Mans Tragedy in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch Essay

Man's Tragedy in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch Solzhenitsyn's turning to history has extremely important consequences for his total literary heritage. As he himself has said, "Literature that is not the very breath of contemporary society does not deserve the name of literature." To be true literature, "the pain and fears of society must be held before it, society must be warned against the moral and social dangers which threaten it." History to Solzhenitsyn, as to Leo Tolstoy, is the theater and the arena in which the abominations as well as the glories of human behavior are revealed at their most powerful and on the grandest scale. This is not to say that Solzhenitsyn actually "writes history," meaning by that a formal history text. Rather, his novel August 1914 is a vehicle for the telling the larger story of the human condition. As in One Day, characters are minutely inspected in order best to understand the historical environment in which they participate as well as being affected by it. In other words, history at its present juncture provides Solzhenitsyn with concrete, "living" referents or the actual background against which the moral fiber of realistically depicted characters are not only revealed but above all tested and tempered. As in the later work, Gulag Archipelago, Solzhenitsyn's historical novel about Leninist-Stalinist terror and the labor-camp system, so in August 1914 events do not simply "happen," as though they were products of the action of Fate. It is precisely over the issue of Why Events Happen that Solzhenitsyn parts company with the great Russian writer, Tolstoy, who himself used history (War and Peace) as a mea... ...," not by means of dogmatic insistence upon "historical law" and "ultimate truth." So, for Solzhenitsyn, man's Tragedy does not consist in his being ground under by an historical juggernaut, a dumb force guided by inexorable historical laws, impersonal forces, economic determinism, and so forth. Instead, man makes his own history. Ideologies, religions, policies do help shape the lines along which history will be made, but above all for Solzhenitsyn, it is men who make history. It is they who can be blamed. So can the makers of ideologies be blamed for the postulates they develop and the consequences which result from them. "Who is to blame?" the author of Gulag Archipelago asks in the chapter entitled, "The Law Becomes a Man." He answers, with bitter irony: "Well, of course, it obviously could never be the Over-All Leadership!" Man's Tragedy in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch Essay Man's Tragedy in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch Solzhenitsyn's turning to history has extremely important consequences for his total literary heritage. As he himself has said, "Literature that is not the very breath of contemporary society does not deserve the name of literature." To be true literature, "the pain and fears of society must be held before it, society must be warned against the moral and social dangers which threaten it." History to Solzhenitsyn, as to Leo Tolstoy, is the theater and the arena in which the abominations as well as the glories of human behavior are revealed at their most powerful and on the grandest scale. This is not to say that Solzhenitsyn actually "writes history," meaning by that a formal history text. Rather, his novel August 1914 is a vehicle for the telling the larger story of the human condition. As in One Day, characters are minutely inspected in order best to understand the historical environment in which they participate as well as being affected by it. In other words, history at its present juncture provides Solzhenitsyn with concrete, "living" referents or the actual background against which the moral fiber of realistically depicted characters are not only revealed but above all tested and tempered. As in the later work, Gulag Archipelago, Solzhenitsyn's historical novel about Leninist-Stalinist terror and the labor-camp system, so in August 1914 events do not simply "happen," as though they were products of the action of Fate. It is precisely over the issue of Why Events Happen that Solzhenitsyn parts company with the great Russian writer, Tolstoy, who himself used history (War and Peace) as a mea... ...," not by means of dogmatic insistence upon "historical law" and "ultimate truth." So, for Solzhenitsyn, man's Tragedy does not consist in his being ground under by an historical juggernaut, a dumb force guided by inexorable historical laws, impersonal forces, economic determinism, and so forth. Instead, man makes his own history. Ideologies, religions, policies do help shape the lines along which history will be made, but above all for Solzhenitsyn, it is men who make history. It is they who can be blamed. So can the makers of ideologies be blamed for the postulates they develop and the consequences which result from them. "Who is to blame?" the author of Gulag Archipelago asks in the chapter entitled, "The Law Becomes a Man." He answers, with bitter irony: "Well, of course, it obviously could never be the Over-All Leadership!"

