A Lack of Tech-Friendly Policies Means US Could Loose Its Lead Essay Sample free essay sample

The article â€Å"A Lack of Tech-Friendly Policies Means US Could Loose Its Lead† provides relevant treatment about deficiency of proper proficient inventions in the state. It is argued that the state strongly lacks proficient geographic expeditions. new in-migration workers policy and more low-cost instruction. The writer references that the US is a state with tremendous resources. venture capital and the best universities. but the state should move quicker to keep world’s taking place in technological domain. I think that the article is really of import for country’s policy because it highlights current jobs and challenges. Nowadays engineerings are fleetly developing in many Asiatic states. particularly in China. Japan and Korea. and. in my sentiment. the US authorities should pay more attending to policies which encourage and promote technological inventions and scientific geographic expeditions in the energetic field. Actually. the state has adept applied scientists to interchange information and proper resources to use. We will write a custom essay sample on A Lack of Tech-Friendly Policies Means US Could Loose Its Lead Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It goes without stating that the US is really powerful state in all domains. but nowadays the country’s authorities wages attending to contending terrorist act. war in Iraq. and racial favoritism and neglects the bedrock of economic issues which are considered the nucleus of country’s fight at the world’s scene. I agree with the writer that â€Å"innovation starts from education† . and the fact that â€Å"too many pupils are dropping out of school. and excessively few are analyzing math and science† is truly dissatisfactory for me. I think that making more occupations. actuating pupils to larn. and increasing productiveness will excite technological development of the state. The writer is really persuasive as he offers relevant grounds and claims of cardinal political figures to escalate the feeling and do people cognizant of bing jobs. However. I don’t like the thoughts of working out new atom bombs. Space missions. in my sentiment. are of import as they help to understand our universe better.

Schrenker Faked Death to Escape Financial Trouble

Schrenker Faked Death to Escape Financial Trouble Wealthy business owner and money manager Marcus Schrenker made headlines in January 2009, when he attempted to escape the consequences of frauding investors by parachuting out of his small one-engine prop plane in an attempt to fake his death. At one time, Marcus Schrenker had everything. He owned three investment consulting firms, lived with his wife and children in the exclusive Indianapolis suburb of Geist, in a $3 million dollar waterfront home that had a dock and a large swimming pool. Flying was a hobby of his and he owned two aircraft which he used to go on lavish vacations. But in January 2009, it all came crashing down. Idyllic Life on the Outside Marcus Schrenker was born on November 22, 1970.   He grew up in Merrillville, Indiana which is located in the Chicago metropolitan area. In 1989 Schrenker graduated from Merrillville High School, and then went to college at Purdue University. It was at Purdue that he met (former wife) Michelle, married and together they had three children together. As idyllic as the Schrenkers life appeared, there was also a dark side that those who lived with Marcus or around him were very aware of to the point of feeling discomfort when he was around. Schrenker would go from being friendly and charismatic to angry, unreasonable and combative. And, according to his neighbor Tom Britt in an interview with abcnews.go.com, episodes of this type of erratic behavior became more frequent as he grew older. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Schrenker did what many with this disorder do, he would often stop taking his medication, and Michelle, their children, and investors would end up paying the price. Savvy Financial Investor Turned Crook Schrenker owned three financial companies: Heritage Wealth Management, Heritage Insurance Services, and Icon Wealth Management.   His wife Michelle was paid $11,600 as the chief financial officer of the three companies and bookkeeper. She was also on the bank account of Heritage Insurance Services, which gave her the authority to write checks and withdraw money. But in 2008 Schrenker was under investigation in Indiana after several complaints were lodged by some of his investors, upset with how he was handling their money. Friends, the parents of friends and neighbors were among the investors that filed complaints. Michelle had also filed for divorce on December 20, 2008, after learning of her husbands infidelities with a woman who worked at the airport. Investors Supported Lavish Lifestyle Unknown to Schrenker, he had been under investigation for 10 years for various lawsuits that had been filed against him. Then on December 31, 2008, state investigators armed with a search warrant, seized computers, several plastic tubs filled with paperwork, the Schrenkers passports, over $6,000 in cash, and the title to a Lexus, from the Schrenkers home. On January 6, 2009, Schrenker was charged with unlawful acts by a compensated adviser and unlawful transaction by an investment adviser. Bail was set at $4 million.   