Feminism, By Debra Baker Beck Essay - 1660 Words

â€Å"Feminist: adjective, advocating social, political, legal, and economic rights for women - equal to those of men† (Dictionary.com). It is no secret that the true definition of a â€Å"feminist† has been tossed around and distorted throughout the years. There are several existing views on who feminists are today. Some think that feminists have devolved since the days of the women’s suffrage movements and that they are now simply â€Å"men-haters† that want to attain higher social and economic statuses than men. Others believe that women are still supporting and fighting for their rights and equality. The article, â€Å"The â€Å"F† Word: How the Media Frame Feminism† by Debra Baker Beck, takes the stance that through the years, the term â€Å"feminism† has been wrongly consumed by negative connotations because of people who misunderstand the intent of feminism. She strives to establish a more placid perspective of feminists in the media. In Cathy Young’s article â€Å"Feminists Treat Men Badly. It’s Bad For Feminism† the blame for the skewed definition of feminists is placed on modern feminists and their tendency to â€Å"mock and berate men† (Young, N.p.). The debate is over whether or not modern feminists are faithfully supporting their roots of fighting for equality or if they have strayed to shaming or hating men instead. The author of â€Å"The â€Å"F† Word: How the Media Frame Feminism†, Debra Baker Beck, has experience with governing bodies up to the national level and has written article surrounding the idea

Southeast Asia Free Essays

2. What are some of the ways in which power manifests itself in Southeast Asia? Illustrate your answer with at least 3 examples. The concept of power is one that has existed in Southeast Asia for a long period of time. We will write a custom essay sample on Southeast Asia or any similar topic only for you Order Now Unlike that of the Western regions, where power is more of a concept and is intangible, power in Southeast Asia is more concrete and real. Power is defined as the possession of control or command over others (Dictionary. com, n. d. In the context of Southeast Asia, power is gained through control of powerful items or valuable resources, as this would usually translate to wealth, a higher position within the social hierarchy, and hence more command over other people. In Southeast Asia, the focus is on accumulating more command and control, instead of just exercising it. Due to the long history of trade and migration within Southeast Asia itself, these concepts have inevitably become a coherent and homogenous one. My essay will seek to show the various ways that power is manifested, particularly in three different levels within a nation state. Firstly, power exists on a national level via certain nation state political models. Secondly, within a nation state, power manifests in different groups of religions, as religious beliefs have influenced how they attempt to both acquire and accumulate power. Thirdly, power exists among individuals, in the idea of merit and social mobility throughout one’s social hierarchy. Firstly, the most evident way that power is manifested in Southeast Asia is on a national level, through nation states’ political systems. One such political system is the mandala system, where power is centralized and drawn towards the sacred core. One might imagine this visually as a series of concentric ever widening circles, with state authority fading as the circles widen. What mattered was the sacred centre, not the borders (Tambiah, 1970). This political system was typically found in Pre-colonial nation states in Southeast Asia. For example, in the 13th Century, King Suryavarman II spread its Mandala polity throughout the state of Angkor by building the renowned ‘Angkor Wat’ among many monasteries and temples in the centre of the state (Dellios, 2003). Thereafter, advantaged by its location on the northwest shore, Angkor relied successfully on trade of its wet-rice agriculture to produce great amounts of wealth, enough to support a population of a million people (Dellios, 2003) In this aspect, power is recognised in the form of wealth, as many people saw ‘Angkor Wat’ and its surrounding temples as the sacred centre that drew the wealth towards the core of its nation. Because Angkor Wat was built by King Suryavarman II, many people also acknowledged him as a manifestation of god, someone with immense power. In a mandala polity where power diffuses further away from the centre, these people tried to get closer to the centre, hence giving King Suryavarman II even more command and power over them. A more recent example of a region following the mandala system can be found along the Thai-Burmese border, where the Akha, a tribal upland ethnic minority, reside (Tooker, 1996). Under Thai law, the lands which the Akha and other upland groups occupy are owned by instead owned by the state. This insinuates that power is directed towards the centre, in the lowlands where the state resides. On the other hand, the Akha, who reside by the highlands and are thus further away from the centre, have much lesser power. For instance, the Akhas suffered from occasional forced labour, extortion by government officials and forced migration (Tooker, 1996) by the state. In this context, the state has command over the Akha tribe and this allowed them to control the Arkas’ resources, such as human labour, and wealth in the form of money. This is thus consistent with the mandala model, whereby the centre is most crucial and the borders are less important because power is drawn to the core. Furthermore, villages surrounding this state tend to be aligned such that their hierarchically highest individual, the ‘founder-chief’ is centrally located within their village (Tooker, 1996) . They believed this would usher in prosperity because it was aligned with that of the cosmos, which in this case was associated to the central core of the state itself. This reinforces another characteristic of the mandala political model, the patchwork construction; where smaller centres surrounding the core could preserve a greater deal of autonomy for acknowledging the potency of the central state. Secondly, looking within a state itself, power is also manifested among different religions in Southeast Asia, as religious beliefs have continually influenced the way southeast Asians try to both acquire and accumulate command and control. One way is through the acquisition of sacred or mythical objects, which they believed were associated with power. An example of such an object is the kris, a unique ancestral dagger with a wavy blade, which was considered the paramount prestige weapon across many religions in pre-independence Indonesia, particularly in the Binamese culture (Hitchcock, 1987). Here, the kris was seen to contain magical and sacred powers, believed to be bestowed by the gods, making it a sacred object that is coveted because of its devine connection. Hitchcock also noted that it was crucial for the personality of the kris to mesh positively with the personality of its owner, which i feel is important because of their aim to accumulate more power from the kris. Furthermore, in the Binamese culture, where imperial status was often inherited, the royal kris was a prized heirloom that visually depicted a genetic relationship to the former ruler (Hitchcock, 1987). In this aspect, the kris can be seen as a symbol of a ruler’s mandate to the rule. Hence, the kris can be considered as a powerful object because possessing it granted a ruler with overwhelming command and control over the people. The power of the kris is further exemplified when you consider the social status of its manufacturer, usually known as a smith, in traditional times. For instance, let us examine Java, where in the past, a smith had a very high social status, considered to be just below the government of princes and having an honoured position in court (Wrassers, 1940). Wrassers (1940) even goes a step further to examine the ancient times, where the roles of a smith and prince more or less coincided, to the point that their relationship was sometimes likened to that of brothers. Hence, we can see that a kris was considered so sacred and powerful in Java that the manufacturers association with it vaulted his social status to the very top of the hierarchy, indirectly giving him more power in the Javanese society. Another way in which religious beliefs have influenced the acquisition and accumulation of power is through certain religious practices, such as those of the Mien people of Thailand. For example, in their Mien wedding ceremonies, a medium, together with the groom and his father, are required to offer spirit-money to the ancestors by kneeling in front of a bed of corn and burning the spirit-money on it (Jonsson, 2004). These spirit-money, often made of paper, is burned and thus considered transformed into the realms of spirits. In this case, power is manifested in the form of money and wealth, as these exchanges with ancestor spirits brought honour and wealth into the spirit world and in return, urged blessings and wealth for the Mien household. The idea being that having more money and wealth would vault one higher up the social hierarchy, hence giving them more authority and control over those of a lower social status in the hierarchy. I feel that this depicts a patron-client relationship between the spiritual ancestors and the descendants of the Mien household. The spiritual ancestors, who reside in the spiritual realm, are the patrons as they possess spiritual and divine power because of their ability to bestow a household with wealth. The descendents are then the clients who benefit from this wealth bestowed upon their household, but the amount of benefits received will depend on how much resources, in this case the spirit money, they can offer these ancestors. Thirdly, power is also evident when we focus on individuals within a state itself. It exists in the idea of merit and social mobility, because merit traditionally denotes the position and degree of mobility one has within the social hierarchy (Adams Gillogy, 2011, p. 5) One is in a disadvantageous social position if he or she lacks merit, but the more merit one accumulated, the greater ability he had to move up the social hierarchy and gain power and control over those below this social hierarchy. In Thailand, merit is directly linked to the amount of resources that one owns. Thus the two ways to move up the social hierarchy is either through accumulating more resources independently, or forming a patron-client relationship with another possessing greater resources than yourself (Adams Gillogy, 2011, p. 2). It is a patron-client relationship because the leader has to reciprocate the benefits he accepted from the client. Forming this patron-client relationship is usually preferred as it is much easier. When many such relationships are formed with the same patron, the resources of the group increase and they grow in size and stability, hence denoting more merit and power within the social hierarchy. Adams and Gillogy (2001) also noted that the resources are first distributed to those close to the leader, and diminishes down the scale. Hence, we can see that social mobility is prevalent as individuals can ascend from the bottom of the Thai social hierarchy as long as he could find the correct patron and accumulate sufficient merit in the form of resources. This idea of merit and social mobility also exists in Laos, where merit is linked directly to wealth, and the most effective way of obtaining merit is through doing virtuous and moral deeds. This is because Laotians believe that wealth can beget to wealth via the mechanism of merit. One example would be religious offerings, such as daily offering of food to the monks or grand donations to sponsor temple buildings (Adams Gillogy, 2011, p. 41) . They hope that their donations will increase their merit, thus bringing them wealth and other positive outcomes, in this and the next life. This possibly explains why large donations are rarely anonymous, as the donor wants to be recognised for his contribution and eventually accumulate as much merit as possible. Hence, we can see that in this context, obtaining merit is important for Laotians because it increases their wealth and ultimately gives them an opportunity to move up the social hierarchy, thus gaining control over those now below them. This is also consistent with the idea of social mobility, in that it is not difficult to move up the social hierarchy in Laos as long as one accumulates sufficient merit. In retrospect, looking at modern Southeast Asia, while some new ideas of power have been introduced, such as those in the form of nuclear weapons and fear, some of these traditional ideas are still very relevant today. For example, elements of a sacred centre and religious beliefs exist till this day in Thailand. Sitting in the middle of the grand palace of Bangkok is the Emerald Buddha of Thailand. This key relic was captured from a Lao king by a Thai king in the 18th century and has since served as a marker of the Thai monarchy (Adams Gillogy, 2011). It is a sacred relic with a history that both represents and embodies the king of Thailand’s power because the Buddha is seen as divine and sacred in Buddhism, Thailand’s main religion. In conclusion, power manifests differently across the three different levels of a nation state. Firstly through political models of a nation state itself, secondly through religious influences of a religion within the nation state, and lastly in the idea of merit and social mobility among individuals of the nation state. However, even though they manifest in different ways, ultimately the aim of accumulating more command and control is still unanimous throughout Southeast Asia. Total Word Count: 1996 Words ? Bibliography Adams, Gillogy. (2011). Everyday life in Southeast Asia. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. Dellios, R. (2003). Mandala: From Sacred Origins to Soereign affairs in traditional Southeast Asia. Gold Coast, Australia: Bond University : School of Humanities and Social Sciences : Centre for East-West Cultural and Economic Studies. Dictionary. com. (n. d. ). Power. Retrieved Retrieved September 13 2012, from http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/power Hitchcock, M. (1987). The Binamese Kris: Aesthetics and Social Value. Bijdragen tot de Taal-,Land-en Volkenkunde , 125-140. Jonsson, H. (2004). Mien Alter-Natives in Thai Modernity. Anthropological Quaterly Vol 77, No. 4 , 673-704. Tambiah, S. (1970). Buddhism and the spirit cults in North-east Thailand. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Tooker, D. E. (1996). Putting the Mandala in its Place: A Practice-based Approach to the Spatialization of Power on the Southeast Asian ‘Periphery’ — The Case of Akha. The Journal of Asian Studies Vol. 55, No. 2 , 328-358. Wrassers, W. H. (1940). On the Javanese Kris. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde van Nederlandsch-Indie Deel 99, 4de Afl , 501-582. How to cite Southeast Asia, Essay examples

