The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Essays

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Essays The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Paper The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Paper The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie BY prs95 Form is inseparable from content in a work of literature. How do the formal qualities of narratives shape the readers experience of their contents? German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, has supported the statement Form is inseparable from content in a work of literature. He strongly believed that Form without content is empty; content without form is blind. l (page 157) It can be argued that the formal qualities in literature are a key aspect in contributing to the readers overall experience. E. M Forster has suggested that the generic structure of a ovel should entail a beginning, middle and an end. 2 In Muriel Sparks novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, the author has challenged this traditional format through illustrating events in an anachronical form and through the inclusion of a universal omniscient narrator, which has resulted in a build up of suspense, reinforced the novels thematic richness and enabled the reader to recognise the development of characters throughout. Reflecting upon Forsters belief, I would have to disagree with this and feel that Sparks structure has successfully enhanced the readers appreciation of the novel as a whole. On general terms, it seems clear to me that the form of literature is a tool used by authors in order to display the content within the novel in a certain fashion. This will result in the reader interpreting the text in a specific way, driven by the writer. This reflects Kants opinion when focusing on the divorce of form with content. In any novel, and in every aspect of life, time is of paramount importance. In Sparks novel, this facet is manipulated in such a way to be unfamiliar to the reader, yet still providing structure. Despite foreshadowing events of the story, the reader has become intrigued to find out the reasons as to why ertain events occur. Time as a general concept, can be used by writers to emphasise events and regardless of the malleability of time as a structural point, linearity cannot be eradicated completely it fundamentally acts as a structural base for a novel. At the start of the novel, it is immediately clear to the reader that the pattern of time is not in a chronological order, as Spark has included numerous counts of analepsis and prolepsis. This has insistently drawn the reader to a question of time, and it is obvious Spark has explicitly made this a key focal point for the reader. At he first introduction to the Brodie Set, we are informed that the girls are fourth- form (page 5). Following this, there is a flashback to when the girls were age twelve, and then a scene of the girls at the age of sixteen. The individuality of the girls is framed when the reader is told, The five girls, standing very close to each other because of the boys, wore their hats each with a definite difference. (Page 5) Despite sharing the commonality of being a part of The Brodie Set, their differences are highlighted with a flash-forward to how the girls are viewed as individuals later on. Spark has strategically mentioned in the first chapter that Mary Mcgreggor lost her life in a hotel fire (page 14). This key piece of information has signified this event, which has ultimately created a sense of tension, and despite knowing the fate of Mary, the reader almost feels obliged to continue reading. This early foreknowledge one has of Marys fate, affects how the reader views her throughout the remainder of influencing our reading, but anticipation of the event is not strong. (140)3 Looking at this quote, I have already shown a way in which the technique of prolepsis can have strong impact on the reader, however Bridgemans radical statement implying that the readers anticipation is minimal due to the mere knowledge of what happens, I would have to disagree. By simply knowing key events about the content of a novel, the reader begins to actively think about the circumstances surrounding such events, ultimately creating a strong sense of anticipation. Continuing on from Bridgemans view, John Holloway feels that The fact remains that the structure of this narrative is largely a matter of the constant operation of writing a next event so as to negate an xisting forward. 