Contrasting Theories Of Social Capital Sociology Essay

Contrasting Theories Of Social Capital Sociology Essay The terms social capital is a rather complex one, as a variety of different versions of definitions are used by researchers in defining the concepts and ideas associated to social capital. However, generally speaking, there are two related dimensions of social capital seemingly agreed by many researchers. The first dimension of social capital is the network of affiliation, such as the family groups, friendship ties, professional co-workers, business partners or contacts, and any other formal or informal associations or relationship, where a person belongs to. The second dimension is about the general behaviors the respective individuals or groups rely on in the formation, retention and usage process of the networks. There are three important gurus in the development of theories concerning the subject of social capital, namely Bourdieu, Coleman and Putnam. It is interesting to observe that all of them develop different theories of social capital. In the following section, the various theories of social capital from the gurus will be discussed. Later, employing the concepts and theories asserted by the respective guru, the notion that social capital predicts that returns to intelligence, education, and seniority depend in some part on a persons location in the social structure of a market or hierarchy. Bourdieus Social Capital According to Bourdieu (1986), social capital is defined as the aggregate of the actual or potential resources which are linked to possession of a durable network of more or less institutionalized relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition or in other words, to membership or a group which provides each of its members with the backing of the collectively-owned capital, a credential which entitles them to credit, in the various senses of the word. According to Bourdieus argument, the social capital is a form of capital or resources, similar to the concept of economic capital and cultural capital, which may be used for achievement, privilege treatment and to some extent, social exclusion. Social capital in such a definition is the source of networks and connections for a certain people, allowing continuing and future access to certain privilege. In Bourdieus framework, the capital is a form of power, and people with higher social capital are better position in the world for better achievement and privileges. The possession of social capital may influence a persons economic capital, or the return to the economic capital. For example, comparing two people with different level of social capital, but both of them have exactly the equal amount of economic capital; the person with higher level of social capital will be able to generate better return to the similar amount of economic capital. The person possessing the social capital is more competitive positioned in the economic realm. The main contribution of Bourdieus theory is that it suggests that possession of social capital or the impacts of social exclusion will influence a persons access to power and privilege as well as the inability to access power. Thus, according to the assertion of Bourdieus theory, social capital can predict and influence the returns to intelligence; education and seniority depend in some part on a persons location in the social structure of a market or hierarchy. Such a statement is reasonable and understandable, where the impacts of social exclusion may prevent someone to generate returns to intelligence, education and seniority. People with better networks and connections are better positioned and easier to apply their intelligence, education and seniority in generating returns. In contrast, people without social capital may not able to perform so, as due to lack of networks, connections and useful relationships, many actions and strategies may not be implementable, relevant or workable due to the effect of social exclusion. Colemans Social Capital According to Coleman (1988), the concept social capital can be comparable to the physical and human capital, whereby it may facilitates certain actions from the actors in a structure. Such a conception of social capital is very different to the one suggested by Bourdieus theory. According to Coleman (1988), social capitals are largely created or destroyed as by-products of other forms of activities. In such a definition, Coleman treats the concept of social capital not as a form of capital, power or advantages possessed only by a certain group of elites. His research is primarily concern about the possession of social capital impacts towards the accumulation of human capital in young people. Some findings from Coleman discovered that social capital arises from closed network of family members, church members and etc, will contribute positively to human capital development in the young people. Besides, parental involvement in teaching children will also create a form of social capital, which will significantly reduce the children drop out from school in the early days. Apart from that, he discovered that parents that frequently move to new cities have lesser human capital because these parents are unable to share information about their children with other parents on better quality education for their children. The concept of social capital suggested by Coleman, if applied to the statement asserted by Burt, where it is said that social capital predicts that returns to intelligence, education and seniority depend in some part on a persons location in the social structure, can be confusing and complex. Firstly, Coleman is primarily concern about the educational achievement of young people, but the assertion by Burt does include a