Thursday, January 30, 2020

The Color of Innocence Essay Example for Free

The Color of Innocence Essay In the context of The Picture of Dorian Gray, one of the most noticeable and important motifs is that of the color white and its variants, including, but not limited to, pale and listless. The meaning of this color evolves as the novel progresses, changing in relation to Dorians character. While the motif may never physically alter in appearance, it succeeds in reversing meaning completely, signifying the great contrast in Dorians soul between the beginning of the novel and the end. In the very beginning of the novel, as Basil speaks of his first encounter with Mr. Gray, he notes that when their eyes met, I [Basil] felt that I was growing pale (9). The motif comes to signify a sort of timid transparency; as if Dorians purity softens everything around he comes into contact with. Similarly, Lord Henry employs the motif when describing Dorians youth, labeling it as his rose-white boyhood (21). Shortly after, Dorian is described as possessing the white purity of boyhood (37). In both of these passages, the motif represents its most basic connotation, that of innocence, particularly, the innocence of youth. White gives Dorians appearance a sense of vivacity. Lord Henry describes Dorians soul as having turned to this white girl [Sibyl Vane] and bowed in worship before her (57). The motif denotes a youthful purity or vitality in Sibyl Vanes soul, most likely one that is shared by Dorian Gray. Her innocence soon grows to incorporate innocent affection for Dorian, as after kissing him, She trembled all over, and shook like a white narcissus (74). The motif has not reversed its meaning at this point; rather, it incorporates a virtue similar to youth and innocence, that of love. Furthermore, as Sibyl Vane performs onstage, Dorian tells how Her hair clustered round her face like dark leaves around a pale rose (74). The complexion in Sibyls face suggests a pure exquisiteness that embodies everything desirable to Dorian. He has employed the motif in describing Sibyls youth, innocence, passion, and beauty, all of which seems to mirror Dorians face and soul, as is evident in Basils description of him. The motifs meaning has reached the climax of goodness here, signifying qualities Oscar Wilde holds in highest esteem. However, it does not occupy this position for long, as the ensuing events  begin an extensive bastardization of the colors significance. As Sibyl Vane performs as Juliet in front of Basil and Lord Henry, The curves of her throat were the curves of a white lilyyet she was curiously listless (81). In this performance Sibyl retains her physical beauty, yet her vitality has escaped her. In a single sentence the motif revolves to a negative connotation, coming to suggest a vapid emptiness where there had previously been such fervent life. Sibyl, whose apparent perfection and talent once embodied the motif, has become to Dorian A third-rate actress with a pretty face (85). Her disappointing showing, an obvious contrast to previous performances, succeeds in deeply affecting Dorians definition of the motif as well, as Dorian Gray grew pale as he watched her (81). Later, as he rescinds his love for Sibyl, He looked proud, pale, and indifferent (83). A word used only pages before to describe the beauty of a rose has changed in such magnitude to be grouped alongside such words as proud and indifferent. The motif utilized in the illustration of Sibyls unhindered affection is now used to depict Dorians lack of love altogether. Deeply wounded by Dorians tirade and exclamation of nothing but distaste for her, The girl [Sibyl Vane] grew white, and trembled (85). Whereas Sibyl had previously taken on such a color and shuddered after sharing her first kiss with Dorian, she does it here in response to losing Dorians love. The motif changes from signifying passionate ardor to passionate sadness and fear. A color that gave Sibyl a reason to live her life to the fullest quickly steals her will and pushes her to take her own life. It is represented in a literal sense as well, as Lord Henry describes the instrument of her death as having either prussic acid or white lead in it (96). Distressed by Sibyls untimely death, Dorian muses, Can they feel, I wonder, those white silent people we call the dead? (96). As opposed to describing liveliness, or beauty, the motif is associated with that of a corpse. Basil refers to Sibyl Vanes body similarly, proclaiming, Why, man, there are horrors in store for that little white body of hers! (105). However, as opposed to Dorian, Basils use of the motif preserves the purity of Sibyl Vane, recognizing her innocence as a person. Only Dorians perceptions have changed on the meaning of the color; it has become something sinister and  deathly to him, as if the colors meaning and significance died along with Sibyl Vane. Lord Henry purports that a long term relationship with Sibyl Vane would have been futile, and Dorian agrees, saying, I