Flexible working patterns Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Flexible working patterns - Essay Example One of the most popularly advocated structural technique for increasing an employee’s motivational potential is Job Enrichment. While there are several options to enrich the job being done by an employee, a common method is to allow the worker to assume some of the tasks executed by his or her supervisor. Enrichment requires that workers do increased planning and controlling of their work, usually with less supervision and more self-evaluation. From the stand point of increasing the internal motivation from doing a job, it has been proposed that job enrichment offers great potential (Cunningham & Eberle, 1990). However, job enrichment is successful only when it increases responsibility while increasing the employee’s freedom and independence. The methodology for the research collected in this paper is library and online research which gives interesting insights into what experts suggest is the correct way for enriching jobs with flexible working schedules. The research done on the topic sought out both positive and negative opinions on the subject to come to a conclusion about the benefits or disadvantages of having flexible working hours. In cases where personal biases were likely to affect the presentation of the research material, evidence was used to show the source of the material used for creating this document. The overall literature on the topic suggests that job enrichment through the use of flexible working patterns is a positive move for most employment situations. This is done by organizing tasks so as to allow individuals to do a complete activity and provides feedback to allow individuals to correct their performance with time (Alster, 1989). One of the measures involved in providing job enrichment increasing the employee’s freedom and by way of permitting flexible working patterns. The reported results have been mixed because in some situations, job enrichment has increased productivity; in

Control in Global Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Control in Global Economy - Essay Example This study therefore chose to evaluate on this catchy trend in management control systems. Management control systems in the world differ. These differences make management practices in various parts and organizations different. One country’s proven management systems may not work appropriately in a foreign country. Lere and Portz (2005), in the CPA Journal, undertook a research to establish possible reasons that may inhabit the working of a management control system in the United States with a multinational corporation firm in a foreign country. Taking a case study of a U.S based Multinational Corporation; the effectiveness of her management control system would evidently differ from one country to another or even from one branch with diverse cultural inclination to another in the same country. Therefore, the following is a report from the investigation carried out. The report from an earlier research conducted by Hofstede was that culture differs in the following aspects; power distance, gender, individual versus collectivism and uncertainty avoidance. Three regions and fifty countries were used in the analysis. However, his taxonomy added another aspect that was used to analyze twenty three nations and this is Confucian dynamism. Hofstede found out that those cultural differences has numerous implications to the effectiveness of a management system. Countries with cultures regularly referred to as the small power distance countries are associated with participative decision making and decentralization whereas large power countries are normally associated with less participative decision making and centralization. This implies that different control management systems will suit a country on the basis of their mode of decision making. For instance, in a decentralized organization, management remains at low organizational levels while in a centralized system, management control system is at high organizational

The Legalization of Physician Assisted Suicide Essay Example for Free

The Legalization of Physician Assisted Suicide Essay The Legalization of Physician Assisted Suicide Of all the controversial topics to I could have chosen to discuss, the topic of physician assisted death is one that seems to be very taboo, even to date. Oregon is the only state to successfully pass a bill legalizing the practice; this bill is called the Death With Dignity Act (DWDA). Some may confuse physician-assisted death with euthanasia, yet they are two completely different acts. Euthanasia requires a physician, or other entity, to administer a deadly concoction; physician-assisted death is at the request of a terminally ill patient, the doctor provides a prescription of lethal medication which the patient takes of their own free will when they decide the time has come. The legalization of physician-assisted suicide will open up just one more option for patients suffering from terminal illnesses and allow them to die with a little dignity. Terminally ill patients don’t have a lot of options, most suffer greatly on a day-to-day basis. The addition of just one more option to such a short list can do a lot to psychologically comfort a patient. In his essay â€Å"Physician-Assisted Death in the United States: Are the Existing Last Resorts Enough?