Contemporary British Culture :: essays research papers

4. What differences are there between American and British higher education and how may these be explained?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before coming to study abroad here in Manchester, I didn't realise how different the two higher education systems were. My parents used to always tell me how it was when they grew up and went to school in India, but the connection between India and England never clicked till I actually got here. The obvious difference that comes to mind is the way the two systems are funded. Another is the way a student picks his course of study. Now these two differences are ones anyone can learn about from books, but there is one huge difference that one can only experience by coming here. That is the social aspect and how diverse the university here really is compared to most in the United States. Let us explore these differences and the causes for them in more detail.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When picking a university to attend in the United States, tuition and room and board costs play a vital role. In most cases, the cost is what makes the final decision because out of state or private schools cost almost double to attend than instate or public schools. This decision making process would never take place here because cost is not a deciding factor. The difference lies in the way the two systems are funded.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the states, government funding plays a very small role. Every student is allowed to fill out a free financial aid form where one must enclose family income, assets, number of children, cost of attending chosen school among other things that the government looks upon and determines how much money will be awarded. Basically, it's award is only need-based. The rest of the money owed can either be paid off or borrowed from the school or banks in the form of interest-cumulating loans. Now in Britain, the government provides all of tuition costs and gives out grants and loans for living expenses. Students used to just need enough money for personal expenses, but the government doesn't provide living expenses anymore so money needs to be secured for that as well by students(Ainley). The grants and loans offered here are usually interest free as well. Some of my friends tell me that their loans don't need to be paid back until they graduate and have a secure job. What are some possible reasons for this difference?

Sexuality and the Grotesque in Toni Morrisons Beloved Essay -- essays

Sexuality and the Grotesque in Toni Morrison's Beloved Grotesque images of rape, murder, and sexual abuse are recurring throughout Toni Morrison's novel Beloved. The ideals of the white oppressor, be it murder, rape, or sexual abuse were powerful forces that shaped the lives of many of the characters, especially the character Sethe. Rape and sexual abuse are two grotesque instances expressed throughout the novel. The most often referred to is the incident when Schoolteacher?s nephews stole Sethe?s breast milk but many other incidents included Paul D was forced to felicitate prison Guards on the chain gang every morning. Ella is locked up and repeatedly raped by a father and son she calls ?the worst yet?. Stamp Paid?s wife Yashti is forced to have sex by her enslaver. Baby Suggs is compelled to have sex with ?a straw? boss who later breaks his coercive promise not to sell her children. Sethe?s mother is ?taken up my many in the crew? and Sethe is put in the position where she must endure ten minutes of sex with the tombstone engraver so the tombstone could read ?Beloved.? ?This act is a key note for the whole book: in the world of slavery and poverty, where human beings are merchandise, everything has its price and the price is tyrannical.? (Atwood 39-40) With all the sexual abuse throughout the novel, the most referred to and seemingly most atrocious was when Schoolteacher. ?The schoolteacher, he?s a sort of master-race proponent who measures the heads of the slaves and tabulates the results to demonstrate that they are more like animals than people.? (Atwood 40) ordered his nephews to steal Sethe?s breast milk. ?They used a cowhide on you?? ?And they took my milk.? ?They beat you when... ...owards the oppressive slave owners. Works Cited Atwood, Margaret. "Haunted by Their Nightmares." Bloom's Guides Toni Morrison's Beloved. Ed. Amy Sickels. Broomall, PA: Chelsea House, 2004. 39-42. Atwood, Margaret. "Margaret Atwood on the Practical Uses of the Supernatural in Beloved." Critical Essays on Toni Morrison's Beloved. Ed. Barbara H. Solomon. New York: G.K. Hall & Co., 1998. 29-32. Barnette, Pamela E. "Pamela E. Barnette on Images of Rape and the Supernatural in Beloved." Bloom's Guides Toni Morrison's Beloved. Ed. Amy Sickels. Broomall, PA: Chelsea House, 2004. 67-69. Corey, Susan. "Susan Corey on the Grotesque in Beloved." Critical Essays on Toni Morrison's Beloved. Ed. Barbara H. Solomon. New York: G.K. Hall & Co., 1998. 106-115. Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York: Alfred a. Knopf, 1987.

