Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala Essay

‘Heat and dust’ is a story of two different women of two different characters and from two different times in history. A young English woman comes to India to reconstruct the life of her grandfather’s first wife Olivia. Olivia is said to have married Douglas in England round 50 years back and had come to Satipur in India. Here she met the Nawab in a dinner party in Khatm and expected him to visit her within a week. She was not wrong as the Nawab did visit her and in this way they became friends and after some ime passed they became lovers. When she became pregnant she told the Nawab and her husband about it. The Nawab’s mother arranged for an abortion and after that Olivia went to the palace to live. Nawab purchased a house for her in a village in the foothills of Himalayas where she stayed till her death in 1950s. Olivia was so much in love with him that after her death her body was cremated and her ashes spread over the Himalayas, which is against British custom. The young woman who came to India wants to know more about Olivia and lives in Satipur, visits the house in which her grandfather Douglas and Olivia used to live. She visits the Nawab’s palace with her landlord, Inder Lal. She also visits the shrine of Baba Firdau with Inder Lal’s mother and family on an annual fertility day. The next time when she goes there with Inder Lal both of them become lovers and that was near to the spot where Olivia and Nawab had become lovers in 1923. Then the narrator arrives in the same village where Olivia had stayed for rest of her life and stays in the same house. She oo has become pregnant and the story ends with the narrator deciding to carry her child to term. She has also heard about an ashram where she plans to stay but has no idea for how long she would be there. The story of two women is in two different times in history because Olivia had loved Nawab in a society where men were superior and the interaction took place between two different cultures. At that time British got transferred to India and they restricted to interact only with royal Indian families and hence the love story of Olivia with Nawab ook place. But when the narrator comes to India, it is a liberal state and all are free to travel and interact with anyone they want. So the narrator gets friendly with Inder Lal who is a civil servant and falls in love with him. However the situation and place all are same with both the women and it seems the same old story is getting repeated. In spite of few differences due to discrete situations and circumstances, it seems that the narrator is following the footsteps of Olivia. The time is different for these two women with dissimilar society rules but the reader has he impression that narrator is unknowingly following the footsteps of Olivia. The intercultural interaction is the same along with the marriage vows. Any relationship outside marriage was considered immoral at that time and in modern times as well. It seems not much has changed like the dos and don’ts for a woman were present in pre- colonial India and in post times too. The description of the two different times with similar situations helps the readers to understand both the women and their feelings properly.

Our Identity Is Shaped by Our Relationships Essay

Good morning/afternoon everyone, my name is Jessica Holmes and I’m coming from the VCAA education department. I’m here today to talk to you about how, â€Å"our identity is shaped by our relationships†. When I say relationships, I don’t just mean boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, I’m also talking about family, friends and other relationships. I’m talking about identity since it’s your context writing theme for year 12. Our family is huge in determining who we are and what we are all about. They tell us from day one what is good about us and what we can or cannot do and we absorb it all as children letting it shape us. Our family in most cases dictate our political beliefs, our economic beliefs, our religion, and our social beliefs and frame our overall view of the world. Think of the beliefs you developed outside of the family and you won’t find many. Now the problem these days is that the family as we know is falling apart. There are too many single parent families; a young man does not have a role model for a male because the dad is not there. This is a problem as that young man now gets his idea of being a man from bad influences, such as local thugs or a character from a movie. Even with the families fragmenting these days, the role of the family in our lives is huge beyond anything we can ever understand. Your friends shape your identity just as much as your family, if not more. You learn different things from every person you meet. Your friends are someone who you are with most of the time, so you would pick up many things from them. You gather the traits from those around you and your mind will tell you which are good and bad. Mean Girls is a perfect example of how friends shape you. Cady changes herself to fit in with her new posh friends, her friends shaped her as a mean girl, but it wasn’t long till she found who her real friends were and what her identity was. Your identity is shaped by your real friends, who you hang out with the most. Our other relationships that shape our identity would be our teachers. They teach us what is good and bad and they educate us and help us. Our employers are another source that shapes our identity; they shape out who we are and what our profession is. Our society and neighbours also shape our identity. In the novel â€Å"Growing up Asian in Australia†, Tom Cho wrote a short story called â€Å"Learning English†. He had to learn English to mingle with this neighbours and the society he lived in. When he first arrived in Australia, he didn’t know English, so he found it difficult to communicate with everyone. He learned English for the society, so the society shaped him. I would like to finish up by saying; every relationship shapes your identity. You would not know about it, but if you think about it, all relationships play their own roles and shape your identity in their own way.