supposed it would,' as he was walking up and down the room, and looking horribly pale (97). As Dorians value for human life recedes, and his soul darkens, one would expect his face to dim as well, as it would have developed the lines and shadows accompanied by such nature. However, this motifs connotation, much akin to the portraits appearance, has been forced to change while Dorian stays the same. Later, when Basil insists upon seeing the horrible portrait, Dorian responds, Basil he said, looking very pale, you must not look at it. I dont wish you to' (108). Basil turned pale upon first meeting Dorian, implying a shy fear of the boys pure livelihood. Here, when Dorians secret is threatened, when his evil soul is in danger of being revealed and he exhibits a similar reaction, it becomes clear that whatever fear Basil experienced earlier is much different than the fea r Dorian is experiencing now. Basil grew afraid out of reverence, while Dorian grew afraid out of shame. While the motif was previously synonymous with purity, it has adopted a sinister, calloused meaning with Dorian. Further on, Dorian would place his white hands beside the coarse bloated hands of the picture, and smile. He mocked the misshapen body and the failing limbs (124). In 19th century England, white hands were a sign of aristocracy, and beauty. However, when juxtaposed with the awful vileness of the portrait and Dorians soul, they seem wicked, and deathly. The motif changes meaning not only in Dorians eyes, but also in the readers eyes as well. A while after this, pressed against the window of the conservatory, like a white handkerchief, he [Dorian Gray] had seen the face of James Vane watching him (190). Although Dorian was not aware of James promise to kill him, he understands James purpose for being there. The motif, thoroughly transformed in meaning by now, is a brooding symbol of death that Dorian has come to fear. Dorian returns to the party after seeing James, and As the thought crept through his brain, he grew pale with terror, and the air seemed to him to have become suddenly colder (192). Dorians fear of death mirrors James lust for death. The passion Dorian first had for what this color signified has  turned into a loathsome fear of all it embodies. Dorian Grays static appearance can do nothing to stop the transformation of the world around him, or, more importantly, his soul. The color white becomes a motif in the novel that mirrors Dorian Gray; its appearance remains the same, yet as the story progresses, it begins to convey a meaning much less innocent than early on. The juxtaposition between the whiteness of purity early on and the whiteness of death in the end gives the reader a clear idea of the evolution of Dorians soul, and in doing so, it provides a concise understanding of the plot as a whole

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

The Lord Of The Flies: Summary :: The Lord of the Flies

The Lord of the Flies: Summary The novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, an adventure and suspense story, is written in 1857. The story sets on an deserted Pacific coral island. A group of school boys are marooned on this island after a plane crash on a trip to Australia. The story begins with a large number of school boys on an uninhabited tropical island and two of the elder boys who have leadership qualities compete to achieve a semblance of order so as to survive. Ralph, who has found a conch and blows it to summon all the boys to a meeting, is concerned about the well being of everyone, while Jack is more concerned with making rules and punishing offenders. However, only one firm rule is established by Ralph and that is only the person holding the conch will be permitted to speak at meetings. The two leaders soon discover that they do not like each other because of their difference priorities and the conflict begins between them. It causes the group to split into two, with Jack=s followers being in the majority. Ralph is concerned with building shelters, arranging work and on being rescued but Jack only wants to roam the jungle and hunt. The failure to establish rules soon creates confusion and inappropriate behavior encouraged by Jack. Ralph=s only supporter is Piggy, a fat asthmatic boys who nobody likes because he is always lecturing and criticizing everyone=s behavior. Jack bullies him constantly and the other boys make fun of him. Jack and his followers spend most of their time hunting for wild pigs so Ralph=s efforts to organize the group fail. By now, most of the older boys are beginning to act like savages, hunting wild pigs, going into a frenzy when they succeed and celebrate their kill with wild dancing around a fire. One night during an air-battle, a body of a parachutist lands on the island and has become tangled on some rocks on the mountain. A rumor of a Abeast@ on their island discovers that the beast the parachutist but unfortunately never has the opportunity to tell the others. He is mistaken for the beast and is accidentally killed during a wild celebration feast that takes place after a successful hunt by Jack and his followers. Later on, Ralph=s last follower is also killed but not by accident. Ralph has lost all his followers and is pursued by the others who want to kill him. Will he survive? And who is the Lord of the Flies? The story, full of suspense and horror, captures my imagination and my

