Looking at Women Essay Example for Free

Looking at Women Essay â€Å"Looking at Women† by Scott Sanders was first published in spring of 1989 in the Georgia Review and was later reprinted in Sander’s essay collection titled â€Å"Secrets of the Universe† (1991). In this work, Sanders tells us his thoughts on how men look at women, hence the title; he explains to us that he feels that men turn women into things rather than people by objectifying their bodies. He goes into great detail about how a lot of women feel their role in today’s society is to exist for the pleasure of men and he questions how simple minded creatures we must be to fall for such things. Although I agree with his argument, I also see the other side of it. This could be the subject of a long drawn out debate, there is a much simpler way to approach it in that we get used to a certain way of thinking and it eventually becomes habit to look at a female and judge her, to make her feel as though she has to fit a certain image because she knows people expect that much of her, to make her want to dress and act a certain way for people to actually see her and so when she does a good job at it, she feels good. When a person is young, they look at things in an innocent manner. As they mature over time, they start to look at things in a different way. A guy for example, will start to notice things he didn’t before such as the way a girl walks, how tight her clothes are, the curves on her figure, and other things. And these of course, are all things he has seen before, just never in this light. So he continues to look and as that happens over time he get in the habit of searching for these fine details, even if he isn’t necessarily interested. Sander’s addressed that thought in Looking at Women when he stated that â€Å"what attracts our eyes and rouses our blood is only partially instinctual† (187) which implies that some of it is learned. The way men look at women over time has reached a point where it has become degrading and on some level can be disrespectful. The things we do as women to get men to look at us are not required to get the same end result, and this is also approached with in the text where it says that â€Å"The fraction of desire that leads to procreation is †¦ irrelevant† (Sanders 180). Sometimes men do look because they’re interested in the woman herself.. However most of the time, he will look and in his mind he has already have graded this woman on a scale of 1-10 without even realizing it because he’s so used to doing it. I think a lot of people would agree that females have always been painted as submissive, delicate things who are there to be dependant and cared for. We’re supposed to do â€Å"girly† things like paint our nails, cook, clean, and wear high heels while the men go out and get all the attention. We are portrayed as a â€Å"fluff pastry †¦ plastic figurine †¦ to achieve the status of art† (185). We are works of art though, we do not wake up with our faces painted and hair perfect – we have to make it happen and like true art, it takes time and effort. We are to be delicate and beautiful, something worth bragging about, a thing to look at and admire. With this type of thinking, we slowly become objects, instead of people. Scott Sanders poses the question, a few times in the story â€Å"Why †¦ do so many women decorate themselves like dolls?† (184). Upon further reading, we will come to see that the answer (qtd. in Le Deuxieme Sexe) lies within the text: we do it simply because â€Å"it is the most potent identity available to (us)† (Sanders 184). While it might be nice as a man to have a woman to take of you or even to have one dependant on you, it’s not what defines us as a species and it certainly isn’t the only role we are capable of playing. As this is the role we identify most with, we feel this need to be good at it. It is typically viewed as an immoral, degrading thing (trying to be sexy) but with a little bit of tweaking and experience (also stores such as Victoria’s Secret help), we can perfect it to where it then becomes a tool, a weapon, a trap. â€Å"Women need not make spectacles of themselves in order to draw the attention of men† (186), in other words we don’t need to dress up and put makeup on our faces or wear shoes with heels that prevent us from walking. We know we don’t and that if men really want to look, they will do so regardless of what we look like or what we’re wearing. Although, it’s easier to just conform to the role society as created for us. For some women it can even be fun, if they happen to be bored or insecure enough to crave that type of attention. They don’t see themselves as a pretty damsel in distress, rather a lion or a tiger with the strength, cunning, and speed needed to hunt and capture its prey. They can entice a man, and make him want more, make him crave it. She’ll draw him in with a false sense of security, because as a man, he naturally assumes he is in control. But he’s not, he’s just flying along and suddenly caught in a web. And just like that, like the lion pounces on the gazelle, he has fallen victim to â€Å"put-ons whose only purpose is in being taken off† (184). And just like that, the roles are reversed. Two spiked heels, a ton of lace, and one tube of bright red lipstick later, she is on top and he is an object she is toying with. He then becomes a trophy of what she is capable of, and what she has accomplished. She is proud because she has done so with the role society designed to diminish her. As time goes on, these social roles with change and hopefully everyone will be seen for whom they are not what they look like. Sanders made many interesting points in his story about the way society views women and we take that idea and run with it. Society took us and tried to turn us into an object that can’t be feared, an object simply for admiration and we became works of art that we too can be proud of. However, we should not be proud of the fact that this has become a habit and that we insist on making people feel like they need to fit a certain image in order to be proud of themselves. While society may not like it, we are strong and independent and can handle anything they throw at us. We’re champions and they’re going to hear us roar. Works Cited Sanders, Scott. â€Å"Looking at Women.† The Norton Reader. 13th ed. Eds. Linda Peterson. New York: W. W. Norton Company, Inc. 2012: 179-189. Print.

