The texts, Othello by William Shakespeare, Big World by Tim Winton Essay Example for Free

The texts, Othello by William Shakespeare, Big World by Tim Winton Essay The texts, Othello by William Shakespeare, Big World by Tim Winton and my visual appropriation, have enriched my understanding of the outsider through a variety of language and visual techniques. Through the portrayal of Othello and Roderigo in Othello, the author in Big World and the outsider in my visual appropriation, the authors have conveyed the notion that outsiders will forever and always be outsiders. No matter how hard the outsider tries to fit in or deny their otherness, at times seemingly part of the group, they will, in the end, still be considered an outsider. In Othello, Othello denies his otherness in order to conform to society however he is never truly accepted by society or himself. At the start of the play, Othello strongly disputes Brabantio’s claims of him using some sort of magic to seduce Desdemona, declaring he won her love like anyone else would. â€Å"Of my whole course of love: what drugs, what charms,/ What conjuration and what mighty magic –† the repetition of the word ‘what’ illustrates Othello’s intense dissent regarding him possessing any sort of other worldly attributes which would make him an outsider. However by the end of the play, even Othello himself, stated that he used magic. â€Å"there’s magic in the web of it† the use of metaphor when referring to the handkerchief, that Othello gave Desdemona as a token of their love, portrays Othello’s inability to even accept himself. Used with other words such as â€Å"charmer†, â€Å"fancies†, â€Å"perdition† and â€Å"sibyl† which have negative magical connotations, Othello himself reiterates his otherness which at the start he was denying. This shows that despite Othello trying to fit in to society, he is always considered an outsider by both society and himself. Similarly, Roderigo believes he has a close relationship with Iago but he is actually being manipulated and not accepted at all by Iago. Roderigo listens to Iago and gives him all his money in the hopes of being able to have Desdemona. The repetition of Roderigo’s questioning tone, â€Å"what will I do†, â€Å"what should I do? †, â€Å"what say you? † , portrays Roderigo’s trust in Iago and the idea that he is seemingly lost without Iago’s guidance. It gives the impression that Roderigo thinks he has a close connection with Iago through his confiding of his thoughts and request for advice. Towards the end of the play though, Roderigo appears out of nowhere, apparently awoken from his ‘trance’, and accuses Iago of using him for his money. â€Å"Very well, go to! I cannot go to, man, nor ‘tis not very well. † the angry tone of Roderigo shows he now knows that he has been manipulated and that his relationship with Iago was a false one. This emphasises the idea of Roderigo believing he was accepted by Iago when in actual fact, he was always the outsider. In Big World by Tim Winton, the author gives the feeling that he is part of society and accepted but he continually refers to the fact that he is an outsider. The author has a best friend named Biggie, who saves the author from bullying and thus how they became best friends. In â€Å"unlike him I’m not really from here. † and â€Å"†¦the city, I’m from there originally. † the tone conveys that the author is not from Biggie’s community and although having lived there for some time, he still considers himself as an outsider, as someone who doesn’t belong. Yet in â€Å"for once I’m not faking it. † The use of personal pronoun shows that the author finally feels accepted and that he is part of Biggie’s society for real while all the other times he was only pretending to fit in. Nonetheless, in the end the author is still deemed an outsider. â€Å"†¦Biggie†¦ will blow me off.. † the colloquial language illustrates that even though the author felt like he had finally fit in, it still resulted in Biggie leaving him because he is an outsider. This demonstrates that regardless of outsiders trying to fit in, and at times they do, in the end they are still viewed as different. My visual appropriation also captures the idea that an outsider will remain on the outside no matter how much they try to integrate with society. The use of colour symbolism shows the man’s desire to fit in with the group and feel acknowledged despite being different and an outsider. The vectors of the shutters convey the notion of inviting the man to join the group and give the impression of the group welcoming him. However the leafy gate, which separates the man in the foreground from the group in the background, creates an atmosphere of separation conveying the sense of the man still being an outsider. Furthermore the square, in which the group is seen, can be considered a window and when the appropriation is viewed as a whole, it looks like the group of people is enclosed in a room while the man is left on the outside where he can only observe. This gives the feeling that regardless of the closeness the man and group seem to be in, the man is still an outsider. As a result it shows that in spite of the man trying to fit in, to deny his otherness, he incessantly remains an outsider. Through the variety of literary and visual devices encountered in the texts, Othello, Big World and my visual appropriation, it has enriched my understanding of the outsider. The outsider will continually be perceived as the other even with them attempting to join the group or society. At times they may appear to fit in and feel accepted but ultimately the outsiders will be regarded as just that, outsiders.