Human Landscapes from My Country by Nazim Hikmet Essay

Introduction In the Epic novel, Human Landscapes from My Country, Nazim Hikmet used the comparison between technology and nature very often. The imagery of technology that is portrayed in this novel seems to clash with nature. Through the use of many different images such as the train and plane, Hikmet seems to portray technology as the antagonist of nature. These imageries suggest how technology would destroy and would annihilate nature with its surroundings as technology progresses. However, after a closer reading into the novel, Hikmet actually suggest that technology as a positive aspect that will ultimately improve human lives. Perhaps sacrifices and mistakes are necessary as these are natural occurrences that are expected to happen as technology progresses. Although the cost of technology may seem to be dreadful, it is a necessary step for the better future of human lives. Literature Contemporary history on a panoramic scale is taken up in Human Landscapes, which was written during the author’s prison years but was only published several years after his death. Beginning with the project for an epic study of Turkish history during the twentieth century, at intervals the poet’s narrative also turns to major events in adjoining regions, notably naval action of World War II in the Mediterranean and the work of Soviet forces against Nazi invaders. His commentary on the Turkish War of Independence (1919-1922) stands in stark contrast to the heroic national themes repeatedly invoked by other writers of that period. In Hikmet’s view, it would seem that the people as a whole contributed to final victory but only through an inchoate mass rising that did not also lead to a social revolution. Indeed, many passages suggest that class differences remained acute but were altered by Turkey’s changed status in the world economy. There are a number of brief sketches of individual lives, both from the wealthy and from the lower orders, often to state unpleasant truths about the people’s living situation. Some characters, it is recorded, died of disease at early ages; farmers retained their land but lost all means of production. Many of the personages are war veterans from one conflict or another. There is much attention to dates, but not in the sense of commemorating events with patriotic connotations; important occurrences in individual lives are accorded the same emphasis as major developments in the nation’s history. There is also a fair amount of random, seemingly senseless violence: Family quarrels lead to murder; after a man kills his wife, children use the head as a ball in a macabre game. A wrenching, gripping scene records the lynching of a Turk who had collaborated with the British occupation forces. There are some sardonic religious references which call to mind folk superstitions; in some later passages, Turks of a pro-German inclination speculate about whether Adolph Hitler could be a Muslim. Leading Turkish statesmen and thinkers figure as portraits on the walls of business offices; the memories associated with them are quirky bits of characterization that are far from flattering. The work as a whole darts about and circumambulates historical epochs as they affected different, indeed opposing, social classes. After nearly fifteen years of national independence, homeless and desperately hungry men are to be found outside a newspaper office; if wealthy businessmen cannot turn a profit in some branches of the export trade, because of government restrictions, they move readily to other sectors where their fortunes can be augmented. Some of them end up dealing with both the Allied and the Axis powers during World War II. The incidence of suicide on either side of the class divide is fairly high; among the poor, childbirth is difficult, painful, and sometimes ends in tragedy. Although this exercise in historical realism, based on the author’s own observations of Turkish life, does not seem to hold out any immediate hopes for a better future, the