Spinster and Women Role Essay Example for Free

Spinster and Women Role Essay PART A: Introduction According to the latest statistics reported by the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong, the population of single women has been on the rise over the past two decades. The population of women aged 30-39 who have never married has risen from 51,000 people in 1986, to 180,600 in 2009. In recent years, people in Mainland China and Hong Kong started to use the term â€Å" † to describe any woman who remains unmarried beyond the conventional age for marriage. In western culture, words like â€Å"Spinster† and â€Å"Old maid† indicate an older, childless woman who is unwilling and unable to marry. Undoubtedly, traditional Chinese culture has cultivated generations of women who believed that their ultimate and most important role in society was to get married and have children. If a woman cannot achieve those goals, she would be considered eccentric or unfulfilled. The objective of my term project is to change general perceptions of unmarried women. I do believe that there is a wider range of acceptable and alternative lifestyle choices for women, such as living together with a lover without being married, and marrying at an older age. Hence, I produced a short film, and entitled it â€Å"A Love Warrior†. The Choice of Character The character in my short film is Ada, a typical businesswoman who is confident, strong, outspoken and attractive. She represents a large group of modern women in our society. After graduating from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, Ada was awarded with two additional master degrees with recognized qualifications in Hong Kong. Although she is in her early-thirties, she works as a senior marketing manager in a German-based sports apparel manufacturer. With a highly educated background, it is obvious that Ada sees herself as a career-focused woman. But like other women, she also enjoys love life. In her most recent long-term relationship, she found out that her boyfriend cheated on her with a younger girl, therefore she made up her mind and ended this eight-year old relationship. After this painful experience, she became very optimistic and joked that she should be calling herself a â€Å" † and sees the world differently, there are many other good men available. Nevertheless, she is still seeking her Mr. Right and asserted her belief of true love and settled down. The Spinster Stereotype According with the Circuit of Culture (du Gay et al. 1997), culture is described as the production and circulation of meaning. On the whole, there are five stations: Representation, Identity, Production, Consumption and Regulation which are connected to each other providing a synergistic impact. Even fluctuation in one station would affect all other elements. Meaning comes from representations from language, photography, painting and ot her media, which uses â€Å"signs and symbols to represent or re-represent whatever exists in the world in term of a meaning concept, image or idea. † (du Gay et al. , 1997). Identity refers to how meaning is constructed or made and internalized by individual person or cultural group when confronted with a text (du Gay et al. ,1997). Production refers to the effort that an entity, for example, an individual, culture or industry goes about representing itself or products to others. Nowadays, meaning is also produced in a variety of different media. The modern mass media in a global scale circulate meanings between different cultures on a scale and with a speed. Consumption denotes that meaning is produced whenever people make use of appropriate cultural stuff to express themselves in. Regulation indicates that meanings help to set the norms, rules and conventions by which social life is ordered and governed. In other words, it is accepted as appropriate if the observed behaviour is pleasing to the individual or group. As long as the behaviour makes one uncomfortable, it becomes inappropriate. The approval or disapproval of texts may be in the hands of individual or groups within a cultural setting. During the early nineteenth century, unmarried women earned a living by spinning cloth at home. It was really the thankless work. The term â€Å"Spinsters† originally identified those women. Nevertheless, people used to associate middle-aged and unmarried women with â€Å"Spinsters†. That was definitely a symbolic representation, and became a social stigma attached to their status.. Feminist reject the stereotype of spinster. They point out that the term â€Å"Bachelor† which is used to label unmarried man, did not have the same negative implication as that of â€Å"Spinster†. Moreover, words like â€Å"Spinster† and â€Å"Old maid† pertain to the sexual as well as marital state of a woman (Schur, 1983). A bachelor could have several partners, yet it would be immoral for a spinster to do the same. People mostly implies that a bachelor is young, energetic, virile and available while a spinster eventually ages to a point where she becomes infertile and never bear children. Obviously, these terms for labeling unmarried man and woman respectively did not parallel in meaning. There are several psychological characteristics associated with the spinster stereotype: abnormal, unfulfilled and pitiful. In the traditional sense, spinsters were viewed as abnormal because they did not have children. Since spinsters would not have husband and children, they were alone in life which were viewed as unfulfilled by traditional definition. Also, people took pity on the lonesome spinsters who could not have true meaning in life without a husband and children. The Contemporary Image of Single Women In my short film, Ada represents a fashionable and cheerful lady although she is unmarried. She is dressed in trendy and sexy clothes, and has her hair bobbed. She looks chic and posh. She is confident to speak what she wants to express. She admits that she is eager to seek for her Mr. Right through online dating websites and marriage agency. During the photo shoot, she struck a posed on the Jacuzzi in the bathroom, and she drank the red wine in an Italian restaurant. These images convey the message that she knows how to enjoy her life and make herself happy, and defy conventional stereotype of unmarried women. Conclusion After completing this project, I think short film production is similar to photovoice. These creative approaches enable people, especially the stereotype group, to identify, define and enhance their community based on their own specific concern and priorities. Furthermore, I believe that in order to minimize the stereotypes for unmarried women in our society, cultural changes and breakthrough must be made. The struggle for these women to become a respected part of the society has been carrying on for centuries. Today, most single women have become sensible and smart on selecting the other half through wide opportunity for dating. (Word Count : 1103) PART B: There are 4 suggestions for improving my work. Firstly, I believe that the target audience of this project is unmarried women sharing a similar background with Ada. Hence, for the representation, I would have Ada encourages these women to follow her attitude towards life, being independent, assuming their femininity, breaking free from conventions and showing confidence with strength in both their career and personal lives. Secondly, having a strong female character as the main focus, the male audiences may feel offended by the tonality. Therefore I would have included various scenes in which Ada shows her femininity side in a traditional way, such as baking cupcakes or planting lavender. In order to seek acceptance from the male audiences, it is necessary to slightly tune down the independent and strong characters of single women. Thirdly, music can be use as a medium to express our feelings. The background music I chose for the short film is in English. The powerful lyrics of these songs illustrate the modern women’s attitudes towards their lives, and they are perfect to show Ada’s point of views, also to add more excitement for the audiences. However, due to language barrier, some audiences may not be familiar with these songs and not easy to be associated with.

