Recruitment and Retention

Demand for academic staff in Higher Education has been increasing2 and may be expected to continue to increase given the Government’s intention that participation in Higher Education should increase substantially amongst those aged 18 to 30 years old. At the same time, recruitment and retention problems have been growing in prominence (HEFCE, 2003) and there has been a long-standing concern that the sector faces a ‘retirement bulge’, as academics from the 1960s expansion reach retirement.Consequently, there is concern about the adequacy of the future supply of academics. Other substantial changes in Higher Education in the past 10 to 20 years are likely to have contributed to the tightness of the academic labour market3. Polytechnics were granted university status in 1992, changing their funding regime, their focus and the demands on staff. The number of students has grown substantially, a growth which has not been matched by staff increases resulting in a large i ncrease in the student:staff ratio.Changes in funding have led to much greater emphasis on research output (through the Research Assessment Exercise, the RAE), teaching quality (through the requirements of the Quality Assurance Agency, the QAA) and on academics raising research and consultancy funds. Other changes include tighter contractual terms (affecting holidays and hours worked), an increase in the use of short-term and hourly-paid contracts and the loss of tenure. Overall, these changes have tended to alter the nature of the job, reducing autonomy and increasing the workload, including that of administrative and teaching tasks.At the same time, both the salaries and status of academics are perceived to have deteriorated relative to alternative careers (Halsey, 1992; Keep et al. , 1996). Substantial change in the nature of any job is likely to increase turnover, as a mismatch develops between the nature of the job to which people were recruited and the actual job. If these cha nges tend to reduce the quality of the job, rather than just change it, and if the applicant requirements are not altered (and, probably, lowered), recruitment will also become more difficult.Both turnover and recruitment difficulties will be exacerbated by a relative decline in pay. Overview of the study Against this background, the study was designed to identify the factors which lead to individuals entering and leaving academic employment in the English Higher Education sector. Although the main focus was entry and exit from the sector, recruitment to and retention by individual institutions can shed light on this and was also investigated.For the purposes of the study academic employment was defined as jobs in higher education institutions (Universities and Colleges of Higher Education) whose main function was academic teaching or academic research, irrespective of the contractual terms of the job holder. Thus lecturing (e. g. Professors, and Lecturers) and research staff (e. g. Research Assistants, post-docs and Senior Research Fellows) are included, but academic-related staff (e. g. technicians) are not. Full-time, part-time, permanent and temporary staff within these groups are included4.Two main groups of academics were excluded from the study: those in Further Education Institutions and those on clinical rates of pay. The resources of the study precluded inclusion of these two groups5. Following discussion with the DfES, it was decided to focus on staff at English HEIs. This was done in order to prevent differences in the funding and structure of the HE sectors obscuring the analysis. Two exceptions to this rule are the analysis of the HESA data on research students and the chapter on international comparisons of pay (Chapter 4). These are discussed in more detail in sections 1. . 1 and 1. 1. 2 below (and in further detail in Appendix C and Appendix D). The study had five, inter-related, strands: †¢ a literature review to establish the nature of the recruitment and retention problems and to identify previous evidence on the factors affecting recruitment and retention; this was conducted from March to May 2003; †¢ analysis of HESA staff and student data, 2001/02, to provide a descriptive analysis of turnover in academia, to identify the basic characteristics of employment in the sector and to identify the student supply into academia6; a comparative analysis of pay, using 2001 data, both for comparable employment nationally and for academics in Higher Education internationally, in order to establish the competitiveness of academic pay; †¢ qualitative research within universities exploring human resource policies and practices and factors affecting entry and exit from the sector; the fieldwork was conducted between July 2003 and July 2004; 4 However, the coverage of hourly paid staff is severely limited, owing to limitations in the HESA data (see below) and to practical difficulties of sampling for the survey (see b elow). Inclusion of the former would have extended the study to Further Education Institutions. The latter have different terms, conditions and employment patterns from other academics in HEIs and so a larger sample would have been required to adequately cover this group. Staff on clinical rates accounted for five per cent of academic staff (HESA Individualised Staff Record 2001/2). 6 Analysis of more recent HESA data and of trends over time is contained in HEFCE (2005a) and HEFCE (2005b). 3 quantitative surveys of academic staff and of research students to identify factors which affect recruitment into academia and retention; the fieldwork was conducted between May and July 2004. The research findings are affected by the policies and practices in effect at the time. To assist the reader, the DfES has produced a list of relevant Higher Education initiatives since the survey fieldwork. These are listed in Appendix H. Below, essential aspects of the methods are described. Further deta ils of the methods appear in appendices. Appendix A describes the qualitative research.Appendix B discusses the quantitative surveys of academic staff and research students. Appendix C describes the HESA staff and student datasets. Appendix D describes the data used for the intra- and international pay comparisons. Appendix F describes the model used for the analysis of the likelihood of students entering academia. Appendix G describes the econometric analysis of job satisfaction and intentions to leave academia. 