Dancers, Costumes and Movement Content Essay Example for Free

Dancers, Costumes and Movement Content Essay Costume: The costume throughout Flesh and Blood is a very important attribute to the piece. All seven of the female dancers wear the same costume in each of the five sections therefore this shows that the costume that Lea Anderson chose was relevant to the themes within the piece all the way through. The costumes are of a medieval style, we know this from the design of the dress as they have square necks and tight fitting wrist length sleeves much like the dresses that were worn in that time period. The dresses reach ankle length on each of the dances and have a fitted torso with a dropped v-waist which then falls into a slightly gathered, loose material lower half which flows down from the waist to the ankle. In this piece I believe it is important for the dresses to be fitted on the arms and torso area as these are the main areas of which are used in the contact work such as lifts- and it then makes it easier to perform these moves as dancers can get a better grip on each other. There are also many intricate arm and hand movements where dancers have to intertwine with each other- therefore the tight fitting arms ensure that the moves can be performed with clarity and precision. The material of the dresses is particularly specific to the underlying storyline of Joan of Arc, as it is a metallic and shiny stretchy silver fabric. This infers the idea of the dresses symbolising armour, which is relevant to the battles that Joan of Arc had to fight. The masculine armour like fabric then contrasts against the feminine style of dress, again backing up the important theme of Joan of Arc throughout the piece. The shiny material also shimmers in the light and emphasises movements and enhances angles that the dancers perform, whether they are big or small moves which then makes developing motifs clearer to see. The dancers have bare feet in each section of the dance, I believe this adds a sense of vulnerability to the hard faced characters and shows that no matter how determined Joan of Arc was she, and also the characters within this dance all have a weak spot. The dresses that the dancers wear also have calf length, fitted grey leggings underneath which we see in section two- and also work to highlight and emphasize movement. I also believe it was important for the dancers to wear leggings as section two has a lot of floor  work involved so it is practical to have these underneath the dresses. Make-up and hair are also important aspects of the costume within this piece and they highlight areas of intricate movement. This is shown in the Cathedral in section 2 of the dance where small eye movements upwards, then to the left are used. This move is simple but is an important reoccurring motif which could symbolise looking up to god- and therefore needs to stand out, which is done through the use of dark eye makeup that contrasts against the dancers pale faces. The red lipstick worn throughout shows the dancers are still feminine even though they have to wear a masculine army colour, and have a short style of hair which is what Joan of Arc had to do in order to disguise herself. The red lipstick symbolises danger and passion and also shows that even though they are pretending to be males- they are still strong female characters for sticking up for what they believe in. Dancers: All of the dancers look on average between the ages of 25 to 35 and are all female. I believe this shows a strong sense of unity within the piece to symbolise the fact that they are part of an army and also makes them all equal to each other. This is important as it shows that the piece is thematic- rather than narrative with main characters. Due to the style of the dance, I believe the dancers will of had to have had training in ballet and contemporary and be able to perform in confined spaces such as the black box theatre setting which is used and be adaptable for the site specific places that they had to perform. Another key aspect of the performance is that the dancers are very precise in the unison sections. This is effective as it heightens smaller movements such as the tapping of the feet in the cathedral setting in section 2. A way that the dancers could have done this is through using specific counts in the music and keeping to a rhythm. Due to their being a lot of minimal eye movement in unison within the routine- also shown in the black box studio in section 5 when the dancers look up as if to heaven, it is important that the dancers were aware of their focus points so that their movements were precise and equal to each other, which is something that is important throughout this piece. Movements: Section 1: The movement in section one is very contained and small. It is a duet between two of the dancers and involves using a lot or inticate armwork where they have to weavein and out of each other. This could symbolise that the battle Joan of Arc had to face was a constant struggle. This concept