The Status of Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Status of Women - Essay Example Denied higher level schooling, and schooling in general in some cases, prevented from obtaining any legal rights or owning property as a separate entity from their father or husband and with a majority of her household work unconsidered in terms of the physical work she could accomplish, women had little opportunity to do anything other than be a wife and a mother. Against this backdrop, women who found themselves in non-traditional situations - the widow, the businesswoman, the intellectual - continuously struggled to find a better balance between men and women that allowed women some of the freedoms afforded to men, while women who fell within the societal norms also found themselves being forced into a more dominant role. Roles began shifting slowly as women grew into and then out of the ideology of the True Woman into that of a New Woman in personal and public spheres. As they moved from the rural setting to the industrialized city setting, women in America saw tremendous changes in the way they were expected to live their lives - from lives of working alongside the men in the fields they moved to working exclusively within the home, finally setting the stage by the end of the nineteenth century for the advances of the women's movements that would dominate the early part of the twentieth century. Colonial America saw la... "During the early history of the United States, a man virtually owned his wife and children as he did his material possessions. If a poor man chose to send his children to the poorhouse, the mother was legally defenseless to object" (Comptons, 1995). "Before the middle of the nineteenth century, the property rights of American married women followed the dictates of common law, under which everything a woman owned became her husband's property upon her marriage" ("Married Women's Property Acts", n.d.). However, there were some women who lived in colonial America who "worked in professions and jobs available mostly to men. There were women doctors, lawyers, preachers, teachers, writers and singers" (Comptons 1995). This was because "prior to the 1800s, there were almost no medical schools, and virtually any enterprising person could practice medicine. Indeed, obstetrics was the domain of women" (Comptons 1995). Even this changed, though, by the beginning of the nineteenth century when women were again relegated to the acceptable positions of writing and teaching only as the educational requirements for these professions were increased and women, fulfilling their obligatory role of wife and mother at an early age, were unable to complete the necessary training. These restrictions on what a woman could do or own were partly due to the fact that most women were not considered intelligent enough to consider all the consequences involved in managing business or political situations. Most could not prove otherwise as they did not have the access to formal schooling that would have provided them with these skills. "In colonial times, formal learning had a low priority. Girls' education typically took place at home, where

Superpower Machine Essay Example for Free

Superpower Machine Essay Every once in a while I cant help but think about what it would be like if I have powers. If I can build a machine that can do anything, I want a machine that can transform me into any hero I want with any superpower there is. It would be an amazing thing to have the ability to do something noble and help people while having fun at the same time. In case of an emergency, I can turn into someone with superman or batman powers or any other hero depending on the situation. For example,if there was any trouble at sea, I can turn into Aqua man or if speed is needed I can easily become Flash. Another power that I am curious enough to try is the power of invisibility. I think it would be exciting to observe people when they do not know that anybody is around. I would also love to have the power to read somebody elses mind. Although somethings are better left unsaid, still, it would be brilliant to know what people are thinking. The bottom line is that these heroes make a big impact in the lives of people they do not even know and I want to be a part of it. Hackneyed as this may sound, Uncle Ben was right in saying that with great powers have great responsibilities. Saving the say is not all about the glamor and the excitement like what televisions and movies are portraying. Everyday we have regular unsung heroes like policemen and fireman who are willing to go to inside a burning building at the verge of collapse with just saving the trapped victim inside. In our everyday lives we encounter heroism that we do not even notice because we have our own notion about what a hero is and what it would be like to be saved. A man giving up his seat in the subway or a young lad helping an old lady cross the street; this is a typical picture of the modern day hero. They are no batman or superman but they end up saving the day. I guess I do not need any machine to make a difference in the world after all but it would still be great to have it as an option.

