Wuthering Heights Essay -- Literary Analysis, Emily Bronte

Born in 1818, Emily Bronte, known as the Laureate of the Moors, feared that people would not read her novel because of her gender. When Bronte turned twenty-seven, she published Wuthering Heights. At approximately the same time, her two sisters, Charlotte and Anne, published their literary works. Looking at Emily Bronte’s Victorian novel, Wuthering Heights, this literary work seems to be yet another book about a grumpy man who tries to take revenge on everyone who hurts him throughout his life. Looking deeper into this novel, readers see that the story revolves around several complex characters who must endure indescribable pain and suffering in their quest for love. The Earnshaw family decides to make Heathcliff who is the primary character in Wuthering Heights, a family member, Mr. Eanshaw’s son, Hindley, starts to beat, to hurt, and to mistreat Heathcliff. However, as Heathcliff begins to spend time with Hindley’s sister, Catherine, their relationship grows, H eathcliff and Catherine develop feelings for each other, and in turn, fall in love. When Catherine decides to marry Edgar Linton, this new turn-of-events devastates Heathcliff. Even though Edgar is a member of a higher social class than Heathcliff, Catherine secretly remains in love with her beloved Heathcliff. To illustrate her love for Edgar and her true passion for Heathcliff, she states, â€Å"I’ve no more business to marry Edgar Linton than I have to be in heaven; and if the wicked man in there had not brought Heathcliff so low, I shouldn’t have thought of it. It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how I love him: and that, not because he’s handsome, Nelly, but because he’s more myself than I am† (63). The manner in which Catherine, Edgar, and... ...k to him. Cathy does not like him. Once Heathcliff dies she is free to marry whoever she want s and live her own life. She no longer has to be trapped anymore. Bell states that, â€Å"Young Catherine and Hareton, who are led to beleive, eventually come to love with patience and understanding, but only after Heathcliff’s influence is removed†(Bell). No one is trapped anymore. Heathcliff experiences much pain and suffering in his search for true love. Heathcliff endures derision and personal injury from Hindley, insults from Edgar, and profound rejection from his dear Catherine. All of these events contribute to the subsequent anguish that many of the second-generation characters, Cathy, Hareton, and Linton, share throughout the latter part of the novel. After Heathcliff’s demise, Cathy and Hareton are now free from the terror and the tragedy that haunt the moors.

Passionate About Teaching Essay example -- Personal Narrative Educatio

Ending Statement Feminist and Critical Pedagogies I came back to graduate school last semester at the ripe-old age of 31, unsure of what I wanted to get out of it. I had spent a year in graduate studies in English at the University of Maine about six years earlier, but left because I wasn't ready to commit to an academic life. In the six years since I left Maine, my life had been anything but academic. For the first year or so, I "temped" at conventions and tradeshows, went on auditions and performed in regional theater. Then a friend of mine introduced me to her acting teacher, and I got involved in a two-year intensive acting program which forced me to look at myself and my life deeply (and luckily got me into therapy)! During that time I began a temp job at a small executive search firm where a few acting friends also worked. The job turned permanent and lasted over three years while I finished my acting program and began auditioning. Looking back now, I guess the problem was, once I finished class, I wasn't the same person who h ad originally gone out on auditions. I found myself reading books on writing (never acting) on my lunch breaks from the stifling office secretarial job. But people who asked about my life heard about my auditions and singing classes and wish to be on Broadway. I never looked at the fact that that wish was a very old, childhood wish which had slowly stopped giving me what it had for so long: something to dream about, aspire to. Something, I now admit, to make me interesting. The decision to leave it behind was painful (no one outside of "the business" could understand why I would want to leave behind such a glorious, exciting dream. Interestingly, all of my friends who were at various levels of s... ...at at least I now know that I need to teach--in some format, somewhere, and I need to apply what I've learned and continue to learn and question my own learning. But I can't decide if going on for a PhD is really what I want anymore. I always thought that was the mark of success. But I wonder if it will really allow me to work with the students I am most interested in helping. I am particularly interested in working with those who didn't get enough out of school but who decided to come back and give it another try, to see if they'd find something different this time around. I want to provide something different. I know I want to keep teaching and talking about teaching. I know I want to keep the hope that teaching writing is valuable and opens up possibilities for students who maybe thought they had none. Is that too naive? Maybe. But it seems like it's worth a try.

