Pillow Book by Sei Shonagan

After reading this brief section of â€Å"The Pillow Book,† I believe that the things, events or situations she considers not good or proper are those that differ from the unique cultural value and concept of Miyabi. Miyabi is a refined courtly taste and a perfection of form and color. Many of the things, events and situations described directly differs from this concept and in ancient Japanese societies, this concept was very much valued and important.This is especially shown in the 5th example of hateful things in which Sei Shonagon describes â€Å"the sight of men in their cups who shout, poke fingers in their mouths, stroke their beards, and pass on the wine to their neighbors with cries†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This example shows how Sei Shonagon has seen well-bred people behaving like this and violating the concept of Miyabi which has caused it to be distasteful. In my opinion, the concept of Miyabi and the reasoning of her evaluation is based on social aspects as Miyabi was forme d upon a concept of how to behave socially. . A Man who has nothing in particular to recommend him discusses all sorts of subjects at random as though he knew everything. I agree with this example because I have met a lot of these types of people throughout my life and I find them absolutely annoying. They are perfect examples of what I believe to be jack of all trades and master of none. It especially annoys me when they talk about a topic in which I study or have done a lot of research on and they end up telling a lot of false facts which I know to not be true. . One is in the middle of a story when someone butts in and tries to show that he is the only clever person in the room. Such a person is hateful, and so, indeed, is anyone, child or adult, who tries to push himself forward. This example really resonated with me because throughout attending a lot of networking events, I have realized that these people are despicable. When a person is in the middle of saying something, I fin d it really rude to cut in and interrupt them.However, this seems to always happen at networking events where all the students are trying to gain favoritism from the employer by interrupting and attempting to show that he is the cleverest person in the room. c. Ladies-in-waiting who want to know everything that is going on. Once again, this example really â€Å"pushes my buttons†. I find this to be especially true in high school settings where everyone wants to know everything. It seems that every person, especially girls in high school need to know the daily gossip and find it a personal objective to spread that gossip to as many people as they possibly can.I really do not like these types of people, especially when it is none of their business or when you do not even know them. d. A newcomer pushes ahead of the other members in a group; with a knowing look, this person starts laying down the law and forcing advice upon everything – most hateful. This occurs in group settings and especially in team projects. One person will always assume that they are the smartest and try to take a management role to delegate work to everybody. However, I think that the reason you’re working in a group is to see the opinions of others and also to see how others think.When one person tries to take over and stops everyone from giving opinions, this destroys the main point of working in a group. From reading this list, I think that she would consider anything that conforms to the concept of Miyabi would be good or praise worthy. In a western civilization, she would probably consider gentlemen behavior to be good or praiseworthy. Sei Shonagon sets herself up as an arbiter of good taste and most of hateful things are pronouncements of what she considers elegant or inelegant behavior in male courtiers.Therefore, I believe that a man who acts as a gentleman will receive praise from her. There is definitely a bias in Shonagon’s evaluation of people. Firstl y, it is evident that she does not really like old people. This is evident in her 4th example of how she talks about â€Å"an elderly person warms the palms of his hands over a brazier and stretches out the wrinkles. No Young man would dream of behaving in such a fashion; old people can really be quite shameless†. This shows that she is quite straightforward and almost arrogant in writing about her view of elders.In addition, there is a gender bias as she seems to evaluate her male courtiers and makes explicit pronouncements as to what she deems to be elegant and inelegant behavior. Through reading her list of hateful things, I realized that Shonagon thinks that a man has to do everything perfectly and in accordance with Miyabi. An example would be the 8th hateful thing; â€Å"A gentlemen has visited one secretly. Though he is wearing a tall, lacquered hat, he nevertheless wants no one to see him. He is so flurried, in fact, that on leaving, he bangs into something with his hat.Most hateful! † To me, it seems that the male courtier was just clumsy and made a mistake of banging his hat on something but to Shonagon, it seems that this is the most inelegant behavior a male courtier could do. She wrote about how hateful it was and therefore, I think that there is definitely a gender bias in her evaluation of people. The only time she actually talks about hateful things that women does is in her example of â€Å"ladies in waiting who want to know everything that is going on. † Her list of hateful things is mostly comprised of the male courtiers.