Hamlet †the Irony Essay -- Essays on Shakespeare Hamlet

Hamlet – the Irony  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   The existence of considerable irony within the Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet is a fact recognized by most literary critics. This paper will examine the play for instances of irony and their interpretation by critics.    In his essay â€Å"O’erdoing Termagant† Howard Felperin comments on Hamlet’s â€Å"ironic consciousness† of the fact that he is unable to quickly execute the command of the ghost:    Our own intuition of the creative or re-creative act that issued in the play also assumes a struggle with the literary past, but one of a more complex nature. It would seem to be Hamlet who is unable to impose successfully the model of an old play upon the intractable material of his present life, and Shakespeare who dramatizes with unfailing control the tragic conflict between his heroic effort to do so and his ironic consciousness that it cannot be done, with the inevitable by-products of hesitation and delay. (107-108)    Right at the outset of the drama, there is irony exhibited in the manner in which Shakespeare characterizes King Claudius – he is simply the perfect ruler – and yet, shortly hereafter when the ghost appears, he is revealed as a truly evil sort. George Lyman Kittredge, in his book, Five Plays of Shakespeare, describes the Bard’s excellent characterization of Claudius:    King Claudius is a superb figure – almost as great a dramatic creation as Hamlet himself. His intellectual powers are of the highest order. He is eloquent – formal when formality is appropriate (as in the speech from the throne), graciously familiar when familiarity is in place (as is his treatment of the family of Polonius), persuasive to an almost superhuman degree (as in his manipulation of the i... ...go: Greenhaven Press, 1996.    Rose, Mark. â€Å"Reforming the Role.† Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986.    Rosenberg, Marvin. â€Å"Laertes: An Impulsive but Earnest Young Aristocrat.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Masks of Hamlet. Newark, NJ: Univ. of Delaware P., 1992.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html No line nos.    Wright, Louis B. and Virginia A. LaMar. â€Å"Hamlet: A Man Who Thinks Before He Acts.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ed. Louis B. Wright and Virginia A. LaMar. N. p.: Pocket Books, 1958.      

Analysis of Cancer - The Enemy Within Essay examples -- Exploratory Es

Cancer - The Enemy Within      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Abstract: Cancer has been known and feared since antiquity, but its imperative danger could only be realized until fairly recently. Indeed as knowledge of the disease grew in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, fear increased when people became more aware that most cancers had no available cure. Cancer is a disease in which abnormal cells reproduce without control, destroy healthy tissue, and eventually cause deterioration to the body. This paper is a discussion on how cancer develops and spreads, some of the various types of cancer, and the causes of the disease.    Cancer is a disease in which cells multiply without control, destroy healthy tissue, and endanger life. About 100 kinds of cancer attack human beings. This disease is a leading cause of death in many countries. In the United States and Canada, only diseases of the heart and the blood vessels kill more people. Cancer occurs in most species of animals and in many kinds of plants, as well as in human beings.    Cancer strikes people of all ages but especially middle-aged persons and the elderly. It occurs about equally among people of both sexes. The disease can attack any part of the body and may spread to virtually any other part. However the parts of the body which are most often affected are the skin, the female breasts, organs of the digestive, respiratory, reproductive, blood-forming, lymphatic, and urinary systems.    The various cancers are classified in two ways. The primary body site, as and by the type of body tissue in which the cancer originates. They can thus be divided further in to two main groups; carcinomas and sarcomas. Carcinomas are cancers that start in epitheli... ...r are fatal. In the past, the methods of treatment gave patients little hope for recovery, but the methods of diagnosing and treating the disease have improved greatly since the 1930's. Today, about half of all cancer patients survive at least five years after treatment. People who remain free of cancer that long after treatment have a good chance of remaining permanently free of the disease. But much research remains to be done to find methods of preventing and curing cancer.    Bibliography Allison, Trent. Background into Medicine. New York: Lincoln Press, 1982. Drummond, Phillip. Cancer. 1st ed. New York: Prentice Hall Publishers, 1984 Harris, Jules E.. "Cancer." Encyclopedia Britannica. 1993 ed. Sipp, Warren. Encyclopedia to Cancer. New York: National Academy Press,1989. Veels, Thomas. Science of Cancer. Washington DC, 1984.