Imagined community

Imagined community According to Benedict Anderson, what is an ‘Imagined Community? How does this relate to the contemporary world? â€Å"I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can† George Bernard Shaw (Wisdom Quotes, 2009). Such views demonstrate that communities are an integral part of day-to-day life within the contemporary world, be this in a tiny, remote village in rural India or the thriving capital city of Beijing, China. This essay examines communities within the international sphere, focusing primarily on Benedict Andersons theory of ‘Imagined Communities. The first section of this essay examines Anderson as an academic scholar and his views towards nationalism, including of course a detailed understanding of his theory of ‘Imagined Communities. The second section then goes on to explore other political theorists take on Andersons work, focusing on three such theorists: Ernest Gellner, Anthony D. Smith and Eric Hobsbawm. This theory and reasoning behind Andersons and these three other theorists work, is then used as the foundation on which to build when looking at the contemporary world, focusing on the case study of Great Britain and how this study is of relevance to contemporary political issues. Communities within Britain are examined in terms of the imagination Anderson refers to, namely the Ukrainian community and also the Sikh community, both within multicultural British society. Andersons background is that of anthropology and when assessed, it is clear that he falls within the Modernist school of thought, arguing that nations are simply a product of modernity, in existence to cater to political, economic and military needs. Andersons theory of ‘Imagined Communities has been widely spread and applied to the field of international relations and political science, a theory which has been influential in carefully examining the politics of identity and the formation of communities across the globe, also known as nationalism. Anderson explores the modern nation in terms of its development throughout history, aiming to understand the emergence of these nations and how they have remained as nations in terms of status (Higson, 1998, p.355). Nationalism took form and began as an ideology during the eighteenth century, and more recently has undergone a global movement across the varying borders and boundaries of nations. It has three generic goals: â€Å"natio nal autonomy, national unity and national identity, and for nationalists, a nation cannot survive without a sufficient degree of all three† (Smith, 2001, p.9). National identity in particular is fundamental to the order of the contemporary international sphere. According to Anderson (1991) therefore, the building and construction of nation states is an imitative action in that it follows similar patterns and trends as used by fellow nation states. Nationalism, in Andersons (1991) eyes is thus an instrument and product of such social constructions and all of this was in actual fact an American construction. Additionally, he contends that nation building is consistent of and on a par with fictional narratives, a point which agrees which Smith (2001), discussed later on in this essay. With such a clear focus on nationalism, Anderson (1991) studies the idea of membership of a community, the idea of membership as boundaries defining ‘us and ‘them, and the idea of the community as an equal comradeship, thus collectively leading to the creation of an identity. Under the umbrella of nationalist thought therefore, Anderson is largely interested in the formation and preservation of political identities. His key argument is as follows: communities are in fact imagined ones as, in truth, individuals residing in one particular place i.e. Britain, will never know, see, meet, converse or have any sort of relationship with all other residents, yet this ideological concept of a ‘British community still exists. Anderson thus is focusing on nationalism, in particular nations and their identity building processes, a nation being â€Å"an imagined political communityimagined as both inherently limited and sovereign† (Anderson, 1991, p.7). In his argument, the a nation is imagined as limited in that, even the one holding the greatest number of human beings, each community has finite boundaries, beyond which are other nations (Anderson, 1991, p.7). The nation is imagined as sovereign as the concept emerged during a time in which â€Å"Enlightenment and Revolution were destroying the legitimacy of the divinely-ordained hierarchical dynastic realm† (Anderson, 1991, p.7). Finally, the nation is imagined as a community as despite inequality and exploitative behaviour that may occur, the nation remains a â€Å"deep, horizontal comradeship† (Anderson, 1991, p.7). Such ‘imagined communities are in actual fact socially constructed entities, consisting of individuals who have similar, if not identical, interests, these interests forming the basis for their grouping choices and decisions, and allowing the individuals to identify with one another. Andersons theory therefore comes from the location of individuals within specific ordered communities, as members of bounded communities whose members have common traits and concerns. His idea of this type of a community existing emerges from how the general public, according to him, identifies and understands themselves with respect to the community of their nation. As a result, all individuals have a horizontal relationship with all other members of their supposed ‘imagined community and this creates identity. Such identity provides safety and security to members of the imagined community, providing a sense of belonging to a group of people who are on the same wavelength and have similar i nterests and motivations (Anderson, 1991). This is of course, opposed to the previous identification which was wholly concerned with pre-existing religious systems and dynasties, which have now collapsed. Anderson (1991) then goes on to examine the fall in access to privileged scripts and discourse such as Latin, the movement to eradicate ideas and commands of the monarchy and divine rules of power and finally the emergence of print capitalism in terms of the media and how this is related to the concept of nations. The final point here is of greatest relevance to this essays discussion. From first thought, it is common to think that no real relationship exists between media and communities, yet on closer inspection, it becomes clear that this is not the case. Anderson (1991) argues that the media is the key group creating these ‘imagined communities through their mass audience targeting procedures. The media often makes generalisations to the ‘public and when thought about, is most definitely an ‘imagined community in itself. Anderson (1991) therefore argues that national media and education systems have a critical role in ensuring a nation imagines itself as  "a coherent, meaningful and homogenous community† (Higson, 1998, p.355). His primary concentration however lies with newspapers, which he argues are a fundamental part of print-capitalism, this being the key commodity in the generation of new ideas and concepts (Anderson, 1991, p.37). Print-capitalism contributed greatly to the imagined communities that exist within nations and will continue to do so in the future. He argues that newspapers allow shared experiences of resenting authority to take form, this not being beneficial as this gives rise to the marketplace, where print-capitalism is produced and invoked within consumer society in terms of profitability. Print-capitalism is, in Andersons