1. 1. 1 HESA staff and student data7 For staff, the HESA Individualised Staff Record for the academic year 2001/02 was used.The analysis was confined to institutions in England and to staff who were not on clinical grades. The sole exception to this is chapter 4, where the focus is expanded to the whole of the UK, to maintain consistency with the international comparisons analysis. For the study’s purposes, the Individualised Staff Record data has two important limit ations. Firstly, they exclude employees8 whose total academic employment is below that of 25 per cent of a full-time academic (i. e. those with short hours or with substantial management and administrative responsibilities are excluded)9.One of the implications is that hourly-paid staff will be substantially under-reported and is unlikely to be representative of hourly-paid staff as a whole. Secondly, the data relating to leavers suffer from a high level of nonreporting: around 60 per cent of leavers’ destinations are missing10. Therefore the findings on movement out of the sector must be treated with caution. For students, the Combined Student/Module Record for the academic year 2001/2 was used. This was combined with the First Destination Supplement (FDS), relating to those students who left in 2001/2.The analysis was not limited to students from English higher education institutions because the appropriate pool of domestic entrants into Higher Education academic post is th e whole of the UK. It is important 7 Note that the University of North London was not included in either the staff or student data supplied by HESA because the university has asked that its individual data is not released. 8 Strictly, they exclude contracts whose total academic employment is below that of 25 per cent of a full-time academic, as the record reports contracts rather than individuals.For more information see Appendix C. 9 However, there are staff in the Individualised Staff Record with their FTE recorded as less than 25%; the majority of these records relate to staff who arrived or left during the year. 10 Internal work by HEFCE that matched the 2001-2 survey with that for the following year using staff code, data of birth and sex, found that 20% of those for whom the destination was not known remained at the same institution, 5% were found at a different institution and the remainder could not be matched with a record in the second year.This latter group are made up of those who left the sector and those who remained but whose record in the second year did not match with respect to one of the three criteria. 4 to note that the destination of postgraduate research students in the FDS has a particularly low level of response (38%). Further details are given in Appendix C. 1. 1. 2 The comparative analysis of pay The comparative analysis of pay uses data from national labour force surveys (and censuses in nine countries. These were chosen to illustrate the types of countries to and from which most international movement with UK academia occurs.They include the main English–speaking countries to which UK academics move (the USA and Australia), together with other English-speaking nations (New Zealand and Canada), three European countries (Denmark, France and Sweden) and Japan. The analysis of the labour force survey data used in the international comparisons used data from the whole of the UK. This was to increase the sample size. However, we w ould not expect to find significant differences within the UK. Identifying higher education academics was done using information on occupation and industry where available.In most countries we were able to obtain a sample group that matched the UK sample. Exceptions to this were the US, where the sample also included academic staff at state colleges, who also conduct teaching undertaken in the FE sector in the UK, and Australia and New Zealand, where it is possible that our sample excludes some researchers who have no teaching responsibilities. We discuss the implications of this in Chapter 4 and Appendix D. Comparisons were made in both nominal and real terms. Earnings were converted using exchange rates to make nominal comparisons.In order to account for differences in the cost of living, purchasing power parity exchange rates developed by the OECD were used to make real earnings comparisons. Further details are given in Appendix D. 1. 1. 3 The qualitative and quantitative survey research Qualitative research was conducted in thirteen English universities and quantitative research conducted in a subset of these. A structured sample of universities was selected to ensure coverage of different types of universities (new, old and colleges of Higher Education), universities in London and elsewhere and universities with differing research ratings.Institutions with fewer than 200 academic staff and most specialist institutions11 were excluded. Small institutions were excluded because economies of scale in setting up the quantitative survey meant that their inclusion would have led to a smaller survey, as the project resources could not increase the sample through an increased number of institutions. Specialist institutions were excluded for similar reasons. (This did not reduce the subject coverage, as subjects taught in specialist institutions are also found in other HEIs. The purpose of the qualitative research was to identify factors which might affect recruitm ent and retention, including human resource practices and staff preferences. Qualitative interviews were held with senior staff with responsibility for 11 ‘Specialist institution’ is a classification developed for funding purposes and refers to institutions where 60 percent or more of funding is allocated to one or two cost centres. 