Reading of Jane Austen(TM)s short stories Essay Example for Free

Reading of Jane Austen(TM)s short stories Essay From a reading of Jane Austens short stories what do we learn about womens lives in the late eighteenth century? In Jane Austens a collection of short stories Love and Friendship, she shows us the lives of women in the late eighteenth century, and what they have to deal with. These short stories are written in epistolary (letter) form between women who were friends at the time, these letters show us what their lives were about and what was considered to be important to them. Jane Austen writes about marriage, status, personal views and the attitude to what she saw, she also uses humour in her letters showing us how shallow women were in that time. For young women in the late eighteenth century marriage was very important and a woman who did not get married was considered worthless, all women were expected to get married. There were many important reasons to get married for a woman living in this time, the most important reason being having money. If a woman had no money she would be considered as having a bad status, because women when they were with their parents had no possession of their own. In the three sisters Mary is not sure about marrying Mr Watts she does not like him but she still considers marring him because he has a lot of money. He has a large fortune and will make great settlements on me. I hate him more than anybody else in the world. This shows us the amount of money he has is more important than the relationship and how happy they will be together. She decides to marry him if he will give her all she wants, this shows us how shallow the women could be and what they will do for possessions, she demands a new carriage hung as high as the Duttons, and blue spotted with silver; and I shall expect a new saddle horse, a suit of fine lace, and an infinite number of the most fine jewelsmust always let me do just as I please and make a very good husband. This shows us all the things she expects to get in marring him they are all but one material goods. This shows us that women in the eighteenth century were very much focused on marriage and how much money they could get out of it. If a woman did not get married she would either have to live with her mother or a paid female companion. Another alternative was to be a governess to a wealthy family; this was not a good thing to be because you would be treated a little better than a servant, they would neither be on the same level as the servants or the family. Young women in the late eighteenth century were considered well educated if they had plenty of accomplishment, these were things like sewing, singing, reading and entertaining their guests at a dinner party. In Lesley Castle, Margaret Lesley was writing to Charlotte Lutterell tell her what they did to pass the time in Scotland and what they do is we read, we work, we walk and when fatigued with these employments we relieve our spirits, either by a lively song, a graceful dance or by some smart bon-mot and witty repartee. This shows us that they did not do any challenging or intelligent type of work. The women in the late 18th century were also polite this shows us that this mattered in this time; we can see they are polite because they write long pleasant letters to each other. Lesley Castle demonstrates that it is important to have accomplishments in this time and it allowed them to get into a good marriage which was the most important thing in a young ladys life in the late eighteenth century. Not many girls of the time attended school but the few that did attended boarding school, would not learn to be clever they would only learn things like sewing and singing. Margaret Lesley and Charlotte Lutterell both went to boarding school together, it is four years since my removal from school. School was mostly for boys, some girls went to boarding school but the education was not very good because they did not need lessons and the teachers did not know what to teach them. Women in the late eighteenth century did not own anything or have any property for themselves. A womans inheritance would be given to a distant male relative the woman would never be given the whole of the money. The only way women could get money was through marriage, Mary only wants to marry Mr Watts because he has a large fortune and will make great settlements on me. She also expects the pinmoney; two hundred a year. Which Mr Watts only want to be a hundred and seventy-five. When Mary agrees to marry Mr Watts she expects him to build her an elegant greenhouse and stock it with plants a room on purpose and a theatre to act plays in. she also expects to be allow out of the house all the time she insists on spending every Winter in Bath, every Spring in town, every summer in taking some Tour, and every Autumn at a watering place. Marys mother is set on not letting such an opportunity escape of settling one of my daughters so advantageously. This shows us that money was not only important to the woman but also important to the rest of their family, to ensure that the family would stay with money. It would also be in a mans interest to marry someone with lots of money because some of the family money would be given to