is also shown and the first female dancer in this section looks as though she is being dominated and controlled by the second femal character who is stood behind her throughout- almost overlooking all of her actions and having imput into what she does. This is shown as a movement when dancer two pushes dancer one down to the floor to continue her movements on a lower level. This makes dancer two look more superior and therefore gives off the impression she is symbolic of the males telling Joan of Arc she wasn’t allowed to fight. Section 2: Section two involves all 7 of the female dancers and is set in a black box studio. The floor work in this section such as the repeat motif which is shown also in section five where the dancers lay on their back with their feet flat to the floor and their knees bent on and angle with their arms by their side as they push their legs straight out to move backwards gives off an impression that they are symbolising beetles and other insects. Thesharp and angled movements give off imagery as if they are symbolising being bugs- which links to the heaven and hell paintings by the artist Bosch. Because much of this section is on the floor it is symbolic of Hell being present- and is where most people believed Joan of Arc went after her burning at the stake. The calf length leggings and bare feet that the dancers are wearing can also be seen in this scuttling back movement and highlight the angles of the legs- as is also done with the tight fitting sleeves on the arms. Section 3: This section is set inside of a Cathedral and shows 3 of the dancer standing in the alter and the other 4 laid in the knave. This symbolises the communication that Joan of Arc is said to have had with God who told her to  battle with the men, this is shown through intricate eye movement from the dancers standing in the alter as the first thing they do it look upward to heaven, to the left as if to purgatory and then downwards as if to hell. Use of a head tilt to the right when looking to the left is also used which could symbolise shock in hearing or seeing something. The dancers laid on the floor are symbolic of the dreams that Joan of Arc is said to of had and repeat motifs such as the rolling of the fingers that tap onto the floor suggest that her nightmares and dreams were reoccurring and made her react immediately- even before she woke up and decided that she wanted to go into battle. The dynamics in this section are a lot slower then any other andthe dancers are all individuals which suggests that when Joan of Arc visited the church she was distanced from everyone else and felt more alone and vulnerable. Section 4: Section 4 is set outside of the cathedral and is an adapted version of section 1, as it has 2 unison duets- one further forward than the other. This section is also very contact based and manipulative which gives an indication of the relationship that the dancers have with each other. The ‘crusifix’ arm movement is a repeat motif throughout and is shown is section 2 when the dancers sit up from the floor, as if god is helping them progress and become better people. It is also shown in section 4 when the dancers are lifted by the dominating dancers, and their feet are left loosely flailing beneath them while their arms lower so their palms are flat facing downwards. This motif could symbolise that god is now taking Joan of Arcs soul to Heaven as she is burnt at the stake. The shaking of the feet indicates that many people believed she would go to Hell- which is why the arms are lowered from the crucifix movement as this is less holy and God wouldn’t have wanted tha t for the female who stood up for herself.

Benefits of DuPont Analysis

Benefits of DuPont Analysis The dynamic environment of the world today suggests that one should be apt enough to apply his skills immanent to a system and also external with respect to credit management function. These functions include financial planning, plausibility of a defined business strategy or whether a particular merger or acquisition is feasible or not. This has to be done in a rapid yet meaningful way so as to be of immediate need to a particular firm or investor. There are basically four major reasons for an effective financial statement analysis. These have been mentioned as follows: It is useful for long-run business viability so as to determine whether a firm would be able to provide adequate business return when compared to the amount of risks taken. This is essential for outside investors. It is also used by creditors so as to find out whether a potential buyer has the capability to service the loans that are being made or not. Also, the analysts concerned about the internal development of a firm, require financial statement analysis so as to monitor the outcome as a result of applying the policy decisions, to make future predictions with regard to the performance targets, and also make an assessment of the capital needs of a company. The function of DuPont analysis in this is that it is used as a