Henry James The Wings of the Dove Essay -- Henry James Wings Dove Ess

Henry James' The Wings of the Dove This paper will present briefly Henry James and his thoughts about the art of fiction that is presented by his same titled essay before thoroughly analyzing his novel: The Wings of the Dove. James’ ideas on his article The Art of Fiction will be applied to The Wings of the Dove and the narrative style that he uses will be indicated by certain quotations taken from the novel. James had read classics of English, American, French, and German literature and Russian classics in translation. His models were Dickens, Balzac, and Hawthorne. Then, there is a harness of French, British, and American culture in his works. His first novel, Watch and Ward (1871) was written while he was travelling through Venice and Paris. James wrote novels that portrayed Americans living abroad during his first years in Europe. He is a very important literary figure both in American and British culture. However, he loves Europe and this fact gives us a clue about his interest in different cultures that come out as American characters traveling abroad in most of his novels. James’ approach to the civilization is presented as: Henry James, at the other extreme, never ceased to regard America as essentially an outlying region of European, more specifically of Anglo-Saxon, civilization . . . Henry James was a patriot to his race, and his final transfer of citizenship, though immediately called forth by his sense of America’s procrastination in the World War, was but the outward sign of a temperamental repatriation already complete.1 In fact, the outbreak of World War I was a shock for James and in July 1915 he became a British citizen in protest against the U.S.’ refusal to enter the war. He was sensitive on n... ...elham. The Art of the Novel. New York: Russell &Russell, 1966. Forster, E.M. Roman SanatÄ ±. Trans.ÃÅ"nal Aytà ¼r. Ä °stanbul: Adam YayÄ ±nlarÄ ±, 1985. Introductory Notes on Henry James . 14 Dec 2001 . Michalski, Robert. â€Å"Spirit and Material Possession in the Supernatural Fiction of Henry James†. 14 Dec 2001 . Myers, Cathleen. Rev. of â€Å"Washington Square and Wings of the Dove†. 7 Nov 2001 . Wagenknecht, Edward. The Novels of Henry James. New York: Frederick Ungar, 1983. Zervos, Kathry. â€Å"The Subtext of Violance in Henry James’ The Wings of the Dove: The Sacrificial Crisis†. 21 Nov 2001 . . .

Critically Evaluate the Contributions of Functionalism to the Study of Society Essay

