Kate Chopin and The Story of an Hour Research Paper Example

Kate Chopin and The Story of an Hour Paper Literary elements support and develop the themes in all works of fine literature. The short story â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin is a work delicately woven together with different literary elements including symbolism, character, and point of view that contribute to the theme of the story, which is a study of individuality conflicting with oppression. Oppression in general can come from society, human beings, or even from the same person. In this short story, Louise is being oppressed by all three groups aforementioned. She is oppressed by society in having to conform to a certain stereotypical method of mourning, oppressed by her husband and their marriage, and oppressed by her own heart, which dares not continue on after losing her independence once more. Oppression in America was not uncommon at this time, especially in marriages. Kate Chopin was a feminist and often tried to expose how confined women were in society and in marital relationships. Liu Zhuo said that â€Å"[This short story was] exploring how American main stream society ignored womens values and imposed constraints on spiritual freedom. (Zhuo, 2004). Individuality in this short story is seen strongly when Louise is contemplating her own life. She, a dependent and intelligent woman, feels as if she has shrugged off some horrid burden and is allowed to have a free and wonderful time after she learns of the accident. As impressive as this may sound, she was intended on being just another woman being oppressed in this time period, but the death of her husband liberates her enough to show her independent nature. We will write a custom essay sample on Kate Chopin and The Story of an Hour specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Kate Chopin and The Story of an Hour specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Kate Chopin and The Story of an Hour specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Emily Toth notes that Louise â€Å"will not have to live her life for anyone else; she will not have to submit to anyones wishes but her own. † (Toth, pg 10). Her strong will and desire to be her own person is evident in this analysis. Louise desires nothing more than to be her own person, but she may have not been aware if that before the news arrived. When her unknown desire comes into light, she becomes a shining new woman that is apart from other confined women. Symbolism in â€Å"The Story of an Hour† is both subtle and strong. Symbolism of oppression is often here seen in her desire to be free. This desire is projected to an open window and this window becomes a symbol for her newly-found freedom and prospects after finding out that her husband has died. Peering out of this window, Louise sees life and earthly wonders she had never before hoped to enjoy, and she begins to wonder about how her life will be now that she is free from the marriage. The text even goes so far in stating that â€Å"She was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window. † (Chopin, 1894). This symbol becomes complete when she turns away from the window to find her husband lives, at which point she loses her life. Another symbolic aspect in this short story is her heart itself. In the story, her heart issues are the main focus of disaster and her joy. At the beginning of the story, her heart trouble is the first thing that is mentioned about her. When she begins thinking about her newly-acquired freedom, her heart races. The text relates that â€Å"Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body. † (Chopin, pgh 11). This would imply that her heart had been stoic and languid before this time, meaning that she was only now truly beginning to live. The news of her husbands death may have been broken to her gently so that her heart might not cause her death, but her heart actually stops beating when she finds out that he lives, alluding that she has symbolically and physically died again under her marriages oppression. Asserting that the heart troubles are symbolic, it would be easy to compare metaphorically her physical heart trouble to the trouble of her love life. It is common knowledge that when one loses another their heart might break, or that when one is in love their heart swells. Hearts are symbols for love, and Louises heart clearly lacks strength here. Louise has no reason to hate her husband, or be glad that he is dead. Rather, she expressed that she would be mournful at his funeral, and stated clearly that she did not love her husband. The characters of this story are very interesting, but Louise Mallard is the only one that has any true depth given to her. She is portrayed as a woman that has been confined to the cage of marriage, and would do anything to get out. She showed immense emotion to the onlookers after hearing the news of her husbands death but her inner thoughts and desires were joyful and hopeful. She has heart problems, but they are presented very vaguely and without a true label of disease. This, along with her external mannerisms suggest that her heart problems are physical and emotional. The point of view is written in third-person omniscient and is essential for the story to be carried out correctly. As a matter of fact, the entirety of the story would be very different if it had been written in the first-person point of view. The very first sentence would not have been possible, and thus the knowledge of her heart malady would not have been revealed. Perhaps if it had been written from her eyes, the entire story also might have sounded rather malicious. The narrator also serves to make Louise a sympathetic character rather than an uncaring one. Making excuses and sugar-coating her feelings of freedom, the narrator is essential in this story. Louise was not seeking out freedom from oppression or her marriage, but she had a taste of freedom through her open window when she learned she was a widow. Rather than her heart breaking as her family feared, her heart started beating. Louise gained her individuality and became a very dynamic character in the hour shut up in her room. Through the sympathetic narrator, the reader goes on a journey of self-discovery with Louise as she claws her way to a free state of mind and being. It is with these literary elements that the story teaches the theme of an individual dealing with an oppressive marriage. Resources http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTOTAL-DBDS200406020.htm