him for marring into the family. Marriage was based on material goods not on a relationship. If you did not marry you would have no money and possessions you could have from your father. In Lesley castle Charlotte Lutterell is worried what will happen if by this second marriage sir George should have a second family, our fortunes must be considerably diminished those jewels which once adorned our mother Matilda would no longer sit at the head of her fathers table. This shows us how easy it is to loose money and financial security. Female friendship in the late 18th century come over as shallow, because they are always judging each other Margaret Lesley calls her mother-in-law an insignificant dwarf. Where their mother-in-law Susan Lesley calls Margaret and Matilda scotch giants and continues I am sure they would frighten you out of your wits. This show us that women in the 18th century judge each other and think they look better than each other. There is also a lot of rivalry between friends Mary in The Three Sisters, says how I will triumph over the Duttons and the two families were friends; this shows us that was even rivalry between friends and even though they were nice to them to their faces they were horrible behind peoples backs. Manners and etiquette were more important than actual friendship; Susan Lesley and Charlotte Lutterell are only friends even though they are feed up with each other because she is too polite and I am too civil to say they still write letters which are still as frequent and as affectionate. This show us that women in the late eighteenth century are very selfish, and their lives were very shallow. We have learnt from reading Jane Austens short stories that women in the late eighteenth century had very little choice to what they could do because they had to marry to ensure that they would still have enough money to live. Life in the late eighteenth century for women was very much everyone out for themselves and they all had to fight over having a rich man and material goods better than everyone elses. Jane Austen did not like living in this time we can tell this because of the humour she uses with the women to show how important money was to them in The Three Sister Mary is very indecisive whether she should marry Mr Watts or not. Today we find it hard to compare with how they lived in the late eighteenth century because it is so different to how we live now. I am glad that we live in a society today which is more accepting to women and how both male and female should be treated the same. I also believe that Jane Austen would prefer to live in the society that we live in today because Jane Austen always humours the women in her collection of short stories.

French Revolution :: essays research papers

French Revolution "Revolutions evolve in definite phases. At first they are moderate in scope, then they become radical to excess and finally they are brought to abrupt conclusions by the emergence of a strong man to restore order." Discuss this statement with specific references to the French Revolution. The French Revolution brought about great changes in the society and government of France. The revolution, which lasted from 1789 to 1799, also had far-reaching effects on the rest of Europe. "It introduced democratic ideals to France but did not make the nation a democracy. However, it ended supreme rule by French kings and strengthened the middle class." (Durant, 12) After the revolution began, no European kings, nobles, or other members of the aristocracy could take their powers for granted or ignore the ideals of liberty and equality. The revolution began with a government financial crisis but quickly became a movement of reform and violent change. In one of the early events, a crowd in Paris captured the Bastille, a royal fortress and hated symbol of oppression. A series of elected legislatures then took control of the government. King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, were executed. Thousands of others met the same fate in a period known as the Reign of Terror. The revolution ended when Napoleon Bonaparte, a French general, took over the government. At the beginning of the revolution, events seemed minor and proceeded in a logical fashion. One of the reasons the revolution originated was the discontent among the lower and middle classes in France. By law, society was divided in to three groups called estates. The first estate was made of up clergy, nobles comprised the second and the rest of the citizens, the third estate. The third estate resented certain advantages of the first two estates. The clergy and nobles did not have to pay most taxes. The third estate, especially the peasants, had to provide almost all the country's tax revenue. Many members of the middle class were also worried by their social status. They were among the most important people in French society but were not recognized as such because they belonged to the third estate. "Financial crisis developed because the nation had gone deeply into debt to finance the Seven Years War (1756-1763) and the Revolutionary War (1775-1783)." (Durant, 22) The Parliament of Paris insisted that King Louis XVI could borrow more money or raise taxes only by calling a meeting of the States-General.