Women and Enlightenment within the Jain Religion

Jain religion is of Indian orientation and involves rediscovering the Dharma, which is a person's virtuous path or righteous duty. Dharma is a concept used when explaining ultimate reality or higher truth in the universe. Jains are people who follow Tirthankaras' teachings, and there are twenty four special Jinas. The Jain religion inspires people to be spiritually developed through enhancing their self control and personal wisdom. The main goal of this religion is to realize the true nature of the soul. There are three gems to Jainism, and they are the conduct, knowledge as well as the right and true perception. Jainism aims at liberating the followers from universal cycles of birth and death. The liberated followers are called siddha, and the ones struggling to be liberated are called samsarin. The samsarins have to follow teachings of Jinas in order to become siddha, through attaining Moksha, which is the liberation from karma. Jainism teaches that Dharma and the Universe have no ending and beginning but encounters cyclical changes. The worldly soul (samsarin) is seen to take various forms that include plant and animal form, human being, hell being and deity. It is different from most religions due to the fact that it does not believe in God or a divine creator, destroyer or preserver. It believes that every soul has potential to be divine and that Siddhas who eliminate karmic bonding completely, are seen to either be close to or have achieved consciousness of God . History. The earliest documented leader of Jainism is Parshvanatha, who is said by scholars to have lived during the 9th Century. During the 6th Century, Vardhamana was regarded as a very influential Jainism teacher . He had followers who followed his teachings and doctrines. They also interacted with him so that they could achieve enlightenment. His followers called him Jina, which refers to conqueror. Kalinga, which in the modern day is Osiaji and Orissa, had many Jains who lived there. This faith was briefly disrupted by Mahapadma, who conquered the place and took Rishabhanatha's statue. However, Kharvela who was an emperor, conquered Magatha, taking the statue of Rishabhanatha. Udaygiri and Khandagiri caves are the only remnants of Jain monuments since the wood buildings were destroyed. Jainism is a dominant philosophical, cultural, political and social force in Asia since civilization. It has influence in Hinduism and Buddhism since the ancient history. There is a close association between Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. The connection between Buddhism and Jainism traces its roots to the origins of Buddhism, since Jainism was prevailing at the time . Hinduism on the other hand shares certain common philosophies with some Jain sects. Laity in Jainism performed roles that were very similar to those performed by monks including religious privileges and duties, which served to unite the two religions. This ensured that they did not change for many centuries, though the fact that Buddhism had lesser demands for laymen, made it change several times. Jainism is one of smallest religions in the world since it has slightly over 10 million followers. However, the fact that these followers are distributed all over India, makes the religion significant. Other Jain communities are concentrated in United kingdom, the United States, East Africa and Canada. Digambara and Svetambara traditions. The Jain sangha, which encompasses monks, laymen and women, and nuns, is split between two major sects called the Digambara and the Svetambara sects. It is believed by historians that the split occurred in 5th Century after the chief monk Bhadrabahu led over 10,000 Digambara followers into South India after foreseeing famine. After a decade of being away, they returned and broke away from the Svetambara sect . However, there are minimal differences between the sects. Digambara monks believe that clothing leads to dependence on material possessions and therefore they do not wear them. On the other hand, Svetambara monks wear seamless white clothes, since Jain scripture does not forbid the use of clothing . Jain organization. One of the factors that led to the existence of this community from the ancient to the modern times is its organization. Initially, there were four classes in society which were said to have originated from the arms, feet, thighs and mouth of Brahman, their creator. They were the Rajanya, Sudra, Vaisya and Brahman. The Brahman was the superior class of all the classes. These classes had different rules that governed each of them. The Brahmin class was given unusual importance and other classes were neglected, which made the classes develop rivalry. There was also prevalent social discrimination and inequality due to the presence of these classes. This made Mahavira oppose the groupings and later Jaina Archaryas also joined in the opposition. Soon the society was divided into four groups, but based on activities that the people carried out. The four groups were; the male ascetics or Sadhus, the female ascetics or Sadhvis, the male laity or Shravakas and the female laity or Shravikas. These groups have close relations and have similar religious vows that are applicable to them. They made everyone have equal opportunities regardless of their birth or class and they were free to change classes with choice, unlike before. The people who wished to follow the religion while still living in households were referred to as sravikas and sravakas, if they were females and males respectively. Those who chose to leave the households and become ascetics were referred to as sadhvis and sadhus if they were females and males respectively. The classes emphasized on behavior modes and individual character and no one was degraded or neglected as they could do professions of their choice. Women's religious emancipation. Before the introduction of Jainism, women were regarded as Sudras, the lowest social class. Women were barred from undertaking investment and initiation in religious passages. They were also seen to be irrelevant to religious threads which were sacred. According to passages of the past, people were discouraged from seeing women, dead bodies and Sudras among other things. This shows that they were taken to be a curse, which