Critically evaluate the contributions of functionalism to the study of society. Functionalist theory is one of the major theoretical perspectives in sociology. It can be argued that the functionalist theory has made a significant contribution to the study of society. It originates from the work of Emile Durkheim who suggests that social order is possible and society remains stable due to the functioning of several institutions. Everything has a specific function in society and society will always function in harmony. The main institutions studied by functionalism are the family, the education system, religion and crime and deviance. Murdock argues that the family performs four basic functions in all societies – sexual, reproductive, economic and educational. These four basic functions are essential for social life since without the sexual and reproductive functions there would be no members of society, without the economic function life would cease and without education there would be no socialisation or culture. Without these four basic functions human society could not survive. The family does not perform these functions alone however it makes important contributions to them all. Murdock is often criticised for his picture of the family as he did not consider whether its functions could be performed by other social institutions and he does not examine alternatives to the family. Equally, Murdock illustrates the nuclear family as very harmonious and perfect. There are many ill-functioning families in society which Murdock fails to examine and explain. What is the function of families when the husband and wife fail to have an integrated division of labour and have a healthy sexual relationship? Talcott Parsons offers an alternative view of the functions of the family and suggests it serves two purposes: primary socialisation and the stabilisation of the adult personality. Primary socialisation refers to socialisation during the early years of childhood, which take place mainly within the family. This is important in contributing to society as our parents supposedly bring their offspring up to grow to be well-behaved, obedient individuals with the right values to help society function. The stabilisation of adult personalities emphasises on the marriage relationship and emotional security the couple provides for each other. This acts to counteract the stresses of everyday life and keep the personality stable. Parsons claims that the family therefore provides a context in which husband and wife can express their childish feelings, give and receive emotional support, recharge their batteries and so stabilise their personalities. However, Parsons’ views on the family are criticised for being incomplete and idealising the family with his picture of well-adjusted children and sympathetic spouses caring for each other unconditionally. It is a over-optimistic and modernist and has little relationship to reality, because as mentioned before, not all families function perfectly. Similarly to Murdock, Parsons also fails to examine alternatives to the family which may provide the same functions for the development of society. The overall functionalist theory on the family is criticised by Marxism, feminists and some postmodernists. A Marxist would argue that the function of the family is to serve capitalism. Some feminists would argue that the function of the family is for women to serve men and that families are so diverse it is hard to argue that the family has a purpose. Some postmodernists suggest that the nuclear family is not as common as it seems and that there are now many diversities of families due to cultural and social changes. These views are clearly in conflict with the views of functionalism; therefore it allows us to question their validity. Functionalism also has its set of views on the education system. Emile Durkheim claimed that the main function of education was to transmit society’s norms and values through generations. Social solidarity is essential for the welding of mass individuals into a united whole. Functionalists such as Durkheim argue that education builds a sense of commitment and belonging to a society and a belief that the whole of society is more important than a single individual. Durkheim argued, ‘to become attached to society, they will come to see that they are part of something larger themselves; they will develop a sense of commitment to the social group’. Durkheim also claimed that the school serves a function which cannot be provided by the family the peer group. Individuals must learn to cooperate with those who are neither their family nor their friends. In this way, children learn to respect authority figures, such as teachers, and get along with other members of society they would be forced to interact with in later life such as bosses and colleagues. These social interactions are essential for keeping society harmoniously balanced and functioning. Durkheim claimed that along with teaching us to interact with different social groups, education serves to strictly reinforce school rules and ensure that children realise that these should be followed. Punishments should reflect the seriousness of the damage done to the social group by the offence and teach individuals that it is wrong to act against the interests of the social group as a whole. In Durkheim’s words: ‘it is by respecting the school rules that the child learns to respect rules in general, that he develops the habit of self-control and restraint simply because he should control and restrain himself. It is the first initiation into the austerity of duty. Serious life has now begun’. Durkheim finally argues that education teaches individuals specific skills necessary for their future occupations. Schools transmit both general values which provide the necessary skills for social survival. Industrial society is united by value consensus and a specialised division of labour whereby specialists combine to produce goods and services. Education is essential for this because it trains individuals to develop the skills which will be useful for their future occupations. In the current education system children are given the opportunity to learn technical and practical skills as well as academic skills which all come together to help society function. However, Durkheim is criticised for several reasons. Firstly, he assumes that societies have a shared culture which can be transmitted through the education system. Britain for example is now multi-cultural and it is therefore debatable whether there is a