According to Jim Atterholt, who was the State Insurance Commissioner, Schrenker charged investors exorbitant surrender charges after he moved them out of one annuity and into another. The investors were not told in advance about the fees.   Three days later, on January 9, Schrenkers company Heritage Wealth Management Inc. was issued a $533,500 judgment after a federal court in Maryland ruled in favor of OM Financial Life Insurance Co. The lawsuit contended that Heritage Wealth Management was involved in insurance irregularities and should have returned commissions of more than $230,000. Plane Crash   On Sunday, January 11, 2009, Schrenker flew off from an airfield in Anderson, Indiana in his single-engine Piper. He listed his destination as Destin, Florida. As he neared Birmingham, Alabama, he put out a fake mayday signal and told air traffic controllers that he had been badly injured and was bleeding profusely after the windshield of the plane imploded.Afterward, he put the plane on autopilot and parachuted out. Military jets attempting to intercept the plane reported that the door of the plane was opened, and the cockpit was dark and appeared empty. The jets followed the unmanned plane which crashed over 200 miles later in a swamp in Santa Rosa County, Florida, around 50 yards from a residential area.   After the crash, the plane was found somewhat intact. Investigators searched the plane and reported that there was no blood inside of it and the windshield was completely intact. Authorities put out a warrant for Schrenker arrest. On the Run Schrenker plan was to fake his death and make a run for it. On January 10, the day before he parachuted out of his plane, he drove to Harpersville, Alabama and stashed a motorcycle, money and other supplies in a storage facility. He informed the owner of the facility that he would return Monday. Once Schrenker parachuted to the ground, he made it to Childersburg, Alabama, where at 2:30 a.m. he asked for help from a private resident. He told the resident that he had been in a canoeing accident. He was given a ride to the nearest town and went to the local police station.   He gave the police the same story about being in a canoe accident, and after producing his (surprisingly) real identification, the police drove him to a hotel where he registered under a fake name and paid cash for the room. The following morning, after hearing about the plane crash and that Schrenker was on the run, the police returned to the hotel, but he was gone. Schrenker managed to walk undetected to Harpersville and retrieved his motorcycle then rode it a KOA Campground in Quincy, Florida. There he bought a tent site for one night, wood, a six-pack of Bud Light Lime and was given access to the campgrounds wireless access. Embarrassed and Scared On January 12, Schrenker emailed his friend, Tom Britt, and wrote that the crash was a misunderstanding and that he was too embarrassed and scared to return home, so instead checked into the hotel. He went on to say that he would soon be dead.   On the same day, a Hamilton County Superior Court judge froze both Marcus and Michelles assets. Capture The campground owners were contacted by the sheriff, who wanted to know if there was anything unusual going on there. They told the sheriff about the man who had checked in the previous day but had not checked out.  Soon afterward, U.S. marshals swarmed the campground and found Schrenker, barely conscious and incoherent, lying inside the tent. He had lost a lot of blood from a self-inflicted cut on his wrist and an area near his elbow. He was flown to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. On January 13, Schrenker was arrested and charged in federal court in Pensacola, Florida, with deliberately crashing his plane and making a fake distress call.   Trials and Sentencing February 5, 2009A man in Dothan, Alabama was granted $12 million after an Alabama judge ruled in his favor that Schrenker had sold him a defective airplane. June 5, 2009  Schrenker pleaded guilty to intentionally crashing his plane as a way to escape his mounting financial and legal problems. He was sentenced two months later to four years and three months in prison, $34,000 in restitution to the Coast Guard for its search and rescue efforts and $871,000 in restitution to Harley-Davidson, the lienholder of the plane. Schrenker later pleaded guilty to three counts of securities fraud and two counts of working as an investment banker without being registered. He was given a 10-year prison sentence to run consecutively with the previous sentence for the fake plane crash, and he also had to pay $633,781 in restitution. Six Years Later Schrenker was released from prison on September 18, 2015.

