The Color Purple by Alice Walker A Literary Analysis Essay Example

The Color Purple by Alice Walker: A Literary Analysis Essay The novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker is a ground-breaking work in American fiction. The topic of emotional/physical abuse, especially that endured by black American women of earlier generations is not openly spoken about or documented in history books. By bringing focus to this sensitive, yet saddening, experience of black women, the novel attracted criticism, censorship and controversy. A careful study of the novel will reveal several themes, symbols and motifs woven-in by the author. This essay will confine itself to highlighting some of the major themes such as the representation (or lack thereof) of God, the interpretation of the color purple that is the title of the work, the symbolic value of the epistolary element in the novel, etc. One of the prominent themes of the novel is the degree of suppression of the female African voice in early twentieth century American society. This is most evident from the events and circumstances in the life of the protagonist of the story, Celie. During her adolescent years, she was repeatedly raped and sweared at by her stepfather. She even bears his child through the whole term, after which the child is taken away and presumably killed by her stepfather. The oppression and disparaging attitude exhibited by her stepfather is obvious in the following passage: â€Å"Well, next time you come you can look at her. She ugly. Don’t even look like she kin to Nettie. But she’ll make the better wife. She aint smart either, and I’ll just be fair, you have to watch her or she’ll give away everything you own. But she can work like a man.† (The Color Purple, Part 1, 1982) If this was traumatic enough, the unfolding events of her adult life are equally saddening and depressing. Her tumultuous adult life is about finding peace and calm in an existence that is constantly threatened by the abusive husband Albert, while also navigating the emotional confusion cause by her sexual attraction toward Shug. Fortuitously, though, her secret relationship with Shug serves to emancipate Celie to a degree, as she learns to act boldly and assertively like Shug. But the fact remains that the extent of abuse suffered by Celie is not only shocking but also touches the limits of individual tolerance. We will write a custom essay sample on The Color Purple by Alice Walker: A Literary Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Color Purple by Alice Walker: A Literary Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Color Purple by Alice Walker: A Literary Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Another important theme/symbol in the book is that of God, to whom Celie writes letters regularly, hoping vainly for benign divine intervention in her life. In all the doom and gloom that is Celie’s life, the notion of God offers the only consolation and hope. Celie’s letters addressed to God is also an effective literary device employed by Alice Walker. Through the course of the novel’s narrative, one can see how Celie’s interpretation of God gradually evolves. At first, her view of God is that of a powerful white male. This naive representation is a product of her personal past experiences and the structure of American society at the time. For example, she notes in one of her earlier letters: â€Å"Yeah, I say, and he give me a lynched daddy, a crazy mama, a lowdown dog of a step pa and a sister I probably won’t ever see again. Anyhow, I say, the God I been praying and writing to is a man. And act just like all the other mens I know. Trifling, forgetful and lowdown.† (The Color Purple, Part 4, 1982) But the friendship with Shug helps Celie to discard this view to a more nuanced understanding of God – one who is beyond gender, race, time or space. What Alice Walker trying to show the reader is the growing maturity and emancipation of Celie through the content of her letters. In other words, her letters reveal the evolution and stirrings of liberation within. Moreover, the letters act as powerful theological symbols, drawing upon the rich tradition of Christian epistolary. Finally, the color purple is also a thematic element in the story, for it represents the pain and suffering endured by Celie. Drawing upon the idiom ‘beaten black and blue’, purple stands for the color of clotted blood. It is also a symbol of Celie’s sexual and physical violation, as she equates her private parts to this color. But as a reflection of her inner transformation, the color purple is used to represent positive things in life. This is evident in the passage where Shug remarks to Celie in a field of purple flowers thus: â€Å"You must look at all the good and acknowledge them because God placed them all on earth†. (The Color Purple, Part 2, 1982) Eggplant, which takes a hue of purple, is referred in a similar context: â€Å"When I see Sofia I don’t know why she still alive. They crack her skull, they crack her ribs. They tear her nose loose on one side. They blind her in one eye. She swole from head to foot. Her tongue the size of my arm, it stick out tween her teef like a piece of rubber. She can’t talk. And she just about the color of a eggplant.† (The Color Purple, Part 2, 1982) Work Cited: Alice Walker, The Color Purple, published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1982, ISBN 0151191530.