Searching For Meaning in Virginia Woolfs Between the Acts Essays

Searching For Meaning in Virginia Woolf's Between the Acts I wanted to examine the states at the limits of language; The moments where language breaks up...I wanted to examine the language which manifests these states of instability because in ordinary communication--which is organized, civilized--we repress these states of incandescence. Creativity as well as suffering comprises these moments of instability, where language, or the signs of language, or subjectivity itself are put into "process". (Julia Kristeva) Any attempt to study the complex layers of the human endeavor of "meaning-making" should include an examination of those places where the spoken word (or articulation itself) "breaks up" or fails. Woolf's Between the Acts is itself a study of the struggle of relying on language to act as the sole currency of significance in a world which refuses to be contained. The novel does in fact put language, the signs of language, and subjectivity into "process". Consequently, "meaning" becomes complicated as it often falls outside, (but not entirely), of ordinary discourse and speech. "Meaning" wedges itself in between words; it is found in the silences between two characters, in the interruption of a speech by wind, in the social taboos which make the unsayable so much louder than the said. " kind of meta-discourse emerges in Between the Acts, one which pushes the conventional foreground (i.e. the characters themselves and their conversations) of a novel into the background. This inversion p laces humans in a broad dialogue that the characters themselves, (and even we the readers), may fail to recognize as a dialogue because it does fall outside of normative, controlled language. It is in this larger context of silences an... ...ess process. In the traditional narrative of resolution, there is a sense of problem solving...a kind of ratiocinative or emotional teleology... "What will happen" is the basic question. In the modern plot of revelation, however, the emphasis is elsewhere, the function of the discourse is not to answer the question or even to pose it...It is not that events are resolved (happily or tragically) but rather that a state of affairs is revealed. (Seymour Chatman) Works Cited Julia Kristeva, 'A Question of Subjectivity--An Interview',Women's Review, no. 12 (1986), pp. 19-21 Ferdinand de Saussure,From Course in General Linguistics, Modern Literary Theory ,Third Ed. (1996),Ed. Rice and Waugh, pp. 8-15 Jacques Derrida, 'Structure, Sign and PLay in the Discourse of the Human Sciences', Modern Literary Theory ,Third Ed. (1996),Ed. Rice and Waugh, pp.176-190