poet’s descriptions of nature and simple joys serve to leaven an otherwise grim and unsentimental saga (Des Pres, 7-25). Written in free verse and employing such cinematographic techniques as flashbacks, pans, zooms, dissolves, and jump cuts, Human Landscapes from My Country combines the economy of poetry with the rapid-fire imagery of motion pictures. Hikmet traces the fortunes of men and women in love and war — from prostitutes, politicians, and captains of industry to housewives, political prisoners, and peasants — and gives voice to social strata unheard from in a heroic context until the twentieth century. To Hikmet, every life is a human-interest story worth telling, and his is a cast of hundreds. This panoramic view of Turkish society during World War II, when the fate of the world hung in the balance, highlights the compelling variety of human experience, never letting us forget that, for better or worse, the fate of the world is in our hands. Hikmet’s unabashed communist politics, for which he languished in prison or exile most of his adult life, are reflected in vignettes of idealized â€Å"Ivans† of soldierly valor and of real-life heroes, â€Å"Tanya† the teenaged Russian revolutionary and the Nazi-martyred journalist Gabriel Peri. Still, the poet’s most profound sympathies lie with the poor man striving to sustain himself and his family in pursuit of a fleeting happiness. Living out prolonged confinement for political activities, dreaming of his wife and child as blindness threatens and days become years, unbowed Halil recalls the poet’s own situation, a cynosure of what an entire culture was forced to endure. Ultimately Hikmet’s art suggests spaciousness, a grandeur in the details of poor people seeking just to breathe while events portend an invidious recurrence of suffering for love, ambition, misfortune–for living. Finally available complete in English, Hikmet’s hauntingly eloquent masterpiece never flags. Human civilization and technology has grown in a fast pace but are we happy? Hikmet said that he feels life is more comfortable. Nobody said that life has become happier. We found that technology which has been developed to make life easier has in fact made life complicated and busier. He said that unlike the past, now he can travel from place to place in few minutes/hours but life has become busier. Communication has improved, technology has taken place in our lives but effective communication between people has decreased. We were all alarmed to face this fact that better technology doesn’t mean happiness. So is technology, instead of liberating us, holding us back? Some later segments of this work are essentially similar to portions of The Moscow Symphony and Other Poems, an imaginative lyrical reconstruction of German-Soviet fighting which in the first instance was probably based upon news stories that Hikmet received in prison. After allowance for the different languages, it may be argued that some passages would do credit to a Soviet wartime poet: the anxiety of the war’s first year, the vast human drama of armies locked in combat, and the camaraderie of soldiers brought together in common struggle are evoked in brisk, telling lines. This novel in verse, written during one long prison sentence in the 1940s, reflects the emotional and physical torments the poet experienced. More gritty than lyrical, it is powerfully plainspoken: â€Å"But Selim was no Communist/ He didn’t even know what communism was/ †¦ But the cops thought different/ They laid Selim on the floor. And when Selim got up/ he couldn’t step on his feet/ They laid Selim on the floor/ And when Selim got up/ he couldn’t see. † Hikmet’s writing is poetry under siege, and the blunt heroism of his characters makes them more Marxist ideals than believable human beings. The poetic element may not survive well in translation, but the content and context make this a lastingly fascinating work. Works Cited Des Pres, Terrence. â€Å"Poetry and Politics: The Example of Nazim Hikmet. † Parnassus: Poetry in Review 6, no. 2 (1978): 7-25.