† Timothy E. Quill outlines several aspects of physician-assisted death, specifically the fact that terminally ill patients need as many options as they can get. Terminally ill patients suffer a great deal; they know that eventually they will die. He states that there are â€Å"several ‘last resort’ options, including aggressive pain management, foregoing life-sustaining therapies, voluntarily stopping eating and drinking, and sedation to unconsciousness [†¦]† (17-22). Some of the suggested last-resort methods seem to be no better than physician-assisted suicide. Take, for example, the method of voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED); for a patient, who is already suffering from the chronic pain of illness, is it fair to ask them to add the suffering of voluntary hunger and dehydration? Sedation to unconsciousness seems to be no better of a solution; the patient is put into a comatose state until they eventually die. This solution seems to ease the suffering of the patient, yet extend the suffering of the family. Aside from VSED and sedation, to forgo life-sustaining therapies seems to be no better. If a pati ent is currently undergoing palliative care to treat symptoms that are causing them to suffer, why stop the treatment and increase the suffering rather than end  the suffering once and for all? Quill goes on to discuss the fact that the choices available to a terminally ill patient are so few that there should be no harm in adding just one more to the very short list. For example, Quill states that â€Å"some patients will need a way out, and arbitrarily withholding one important option from patients whose options are so limited seems unfair† (17-22). Quill makes the point that a patient suffering from a terminal illness will want a way out; not necessarily a way out of life, but a way out of the suffering. There are very few options for someone with chronic suffering, as relief is difficult to come by for someone who is dying. Physician-assisted suicide is just one of these options, and it’s an option that should not be overlooked. In addition, Quill goes further to state that the option of physician-assisted suicide is only an option, just one choice a patient can make about their own health care. â€Å"Most patients will be reassured by the possibility of an escape, and the vast majority will never need to activate that possibility† (17-22). This is a very powerful quote, as it brings forth the point of legalizing physician -assisted suicide doesn’t mean that the act will result in a large amount of deaths. The legalization of the act will simply add one more possibility to the list of last-resorts available to a patient. The quote also goes as far as to say that the vast majority of patients will simply be reassured that, should all other options be exhausted, there is still the possibility of a final escape; never actually needing to use it, should palliative care and hospice suffice in controlling the symptoms of suffering. With the examples provided, we can see that the need for legalizing physician-assisted death is important for patients who suffer from day today. Opening just one more option, when there are so few to choose from, will give the patients a sense of reassurance that they can still have control over their lives. Physician-assisted death is intended as a last resort option; denying the patient a final escape, when all other options have been exhausted, is unfair. Now that we’ve established that a terminally ill patient will benefit from knowing that they have the option of a final escape, let’s talk about why a patient would resort to using physician-assisted suicide. Among the most sensible reasons to end one’s life, the thought of an end to suffering comes to mind. However, we already know that end-of-life palliative care is put into place in order to help  ease the suffering and pain of a terminal illness. This is true, but when is too much? Going back to Timothy Quill, he states that â€Å"there will always be a small percentage of cases where suffering sometimes becomes unacceptably severe [†¦]† (17-22). While suffering is a constant, there are several degrees of suffering; sometimes this suffering can be easily controlled with palliative care and aggressive pain management. However, Quill notes that there are times where the suffering cannot be easily controlled, and there comes a point when it becomes simply unacceptable. When suffering reaches this point, it is time for a patient to start thinking about last resort options; looking for a way to end the suffering. A patient living with terminal cancer is, without a doub t, suffering. Palliative care and hospice care are programs put into place with no intent other than to alleviate the suffering. In her essay â€Å"Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: There is an Alternative†, Sylvia Dianne Ledger describes suffering as such, â€Å"It occurs when a person perceives the impending destruction of themselves, and it is associated with a loss of hope† (81-94). This description of human suffering is excellent when trying to advocate an end to said suffering. Ledger states that a person suffers when they sense their own destruction, when they realize that their end is near. Facing one’s own mortality is not an easy thing to do. The thought of being unable to stop your own demise can, indeed, cause great suffering. Ledger goes as far as to say that this realization of one’s own mortality is associated with a loss of hope, a sense of despair. Along with a loss of hope, there are several reasons why a patient would choose physician-assisted suicide as a last resort option. In an article titled â€Å"The Case for Physician-Assisted Suicide: How can it Possibly be Proven?