dimension of seniority, which is irrelevant from the discussion of social capital by Coleman. However, social capital does affect the returns to intelligence and education, whereby it is not hard to imagine that children with better upbringing condition and more attentive parents will achieve better in schools academically. Two similarly smart and brilliant children, under different upbringing situation, may have different achievement educationally. The children with better social capital will have high return to intelligence, in this context, as compared to the equa lly smart children who live in a broken or problematic family. Putnams Social Capital Putnams theories on social capital are more influential and widely discussed. According to him, there are two forms of social capital, namely, (a) the bonding social capital and (b) the bridging social capital. In his framework, the bonding social capital is derived from exclusive network or connections primarily from the ethnic fraternal organizations, family and close friends network or religion based groups. The bonding social capital described by Putnam is similar to Bourdieus and Colemans assertions, where such a form of social capital often is used to separate people from different sociological groups, and thus determine the availability or access to special privileges or resources. On the other hand, the bridging social capital is often referred to the inclusive network such as the collegial, professional and civic groups. More specifically, Putnam explain social capital as closely related to a form of civic virtue, and further argued that civic virtue is most powerful when it is embedded in a concentrated network of reciprocal social networks and relationship. As such, following Putnam conception of social capital, a society of many isolated individuals may not have richness in terms of social capital. In this line of argument, the social capital is a property of the collectives (i.e., for the society), whereas the social capital describe by Bourdieu and Coleman is mainly a possession of a particular individual. With reference to Putnams framework and theory, the assertion of Burt, where the social capital predicts that returns to intelligence, education and seniority depends in some part on a persons location in the social structure is a vague and doubtful one. The social capital is a groups possession and attributes in Putnams theory, so the social capital in a society does not have any direct linkages to the returns to intelligence, education and seniority of a person in the society. If there are any relationships, the linkages will be an indirect one. Conclusion After comparing and contrasting the various definitions, theories, findings and framework presented by the gurus, it is clear that the assertion by Burt is mainly adopting the definition suggested by Bourdieu. With Bourdieus definition, the assertion by Burt can be interpreted logically and meaningfully. The concepts of social capital are complicated and the context in which the idea is being discussed will determine the definition and conception of social capital. It is very important for the readers to understand the various theories concerning the subject of social capital to follow the researches findings and argument in the literature. (1398 words)

Architectural Designs Of Castles Vs. Modern Homes :: essays research papers

Is the architectural design of modern homes slowly changing back to the architectural design of castles in the Middle Ages? If design of homes is changing back to design of castles is it a reflection on our society that castles of the Middle Ages were built primarily for defense. Does this mean that as a society we are tying to pull away from each other? There are many similar characteristics and features between modern homes and castles that are incorporated into the design specifically for defense reasons.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Castles in the Middle Ages were built primarily for defense in war. They were constantly being attacked so they had to be built very strong and almost impenetrable. Castles were very large to protect from invaders, but they were definitely not made for comfort. They were very dirty inside, but their main purpose was for defense. Castles were built with very strong walls. Some of the castles had walls that could be as big as thirty feet thick. They also had multiple walls so that if invaders got past the outer wall they still had to get past one or two more, this made defending the castle much easier. The walls were constructed with narrow, wedge-shaped slits in them for archers to shoot arrows at invaders. The outer walls also had holes in the floors for defenders to drop rocks down on invading people who had gotten through the first wall. These holes were called murder holes. Inside the castle were many knights, archers, and soldiers prepared to defend against an yone who breaks all of the way through the walls and gets inside of the castle. Castles also had very large gates and gatehouses to let people into the castle. There was a gatehouse for each wall. Each gatehouse usually had a very large metal and wooden gate that could be lowered into the opening to stop an enemy from getting in or it could be raised to let friends in. Besides huge gates, outer gatehouses also had drawbridges, which could be lowered across moats to let people into the castle. They were also raised to prevent people form getting across. Castles were also built in strategic places so that they could use natural defenses. For instance, some castles were built on the sides of mountains. Others were built in places with many trees surrounding them. Some were built near lakes and rivers, but most of them had moats dug around them.

