Cinderella Syndrome Essay -- essays research papers

Cinderella Syndrome I think the time has come for someone to write â€Å"Cinderella: The Sequel.† How did we get here? In 1697, French writer Charles Perrault updated an age-old fairy tale about a young woman named Cinderella to appeal to his contemporaries, French nobility and bourgeoisie. So many of the early versions of the tale boasted a very resourceful young woman who played an active role in her destiny. Perrault, however wrote his Cinderella as a well-mannered, docile, selfless women who would fit seamlessly with the ideal 17th century upper-class society. Historically, fairy tales have reflected the values of society in which they were written or revised mirroring its preoccupations, obsessions, ambitions, and shortcomings. What do these updates say about our culture’s view of women and marriage? It was this version that Walt Disney made famous in the 1950’s and to which feminists strongly reacted to in the 1960’s and 1970’s and ultimately co-opting the story to their own needs. What do these updates say about our culture’s view of women and marriage? In her famous poem, â€Å"Cinderella, Ann Sexton mocks the happily ever after. â€Å"Cinderella and the prince lived, they say, happily ever after, like two dolls in a museum case that was never bothered by diapers or dust.† Today’s teenage girls have been brought up by women who read Sexton and her peers and who have taught their daughters that they can want it all, marriage, career, family. But can they have it all? I feel that ...

French And English Revolution :: essays research papers

Thousands of revolutions have taken place throughout the course of the history of the world. These revolutions have changed the politics, history, and all other facets of civilization of certain groups. Most revolutions follow a basic set formula of events: a leader is overthrown, radical and extremist groups take control for a period of time, and then the government is eventually restored to it’s original state. Both the English and French Revolutions followed this basic formula with various differences along the way. The English Revolution which took place in the seventeenth century, and the French Revolution, which took place in the late eighteenth century to early nineteenth century, both share many similarities and differences with one another.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One similarity of both revolutions was the causes: financial problems. Both King Charles I and Louis XVI were experiencing debt because of financial problems left behind from previous monarchs. Both kings placed the extreme tax burdens on the already poor peasants which further angered and oppressed them. Both kings had to summon on Parliament and the Estates General to raise revenue. Both monarchs attempted to use force to maintain their power but eventually lost to the liberal people who wanted a reformed government. The extremist period of both the English and French Revolutions consisted of a semi-dictator; Cromwell in England and Robespierre in France, who set up a totalitarian military state. Lastly, both the English and French had to carry out two attempts at establishing a constitutional monarchy in order to finally have a stable, lasting government.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In both the English and French Revolutions the monarch was the establishment being revolted against. In the English revolution it was more of the Parliament rebelling against the monarchy whereas in the French Revolution the peasants were the strongest and most motivated factors for change. In both revolutions the legislative body issued some form of a declaration for basic human rights. In England, however, their Bill of Rights was issued at the end of the revolution, while France’s Declaration of the Rights of Man was issued at the beginning of the revolution. Religion was in issue at different times in both the English and French Revolutions. The English Revolution did not incorporate any large territorial expansion and there was barely any outside interference during the Revolutionary period.

Effects of Inflation Essay -- Economy Economics Money Essays

Effects of Inflation Inflation is the most commonly used economic term in the popular media. A Nexis search in 1996 found 872,000 news stories over the past twenty years that used the word inflation. "Unemployment" ran a distant second. Public concern about inflation generally heats up in step with inflation itself. Though economists do not always agree about when inflation starts to interfere with market signals, the public tends to express serious alarm once the inflation rate rises above 5 or 6 percent. Public opinion polls show minimal concern about rising prices during the early 1960s, as inflation was low. Concern rose with inflation in the late 1960s and early 1970s. When inflation twice surged to double-digit levels in the mid and late 1970s, Americans named it public enemy number one. Since the late 1980s, public anxiety has abated along with inflation itself. Yet even when inflation is low, Americans tend to perceive a morality tale in its effects. A recent survey by Yale economist Robert Shiller found that many Americans view differences in prices over time as a reflection of fundamental changes in the values of our society, rather than of purely economic forces. Economists think of inflation more plainly as a "sustained rise in the general level of prices." Their concerns focus on questions such as whether inflation distorts economic decisions. Very high inflation adversely impacts economic performance, as evidence from cross-country studies shows. Likewise, moderate levels of inflation can distort investment and consumption decisions. Recent U.S. experience with low, stable levels of inflation, in the range of 2 to 3 percent, has spurred policy makers to consider the possibility of achieving zero percent inflation. Reducing inflation however has costs in lost output and unemployment during the adjustment. Thus, an important question is wheth... ... would not allow massive inflation. Americans' feeling of pride in national institutions depends in part on low inflation or "sound money" as a signal of healthy fiscal and monetary institutions. Finally, inflation can discourage saving and encourage consumption. It thus is perceived as an attack on certain moral virtues -- a strong work ethic, deferred gratification -- that support a healthy economy. John Maynard Keynes made his famous attack on the Victorian virtue of saving -- always "jam tomorrow and never jam today" -- for economic reasons. Consumption in a depression or a recession could strengthen the economy, in his view. But British society took Keynes's mockery as an assault on the core of Victorian morality. Many Americans likewise feel that inflation assaults the legacy here of the Protestant work ethic that places a moral premium on saving over consumption. Fighting inflation thus is seen by many as a moral as much as an economic duty. Americans want their public officials to fight inflation to increase long-term output and employment but perhaps also to strengthen society's moral foundation.