Declaration of the Rights of Men and of Citizens Essay

The Declaration of The Rights of Man and of Citizens begins with a clear stipulation of intrinsic freedom and equality in every man. Equality, therefore, seems to be an appropriate place to begin. The Declaration defines our equality in relation to our rights, such that we are all born with the same entitlements and among them the right to perpetuate such rights throughout our lives. Each and every one of us is entitled to the expression of the will of a community (which, according to Rousseau, is the collective will of the constituent individuals). In a similar light, the law is to regard each individual without bias; performing its duty of punishment or protection as justice sees fit. The sixth section of the declaration states that: â€Å"All being equal in its sight, are equally eligible to all honours, places and employments, according to their different abilities, without any other distinction than that created by their virtues and talents.† Effectually, this levels the metaphorical playing field, rightly empowers the skilful and the able while ensuring men are distinguished not by the colour of their skin, nor by their religion and neither by their wealth – but by their merits and abilities. Unfortunately that has never been so. There are a plethora of sordid historical examples that contravene section VI. The apartheid, holocaust and slave trade are amongst the many historical events that have grossly violated the former section. Nepotism, racism, sexism and segregation still ail society and contribute to its atrophic senescence. One audacious claim is that every man is innocent, until proven guilty by the law. The present Catholic Church disagrees, believing than everyone is born  with the burden of original sin. It is not the only body that believes in immediate guilt, many states (including China) adopt a judicial system, which operates on a contrary principle: that every man is guilty until proven innocent by the law. UNRESTRAINED COMMUNICATION Each individual is entitled to his own opinions, their expression and their communication (regardless of content and context). The Declaration explicitly iterates that this is a man’s most â€Å"precious right† and can only be annulled when it threatens the public order. The law establishes the threat. How exactly can you abuse the right of free speech? Who has the right to decide when freedom of speech is abused? A state may act unjustly towards the expression of politically or religiously sensitive opinions, as they may rouse widespread criticism and lead to an imbalance of governing power and authority. However, is it within the law’s rights to place the right to freedom of speech below its own interests? Such controversy is faced in places such as China and Russia. However, the uproar provoked by Julian Assange and Edward Snowden prove that the West cannot lay claims to an unmarred reputation of moral conduct. Individual intrinsic equality is never defined with autonomy, since it is always bordered by the canons of the law. The Declaration seems to state that the power of the law transcends the rights of man, as it may decide what is within and excluded from such rights. It is given the power to distinguish and determine. LAW The Declaration defines the primary duty of the law as an â€Å"expression of the will of the community† and that the law should only â€Å"[prohibit actions that are hurtful to society]†. It decrees, â€Å"what is not prohibited by the law, should not be hindered† and â€Å"the law ought to impose no other penalties but  such as are absolutely and evidently necessary†. The law is detailed as the decision-making faculty in society, it has the power to imprison, accuse, arrest, apprehend and (the two most important powers) to determine the extent at which one man may secure the liberal exercise of his own rights and to establish when public order is breached or threatened. So who deems what is â€Å"absolutely and evidently necessary†? Who holds the reins to the law? Shouldn’t the law be separate from the normal man, should it not occupy a different order of sovereignty? What gives another man the power to wield the scales of the law, is he superior to any other man that he may decide his counterpart’s fate? Who has the prerogative to empower another man with the sword and shield of the law? According to the declaration, â€Å"all citizens have a right†¦either personally, or by their representatives, in its formation†. So the populace, by right, has power over the law, which in turn, by right, has power over the populace. Ideally, this ascertains the equality of power. A cyclic system where the law changes with the people and adjusts itself accordingly as the essence of man itself changes; where any change in the attitudes of the people is reflected in a change in the law. Equilibrium is, therefore, maintained and this allows elasticity and exposes duality in the expression of power. This is by no means a moral system. By this definition, the law is as fickle as man and serves as an inadequate canon, an imitation canon to reassure us that we are a moral and just society. Though the Declaration implores the equal distribution of law, all being equal in its sight, it has managed to allow the atrocities committed in the past. The witch hunts, slave trade, oppression of women, exploitation of children and the inquisition are merely a few events where the latter section of the clause (â€Å"[the law] should be the same to all†) has been unpardonably violated. Is this the fault of the people? No, the fault lies with the educated  lawmakers, the â€Å"representatives†. REPRESENTATIVE The Declaration mentions lawmakers (or â€Å"representatives†) and their sole duty to express the will of the citizen. They are effectively the mouthpiece of the populace and are crucial for succinct communication between power and the people. In modern society, this role is prevalent in the majority of democratic states in the form of: Members of Parliament in the UK, Senators in the US and LegCo members in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the representative role can be held responsible for neglecting its duties and promulgating laws in favour of the upper echelons of society throughout history. The Church is one of the main perpetrators, abusing its influence and power to serve its own needs or requirements. It can be held directly responsible for the frenzied witch-hunts, the inquisition and the violent reformation, which are some of the darkest events in history. Wealthy plantation owners all over the world perpetuated the slave trade, since their operations were extremely labour intensive and extensively profit orientated. Plantations could not profit if workers were to be paid and treated fairly; therefore requiring underpaid and exploitable workers. Since the role of a representative is conventionally a caste specific role, it is nearly impossible for a member of the â€Å"people† to ascend to this position. Therefore the role of a lawmaker is somewhat disconnected from the people and is, perhaps, inadvertently stifling the voice of the people. The representative has, of course, the same (equal) rights of the people and therefore is entitled to ambition. Though their duty is to represent and express the will of the people, it is – rather understandably – second only to their personal desires and demands. Self-satisfaction is ingrained within every single complex organism on this planet, so it is only natural to pursue your own interests and seek your own ends. However, those with power (and above all representatives and lawmakers) have  the means to meet their ends. The mere possession of power is corruptive and addictive. Those in the upper classes of society will, at the very least, strive to remain in the rung they nestle in; fearing a relegation to a lower status. Many will desire to advance and climb further from the people and manipulate the resources available to them in order to do so. Yet, it is the privileged that possess such resources or have access to certain opportunities that allow them to advance and the unprivileged that don’t, thereby consolidating caste preservation and setting the cyclic nature of disparity in place. This is where the voice of the people is lost in transmission. This is evident in the American taxation scheme, where the wealthy benefit from certain policies that permits income to be classified otherwise and thereby avoiding the maximum rate of taxation. The Republican Party immortalizes these policies, as it contributes to their socio-economic preservation. What seems not to be apparent is that there is no need to abuse power. The correct expression of power and fair distribution can only bring about what the Declaration suggests: a level playing field. It would encourage a Darwinian model of progression, where the socio-economic advance and preservation of an individual is reliant on performance, ability, talent, skill and virtue. COMMON CONTRIBUTION It is necessary, according to the declaration, for a common contribution. This is for the â€Å"support of the public force, and for defraying the other expenses of government†. The declaration states that this common contribution ought to be â€Å"divided equally† amongst all â€Å"according to their abilities†. The former of the statements still rings true today and is the only thing reputed to be certain (apart from death). The latter stipulation, regrettably, has not. Internationally most citizens are taxed on their income, on the goods they  purchase and the money they inherit. Yet no system of taxation is truly fair, as the law affords disproportionate contribution and means of evading certain taxation. This is most evident in America, where many high net worth investors pay a smaller percentage of their income than their middle class, working counterparts. This is achieved through exploiting the capital gains tax and the carried interest tax. As a result of such exploitation, Warren Buffet only paid a combined tax rate of 17.4% in 2010, where less affluent Americans contributed up to 45% of their income to the government. The declaration stipulates that â€Å"common contribution† should be divided â€Å"equally among members of the community according to their abilities†. A merit and ability based taxation scheme is fair and just. So how should a population be taxed (if they are to be taxed on ability)? Taxing on the basis of income seems not to work. Perhaps the rate of tax should be varied by age or perhaps determined by occupation (seeing as occupation is decided by ability). A problem that arises is that this would discourage hard work and penalize success. Thus resulting in a population hesitant to use their abilities and work to their full capacity.