4 (Page 591) He has applied this statement with direct relation to Sparks novel. One may say that this view is too simplistic as it only focuses on the surface of the basic structure. The narrative has foreshadowed many of the events that follow, however the context of these events remains unclear until the story has evolved. There is constant movement within the story, as themes and characters develop. Additionally to Sparks consistent use of prolepsis and analepsis, the form of narrative used has also affected the readers experience of this novel. The main vents of the novel are told through the presence of an omniscient narrator. This has enabled the readers understanding of the main themes of the novel (Miss Brodies Prime and its effect on her pupils) to be deepened. It has created a strong sense of perspective for the reader, and allowed him or her to form an opinion that is not based directly from one of the characters point of view, which is often biased or unreliable. John Morreal has criticised the omniscient narrator, and has said, Omniscience could not provide a filter for a story in the way that the limited knowledge of an internal narrator does. 5 (Page 432) I believe Sparks novel as an example, negates this claim entirely. The style of narrative used, reveals knowledge through the use of prolepsis and analepsis in such a way only to inform the reader of brief, yet vital events. With regards to The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, if Spark had instead used an internal narrator, the content of the novel would not have been delivered as effectively as it has done with the omniscient narrator, and it would possibly lack its uniqueness. Overall, this has helped shape the readers understanding and experience. The impact of an omniscient narrator can be pplied to other texts, such as Henry James The Turn of the Screw. In this case, the omniscient narrator has been included in order to introduce a sense of uncertainty to the reader, as the narrative form initially seems to lack credibility and reliability. It has presented a perspective that not only links to the uncertainty experienced by the governess herself, but also to influence the outcome the reader takes away from the story. This can therefore draw a likeness to the narrative form in Sparks novel it has been used in order to directly impact the reader. Furthermore, a primary function f a narrative is to tell a story and create a mood, which is achieved in this novel through various language techniques, including speech. The use of direct speech has allowed the reader to gain an insight of characters themselves. Miss Brodie says Give me a girl at an impressionable age, and she is mine for life. This statement, direct from Brodie herself, frames her manipulative personality and her desire to assert control on vulnerable people. The power this has of being direct speech character. It therefore adds a sense of truthfulness to what the reader is told. The ood throughout varies with instances of humour, seriousness and a sense of pity (towards the victims of Brodies manipulation). This constant change in tone creates mixed emotions yet keeps the reader entertained and focused. The reader experiences different emotions whilst forming an impression on Jean Brodie. The use of speech further creates a sense of distance between the reader and Miss Brodie as her character becomes more and more unattractive, however the readers empathy grows for the individual members of the Brodie Set as the harsh effects Brodie has, start to become apparent. Critic Peter Robert Brown has stated that; Readers are encouraged to acknowledge their participation in victimization in the actual world and to reflect on the role that narrative plays in the process and Justification of victimization. 6 (229) This suggestion implies that the readers experiences throughout the novel are somewhat based on their own personal experiences, and a sense of appreciation can be formed based on this. Finally, an important aspect of form, especially with reference to Sparks novel, is the repetition, which emphasises the main themes, fundamentally leading the reader to having a greater ense of the me ssage Spark has aimed to convey. The word prime is mentioned again and again through the course of the novel. In addition to being in the title, and mentioned throughout, the word is even said in the closing sentence of the novel. There was a Miss Jean Brodie in her prime. This is an exact repetition of what Sandy had said earlier on in the novel (page 35). This closing sentence successfully reiterates the theme of ones Prime, and leaves a lasting impression on the reader, allowing him to reflect and create his or her own opinion on what exactly ones prime is, and how Brodies prime affected the girls. Continuing on from the impact repetition has, it almost mirrors the repetitiveness of time itself. This parallel draws attention to the non-linear structure of time, and highlights its individuality. In conclusion, the basic structure of time and unraveling of events has been manipulated a clear representation of the manipulation the girls experience as a consequence of Miss Brodies actions. The formal qualities used by Spark extend further to the narrative technique and aspects such as speech. Looking back at what Forster suggested, Sparks innovative structure has proven successful and has esulted in positively impacting the readers experience of the novel. It has highlighted main themes, reinforced ideas and enabled the reader to recognise the development in characters. With regards to the statement that Form is inseparable from content in a work of literature, it is clear that the two can be differentiated, however they both positively correlate and compliment the purpose and effect each has. Spark has used the form of her work to illustrate the content in order to influence the way in which the reader interoperates certain aspects of the novel.