American and Latino cultures Essay

What did I think the differences between American and Latino cultures are? For me personally, I don’t have any kind of experience with Latino people and Latino culture, but I had several thoughts about the Latino culture that I got from the media. About relationships in Latino culture, I always thought that relationships outside marriage are not acceptable especially for women, and of course I thought that any kind of freedom that is related to sexual activities like homosexuality is not acceptable. But in American culture, relashionships outside marriage could be accepted and homosexuality is an accepted fact for many Americans as America is a liberated country. For family in Latino culture, I used to think that Latinos in general are connected with their family members just like any traditional culture. But in American culture it is common that there are no close relationships between family members in general, and there is no high respect for the parents and many times people don’t see their families for a very long time. What I found after reading about differences between the two cultures? After reading, I found that there are many differences between the two cultures about family, relationships and religion. Firstly, the difference between American culture and Latino culture appears most obviously in family relationships. In Latino culture family bond is a very significant fact, and in contrast to the American culture the family in Latino culture is very bonded and includes† all relatives, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and padrinos (godparents)† (Beltran 23). Latinos feel safe in surrounding strong family bonds, Latinos usually return to their families in times of problems and they don’t commonly believe in including other parties to try to solve their problems because Latinos are raised to be committed to the family for life time (Beltran 23). According to what L. Michele Henline says in â€Å"Exploring the Latino Culture†, family has a unique structure in Latino culture because â€Å"Within the extended family, each member has a role. The grandparents have wisdom, the mother has abnegation, the father has responsibility, children should be obedient and godparents are to be resourceful†. But in American culture there is no focusing on strong family bonds, but personal life is what Americans mostly focus on with no big depending on the family role (Beltran 23). Secondly, there is a difference between the image and the rule of men and women in life between both cultures. The role of women in Latino culture is anything that is generally done inside the house like cleaning, cooking food, sweeping and taking care of children (Beltran 24). But the role of men is to earn money for living for their families and they are the highest authorities in their families, no one does anything without consulting the father. But nowadays this side of Latino culture is affected because of the financial problems that they face as well as the fact that women started to become workers (Beltran 24). In Latino culture as L. Michele Henline says in â€Å"Exploring the Latino Culture† men have so much power over women. Latino men have an image of a powerful male; they are the face of their families and they give their families everything they need in life. According to what L. Michele Henline says in â€Å"Exploring the Latino Culture†, in Latino culture it is not a wrong thing for a man to assault his wife physically, and most of times it is not safe for a woman to go to the police and tell them if her husband assaulted her because she† will be punished again by their spouse†. And also L. Michele Henline says in â€Å"Exploring the Latino Culture† that women in Latino culture are leaded by their men; they should be faithful, always obey them and take care of their homes and children. But in American culture there is no much big difference between men and women, taking care of home and earning money for household are jobs that could be done by a man or a woman because in American culture men and women are equal. Thirdly, the difference between the two cultures in social relationships can be seen in the fact that in Latino culture people in general make social connections, through these connections they take care of each other. They have so much respect and commitment to each other, sharing each other’s feelings, preferring others over themselves and they have so much awareness of the special space of the single individual (Beltran 24) Fourthly, there is a big difference between the two cultures when it comes to the religion. Latinos are usually committed to religion as it is a part of their culture and religion for them is a relationship between a person and God (Beltran 25). But in American culture many people don’t involve religion in their lives, and there are even people who don’t have religion and don’t believe in God. And there is even a difference when it comes to religious people as religion in American culture is not just a relationship between a person and God but it is also an â€Å"institutional† relationship (Beltran 25). What’s my reaction to what I’ve read? What I’ve read about Latino culture matches what I thought about them. Despite all the negativities in Latino culture like their violent nature, they have so many positive things that make Latino culture better than American culture in some sides like their high positive spirituals and their connected families. Despite all negativities in different cultures the difference between cultures in the world is not a bad thing, but it represents the variety in everything in this world. Works Cited Henline, Michele L. â€Å"Exploring the Latino Culture. † February 2000. Arizona School of Professional Psychology. 15 April 2008 Irma, Beltran S. THE RELATION OF CULTURE TO DIFFERENCES IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND COPING STRATEGIES: MEXICAN AMERICANS AND EUROPEAN AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENTS. Texas: U of Texas, 2005.