Racial Divides in The Last of the Mohicans Essay

Throughout James Fennimore Cooper’s novel The Last of the Mohicans a common theme of interracial friendship and love and the difficulty it takes to overcome such an obstacle, is shown strongly in the work. In the novel Cooper shows how the America people of European decent treat those that are native, by showing how negatively they treat the Native Americans. Chingachgook and Hawkeye have a friendship that is genuine and deep, bypassing the normal relationship between that of a white man and a Mohican Indian. Interracial love and romantic relationships are condemned in The Last of the Mohicans, for example when, Cora, the older daughter of Munro, is approached by Magua and he explains his desire for their marriage it is preceded that their relationship is uncomfortable as well as awkward whereas Uncas and Cora’s mutual relationship ends in a terrible tragedy. Cooper makes it apparent that race was important in each individual’s acceptance and respect in the early American community, but the bond and friendship between Hawkeye and Chingachgook is stronger than the American community’s influence; there is also a common theme of interracial romantic relationships being impossible because of how Cora’s relationships with Uncas and Magua both come to an end. Numerous critics agree that Cooper’s novel makes the relationship between the Native Americans and the white Americans noticeably different from their affiliation with their own race. â€Å"The Last of the Mohicans shifts its action back in time to the mythopoetical realm when the future of American hung in the balance between the primitive and the civilized, between the French and the British, between the white and red men.† (Burt 1). Burt suggests that with the treatment between the characters it shows America at a different stage, one that is still being built on and not quite finished in construction. Burt also suggests that That the last of the Mohicans is honest in Cooper’s portrayal of the interaction that is between the two main races of the novel, all the way to the depths of the â€Å"psychology of Native Americans and their place in American culture and conscience.† (Burt 1). The racial conflicts in the novel are shown when â€Å"multiple cultures interact without physical conflict, settle their differences through dialogue.† (Rinne 15). The conversation that is presented throughout the novel seems to help settle some of the disputes, between many individuals like Alice and Magua, a relationship that exemplifies how white and red men confront one another. This concept of interracial interaction between the people of the novel, despite the bond between Hawkeye and Chingachgook, is shown clearly that it is not a pleasant connection. â€Å"As they traversed that short distance, not a voice was heard amongst them; but a slight exclamation proceeded from the younger of the females as the Indian runner glided by her unexpectedly and led the way along the military road in her front.† (Cooper 17). Alice shows her fear towards that of the Native blood, unlike her sister Cora, Alice struggles with others more. She is afraid and a symbol of the people that are not always shown in Cooper’s novel. As she continues to look at him, â€Å"an indescribable look of pity, admiration, and horror as her dark eye followed the easy motions of the savage.†(Cooper 17). She represents the way many of the other women of the time felt; uneasy and unsure of these people of any different race. Alice’s background is why she is chosen to represent the white population, since she is of pure blood. Throughout this novel the other American’s are shown as treating the Natives with little respect because of racism, believing that with their possessions such as their clothes, weapons, and education they are to be held to a higher standard and supreme to the Natives that surround them. In The Last of the Mohicans Cooper begins a trend with the creation of Hawkeye and Chingachgook’s relationship a â€Å"prototype for Ishmael and Queequeg, Huck and Jim, The Lone Ranger and Tonto–† (Burt 1). Hawkeye and Chingachgook have â€Å"a stark, stripped human relationship of two men, deeper then the deeps of sex.† (Burt 1). Cooper shows just how deep of a friendship these two men can have looking past all of the racial boundaries that are in position from the surrounding society. Despite the way interracial relations between the civilized and the savage were looked down upon Hawkeye and Chingachgook’s relationship continues without any such interference. Cooper makes the relationship important especially in the times of need, during the battle scenes and while they complete acts that make it clear that Hawkeye and his group are the protagonists of the story. This is a strong and deep connection between the two men making a statement for the time period, in which the story is set in. The constant reoccurrence of Hawkeye and Chingachgook’s relationship as friends in the Cooper’s novel shows the power of this symbol. The two men constantly look out for one another’s well being, Chingachgook gives Hawkeye information and reassures him his â€Å"ear shall drink no lie.