Rebecca Nurse Essays

Rebecca Nurse Essays Rebecca Nurse Paper Rebecca Nurse Paper Essay Topic: Rebecca In 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, ten teen-age girls claimed that Reverend Samuel Parris slave, Tituba and two elderly women from the town a Salem had bewitched them. In four months hundreds of people were imprisoned, 19 of whom were hanged and one was pressed to death with rock, all due to witchcraft. Two hundred and sixty years later the people of the United States became frightened that communism would strike America as it had in countries such as China and the USSR. People who were suspected of communism were brought before inquiries that were televised and were asked to sign confessions, lead by McCarthy. Senator Joseph McCarthy was anti-communist supporter who lead investigations to seek out people who had left wing sympathies. He worked on the principle of guilty until proved innocent, the opposite of methods usually worked with in a fair court system. One of the ways to get out of it was to name others. Most of the people brought before inquiries were not communists, although they may have been slightly left wing. Although they were not executed, they were prevented from ever working again. Miller wrote the play in the 1950s in America whilst this was going on. The main people who were attacked by these activities were people who worked in mass media, such as Miller himself. Miller saw a similarity between the Salem Witch trials of 1692 and the un-American activities in America in his life and wrote a play set in the Witch Trials in 1692. The main characters in the play are: Parris, a forty year old widower who was Reverend of the village; Abigail, Paris niece aged 17; Proctor, a farmer in his mid-thirties married to Elizabeth with two children; Giles Corey, eighty year old man often blamed for problems in the village; Hale, nearing forty Reverend of Beverly, a nearby town and Danforth, Deputy Governor of the village. The play begins by Parris catching a group of girls dancing in the woods and they are said to be trying to make contact with the devil. Parris accuses them of practising witchcraft. Whilst this is happening Betty and Ruth are struck down with a strange illness and witchcraft is immediately accused. John Proctor and Abigail have a conversation about their past affair and Abigail tells him that she is waiting for him every night but Proctor tells her that he is over her. Reverend Hale a specialist in witch hunting arrives and examines Betty. He questions Abigail and Tituba, Tituba admits to witchcraft to avoid hanging, they begin to name others and accuse them of consorting with the devil. Danforth arrives in town to supervise the court proceedings against the accused witches. Elizabeth encourages John to go and testify against the girls, then Mary arrives and tells Elizabeth that Abigail cried witch against her. Hale arrives and questions the Proctors about Christianity, Proctor can recite all the commandments apart from the one forbidding adultery. Elizabeth is arrested as she is accused of stabbing Abigail in the stomach, through a poppet. Francis, Corey and Proctor go to court to proclaim their wives innocence and Corey charges Putnam with making his daughter incriminate townsmen with the intention of obtaining their land, he has a witness but will not name them and so is arrested. Mary is persuaded by Proctor to tell the truth and is brought to court, but Abigail denies this and leads the other girls to act as if being witched by Mary. Proctor tells the truth about his affair with Abigail and says that Elizabeth can substantiate his claim and that she is incapable of lying. Elizabeth is brought before the court and in an effort to save her husbands name she lies for the first time in her life. By this time Mary is overcome by the hysterical cries from the girls and so joins in with them and accuses Proctor of being a witch. Hale pleads with the prisoners to save themselves and requests that Danforth pardon the accused but Danforth says that I cannot pardon these when twelve are already hanged for the same crime. It is not just. Hale asks Elizabeth to ask Proctor to save himself she agrees to see him, but promises nothing. Whilst alone she forgives him for being unfaithful believing that its partly her own fault. She did not tell him what to do but tells him to judge himself, as she cannot. Proctor does not want to die and confesses, but will not name others. He tears up his confession and Hale shouts to Elizabeth Woman plead with him! But Elizabeth refuses saying He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him! Parris was aged forty in the play, a widower and Reverend of the village. He believes that he is superior to the majority of the villagers and particularly Proctor. He feels insecure, as he is worried of losing his job and his reputation for now my ministry is at stake. In the beginning Parris does not wish the situation to get out of control but let you say nothing of witchcraft yet. His admiration for Hale is evident as soon as he arrives as he carries his heavy books for him.