tool to provide an overview of financial statement analysis for the purposes as stated and also provide a focus for such analysis. In order to assess the financial health of a firm from the perspective of an insider or an outsider, there are four major areas that are covered. These have been stated as follows: Liquidity Leverage Operational Efficiency Profitability In this process, the DuPont analysis can be used as a compass so as to help the analysts find out the areas that are of significant strength and weakness (as applicable) from the financial statements. DuPont analysis stands as an appropriate place to commence the financial statement analysis as it measures the Return on Equity (ROE). As this indicates the rate of growth of the ownersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ wealth, it becomes one of the most important ratios. So, DuPont analysis might not be able to provide a detailed description just like a proper financial statement analysis, but it certainly stands places in providing an excellent snapshot an impeccable starting point of financial analysis. It covers the major areas of profitability, operating efficiency and also leverage. It can be seen in the form of equations as follows: ROE = (Net Income/Sales) X (Sales/Average Assets) X (Average Assets/Average Equity) Net Income/ Sales: Profitability Sales/Average Assets: Total Asset Turnover Average Assets/Average Equity: Leverage Multiplier Further, as the requirement of the company stands, one can also calculate the Return on Assets (ROA) by making a DuPont Chart. This can be done in the following manner: ROA = (Profit before Income and Tax/ Total Assets) = (PBIT/Sales) X (Sales/ Total Assets) DuPont Calculations and Analysis (Note: In this case we are making a comparison of two years) Profitability: Net Income/Sales 2008 6,536,358,000/ 17,868,672,000 = 36.5% 2009 3,080,531,000/ 16,015,133,000 = 19% This ratio indicates the rate at which a company uses the sales to generate profits for the company. One can see that it has decreased tremendously over a year. This suggests that the company has been trying to lure the customers with better benefits so as to decrease its profits. As the total sales have increased only marginally, it indicates that the market is in a risky position with companies cutting on profits to maintain previous customers and generate new ones. Total Assets Turnover: Sales/Average Assets: Total Asset Turnover 2008 17,868,672,000/ 54,790,875,000 = 0.32 2009 16,015,133,000/ 60,690,798,000 = 0.27 Return on Total Assets indicates how well a company has been using its assets to generate sales. It is significant as a company might be generating a huge amount of profit out of sales involved, but then it doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t check the efficiency with which it is using the assets for generating the amount of sales involved. In this, case the operating efficiency has decreased which means that the company has either made long-term installations which have not been used to implement sales in the best possible manner or there is a deficiency in the company functioning. Leverage Multiplier: Average Assets/Average Equity 2008 54,790,875,000/ 36,536,040,000 = 1.5 2009 60,690,798,000/ 36,000,753,000 = 1.68 The leverage multiplier is used for determining the debt financing as compared to the equity financing of a company. Generally, if a company increases the debts over equity for financing its requirements, it does it as the cost of debt is less because of tax-deductible interests but then there is a larger risks involved here. A company would have to pay a certain amount for sure before they can make use of the net income. Here, the ratio has increased indicating the fact that Emaar has taken more debt than a year before which means that it requires immediate funding to carry out its operations. Return on Equity The above results can be combined to calculate the DuPont ratio which in this case is ROE. ROE for 2008: 18% ROE for 2009: 8.5% Now, we know that ROE determines the profit as compared to the shareholdersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ equity. This has decreased over a span of one year which signifies the fact that the company would find it difficult to arrange for internal cash as it seems less attractive for shareholders. This is also evident from the fact that leverage multiplier had increased significantly. Gross Profit Margin: EBIT/ Sales 2008 7,053,765,000/ 17,868,672,000 = 0.394 2009 6,811,358,000/ 16,015,133,000 = 0.425 The gross profit margin of the company has increased which is again indicative of the fact that the company is paying too much of interests which decreases the net income. Return on Assets 2008 12.0% 2009 5% The net return on assets of the company has also decreased indicating the fact that the company has so far not made the type of income it has been looking to make with the assets that it has. This shows that the company looks to make long-term benefits out of the assets that it has generated.