Tears of a Tiger Questions

After the tragic accident, Andy isn't treated well by the people not close to him at school. Some people don't talk to him, others make rude comments. There are even some who won't even look at him in the halls. Everyone has the right to express their own opinion; however, they should look at the situation more carefully before lugging. It was Andy fault because he should not have been drinking and driving but, it was not intentional for Rob to die. 2. After the tragedy, death takes main focus in Andy life.While all of Andy friends eventually get over the death of their reined, Andy does not move on. He continues to close up more and more and Just lets everything overwhelm him. He does go back into basketball as soon as he is allowed to. His grades also continue to slip. He feels this is the way to continue his life because all the blame is on him so it no longer matters. 3. Many things happen after the tragedy that leads to the gradual decline and loss of control in Andy life. Andy has agreed to continue his sessions at a therapist's office.These are to help him open up and get him back to normal as much as possible to move on from the accident. However, after a while he fools the therapist and his parent's and teachers into believing that he is finally moving on from the accident. He doesn't hang out with his friends much anymore, and when he does he doesn't talk much about anything. After his break up with Geisha, he moves on past her and doesn't feel the need to talk to her anymore. His family and friends cannot help Andy, because he closes up with his friends and makes his parent's think he is getting better and does not say anything to them. 4.Andy final decision is seen as a coward's way out because instead of leaning with the accident and living through it and getting past it, he decides to take his life so he does not have to live with it any longer. It affects many people in his life. A) His parent's now have to deal with the loss of a kid and worry a bout how it will affect their other son. His parent's get a divorce and live in separate houses and his mother cries all the time. B) His brother Monty now has to go through life remembering what happened to his older brother. He has to grow up remembering his brother committed suicide and he has to learn to live with that.

Macbeth: A Failure As King? Essay

To be regarded as a great king involves many important factors such as being honorable, gracious, and fair. It is far more difficult to regard a king as being great than as being a failure. In Macbeth there are examples of great kings as well as failures as kings. Duncan is a fair and gracious king who is kind to all of his subjects, and Malcolm has the potential to be a great king through the way in which he fights to overthrow Macbeth. Macbeth, however, through his lack of noble qualities is another story. Through arrogance, actions, and cowardice versus bravery Macbeth emerges as the only true failure as a king. Arrogance surfaces in Macbeth because the protagonist believes that he knows better about everything than anyone else. For example, Macbeth is arrogant to his own thoughts and feelings. He easily lets Lady Macbeth manipulate him into killing Duncan by questioning his manhood. Again, Macbeth is just as arrogant when he quickly dismisses Macduff as a threat because an apparition tells him that â€Å"none of a woman born shall harm Macbeth† (IV. i 86-87). Only after a short while does Macbeth decide to kill Macduff, and only as a precaution in case Macduff was actually not born of a woman, which Macbeth does not know, and does not even plan on finding out. Finally, Macbeth is very arrogant when an apparition tells him that he will be overthrown when Birnam wood comes to him: That will never be: Who can impress the forest, bid the tree Unfix his earth † bound root? Sweet bodements! Good! Rebellious dead, rise near till the wood Of Birnam rise, and our high plac’d Macbeth Shall live the lease of nature, pay his breath To time and mortal custom (IV. i 103-109) Macbeth feels very secure in his position as king of Scotland, and that he has absolutely nothing to worry about. He does not even attempt to decipher the riddle. Macbeth’s arrogance is brought on by the seeming sureness of his position and by excess pride, and it is a huge cause of his downfall. Actions reflect largely upon the type of person one is and whether one will be a success or a failure. To begin with, Macbeth kills Duncan, who is also a king. The only reason he kills Duncan is that Macbeth has ambition to become the king. Subsequently, Macbeth kills Banquo because he is a threat to him, and he, or his sons, could take the throne away from Macbeth at any  time, or so Macbeth believes: To be thus, is nothing, But to be safely thus: our fears in Banquo Stick deep; and in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be fear’d: â€Å"tis much he dares, And, to that dauntless temper of his mind, He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour To act in safety. There is none but he Whose being I do fear; and under him My genius is rebuked, as it is said Mark Anthony’s was by Caesar. He chid the sisters, When first they put the name of king upon me, And bade them speak to him; then prophet like They hail’d him father to a line of kings: Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown, And a barren scepter in my gripe, Thence to be wrench’d with an unlineal hand (III. i 52-67) This heartless murder demonstrates Macbeth’s ruthless actions which cause chaos, since the Great Chain of Being has been disturbed. Last of all, Macbeth once again shows his cruelty with the murders of McDuff’s family. Macbeth originally set out only to kill McDuff, and only slaughters McDuff’s family just to make sure that in the future none of them will be able to harm him. Macbeth is not remorseful in any way for any of his actions, and is a cold-blooded killer. Cowardice and bravery determine whether a character will become a success or a failure in life. If one is a coward, one cannot properly rule a country because one will not be able to stand up to any opposition, and be a guide to doing the right things for others. In fact, Macbeth fulfills his own destiny knowingly when he and Lady Macbeth plot to murder Duncan. Even though Macbeth wants to become king desperately, right before the murder he becomes a coward and tries to back out: We will proceed no further in this business: He hath honour’d me of late; and I have bought Golden opinions from all sorts of people, Which would be worn now in their newest gloss, Not cast aside so soon. (I. vii 33-37) Only after Lady Macbeth’s persuasion and manipulation does Macbeth regain a bit of bravery to proceed with the murder. In addition, Macbeth is a coward because he manipulates others into doing his â€Å"dirty work† for him, as for example, arranging the murder of Banquo: Do you find your patience so predominant in your nature, That you can let this go? Are you so gospell’d, To pray for this good man and for his issue, Whose heavy hand hath bow’d you to the grave And beggar’d yours for ever? (III.i 93-98) Macbeth is not involved in any of the killings, other than Duncan’s, and he cowardly hides behind murderers to avoid any guilt he  may have. In comparison, Macbeth shows bravery at the end of the play. Macbeth shows that he is capable of bravery when he does not give up without a fight: I will not yield, To kiss the ground before young Malcolm’s feet, And to be baited with the rabble’s curse. Though Birnam wood be come to Dunsinane, And thou oppos’d, being of no woman born, Yet I will try the last. Before my body I will throw my warlike shield: lay on, Macduff, (V.viii 32-38) Macbeth knows that he will be overthrown since everything the apparitions said would have to happen for him to be overthrown actually happened, but he still has faith in himself, and continues fighting. Though Macbeth demonstrates both cowardice and bravery, his cowardice far more apparent and intentional, and his bravery is only self beneficial and, therefore, selfish. Through arrogance, actions and cowardice versus bravery, the protagonist in Macbeth , is regarded as a failure because of his selfishness, and utter lack of remorse for his actions. While other kings strive to do good, Macbeth dwells further and further into evilness and makes it apparent he is the only true failure as a king.

