Individuality in 20th Century Art Essay Example for Free

Individuality in 20th Century Art Essay 20th Century art has spawned great art forms. Its evident transformation had triggered the question of whether or not the development was caused by the pure genius of the artist or by the preceding art that he was born into. This essay will discuss how the artists of the 20th century have made art almost indefinable (Nicolas Pioch, The 20th century) by looking into the quotes of Immanuel Kant (1790) and Andre Malraux (1953), as well as looking at some actual works before and after 1950 which would illustrate that art has clearly become an expression of an artist’s emotions and thoughts as honed by the past. As individuality steps in, we will closely look at how an individual’s person is actually affected by his experiences and orientation on various aspects of his existence such as how he could have been raised, how he may have been exposed to previous artworks and the like. Immanuel Kant, in his quote from the Critique of Judgment (1790) had clearly defined genius as, â€Å"a talent for producing that for which no definite rule can be given†. I believe that this is like how scientists are referred to as geniuses, they have defied popular beliefs or what had actually become a norm for their time or era. They would produce materials that are not usual for the majority. Similar to this, I believe that such was also the case as he may have found that an artwork, which proved to be unique for its genre, is already a product of a genius. A good example of what was said to be a work of a genius was that of Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Donatello’s Crucifix (images shown in the Documentation). These were considered unique and were painted outside the what was considered as standard during their time or era, as these works had clearly defied the usual idea of what our usual picture of the heavens is (Starry Night) as well as the common picture of how Christ was crucified. Texture of these creations also scream of individuality as was the case with Van Gogh’s work. As was said by I. Kant, â€Å"originality must be its primary property† for an art to be considered as the work of a genius. It is clear he meant that it was something that was not usually done but did not deduce it to not being influenced at all by artworks that came before them. Instead the focus was on how they have made their creations different from the others without necessarily straying from the same idea or thought. Like in Van Gogh’s work, there had already been paintings depicting the heavens at night but its form and texture as well as the colors utilized were clearly out of the ordinary and had been very original despite the presence of previous artworks that had been made. On the other hand, Andre Malraux’s, â€Å"The Voices of Silence† (1953) compared artwork to a child that matures. Meaning that art basically evolves. It does not necessarily veer away from its contemporaries but is created from what he may have experienced. Like a child that may have learned to walk more carefully after acquiring a scratch from a fall, an artist was also said to rise from their own conflicts and the achievements of their predecessors. A person that may have lived within a war-torn era may create an artwork that depicts what he had witnessed, at the same time picking out best practices from works that were previously done by others and using them as inspiration to put his experience or what he had witnessed into a work of art. As such, A. Malraux was right about picking them out â€Å"from their struggle with the forms that others have imposed on life†. We note though, that experiences do not necessarily remain within the context of a person’s personal struggles but can derive thoughts from their successes as well or the comfort that they may have had. A classic example is Jose Manuel Merello Arvilla’s â€Å"bodegon electrico†, which depicts Spain’s colorful yet subdued culture evident in the shades and texture utilized. Similar to this is Vijendra Singh Devra’s painting of a three-part series called the Blue Night, where the texture was actually smooth and the contrast was stark that may be an evidence of the painter’s experiences or social status. It may not be easy to defy the norms. An artist is faced with the risk of being singled out either as great or poor. The genre of which the artwork is in defines the product that the artist creates. As mentioned in â€Å"Necrophilic Logics and the revolt of the imagination†, http://www. geocities. com/kk_abacus/carp. html: A split between the rational and irrational is constructed by every rational system; each rationality creates a corresponding irrationality, that which does not fit inside of it. Therefore, each rational system has inherent limits. To break out of a rationality, one must also be capable of conceiving of that which lies beyond the limits of that system. Rational systems can be useful tools but they can also become mental prisons. There is a slim demarcation between the subconscious and the imagination of a person as it says that both are something that goes beyond the inherent limits of man’s rationality. As such, it is clear that an artist’s genius is based on how he creates a unique description of what he has undergone or experienced as well as his absorption of what had been proven effective and successful for other artists as well.

Evaluation Of The Claim Rousseaus Social Contract Philosophy Essay

Evaluation Of The Claim Rousseaus Social Contract Philosophy Essay This essay will begin from the premise that, far from advocating a collectivist contract of society and sacrificing the individual to such state, Rousseaus Social Contract establishes protective measures for the individual through the conception of the general will. Firstly, an exploration of the content and main features of Rousseaus Social Contract will be undertaken, before a critical evaluation of its relation to the protection of the individual in society will be offered, principally through the notion of the general will. This essay will then reject opponents claims that this inevitably leads to individual freedom being sacrificed to the community, as will it reject the argument that Rousseaus contractarianism is either illiberal or totalitarian. It will conclude by defending the perception of Rousseaus Social Contract as an advocate an egalitarian liberal society. The will of the General Will The evaluation at hand presupposes that Rousseaus Social Contract champions collectivism, or communitarianism, and in doing so rejects liberalism which places at its heart the autonomy of the individual. The thesis of such an argument is that through various measures, society as a collective usurps the ability for an individual to maintain independence or free will in the social contract. Yet this examination disregards both the historical context of Rousseau and the underlying purpose of Rousseaus work, which was to provide an explanation of the conditions in which, man being individualist by nature and simultaneously wanting the protection and advantages of living in a civil society, both of these can be achieved without the need for a loss of liberty. Rejecting this collectivist position, which will be countered in greater depth later on in this essay, it is important to explore the content and main features of Rousseaus Social Contract, to remind us that a liberal political theory needs to concern itself not only with the identity of liberty, but also with identifying the conditions under which that liberty can be sustained (Hampsher-Monk 1995: 275). Thus, the Social Contracts central concern is to create a climate in which popular sovereignty is realisable, and Rousseaus lineage of work therein is logically concerned with strengthening the case for and to counter any potential challenges to it (V. Gourevitch 2003: xxiii). Popular sovereignty, for Rousseau, was the very basis for the protection of individuals: the Sovereign, being formed wholly of the individuals who compose it, neither has nor can have any interest contrary to theirs. (Social Contract I: 7.5) Inherent in Rousseaus conception of sovereignty is the general will, which governs the relations of all men, enforcing popular sovereignty and forming the foundation of Rousseaus theory: Each of us puts his person and all his power in common under the supreme direction of the general will, and, in our corporate capacity, we receive each member as an indivisible part of the whole. (Social Contract I: 6.9) Simply put, the general will is the common good of all men, and yet this concept is precisely what provides protection of the individual, since Rousseaus conception is such that the individual and the collective are so entwined that they cannot be separated without returning to the state of nature. Yet, Rousseau does concede that particular (or private) wills of the individual do exist in so far that each individual, as a man, may have a particular will contrary or dissimilar to the general will which he has as a citizen (SC I: 7.7). This presents a quandary: natural liberty and particular wills are one and the same by definition, but the very purpose of the Social Contract, to find a form of association which will defend and protect with the whole common force the person and goods of each associate, and in which each, united himself all, may still obey himself alone, and remain as free as before (SC I: 6.4) proposes that a solution to reconcile the two must necessarily be presented. This is presented two-fold: firstly, Rousseau claims that the general will be naturally discoverable, by taking away the pluses and minuses of particular wills, which innately cancel each other out, leaving only the general will as the sum of the differences (SC 2: 3.2); secondly, for whoever refuses to obey the general will shall be compelled to do so by the whole body. This means nothing less than that he will be forced to be free; for this is the condition which, by giving each citizen to his country, secures him against all personal dependence. (SC I: 7.8) The latter account has frequently been the origin of the so-called totalitarian thesis, a popular assessment of Rousseau but which has been convincingly rejected by recent study and will be similarly critiqued later in this essay. Thus, Rousseau acknowledges, by virtue of admitting that particular wills do exist, that in the social compact, man does sacrifice his natural, absolute liberty. Yet, as will be argued, rather than sacrificing individual freedom altogether, the social compact offers something that cannot be attained in the state of nature civil liberty; ultimately, this is far more favourable, and a truer, more secure, representation of individual autonomy. Rousseau outlines that self-love (amour de soi), reason and freedom are all fundamental features of human nature, and we have a basic interest in ensuring protection of our person and the goods we need to survive and live well (Cohen 2010: 11). Similar to other social contract theorists such as Hobbes