† from the Journal of Medical Ethics, E Dahl and N Levy report that, according to Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act, â€Å"the most frequently reported reasons for choosing physician-assisted death under the DWDA are ‘loss of autonomy’, ‘loss of dignity’, and ‘loss of the ability to enjoy the activities that make life worth living’† (335-338). This report notes that the top reasons for a patient to choose physician-assisted suicide as the final option don’t even include an escape from the physical pain. Being terminally ill makes life simply un-enjoyable. The number one reason given for physician-assisted death is a loss of autonomy. To lose the ability to have  control over one’s life can be psychologically devastating. The loss of dignity and the ability to enjoy life came in closely behind to round out the top three reasons for wanting death as a final escape. When palliative care doesn’t sufficiently ease the pain experienced on a daily basis, last-resort options should be made available to a patient. When chronic pain and illness take away one’s ability to enjoy life, take away one’s dignity, and take away the human right of autonomy, an option to end the suffering once and for all should be made available. Even the sick deserve to maintain some semblance of their former selves and die with a little dignity. Those who are against physician-assisted suicide have a valid argument, there are always options to ease suffering and control symptoms. Both hospice and palliative care are viable options in the case of terminally ill patients. While discussing alternative options to physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia, Sylvia Dianne Ledger discusses how far end-of-life care programs have come in helping the terminally ill cope with their disease. She notes that â€Å"with the rise of the hospice movement and the availability of its knowledge and experience in the control of distressing symptoms in terminal disease, there is no longer any real indication for euthanasia† (81-94). Ledger notes that both forms of end-of-life care have improved greatly over the years, becoming more and more viable when considering end-of-life options. She notes that they have improved in ease of access, becoming more available to patients through reimbursement programs due their growing popularity. Hospice and palliative care are not only more easily accessible to patients with a need for end-of-life treatment, but their mode of delivery has become more efficient; nurses can now come to nursing homes, hospitals, even patient homes, in order to provide care specific to each patient’s needs. While these programs continue to improve the quality of care they provide, Ledger notes that they also remain a standard among end-of-life care programs and that their implementation leave no room for more drastic options. With such wonderful programs in place and so easily accessible, E. Dahl and N. Levy note that the topic of physician-assisted suicide can actually lead into a discussion about other end-of-life options. They state that â€Å"a request for a  prescription can be an opportunity for a medical provider to explore with patients their fears and wishes around end of life care, and to make  patients aware of other options† (335-338). This means that when a patient believes that their suffering requires a more direct and aggressive action, perhaps suicide shouldn’t be the first option. For a patient to request aid in dying opens up the chance to discuss other options for end of life care. These options are, more often than not, palliative and hospice care. A patient has access to medication to control pain as well as a wide variety of other symptoms. Only after discussing these options should a patient consider ending their life. While discussing how talks about physician-assisted suicide have shed a new light on the palliative care option, Wesley J. Smith addresses the ideas of suicide among patients who are currently enrolled in such programs. He states that â€Å"[†¦] suicide prevention, when needed, is an essential part of the package, crucial to fulfilling a hospice’s call to value the lives and intrinsic dignity of each patient until the moment of natural death† (85-86). The argument with this phrase is that hospice care programs are aware of the suffering, and realize that patients who are already enrolled in their programs are possibly contemplating an end to their lives. He notes that suicide prevention is actually one of the many services offered by hospice programs. This service is offered because the idea of a hospice is to make a patient as comfortable as possible before their lives end of natural causes. He continues by saying that suicide prevention is crucial to maintaining the values of hospice care: to value the life and basic dignities of patients enrolled in their programs. There are several wonderful arguments for why patients should choose a long (or short) term care program over suicide, these programs are set up to control pain and other symptoms. These programs have improved greatly over the last several years, and are now able to provide better care; reimbursement programs have also become available, as both hospice and palliative care have become a very widely accepted form of last-resort treatments among the terminally ill. While end-of-life care programs are excellent, and offer relief from many of the symptoms affecting patients, these programs seem to do little to overcome the underlying issues causing a patient to desire a final escape. The biggest issue with the ever-expanding hospice and palliative care programs is a lack of manpower. Timothy Quill addresses this issue when discussing last resort options. He states that â€Å"there remain serious challenges. There are not enough skilled  palliative care clinicians to meet the growing needs [†¦]† (17-22). This is definitely a problem with the end-of-life programs which are growing rapidly. With programs such as