A strong sense of class consciousness in “Emma”

There is a strong sense of class consciousness in â€Å"Emma†. What is Emma's attitude towards social position? How do the Martins and the Cole's reflect changes in the class structure of 19th century England? How willing is Emma to accept these changes? Compare and contrast Emma and Mr Knightley's attitudes towards Robert Martin. â€Å"Emma† was written at the beginning of the Nineteenth century when dramatic change was going on in social structures. Up until then society was governed by a rigid class system and mixing of classes was very rare, however the ‘middle class', the land owners and work-force owners were beginning to carve their own place in society. Increases in international trading and the start of the Industrial Revolution were key factors in the rise of the ‘middle class'. Emma as the daughter of a substantial landowner and at the top of society resists these changes with immense social snobbery although she is aware the change is imminent. â€Å"Emma conceives of her society in terms of rigid inequalities; Miss Woodhouse cannot visit Mrs Martin, the Coles will not presume to invite the Weston's, Mr. Elton may not aspire to the heiress of Hartfield† writes Helen Dry, â€Å"Syntax and the Point of View in Jane Austen's Emma†, (1977), 87-99. Emma clings to ancient established ideas of social hierarchy: but only when it suits her. She ignores Harriet's illegitimacy purely for her own fancy and sees no problem in a match between Harriet and Mr. Elton, or Harriet and Frank Churchill; however the idea of an unequal match between Harriet and Mr. Knightley shocks her, â€Å"Such an elevation on her side, such a debasement on his!† She is also feels extremely insulted when Mr. Elton proposes to her: Should suppose himself her equal in connection or in mind! Look down upon her friend, so well understanding the gradations of rank below him, and be blind to what rose above, as to fancy himself shewing no presumption in addressing her!-it was most provoking. Emma objects highly to Mrs Elton, partly due to her self-inflated ideas of social status: â€Å"She brought no name, no blood, no alliance. Miss Hawkins was the youngest of two daughters of a Bristol merchant†, â€Å"The idea of being indebted to Mrs. Elton†¦The dignity of Miss Woodhouse of Hartfield, was sunk indeed!† Mrs Elton shows a great deal of snobbery herself; she is harsh, brash and arrogant, she boasts on numerous occasions about â€Å"Maple Grove†, and the â€Å"barouche-landau† belonging to her brother-in-law. She constantly compares everything and everybody to his circle: the only good society she knows. Mr. Weston marries a â€Å"portionless governess†, yet Emma does not oppose this because Mrs Weston happens to have been her governess. And Emma angrily defends Mrs Weston when Mrs Elton expresses her surprise at her ladylikeness. â€Å"I was rather astonished to find her so very lady-like! But she really is quite the gentlewoman†. Emma's inherent snobbery is demonstrated when the Coles host a party in Highbury. â€Å"The Coles were very respectable in their way, but they ought to be taught that it was not for them to arrange the terms on which the superior families would visit them. This lesson, she very much feared, they would receive only from herself; she had little hope of Mr. Knightley, none of Mr. Weston†. Emma feels the Coles are attempting to rise above their station; however she recognizes that neither Mr. Knightley nor Mr. Weston will agree or support her here because as Robert Miles writes, â€Å"they have better judgement†¦Knightley's flexibility absorbs the threat, whereas Emma's stiffness augurs friction† (Jane Austen [Northcote House, 2003], p.105) Emma's dislike of the Coles stems from their recently acquired wealth: â€Å"They†¦by this time were, in fortune and style of living, second only to the family at Hartfield.† High rank in society was dictated more by family history than current wealth. Hereditary wealth was perceived as infinitely superior to recently earned ‘new money'. However, change was imminent with the increase in trade wealth and the upper class had to accept this, some even embraced it, Emma however refuses to accept these changes and adapt to this new way of thinking. The Martins are an honest, respectable family and Emma's attitude towards them shows the extent of her snobbery, conceit and class consciousness: â€Å"amused by such a picture of another set of beings and enjoying the youthful simplicity which could speak with so much exultation of Mrs Martin's having ‘two parlours†. Here Emma laughs at the idea of less fortunate people than herself and is exceedingly patronising towards Harriet; however Emma is not perceived as cruel because she doesn't know any different and has not experienced life outside of Highbury and the unchanged community she was born into. â€Å"A young farmer†¦is the very last sort of person to raise my curiosity† She discourages Harriet's attachment to the family and in particular Robert Martin, â€Å"I did not expect much; but I had no idea that he could be so very clownish, so totally without air. I had imagined him, I confess, a degree or two nearer gentility† Emma warns her that the accident of her birth obliges her to dissociate herself from any connections which would lower her social status further; Harriet is probably of the same class as the Martins, but Emma feels that the association with herself has raised Harriet far above an association with a farming family. This demonstrates the arrogant, hypocritical and interfering characteristics which flaw Emma's character. When Mr. Martin proposes to Harriet, Emma is surprised by the quality of his letter, â€Å"She read, and was surprised. The style of the letter was much above her expectation†, this reveals the extent of her superiority and condescension. â€Å"You banished to Abbey-Mill Farm!-You confined to the society of the illiterate and vulgar all your life! I wonder how the young man could have the assurance to ask it. He must have a pretty good opinion of himself.† This shows humour and irony because what Emma says is very spiteful and untrue (although she does not mean it to be so), but also hypocritical because she has an extremely high opinion of herself. Mr. Knightley, on the other hand, has a high regard for Mr. Martin and his family; â€Å"I never hear better sense from any one than Robert Martin. He is an excellent young man both as son and brother.† Mr. Knightley is outraged when he learns of Harriet's refusal. He is a realistic, sensible man and knows Martin is a good, respectable match for Miss Smith. â€Å"Robert Martin's manners have sense, sincerity and good-humour to recommend them; and his mind has more true gentility than Harriet Smith could understand.† Emma, although aware changes in social position are happening and being accepted, is reluctant to change, and as the first lady of Highbury does not welcome the break-down of the rigid class structure. The Martins and the Coles represent these changes and we see them accepted warmly by nearly everyone except Emma. Characters such as Mr. Knightley and Mr. Weston are much more realistic, with a wider understanding of social issues than Emma, who has never left Highbury.