The War of Americans

Over the course of the last half-century the U. S. has enjoyed unprecedented power in every aspect whether it be politically, economically, militarily, or by any other means. In its dominance of world politics since WWII, the U. S. has been able to cast its influence around the globe. However, the U. S. experienced a gradual decline in its sovereignty over the course of this era as well. A prime example was in 1973 when OPEC raised oil prices drastically over the course of the next two years. â€Å"OPEC†s ability to increase at will the world price of its precious product highlighted the industrial world†s dependence on foreign sources of energy. (Keylor, p. 346) Being a sovereign nation requires not being subject to external forces, being able to conduct an independent foreign policy, and being able to control events within your own borders. Today, U. S. sovereignty continues to decline for a number of reasons. The only question is whether it is healthy or harmful for the U. S. to do so. The first reason why U. S. sovereignty is declining is due to what is known as interdependence. This phenomenon developed after WWII with the creation of the UN, GATT, the IMF and other such intergovernmental organizations. All of these served to create linkages between the major nations of the world in the postwar era. Membership in such organizations makes the U. S. subject to international law. Rosecrance†s identification of the trading state signifies the shift away from geopolitical influence and towards a global economy. Both the roles of international trade and foreign investment have increasingly become a greater element of U. S. economic importance. Additionally, the tying together of economies from around the world has lead to an increase in economic warfare. The increased use of economic sanctions and other such measures can be contributed to their perceived effectiveness in obtaining foreign policy goals. The U. S. integration into the world economy leaves it susceptible to the economic decisions of its trading partners and providers of raw materials. Reliance on import and export goods is an essential part of the U. S. economy. This can be seen in every day life. Just think about how much gas prices have increased recently as the result of a few nations restricting their oil supplies in order to raise prices. While the countries responsible for this could all be readily defeated by the U. S. in war, the U. S. is powerless to combat their practices. Aside from its place in the world market, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction also serves to limit the sovereignty of the U. S. First off, new nuclear powers, which would likely include a number of aggressive authoritarian states, will lack the resources to manage the elaborate command and control capabilities required. â€Å"Even if hostile countries somehow catch up in an arms race, their military organizations and cultures are unlikely to catch up in the competence race for management, technology assimilation, and combat command skills. (Betts, p. 29) In addition to proliferation of nuclear weapons, there is also wide concern among U. S. leaders about the spread and development of biological weapons. The rise of religious nationalism and anti-U. S. sentiments in nations such as Iraq give cause for concern to the U. S. that an attack using biological weapons is possible. â€Å"One simple fact should worry Americans more about biological than about nuclear or chemical arms: unlike either of the other two, biological weapons combine maximum destructiveness and easy availability. † (Betts, p. 32) Even more threatening to U. S. sovereignty is the treat of terrorist attack to our nation†s soil. The proliferation of the aforementioned weapons is worrisome to U. S. officials that a horrendous nuclear of biological terrorist attack is feasible. The possibility of such and attack places a serious hindrance on the U. S. ability to protect its citizens within its borders. Conspirators of such an attack could be based within the U. S. or abroad, which makes it increasingly difficult to guard against. Additionally, it is impossible to deter such a course of action. When a nation is attacked, the government behind the attack is readily identified and a counterattack can be undertaken. However, when it is unknown as to who is behind the attack, it makes it impossible to deter it from occurring since â€Å"retaliation requires knowledge of who has launched an attack and the address at which they reside. † (Betts, p. 34) Such concerns have increased since the end of the Cold War as there is widespread doubt surrounding the degree of control Russia used in disposing of their nuclear weapons. The information revolution also poses a serious threat to U. S. overeignty. The increasing opportunities for interaction through technological advances in communications and transportation make information more readily accessible. The strong reliance on the behalf of the U. S. on information infrastructure makes it vulnerable to attack. (Wriston, p. 179) â€Å"The smallest nation, terrorist group, or drug cartel could hire a computer programmer to plant a Trojan horse virus in software, take down a vital network, or cause a missile to misfire†¦ The United States† increasing reliance on massive networks may make it more, not less vulnerable. † (Wriston, p. 80) As with the problem of an armed terrorist attack, it is extremely difficult to determine who is responsible for a break-in of a private, supposedly secure, U. S. government web page. Fortunately, we have not yet witnessed any such form of information warfare; however, imagining the form it might take and protecting against it has become the preoccupation of a presidential commission and numerous task forces. (Wriston, p. 179) Despite the erosion of U. S. sovereignty, it is still by far the most powerful nation in the world today. I for one would welcome the erosion of U. S. overeignty since it furthers interdependence in world politics and serves to perpetuate world peace. The greater the economies of the world are intertwined, the less likely it is that a nation will go to war with another that it is linked to by a web of transnational relationships. It may also be in the best interests of the U. S. to lose some of its sovereignty since the world is moving towards civilizational entities (Western, African, Islamic, etc. ) as identified by Samuel Huntington. (Huntington) If he is correct in his prediction, then the U. S. is better off belonging to one of these civilizations rather than standing alone.