Medicaid who are willing to reimburse patients who truly need palliative care, many more patients who are actively dying will be enrolling in these programs. If these programs are not fully prepared and staffed to meet their growing clientele, there won’t be enough nurses available to treat patients. Quill goes on to state that even if a patient is fully educated on palliative care options, enrolled, and being treated by a nurse, this may not be a reason to rule out the final escape. He notes that â€Å"all last resort options, including physician-assisted death, make sense only if excellent palliative care is already being provided† (17-22). This argument directly refutes the opposition’s view that hospice and palliative care are acceptable altern atives to physician-assisted-death. He states that the last resort options only become acceptable if all other options have been exhausted. Once a patient has enrolled in hospice care and an aggressive pain management system has been implemented, what if they continue to suffer. At this point, once palliative care has failed to control the suffering, physician-assisted death is an option that should be considered. When discussing how physician-assisted suicide has corrupted palliative care programs, Wesley J. Smith provides data which further refutes the opposition’s claim. He states that â€Å"according to the state, approximately 86 percent of people who died by swallowing poisonous overdoses under the Oregon law were receiving hospice care at the time they committed suicide† (85-86). It’s clear that the alternative to physician-assisted suicide is not doing a well-enough job of keeping patients’ suffering to a minimum. In Oregon, where physician-assisted death is legal, a vast majority of patients who take advantage of this option have already tried the alternatives. Hospice care may work, for a time, but if the suffering continues while the patient is receiving treatment to control the symptoms, there is still one option left. Through these examples it can be seen that, while hospice and palliative care are programs that are designed to control symptoms and comfort a patient in their last moments, they can’t be the absolute answer. Pain is not the only thing causing patients to suffer. A terminally ill patient who has little control over what is left of their time deserve to maintain their dignity in death;  legalizing physician-assisted suicide will give patients one last moment of control over their lives. A patient doesn’t have a lot of options when the prognosis is death, and the options on the list aren’t necessarily the best. When suggestions such as voluntarily stopping eating and drinking, or sedation into permanent unconsciousness are suggested, it seems almost unfair to deny a patient the option of a final, absolute escape. While hospice and palliative care have a come a long way, and are indeed viable programs for symptom management, there are still aspects of suffering that they cannot control. Pain is just symptom of a terminally patient. Reports of loss of autonomy, loss of dignity, and an inability to enjoy life seem to be at the top of the list when patients begin discussing the desire for death. While the arguments against physician-assisted death hold weight, and make good points, the fact remains that denying someone one last option to control their life is unfair. When someone has lost the ability to enjoy life, lost the sense of control over their own destiny, the availability of a final escape is comforting. Physician-assisted death should be legalized, in order to provide patients just one more option on a list that is so incredibly short. The simple availability of this option should, at the very least, comfort patients if they know that they have a final resort should all other possibilities be exhausted. Works Cited Dahl, E. and Levy, N. â€Å"The Case for Physician Assisted Suicide: How Can It Possibly Be Proven?† Journal of Medical Ethics 32.6 (2006): 335-338. ProQuest Research Library. 10 Apr 2012 Ledger, Sylvia Dianne. â€Å"Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: There is an Alternative.† Ethics Medicine 23.2 (2007): 81-94. ProQuest Research Library. 10 Apr 2012. Smith, Wesley J. â€Å"Assisted Suicide and the Corruption of Palliative Care.† Human Life Review 34.2 (2008): 85-86. ProQuest Research Library. 12 Apr 2012 Quill, Timothy E. â€Å"Physician-Assisted Death in the United States: Are the Existing ‘Last Resorts’ Enough?† The Hasting Center Report 38.5 (2008): 17-22. JSTOR. 10 Apr 2012

Managing Change In The Workplace Management Essay

Managing Change In The Workplace Management Essay High performance workplaces are by nature vibrant. Organisations that want to survive as well as to flourish are innovative, plus effective change management is a requisite skill across all workplaces. Novel technology, novel systems, company mergers in addition to the impact of global trade mean that workplace change is a feature of all of our work lives. Winning employees commitment to innovation and change in the workplace is the key challenge for contemporary management. (Mullins, 2006) Workplace changes are introduced for many reasons. A number of these reasons will be obvious to everyone in the workplace as well as some less so. Cost saving, quality improvement, increased management control, increased employee empowerment, introduction of novel technology, service expansion and improvements to health in addition to safety are some of the goals that may be sought through workplace change. The impact of any change depends a great deal on how it is implemented. (Mullins, 2006) Change processes usually include four phases planning, consultation, implementation and