Teenagers and gatrway drugs essays

Teenagers and gatrway drugs essays Teenagers today are faced with many obstacles and decisions as they make their way into adulthood. It is a heavy burden to bear, to know that every decision you make, could effect the rest of your life. For teenagers one bad choice could have a negative effect years down the road. One major issue that teenagers deal with on a daily basis, are drugs. Every teen at one time or another is pressured to use drugs. Its not peer pressure alone that influence teens to use drugs. Most teenagers would never try them if it were not for gateway drugs. Gateway drugs are drugs that might seem harmless, but could become addictive and dangerous. Gateway drugs almost always lead to even more serious, addictive, and harmful drugs. Cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana are three of the Cigarettes are the most common of the gateway drugs. Cigarettes are not always considered a drug, because they do not get you high or alter your state of mind. Cigarettes are still highly addictive and cause life threatening illnesses. Lung cancer and emphysema are common desieses that life time smokers could possibly face. Over 80% of all adult smokers started smoking before they turned eighteen. Some young people are introduced with cigarettes as early as eight years old. While peer pressure plays a part in children taking a puff of that first cigarette, curiosity can also influence that decision. Just as curiosity and rebellion influence that first puff, it could sway your curiosity to drink that first beer. As with cigarettes, alcohol is not often referred to as a drug. The dangerous potential of alcohol being a gateway drug is obvious, but not often seen until it is too late. Alcohol can be a harmful drug for adults, but even more harmful for teenagers. Teenage drinking is a serious problem in high schools across America. The number of underage ...

HIV Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

HIV - Research Paper Example Theories has been used to try to explain how the virus crossed from animals to human but all of them does not show evidence that indeed HIV originated from animals. For instance, it is believed that the virus crossed as a result of eating monkey meat. The virus is believed to have originated from Africa as monkeys from Asia and South America has not been found with the virus (Worobey et al., 2008). HIV is an epidemic. It has spread so fast in the world and causes a lot of harm in countries. For instance, a lot of money has been put aside to fight the spread of HIV. This affects the country’s economy. On the other hand, HIV is taking dominance to the young and middle aged people in a country. The group that is most productive. With this it is clear that HIV is indeed a problem that needs to be taken care of seriously. The productive age groups of young and middle aged are endangered thus burdening a country with children and elderly who are not in a position to provide for thei r living. This paper will look at HIV as the problem worldwide that needs to be understood well and necessary precaution taken to reduce its spread. The first case of HIV was discovered in early 1980’s in the USA. Gay men displayed symptoms of opportunistic infections like cancer. HIV/AIDS did not come in to the picture but those men seemed to suffer from a common syndrome; their infections resisted treatment. HIV was later discovered. HIV has been spreading fast in the world because of several reasons such as blood transfusion, immigration, use of injectible drugs, unprotected sexual behaviors and transmission of mother to child. With the current globalization, most people are traveling from their countries with the purpose of trade. There is no restriction of migration of people who are infected with the HIV virus. People travel and mingle with other people from different