could be equated to a dead body. They were degraded and neglected by the society and they had no religious role to play in society. Tirthankra Mahavira changed all this by treating females and males equally. Regarding religion, he made sure that the rules that regulated the conduct of both sexes were the same, and both had equal opportunities to practise religious duties, read sacred texts, practice penance, vratas among other practices. Women were also given equal chances with men regarding the entrance to the ascetic order. He ensured that females were free to join the ascetic order regardless of whether candidates who were being admitted were aristocracy members, societal common run or royal consorts. This led to many women joining the ascetic order. For instance, in Tirthankara the figures for sadhus and sadhvis were 14,000 and 36,000 respectively and those for Sravaks and Sravikas were 100,000 and 300,000 respectively. This shows that the number of women was more than that of men in cases of both ascetics and householders. This reflects the eagerness that women had in using the opportunity to learn about religion. In fact, Jydesta and Chandana both of who were queen Trisaladevi's younger sisters, Mahavira's mother and their uncle's wife, Yasasvati entered the Mahavira's ascetic order. In the long run, Chandana became the female ascetic leader, which showed that women had an equal opportunity to make high achievements. Most of them became preachers and teachers due to these opportunities. Jain ascetism. Ascetism in Jainism involves renouncing possessions and materials. Jain ascetics do not also participate in any violence whatsoever. They do not hurt any insect or human and carry special brooms that brush off any insects that they encounter. Some even wear protection over their mouths so that they can avoid hurting insects or germs accidentally. They do not also use devices, machines or electricity since they perceive it to be violence. Jain ascetics always travel barefoot, sleep on floors without coverings, and use certain platforms for sitting. These ascetics only eat vegetarian diet that does not include roots. Some ascetics meditate on hill tops or around rivers according to the mental and physical limits of the ascetics. Jain ascetics are celibate and they do not share platforms or touch. They also move from place to place to prevent becoming attached to a particular place. When ascetics feel that death is imminent, such as when having terminal illness or advanced ages, most of them prefer a detached and peaceful death where water, food and medicine are abandoned. Shvetambara and Digambara ascetics. The monks in Schetambara sect solicit for alms from people in households and do not cook food. It is however important to note that they do not beg for it; they accept food only from people whose mind is pure and when such food is offered willingly and in the right manner. In such circumstances, the monks eats a measly amount while standing. Monks and nuns in this cult only own a bowl used for collecting alms and eating, and white robes. Meanwhile, those in the Digambara sect eat one meal each day. The male monks in this sect walk nude and only carry soft brooms (pinchi), which are made from feathers of peacocks and a water jug. Nuns however dress in white robes. They also do not use utensils when eating, and they use their hands. Their belief teaches them that Mahavir was unmarried, unlike the Shvetambars. Women enlightenment. Jainism to a large extent treated women using similar ethical codes as men. The ethical codes used involve five virtues that speak against various vices. These codes are SATYA, which advocates for truth, AHIMSA which advocates for non-violence, ACHAURYA which advocates for non-stealing, APARIGRAH which advocates for non-possessiveness and BRAHMACHARYA which advocates for the purity of the mind and body. These ethical codes are equally applicable for both men and women. Jainism taught both women and men to help each other and perform common roles. These roles were geared towards preserving the environment and improving welfare of mankind. Both women and men were also responsible for their moral conduct. Due to the biological differences between women and men, together with society's gender stereotyping, roles for women and men differed in the cultural and social setup. This was not meant to be discriminatory, since Jainism viewed women and men equally in terms of concern for welfare of their families and children, and also in terms of playing of their roles. The inherent change in the patriarchal society does not undermine Jainism's view of equality between the sexes. Jainism even had some nuns who were included in the religious practice, since the inception of this religion. However, some questions have been raised about equality between women and men regarding the issue of spirituality in Jainism. Some people of the view that there is inequality when it comes to spirituality, since women are hindered from growing spiritually and religiously due to the fact that they are female. Some people even went to the extent of perceiving women to be impure due to their femininity. Further evidence of this perception is given by the culture of the Digambara sect. This sect does not believe that a woman can achieve Moksha, or liberation from Karma, during the same birth. This is explained by the fact that in the Digambara sect, asceticism requires one to be nude, which is impractical in the real world as it would expose them to rape and attacks by men. This is also due to the fact that Jainism does not allow women to appear naked. There is also the belief that a woman cannot attain the level of siddha. This is because they are perceived to be unable to lead a true ascetic lifestyle since they are prohibited from being nude, yet Digambaras perceive clothing as worldly possessions. The fact that women could not free themselves from the ‘bondage' of clothing was perceived to mean that they could not be free of fear and shame that arose from their nakedness. Some women, in their quest to achieve enlightenment, are of the view that they should first move out of the female form. Thereafter, they should move towards the form of God after which they can take the male form. After attaining the male form, they can now be able to attain