The Bronte Sisters

Three children sit in a circle playing with wooden toy soldiers. The world these children play in is not Earth, but worlds of their own creating. The children in this circle will grow up to be some of the best eighteenth century writers. It is no surprise that as a child Emily Bronte and her siblings had active imaginations. They created the worlds of Gondal, Emily and Anne’s creation; and Angria, Charlotte’s creation (White 12). The world does not know much about Emily Bronte except what can be concluded from Charlotte Bronte’s autobiography (Winnitrith 111).She was born July 30, 1818 in Yorkshire, England. At the young age of thirty, Emily developed tuberculosis and died on December 19, 1848 (Magill 56). Her potential had yet to be reached. C. D. Merriman from The Literature Network said, â€Å"Many early works from her past were lost – only 3 personal letters exist from her possessions. † Emily was influenced by many people including her mother a nd father. Her father, Reverend Patrick Bronte, was a school teacher (Magill 56). Patrick Bronte had a humble beginning; he went to Cambridge University and worked in order to pay for his stay.Her father was looked down upon for being middle class in a high-class school. Emily’s stories feature a strong value of education and deal with injustices of society, which is believed to have originated from her father’s troubles. (White 8) â€Å"Emily’s mother, Maria Bronte died from internal cancer when Emily was only three,† according to The Victorian Web (Allingham). Kathryn White said, â€Å"The Bronte children felt the loss of their mother keenly, for though they never really remembered her.Her absence in their lives is reflected in the number of orphaned and motherless children who were featured in their early writings and novels. †(21) Despite the fact Emily never knew her mother; she characterized Catherine Earnshaw as having a similar sentiment ab out being more attached to the earth than to Heaven. (White 19). In November 1824, Patrick Bronte felt that his daughters needed a proper education so he sent his girls to Clergy’s Daughters’ School at Cowan Bridge. This school was rigid, had poor hygiene, and lack of a good diet.He withdrew his girls after Maria and Elizabeth died from inadequate care. Although Emily had a poor experience at school, education became an escape route in many of Emily’s writings (White 5-25). Emily, Charlotte, Anne, and Branwell grew up in Haworth. They didn’t have many neighbors so they had to be content playing with each other and the wooden soldiers their father brought back from a trip (Magill 56). Charlotte and her brother, Branwell created the world of Angria. Emily and Anne Bronte created the world of Gondal.Traces of Gondal have been found throughout Emily’s poems (White 6-34). Philip Allingham reports that Emily’s favorite activities were reading and playing the piano. The Victorian Web states her favorite authors were: Shakespeare, Homer, Virgil, and Aesop. As Emily grew up she worked as a governess in Halifax, Yorkshire. She intensely disliked the experience. She planned with Anne and Charlotte to begin a school for themselves. This dream was never realized because the girls became involved in writing.Barring the fact that Emily Bronte was a private author, her sister Charlotte convinced her to join her and Anne to make a book of poems. Together they made Poems by Currer Ellis and Acton in 1846 (White 38). As an editor, C. W. Hatfield went through Emily’s poems trying to interpret them. The problems arise when trying to figure out the differences between her subjective statements. In addition, the authorship and date is uncertain as well (Winnitrith 33). Poems by Currer Ellise and Acton didn’t get much press, but got two favorable reviews from Athenaeum and Dublin University Magazine (Wilks 111).Philip Allingham writes, â€Å"Emily and her sisters took over pseudonyms to hide their gender because of the many prejudices against women authors. The failure of their poems did not dishearten the girls; it made them write even more which lead Emily to write her best novel, Wuthering Heights. † It is assumed the Wuthering Heights was written in 1846 because of the absence of poetry Emily wrote, yet the length of the novel suggests she started writing even earlier than that.The information that we have about the composition of Wuthering Heights is up to debate because it is in Charlotte’s interpretation and she could have been sensitive about Emily’s choice to go on her own (Winnitrith 47). After the publication of Wuthering Heights in 1847 the public thought it was mimicry of Charlotte’s work. The public was intensely disturbed by the contents and Emily was a cipher to the public (Magill 56-59). â€Å"Emily’s brother, Branwell went through depression and many al cohol induced rages.As a result, he died in 1848, and at his funeral Emily caught a cold and developed tuberculosis,† as said by C. D. Merriman from The Literature Network. Emily did not receive professional care and refused to stay in bed to get well. She died at Haworth in December 19, 1848 (White 75). When Emily Bronte was young she played with toy soldiers in the world named Gondal with her siblings. Today she is known as one of the famed Bronte sisters that created desolate Wuthering Heights. Though much is unknown about her, we can try to uncover the mysteries through her writings.