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Corporate and Business Law Assignment 2012

Table of Contents Introduction2 Proceedings2 The evidence3 Precedents set by tribunals6 Conclusion6 Corporate & Business Law Introduction An Employment Tribunal would hear claims regarding matters to do with employment. These could include unfair dismissal, discrimination and redundancy payments. An employment tribunal is similar to a court but it is not as formal and it must act independently. These are commonly open to the public. Employment tribunals are independent judicial bodies who help determine disputes between employees and employers about their employment rights.The tribunal I chose to view and write this report on is an employment tribunal, that involved the claimant putting forward a case of unfair dismissal and breach of contract that was based on the fact that she felt she was unfairly dismissed while carrying out her duties that were set to her by her employer (Dr Monoghon). * Less formal than other court proceedings. * Lower costs. * Benefit of tribunal is they can c hoose to represent themselves. * Lay members specialise in their area of expertise regarding the case.Below are details of the claimant, defendant, time, date and venue. The Case Unfair Dismissal and breach of contract Venue: Croydon Tribunals Date: 13th November 2012 Time: 10:00am – 16:00pm Defendant: Dr Hester Monoghan Claimant: Ms Davidson Evidence: 8 minutes Audio recording After Ms Davidson was dismissed from her job, she later received a call from the nanny agency that she was working for, stating that they had been informed by the police that of an allegation of child abuse by herself on the children.She was then refused to be represented by the agency as they did not want to put forward her name as it would reflect badly on the agency as she had a case on going against her. This prevented her from finding work and therefore was out of work for a period of five months. Ms Davidson opened this case up against the defendant as she feels she unfairly dismissed and had a b ad reputation in regards to her occupation. She therefore wanted to be reimbursed for the loss of the work she missed out on and also wanted to clear her name regarding this issue.Proceedings Upon entering the tribunal room, the judge was seated front centred facing both parties involved in the case, the parties involved were Miss Davidson the claimant, her representative Peter Mathews, seated next to her and parallel to her on the left hand side were the respondents Dr Monoghan and Mr Monoghan. Once entered the judge introduced her and then allowed the defendant and claimant a chance to introduce themselves, preceded by giving defendant an opportunity to provide a brief history of the events which had taken place.Dr Monoghan believed that the claimant had not been fulfilling her duties properly and was in breach of the employment contract as it had come to the Monoghans attention that she was using foul words in front of her children, which the children had picked up and started to use whilst in the home environment. Dr and Mr Monoghan did not approve of this and believed that the claimant had been lying about taking her kids to activities and used to say she did in the diary that had been prescribed to the claimant.For this reason she felt she had to take the situation in to her own hand and therefore had her husband put in place voice recording measures in an open plan kitchen/living/dining room. On 8th March 2012 they made an eight hour recording of Ms Davidson’s shift at her house. This was broken in to segments totalling a twenty minute recroding. After listening to the audio recording they felt that they had â€Å"reasonable grounds to believe that Miss Davidson was verbally abusive and showed a lack of empathy and lovingness towards her children.The evidence The judge then gave Dr Monoghan a chance to play the evidence that had been produced but Mr Monoghan then intervened and then asked the judge â€Å"Is it not against privacy right to play a recording in a public tribunal†. The judge then referred to a ruling book and then she made a judgment that it would be allowed as she felt it corresponded to the guidelines of the tribunal proceedings. Mr Monoghan then setup the audio to show the recording that was made on the 8th March 2012 whilst his children were in care of Ms Davidson.I felt this expression was used for the fact that it was a public viewing and Mr Monoghan felt it was a sensitive situation as it involved his children of a minor age which could be seen as a private matter to him and