kaivalya. Inequality between male and female enlightenment. Some scholars, are of the view that the real reason why women cannot achieve the highest level of enlightenment is not limited to their clothing. He says that in most religions, including the Digambaras sect, women are perceived to represent the transient and illusory material world (maya), that the religion seeks to renounce. This perception can be attributed to the fact that society has a form of gynophobia. The perception is also rooted to bodily processes and sexuality that that women experience, such as reproduction and menstruation. In fact, Yuktiprabodha summarized the Digambar sect's view on the issue by saying that the female species have impure bodies, which is shown by menstruation, each month. They view menstruation as a form of destroying organisms which goes against their belief . The union of males and females is seen to also destroy organisms in female reproductive parts. Sexual intercourse is compared with insertion of a hot iron rod to a hollow tube which has sesame seeds, thereby destroying them. Another Jain ascetic, Rajcandra also said that everything that resides in the body of a woman is contemptuous. He continued to say that pleasure derived from them is momentary and causes repeated excitement and exhaustion. Women are also viewed as temptations and snares for men who are in pursuit of spirituality. Another reason that women were not given the opportunity in the Digambarans sect lies with the fact that they viewed the role of women as restricted to household duties. This was viewed as the religious and moral duty of women. Actions of women are viewed as primarily to take care of the welfare of the household, husband, kin and assist him in performing duties to deities and ancestors. For instance, the smtiris and Dharmashastras believe that women attain salvation through performance of motherly and wifely duties. There is a further view that renunciation of these roles by women seeking to achieve Moksha would mean that the capacity of women to reproduce would be altered. This would disrupt sansara's normative order. These are reasons that made women nuns be given subordinate roles when compared with the monks. These practices are shared not only in Jainism but also in other religions like Buddhism. Buddha was also reluctant to allow women to enter the samgha, and Buddhist literature portrayed nuns in negative light, in comparison to lay women. Generally, it is difficult for women to become enlightened since their bodies are perceived to be a focus of sexual desire and violence. Asceticism is thus taken to be masculine and defines retention of semen as one of its components. This is achieved through rigorous training and self control. In women, it is achieved through abstinence and fasting. Svembatara sect. Svetambara sect on the other hand believes that it is possible for women to achieve the level of Moksha. This is supported by the fact that sadhus are allowed to wear clothing, which means that women are not discriminated against . Though some Svetambaras view women as inferior to them, most of them do not. In fact, Mallinath who was a Tirthankar was actually female, according to Svetambara, though Digambara perceive Mallinath as male. Other influential female religious leaders were Rishabha's mother Marudevi and Mahavira's mother Trishala. There have also been allegations that monks in both sects have lesser restrictions than nuns. The role of women is however still significant, since evidence shows that the number of female ascetics is greater than that of males. There is also additional evidence that shows of other roles that they played, especially for lay-women. The lay-women for instance had important roles of transmitting values to their families. They also had the responsibility of preparation of food and offering it as alms to ascetics. They had a role to play in religion with evidence showing that they chanted and sung religious hymns. Finally, they used to narrate Jain stories to children. Conclusion. Jain religion has been seen to aim for spiritual growth through detachment from earthly possessions and living a life that helps mankind and protects the environment. Jain been seen to provide freedom to its followers to either leave their households and dedicate their lives to serving the religion or to undertake the same while doing their daily day to day activities. It has been seen to avoid violence to any being, both humans, animals or insects. Jainism has also been seen to be fair to all sexes, providing them with an equal opportunity to participate in religion regardless of their class in society. However, the level of enlightenment for women in the two sects is slightly different. The main reason for this difference originates from material possessions and clothing. Digambarans have been seen to be particularly restrictive of women's participation in religion and their reach of the level of Moksha, since they perceive that the fact that they wear clothing is a hindrance to their attaining purity. This has also been seen to be an excuse for other underlying issues relating to the female bodies. Menstruation and reproduction have been seen to be a form of violence and desire that Jainism faith is against . The perception that violence originates from bodies of women makes them unfit for achieving moksha. On the other hand, Svetambaras are seen to be more accommodating to women in religion, since they recognize that Jain teachings do not hinder anyone from wearing clothing. Other differences between the sects are seen to be minor, except the fact that they differ in the assertion that Mahavir was married and also the origins of his mother. The two sects are seen to be similar in their detachment from earthly possessions and their commitment in the Jain teachings. In my opinion, Jain faith as much as possible to be fair to women, and accord them equal chances to be ascetics, as men. However, the Digambarans are quite unfair to women, since the nature of their bodies is beyond their control. In menstruation makes women impure, questions can be raised on the body processes of removing waste, from both sexes. The Digambarans should be more accommodative to women and allow them too have a chance of attaining moksha, since every human being came from a woman's womb.