Filipino people Essay

Women have always enjoyed greater equality in Philippine society than was common in other parts of Southeast Asia. Since pre-Spanish times, Filipinos have traced kinship bilaterally. A woman’s rights to legal equality and to inherit family property have not been questioned. Education and literacy levels in 1990 were higher for women than for men. President Aquino often is given as an example of what women can accomplish in Philippine society. The appearance of women in important positions, however, is not new or even unusual in the Philippines. Filipino women, usually called Filipinas, have been senators, cabinet officers, Supreme Court justices, administrators, and heads of major business enterprises. Furthermore, in the early 1990s women were found in more than a proportionate share of many professions although they predominated in domestic service (91 percent), professional and technical positions (59. 4 percent), and sales (57. 9 percent). Women also were often preferred in assembly-type factory work. The availability of the types of employment in which women predominated probably explains why about two-thirds of the rural to urban migrants were female. Although domestic service is a low-prestige occupation, the other types of employment compare favorably with opportunities open to the average man. This favorable occupational distribution does not mean that women were without economic problems. Although women were eligible for high positions, these were more often obtained by men. In 1990 women represented 64 percent of graduate students but held only 159 of 982 career top executive positions in the civil service. In the private sector, only about 15 percent of top-level positions were held by women. According to many observers, because men relegated household tasks to women, employed women carried a double burden. This burden was moderated somewhat by the availability of relatives and servants who functioned as helpers and child caretakers, but the use of servants and relatives has sometimes been denounced as the equivalent of exploiting some women to free others. Since the Spanish colonial period, the woman has been the family treasurer, which, at least to some degree, gave her the power of the purse. Nevertheless, the Spanish also established a tradition of subordinating women, which is manifested in women’s generally submissive attitudes and in a double standard of sexual conduct. The woman’s role as family treasurer, along with a woman’s maintenance of a generally submissive demeanor, has changed little, but the double standard of sexual morality is being challenged. Male dominance also has been challenged, to some extent, in the 1987 constitution. The constitution contains an equal rights clause–although it lacks specific provisions that might make that clause effective. As of the early 1990s, divorce was prohibited in the Philippines. Under some circumstances, legal separation was permitted, but no legal remarriage was possible. The family code of 1988 was somewhat more liberal. Reflective of Roman Catholic Church law, the code allowed annulment for psychological incapacity to be a marital partner, as well as for repeated physical violence against a mate or pressure to change religious or political affiliation. Divorce obtained abroad by an alien mate was recognized. Although the restrictive divorce laws might be viewed as an infringement on women’s liberty to get out of a bad marriage, indications were that many Filipinas viewed them as a protection against abandonment and loss of support by wayward husbands. http://www. mongabay. com/history/philippines/philippines-the_role_and_status_of_the_filipina. html La Mujer Indigena – The Native WomanA description of the Filipino Woman during Pre-Spanish Timeby Lorna S. Torralba Titgemeyer| | Introduction:When Sr. Mary John Mananzan came to Vienna to give a seminar on the comparative role and status of the Filipino woman in the family and society, past and present, initially I was not so sure of participating, for reasons difficult to explain. Partly because I was confident of my status as woman and wife, or maybe I was afraid that my individualism and self-confidence might be influenced or could cause changes in me. But curiosity got the better of me. The day turned out to be very amusing, very interesting and very informative. The following is in part a summary of Sr. Mary John? s one-day lecture, reflecting on the status of the pre-Spanish Filipino woman, as this helped me understand why we sometimes have this strange feeling of being different from how we had been brought up†¦ that is, being meek, obedient and humble†¦ in short, a good mujer christiana. From Catalona or Babaylan, La Mujer Indigena to La Mujer ChristianaThe Philippines during the pre-colonial period was not a whole entity, the way it is now. It was made up of loosely related principalities with their own separate social, political and economic systems under their own tribal rulers. Community life and social activities were organized mainly on the basis of kinship, beliefs and economic interest. A group of elders were advisers to the tribal ruler and jointly they acted as judge and lawgiver. In some communities, the