Milburn High School Hazing- Argumentative

For the last ten to fifteen years, the first day of school at Millburn High School has hosted an event that continues today. Every year, the â€Å"popular† seniors send out a â€Å"slut list†, slap stickers on student’s backs, blow whistles in faces, and shove students into lockers. The victims of these activities are usually the â€Å"popular† incoming freshmen. In 2010, the event gained media attention and the administration has done their best to discontinue this tradition.The administration at Millburn High School will not be able to stop the first day of school activities, and, therefore, should not be involved. The amount of students that participate and the fact that no one will speak up will make it extremely difficult for anyone to stop this tradition. The most influential factor is that there are so many students that participate. This year there was â€Å"†¦the distribution of a ‘slut list,’ including vulgar descriptions of mo re than 20 freshmen. † (5) Consequently, for every freshmen involved there is at least one senior that is also involved.The number of people that participate makes it virtually impossible for any administrative action to stop the happenings at Millburn High School. The administration would have to discipline a huge clique each year in the senior class. In concerning the â€Å"slut list†, â€Å"When a kid says, ‘I just found it on the floor and picked it up,’ it becomes a little bit messier. † (2) The difficulty of targeting each individual who participates should only further discourage any administrative involvement. Furthermore, the fact that no one is willing to speak up causes a serious problem. We spoke to at least a dozen freshmen and half a dozen seniors, and not one person wanted to really give any names†¦none of the 150 faculty members reported seeing any hazing incidents this year†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (3) This is very hard to believe consider ing the amount of students participating and the trouble they supposedly cause. It is simply not possible that no one witnessed any sort of â€Å"hazing†. This could be a result of fear or they do not wish to stop the events, along with freshmen who are even on the list.How can an administration discipline students if they do not have any evidence that they did anything wrong? â€Å"There’s very little we can really do if a student doesn’t come to us and say this is what happened. † (2) It just simply is not possible. No only is it an insurmountable task to stop the first day events, but staff should not try to stop the events in the first place. A graduate herself even stated â€Å"I knew that it was a harmless tradition †¦while there really is no reason for seniors to feel the need to exert their power over incoming students, it is HARMLESS. (6) Therefore, it should not be considered hazing. â€Å"There have been no reports of injuries requiring medical attention†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (2) Yet, in many other high schools incoming freshmen are physically abused and publicly humiliated, which should be classified as hazing. A dumb list and being shoved into lockers or whistles blown in faces should not. No, true hazing is much, much worse. The administration should only be responsible for keeping the events under control; however, not eliminating the tradition all together.In conclusion, the Millburn High School â€Å"hazing†, which has been happening for ten to fifteen years now, has been blown way out of proportion. â€Å"†¦they’re taking stuff and twisting it†¦really it’s all fun. † (1) The administration of the school will not be able to stop the events due to the amount of people involved and the fact that no one will speak up. They should not try to stop it, just control it. The freshmen of 2010 should be able to continue the tradition when they are the seniors of 2014. It is simply a harmle ss tradition that should just be left alone.