The Negative Effects of Divorce on Children

â€Å"So many persons think divorce a panacea for every ill, find out, when they try it, that the remedy is worse than the disease† (Qtd in Harper 192). Divorce in any situation tears a child apart, tossing them from one house to another, limiting the time spent with their parents, and confusing them. There arent very many reasons that would show to be more beneficial for the parent to leave than to stay and keep their marriage. Usually its better for the children if their parents work through their differences rather than get a divorce. To anyone, divorce is a horrible word.There is no way to make the word sound better or make it less painful. According to the Webster’s Dictionary, divorce is â€Å"the legal dissolution of marriage or the termination of an existing relationship or union† (Webster’s 370). This definition makes it seem formal and doesnt show the feeling that people have when the word is mentioned. To most children, divorce is much more than a legal dissolution; it is their whole world being torn apart and thrown on the ground in pieces. One of the biggest problems that divorce imposes on children is the decision of who they should live with.Usually parents divorce when children are small and the children have no say in where they go. Since the child cant choose, this usually leads to custody battles that end in split custody or joint custody. Whatever the choice turns out to be, either one of them will be detrimental to the child. When split custody is decided, it forces either the child or the court to choose which parent to live with and which one is in the childs best interest. It limits the time the child spends with both parenta. When the child only lives with one parent, the relationship with the other parent can be severely damaged.According to the National Survey of Children, close to half of all children with divorced parents have not seen their nonresidential parent in the past year, and only one in six had weekly contact (Whitehead 2). Since the children don’t see both their parents often, the parent that the child lives is usually thought of as strict and â€Å"no fun† because that parent is always there and is always responsible for disciplining the child. This can damage and cause social problems with the child. The nonresidential parent is usually viewed as the fun, exciting one that the child wants to be with.This parent usually tries to give the child presents, and money almost like they are using it in an attempt to â€Å"buy† the child’s love. The child doesnt usually feel the love and security of having a close family, since they are constantly moving from house to house. Because of the constant movement, the child doesnt usually receive quality time from either parent, and it makes it more difficult to feel loved. Joint custody, on the other hand, proves to be even less successful (Zinmeister 29). This type of custody is now allowed in half of the states in the US, although, joint custody is very unusual because of the extreme complications.In California, where divorce is more common than anywhere else, only eighteen percent of divorced couples have joint custody. Even when the divorced parents maintain regular contact with their children, truly cooperative child rearing is rare (Zinmeister 29). Research shows, that the parents have no communication or mutual reinforcement; this usually leads to very unhealthy relationships with their children. Joint custody is even worse on a child because there is even more movement involved. With split custody, the child goes to the nonresidential parent’s house on a certain schedule.In joint custody, however, the child is constantly moves back and forth between houses, causing an even larger lack of time between parent and their child. The custody battle can be damaging, but the divorce of a child’s parents can also confuse the child, suggesting that it is better for parent s to stay together. The child does not really know what commitment really means. Since these children see their parents breaking vows without a second thought, they start to think that whats right for the parents must be the right thing for them to do too.Children are basically shown that they dont have to work out their problems as long as they can run away. This is one reason that today, when someone makes a promise, there is really no promise of whether it will happen or not. According to The Effects of Divorce on Children, an article written by J. Lynn Rhodes, young adults whose parents have divorced previously are likely to have social problems and trouble forming and maintaining intimate relationships (Effects 1). The value of a person’s â€Å"word† has lessened.Partly because of bad examples parents are setting for their children when they get a divorce. Generally, its better for children to suffer a bad marriage than to cope with divorce. According to Universit y of Michigan psychologist and divorce expert Neil Kalter, the misery of an unhappy marriage is less significant than the changes after a divorce. The children would rather their parents keep fighting and not get divorced (Marriage 64). Although it doesnt seem logical, it shows that children want their parents to be together no matter what the cost.The alternative to most divorces is not life in a war zone (Zinmeister 30). In the most of the number of divorces there is no problem or issue that could ruin a person’s childhood. These divorces almost always make the child worse off and create many unnecessary problems for the child. If parents would concentrate harder on working their problems out rather than their own personal happiness, the children would be better off. Divorce, however, isnt always a terrible thing. In a few situations it is for the best.The two situations that can prove beneficial for a person to get a divorce are abusive relationships and adultery. When one parent is abusive, whether verbal, physical, or sexual, to the children, it is more beneficial to the child if the parent leaves (Huffman 4). Also, if one parent is physically abusing the other, the marriage should be ended. If a child watches their parent get beaten their entire life, they could think that its okay to act that way to other people or they can begin to hate the parent for staying.Also, when a spouse is committing adultery, divorce is definitly an option. When one spouse is faced with the affairs and still wont stop having them, the Bible gives the option of divorce. In Matthew 19:8-9 it says, â€Å"Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery† (Huffman 9). Even under these ircumstances, Jesus permitted divorce, but he didnt encourage it. It generally shows to be more beneficial for a child if their parents stay in an imperfect marriage rather than getting a divorce. The things that are involved with a divorce severely damage a child. The child lacks a â€Å"sense of belonging† and becomes very confused. Therefore, when a person gets married, they need to think long and hard to make sure that it is the right choice for them and for possible children that they may have one day.The person needs to make sure that they dont settle for the person they can live with; they need to wait for the person that they cannot live without. As Jesus says in Mark 10:5-9: It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law. But at the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one. Therefore what God hath joined together, let no man put asunder (Huffman 1). Works Cited Harper Book of American Quotations, New York, Harper and Row, 1988, p.192. Huffman, John. â€Å"The Raw Reality of Divorce.† Http://www.christiandigest.com/divorce.html. (19 November 1998). Marriage and Divorce, California, Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1997, p.64. Rhodes, J. Lynn. â€Å"The Effects of Divorce on Children.† http://www.lrhodes.com/divorce.html. 1997. â€Å"Through the eyes of a child.† Http://www.divorceonline.com (20 November 1998). Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, Massachusetts, Merriam-Webster, Inc., 1984, p.370. Whitehead, Barbara. â€Å"Coming Apart.† http://www.divorceonline.com (20 November 1998). Zinmeister, Karl. â€Å"Divorce’s Toll on Children.† Current Magazine, April 1997: 29-30.

