Analysis of characters in Millers Tale

Miller’s Tale is a short but humorous narrative written in the 14th century in Britain. It belongs to a type of genres known as fabliau that were popular in France before spreading to various parts of Europe. In this type of genre, there is a great sense of realism than romance. Various characters are portrayed in a realism manner that shows an absence of magical aspects of the story.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of characters in ‘Miller’s Tale’ specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A Comparison of characters in this narrative shows evidence of the author’s ability to use people in reflecting the society. For instance, Emily and Alison are young ladies with the roles of describing the impact of ‘feminine love interest’ in the society (Morey, 2005). Emily is initially seen from a distance and is portrayed in ghostly or vague terms. On the other hand, Alison is depicted as a natural individual with human feelings and thoughts. She has cheerful lustiness, unlike Emily who has distinct lack of sexual enthusiasm. For instance, when praying to Diana, the Goddess of Chastity, Emily says that she wants to remain a virgin throughout her life rather than getting married. Despite this, Emily is first seen as the object of Arcite’s and Palamon’s male desires. She seems to be out of context of the human nature at the time, unlike Alison who is willing to love and partner with Nicholas in a romantic manner (Finlayson, 2002). In addition, the two women differ in their lifestyles. For instance, while Emily is simple, Alison is pretty and dresses in a tantalizing manner. Her clothes are embroidered on both inner and outer parts. In this context, Alison’s character is portrayed in a better and more elaborative manner than Emily’s character. This is an indication that the society of the time had high regards for women with norma l human feelings and nature, especially those who were ready to marry and start families. Nicholas is a poor student of astronomy and lives with Alison and her elderly husband, John. He enters into a romantic relationship with Alison (Morey, 2005). He craves to have sex with Alison. To have sex with her, Nicholas dupes John to sit in a bathtub on the roof of his house as a way of avoiding a natural astrological phenomenon â€Å"larger than Noah’s Floods†. While the elderly man agrees to sit on the roof, Alison and Nicholas get the chance to have sex (Finlayson, 2002). However, Absalom visits them. Unlike the humorous and wise Nicholas, Absalom is relatively naive and foolish. He is a parish clerk but like Nicholas, he is attracted to Alison. Nicholas, despite being poor, is able to use his knowledge and intelligence to get his way. In fact, he is able to convince John, despite being older than him, to stay out of the house while he haves sex with his wife. He uses wits to get Alison, despite the fact that he does not even have a house (Finlayson, 2002).Advertising Looking for essay on british literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is in contrast to the character of Absalom. Despite having a job, he cannot convince Alison to partner with him in a romantic manner. He cannot use his knowledge to dupe the elderly man. In addition, his lifestyle is different from that of Nicholas in many ways. For instance, he curls his hair and wears leather shoes that are decorated to look like the ‘glass windows of the cathedral’. Unlike him, Nicholas seems to be a simple yet romantic young man. References Finlayson, J. (2002). The Knight’s Tale: The Dialogue of Romance, Epic, and Philosophy. The Chaucer Review, 27(2), 123-131. Morey, J. H. (2005). The ‘Cultour’ in the ‘Miller’s Tale’: Alison as Iseult. University Park, PA: Penn State University P ress. This essay on Analysis of characters in ‘Miller’s Tale’ was written and submitted by user Sariyah Cantu to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Social Change essays

Social Change essays * Is violence even a necessity for social change?* Malcolm X stated that the ideals that he took early on in the Civil Right movement should be sought "by any means necessary", he was one of the first leaders in history to coin that phrase. Even without the alluring words, many other leaders utilized the simple concept countless times before. Malcolm X felt that social change could be gained in many ways and violence was one of them. (Why violence?) Furthermore, the French Revolution is another example of how violence was used in order to create peace and a better life. Although, the Civil War wasnt primarily about abollishing slavery, it still shows how violence changed life. The violence of slavery was eradicated through the bloodshed of war. (Intro. Sent) When people find suppression in their paths, they move it. In most cases they do this with force. It is a natural instinct to use force to attain a goal; watch any group of young children and see their strategies, there is no such thing as diplomacy. Kids will not naturally hand over...(continue sent.) And for the most part, diplomacy doesnt always work. The allies of World War II tried to mollify Hiltler in peaceful ways, never the less in the end they still went to war in order to stop further distruction and save inumerable lives. Another group that is portrayed as notorious is the Black Panther party. (Why?) Other factions of countries have gone to war amongst themselves in order to create social change (Vietnam, Cambodia, Russia/former U.S.S.R). A film that talks about Khmer Rouge and the conflict in Cambodia is The Killing Fields. This is about.... Another common example of social change is that a heinous event has to occur in order for attention to be brought to an already unfavorable situation. An example of this would be the Amber Alert System, which "originated in Arlington, Texas after the 1996 abduction and mur ...