his family as he would not want his kids further involved in this situation. The audio recording was of snippets of dinner time while the children were in care of Ms Davidson. The children were not paying attention to what Ms Davidson was telling them to do and therefore this was frustrating her.Her mannerism towards the children then indicated that she was persistent for the children eating their food also indicating threate ning behaviour indicated the comment by â€Å"if you don’t eat your food the trolls are going get you†. There were words used such as; â€Å"Go away† â€Å"Shut up† â€Å"Can you just eat your food!! † â€Å"Stop it† There was a constant rudeness to the children throughout this recording. The male child was especially picked on by Ms Davidson as she would say to him â€Å"You, stop being bossy to your sister! During the recording there was a clear sharpness to Ms Davidson’s voice towards the children and there was a continuity of abusive behaviour towards the children. Questioning of Dr. Monoghan Once this audio recording was finished the judge then asked the defendant, Dr Monoghan, to come up on the witness stand. Dr Monoghan was then asked to read out the Oath of Truth in court. The judge then began to ask her questions to break it down and try and work out really what happened.Talking about the appraisal meeting in January defenda nt explained that she had raised the fact that the children had been using inappropriate language to her and her husband such has â€Å"shut up† and â€Å"that’s tough†. She then went on to say that she had highlighted this to Ms Davidson and asked her to restrain from using these words in front of them as felt it would have a negative impact on their upbringing. She also asked Ms Davidson to focus on the male child as she felt her relationship with the female child was a good one. To this Ms Davidson replied by saying that the male child was the most difficult child she has ever looked after.To this the defendant replied that this meeting had been set up simply to raise their concerns but were given no reassurance by Ms Davidson stating that these problems would be sorted. They informed her of the fact that they had a recording and asked her if she would like to hear it but Ms Davidson said she could not do this as she had a job interview to go to as she was go ing to become redundant within the next month and Mr Monoghan had been made redundant from his job and was therefore going to take control of the child care himself. Dr.Monoghan then stated they both left the room and decided between themselves that they were not happy for the claimant to continue her job and therefore dismissed her there and then. Questioning of Mr Monoghan Mr Monoghan stated that he raised concerns and for this reason he was not happy for Miss Davidson to continue looking after his children as he was concerned about the safety of his children. He then stated that he offered to play the recording to Ms Davidson but she refused as she had an interview to attend as she was coming to the end of a contract.This was due to Mr Monoghan becoming redundant from his job and therefore taking control of his children’s wellbeing. Questioning of Ms Davidson Ms Davidson confirmed that the transcript of the meeting was correct. She then went on to say that she felt that sh e was not prepared for the meeting and felt as if she had the right to have an independent witness with her. She then went on to say that she had only said â€Å"Shut up† to the children once and it was unfortunate that she had been caught out on that one instance.She did admit to wrongfully doing by using this phrase towards the children. She was angered with the fact that she was told it was a reference and holiday pay meeting but turned out to be her last day of work. The final verdict The judge felt that as Ms Davidson had been out of work for three months due to the allegations that were made to the police that she should be compensated three months wages. The judge then ordered the defendants to pay Ms Davidson for the two weeks’ notice that she should have had.She dismissed any allegations of MS Davidson physically abusing the children as there was no evidence found and advised the defendants to go through the police if they still felt this was a serious issue a nd also added that no further action would be taken within the tribunal system. Achievement of tribunal proceedings Speed Although the defendant arrived one hour late it still allowed the case to be completed within five hours.From the case I visited I soon realised there was a very productive speed throughout. The case I visited was scheduled for 1 day but was wrapped up within 5 hours and that included a 1 hour lunch, evidence, questioning and the judgment to take place. . There was not much waiting around and the whole case was to the point as through Expertise The judge who was appointed to the case for unfair dismissal was a specialist in this area she specialised in.Off the record the judge mentioned to us