What Impacts Will the Aging Population of Germany Have on Its Economy

The objective of this research paper is to explore, analyze and survey the implications of Germany’s demographics on the country’s economy. The motivation behind this study is to add to the understanding of social-economic issues in one of the Eurozone’s heavyweights and its impact for years to come. This paper looks into Germany’s demographic trends, consumption trends, savings trends, Germany's pension policy and labor market effects.This paper draws on estimates and analyses from relevant literature, including scholarly journals and government publications to illustrate and quantify its points. Conclusions drawn from this study shows that the definitive impact of population aging on economic growth is reflected in consumption, savings, labor pool and dependency burdens. Practical implications can be surmised from this paper; policy makers, native citizens, immigrants and other stakeholders might wish to refer to this paper for an understanding and persp ective of the social phenomenon and derive solutions to problems in its sphere.However there are limitations to this research as it is done through literature review and the demographic-economic variables are not constant. Further research will be required to gather concise and quantifiable data to support its claims. Introduction Germany's aging problem is serious because during the past 30 years, German women have produced children at an average rate of less than 1. 4 babies per lifetime (Tim Colebatch, 2004). In 2009 The Federal Statistic's Office (Germany) forecast Germany's rapidly aging population was likely to decline by 20 percent to around 65 million by 2060.The drop will be accompanied by a dramatic shift in the amount of elderly people in Germany. Of the country's current 81 million inhabitants, some 20. 6 percent are now aged 65 (2011). But in 2060, assuming that fertility rate remain constant and life expectancy increase at a steady rate, that percentage will increase t o 33 percent. Following a rapid recovery from the 2008-2009 recessions, economic growth has slowed in the second half of 2011 for Germany (OECD,2012).Policy makers are faced with domestic issues interfering with mid-term growth potential, one of them namely rapid population aging. Deutsche Bundesbank published a report in April 2012 announcing that if the dampening effects of demographics can be mitigated by appropriate reform measures, it will largely be possible to maintain the current rate of potential growth of roughly 11/4% per y ear until 2020. With Europe struggling to cope with the Debt Crisis, an economic powerhouse such as Germany is under the pressure to come up with solutions and lead the union.However with its workforce fading into bottomless vacuum of tax dependents, it does not reflect well onto Germany’s financial health and strength as a sovereign nation. This paper intends to examine the situation in Germany and reach a conclusion that population aging incre ases the dependent population burden in views of both taxpayers and the nation’s budget; aggregate consumption expenditure decreases; the savings rate declines and shrinks the pool of available capital; working-age population reduces, while the labor productivity in Germany is not impacted heavily.Moreover, this paper will outline a perspective stakeholders should adopt to illustrate that as long as effective reform or measures can be implemented, the negative impact of the aging population on economic growth is likely to be minimized. Main arguments Dependency burdens Population aging increases the dependent population burden. Germany's pension system is known as the most generous pension system and public welfare. Costs of public retirement insurance are almost 12% of GDP, more than 2. times as much as the U. S. Social Security System (Axel Borsch-Supan, et al. ,2003), and it accounts for a high proportion of retirees' income. The weight of this tremendous systems is taxing on Germany's finances as well as the need for tax-payers' support. To ease the pressure of an aging population on the government budget, Germany has carried out a series of reforms. In what was called â€Å"the greatest social reform after war â€Å"by former Labor Minister Franz Liszt initiated in the spring of 2001.The main contents include reducing benefits, settling the level of premium expenditure, a pay-as-you-go pension system and developing a new type of private pension to fill the loss of welfare income. This reform, especially with measures to expand private pension types, will probably promote economic development. The Fund pension system is conducive for German government to supply a large number of retirees without increasing the load of employees and taxpayers. From a macroeconomic perspective, this series of system can help reduce the government budget pressure from an aging population.From micro-economic perspective, it can also bring higher personal income. Unfor tunately, there is a big difference between the actual implementation of Liszt reform and the government's promise. The new fund pension system in Germany is being undertaken on a relatively small scale, while the current non-accumulation fund insurance system is still in the highest flight. The final result is that, the German retirees are almost entirely likely to depend on the government. Overall, the public welfare accounted for 61% of net income after tax for families of 60 years old or above.The substantial increase in social welfare spending for the elderly in the GNP will continue to enlarge, as it is bound to limit the expanding of production, and influence the capital investment and economic efficiency, and add the burden on the national economy. Thus, with the development of population aging and extension of the average life expectancy of the aging of the population, it might be appropriate to extend the retirement age limit, in order to reduce dependent population and re latively increase the accumulation funds to expand production.Germany plans to raise the retirement age to 67 years of age, because of such