Foreign Exchange Market and Forward Exchange Rate Essay

Foreign Exchange Market and Forward Exchange Rate - Essay Example Foreign markets handle large transactions instantaneously at a cheap transaction cost. Rational speculative bubbles cause the exchange rates to differ from its fundamental valuation. Foreign Exchange Markets readjust to cushion the market from the departure of technical efficiency. These departures may be from panicking traders, noise traders, herding instinct, and bandwagon effects. Other factors that may lead to misalignments in the Exchange markets include traders that are caught in liquidity squeeze in other financial markets. They bring volatility to the Exchange Markets. Some forecasters strongly believe that foreign exchange markets are efficient. Similarly, they argue that forward exchange rates are unbiased predictors of future spot rates .To establish validity of efficiency in foreign exchange markets, this paper will explore the international finance theories. It will support the claims through use of appropriate examples. Efficiency in Foreign Exchange Markets Efficiency in foreign exchange market encompasses a reflection of the relevant information regarding exchange rates. Efficiency considers both the forward and spot exchange rates. Testing efficiency requires analysis of two aspects of exchange rates. These are the spot rate and the forward rate. The forward rate should have all available information about future expectations of foreign exchange rate. Analysts argue that the market is efficient when the prices reflect all relevant information. This means that the traders cannot make any alteration in order to get unjustifiable profits. The market efficiency is very beneficial to investors, exchange rate forecasters, and policy makers (Brigham & Huston, 2012: 591). The theory of efficient market demands foreign exchange markets should embrace full information of the prices. This means that traders cannot make profits through malicious old information. In addition, they cannot use the past trends of the

Total Rewards System Proposal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Total Rewards System Proposal - Research Paper Example Due to the fact that the workers are the core of the business, the industry aims to make its collective achievement around its requirements as well as that of its workers. â€Å"By presenting the total rewards picture, employers gain the flexibility to shape the work experience in different ways at different phases in the company’s life cycle, as well as for different segments of the employee population† (Total Rewards Strategies for the 21st Century, 2012, p.6). Several industries have now begun to understand that they get improved performance from connected and engaged employees. Thus, this new insight has helped them to focus on rethinking their strategies for workers. They are introducing new methods to recognize, connect and maintain the right labor force in order to deliver plans that would entail in the overall development of the business concern. By adopting total rewards strategies, the industries are considering to make amendments in the character of work as well as expectations of workers. Managers have recognized that employee commitment affects the base line. So where reward plans have to be changed, managers are taking benefit of new tools to access improved information in order to take the most apt decisions regarding the human resource of the company. Total rewards strategy is a preparation for assigning reward resources in a way would ensure that the business achieves the organizational goals and objectives. â€Å"The eleme nts of a Total Rewards Program – compensation, benefits, work life balance, performance & recognition and development opportunities – create an environment in the organization which is completely focused on employee engagement. Total Rewards program elements are not mutually exclusive and results in satisfied, engaged and productive employees, who create desired business performance and results† (Total