that this particular case was a difficult one as it involved one employee and one employer which meant she was dealing with a delicate situation. This was due to it involving children of a minor age and there had clearly been strong relationship between the family and Ms Dav idson as it was previously stated in the appraisal meeting which clearly documented Ms Davidson as having a â€Å"loving and caring relationship† with her children.The judge began by introducing herself and unfortunately she did not have anyone else along with her judging the case so. There was an instance when Mr Monoghan raised an issue of the audio recording being heard while we were present as it children of a minor age talking on it throughout and after consulting a book for a few minutes she then came to a decision that it would not be a problem for this to be played out load while the public was present. Accessibility There are different mediums in which the claimant can use to put forward a case.The most commonly one used is usually the ET1 form, requiring the claimant to state the details of the case which they wish to put forward outlining the circumstances and any other issues regarding the case. However there are other formalities that can be used such as contacti ng the authorities through email or telephone. The accessibility of the case falls upon the representative to send through the relevant forms in order for the case to be reviewed and considered for a tribunal hearing. Fairness From what I witnessed at the tribunal case I felt that Dr.Monoghan and Mr Monoghan were unfairly judged by the judge as by the evidence that was heard it was clear to see that Miss Davidson was clearly not exercising her job efficiently enough as she was clearly heard using foul language in front of the children and I do believe she should of controlled her temper as this is what she was trained to do. I felt she Miss Davidson won the case based technicality as she was able to say she wasn’t directing her language towards the children and as of this was able to bypass the system and win the case.The judge should have shown more compassion towards Dr. Monoghan and Mr Monoghan as it was a case that applied to their children and therefor was a sensitive on e for them as it could affect the children on the long term. Precedents set by tribunals The lower tribunals are not there to set binding precedents for any other court or even themselves. They are bound by the decisions of superior courts and appellate tribunals.Appellate and Employment appeal tribunals are bound by the decisions that are made by the Supreme Court but they would usually be required to being bound to the decisions that they made themselves (English legal systems, Richard Ward and Amanda Akhtar 11th edition). In regards to employment appeal tribunals, matters of law are binding on decisions of appeals and the House of Lords, although decisions of the high court in England and wales would usually have a great persuasiveness and the ribunals would similarly go with the principles that can be found in those decisions. There are certain precedents rules and guidelines that have been set out by previous legal cases and these have to be followed by tribunals. This allows t here to be more of efficiency throughout the case as the defendants can refer back to the case that is in conjunction with the case however within the judicial system of a tribunal court there is a leniency and flexibility based on the case this was as well as the evidence and information provided by both parties.Taking this information into consideration the laments will then deliberate and make their decisions. Similar cases may have different outcomes which will not be based on the same precedents. Tribunals such as an employment based cases are required to follow certain procedures and take in to consideration such as reasons for dismissal with the notice given for dismissal and other externalities that are relevant to the case for dismissal. Main issueThe main issue with tribunals setting binding precedents for other courts and themselves is that in tribunals there is a sense of flexibility in their operations and the judges and the courts use their interpretation of the situat ion to make a judgement and it would be optimistic to think that the doctrine of the binding precedents achieves the certainty and flexibility. Conclusion The judgement of the case went in favour of the claimant in the tribunal.I feel this is an unfair judgement as the parents had intrusted the claimant in taking care of their children in an appropriate manner but it was clear throughout the audio that was played that was not applied by the claimant and there was a constant rudeness and aggressiveness towards the children. I feel that as the claimant would have been a trained with the necessary skills to look after the children she should have still been able to detach her emotions from her actual duties towards the children as she is trained in this profession. Reference http://terryandco. hubpages. com/hub/Advantages-and-Disadvantages-of-Administration-Tribunals