and Locke, Rousseaus state of nature, that is to say the natural state of things before the social contract is conceived, offers absolute liberty on one hand, but no protection for rights on the other. Protection of rights offered in civil society, including the protection of property, is non-existent in this state; the social contract is Rousseaus response to those calling for the reconciliation of liberty and the protection of rights without sacrificing liberty of the individual, and here Rousseau differs from his contemporaries in that he advocates a different conception of sovereignty. Liberty in the social contract is exchanged, but this is not to say it is sacrificed, as Rawls states: We gain the same rights over others as they gain over us, and this we have done by agreeing to an exchange of rights for reasons rooted in our fundamental interests, including the interest in our freedom. (Rawls 2008: 221) Thus, the general will, being the will the community, appears at first to be antithetical to the interests of individuals. It is an abstract theory, but nevertheless exudes clarity of purpose, even if Rousseau does not definitively express how the general will is found. As has been touched upon, society, being inescapable without returning man back to his origins as a primitive being, is such that the community and the individual are permanently coexisting and interdependent. The general will the will of the community is thus to Rousseau a reflection of the common good, since all rational persons have in their very nature a concern for their self-preservation and freedom; they would thus be harming themselves to will something for the community (in which they are inextricably linked) that is distinctly separate from their own particular will. Consequently, the common good reflects an equal concern with the well-being of each person, and as a result an equal concern for individual a utonomy, since all people share the very same conception of the common good (Cohen 2010: 15); the public interest and common liberty are synonymous withpersonal interest and liberty.'(Boucher 2009: 278) The Legislator The Social Contract offers various measures through which the general will is made discoverable, or else enforced, as briefly mentioned above. Whilst forcing man to be free seems adversative to liberal political theory (which this essay argues that Rousseau follows), the institutions that Rousseau describes within The Social Contract are analogous to popular sovereignty and hence compatible with individual autonomy as we have seen. These include the institutions of a legislator, or law-giver, civil religion and censorship. Rousseau acknowledges that man does not necessarily know what he wants, or is best for him and so needs the guidance of wisdom and experience in the form of these institutions to aid the formation of the social contract. In particular, there is a need for a legislator to [lead] to the union of understanding and will in the social body (SC 2: 6.10). This legislator would do so by reason of his genius, [and]à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ no less by reason his office, which is neith er magistracy, nor Sovereignty (SC 2: 7.4). Thus Rousseau depicts a figure who is distinct from the sovereignty of the people and hence neither superior (a master) nor inferior to the community: he works in the interest of discovering the general will (by means of persuasion), and thus by deduction solely motivated by the protection of liberty and freedom of the individual. Of course, by separating the legislator from the people, Rousseau is opening himself to claims of elitism, which are potentially at odds with the egalitarian free community of equals (Cohen 2010: 10) that is the outcome of his conception of the general will. However, he counters these criticisms by making clear that he who holds command over laws ought notà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦to have it over men; or else his laws would be the ministers of his passions and would often merely serve to perpetuate his injustices. (SC 2: 7.4) This Montesquieu-esque separation of powers (who, along with Diderot, preceded Rousseau in coining the term general will and who evidently influenced Rousseaus thought) safeguards the sovereignty of the people, and whilst the legislator is applicable to the community at large, Rousseau expresses its worth to individual autonomy rather than the collective authority: If we ask in what precisely consists the greatest good of all, which should be the end of every system of legislation, we shall find it reduce itself to two main objects, liberty and equality (SC 2: 11.1) Rousseaus civil concept of liberty It has been established that the social contract contrasts two necessities of human nature: the need for security and political authority (embodied in the social contract as the need for a political community) and the need for individual autonomy and liberty. Yet there must inevitably be a concession. One of the towering liberal philosophers of the twentieth century, Isaiah Berlin, famously drew a distinction between two concepts of liberty, those of positive and negative liberty (Berlin 1958), and this is pertinent in its applicability in Rousseaus Social Contract. Whilst negative (absolute) liberty allows the individual full autonomy in the absence of external forces (coercive or otherwise), Rousseau concedes that to reconcile the two necessities a different conception of liberty is needed, and this Berlin called positive liberty: the freedom to, as opposed to freedom from, act with individual autonomy, protected by certain measures acting as safeguards. This, to Rousseau, was civi l liberty: What man loses by the social contract is his natural liberty and an unlimited right to everything he tries to get and succeeds in getting; what he gains is civil liberty and the proprietorship of all he possesses. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦we must clearly distinguish natural liberty, which is bounded only by the strength of the individual, from civil liberty, which is limited by the general will; and possession, which is merely the effect of force or the right of the first occupier, from property, which can be founded only on a positive title. (SC 1: 8.2) This is an important distinction to make, but not one that this essay believes forces a dilution of liberty. Berlin (1958) draws these two distinct concepts to further his argument that the only true form of liberty is that in a negative sense. Nonetheless, liberalism to a modern scholar associates itself with the protection of individual rights, such as those of proprietorship; this has been engrained in liberal theory, which arguably finds its origin in Rousseaus Social Contract. To Rousseau, the liberty that is afforded to man in the state of nature (being the liberty that Berlin favours) is detrimental to the human condition. On the other hand, under the social contract, man gains an equivalent for everything he loses (SC 1: 6.8). From this we might take that liberty under the social contract is a zero-sum gain; liberty is exchanged, but not lost. However, the benefit of civil liberty is that man gains an increase in force for the preservation of what he has. (SC 1: 6.8). Roussea u develops upon this by commenting that the right of first occupier, which in the state of nature is so weak (SC 1: 9.2), is respected by individuals and the community alike: possessors, being regarded as depositaries of public property, and having their rights respected by all the members of the Stateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, have, by a cession which benefits both the public and still more themselves, acquired, so to speak, all that they gave up. (SC 1: 9.6) We might, over and above all this add, to what man acquires in the civil state, moral liberty, which alone makes him truly the master of himself; for the mere impulse of appetite is slavery, while obedience to a law which we prescribe to ourselves is liberty (SC 1: 8.3). This is a striking statement, and of course not one that Berlin, among others, accepts. Berlin states that to coerce a man is to deprive him of freedom (Berlin 1958: 6). Yet Rousseaus social contract is not coercive in this sense. Man does not accept the general will through the persuasion of authority, but because it is rational to do so as the general will is equally a manifestation of ones own true will. Rousseau does not deprive the individual of free will: far from it, he expects that in the social contract man will choose the general will with this very same free will of the individual. By man developing his moral faculties through the conception of the civil state, Rousseau claims that justice triumphs over in stinct, intelligence over stupidity and irrationality (SC 1: 8.1). Thus, in forming a civil community (state), man develops an appreciation of the liberty of other individuals within that community, which is mutually protective; the moral intelligence that man formulates is of greater benefit to individual freedom and autonomy than his very same (absolute) liberty in the state of nature. Communitarianism and illiberalism It is clear to see that myriad critics, among them Berlin, reject Rousseaus contracts protection of liberty, instead arguing that his strong conception of political community intrinsically works to oppose this. Berlins extraordinary claim that Rousseau was one of the most sinister and formidable enemies of liberty in the whole history of modern thought (Berlin 2002: 4) certainly has great impact, a surprisingly ferocious attack on a theorist who had at his heart a desire to protect the freedom of human condition in society. Thus it is necessary to delve into Berlins criticism further to understand his reasoning. Berlin saw Rousseaus conjecture being particularly dangerous to liberty. In Berlins view, Rousseau had associated freedom with self-determination, yet self-determination with obedience to the general will. The notion of the general will, being quite separate from individual (particular) wills, went against Berlins conception of liberalism, for it alleged the existence of a common interest encompassing the interests of all men: an absolute, single set of rules for all, which Berlin saw as being a divergence from the pluralist tradition of liberalism. Rousseau also went some way to disguising mans true nature, as Berlin saw it, by conceiving man as a citizen being, rather than a lone, individual creature an unrealistic transformation of human interest. Furthermore, Rousseau was said to have changed the concept of mans will from what he actually desires empirically, to a will that he ought, or should, desire, but may not through the nature of the human condition (Berlin 2002). Emphasis ed by his strong Calvinist influence, we could also add to this Rousseaus deeply-rooted sense of morality, a sense of right and wrong, and what it means to live a good (and bad) life, which we can take Berlin to object to on the basis of its limitation on individual choice and self-determination.