Optimum Currency Area (OCA) Theory

Optimum Currency Area (OCA) Theory What criteria did Mundell use to identify an optimum currency area and how relevant are these criteria today in deciding whether two countries constitute an optimum currency area? An Optimum Currency Area (OCA) is a geographical region in which maximise economic efficiency is attained by the entire region sharing a single currency (a monetary union), or by several currencies pegging to each other via a fixed exchange rate. National authorities have come to the realisation that by merging with other countries to share a currency, everyone might benefit from gains in economic efficiency. An example of this can be seen in the formation of the euro where the countries involved do not individually match the criteria of an OCA, but believe that together they come close. The aim of national authorities is to establish the correct form of economic integration to maximise efficiency. One of the original founders of the OCA theory was economist Robert Mundell. In his first paper ‘A Theory of Optimum Currency Areas (1961) he presented several principal criteria to create a functioning monetary union. To support these criteria for an OCA I shall on occasion refer to an example of consumer preferences switching from French to German-made products by Paul De Grauwe (2003). The change in consumer preferences will cause an upward shift in aggregate demand in Germany and a downward shift in France as shown in 1 below. The output decline in France and increase in Germany is most likely to cause unemployment to increase in France but decrease in Germany. The first of the criteria for an OCA is price and wage flexibility throughout the geographical area. This means that the market forces of supply and demand automatically distribute money and goods to where they are needed. For example, with regards to France and Germany under perfect wage flexibility, the unemployed workers in France will reduce their wage claims, and conversely excess demand for labour in Germany will push up the wage rate. This inevitably shifts aggregate supply for France outwards making French products more competitive, and stimulating demand, whereas the opposite occurs for Germany. 2 below shows the effect of wage flexibility as an automatic adjustment mechanism. Mundell cited the importance of factor mobility as an â€Å"essential ingredient of a common currency† (Mundell, 1961) and thus labour mobility across the geographical region is one of Mundells main criteria for an OCA. In the case of De Grauwes example, French unemployed workers would move to Germany where there is excess demand for labour. This free movement of labour eliminates the need to let wages decline in France and increase in Germany solving both the unemployment problem in France, and the inflationary wage pressures in Germany. The existence of labour mobility relies on the unrealistic assumptions of free movement of workers between regions regardless of physical barriers such as work permits, cultural barriers such as language difficulties and institutional barriers such as superannuation transferrals. Indeed Peter Kenen referred to the additional costs of retraining workers and there is an â€Å"unrealistic assumption of perfect occupational mobilityâ€Å"(Kenen, 1969). Ronald McKinnon observed that â€Å"in practice this does not work perfectly as there is no true wage flexibility† (McKinnon, 1979). McKinnon is simply highlighting the point that in reality wage flexibility, as well as perfect labour and capital mobility do not always exist. Considering a case where wages in France do not decline despite the unemployment situation (no wage flexibility), and French workers do not move to Germany (no labour mobility) both Germany and France would be stuck in the original position of disequilibrium. In Germany the excess demand for labour would put pressure on the wage rate, causing an upward shift in the supply curve. The adjustment from the position of disequilibrium would in this case come exclusively from price increases in Germany making French goods more competitive once more. Therefore if wage flexibility and labour mobility does not exist then the adjustment process will be entirely reliant on inflation in Germany. Mundell stated product diversification over the geographical area is an important determinant of the suitability for a region to share a currency. This has been supported by many economists, such as Peter Kenen who says â€Å"groups of countries with diversified domestic production are more likely to constitute optimum currency areas than groups whose members are highly specialised† (Kenen, 1969). Finally Mundell stated that an automatic fiscal transfer mechanism is required to redistribute money to sectors with adverse affects from labour and capital mobility. This usually takes the form of taxation redistribution to less developed areas of the OCA. Whilst this is theoretically ideal and necessary, in practice it is extremely difficult to get the well off regions of the OCA to give away their wealth. Mundell produced two models in relation to OCA theory. In the first, under a model of Stationary Expectations (SE), he takes a pessimistic view towards monetary integration, however in his second paper he counters this, and focuses on the benefits of a monetary union under the model of International Risk Sharing (IRS), which has conversely been used to argue for the forming of monetary unions. ‘The Theory of Optimal Currency Areas paper by Mundell in 1961 portrays OCAs under stationary expectations. The assumption is made that asymmetric shocks undermine the real