monitoring/evaluation. Each phase takes time, as well as while it is important to reach the outcome, not putting the maximum effort into any of these phases may result in problems impacting on the outcome for a very long time. (Mullins, 2006) An understanding of culture in organisations can offer insights into individual and group behaviour, in addition to leadership. It can help to explain not just what happens in an organisation, however why it happens. (Mullins, 2006) However, many people are concerned not just by means of understanding culture, as well as hence organisational life. They see culture as something to be influenced to achieve organisational goals of productivity, profitability, and success in core business. They want to manage culture. (OConnor, 1997) High performance organisations are successful for the reason that they adapt and move by means of the changing times. They know that the most important thing in preparing for change and in implementing novel arrangements is ensuring they involve their key resource their employees. Effectively involving employees through consultation as well as participation at the outset in any change management process is vital to ongoing workplace productivity in addition to efficiency. (OConnor, 1997) Can culture be managed? Optimists believe culture can be managed; pessimists deny that it can be, according to (Mullins, 2006). They claim that optimists are often business oriented people, who optimistically see the culture of an organisation as being unified and unitary. On the other hand, pessimists are often academically or theoretically oriented, as well as more interested in explanations than practical utility. (Mullins, 2006) Realists, however, can see both sides of the debate. They are frequently interested in exploring culture change and are ready to admit some sway à ´Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ if not control à ´Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ of culture. Can culture be changed? One of the major ways that managers believe they can manage culture is by changing it. They can use one of the guides that are available, that suggest how to form, transmit or change culture, such as that by (Mullins, 2006). However, just for the reason that peoples behaviours have changed in a number of measurable way, it does not mean the organisational culture has changed à ´Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ although behaviour change may be all that managers are interested in. (Mullins, 2006) Difficulties in managing culture Management of culture is hard if there is no agreement on what culture is in addition to culture can be viewed in an enormous variety of ways. The complexity of culture can lead organisations to attempt „quick fixes ° that are superficial. Value-laden judgements on what is the right culture for organisations, devoid of taking into account the unique environments in which they exist, can also make success hard for managers. What are the ethics of trying to manage culture? (Proctor, 2002) poses organisations by means of ethical questions they could ask before attempting to manage à ´Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ or change à ´Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ culture to influence organisational capability: What are the moral and ethical implications of trying to alter such things as feelings, beliefs, values as well as attitudes? Is culture the prerogative of management furthermore does management having the right to try to control or change it? What does culture change do to the quality of life for people in organisations? What costs to individuality result as of encouraging people to devote themselves to the values and products of the organisation, and then asking them to assess their own worth in these terms? (Proctor, 2002) What tools can one use to manage culture? Tools for managing culture comprise: 1. Management systems 2. Organisation models 3. Strategies. A number of these have been influential for a time, and have then been replaced or extended by novel ideas. They can frequently be seen as trends as well as fashions à ´Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ a number of enduring in addition to some not. (Proctor, 2002) 1. Management systems A number of management systems used by managers attempting to manage organisational culture include: Organisational growth (OD): This is a management system of slow, planned change. It is slackly shaped around organisational culture, emphasising how participation, teamwork in addition to problem solving can assist an organisation survives environmental challenges. It is still being used; however its effectiveness is being challenged. (Proctor, 2002) Total Quality Management (TQM): This is a management system used to increase an organisations productivity and quality by focusing on people making continuous incremental development inside existing cultures. A number of see it, however, simply as a control system which produces as well as enforces uniformity, devoid of an understanding of existing organisational culture and the possibility of sub-cultures. (Proctor, 2002) Business Process Re-engineering (BPR): This is a management system of forced, speedy culture change. Where TQM builds a culture that supports improvement, BPR is a result of frustration over the time it takes to do this. Organisation models: A number of organisation models used by managers attempting to manage organisational culture include: Sustainable organisations: The sustainable organisation demands a radical change in thinking regarding culture, transforming the organisation as of being part of the problem to being part of the solution. It is concerned