opinion a commodity which is vital to current and forthcoming generations of completely new ideas and concepts (Anderson, 1991, p.37). His argument focuses primarily on the impact of the Reformation, this being: â€Å"the coalition between Protestantism and print-capitalism, exploiting cheap popular editions, quickly created large new reading publicsand simultaneously mobilized them for politico-religious purposes† (Anderson, 1991, p.40). He posits that much of the success of the Reformation is as a result due to print-capitalism itself (Anderson, 1991, p.39). Thus in Andersons critique with regards to the promise of the media in the public sphere and whether or not they invoke public debate, his answer is yes i.e. it was a vehicle for the American war of independence. The key example however given in his work is that relating to the Protestant and print-capitalism coalition, which he argues, was detrimental through the exploitation of cheap popular print-works (Anderson, 1991, p.40). Such â€Å"administrative vernaculars† (Anderson, 1991, p.41) led to religious and printing upheaval during the sixteenth century, and is regarded by himself as an â€Å"independent factor in the erosion of the sacred imagined community† (Anderson, 1991, p.41). In terms of ‘imagined communities and its relationship with the media, film and cinema are good areas to explore. Film is often indicative of â€Å"consensual images of communities† (Higson, 1998, p.355) and is keen to show individuals from varying backgrounds coming together in shared interests. The British musical Sing As We Go (1934) (cited in Higson, 1998, p.355) for example deals with this same image as explained above and ends with the ‘imagined community being explicitly â€Å"nationalized† (Higson, 1995, cited in Higson, 1998, p.356) in the final scene. It is important to distinguish though that not all of the ‘imagined communities Anderson refers to are united. Particularly within the contemporary multicultural location that is Great Britain, nations can be presented and represented as being in disarray (Higson, 1998, p.356). Higson (1998) refers to the British film named The Beautiful Laundrette and how this is demonstrative of such a thing, providing images of â€Å"social and cultural disturbance and fragmentation† (Higson, 1998, p.356) as opposed to images of consensual imagined communities. This is therefore raises questions of what it is like to be British and to hold such an identity. Films like this consequently oppose what Anderson claims to be the truth, displaying that national identity in contexts like this one are not â€Å"as consensual but as hybrid, not as pure but as variegated† (Higson, 1998, p.356) and so this challenges Andersons point. This theory of ‘imagined communities has often led to various branches of thought, one of the key ones with relation to this topic being that of ‘imagined geographies, a concept which has emerged from Edward Saids work on ‘Orientalism a theoretical framework which argues that Europeans define themselves against their cultural contestants i.e. people from the Orient and as a result define themselves against this. Back to ‘Imagined geographies though, this is a form of social constructivism, referring to the perception of space and boundaries within texts, illustrations and of course, discourse. Arguably, there is no real geography and that imagined geographies can be compared with, thus posing problems of comparative analysis. So the argument lies that such imagined geographies must not be taken as given, but rather they should be deconstructed in order to display the various power sources which have been embedded in them. Ultimately, although Anderson is sceptical of the general public in their decision to be part of ‘imagined communities, he acknowledges that in the current day and age, nationalism and the idea of community has taken to other extremes i.e. projecting fear and hatred towards the ‘Other, being deeply affiliated with racist and discriminative behaviour (Anderson, 1991, p.141.) He critiques this though by reinforcing how such communities are supposed to bring individuals together as opposed to dividing them further, and thus communities need to be reminded that â€Å"nations inspire love, and often profoundly self-sacrificing love† (Anderson, 1991, p.141). Other theorists however conflict with what Anderson (1991) poses as the function of nation building, namely Ernest Gellner, Anthony D. Smith and Eric Hobsbawm. Their proposals of national identity vary with respect to one another. Firstly, anthropologist and philosopher Gellner (1983) argues that nationalism is ultimately political in that it acts as the foundation for politics and nations as being on an equal footing. In his critique, nationalism only emerged within the modern sphere very recently, becoming a necessity in sociological terms, and thus has not been embedded within history. Smith (2001) was a student of Gellner yet did not completely agree with the argument made by his teacher. His argument therefore depends on his creation of an approach to nationalism termed ‘ethnosymbolism, this being a combination of traditional as well as modern views toward the theory and practice of national identities (Smith, 2001, p.13). Smith (2001) distinguishes between the concept of the term ‘nation and another word he terms ‘ethnie, this being: â€Å"a named human community connected to a homeland, possessing common myths of ancestry, shared memories, one or more elements of shared culture, and a measure of solidarity at least among the elites† (Smith, 2001, p.13). Thus in his critique, the imagined communities Anderson speaks of do have a cultural and historical background to them, and so they arent completely imagined but have some substance behind them. Smith (2001) on the other hand, studies nationalism in terms of ethnic groupings. To him, the concept of the nation is: â€Å"a named human community occupying a homeland, and having common myths and a shared history, a common culture, and a measure of solidarity at least among the elites† (Smith, 2001, p.13). Within this though he narrows down further his understanding of nations, consisting of what he terms â€Å"ethnie† (Smith, 2001, p.13): â€Å"a named human community connected to a homeland, possessing common myths of ancestry, shared memories, one or more elements of shared culture, and a measure of solidarity at least among the elites†(Smith, 2001, p.13). Hobsbawm (1992) too examines nationalism, a concept which he refers to as the same as defined by Gellner: â€Å"primarily a principle which holds that the political and national unit should be congruent† (Gellner, 1983, p.1, cited in Hobsbawm, 1992, p.9). He contends that imagined communities act as a shield for and to religious-based nation states, which in turn allows individuals from a vast array of backgrounds to come together through the notion of compromise (Hobsbawm, 1992, p.14). One of his key arguments is that nations are: â€Å"dual phenomena† (Hobsbawm, 1992, p.10), by which he means that they are socially constructed from both above and below, with regards to the â€Å"assumptions, hopes, needs, longings and interests of ordinary people† (Hobsbawm, 1992, p.10). Thus he reinforces the central and underlying importance of nationalism throughout history in relation to political evolution. With respect to this, we identify that no real national conscienc e is forged within his text, and later on he makes clear the number of incited mass movements of nations i.e. he refers to the liberalisation of countries like Italy. National identity has a huge role to play within countries across