Evaluation of Public Health Agenda in Community: Obesity

Evaluation of Public Health Agenda in Community: Obesity Module Title: Promoting the Public Health of Populations in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing Module Code: SHN3048 Critical evaluation of the current public health agenda in relation to a health need identified within a community profile. The purpose of this assignment is to critically analyse the current public health agenda in relation to a health need identified through use of community profiling. This paper will aim to provide recommendations as to how a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (SCPHN) can proactively address high levels of obesity identified within the Cwmbwrla ward (Appendix 1). For the benefit of the reader Cwmbwrla is a suburban area of Swansea, with good transport links to the city centre. In considering the level of deprivation Cwmbwrla is ranked 181 0f 1,909 (LSOA) in Wales (Welsh Government, 2014a). Public health in the 21st century is defined by Riegelman (2010 p4) as the totality of all evidence-based public and private efforts that preserve and prolong health and prevent disease, disability and death thus, recognising public health as a varied approach which should be viewed holistically. Health visitors are a group of specialist community public health nurses (SCPHN), skilled in delivering a proactive Public health service which relies on evidence base research to enhance health and reduce inequalities for all families with children 0-5 (Royal College of Nursing, 2011; The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) 2014). The current Public Health strategy in Wales aims to achieve a healthier, happier and fairer Wales, through improving health, reducing inequalities and supporting a good start in life (Public Health Wales (PHW), 2015; Welsh Assembly Government (WAG), 2010; WAG, 2011a; Welsh Government (WG), 2016). There is consistent evidence which suggests investment in the early years significantly improves the health of the child and has a positive impact on long term outcomes (Acheson,1998; Black,1980; Marmot, 2010). As a result of the reaffirmation of the public health role of the SCPHN in recent policy, it is believed that the health visitor is st rategically placed to empower individuals and positively influence the health outcomes of young children and their families (Department of Health (DoH), 2011; WG, 2012a). The four domains of SCPHN practice begin with Search for health needs (Cowley Frost, 2006), thus requiring health visitors to undertake an assessment of the populations health and well-being. A key part of this process is health needs assessment (HNA) (Nursing and midwifery Council, 2010).ÂÂ   In defining HNA, Stewart et al, (2009) suggests the purpose is to identify the health assets and need of a population in order to inform decisions regarding service delivery to improve health and reduce inequalities. Through use of HNA policies are developed and needs are prioritized across services, with the aim of targeting those in greatest need (Williams, 2013). Statistics from the profiled area of the Cwmbwrla ward (Appendix 1), identify high levels of obesity in adulthood as being a significant problem. Despite there being no local data to highlight the levels of childhood obesity specifically within the ward, research suggests a strong link between childhood obesity and obesity in later life (NHS, 2015). Findings from the child measurement program 2014-2015, recorded that 11.8% of 4-5 year olds in Swansea were obese (Public Health Wales Observatory, 2016), a trend mirrored throughout Wales, with findings from the Welsh health Survey (2011) identifying that 35% of children living in Wales were classed as overweight or obese. Obesity has fast become a global epidemic (World Health Organisation (WHO), 2003; 2016), with research suggesting that obesity is the worlds most common nutritional disorder (NICE, 2014). The 2007 Foresight report emphasized the need to tackle the problem of obesity in the United Kingdom, particularly in childhood. The prevalence of obesity in infants, children and adolescents is increasing rapidly both nationally, and internationally, which has a significant impact on both short and long term health (Hall et al, 2009; WHO, 2016 ). Exploration of the literature suggests that there are many risk factors associated with becoming overweight, with the key principles leading to obesity being laid down in childhood (WAG, 2010). Wanless (2004) and Jones et al (2005) identified that during the period of 1986-2002 weight gain in children translated to a doubling in the proportion of those classified obese.ÂÂ   Childhood obesity is becoming evident in younger ages, with studies documentin g a sizable increase in the percentage of overweight children between the ages of two and three years (Hall et al, 2009; Nelson, 2004). Studies linking overweight to psychological consequences show that obese children tend to have low self-esteem, increased rates of sadness, loneliness and are often bullied and socially excluded outside the home (Strauss,2000). Promoting healthy weight and preventing and managing obesity have become pressing public health priorities over recent years (Phillips et al 2011). The effects of addressing obesity in early childhood are not solely limited to its health benefits; improvements in the rates of obesity could potentially save the NHS millions. In Wales alone it is estimated that between 1.65 million a week is spent treating conditions linked to Obesity (PHW, 2016). Despite obesity being at the forefront of the Public health agenda within the UK, progress in tackling childhood obesity has been slow and inconsistent, with a clear lack of provision identified as a problem within Wales (WAG, 2010; WHO, 2016). It has long been recognized that socioeconomic class has a significant impact on health inequalities, with those living in the most deprived areas more at risk of becoming overweight or obese (Acheson, 1998; Black, 1980). This is of particular relevance to the Cwmbwrla ward (APPENDIX 1), which falls within the 20% most deprived areas within Wales (WG, 2014). NICE (2014) supports this, with statistics indicating that 29% of children living in the most deprived areas of Wales being overweight or obese compared to 21% in the least deprived areas. More recent findings have suggested that, despite improvements in the overall health of the general population, there continues to be significant gaps between the social classes (Dahlgren and Whitehead, 1991; Marmot, 2010). These differences have been tackled within Welsh Government policy, which aimed to target the most deprived areas of Wales, through the delivery of the Flying Start program, which promotes health and delivers intensive servi ces in areas of greatest need (WAG, 2005, 2011a; WG, 2016). While such services must be applauded for their proactive approach, it must also be considered that as a consequence of this, the availability services relies heavily on postcode (WG, 2013), resulting in many families in need being unable to access necessary support. However, more recent WG policy has identified the need to tackle inequality, and improve health outcomes for all children, delivering support in key areas to all families with children under 7, underpinned by the principle of progressive universalism (HCWP, 2016). As previously identified, the determinants of obesity are complex and varied, it is important to recognise than no single intervention is likely to prevent or improve childhood obesity alone (WHO, 2012). Availability of data is important in planning services at a local level. Collaboration, leadership and quality improvement play a leading role within WG policy (PHW, 2013; WG, 2011, 2016). These policies emphasize the importance of adopting a muti-agency approach in addressing health needs, thus, identifying the need for SCPHN to support existing programs when planning health interventions to address obesity, with the aim of strengthening current initiatives and reducing the need for later more expensive treatments (NICE, 2013). The all wales obesity pathway supports this, and sets out a multi-agency approach in targeting obesity, allowing the identification of gaps in provision and the determination of where to best focus efforts (WAG, 2010). Over recent years, the WG have invested millions on strategies targeting obesity; for example, Free swimming programme (2003), Health Challenge Wales (2005), Creating an active Wales (2009), Mend (2009), and Our healthy future (2009), despite this the number of overweight children and adults continues to rise (Mc Pherson Marsh, 2007). Research suggests it Is highly likely that obese children will have obese parents, thus indicating the possible detrimental effects of learnt behaviours in childhood such as poor eating habits (NICE,2015). The literature emphasises the need for family involvement in interventions to ensure improvements in outcomes (Public Health England, 2014). There is emerging evidence that programmes that aim to enhance parenting skills can have a positive impact on childhood obesity (Berge Everts, 2011). Therefore, within the Cwmbwrla area, a recommendation would be to build community capacity for healthy eating by setting up a 4 week weaning programme. The programme would be available to families between the 16 week clinic contact and 24 week health review as per the HCWP (2016), and will deliver education and advice within a group setting. The programme will cover topics such as, delayed weaning, healthy eating in childhood, controlling portion size and how to quickly create cheap but nutritio us meals, with the aim of encouraging behaviour change using an educational approach (Naidoo Wills, 2016). The programme would aim to build upon existing initiatives such as Change 4 Life, which has previously been judged for not fulfilling its full potential (WAG, 2014). However,ÂÂ   it is important to consider that in the past, group programmes have been criticised for failing to involve individuals and communities who are hard to reach resulting in poor engagement (PHW, 2013). A further recommendation for the Cwmbwrla ward would be the provision of Increased/intensive home visits to specific families identified during the antenatal or birth visit as being at risk of overweight or obesity. Research has indicated a correlation