European Parliament Essays

European Parliament Essays European Parliament Essays The EU Institutions Remember: Treaty of Lisbon (ToL) The ToL has created two new Treaties: The Treaty on the European Union (TEU). Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) - sets out explicit competencies of the Union and detailed procedures to be used in each policy field. Art 13(1) TEU- EU Institutions 7 institutions recognized: European Parliament, European Council (added with the ToL) Council European Commission Court of Justice of the European Union European Central Bank (added with the ToL) Court of Auditors. Each institution â€Å"†¦shall act within the limits of powers conferred on it by the Treaties†. Art 13(2) TEU provides that â€Å"the Union shall have an institutional framework which shall aim to provide its values, advance its objectives, serve its interests, those of its citizens and those of the Member States, and ensure the consistency, effectiveness and continuity of its policies and actions†. Formation/composition and Functions/powers of each of the following institutions: The European Commission The Council The European Council The European Parliament The Court of Justice The European Commission; Article 17 TEU; Articles 244-50 TFEU Composition: 27 Commissioners, appointed by governments but must be independent. They represent the EU; 5 year term; operate on principle of collegiality; the College of Commissioners takes collective responsibility for all decisions (political arm). Divided into Directorates-Generals (administrative arm, like national ministries) http://ec.europa.eu/about/ds_en.htm Cabinets: appointed by the President, each Cabinet is the Office of a Commissioner: interface between the Commissioners and the DGs. The President of the European Commission Proposed by the European Council – elected by the Parliamentary majority: renewable term of two years; responsible for the political direction of the Commission; his confirmation approved by the MSs and EP; he then chooses the Commission, subject as a whole to approval by the EP. President allocates portfolios to individual Commissioners, each assisted by its own cabinet. Commissioners are responsible to him; he can request an individual Commissioner to resign. High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: Appointed/dismissed by Council with the agreement of the President. The only member that cannot be dismissed unilaterally by the President of the Commission. Member of the Commission, takes part in the work of the European Council and chairs the Foreign Affairs Council. = Britain's EU commissioner Catherine Ashton Aim: to create a more integrated and coordinated external policy / international profile of the EU. Responsible for the conduct of the Union common foreign and security policy and its security and defence policy. However, they are to act under the mandate of the Council. Powers of the Commission Article 17 TEU – (no rigid separation of powers) 1. The Commission shall promote the general interest of the Union and take appropriate initiatives to that end. It shall ensure the application of the Treaties, and of measures adopted by the institutions pursuant to them. It shall oversee the application of Union law under the control of the Court of Justice of the European Union. It shall execute the budget and manage programmes. It shall exercise coordinating, executive and management functions, as laid down in the Treaties. With the exception of the common foreign and security policy, and other cases provided for in the Treaties, it shall ensure the Union's external representation. It shall initiate the Union's annual and multiannual programming with a view to achieving inter institutional agreements. 2. Union legislative acts may only be adopted on the basis of a Commission proposal, except where the Treaties provide otherwise. Other acts shall be adopted on the basis of a Commission proposal where the Treaties so provide. EC