Training Strategies for Small and Medium Sized Businesses free essay sample

Training Strategies for Small and Medium Sized Businesses: One Size Doesnt Fit All. Abstract The prerequisites for training vary in different businesses, with size being a significant factor. The smaller firms tend to conduct their training for their employees on a superficial level, having their entire focus on learning informal skills. Whereas in comparatively larger SMEs, there is a broader spectrum for the learning perspective. These companies want to obtain a more formal training with an objective of achieving standard skills. Thus, different firms have different training strategies regardless of the size. This paper analyzes these differences and identifies the challenges that may inhibit certain training strategies. Introduction A survey conducted by W. Paul and J. Storey (1997) among 6000 randomly selected SMEs in Great Britain showed that there are huge differences in the attitudes of the manager and the ways of fulfilling the training needs of either family or non family employees in their business. The family members need for training is viewed in terms of explicit development, whereas the case is entirely different for non family employees; it is only to foster their career building needs. It also indicated that the owners are in avour of training but do not consider it as an essential part of their business strategy. These managers also stated that often they are pressured by the government agencies and external trainers to spend a part of their profits into human resource development and in most cases, the decision for either allowing employee training or not was made by the manager or the owner of the organization. Only the rest of the 7% hired a professional human resource for training, but even in those firms, the final decision was in the hands of the owner or the manager (Paul Storey, 1997). Through this paper, the researcher aims to identify the tate-of-the-art training strategies that are used by different small and medium sized organization, the implications of dif ferent literature on these training strategies, and loop-holes between the distresses that owners of different SMEs have about the After looking at an overview of small business, M. Harry (2002) gave a pragmatic statement which says that the managers or the owners of approximately 63% of small businesses continues to be involved in the issues related to the development and training of the employees, regardless of the increase in the intense of complexity and formality in these firms. Only 26% of the organizations actually hired HR professionals and gave them the lead of the training program and developmental decisions. However, all of the respondents claimed to be using properly scheduled training plans and budgets, and recognized that there is a strong relation between their firmss training requirements and a growing competitive advantage. Despite of all these facts, the owners of the firms still did not view training as an essential part of their entire business strategy. According to these firms, the training of non family workforce is an expense to the organization (Harry, 2002). On the contrary, the training for family members was perceived as a crucial part for the long term business benefits and succession planning. The owners of these business entities were also dissatisfied with the array of training which the external parties were providing. Usually, the owners accounted that they face a lot of sill shortages because of unavailability of appropriate training needed for both present as well as future business necessities. All the respondents in this survey claimed that they have searched for relevant training programs with economical prices at local, regional, and national levels. But after finding a suitable program, the managers were still hesitant to ensue because the costs were very high and there was no appropriate support available. As a result, the training packages were having more economically low prices and guaranteed general rather than ideal support. R. Hill and J. Stewart (2000) utilized a number of case studies in order to clarify the Human Resource practices of SMEs operating in the US. They found that a variety of companies in different industries have the tendency of short term and impulsive Human Resource Development. Training in such firms was informal, imprudent and ad the objective of solving the workplace problems immediately, instead of the long- term employee development. They also found that these firms have a propensity to justify the active promotion of a developmental strategy in the absence of training. Nevertheless, the philosophy of owners and managers towards the business and their perception about the relationship between Human Resource Development and the performance reflected through their attitudes and their motivation levels. According to research conducted by R. Rova and P. Chris (2006) on Canadian small and medium sized organization; the difference between the amounts assigned to raining are not very noticeable. Small firms reserved only 20% of their operating expenses for training, whereas medium and large firms allocated 26% and 22% respectively, for training from their budgets. These results slightly differ from other findings; nevertheless, this population was segmented into trainers and non-trainers. The current studies that measure intensity of training are concerned with only those firms that actively participate in training their employees. On the other hand, the studies which were done previously included those firms as well which were never involved in employee training and development. Because of this, there is a significant difference between the results of previous and current researches. But, it is clear lower than that of in medium and large organizations. According to W. Cecili and A. Neil, (1997) in order to classify and clarify the gaps between an entrepreneurs concern regarding the matters of human resource management in new SMEs and the topics which were pointed out from the review of literature on the practices of human resource management in SMEs, a qualitative evaluation was used. The survey statistics from 1 56 entrepreneurs, focus group data which was btained from 173 founders of emerging capitalist firms, and 129 research articles were assessed. It was revealed that there are certain omissions as well as gaps in the literature. Among those omissions is the significance of creating highly efficient employees. These employees can perform various functions under a variety of phases of organizational development and the people familiar to the organizatio nal culture (Cecili Neil, 1997). One can easily identify that a positive relationship in most of the small businesses is found between the significance of quality improvement, training, human resources-based strategies, nnovation and expansion. It is also a sign that if some organizations pay attention to these three strategies, it is most likely to invest in employee training. Besides, the significance of innovation and market expansion strategy is more in smaller businesses that have 9-10 employees in particular. Organizations that view this strategy as important are likely to allow training for their employees than those firms which consider quality improvement and the human resources-based strategy more significant (Cecili Neil, 2007). The table given below is adopted from the research of R. Rova and P. Chris (2006). This table contains a detailed description about the percentage of businesses that support proper training programs, based on their organizational strategy and the size of the business. One more important factor on which the organization decides whether to train the employees or not is the availability of a flexible work schedule. One probable explanation is that employees having flexible tasks and schedules are more independent and can organize time off more efficiently, making it easy for the employers to send these employees on training (Rova Chris, 2006). Nowadays the concept of blended learning is equally popular in both academic and corporate circles. In 2003, the American Society for Training and Development recognized blended learning as one of the top ten trends to appear in the knowledge delivery industry (Cecili Neil, 2007). Organizations adopt this strategy in order to get hold on the new trends of the market and to absorb new knowledge at any point of time so that they can respond to the changes in the economic environment. Organizations engage in such training programs so as to polish the management skills of their executives and managers. These lectures also help in enhancing the management capacity. Professional Human Resource personnel are hired to conduct the training. This training program aims to address the trainings need of corporate managers in their respective discipline of work. This may include introduction to modern technology and new trends in management on a global scale. Implications of the Literature The implications from the entire literature review are as follows: * When their training needs must be clearly identified. The aim of training must be need and demand oriented, and the employee should not expect any material gains from the training program. For instance, cash allowances or inducement by access to credit should not be in the employees mind as results of the training program. * Training should be designed in a manner that it is easier for the employee to understand and should be on the principle of learning by doing. On the Job training, turns out to be more fruitful for employees, as it allows them to work more effectively on their own problem situations. * Training must take place closer to the employees place of work and should be appropriately scheduled, such as, on weekends or evening. In this way, the employee will be able to continue his office work and training imultaneously.

The poem My Last Duchess Essay Example For Students

The poem My Last Duchess Essay These quotes show us that the Duke is very arrogant and how he believes he is so much better than everyone, this can be seen in both quotes as in the first quote he believes his name is much better than anything else, and more so in the second quote as he believes himself to be so much better than everyone else and stresses that he will not lower himself by forgiving, even his wife. The poem also shows the Dukes jealousy, which can best be seen when he talks about how his wife treats him just as she treats everyone else and how he feels this isnt right. The poem shows us that the Duke thinks that the looks she gaves out to strangers should just be for him, She smiled no dout, when I passed her; but who passed without much the same smile? And also when he explains that she is too easily tempted and often gives the eye, too easily impressed; she liked whateveer she looked on, and her looks went everywhere. We will write a custom essay on The poem My Last Duchess specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now These quotes show us that the Dukes jealousy stems from the way his ex-wife acted around others but also shows that his jealousy is for something he could have -as there is no distinct sign in the poem that they had a sexual relationship- and when he sees his wife giving the eye he realises what hes not getting? The poem also shows us that the Duke is very paranoid because of his wife, this is best revealed when he talks about the painter and painting and how she was shown flushed and how many have asked how she got that passionate glance on her face, how such a glance came there. perhaps Fra Pandolf chances to say her mantle laps over my ladys wrist to much or paint must never hope to reproduce the faint half-flush that dies along her throat. This quote shows that the Duke is very paranoid that his wife has been unfaithful to him, he fears the way his wife is always giving people the eye and also believes that his ex-wife and Fra Pandolf may have been together, and he uses his time when painting her picture to flirt,chat-up and touch her. Throughout the poem the poet describes the Dukes ex-wife pretty well but he leaves us one thing to question, is she alive or dead? This is revealed at the very start of the poem when the Duke talks about how she and the painting looks and says, Thats my last Duchess painted on the wall, looking as if she were alive, I call that a piece of wonder, now. This quote tells us that he is not with her anymore and although does say as if she were alive and therefore imply that she is dead, could mean two things, one being that shes dead but the other being that she is just dead in his heart? The quote also suggests that she wasnt a thing of wonder before she left him as he says I call that a piece of wonder, now but could also mean that he didnt see how beautiful she was until now?