single culture on which schools could base their curriculum. If a school bases their curriculum on a single culture they are often accused of ethnocentrism, which is a difficult issue to overcome when schools bring together children of many different cultural backgrounds and ethnicities. Secondly, his views on the education system are in conflict with those of Marxism, which argues that education serves to transmit a dominant culture and serve the interests of the ruling class rather than the members of society as a whole. Finally, functionalism has its views on the way crime and deviance applies to society. Functionalism looks at society as a whole and looks for the source of deviance in the nature of society rather than in the individual. Social control mechanisms such as the police and courts are argued to be necessary to keep order in society. Durkheim argues that crime is inevitable because not every member of society can be equally committed to the collective sentiments of society. Durkheim also claims that crime can be functional because all social change begins with some form of deviance and a certain amount of social change is healthy for society. Merton, 1968, argued that deviance results from the culture and structure of society itself. Since members in society are placed in different positions in the social structure, for example different social classes, they do not all have equal opportunities. This situation can generate deviance – for example, members of the lower classes, such as the working or under class may resort to crime due to their position in the social structure because they are deprived of things essential for survival. Merton also outlined the five responses to cultural goals: conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism and rebellion. The first way in which society can respond to cultural goals is through conformity. Members of society conform both to success goals and to the normative means of reaching them. They strive for success by accepted means. The second response is innovation in which individuals reject normative means of reaching success and turn to deviant means such as crime. Merton argues that members of the lower social strata are more likely to select this route to success. Merton claims that they have little access to conventional and legitimate means of becoming successful. Low qualifications mean little opportunity for jobs and advancement since their route to success is blocked. Therefore they turn to crime, which promises greater rewards than legitimate means. Membership of the lower social strata is not alone enough to produce deviance however – pressures from society contribute to an individuals need to deviate. The third response is known as ritualism. Those who select this as an alternative are deviant because they have largely abandoned the commonly held success goals. Members of the lower middle class who have less opportunity than other members of the middle class are likely to take the path of ritualism. However, they have been strongly socialised to conform to social norms so they do not turn to crime. They scale down or abandon their success goals. Ritualists are deviant because they have rejected the success goals held by most members of society. The fourth and least common response is retreatism which applies to ‘psychotics, chronic alcoholics and drug addicts’. They have strongly internalised both the cultural goals and institutionalised means, however they are unable to achieve success. They resolve their situation by abandoning both the goals and the means of reaching them. They ‘drop out’ of society defeated and resigned by their failure. They are deviant in two ways: they have rejected both the cultural goals and the institutionalised means. The fifth and final response is rebellion. This involves both rejection of both success goals and institutionalised means and replaces them with their own different goals and means. They wish to create a new society. Merton says ‘it is typically members of a rising class rather than the most depressed strata who organise the resentful and the rebellious into a revolutionary group’. Hannon and Defronzo, 1998, carried out a study which gives empirical support for Merton’s five stages. In a study of 406 metropolitan counties in the USA, they found that those with higher levels of welfare provision had lower levels of crime. They argued that the welfare provision opened up opportunities for people to achieve the goal of material success. They argued that the welfare provision opened up opportunities for people to achieve the goal of material success through legitimate means and therefore reduced anomie and the crime which could result from it. However, critics have argued that Merton’s five stages neglect the power relationships in society as a whole within which deviance and conformity occur. Taylor, 1971, criticised Merton for not carrying out his analysis far enough and failing to consider who makes the laws and who benefits from them. The whole game may have been rigged by the powerful with rules that guarantee their success. These rules may be the laws of society. Merton is also criticised for being deterministic because it fails to explain why some people who experience effects of anomie do not become criminals or deviant. It over-exaggerates working-class crime and underestimates middle-class and white collar crime. Furthermore, Taylor, Walton and Young, 1973, criticise that Merton’s theory cannot account for politically motivated criminals such as freedom fighters who break the law because of commitment to their cause rather than the effects of anomie. In conclusion, functionalism has made great contribution to the study of society as it offers explanations for the functions of the major institutions in society. However, the whole functionalist theory is based around the idea that these institutions serve to keep society functioning and harmonious. Almost all their ideas are criticised by Marxism, which suggests the complete opposite – that all institutions serve the interests of the ruling class and capitalism rather than serving the needs of the general members of society as a whole. As shown above, we can compare perspectives such as Marxism, feminism and postmodernism with functionalism to assess its advantages and disadvantages. The functionalist theory is an important perspective widely covering most aspects of society, however it falls flat where it is criticised for being too deterministic and failing to consider the chaos and disorganisation in society.