the globe. In particular, it is focused on and can be identified during sporting games i.e. football or cricket, avid fans supporting their nation to be successful and triumphant. National identity can however also be associated with negativity and can create tensions, as demonstrated politically within international relations more generally. This section focuses on Britain as its key contemporary example but compares and contrasts the experiences within Britain with those of other countries too. Britain, quite clearly, consists of a multicultural society, one which is made up of a variety of community groupings. Community-World (2009) provides examples of many of the community groupings that are existent in modern day Britain, i.e.: regional, ethnic, religious, charity/voluntary and finally miscellaneous ones which include vegetarianism and so on. In many cases, such communities are reflective of Andersons thought of ‘imagined communities. An example of this can be seen with respect to the South-Asian community in Britain, formed of Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans and many more, yet all come together under the umbrella term of South-Asian community even though it is most definitely likely that not all of these community members know each other nor have they seen each other nor, in reality, will they ever really do so. Such a community, although to be congratulated in bringing people of similar backgrounds together, is in actual fact a socially construct ed entity according to Anderson. In my critique of this however, such groupings are embedded in human nature in that terms like this have not been created as a product of society and societal views but rather because of religious, cultural and historical backgrounds. Thus they are not socially constructed. Andersons concentration of the media too is useful here when looking at Britain in that, in the contemporary world, his point that the print media, namely newspapers, is largely to blame for the creation of communities is only somewhat true. This is due to the rise of other media forms, particularly the internet, which has led to newspaper sales and general success of them falling over recent years. Greenslade (2009) in review of 2009 and the past decade identifies the spectacular decline of this once thriving industry: the Daily Mail recorded a fall from 2,777,501 to 1,260,019, a decline of 55%, whilst the Daily Express experienced sale plunges of 33.7%, the Daily Telegraph losses of nearly 27% and the Guardian a fall of just over 23%. Although newspapers are now widely available online, combining the previous paper form with the recent phenomenon of the internet, this does contradict with Andersons core argument. As sales of print newspapers have fallen, this suggests that readers hip too has declined and thus communities are less likely today to identify with communities within such media. Fisk (2010) makes an interesting point though in his work, arguing that many human communities within Great Britain have been abandoned since the Middle-Ages and so he works to commemorate such communities and identify their reasons for abandonment. Contrastingly, Hall (2004) examines the process of immigrants becoming citizens, with a particular focus on the Sikh community within Britain, namely second-generation ones. Her argument is that cultural politics have a huge role to play and in terms of the formation of nations, yet many more cultural processes are also at work: the role the media has in circulating religious, national and ethnic illustrations and political imaginaries; youth movement between cultural worlds in the home, at school and professionally; the frequently contradictory nature of the schooling system; and the cultural matters which flow across transnational and diaspora networks and communities (Hall, 2004, p.118). Thus Hall (2004) is suggesting that although this Sikh community may live and reside in Britain, this does not instantaneously make them a fundamental part of the imagined ‘British community, but rather due to their heritage and ancestral roots, many British Sikhs often find themselves to b e torn between identifying with Britain and identifying with their parents country of origin. Hence individuals can be part of a series of imagined communities as opposed to simply one as posed by Anderson (1991). Hall (2004) does however agree with Anderson (1991) to the extent that the media is incredibly influential in the contagion of national and cultural identities across various borders and boundaries. Similarly, Smith and Jackson (1999) studied ‘imagined communities with respect to Ukrainian communities living in Bradford, UK. Their argument was one of this sense of community, being shaped by Ukrainian history and the ever-changing global political climate (Smith and Jackson, 1999, p.367). For many Ukrainians living in Bradford, Ukraines independence in 1991 was symbolic of de-stabling an unsettled, often imaginary, sense of â€Å"Ukrainianness† (Smith and Jackson, 1999, p.384). Furthermore, they propose that recent cultural and historical change has led to an over-complication of the way in which the Ukrainian community within Bradford, UK is imagined and thus poses problems in terms of narratives and discourse. In my critique, although cultural influences are considered by all of the previously discussed political theorists, economics in terms of social status and inequality is not considered. It is no surprise that the creation and preservation of ‘imagined communities as discussed by Anderson (1991) leads to â€Å"fractionalization† (Alesina et al, 2003, p.155). My argument contends that such fractionalization is the cause of the observed rise in cross-country inequalities, Britain included, and Anderson (1991) fails to account for this. A broad view of heterogeneity demonstrates that anything that generates groups, as Andersons theory does, has both political and economic consequences, ultimately leading to greater inequality. In Britain for example, we can see that Central London, in most cases, is a highly affluent area. The outskirts of Greater London though vary in affluence such that groups are formed and located according to these same groups. Research has proved such theses to be correct i.e. Alesina et al (2003) examined approximately one hundred and ninety countries, concluding that â€Å"ethnic, religious and linguistic fractionalization† (Alesina et al, 2003, p.155) increases corruption, infant mortality and illiteracy, and reduces democracy and political rights indexes. Thus this supports my point of critique, that although ‘imagined communities bring people together from similar backgrounds and who have shared interests, the creation of such groupings leads to divisions and ultimately, in many cases, such divisions are indicative of social status, welfare and affluence. Hence Anderson (1991), along with Gellner (1983), Smith (2001) and Hobsbawm (1992), did not investigate this. Theorists in future should therefore research this area, building on the work mentioned above. In an age where it is extremely common for â€Å"progressive, cosmopolitan intellectuals to sit on the near-pathological character of nationalism, its roots in fear and hatred of the Other, and its affinities with racism† (Anderson, 1991, p.141), it is crucial to remember at all times that â€Å"nations transpire love, and often profoundly self-sacrificing love† (Anderson, 1991, p.141). Hence whether communities within these nations are imagined or not, which Anderson (1991) would say they are, they act as the fundamental foundation for society to communicate, evolve, exchange