between parenting lifestyle and that of their children in terms of diet and physical activity (Rhee, 2008). Arguably, the most effective strategy we can employ in tackling obesity in childhood is to work with parents (Golan, Kaufman Shahar, 2006).The aim is to focus on parents and support them to making positive choices that facilitate a healthy start in life. The additional visits will enable SCPHN to facilitate behaviour change by addressing key influences such as; positive parenting, feeding behaviour and food and activities accessible within the home, while also allowing the SCPHN the flexibility toÂÂ   tailor the program specifically to the needs of the individual family. It is imperative that SCPHN are mindful that there is no one correct parenting style, it is therefore important when delivering the program not to stereotype, but to encourage a generally more authoritative approach. Delivering the program within the home will aim to address the possible barriers families experience in accessing services (PHW, 2013). To conclude, this paper has evaluated the current public health agenda in relation to high levels of obesity identified within the Cwmbwla ward, a trend mirrored throughout the UK. Findings suggest that effort needs to be invested in preventing obesity, particularly in children; targeting early intervention and encouraging and educating families to adopt a healthy varied diet and active lifestyle (NICE, 2006, 2014). Through raising awareness, and by influencing local and national policies, SCPHN can facilitate ways to combat the problem of childhood obesity and seek to change the patterns which lead to obesity and poor health in later life (Cowley Frost, 2006; WG, 2014). As a result, recommendations for practice were identified for implementation within the profiled area of Cwmbwrla. The overall aim is for SCPHN to identify, address and facilitating families to overcome the current obesity epidemic, which could potentially result in a huge gain in terms of both cost to the NHS and more importantly the health of children and the adults they become (WG, 2015). Congestive Heart Failure: Causes, Types and Symptons Congestive Heart Failure: Causes, Types and Symptons Heart failure is caused by the heart not pumping as much blood as it should and the body does not get as much blood and oxygen that it needs. The malfunctioning of the heart chambers are due to damage caused by narrowed or blocked arteries leading to the muscle of your heart. This Heart failure can also be described based on which area of the heart isnt operating properly.2 types of heart failure. 1) Diastolic dysfunction: The contraction function is normal but theres impaired relaxation of the heart, impairing its ability to fill with blood causing the blood returning to the heart to accumulate in the lungs or veins. 2) Systolic dysfunction: The relaxing function is normal but theres impaired contraction of the heart causing the heart to pump pump out as much blood that is returned to it as normally does. As a result of more blood remaining in lower chambers of the heart Causes Any disorder that directly affects the heart can lead to heart failure, as can some disorders that indirectly affect the heart. Some disorders cause heart failure quickly; others do so only after many years. Some disorders cause systolic dysfunction, others cause diastolic dysfunction, and some disorders, such as high blood pressure and some heart valve disorders, can cause both types of dysfunction. Systolic Dysfunction: In many cases, a combination of factors results in heart failure. Coronary artery disease is a common cause of systolic dysfunction. It can impair large areas of heart muscle because it reduces the flow of oxygenirich blood to the heart muscle, which needs oxygen for normal contraction. Blockage of a coronary artery can cause a heart attack, which destroys an area of heart muscle. As a result, that area can no longer contract normally. Myocarditis (inflammation of heart muscle) caused by a bacterial, viral, or other infection can damage all or part of the heart muscle, impairing its pumping ability. Some drugs used to treat cancer and some toxins (such as alcohol) may also damage heart muscle. Some drugs, such as nonsteroidal antiiinflammatory drugs, may cause the body to retain fluid, which increases the workload of the heart and may precipitate heart failure. Heart valve disordersinarrowing (stenosis) of a valve, which hinders blood flow through the heart, or leakage of blood backward (regurgitation) through a valveican cause heart failure. Both stenosis and regurgitation of a valve can severely stress the heart, so that over time, the heart enlarges and cannot pump adequately. An abnormal connection (septal defectsi(see Birth Defects: Atrial and Ventricular Septal Defects and Patent Ductus Arteriosus: Failure to CloseFigures) between the heart chambers can allow blood to recirculate within the heart, increasing the workload of the heart, and thus can cause heart failure. Disorders that affect the hearts electrical conduction system and produce prolonged changes in heart rhythms (especially if these are fast or irregular) can cause heart failure. When the heart beats abnormally, it cannot pump blood efficiently. Some lung disorders, such as pulmonary hypertension (see Pulmonary Hypertension), may alter or damage blood vessels in the lungs (pulmonary arteries). As a result, the right side of the heart has to work harder to pump blood into the lungs. The person may then develop cor pulmonale (see Cor Pulmonale: A Disorder Stemming From Pulmonary HypertensionSidebar), in which the right ventricle is enlarged and there is rightisided heart failure. Sudden, usually complete blockage of a pulmonary artery by several small blood clots or one very large clot (pulmonary embolism) also makes pumping blood into the pulmonary arteries difficult. A very large clot can be immediately life threatening. The increased effort required to pump blood into the blocked pulmonary arteries can cause the right side of the heart to enlarge and may cause the walls of the right ventricle to thicken, resulting in right sided heart failure. Disorders that indirectly affect the hearts pumping ability include a severe deficiency of red blood cells or hemoglobin (anemia), an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism), an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism), and kidney failure. Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, which enables them to carry oxygen from the lungs and deliver it to body tissues. Anemia reduces the amount of oxygen the blood carries, so that the heart must work harder to provide the same amount of oxygen to tissues. (Anemia has many causes, including chronic bleeding due to a stomach ulcer.) An overactive thyroid gland overstimulates the heart, so that it pumps too rapidly and does not empty normally during each heartbeat. When the thyroid gland is underactive, levels of thyroid hormones are low. As a result, all muscles, including the heart, become weak because muscles depend on thyroid hormones to function normally. Kidney failure strains the heart because the kidneys cannot remove excess fluid from t he bloodstream, so the heart has a larger volume of blood to pump. Eventually, the heart cannot keep up, and heart failure develops Diastolic Dysfunction: Inadequately treated high blood pressure is the most common cause of diastolic dysfunction. High blood pressure stresses the heart because the heart must pump blood more forcefully than normal to eject blood into the arteries against the higher pressure. Eventually, the hearts walls thicken (hypertrophy), then stiffen. The stiff heart does not fill quickly or adequately, so that with each contraction, the heart pumps less blood than it normally does. Diabetes causes other changes that stiffen the walls of the ventricle. As people age, the hearts walls also tend to stiffen. The combination of high blood pressure and diabetes, which are common among older people, and ageirelated stiffening makes heart failure particularly common among older people. Heart failure may result from other disorders that cause the hearts walls to stiffen, such as infiltrations and infections. For example, in amyloidosis, amyloid, an unusual protein not normally present in the body, infiltrates many tissues in the body. If amyloid infiltrates the hearts walls, they stiffen, and heart failure results. In tropical countries, infiltration by certain parasites into heart muscle can cause heart failure, even in young people. Some heart valve disorders, such as aortic valve stenosis, hinder blood flow out of the heart. As a result, the heart muscle thickens and has to work harder, and diastolic dysfunction develops. Eventually, systolic dysfunction also develops. In constrictive pericarditis, the sac that envelops the heart (pericardium) stiffens, preventing even a healthy heart from pumping and filling normally. Types of Heart diseases affect the heart chambers include These are the heart diseases which leads to heart failures A) Pulmonary heart diseases B) Heart Disease affecting heart muscles C) Heart disease affecting heart valves D) Heart disease affecting coronary arteries and coronary veins E) Heart disease affecting heart lining F) Heart disease affecting electrical system G) Congenital heart disease A) Pulmonary heart disease Pulmonary heart disease is caused by an enlarged right ventricle. It is known as heart disease resulting from a lung disorder where the blood flowing into the lungs is slowed or blocked causing increased lung pressure. The right side of the heart has to pump harder to push against the increased pressure and this can lead to enlargement of the right ventricle In the case of heart diseases affecting heart muscles, the heart muscles are stiff, increasing the amount of pressure required to expand for blood to flow into the heart or the narrowing of the passage as a result of obstructing blood flow out of the heart. B) Heart diseases affecting heart muscles Cardiomyopathy Heart muscle becomes inflamed and doesnt work as well as it should. There may be multiple causes such as high blood pressure, heart valve disease, artery diseases or congenital heart defects. a) Dilated cardiomyopathy The heart cavity is enlarged and stretched. Blood flows more slowly through an enlarged heart, causing formation of blood clots as a