Legal and economic rights of Ancient Egyptian women Essay

Legal and economic rights of Ancient Egyptian women - Essay Example Any assets she brought into the home were under her control though her husband had use of them. Any property amassed during the marriage was governed by the husband but a share of it belonged to the wife. One third of the property went to her if the marriage ended or her husband died. The ability to reproduce offspring was a crucial aspect to every ancient Egyptian woman. One who was fertile was considered to be successful in the eyes of their husbands, family, friends, and society in general. If she was sterile and could not procreate most men sought divorce. They saw raising as many children as possible as a testament to their masculinity. However, as in modern society, adoption was the way to remedy the situation of infertility. Because of the shorter life expectancy and high birth rates in ancient Egypt, there were many orphaned children who sought homes and families. As in most legal cases in Egypt, women were afforded many property rights. All private property she brought into a marriage belonged to her in the event of divorce. She was entitled to inherit one third of all property purchased during the marriage upon the death of her husband. The remaining two thirds was allotted to the children and siblings of the deceased. She also had the ability to entrust her husbands property to her children or her siblings. On the flip side, she could also exclude her children from her personal and shared property. It could be awarded to certain children and omitted from others. Egyptian women entered into all kinds of contracts: marriage, divorce, property, and even self-enslavement to name a few. The latter was actually common amongst both men and women. To enter into... The proof that Egyptian women were entitled to this legal and economic independence was acquired during the Ptolemaic period. The Greeks ruled Egypt around 300 B.C. though each had their own separate laws and social economic traditions. To this kind of notoriety comes another type that is more like infamy. Some women became famous for being convicted of crimes. An example is a woman named Nesmut who committed robberies of royal tombs. One woman fled her district to avoid paying labor on her royal estate and was incarcerated at Thebes. Then there were the prostitutes and wives that were involved in the harem conspiracy of Ramesses III-they had their ears and noses cut off. Of course, the number of women’s crimes compared to men’s crimes is significantly smaller. These women were very brazen and they felt they could be equal to men in just about any endeavor they undertake whether heroic or dastardly. The stigma of Egyptian women in public was somewhat of a mixed bag. The y were free to go out in public as they worked out in fields and workshops. It was not necessary for them to wear a veil at this time. Ramesses III stated in one inscription that he enabled women the freedom of going where they wanted without the worry of danger. Another inscription was found with a less liberating tone. It denounced women who were traveling into town and were unknown and alone. They were supposedly irreverent and free with their sexuality. Although they had the legal freedom to travel, Egyptian social customs dissuaded that notion.

The Role of Cognitive and affective conflict in early implementation Essay

The Role of Cognitive and affective conflict in early implementation of activity - based cost management - Essay Example The article is an empirical study of the problems concerning the implementation of activity-based cost management (ABCM), particularly during its introductory phase, as the new system impacts on the behavioural element in the organization. Two conflicts are apparently engendered when ABCM is newly implemented – there is the cognitive conflict and the affective conflict. The study tries to discover empirical evidence, through a survey of 56 senior managers representing as many manufacturing companies that have adopted the use of ABCM in their organizations. Through the use of regression and correlation statistics, the results of the survey are expected to yield insights into the relationship between conflict constructs and the seleted ABCM implementation factors. Through this study, the researcher hopes to gain insight into how manufacturing companies may benefit, financially and operationally, from activity-based cost management, while mitigating the adverse effects and enhanc ing the beneficial effects of behavioural considerations attendant to the change. The title is somewhat long-winded, but it does convey a good idea of the topic of the research study. It conveys the subject of how employees behave when change is introduced in an organization. It also captures the interest of the business student to know more about what activity-based cost management is and why it would result in behavioural conflict. From the point of view of managers, the title immediately hints that this study could provide useful insight into best practices in the management of change, in particular regarding activity-based cost management. The abstract is particularly well written. The dilemma addressed by the study is described in a way that could be easily understood by readers with a reasonable familiarity with business organizations. Hands-on managers

