Shirley Jacksons The Lottery :: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why would a civilized and peaceful town would ever suggest the horrifying acts of violence can take place anywhere at anytime and the most ordinary people can commit them. Jackson's fiction is noted for exploring incongruities in everyday life, and â€Å"The Lottery†, perhaps her most exemplary work in this respect, examines humanity's capacity for evil within a contemporary, familiar, American setting. Noting that the story’s characters, physical environment, and even its climactic action lacks significant individuating detail, most critics view â€Å"The Lottery.† As a modern-day parable or fable, which obliquely addresses a variety of themes, including the dark side of human nature, the danger of ritualized behavior, and the potential for cruelty when the individual submits to the mass will. Shirley Jackson also addresses cruelty by the citizen’s refusal to stand up and oppose â€Å"The Lottery.† Violence and cruelty is a majo r theme in â€Å"The Lottery.† The theme in â€Å"The Lottery† is violence and cruelty. Violence and cruelty is a major theme because there is a lot of violence and cruelty in the world. The Lottery has been read as addressing such issues as the public's fascination with salacious and scandalizing journalism, McCarthyism, and the complicity of the general public in the victimization of minority groups, epitomized by the Holocaust of World War II. The Holocaust was very cruel and violent cause other people didn’t like certain people so they just kill them and their children and still now we have violence and cruelty with wars and people that hate each other.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the morning of June 27 of a recent year, the 300 villagers of an American village prepare for the annual lottery in a mood of excitement. The horrible tradition of the lottery is so old that some of its ritual has been forgotten and some has been changed. Its basic purpose is entirely unremembered, but residents are present to take part in it. The children in the village created a â€Å"great pile of stones† in one corner of the stoning square. The civic-minded Mr. Summers has been sworn in and then he hands a piece of paper to the head of each family. When it is discovered the Hutchinson family has drawn the marked slip, each member of the family Bill, Tessie, and the children is given another slip. Silence prevails as suspense hovers over the proceedings. After helplessly protesting the unfairness of the first drawing, Tessie finds that she holds the marked slip.