information and knowledge and ultimately to progress. Thus communities are incredibly important in multicultural Britain but also on a transnational scale too. To conclude, Andersons work on ‘Imagined Communities is one which has been used largely within the realm of political science and international studies. It does provide the reasoning as to why people commune together in the majority of instances yet at the same time, is rather broad in its explanation and thus has limited generalisation and applicability to the modern world that is the twenty-first century. The theory of ‘Imagined Communities is rather useful though in terms of understanding community and group formation with regards to historical, religious and cultural contexts across the world. This essay has examined what Anderson terms to be an ‘Imagined Community and how this has been used within the Social Sciences, in particular International Relations and Political Science. It has then later gone on to look at Britain as a contemporary example of how a series of ‘Imagined Communities have been formed i.e. the Sikh community and the Ukrainian communit y. Thus it is important to recall that nationalism is not simply a â€Å"sociological or cultural phenomena: it is also a powerful political instrument which†¦has played an important part in both the creation and the reform of modern states throughout the world† (Jackson, 2003, p.610). Bibliography Alesina, A.et al (2003) â€Å"Fractionalization† in Journal of Economic Growth, Vol.8, No.2, pp.155-194. Anderson, B.R. (1991) Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism (Revised ed.), London: Verso. Community-World (2009) Community-World UK [online] Available from: http://www.community-world.co.uk/ (2001) in Durham, M.G. and Kellner, D.M. (eds.) Media and Cultural Studies: Keyworks, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Fisk, A. (2010) Abandoned Communities [online] Available from: http://www.abandonedcommunities.co.uk/ [Accessed 14th March 2010] Gellner, E. (1983) Nations and Nationalism, Oxford: Blackwell. Greenslade, R. (2009) Newspaper sales plunge over the decade [online] Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/dec/14/national-newspapers-sales-decade [Accessed 14th March 2010] Habermas, J. (1989) The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeois Society, Cambridge: Polity. Hall, K.D. (2004) â€Å"The Ethnography of Imagined Communities: The Cultural Production of Sikh Ethnicity in Britain† in Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 595, pp.108-121 Higson, A. (1998) â€Å"Nationality: National Identity and the Media† in Briggs, A. and Cobley, P. (eds.) The Media: An Introduction, Harlow: Longman, pp. 354-364 Hobsbawm, E.J. (1992) Nations and Nationalism since 1780: Programme, Myth, Reality (2nd ed.), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Inglis, F. (1993) Cultural Studies, Oxford: Blackwell. Jackson, J. (2003) â€Å"Book Review Nationalism and the state: John Brueilly, 2nd edition (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1993), pp. 474,  £40.00 H.B.,  £14.99 P.B.† in History of European Ideas, Vol.21, No.4, pp.608-610. Smith, A.D. (2001) Nationalism: Theory, Ideology, History, Cambridge: Polity. Smith, G. and Jackson, P. (1999) â€Å"Narrating the nation: the ‘imagined community of Ukrainians in Bradford† in Journal of Historical Geography, Vol.25, No.3, pp.367-387 Wisdom Quotes (2009) Community Quotes [online] Available from: http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_community.html

Immigration Case Study :: Immigration Immigrant Essays Papers

Immigration Case Study Four hours a week, discussing the issues of immigration, combined with a mountain of reading on the topic will eventually have an effect on a person's every day outlook. I discovered as much during my last semester at University. The absence of thought was more than made up for in the ensuing semester, as the ideas we discussed in class oozed into my daydreams, my personal time, and my personal associations. And if all that hadn?t happened, I never would have met Rosa. I came down the stairs in the hotel reservation center where I work and slid down the worn, but very clean tiles towards the employee?s break room. As had become a habit in the past few weeks, I was thinking over the most recent reading from SOC 331. This one was by Jo Ann Koltyk?New Pioneers in the Heartland, Hmong Life in Wisconsin. It told the story of several Hmong refugees who were carving out a new life for themselves in Wisconsin. It was filled with statistics and numbers, but what always came back to me when I least expected it was the people, and the faces that I dreamed up for them. Sometimes I would try to see out from inside those faces and watch how folks reacted to me, wondering if they wanted me to leave and go back ?home.? But, of course, being a white boy from Utah, I was one of the least qualified for that little piece of introspection. Rosa was mopping the otherwise empty break room. I didn?t know her name at that point. In fact I had never given her more than a friendly smile before side-stepping her custodian cart, and heading back to the time clock. I had heard her speaking in Spanish to the few other janitors, all of whom worked the late shift like me on the weekends. I worked poor hours because I was relatively new in my department. They worked them, I assumed because no one wanted to see floors being mopped during the day. As I stepped into the room this time, I looked at the woman who was cleaning the tiles for me and discovered that I was impressed. Immigration Case Study :: Immigration Immigrant Essays Papers Immigration Case Study Four hours a week, discussing the issues of immigration, combined with a mountain of reading on the topic will eventually have an effect on a person's every day outlook. I discovered as much during my last semester at University. The absence of thought was more than made up for in the ensuing semester, as the ideas we discussed in class oozed into my daydreams, my personal time, and my personal associations. And if all that hadn?t happened, I never would have met Rosa. I came down the stairs in the hotel reservation center where I work and slid down the worn, but very clean tiles towards the employee?s break room. As had become a habit in the past few weeks, I was thinking over the most recent reading from SOC 331. This one was by Jo Ann Koltyk?New Pioneers in the Heartland, Hmong Life in Wisconsin. It told the story of several Hmong refugees who were carving out a new life for themselves in Wisconsin. It was filled with statistics and numbers, but what always came back to me when I least expected it was the people, and the faces that I dreamed up for them. Sometimes I would try to see out from inside those faces and watch how folks reacted to me, wondering if they wanted me to leave and go back ?home.? But, of course, being a white boy from Utah, I was one of the least qualified for that little piece of introspection. Rosa was mopping the otherwise empty break room. I didn?t know her name at that point. In fact I had never given her more than a friendly smile before side-stepping her custodian cart, and heading back to the time clock. I had heard her speaking in Spanish to the few other janitors, all of whom worked the late shift like me on the weekends. I worked poor hours because I was relatively new in my department. They worked them, I assumed because no one wanted to see floors being mopped during the day. As I stepped into the room this time, I looked at the woman who was cleaning the tiles for me and discovered that I was impressed.