† (Cooper 32) simply because they are friends. As the book continues the two men and the bond that is between them is proven to be deeper then the expectation of the average American community of the time. Through their dangerous journey they stumble upon much conflict, yet instead of burdening their friendship, it only builds their relationship as friends. Without one another they would have not made their journey through the forest protecting the young women as they did. Despite the thoughts of the Americans their relationship made things better rather than if they had not sought help from their friendship. Parts of Cooper’s novel â€Å"The last of the Mohicans derives its power from exploring threats to racial purity. Uncas and Cora deviants from the white norm threaten to cross radical lines and must be killed.† (Burt 3). Whereas â€Å"Heyward and Alice are free to marry and reproduce,† (Scalia 2) because unlike Cora and Uncas are following the â€Å"white norm.† Cooper sends the message that interracial romance and love is predestined for failure. Cora and Magua’s relationship is awkward despite Cora’s initial attraction towards the Indian. Cora and Uncas relationship ends in the terrible tragedy of death, because of her refusal to marry Magua. Cooper also suggests â€Å"it is Cora’s dark blood that accounts for her boldness†¦ accounting for the mutual yet sublimated attraction of both Cora and Uncas.† (Blakemore 43). Blakemore explains that their relationship contained mutual feelings towards each other even though their r elationship is considered unacceptable. From the beginning of the novel the factor of interracial coupling is there because of Cora’s mother being of a different race. Although the element is there Cooper also implies that these relationships are hopeless, for example when Magua and Cora’s relationship is uncomfortable and unnatural. â€Å"‘Listen’ said the Indian, laying his hand firmly upon her arm as if willing to draw her utmost attention to his words; a movement that Cora as firmly but quietly repulsed by extracting the limb from his grasp.† (Cooper 121). Cora does not let Magua touch her despite his efforts to keep her under his control. Where like Magua and Cora’s relationship is a failure so is Uncas and Cora’s because it ends in tragedy of each characters death. â€Å"Magua recoiled a step; and one of his assistants, profiting by the chance, sheathed his own knife in the bosom of Cora.† (Cooper 413). Cora is killed before her and Uncas are allowed to love one another fully. Although this relationship is considered improper their desire for one another is still persistently shown throughout the novel. In conclusion, James Fennimore Cooper’s novel The Last of the Mohicans is a powerful novel filled with many different issues involving interracial tribulations. Using some of the main characters Cooper is able to show how white Americans would treat the Native Americans negatively. Cooper also keeps in mind the different type of relationship that is built between Chingachgook and Hawkeye, which happens to be deep and strong. Also, the romantic aspect of relationships that is represented in The Last of the Mohicans is clearly shown to be an impossible happening for the characters. The Last of the Mohicans shows the importance of race in the early American community and how treatment towards those who are different is shown, yet despite the fact that interracial friendship is frowned upon Hawkeye and Chingachgook keep a firm grip upon their friendship; a final theme is the troubles that form between when two of different races are to fall in love. Cooper does a beautiful job showing each of his interracial interaction points clearly in his novel. Work Cited Blakemore, Steven. â€Å"†Without a Cross†: The Cultural Significance of the Sublime and Beautiful in Coopers The Last of the Mohicans.† Jstor.org. University of California Press. Web. 20 Jan. 2012. Burt, Daniel S. â€Å"The Last of the Mohicans.† The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Novels of All Time, Revised Edition. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2010. Bloom’s Literary Reference Online. Facts on File, Inc. 20 Jan. 2012. Cooper, James Fennimore. The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757. New York: New American Library, 1962. Print Rinne, Craig. â€Å"White Romance and American Indian Action in Hollywood’s The Last of the Mohicans.† Jstor.org. University of Nebraska Press. Web. 20 Jan. 2012 Scalia, Bill. â€Å"The Last of the Mohicans.† In Werlock, Abby H.P., ed. The Facts on File Companion to the American Novel. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 2006. Bloom’s Literary Reference Online. Facts on File, Inc. 20 Jan. 2012