Free Hamlet Essays: An Eye for an Eye :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

An Eye for an Eye in Hamlet  Ã‚   Claudius is justly punished for the murder of king Hamlet. The punishment fits the crime because his brother's son killed him. King Hamlet killed by the brother killed by the king's son. He was murdered. It was pay back, "what goes around comes around" "an eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth" What these two quotes are mainly saying is that you get what you give. Claudius took his brothers life therefore his life was taken away. Not only did Claudius kill his brother to marry his wife and take over his throne, but he caused the deaths of the queen, king Hamlet, Polonius and Ophelia. Hamlet was told by the ghost of king hamlet to get back at Claudius for his death, or his soul will travel on earth forever. Even before hamlet knew about Claudius killing his father he had problems. It made hamlet mad that his mother would marry so fast and with his uncle. What Claudius did was an outrageous, back stabbing, and unbelievable thing. It was clearly an act of jealousy for his brother's throne and the wife. Claudius did pay back for his actions. Claudius lost his wife, his messenger, and died and even after his death kept loosing because he lost his castle to Fortinbras. Not only was Claudius punished by Hamlet but "God" also punished him. The reason that God punished Claudius, is because everyone he cared for and who helped him died. Polonius and Queen Gertrude. Polonius was killed by hamlet, when hamlet thought that he had killed the king. Claudius killed queen Gertrude with the poison whine that he had prepared for hamlet. He killed the one he loved instead of the one he wanted to kill. Claudius was even punished after death. His throne and whole castle was taken over by Fortinbras. Not only where his wife and friend dead, but he later died himself by his brother's son. Claudius killed and his turn to die came, but it took some time and other people to die too. Claudius was punished for the queen's death because although he did not intentionally mean to kill her, he watched her drink the poison that he had prepared for hamlet. He knew that she was going to die, but he didn't say anything because he was all for himself.

Misconception of Religion

Ryan Wood Alicia Alexander Eng. 131 2, November 2010 Misconception of Religion in â€Å"The Gospel According to Mark† and â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings. † In the two short stories both authors, Jorge Luis Borges in â€Å"The Gospel According to Mark† and Gabriel Garcia Marquez in â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings† use religion as examples on how different individuals use and believe in it. As we read the story’s we will see how religion is sometimes misconceived and misinterpreted by people so they can benefit in their own personal lives, and personal well-being.In the stories both characters are seemed to be looked at as maybe something they are not. This will lead us to the misconception and misunderstanding that people have on religion and beliefs. In the short story â€Å"The Gospel According to Mark† the main character Baltasar Espinosa is seemed to be looked at like a God by a family that does not know much about relig ion or the Bible. The Gutres are a small family that seems to be looking for a religious figure they can believe in since they do not understand religious beliefs. In â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings† Pelayo and his wife Elisenda find an old man with wings in front of their house.They believe he could be an angel and decide to lock him inside a chicken coup. They believe he could be there for their sick child but at first there not quite sure. As the two stories evolve we will see how both families use Baltasar Espinosa, and the Old Man to gain advantages in their own lives. In Marquez story, â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings† we see an example of how Elisenda starts using the Old Man to reap personal benefits. The narrator says, â€Å"Elisenda, her spine all twisted from sweeping up so much marketplace trash, then got the idea of fencing in the yard and charging five cents admission to see the angel† (354).As we read Borges story, â€Å"The Gosp el According to Mark† the narrator says, â€Å"The next day began like all the others, except that the father spoke to Espinosa to ask whether Christ had allowed himself to be killed in order to save all mankind† (347). Later we find out that the family decides to crucify Espinosa because they might believe him to be a spiritual character and it could benefit the family in some way. They also find out that something has happened between Espinosa and the daughter. In both stories there seems to be a religious character there to help both families in some sort of way.In â€Å"The Gospel According to Mark† the family seems like they take to Espinosa and follow him and learn from him. Where in â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings† the family is not sure of him and decides not to take the Old Man in and learn his reasons for being there. â€Å"Pelayo watched over him all afternoon from the kitchen, armed with his bailiff’s club, and before going to bed he dragged him out of the mud and locked him up with the hens in the wire chicken coop† (353). Instead of trying to figure out why he was there, they were more afraid of him and worried about what he could be.In Borges story, â€Å"The Gospel according to Mark† the narrator says, â€Å"The move brought Espinosa and the Gutres closer, and they began to eat together in the large dining room† (345). As both stories evolve we see some contrast in the two families even though religion is a constant topic. Both stories have similar meaning to them, but both authors use religion and religious beliefs in different ways. As the two stories come to an end we see that both families lose their perception on what they were focusing on throughout the stories.In â€Å"A Gospel According to Mark† the family decides to kill the religious figure that has been teaching them the Gospel. This has irony because the Bible strictly talks about death and murder, even though th e family seems upset about what Espinosa has done to the daughter. The narrator says, â€Å"There was no roof on the shed; they had torn down the roof beams to build the Cross† (348). In â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings† Elisenda is relieved more than happy when she sees the Old Man fly away.This has irony as well because they used him to make money and benefit in their own life. After they used him, she feels happy that he is gone and is no longer a nuisance. The narrator states, â€Å"Elisenda let out a sigh of relief, for herself and him, when she saw him pass over the last houses, holding himself up in some way with the risky flapping of a senile vulture† (357). The conclusion to the stories is religion can be used positively or negatively depending on who the person is and what their intentions are.