Gap in Gender Pay Essay

INTRODUCTION: Although women are steadily making their mark in the business world and heading major corporations, the question remains, are they still earning less than their male counterparts? Throughout time there has been a definite difference between men and women and their median income. This wage gap cuts across a wide spectrum of occupations. However, in 1963 the Equal Pay Act was signed making it illegal for employers to pay unequal wages to men and women who hold the same job and do the same work. There may be many reasons for this gap in salaries; most of them may not be necessarily based on gender. The following research will investigate what causes the gap in earnings, if any, and examines various factors that may have an effect on the earnings of men and women. I. RESEARCH PURPOSE The purpose of this research is to determine whether or not women who are working the same types of jobs, with the same amount of education and experience are being compensated the same as men. Although women have made a significant pace in entering the workforce and in exploring a wider range of occupations, they may still be treading behind in wages earned compared to their male counterparts. Many years ago, it was thought that because women were not as well educated as men, did not have as much experience as men, and did not work as hard as men that the range of pay should not be the same. This is no longer true and women have been graduating from college at the same rate as men and are working just as hard as men. However, the wage gap between men and women remains and nationally, women earn 77 cents for every $1 earned by men (Head, 2008). Thus, despite a sense of continued progress toward gender equality in the workplace the gap between men and women still persists. The significance of this research issue may reveal an underlying discrimination between the sexes that many may believe has narrowed. The importance in equality of gender pay is not only that it is the right thing to do, but an equitable and competitive pay package improves employee recruitment and retention.  This concept benefits both the employer and the employee, male or female. Nonetheless, as long as this gap remains the more likely this issue will provide a main source of debate among the organizational workforce. II. PROBLEM DEFINITION: The study, by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation, found that 10 years after college, women earn only 69% of what men earn. (USA Today, 2007) Defining the problem starts with an examination of the evidence to determine how big the gap truly is and whether discrimination is to blame. Essential variables that may have an impact on male-female wage differential such as ethnic background, age, and industry will be measured. Our team will research and find out how big the gap is what could be the cause, factors such as: a). Hours of work- some tend to think that men are more likely to work longer hours. b). Education levels-some tend to think that men on average is higher qualified and women invest less in their education. c). Workforce participation and experience-industries tend to think that women spend less time at work because of their domestic responsibilities to their children and family. The majority of organizations assume that young women are going to leave the workforce when they have children, and therefore will not promote them. d). Why is there such a gap between the amount on a man’s paycheck compared to a woman’s? e). Occupation type- some think women are looking for an easy way out and they tend to seek out and cluster around a few occupations and industries because of the tastes of employers, male employees and customers. f). Are women given the same opportunities for advancement as men? Our team will investigate what percentage of these factors contributes to the difference in pay between these two genders and seek to find out if discrimination plays a part in this pay gap and will the gap disappear through educational achievements. Why do woman not have equal job opportunities? Jobs held by women pay less than jobs held by men, even though the job requires the same education and skills. A newly hired woman will get a lower paying assignment than a man who started working there the same time for the same employer. Not only that also, women do not receive the equal chances in promotions like men. Equal pay has been an issue for all working women for the past few decades. III. RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS While some studies may reflect a sense of continued progress towards gender equality in the workplace, the federal government currently confirms that the workplace earnings gap amongst men and women is still prevalent today (About Management.Com). It is the educated guess of this team that men are paid at a substantially increased rate for performance in positions than women are paid to operate in those same positions. This hypothesis is deducted from observations made from current work situations, random peer discussions, and updated articles. More than forty years after the Federal Equal Pay Act, hard working women are still being paid less than men are on the job. There are numerous speculations that can be made in an attempt to explain this is behavior, such as career selections being made by men and women. Women tend to make decisions about employment based on convenience, meaning that women migrate to positions that will allow for them to maintain a active home life and still maintain a 40 hour work week, whereas men will more than likely trade an active home life for longer work hours, safety risks, frequent travel, longer work hours and extended commuting times to make the higher pay. While these practices may not be fair, they are a reality. The research provided in this paper will lead to three possible outcomes; it will either prove that men are paid at higher rates than women to operate in the same or similar positions, women are paid at higher rates than men to operate in the same or similar position, or men and women break even when it comes to wages and position. References Head, Lauren Lawley. (2008, April 23). Pay Gap Worth Steaming Over: Bizwomen.com. Retrieved April 29, 2008, from http://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/index.php/2008/04/23/pay-gap-worth-steaming-over/ Coutts, Justin. (2004, February). Policy Backgrounder, Business Roundtable. Retrieved April 29, 2008 from http://www.nzbr.org.nz/documents/policy/policy-2004/PB_No1.pdf Arndt, Bettina. (2006,October 16). Herald Sun.com. Why Men are paid More. Retrieved April 29, 2008 from http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,20586168-5000117,00.html

Business Communications Report Essay

The purpose of this report is to evaluate the importance of oral communications within the workplace, as well as to identify the aspects and skills that are valued within the workplace. This report will also give recommendations to the problems it highlights. 1. 2. 3 Questions * Is oral communication really a problem among graduates in the workplace? * Which aspects of oral communication are valued more within the workplace? * Which oral communication skills are lacking in graduates within the workplace? * What solutions could we recommend to the NUS management? 1. 3 Scope The ability to express ideas convincingly should therefore be an aspect to be focused on. 3. 4 Need for Clarity of Content The findings have made obvious that clear content is of high priority within the workplace. This oral communication skill is needed because the content is the crux of the message being sent to others and it needs to be clear and concise to avoid confusion. As such this oral communication skill should be focused on. 3. 5 Need for Confidence in Oral Communications The importance of this skill has been noted in the findings. This communication skill complements the other conclusions, as confidence is something that is required for all aspects of oral communications. Clearly, confidence is a skill that should be focused on. 4. Recommendations Based on the conclusions made above, this report recommends changing the NUS curriculum to involve more opportunities to practice oral communications skills, as well as to introduce a public forum, providing chances for all students to speak publicly more. 4. 1 Change in NUS Curriculum This proposal involves a tweaking of all modules in NUS to accommodate even more usage of oral communications skills than at current levels. For example, module marks could be adjusted to allow for more emphasis on presentations or interaction with the lecturer and the class. This would not only allow students to practice their oral communications as a whole, but also improve on specific aspects and skills, like their confidence and clarity. It is noted that this proposal would be difficult to implement and would also take time to adjust to for the entire university. However, this strategy would help all NUS students to improve their oral communications skills greatly over their time in NUS as they are encouraged to work on their oral communications. Thus this would be a long term solution for the problems stated above. 4. 2 Creating Student Forums The Management should also consider utilizing a key aspect of education in NUS: student life. Through providing a forum for students to speak up, especially about issues that the students have passion for, they will get more practice at oral communications. They would also debate and discuss among themselves about such issues, further boosting their proficiency in key skills like being convincing in oral communications. This suggestion does have certain drawbacks, like difficulty in implementing instantly as students are not used to it. However, over time, and with proper promotion and support from student leaders, it could be a good avenue for students to air their views and practice their oral communications skills at the same time.