Did strategy drive war or did war drive strategy in early modern and modern France?

The question on whether it was strategy that drove the war or war that drove strategy can only be answered by first examining the assertions of the question. In staking the claim that it was indeed strategy that drove the war, the basic assumption is that there was superior strategy that could dictate the outcome of the war. This presupposes that the resulting war was a product of keen strategy. In asserting the second part of the claim, strategy is seen as a component of war in that the unpredictable outcome of war necessitated the employment of strategy for victory.While it seems that neither of these statements can co-exist, the reality is that there was a time when strategy did drive the war in early modern and modern France and there was also a time when it could be gainsaid that war did drive strategy. In modern French warfare, it will be noted that Joffre, the leading French strategist during the First World War, maintained and promoted an offensive strategy with the French ar my.He was convinced that the only way to assure victory was to adopt an offensive strategy and this is what drove the war and brought France to the brink of disaster. His steadfast adherence to his strategy despite his recognition of the changing war scenario made it difficult to pursue any progress. It is through this same example, however, that having war drive strategy becomes clear. If Joffre had not been able to adjust his strategy according to the dictates of war, the French would have surely suffered disastrous losses at the Champagne Offensive.There is no arguing the statement that indeed strategy may sometimes be an illusion. While the statement of Betts may hold true, it overlooks the fact that both states of strategy may exist, as a driver and as driven. In the first case, strategy initially drives any war, before the occurrence it influences the initiative. Once it has begun, however, there is a need to adjust in case the outcome does not conform to the predictions of th e strategy. There is no hard and fast rule for this as the case of Joffre has shown.

The script of the Crucible Essays

The script of the Crucible Essays The script of the Crucible Paper The script of the Crucible Paper In The Crucible there are many highly dramatic scenes where Miller creates a great deal of tension and emotion in the audience. Imagine you are directing a production of The Crucible. Describe how you would stage these scenes and how you would build up tension and emotion in your audience. The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, was written in America in the 1950s. It depicts an eye-opening analogy between the Salem witch-hunt in 1692 and the McCarthy communist trials in 1950s America. In fact, Miller used some of the exact recorded speech from the McCarthy trials in the script of The Crucible. While watching The Crucible the audience should remember that the people of Salem were devotedly puritan, and so anything that contradicted the commandments, or any part of the Bible would be heavily frowned upon. And so, within the context of the play, could be turned in to signs of witchcraft by people manipulating the truth. At the end of Act III Elizabeth denies that Proctor has had an affair after Proctor has admitted to it. If she tells the truth it would have cast strong doubts across Abigails accusations. Afterwards Hale- perhaps too late- tells the court he believes Proctor. Abigail, showing her ruthless resourcefulness again, pretends Mary is sending her spirit on her. Danforth believes her. Mary, due to the pressure from Danforth, the threat of death, and the girls hysteria accuses Proctor of witchcraft and returns to Abigail. Proctor and Giles are arrested at the end of the act. When Elizabeth is called in to the court I think she should be led in from the back of the auditorium, which will build up suspense and tension in the audience. I would group the girls on stage left, with Abigail slightly nearer the centre and facing back. The girls should stare wide-eyed at Elizabeth. Proctor should stand the mirrored position of Abigail, again facing back. Hale should be close to him, but further right, looking nervously, but slightly expectantly, at Elizabeth. This should show the audience how the pressure has all been shifted to Elizabeth. Danforth should stand down centre facing out, and when Elizabeth reaches the stage she should stand close in front of him facing towards him. This should create a dramatic triangle between Elizabeth, Proctor, and Abigail. This should symbolise Elizabeths dilemma. Whether to denounce Abigail and keep to her Christian convictions, or to save Johns name from shame. Elizabeth is called in to confirm Proctors claim that he and Abigail had an Affair. Proctor is certain she will tell the truth, as she never lies. He says that in her life she have never lied. This should create suspense in the audience, as they can sense Elizabeths dilemma, but know what John expects her to do. This is one of the points in the scene where one of the characters could have changed to outcome of the play. When Elizabeth denies her husband is a lecher replying timidly to Danforths ferocity No, sir I would have the whole court freeze except Elizabeth and a spotlight on her when she says the line No, sir, then instantly the lights should come back up, and the action continue. This should again build up huge tension in the audience in the wait for Elizabeths decision. When it comes the will be very taken aback, but will not be given time to recover as the action will continue quickly. The speed of Danforths reaction seems to suggest that this was the answer he wanted, as it is quick and dismissive of the appeals. This is shown as he immediately orders the Marshal to Remove her. This I think is because if she had not denied the affair it would have also left serious questions about Danforths skills of judgement. Hale then tells the court that he believe s Proctor and tells the court he has always struck me true. I think the audience would be thinking this has come too late. To emphasise this Danforth should ignore him, walking back to his bench, not even turning to say, she spoke nothing of lechery, and this man has lied. During this I would make Proctor place his head in his hands, and the girls passing very discreet smirks between one another. When Hale says [pointing at Abigail] This girl has always struck me false. She has- and Abigail cuts him off. Here we again see how Abigail uses her position of power in the court. She suddenly cuts in about the yellow bird saying You will not! Begone! Begone, I say! this suddenly draws attention away from the people who are doubting her.