DNRC Senrio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

DNRC Senrio - Essay Example Lastly, recommendations on how to avoid the threats and risks will be made so as to ensure the event is carried out successful. In organizing the Democratic Republican National Convention, review of threats from the top to the bottom is key in evaluating how resources are supposed to be distributed and the level of workforce to be distributed to combat each threat. By DRNC being positioned to take place in Miami, Florida, quite a lot in regard to preparation of the event had to be taken into account. By having Major Waren plus other divisions in charge of planning the event, he has to ensure that all is in place before the major event(Harrison, 2010). Based on his assessment of the area, Major Waren would have come up with the following threats that can affect the Democratic Republican National Convention from that which can pose the highest risk to the least. Top in the threats likely to occur in the event is the issue of a hurricane disrupting the event. Since the event is scheduled to take place in August, which is mostly known to harbor very bad hurricanes, careful assessment of the risk involved has to made in order to assess whether it will be worthwhile carrying out the event or not. Hurricanes are natural disasters that pose great risk when they occur. In such a situation, the risk of a hurricane occurring on that day can be only be found from the metrologist department some weeks before the event. Hurricanes pose threat to infrastructure and human lives and can result to huge damage(Harrison, 2010). Based on the positioning of the event, hurricanes can result in extensive damage as it can cause disruption of the airplane system, cause certain planes to crash, result in heavy traffic, cause uprooting of houses and even the venue infrastructure. Another threat likely to occur in the event that has high consequence is the event of a terrorist attack(Harrison, 2010). In having a convention that harbors