Free Essays on Isaac Blesses Jacob

Isaac Blesses Jacob The story of Jacob was one of many stories that posed moral problems in biblical times. It is in Genesis 27 1-29, the story of how Jacob deceived his aging father Isaac is told. God blessed Isaac, the son of Abraham, after he married Rebekah. He prayed to the Lord to make his wife fertile for she was unable to bear children. The Lord granted his prayer and his wife Rebekah gave birth to twins, Esau and Jacob (Collins 38). Isaac loved Esau because he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob. When Isaac grew old and blind, he called to his eldest son Esau to go and hunt game in order for him to prepare his favorite foods. Esau was to prepare the food and thereafter, Isaac was to bless him. However, Rebekah overheard her husband telling Esau to prepare the feast and despising sent the younger son Jacob to trick Isaac into giving him the blessing. When Esau returned and he found out that his younger brother had deceived him and his father, he grew very angry with him and planned to kill him after his fathers’ death. When first reading this Scripture without any knowledge of Jacob’s motives, one might suspect the following conclusion: Isaac wanted Esau to have the blessing because he was not only the firstborn, but also his favorite. In order for Jacob to be obedient to his mother, and win the blessing of his father, he tricked him into believing that he was Esau. He wanted to receive the blessing so that he could prove that he was capable of completing all of his brother’s tasks. However, this is not what is going on at all in this passage. Even when the twins were in the womb of their mother Rebekah, they clashed (Genesis 25 23-24). When Rebekah asked the Lord why, he replied, â€Å"Two nations are in your womb, and two people of you shall be divided; one shall be stronger than the other, and the elder shall serve the younger† (Collins 38). This suggests that the future of Esau and Jacob was foreto... Free Essays on Isaac Blesses Jacob Free Essays on Isaac Blesses Jacob Isaac Blesses Jacob The story of Jacob was one of many stories that posed moral problems in biblical times. It is in Genesis 27 1-29, the story of how Jacob deceived his aging father Isaac is told. God blessed Isaac, the son of Abraham, after he married Rebekah. He prayed to the Lord to make his wife fertile for she was unable to bear children. The Lord granted his prayer and his wife Rebekah gave birth to twins, Esau and Jacob (Collins 38). Isaac loved Esau because he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob. When Isaac grew old and blind, he called to his eldest son Esau to go and hunt game in order for him to prepare his favorite foods. Esau was to prepare the food and thereafter, Isaac was to bless him. However, Rebekah overheard her husband telling Esau to prepare the feast and despising sent the younger son Jacob to trick Isaac into giving him the blessing. When Esau returned and he found out that his younger brother had deceived him and his father, he grew very angry with him and planned to kill him after his fathers’ death. When first reading this Scripture without any knowledge of Jacob’s motives, one might suspect the following conclusion: Isaac wanted Esau to have the blessing because he was not only the firstborn, but also his favorite. In order for Jacob to be obedient to his mother, and win the blessing of his father, he tricked him into believing that he was Esau. He wanted to receive the blessing so that he could prove that he was capable of completing all of his brother’s tasks. However, this is not what is going on at all in this passage. Even when the twins were in the womb of their mother Rebekah, they clashed (Genesis 25 23-24). When Rebekah asked the Lord why, he replied, â€Å"Two nations are in your womb, and two people of you shall be divided; one shall be stronger than the other, and the elder shall serve the younger† (Collins 38). This suggests that the future of Esau and Jacob was foreto...

How being kind to yourself helps you better your life

How being kind to yourself helps you  better your  life There are lots of secrets and strategies floating around for achieving success in life, but there’s one surefire trick that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough- being kind to yourself.  Yes, this seemingly simple yet often overlooked notion can go a long way towards ensuring that you’re living your best possible life in all of its facets- including your career, personal relationships, family, friendships, and other individual pursuits. It’s true! According to a recent article by Inc., being nicer to yourself is an effective way to be happier, healthier, and more successful. It stands to reason- being nice to ourselves encourages and empowers us to want to be the best possible versions of ourselves, and to set personal goals that allow us to make this happen.How it worksWe’ve all learned â€Å"The Golden Rule† regarding how we should treat others. Let’s dig into why you should be applying The Golden Rule to yourself if you want to better your life! Being good to yourself nourishes your sense of self and fuels your motivation and desire to achieve your goals, all necessary ingredients for having fulfilling lives.Self-kindness nourishes your sense of self- simple acts of kindness, from others and to ourselves, not only feels good, it reminds us of the power of kindness and feeds our sense of well-being. It makes us feel special and important, and that we’re entitled to the good things in life. With this mindset, we’re more likely to devote more time and energy to setting and achieving personal milestones for making our lives better.Self-kindness fuels your motivation- with your sense of self nourished through kindness, you’ll feel more energized by life’s possibilities, and will be more likely to seek out ways to improve all facets of your life. You’ll not only feel more worthy of life’s good things, you’ll feel more motivated to go out and attain the better life you know you deserve!Self-kindness helps you achieve your goals- being good to yourself augments your sense of self-worth and makes you feel like you deserve to have your life’s goals achieved. And when you achieve goals in life you’ll feel empowered to set new goals to go after.How to make it work for youNow that you know why being kind to yourself can help you better your life, let’s take a look at a few ways how you can do this.Let yourself indulge in those little things in life that bring you pleasure. A good book, a cup of your favorite coffee, and a delicious dessert are easy and effective ways to be kind to yourself. Making sure to give yourself credit for your accomplishments, whether big or small, is another excellent way to be nice to yourself, and will propel you forward towards trying new challenges and accomplishments without the same fear of potential failure that holds many people back. Also try enhancing your appreciation of where you’re at in your life, focusing on the positives and the challenges you’ve successfully met, while reminding yourself that life is always a journey full of learning experiences.Taking care of yourself is a great way to be kind to yourself- leading a healthy life that includes a balanced diet, low stress, regular exercise, and plenty of sleep will make you feel good inside and out, and help keep you operating at optimum levels, which is an excellent place from which to work towards improving your life and achieving the goals you set for yourself. What’s better than that?

Malcolm X Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Malcolm X - Research Paper Example He was a son of two active black nationalists who followed the teachings of Marcus Garvey, the most influential pan-Africanist of the early twentieth century. Malcolm was placed in an Ingam County juvenile in Mason, Michigan. He worked hard and was obtaining good results in school. Seeing this made his half sister Ella proud when she came to visit him. Though many people of his time believed that Malcolm X and his followers were only spreading hate across the nation, his speeches accomplished a lot more than that. Because of him, black people in North America are now shown more respect by people of the white race who were once their oppressors. To the eyes of many, this was not real freedom. Malcolm X was fighting to change this sad reality and win the respect of people for all black people nationwide. Demonstrating this fact, after his death, affirmative action became a part of a larger design by Pres. Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty program to benefit the minorities of the society who were not given the opportunity to seek formal education and denied equal job opportunities as the white population. (Haley, 1964) The debate on this issue is still going on today. These facts prove that black people are finally being accepted for who they are in the society they live in and shown the respect they deserve. A formal apology has not yet been witnessed but the fact that it is being discussed alone still demonstrates that whites are finally recognizing blacks as human beings no inferior than whites and deserve equal respect to whites. The black people were the same ones who once accepted white supremacy and believed themselves to be inferior. They were unqualified and, as human beings, did not recognize their rights like most black people of that time. (Perry, 1991) They endured police aggressions and harassments. Newton, who was familiar with the law, guided his people into a militant resistance whose purpose was to defend its community and would not attack unless a ttacked. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr The Civil War was only the beginning of a Civil Rights Movement that would last a century. Malcolm X, like Martin Luther King Jr., Marcus Garvey and many more, was part of this movement. These people fought for freedom of black people and created awareness of the negative effects of racial discrimination. Proof of this is the fact that the American government feels ashamed for the past events, which is the reason why details of shameful events like slavery, hate crimes and assassinations of various black leaders are never disclosed for the people to learn more about. Slavery, for example, is a part of its history that the government constantly tries to keep hidden. Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965 at 3:10 P.M. Many people believe that the FBI might have killed him. Whether or not he was killed by the FBI or by the NOI, the information would still be disclosed. The existence of Malcolm X was therefore vital to the American l ifestyle because he was a bold man who was not afraid to speak his mind and by doing so he created consciousness of the harm that racial discrimination caused in humanity. (Goldman, 1979) Malcolm X as an Activist Malcolm X was an activist whose legacy will continue to live on for years to come. Along with other Civil Rights Movement leaders he influenced the way of life in America and today, evidence of this is seen during the month of February which