Babaylan was highly respected as priestess or religious practitioner, as well as healer, counselor and mediator in the tribe. Although differing in name, every tribe had its own religious practitioners, who were preferred to men. In fact, when a male performed the religious office of a Catalona or Babaylan, he was dressed like a woman. With this reference, I would like to present the unknown image of pre-Spanish Filipino woman, la mujer indigena totally in contradiction to the prevailing belief that the elevation of the status of women, was one of the benefits brought by Spanish colonization. The matriarchal society which many of us believed we always had in the Philippines is also a false presumption. The falsely taken patriarchal upbringing with its machismo and a touch of misogyny came uplater with the Spanish colonization. In the eraly Philippines there had always been an egalitarian relationship not only between husband and wife, but also in the upbringing of offsprings. The early Filipinos gave equal importance to both male and female offsprings. Inheritance was divided equally among them, distinguishing only primogeniture and legitimacy. Education was an opportunity for both sexes. Arranged marriage was a custom among pre-Spanish Filipinos. The groom and his family gave dowry to the bride? sparents, an amount agreed upon according to their means. When married the woman did not lose her name. In some Tagalog regions, if the woman was especially distinguished, the husband usually took her name. So it was usual to hear people refered to the husband of Ninay or the husband of Isyang. The pre-colonial Filipino wife was treated as a companion, not as slave. She enjoyed freedom in making decisions in the family. Her say was not only confined to domestic affairs like having a baby or not. Giving birth many times was disliked by women, especially those who inhabited towns near the sea, saying that in having many children, they are like pigs. For this reason they practiced abortion after having the desired number of children. What name to give a child was also her prerogative. She enjoyed a key role in the economic stability of the family. Formal contracts were done only in her presence. In fact there were only very few husbands who would dare enter into contracts without the consent or presence of their wives. It was seldom that a woman did not know how to manage the family landholdings. She had the task of agricultural production once the ground had been prepared by the man. She engaged herself in weaving and pottery-making and usually managed the trading of products and wares. The role of women in the political field, especially leadership role is a disputable subject for those who say, this was based merely on legends. Remember the legend of Queen Maniwantiwan, the wife of Datu Marikudo whose consent had to be secured before he could sell his lands to the Bornean immigrants led by Datu Puti. Another queen who is reported to have ruled Cotabato in the seventh century was Queen Sima. The practice of primogeniture with regard to inheritance regardless of sex allowed women to succeed their fathers as rulers of tribes. The most famous of the women leaders of pre-Spanish society was Princess Urduja of Pangasinan. She was supposed to be a beautiful Amazon, courageous and intelligent, possessing knowledge of languages and culture of Old Asia. In Teresita Infante? s documented study, The Woman in Early Philippines and Among Tribal Minorities, there is a description of the role of women among the Kalingas: â€Å"Kalinga women are not barred from belonging to the highest rank of society, which entitles them to the privileges equal to those of men in similar rank. Some are recognized as pact holders and as she is the one who owns the pact, only her children or relatives have the right to inherit it. † Pact holders were those who held agreement with a prominent citizen of another tribe or community in which each party agreed to give protection and aid to all members of each other? s community while they were in his/her territory. Punishment was imposed if any harm had been done to them by his/her tribe member. This important position of being a pact holder was recognized among women in the pre-Spanish society. In the event of divorce caused by childlessness, infidelity, failure to fulfill obligations towards family, etc. the dowry had to be returned by the bride? s family if she was at fault. However, if the husband was at fault, he lost any right of its return. The children were divided equally between the two regardless of sex. The conjugally-acquired property was also divided equally. This way, she possessed equal rights with regard to divorce according to law and custom. To summarize, the pre-Spanish filipino woman, the mujer indigena had an honoured position in the family and society, which was dispensed with by the Spaniards. A new Filipina was formed, a person moulded to the image and likeness of the perfect woman of the Iberian society of her time. She had to follow many rules and regulations on how to lead the life of a good mujer christiana, which meant lesser freedom and rights. | http://www. univie. ac. at/Voelkerkunde/apsis/aufi/wstat/mujer. htm.