considerations. But at the same time, the heavy new employment pressure requires Germany to strike a balance between extending retirement age and easing the employment pressure. Consumption The next section puts forward the argument that with the on-set of population aging, an increasing share of the elderly in the German market caused changes in its consumption structure.Overall, the consumption expenditure shows a gradual widening tendency during the aging process; however, Germany has already entered the aging society, so consumption expenditure showed a decreasing trend. This table shows the percentage of elderly family with an excess of the annuity income over expenditures. Annuity income is more than consumer spending and it increases with age. The decline in consumer spending is so significant that for about a quarter of the elderly aged 75 and above, the annuity income is more than 50% higher than consumer spending.In fact, almost all of this decline can be attributed to a decrease of food, travel and traffic expenses, the marginal utility of consumption reduction will probably decrease in the elderly, due to deteriorating health or being lonely. It is worth noticing that in Germany, food, travel and traffic expenses can hardly be offset by more health spending, because almost all health fees are covered by compulsory health insurance. (Wise, 2004) To some extent, the influence of population aging on consumption inhibited economic development.In this case, to speed up the development of older industries, government should focus on the development of travel, real estate and pension services for older people in order to promote consumption growth and the prosperity of the silver hair market. Savings The world's population is aging, accordingly, bank balances might probably stop growing. People tend to reduce their sa vings after retirement, while the younger generation are not as canny as older generations. As a result, savings rate will drop significantly (Diana Farrell, et al. , electric shavers, 2005).Because aggregate saving equals to investment (Lachlan McGregor, 2008), so if left unchecked, the slowdown of the global savings rate will reduce the amount of money available for investment and then hinder economic growth. It is not easy to find a solution. Stimulating economic growth in itself is not a solution, nor is the future productivity revolution or technological breakthroughs. To add to future global savings and financial wealth, the German government and the family need to increase their savings rate, and earn a higher return on assets. These changes involve tough choices, but it can provide a brighter future.As the elderly make up the larger proportion of the population, the total amount for investment and wealth accumulation will be reduced. The expected decline of growth rate for G ermany's financial wealth will fall to 2. 4% from 3. 8%. One thing is certain: the decline in the household savings rate can shrink the pool of available capital. Because of continuing budget deficit, government may push up interest rates and crowd out private investment. In the next few years, the rise in the cost of economic dependence will force government to implete better fiscal discipline.The only meaningful way to offset the population pressure to the upcoming global financial wealth is increasing savings rate of government and households, and a more efficient allocation of capital for the economy, thereby increasing the return. In Germany, to achieve the required rate of return, the policy makers must improve competitiveness, encourage innovation in financial sector and the economy as a whole, and raise the legal protection of investors and creditors. As for increasing the savings rate, the key to is to overcome inertia.When the enterprises automatically register their emplo yees on a voluntary savings plan rather than requiring people to become active, participation rate might increase significantly. Of course, the government can also increase the savings rate of Germany directly. Labor Pool With an increase in the proportion of the elderly population, the proportion of working-age population will accordingly decrease, which goes against German economic development (David E. Bloom, et al. , 2001). Labor force can be an effective motivation of rapid economic growth.However, a demographic draft report of the German federal government indicated that the working age population may reduce from 50 million to 26. 5 million in 2050, which is a decrease of nearly a half. According to the draft, the employment reduction would bring disastrous consequences to the economy of Germany. Moreover, it is much more difficult for older workers to adapt to the fast-paced production activities, especially in the labor-intensive production, so population aging is not conduc ive to the improvement of labor. In this case, a targeted immigration plan is very useful to enable Germany' to maintain its competitiveness.It is estimated that in order to make the employment potential of Germany remain at the level in 2004, at least 300 thousand to 500 thousand immigrants are needed annually. The appeal of that idea stems from two considerations: immigrants are relatively young, and hence their arrival reduces the average age of both the population and the labor force; and they can be expected to add more to the national product than they use up as consumers in terms of health-care, and thus to provide net support for the rising numbers of elderly dependents in the population.On closer inspection, however, there is a problem: immigrants get older, like everyone else, and a sustained policy of higher immigration has little long-term impact on either the median age or the age composition of the population. As Espenshade (1994, p. 766) noted, â€Å"immigration is a clumsy and unrealistic policy alternative to offset a shortage of domestic labor or to correct a perceived imbalance in the pensioner to worker ratio. †The effect of population aging to enhance labor productivity is negative which can be reflected on that the speed of aging workforce to accept new knowledge, science