Capstone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Capstone - Essay Example Strengths –one of its major strengths is its reputation for high-quality, technological innovations, and excellent customer service. This ability to leverage new technological ideas into something useful for business and especially appealing to consumers is exemplified by its catch phrase of â€Å"Think Different† which was the personal motto of its founder Steve Jobs. The people at Apple, Inc. had continued this legacy as it ventured into new areas of consumer electronics. In a sense, Apple, Inc. is a good example of the learning organization as shown by its flexibility and agility to constantly re-invent itself (Schermerhorn 2010) to respond to various threats like the rise of Samsung from South Korea and in several pending patent lawsuits still in the courts. Weaknesses – a key weakness of Apple, Inc. is it is being viewed as solely the product of the sheer force of will of Steve Jobs and who is gone due to cancer, there are some lingering doubts whether his successors can continue his legacy of innovation and thinking out of the box, so to speak. This company had transitioned well without Steve Jobs at the top but its future is not assured as it continues to battle many new entrants to an already over-crowded industry. Opportunities – the company can enter into strategic alliances with its competitors so it can better grab market share and shorten the period in bringing a new product to the market. It is a strategy adopted by the faster and nimbler Samsung when it allied itself with Apple, Inc. in the early stages of the smart phone industry but has since parted ways and now dominated the global market for this hand-held device. Apple, Inc. can further tighten its grip on the high-end tablet market by entering into business agreements with retail chains like what it did with Starbucks for its vast music catalog to create new demand for its products (Ireland et al.,

Organization Change and Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Organization Change and Development - Essay Example There is not one organization in the world that can survive the current business environment by resisting change (Kaufman, 2007). These changes are not random; rather they are the result of various factors which will be the focus of this paper. Factors Affecting Change The major forces that make organizational change inevitable, which can either be external or internal, are: economic, technological, social, political, legal, labor market and international environments. Every organization has its own unique goals and objectives which are related in one way or another to the changing business environment which is highly dynamic. These factors of change normally force the organization to re-evaluate and change its mode of operation, management and service delivery (Botha and Kourie, 2008). Technology may be the main factor of change that is being experienced all over the business world. The 21st century has been characterized by innovations and introductions of new technologies which ha ve affected the way people love and work. Perhaps the most important of this technological innovation has happened in the communication sector. The development of the telephone, internet and other forms of communication has entirely changed the business environment (Appalbaum, Close and Klasa, 1999). ... The market conditions in the 21st century have also changed quite a lot. Competition has become much stiffer than it was years ago. This competition has been heightened by the ever increasing number of businesses that offer the same or similar products and/or services. The battle to remain relevant in this kind of market environment is one that all organizations must fight on a constant basis. If it means that the organizations have to change the way they conduct their business, then there is no way around it. Globalization is a major reason why market competition has risen to such great heights (Appelbaum, Everard and Hung, 1999). A good example of a business environment that has seen many changes due to changing market conditions is India. After liberalization in the last two centuries, the country has experienced an influx of foreign companies and formation of many others. This has created such high level of competition that those organizations which could not keep up with the cha nge had to close down or merge with those that had already adapted to the changing business environment. Those organizations that were able to re-align their operations with the sweeping changes in the market are some of the countries best today. The political and legal environment is also as turbulent as the business environment of today. This is because it is also vulnerable to frequent changes, which also affect other spheres of life for individuals and organizations alike. Any changes of governance or administration in a country or a region may have great implications for businesses. For instance, if a democratic government is replaced by a totalitarian one, or vise versa, there is likely to be a major shift of

Charles Dickens Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Charles Dickens - Research Paper Example Dickens was a highly influential personality in the social reforms of Victorian England and his thoughts and ideas were infused with a keen sense of observation that clearly reflected the liberalism of the thirties. In all of his literary works he projected a great power over human emotions with an incomparable measure of human fun and frolic. His literary works were intended to bring about a positive change in the society and hence was centered around his experiences from his childhood, adolescence and all through his growing and maturing years. 1 During the 19th century, there were great thinkers like Karl Marx, Carlyle and Ruskin whose strongly formulated ideas laid the foundation for social reform. However, it was men such as Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy who through their literary work shed light on the abuses of the Industrial Age in Victorian England. Through his writing Dickens enlightened the masses about the abuses of urban life, while Hardy shed light on the devastation on rural life brought about by the Industrial Age. One of Dicken’s most influential novels was ‘Hard Times’ that got published in 1854. The chief premise of this novel was about â€Å"The Preston Lockout of 1853 -54† which highlighted the great labor dispute that took place in the weaving industry. Dickens supported the workers through his writings that surprisingly did not advocate the establishing of trade unions because he felt that such unions were only a symptom of the disease and not the cure. However, in later years trade unions played a major role by improving the lot of the working class. According to (Orwell, citing Macaulay, Dickens pg.6) -‘Hard Times’ has been condemned for its â€Å"sullen Socialism†. These great Victorians denounced the evils of modern society and brought about by the Industrial Revolution and had a vision of a better future and ushered in an era of gradual social change. During the 1760’s England experienced the communal system of agriculture, where the land was divided and cultivated by the Yeomen who worked for them. These Yeomen lived in clustered cottages and pastured their cattle on common pastures. They had wooden implements which were inadequate for their work and their methods of farming 2 were very ancient. Every Yeoman’s house was his factory where all his family members took part in the work. â€Å"Every family spun from its own flock the wool with which it was clothed.† (Wordsworth Guide, p. 60) It was these influences that ushered in a ray of hope in the sky for its citizens. He keenly studied the minds and hearts of the people and knowing what they desired, he reflected his thoughts through his works. He delved deep into the recesses of the minds of the low- bred man by exalting the virtues of chastity, piety and honesty in a way that was strange to them. Charles Dickens is considered to be the conscience of Victorian England. He was quite famous for portraying and exposing the wretchedness of the poor and the downtrodden and was also well known for venting his anger against heartless oppression. It was the reason of these qualities that made him an exceedingly successful author. He was also well known for having burlesqued the Americans by making fun of their airy obscurity of Transcendentalism that is quite evident in his serialized novel titled ‘Martin Chuzzlewit.’ (1842-44) In sharp contrast to the Industrial Age, (Defoe, Tour, pp. 155-156) explains about the idyllic atmosphere that prevailed during that time.