Taxation in Estate Planning Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Taxation in Estate Planning - Assignment Example The shares may be gifted to some family members in order to benefit from annual tax exception. It is important to note that any property owned in a Family limited partnership impact positively on estate tax exemptions. Applicable distribution period Under retirement plans, the applicable distribution period is pegged on the age of the retiree or that of the beneficiary and allows for the calculations of benefits accruing to each beneficiary. The internal revenue code provides for three tables which assist in finding the applicable distribution period. The first table is used only by the beneficiaries while the second table is used by account holders whose beneficiaries are spouses, who are 10 years junior in each, the last table deals with situations where there are no beneficiaries. Life expectancy is used in the calculations of applicable distribution tables. A special use valuation This is a design used in evaluating all assets in a successor’s gross estate where specific r eal property such as those used for farming or business is valued. Before benefiting on this design, one must demonstrate that 25 per cent of the adjusted value of the decedents gross estate consists of the adjusted value of real estate property used in the business and that 50% of the adjusted value of the decedent’s gross estate consist of real or personal property used in business. A Special Use Valuation has the following benefits; it saves couple of hours of research on specific tax planning topics from this area, access to important practice documents such as tables, charts and lists. It saves time used in accessing relevant sections of tax laws, regulations, court cases, IRS documents and more and offers alternative approaches valuable tax scenarios. Historically, one needed to prove that the decedent had substantially took part in the business for five of the eight years before death. Alternate valuation date Alternate valuation dates facilitates the determination of the value of the gross estate. Property distributed, sold exchanged or which is disposed of within 6 months of the death of the decedent shall be valued as at the date of distribution, sale exchange or other disposition. Those not dealt with as above shall be valued 6 months after the death of the decedent. Estate affected by mere lapse of time is included as of the time of death. However adjustments are made for any difference in its value as of the later date and not to mere lapse of time. Special rules provide that deductions shall not be allowed if allowance is given by the alternate valuation. Any bequest, legacy devise transfer and marital deductions shall be valued as of the date of the death of the decedent. Charitable lead trust A charitable lead trust is intended to reduce the amount of taxable income for deceased estate beneficiaries. This is done by donating a portion of the income to charities and after a specified time transferring the remaining trust to the beneficiar ies. Taxable termination This is the termination of an interest in property held in a trust. The termination can be by way of death, lapse of time or release of power provided that immediately before the termination non-skip person has no interest in such property and that at no time after such termination, a distribution is made to a skip person including distribution on such trust. Certain partial terminations may

Roll of Thunder Essay Example for Free

Roll of Thunder Essay Obviously the store-owner was used to not only treating blacks in this way, but in them putting up with it. However, Cassie was a high spirited young lady who, as yet, was not weighed down by the yoke of racism. The word recoiled also hints at what is to come; for it is Mr Barnett whose store is to be raided by T. J. and the Simms brother at the climax of the novel. While Cassie strives to elucidate the situation, Barnett is infuriated and shrieks whose little nigger is this! Cassie was angry and humiliated as everyone in the store turned and stared at her. Stacey appeared and held her hand. Cassie was thrilled to see her brother by her side, although when she yearned for help Stacey did not respond. Mr Barnett informed him to make sure she dont come back till yo mammy teach her what she is. He wanted Cassie to realize that she and other black people are second-class citizens; consequently deems that he has the power to treat them as he desires. Cassie was exasperated at the way Mr Barnett treats them in his store. The racial injustice makes her furious and she finds it difficult to control her tongue. Stacey angrily rushes outside with Cassie and orders her to shut up. He then crosses the street still irate to Cassies foolish act. While Cassie tries to figure out why Mr Barnett acted the way he did, she stumbles into Lillian Jean, Jeremys big sister. She tells her to apologize but Cassie exclaims that Lillian Jean had bumped into her. Subsequently, Cassie could not bother to have a quarrel with her as she had other things on her mind, so she says sorry. Lillian Jean doesnt find it adequate; she tells her to get down in the road then says maybe that way you wont be bumping into decent white folks with your little nasty self. This statement to Cassie discriminates and shows her how disgusting white racists the Simmss really are. Lillian Jeans father arrives, grabs Cassie by the arm and throws her into the middle of the street. He forces her to make an apology, but Cassie sprints directly for the wagon. Unexpectedly, Big Ma appears and stops her. She wrathfully urges her to apologize to Lillian Jean. Cassie was disorientated to why Big Ma didnt support her when she was in need for her help. Big Ma has a more complicated way of dealing with racism. However, she is an old woman and she had little choice. If Big Ma were to refuse, she knew that they would have to face the consequences, therefore she forced Cassie to act contritely. Crushed and heartbroken, she apologizes to Lillian Jean. Then turns round and runs into the back of the wagon. A day that began full of expectations went from bad to worse. Cassies silence on the return journey home is a reflection of the hurt and humiliation she had suffered. Cassies first real taste of racism had totally subdued this normally impulsive and lively nine-year-old. Cassie is an enthusiastic girl trapped in an inhumane and disgraceful racial system. Along with her brothers, Cassie is learning the hard way about racism prevalent in the deep south of the United States at that time. She cannot comprehend as to why people of her skin colour have to back down in the face of whites, even when they have done nothing wrong. This is even more incomprehensible as Big Ma is a very strong character who Cassie admires greatly. Apologising to Lillian Jean is mortification that the headstrong Cassie finds almost impossible to bear. She is not the sort of girl to forget what has happened and later in the novel, it is no surprise that she is able to avenge her current humiliation. There is a certain amount of irony in the name Strawberry which for Cassie left rather a bitter taste in the mouth. She has learnt from hard experience that things arent always what they seem. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mildred Taylor section.

Pips Growth in Great Expectations :: Great Expectations Essays

Through the novel Great Expectations, it is seen that Pip’s personalities change. He seemed to be immature at the start but in the end he turned out much different and yet also the same. It seems to me that he changed because of those surrounding him and the influence they had on him. The most influential characters were Estella and the Magwitch. Pip at first was very uneducated and had not a clue of his social class or that there even was a social class, so he was content with what he had. As his life went on he met new people from both higher and lower social classes. From here his satisfaction turned to greed and shame, as he longed to be better educated. Pip does learn later on that having money and power and being in the high social class is not as important as having true friends, even if they are lower class. One of the first influential people around him was Estella. She always insulted Pip, yet he fell in love with her. Of course, over time he started to feel ashamed of himself, and of his roots, and he then longed to be a gentleman. Estella overall was a very poor influence on Pip because she was never supportive of him. Pip should have been around people that lifted him up and encouraged him to tell him what he needed to hear. The second is when Pip came across a convict that forced him to steal food from his sister. It is uncovered later that the convict is Magwitch, who for years he had been secretly saving money for him. When Pip is given this money he is finally able to live a gentleman’s lifestyle. This is a great influence given from the Magwitch. However, this only has a physical influence on Pip. Even though Magwitch caused Pip to feel guilty for stealing food, he came back and proved himself a noble character. When Pip sees that his helper was a convict, he realizes that the money he got was a man of a lower social class than himself. This made him feel inferior. But as time went on Pip got to know Magwitch better, he began to see that even people of the lower class can be gentlemen and friendly. Pip's Growth in Great Expectations :: Great Expectations Essays Through the novel Great Expectations, it is seen that Pip’s personalities change. He seemed to be immature at the start but in the end he turned out much different and yet also the same. It seems to me that he changed because of those surrounding him and the influence they had on him. The most influential characters were Estella and the Magwitch. Pip at first was very uneducated and had not a clue of his social class or that there even was a social class, so he was content with what he had. As his life went on he met new people from both higher and lower social classes. From here his satisfaction turned to greed and shame, as he longed to be better educated. Pip does learn later on that having money and power and being in the high social class is not as important as having true friends, even if they are lower class. One of the first influential people around him was Estella. She always insulted Pip, yet he fell in love with her. Of course, over time he started to feel ashamed of himself, and of his roots, and he then longed to be a gentleman. Estella overall was a very poor influence on Pip because she was never supportive of him. Pip should have been around people that lifted him up and encouraged him to tell him what he needed to hear. The second is when Pip came across a convict that forced him to steal food from his sister. It is uncovered later that the convict is Magwitch, who for years he had been secretly saving money for him. When Pip is given this money he is finally able to live a gentleman’s lifestyle. This is a great influence given from the Magwitch. However, this only has a physical influence on Pip. Even though Magwitch caused Pip to feel guilty for stealing food, he came back and proved himself a noble character. When Pip sees that his helper was a convict, he realizes that the money he got was a man of a lower social class than himself. This made him feel inferior. But as time went on Pip got to know Magwitch better, he began to see that even people of the lower class can be gentlemen and friendly.