Monday, January 6, 2020

Inner Speech - Definition and Uses

Inner speech is a form of internalized, self-directed dialogue: talking to oneself in silence. The phrase inner speech was used by Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky to describe a stage in language acquisition and the process of thought. In Vygotskys conception, speech began as a social medium and became internalized as inner speech, that is, verbalized thought (Katherine Nelson, Narratives From the Crib, 2006). See Examples and Observations, below. See also: DialogueInterior MonologueLanguageMemorySpeechTelegraphic Speech Examples and Observations: Dialogue launches language, the mind, but once it is launched we develop a new power, inner speech, and it is this that is indispensable for our further development, our thinking. . . . We are our language, it is often said; but our real language, our real identity, lies in inner speech, in that ceaseless stream and generation of meaning that constitutes the individual mind. It is through inner speech that the child develops his own concepts and meanings; it is through inner speech that he achieves his own identity; it is through inner speech, finally, that he constructs his own world. (Oliver Sacks, Seeing Voices. University of California Press, 1989)If inner speech is marked by the intimate sense of my active thinking, is also quite concretely a thinking in a language. (Don Ihde, Listening and Voice: Phenomenologies of Sound. SUNY Press, 2007)Difficult as it is to study inner speech, there have been attempts to describe it: its said to be a shorthand version of real speech (as one researcher put it, a word in inner speech is the mere skin of a thought), and its very egocentric, not surprisingly, given that its a monologue, with the speaker and the audience being the same person.  (Jay Ingram, Talk Talk Talk: Decoding the Mysteries of Speech. Doubleday, 1992)Inner speech comprises both the inner voice we hear when reading and the muscle movements of the speech organs that often accompany reading and that are called subvocalizations. (Markus Bader, Prosody and Reanalysis. Reanalysis in Sentence Processing, ed. by Janet Dean Fodor and Fernanda Ferreira. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1998) Vygotsky on Inner Speech Inner speech is not the interior aspect of external speech--it is a function in itself. It still remains speech, i.e., thought connected with words. But while in external speech thought is embodied in words, in inner speech words die as they bring forth thought. Inner speech is to a large extent thinking in pure meanings. It is a dynamic, shifting, unstable thing, fluttering between word and thought, the two more or less stable, more or less firmly delineated components of verbal thought. (Lev Vygotsky, Thought, and Language, 1934. MIT Press, 1962) Linguistic Characteristics of Inner Speech Vygotsky identified a number of lexicogrammatical features which are foregrounded in both egocentric speech and inner speech. These features include omission of the subject, the foregrounding of predication, and a highly elliptical relationship between these forms and the speech situation (Vygotsky 1986 [1934]: 236). (Paul Thibault, Agency and Consciousness in Discourse: Self-Other Dynamics as a Complex System. Continuum, 2006)In inner speech the only grammatical rule at play is association through juxtaposition. Like inner speech, film uses a concrete language in which sense comes not from deduction but from the fullness of the individual attractions as qualified by the image which they help to develop. (J. Dudley Andrew, The Major Film Theories: An Introduction. Oxford University Press, 1976) Inner Speech and Writing Writing is part of the process of finding, developing, and articulating inner speech, that reservoir of internalized thought and language on which we depend for communication. (Gloria Gannaway, Transforming Mind: A Critical Cognitive Activity. Greenwood, 1994)Because it is a more deliberate act, writing engenders a different awareness of language use. Rivers (1987) related Vygotskys discussion of inner speech and language production to writing as discovery: As the writer expands his inner speech, he becomes conscious of things which he was not previously aware. In this way, he can write more than he realizes (p. 104). Zebroski (1994) noted that Luria looked at the reciprocal nature of writing and inner speech and described the functional and structural features of written speech, which inevitably lead to a significant development of inner speech. Because it delays the direct appearance of speech connections, inhibits them, and increases requirements for the preliminary, internal prep aration for the speech act, written speech produces a rich development for inner speech (p. 166).  (William M. Reynolds and Gloria Miller, eds., Handbook of Psychology: Educational Psychology. John Wiley, 2003)