Corporate governance Essay

Other studies have attempted to isolate the impact of separate social factors on financial performance. For instance, Derwall, Gunster, Bauer, & Koedjik, K. (2003) have included the innovest eco-efficiency scores of US companies, and have looked at the environmental factor. After controlling the risk and investment style, they concluded that the high-ranked portfolio outperforms the low-ranked portfolio. The results become significant when adjusted for industry effects. Becker & Huselid (1998) have concentrated on the relationship between human resources management and firm performance. An analysis of over 500 multi-industry US companies present that a high performance HRM system has an economically and statistically positive effect on organizational performance. Gompers, Ishi, & Metrick, A. (2003) have emphasized the corporate governance aspect. They have drafted a governance index using 24 governance rules on 1,500 large US firms. An investment strategy that purchased shares of well-governed firms and sold shares in badly-governed firms earned an abnormal return during the 1990s. The research has applied style-adjustments. Bauer, Gunster, & Otten (2003) have analyzed the effect of corporate governance on stock returns and firm value. They have utilized the Deminor Corporate Governance ratings to build a portfolio of organizations with bad corporate governance. They find positive results for style-adjusted returns, with weaker positive results after adjustment for country differences. In summary, majority of the studies have presented an out-performance for SRI portfolios compares with more traditional investment approaches, even if such differences do not always present as statistically significant. When particular dimensions of sustainability are investigated, more significant and positive results are brought forth, suggesting that some facets of corporate social responsibility may also contribute shareholder value. Hypothesis This research will look into the efficiency of the internet, especially the corporate websites in transmitting messages with regard to one’s corporate social responsibility. In the same way, it would determine the role of corporate responsibility in increasing profits and revenues of a certain organization. It would look at how US companies incorporate their corporate social responsibility into their websites and how they link the most present and relevant issues into the general characteristics of the company (corporate profile) and of their products and services. In the same manner, this study aims to look at how these issues have been presented in their websites. Are they using the descriptive or informative approach and are they more commercial in perspective instead of allowing an ethical valuation or an appraisal of the company’s compromises in its production. This would also look into the issue of corporate governance. This research shall be qualitative in nature. According to Fay (1996), qualitative researchers attempt to accurately describe, decode and interpret the precise meanings of a certain phenomenon to a person or group of people. The research will also be based on the interpretative paradigm. According to Saunders et al. (2003) interpretive research is a broader term than qualitative research and it encompasses all other approaches based on participant observation such as ethnographic, qualitative, phenomenological, constructivist, and case studies. Second, interpretive research does not carry with it the false connotation of excluding the use of quantitative measures. The focus lies at the different constructions and meanings people place upon their own experiences and the reasons for those differences. The researcher shall use three tests focused in one group. These shall include surveys, focus group discussions and interviews that are essential in gaining necessary data. The focus group discussion of qualitative analysis was utilized, offering the proponent the opportunity to follow up and clarify certain facets of the research to the researchers and to the peers of the research group. It also permitted the members of the focus group to express his/her feelings, opinions and concerns. Following this, the focus group discussions created were documented and thematically analyzed. In order to effectively evaluate the research hypothesis and meet the objectives of the study, this study will employ two qualitative research methods – the focus group discussion and interview method of research. Qualitative research in itself makes for an in-depth evaluation and analysis of human dynamics and the kind of reasons that motivate such behaviour and the reasons that revolve around such behaviour to spur out in the first place. As compared to quantitative research, the qualitative method of analysis relies on the fundamental reasons behind the reactions of people when external factors are applied to a given situation. Simply put, it investigates the why and how of decision making, relative to what is being identified by the quantitative method of analysis – what, where, and when (Denzin & Lincoln 2000). For this reason, qualitative research only requires a relatively small group as compared to the relatively large yet most of if not all of the time are random samples. Qualitative research also identifies and sorts data into relevant and helpful patterns as the foundation for organization and the basis for reporting the kind of results for data.