Topic Areas of Environmental Sociology

Topic Areas of Environmental Sociology Environmental sociology is a subfield of the wider discipline in which researchers and theorists focus on the relationships between society and the environment. The subfield took shape following the environmental movement of the 1960s. Within this subfield, sociologists might examine specific institutions and structures like law, politics, and economy, and their relationships to environmental conditions; and also on the relationship between group behavior and environmental conditions, like for example the environmental implications of waste disposal and recycling. Importantly, environmental sociologists also study how environmental conditions affect the everyday lives, economic livelihood, and public health of populations. Environmental Sociology Topic Areas Climate change  is arguably the most important topic of research among environmental sociologists today. Sociologists investigate the human, economic, and political causes of climate change, and they investigate the effects that climate change has on many aspects of social life, like behavior, culture, values, and the economic health of populations experiencing its effects. Central to the sociological approach to climate change is the study of the relationship between economy and environment. A key analytic focus within this subfield is the particular effects that a capitalist economyone premised on continual growthhas on the environment. Environmental sociologists who study this relationship might focus on the implications of consumption of natural resources in processes of production, and methods of production and resource recapture that aim to be sustainable, among other things. The relationship between energy and environment is another important topic among environmental sociologists today. This relationship is intimately connected to the first two listed, as the burning of fossil fuels to power industry is recognized by climate scientists to be the central driver of global warming, and thus climate change. Some environmental sociologists who focus on energy study the way different populations think about energy use and its implications, and how their behavior is connected to these ideas; and they might study the way energy policy shapes behavior and outcomes. Politics, law, and public policy, and the relationships these have to environmental conditions and problems are also areas of focus among environmental sociologists. As institutions and structures that shape corporate and individual behavior, they have indirect effects on the environment. Sociologists who focus on these areas investigate topics like the extent to which and through what mechanisms laws regarding emissions and pollution are enforced; how people act collectively to shape them; and the forms of power that might enable or prevent them from doing so, among other things. Many environmental sociologists study the relationship between social behavior and environment. In this area there is a large degree of overlap between environmental sociology and the sociology of consumption, as many sociologists recognize the important and consequential relationships between consumerism  and consumer behavior, and environmental problems and solutions. Environmental sociologists also examine how social behaviors, like the  use of transportation, consumption of energy, and waste and recycling practices, shape environmental outcomes, as well as how environmental conditions shape social behavior. Another important area of focus among environmental sociologists is the relationship between inequality and environment. Numerous studies have documented that income, racial, and gender inequality make the populations that experience them more likely to experience negative environmental outcomes like pollution, proximity to waste, and lack of access to natural resources. The study of environmental racism is, in fact, a specific area of focus within environmental sociology. Environmental sociologists continue to study these relationships today, and the way populations and institutions respond to them, and they also examine them on a global scale, looking at the way populations among nations have differing relationships to the environment based on relative privilege and wealth. Notable Environmental Sociologists Notable environmental sociologists today include John Bellamy Foster, John Foran, Christine Shearer, Richard Widick, and Kari Marie Norgaard. The late Dr. William Freudenberg is considered an important pioneer in this subfield who made great contributions to it, and Indian scientists and activist Vandana Shiva is considered an honorary environmental sociologist by many. Where to Find More Information on Environmental Sociology To learn more about this vibrant and growing subfield of sociology, visit the website for the American Sociological Associations section on Environment and Technology, and review the research published in journals like  Environmental Sociology, Human Ecology, Nature and Culture, Organization and Environment, Population and Environment, Rural Sociology, and Society and Natural Resources. Students interested in pursuing environmental sociology will find many undergraduate programs with a focus in this area, as well as an increasing number of graduate sociology and interdisciplinary programs that offer specialized study and training.