Portrayal Of Social Issues Faced By Women

Portrayal Of Social Issues Faced By Women The aim of this extended essay is to analyze how Patience Agbabi portrays the issues women are faced with in her poem cycle Seven Sisters from her poetry collection Transformatrix and examine the different viewpoints of the main themes presented in the seven poems from the perspective of the poet. This is done by first distinguishing three main topics in the seven poems which are: Teenage pregnancy and prostitution Adolescence and fairytale stereotypes Sexuality, sexual abuse and gender expectations These topics were then thoroughly analyzed by detailed investigation of the poems and additional external sources. With the purpose of understanding the message behind the poems more adequately, an interview with the poet, Patience Agbabi, was organized first by contacting her through www.patienceagbabi.wordpress.com and later by email. The correspondence is attached in the appendix. After an in depth research of the main topics, it was possible to conclude that Patience Agbabi portrayed the women and the social issues in a more unconventional manner by highlighting the virtuous as well as the unpleasant characteristics of the main characters. This is different for example from the media which, influenced by society, typically only presents only one point of view and thus disregards the opinions of the people who actually suffer from the social issues discussed in this essay. Introduction Patience Agbabi is a British poet born in London in 1965 to Nigerian parents. She was educated at Oxford Univeristy and published the poetry collection, named Transformatrix, in 2000. This extended essay will analyze seven sestina poems from that collection, suitably called the Seven Sisters, which are a truthful interpretation of the poets view on women and the many challenges they go through. With each of the seven women representing a different time and type of life, Patience Agbabi has given a very interesting depiction of the transformation of women through time. The issues in the poems vary a great deal. The main topics discussed are teenage pregnancy and prostitution, adolescence and fairytale stereotypes, and sexuality, sexual abuse and gender expectations. In her poems Patience Agbabi tries to break the stereotypes of women that have formed from years and years of misunderstanding and lack of interest to know the other side of the story. It is interesting to see that even th ough a feminist, the poet does not depict the women in the seven poems in an extremely positive or ideal manner; the characters are all authentic and with flaws, as it is in real life, which is exactly the reason why they are so intriguing to read. Instead of the worn out depictions of the topics in the poems, Agbabi tries to explore a different viewpoint and widen the understanding of for example transvestites, lesbians or rebellious teenagers. The poet uses one of the most difficult forms of poetry to master, the sestina, to emphasize the most important aspects in each poem. A sestina is a highly structured poem consisting of six six-line stanzas followed by its envoy. The same set of six words ends the lines of each of the stanzas, but in a different order each time  [1]  . The six repetitive word are time, girl, end, child, boy, dark each of these representing the central themes of the poems and combining the Seven Sisters together. In whole the question this essay aims to answer is: How does Patience Agbabi portray the issues women are faced with in her poem cycle Seven Sisters? Teenage pregnancy and prostitution Teenage pregnancy has been a problem throughout history, the only difference being that nowadays it is much more talked about and there are actual measures taken to relieve the situation. During the Second World War however, which is also the time frame for the first poem Martina  [2]  , the situation was much worse and the problem was ignored or denied. As described in the poem, the war had a horrific effect on people as most were living in constant fear, thinking only about the outcome of the confrontation. With the men sent to battle, the women had to provide for themselves and for many it meant getting a job and working long hours for the first time in their lives. It is to no surprise then, that some women resorted to easier ways to keep their previous lifestyle and at the same time help the war-effort. The so called victory girls or khaki-wackies provided respectable companionship for military men: they wrote letters, played cards, danced with them and eventually ended up c arrying their children as a result of imprudence.  [3]  In the poem Martina, the difference between the two manners of behaviour is described by the fact that in the time of fear and despair, when women had to work hard and food was in very short supply, the so called khaki-wackies had a much more glamorous lifestyle, at least on the outside: .. But we were weekend disciples, evacuees scared of dark nights pierced with blitzkrieg pyrotechnics, child- like, clinging to mothers skirt. She found time to party in new nylons, good-time girl growing voluptuous from man and boy, on chocolate and plum brandy. I was tomboy  [4]   In reality they were non-professional prostitutes, girls who resorted to more straight-forward measures to survive the turbulent and uncertain times. In the last three stanzas of the poem, Agbabi describes the very typical outcome of such behaviour, which was pregnancy. As the V-girls were in majority young girls raging from the age of 12 to 17, teenage pregnancy rate was for example in the United States higher in the 1940s than it is now.  [5]   . We all knew she was expecting a child. In those days we all expected the boy to marry her. But it being wartime, too soon his two-month leave came to an end. Her father threw her out into pitch-dark Novembers clutches with words No girl of mine She gave birth to a baby girl, Martina. They wanted to put the child up for adoption. .   [6]   In these lines the poet also explains the misconception people had about the lifestyle of such girls. It was expected that the soldiers would marry the girl they got pregnant, but the reality was quite different. Majority of the men had no intention to take responsibility, and even when they did walk down the aisle, the marriages usually ended when the war was over. The girls were left behind, pregnant and rejected by the society, with no other option than to resort to illegal abortion, give the child up for adoption or try to raise their newborn alone.  [7]  The women could not expect help from their families as it was considered unforgivable to have a child born out of wedlock. The media portrayed them as people who only had themselves to blame for their situation, but the poem Martina evokes rather sympathy than dismay for the character, especially with the last lines: . In time, she got married for the childs sake, a boy- next-door type; and in time I met a girl with sloe-dark eyes and loved her till the end.  [8]   Patience Agbabi herself says that: The conversational first person narrative invites the reader to identify with these women, to enjoy their spirit and wit, to empathise with them in spite of their morals.  [9]  Throughout the poem and especially in the end, the narrator is more intrigued and fascinated by the victory girl, rather than being appalled. In my opinion it reflects that in many ways the V-girls were envied for their seemingly glamorous lifestyle and their free-spirited nature, by other, more conservative, women during that time. The other poem in the collection, that has the central themes of teenage pregnancy, prostitution and also sexual abuse is Samantha  [10]  . Unlike Martina, the life of Samantha takes place at a more modern time. The poem deals mostly with prostitution, but once again it is not from the very typical viewpoint, as the womans positive characteristics are equally emphasized with her short-comings. The poem also gives more insight to one of the reasons behind prostitution and from that also teenage pregnancy. They cant see my bump in the dark. I work Stamford Hill mostly. My first time was 96. We was really broke. Boy from the local estate. Dealer. The girls put me up to it. Once I got over the taste it was childs play. Sucked him like an ice lolly in June. We call it making ends meet.   [11]   In this stanza, the prostitute is talking about why she first got started with her line of work, and as for most girls, it is usually about financial problems and a lack of education or opportunities to find a proper job. According to Claire Sterk: money, history of sexual abuse, having grown up without love from the significant adults in their lives and being enticed by a male of female friend or by peer pressure from a group of friends are the main reasons behind prostitution.  [12]  All of those are also mentioned in the poem Samantha. When comparing Samantha to Martina then their one similarity is pregnancy, what is different, is the two womens perception of the situations. In Martina, the girl is punished for her situation and considers putting the child up for adoption. In Samantha, the prostitute has a much more positive attitude towards the fact that she has a child. ..Id die if anything happened to my kid. A child keeps you sane. ..  [13]   Even though only taking place 20 to 30 years later, the outlook on the situation had transformed, and prostitutes at that time felt like they had the right and freedom of talking about their lives without shame of what others may think. What is interesting about the poem is the fact that Samantha herself does not seem to be too disturbed about the way her life has turned out, she seems foolishly hopeful that things might change for the better. The fact is however, that the reasons that first dragged the woman into prostitution are not likely to just disappear. In an interview with the Guardian journalist, Emine Saner, a long-time sex worker told Saner that she would like to be able to stop working, but does not know how else to manage financially  [14]  . The importance of this poem and also Martina is the fact that even though both women have a distorted sense of morals, the reader can not help but feel somewhat sorry for the characters and therefore enabling them to see teenage pregnancy and prostitution in a different light than usually portrayed by the media. Adolescence and fairytale stereotypes According to Patience Agbabi herself, exploring childhood moving into adolescence is one of her favourite themes. As every person has been a kid in the past and can say that puberty is a very emotional time of a persons life, it is therefore no surprise that adolescence is an interesting topic for all writers and poets. In a life of a usual teenager, adolescence is the time of first love, discovering sexuality and for most girls the realisation of the truth behind fairytale stereotypes. One of my personal favourites, Agbabis poem The Tiger  [15]  is an excellent portrayal of a rebellious teenage girl who is just on her journey of discovering what life as an adult is actually like. Majority of young girls have a huge misconception about adulthood, mainly concerning romance. Tracy loves Darren. It was girl power, 1979. He was my aerosol boy and the swelling inscription, my lifebuoy. We lasted a month.  [16]   In the poem, the young girl gets a tattoo with the name of her first love. It is a very truthful depiction of young people s understanding of love, as they think it will last forever just like the tattoo. The reality of the situation hits youngsters usually when they gain more independence and responsibilities, which also marks the end of their puberty. The Tiger shows the ordeal in an emotional and familiar way, thus making the reader feel the angst of puberty once again. In modern society, adolescence is widely discussed, as parents seem more and more clueless of what to do when their child is behaving in a rebellious matter. By giving the reader an insight to the girls point of view, Agbabi once again enables people to see the problem from a new angle. It takes an hour to obliterate girl meets boy a minute for childhood to end, and for dark blue to fade to grey, a lifetime.   [17]   With the final stanza of the poem, Agbabi emphasizes again the fact that emotions and situations that all seemed so important during years of puberty, mean very little when compared to the rest of a persons life. The second poem in Agbabis collection that also deals with the problems of fairytale stereotyping and more generally, youngsters misconception of the life ahead, is Leila  [18]  . This poem is mostly depicting the usual dream of a little girl, in her early years of adolescence, when she dreams about charming princes and extraordinary weddings. This delusion has been created by entertainment industry, as children are exposed to more and more cartoons, films and toys in a very early age. The idea behind this is to influence the children into wanting all sorts of consumer goods, but in addition these movies and toys give the young children a distorted view of life which in later years may prove to be a major obstacle on their way of living a fulfilled life. Developmental ps ychologists have long identified the fact that playing has a crucial affect on a childs development. During play children communicate with their world and internalize elements of society, such as norms, values, and adult roles. Childrens toys have a huge effect on their development of self-image and their concept of the society one of the fundamental tasks of childhood and adolescence  [19]  . It is to no surprise then, that the poet has chosen this topic as it sheds light and explains another group of women, who are suffering from some kind of social issue. dreaming all night of her shoe-shine boy, their diamond wedding, that happy end- ing. If she were a time shed be midnight, when each child paints the dark with fantasy, when girls become women, boys become men and Once upon a time becomes The End.  [20]   The last stanza of the poem is showing exactly Agbabis point that eventually all people grow up and with that they also have to grow out of fairytales. No fairytale ever shows the life of the protagonists after the happily ever after, and therefore having unrealistic expectations in ones adulthood to, for example, have a relationship that can be compared to a classical fairytale, is a dream that in reality will never come true. The two poems of adolescence and fairytale stereotypes are not only instructive for the young girls and women who are faced with the issue, but also for those who as observers may not have completely understood or recognized it as a social issue before. Sexuality, sexual abuse and gender expectations Sexuality is most definitely the most controversial and most covered topic that the poet has examined in her poem collection Seven Sisters. Patience Agbabi, being a bisexual herself, gives a very interesting and somewhat perceptive portrayal of a vast variety of different women and their sexualities. Not only does she discuss the sexualities of the women themselves, but also gender expectations amongst mothers, who also wish for their child to be of certain sex. According to researchers children are increasingly more aware of their sexuality from an early age, for example according to the research of 2004 by the Guttmacher Institute, 46% of teens in the United States between ages of 15-19 have had sex at least once  [21]  . It is to no surprise then that sexuality is such a talked about topic around the world these days. The problem with young children and their sexuality is briefly discussed in the poems Martina  [22]  and The Tiger  [23]  . In the poem The Tiger, Agbab i writes about the protagonist losing her virginity at a very young age, and thus also losing her childhood. In Martina, the main character is presumably around the age of 16, but has to grow up fast, and therefore get in touch with her sexual side, because of the war. The more controversial part of sexuality in Martina is the fact that even though the character is heterosexual, the narrator is a lesbian, as said by the poet.  [24]  Sexual orientation has a very big part to play in our sense of who we are and exactly where we belong. Even though no-one chooses their sexual orientation, there are still millions of people who are strongly against homosexuality, or bisexuality for that matter. As a close to heart topic for Agbabi, she chooses a very different angle to express her feelings about the social issue concerning sexuality. In her poem Ms de Meanour  [25]  , the narrator who is also the main character in the poem, is a drag queen and in lively fashion talks about her l ife of behaving like a woman, even though actually being a man. Time for boy meets girl in the mirror and wild child bitch with a dick from Crouch End becomes Wild West End diva with dark luscious lashes. .  [26]   In my opinion the poet is trying to draw a comparison between transvestites and gay people, as both are hiding their true personality and sexuality for the benefit and content of others. Drag queens dress and act as women, for the purpose of entertaining or performing. Homosexual people, on the other hand, need to sometimes hide their preferences from other in fear of public condemnation. In the beginning of the 21st century, violence against homosexual population was increasing, even the only wrong they have done is just have the courage to show difference from the majority  [27]  . Fortunately during the last couple of years, the situation has improved, as for example in many countries and in some states in Unites States, same-sex marriages are allowed and recognized by the government. Very closely connected with this topic, is gender expectations which is another theme in Agbabis poems. Centuries ago, it was crucial for a family to have a son, for the very obvious reason that a son is stronger and was more helpful around the house. Not only are there expectations about the gender of the child before it is born, but also after. Parents assume their children to grow up and follow the manner of behaviour that is acceptable by the society. For a heterosexual couple, who have certain expectations for their child, depending on the kids sex, it is probably quite disturbing to accept if the child turns out to be homosexual for example. The poem The Earth Mother  [28]  , is set in a fairytale time of Once upon a time, where an old woman craves for a son and is initially disappointed, when the child she had already named Boy turned out to be a girl. Old Woman named it Boy and dreamt earth, wind and fire, better times And here the tale would end if little girls could truly tame the dark and little boys were really boys, not girls. Old Woman woke and saw her baby Boy was girl and being wise, gave praise and raised this girl-child .  [29]   The poem is a fascinating approach to the subject, as the Old Woman represents most parents who wish their child to grow up a certain way they have imagined. It is also educational, as in the poem even though preliminary shocked to find out that things had not gone as planned, the Old Woman still raised the child without any complaints or regrets. In my opinion, Agbabi is trying to convince the reader that even when a child does not grow up according to certain gender expectations, it is no excuse to repel person s own flesh and blood. A more terrifying theme of sexuality in Agbabis poems is child sexual abuse, which she writes about in the poem Samantha  [30]  , where the character is a young 14 year old girl, who was raped by her step-father and consequently became a prostitute. Sexual abuse between adults and children, and moreover between siblings, is unfortunately not a passing issue in todays society. In 1994, 46% of all rape cases reported, were victims of their family members.  [31]   Pervs. Like my stepdad. I was still a child when he did it. Told her I was sleeping with boys but she walked in on us that lunchtime, and called me a whore. Jealous bitch. I left that weekend. Fourteen, and still scared of the dark.  [32]   One of the most disturbing facts about child sexual abuse is that in some occasions, the parents of the children dont believe when their child tells them about the rape or accuse the child of being seductive and asking for being raped. In those cases, the parent is usually more concerned about the relationship with the abuser than the well-being of their child. Therefore it is no surprise, that after such ordeal, these children end up running away from home and when reaching adulthood suffer from low self-esteem, sexual dysfunction, difficulties with having a healthy relationships, depression, substance abuse and so on.  [33]  The frankness of the main character in the poem, shows the reader the outcome of sexual abuse without any buffers, in its purest form which has proven to be the most efficient way to get people acknowledge the seriousness of the situation and do something about one of the most horrific problems women have to go through in their lives. Conclusion Patience Agbabi is a true-hearted feminist, who in her poem collection Seven Sisters writes about some of the most common social issues women are faced with, without taking sides. In her own words: As a feminist, when I started out as a writer there was a political pressure not to let the side down. Women were seeking equality and you had a duty as a writer to show women in the best possible light. But by this second book, I let art rather than politics lead the way.  [34]  Even though there were many bigger and smaller issues discussed in the poems, the themes that prevailed and seemed to be most close to heart for the poet, were teenage pregnancy and prostitution, adolescences and fairytale stereotypes and lastly sexuality, sexual abuse and gender expectations. The way of portraying issues that are exceedingly talked about, making them sound innovative and interesting, and in addition finding something new to teach in all of the situations is what makes the poems beautiful and absolutely worth reading. Patience Agbabi draws the reader in with writing in first person narrative and therefore lets the reader to identify with these women and the difficulties they face. Teenage pregnancy and prostitution are often discussed from the viewpoint of the general media but what a regular person does not hear often about is the other side of the story, the truth about the situation. As the poet mentioned herself, she is not trying to idealize these women or justify their behaviour and morals, but rather give the reader a change to make up their own decision about the characters. This applies to all of the themes and characters discussed in Seven Sisters. As a whole the collection serves as a quick study book for anyone interested in women their problems, their views on society and how the society views them and most importantly it allows the reader to analyse the information without any outside influence, thus coming to a conclusion that has its bases on the persons own views rather than the views of someone else. Sources Patience Agbabi Transformatrix Edinburgh: Payback Press. 2000. Marilyn Hegarty Victory Girls, Khaki-Wackies and Patriotutes: The regulation of female sexuality during World War II New York: NYU Press. 2007. Claire Sterk Tricking And Tripping, Prostitution In The Era Of AIDS New York: Social Change Press. 