Cultural differences in treating and diagnosing mental illnesses Term Paper

Cultural differences in treating and diagnosing mental illnesses - Term Paper Example 142-143). The candidate must separate from his people and adopt estranged behavior as if preparing for his own death. He reaches the point where he has adopted a different identity as if born again. But the habits he then picks up may find him living near cremation sites and even eating dead flesh. Such behavior, accepted in India or Nepal, would be seen as outside the norm in the United States or Europe. Anthropologists look across cultures to determine what is social conformity and how personalities are evaluated and accepted within its range. There may be forms of mental illness or disorder occurring across culture. This may well be the case of schizophrenia, which seems to appear in other cultures and represent individuals with extreme delusions. Such individuals may hear voices which others don't hear and then go into extreme isolation or withdrawal from the trust of others (Haviland et al, p. 150). As explained below, other cultures may even treat schizophrenia different than A merican and European cultures. One concept of mental illness in the United States addresses such illnesses as psychosomatic ailments. These ailments indicate illnesses rooted in the mind that may not have direct and or obvious physiological causes. In the Euramerican tradition these illnesses may be treated under the biomedicine system. This system is based on the dualistic mind-body theory rooted in Western philosophy and psychology. The biomedicine system has been seen as an effective one in America. It has resulted in a large pharmaceutical industry that has virtually developed medication for all kinds of mental illnesses. Yet other cultures may approach psychosomatic ailments differently, reflecting their own healing systems. Immigrants or people from other countries in European and North American societies may respond differently to the cultural pressures of their new lands. They may also respond differently to the medication issued under the biomedical system. Other lands and cultures may not have such theories dominated by a scientific mind body bias. They may respond more to, for example, certain spiritual beliefs of their own cultures. Anthropologists have been investigating some of these cross cultural differences and may help eventually integrate the concept of biomedical approaches in the West with workable approaches from other countries. Culture bound Syndromes Researchers and anthropologists have noted examples of ethnic psychoses appearing specific to certain cultures. Sometimes referred to as culture bound syndromes, these forms of psychoses denote mental disorders that appear bound to unique combinations of environmental settings and cultural practices. They are specific to particular ethnic or cultural groups. In several places in Southeast Asian and Africa, some men suffer from koro, a belief that their genital organs are retracting back into their bodies (Watters, 2010). The feeling is extreme enough that some patients feel they may die du e to possible causes of too much sex or masturbation (Haviland et al). Certain Algonquian Indians have demonstrated the malady of falling into a trancelike state inducing fear in others that they are cannibals. Different cultures across the world tend to have their own specific maladies that are usually related to narratives and stories of their own countries. However, in this present day of mass market communication

International Corporate Finance Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

International Corporate Finance - Case Study Example Here the banks will use the forex rate on which they are willing to buy or sell the currency with in a month or more after the transaction.3 It can be seen that due to the volatile and unpredictable nature of the forex markets during times of political or economic crisis both these markets carry a considerable risk for the multinational firms. The preceding discussion in the other sections will assess the types of strategies which can be used to avoid these risks and their feasibility in the short and long term. There are a number of risks facing VFM right now in terms of the foreign exchange and political risks involved here. These can Credit risk , Liquidity risk , Solvency risk , Operational risk , Market risk and Interest rate risk. (Aharony, 1986.Risks like operational risks (which have been defined by the Basel Committee(Basel II) arise from 'inadequate or failed processes, people and systems or from external events'. ( Hsaio 2008) .Operational Risks cover a wide category of risks which pertain to human error or technical deficiencies.(Black,1972) and are related to all other types of risk such as capital needs, inflation, concentration of revenues (by customers, products, geographies, etc.) new competitive conditions and environmental remediation obligations(reinforced by the new concept of Corporate Social Responsibility).(Black,1972). However more serious risks pertain to losses which arise due to the failure of the obligator to perform(Credit Risk) and such losses are reported to be responsible for more that 50% of yearly business losses.(Black,1972).Today the current lending practices pertaining to credit risk management methodology have made considerable progress.Another type of risk is the market risk which related to the unpredictability surrounding future earnings, because of the volatile changes in the value of financial instruments (which again accounts for 25% of yearly bank losses) ( Staikouras 2000).Reporting risk is different from market risk and credit risk as its primary focus is on derivatives and other financial instruments and is related to the problem of Accounting Risks which are caused by the likelihood of wrongly perceiving or estimating the amounts of risk arising out of their accounting assumptions and methodologies( Staikouras 2000).However the tendency of financial institutions to suffer from Accounting risk, can be remedied by care in the preparation of financial statements.(like appropriate disclosures related to estimates contained in the financial statements) .(Black,1972,Chen 1983) Modern Market Risks are no longer defined by outright exposure and