Different Definitions of Good Health

In this section I would be focusing on the ways people interpret health and welfare. Health is defined differently by individual, communities and countries, these ways may be defined either positive or negative. The World Health Organisation The World Health Organisation (WHO) had defined health in being â€Å"a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.† This definition is a negative approach to health because the definition is vague and can categorised everyone as being unhealthy. In my opinion I find the WHO definition in being unrealistic and unachievable because the definition states, â€Å"absence of disease or infirmity.† As human being we all have one point in our health had gotten the flu. The WHO excluding ‘disease’ and ‘infirmity’ would classify us all as being unhealthy. Another reason why I disagree with this definition is that someone with a disease or illness can maintain a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being. For example, a patient with diabetes would still be in a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being. Not everyone with a disease or illness would lose their complete state of physical, mental and social well-being. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=RvGXLF3uxd0C&pg=PA41&lpg=PA41&dq=seedhouse+health+a+commodity&source=bl&ots=f4etwSpSrA&sig=m9CREsjnSqFb0QcahH_mhwPlNO8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0IMyVM2eG87PaLeigZAI#v=onepage&q=seedhouse%20health%20a%20commodity&f=false (accessed on 09/10/2015) http://www.bmj.com/content/343/bmj.d4163 (accessed on 09/10/2015) David Seedhouse 2009 David Seedhouse described health and welfare being an â€Å"equivalent to the set of conditions that enable a person to work to fulfil his/her realistic chosen and biological potential†. The definition is positive approach to health because Seedhouse states â€Å"work to fulfil his/her realistic chosen and biological potential.† This would give us the idea that health is a normal process and illnesses can occur without our will. There are a majority of individuals unfortunately that inherit diseases that may have incredible result on how they carry on with their ordinary life. For example a person with a hearing or visual impairment may fulfil his/her potential in exam within the physical constraints would not be considered unhealthy because the person may not hear or see very well. Although Seedhouse definition is vague, I agree with the concept of it; healthier people are more able to do what they desire because they have fewer constraints. The constraints can be psychological, biological or social. A biological constraint can be our organs, cells or tissues. Whilst a psychological constraint can be emotions, cognitions and motivation. A social constraint is our family, friends, community and society. http://www.ukessays.com/essays/health/defining-what-health-is.php#ixzz3o61QlKFV (accessed on 09/10/2015) http://www.moteclife.co.uk/docs/Education/Concept%20of%20Health.pdf (accessed on 09/10/2015) http://heapro.oxfordjournals.org/content/13/1/87.full.pdf (accessed on 09/10/2015) Channel 4 Channel 4 defines health in three ways; negative, positive and holistic. According to Channel 4 the negative definition of health is â€Å"free from illness, upset, tiredness, or anything else that might be a symptom of not being in good health.† This isn’t an accurate definition for health in my opinion because if you are upset doesn’t mean you are not in â€Å"good health.† Majority of people are upset for a short period of time, so stating that being upset, which is an emotion, as bad health is not truthful. Benedict Carey had stated that tears are good for reducing our stress levels, removes toxins, kills bacteria, releases our feelings and surprisingly helps us see. This further proves that being upset is good for our health. Positive health is defined by Channel 4 as someone informing another person â€Å"who has recently taken up a sport and say: ‘you look very healthy’. This definition demonstrates the effectiveness of taking up a spo rt because of the words â€Å"very healthy† helps draw that picture. Read also Six Dimensions of Health Worksheet I would agree with this definition for health because exercising benefits us and improves our health. This is because in situation where someone would need to run or defend themselves, it would be essential to exercise. Taking up a sport would also benefit a person emotionally and socially because team work can increase social circle, have more friends, and emotionally can lower stress level. Channel 4 defines holistic as being â€Å"physically very fit and free from illness, they could still have emotional problems.† This meaning that in order to be healthy you would need to be ‘physically fit’ and have no illnesses, such as the flu or diabetes. I agree with that you would need to be physically fit because exercising or taking up a sport would help strengthen the body and lower the risk of diseases, such as coronary heart disease and cancer. http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/beyondblue/2011/02/7-ways-tears-and-crying-heal.html (accessed on 09/10/2015) http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/Whybeactive.aspx (accessed on 09/10/2015) http://www.channel4learning.com/sites/gcsease/health_social/2_1_detail.html (accessed on 09/10/2015) Medical News Today Medical News Today (MNT) had defined health in two aspect; mental health and physical health. According to MNT mental health â€Å"refers to the absence of mental illness.† Although the definition is vague, it still is a positive definition of health because it defines mental health in being without a disorder. If someone can cope with the usual stresses of life, they can work efficiently and productively and is able to support their community means they have good mental health. An example would be a student coping with exams. MNT also defines physical health in a positive way because the definition states that physical health is the â€Å"regular physical activity (exercise), good nutrition, and adequate rest.† I agree with the definition because nutrition, rest and exercise is essential for good health. If someone doesn’t eat a balance diet, they are more likely to be malnourished. Regular exercise is important since it benefits people socially, mentally and physical. In this case our body would be healthier and stronger. An adequate rest is essential for work effort because the correct hours of sleep would result on better work effort. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/150999.php (accessed on 09/10/2015) Culture Health The word culture is associated with the norms and values that are shared in a particular group or society. These norms and values can shape our views on what is acceptable and what is not. For example; Somalia culture forbids people from drinking alcohol, whilst it is seen perfectly alright in Czech Republic to drink an excessive amount of alcohol. This is negative definition of health because of the affect alcohol has on a person’s physical, emotional and social development. There has been research to show that the ethnic minority groups in Britain experience disadvantages and discrimination when receiving treatment in a healthcare setting, such as hospitals. They would experience poorer health, which would reduce their health expectancy and have more of a risk in long-term health problems, such as sickle cell. The government had set up health campaigns, like Change 4 Life, which aims to tackle obesity in households with children. However, the information presented in health campaigns has a lack of knowledge and understandings for other cultures.