Imperial presidency :: essays research papers

Imperial Presidency 2 examples from 19th century - Lincoln suspended Habeas Corpus - Jefferson bought Louisiana, wasn’t his Constitutional right - Jackson breaks up national bank into many â€Å"pet banks† - Jackson forced out Cherokee Indians even after Supreme Court decided on Indian side: â€Å"Supreme Court has made their decision; now let them enforce it.† 4 examples from 20th century - FDR declared neutrality but sold Destroyers to Britain (Lend Lease) - Truman ceased a steel mill during Cold War because he didn’t like how it was running - Nixon ruined executive privilege, kept illegal actions secret until Supreme Court ruled it as a criminal investigation. (Watergate) - Nixon bombed Cambodia without Congressional approval, without congress or people knowing, caused country to fall under communism. - Reagan wanted to fund the Contras in Nicaragua who wanted to overthrow Communist rule, congress did not approve, so he sold weapons to terrorist group in Iran and used the money from the sells to fun Contras behind Congress’ back. -After FDR, no other president has approval to declare wars but invaded countries anyway, i.e. Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, and Iraq. 5 factors which lead to Imperial Presidents - The world has become more advanced, Interdependent economy - The changing times causes people to want a powerful president - Foreign policy is main factor, because the decision to go to war (Doctrines) - Gradual change after states of emergencies, i.e. great depression, cold war, and now 9/11 - The belief that U.S. is super power, therefore leader of U.C. should be as powerful - The party system falling apart, party leaders were weak, organizations were irrelevant, and president was the focus due to media (internet, TV) - The decay of parties left him with control of political scene - The change in economy, gives government new powers, but the opportunity goes to President (FDR’s new deal) - Nuclear age gave president good reason for executive privilege because no one else should know.

The Role of Social Class in Thomas Hardys Writing Essay -- Biography

The Role of Social Class in Thomas Hardy's Writing The works of Thomas Hardy reflect the ideas of a man who was clearly obsessed with the issue of social class throughout his literary career. From his first novel, The Poor Man and the Lady (the very title of which indicates class differentiation), to his final work, Jude the Obscure, class issues are woven into every novel which Hardy wrote. Furthermore, his works are personal in the sense that they depict Hardy's own lifelong struggles with social mobility and the class structure as a whole throughout his life. Hardy was born the son of an independent mason in the rural area of Higher Bockhampton, Dorset. As he was growing up, he felt that the circumstances surrounding the working class limited the opportunities by which he could fully develop his talents. Thus, in order to create a place for himself in society, he pursued architecture for nearly twenty years while writing on the side. Only when Hardy had firmly established himself as a writer with the success of Far from the Madding Crowd did he completely devote himself t...

Doctor in the House

Text Analysis â€Å"Doctor in the House† (Richard Gordon) 1. The author of the story is Richard Gordon. It is the pen name used by Gordon Ostlere (born Gordon Stanley Ostlere on 15 September 1921), an English surgeon and anesthetist. As Richard Gordon, Ostlere has written numerous novels, screenplays for film and television and accounts of popular history, mostly dealing with the practice of medicine. He is most famous for a long series of comic novels on a medical theme starting with Doctor in the House, and the subsequent film, television, radio and stage adaptations.His The Alarming History of Medicine was published in 1993, and he followed this with The Alarming History of Sex. 2. The literary piece under consideration is fiction, prose fiction, short story. 3. Setting of the story. Geographical location – England, London ( the events take place in St, Swithin’s hospital which is historically located in England, London); Time – the late 1940s Social en vironment – middle class, students. Atmosphere – tense, psychologically difficult. 4. Theme of the story – examination period as a driving force for a psychological and emotional students’ tension. 5.Point of view – the 1st person point of view (â€Å"I walked down the stairs feeling as if I had just finished an eight-round fight†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or â€Å"I stood before table four. I didn’t recognize the examiners. †) 6. The composition: Character sketch 7. 