Alcoholic Anonymous Essay Example for Free

Alcoholic Anonymous Essay What I learned from Alcoholic Anonymous is that AA is meant for people who promise that they will never drink again and they drink again anyways. Its singleness purpose identifies that alcoholics work best with other alcoholics and the only difference from the twelve step fellowships out there is the first part of the first step and the middle part of the twelfth step. What I am powerless over and who we carry the message too? Many alcoholics in AA raise their hands introducing themselves as alcoholics, but never knew what it meant. In the Speakers meeting the groups felt really connected with the speaker, and gave him their full-undivided attention. The groups focused solely on the speaker and no one else, it was mainly white, black, and Hispanic men and women of all different ages starting from their early twenties up to their mid fifties. Around thirty people attended on October 21st at eight o’clock. The meeting was very humorous the speaker knew how to relate to the AA members by bringing his personal life experiences with alcohol to distribute his indication on the importance of sobriety. The speaker knew how to make the environment funny, happy, and outgoing. The speaker often referred to the Big Book specifying the hopeless condition and mind of the body. The first step is understanding the problem, the solution, and the program of action to bring back the solution. The main reason the speaker joined AA was because he could not imagine not drinking at all. The Big Book states that unless identification takes place then little or nothing can be accomplished. For the speaker the first step is the key in following through all the other steps. The question the speaker raised was what does it mean to be an alcoholic? He mentioned that one happens when he drinks it and the other happens when he does not drink it. Other than that he had a pretty good way of handling alcohol. The speaker always knew when to state his jokes. He described alcoholism as a physical allergy coupled with a mental obsession. The phenomenon the he craves when he wants a drink never occurs in the average drinker. This triggered a phenomenon craving to desire alcohol. An allergy meant that it was an abnormal physical reaction and the manifestation always showed up. The body of an alcoholic is quite abnormal as its mind. He got to AA not knowing how to explain his behaviors, and why he kept promising that he was not going to drink anymore and does it again repeatedly. The speaker always stated that he never knew the reason why he did it, his only reason was that he just did. Alcohol triggered a craving bigger than him that he couldn’t overcome. Men and women drink because they like the effect produced by alcohol. The sensation was so illusive for him that the quantities and qualities started to move around. The sensation he received from alcohol was so strong that he could not differentiate the truth from the false. Today looked a whole lot like yesterday and yesterday looked a whole lot like last week and it seemed that he was doing just enough to get by. The speaker viewed his alcoholic life as the only normal one. His observations to the way he reacts to alcohol wouldn’t mean him anything if he didn’t take the first drink. The alcohol craving is in his mind rather than in his body. His physical allergy to alcohol is not his biggest problem his biggest problem is that he gets restless, irritable, and discontented. All his problem happen to him when he is sober, and his main problem was that he could not stop starting because his problems will not go away when he stops drinking. He couldn’t choose whether he was going to drink or not. He related to the audience that he loved pawned shops because it was a pure equation to him. He could walk in with a deer rifle and walk out with the money. He never had a pawnbroker ask him what is he going to do with the money. His only problem was that he did not own a lot of stuff so he had to pawn things that did not belong to him. This created hard feelings around his family. He was poorly treated as a child that he finally ran away at the age of 47, and never went back. I learned that alcoholics make awesome plans but their plans work right up to where they don’t work anymore. The speaker tried to pull some kind of scam that would get everything out of the pawnshop. He pulled an insurance scam and had enough money to get everything out but had to stop for one drink and he was blackout for five days and only remembers 30 seconds of it. He lost the power of choice and control. His life was becoming unmanageable and his first step was to admit he could not manage drinking.