Policing in Kelsey Essay

In this paper, I will discuss the budget cuts on the City of Kelsey. The mayor has assigned me as a budget director to review and perform budget cuts on the City’s Police Department, due to a 15% budget cut on the City deficit. The state legislature wants to hire less Police Officers and build more prisons. The Police Department currently has an annual budget of $16,177,678. With the 15% budget cut, the mayor is requesting from the Police Department, that leaves a new annual budget of $14,236,356, a decrease of $1,941,322. The major change that will affect the fiscal cycle of this budget year is the decrease in the hiring of Police Officers. The City of Kelsey was in the process of hiring 10 new Police Officers to fill the 10 position that were vacant, due to six retiring Police Officers and four Police Officers finding other employment. Now with the 15% budget cut, the City will not be filling these opened positions, thus saving the City $1,200,000. New vehicle and maintenance cost will also decrease, due to not hiring the new officers. Last fiscal year the City Manager allotted $150,000 for 5 new vehicles and maintenance cost for the hiring of the new Police Officers. As a budget director, I went to the Police Union and request a 10% cut in wages or freeze the wages until the next fiscal year, thus saving $300,000. Also cutting 16 paid holidays a year will save the City $400,000. The Police Union Committee advised the Union has only agreed to a 1% pay cut within the next fiscal year, which will save the City $30,000. The Committee has also agreed to 10 paid holidays a year instead of 16. This will save the City an annual $150,000 a year. The Chief of Police has agreed to cut the training budget by 80%. The City will save an annual budget of $125,000. With these cuts alone, the City will save $1,655,000 alone. Another proposal will cut community programs and events within the next fiscal year. The annual â€Å"Shop with a Cop† or â€Å"Trunk or Treat† is in the annual budget for $10,000. Domestic violence programs can also be cut saving the City an  annual budget of $50,000 a year. Finally, the City will cut all overtime pay for the reminding of the fiscal year, saving the City an estimate of $500.000. With all the above-mentioned budget cuts, the City will project to see a 10% increase in crime. First, not filling the 10 Police Officers position will decrease the number of Police Officer per shifts, thus running the shift at staff minimal. Running the shift at staff minimal will decrease response time to service calls. The Mayor and City Council requested a 5 to 7 minute response time to every service call last fiscal year. With the decrease in personal, a new projective response time will be 10 to 12 minutes. The city has a collective bargaining contract with the Police Union. The Police Union has agreed to a 1% pay cut. Per the collective bargain contract, the City will repay the 1% back at the beginning of the next fiscal year, plus the cost of living increase (7%). I, as the Budget Director will have to go back to the Police Union next fiscal year and asked for an additional pay cuts. Per the collective bargaining contract, the Police Union does not have to cut pay or other benefits that the city provides. If the Police Union does not cut pay next fiscal year, the city will be forced to cut more position instead. Which means fewer Officers per shift, and longer response times to calls. Cutting the domestic violence program that helped victims and offenders will increase the number of incident of domestic violence more than 30% over the next six months. The program-helped victims relocate to a safer environment. The program also helped offenders with counseling. With the shifts at staff minimal, a plan of assigning Officers to areas will have to be established. The City is broken up into three sectors. Sector 1 is the business community and normally requires 40 Officers per shift. Sector 2 is residually areas that normally require 40 officers per shift. Lastly, sector 3 is rural area of the city, and this area requires 10 officers per shift. With the decrease in staff and overtime, area command staffs will assets the needs of each area and assign officers as needed. A federal grant was proposed for an additional $300,000 per year for the next three years is now in the works. The federal grant is for community police programs. The final approval for the grant will take up to 90 days. Inclusion, the 15% budget cut in this year’s fiscal year was successful. Hopeful the economy gets better and next fiscal year is a huge success. The City of Kelsey will continue to grow and  be a safe community to live. Reference Kelsey Annual Budget for the Fiscal Year 2005-06 (2012, Jan). Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/ aapd/cist/vop/ Government/KelseyCity/citygovernment.asp