1. Richard Gordon is the main character of the story. He plays the central role in the story so we may call him a protagonist. I consider him to be a flat (simple) character, because Richard has only several personal traits. The author characterizes Richard both directly and indirectly. He is a static, because Gordon remains the same throughout the story. Direct presentation:Richard Gordon was born in 1921. He has been an anesthetist at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, a shipâ€⠄¢s surgeon and an assistant editor of the British Medical Journal. He left medical practice in 1952 and started writing. Indirect presentation: * Hard-working student. Example: Benskin discovered that Malcolm Maxworth was the St. Swithin’s representative on the examining Committee and thenceforward we attended all his ward rounds, standing at the front and gazing at him like impressionable music enthusiasts at the solo violinist. * Intelligent. Example: â€Å"How would you treat a case of tetanus? † My heart leaped hopefully.This was smth I knew, as there had recently been a case at St. Swithin’s. I started off confidentially, reeling out the lines of treatment and feeling much better. â€Å"Pass† he murmured. * Careful, attentive, observant. Example: There were six other candidates waiting to go in with me, who illustrated the types fairly commonly seen in viva waiting-rooms. There was the Nonchalant†¦Next to him a man of Frankly Worried class†¦There was the Crammer, the Old Stager. The other occupant of the room was a woman†¦But the girl had given care to her preparations for the examination†¦I felt sure she would get through.About half-way through the anonymous examinees began to differentiate themselves. Some of them strode up for an extra answer book, with an awkward expression of self-consciousness and superiority on their faces. Others rose to their feet, handed in there papers and left†¦ * Impressionable. Example: The days after the viva were black ones. It was like having a severe accident. For the first few hours I was numbed, unable to realize what had hit me. Then I began to wonder if I would ever make a recovery and win through. My palms were as wet as sponges.My pulse shot in my ears. My face was burning hot and I felt my stomach had been suddenly plucked from mu body. The world stood still. The traffic stopped, the plants ceased growing, men were paralyzed, the clouds hung in the air, the win ds dropped, the tides disappeared, the sun halted in the sky. 7. 2. The plot of the story. The composition of this text consists of the following components: The exposition contains the general information about students’ attitude to the final examinations and the way of preparation for this important event..Narration, when the author describes passing the examinations, written paper and viva, candidates’ excitement and suspense of the results. The    tension reaches its highest degree when poor Gordon almost believes in his fail. And the climax, when the Author describes how the Secretary of the Committee calls out Gordon’s name, because in that moment we become interested in his results, does he pass or fail. The author deliberately postpones the denouement keeping the reader in pressing anticipation. It    comes in the last paragraph, when he hears the magic word â€Å"Pass†. 7. 3.The type of speech. It is the narration ( â€Å"I walked down the s tairs feeling as if I had just finished an eight-round fight†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or â€Å"I stood before table four. I didn’t recognize the examiners. †) with elements of dialogue ( â€Å"â€Å"How did you get on? † I asked. â€Å"So-so† he replied. â€Å"However, I’m not worried. They never read†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) and a great number of descriptive passages (â€Å"The examination began with the writing papers. A single invigilator sat in his gown and hood on a raised platform to keep an eye open for flagrant cheating. He was helped by two or three uniformed porters†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or â€Å"One minute to twelve.The room had suddenly come to a frightening, unexpected silence and stillness, like unexploded bomb. A clock tingled†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). 7. Stylistic devices. * Similes – â€Å"To a medical student the final examinations are something like death†; â€Å"I was shown to a tiny waiting-room furnished with hard chairs, a wooden table, and wind ows that wouldn't open, like the condemned cell. †;â€Å"The days after the viva were black ones. It was like having a severe accident. †;â€Å"The room had suddenly come to a frightening, unexpected silence and stillness, like an unexploded bomb. ; â€Å"they are a straight contest between himself and the examiners, conducted on well-established rules for both, and he goes at them like a prize-fighter†; â€Å"Benskin discovered that Malcolm Maxworth was the St. Swithin's representative on the examining Committee and thenceforward we attended all his ward rounds, standing at the front and gazing at him like impressionable music enthusiasts at the solo violinist†; * Allusion – Bible’s judgment day * Hyperboles – † But the viva is judgment day. A false answer and the od's brow threatens like imminent thunderstorm. † * Repetition of sound [s] -† The room had suddenly come to a frightening, unexpected silence and stillne ss, like an unexploded bomb. A clock tingled twelve in the distance. My palms were as wet as sponges. Someone coughed, and I expected the windows to rattle. With slow scraping feet that could be heard before they appeared the Secretary and the porters came solemnly down the stairs. The elder porter raised his voice. † * Parallels constructions – â€Å"The world stood still.The traffic stopped, the plants ceased growing, men were paralyzed, the clouds hung in the air, the winds dropped, the tides disappeared, the sun halted in the sky. † * Metaphor – â€Å"judgment day†; â€Å"slink miserably out of the exit to seek the opiate oblivion†; * Exaggeration – â€Å"My palms were as wet as sponges†¦ The windows were rattling†¦ My pulse shot in my ears†¦ The world stood still†. 8. The main idea of the text is that the examination is nothing more than an investigation of man’s knowledge. The idea: the final examinat ions are reason for a great psychological pressure and a real challenge for the students.