economy and thus flexible exchange rates are considered preferable because a shared monetary policy would not be precisely tuned for the specific situation of each constituent region. This paper led to the formation of the Mundell-Fleming Model of an open economy which has been used to argue against the forming of monetary unions as an economy cannot simultaneously maintain a fixed exchange rate, free capital movement, and an independent monetary policy. Whilst the Mundells criteria for an OCA is held in high regard my many economists, there are some criticisms levelled at him. Capital mobility is seen to have been a â€Å"greater adjustment mechanism than labour mobility† (Eichengreen, 1990) and this is a factor John Ingram criticises Mundell for ignoring. Clearly the openness of the region to capital mobility is crucial to the makeup of an OCA, as for trade to exist between participating regions, free movement of capital is necessary. However in the years that followed his 1961 paper on OCAs Mundell realised the criticisms of his previous paper and began to doubt the basic argument for flexible exchange rates as an adjustment mechanism. He became more appreciative of the adjustment mechanism under fixed exchange rates, â€Å"It was not that I had forgotten the Mundell-Fleming model, but that I had gone beyond it† (Mundell, 1997). In Mundells 1973 paper, ‘Uncommon Arguments for Common Currencies, he discarded his earlier assumption of static expectations to look at how future uncertainty about the exchange rate could disrupt the capital markets by restraining international portfolio diversification and risk-sharing. Here he introduces his second model of OCAs under IRS. He counters his previous idea that asymmetric shocks weaken the case for a common currency by suggesting that a common currency can reduce such shocks by sharing the burden of loss. He uses the example of two countries, Capricorn and Ca ncer. In spring, Cancer ships half of its crop to Capricorn and in return it receives evidence of Capricorns debt, a claim to half of Capricorns food crop in autumn. While one country is expanding its money supply and running a balance of payments surplus, the other will be running a balance of payments deficit, and the process is reversed during the next period. Mundell points out that this system is very satisfactory in a world of certainty, however in reality there is speculation about the convertibility of foreign currencies. If Cancer had a bad harvest and produced less crop, to redeem all of notes from the Capricorn would involve providing them with their promised share of crop as usual, leaving Cancer short. The only defence against paying out the promised share of crop would be a devaluation of Cancers currency and thus a reduction in the claim by Capricorn on the crop. Capricorn needs to get enough crops to survive and produce food in the autumn, so Cancer will not also be left short on supplies in the next period. The solution would appear to be a partial devaluation of Cancers currency, so that the burden of loss would be shared between the two countries. Mundell has shown that with different currencies comes the uncertainty of devaluation, a problem which a common currency would not have. Under a common â€Å"world† currency if Cancer has a bad crop the total amount of world currency will exchange for full quantity of crop, irrespective of who holds the money as competition and freedom of arbitrage assures a single price. So long as competition exists, and there are no time lags in the transmission of goods or information, the price of the food will rise for both countries and so the burden of shock is shared automatically and equally by the two countries. To reconcile Mundells two papers and assess the appropriateness the criteria on determining two countries suitability as a currency area I have decided to look at the case of the European Monetary Union (EMU) and its success as a monetary union. There are many examples of countries within Europe that would struggle to maintain international competitiveness without the currency area. The areas of the EU with low labour mobility are furthest away from meeting the criteria of a currency area. However, while the removal of legal barriers (such as visas) has improved this labour mobility, issues such as language barriers remain, for example, a French worker may not wish to move to Spain because they cannot speak Spanish, also people tend to have ties to the places they currently live and may not be willing to move away from them. Bayoumi and Eichengreen (1992) compared the US and Europe with respect to how disturbances in separate regions match shocks in a selected benchmark region. They chose Germany as the benchmark for Europe and found that there is a relatively high symmetry of disturbances within the core of the EU such as Austria, Benelux, Denmark, France and Germany. They also found that the symmetry was lower for western European countries. When compared to the USA, the EMU had a higher probability of asymmetric shocks. However according to Fidrmuc and Korhonen (2001) the extent of the asymmetric shocks is declining in the EU economies. Bayoumi and Eichengreen believe that countries within Europe are further from an OCA than regions in the USA, and so are less appropriate as a currency area. These studies suggest that two countries in the EU are less suited to forming a monetary union than the regions of the USA, although the situation is improving. Frankel and Rose (1998) argued that the higher the trade integration, the higher the correlation of the business cycles among countries, in other words there