Creative Writing: Continue the Story of “The Other Time” by Peter Appleton

Creative Writing : The Journalist’s visit Continue the story (The other time, by Peter Appleton) †¦ â€Å"Yes. † she answered blankly. At first sight, the man standing in front of her wasn’t impressive, nor a surprise. â€Å"Hum, yes uhm, my name is Scoop, Scoop Appleton. And, uhm, I am here as a journalist from the Sunday Blare. You see, we find your†¦ story†¦ very intriguing, interesting. I am sure you have had other people come and ask you for details, but we are extremely serious in this relevant loss and we know that for you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What. That it’s horrible for me? That I should want to kill the judges? That I should want fight my sadness by shouting injustice?! Look. Talking drama will not change a thing. Your offer does not interest me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She said this staying calm and not caring but still with an incredible force in her voice. Scoop was still under shock of her beauty and character. He only managed to get a few words working their way out of his mind. â€Å"Yes I understand, but I am sure our offer will cover the emotional difficulty this would imply†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Paul is dead. That’s basically it. Your money will not get him back, and I don’t see how your article will be beneficial for me or change other’s point of view. † â€Å"It must be hard to be like this on your own now. We can help you to have an easier time. We know that it is during mourning that people need some help, support. And we can give you that. We think people need to know the truth, the injustice here. This might change everything! All we want is your story† â€Å"We surely have never been rich, and now I need money more than ever. But I am not interested in your money. † She said firmly. Surely she has her principles, Scoop thought, but her loss must be raging inside her. â€Å"We understand. We know it must be hard for you. But we are not looking for problems. We think you are an intelligent woman who has the right to be heard. I’m sure your husband was a good man, and your life must have been lovely in your lovely home†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He could see from where he was standing that the furniture inside was neat and classical. No particular style elements, just a random English house like any, maybe even neater than the rest. â€Å"Let’s not stay standing here if you’re planning to talk a lot. She suddenly added, interrupting him in his maybe-too-obvious peaking. Scoop, shaken up by the surprising invitation calmly followed her. He could hear that behind the hard side she was showing, there was maybe a desperate need to talk, to have a human contact. He tried to grasp as many details as he could, walking towards the lounge area. â€Å"Sit here, Ià ¢â‚¬â„¢ll make some tea† She said calmly, walking to the little kitchen bloc. There was nearly a friendly tone in her voice. But Scoop tried to stay in his professional attitude, even if he seemed more clumsy than at ease. Sitting down, he noticed how this sitting chair had used fabric. This must be someone’s chair. Maybe it was her husband’s. He could picture the man sitting here, resting after a hard day of work, while she would be making dinner for her love. The few words she had said about her husband had made it clear to Scoop that she loves him, that he had been a good husband. There seemed to be a special light coming in the house. A warm, orangy light, giving a cozy home feeling. But also a feeling like the one you get when you’re in your grandparent’s old home, after they have left the world. A feeling of silent memories, of peace but also of emptiness. â€Å"Mrs. Rhiannon. It’s important that you understand that we do not seek for drama. We don’t want do abuse your story or your name in any way. We just consider your loss as a relevant tragedy and want to understand at best what kind of man your husband was. † â€Å"Yes. Surely I understand Mr. Appleton† she said, sitting down with two cups of tea in the opposite chair. Scoop was surprised she had remembered his name. â€Å"But you see, I don’t want any more fuss. Some things will just remain as they are. My man was a good man. I have learnt a lot from him. And one thing his personality has taught me is that there’s no need to do something un-useful. And I think causing another stir will only make me and you loose credibility and respect. I am sad, but I don’t want anger words to be shown as my story. He was a good man, we had plans, we had a future. But things happened and now it’s all changed. And I’ll just have to adapt. † â€Å"But telling your story will make people reconsider the trial. Maybe this could change the country’s legal system and stop injustice from happening! â€Å"I don’t think there is a problem in our legal system. I don’t think we will make anything better by showing a picture of me looking at his picture and tell how devastated I am now. One of the only things I still have is my pride. And as a principle, drama would not make me or my husband proud of myself. † â€Å"Ok, I understand Mrs. Evans. â⠂¬  He noticed the way she looked at her husband’s picture hanging on top of the chimney. It was like he was still there to watch her. Everything in the room was tidy and clean. She must have made time pass