Literature Cape Essay

Many critics attempt to show how the disguise relate to the different parts, and/or different characters of the play. This story explores a cariety of themes and issues, however disguise, deceit, celebration and festivity are the major, more prominent ones. Although the play is a â€Å"silly play† said by Samuel Pepys, who saw the play on three occasions, many critics feel the play’s use of language used to deceive and the failure of characters to communicate properly and effectively and truthfully, made it confusing. The Twelfth Night (January 6th) is actually the Epiphany. During the Epiphany noble households sponsored numerous performances of plays, masques, banquets and kinds of activities. This story opens up to a man, Curio dressing for the plans of that night. While dressing, he confesses how he feels towards a woman named Olivia. Olivia, a well-to-do woman, wants little Analysis of Major Characters Viola Like most of Shakespeare’s heroines, Viola is a tremendously likable figure. She has no serious faults, and we can easily discount the peculiarity of her decision to dress as a man, since it sets the entire plot in motion. She is the character whose love seems the purest. The other characters’ passions are fickle: Orsino jumps from Olivia to Viola, Olivia jumps from Viola to Sebastian, and Sir Toby and Maria’s marriage seems more a matter of whim than an expression of deep and abiding passion. Only Viola seems to be truly, passionately in love as opposed to being self-indulgently lovesick. As she says to Orsino, describing herself and her love for him: She pined in thought, And with a green and yellow melancholy She sat like patience on a monument, Smiling at grief. Was not this love indeed? (II. iv. 111–114) The audience, like Orsino, can only answer with an emphatic yes. Viola’s chief problem throughout the play is one of identity. Because of her disguise, she must be both herself and Cesario. This mounting identity crisis culminates in the final scene, when Viola finds herself surrounded by people who each have a different idea of who she is and are unaware of who she actually is. Were Twelfth Night not a comedy, this pressure might cause Viola to break down. Sebastian’s appearance at this point, however, effectively saves Viola by allowing her to be herself again. Sebastian, who independent of his sister is not much of a character, takes over the aspects f Viola’s disguise that she no longer wishes to maintain. Thus liberated by her brother, Viola is free to shed the roles that she has accumulated throughout the play, and she can return to being Viola, the woman who has loved and won Orsino. Orsino and Olivia Orsino and Olivia are worth discussing together, because they have similar personalities. Both claim to be buffeted by s trong emotions, but both ultimately seem to be self-indulgent individuals who enjoy melodrama and self-involvement more than anything. When we first meet them, Orsino is pining away for love of Olivia, while Olivia pines away for her dead brother. They show no interest in relating to the outside world, preferring to lock themselves up with their sorrows and mope around their homes. Viola’s arrival begins to break both characters out of their self-involved shells, but neither undergoes a clear-cut change. Orsino relates to Viola in a way that he never has to Olivia, diminishing his self-involvement and making him more likable. Yet he persists in his belief that he is in love with Olivia until the final scene, in spite of the fact that he never once speaks to her during the course of the play. Olivia, meanwhile, sets aside her grief when Viola (disguised as Cesario) comes to see her. But Olivia takes up her own fantasy of lovesickness, in which she pines away—with a self-indulgence that mirrors Orsino’s—for a man who is really a woman. Ultimately, Orsino and Olivia seem to be out of touch with real emotion, as demonstrated by the ease with which they shift their affections in the final scene—Orsino from Olivia to Viola, and Olivia from Cesario to Sebastian. The similarity between Orsino and Olivia does not diminish with the end of the play, since the audience realizes that by marrying Viola and Sebastian, respectively, Orsino and Olivia are essentially marrying female and male versions of the same person. Malvolio Malvolio initially seems to be a minor character, and his humiliation seems little more than an amusing subplot to the Viola-Olivia-Orsino- love triangle. But he becomes more interesting as the play progresses, and most critics have judged him one of the most complex and fascinating characters in Twelfth Night. When we first meet Malvolio, he seems to be a simple type—a puritan, a stiff and proper servant who likes nothing better than to spoil other people’s fun. It is this dour, fun-despising side that earns him the enmity of the zany, drunken Sir Toby and the clever Maria, who together engineer his downfall. But they do so by playing on a side of Malvolio that might have otherwise remained hidden—his self-regard and his remarkable ambitions, which extend to marrying Olivia and becoming, as he puts it, â€Å"Count Malvolio† (II. v. 30). When he finds the forged letter from Olivia (actually penned by Maria) that seems to offer hope to his ambitions, Malvolio undergoes his first transformation—from a stiff and wooden embodiment of priggish propriety into an personification of the power of self–delusion. He is ridiculous in these scenes, as he capers around in the yellow stockings and crossed garters that he thinks will please Olivia, but he also becomes pitiable. He may deserve his come-uppance, but there is an uncomfortable universality to his experience. Malvolio’s misfortune is a cautionary tale of ambition overcoming good sense, and the audience winces at the way he adapts every event—including Olivia’s confused assumption that he must be mad—to fit his rosy picture of his glorious future as a nobleman. Earlier, he embodies stiff joylessness; now he is joyful, but in pursuit of a dream that everyone, except him, knows is false. Our pity for Malvolio only increases when the vindictive Maria and Toby confine him to a dark room in Act IV. As he desperately protests that he is not mad, Malvolio begins to seem more of a victim than a victimizer. It is as if the unfortunate steward, as the embodiment of order and sobriety, must be sacrificed so that the rest of the characters can indulge in the hearty spirit that suffuses Twelfth Night. As he is sacrificed, Malvolio begins to earn our respect. It is too much to call him a tragic figure, however—after all, he is only being asked to endure a single night in darkness, hardly a fate comparable to the sufferings of King Lear or Hamlet. But there is a kind of nobility, however limited, in the way that the deluded steward stubbornly clings to his sanity, even in the face of Feste’s insistence that he is mad. Malvolio remains true to himself, despite everything: he knows that he is sane, and he will not allow anything to destroy this knowledge. Malvolio (and the audience) must be content with this self-knowledge, because the play allows Malvolio no real recompense for his sufferings. At the close of the play, he is brought out of the darkness into a celebration in which he has no part, and where no one seems willing to offer him a real apology. â€Å"I’ll be revenged on the whole pack of you,† he snarls, stalking out of the festivities (V. i. 365). His exit strikes a jarring note in an otherwise joyful comedy. Malvolio has no real place in the anarchic world of Twelfth Night, except to suggest that, even in the best of worlds, someone must suffer while everyone else is happy. I n the kingdom of Illyria, a nobleman named Orsino lies around listening to music, pining away for the love of Lady Olivia. He cannot have her because she is in mourning for her dead brother and refuses to entertain any proposals of marriage. Meanwhile, off the coast, a storm has caused a terrible shipwreck. A young, aristocratic-born woman named Viola is swept onto the Illyrian shore. Finding herself alone in a strange land, she assumes that her twin brother, Sebastian, has been drowned in the wreck, and tries to figure out what sort of work she can do. A friendly sea captain tells her about Orsino’s courtship of Olivia, and Viola says that she wishes she could go to work in Olivia’s home. But since Lady Olivia refuses to talk with any strangers, Viola decides that she cannot look for work with her. Instead, she decides to disguise herself as a man, taking on the name of Cesario, and goes to work in the household of Duke Orsino. Viola (disguised as Cesario) quickly becomes a favorite of Orsino, who makes Cesario his page. Viola finds herself falling in love with Orsino—a difficult love to pursue, as Orsino believes her to be a man. But when Orsino sends Cesario to deliver Orsino’s love messages to the disdainful Olivia, Olivia herself falls for the beautiful young Cesario, believing her to be a man. The love triangle is complete: Viola loves Orsino, Orsino loves Olivia, and Olivia loves Cesario—and everyone is miserable. Meanwhile, we meet the other members of Olivia’s household: her rowdy drunkard of an uncle, Sir Toby; his foolish friend, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, who is trying in his hopeless way to court Olivia; Olivia’s witty and pretty waiting-gentlewoman, Maria; Feste, the clever clown of the house; and Malvolio, the dour, prudish steward of Olivia’s household. When Sir Toby and the others take offense at Malvolio’s constant efforts to spoil their fun, Maria engineers a practical joke to make Malvolio think that Olivia is in love with him. She forges a letter, supposedly from Olivia, addressed to her beloved (whose name is signified by the letters M. O. A. I. ), telling him that if he wants to earn her favor, he should dress in yellow stockings and crossed garters, act haughtily, smile constantly, and refuse to explain himself to anyone. Malvolio finds the letter, assumes that it is addressed to him, and, filled with dreams of marrying Olivia and becoming noble himself, happily follows its commands. He behaves so strangely that Olivia comes to think that he is mad. Meanwhile, Sebastian, who is still alive after all but believes his sister Viola to be dead, arrives in Illyria along with his friend and protector, Antonio. Antonio has cared for Sebastian since the shipwreck and is passionately (and perhaps sexually) attached to the young man—so much so that he follows him to Orsino’s domain, in spite of the fact that he and Orsino are old enemies. Sir Andrew, observing Olivia’s attraction to Cesario (still Viola in disguise), challenges Cesario to a duel. Sir Toby, who sees the prospective duel as entertaining fun, eggs Sir Andrew on. However, when Sebastian—who looks just like the disguised Viola—appears on the scene, Sir Andrew and Sir Toby end up coming to blows with Sebastian, thinking that he is Cesario. Olivia enters amid the confusion. Encountering Sebastian and thinking that he is Cesario, she asks him to marry her. He is baffled, since he has never seen her before. He sees, however, that she is wealthy and beautiful, and he is therefore more than willing to go along with her. Meanwhile, Antonio has been arrested by Orsino’s officers and now begs Cesario for help, mistaking him for Sebastian. Viola denies knowing Antonio, and Antonio is dragged off, crying out that Sebastian has betrayed him. Suddenly, Viola has newfound hope that her brother may be alive. Malvolio’s supposed madness has allowed the gleeful Maria, Toby, and the rest to lock Malvolio into a small, dark room for his treatment, and they torment him at will. Feste dresses up as â€Å"Sir Topas,† a priest, and pretends to examine Malvolio, declaring him definitely insane in spite of his protests. However, Sir Toby begins to think better of the joke, and they allow Malvolio to send a letter to Olivia, in which he asks to be released. Eventually, Viola (still disguised as Cesario) and Orsino make their way to Olivia’s house, where Olivia welcomes Cesario as her new husband, thinking him to be Sebastian, whom she has just married. Orsino is furious, but then Sebastian himself appears on the scene, and all is revealed. The siblings are joyfully reunited, and Orsino realizes that he loves Viola, now that he knows she is a woman, and asks her to marry him. We discover that Sir Toby and Maria have also been married privately. Finally, someone remembers Malvolio and lets him out of the dark room. The trick is revealed in full, and the embittered Malvolio storms off, leaving the happy couples to their celebration. Themes, Motifs & Symbols Themes Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary  work. Love as a Cause of Suffering Twelfth Night is a romantic comedy, and romantic love is the play’s main focus. Despite the fact that the play offers a happy ending, in which the various lovers find one another and achieve wedded bliss, Shakespeare shows that love can cause pain. Many of the characters seem to view love as a kind of curse, a feeling that attacks its victims suddenly and disruptively. Various characters claim to suffer painfully from being in love, or, rather, from the pangs of unrequited love. At one point, Orsino depicts love dolefully as an â€Å"appetite† that he wants to satisfy and cannot (I. i. 1–3); at another point, he calls his desires â€Å"fell and cruel hounds† (I. i. 21). Olivia more bluntly  describes love as a â€Å"plague† from which she suffers terribly  (I. v. 265). These metaphors contain an element of violence, further painting the love-struck as victims of some random force in the universe. Even the less melodramatic Viola sighs unhappily that â€Å"My state is desperate for my master’s love† (II. ii. 35). This desperation has the potential to result in violence—as in Act V, scene i, when Orsino threatens to kill Cesario because he thinks that -Cesario has forsaken him to become Olivia’s lover. Love is also exclusionary: some people achieve romantic happiness, while others do not. At the end of the play, as the happy lovers rejoice, both Malvolio and Antonio are prevented from having the objects of their desire. Malvolio, who has pursued Olivia, must ultimately face the realization that he is a fool, socially unworthy of his noble mistress. Antonio is in a more difficult situation, as social norms do not allow for the gratification of his apparently sexual attraction to Sebastian. Love, thus, cannot conquer all obstacles, and those whose desires go unfulfilled remain no less in love but feel the sting of its absence all the more severely. The Uncertainty of Gender Gender is one of the most obvious and much-discussed topics in the play. Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare’s so-called transvestite comedies, in which a female character—in this case, Viola—disguises herself as a man. This situation creates a sexual mess: Viola falls in love with Orsino but cannot tell him, because he thinks she is a man, while Olivia, the object of Orsino’s affection, falls for Viola in her guise as Cesario. There is a clear homoerotic subtext here: Olivia is in love with a woman, even if she thinks he is a man, and Orsino often remarks on Cesario’s beauty, suggesting that he is attracted to Viola even before her male disguise is removed. This latent homoeroticism finds an explicit echo in the minor character of Antonio, who is clearly in love with his male friend, Sebastian. But Antonio’s desires cannot be satisfied, while Orsino and Olivia both find tidy heterosexual gratification once the sexual ambiguities and deceptions are straightened out. Yet, even at the play’s close, Shakespeare leaves things somewhat murky, especially in the Orsino-Viola relationship. Orsino’s declaration of love to Viola suggests that he enjoys prolonging the pretense of Viola’s masculinity. Even after he knows that Viola is a woman, Orsino says to her, â€Å"Boy, thou hast said to me a thousand times / Thou never should’st love woman like to me† (V. i. 260–261). Similarly, in his last lines, Orsino declares, â€Å"Cesario, come— / For so you shall be while you are a man; / But when in other habits you are seen, / Orsino’s mistress, and his fancy’s queen† (V. i. 372–375). Even once everything is revealed, Orsino continues to address Viola by her male name. We can thus only wonder whether Orsino is truly in love with Viola, or if he is more enamoured of her male persona. The Folly of Ambition The problem of social ambition works itself out largely through the character of Malvolio, the steward, who seems to be a competent servant, if prudish and dour, but proves to be, in fact, a supreme egotist, with tremendous ambitions to rise out of his social class. Maria plays on these ambitions when she forges a letter from Olivia that makes Malvolio believe that Olivia is in love with him and wishes to marry him. Sir Toby and the others find this fantasy hysterically funny, of course—not only because of Malvolio’s unattractive personality but also because Malvolio is not of noble blood. In the class system of Shakespeare’s time, a noblewoman would generally not sully her reputation by marrying a man of lower social status. Yet the atmosphere of the play may render Malvolio’s aspirations less unreasonable than they initially seem. The feast of Twelfth Night, from which the play takes its name, was a time when social hierarchies were turned upside down. That same spirit is alive in Illyria: indeed, Malvolio’s antagonist, Maria, is able to increase her social standing by marrying Sir Toby. But it seems that Maria’s success may be due to her willingness to accept and promote the anarchy that Sir Toby and the others embrace. This Twelfth Night spirit, then, seems to pass by Malvolio, who doesn’t wholeheartedly embrace the upending of order and decorum but rather wants to blur class lines for himself alone. Motifs Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes. Letters, Messages, and Tokens Twelfth Night features a great variety of messages sent from one character to another—sometimes as letters and other times in the form of tokens. Such messages are used both for purposes of communication and miscommunication—sometimes deliberate and sometimes accidental. Maria’s letter to Malvolio, which purports to be from Olivia, is a deliberate (and successful) attempt to trick the steward. Sir Andrew’s letter demanding a duel with Cesario, meanwhile, is meant seriously, but because it is so appallingly stupid, Sir Toby does not deliver it, rendering it extraneous. Malvolio’s missive, sent by way of Feste from the dark room in which he is imprisoned, ultimately works to undo the confusion caused by Maria’s forged letter and to free Malvolio from his imprisonment. But letters are not the only kind of messages that characters employ to communicate with one another. Individuals can be employed in the place of written communication—Orsino repeatedly sends Cesario, for instance, to deliver messages to Olivia. Objects can function as messages between people as well: Olivia sends Malvolio after Cesario with a ring, to tell the page that she loves him, and follows the ring up with further gifts, which symbolize her romantic attachment. Messages can convey important information, but they also create the potential for miscommunication and confusion—especially with characters like Maria and Sir Toby manipulating the information. Madness No one is truly insane in Twelfth Night, yet a number of characters are accused of being mad, and a current of insanity or zaniness runs through the action of the play. After Sir Toby and Maria dupe Malvolio into believing that Olivia loves him, Malvolio behaves so bizarrely that he is assumed to be mad and is locked away in a dark room. Malvolio himself knows that he is sane, and he accuses everyone around him of being mad. Meanwhile, when Antonio encounters Viola (disguised as Cesario), he mistakes her for Sebastian, and his angry insistence that she recognize him leads people to assume that he is mad. All of these incidents feed into the general atmosphere of the play, in which normal life is thrown topsy-turvy, and everyone must confront a reality that is somehow fractured. Disguises Many characters in Twelfth Night assume disguises, beginning with Viola, who puts on male attire and makes everyone else believe that she is a man. By dressing his protagonist in male garments, Shakespeare creates endless sexual confusion with the Olivia-Viola–Orsino love triangle. Other characters in disguise include Malvolio, who puts on crossed garters and yellow stockings in the hope of winning Olivia, and Feste, who dresses up as a priest—Sir Topas—when he speaks to Malvolio after the steward has been locked in a dark room. Feste puts on the disguise even though Malvolio will not be able to see him, since the room is so dark, suggesting that the importance of clothing is not just in the eye of the beholder. For Feste, the disguise completes his assumption of a new identity—in order to be Sir Topas, he must look like Sir Topas. Viola puts on new clothes and changes her gender, while Feste and Malvolio put on new garments either to impersonate a nobleman (Feste) or in the hopes of becoming a nobleman (Malvolio). Through these disguises, the play raises questions about what makes us who we are, compelling the audience to wonder if things like gender and class are set in stone, or if they can be altered with a change of clothing. Mistaken Identity The instances of mistaken identity are related to the prevalence of disguises in the play, as Viola’s male clothing leads to her being mistaken for her brother, Sebastian, and vice versa. Sebastian is mistaken for Viola (or rather, Cesario) by Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, and then by Olivia, who promptly marries him. Meanwhile, Antonio mistakes Viola for Sebastian, and thinks that his friend has betrayed him when Viola claims to not know him. These cases of mistaken identity, common in Shakespeare’s comedies, create the tangled situation that can be resolved only when Viola and Sebastian appear together, helping everyone to understand what has happened. Symbols Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. Olivia’s Gifts When Olivia wants to let Cesario know that she loves him, she sends him a ring by way of Malvolio. Later, when she mistakes Sebastian for Cesario, she gives him a precious pearl. In each case, the jewel serves as a token of her love—a physical symbol of her romantic attachment to a man who is really a woman. The gifts are more than symbols, though. â€Å"Youth is bought more oft than begged or borrowed,† Olivia says at one point, suggesting that the jewels are intended almost as bribes—that she means to buy Cesario’s love if she cannot win it (III. iv. 3). The Darkness of Malvolio’s Prison When Sir Toby and Maria pretend that Malvolio is mad, they confine him in a pitch-black chamber. Darkness becomes a symbol of his supposed insanity, as they tell him that the room is filled with light and his inability to see is a sign of his madness. Malvolio reverses the symbolism. â€Å"I say this house is as dark as ignorance, though ignorance were as dark as hell; and I say there was never man thus abused† (IV. ii. 40–42). In other words, the darkness—meaning madness—is not in the room with him, but outside, with Sir Toby and Feste and Maria, who have unjustly imprisoned him. Changes of Clothing Clothes are powerful in Twelfth Night. They can symbolize changes in gender—Viola puts on male clothes to be taken for a male— as well as class distinctions. When Malvolio fantasizes about becoming a nobleman, he imagines the new clothes that he will have. When Feste impersonates Sir Topas, he puts on a nobleman’s garb, even though Malvolio, whom he is fooling, cannot see him, suggesting that clothes have a power that transcends their physical function. Twelfth Night – Analysis of Fools A fool can be defined in many meanings according to the Oxford English Dictionary On Historical Principles. The word could mean â€Å"a silly person†, or â€Å"one who professionally counterfeits folly for the entertainment of others, a jester, clown† or â€Å"one who has little or no reason or intellect† or â€Å"one who is made to appear to be a fool† (word originated from North Frisian). In english literature, the two main ways which the fool could enter imaginative literature is that â€Å"He could provide a topic, a theme for mediation, or he could turn into a stock character on the stage, a stylized comic figure†. In William Shakespeare’s comedy, Twelfth Night, Feste the clown is not the only fool who is subject to foolery. He and many other characters combine their silly acts and wits to invade other characters that â€Å"evade reality or rather realize a dream†, while â€Å"our sympathies go out to those†. â€Å"It is natural that the fool should be a prominent & attractive figure and make an important contribution to the action† in forming the confusion and the humor in an Elizabethan drama. In Twelfth Night, the clown and the fools are the ones who combine humor ;amp; wit to make the comedy work. Clowns, jesters, and Buffoons are usually regarded as fools. Their differences could be of how they dress, act or portrayed in society. A clown for example, â€Å"was understood to be a country bumpkin or ‘cloun'†. In Elizabethan usage, the word ‘clown’ is ambiguous â€Å"meaning both countryman and principal comedian†. Another meaning given to it in the 1600 is â€Å"a fool or jester†. As for a buffoon, it is defined as â€Å"a man whose profession is to make low jests and antics postures; a clown, jester, fool†. The buffoon is a fool because â€Å"although he exploits his own weaknesses instead of being exploited by others†¦. he resembles other comic fools†. This is similar to the definition of a ‘Jester’ who is also known as a â€Å"buffoon, or a merry andrew. One maintained in a prince’s court or nobleman’s household†. As you can see, the buffoon, jester and the clown are all depicted as fools and are related ;amp; tied to each other in some sort of way. They relatively have the same objectives in their roles but in appearance wise (clothes, physical features) they may be different. In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Feste’s role in this Illyrian comedy is significant because â€Å"Illyria is a country permeated with the spirit of the Feast of Fools, where identities are confused, ‘uncivil rule’ applauded†¦ and no harm is done†. In Illyria therefore the fool is not so much a critic of his environment as a ringleader, a merry-companion, a Lord of Misrule. Being equally welcome above and below stairs.. † makes Feste significant as a character. In Twelfth Night, Feste plays the role of a humble clown employed by Olivia’s father playing the licensed fool of their household. We learn this in Olivia’s statement stating that Feste is â€Å"an allowed fool†(I. v. 93) meaning he is licensed, privileged critic to speak the truth of the people around him. We also learn in a statement by Curio to the Duke that Feste is employed by Olivia’s father. Feste the jester†¦ a fool that the Lady Olivia’s father took much pleasure in†(II. iv. 11). Feste is more of the comic truth of the comedy. Although he does not make any profound remarks, he seems to be the wisest person within all the characters in the comedy. Viola remarks this by saying â€Å"This fellow’s wise enough to play the fool†(III. i. 61). Since Feste is a licensed fool, his main role in Twelfth Night is to speak the truth. This is where the humor lies, his truthfulness. In one example he proves Olivia to be a true fool by asking her what she was mourning about. The point