What is mercantalism essays

What is mercantalism essays Mercantallist theory states that a nations power can be measured by the amount of precious metals, usually gold or silver, the nation posseses. Between 1600 and 1800 most of the states of western Europe were heavily influenced mercentallist theories. This was essentially an effort to achieve economic unity and political control. There are many broad definitions but I belive that mercantallism is a collection of policies, which are used by the mother country, in order to keep itself prosperous, by in a way leeching off of the colonies. There are numerous positive and negative effects of mercantalism. The colonies have some leeway in their legislature. They also receive protection from the mother country. This can be direct (having troops stationed in the colonies in case of attack), or through a more indirect approach. This would be intimidation. No one wants to go attack a colony of a country who is for example the biggest naval power. People look at the colonies as a part of the whole, and not a seperate entity. Something else that mercentalism sets up, is the chance for a colony to become is own free state. This has happpened in many cases, including our own. Funds from the mother country build the colony. They fund industry and establish an economy and trade. After years, the colony becomes self sufficient, and with a bit of rebellion, can become its own free state. This in many cases is good, because the people who left the original country in the first place, left because they wanted to form something of their own, and their dreams are fulfilled. We get more players in the global economic ring, which in turn creates competition and the economies flourish. The colonists gain their own identity. However, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Murphy's law clearly states that if anything can go wrong it will. The mother country is usually strict and clamps down on colony legislature. The col...