5 human resourcing and, in eight of the universities, interviews were conducted with heads of two departments, and a sample of their academic staff and research students.A survey of academic staff was conducted in ten12 of these universities. The survey covered both research and lecturing staff. Full-and part-time staff were included, but hourly paid staff were excluded (see Appendix B). The questionnaire collected data on personal characteristics, employment history, views on aspects of the job and career intentions. The survey was web-based. A total of 2805 staff responded, a response rate of 32 per cent. Survey data have been re-weighted to be representative of university academic staff in English HEIs.For more information on the weighting and other issues relating to the staff survey see section B. 1 of Appendix B. A survey of research students (full-time and part-time) was conducted in nine of the universities, where research students were those undertaking a Masters degree mainly by research or a doctorate. The questionnaire collected data on personal characteristics, employment history and career intentions. The survey was web-based. A total of 1330 research students responded, a response rate of 29 per cent. Survey data have been re-weighted to be representative of research students in English HEIs.For more information on the weighting and other issues relating to the staff survey see Section B. 7. Further details are given in Appendix B. 1. 2 Nomenclature Throughout this report the following nomenclature is used: †¢ Student when referring to the student survey refers to research student. †¢ ‘Ac ademic’, ‘academic staff’ refers to those employed in higher education institutions on either the research grade or the lecturing grade. †¢ University is used to refer to all higher education institutions, whether a university or a college. New and old universities. New13 universities are those that received university status in 1992 (when polytechnics and many colleges of Higher Education converted to university status) or later; old universities are those which had university status before this date. 1. 3 Report layout The structure of the report is as follows. The next chapter sets the scene by presenting evidence on turnover and recruitment and retention problems in higher 12 The aim had been to survey staff and students in twelve universities.Unfortunately, not all the universities were able to supply the sample, either due to data protection considerations or due to difficulties providing an email contact list. 13 This nomenclature is in common use now , but, previously, ‘new university’ was used to denote universities established in the 1960s and early 1970s. Perhaps the term was also used in the nineteenth century to refer to the redbrick universities when the sector was expanded in the Victorian era. 6 education. It also presents evidence on the factors affecting recruitment and retention of academics.Chapter 3 then describes the structure of academic employment in Higher Education, including the grade structure and contractual status, and the main characteristics of academic staff. This description is used to raise some of the factors which might affect recruitment and retention. Chapter 4 continues with the theme of structure, focusing on pay, and examines relative pay to investigate whether pay differences may be a cause of recruitment and retention difficulties. Both domestic and international comparisons are made.

Whispered Scholarship Application Essay Samples Secrets

Whispered Scholarship Application Essay Samples Secrets The New Fuss About Scholarship Application Essay Samples A sample is offered below for the better knowledge of students. Therefore, students will need to pay attention in regards to formatting their scholarship essays. Many students don't keep the coherency in the content. Though they can write well, not many applicants put in the effort to do so. It's important that you know how to write a scholarship essay so you can produce your case and convince the judges that you're the ideal person for the award. This letter could be simple but it can supply a lot of difference with regards the decision on whether someone is going to be qualified for a scholarship grant or not. There's nobody way to compose a winning scholarship application. If you've already graduated from college or university and are looking for a superior job, you want to get a persuasive resume to impress your future employer. It is thought to be absolutely the most significant part your application, since the scholarship committee will use this to assess who you are as an individual, and your outlook in life. Every student demands help with homework from time to time. A scholarship essayis part of ascholarship application. It is essential that you start early if you're planning to submit an application for academic college scholarships. A fundamental tool you may use is the T.. The general format of your essay, for example, font size and margins, will solely count on the instructions provided to you. A scholarship application template provides many advantages. If you're using mobile phone, you may also utilize menu drawer from browser. The Good, the Bad and Scholarship Application Essay Samples Evaluators mainly assess an essay based on the way the theme was managed. Be certain that the subject of your essay clearly addresses the topic provided on the program, and use sources if needed. Without understanding the significance of the crucial themes, it is not possible to compose an impeccable essay. The ending of the essay should restate the major theme. An essay has a specific structure. It is often the most important part of your application. Don't forget that the individual reading your essay will have a say in whether you receive a scholarship. Don't forget to begin your essay strongit should be able to spark the interests of your readers. You don't need to possess the ideal writing skills to be able to be creative and compose an effective essay. These forms of essays are guaranteed to doze off your readers. An excellent essay is one which leaves an enduring impression. While you cannot predict every essay question, knowing some of the most typical ones may give you an advantage on applications. To begin with, it's required to mention all the problems. In the event the topic isn't given such examples permit students to comprehend what the contemporary academic world is interested in and how to stick out from the rest. Following that, it's recommended to perform a thriving research on the theme for acquiring in-depth understanding. It's the way the essay looks. Essays are often needed for scholarship applications. There are various letter documents and essay examples that are employed in the area of education. Find out what exactly onomatopoeia is and the way to use it. If you're planning to submit an application for a college scholarship you will likely will need to submit an essay alongside a resume transcript and other background informationlooking at a number of sample essays before you commence writing will be able to help you get inspired to craft a winning essay of your own.