John Quincy Adams Essay -- essays research papers

John Quincy Adams was a major influence in the history of the United States. John Quincy took part in more important events, and held more important positions than any person in United States history. Some of the important positions he held were he was American Ministers to four different European Countries (Hague, Prussia, Russia and England), a State Senator representing Massachusetts, peace negotiator to England, a member of the House of Representatives, Secretary of the State, and President of the United States. John Quincy followed in the footsteps of his father John Adams, when he became President of the United States, but both father and son failed to win their second term as President. Although he had many successes he viewed himself as a disappointment. He did have many accomplishments during his career, but he also had a few downfalls and failures during his career. John Quincy was not the most liked person in the country, but he stood up for what he thought and believed in . There was a time in the early stage of John Quincy Adams' career when he was a Senator, when many Senators careers would end because they did not follow the thought of their constituents. By this time Senate was to be a more executive council than a legislative body. If they became more of a executive council they would help advise the President. Senate was an executive council to the President for a while, until the Federalist Party didn't agree on foreign policy, and many more polit...

Cultural and Educational Rights in India Essay

As India is a country of many languages, religions, and cultures, the Constitution provides special measures, in Articles 29 and 30, to protect the rights of the minorities. The Cultural and Educational Rights is one of the six fundamental rights that have been granted to us in the Indian Constitution. This right allows every citizen of India to have a cultural and education up to where that person wants. This fundamental right is described in the constitution as: Any section of the citizens residing in the territory of India or any part there of having a distinct language, script or culture of its own shall have the right to conserve the same. No citizen shall be denied admission into any educational institution maintained by the State or receiving aid out of State funds on grounds only of religion, race, caste, language or any of them. All minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. In making any law providing for the compulsory acquisition of any property of any educational institution established and administered by a minority, referred to in clause (1), the State shall ensure that the amount fixed by or determined under such law for the acquisition of such property is such as would not restrict or abrogate the right guaranteed under that clause. The State shall not, in granting aid to educational institutions, discriminate against any educational institution on the ground that it is under the management of a minority, whether based on religion or language.