Raisin in the sun essays

Raisin in the sun essays A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry ,is by far one of the best books have read yet. The setting is in the mid-1900's in the Southside of Chicago. The main focus of this book occurs around a poor black family in a poor black community, the Younger's. Hansberry does a great job of using dialect to make the scenes quite realistic and uses quite a bit of symbolism, irony, motifs, and situations that involve making decisions where you become stuck between a rock and a hard place. The book starts off with Walter Younger's obsession with his mother's insurance check so he can become a true entrepeneur and invest in his own liquor store. Since religion played a vital role in Mama's reaction to this sinful act it really damaged Walter's hopes and dreams. Later in the book Mama finally decides to give Walter the money and leaves him with the responsibility of taking care of the family, this is where the rising action begins. Then the climax hits when Walter finds out that the mo ney he gave to his partner is gone. This leaves Walter and the rest of the family in a sudden feeling of disillusionment. Then as things cool down Walter and the rest of the family decide to go ahead and move into the all white neighborhood. The rest of the story is jam packed with racial, religious, economic, and even feministical motifs that aid in the release of all the true tensions in the novel, between characters, which Hansberry purposely relates to the reality of the way society really is. Her purpose for writing this book was to show the way society worked and to make it apparent how hard life was for a poor black family. Overall I really enjoyed this book. It had alot of realistic elements , enough to make the reader stay interested and more. The plot is dramatic and ends ironically. I gave this book 4 stars because it had all the elements of a good book it just did not have the ending I was expecting. I recommend this book t ...

Challenging Reality Essay

Challenging Reality Essay M.C. Escher: Challenging RealityM.C. Escher was a master of perspective. He challenged reality, and his critics minds. His artwork was considered to be highly mathematical, even though Escher never had any formal training in the math or sciences. Yet artists around the still world regard his work as great. Escher was able to manipulate geometry to create illusions that were often used to tell a story. In Day and Night and Ascending and Descending, Escher illustrated daily events and their meaning by using his artistic and mathematical techniques.In Day and Night, one of Eschers most acclaimed pieces, the idea of transformation from basic geometric shapes was used to depict a linking together of two separate events. In the center of the woodcut he began his design with a simple square which transformed into the farmland and geese. From these geese a city, in both the day and the night, emerged. The city in the day was a mirror image of the city at night that suggested the two events w ere inseparable. Day and Night was particularly special because Escher eliminated all negative space. Every inch of the paper was used to illustrate an event, which aided in the idea of day and night being one. Ascending and Descending is another well-known piece by Escher. This architectural drawing illustrated Eschers ability to create realistic designs, or did it? If the viewer took a closer look, he would see that Escher was once again playing with perspective to tell a story symbolically. To every person (monk) walking on the castles roof, there seemed to be an endless amount of stairs. Yet, these stairs were completely useless. These fictitious monks were either perpetually ascending or descending hence the title. This lithograph appeared to show the mundane and useless life that was lead by a monk in this time period. Once again Escher was able to symbolically show the life of a monk through his mathematical techniques. In contrast to both Day and Night and Ascending and Desc ending was a piece titled Grasshopper. This woodcut did not contain a symbolic message or tell a story of the grasshoppers life, but rather was a still life. Here Eschers realistic artistic ability shone. The detail that was carved into the woodcut was intense and very finely created, which proved, if not otherwise seen, that Escher could create extremely detailed and beautiful pieces of art that were completely realistic in form. Eschers use of intricate repeating patterns and mathematically complex structures created wonderful illusions for his viewers. However, he was able to depict realistic events with the same amount of mastery. MC Escher was, and will continue to be through his art, one of the great artists.

Babylon under Hammurabis law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Babylon under Hammurabis law - Essay Example Babylonians started ruling over Sumer in 1900 BC. Hammurabi, the king of Babylon led his armies to occupy Mesopotamia and build an empire there. As the supreme ruler, Hammurabi established a set of rules of conduct for the Babylonians. The laws of Hammurabi were written in cuneiform and encrypted on stone, stating exactly how the Babylonian society was to behave. Lewis (pp.18) sates, â€Å"the code is engraved in cuneiform writing on a seven-foot tall black stone pillar†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This discussion is going to focus on the laws of Hammurabi concerning marriage, divorce, adultery, inheritance, and life in Babylon in general. According to Hammurabi’s code, marriage was considered a contract between a man and a woman. Marriages were organized by parents and other relatives for their children, with the bride-groom’s parents obligated to pay bride price to the girl’s family. This type of marriage arrangement sounds authoritative since the lovers did have any say in their own marriage. Parents were in complete control of their children’s lives and marriages were not based on love or mutual agreement on the part of the ones getting married. This is very unfair, since a person would be forced to marry a person they did not want for a partner. Divorce was handled very differently for men and women. Whereas men were allowed to divorce their wives at will, wives were only permitted to separate from their husbands on grounds of neglect or cruelty.