Should Abortion Be Legal - 3167 Words

Introduction One of the most highly controversial ‘right’ taking place in the United States of America today is abortion. Abortion is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy (oxford). Abortion is one of those issues which polarises ones opinion. It is something which many people have strong feelings for or against and in some cases, this has resulted in protest and violence. In the United States alone there are roughly about 1.2 million abortions are performed yearly, that’s about 3 out of 10 women (Trupin). Abortion is one of the most common medical procedures. The reason why abortion is so highly controversial is because some see it as murder and some see the fetus as just a clump of cells. Since 1973 abortion was made legal by the US Supreme Court, making it one of the most controversial, visible, and legally active areas in the field of medicine (Trupin). Many Laws have been passed or proposed due to abortion, parental consent is one of the most debated topics, for a daughter younger than 18 years. Teenagers don’t want to be seen as irresponsible to their parents. Only about 45% of teenagers do involve their parents in their decision. (Trupin) Also if abortion was illegal should the rules be different in cases of sexual assault and rape? In the 19th century before abortion was made legal, most US states had no abortion laws. Women were free to end pregnancy with the assistance of any medicalShow MoreRelatedAbortion Should Not Be Legal1647 Words   |  7 PagesOne of the most highly debated topics is abortion and whether or not it should be legal. People who oppose abortion, meaning they are pro-life claim that abortion should be completely illegal with no aspe cts of it whatsoever; it can be a murder for the people standing against it. The other side of the argument, meaning people who are pro-choice, defend it by believing it to be a right been given to the women. They also claim even if abortion was to be illegal, it would still be practiced. EveryRead MoreAbortion Should Not Be Legal920 Words   |  4 Pagesworld has struggled with for ages and one thing that people are advocating around the world for is abortion. Abortion is either a procedure or pill that stops a fetus s heart. Abortion should not be legal because life beings at creation, abortions are a direct violation of the 14th amendment, and thousands of people would love to adopt a child: handicapped or otherwise. Abortion should not be legal because life begins at creation. What is creation? Some people say conception, but it actually isRead MoreShould Abortion Be Legal?1320 Words   |  6 PagesAbortion, as you all may know, is a really popular topic. There have long been many debates between the two groups, pro-life and pro-choice. People who are pro-life believe that part of the government’s job is to protect all forms of human life. Those who are pro-choice believe that every individual should have control over their own reproductive systems. Pro-life supporters strongly believe that even an undeveloped fetus has life; it is still growing and it needs to be protected. And this soundsRead MoreShould Abortion Be Legal?1217 Words   |  5 PagesNovember 2015 Should Abortion be Legal Among all the issues that have been fought for or against in the United States, abortion may be one of the most popular issues that Americans are passionate about. Abortion is defined as the removal of the embryo or fetus from the uterus in order to end a pregnancy. Thousands of abortions take place every single day, and yet public opinion remains at a standstill as to whether or not abortion is ethical. Everyone holds different opinions on abortion. The proponentsRead MoreAbortion Should Not Be Legal Essay1596 Words   |  7 Pages Abortions have been performed on women for thousands of years. Abortion is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy. Most often it is performed during the first 20 weeks of being pregnant. The controversy over whether or not abortion should be legal continues to divide Americans till this day. An important landmark case was the Roe v. Wade case, where the Court argued that the zone of privacy was broad enough to encompass a woman s decision whether or not to terminateRead MoreShould Abortion Be Legal? Essay1089 Words   |  5 PagesWhen the word abortion is heard, it is always associated with many negative things such as murder and inhumanity. However not legalizing abortion creates a huge problem for women around the world. Having a child takes consideration, planning and preparation and if pregnancy happens without any of this, why bother to have it at all? The reasons why abortion should be legal is that it supports the fundamental human rights for women by giving them a choice, it reduces crime by reducing the number ofRead MoreShould Abortion Be Legal?1135 Words   |  5 PagesKelsi Hodgkin Composition 1 Professor Chipps 19 October 2015 Should Abortion Be Legal A common debate in the world today involves abortion, the deliberate end of human pregnancy, and whether or not it should