What is the Victorian attitude

The typical Victorian woman was expected to bear her husband children, to ensure her family's happiness, to be suppressed and to show minimal emotion. Hence, true love was not as common as present day, especially for the upper class, who were being constantly being scrutinized by society. These attitudes are explored in ‘Jude the Obscure', ‘Sonnet VI' from Sonnets from the Portuguese, and ‘Jane Ere'. The main attitude towards love in Victorian society was that it was a career move for men, and a way for a woman to secure her position in life and the security of her children.Hence it was important to put love last to marry well, as your future depended on it. The Victorian novel ‘Jude the obscure' partially rejects this idea. In the case of Suede's marriage to Rubella, although there was some original attraction, due to Rubella's flirtatious nature, Jude quickly realizes that Rubella is not the one for him. However before he can break up with her, she tells him she is pregnant, and therefore he marries her, as it is the only noble thing to do.Again in Cue's marriage to Mr.. Philologist, it is not a career move. Philologist is belly in love with Sue, however his love is requited, and Sue only loves him as a friend. However, perhaps as a reaction to Jude confessing that he was married to Rubella, Sue acts rashly and marries Philologist. In both cases, the main objective of the marriages where not to progress in society, but on the other hand, neither were because of love either, therefore this attitude towards love is only partially rejected.Sue and Suede's relationship is built on true love, in that sense this attitude is fully rejected, however they have no intention of getting married, and due to the volatility of their characters, Cue's n particular, it is uncertain how long their relationship will last. Elizabeth Barrett Borrowing's sonnet also rejects this attitude of marriage being a necessity in society, and love was more of an afte rthought. Throughout the sonnet, she uses very beautiful and positive imagery when describing her emotions towards Richard. â€Å"l shall command/ The uses of my soul, nor lift my hand/ Serenely in the sunshine as before. The use of â€Å"command† suggests that she is in control, however she then talks about the â€Å"uses of [her] soul† it changes her meaning a bit. It could be interpreted as her thoughts Of him controlling her. Or it could also mean that all she can think about is him, and nothing else, and she can't control her thoughts. The next part paints a positive image, about no longer having to block out the sunshine, this may be construed as her having to stop thinking about him. The sunshine could be referring to Richard, or his love for her, or her love for him.The â€Å"lift my hand† may be referring to her blocking her love for him, or his advances towards her, in both interpretations she blinds herself to Richard. However the message is that she is partially committed and feels it is right, and she no longer has to stop herself from thinking about him or blocking his advances towards her. Browning rejects this attitude to love, and presents an argument that love can be true love. ‘Jane Ere' also rejects this attitude, and Jane chooses true love over this opportunistic love. SST. John, Cane's cousin, proposes to her even though he doesn't really love her.He believes that she can fulfill the duties he needs for his wife to do as he embarks on his journey to India as a missionary. Jane doesn't love him either and therefore turns down his proposal, much to his annoyance. â€Å"God and nature intended you for a missionary's wife†¦ A missionary's wife you must shall be. You shall be mine: I claim you -? not for my pleasure, but for my Sovereign's service. † SST. John's proposal is far from romantic, and in comparison with Rochester, has no love, or any emotion. The whole proposal is imperative, commanding Jane to agree and be his wife.He uses â€Å"God† and â€Å"nature† to suggest that this is God's plan, and it is only natural that Jane play out this role and fulfill her duty. SST. John says it is not for his pleasure, telling the reader that he has no romantic feelings towards Jane. He then goes on to say it is for â€Å"my Sovereign's service†, thus agreeing with the attitude of love, as marrying Jane would propel him in society and his career, and love is not of importance. Jane rejects SST. John's proposal because it would have been a loveless marriage, whereas she agrees to Rochester's proposal because of their mutual romantic love for each other.In the Victorian era, this would have been very uncommon, as most people put love last for marriage, Cane's effuse of this however shows that not everyone in Victorian society accepted this, and some craved for true love. Marriage was supposed to be a way of securing a future and a necessity of advancing yourself. Due to the laws at the time, marriage was a very final affair, to divorce or to separate was extremely frowned upon by society and even when that occurred there would be complications for both parties and children, e. . If divorced, any children would be declared illegitimate immediately. This made a lot of women nervous about making any commitment to their suitors. This idea is explored extensively in ‘Jude the Obscure', with Sue Bridgehead constantly questioning society attitude towards marriage. She challenges the accepted norm, that the institution of marriage is more of a trap than a declaration of love. She criticizes society's inability to accept the breaking of this commitment that most people are emotionally unequipped to fulfill.She strongly feels that the contractual nature of the agreement will kill the little spontaneity and romance that existed before the marriage. She says â€Å"It is foreign to a man's tauter to go on loving a person when he is told that he must a nd shall be a person's lover What is interesting with this is that although she constantly talks about women being the ones who have to adhere to society's standards and sacrifice all individuality, here she uses â€Å"he†. This may be to effectively convey her reasoning to Jude and get her points across in a way that he'd understand.Also she refers to â€Å"man's nature†, implying that it is unnatural and against human nature to be confined to these legal obligations. This opinion of hers is further reinforced by her horror when visiting the squalid egotist office, as well as her aversion to having a church wedding. This shows her abhorrence to the legality of getting married, and comes into play when she refuses to marry Jude, although they lead a happy unmarried life together for a few years. In Borrowing's Sonnet VI from ‘Sonnets from the Portuguese' she also mentions this wariness of marriage.She begins the sonnet with this uncertainty, â€Å"Go from me. Ye t feel that I shall stand/ Henceforth in thy shadow. † The first phrase is an imperative; however she follows this quickly with a pivot, â€Å"Yet'. This shows that she is torn between loving him or not, as it is a massive risk. Structurally, Browning has placed this right at the beginning of the sonnet, signaling to the author that this has ensures has plagued her mind for a long time, and it's the first thing she thinks about.Also it could suggest that since the very start, she has been unsure as to whether she loves him, and she knows the consequences of committing right from the beginning. This emotion is typical of many of Browsing earlier sonnets from her series â€Å"Sonnets from the Portuguese† as it is the beginning of their arthritis and she is still uncertain whether this is the man for her. This decision will influence her whole future, so she is very tentative in her feelings towards Richard Browning.Charlotte Bronze also explores this concept In Jane Ere, after Mr. Rochester proposes to Jane, she goes into much deliberation and a lot of dialogue is exchanged between them before she agrees to give herself to him, as his bride. â€Å"rare you in earnest? Do you truly love me? Do you sincerely wish me to be your wife? † This quote is made entirely of questions, as she is unsure if she can trust what he is saying to be rue. She uses strong adverbs such as â€Å"truly/' and â€Å"sincerely' as she wants to be entirely sure of his devotion to her.