The Doctrine of Containment

The Doctrine of Containment Free Online Research Papers The Doctrine of Containment is a policy that incorporates both military and economic action to prevent the spread of communism. In the case of the United States, the policy of containment was used to eliminate the diplomatic and political policies that were in favor of the communist practices. The Doctrine of Containment was adopted by the United States in order to keep those forms of government from spreading to non-communist countries. The article, â€Å"The Sources of Soviet Conduct†, by George Kennan suggests that the Soviet Union be â€Å"contained† and its system would ultimately collapse by the nature of its own inefficiencies. This containment would allow for the United States and its allies to not have the need to go on the offensive or to plan for an inevitable war. The rise of containment came about from fear of the â€Å"domino theory† which states that if one region fell into communist practices, that all surrounding regions would adopt the same policies. According to the United States, containment was the answer in how to prevent the spread of communism. Containment allowed the United States to make a political statement towards an opposing nati on with the threat of surrounding military action and economic support toward the threatened regions. Ultimately, the doctrine of containment was effective in aiding the United States foreign policy against the spread of the communist practices. The reason for the United States invading Vietnam was the fear of communism that seemed to be spreading throughout the world. Vietnam, because of the Geneva Convention was divided into two regions; the North and the South, in which the North was under communist rule. Many believe that the United States Foreign Policy was correct in showing its global importance but many others believe that it was one of the greatest and biggest mistakes in history. The U.S. feared that if South Vietnam fell under communist rule that it would lead to an outburst of communism throughout the rest of the world. The strengths of the containment doctrine during the Vietnam War was actually having our U.S. troops go into the unknown grounds of Vietnam and contribute to stopping the spread of communism throughout surrounding countries. Although our military was terribly defeated in Vietnam and some thought that we had no justification of war in that country, we entered Vietnam as part of the Containment Doct rine. The Containment Doctrine was to stop this expansion of Soviet Power by combating Soviet methods by our own intelligence operations, providing aid to existing governments, and directly involving our troops in a war on unfamiliar grounds. Our main weakness in Vietnam was that it was a major defeat against the United States, leading many other nations in the world to conclude that the United States was an unreliable ally and this damaged U.S. interest’s world-wide and gained popular movement to communism, in which we feared. The division point, isolationism was the dominant ideology that guided American foreign policy. Isolationism is a national policy of abstaining from political or economic relations with other countries. It was favored by most Americans for their non-involvement with other countries and others foreign affairs. This, in particular was used toward the president from Americans that had concern with being involved with foreign countries and to refrain from intervention in old world affairs. The United States was practicing isolationism until the fall of France in 1940 and the attack on Pearl Harbor that following year. As a result of the fear that arose from what had happened, The America First Committee was formed, which led to interventionism. The Cold War affected American Foreign Policy in one division point such as interventionism (globalism). Interventionism referred to whether or not the United States should have a place or a standing in other countries affairs. The United States had an idea that we should not get involved with other countries and we should keep to ourselves and stay out of situations that have nothing to do with us. The United States also stood strong in believing that the only type of communication with other countries be specifically for trade purposes only but have entangling alliances with none. This goes back to not getting involved if it has nothing to do with us. Interventionism is a policy or practice of intervening in the affairs of another sovereign state. The United States saw the importance of working to become friends and allies with other countries in making it easier for others to work with us rather than against us. The realist views overpowered throughout most of the Cold War. They believed that their allies were anti-communists countries and other countries that were communist were considered to be enemies. The realism aspect of it all is that by maximizing our own power we will be the focus and ignore others internal affairs. Realism is the idea that international relations is the primacy of power and for us to survive and maintain our political independence we must maintain our territorial integrity. This aspect is also important when speaking in terms of idealism, in order to maintain support from other countries and this too is an advantage. Idealists argued that the United States primary emphasis be focused on American values and that their allies should enforce similar democratic practices and this would promote anti-comm unists goals more effectively. Idealism is no better than realism and realism is no better than idealism, in the end it all depends on the situation and American values. One major impact that the Cold War had upon American politics was the way that it affected our government in a negative way. Throughout the Cold War the United States and the American people fought efforts to end the talk of global nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. In 1984 and 1985, the Americans insisted that President Reagan back away from the Soviet Union and make a commitment to negotiate and put an end to this dangerous global war that had now existed for half of a century. In 1985 Mikhail Gorbachev became President of the Soviet Union and realized that his country could no longer afford to compete with the United States. In 1986, Gorbachev arranged a meeting with President Reagan in Iceland and they discussed a proposal. The proposal was: The Soviet Union would destroy all of its nuclear weapons if the United States would agree to do the same and also agree to not go ahead with its Star Wars program. The Star Wars program was designed to protect the United States from future attacks by nuclear missiles. President Reagan left Iceland and returned to the United States after rejecting to the proposed agreement. Reagan realized that the United States could not afford to give up its nuclear arsenal and had to protect its global interest. In 1986, when Americans discovered that it was indeed the Soviet Union that was more committed to the disarmament of nuclear weapons than the United States, more problems arose for Reagan. He referred to the Soviet Union as â€Å"the evil empire†, and they were actually the ones that took the initiative to reduce the threat of nuclear war. As a result of Reagan’s failure to inform the American people that the Soviet’s did indeed make a proposal and effort to have peace with the United States and put an end to the Cold War, many Americans lost faith in their government. In the end, the United States government was mirroring the Soviet Union by acting as a communist country in more ways than one. It is no surprise to me that more people vote for their leaders throughout Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union than they do in the United States. Voting is a crucial aspect in a democratic society and has a major impact on the American political system today. Research Papers on The Doctrine of ContainmentAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2The Effects of Illegal ImmigrationUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresQuebec and CanadaPETSTEL analysis of IndiaAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This Nice19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraBringing Democracy to AfricaPersonal Experience with Teen Pregnancy