is greater symmetry of shocks. They also propose that business cycles and trade integration are inter-related and endogenous processes to establishing a currency union. Frankel and Roses empirical findings noted that EMU entry encourages trade linkages among countries and causes the business cycle t o be more symmetrical among the unions participants. Rose and Stanley (2005) find that a common currency generally increases trade among its members between 30% and 90%. These findings agree with Mundells argument that a common currency can help to deal with asymmetrical shocks. Frankel and Roses findings suggest that although two countries considering creating a common currency may not meet the criteria before they join the currency area they may do afterwards. Economists are divided in opinion between Mundells two OCA models. The contrasting views which Mundell presents in his papers have earned him a title as â€Å"the intellectual father to both sides of the debate†. While some economists support the theory of stationary expectations, preferring flexible exchange rates, and conclude against the euro, others advocate the IRS model, preferring the fixed exchange rate, and conclude in favour of the euro. Mundell himself seems to have eventually settled in favour fixed exchange rates in a monetary union however he does still advocate the use of flexible exchange rates in two cases. In the case of unstable countries, whose inflation differs significant from its currency sharing regions and in large countries where there is no established international monetary system, e.g. the USA. From Mundells studies I can conclude that two countries which are heavily integrated through highly mobile factors of production which are highly diversifie d in their goods should join a common currency. With regard to the relevance of Mundells theory today I would say his studies are still valid and used heavily as complementary theory to monetary integration occurring in Europe and throughout the world. References Robert Mundell ‘A Theory of Optimum Currency Areas, 1961 ‘Uncommon Arguments for Common Currencies p. 115, 1973 A Conference on Optimum Currency Areas at Tel-Aviv University, 5th December 1997 Paul De Grauwe ‘Economics of Monetary Union p. 7, 2003) Robert McKinnon ‘Money in International Exchange: The Convertible Currency System, 1979 Peter Kenen ‘The theory of Optimum Currency Areas: an Eclectic view‘, 1969 ‘Monetary Problems of the International Economy, 1969, pp. 95-100 Barry Eichengreen ‘One Money for Europe? Lessons from the US Currency Union, 1990 ‘Is Europe an Optimal Currency Area, 1991 J. Fidrmuc I. Korhonen ‘Similarity of supply and demand shocks between the Euro area and the CEECs, 2001 J. A. Frankel A. K. Rose The Endogeneity of the Optimum Currency Area Criteria pp. 1009-25, Jul 1998 A. K. Rose T. D. Stanley ‘A Meta-Analysis of the Effect of Common Currencies on International Trade, pp 347-365, 2005

Gender Identity without Gender Prescriptions Essay example -- Philosop

The feminist philosopher Susan Bordo suggests that the dilemma of twentieth-century feminism is the tension between a gender identity that both mobilizes a liberatory politics on behalf of women and that results in gender prescriptions which excludes many women. This tension seems especially acute in feminist debates about essentialism/deconstructionism. Concentrating on the shared sex of women may run the risk of embracing an essentialism that ignores the differences among women, whereas emphasizing the constructed natures of sex and gender categories seems to threaten the very project of a feminist politics. I will analyze the possibility of dismantling gender prescriptions while retaining a gender identity that can be the beginning for an emancipatory politics. Perhaps feminists need not rely on a reified essentialism that elides the differences of race, class, etc., if we begin with our social practices of classification rather than with a priori generalizations about the nature of women. Perhaps it is easiest to begin with that which seems self-evident: we categorize people according to sex. Therefore, it also seems self-evident that women form a (natural) group based on a shared sex, resulting in a common gender identity. Historically, feminism politics have relied on this assumed sameness among all women. Feminism can represent the interests of all women because, after all, women are all alike in being women. Of course, women differ with regard to race, class, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and so on. But these differences have been seen as less basic than the shared similarity of sex and gender. Recently, however, more and more feminists have protested that these differences matter just as much to one's identit... ...sitions within each of these [economic, cultural, socio-political] contexts .... Despite considerable variability in what this means for particular women, this general feature of women's experience is sufficiently universal, by all anthropological and historical accounts, that it would seem to support at least a qualified conception of a distinctive women's standpoint, one which takes into account the fact that gender is by no means the only factor shaping women's lives" ("The Philosophy of Ambivalence: Sandra Harding on The Science Question in Feminism as found in Science, Morality and Feminist Theory" eds. Marsha Hanen and Kai Nielsen, Calgary: U of Calgary P, 1987, 68). (25) Bordo, Feminism/Postmodernism, 153. (26) To paraphrase Bordo "the chief imperative was [is] to listen, to become aware of one's biases, prejudices, ignorance" Feminism/Postmodernism, 138.