Reducing Racial Discrimination in the USA Essay

Between the periods of 1877-1981 there were many significant figures who contributed towards reducing racial discrimination in the USA. Although without events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, WWII or the actions of the NACCP to change attitudes towards African Americans, these individuals would have had little effect. The likes of Booker T Washington and Du Bois set the foundation for civil rights along with the Second World War; however other individuals such as Martin Luther King help to actively progress the movement. Along with this the government and various presidents more so in the latter of the period of 1877-1981 helped to change attitudes and enforce legislation which was vital in reducing racial discrimination in the USA. Booker T Washington began to provide the foundations to the civil rights movement in his actions. Although I believe that during this early period of the movement little was achieved, Washington was still able to provide education, and show African Americans that they had a future and it was at their own mercy. This helped to relieve some who were less fortunate. On the other hand Du Bois took a route which directly campaigned for civil rights for African Americans; alike to Washington he achieved little due to the already widespread racial situation in the USA. It is noticeable that these individuals had no short term meaningful effect on reducing racial discrimination, however much was achieved long term as they created the path for the civil rights movement in the future, this was also aided with the work from the NACCP, which raised awareness of the racial discrimination situation in America. Another individual which had little short term significance in reducing racial discrimination was Marcus Garvey, who unlike Du Bois and Washington believed that blacks and whites could not co-exist and they should be separate, he held the belief that African Americans had to start their own nation in order to advance. Whilst he failed to make much impact on the movement itself, alike to his predecessors Du Bois and Washington, his ideas were valued and widespread, they inspired many including future activists such as Malcolm X. Garvey gave African Americans at that time a sense of confidence that they would be able to advance as a race, and they need not be bound by the constraints of racial discrimination. This is why in the Long term Garvey was a valued activist, and his ideas were useful in progress in the movement towards equality. Also he gave confidence to other African Americans in campaigning against racial discrimination which could be seen in the likes of the Greensboro Sit Ins further into the civil rights movement. The likes of the NACCP helped to put an end to racial discrimination with the use of court cases and legal methods which were unlike the methods that the likes of Washington used with his attempts to educate. Examples of this were Brown Vs the board of education which the Supreme Court ruled in favor of reducing discrimination and segregation within schools. However the NACCP failed to diminish discrimination totally the organization still managed to do some good in the fight for equality. Furthermore, whilst the likes of Du Bois were unable to make a direct impact on reducing discrimination, he was able to work alongside the NACCP using other methods to succeed in his goals, and together this would reduce discrimination more. Therefore the NACCP played a more important role than early individuals in reducing racial discrimination towards African Americans through its early successes in successes in removing segregation, and although things to come would show to be more valuable to the civil rights movement, the NACCP was still a vital element in setting the foundation of the civil rights movement for the future. Although individuals had led the campaign for civil rights for African Americans throughout the early 20th century and towards the end of the 19th, as WWII commenced it would prove to be a key factor in aiding reduction of racial discrimination. It helped to change attitudes towards black American’s, as they went to war; they were portrayed to be worthy American citizens which changed many white American’s attitudes towards them. The war also created stepping stones for the likes of Martin Luther King to breach into the civil rights movement, therefore not only did it have an impact on black American’s, it also created some success for many civil rights activists. However the war did nothing to reduce discrimination towards other ethnic minorities, for example Japanese Americans received much racial discrimination due to Japan’s role in WWII. Although the war was bad for the civil rights of Japanese Americans, Chinese American’s received a better way of life, with more civil rights as America forged a great political relationship with China after the war due to their help during it. Therefore WWII was a great influence on reducing racial discrimination within the USA for only certain minorities, although for the likes of Japanese American’s way of life got worse as they were sent to camps until the war ended due to suspicions. The war was more important than earlier individuals as it had a direct impact on reducing racial discrimination, and further effect in the emergence of fresh civil rights activists who would later have a significant role in the movement. As the attitudes towards African Americans changed after the war in the 1940’s many civil rights activists saw their time to join the civil rights movement. One of these activists was Martin Luther King who used methods of non-violence in order to gain sympathy from whites and in doing so change attitudes towards black Americans. Although his views were similar to those of Du Bois’ views, King had more effect on reducing racial discrimination. Particularly in attempts to eliminate desegregation. This was likely to be partly due to how far the civil rights movements had advanced by King’s time, in particularly down to WWII