The 'Other' and Race in Film and in Discussing Film Theory Essay

The 'Other' and Race in Film and in Discussing Film Theory - Essay Example The concept of 'otherness' is often seen as a representation of racial differences, the physical manifestations of different ethnic orientations becoming central to the concept of that outside of the accepted experience of human existence of a xenophobic culture. Representations of 'otherness' can be seen in literature and art, including that Colonization was predicated on the idea of 'otherness', the existence of cultures that were defined through means that were not relative to Euro-Caucasian understandings of the world were deemed not valid and could therefore be subverted to the wants and desires of an oppressive force that gleaned profit from that which could be mined for its resources. In assigning the idea of 'other', cultures were dehumanized and used without regard to the affects of that use on the cultural existence. In examining the nature of 'otherness' and the development of the character presence as it is defined by what is alien to the culture of origin, the nature of the perceptions about the exotic can be revealed. As art reflects stereotypes that define how one culture or race perceives the experience of being human in relationship to other cultures, it can be seen that in many cases differences are translated through a process of dehumanization. 'Otherness' is a state of existence through which the development of the exotic creates a sense of mystery that is part of the concept of supernatural, suggesting that otherworldliness of human existence is on a plane that is outside of what is known, and therefore unfathomable. The development of the notion of 'otherness' is a way of coping with what is not easily understood about differences between cultures, exploring sexuality and fear through the development of concepts rather than individuated characterisation. 2. Stereotypes Stereotypes are ways of categorizing people into groupings that are designated for cultural differences that can be superficially recognized to create a profile of a people . Gilman (1985, p. 15) begins the discussion of stereotypes by stating that "We all create images of things we fear or glorify". In creating these images, it sets them apart and supports a perception about 'otherness' as it is defined by what is percieved to be true in relationship to differences that are not readily understood. Stereotyping categories of groupings is a coping mechanism. Gilman (1985, p. 16) writes that "they buffer us against our most urgent fears by extending them, making it possible for us to act as though their source were beyond our control". Gillman (1985) goes on to say that stereotypes are a way of coping with the external world as the internalized concept of the self is threatened. It is a way to define perceptions of the world, but also a way to make sense of those things that seem out of the control of the individual. When using stereotypes to express something about the human condition, it is a way of organizing perceptions about 'otherness' so that it f its into how the world is understood. Bhabha (1994) discusses how this is a way of stabilizing what seems to threaten what is understood about the world. Stereotypes are often insulting, their categorisation of human experiences manifesting into the dehumanization of cultures through grouping them in what are often negative interpretations of their traditions and beliefs. Bhabha (1994) discusses how these interpretations represent the derisive element and desires, the

Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 6

Research Paper Example The woman-centric themes of the poems shall be dealt with in this paper. The formal innovations that these poets have made in their poetry shall also be an important part of this paper. This paper shall also look at the divergences within their poetry. Obviously, even though women share many of their concerns, to say that their concerns are identical would be to reduce the complexity and depth of the issue at hand. This paper shall argue that the feminist content of these poems needs to be looked at in terms of the need for solidarity amongst women of all ideological orientations, arising out of their experiences as women in a patriarchal society (Hoffman 48). Anne Sexton’s poem â€Å"Cinderella† speaks of the problems inherent within fairy tales. It speaks of the harmful stereotypes that are perpetuated within and through such stories. The stereotype of the wicked stepmother is one such stereotype. The importance of Sexton’s poem lies in its ability to subtly pi nt at such stereotypes and laugh at them while at the same time rebuking society for believing in them. When she says, That's the way with stepmothers. (373), she intends the reader to detect the sarcasm within the lines. This is intended to reveal the extent to which women in such stories are victimized and portrayed as villains. The reference to the ball as a â€Å"marriage market† (373) is another instance when events that are considered important in popular imagination are deconstructed and viewed as events with social and economic significances. Sexton continues with themes of relevance to women in â€Å"Her Kind† where she expresses solidarity with women of another era. She refers to witch-hunts that have taken place in history, arguing that ‘witches’ were just women who were different from what a patriarchal society wanted them to be. Sexton herself was considered to be a woman different from conventional models of femininity. This may have led her to express her solidarity with other marginalized groups of women from history. Greg Johnson concurs with this view in his review of Diane Wood Middlebrook’s biography of Anne Sexton (408). Sexton repeatedly uses the line â€Å"I have been her kind† (405) in order to emphasize the importance of such solidarity. Her life is important here also because it reveals how difficult it is for women, even famous poets, to lead their lives in a patriarchal society. The self-positioning of female subjectivity in Sylvia Plath’s poetry spans across the subjects of sexuality, history, kinship and heavily politicised and gendered notion of rationality. The focus of the essay shall be on â€Å"Daddy,† â€Å"Lady Lazarus,† and â€Å"Metaphors.† In â€Å"Daddy† one finds the coalescing of the identities of her father and a tyrannical political leader. Owing to the immediate historical backdrop of the poem, the Second World War, one may well speculate t hat the reference here is to the Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler. The analogy between her father and Hitler points to the collusion between patriarchy and dictatorships. It is against the Nazi ideal of racial purity that the speaker establishes her own identity as proudly hybrid when she says â€Å"With my gipsy ancestress and my weird luck/And my Taroc pack and my Taroc pack/I may be a bit of a Jew.† (631) This repudiation of purity enables her to construct her identity outside the rigidly deterministic