by means of increasing productivity in the long-term in order to survive. Its managers aim to build human capabilities that create continuing innovation as well as high performance. It challenges the dominant economic paradigm and involves broader interests than just shareholders, such as the community in general, the biosphere in addition to future generations (Senge, 1994). Innovative enterprises: This model is similar to that of the sustainable organisation; however its managers attempt to institutionalise innovation to give the market edge. They aim to make innovation ordinary and frequent good practice. This model is useful for those who want to build an organisational culture in which innovation flows naturally as of how the organisation faces its environment, structures its bureaucracy, leads itself, and manages its internal management system. (Senge, 1994) Learning organisations: This is not a one-size-fits-all model. The learning organisation continually expands its abilities to shape its own future, influenced by specific elements of organisational culture, which determine, for example, whether the organisation learns as of mistakes or ignores them, sees opportunities or threats, as well as is pro-active or reactive in its strategies. Such organisations try to make a working reality of such attributes as flexibility, team work, continuous learning in addition to employee participation and growth. (Rosenhead, 1989) High performing organisations: In this British model, managers focus on people and their learning, and the growth of trust, personal responsibility as well as leadership. Supporting elements such as structure, strategy, systems, procedures in addition to resources are seen as useful only in empowering people and enabling them to achieve the full measure of their abilities. (Senge, 1990) Strategies: Strategies used to manage culture include: Strategic alliances: These are cooperative efforts on specific ventures and joint projects, which demand an understanding of each partners culture. Knowledge management: This is a strategy of transmitting culture by making use of novel technology in information systems, as well as by reinforcing the value of people in addition to their contributions to organisations. Knowledge management can encourage organisations to be learning organisations which are open to change. (Proctor, 2002) Flexible learning, which includes e-learning, is regarding the learner deciding what, where, when and how they learned. Flexible learning therefore offers a client-centred and workplace-centred focus for an organisation. Flexible learning practices have had a wide impact on many determinants of organisational culture: learners; teachers, their job designs, work, safety in addition to professional growth; human resources practices; organisational management; as well as technological resources. (Pedler, 1992)

traglear King Lear as a Bradley Tragedy Essay -- King Lear essays

King Lear as a Bradley Tragedy      Ã‚  Ã‚  King Lear meets all the requirements of a tragedy as defined by Andrew Cecil Bradley.   Bradley states that a Shakespearean tragedy has to be the story of the hero and there is exceptional suffering and calamity slowly being worn in.   Also, the current time must be contrasted to happier times.   The play also depicts the troubled parts in the hero’s life and eventually he dies instantaneously because of the suffering and calamity.   There is the feeling of fear in the play as well, that makes men see how blind they are not knowing when fortune or something else would be on them.   The hero must be of a high status on the chain and the hero must also possess a tragic flaw that initiates the tragedy.   The fall of the hero is not felt by him alone but creates a chain reaction that affects everything below him.   There must also be the element of chance or accident that influences some point in the play.   King Lear meets all of these requirements, w hich have been laid out by Bradley.           Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The main character of the play would be King Lear who in terms of Bradley would be the hero and hold the highest position is the social chain.   Lear, out of pride and anger, has banished Cordelia and split the kingdom in half between the two older sisters, Goneril and Regan.   This is Lear's tragic flaw that prevents him from seeing the true faces of people because his pride and anger overrides his judgement.   As we see in the first act, Lear does not listen to Kent's plea to see closer to the true faces of his daughters.   Kent has hurt Lear's pride by disobeying his order to stay out of his and Cordelia's way when Lear has already warned him, "the bow is bent and drawn, make from the shaft" (act... ... Professor’s Comments      1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When organizing your paper, instead of lumping all of the elements randomly into paragraphs spend a paragraph discussing each one.   By spending a paragraph on each element you can fully look at each element separately, discussing why that element is important to the development of tragedy and to this particular plot.   However, because you have so many elements listed, it would be impossible to spend a well-developed paragraph on each one.   Therefore, take three or four elements that you feel are the most important and write your paper on them.   You do not have to discuss every element.   For example you could write your paper discussing the tragic flaw, the element of chance and the ultimate fall of the tragic hero.  Ã‚   2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When quoting you need to cite the act, scene and line numbers from the play.         