by cleaning up everything. He could see though that there was an unusually big pile of papers on the corner of the desk behind her seat. Maybe she had been busy organizing some things, a job or maybe a closer investigation on the case†¦ â€Å"I was wondering Mrs. Evans, if you don’t mind telling. How has it been for you since, uhm, since Mr. Evans’ uhm, departure. Do you know what really happened? Why there was a fight? † â€Å"I have to say, I have mostly stayed here since. I don’t like the way people look at me now. They think my husband was a violent psychopath. But I don’t blame them, they didn’t know him and they don’t know what happened, but nor do I really. I think it’s all in the past and that I should start moving forward now. When I’ll start my new job things will get going again. † Scoop could feel this was coming to an end. He wasn’t going to hear much more. But he still had so many questions. And his boss would hate him to not get a story back. â€Å"So, thank you for the offer, but no matter what amount of money, I just don’t want a story about me. Thank you for coming by. † â€Å"It was a pleasure Mrs. † He said standing up. He had been so attentive for every little detail that he hadn’t even touched his cup of tea. When she took the cups back to the kitchen, he saw that there was a distinctive ring mark on her annular but no ring to be seen. â€Å"I don’t mean to be intrusive Mrs. Evans, but what have you decided to do with your wedding ring? I can see you took it off†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Uhm, that was when I was washing the dishes. Yes. Uhm. And then you rang at my door. So uhm, yes. † He could see how uncomfortable she suddenly was. Maybe she had had to sell it to get some living money. It must be a sensitive subject anyway. â€Å"Oh yes of course. Thank you again for letting me in. But you know that if any time you change your mind, we are the first you can trust! † â€Å"Right, right. † She said with the same not blank but not curious tone she had when she opened the door. Clearly talking in the entrance made her somewhat emotion-less. She still had some suspicions about the press, Scoop thought. Suddenly his eyes caught something on his way out. Above the mantel, hanging on the wall in the hall, there was a tiny gold box with blue velvet inside and a gold, shiny medal. He turned around to ask her while pointing at the shiny thing. â€Å"What is this beautiful metal? Did you win it? Was it your husband’s? What did he get it for? † He asked, maybe with a little too much enthusiasm. â€Å"Oh that. They pinned that on him the other time he killed a man. † Scoop was speechless. She walked him to the door, said another goodbye and closed it. For her he had been quite a revelation. He wasn’t so talky and intrusive as the others. And he left her space to be human, not just a drama storyteller. Now she wasn’t going to tell anything, but she could see he had an eye for detail, unlike some others. She’d have to keep the story well hidden to not get any more fuss. And she’d start by taking of the medal. The one reminder for how things had started to go bad for Paul. He was too nice to kill when he left. And war had made him go very far away from who he used to be. If only he was still sitting on his chair, as he used to. He was still walking at the same speed to his car, and just couldn’t stop wondering, how much there is behind this whole story. He was now very intrigued. The intelligent irony, the pride, the strength of the beautiful queen had fully fascinated him. He felt a sudden need to find more about her. She looked strict but still so naturally smashing. He could see she was trying to hide she was having a hard time accepting the death. By keeping the photos, the seats, the medal exactly as it was before, she has to face it each day, alone. As if she was waiting for him to come back. But she knew. Her eyes, as beautiful as they were had been crying and her ring had been taken off. And there was her intelligence, her rationality that had stroked him too. She knew what was best to do. That’s why she hadn’t accepted their offer. He was now sitting in his car, looking at the house. He would have to go soon, he knew she’d watch him leave. But something was just making him stay, he felt the need to wait a bit, as if waking up fro a dream. The house was simple but very tidy, she took good care of it. But she must be feeling lonely, vulnerable, with no family, no surroundings and no people to be there for her, even though she seemed so loving. The love with her husband must have been strong, from her reaction in court. But Scoop was thinking there must have been something he or she was hiding. A good man wouldn’t suddenly have killed another because of alcohol, he had fought for our country! But maybe that was the problem. Maybe killing men there had changed his way of living, being, seeing things and people†¦ But this will be something for which he’ll have to dig deep to find the answer. Will she one day change, get on with her life, tell her story? How is she going to live? She seems so out of this world. Her beauty, her strength, her voice,†¦ so surnatural and oh so enchanting! He could see the lace curtains move up, it was time for him to leave. He didn’t want to scare her forever. She might always cal back. One thing for sure is that there was a lot more to find out about Mr. Evans. M. P.