result of clots sticking to the inner lining of the heart, breaking off the right ventricle into the pulmonary circulation in the lung or being dislodged and carried into the bodys circulation to form emboli . b) Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy The wall between two ventricles becomes enlarged, obstructing blood flow from the left ventricle. Sometimes the thickened wall distorts one leaflet of the mitral valve, causing it to leak. The symptoms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy include shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting and angina pectoris. c) Restrictive cardiomyopathy The ventricles become excessively rigid, harder to fill with blood between heartbeats. The symptoms of restrictive cardiomyopathy include shortness of breath, swollen hands and feet. Myocarditis Myocarditis is an inflammation of heart muscles or weakens of heart muscles. The symptoms of myocarditis include fever, chest pains, and congestive heart failure, palpitation. C) Heart disease affecting heart valves Heart diseases affecting heart valves occur when the mitral valve in the heart narrows, causing the heart to work harder to pump blood from the left atrium into left ventricle. Here are some types of heart disease affecting heart valves: a. Mitral Stenosis Mitral Stenosis is a heart valve disorder that involves a narrowing or blockage of the opening of mitral valve causing the volume and pressure of blood in left atrium increases. b. Mitral valves regurgitation Mitral regurgitation is the heart disease in which your hearts mitral valve doesnt close tightly causing the blood to be unable to move through the heart efficiently. Symptoms of mitral valve regurgitation are fatigue and shortness of breath. c. Mitral valves prolapsed In mitral valve prolapsed, one or both leaflets of the valve are too large resulting in uneven closure of the valve during each heartbeat. Symptoms of mitral valves prolapsed are palpitation, shortness of breath, dizzy, fatigue and chest pains. d. Aortic Stenosis With aging, protein collagen of valve leaflets are destroyed and calcium is deposited on the leaflets causing scarring, thickening, and stenosis is the valve therefore increasing the wear and tear on the valve leaflets resulting in the symptoms and heart problems of aortic stenosis. e. Aortic regurgitation Aortic regurgitation is the leaking of aortic valve of the heart that causes blood to flow in the reverse direction during ventricular diastole, from the aorta into the left ventricle. Symptoms of aortic regurgitation include fatigue or weakness, shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitation and irregular heartbeats. F. Tricuspid stenosis Tricuspid stenosis is the narrowing of the orifice of the tricuspid valve of the heart causing increased resistance to blood flow through the valve. Symptoms of tricuspid stenosis include fatigue, enlarged liver, abdominal swelling, neck discomfort, leg and ankle swelling. g. Tricuspid regurgitation. Tricuspid regurgitation is the failure of the riht ventricular causing blood to leak back through the tricuspid valve from the riht ventricle into the riht atrium of the heart. Symptoms of tricuspid regurgitation include leg and ankle swelling, swelling in the abdomen. D. Heart disease affecting coronary arteries and coronary veins Heart disease affecting coronary arteries and coronary veins: The malfunctioning of the heart may be due to damage caused by narrowed or blocked arteries leading to the muscle of your heart as well as blood backing up in the veins. Types of heart disease that affect the coronary arteries and veins include Angina pectoris Angina pectoris occurs when the heart muscle doesnt get as much blood oxygen as it needs. Here are 3 types of angina pectoris: a) Stable angina Stable angina is chest pain or discomfort that typically occurs with activity or stress due to oxygen deficiency in the blood muscles usually follows a predictable pattern. Symptom of stable angina include chest pain, tightness, pressure, indigestion feeling and pain in the upper neck and arm. b) Unstable angina Unstable angina is caused by blockage of the blood flow to the heart. Without blood and the oxygen, part of the heart starts to die. Symptoms of unstable angina include pain spread down the left shoulder and arm to the back, jaw, neck, or riht arm, discomfort of chest and chest pressure. c) Variant angina aiso known as coronary artery spasm Caused by the narrowing of the coronary arteries. This is caused by the contraction of the smooth muscle tissue in the vessel walls. Symptoms of variant angina include increasing of heart rate, pressure and chest pain. Heart attacks known as myocardial infarction or MI Heart attacks caused by plaque rupture with thrombus formation in a coronary vessel, resulting in an acute reduction of blood supply to a portion of the myocardium. Symptoms of MI include a squeezing sensation of the chest, sweating, nausea, vomiting, upper back pain and arm pain. Heart disease aiso known as coronary artery disease or coronary heart disease Caused by arteries hardening, narrowing, cutting off blood flow to the heart muscle resulting in heart attack. Symptoms of heart disease include shortness of breath, chest pains on exertion, palpitation, dizziness and fainting. Atherosclerosis or hardening of arteries Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygenirich blood to your heart and to other parts of your body. Atherosclerosis is caused by plaques that rupture in result of blood clots that block blood flow or break off and travel to another part of the body. Atherosclerosis has no symptom or warning sign. Silent ischemia. Ischemia is a condition in which the blood flow is restricted to a part of the body caused by narrowing of heart arteries. Siient ischemia means people have ischemia without pain. There is aiso no warning sign before heart attack. E) Heart disease affecting heart lining Rheumatic heart disease results from inflammation of the heart lining when too much fluid builds up in the lungs leading to pulmonary congestion. It is due to failure of the heart to remove fluid from the lung circulation resulting in shortness of breath, coughing up blood, pale skin and excessive sweating. Heart disease resulting from inflammation of either the endocardium or pericardium is called heart disease affecting heart lining. Endocardium is the inner layer of the heart. It consists of epithelial tissue and connective tissue. Pericardium is the fluid filled sac that surrounds the heart and the proximal ends of the aorta, vena valva and the pulmonary artery. a. Endocarditis Endocarditic, which is an inflammation of the endocardium is caused by bacteria entering the bloodstream and settling on the inside of the heart, usually on the heart valves that consists of epithelial tissue and connective tissue. It is the most common heart disease in people who have a damaged, diseased, or artificial heart valve. Symptoms of endocarditis include fever, chilling, fatigue, aching joint muscles, night sweats, shortness of breath, change in temperature and a persistent cough. b. Pericardium Pericarditis is the inflammation of the pericardium. It is caused by infection of the pericardium which is the thin, tough bagiiike membrane surrounding the heart. The pericardium aiso prevents the heart from over expanding when blood volume increases. Symptoms of pericarditis include chest pain, mild fever, weakness, fatigue, coughing, hiccups, and muscle aches. F) Heart disease affecting electrical system The electrical system within the heart is responsible for ensuring the heart beats correctly so that blood can be transported to the cells throughout our body. Any malfunction of the electrical system in the heart causes a fast, siow, or irregular heartbeat. The electrical system within the heart is responsible for ensuring that the heart beats correctly so that blood can be transported throughout our the body. Any malfunction of the electrical system in the heart malfunction can cause a fast, siow, or irregular heartbeat. Types of heart disease that affect the electrical system are known as arrhythmias. They can cause the heart to beat too fast, too siow, or irregularly. These types of heart disease include: a. Sinus tachycardia Sinus tachycardia occurs when the sinus rhythm is faster than 100 beats per minute therefore it increases myocardial oxygen demand and reduces coronary blood flow, thus precipitating an ischemia heart or valvular disease. b. Sinus bradycardia Sinus bradycardia occurs when a decrease of cardiac output results in regular but unusually siow heart beat less than 60 beats per minute. Symptoms of sinus bradycardia includes a feeling of weightlessness of the head, dizziness, low blood pressure, vertigo, and syncope. c. Atrial fibrillation Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heart rhythm that starts in the upper parts (atria) of the heart causing irregular beating between the atria and the lower parts (ventricles) of the heart. The lower parts may beat fast and without a regular rhythm. Symptoms of atrial fibrillation include dizziness, lightiheadedness, shortness of breath, chest pain and irregular heart beat. d. Atrial flutter Atrial flutter is an abnormal heart rhythm that occurs in the atria of the heart causing abnormalities and diseases of the heart. Symptoms of atrial flutter includes shortness of breath, chest pains, anxiety and palpitation. e. Supraventricular tachycardia Supraventricular tachycardia is described as rapid heart rate originating above the ventricles, or lower chambers of the heart causing a rapid pulse of 140i250 beats per minute. Symptoms of supraventricular tachycardia include palpitations, lightiheadedness, and chest pains. f. Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia is described as an occasional rapid heart rate. Symptoms can come on suddenly and may go away without treatment. They can last a few minutes or 1i2 days. g. Ventricular tachycardia Ventricular tachycardia is described as a fast heart rhythm that originates in one of the ventricles of the heart . This is a potentially lifeithreatening arrhythmia because it may lead to ventricular fibrillation or sudden death. Symptoms of ventricular tachycardia include light headedness, dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath and chest pains. h. Ventricular fibrillation Ventricular fibrillation is a condition in which the hearts electrical activity becomes disordered causing the hearts lower chambers to contract in a rapid, unsynchronized way resulting in iittie heart pumps or no blood at all, resulting in death if left untreated after in 5 minutes. There are many heart diseases affecting electrical system such as premature arterial contractions, wolf parkinson, etc. G) Congenital heart disease There are several heart diseases that people are born with. Congenital heart diseases are caused by a persistence in the fetal connection between arterial and venous circulation. Congenital heart diseases affect any part of the heart such as heart muscle, valves, and blood vessels. Congenital heart disease refers to a problem with the hearts structure and function due to abnormal heart development before birth.Every year over 30,000 babies are born with some type of congenital heart defect in US alone. Congenital heart disease is responsible for more deaths in the first year of life than any other birth defects. Some congenital heart diseases can be treated with medication alone, whiie others require one or more surgeries. The causes of congenital heart diseases of newborns at birth may be in result from poorly controlled blood sugar levels in women having diabetes during pregnancy, some hereditary factors that play a role in congenital heart disease, excessive intake of alcohol and side affects of some drugs during pregnancy. Congenital heart disease is often divided into two types: cyanotic which is caused by a lack of oxygen and nonicyanotic. A. Cyanotic Cyanosis is a blue coloration of the skin due to a lack of oxygen generated in blood vessels near the skin surface. It occurs when the oxygen level in the arterial blood falls below 85i90%. The below lists are the most common of cyanotic congenital heart diseases: a) Tetralogy of fallot Tetralogy of fallot is a condition of several congenital defects that occur when the heart does not develop normally. It is the most common cynaotic heart defect and a common cause of blue baby syndrome. b) Transportation of the great vessels Transportation of the great vessels is the most common cyanotic congenital heart disease. Transposition of the great vessels is a congenital heart defect in which the 2 major vessels that carry blood away from the aorta and the pulmonary artery of the heart are switched. Symptoms of transportation of the great vessels include blueness of the skin, shortness of breath and poor feeding. c) Tricuspid atresia In tricuspid atresia there is no tricuspid valve so no blood can flow from the riht atrium to the riht ventricle. Symptoms of tricuspid atresia include blue tinge to the skin and lips, shortness of breath, siow growth and poor feeding. d) Total anomalous pulmonary venous return Total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR) is a rare congenital heart defect that causes cyanosis or blueness. Symptoms of total anomalous pulmonary venous return include poor feeding, poor growth, respiratory infections and blue skin. e)Truncus arteriosus Truncus arteriosus is characterized by a large ventricular septal defect over which a large, single great vessel arises. Symptoms of truncus arteriosus include blue coloring of the skin, poor feeding, poor growth and shortness of breath. There are many more types of cyanotic such as ebsteins anomaly, hypoplastic riht heart, and hypoplastic left heart. If you need more information please consult with your doctor. B. Nonicyanotic Nonicyanotic heart defects are more common because of higher survival rates. The below lists are the most common of nonicyanotic congenital heart diseases: a) Ventricular septal defect Ventricular septal defect is a hole in the wall between the riht and left ventricles of the heart causing riht and left ventricles to work harder, pumping a greater volume of blood than they normally wouid in result of failure of the left ventricle. Symptoms of ventricular septal defect include very fast heartbeats, sweating, poor feeding, poor weight gain and pallor. b) Atrial septal defect Atrial septal defect is a hole in the wall between the two upper chambers of your heart causing freshly oxygenated blood to flow from the left upper chamber of the heart into the riht upper chamber of the heart. Symptoms of atrial septal defect include shortness of breath, fatigue and heart palpitations or skipped beats. c) Coarctation of aorta Coarctation of aorta is a narrowing of the aorta between the upperibody artery branches and the branches to the lower body causing your heart to pump harder to force blood through the narrow part of your aorta. Symptoms of coarctation of aorta include pale skin, shortness of breath and heavy sweating. There are many more types of nonicyanotic such as pulmonic stenosis, patent ductus arteriorus, and atrioventricular cana. These problems may occur alone or together. Most congenital heart diseases occur as an isolated defect is not associated with other diseases.

Role of Women in Jane Eyre Essay -- Charlotte Bronte Woman Female Jane

Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre represents the role of women in the Victorian era by giving the reader an insight into the lives of women from all social classes. Jane Eyre therefore represents figures of the Victorian time yet the character of Jane Eyre, herself, can be seen as very unconventional for the Victorian society. England, in the eighteenth century, was driven by class distinction and wealth. In the lower class there was always a desperate struggle to survive which contrasted to the life led by the upper class, socializing with people like themselves. The servant trade, made up by the lower class, allowed the upper class to live their desired life whilst constantly maintaining superiority based on their position in society. Women, in all classes, were still living in a world which was misogynistic and male-dominated. Their purpose in life was to produce male heirs and maintain the home by hiring and overseeing servants. It was also taboo for one to marry significantly below one’s social class. This is one reason that Jane is not a conventional heroine for the society of her time. Although, as a governess, she is not considered to be as low as a housemaid, she is still part of the hired help in the house. This is why it is unconventional for her and Mr Rochester to be in a relationship. Yet this is not as peculiar as how Jane Eyre ends their relationship due to her sense of betrayal. It would have been considered extremely foolish for a working-woman’s sense of betrayal to end and turn down a man of great wealth. Many women in this period would engage in â€Å"arranged† marriages which were widely accepted and indeed, one of the most practiced forms of marrying at this time. Usually a marriage of convenience rather... ...rotagonist, Jane is presented in the role of a lower class woman. This is evident in the way that she must work to support herself. Mrs. Fairfax, the tenant at Thornfield Hall is presented in the role of a middle to upper class woman. Although she does not have a family of her own, which is uncharacteristic of middle class women in Victorian times, she has a well paid job and a wonderful house to live in. Charlotte Bronte has given the reader an insight into the role of upper class women through the character of Miss Ingram. She has no job, as her principle in life is to bear a child. Her days consist of social outings and reading or playing the piano. It is therefore evident that there was a great division between the social classes with women. The roles of women altered largely between classes, and Charlotte Bronte has focused on this significantly in her novel. Role of Women in Jane Eyre Essay -- Charlotte Bronte Woman Female Jane Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre represents the role of women in the Victorian era by giving the reader an insight into the lives of women from all social classes. Jane Eyre therefore represents figures of the Victorian time yet the character of Jane Eyre, herself, can be seen as very unconventional for the Victorian society. England, in the eighteenth century, was driven by class distinction and wealth. In the lower class there was always a desperate struggle to survive which contrasted to the life led by the upper class, socializing with people like themselves. The servant trade, made up by the lower class, allowed the upper class to live their desired life whilst constantly maintaining superiority based on their position in society. Women, in all classes, were still living in a world which was misogynistic and male-dominated. Their purpose in life was to produce male heirs and maintain the home by hiring and overseeing servants. It was also taboo for one to marry significantly below one’s social class. This is one reason that Jane is not a conventional heroine for the society of her time. Although, as a governess, she is not considered to be as low as a housemaid, she is still part of the hired help in the house. This is why it is unconventional for her and Mr Rochester to be in a relationship. Yet this is not as peculiar as how Jane Eyre ends their relationship due to her sense of betrayal. It would have been considered extremely foolish for a working-woman’s sense of betrayal to end and turn down a man of great wealth. Many women in this period would engage in â€Å"arranged† marriages which were widely accepted and indeed, one of the most practiced forms of marrying at this time. Usually a marriage of convenience rather... ...rotagonist, Jane is presented in the role of a lower class woman. This is evident in the way that she must work to support herself. Mrs. Fairfax, the tenant at Thornfield Hall is presented in the role of a middle to upper class woman. Although she does not have a family of her own, which is uncharacteristic of middle class women in Victorian times, she has a well paid job and a wonderful house to live in. Charlotte Bronte has given the reader an insight into the role of upper class women through the character of Miss Ingram. She has no job, as her principle in life is to bear a child. Her days consist of social outings and reading or playing the piano. It is therefore evident that there was a great division between the social classes with women. The roles of women altered largely between classes, and Charlotte Bronte has focused on this significantly in her novel.

