Construction of Women And/in the Orient.† Women, Power, and Resistance: An Introduction to Women’s Studies. 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