Puns in the Importance of Being Ernest

Wilde uses puns throughout this play, but the major pun is found within the title. In The Importance of Being Earnest, the pun, widely considered to be the lowest form of verbal wit, is rarely just a play on words. The title, -The Importance of Being Earnest,- insinuates the importance of being honest and truthful, while playing on the male name, Ernest. The pun in the title is a case in point. The earnest/Ernest joke strikes at the very heart of Victorian notions of respectability and duty. Gwendolen wants to marry a man called Ernest, and she doesn’t care whether the man actually possesses the qualities that comprise earnestness. She is, after all, quick to forgive Jack’s deception. In embodying a man who is initially neither â€Å"earnest† nor â€Å"Ernest,† and who, through forces beyond his control, subsequently becomes both â€Å"earnest† and â€Å"Ernest,† Jack is a walking, breathing paradox and a complex symbol of Victorian hypocrisy. -Earnest – means serious or non-frivolous. Many of the characters in the play spend their time trying to convince each other, and themselves, that they are high-minded people with strong morals and are admired in society. But Oscar Wilde presents them all in such a way that their interests and ethical ideas will seem ridiculous and trivial to most of the audience. -Ernest – is a man's name. Much of the action of the play turns on whether Jack Worthington's first name is Jack, or Ernest. Normally a man's first name is of no great importance in his life, but in the extremely silly world of this play – it is the most serious element of the plot. (Many people who know the play well never realise that we don't get a satisfactory answer to this crucial question). So the pun is that the title of the play appears to mean: The Importance of being a Serious Person; but when we watch the play we realise that the real title is: The Importance of having Ernest for a First name. ex: Algernon- You have always told me it was Ernest. I have introduced you to every one as Ernest. You answer to the name of Ernest. You look as if your name was Ernest. You are the most earnest-looking person I ever saw in my life. We can find puns on the names of the other characters in the play like in: -‘Miss Prism' – The name is a pun on ‘misprision', which has two definitions. The older is very dark, involving the concealment of official neglect, crime or possibly treason. The more modern meaning closely resembles the character's multiple misunderstandings. – Chasuble – The word chasuble is a vestment worn during services. This is, of course, appropriate given the nature of Chasuble’s profession. Chasuble’s name is also a pun because when said aloud can sound like chaseable. Regarding Miss Prism, he is in fact chase-able, which he had previously claimed he was not. Act I, scene 1, Algernon â€Å"Anyone can play (piano) accurately but I play with wonderful expression† – This is a good thumbnail of Wilde’s philosophy of art. Wilde was heavily influenced by Walter Pater and the other aesthetes of the Victorian age. They believed art should concern itself only with its aesthetic qualities that art should exist for art's sake alone. Therefore, art should not be a straightforward representation of reality–it should not be â€Å"accurate,† as Algernon would say–but rather it should be an extension of its creator's artistic styles. Hence, it should have â€Å"wonderful expression. Act I, scene 1, Algernon – â€Å"If the lower orders don't set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them? † – We have a humorous depiction of class tensions here, where Lane, the butler, is given his fair share of droll sayings, and even Algernon seems to recognize that the lower clas has more power than they seem to. Act I, scene 1 (Algernon to Jack) Algernon: â€Å"You don’t seem to realize that in married life; three is company and two is none. † And also in Act II, scene 1 (Lady Bracknell when she finds out about the proposal of Jack) L. Bracknell: â€Å"†¦An engagement should come on a young girl as a surprise, pleasant or unpleasant, as the case may be. † Oscar is again poking fun here at the institution of marriage, a practice surrounded by hypocrisy and absurdity. Aristocracy does not see marriage as an organ of love but rather as a tool for achieving a sustaining social stature. Act I, scene 1, Puns are also used during the