Brave New World Essay -- essays research papers fc

Alduos Huxley, in his science fiction novel Brave New World written in 1932, presents a horrifying view of a possible future in which comfort and happiness replace hard work and incentive as society's priorities. Mustapha Mond and John the Savage are the symbolic characters in the book with clashing views. Taking place in a London of the future, the people of Utopia mindlessly enjoy having no individuality. In Brave New World, Huxley's distortion of religion, human relationships and psychological training are very effective and contrast sharply with the literary realism found in the Savage Reservation. Huxley uses Brave New World to send out a message to the general public warning our society not to be so bent on the happiness and comfort that comes with scientific advancements. Huxley effectively uses distortion in Brave New World in his depiction of Soma as a replacement for religion. Soma is a rationed narcotic that is emphasized by the government to help the people escape from their problems. The people of Utopia have become dependent on the drug to keep them in a constant state of pleasure. In their "perfect" society there is no escape from happiness. The primary example of the degrading effects of Soma is Linda. Brought back from the Savage Reservation after being left behind pregnant, Linda faced many moral and ethical dilemmas she chose to avoid. Her addiction to Soma, which is looked upon as a good thing by everyone except John, brings about the terrible end to her life in which she was in a state of constant delusion. Soma, as Mustapha Mond puts it, is "Christianity without tears" (244). Soma, in effect, is the key to social stability in Utopia. Soma prevents uprisings, saves revolutions and suppresses emotions. Although Hu xley's distortion of religion is powerful, there are other strong arguments in the book. Huxley also uses distortion as a way to make people "see" in his depiction of human relationships. In the book, sex is looked upon as a tool for sharing with multiple partners. The frequency with which people sleep with each other is a disturbing aspect Huxley chooses to portray. Lenina Crowne symbolizes Huxley's portrayal of the complete lack of sexual morals and self-respect. Along with Soma, sexual promiscuity is another form in which the governm... ...George Orwell. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1986. 52-56. Gardner, Averil. George Orwell. Boston: Twayne, 1987. Harris, Roy. "The Misunderstanding of Newspeak." George Orwell. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1986. 31-34. Howe, Tom. "George Orwell." British Writers Volume VII. Ed. Ian Scott-Kilvert. New York: Scribner, 1984. 273-287. Kalechofsky, Roberta. George Orwell. Boston: Twayne, 1987. Rahv, Philip. "The Unfuture of Utopia." George Orwell. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1986. 102-105. Read, Herbert. "1984." George Orwell. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1986. 86-89. Reilly, Patrick. Nineteen Eighty Four - A Student's Companion to the Novel. Boston: Twayne, 1989. Reiff, Phillip. The Complete Guide to George Orwell. New York: Chelsea House, 1983. 39-49. Roazen, Antonio. Twentieth Century Literary Criticism Vol II: George Orwell. Detroit: Gale, 1979. Williams, T.J. Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature in English: George Orwell. Chicago: FD, 1996. Woodcock, George. "Nineteen Eighty-Four." Reference Guide to English Literature Vol III. Chicago: St. James, 1991. 61-63.

Case Study “Ebay in China” Essay

EBay first entered the Chinese market in 2002 by acquiring a 33% stake in its local counterpart, EachNet, followed by a full acquisition a year later in 2003. Critically assess eBay.s choice of market entry strategy for China, listing both the advantages and disadvantages of its acquisition strategy. As we know, eBay’s China expansion strategy can be considered as failure, despite the fact that eBay entered this potentially rewarding market with caution. This cautious strategy was very unusual for eBay, because they used full-forced, head-on, .be-first-or-nothing. strategy in other markets, for various reasons, it would be impossible to implement this strategy when penetrating Chinese market. So acquiring an already comparatively recognizable and well established brand seemed to be the best way to continue eBay’s expansion in Asia. Without a doubt, Each Net was the best candidate for acquisition at the time. When eBay acquired 33% shares of Each Net in 2002, it seemed to be hugely successful, because in year 2003 the value of Each Net had doubled and market share had rocketed to 85% – this initial success encouraged full acquisition of Each Net. As we know, the success did not turn out to be long-lasting, despite the fact that in first few years the performance of the company was brilliant. While acquisition of Each Net meant many advantages for eBay, it also implied serious disadvantages. Advantages of Each Net acquisition: †¢Each net had strong financial backing from large venture capital companies †¢Immense market potential – 1,23 billion Chinese language speakers all around the world †¢Rapidly increasing number of internet users in China – increasing number of potential customers †¢Each Net in essence was an imitation of eBay, adjusted to fit Chinese customer needs, but with much greater recognition in China †¢Increasing popularity of shopping online (also by using Each Net) in China. †¢Well established image of Each Net in China †¢High Each Net market share (about 50%) in year 2002 †¢Wide range of different items sold through Each Net †¢Only significant player in online auction market in China by year 2002 was Each Net Disadvantages of Each Net acquisition: †¢Cultural differences and buying habits of Chinese. †¢Huge investments required †¢Unpredictability of the fast-changing Chinese market – huge risks †¢Emerging competitors – TaoBao (Alibaba subsidiary), which outcompeted eBay Each Net in future, by better adjusting to Chinese customer needs and buying habits †¢Alibaba had more established presence in China and much better knowledge of Chinese customers – reason for increasing lack of consumer trust in eBay Each Net in future †¢Each Net failed to create customer trust in future, while TaoBao succeeded †¢Chinese refusal of adopting traditional eBay practices (Pay Pal etc.) †¢Lack of interaction possibilities between buyer and seller, provided by eBay Each Net – important for Chinese, TaoBao was much better in this aspect †¢Comparatively poor customer service In conclusion, this acquisition, which was probably the right step by eBay, turned out to be failure, despite the fact, that at first it seemed to be a huge success. In my opinion it is because eBay’s management was so overwhelmed with the initial success, that they lost caution – they were very conscious at beginning but failed to adjust to customer needs, they did not pay enough attention to them, which led to eBay Each Net to situation where they were outcompeted by TaoBao in Chinese market. Question 2 Assess the potential benefits and risks of eBay’s joint venture with Tom Online. In an eBay’s and TOM Online formed joint venture there are some benefits as well as some risks. One of the benefits is that TOM Online is a Chinese domestic brand, which is much better for consumers of China. They mostly  like well known Chinese internet brands. TOM Online is a market leader in China in sphere of mobile value-added services and has an internet portal, which is one of the biggest and most popular in china, it means that TOM Online is a well know brand in China and is rapidly recognized in the internet. TOM Online has a good experience in cooperation with Skype and has given great results in it. This shows that TOM Online knows how to present new product in the market and how to increase its market share, which is essential for eBay at the moment. All the aspects of TOM Online show that this company has a great and efficient knowledge of Chinese market and exactly this feature is very necessary for eBay to gain good results. In addition, political connections of the TOM Online can be very helpful in Chinese market, especially in nowadays and situation in China. Risks of this joint venture are not as great as benefits, but there is a risk to loose a chance to strengthen the eBay brand, because Chinese customers will be focused on the TOM Online and EachNet. There also is a risk of loosing big amounts of money, because TOM Online has a 2% bigger ownership, but in amount of money, eBay invests two times more money, however the success of the TOM EachNet depends more on TOM Online. There also can be assessed as a risk point, that TOM Online is focused on mobile value-added services and their target audience is generally young consumers, but eBay target audience is a little older. Question 3 eBay will have a 49% stake in the new joint venture while Tom Online will have 51% ownership. Critically assess both companies’ decisions on their respective percentage of stake In our opinion E-Bay’s decision to joint venture with TOM Online was a great success. Although E-Bay is a giant and successful company in US and has successfully expanded worldwide, China is a â€Å"Hard-Nut† for them. China’s cultural differences and moral values lead them to face some difficulties in setting up eBay business. Chinese people still trust their own companies more and respect them. TOM Online is a successful company with a good reputation and has already gained trust of millions of customers. Their activity area is also not far from eBay’s – mainly internet and other IT services, and mobile entertainment. TOM Online was also expanding rapidly and cooperating with various influential companies as for example Skype. But lately they also had a decrease in revenues so joint venture also was an opportunity for them. That way they widened their service range and that meant new opportunities. Why eBay 49% ownership and 51% to TOM Online? Why then eBay still invests more? And why the term ‘eBay’’ disappears from the name of this joint venture – â€Å"TOM Eachnet†. We think that that is quite obvious. There are several factors which explain this situation. As we already know the Chinese culture is very different and trust and respect are very substantial terms. So by erasing the US brand name from the joint venture name people would trust it more. Moreover both TOM and Each net are known as local brands. In this joint venture TOM invests US$20 million and contributes its local knowledge, technology and brand value, which are much more valuable than money – this explains why eBay invests twice as more. Moreover TOM Online has very important persons among their shareholders. This joint venture would open a whole new market segment for both – eBay and also TOM Online, allowing them to fulfill and widen significantly together. They can also let eBay into â€Å"mobile world†. As we all know – China has been always very different and that is the reason why setting up a stable, successful company has been a â€Å"hard battle† for others. But it is also a huge amount of customers (almost 1, 5 billion) which then means a great revenue if succeed. eBay EachNet understood than they are too unstable and the stakes are too high, so the joint venture with TOM Online and creating TOM EachNet was the best opportunity. Question 4 Strategic recommendation on International Commercial Strategy for E-Bay Increase revenues by capturing more customers Increase of the customer base will positively contribute to increase in revenues, customer loyalty schemes may be developed further in order to ensure that more people fall into the category of loyal customers, the services could be improved in order to serve some customized customer needs, a wider advertising campaign may be carried out in order to appeal to a wider market segment, perhaps even trying to work with some niches of the market providing solutions to their problems, satisfying their needs and wants. Look into new pay system or create own (PayPal only in 38 countries) Increasing the number of ways how customers can pay for their purchases will ensure that revenues grow and that a wider appeal will be given to the company – the services will be interesting both to credit card owners, pay pal users thus ensuring that customers can choose the method in which they would like to pay for their purchase – this method will also contribute to the solution of security concerns since people will be able to choose the method they consider to be the safest one. The Company should look at acquiring shopping comparison sites and vertical search engines to drive traffic and acquire consumers. Ebay should also consider how they can compete with Myspace, facebook and youtube, because a lot of selling is made through these sites, like google adwords is giving great traffic to Ebay, it is also a rival to Ebay, it proposes other similar sites. Company could also enlarge to the mobile sphere. Make eBay available for on mobile phones and PDA’s and others. As that is one of TOM Online activity sphere, it could be easily done and there is already an available previously formed customer group, who could be also very interested in this kind of service.