Choosing health Supporting Legislation For Health Essay

Choosing health Supporting Legislation For Health - Essay Example A report by the department of health dated on August indicates that a third of adults and a fifth of children aged below15 years will be clinically obese .By the year the 2010 it is estimated that 12 million adults in the UK and a million children will be obese while more will be overweight (Department of Health, 2004a). In this case we mainly focus on children’s health and various health issues affecting them where we approach obesity as one of the major challenge. Health support legislation in Liverpool seeks to realize the shared responsibility that everyone has to make changes that will lead to improvement of health (Department of Health, 2004b). One is considered obese when his or her body Body mass index (BMI) is 30-39.9, when its 40 one is considered morbidly obese, when its 50 one is considered super obese. Prevalence of obesity cases has tripled since 1980 and obesity is mostly associated with various aspects for example age, gender (where it mostly affects the female), ethnic belonging to a certain group and people of the lower economic status. In the year 2000 it was estimated that one out every five adults was obese. Obesity may lead to complications and diseases which include diabetes, hypertension, myocardial infarction, colon cancer, stroke among others. The main causes of obesity are sedentary lifestyle, increased energy food intake through eating and lack of regular exercises. In childhood obesity which is our main area of focus it is estimated that more than 75% of obese children become obese during their adulthood, for the last 20 years the number of obese children has been seen to triple mainly for children a ged between six to seventeen years of age (Department of Health, 2000). These is due to increased central fat deposition, it is believed that nowadays children may have a lower life expectancy compared to their parents

International Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

International Law - Essay Example Benin also ratified to this convention, however, there are many states that still are not part of this Contract. CISG gives exporters the ‘choice of law’ avoidance of issues. There are many rules and clauses that are in CISG that exporters can rely on. Conflict of law means that the litigation case leads to conflict in laws between different jurisdiction bodies and the outcome is to use the courts of one area to enforce the law. The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNICITRAL) developed this law and it was initiated in 1980. It became a multilateral treaty and it continuously accepted by many states. Countries that do ratify to this Convention are known as ‘contracting states’ and it is usually part of the law of the state or within the laws unless otherwise specified and it lies between the transaction of goods among different states under the contract or contracting states. Therefore it also facilitates trade. (Schlechtriem, 1998) A few countries that have ratified to the Convention are Argentina, Albania, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Greece, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, Turkey and USA etc. However, a few countries do not follow the Convention to the book and have certain restrictions towards it. The Nordic region countries do not allow the application of part II of the clause to be applied all over, unless the contract of the transaction made is pointed out. In place of this, Nordic council applies the local law which leads to some differences from the Convention. CISG according to part II would allow the seller to withdraw the offer but before the buyer has accepted it. However, the Nordic council believes that a period of time should be given to the buyer to make a decision when an offer is made. This is a reservation of clause 94 of part II of the Contract. (Will, 1996) The major states that are absent from this Contract are India, Taiwan, Brazil, Hong Kong, South Africa as well as United Kingdom. They have not ratified to the contract. Japan made a depository and entered the Convention by 2009. However UK is still absent from the Convention because its government doesn’t view entering into this Contract as a priority for the state and the businesses have also not given support for this ratification as well. There is also a large amount of opposition from a number of organizations in UK, as well as scarce resources for the public, and a fear that London would lose out on its edge in the world with regards to litigation and arbitration. (Huber & Mullis, 2007) Why exactly does UK not want to be under this contract? The reason is that the Ministers do not feel that it is the priority of the legislation. The Government has many other issues to deal with and this Convention would just need to stand in line and wait its attention. The parliament meeting covers issues relating to the legislation of employment, energy, civil partnerships and company la w, which are considered to be more important issues as compared to the issue of exporters. The country itself doesn’t seem interested in ratifying the Convention. There have been instances when the Ministers have circulated letters asking for ratification and why UK has not adhered to it. The lack of Convention isn’t having an impact on the economy of UK and so the people haven’t considered this issue important enough to respond to. Business is working smoothly and isn’