which changed attitudes. King gave confidence to Black American’s; he used television and media to convey his ideas through speeches which were very influential and very much a trait of his. King was often compared as similar to Washington and Du Bois, although he did much more to reduce discrimination. His direct actions in the likes of the Montgomery Bus boycott. This event was critical in reducing racial discrimination as it saw black Americans united as one to fight for their cause, its success showed that with the unity of African Americans civil rights could be achieved, and also proved that the likes of King needed events such as the boycott to achieve anything as an activist. This event was significant to him. Also significant to King’s civil rights success was the use of television. With the use of television violence towards African Americans could be shown to a wider audience across the USA, and could hange attitudes. Therefore although King was more significant than his predecessors Washington, Garvey and Du Bois as an activist, this was partly due to what King had to work with such as television. Further to this, the likes of civil rights activists such as Cesar Chavez who was in the fight for reducing discrimination within Mexican Americans followed King’s policies of non-violence, this showed King was not only having an effect on black Americans. Chavez led the first farm workers union in America which was successful to some extent, and led to the reduction of racial prejudice. Although this wasn’t much compared to what the likes King had achieved with his use of speeches. In contrast to King’s policy of non-violence was the up and coming idea of ‘Black Power’ during the 1960’s. Originating from Garvey, violent civil rights activist Malcolm X worked to make the ideology more popular. The idea supported segregation, and blacks being supreme compared to white Americans, and again highlighted the ideas of African Americans starting their own nation. X’s beliefs of gaining equality by ‘any means necessary’ contrasted with King’s beliefs of non-violence which made King and X much like enemies during the 1960’s. However, X’s ideas had little or none effect on passing legislation and reducing discrimination. Although alike to Garvey X gave black Americans confidence, noticeably within the northern ‘ghettos’ in highlighting important issues of violence within these areas. Therefore X’s views of violence were greatly frowned upon, which always put him in the shadow of King who was always more significant in reducing racial discrimination in the USA. In the early stages of the civil rights movement the government played little role in reducing racial discrimination. However presidents began to get involved in the movement as it persisted. Eisenhower had the first real involvement in the movement when he sent federal troops for assistance in Little Rock, and the government enforced the Supreme Court ruling of the Brown case in the town. Kennedy had planned to enforce a Civil Rights Bill, although this was later enforced via Johnson along with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which gave black Americans the right to vote, and again reduced discrimination; this was a step in the right direction of equality. Further to this Nixon aimed to enforce desegregation in schools as well as helping the like of voting rights, employment discrimination and aid to the poor. Although Nixon was not as significant as Carter who later made attempts to get black Americans involved politically, appointing them in the judiciary. This enabled more blacks to have a say as well as improving their status in society. Therefore presidents played a key role as if they were for civil rights, then this could mean attitudes could be changed on a broader scale. This was important to the movement, and was more useful in reducing discrimination overall due to legislation passed which was showing that action was being taken against racial discrimination, unlike the role of previous activists such as Du Bois, Garvey, X and Washington who failed to have much impact on legislation. The most influential president was Johnson; he was able to pass legislation which made blacks equality to whites greater, such as the Voting Rights Act. Although the likes of King didn’t have the power to do this, civil rights activists made government aware of the racial situation in the USA. Therefore they were more significant than presidents. In the 1970’s and 1980’s further action brought forward the civil rights movement. The introduction of the Quota System meant that employers and universities had to take on a certain percentage of African Americans, and the situation for black Americans began to rapidly improve. Although this had much more significance than many activists in this later period, it was still influenced because of activists in the early stages of the civil rights movement, which make the likes of King more significant. In conclusion, in the period of 1877-1981 individuals were the most significant in reducing racial discrimination. Early activists such as Washington and Du Bois had little opportunity to reduce discrimination due to the widespread discrimination and the likes of the KKK, however, events such as WWII enabled activists to emerge, as attitudes towards African Americans had began to change. Using the ideologies of previous activists the most important individual King was able to use events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the likes of television to share his speeches and views, helping to pass legislation, change attitudes and give black Americans the confidence to further the civil rights movement. King helped to convey the on-going discrimination problem in the USA towards the government, which enabled presidents to take action with the likes of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which brought about further equality for blacks. Although towards the latter stages of the movement the government had more effect on reducing racial discrimination by passing legislation.