Top Fictional Books Set in France

Listicle - Definition and Examples of Listicles

Listicle is an informal term for an article made up of a series of facts, tips, quotations, or examples organized around a particular theme. Listicles, which may be numbered or bulleted, are particularly common in blogs and other online articles. Listicle is a blend (or portmanteau) of the words list and article. Examples and Observations on Listicles Something had happened to my brain during my long tenure at womens magazines. I wasnt sure if it was because my mind moved a million clicks faster than my mouth could keep up, or if I had edited one ​listicle, charticle, gridicle and relationship quiz too many. But I had developed a bizarre inability to speak before higher-ups without stuttering, which the creative director eulogized in a drawing of me with a stream of Er, ah, duh, durs coming out of my mouth.(Jessie Knadler, Rurally Screwed: My Life Off the Grid With the Cowboy I Love. Berkley Books, 2012)[H]is digressive narrative--which sometimes makes use of self-amused listicles--seems suspiciously influenced by styles that are popular on the digital platforms he inveighs against.(Review in The New Yorker [January 21, 2013] of The Missing Link by Philip Hensher)When Beyoncà ©s publicist emailed Buzzfeed earlier this week to ask that they kindly remove some unflattering photos of her client that were included in a listicl e of The 33 Fiercest Moments From Beyoncà ©s Halftime Show, little did she know that the Internet doesnt quite work that way.In fact, thats the exact opposite of the way in which the Internet works.Now, thanks to an unforgiving Internet phenomenon known as the Streisand Effect, those photos are not only everywhere--theyve become a full-fledged meme.(Neetzan Zimmerman, Beyoncà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Publicist Asks Internet to Remove Unflattering Beyoncà © Photos; Internet Turns Unflattering Beyoncà © Photos Into a Meme. Gawker, February 7, 2013) Writing for Readers With Short Attention Spans Editors at many newspapers and magazines welcome list articles because these features can be expanded or reduced as space allows. More important, list articles make great cover lines that motivate readers to buy magazines. When we put lists on the cover, our newsstand sales go up, said Mens Health editor David Zinczenko in a televised interview about the power of lists. In his blog, Zinczenko offers lists that inform readers on timely topics: the six worst foods to eat at the movies, the eight ultimate flat-belly summer foods and the six things your dad wants for fathers day. Lists are perfect for guys with short attention spans, jokes Zinczenko....List articles usually follow a two-part formula. First, you need an introductory paragraph that sets up the article by explaining the purpose of the list. Since these articles are straightforward, the introduction should be brief and to the point. Second the list is presented in either a bulleted or a numbered format. . . .Although list ar ticles seem simple to write, most of them require research.(David E. Sumner and Holly G. Miller, Feature and Magazine Writing: Action, Angle and Anecdotes, 2nd ed. Blackwell, 2009) The Appeal of the Listicle The list--or, more specifically, the listicle--extends a promise of the definitive while necessarily revealing that no such promise could ever be fulfilled. It arises out of a desire to impose order on a life, a culture, a society, a difficult matter, a vast and teeming panorama of cat adorability and nineties nostalgia. . . .The rise of the listicle obviously connects with the Internet’s much-discussed effect on our ability (or desire) to sit still and concentrate on one thing for longer than ninety seconds. Contemporary media culture prioritizes the smart take, the sound bite, the takeaway--and the list is the takeaway in its most convenient form. But even when the list, or the listicle, has nothing really to do with useful information, it still exerts an occult force on our attention—or on my attention, at any rate. (34 Things That Will Make ’90s Girls Feel Old. 19 Facts Only a Greek in the U.K. Can Understand. 21 Kinds of Offal, Ranked By How Gross They Look. ) Like many of you, I am more inclined to click on links to articles that don’t reflect my interests if they happen to be in the form of countdowns. And I suspect my sheep-like behavior has something to do with the passive construction of that last sentence. The list is an oddly submissive reading experience. You are, initially, sucked in by the promise of a neatly quantified serving of information or diversion. . . . Once you’ve begun reading, a strange magnetism of the pointless asserts itself.(Marc OConnell, 10 Paragraphs About Lists You Need in Your Life Right Now. The New Yorker, August 29, 2013)Despite the growing derision of listicles . . ., numbered lists--a venerable media format--have become one of the most ubiquitous ways to package content on the Web. Why do we find them so appealing?The article-as-numbered-list has several features that make it inherently captivating: the headline catches our eye in a stream of content; it positions its subject within a pr eà «xisting category and classification system, like talented animals; it spatially organizes the information; and it promises a story that’s finite, whose length has been quantified upfront. Together, these create an easy reading experience, in which the mental heavy lifting of conceptualization, categorization, and analysis is completed well in advance of actual consumption--a bit like sipping green juice instead of munching on a bundle of kale. And there’s little that our brains crave more than effortlessly acquired data. . . .But the list’s deepest appeal, and the source of its staying power, goes beyond the fact that it feels good. . . . Within the context of a Web page or Facebook stream, with their many choices, a list is the easy pick, in part because it promises a definite ending: we think we know what we’re in for, and the certainty is both alluring and reassuring. The more we know about something--including precisely how much time it will cons ume--the greater the chance we will commit to it.(Maria Konnikova, A List of Reasons Why Our Brains Love Lists. The New Yorker, December 2, 2013)