Organizational culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Organizational culture - Essay Example It also focuses on ways of implementing the concept of organisational culture in its operations so as to ensure optimal performance of the organisation. Recommendations will also be given at the end so as to suggest the best possible ways that can be implemented to ensure that there is compliance between the organisational culture and its stated goals. MSD is a multinational pharmaceutical company with headquarters in USA but it operates in more than 100 countries across the globe. Particular attention is given to MSD in the Arabian Gulf region where I am currently working in the sales field. The company has more than 150  000 employees around the globe and it operates in different areas with people from different cultural backgrounds. In my own country, there are more than 300 employees and of interest is that the organisation has more than 80 years in business now. However, as going to be outlined, the organisational culture needs to be constantly refined in order to meet the changing demands of the environment. There is also need for flexibility where the workers need to be developed and trained to play a part in decision making in areas that affect them and their work. According to Brown (1998), research suggests that strong, adaptable cultures which value stakeholders and leadership, and which have a strong sense of mission are likely to be associated with high performance over a long period of time. Basically, organisational culture is a system that tries to make a distinction between one organisation from the other and there are various definitions of organisational culture that have been developed over the years. â€Å"Organisational culture refers to a system of shared assumptions held by members which distinguishes one organisation from the other,† (Werner 2003: 25). In the case of MSD, it can be noted that there are no espoused values that are clearly stated by the