Mental Illness And Its Effects On A Person s Life

All mental illnesses fit into five main categories; anxiety disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenia/psychotic disorders, eating disorders, and dementias. These illnesses have crippling effects on a person’s life. They change someone’s physical health, how they interact with the world, and how they perceive and address situations. An occurrence that would have no effect on someone with no mental issue, distorts the view of someone with a mental illness, into either a negative or positive issue, and therefore changes how they handle it. There are several questions surrounding mental health, such as whether it is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain or horrible situations, if some types are real problems or made up by companies to capitalize on a worried public. Mental illness is a major controversy in the world, if society admits it or not. The public views mental health as an unspeakable issue, calling people who suffer from it crazy or attention seeking. If they do not use coping skills and proper treatments, they allow themselves to regress further into their shells and become the person they envision themselves as, helpless. As conversation on mental illness increases amongst the public, people also must learn about treatment options. Therapy is well known, but not used in comparison to medication, which leaves patients vulnerable. When used together, exercise and therapy have the most beneficial outcome. People with these mental health issues often use medicationShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Mental Illness On A Person s Life1166 Words   |  5 Pageswith mental disorders face challenges every day. This is an ongoing struggle that nearly â€Å"1 out of every 5 American’s deal with each year† (NAMI1). A person I know who deals with these challenges is a woman named Janet Miller a devoted single mother who fears her son will get taken away. We will be focusing on the effects of mental illness has on a person’s life. â€Å"When I was twenty-three years old I received the most horrifying and devastating information. I was diagnosed with several mental healthRead MoreMental Illness And Its Effects On A Person s Life1558 Words   |  7 PagesThere are numerous questions surrounding mental health, such as whether it is mainly caused by chemical imbalances in the brain or horrible situations, if some types are actual issues or something made up by companies to capitalize on the industry. Mental illness is a major controversy in the world, whether society wants to admit it or not. Anyone suffering from a mental illness can be classified as crazy, weird, or even attention seeking, which worsens their situation. These people need supportRead MoreMetaphors : Metaphors And Mental Health1706 Words   |  7 PagesScience Metaphors and Mental Health In today s day and age, while we have made tremendous strides in our understanding of mental disorders in the medical community, society seems to have slowed in our progress of being understanding, and the usage of derogatory language regarding mental health issues. Oh yeah, that one s nuttier than a pecan farm, was heard by this author recently at a restaurant. Even casual conversations are sprinkled with phrases like, â€Å"that s crazy!† or â€Å"that s insane!† But whatRead MoreMental Illness Is Not Like A Headache1142 Words   |  5 Pages Mental illness affects many people in the world. As people are able to learn more and science improves more therapies become available. However as with all treatments there is a number of issues one must consider when deciding on the right therapy. Mental illness is not like a headache where one knows what is wrong and can take a aspirin. Mental illness varies in so many ways that treatment varies among everyone who suffers from the disease. When dealing with mental illness the need for treatmentRead MoreMental Illness : Are They Noticed?1067 Words   |  5 PagesThat was a treatment they used on people. In the 1800’s people with mental disorders did not have any rights. They were caged, chained, and treated like animals. Mental illness is vital to know about because those who suffer from mental disorders were treated harshly and doing so did not help, people who treated them harsh did not understand what it is like to have the disorder, and it is not their fault they were born that way. Mental illness can affect different areas of the body. â€Å"Abnormal behaviorRead MoreMental Illness And Mental Health1222 Words   |  5 PagesMental Illness. Lots of times when we hear these words people assume that there is something critically wrong with that person. Sometimes there is but most people who struggle with a mental illness or disorder are everyday people that