Explain Why British Civilians Were Affected by World War Essay Example

Explain Why British Civilians Were Affected by World War Essay Example Explain Why British Civilians Were Affected by World War Essay Explain Why British Civilians Were Affected by World War Essay World War II affected British civilians in a number of ways. It affected every single person including children. There were five main reasons why civilians were affected; this was due to economic impact, responsibility to protect civilians, government preparation plans, the improvement and increase in war technology and the changing tactics of Hitler. World War II was different from World War I; it was a total war. Britain had gone to war because Hitler invaded Poland. Britain had made a treaty to Poland saying that she would protect her if she was ever invaded. Hitler had wanted the 3 million Germans living in Poland, to be united with Germany because he believed that Poland was persecuting the Germans who were living there. Also the Allies had realised that Hitler wouldn’t stop until he got all of Europe and they were afraid of his rising power. It was estimated that 67,800 civilians were either killed or missing, injured or in hospital. One of the reasons that affected civilians was the changing tactics of Hitler. This affected civilians because they were the target now. In July 1940, after defeating France, Belgium and the Netherlands, Hitler planned for an invasion of Britain, called Operation Sealion. He sent the Luftwaffe to destroy Britains Royal Air Force this later became known as the Battle of Britain. It was essential for Hitler to control the sky because this was the only way he could make a successful invasion of Britain. Hitler first tried to defeat the military army however, this didn’t seem to work so he decided to attack the civilians instead, he hoped that these damages to the population would weaken the morale and lead to the British publics demand for surrender. Hitler had before attacked in the daylight however the RAF, who controlled the skies during the daylight, put a good fight and this forced Hitler to change his tactics and start bombing at night. London, amongst Portsmouth, Coventry, Bristol, Manchester and Southampton, were being constantly bombed. London was being bombed every night for 57 days in a row. Hitler decided to attack London on the 7th September 1940; this was known as the Blitz. Now that the war was a total war this would change every aspect of life because Britain would have to fight alone and would have no help from other countries because by now most of the allies were already taken over by Hitler. However Hitler’s change in plans would not have worked if there weren’t any improvement and increase in war technology. Blitzkrieg used new technology such as tanks and more advanced airplanes to get a reakthrough in the fighting, which differed greatly from the stalemate trench fighting in World War I. The changing tactics affected civilians because they were the main target. On May 1941 Hitler decided to end attacking Britain as he was more interested in Russia. He decided to launch operation Barbarossa which was the invasion of Russia on 22nd June 1941. This was based on Blitzkrieg the same way he def eated France, Belgium and Netherlands. Blitzkrieg meant â€Å"lightning war†. This was based on speed and surprise. For Blitzkrieg to be successful light tanks supported by planes and infantry was important. Civilians were affected by war due to the improvement and increase in war technology because more technology had now been developed in such a way that aircrafts could fly over countries for longer times and carry more and more munitions, making it possible to carry out bigger destruction than before. Hitler wouldn’t be able to change his tactics and wouldn’t be able to carry out the Operation Sealion if there wasn’t any improvement in war technology because planes before were unable to fly for long distances, the time they could fly overhead now was 30 minutes which wasn’t that long either. Aircrafts were now being built which could carry up to nine men. Improvement and increase in war technology now made it possible to cause bigger destruction to countries and made bombing much easier than before. Improvements were being made in weaponry, aircraft and tanks. Radar stations were also set up by in Britain. The radar was invented by Robert Watson watt; this allowed Britain to track any German warplanes and time to attack them before they caused too much damage. This was an improvement in war technology because this was never used before. The type of war had changed this would affect civilians because if the type of war changes so will the tactics. Due to all the aircrafts being made and the type of weapons it was going to be a quicker war which involved no trench warfare or stalemate. There were two main types of aircrafts used in the war they were bomber planes and fighter planes. In total there were 18,449 bomber planes and 53,249 fighter planes. Now that aircraft was being used this meant that civilians were more at risk and this lead to the British government taking control of peoples lives in order to protect them. Hitler had a secret weapon which he was going to use on Britain called the V1 and V2 bombers. They cannot be classified as a plane or as a rocket. They didn’t leave the atmosphere neither was it steered by a pilot. The V1 was launched on Britain on June 1944. The V2 was different to the V1; you could not see the V2 after it had been fired unlike the V1. The impact of the V1 was limited because you could see them from a distant and were shot down by anti-aircraft fire, also fighter planes were sent to touch the tip of the wings on the bomber so that they would fly off course. The V2 was designed to bring devastation to Londoners; these bombs were Hitler’s revenge. There were reports coming in about this secret weapon but no one knew exactly what it was so Churchill could not plan anything. The RAF was sent to destroy the sites where these weapons were made. In total 73 were destroyed however 23 still remained. This would affect civilians because they didn’t know what to expect because it could be very devastating or just cause a bit of damage. Also another reason for why civilians were affected by World War II was because of economic impact. The economic impact affected civilians because the government now had to control the amount of food coming in because of the sinking merchant ships which were being attacked by the German U-boats. The government introduced rationing of items such as food, clothing, petrol and cosmetics. In January 1940, food items including bacon, butter were rationed. Later, cheese, fresh eggs, breakfast cereals, milk, sweets, jam, meat, sugar and tea were rationed. Half of Britain’s food was rationed by the end of the war. The government tried to reduce the number of British merchant ships by using the convoy system. However not everyone got what they wanted and this resulted in the black market. It was important to introduce rationing because people who lived in the cities had less chance of growing their own crops compared to people in the countryside. Propaganda was used to encourage people to safe certain costs on certain things, this resulted in campaigns which were set up by the government. An example of a campaign was ‘Dig for Victory’. This was a campaign which urged people to use their gardens and any spare land to grow food. Many people thought that this was a fair system because it meant that many items were controlled at affordable prices. At that time many people kept chickens, rabbits and goats in their back garden. Later on more and more campaigns were introduced for various things e. g. ‘Make Do and Mend’ and ‘Mrs Sew-and-Sew’ which were campaigns to innovate women to create new clothing’s using old material and to repair any old clothes that had holes etc. As well as growing their own vegetable they were told to save on water by only using 12 cm of water while bathing. Propaganda for food was introduced because this the government had thought would free up ships transporting supplies to Britain could be used as military ships and in war. . A man was allowed to buy a new suit every two years, and to buy a shirt every twenty months. Trousers came without cuffs, pleats or zippers. The need to protect British civilians affected civilians because this now meant that there would be restrictions to ensure that the civilians are safe and information was controlled so that any spies wouldn’t be able to know about any plans. Now that new war technology was being used this would make the government take certain precautions so that civilian injuries and deaths were kept to a minimum. To protect civilians the government had blackouts and evacuations. Blackouts were when people were ordered to cover windows with heavy materials and stop any light from going out; people would do this by putting up blackout material which was supplied by the government and cover their windows etc. This would make the job for the German bombers harder to spot where people were and navigate around. At first all usage of lights were banned. Other blackout rules included streets lights being masked to give a pinpoint of light at the base of each lamp post, traffic lights were masked so that only a small amount of colour could be seen, torches had to be pointed downwards and glass covered with two layers of tissue, smoking was banned at first and if you were caught you would be fined, top of pillar boxes were painted green or yellow so that is any mustard gas was present it would stain the paint and show many more precautions were taken. However these restrictions had to be eased up because the number of road accidents went up. The government introduced new rules such as white lines were painted into the middle of the road so that drivers could see where they were going in the dark, Curb edges and car bumpers were also painted white, headlights were permitted as long as the driver had headlamp covers with three horizontal slits. Evacuations affected civilians because families who had children were being torn apart. Evacuation first started in the summer of 1938 by the Anderson Committee. The British Government were afraid that British cities and towns would be targets for bombing raids by aircraft and therefore evacuation was introduced. People who were going to be evacuated were children, some mothers of small children and pregnant women, the elderly, some teachers and invalids. The children were only allowed to take a few things with them including a gas mask, books, money, clothes, ration book and some small toys. Britain was divided in to three zones, â€Å"evacuation†, â€Å"neutral† or â€Å"reception†. Evacuation areas were where heavy bombing was expected. Neutral areas were areas that would not need to send or receive evacuees. Reception areas were rural areas where evacuees would be sent. By 1940 nearly half a millions children who had been evacuated had returned this was because there hadn’t been any air-raids, some were homesick. Evacuations often tore families apart because the children were evacuated and sometimes mothers too so this meant that there was an emotional impact on the British civilians. Propaganda and censorship was also used to protect civilians. This affected civilians because everything was being controlled by the government. The government used the media, newspapers and any other form of advertisement they could to ensure people were safe. Posters were put up to encourage people to join the war for example ‘Your country needs you’. Posters were also put up to encourage women to send their children for evacuation and also for gas masks reminding people to carry them etc. The government would censor any newspaper articles which were likely to weaken the civilians morale for example, the media invented the ‘Spirit of the Blitz’ to boost the morale. Censorship was also used to stop enemies from gathering any valuable information. All images and newspaper articles were being censored by the Ministry of Information. Their job was to make sure anything which could possibly weaken the morale wasn’t shown. The civilians had a limited amount of freedom to express themselves because the government closely kept an eye on them through censorship and propaganda. War preparation affected civilians because now that this war was a total war civilians would be affected and this was inevitable and also the government have a duty to protect civilians. The government had made plans before the war had even started for example conscription, air raid precautions and shelter plans. Air raid precautions were introduced because the Air Ministry had forecast that Britain would be under air attacks and this would cause high civilian casualties and destruction from enemy night bombings. They were being planned in 1938. Over 100,000 air raid wardens and 60,000 auxiliary firemen were recruited. Conscription was introduced in 27th April 1939. Conscription first started for men and then later on women. Conscription affected civilians because families were torn apart as men had to go and join the army. The National Service Act made it part of the legislation that, single men aged 18 to 41 were to be conscripted before married men. Shelters were used when bombings were going to happen during the night. People would be alerted by the wailing of air raid sirens just as German bombers were approaching. The first shelter to be made was the Anderson shelter made by the Anderson Committee later on another shelter was made called the Morrison shelter. People who had gardens used the Anderson shelter. The Morrison shelter could be used indoors and people often used them as a table and when it was time to use them they would just go inside. The government had made communal shelters which could protect up to 50 people as well as underground stations were used later on. Gas masks were used to protect civilians because the British government thought that poisonous gas may be used on the civilians during the war. The government had issued 38 million gas masks by 1940. Adults had black rubbery gas masks whereas children had ‘Micky mouse’ masks with red rubber pieces and bright eye piece rims. Gas masks were also used by babies, which mothers would have to pump air using a bellow. It was often hard to breathe when wearing the gas masks. Air raid wardens would also wear gas masks with a long hose and a speaking box attached to his belt. In the tin canister at the end there would be charcoal which soaked up any poisonous gases. War preparation affected civilians because everyone would be involved in it somehow even if it was just being evacuated. It would appear that the most important reason why British Civilians were affected by World War II would be because the government needed to protect civilians. In order for the government to protect civilians they had to control every aspect of their life, this included what they did to what they could eat. This often restricted people’s free will for example some preferred to go and shelter in the railway stations underground but the government didn’t allow this however, in the end the government had to back down. The government wanted to evacuate children and pregnant women because they wanted to protect the future generation. Without the future generation there would be no one to fight the future wars and work.