International Accounting Developments in Egypt

International Accounting Developments in Egypt Identify the nature of the accounting system used in the country and give supporting evidence to justify the reasons for your decision. As a country, Egypt has experienced a dramatic change towards democracy and transparency. This has further been exposed within the financial statements produced in the country. Through the development of the Egyptian Accounting Standards, the country has transformed from a centralised economy, branded by secrecy to an economy based around the global market, providing full disclosure for its stakeholders (Dahawy, Merino and Conover, 2002. pp. 203,204). The setting of accounting standards in Egypt since January 2016 has been a combined effort of a committee of experts from The Egyptian Society of Accountants Auditors, the Central Auditing Agency, the General Authority for Investment and the Egyptian Institute of Accountants. The Egyptian Accounting Standards follow a principle based accounting policy, like that of the IFRS. External factors have a direct influence on the financial reports of a firm, based on where it is operating. Whilst Egypt develops into a more democratic nation, t he social, economic and political factors will develop the accounting standard. As (Adela, D. 2011) states, many specialists believe this is not possible using a rules-based accounting policy, and instead these rules should reinforce a principle, rather than rending it meaningless. Explain any differences between the accounting standards/system used in the country under review and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). From 2006, the Egyptian Accounting Standards have released an entire set of Standards, with 35 of those based on the IASs. Only EAS 1, 10, 19 and 20 are the exceptions. EAS 1 focuses on the presentation of the financial statements, like that of IAS 1. The Egyptian Accounting Standard requires the distribution of profits to employees and board of the directors to decrease the retained earnings directly, without effecting the income figure in the income statement. This has an immediate effect on the Earnings per Share calculation. EAS 10, fixed assets and depreciation, shows a distinct difference to IAS 16. EAS 10 prevents the re-evaluation of a fixed asset, unless the situation is one approved by the Egyptian law. Under IAS 16, the asset is carried at a revalued amount, being the fair value at that date less depreciation and impairment, thus providing a fair value that can be measured reliably (Iasplus.com, n.d.). EAS 19 emphases the disclosure in the financial statements. It necessit ates that the accumulation of general provisions for loans, is fashioned through a decrease of income in the income statement, rather that the IFRS 7 requirement of decreasing the sum from owners equity. Although EAS 10 does not directly affect the owners equity, as net income is included in calculating the owners equity, a reduction in income would in effect reduce the owners equity. One substantial change that does occur for the business through the difference is that of the profit margin. EAS 20 surrounds a companys use of leasing. The requirement of the Egyptian Accounting Standard is that while the asset is leased, the lessor must keep the asset in their accounting books, and will depreciate it whilst the lessee reports the rental payments as expenses, contradicting the requirements of IAS 17 where leased assets are treated in the balance sheet as a receivable, at an amount equal to the total investment in the lease (Iasplus.com, n.d.). Critically discuss whether you believe these differences cause major issues from the viewpoint of global stakeholders. Global stakeholders, such as World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have had a major influence on the Egyptian economy since 1991, when an economic reform was launched by the government (Khlif and Samaha, 2013). Since taking an interest in Egypt, major stakeholders such as WB and IMF have pressured Egypt towards adopting the International Accounting Standards, assuring that the application and implementations of the accounting standards are necessary to the confidence of external investors supplying the economy with funding (reference). To an extent, with the exception of four standards, the EAS has been built on this influence, developing on the International standards and applying the standards suitable to the Egyptian environment. The difference in EAS 1 to that of IAS 1 directly effects the earnings per share of the company. This could cause confusion for foreign investors, expecting that the company is in a significantly healthier position, as the earnings per share is o ften used as a tool to evaluate a companys profitability. Revaluation of fixed assets allows investors and the business to accurately view the true market value of a fixed asset. The difference between EAS 10 and IAS 16 could cause a difficulty to foreign investors in evaluating the true value of a companys assets. Without re-evaluating these assets, a companys financial reports will show their fixed assets as a much higher amount than their assets are currently worth in the market. This is especially true for technology based fixed assets which have a rapid decrease in value over time. A higher fixed asset amount causes difficulty in calculating a companys true net assets as well as the companys fixed asset turnover ratio. The main concern for stakeholders through the differences of EAS 19 and IFRS 7 would be the effect on the profit margins of the company. The profit margin of a company is calculated as net income divided by sales. With EAS 19 reducing income from the accumulation of general provisions for loans the numerator of the equation will reduce, causing the business to appear less profitable, discouraging foreign investors. EAS 20, unlike EAS 1,10 and 19, can give confidence in the financial reports to stakeholders. Unlike IAS 17, under EAS 20, a leased asset remains in the financial reports of the lessor, allowing a clearer understanding to stakeholders the value of the assets and liabilities of the company. As a developing country, Egypt had a lack of alternative information sources for investors, such as earnings forecasts, since the introduction of the standards in Egypt, this information has become easier to obtain (Ragab and Omran, 2006). These differences in standards hasnt been the only difficulty for the view of foreign investors, (Salem. 2001. p.112) has also described the difficulty caused through the existence of multiple descriptions of the accounting standards, provided by the ECM, CAA and Egyptian accounting profession, forcing invest ors rely on their intuitiveness, rather than the information provided in the financial reports of Egyptian organisations. Evaluate whether the current position, and any near future changes are likely to lead to issues regarding the country achieving full convergence with IFRS as issued by the IASB Throughout the development of the EAS, there has always been a connection to the standards of the International Accounting Standard. In 1997, the EAS was characterised of 19 standards, primarily based on that of the International Accounting Standard (Dahawy, Merino and Conover, 2002). The main concern on the standard, although stated by the EIAA that the EAS was essentially an Arabic Version of the International Accounting Standard, (Hassan. 2008) acknowledged that two interviewees stated that the translations of the standards included some mistakes, in addition (Hassan. 2008) continues to pronounce the descriptions as similar, yet do not mirror that of the IASs. An official translation of the standards arrived in 2002, with the introduction of three new standards, by the Arab Society of Certified Accountants, based in Jordan. (Carruthers, 1995) has debated that building the standards through a combined effort, these organisations have contributed further in avoiding the adoption of the IAS in Egypt. This is due to each organisation providing similar, yet slightly different descriptions for the standard allowing business managers the discretion to choose a suitable description for their desires, and not conforming to the framework provided by the IAS. As (Hassan. 2008) presented in a case study on financial reporting in Egypt, harmonisation between the EAS and IFRS would not entirely meet the needs of stakeholders, as the country has developed standards to better suit the environment in which the firms providing the reports are operating in. Although a previously centralised economy, since 1997 the Egyptian Capital Market set laws to ensure to legally enforce that joint stock companies and partnerships limited by shares that their financial statements must be in harmony with the standards set by the IAS. While there is some harmony between the two accounting standards, (Hassan. 2008) clarifies in his findings that the Egyptian Accounting Standards were designed solely to overcome the pre-existing socialist accounting practises, whilst also increasing the adherence to the process of privatisation. Full convergence is a very difficult task due to political, economic, social and cultural factors that differ between each country. One possible route for the country to obtain this convergence would be to follow the FASB in the creation of the Memorandum of Understanding (Fasb.org,2014) and work together with the IASB to rather than trying to eliminate the differences between the standard develop a new common standard, to improve the quality of the financial reporting. References Adela, D 2011, Principles- and rules-based accounting debate. implications for an emergent country, Annals Of The University Of Oradea, Economic Science Series, 20, 1, pp. 602-608, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost. Alexander, D. and Jermakowicz, E. (2006). A true and fair view of the principles/rules debate. Abacus, 42(2), pp.132-164. Carruthers, B. (1995). Accounting, ambiguity, and the new institutionalism. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 20(4), pp.313-328. Dahawy, K., Merino, B. and Conover, T. (2002). The conflict between IAS disclosure requirements and the secretive culture in Egypt. Advances in International Accounting, 15, pp.203-228. Dahawy, K., Shehata, N. and Ransopher, T. (2011). The State of Accounting in Egypt: A Case. pp.2-8. Iasplus.com. (n.d.). IAS 16 Property, Plant and Equipment. [online] Available at: https://www.iasplus.com/en/standards/ias/ias16 [Accessed 2 Jan. 2017]. Iasplus.com. (n.d.). IAS 16 Property, Plant and Equipment. [online] Available at: https://www.iasplus.com/en/standards/ias/ias16 [Accessed 2 Jan. 2017]. Kamal Hassan, M. (2008). The development of accounting regulations in Egypt. Managerial Auditing Journal, 23(5), pp.467-484. Khlif, H. and Samaha, K. (2013). Internal Control Quality, Egyptian Standards on Auditing and External Audit Delays: Evidence from the Egyptian Stock Exchange. International Journal of Auditing, 18(2), pp.139-154. Mostafa Kamal Hassan, (2008) Financial accounting regulations and organizational change: a Habermasian perspective, Journal of Accounting Organizational Change, Vol. 4 Iss: 3, pp.289 317 Ragab, A. and Omran, M. (2006). Accounting information, value relevance, and investors behavior in the Egyptian equity market. Review of Accounting and Finance, 5(3), pp.279-297. Salem, A.K. (2001). The role of financial disclosure in serving the needs of investors decision-making processes under the economic liberalisation policy in Egypt. Unpublished Ph.D dissertation. Alexandria University.