Industrial Production and Capitalism Drivers of Social Change in History Essay Example

Industrial Production and Capitalism Drivers of Social Change in History Essay Example Industrial Production and Capitalism Drivers of Social Change in History Essay Industrial Production and Capitalism Drivers of Social Change in History Essay Industrial Production and Capitalism: Drivers of social change in history Ho Xin Qian Louise In this essay, I will illustrate why industrial production and capitalism were major causes of social change in history by stating three main arguments. Firstly, I put forth the case that industrial production and capitalism have changed the role and nature of markets in history. In doing this, I trace how the market has become the central system of social coordination via market instruments, encompassing even the elements of industry like land, labor and money. In exemplification, I explain how industrial capitalism has brought about the rise of mass production and mass markets, enabling the market system to expand its influence. Secondly, I will illustrate how industrial capitalism has changed the social relations of production, as well as the social organization of work, resulting in class struggle and socio-economic stratification in history. Lastly, I touch on the changes in norms and culture within institutions due to industrial production and capitalism. For the purpose of this paper, I define industrial production as production brought about by mechanized technology and industrious labor in centralized locations. Capitalism is defined as a system of profit making commerce made possible by the usage of money, decentralized circulation of capital and the market exchange of commodities. I use the term industrial capitalism to denote the amalgamation of both forces. The Role and Nature of Markets in History It is my contention that industrial production has changed the role and nature of markets in history, placing it in the centre of society and economy. It is true that industrial capitalism presupposes the existence of a market system. However, the market system was never the dominant system of social control until the development of isolated markets by mercantilist means, and subsequently the transnational interaction and proliferation of markets into a market economy, brought about by industrialization in the 18thC. It is due to this transcendence of boundaries and displacement of market activity that gives rise to the â€Å"market† as an abstract mechanism. According to Polyani, before the rise of markets, the society organizes itself via systems of redistribution, house-holding and reciprocity, of which operates on non-economic motives like social prestige and kinship (Polyani 1944: 46-58). After the rise of markets with long distance and local trade, markets have started to take on a more important role in providing necessities; however, they did not function for a majority of the population, who were still dependent upon common exchange and subsistence systems. Thereafter, mercantilism created isolated national markets which consolidated local economic activity and increased trade. However, it was not until the Industrial Revolution in the mid 18thC that the market system became the main driver of social change across different countries through the creation of mass markets. The industrial revolution has brought about new forms of technology and power, transformed modes of production and created factories as centralized locations for mechanized production to take place. Mass production techniques like specialization, standardization, time-discipline, rational capital accounting and centralization allow for production costs to decrease with volume, thus generating a high amount of output, providing goods more cheaply than one could have done outside of the factory. As a result, people buy their essentials from these mass markets rather than produce by themselves. Also, they produce solely for the market, deriving income to purchase other goods in the circulation of commodities. Moreover, with industrial capitalism, the market mechanism has also come to allocate factors of production such as land, labor and money, which according to Polyani were not real commodities, but merely have exchange value because they become privately owned by use of legal contracts and sales (Polyani 1944: 68-76). Since then, mass markets have come to synchronize most economic activities like consumption, production, distribution and even finance in the most efficient fashion (Swedberg 2005:238-240). These markets become far reaching and displaced in light of industrial capitalism because of communicative and transport technology, the mobility of money and relations of free trade, which re-defined the notion of markets from a place to an abstract network of actors across national boundaries. Also, the nature of markets has changed from being state-controlled to being self-regulating. The market system becomes the center of economic and social life as it coordinates most economic activities not by state regulation but by economic instruments like the price mechanism, supply and demand aggregates. Social Relations of Production and Organization of Work Industrial capitalism has, with the change in material means of production, brought about a change in the social relations of production and organization of work. In capitalistic societies, instead of directly interacting with nature in production, human beings depend on each other by exchanging their assets in place of producing for subsistence. Hence, they inevitably enter into social relations of production between those who own the means of production (capitalist) and those who do not but are economically compelled to sell their labor power (worker) for wages. In the circulation of capital, surplus value can be derived from the difference between capital invested and capital retrieved because capital (such as land, factory and machinery), only when combined with labor, transforms products to sell for higher exchange values, thereby generating surplus value and profit. This circulation of capital is durable because capitalists aim to invest their capital to make even more profits while workers can only increase their wages by working harder or by investing in their skills. Since then, the relationship between capitalists have become increasingly competitive due to the drive for profits while the worker-capitalist relation has replaced family (sexual division of labor) as the primary relation of production. According to Marx, as the ownership of means of production is exclusive and alienable, the society becomes separated into two distinct classes – the bourgeoisie (capitalist) and the proletarian (or worker), where between them is a relationship of domination and exploitation. Marx observed that the capitalists tend to exploit the workers by privately appropriating the surplus value produced by the workers, giving them much less than the use value of their time and effort invested in production (Marx 1848: 23). Also, the exploitation goes further by manifesting itself in the working conditions of factories, where workers were forced to work for long hours and children were also engaged as child labor. The exploitation and domination over workers exists because of the profit motive of decreasing costs and increasing revenue, as well as the fact that workers have less argaining power over their jobs than their employers. Capitalism has also re-defined the social organization of work by the formation of labor markets and complex division of labor. Prior to the onset of industrial capitalism, work was just defined as any effortful activity which attributes use value to commodities. However, with industrial capitalism, the formation of labor markets constitutin g workers, employers, jobs and networks is possible, and they function to allocate labor resources and allow capitalists to negotiate labor price and working conditions. Here, there is a clear demarcation of what is considered paid â€Å"work† and what lies outside of the labor market in the informal economy. Within the labor market, the exchange value of labor depends on the quantity and quality of labor, which denotes different labor processes and skills. The differentiation in wages is due to the complex division of labor brought about by industrial capitalism. Unlike the simple division of labor, where society is categorized into different occupations as in craftmanship, the capitalistic industry has a tendency to control and divide the mass production process into many simple tasks which all unskilled workers are capable of accomplishing. Workers are subdivided into different capabilities and made to specialize in simple tasks to be able to perform quickly and productively. This organization of work greatly improves the efficiency of the system, bringing costs down with more units of production. As seen in the Fordist model of mass production, workers as such are being â€Å"deskilled† and made interchangeable to the extent that they can be fired or hired according to production requirements (Womack 1990: 19-46). Thus, the market value of such menial labor is very low as opposed to professions (doctors) and skilled labor (technicians). The way work is being socially organized into skilled and unskilled labor has thus brought about socio-economic stratification in production relations. Marx has criticized this form of organization as being â€Å"alienating†, especially for the menial workers. As workers are being made interchangeable by the subdivided nature of production process, their labor is being looked upon only as a commodity, at their employer’s disposal. The worker loses control over his produce, the work process and his ability to creatively express himself. Moreover, their menial labor becomes cheapened in the process of unemployment and labor surplus. On the other hand, professionals are able to safeguard their interests by exclusive job administration channels, keeping their wages high due to marketable specialized knowledge. As a result, socio-economic stratification has also become defined by consumption relations such as occupational prestige and status groups. Norms and Culture Lastly, it is clear that industrial capitalism has brought about important changes in norms and culture. Most explicitly, industrial capitalism has changed the culture of work in the society. Prior to this time, work was characterized by disparate tasks that one is required to do in the day, and is oriented to what is necessary to be attended to. There is little divide between work and life. In industrial-capitalistic societies, work is characterized by a series of jobs which need to be synchronized in terms of sequence and speed. Time-discipline is important for work in the capitalist economies because productivity and time are highly correlated (Thompson 1967, 60:61). People are expected to use time allocated for work efficiently and solely for work. As the stimulus for work has changed from subsistence to wage incentives, there is potential of increasing wages by putting in more effort put into work. Thus, as competition for jobs and within jobs increase, people are pushed to work harder and longer in their jobs. Also, in the 18thC, industrial capitalism has led to the trend of rapid urbanization due to rural urban migration and international migration in seek of factory jobs. This has led to a major restructuration of society within countries like England, where the working class poor tend to congregate near the city centre for employment and the more affluent middle class tend to decentralize away from these city centers, where living conditions are bad. The result is a case of socio-economic polarization within cities, where differences in standards of living are stark between gated communities and urban slums. In all, industrial capitalism tend to generate disparate levels of wealth and poverty amongst the working and capitalist classes. Lastly, industrial capitalism is likely to produce changes in habits and lifestyle which are oriented towards the market. The culture of consumerism is prevalent in many industrial and post-industrial societies, brought about by both producers and consumers. Producers aim to increase the capital return from their investment by either catering to existing needs or by creating new needs and wants. With the use of marketing strategies and production technology, they are able to sell their products at a high profit margin. Consumers, on the other hand, are faced with the proliferation of goods and services available at competitive prices. With the wages they have earned, they are able to afford more goods at a lower price. In all, this paper contends that industrial production and capitalism are major drivers of social change in three ways. Firstly, industrial capitalism has changed the role and nature of markets in history, from an auxiliary mechanism to the main instrument of social coordination. Secondly, industrial capitalism has revolutionized the social relations of production, from humanity’s struggle with nature to dependency on each other. It has also changed the social organization of work, by re-defining what is work and by organizing work into skilled and non-skilled categories with varying consequences. Thirdly, industrial capitalism has influenced the norms and culture of society through â€Å"industriousness†, urbanization and consumerism. (1991 Words)