The Useful Generic List in VB.NET

The Useful Generic List in VB.NET Generics extend the power and flexibility of VB.NET in a lot of areas, but you get a bigger performance benefit and more programming options in the generic List object [List(Of T)] than with any other. To use List(Of T), you have to understand how to implement the many methods that the .NET Framework provides. Below are three examples using ForEach, FindAll, and Sort, that demonstrates how the generic List class works. The very first step is to create a generic List. You can get the data in a lot of ways, but the simplest is to just Add it. The code below shows how to classify my beer and wine collection! Starting Code There first needs to be an object that will represent a bottle from the collection. In a Windows Forms application, the Form class has to first be in a file or the Visual Studio designer wont work correctly, so put this at the end: Public Class Bottle Public Brand As String Public Name As String Public Category As String Public Size As Decimal Public Sub New( _ ByVal m_Brand As String, _ ByVal m_Name As String, _ ByVal m_Category As String, _ ByVal m_Size As Decimal) Brand m_Brand Name m_Name Category m_Category Size m_Size End Sub End Class To build the collection, Add the items. This is whats in the Form Load event: Dim Cabinet As List(Of Bottle) _ New List(Of Bottle) Cabinet.Add(New Bottle( _ Castle Creek, _ Uintah Blanc, _ Wine, 750)) Cabinet.Add(New Bottle( _ Zion Canyon Brewing Company, _ Springdale Amber Ale, _ Beer, 355)) Cabinet.Add(New Bottle( _ Spanish Valley Vineyards, _ Syrah, _ Wine, 750)) Cabinet.Add(New Bottle( _ Wasatch Beers, _ Polygamy Porter, _ Beer, 355)) Cabinet.Add(New Bottle( _ Squatters Beer, _ Provo Girl Pilsner, _ Beer, 355)) All of the above code is standard code in VB.NET 1.0. However, note that by defining your own Bottle object, you get the benefits of multiple types in the same collection (in this case, both String and Decimal) and efficient, type safe late binding. ForEach Example The fun starts when we use the methods. To begin, lets implement the familiar ForEach method. The Microsoft documentation includes this usage syntax definition: Dim instance As List Dim action As Action(Of T) instance.ForEach(action) Microsoft further defines action as delegate to a method that performs an action on the object passed to it. The elements of the current List(T) are individually passed to the Action(T) delegate. Tip: For more on delegates, read Using Delegates in Visual Basic .NET for Runtime Flexibility. The first thing you need to code is the method that will be delegated. Misunderstanding this one key point is the source of most of the confusion of VB.NET students. This function, or subroutine, is where all of the customized coding for the Of type objects is done. When performed correctly, youre essentially done. Its really simple in this first example. An entire instance of the Bottle is passed and the subroutine selects anything needed out of it. Coding the ForEach itself is simple too. Just fill in the address of the delegate using the AddressOf method. Sub displayBottle(ByVal b As Bottle) ResultList.Items.Add( _ b.Brand ) ResultList.Items.Add(-) Cabinet.ForEach(AddressOf displayBottle) End Sub FindAll Example FindAll is a little more complicated. The Microsoft documentation for FindAll looks like this: Dim instance As List Dim match As Predicate(Of T) Dim returnValue As List(Of T) returnValue instance.FindAll(match) This syntax includes a new element, Predicate(Of T). According to Microsoft, this will represent the method that defines a set of criteria and determines whether the specified object meets those criteria. In other words, you can create any code that will find something in the list. I coded my Predicate(Of T) to find anything in the Beer Category. Instead of calling the delegate code for each item in the list, FindAll returns an entire List(T) containing only the matches that result from your Predicate(Of T). Its up to your code to both define this second List(T) and do something with it. My code just adds the items to a ListBox. Private Sub FindAllButton_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles FindAllButton.Click ResultList.Items.Clear() ResultList.Items.Add(FindAll Example) ResultList.Items.Add(-) Dim sublist As List(Of Bottle) sublist Cabinet.FindAll(AddressOf findBeer) For Each r As Bottle In sublist ResultList.Items.Add( _ r.Brand - _ r.Name - _ r.Category - _ r.Size) Next End Sub Function findBeer(ByVal b As Bottle) _ As Boolean If (b.Category Beer) Then Return True Else Return False End If End Function Sort Example The final method this article examines is Sort. Again, Microsoft uses some terminology you might not be familiar with. There are actually four different overloads of the Sort method: Sort()Sort(IComparer(T))Sort(Comparison(T))Sort(Int32, Int32, IComparer(T)) This lets you use sort methods defined in the .NET Framework for the list, code your own, use a system defined comparison for the type, or sort part of the collection using a starting position and count parameter. In this example, since I use the following syntax to actually perform the sort, Im using the third overload. x.Name.x.Name.CompareTo(y.Name)(y.Name) Ive coded another delegate to my own comparer. Since I want to sort by my Name, I pull just that value out of each instance of the Bottle object that is passed and use the Sort(Comparison(Of (T))). The Sort method actually rearranges the original List(T). Thats what is processed after the method is executed. Private Sub SortButton_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles SortButton.Click ResultList.Items.Clear() ResultList.Items.Add(Sort Example) ResultList.Items.Add(-) Cabinet.Sort(AddressOf sortCabinet) For Each r As Bottle In Cabinet ResultList.Items.Add( _ r.Name - _ r.Brand - _ r.Category - _ r.Size) Next End Sub Private Shared Function sortCabinet( _ ByVal x As Bottle, ByVal y As Bottle) As Integer Return x.Name.CompareTo(y.Name) End Function These methods were selected to demonstrate the major ways that the Framework methods in List(T) are actually coded. Theres a whole raft of other methods, however. Thats what makes List(T) so useful!