Criminal Law - Casey Anthony Trial Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Criminal Law - Casey Anthony Trial - Essay Example This has caused mix reactions from lawyers and the general public with some arguing that Casey was guilty of the murder. Nevertheless, before any judgment is reached, the jury is required to follow the due process of the law to ascertain whether the defendant is guilty of the charges or not. One such is that the accused must prove beyond doubt that the defendant actually committed the alleged crime and providing evidence to that effect. This paper will explore the facts of the case the evidence provided and ruling. It will also analyze the circumstances of the case to ascertain why the jury acquitted Casey of the charges. Caylee Marie Anthony, a two-year-old girl, was found dead on December 11, 2008, after having been reported missing on 5 July 2008 from their home in Orlando, Florida where she had been staying with her mother. The report was delivered by Cindy Anthony, one of her grandparents through a 9-1-1, who said that Cindy had not been seen for more than a month, and her mother’s car produce a smell as if a decaying body was inside it. In his report, he gave an account of how her mother had provided inconsistent explanations regarding Cindy’s whereabouts an only admitted not having seen her for some weeks. When asked by the detectives, Casey made-up stories, which included informing the detectives that an anonymous nanny had kidnapped her daughter on June 9 and that she had been searching for her. She also told the detectives that she failed to report the matter to the authorities mainly because she was frightened (Turley, 2011). As the search continued for Caylee, her mother Casey was charged with murder, but pleaded not guilty. However, Caylee’s skeletons were found in a wooded area next to their home on December 11. At the time her body was found, there was also a tape found next to the skull just next to the mouth. A medical report indicated that Caylee might have been killed using the tape. The trial continued for six from May to July 5, 2011, when the jury acquitted her of murder charges but convicted of a misdemeanour for lying to the police officers during investigations (Shahani, 2011).  

Paternal Influences on Ethical Decision Making of Senior Leaders in Assignment

Paternal Influences on Ethical Decision Making of Senior Leaders in the Health Care Industry - Assignment Example m, International Olympic Committee, Enron, Tyco, Qwest Communications International, Duke Energy, Bristol-Myers Squibb, etc, as well as the sex scandal in the Catholic church, have resulted in a loss of confidence in the management and leadership of these large corporations and institutions. As a consequence, investors have become unnerved and the jolts have shaken international markets. No wonder that a CBS poll taken in the fall of 2002 finds that 79% of respondents believe questionable business practices are widespread and only fewer than one third thinks that CEOs are honest (Wallington, 2003). These companies have all come to the time light for the wrong reasons. As a result, the role of the CEO in ethical dilemmas has come under increased scrutiny. While ethical lapses occur at all the levels of organizations, senior executives who fail to set high ethical standards and live by them are senior leaders in organizations assume the responsibility to display high ethical and moral values in their conduct both within the organization and outside. However, many instances have come to where they discard this significant aspect subjected to scrutiny and held accountable for the consequences of unethical practices, damaging the interests of employees, shareholders and the society at large. CEOs and other senior leaders such as members of Boards of Directors are expected to provide role models and help develop and entrench the ethical belief system for all members of the organization. However, when these leaders fail in their commitment to stand up to the ethical responsibilities, the negative impact of their ethical transgressions will remain long after the leader has been punished. Instances of unethical conduct by senior leaders, which entail serious repercussions, have prompted the need to identify background factors, socialization practices, or early childhood experiences that may account for such behavior in adulthood. Thus, an interest has developed in