Personal Essay :: essays research papers

How could such a happy name inspire so much fear? Throughout the school, this name was dreaded, feared, cursed, and abused. At the beginning of the school year, there would always be a student weeping with hatred, crying out against his crazed science teacher, Mr. Joy. People thought of him as the embodiment of all evil possible in a teacher, a heartless dictator, a cruel old man. When he walked by, he often got stares, and whispers of â€Å"Hitler† behind his back. On that hot languid September morning, I sat in stony silence at my desk, hearing the warnings of upperclassmen echoing in my ears, waiting for Mr. Joy to appear.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As he walked in, I breathed a temporary sigh of relief. At least I am taller than him! A short wiry man with an almost military gait marched into the room. The hair on his slightly balding head was thoroughly brushed back, his clothes impeccably starched, and his shoes polished so well you could see your own reflection in them. His face seemed hardened by time and experience; he looked bitter, even a little sad. But the most striking feature about his face was his eyes: they seemed to shine with a fierce passion, a burning desire, but for what? As he talked to us about the extensive course requirements, his high expectations, and the heavy workload, we all fidgeted with nervousness in our seats. He spoke with a grim sense of determination, and we listened with a sense of impending doom. But then, suddenly, his voice changed, and his eyes glowed with more intensity than ever before. He told us about his love for biology, and how much he wished that he could impart it to us. He told us about the beauty of the complexity of life in every organism from a delicate butterfly to a steadfast giant sequoia. He was so excited about the recent developments in molecular biology and genetics, but his enthusiasm seemed sincere and real: it wasn’t just the over-caffeinated perkiness of a cheerful kindergarten teacher; it was a genuine love for learning and discovery. The assignments were long and difficult: in the first week itself we were required to memorize the entire periodic table and recite it to the class. Day after day, week after week, students faltered in class, and they were embarrassed: it seemed worse because he didn’t yell; he simply stared at you sternly yet sadly, and calmly called on the next person.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment refers to any sexual conduct or advance to a person whether a man or a woman that is unwelcome. This form of harassment creates an offensive, hostile and intimidating working environment. It is a wide spread problem which in most cases has the effect of causing low morale among the workers especially those that are frequently sexually harassed. It leads to low productivity and thus low output for unions and employers and also introduces an expense to the management in terms of the law suits filed by the workers who have been sexually harassed.Therefore less sexual harassment will lead to increased productivity at the work place and in addition reduce the legal costs incurred as a result of the cases that have been filed by the sexually harassed workers (Roberts, & Mann, n. d. ). Effects of sexual harassment at work place Sexual harassment creates a hostile working environment for the workers and especially the ones facing sexual harassment. For any worker to be prod uctive, academic achievements and experience alone are not enough to ensure optimal productivity. The working environment for the worker is a very important factor maximum productivity among the workers.The workers who are frequently harassed either sexually or through any other form of harassment usually have a negative attitude towards their work in the organization and in fact hate the organization they are working for and will in most cases remain in such organizations simply because they cannot secure another job with another company, otherwise they will quit their work in the organization from which they are being sexually harassed at the earliest opportunity. Sexually harassed workers cannot be as productive as their counter parts in other companies that are not facing such harassment.Thus it is very important for the management of every company to ensure that all their workers are well protected from any form of harassment and especially sexual harassment, as this will resul t in increased productivity (Sims, & Drasgow, 2002). In Malaysia a study was performed and it indicated that increased cases of sexual harassment were actually leading to low productivity in various organizations. The ministry of human resources despite advocating for training of the effects of sexual harassment at the work place also made a lot of efforts in preventing sexual harassment by changing attitudes among the workers and the management.The ministry started a continuous program which combined demonstration, theory, coaching and proactive actions which had a lot of impact in reducing sexual harassment and as a result increased productivity was realized in the country (Roberts, & Mann, n. d. ). Sexually harassed workers will in most cases, are emotionally affected by the intimidating and unwelcome sexual conduct and advance on them, by those perpetrating the vice. Workers who are psychologically disturbed will obviously be less productive as compared to those ones who are emo tionally stable.Studies have shown that persons who have faced sexual harassment for extended periods of time are likely to suffer similar psychological effects as those experienced by victims of rape. Such people will always feel disturbed both at work place and outside their work places. They therefore, perform poorly in their work as they are more likely to concentrate more on the harassment and its effects instead of their assignments (Sims, & Drasgow, 2002). Low morale might be realized from the sexually harassed workers as they are not motivated to perform well.Such workers will in most cases just work mechanically to only meet the requirements of the management. They are less creative and innovative in their work since they do not see the sense of improving their work in work places they do not enjoy working in. sexually harassed workers with low morale will produce less as compared to those who are working in conducive environments in which they are likely to enjoy their wor k and thus produce more as well as be more innovative and creative, thus ensuring that their organizations remain competitive (Roberts, & Mann, n.d. ).Sexually harassed workers usually have increased absenteeism from their work places in an attempt of avoiding the harassment. They will fail to attend work as a result of stress and illnesses arising out of the harassment. Thus there is loss of work days and thus the levels of production drop significantly as cases of sexual harassment increases (Sims, & Drasgow, 2002). Strategic advantages of affirmative action programs to organizationsWhen affirmative action programs are well employed in recruiting workers to join an organization, it will ensure that only those who are well qualified for various positions will be hired by the organization and thus the company is better placed to be productive. The principle for affirmative action when hiring employees should be purely based on merit, ability and qualifications. It should as much as possible try to be independent of national origin, race, or sex of the workers and thus such should not be the basis of hiring or promoting workers (Karsten, 2006).Affirmative action ensures that only the best qualified in terms of qualification, experience and ability are chosen to occupy certain positions. This will help the organization to survive in the long run as such people are more likely to be more innovative and creative and thus ensure that the company remains or becomes more competitive (Kivel, 1995). Employing people on merit also answers the question of equality and thus the company is more likely to improve its image to the society who comprise of their customers and thus the company might realize increased sales.When the people feel that a certain company is discriminating them in terms of denying them equal employment opportunity, such people are likely to shy away from consuming products and services that are provided by the company. Such people also have the prope nsity of talking ill about the company, this will destroy the reputation of the company and will lead to decreased sales revenue which might eventually lead to its collapse if it continues with the vice of discrimination and thus companies should come up with affirmative action programs which will ensure that discrimination is avoided at all cost in the organization (Karsten, 2006).Affirmative actions greatly affect the effectiveness of organizations, this is because the most effective and efficient employees are engaged at various levels of production. Without an affirmative action workers may be hired or promoted due to other reasons other than merit. This would significantly affect the overall effectiveness of the organization as less qualified workers might be engaged to perform certain tasks which could have been performed better by other more qualified personnel had merit been used as a basis of engaging such employees (Kivel, 1995).Lack of a proper affirmative action might al so significantly affect the share prices of an organization, since it will be less attractive to the investors who originate from back grounds that the company is fond of discriminating. This will in the long run affect the capital base of the company and might eventually make it to face serious financial crisis, thus hindering its effective operations (Karsten, 2006). Conclusion Sexual harassment is a vice that should not be tolerated at any cost in an organization as it will lower the levels of productivity among the workers.Thus the company will face increased costs of operations since it will be remunerating its workers for less production. The sexually harassed workers will be working in an environment that is hostile for them and thus they will have low morale to work effectively. An affirmative action program in an organization is very important as it sets out the rules and regulations to be followed. When used appropriately an affirmative action will ensure that a firm remai ns competitive and thus its future is guaranteed to some extent.