Locke’s Logical Plain Method Essay -- Philosophy Religion Essays

Locke’s Logical Plain Method As those philosophers before him, or at least as far back as Descartes, John Locke is â€Å"perplexed with obscure terms and useless question† (qtd. in Jones 238), and is interested in starting fresh and free from the opinions of his predecessors. He devises the historical plain method in order to examine the knowledge we posses, with the assumption that the mind is â€Å"white paper, void of all characters, without any ideas,† (qtd. in Jones 245). My interest here, however, is to briefly describe, and to evaluate Locke’s historical plain method. The following passages are to demonstrate the chief values and key limitations of the historical plain method as it pertains to its own investigation of what is true from experience, and to show that Locke mistakes a logical approach for a historical approach, meaning that his method is a logical plain method. The historical plain method allows us to distinguish between what is true, and therefore important enough to warrant our consideration, and what is fantasy and not worth our time. It accomplishes this by examining an object to see whether it has originated from our sense perception, and is thus a sensation, or from the operations of the mind, and thus a reflection. If the object is thus found to have its origins in either the senses or the mind, then it is to be a true object, or one that does exist. Objects that are conveyed by the senses are such as â€Å"hard,† â€Å"red,† â€Å"loud,† and the like. Some are combinations of more than one simple idea derived from more than one sensory input. In the case of â€Å"fast,† the speed of something can both be derived from seeing motion as well as feeling motion. Objects conveyed by the operations of the mind are such a... ... reality of objects, but it may not have the ability to be proven beyond any doubt, and is thus less certain than the logical inquiry. Locke’s historical plain method, named so incorrectly, endeavors to show what is true and false, what is meaningful and meaningless, and therefore, what is important and what is not important. By examining objects it deems to demonstrate their origin as being of sensation or reflection. Since Locke assumed all ideas to be based on simple elements however, he pursued in that direction, which is a psychological and logical one. Thus, Locke developed the logical plain method, but mistakenly named it the historical plain method. For the historical order begins with the objects, and through investigation of it, we derive its simple elements. Works Cited Jones, W. T. Hobbes to Hume. 2nd edition. Fort Worth: Harcourt, 1980.

Advertising’s Affects on Self-Esteem Essay

â€Å"As most of us know so well by now, when a girl enters adolescence, she faces a series of losses- loss of self-confidence, loss of a sense of efficacy and ambition, and the loss of her ‘voice,’ the sense of being a unique and powerful self that she had in childhood† states Jean Kilbourne in her essay, â€Å"The More You Subtract, The More You Add†. These losses in adolescent girls are natural yet worsened by advertising and entirely overlooked. As media and advertising cause these effects, they also devise to offer just as Jean Kilbourne says, â€Å"Advertisers are aware of their role and do not hesitate to take advantage of the insecurities and anxieties of young people, usually in the guise of offering solutions.† Naturally, advertising has a negative and damaging effect on teenage girls’ self-esteem. Generally speaking, adapting teenage girls strive to be what they see. Commonly, when surrounded by advertising of flawless and thin girls, their goal is then to achieve the same qualities which brings dissatisfaction with their own body. In order to achieve these goals, teenage girls may go to extremes. When size zero models are consistently advertised, that size becomes desired by teenage girls who may not have the ability to be that size. With this desire, comes eating disorders. To reduce this issue, girls shouldn’t be surrounded by only overly thin women in advertisements to avoid added on pressure from advertising when that pressure is already naturally present during adolescence. Advertising produces subtleties that women should remain quiet and have less voice. Advertisements frequently include models with their hands and fingers covering their mouths with catch phrases adding to the negative message. Kilbourne illustrates this well in her essay by saying, â€Å"indeed this is one of the primary messages of the culture to adolescent girls. ‘The silence of a look can reveal more than words,’ says another perfume ad, this one featuring a woman lying on her back†. This expectation can be troubling for young girls, giving them the impression that having too much of a voice is bad, that they should speak in a different way other than using their voice. This as well creates an inequality between boys and girls, that girls should be more ashamed of their opinions and voice. The most distinct negative effect advertising has on teenage girls’ self-esteem is the sexual objectification frequently present in advertising. Advertisements tend to draw a strong emphasis towards sexuality. Girls are taught to be â€Å"overtly sexy and attractive but essentially passive and virginal† (Kilbourne) at a young age. In â€Å"The Merchants of Cool† they explain a â€Å"midriff† role present in the 1990’s explained as your body being your best asset to flaunt even if you don’t understand it. Young teenage girls are prime examples of midriffs because they don’t quite understand their adolescent bodies yet they are pressured from the sexuality shown in advertising to flaunt it the most rather than their brain. Even during Marilyn Monroe’s era, there were advertisements to improve your waist size rather than to reduce it because being curvy was the trend rather than being thin at the time. Yet even this had the issue of excluding naturally thin women that were unable to gain those extra pounds to achieve a thicker bust or waist size. There will always be issues in advertising in society; however, these issues shouldn’t be targeted to negatively effect teenage girls’ self esteem.