be legalized. â€Å"Every year in the world there are an estimated 40-50 million abortions. This corresponds to approximately 125,000 abortions per day† (â€Å"Abortions Worldwide this Year†). On one side of the argument, people are not disturbed by this grotesque number, and on theRead MoreShould Abortion Be Legal?963 Words   |  4 PagesLegal or Illegal? Which would you prefer? Not many are willing to discuss such a gut wrenching topic, but this needs to be addressed. It is a very controversial topic with having to do with women rights and activists. Since there are two sides to every argument, there is one side such as to make abortion legal and the opposing side to keep abortions illegal. In my opinion making abortion illegal can regulate the amount of women who do get pregnant. I believe that making abortions legal will let womenRead MoreShould Abortion Be Legal?867 Words   |  4 PagesABORTION Abortion is a deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. There are series of legal, moral and ethical issues which may arise about abortion. Most arguments about abortion are often focused on political insinuations and the legal aspect of such actions. Some frequently asked questions’ regarding the issue is if the practice should be outlawed and regarded as murder or should women have the right to practice it. For example, prior toRead MoreShould Abortions Be Legal?939 Words   |  4 PagesShould abortions be legal? Abortions have been a big issue since the Roe v Wade case. There have been a lot of disagreements between the Pro-life supporters and the pro-choice supporters. Pro-life supporters feel like abortions deter murder, while pro-choice supporters believe that the women should be able to make their own decisions. I am a part of the pro-life supporters because I feel like abortions are wrong for several of reasons. Why should women get an abortion if there are other choices for

The Iron Mills By Rebecca Harding Davis Essay - 1831 Words

Throughout Cultural Perspectives, many influential texts have been read, analyzed, and discussed. One text, Life in the Iron Mills by Rebecca Harding Davis, integrates the thoughts of quite a few authors that have been discussed this semester. Through employing a Marxist view of history—there are always the â€Å"haves† and the â€Å"have-nots†Ã¢â‚¬â€one can see that Life in the Iron Mills exemplifies the struggles that face many â€Å"have-not† citizens throughout history. One can then see the clear connections to various authors such as Mary Wollstonecraft, W.E.B. DuBois, Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels, and Adam Smith. Life in the Iron Mills is a tragic yet poignant story of the effects of a man’s socioeconomic status. Although set in the nineteenth century, the story is all too familiar. The short story begins with a reflective narrator begging the audience to read the story with an open mind not tainted by the ideals of high society (Davis). The narrator suggests the story be read from the perspective of the protagonist, Hugh Wolfe, a lowly puddler at the iron mill (Davis). Hugh works long, hard hours at the mill for little to no pay in attempts to provide not only for himself but also for his cousin, Deborah, and a young girl, Janey (Davis). In Hugh’s spare time at the mill, he carves sculptures out of korl (Davis). Hugh leads a typical life of a working class citizen. One night, the owner and a few other upper class men visited the mill to examine the furnaces (Davis). As theyShow MoreRelatedThe Iron Mill By Rebecca Harding Davis997 Words   |  4 PagesIn Life in the Iron Mills, Rebecca Harding Davis tells the story of Hugh Wolfe, a lower-class man whose love of beauty and desire to move up in the world ultimately leads to his mental decline and demise. Wolfe lives in a town of smothering grey smog and works in an iron mill reminiscent of Hell, places that induce hopelessness and despair by appearance. In contrast to his surroundings, Wolfe possesses a fierce love of beauty and a talent of sculpting with korl, both of which are frequently associatedRead MoreLife in the Iron Mills by Rebecca Harding Davis797 Words   |  3 PagesSimilar to other critics, â€Å"Life in the Iron Mills† by Rebecca Harding Davis, is a sentimental story with an ending that changes the tone of the story. As suggested by the majority of this text, there was n ot to be a favorable ending for the characters as the narrator portrays them so pessimistically; the very first passage begins â€Å"Is this the end? O Life, as futile, then, as frail! What hope of answer is redress?