Compare and Contrast the Domestic Policies of Hitler and...

Fundamentally, both Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler had the same burning desire to each make their nation a respected and economically impregnable Great Power. Mussolini wanted to return Italy to its glory days of the ancient Roman Empire, a domestic policy amongst others which was used as propaganda and to ultimately consolidate his power. A strong economy and a united state were vital for both countries in case of the outbreak of yet another catastrophic war. Everything in the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state, stated Mussolini in need of desperate backup at home. Post WWI left both Germany and Italy with grave problems economically, which further repelled into social problems such as high unemployment and†¦show more content†¦Both dictators controlled imports, making it so that national goods were bought by the people instead of foreign ones. Overall, Mussolinis policies failed to make any significant changes and managed to do more bad than goo d to the economy, and as a result of the worsening situation in 1936 the Italian government was forced to devalue the lira. Hitlers economic policies succeeded in stimulating demand and raising the national income. This claim is supported by the GNP figures between 1933-36, which rose by 40%. In terms of women, both Mussolini and Hitler had similar policies. Firstly, contraception was banned in both countries. Mussolini tried to succeed in winning the Battle for Births on the home front using various methods. Young Italian men and women were encouraged to conceive marriage quickly and to procreate as many children as possible, similarly in Germany. ‘Il Duce believed that a countrys economic strength was directly linked to the size of its population. Furthermore, he wished to create a huge army in order to successfully carry out his plans of conquering areas such as Northern Africa, the Balkans and parts of Europe. In terms of males, Germany also had a shortage at the time due to the millions killed during WWI, so this was also something which concernedShow MoreRelatedHistory HL Paper 3 Europe6131 Words   |  25 Pagesto 16 marks] for structured analysis of the monarchy as cause and victim. [17+ marks] for balance, perception and perhaps different interpretations. –4– 2. M08/3/HISTX/HP3/ENG/TZ0/EU/M+ Assess the domestic policies of Napoleon I between 1799 and 1814. This question covers the domestic policies of Napoleon from First Consul to his defeat and exile in 1814, as many of his reforms were instituted before he became emperor. The main areas to assess are his legal codes, the Concordat with the ChurchRead MoreIb History Rise of the Single State Parties6245 Words   |  25 PagesTOMORROW (during exam): USE A BLACK OR BLUE PEN. 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But at the same time, without serious attention to the processes and misguided policies that led to decades of agrarian and industrial depression from the late 1860s to the 1890s, as well as the social tensions and political rivalries that generated and were in turn fed by imperialist expansionism, one cannot begin to comprehend the