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT - Essay Example This is how a need for vertical integration springs in some businesses. The idea of vertical integration was made famous by Henry Ford. He wanted to make everything on his own without relying on any foreign trade. Vertical integration gives a firm monopoly power over other firms. A vertically integrated company has a flexible supply chain and therefore can afford to hold fewer inventories. Lowered costs and greater control are major advantages of vertical integration. The problem associated with vertical integration is that it is very hard and expensive to implement. It is also not easy to reverse vertical integration in a particular firm (The Economist, 2009). Horizontal integration, on the other hand, refers to a kind of ownership in which a firm merges or buys another company which is in the same business. For example an automobile company buying another automobile company will be an example of horizontal integration. It is the expansion or growth of the firm at the same level of the value chain. This means that an automobile company buying an investment firm will not come under horizontal integration. The merger should be between two firms involved in the same business activity. Horizontal integration also offers many advantages for a firm. It allows a firm to gain more market share by catering to more customers. It helps a company expand into newer markets. It also helps a company gain economies of scale and in turn increases the market power of the firm. The process of horizontal integration is also not easy to manage because there may be many differences between two firms that can cause problems. For example there can be a gap in technological expertise of firms or culture of the two firms can be different. These differences make... The intention of this study is Toyota as a good example of vertical integration as it works closely with its supplier to assist them in their production of raw materials that are eventually used by Toyota in its cars. Toyota is not a fully vertically integrated firm but it applies the concept to a great extent. The company owns shares and stakes in its suppliers business and by doing so Toyota can exert its influence on its suppliers which is the main aspect of vertical integration. The main focus of the company is to develop a supply chain that can eventually add value to the end users and at the same time can reduce costs related to inventory and supplies. Horizontal integration involves owning another business in the same industry. In the automobile industry, again, horizontal integration cannot work by the books. Toyota cannot buy other automobile companies because it is not feasible for Toyota. Instead horizontal integration works when firms in the similar business collaborate f or a joint venture. This gives the two companies opportunity to work together but at the same time does not take toll on the management system. Handling two companies especially in the automobile sector can be a cumbersome tasks therefore joint ventures and collaborations work well instead. Toyota owns equity stakes in its supplier which allows the firm to control its supply side. Toyota is also holding equity in electric car manufacturer Tesla and this is an example of horizontal integration.