† (p.51). The text might have had a more completed ending with the protagonist, HughRead MoreThe Industrial Revolution Of The Iron Mill By Rebecca Harding Davis1070 Words   |  5 PagesThe industrial revolution was a time of invention, progress and opportunity. However, there was also a darker side to it all. Rebecca Harding Davis, author of Life in the Iron Mills, tells the story of ironworker Hugh Wolfe from a first-person narrator’s point of view. This unnamed narrator of an unspecified gender is part of the more privileged class of society. This person resides in the house that the two protagonists of the story, Hugh and Debora Wolfe, used to live in. The higher-ups of thisRead MoreThis essay is an analysis of the story the Life in the Iron Mills by Rebecca Harding Davis.1820 Words   |  8 PagesIn Life in the Iron Mills Rebecca Harding Davis reveals a growing industrial America in the nineteenth century, where an unbelievable level of poverty and limited opportunities of achieving success can cause individuals to take extreme risks to attain a descent lifestyle. Through the novella, Davis illustrates the distinct differences between upper and lower class lifestyles. Immigrant workers, Debora (lovingly called Deb) and Hugh, take the reader to a time when people were used as productionRead MoreLiterary Realism Of The Iron Mills And The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman1388 Words   |  6 Pagesthe reader, social injustice may be dealt with. Two examples that use form to reach the end goal of compassion are Rebecca Harding Davis’ Life in the Iron Mills and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Rebecca Harding Davis’ Life in the Iron Mills uses an embedded narrative to tell the story of Deb and Hugh, and the daily struggles of Deb’s life. Life in the Iron Mills was written in 1861, two years prior to the Emancipation Proclamation. The goal of this story is to feel compassionRead MoreSusan Glaspell s A Jury Of Her Peers And Flannery O Connor s Good Country People Essay1696 Words   |  7 Pagesoppression of women, there is much that can be learned by looking back at problematic situations portrayed by women writers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Out of all of the texts written by women only three will be discussed; Rebecca Harding Davis’s Life in the Iron-Mills, Susan Glaspell’s A Jury of Her Peers and Flannery O’Connor’s Good Country People, in which specific symbols are used as representations of the ways in which women were oppressed and how important it is to study these texts todayRead MoreThe Reception And Influence Of Rebe cca Harding Davis2118 Words   |  9 Pagesthe need to speak out for others, especially the lower classes. However, Rebecca Harding Davis observed the suffering of all humanity and decided to give everyone a voice through her writings. Throughout her career, Davis wrote an innumerable amount of works advocating for equal rights among all people, right up until her death in 1910. The following paper will analyze and discuss the reception and influence that Rebecca Harding Davis’s works of literary realism had on the hierarchy of society, in relationRead MoreFeminism During 19th Century American Short Stories4097 Words   |  17 PagesShort Stories Research Question: How is feminism revealed through the divergence of women’s roles in society and their own personal desires in the American short stories â€Å"The Yellow Wall-Paper,† â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† â€Å"The Storm,† and â€Å"Life in the Iron Mills†? Introduction Literature changes as current events change and as the structure of society begins to shift. American feminist literature started to become prevalent during the Victorian era, or around the latter part of the 19th century. This isRead MoreRealism In Life In The Iron Mills1604 Words   |  7 PagesLife in the Iron Mills is a novella that is hard to classify as a specific genre. The genre that fits the most into this novella is realism, because of the separation of classes, the hard work that a person has to put into their every day life to try and make a difference, and the way society influences the actions of people and their relationships. However, no matter what genre is specifically chosen, there will be other genres present that contradict the genre of choice. While the novella showsRead MoreEssay on The Taint of Money in â€Å"Life in the Iron Mills†1653 Words   |  7 PagesRebecca Harding Davis wrote â€Å"Life in the Iron Mills† in the mid-nineteenth centur y in part to raise awareness about working conditions in industrial mills. With the goal of presenting the reality of the mills’ environment and the lives of the mill workers, Davis employs vivid and concrete descriptions of the mills, the workers’ homes, and the workers themselves. Yet her story’s realism is not objective; Davis has a reformer’s agenda, and her word-pictures are colored accordingly. One theme that

The Meaning of Beauty Free Essays