Morality by Kant and Mill Essay

In all the functioning of an autonomous society there must be a moral system that must be incorporated in order to establish on what is right and wrong. Almost everything in any given community is based on some given code of morals; government policies, laws, traditions and even relationships. Without these system, the society would end up crumbling since every day operations are usually based and do depend on shared ethics. There is always a moral law that is valid for all the rational beings and all the men in the virtue of their own rationality (Immanuel et al, 2005). What is wrong and what is right is a question that has led to numerous debates for theologians and philosophers. Both Mill and Kant have offered some noble visions of morality as they have centered their thoughts on rational and respectable rules and principles that do focus on their rest of the works. It is therefore imperative to get into details on their rules on morality, how they are different and other principles they have come up with in their work. Kant has used his proof basing it on the presence of science metaphysics in his moral philosophy. He asserts that if a law is in any case to have the moral force then it ought to carry the absolute necessity (Andrea, 1998). Science metaphysics is usually a set of the required truths that are needed in order for morality to exist. It is usually the fulfillment of a persons’ duty to the needed truths that does make any act have the moral worth irrespective of it impact. The will does make us opt to do some specific actions. According to Kant, the will is usually the only thing that can be referred as bad or good since with any bad will, all the other aspects in a person can be equally used for all the immoral reasons. Kant asserts that the Categorical Imperative is that we do owe our obedience through duty. This is the main basis of morality since if one does attempt to the will then the immoral principle becomes universal therefore creating contradiction. For example in case one wants to have an abortion, then applying the Categorical Imperative it means that if everybody did commit an abortion, then the human race would obviously cease to basically exist which is usually impossible and contradictory. However, in some instances the categorical imperative is invalid and has got potentials to be abused. Kant’s moral philosophy does ignore the human desires (Andrea, 1998). It does require that the human beings be in a position to follow the duty independent of their desires otherwise no one can be moral. Mills philosophy on the other hand, has provided a road map philosophy. His rule of moral philosophy is more complete than Kant’s. The Mills basis of ethics and the utilitarianism theory is essentially the greatest happiness principle which does state that ultimate end of any human action is actually greatest happiness for most people (John, 2004). Mill does explain that happiness is usually desirable since every person who believes happiness is attainable do desire their own happiness. According to the utilitarianism theory, happiness is usually gotten from the absence of any pain and the presence of quantity and quality pleasure. One of the divergences between the two philosophers is in their belief of the reason of morality. Kant believes that the reason is usually duty as any action that is done through any duty to the Categorical Imperative is usually moral. Though Kant’s theory is good in assigning the wrong immoral actions, it has failed to differentiate on the more and the less acts therefore it does not require the affirmative actions for the morality. On the other hand, Mill’s theory has a gradation system of morality that usually shows the actions to be less or more depending on the happiness it usually generates. Under Mill’s theory one can never be moral unless there is the increase of bliss to the human beings thus uses the Hypothetical Imperative, whereas Kant’s moral philosophy one can be moral and selfish. Mill’s theory is more basic because Kant’s theory also does lack specificity. Though most laws can be gotten from Categorical Imperative, it is not effectual for handling some peculiar cases. Mill does propose for systems of laws to be derived from the happiness principle and then morality will depend on following the laws. Mill’s philosophy can be changed over time according to circumstances unlike Kant’s (Andrea, 1998). Mill uses the Hypothetical Imperatives which unlike Categorical Imperatives are conditional and commands that does apply in case one need to attain a certain outcome (Sandra, 2006). Both philosophers have their logic and reasoning capability on morality. The patent issue is that in any given society, there must be laws and codes of morality to govern them. References Mill, John. (2004) Utilitarianism. USA: Kessinger publishing. Melbos, Andrea. (1998). Kant and Mill on Morality. Retrieved 10, May, 2010< http://qirien. icecavern. net/punkus/school/kantmill. htm Kant, Immanuel. , Paton, Herbert. (2005). The moral law: groundwork of the metaphysics of morals. Canada: Routledge.