How to Start a College Essay

How to Start a College Essay People perceive college life to be exciting and fun since there is much association and friendliness from students. In most cases, students tend to procrastinate doing their weekend take-home assignments. They go partying and in any other funfair activities forgetting that the weekend is only two days. It requires proper preparation to do a top-notch college essay. Starting early is therefore one of the strategies students should implement when they wish to do their college essays. The more time one has, the lesser the stress associated with deadlines. Nowadays most college professors prefer to have assignments through their e-mails. This feature allows professors to check time in which students uploaded their papers. Having plenty of time prepares one to give the essay his/her best effort. Starting a breathtaking college essay requires to think about what interest him/her. Writing an essay necessitates one to take a moment and remember what he/she loves to talk about, what makes the student to be attentive in class or focus on the TV and so on. It is a big mistake to write about what you think might interest the professor. Though writing an essay prompts one to acknowledge the target audience, it is of the essence to write about an issue, a person or event that has significance in your life. Students should remember that writing a boring essay will also be boring to read. It is important to be honest while writing an essay. Examiners have read several essay and have masters at discovering any small instance of plagiarism. In college, plagiarism is a big issue and may lead to one being discontinued from learning. Students who find it difficult to do college essays can as well order for them online from freelance writing institutions. It is worth to take risks while writing college essays. Settling for an essay topic that everybody is writing about can be dangerous. You can imagine if there are 50 students from your class and professor is still burning the midnight oil trying to assess your essays. If he/she has read 10 topics of the same theme, the professor will immediately doze off because it will be now monotonous. The danger in writing college essays does not lie in writing bad essays but in writing common essays. Take time and ask friends about essay topics they are writing about, it saves a lot.

GLOBAL CHANGE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

GLOBAL CHANGE - Essay Example He insists that there is no global warming. In his article, he says that there are no known facts about there being a link between concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide with imminent catastrophic global warming only predictions are there. According to him, the whole global warming phenomenon is more of a political issue than a scientific one (Bellamy, 2007). In spite of all the skepticism about the global warming and climate change, there are still those who believe that it exists. One of these people is the writer of an article â€Å"Seven Answers to Climate Contrarian Nonsense† by John Rennie. He gives seven claims that are contrary to the claims and global warming contradictions provided by the skeptics one of whom is Senator Inhofe. He provides evidence from scientific places like the US Geological Surveys which indicate that human activity is the leading reason for global warming (Rennie, 2009). The evidence is enough to indicate the presence of global warming and hence I support that there is global warming and humans should change their ways. Rennie, J. (November 2009). â€Å"Seven Answers to Climate Contrarian Nonsense.† Scientific American. Retrieved from:

Nonverbal Communication - People Watching Assignment

Nonverbal Communication - People Watching - Assignment Example One of the men was in looking quite older than the other man looks. The older man was predictably in his early sixties because of the gray hair while the other man could be in his mid-twenties. Outwardly, the two men were like a father and a son. This could be judged from the gestures of the old man. He wanted to pamper the young man like someone talking to a child. From the facial expressions, they seemed to be discussing a very emotional issue. The old man who was sitting directly opposite me was frowning his face was frowning his face as the young man was talking. Occasionally, they could talk until the young man could be too emotional to the extent that the old man gave him a tissue to wipe his tears. Unfortunately, they realized that most some of the people were looking at them; they decided to clear the bill and walked out of the restaurant. From the window, I could see the old man trying to comfort the young man and hug him before entering their car and driving away. From the discussion, the five nonverbal methods of communication are crucial. Types of nonverbal in communication gestures, body movement, facial expression, proxemics, and haptics. However, eye contact is critical in a conversation is used as an indication of how much someone is interested in the conversation. If someone is not interested in a discussion then, the eye contact would not be maintained, and very many things would be diverting the attention from the conversation. Another important type of nonverbal is body movement. The body movement can also indicate how much someone is listening and concentrated in a conversation. However, all the types of nonverbal methods of communication are very crucial but they are much dependent in the event of communicating or conversing. Docan-Morgan, Tony, Valerie Manusov, and Jessica Harvey. "When a Small Thing Means so Much: Nonverbal Cues as Turning

Role of Parents Diminishes from Generation to Generation Essay

Role of Parents Diminishes from Generation to Generation - Essay Example Children no more need their parents for guidance and supervision. All they need to do is click on Google to know whether a decision is right or wrong, to know the consequences of bad career choice, and to know if they need to correct their diet. Parents’ role has diminished. No doubt, this is a tragedy. Nothing can substitute the ultimate love and care that parents can give to their child. Internet does not pray for us. Media does not feed us. Movies do not pick us up when we fall down. But getting ahead of this emotional debate, let’s ponder upon why parents’ role has diminished, and what the aftermath is. Helena Norberg-Hodge (632) writes that today, teenagers are ashamed of their traditional ways of living, and to be precise, they are ashamed of their parents. They do not admire their parents anymore; instead, they appreciate all those chic-clothed classy actors and actresses they see on television. Their parents have become old-fashioned for them. They do not like their parents asking them to choose a way of life that involves working in the fields and getting their hands dirty for little or no money, and certainly no glamour† (Norberg-Hodge 632, para.3). ... Apparently, we are connecting to the world through online social networks, like Facebook and Orkut, but what happens in real? We are disconnecting from real life. This disconnection diminishes the role of significant others in children’s lives, especially that of the parents. This has given rise to the big generation gap, accompanied with scary communication barriers. â€Å"We tried to make our conversation seem like more than an interview†, writes Rodriguez (201), telling about his experience when he talked to his mother on Christmas vacation. Why, today, parents and children need to put in effort to bring some life to their conversation? Why does it not come up naturally, with care and concern? This is because children are emotionally distant from their parents. Parents, themselves, are too busy nowadays, and they provide their children with expensive electronic gadgets, multichannel cables, LCD televisions, and computers, which children spend most of their time with. They have ready-made food available to them at McDonalds, Pizza Hut, and KFC. They do not need their mother’s good old recipe driven healthy food anymore. They absorb knowledge from what they see on media channels. They learn everything before parents even get the chance to tell them. Mothers wait for the right menstrual age of their daughters to tell them about it, and daughters already know it. Fathers wait for their boys to get big enough to be told about safe sex, and the boys already know it. It is all around them- the information, the knowledge, the statistics, the facts and figures, the good consequences and the bad ones. Then, why would they need their parents anymore? Today’s age has made them