The Meaning of Beauty Man vs. Woman From the beginning we are taught that God created man, and from man he created woman. It’s funny how different a man’s thoughts can be compared to a woman’s, considering the woman was created from the man. We will write a custom essay sample on The Meaning of Beauty or any similar topic only for you Order Now Their views on beauty, amongst other things, prove to be a perfect example of this. Centuries ago the Greeks saw â€Å"[B]eauty as a virtue: A kind of excellence† (Sontag 117). While this is still a shared view between men and women today, they share different views on how this excellence is achieved. Both men and women agree that beauty has two parts, inner and outer; yet men recognize beauty as success, leaning more towards inner beauty, while women recognize beauty as how one looks, leaning more towards outer beauty. It has been observed that â€Å"[w]e not only split off—with the greatest facility—the â€Å"inside† (character, intellect) from the â€Å"outside† (looks); but we are actually surprised when someone who is beautiful is also intelligent, talented, good† (Sontag 118). Both men and women make this mistake, it never fails to amaze people that a person can be smart and good looking at the same time. Society has made it seem like the good looking get everything handed to them because of their physicality; however that is not always true. It is just the fact that it is human nature to immediately observe and judge by the outward appearance according to the worldly views instilled in people growing up, for example: magazines, TV, internet, etc. Both men and women would agree that for millennia â€Å"beauty has continued to lose prestige† (Sontag 118). Women not only have different expectations of beauty compared to men, but also seem to be confused by the definition of beauty itself. Sontag states that a whole society has identified being feminine with caring about how one looks (118). â€Å"Hollywood† has seriously messed up the views of women on the topic of beauty: For the ideal of beauty is administered as a form of self-oppression. Women are taught to see their bodies in parts, and to evaluate each part separately. Breasts, feet, hips, waistline, neck, eyes, nose, complexion, hair, and so on—each in turn is submitted to an anxious, fretful, often despairing scrutiny. (Sontag 119) For women it is not just the thought of a bad appearance during the day, but also the question of how the millions of pieces are contributing to it. Unfortunately, their solutions are not always the wisest. Instead they do what they believe will cure their problems the fastest. Weather it is not eating for that day or coating their faces with make-up in order to cover up that one, little blemish. Women mistake their appearance to be their only form of power. Most women believe â€Å"it is not the power to do but the power to attract† (Sontag 119). No matter how hard a woman works and how far she goes, she must always show that she works just as hard to be attractive, â€Å"[d]amned if they do—women are. And damned if they don’t†¦ [N]othing less than perfection will do† (Sontag 119). A woman can be told thousands of times that there is no such thing as perfection, yet that is what she will always strive to achieve. Men, on the other hand, have very different views on beauty. Men are not beautiful; they are handsome: â€Å"Handsome† is the masculine equivalent of—and refusal of—a complement which has accumulated certain demeaning overtones, by being reserved for women only†¦[T]heir essence is to be strong, or effective, or competent†¦[W]hich is to be identified with caring about what one is and does and only secondarily, if at all, about how one looks. (Sontag 118) Men do not focus on how they look physically, but on what and how much they accomplish. A man would rather be seen as strong and dependable in comparison to skinny and well liked. Men have the view of, take it or leave it. They are more focused on their success, rather than their appearance: In men, good looks is a whole, something taken in at a glance. It does not need to be confirmed by giving measurements of different regions of the body, nobody encourages a man to dissect his appearance, feature by feature. As for perfection, that is considered trivial—almost unmanly. Indeed, in the ideally good-looking man a small imperfection or blemish is considered positively desirable. Sontag 119) Men know that there is no such thing as perfection; therefore they see no reason to shoot for something impossible to obtain. Women see the imperfections in themselves as unacceptable, yet find the blemishes of men attractive. The opposite opinions of men and women on the topic of beauty have continued for years and show no evidence of changing. While men spend their time climbing the career ladder all the way to the top, women focus more on how they will look climbin g that ladder. Men have sustained the belief that beauty is seen as success, while women continue to believe that beauty is all about how one looks. Men and women still hold to their original ideas of beauty, but have found certain ways to individualize themselves too. As time goes on it is becoming clearer that beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. Works Cited Sontag, Susan. â€Å"Women’s Beauty: Put Down or Power Source? † 75 Readings Plus. Ed. Santi V. Buscemi and Charlotte Smith. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 117-119. Print. How to cite The Meaning of Beauty, Essay examples

Canteen free essay sample