Credibility and Uses of Psychological Experimental Evidence

Credibility and Uses of Psychological Experimental Evidence Abstract Experimental psychology is the aspect of psychological science that explores the human mind and its perceptions and behaviors through experimental methodologies and subsequent interpretation of the obtained results. Again, â€Å"evidence-based practice in psychology is the integration of the best available research with clinical expertise in the context of patient characteristics, culture, and preferences† (American Psychologist, 2006). This definition is in line with the one advocated by the Institute of Medicine (2001) that says, â€Å"Evidence-based practice is the integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values† (Sackett, Straus, Richardson, Rosenberg, Haynes, 2000, p. 147). Experimental psychological research makes use of controlled conditions in experiments to conclude about the validity of a hypothesis and evidence-based practice in psychology constitutes a large part of it. This essay attempts to discuss the various experimental evidences used in psychology and form an opinion on the usefulness and credibility of those evidences. How Good is Psychological Experimental Evidence Evidences from experimental psychology are of interest to researchers working on human behavior, brain mechanics, neurology, and so on; regardless of where these are performed either within the laboratory or outside of it, human beings form the major part of the experiment. The primary goals of experimental psychological research are to be most cost effective, improve quality and increase accountability. However, the psychological community—including both scientists and practitioners—is concerned that evidence-based practice initiatives not be misused as a justification for inappropriately restricting access to care and choice of treatments (American Psychologist, 2006). Experimental psychology and its psychological approaches broadly deal with psychoanalysis, behaviorism, and cognitive psychology. Since psychoanalysis explores the mind and explains its behavior, it is of prime importance; that said, it has been argued that psychoanalysis is overrated, as it is only able to explain the behavior after it has occurred and not make any helpful advance predictions. Behaviorism explains a wide range of behaviors from language usage to moral values using the principles of behavior shaping, generalization, reinforcement etc. Behaviorists were able to come up with moderately consistent predictions but absolute predictions for individuals was not possible. Cognitive psychology, on the other hand, follows a very scientific approach to explain primarily non-discernable mental processes through experiments and models. The empirical approach to psychology is questioned by the advocates of the humanistic approach who lay emphasis on individual conscious experience and disregard experimental evidence. They stress on subjective perception and understanding rather than objective reality. The argument put forward by the humanists says that human behavior is the sum of one’s feelings and aura, and is shaped by the perception and understanding of one’s environment. Thus, humanists contend the experimentalists on the premise that a perspective of the whole person is important to settle on any outcome; one should look through the ‘observer’ lens as well as the ‘observed’ lens. The humanists are advocates of free will and reject determinism; they do not support scientific approach and are not concerned with predictions and control over human behavior. The right of the individual to control and dissect one’s own behavior is endorsed by humanists. In ‘Psychology as a Means of Promoting Human Welfare’, Miller criticizes the controlling view of psychology, suggesting that â€Å"understanding should be the main goal of the subject as a science, as he asks, who will do the controlling and whose interests will be served by it? â€Å" (Miller, 1969). Psychological experimental evidence can be valid in evidence based practice as it gives a data point on the theories that are being explored. It is about integrating individual clinical expertise and the best external evidence (Sackett, Straus, Richardson, Rosenberg, Haynes, 1996). Thus the external evidence provided by scientific approach like statistical methods is helpful in making deductions that in turn assist in forming the foundation for evidence based medicine. An experiment by Cathy Faulkner, to substantiate the use of confidence intervals for estimation is a case in point. In her study, she â€Å"asked a group of leading clinical researchers to think of a clinical trial that they have designed and then to think of the most central question in the trial. 81% of the respondents thought that it was – is there an effect? Then she asked them to rate the importance of three possible questions: 1) is there an effect? (2) How large is the effect, and (3) how clinically imp ortant is the effect? Given those prompts her expert respondents rated all three as highly important. In other words, their first response was influenced by their automatic dichotomous thinking but when prompted they immediately recognized that a trial psychological therapy is only useful if it tells us how large an effect the therapy is likely to give and how clinically important that is. So, estimation, meaning confidence intervals, is what we need for fullest information about the size of an effect and the best basis for assessing its clinical importance† (Cumming, 2012). The value of experimental evidence lies in the fact that it is able to provide a basis for future research and enable replication of the same, wherein a number of psychologists, after skillful experimentation would come up with similar answers. For example, in experiments on effects of drug habits, the experimental results would almost always validate stress as a consequence of drug abuse. Thus by replication of results and consequent corroboration of facts, a theory is likely to gain acceptance. Nonetheless, the limitations of the empirical approach following a specific scientific methodology are many: Since psychology deals mostly with humans, and no two human conditions can be the same, the results are never absolute. Moreover, human behavior changes with time and so would the results of experiments. In establishing causes for incidents, psychologists take the deterministic view and discount the peripheral variables that influence human behavior and ones they have no control over. Also the range of paradigms in psychology makes it difficult to advocate a universal law for any occurrence/observation. Again, since most of the parameters are unobservable, like memory, and some immeasurable, testability becomes an issue in such experiments. â€Å"Whenever psychologists involved in research or practice move from observations to inferences and generalizations, there are inherent risks of idiosyncratic interpretations, overgeneralizations, confirmatory biases, and similar errors in judgment† (Dawes, Faust, Meehl, 2002). Objectivity is almost impossible in some cases. Thus, integral to use of psychological experimental evidence and â€Å"clinical expertise is an awareness of the limits of one’s knowledge and skills and attention to the heuristics and biases— both cognitive and affective—that can affect clinical judgment† (American Psychologist, 2006). Judgmental errors and volatility of psychological experimentation is exhibited clearly in the 1971 Stanford prison experiment led by researcher Phillip Zimbardo, held in the basement of the psychology building at Stanford University. The objective of this experiment was to test a hypothesis on prison behavior, how captivity influences and changes an individual’s response and behavior. Zimbardo and his team wanted to find out if the cause of abusive behavior in prisons was the inherent personality traits of the prison officials. The participants of the prison simulation experiment, including Zimbardo himself got so engrossed in the characters they were playing (after sessions of de-individualization, disorientation and de-personalization) that it turned dangerous for the them and they were forced to stop it after 6 days. However, it was concluded that the situation is the biggest influence on a person’s behavior rather than the individual’s character. The Stanford prison experiment was an eye opener for ethical issues regarding psychological experiments using living subjects. It led to creation of better safeguards for the participants and meticulous scrutiny before embarking on experiments. It became imperative to demonstrate the necessity of the experiment and show how it would contribute to the advancement of psychology, and also provide clear option of opting out of the set up if it gets uncomfortable for the subject. Concerns on informed consent have also been dealt with to uphold the safety and health of subjects. Several other pioneering experiments like Stanley Milgram’s Obedience to authority experiment in 1974, Ivan Pavlov’s classical Conditioning experiment way back in 1903, Henry Harlow’s Emotional Attachment in rhesus monkeys have employed living subjects; the answerability thus automatically escalates when using such participants. In conclusion, it is clear that psychological experimental evidence plays an integral part in the progress of psychology; however, the researcher needs to strike a balance and critically decide on the need for empirical approach in preference to humanistic approach. Studies designed to investigate the credibility of psychological theories and explain certain behavior patterns by isolating situational controls using living subjects (human or animal) need to be handled with utmost care and precaution. The researcher should be in a position to adequately address any ethical issues that might arise out of the experimental set up. It is to be borne in mind that humans are prone to error and judgment might be prejudiced in some cases; it is important to be prepared for these contingencies. To tackle the concerns from humanists and warrant the use of experimental evidence, Slife and Williams (1995)have suggested: †¢ We need to try at least to strive for scientific methods because we need a rigorous discipline. If we abandon our search for unified methods, well lose a sense of what psychology is. †¢ We need to keep trying to develop scientific methods that are suitable to studying human behavior it may be that the methods adopted by the natural sciences are not appropriate for us. References American Psychologist, Vol 61(4), May-Jun 2006, 271-285. Cumming, G. (2012, June). Australian Psychological Society. Retrieved December 4, 2014, from http://www.psychology.org.au/inpsych/2012/june/cumming/ Dawes, R. M., Faust, D., Meehl, P. E. (2002). Clinical versus actuarial judgment. In T. Gilovich D. Griffin (Eds.), Heuristics and biases: The psychology of intuitive judgment (pp. 716 –729). New York: Cambridge University Press. Institute of Medicine. (2001).Crossing the quality chasm: A new health system for the 21st century. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Miller, George A. Psychology as a means of promoting human welfare. American Psychologist, Vol 24(12), Dec 1969, 1063-1075. Sackett, D. L., Straus, S. E., Richardson, W. S., Rosenberg, W., Haynes, R. B. (2000). Evidence based medicine: How to practice and teach EBM (2nd ed.). London: Churchill Livingstone. Sackett, D. L., Rosenberg, W. M., Gray, J. A., Haynes, R. B., Richardson, W. S. (1996). Evidence based medicine: What it is and what it isn’t. British Medical Journal, 312, 71–72.