Frankenrunner

Frankincense: Methods and Techniques: Structure & Narrative Form From Top Notes – Patterson & Strangers Epistolary Narrative Form â€Å"Frankincense† Is written In an epistolary narrative form that was popular at the time in which it was written. The original publication was presented in three volumes and this emphasized the Chinese box structure of the story within a story within a story. This structural device adds a great deal to its stark drama as well as ensuring greater reader engagement.The use of three narrators lends verisimilitude to an unlikely Tory since there is no one omniscient narrator. Our ideas are formulated by responding to multiple narrators and from being able to balance perceptions from one to the other. This method enables the author to maintain a certain objective distance between the text and the reader, allowing her audience to Judge and assess the moral worth of her protagonists. Flaws become evident but rather than the novelist casting asper sions on them; the characters condemn themselves In the reader's mind by their very actions. Multiple NarratorsThe novel is still able to Intrigue contemporary audiences because each of the three separate stories engage our sympathy with the narrator who presents them. This lends a personal voice in their fate. Each story fits neatly into the next. New contributions are made to our understanding which in turn colors our response to what is being recounted. The interlocutory bond between storyteller and listener Is maintained throughout even though the narrators alternate and often overlap. The reader is caught up in the storytellers magic, listening spellbound as different aspects of plot or character are revealed.First person narration offers one perspective but when this is put up against a deferent version of events, out Interpretations shift on response to questionable moral efficacy. Both Walton and Frankincense are linked by their voluntary alienation from society whereas the Creature has been forced to wander the world as an outcast. The narrators are depicted as flawed Individuals and on the absence of any one, single or reliable storyteller, the reader Is forced to assume the mantle of Judge. We, rather Han the novelist, evaluate the narrators and their versions of the truth that are presented to us.Well ? educated Walton seems the most reliable of the three and like Coleridge Ancient Mariner, is left alive to tell the tale that was in turn recounted to him. Shelley makes it clear however that these tales however have been filtered throughout his consciousness. Wallow's sister, Mrs. Seville becomes a surrogate reader, serving narrative function of receiving the letters her brother writes. Dualism Dualism links Victor and his mother which is not given a name, having no identity there than that of being Frankincense's doppelgà ¤nger shadow.Constructed from the dead body parts of others, he is a grotesque parody of life. â€Å"My form†, says the monster, â€Å"is a filthy type of yours, made horrid even in the very resemblance. † Both the scientist and his creation represent the duality of the human condition, the composite blend of good and evil; â€Å"Was man, indeed, at once so powerful, so virtuous and magnificent, yet so vicious and base? He appeared at once time a mere scion of the evil principle, and at another as all that can be conceived of noble and godlike.Frankincense describes the fiend as a monstrous or supernatural devil – â€Å"l was cursed by some devil, and carried about with me mum eternal hell†. Linked by many features such as a desire to learn and extract vengeance and scarred by the emotional suffering that results, they become mirrored reflections of each other. Their identities fuse as part of the Doppelgà ¤nger motif, forging an ambivalent relationship between good and bad. This helps reinforce the central thematic concern of monstrosity, challenging the reader to ponder the n ature of humanity and its evil twin.

American Natural History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

American Natural History - Essay Example These eras are characterized in the essay based on the environmental situation of the Americas and its ways of improving the nature. Lastly, a comparison of the previous and past concepts of improving the nature will also be briefly discussed in this essay. The Colonial Period The Columbian Era October (1492-1502) The highlight of the environmental history of the United States started with Columbus’ arrival in San Salvador. Changes in the Land, written by William Cronon, documented how Columbus’ and other colonists’ arrival marked the beginning of people’s different attitude towards the environment. Columbus’ â€Å"Columbian Exchange† made possible the exchanges of diseases, plants, animals, and others that strengthened the link between Europe and America (Magoc 6). Loss of lives was a result of the natives’ willingness and active participation in trading. Mercantilism, which entails the extraction of natural resources for trading, exi sted between the native Indians and the colonists. By saying so, the gradual destruction of the native Indians’ environment was a result of their willingness in forging trading with the colonists which entails extraction of anything that can be exchanged to the Europeans. In other words, the natives were not forced to engage in trading; they simply did what they think could serve their needs. The precolonial and colonial period were marked by an abundance of natural resources, or as Cronon suggests, â€Å"limitless and overflowing† resources (168). The natives believe that their resources are endless, but the arrival of the Europeans made their beliefs changed. The colonists instilled in them the idea that nature’s abundance is limited. Nature, by all means, can be altered, diminished, or affected depending on how and to what extent the resources are used. Furthermore, land ownership has also altered the way the natives view possessions. The Europeans made them believe that even lands can be traded. The natives’ relationship with the land is a transient one, something that made them utilized the land based on how much it can provide them in a given period of time. What they believed to be traded with the colonists is not the land itself, but the rights associated with its use, such as the rights to till and hunt. However, that is not how the Europeans viewed mercantilism. This is enough to say that complacency and confidence towards the Europeans eventually started the destruction of the environment. Using land to trade is environmentally devastating because no one knows how it is going to be utilized. Altering them for mercantilism purposes destructs the whole naturality of the land. Worse, when one gets benefits from the land after a commercial venture, he or she is not satisfied and wants even more from changing the land. Humans are innately not contented creatures. The evidence, as documented by Cronon, was the European’s demand for fur bearing animals and beaver. As a result, beaver’s population diminished and affected the ecological balance. In Cronon’s words, â€Å"Beaver dams provided a natural alteration of the ecosystem. Eliminating the dam makers meant recreating the environment† (107). When there were acres of arable land, colonists also flocked the area, and this created a