Reflective Analysis Essay

In my short story entitled, ‘Words Haunt Me,’ the language registers and variations in the short story as well as attitudes to language and communicative behaviour of the characters will be discussed. Throughout the story, an intimate register was used between Romain and Rae-Ann. This is because they are very comfortable with each other. Additionally, it is the language marked by specialized words and expressions as seen when Rae-Ann says â€Å"It’s going to be alright babe.† However, a more formal tone is exchanged between Romain and Mr. and Mrs. Carmino. This is level of formality may have been adopted because Romain was meeting them for the first time. This is apparent as Romain declares â€Å"Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Carmino, a pleasure to meet you!† Mr. and Mrs. Carmino spoke Standard English using theacrolect variation as seen in this example â€Å"So what are your intentions with my daughter young man.† Their choice of language may have been because of their ‘upper class status’. However, Romain spokecreole at intervals throughout the passage and at some intervals even exclaiming inbas ilect as he was emotionally aroused. The comfort at which he spokebas ilect leads one to believe that this is his first language of choice and he is very comfortable with it as evident in the many features of the creole structuring such as the use of ‘mi’ as a subject adjective and the replacement of the ‘th’ with the‘d’ as seen in the example ‘Dere is nuting wrong wit de way I speak!’ Theattitudes formulated to language vary given a person’s perception. In the extract, Mr. Carmino despises the creole used by Romain. He considers acrolect/ Standard English superior tocr eole. He indicates this by saying â€Å"â€Å"You speak the language of the underdogs.† Romain on the other hand, defends his language as he sees nothing wrong with it. He also, associates Standard English with a higher class†¦ ‘Corporate world.’ An example of a communicative behaviour which was exhibited throughout the passage is gestures. Romain wiping his hands showed his nervousness while Mr. Carmino’s stern handshake is interpreted as a sign of authority. Other communicative behaviours included facial expressions as seen when Mr. Carmino’s ‘eyebrows frowned together which illustrates his anger and also through vocalics when Romain raised his voice to show his frustration. In attempting to analyse my second reflective I have looked at the relationship between a person’s dialectal variations, choice of register, attitude to language and communicative behaviours, all of which are important in communication.

Effect of Force Majeure or Act of God Essay

If upon the happening of a fortuitous event or an act of God, there concurs a corresponding fraud, negligence, delay or violation or contravention in any manner of the tenor of the obligation as provided for in Article 1170 of the Civil Code, which results in loss or damage, the obligor cannot escape liability. It has been held that when the negligence of a person concurs with an act of God in producing a loss, such person is not exempt from liability by showing that the immediate cause of the damage was the act of God. To be exempt from liability for loss because of an act of God, he must be free from any previous negligence or misconduct by which that loss or damage may have been occasioned. Fortuitous Event – an event which could not be foreseen, or which, though foreseen is inevitable. Essential Characteristics of a Fortuitous Event 1. Cause is independent on the will of the debtor;  2. Impossibility of foreseeing or impossibility of avoiding it to be foreseen even if foreseen; 3. Occurrence renders it impossible for debtor to fulfill his obligation in a normal manner; and 4. Debtor is free from any participation in the aggravation of the injury to the creditor. General Rule: No liability in case of fortuitous event Exceptions: 1. By contrary stipulation in the contract;  2. Declared by law e.g. Art 552(2), 1268, 1942, 2147, 2148, 2159 of the New Civil Code; 3. Nature of the obligation requires assumption of risk when expressly declared by law; 4. When the obligor is in default or has promised to deliver the same thing to 2 or more persons who do not have the same interests (Art. 1165 (3)) Art. 1174. Except in cases expressly specified by the law, or when it is otherwise declared by stipulation, or when the nature of the obligation requires the assumption of risk, no person shall be responsible for those events which could not be foreseen, or which, though foreseen, were inevitable. If the performance of this Agreement, or any obligations hereunder is prevented, restricted, or interfered with by reason of: fire, flood, earthquake, explosion or other casualty or accident or act of God; strikes or labor disputes; war or other violence; any law,  order proclamation, regulation, ordinance, demand or requirement of any governmental authority; or any other act or condition whatsoever beyond the reasonable control of the affected party, the party so affected, upon giving prompt notice to the other party, shall be excused from such performance to the extent of such prevention, restriction or interference; provided, however, that the party so affected shall take all reasonable steps to avoid or remove such cause of non performance and shall resume performance hereunder with dispatch whenever such causes are removed.