Writing Tips Percent, Per Cent and Percentages - Get Proofed!

Writing Tips Percent, Per Cent and Percentages - Get Proofed! Percent, Per Cent and Percentages We’ve been told that putting 110% into anything is mathematically impossible. But we’re proofreaders, not mathematicians! As such, we’re not going to let math get in the way of putting everything we have into solving your writing problems. Today, for example, we’re looking at writing percentages. Words and Numbers As with any numbers, percentages can be written as either words or numbers: Words: Around nine percent of people dislike coffee. Numbers: Approximately 91% of people like coffee. The examples above reflect three important guidelines when writing percentages: Numbers up to ten are usually written as words, while larger numbers are written as numerals When a percentage is written as a word, it should be followed by â€Å"percent† When a percentage is written as a numeral, it should be followed by the â€Å"%† sign However, this can vary depending on the context (e.g., measurements in scientific writing are almost always written as numerals, even for numbers under ten). It’s therefore a good idea to check your style guide for advice on how to write percentages. Percent vs. Per Cent The question we’re asked most often about writing percentages is whether to use â€Å"percent† or â€Å"per cent.† Ultimately, though, this doesn’t really matter: both are accepted spellings of this term. Again, we recommend checking your style guide if you have one, as some publishers and colleges have a preference. And â€Å"percent† is much more common these days than â€Å"per cent.† But other than that, the main thing is picking one spelling and using it consistently throughout your work. Percent vs. per cent When to Use â€Å"Percentage† Finally, we have the word â€Å"percentage.† Although similar to â€Å"percent,† this word has a slightly different usage: â€Å"Percent† is used with specific numbers, while â€Å"percentage† is used when referring to a general or non-specific amount of something. For example: A small percentage of the forms were coffee stained. Almost seven percent of the forms were coffee stained. As shown above, you should use â€Å"percentage† when the exact amount is unspecified.