Motivations for public sector organizations to move from traditional Essay

Motivations for public sector organizations to move from traditional procurement to eprocurement systems - Essay Example Private sector organisations have embraced information and communication technologies, including e-procurement. The motivation for doing so has largely been increased efficiency, contributing to the enhancement of business excellence, and cost effectiveness. Public sector organisations have, in comparison, lagged behind and, in general, have been slow in adopting ICT. Management scholars have blamed the said tardiness on the organisational structure of public sector forms but have, nevertheless, argued the incontrovertible imperatives of the public sector's embracing the said technologies (Dent, Chandler and Barry, 2004). Concurring with the stated, this research will argue in favour of the public sector's adoption of e-procurement as a strategy for enhancing organisational efficiency and for embracing cost-effectiveness. Management scholars have determined that public sector organisations are largely modelled after the traditional bureaucratic organisational structure, as influenced by Weber (Cane and Thurston, 2000; Dent, Chandler and Barry, 2004). The implication is that all of the four components of organisational structure-labour division, departmentalisation, span of control and scope of decision-making-are shaped by bureaucratic-traditionalist managerial theory. This, according to numerous management scholars, has only served to offset the capacity for flexible response to changing external conditions and has, in the long run, resulted in the formulation of mechanistic and atrophying organisations (Cane and Thurston, 2000; Flynn, 2002; Dent, Chandler and Barry, 2004). As explained by Flynn (2002) among others, labour division within the public sector organisation is invariably highly specialised. Task specialisations are clearly articulated and each employee has a specific set of job functions, clearly set out in his/her job description, which he/she must operate by (Bourn and Bourn, 1995; Flynn, 2002). While the advantages of specialisation and clearly articulated job descriptions are practically too numerous to articulate, the disadvantages are enormous. Certainly specialisation implies that employees are often matched to jobs according to their skill-sets and explicit job descriptions mean that employees always have a clear understanding of the tasks they are required to perform and know the boundaries of their professional responsibilities (Bourn and Bourn, 1995; Flynn, 2002; Mctavish, 2004). Excessive specialisation, however, as is often the case with private sector organisations means that employees cannot function beyond the parameters of t heir jobs and are devoid of the proactive, problem-solving skills which are deemed integral to contemporary organisational success (Bourn and Bourn, 1995; Flynn, 2002; Mctavish, 2004). Quite simply, employees are confined to the limits of the skills that they brought with them upon joining the organisation, and on which basis they were hired, and their job descriptions. As early as the 1960's, management

Evaluation of an argument through analysis Essay - 1

Evaluation of an argument through analysis - Essay Example To aggrandize on this judgment, it is wise to relate the aspect of rational and irrational factors; while the latter can be related to women, it can as well be used to justify why women speak much. Irrational persons tend not to take close precaution while speaking and factors can be related to their superior speaking techniques which in most cases are situation and theoretically assembled (Holmes, 38). Nevertheless, rational talk attributed to men is based on attributes of honesty, factual and being concise. However, Holmes argument is not based on the amount of words spoken but on the quality of the talk. She challenges women to construct a formidable talk in order to counter balance patriarchy. Primarily, Holmes present women talk based on social factors such as friendship and trivial relationships, compared to male talk which focused on critical global arguments. To justify the above description, it is wise to note that Holmes essay is based empirical evidence in critical examina tion based on science, environment and demagogy principles. The essay has applied strong literature dogmas; for instance, of humor, proverbs, imagery/ symbolism, simile/ metaphors and as well borrowing close examples. This essay will counter examine Holmes essay by; firstly, close checking on the claim and subsidiary claims. Secondly, the essay will base its principles on hilarious practical evidence presented. Thirdly, the essay will examine on technical presentation applied by Holmes; primarily focusing on opposing views, credibility, language, organization and the tone of the essay. Finally, the conclusion will establish whether the argument â€Å"women talk too much is valid†. Claim What is the main claim presented in the essay? Is it clearly stated the essay does it reflect the purpose of the essay The main claim in the essay is the argument against the quality of talk compared between sexes and what governs the talk. While men uses talk to exemplify power, women uses ta lk to express emotions and relations. Women are more interested on trivial elements; for instance, of how the society perceive them as individuals and not what men argues out; how the society perceive the general concept life and how it affects mankind, what are the necessary changes and solutions to challenges. The essay categorizes men as discreet and in very unique cases they would speak out their problems but women are more interested in speaking out their lives to access comfort. According to Holmes (43), men are interested in presenting a certain social point of view and debating on it, while women are more concerned whether the point of view does directly affect them What are subsidiary claims presented in the essay? In other words what claims are used to support the main claim? Are the claims clear and valid? And they related to the main claim? Holmes aggrandizes on the main point of view, literature aspects have been categorically employed to empower the main point. Subsidi ary claims presented stretch from literature, psychological, gender and biological claims. For instance, according to the essay women are more interested to hear their own voice than the validity of what they are talking about. Consequently, biological claims prove that; while a male is developing before conception, the testosterone hormone alters the brain (Brizendine, 2011 56). The hormone is significant in