Bitterness, Weariness and Impotence in Hardys Tess of the dUbervilles

Bitterness, Weariness and Impotence in Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Ubervilles In his novel Tess of the d'Ubervilles, as well as much of his poetry, Thomas Hardy expresses his dissatisfaction, weariness, and an overwhelming sense of injustice at the cruelty of our universal fate  - disappointment and disillusionment. Hardy argues that the hopes and desires of Men are cruelly thwarted by a potent combination of "all-powerful Nature, fate, unforeseen accidents and disasters, and tragic flaws" (Mickelson 32). Although Tess, the heroine of the novel, is fully realized with physical, emotional, and mental attributes, grasping desperately to be her own master, she is nevertheless overpowered, becoming a victim of circumstance, nature, and social hypocrisy. Likewise, Hardy's dark realities bleed into and saturate his poems. First, Hardy personifies Nature as a main character in the novel. Instead of allowing the influence of Nature to show only in weather and seasonal changes, allowing the reader to sense the plot, Hardy creates a Nature who is not the typical capricious but distant goddess. Instead, she is terrifyingly responsible for influencing and overpowering man. Hardy's Nature is not only essential for the subsistence of the entire farming countryside, but the waxing and waning cycles - in the weather, time of day, and season, - which seem to influence the actions of the characters. Every disastrous occurrence seems preordained by the mood of Nature. Before Prince, the Durbeyfield horse, is killed, Tess' brother wonders at "The strange shapes assumed by the various dark objects against the sky; of this tree that looked like a raging tiger springing from a lair; of that which resembled a giant's head" (p. 24... ...rocess and the Case of Tess and Jude." New Perspectives on Thomas Hardy. Ed. Charles P. C. Pettit New York: St. Martin's, 1994. 16-40. Chapman, Raymond. " 'Good Faith, You do Talk!': Some Features of Hardy's Dialogue." New Perspectives on Thomas Hardy. Ed. Charles P. C. Pettit. New York: St. Martin's, 1994. 117-36. Hall, Donald. Afterward. Tess of the d'Urbervilles. By Thomas Hardy. New York: Signet, 1980. 417-27. Hardy, Thomas. Tess of the d'Urbervilles. 1891. New York: Signet Classic, 1980.   Jacobus, Mary. "Tess: the Making of a Pure Woman." Thomas Hardy's   Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea   House Publications, 1987. 45-60. Mickelson, Anne Z. Thomas Hardy's Women and Men: The Defeat of Nature. Metuchen: Scarecrow, 1976. Weissman, Judith. Half Savage and Hardy and Free. Middletown: Wesleyan UP, 1987.

Music Is More Than Just a Source of Entertainment for People All over the World

Music is more than just a source of entertainment for people all over the world. For many, many centuries music has been used for reasons other than just entertainment. Take our National Anthem†¦Ã¢â‚¬ The Star Spangled Banner† for example. It was written as a patriotic song and, its purpose was to evoke the countries struggles of the past, traditions, and its history. During the 1800’s when slavery was permitted the seemingly innocent spirituals, as the slave songs came to be known, were more than simple hymns of endurance and a belief in a better after life.As sung by slaves and their descendents, the spirituals allowed the slaves to communicate secret messages and information to each other about the Underground Railroad. Music can also be therapeutic, improving our emotional estate, sleep patterns, eating habits, social skills, and behavioral awareness. It’s inspirational, energetic, and lyrically scenic. It can also be memorable, emotional, life experienc ing and many other things for people everywhere. Often music is even a mood setter.It can be calming, relaxing or even anger releasing for many people. From the day that I was brought into this world, if not before, the first words and sounds that my mother spoke to me were in the form of a lullaby. She soothed me to sleep, and taught me my ABC’s. Music has helped me, grow emotionally, physically, and intellectually, while simultaneously entertaining. Music for many, such as myself, is also a source of identity and individuality for all, as most prefer different styles and types of music