Natures Gems :: essays papers

Natures Gems Desperately gripping the bend with screeching tires I accelerated down the slope toward a secluded lake, my lake. Edging the car over to the side, I wandered down to the water dampening my hand, revelling in the cool fluidity of it, feeling the burden of my conscience being lightened. I sat by its side, tossing stones into it’s willowy depths, watching the ripples slowly radiate from the epicentre. Stripping to the waste I waded out into the lake, the water was cold and refreshing it’s ice tendrils turning my skin a healthy red. I could still feel my hand throbbing from where I’d hit Mary, over and over until she had collapsed in a heap and I had fled the scene. Seeking peace of mind I had fled to the only place I could think of, this lake, this picture of tranquillity, I confessed my sins to it, felt reborn by it’s unspoken forgiveness and relaxed in it’s frosty grip. There would be loose ends to tie up now, for my future happiness I must n ot let this go unfinished. A low rumbling echoed down the hillside road, a sleek car followed by a cloud of dust traced around the bends of the cliff. God damnit he’s going to frighten any game off for miles around with that ruckus, Ruin my entire days hunting will he, well I’m not going home without something to show for it. Hefting my rifle I stalked off through the brush northwards. Pushing some branches aside I was greeted by a sight that wholly unimpressed me, once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen em all†¦ Some may consider this lake to be picturesque, a gem of nature. Not to me. This scene was totally uninspiring, the clam, slowly undulating waters were indifferent to me and me to them. The mountainous surrounds only made me feel more inadequate â€Å"in the great song† making my â€Å"verse† more insignificant. In my eye nature mocked humans and their pitiful achievements, this it the reason I loved to hunt, to kill, to extinguish this subtle mockery wherever I could. I heard a faint rustle to my left, ramming the butt of the rifle into my shoulder I pivoted and pulled the trigger†¦ Mary was down for only a few minutes, but when the stars cleared Harry was gone, the welts on her face were quickly swelling up closing her left eye.