I listed those traits because I know a team leader cannot do anything all by himself/herself thats why a team leader should be like that. 5. Personalities sometimes affect the sport you are in. Theses what I think. 1. Pop rock, beat, psychedelic rock, blues rock and folk rock, which had grown in popularity. 2. Towards the decades end, genres such as baroque pop, sunshine pop, bubblegum pop, progressive rock and heavy metal started to grow popular, with the latter two finding greater success in the allowing decade 3.The success of rock music and bands in the Japan started a new genre, known as Group Sounds, which was popular in the latter half of the decade. What are the advantages of using synthesizers? Allow a much finer resolution than other types of synthesizers with a given reference frequency, save money because they do not need to get instruments for recording. Can produce sound not producible by other instruments and some instruments are impractical to transport such as a piano. We will write a custom essay sample on Canteen or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page

Women Murders Essays - Emily Grierson, Delia Matache,

Women Murders Marriage is a life long commitment between two people. Vows are taken as a promise to one another, " Till Death Do us Part" may be the most well known vow, but with the two women I will be discussing they take it into their own hands to speed up the process. The following stories are about two women who commit murder in some form, perhaps intentional or not who are not punished as far as the story tells us. Fortunately, we have a legal system that is designed to prevent these homicides and programs specifically designed to help women in cases like these that feel they have no other choice but to murder their husband to achieve freedom. As you will see these women were so desperate that they felt murder was their only option. One woman did it for freedom, and the other for companionship, both are murderers any way you put it. Emily Grierson, lived alone in an old " eyesore" of a house that no one had been inside of since she stopped giving china painting lessons ten years ago. She was considered a tradition in her town, and was shown special treatment thanks to a former mayor who'd pardoned her from the rules that applied to negro women at that time. However, the next generation didn't look upon Emily so kindly. Tax forms were constantly mailed to her home, the townspeople found the smell that seeped from her home so unbearable that they snuck onto her property to correct the situation. Emily had no contact with the townspeople, Until she met Homer Barron, a Northerner foreman, notorious for drinking and taking a liking to younger men. Within a few days, Emily and Homer were seen riding together in a buggy, and spending alot of time together. The townspeople thought that the they would marry, but when they heard that Emily bought arsenic they assumed she would kill herself and were happy for her, they said " it would be the best thing ". When the streets were done Homer disappeared, it was assumed that he went to prepare for his marriage to Emily. He returned a few days later and was never seen again. Miss Emily was seen buying a men's toiletry set along with men's clothing including a night shirt, from that point on it is assumed that they are married . Some time after that, Miss Emily passed away. A funeral was held, and once she was in the ground, the townspeople opened up the room that noone had seen in nearly forty years, what they found was quite disturbing. A room set up for a bridal with a man's suit and shoes looked almost as if it were just placed there, with the exception of the dust and discoloring. They found the man it belonged to laying in the bed decomposed with traces of an embrace that had long been unreturned.It was Homer Barron, and the pillow next to him had an indentation with a long strand of iron gray hair resting on it. Miss Emily was unavailable for questioning due to her death, so it is assumed that the arsenic from earlier in the story was not used for rats, but to keep Homer there with her, for fear of loneliness or perhaps she was insane, the author does not disclose this information. I think that she killed him in fear that he would leave her, and this is the first man she would be permitted to see since her father's watchful eyes were no longer around. This is truly a case of homicide, unlike the next story I will discuss where intentional murder is committed in a different way. Delia Jones is a washwoman in a poverty stricken area of Florida. She is married to a man named Sykes who is abusive to her in more ways than one. The verbal abuse is more evident than the physical aspect of it. Delia had to endure years of Sykes comments on her weight and profession, along with being assaulted and tormented by his cruel jokes. Sykes openly has an affair with a fat woman named Bertha. He was paying for her to stay in town, even though Delia was at home cooking and cleaning, trying to make a living. Sykes preys on Delia's fear of snakes from the beginning of the story, first with the whip resting on her shoulder, then he takes it too far and brings home a real snake. After