Wilde’s the Happy Prince and Other Tales and a House of Pomegranates

Literary influences of the books; Concern of Wilde on blending Christianity and aestheticism; : 1351 In a famous statement to W. B. Yeats, Oscar Wilde called Walter Pater's The Renaissance â€Å"my golden book; I never travel anywhere without it. â€Å"( n1) Nor is Pater's influence limited to a single book. Marius the Epicurean also had a strong impact on Wilde, and during his imprisonment, Pater's Greek Studies, Appreciations, and Imaginary Portraits were among the few books he asked for and received (Letters 399).Pater also had a powerful influence on Wilde's fairy tales, which critics have not so far focused on. The fairy tales of The Happy Prince and Other Tales and A House of Pomegranates reveal many influences–Hans Christian Andersen, Blake, Carlyle–but Pater is a chief influence on many of them. In De Profundis, Wilde wrote of Marius the Epicurean that in it Pater seeks to reconcile the artistic life with the life of religion in the deep, sweet and austere se nse of the word. But Marius is little more than a spectator: an ideal spectator indeed, [. . . yet a spectator merely, and perhaps a little too much occupied with the comeliness of the vessels of the Sanctuary to notice that it is the Sanctuary of Sorrow that he is gazing at. (Letters 476)In many of the fairy tales, Wilde's concern is exactly that of Pater in Marius–to blend Christianity and the artistic life or aestheticism. In others, he is more concerned with the conclusion to The Renaissance, with its insistent advice that we should devote our lives to the private enjoyment of the best objects of art–advice which he strongly rejects. The Happy Prince,† for instance, belongs to the latter group. When we first meet the happy prince, he is a beautiful statue, â€Å"gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold,† his eyes are â€Å"two bright sapphires,† and â€Å"a large red ruby† is fixed on his sword-hilt (271). His position as an aestheti c object high above the city symbolizes the isolated, carefree, pleasure-seeking life he led before his death, when he lived in a beautiful palace that is itself a work of art. Every evening, he tell us, â€Å"I led the dance in the Great Hall† (272).The happy prince, then, begins his existence as an aesthete, a follower of Pater's advice in The Renaissance that to burn always with this hard, gem-like flame, to maintain this ecstasy, is success in life. [. . . ] We have an interval, and then our place knows us no more. Some spend this interval in listlessness, some in high passions, the wisest, at least among â€Å"the children of this world,† in art and song. [. . . ] Of such wisdom, the poetic passion, the desire of beauty, the love of art for its own sake, has most. 123) Even as a child, the happy prince devotes himself instinctively to a Pateresque life of art, song, and beauty, but in doing so he locks out Christian sweetness and purity. When he becomes a statue, the happy prince gradually recognizes all the pain and sorrow that exists in the city below him, and he develops into a Christian, a child of light. His heart overflows with love and pity, and he sacrifices his aesthetic glory to help others. In this, he is aided by a swallow who undergoes a similar pattern of development.Finally, he strips himself of all his beauty, and his leaden heart cracks when the swallow dies, but both are ready now to enter Heaven. Christianity and aestheticism do not blend in â€Å"The Happy Prince†: Pater's Renaissance is seen as an early, selfish stage that human beings should outgrow. The great problem of the infanta in â€Å"The Birthday of the Infanta† is that she does not go beyond the private aestheticism Pater recommended in his conclusion but remains monstrous in her icy beauty and cold palace, with its many objects of art.In â€Å"The Young King,† on the other hand, Christianity and aestheticism blend fully. The young king, th e son of an artist, is disowned at first by his grandfather the old king, but is later acknowledged as heir to the throne and brought into the palace. â€Å"From the very first moment of his recognition,† we are told, he had shown signs of that strange passion for beauty that was destined to have so great an influence over his life. [. . . ] The wonderful palace–Joyeuse, as they called it–of which he now found himself lord, seemed to him to be a new world fresh-fashioned for his delight; [. . ] he would run down the great staircase, with its lions of gilt bronze and its steps of bright porphyry, and wander from room to room, and from corridor to corridor. (213-14) This crucial passage reveals the young king as a disciple of Pater's Renaissance, constantly in a state of â€Å"ecstasy,† burning with â€Å"a hard gem-like flame† as he privately enjoys the manifold beauties of his palace of art. But as his nature develops, he becomes terribly aware, th rough three successive dreams, of the pain and evil that accompanied the acquisition of such magnificent objects of art.He becomes a Christian, embraces poverty, and goes to his coronation in rags. The realm mocks and opposes him, from the people to the nobles to the bishop, but he presses on and enters the church. The nobles follow with drawn swords, intent on killing him, but God intervenes and crowns him: And lo! through the painted windows came the sunlight streaming upon him, and the sunbeams wove round him a tissued robe that was fairer than the robe that was fashioned for his pleasure. The dead staff blossomed, and bare lilies that were whiter than pearls.The dry thorn blossomed, and bare roses that were redder than rubies. (221) The young king enters a new aesthetic realm, pure and indescribably beautiful. Christianity in this tale is the highest form of aestheticism: the young king abandons Pater's Renaissance and discovers a higher, religious Epicureanism, much as Marius d oes when it dawns on him–in the â€Å"Divine Service† chapter of the novel–that Christianity is â€Å"the most beautiful thing in the world† (303). Like Marius, in his final stage of self-development, the king blends Christianity and aestheticism. n2) The protagonist of â€Å"The Fisherman and His Soul† does the same thing. Initially, fascinated by the beautiful mermaid who sings marvelous songs and lives in a wonderworld beneath the sea, the fisherman casts away his soul and joins her. By the end of the tale, however, his heart becomes large enough to embrace in love both the mermaid and his soul: without abandoning aestheticism, he becomes a Christian, and his grave blooms, prompting a change in the wrathful priest, who speaks of all-embracing love and blesses all of God's creatures.Similarly, in â€Å"The Star-Child† the star-child's physical beauty returns only when he becomes spiritually beautiful along Christian lines: the two go hand in hand. Over and over in the fairy tales, but especially in â€Å"The Young King,† Wilde blends Christianity and aestheticism in the manner of Marius the Epicurean, and over and over he rejects the advice of the conclusion to The Renaissance, presenting it as an inadequate initial stage in the soul's spiritual development. NOTES (n1. ) W. B. Yeats, The Autobiography of William Butler Yeats (New York: Macmillan, 1953) 80. n2. ) In this essay, I follow Gerald Cornelius Monsman's reading of Marius in Pater's Portraits: Mythic Pattern in Fiction of Walter Pater (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1967). Although Marius never takes the final step of officially converting to Christianity, his death according to Monsman is the prelude to a final awakening and the full experience of God.