2000. Ken Moore Anti-lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Bisexual Violence in 2000 New York: National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs.2001. Kluft Incest-Related Syndromes of Adult Psychopathology Washington: American Psyhiatric Press.1990. Penelope Maza Adoption Trends: 1944-1975 US Childrens Bureau.1984. Emine Saner Youre consenting to being raped for money Guardian.11th December 2007. http://www.eduqna.com/Words-Wordplay/841-1-words-4.html http://www.public.asu.edu/~kleong/adolescents%20barbie.pdf http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-ATSRH.html http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/main.aspx?dbName=DocumentViewerDocumentID=32315 Seven Sisters Unveiled FORM DICTATING CONTENT I discovered the sestina quite by accident. I was well known for being a Janis Joplin fan, the 60s rock star who lived fast and died young of a heroin overdose. I was particularly mesmerised by her rendition of Ball and Chain, a blues number she performed at the Monteray pop festival in 1967. The friend gave me a copy of a poem called You Cant Rhumboogie in a Ball and Chain (for Janis Joplin). It was written by Alice Fulton, a poet Id never heard of. The poem really captured Janis spirit and I loved it. I also loved the way the words seemed to dance around each other. Of course, what I was responding to subliminally was the form of the poem, the form known as the sestina. So what is a sestina? Like many poetic forms it has musical roots. It was invented by Arnaud Daniel (whom Dante considered the best wordsmith). The form was originally sung by the top class troubadours, those who could master the intricate form. The sestina is still seen as the most difficult form to master in modern How to Write Poetry books. Basically, you have six words which appear in a set order at the end of each line. You have six stanzas of six lines each and a final stanza of three lines. It makes more sense when you see it on the page so heres one I prepared earlier, the first one I wrote: WRITING THE SEQUENCE A poet friend from the US, Samantha Coerbell, reintroduced me to the sestina by giving me the six end words, time, girl, end, child, boy, dark. They immediately suggested to me a poem about the passing of time, adolescence, coming of age with dark undertones. I didnt analyse it too closely. One day I went to the Poetry Library in London with a couple of hours to spare. I decided to write a sestina. It was supposed to be difficult but I believed it couldnt be that hard. I managed to write something I was reasonably pleased with in that two hours. It made sense and it has a story line. I knew it was a first draft that needed more work but it was a pretty good first draft as first drafts go. Like the Alice Fulton poem, I also adhered to 10-syllable lines. Traditional English sestinas are written in iambic pentameter. I enjoyed the writing experience, using the word repetitions as a form of rhyme and thought: WHAT IF 100 people got given the same six end words. Imagine the difference in the poems theyd produce. Yet each poem would have a relationship to the next due the set repetition of the end words. Each poem would perform the same dance to a different tune. I then decided to embark on the Seven Sisters project. I gave myself a year but eventually found myself writing one sestina a month. I wanted sufficient gaps between poems so theyd be very different.

The Impact of Gender on Shakespeares Othello Essay -- Literary Analy

The Impact of Gender on Shakespeare’s Othello In the book â€Å"Gender Trouble† (1990), feminist theorist Judith Butler explains â€Å"gender is not only a social construct, but also a kind of performance such as a show we put on, a costume or disguise we wear† (Butler). In other words, gender is a performance, an act, and costumes, not the main aspect of essential identity. By understanding this theory of gender as an act, performance, we can see how gender has greatly impacted the outcome of the play in William Shakespeare’s Othello. From a careful analysis of the story, tragedy in Othello is result of violating expected gender roles, gender performance by Desdemona and Othello, and the result of Iago’s inability to tolerate these violations. The tragedy â€Å"Othello† is written by William Shakespeare in 1604. The story is based on revenge of two characters, Othello and Iago. Othello, the play’s protagonist and hero, who has great reputation as one of Venice’s most competent generals. However, his jealousy causes the major tragedy in his life. This tragedy is brought by a simple manipulation of Iago, the villain of the play. The jealousy led Othello to a path of constant questioning to his wife, and his friend Cassio. Throughout the play, he sinks deeper and deeper into his doubt and eventually that causes him to kill not only the love of his life, but also himself. In her work, â€Å"This that you call Love†: Sexual and Social Tragedy in Othello, Gayle Greene (2004) argues that the tragedy occurs from adherence to patriarchal rules and stereotypes (Greene 655-659). According to Gary Greene, the tragedy is caused by â€Å"men’s misunderstandings of women and women’s inability to protect themselves from society’s conception of them† (666). In the ... ...major tragic downfall of the play. In the end, we can conclude that Shakespeare used a very conservative world view in his play, â€Å"Othello†. Using the characters of Othello, Desdemona, and Iago, Shakespeare reinforced the stereotypes of his time. In conclusion, gender expectations have greatly impacted the outcome of Shakespeare’s play, â€Å"Othello†, because the script of the play has reinforced the stereotypes such as girls who resist their fathers die, women who marry different race, class, and cultures die, and women who decide their own destiny die at the end. Through â€Å"Othello†, Shakespeare portrays women in a patriarchal system, and the result of the play is the consequences of gender disruptions. Therefore, there is no doubt that the gender expectations placed on both male and female characters have greatly impacted the outcome of Shakespeare’s play â€Å"Othello†.