conversation between Algernon and Jack in town. To accuse Algernon a liar just like dentists who lies about cavities, Jack has said, -â€Å"My dear Algy, you talk exactly as if you were a dentist. It is very vulgar to talk like a dentist when one isn’t a dentist. It produces a false impression†. This is very funny because we can see that Jack is also lying about his brother, but he is judging Algernon as if he is a very honest person. Later, when Jack reveals all his truth about the name Ernest, Algernon responds by saying: Algernon: â€Å"What you really are is a Bunburyist. You are one of the most advanced Bunburyist I know. †¦ â€Å"Besides now that I know you to be a confirmed Bunburyist, I naturally want to talk to you about Bunburying. I want to tell you the rules. This is very funny, because Algernon is trying to be honest to Jack about advising him of an action that in fact is itself dishonest and false. The pun is when Algernon thinks that Jack deserves to be advised and learn the rules, since he turned out to be a real Bunburyist, even the most advanced one. This is very ridiculous! As if Jack was discovered to be a man with high principles or qualities. Act I, scene 1 Algernon: â€Å"You must be serious about it. I hate people who are not serious about meals. It is do shallow of them. † This is also very ridiculous. What we expect is Algernon asking Jack to be serious with Gwendolen, about their first 10-minute meeting at Algernon’s. Actually, what surprises and makes us laugh is that Algernon immediately asks Jack to be serious about the food. They care about trivial things. But every instance food is mentioned – from the Algernon’ opening discussion of wine with his servant, Lane, to the girls’ insult over tea and the guys’ climatic fight over muffins-is fraught with conflict. The fight over something as basic as food-something that every human being has a carnal need for (like Algernon’s wolfing down of the cucumber sandwiches to Lady Bracknell distress, Jack’s settling for bread and butter, Algernon’s consumption of Jack’s wine and muffins)- we suspect that the food fights are all puns for mocking their repressed sexual life expression and frustration in the face of unusually domineering women. Algernon. [Picking up empty plate in horror. ] Good heavens! Lane! Why are there no cucumber sandwiches? I ordered them specially. Lane. [Gravely. ] There were no cucumbers in the market this morning, sir. I went down twice. Algernon. No cucumbers! †¦Algernon. I am greatly distressed, Aunt Augusta, about there being no cucumbers, not even for ready money. Act I, scene 1 (Lady Bracknell to Algernon) Lady Bracknell: â€Å"Well, I must say Algernon that I think it is high time that Mr. Bunbury made up his mind whether he was going to live or to die. This shilly-shallying with the questions is absurd. Nor do I in any way approve of the modern sympathy with invalids. I consider it morbid†¦I should be much obliged if you would ask Mr. Bunbury from me to be kind enough not to have a relapse on Saturday for I rely on you to arrange my music frame†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It is difficult for Victorian people to understand an interest in something that is so far removed from their daily pleasure, nor to sympathy. Also at the end when they both kill off their imaginary alter egos or friends without much to-do, shows Victorian society’s real values. The Victorian era did not value honesty, responsibility, or compassion for the under-privileged (neither Lady Bracknell nor Algernon exhibit much pity for â€Å"Bunbury† when he â€Å"dies†), but only style, money and aristocracy. It is appropriate that the pun in the sentence when L. B is talking about â€Å"Bunury† death as an appointment to be simply fixed or arranged, and the nonexistent character of â€Å"Bunbury† itself show how shallow are the Victorians’ real concerns. Act I, scene 2 Lady Bracknell starts her conversation by showing to be a very concerned and affectionate mother who wants his expectations meet her requires. The first question she asks is about smoking. Smoking is a harmful, money-consuming habit that needs to be killed, while we find a pun when L. Bracknell turns to be in favor of this habit of Jack. Besides, she considers it as an important occupation or a man. Lady Bracknell: †¦Do you smoke? Jack: Well,yes,I must admit I smoke. Lady Bracknell: I am glad to hear it. A man should