Ice fili case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Ice fili case - Essay Example Although the local companies register commendable profits, they lack the capacity to grow (Xin 4). The ice cream market in Russia is set to experience more competition in future. The main reason for this stems from the fact that competition among local producers has been high over the years. In addition to the local producers, foreign companies have infiltrated the Russian ice cream market, increasing the level of competition. Although the Russian ice cream producers remain dominant in the market, it is expected that if they do not change their marketing strategies, the foreign companies will dominate the market. Today, foreign companies have influenced a number of local consumers, through advertisements. Investing in intensive advertising is affordable to most foreign companies such as Nestle, while the local Russian ice cream producers claim to lack advertising funds. Although these remain popular today, in future, the Russian ice cream market might be taken over by foreign companies (Xin 3). Since competition is high in the Russian ice cream market, Ice Fili should develop an effective differentiation strategy. Ice Fili competes with Nestle in the production of high quality ice cream. Therefore, this company should build differentiation in order to compete favourably. First, Ice Fili should increase its brand recognition through more promotions and advertisements. Currently, the company has limited brand recognition. Secondly, the company should invest only in its strong brands. Today, Ice Fili has a wide range of products it produces, and it has failed to cater for the cost of advertising and promoting all the products. Therefore, by choosing to invest in the strongest brands, the company will have easy time managing them. Finally, the company should widen its distribution networks locally and globally. This will help the company build their brand and brand

Smoking Cessation Esay Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Smoking Cessation Esay - Essay Example In a population of 45 million adults in U.S. 21% are cigarette smokers (Gerhardt and Stuart, 2009). Major component of cigarette; nicotine is extremely addictive and it increases the level of dopamine in brain creating feelings of satisfaction and contentment. Cessation of smoking causes withdrawal symptoms. Smoking cessation ensures a better health quality of life by reducing the risks of coronary artery disease, stroke and COPD. According to Pignone and Salazar (2009), smoking cessation can increase life expectancy of up to 3 years in women smokers and 2 years in men. In other researches, the life expectancy of a non-smoker is 13-14 years higher than a smoker (Chandler and Rennard, 2010). Studies have confirmed that smoking cessation has inflicts immediate health benefits to the individual. Several interventions are successful in smoking cessation which includes counseling, pharmacotherapy or a combination of both. In this respect, the most important factor is client’s self chosen health goal to quit smoking and both pharmacotherapy and counseling prove to be useful for such patients, however, in patients with unwilling behavior to quit pharmacotherapy is ineffective. Medical counseling approach should emphasize on health and economic benefits of cessation, motivational interviews, patient education on disease risk factors, community/family support and relapse prevention. Pharmacological therapies consist of nicotine replacement therapy which includes nicotine patch, gums, lozenges, nasal sprays, inhalers etc. (Pignone and Salazar, 2009). All of these have shown to be equally effective in smoking cessation. In addition, anti-depressant therapy with drugs such as Bupropion, varenicline and Clonidine have been proven as effective smoking cessation agents. Several studies have suggested that a combination of these pharmacological therapies is quite effective i.e. nicotine gum with nicotine patch etc. (Chandler and Rennard, 2010). Non-pharmacological inter ventions include practices such as hypnosis, acupuncture, herbal supplement, support groups etc. Several studies have been conducted over the past few decades to relate smoking cessation and health promotion in individuals. Two of these are discussed below. Ellerbeck et al., (2009), studied the varying levels of disease management in randomized trials. The research divided the clients into three treatment groups i.e. pharmacotherapy alone (nicotine replacement and anti-depressant therapy i.e. bupropion), combined pharmacotherapy with moderate intensity disease management and high intensity disease management comprising of counseling and provider feedback on smokers with or without the desire to quit. For pharmacotherapy with moderate intensity disease management, 2 counseling calls were made in every 6 months whereas in high intensity disease management 6 counseling calls were made in 6 months. Results demonstrated that self reported abstinence rates were much better in moderate and high intensity disease management than in pharmacotherapy alone. 23.5% and 27.9% abstinence rates were reported respectively for these groups. This group (37-60% patients) reported to have discussed smoking cessation and its potential benefits with their physicians. Also, free