Freedom of Speech & Censorship on the Internet :: social issues

Freedom of Speech & Censorship on the Internet Introduction With more and more frequency the newspapers are reporting instances of school children distributing disks of pornographic images which they have downloaded from the net and recently a university student was found to be operating such a site for material. On November 11, an Associated Press release (Phillips,1994) reported that Carnegie Mellon University had decided to block its users from accessing sexually explicit materials through the Internet: the university's president feared that the university could be prosecuted under state pornography laws if it did not control the access. Within the last week Towson State has prevented access to all of the alt.* groups on the Usenet which include alt.binaries.pictures.* which has sexually explicit pictures. Towson State has also included a warning on their home page that there may be pornographic material on the Internet. Pornographic material is not the only material to be found on the net which can raise questions of censorship and contro l: discussion of racial, political, religious and sexual topics all run the risk of offending someone, somewhere, leading to demands for control of the Internet. The question of censorship may also be raised in some unexpected places: one newsgroup is the rec.humor list, which is a collection of jokes submitted to subscribers. There are straightforwardly rude jokes but others are politically incorrect, focusing on sexual stereotypes, mothers-in-law, women and so on. It has been suggested (Interpersonal Computing and Technology, 1994) that discretionary warning labels could be attached to potentially offensive material. With warning labels like those on records this may serve to whet appetites. Warning labels involve some sort of judging and then the question is raised as to who shall be the judge. The Internet is world-wide so would the First Amendment apply in Germany? The material on the Internet which is grossly offensive by any standards, such as paedophile material, is extremely difficult to find because of its small amounts. Of the 976 obscenity cases handled between 1991 and 1993 only 11 involved computer files, while 0.3% of the obscene material seized by Customs staff in 1992-93 were computer items (Cornwall, 1994). This paper considers the question of censorship on the Internet - does it exist, in what form, should it exist and what should be censored? The Internet To understand many of the questions raised an understanding of how the Internet originated is important.