The Global Trend Of The European Union - 1260 Words

In today’s world of scarce resources energy efficiency and renewable energy become increasingly important. It is also well-known that the climate-change as a result of high CO2-emissions, among others, can only be stopped or at least slowed down by reducing these emissions. The general global trend therefore should move towards an increasing use of renewable energies while gradually stopping dependence on non-renewable energies, such as coal or oil. Despite trade-offs in terms of a possible rise in energy prices and impacts on security of energy supply, most developed countries have recognized the general need of a change. (Rà ¶pke, 2013) Focusing on the European Union it is striking how the pace at which the 28 member states are†¦show more content†¦While this may sound logical, it is also true that in Poland the government and the state-owned energy producers work closely together with the government receiving dividends from the energy companies. Changing the energy production in favor of potentially less profitable renewable energy sources, seems therefore little appealing. As a result of this policy, in Poland coal has held a share of around 90 % of the gross electricity generation for years. (Ancygier and Caspar, 2014) (Hahn-Fuhr and Dabrowska, 2015) (Ogniewska and den Blanken, 2012) As can be seen in Figure 1.2, in 2011 the share was still 88 % according to the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (2013a). Renewable energies (including biomass, hydro, wind and geothermal energy) only accounted for 7 % according to the same source; according to Eurostat (2015) the share of all renewable energies in the electricity production in Poland even accounted for 8.2 % in that year, but rose to 10.7 % in 2012 and 2013. On the other hand there is Germany – a country trying to be the leader in Europe when it comes to the use of renewable energy sources, the clean and environment-friendly technologies. The German term Energiewende (energy transition) which combines measures to increase energy efficiency and to increase the share of renewable energies has