Accountancy and Finance, Designing a Balanced Scorecard Essay

Accountancy and Finance, Designing a Balanced Scorecard - Essay Example ns are not for profit making, it is important that appropriate good practices of financial management are maintained so as to ensure that there are adequate resources aimed at meeting the objectives of the organization and ensuring that they remain solvent while at the same time continuing to support the community. A scorecard is a combination of the four common measures (quadrants) that are directly associated with a company’s objective strategies (Pearson & Robinson, 2009). The Otago Museum in New Zealand was founded on the 15th day of September 1968, initially being located in the post office building in Denedin’s Exchange, a building which also accommodates the University of Otago. The 1877 saw the responsibility for managing the museum become vested with the University of Otago, an arrangement that lasted nearly 80 years and letter the transfer of the ownership to a trust board which was authorized to attract funding from various local authorities in the Otago region. Among the principle funders continue to be Dunedin City Council, Clutha District, Central Otago Districy Council and Waitaki District Council. This report will be designing a comprehensive balance scorecard (BSC) for the museum indicating clearly the strategic objectives of the museum, the strategic business themes supporting the objectives and the cause and effect relationship linking Balanced Scorecard (BSC)dimensions with strategic themes and the objectives. More often than not, an organization’s mission statement guides on how an organization needs to maintain a balance of the needs and the various expectations as appertains to the various stakeholders (Harel, & Boaz, 2008). However, most non-profit organizations like Otago museum do not operate in extreme circumstances hence can do for both the donors and their employees/volunteers despite the fact of the existence another restricting factor which can be done for the different groups, that one which falls generally within the purview

Compare Contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Compare Contrast - Essay Example They both argue that the technological evidences, for example, the DNA evidence is indisputable because their validity is on the basis that the advancements are a science (Fishman Web). Similarly, both the generations bear huge social, economic, and ecological deficits that their members struggle to come out of. For instance, in both the generations, the members continue to cause global warming which has hazardous environmental and economic effects. In addition, both members of these generations are hard working. They get engaged in programs and activities that are useful for themselves and their countries (Friedman Web). For example, they participate in building their homes, engage in politics, and also offer volunteer services to the poor. Finally, terrorism which is a global issue has not stopped the members of both generations from moving around the world (Friedman Web). The members of these generations freely move from one part of the globe to another. However, there are contrasting issues between these two generations. Friedman’s generation Q has huge budget deficits, social security deficit, and ecological deficit. Its members spend their entire adult lives struggling to come out of these deficits. From the New York Times news paper dated Oct. 2, the generation Q members have continued to trigger global warming (Friedman Web). However, Friedman’s generation tries to look into the techniques of handling the challenges of global warming and other social, economic, and environmental concerns coming as a result of the technological advancements which Rob Fishman’s generation does not care about. Moreover, the members of Friedman’s generation Q are less radical compared to the Rob Fishman’s generation of generation Q members. They put their energies into popular national service programs at their respective home countries. An example is the â€Å"Teach for America.† Furthermore, the

Social media Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social media - Research Proposal Example Significance of social media, its implications, and moderator role of age on implications of social media are discussed. Social media use is significant in the contemporary society because of the number of young people who use it and effects on the users. Children of as young as eight years use social media. Despite 13 years old limit for Facebook accounts, millions of children who are bellow this age use the media. Rate of the media usage is also high and many children have been harassed in the media (Georgia College, N.d.). Social media affects its users. A study on young women identified body dissatisfaction and eating disorders as some of the effects of social media (Perloff, 2014). Positive effects such as collaboration among students for knowledge development also exist (Tarantino, McDonough, & Hua, 2013). The social effects of social media however depend on users’ age. Younger people are likely to engage with the media for longer times and realize greater collaboration for knowledge development (Dominguez, Greene, Lawson, & Moreno, 2014; Holt, Shehata, Stomback, & Ljumberg, 2013). The moderator effects are however not consistent across applications (Eriksson, Luoma, & Krook, 2012). The study sought to discuss moderator effects of age on social media use, which is significant in the society. Children and adolescents have exclusive access to it and it have diverse effects such as lowering self esteem, influencing eating disorders, and influencing knowledge creation. Age moderates effects of social media but the moderator effect is not consistent. Social media use is popular among children and adolescents, it has positive and negative effects, and its use should be regulated to ensure optimal benefits. Eriksson, K., Luoma, A., & Krook, E. (2012). Exploring the abyss of inequalities: 4th international conference on well-being in the information society, WIS 2012, Turku, Finland, August