Commitment to Diversity in the American Cancer Society, A Non Profit Assignment

Commitment to Diversity in the American Cancer Society, A Non Profit Organization - Assignment Example There is a separate section on the webpage in which complete details about how the organization is managing diversity is properly explained. The study of Third Sector New England (2010) has provided detailed information about organizational commitment to managing diversity and it is appropriately applied in ACS. Some issues related to gender, race and religion are found in many organizations as they have some difficulty in fulfilling their commitment to managing diversity among their workforce (Krietz, 2007). According to ACS (2012) and CancerNYNJ News (2011), there have been no severe diversity issues faced by the organization as it has addressed all the potential problems carefully so that it doesn’t encounter any problems in the long-run. All the content provided on organization’s website is related to diversity and all latest articles, guidelines and happenings of the organization are posted on its site. All the information provided on the site is updated till year 2007, code of conduct is updated as of 2000 (no updating is done afterwards) and everything is well-integrated on the website. Images and pictures uploaded on the website are limited; although it is showing how it is managing diversity among its patients but there are few selected pictures related to staff and volunteers that how is it ensuring that diversity is properly managed. ACS website can be enhanced by learning few points from the websites of Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Chicago (YNPN Chicago) and Girl Scouts of the U.S.A (GSUSA). Since websites are the main source of communication between the Non-profit organizations and its stakeholders, it is crucial that all the information about how it is managing diversity issues in organizations and fulfilling its commitment to managing it within the organization so that organizations can perform at their best. Third Sector New England (2010).

Dropbox Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Dropbox - Essay Example Analysis: Houston and Ferdowsi believed that their product was unique and most user-friendly, without having the users the need to learn its usage, and yet extremely useful to its users. Houston believed that something like the Dropbox technology is needed by every individual that works or uses computer technology, although people can work without this one; however, Dropbox would make their computer-based work and activities hassle-free and enable individuals to access their files/information/data from any other system and from anywhere in the world. The most challenging aspect for Dropbox is to earn consumers that believed in the usability, precision, and need for Dropbox technology. The most important and challenging aspect of bringing Dropbox to consumers is to confront the fierce competition that already existed in the market in other forms. There were products that provided backup; protected data from risk of loss, hackers, damage etc; upload data onto the web for future access from anytime and any place. Dropbox had to combine all features of the competitors’ products in order to enter the market and sustain. Dropbox used minimal marketing strategies in order to avoid additional costs and focused on providing additional usage features with their product. This certainly was a tough challenge compared to its rivals, like Carbonite and Mozy, which invested heavily on advertising through various media. Dropbox is based on a different kind of business model that comprised of various other technological companies in building this product. Secondly, promotion through screencast onto the Hacker News attracted immense feedback from beta users on usability and features of Dropbox. This activity also attracted some funding from Y Combinator, which further promoted Dropbox by conducting a demo day to larger companies. This helped in attracting funds as well as consumers.