How Oprah Winfrey Overcame Failure

How Oprah Winfrey Overcame Failure Imagine being born in rural 1950s Mississippi to an impoverished teenage mother. Imagine suffering abuse from the age of 9, then running away from home at 13, only to become pregnant at 14 and lose your first child. Now imagine you’re Oprah. Sound implausible? It’s actually true. Oprah was able to turn the tables on this disastrous upbringing, but it took guts and grit. She moved to Tennessee to live with her father, and began to excel in school. She did well in speech and debate. She even won a state beauty pageant. All while working part-time reading news for a local radio station until she could earn a scholarship to college at Tennessee State.In college, this wounded girl became a powerhouse of a woman. She majored in communications, and landed her first post-graduation job at a Nashville station. That turned into a bigger gig with an ABC affiliate in Baltimore. Soon after that, she was hired as a primetime news co-anchor, an incredible feat considering she was a yo ung, black woman in an era where old, white men made and enforced all the rules.There was a publicity campaign before her debut. The network wanted to broaden their viewership. Suddenly, Oprah Winfrey was thrust into the spotlight with high expectations. She was set up for failure. When the show failed, she was blamed- and not her old, white, male co-host. She was demoted to a writing and reporting gig, but was a slow writer and too caring for the kind of hard-nosed reporting required. (On one notable occasion, she was so moved by the plight of a family who had lost their things in a fire, that she donated some of her blankets and supplies to them, drawing flack from her boss.)Even Oprah herself looks back on these years as a failure. But she did not give up. Instead, she took stock of the situation, realized that, while she loved television, she preferred human interest stories to hard news. And while she loved hosting, she had to have significant chemistry with a co-host to make t hat relationship worthwhile.Eventually, all of this soul-searching paid off. She took a job co-hosting a show called People are Talking with Richard Sher. To anyone else, this would have been considered a step down. But Oprah made lemonade. The show was successful enough to run for five years, after which Oprah was recruited to host a morning talk show in Chicago. That show became a household name. And Oprah became an international sensation.What Oprah had was a unique combination of empathy, determination, and the ability to keep moving forward when all else had fallen apart. Her ability to excel in business while not being business-oriented is a marvel. Moral of the story? Have passion, believe in your dreams, believe in yourself even when no one else does, and keep going when hope is lost. Don’t be afraid to fail.Oprah Winfrey: A Profile in Failure