The Merchant Of Venice :: Free Merchant of Venice Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When William Shakespear wrote, The merchant Of Venice, he made a female character that has a huge influence on the play. In most of his work, the women don’t have much power and are not very smart. In the Merchant Of Venice, Portia is a woman that saves the life of a man using her head. Another woman created by Shakespear that is a lot alike with Portia is Beatrice, from Much Ado about Nothing. Both of these ladies add to the main theme of the plays because of their brains, and smart remarks, as well as being careing. The Women share many qualities as well as differences. Portia seems to Be one of Shakespear’s greatest Characters Because of her great looks and intelligence her high moral seriousness plays a role in her character as well. Portia is known throughout the world because of her amazing qualities. She seems to be able to handle any situation with her wit. In Most of Shakespear’s plays the women are made to be less then the men. In the Fourth act after Portia has saved the life of Antonio, She uses her wit just as Beatrice would she says, â€Å" I see sir, you are liberal in offers. You taught me first to beg...† . Portia is thought of as an angel having no flaws, which you can tell when Bassanio describes her to Antonio and says, â€Å" In Belmont is a lady richly left, and she is fair and fairer the that word, of wonderous virtues. Nor is the wide world ignorant of her worth, For the four winds blow in from every coast, renowned suitors , and her sunny locks hang hang on her temples like a golden fleece, which makes her seat of Belmont Colchis’ strond and many Jasons come in quest of her.† Portia is basically the perfect renaissance lady. She is not ambitious, she is restrictive . She is way modest, She does not hold herself above others. Her generosity makes her want to have more wealth, so that she can help out more amongst the people she cares about. Besides saving the life of Antonio, portia is also used to have the theme of deceptive appearances. Throughout the play, Shakespear uses his characters from the play to show the audience or reader that a character cannot be judged by how the appear to the eye, and the person can truley be something different inside. So basically what it is saying is