Jimi Hendrix Are You Experienced Essay Example For Students

Jimi Hendrix Are You Experienced Essay Are You Experienced? The Jimi Hendrix Experience released its first album in early 1967. Popular music had been leaning towards psychedelics for a couple years already and Are You Experienced? came out at about the same time as the Beatles Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. Are You Experienced? far exceeded the Beatles triumph in complexity, capturing the essence of the late 1960s culture. Naturally the newer band did not share the immediate success of the Beatles. But its staying power has been testified to by several generations. The British version of Are You Experienced? contained a few subtle differences. Most prominent were the absence of Purple Haze and the addition of Hendrix standard Red House. Purple Haze caught fire in America after the Monterey Pop Festival and became Jimis signature song. Although it was said to have endless verses, Jimi generally sang only the shortened version from the album with a few ad lib changes. The single was sent to radio stations with a note: This song was intentionally distorted. Do not adjust. Are You Experienced?, as with most of the Experiences music, sounds heavy no matter how many times you listen to it. In actuality, the stony Purple Haze is about as close as they ever come to hard rock. The next song, Manic Depression comes in strong with the opening chords and then reveals Mitch Mitchells trademark rolling drums. It also contains another of Jimis solos worth listening to by any new or Experienced fan. Chas Chandler chose the quietest song on the album to give the world its first taste of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Its first single was Hey Joe, a song written by turn-of-the-century bluesman Billy Roberts. The first bars of Hey Joe leave no doubt that it is being handled by a master. It quickly climbed the British pop charts, topping out at number 2 behind Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. No other song written or performed by Jimi Hendrix had as much success as this one. When there are other people around, it makes you feel alive. But when you sit alone and listen to the music, every chord catches in your throat. Love or Confusion has happened upon me more than once when I was suddenly realizing the dispair of yet another relationship. If the answer to his question is not obvious during the song itself, Jimi answers it for you with his very last whisper. Love or Confusion is a wicked twister of emotion. It shakes you up and when you lose your sense of direction, it drops out from under you, leaving you to fall mercilessly to the depths of reality. Thats when May This Be Love enters to let you down easily. Mitch turns on the soft roll. Jimi sings sweetly about his waterfall. The pace picks up, getting hectic for a moment when Jimi recalls the other people in this world, with their plans. But they can do whatever it is that they do. Jimi doesnt  care, and neither do I, as long as I have my waterfall. I Dont Live Today goes through a couple of lead-in verses, but it wastes little time getting to one of the most psychedelic minutes in rock. At the apex, Jimi cries, Ah, There aint no life nowhere! When you hear it the statement is oddly comforting. The song leads out with Jimi pleading repeatedly to you: Get Experienced. If a thousand bands havent covered The Wind Cries Mary, it is out of reverence. Short and simple okay, Im not a musician, this song is like a dream. The colorful descriptions the traffic lights turn blue tomorrow. are a hint of what is to become Axis: Bold as Love the Experiences second album. .u7770bc9473d108b389e53c818e7d835c , .u7770bc9473d108b389e53c818e7d835c .postImageUrl , .u7770bc9473d108b389e53c818e7d835c .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u7770bc9473d108b389e53c818e7d835c , .u7770bc9473d108b389e53c818e7d835c:hover , .u7770bc9473d108b389e53c818e7d835c:visited , .u7770bc9473d108b389e53c818e7d835c:active { border:0!important; } .u7770bc9473d108b389e53c818e7d835c .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u7770bc9473d108b389e53c818e7d835c { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u7770bc9473d108b389e53c818e7d835c:active , .u7770bc9473d108b389e53c818e7d835c:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u7770bc9473d108b389e53c818e7d835c .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u7770bc9473d108b389e53c818e7d835c .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u7770bc9473d108b389e53c818e7d835c .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u7770bc9473d108b389e53c818e7d835c .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u7770bc9473d108b389e53c818e7d835c:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u7770bc9473d108b389e53c818e7d835c .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u7770bc9473d108b389e53c818e7d835c .u7770bc9473d108b389e53c818e7d835c-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u7770bc9473d108b389e53c818e7d835c:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Analysis of music in the film Grease EssayFire was one of Jimis favorite tunes to play live. Fast paced and funky, it leaves no guessing about Jimis desires. The lyrics petrified a million middle class mothers, as it turned on their daughters. A little advice: move over, Rover. Third Stone From the Sun stands alone in rock history as the only instrumental with words. It tells the story of an alien race which comes down to check out the planet Earth Mercury Venus Earth, get it?. It sees humans for what they are and comes to a natural conclusion. Obviously a case of supreme intelligence. Anyone who is trying to master guitar effects should start and end here. Youre so foxy, you probably think this song is about you, dont you? Youre not being paranoid. You are just a Foxey Lady. And you make me feel like saying Foxey. The album closes with the title song. Once again, Jimi wants to know, Are You Experienced? If your answer is no, youve been listening to the Hendrix singles. Buy this album and a pair of headphones. It wont be long now.