you pass on the street. Just because they have a mental Issue does not necessarily mean that they are much different than you or me. In fact if an individual is being treated for his or her mental illness it can be difficult to recognize that they even have one. ThereRead MoreDepression And Its Effects On Society1463 Words   |  6 PagesAdolescent Depression Depression is a common mental illness that can affect anyone at any age and causes issues for their daily lives and and has a significant impact on adolescents. Adolescents are prime targets for depression because they are still maturing making the causes of depression, such as a traumatic event or simply bullying, have a larger impact on their mental health. Depression is an illness that not only affects those who have it but the people around them due to the need of supportRead MoreIntroduction.... â€Å"If Mental Illness Could Be Seen On A1255 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction... â€Å"If mental illness could be seen on a sufferer maybe society wouldn’t say ‘just get over it’ .† Mental illness unlike other diseases or disorders are, for the most part invisible. They are not easily recognised. These instances of being told to â€Å"just get over it† or â€Å"just calm down† or â€Å"It’s all in your head† are direct evidence of the stigma of having mental illness present in some cultures. A mental illness is in fact in your head, but your head is connected to body, they areRead More Treating Concurrent Disorders Essay1700 Words   |  7 Pages Mental health is being aware, accepting yourself, and striking a balance in all aspects of your life like social, spiritual, physical, economical, and mental (Association, 2001). Mental health can be described as our positive interactions with the context and events in our life, and having the ability to cope with life’s stressors. Mental health problems can begin at anytime during your life (CAMH, 2010). In fact anything can make it difficult for an individual’s ability to interact effectivelyRead MoreThere Has Been An Increase In The Proportion Of Persons Who Associate Mental Illness With Dangerousness1675 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Ã¢â‚¬Å"There has been an increase in the proportion of persons who associate mental illness with dangerousness, violence, and unpredictability† (Markowitz, 2005: 3) With reference to this statement, what is the public understanding of the nature and extent of mental disorder and how accurate is this? Intro This essay will look at the public understanding of the nature of mental disorder and to what extent it is associated with dangerousness and violence. The essay will begin by exploring the public’s Mental Illness And Its Effects On A Person s Life There are numerous questions surrounding mental health, such as whether it is mainly caused by chemical imbalances in the brain or horrible situations, if some types are actual issues or something made up by companies to capitalize on the industry. Mental illness is a major controversy in the world, whether society wants to admit it or not. Anyone suffering from a mental illness can be classified as crazy, weird, or even attention seeking, which worsens their situation. These people need support to overcome their challenges. If peers constantly bully someone, then they cannot move on in their life; they will be stuck in a phase of turmoil with no end in sight. All mental illnesses fit into five main categories; anxiety disorders, mood†¦show more content†¦These people who do so might not have enough money or be covered by insurance to visit a doctor, they might be scared of the social stigma that follows taking drugs for a mental problem, or they might just not care enough to realize the danger they put themselves in when they do so. Some people think that a prescription is not required to take a drug, and they instead self-medicate themselves with alcohol or other recreational drugs. Some people also think that if they do enough research on something, they can pass by the doctor and take drugs that will have the same affect. Self-diagnosing is a risky task. People who do so can overlook symptoms or reach for symptoms they do not have, and doing so they risk their health with their little understanding of medication. These people make decisions on what they read from various internet sources and they spend barely thirty minutes reading. It is all in attempt to save time. These people also do not completely understand medication. There are many different forms of medication to address physical pain or bacteria in the body, they all have side effects and some negative side effects (Manfredi). If they take any medication without fully understanding it or its effects, they can just be masking the problem or even making