Rbi and Its Roles

1. RBI and its Roles Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is the central bank of India. It monitors, formulates and implements India’s monetary policy. Established in the year 1935, RBI was nationalized in the year 1949. Owned fully by the Government of India, Reserve Bank has 22 regional offices in various state capitals of India with its headquarters located in Mumbai. It has a majority stake in the State Bank of India. Role of RBI RBI formulates the monetary policy, thus regulating and supervising the economy of India. RBI is the supreme banking authority in India.It sets the guidelines according to which the banking operations and financial systems within the country functions. i. Issuer of currency RBI is the sole authority for the issue of currency in India. Major currency is in the form of RBI notes, such as notes in the denominations of two, five, ten, twenty, fifty, one hundred, five hundred, and one thousand. RBI has two departments – the Is sue department and Banking department. The issue department is dedicated to issuing currency. All the currency issued is the monetary liability of RBI that is backed by assets of equal value held by this department.Assets consist of gold, coin, bullion, foreign securities, rupee coins, and the government’s rupee securities. The department acquires these assets whenever required by issuing currency. The conditions governing the composition of these assets determine the nature of the currency standard that prevails in India. The Banking department of RBI looks after the banking operations. It takes care of the currency in circulation and its withdrawal from circulation. Issuing new currency is known as expansion of currency and withdrawal of currency is known as contraction of currency. ii. Banker to the governmentRBI acts as banker, both to the central government and state governments. It manages all the banking transactions of the government involving the receipt and payment of money. In addition, RBI remits exchange and performs other banking operations. RBI provides short-term credit to the central government. Such credit helps the government to meet any shortfalls in its receipts over its disbursements. RBI also provides short term credit to state governments as advances. RBI also manages all new issues of government loans, servicing the government debt outstanding, and nurturing the market for government's securities.RBI advises the government on banking and financial subjects, international finance, financing of five-year plans, mobilizing resources, and banking legislation. iii. Managing government securities Various financial institutions such as commercial banks are required by law to invest specified minimum proportions of their total assets/liabilities in government securities. RBI administers these investments of institutions. The other responsibilities of RBI regarding these securities are to ensure – * Smooth functioning of the marke t * Readily available to potential buyers * Easily available in large numbers Undisturbed maturity-structure of interest rates because of excess or deficit supply * Not subject to quick and huge fluctuations * Reasonable liquidity of investments * Good reception of the new issues of government loans iv. Banker to other Banks The role of RBI as a banker to other banks is as follows: * Holds some of the cash reserves of banks * Lends funds for short period * Provides centralized clearing and quick remittance facilities RBI has the authority to statutorily ensure that the scheduled commercial banks deposit a stipulated ratio of their total net liabilities. This ratio is known as cash reserve ratio [CRR].However, banks can use these deposits to meet their temporary requirements for interbank clearing as the maintenance of CRR is calculated based on the average balance over a period. v. Controller of money supply and credit RBI has to regulate the claims of competing banks on money suppl y and credit. RBI also needs to meet the credit requirements of the rest of the banking system. RBI needs to ensure promotion of maximum output, and maintain price stability and a high rate of economic growth. To perform these functions effectively, RBI uses several control instruments such as – * Open Market Operations Changes in statutory reserve requirements for banks * Lending policies towards banks * Control over interest rate structure * Statutory liquidity ration of banks vi. Exchange manager and controller RBI manages exchange control, and represents India as a member of the international Monetary Fund [IMF]. According to foreign exchange regulations, all foreign exchange receipts, whether on account of export earnings, investment earnings, or capital receipts, whether of private or government accounts, must be sold to RBI either directly or through authorized dealers. Most commercial banks are authorized dealers of RBI. ii. Publisher of monetary data and other data R BI maintains and provides all essential banking and other economic data, formulating and critically evaluating the economic policies in India. In order to perform this function, RBI collects, collates and publishes data regularly. Users can avail this data in the weekly statements, the RBI monthly bulletin, annual report on currency and finance, and other periodic publications. 2. Asset and Wealth Management: mutual fund, different types of mutual fund and various products and services offered by mutual fund companies Mutual FundA mutual fund is a professionally managed Medium or vehicle that pools money from many investors and invests it in stocks, bonds, short-term money market instruments and other securities. Mutual fund is managed by professional managers who have deep knowledge and understanding of Stock Market, Bonds, money market. The combined holdings the mutual fund owns are known as its portfolio. Types of mutual fund Mutual Funds are of various types depending upon the f ollowing: 1) On the basis of structure This includes open-ended funds and close ended funds I.Open-ended funds Liquidity is the key feature involved which means these funds are like Open Box where investors can enter into or exit from an open-ended scheme anytime at NAV (Net Asset Value) related prices. Open ended funds are popular with investors because they operate in similar way to stock market where no maturity or lock-in period is involved. II. Close-ended funds A close-ended fund or scheme has a stipulated maturity period for eg. 5 – 7 years. The fund is open for subscription only during a specified period at the time of the launch of the scheme.Investors can invest in the scheme at the time of the initial public issue and thereafter they can buy or sell the units of the scheme on the stock exchange where the units are listed. In order to provide an exit route to the investors, some close-ended funds give the option of selling back the units to the mutual fund through p eriodic repurchase at NAV related prices. 2) On the basis of asset class On the basis of Asset classes there can be Equity scheme wherein you invest in shares, Debt or Income scheme wherein you can invest in govt. ecurities, balanced scheme wherein you can invest in both equities and fixed income securities. 3) On the basis of investment objectives Investment objectives can be Growth scheme or Income scheme or Balanced scheme. | Growth Scheme| Income Scheme| Balanced Scheme| Aim| To provide capital appreciation over medium to long term| To provide regular and steady income to investors| To provide both growth and income by periodically distributing a part of the income ; capital gains they earn| Invests| Invests a major part of their fund in equities| Invest in fixed income securities like bonds and corporate debentures. Invest in both bonds and shares| 4) Other types A. Sector specific scheme Invest only in sector for eg. Infrastructure fund would invest in infrastructure companies . Sectoral funds carry a higher risk along with a higher potential to generate returns. This is because their fate moves with the sector in which they invest. Therefore if that sector performs well, they generate excellent returns. B. Index scheme Index attempts to replicate a stock market index or as closely as possible by investing in the stocks that form that index in the very same proportion.So a NIFTY index fund would have the same 50 companies that make up Nifty in the same weightage. The aim of an index fund is to replicate the performance of that market index. So if the markets are rising, then your investment will rise with almost the same percentage and if it is falling, you will get similar negative returns. The main advantage of investing in an index fund is the low Expense Ratio that is incurred in these funds as compared to other investments because it is passively managed funds. C. ELSS (Equity linked saving schemes)An Equity-linked saving scheme (ELSS) is a great inv estment option that offers the double benefits of Tax saving and capital Gains. Money collected under ELSS is mainly invested in equity and equity related instruments. ELSS Schemes have 3 years Lock-in period. Because of this, fund manager can have portfolio of stocks that can outperform over a period of time. The best way to invest in ELSS is through Systematic Investment Plan (SIP). With SIP you can invest a small amount every month for a specific time period.