always have an occupation of some kind. We face up with many ironic situations during L. Bracknell’s discuss with Jack in act 1, scene 2, making fun to the false, empty ideals of Victorian society, mocking the so-called virtue qualities of the upper class that pretends to be high-educated. The puns are when L. B gives an appreciation of Jack’s being ignorant. She is pleased with Jack’s ignorance, and the most absurd is that she pays high tributes to ignorance by comparing it to a delicate exotic fruit. †¦ Lady Bracknell. A very good age to be married at. I have always been of opinion that a man who desires to get married should know either everything or nothing. Which do you know? Jack. [After some hesitation. ] I know nothing, Lady Bracknell. Lady Bracknell. I am pleased to hear it. I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did, it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence in Grosvenor Square.

Astronomy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Astronomy - Research Paper Example The moon allows and sustains life on Earth, affects its tides daily and though not a mystery to the same degree as it had been throughout all of history, it continues to inspire the imagination and much remains to be learned of Earth’s closest celestial neighbor. Today, people more or less look upon the moon as ‘eye candy’ and pay little attention to its cycles. This was not the case for our ancestors who carefully monitored its movements. Several calendars of ancient civilizations were based on the cycles of the moon and some are currently such as the Islamic calendar. The date of the Chinese New Year is set by the cycle of the moon. The Sun was used by man until relatively recently to measure short intervals of time but the moon was judged more reliable for longer time measurements. What is commonly known as a month is based on the 29-day cycle of the moon. The term ‘month’ is derived from the term ‘moonth.’ â€Å"Without the moon†™s cycle we might have ended up with a very different way of keeping track of time, and we most probably would have called it something other than a month† (Miles & Peters, 2001). The Christian celebration of Easter is calculated by determining the first Sunday following the first occurrence of a ‘full’ moon subsequent to the beginning of the Spring Equinox. The reason for this is that Christians had traditionally used the light of the ‘full’ moon to aid in their pilgrimage to their holy lands for Easter. Though the moon is the closest object to Earth and has been explored by man, questions remain regarding its exact origins and whether or not life ever existed on or within it or if it could sustain life. It was discovered more than a century ago that the moon’s density is less then Earth’s. Galileo noticed craters on the moon’s surface through the use of the telescope in the 1600’s. Currently, more is known about the moo n than any other celestial body, knowledge that was inconceivable until recent times (Hamilton, 2005). Prior to the common use of telescopes, when the moon was viewed unaided, all that could be discerned were two distinct kinds of topography, dark and bright areas configured in a way that produced the illusion of the ‘Man in the Moon.’ This myth was likely known as just that to most persons of the world but before recent times it was not known that the dark areas were produced by the violent impacts of asteroids hitting the moon many hundreds of million years ago. These primordial impacts on the lunar surface played a large part in reshaping the moon’s appearance and could explain why there are two large protrusions on the surface of the moon. â€Å"New analysis reveals that shock waves from some of the moon’s early asteroid impacts traveled through the lunar interior, triggering volcanic eruptions on the moon’s opposite side. Molten magma spewed o ut from the deep interior and flooded the lunar landscape† (Than, 2006). The cooled magma created the familiar dark areas which are termed ‘lunar seas.’ These dark areas unite to form the ‘face’ of the moon. The Man in the Moon’s eyes have been labeled â€Å"’Mare Imbrium’ and ‘Mare Serenitatis’. The nose, ‘Sinus Aestuum’ and the mouth, which appears to be smiling, is a combination of the ‘Mare Cognitum’ and ‘Mare Nubium’† (Heiken et al, 1991). The Earth’s sky appears to be blue because its atmosphere diffracts light in such a way that produces this