Business Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 19

Business Law - Assignment Example It becomes a parole because it was an oral agreement made before the final written contract was made. I therefore agree with the court for rejecting Canopy’s evidence. It is against the principles of parole evidence rule which categorically states that there should not be a parole to a written contract. Meaning, evidence made prior to a written contract ca not be accepted for consideration in case of a dispute. It is therefore appropriate for the court to make such a decision it is in compliance with the law. Apart from being oral evidence made prior to the actual contract, it contains evidence which contradicts the written contract itself. Despite Canopy not being a party to the written contract, it went ahead to give this evidence. This is uncalled for and should not be entertained. Instead, the court should go ahead to consider the case filed by Novell Inc to protest against the deductions made by Canopy because it breaches its contract with Caldera

Exam 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Exam 2 - Essay Example This particular approach is useful to understand due to fact that it has often been referred to as the primal case of the ends justifying the means. This is of course due to the fact that happiness or utility cannot be determined until the action or actions that are intended to evoke such a utility had been performed and can be measured. Many within the field of philosophy have noted that utilitarianism, perhaps more than any other approach, is quantitative and can oftentimes be referred to as reductionist with regards to its approach. This is due to the fact that the ends – means approach requires the individual to be completely and entirely cognizant of the fact that utilitarianism, if used as an overarching theory, must necessarily factor in all of the preceding actions and determinants that lead to whatever utilitarianism does in question. The ongoing debate then necessarily hinges upon the degree of inference and emphasis which should be placed upon the consequences of th e determinant actions that yield the end result. Similarly, with regards to John Stuart Mill’s quote, â€Å"It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a full satisfied. And if the fool, or the pig, is of a different opinion, it is because they only know their own side of the questions. The other party to the comparison knows both sides†, the reader can note the utilitarian concept being utilized with respect to the way in which Mill views the ultimate end. Whereas it is previously been discussed that happiness fulfills the ultimate end of utilitarianism, according to mills quote, the reader can understand that the true end that she seeks to remote is awareness and intellect. Accordingly, he compares and contrasts the utility of being satisfied versus unsatisfied, the utility of being a man or a pig, and lastly the utility and overall importance of opinion. 2 According to Kant’s theory of retributiv ism, this is an approach that society should take with regards to its response to crime. According to Kant, the theory places punishment proportionate to the crime. Although this may not seem as an earth shattering theory, this is only due to the fact that the current criminal justice system seeks to integrate a very large degree of Kant’s theory of retributivism into the way in which crime is currently punished. Ultimately, the theory is predicated upon the understanding of forfeiture. Accordingly, this forfeiture is most commonly understood with regards to the freedom of mobility for life that is sometimes required of the convicted. Furthermore, the reader can and should understand that Kant’s understanding of retributivism bears a direct correlation to the common expression †let the punishment that the crime†. In such a way, Kant sought to remove the level of emotional response/knee jerk reaction that is so oftentimes the response to crime and punishment within society. Although it may be tempting to assume that Kant was the first to put forward such a theory, the fact of the matter is is that he was merely the first to define it with an identifiable term. Ultimately, this fear he can be traced all the way back to the biblical interpretation of â€Å"life for life, eye for eye† etc. at its very core, this theory of retributivism engenders a degree of proportionality. As such, it is the responsibility of the punishing entity to ensure that the punishment for the crime is proportionate to the offending behavior that precipitated it. Naturally, such