and technology is slower than that of the young. Relatively the elderly population shows a weak ability to adapt to new industries. Thus, to some extent, new product development and technological innovation are largely influenced by the aging problem. In the case of rapid scientific and technological development, and faster advancement of knowledge and increasingly keen competition, population aging has greater negative influence on labor productivity and economic growth.As for Germany, it gives priority to technology-intensive industries and to improve labor productivity mainly relies on science and technology, so the demand for mental exertion is much higher tha n physical. As a result, the negative influence of population aging on increase labor productivity is likely to be limited, on the other side, the experience of skilled older workers will have a positive effect to improve labor productivity in Germany. Conclusion Overall, it is argued in this essay that population aging in terms of the acroeconomics is not conducive to economic development, and its negative impact is mainly manifested in the above-mentioned four areas, while the elderly population do not entirely represent an economic burden as they can be profitable consumers, among them there are still some people engaged in economic activities with relatively abundant accumulation of experience and knowledge which can make up for the physical insufficiency. Thus, to some extent, these people contribute to the economic development.In fact, an effective way to mitigate the adverse effects of an aging population and labor force, is by accelerating the development of a knowledge-base d economy in high-tech industries. (i. e. to improve the level of automation in production and reduce the demand for workers' physical strength. ) We should also see that the development of the knowledge-based economy led to changes in the industrial structure and occupational structure and the increasingly high demand for workers intelligence.With the expectancy of population average life, the health status of the elderly is gradually improving, older workers will make a greater contribution than ever for economic development. Therefore, the rational development and utilization of elderly human resources, will become an important issue to mitigate the adverse impact of population aging on economic development. AppendixPercentage of Elderly in Age Group with a Ratio of Annuity Income to Consumption Expenditures in Germany [pic] Bibliography Asghar Zaidi and Malgorzata Rejniak (2010). Fiscal Policy and Sustainability in View of Crisis and Population Aging in Central and Eastern Europ ean Countries. Axel Borsch-Supan et al. (2005). aging, pension reform, and capital flows:a multi-country simulation model. Cambridge. National Bureau of Economic Research.David A. Wise (2004). Studies in the Economics of Aging. National Bureau of Economic Research. David E. Bloomet al. (2001). Economic Growth and the Demographic Transition. Cambridge: National Bureau of Economic Research. David N. Weil (2006). Population Aging. Cambridge. National Bureau of Economic Research. Michael D. Hurd (2006). The Economics Of Individual Aging. University of New York at Stony Brook.

Analyse the critical HR actions multinational corporations should take Essay

Analyse the critical HR actions multinational corporations should take to facilitate expatriate adjustmen - Essay Example Whenever a company grows from national to multinational (MNC) to global it has to face new challenges such as organizational culture, workforce diversity, expatriates etc. These issues are unavoidable, inevitable in fact they need to be welcomed and handled properly and effectively for the overall growth and benefit of the company. This paper aims at exploring who exactly are expatriates? Are they really unavoidable and irreplaceable with the local talent? What difficulties expatriates face in acclimatizing and proving their worth? What are the chances of success? How enticing and lucrative it is to take expatriate assignment? Do the benefits outweigh the difficulties? Do only expatriates need adjustment or their fellow local colleagues as well? Why many multinational companies opt for Expatriates instead of hiring new staff in the foreign country? What steps the HR department can take in order to help facilitate the expats adjustment to the new culture, country and way of life. What is the role and responsibilities of HR in making this adjustment as quick efficient and effective as possible? It also includes a study of expatriate cycle which typically includes selection, assignment and repatriation, remuneration and evaluation of their success and failure. Expatriates why are they needed? Whenever a company decides to operate in foreign lands some very obvious differences arise between domestic HRM and International HRM. One very important aspect of international HRM is moving staff across national boundaries with international assignments in various roles to firm’s foreign operations. Such foreign employees are called expatriates. An expatriate can be defined as a individual residing and working momentarily in a country other than their resident nation, employees who have been shifted out of their home base into some other area of firm’s foreign operations. There are three categories of employees in international firms: Host country nationals (H CNs) Parent country nationals (PCNs) Third country nationals (TCNs) PCNs are always expatriates and TCNs are also expatriates but HCNs can become expatriates if they are transferred into parent company operations outside their home country. 1(Peter J 2008) International Assignment creates expatriates HCNs HCNs National border PCNs PCNs TCNs National border The need for expatriates is not questionable for most of the MNE’s . Expatriate have the required technical skill, knowledge and expertise to supervise, assist and monitor local operations. Most of the negativity associated with expatriates is because of the high cost involved. Still most of the MNE’s believe in the cadre of high performance expatriates and are in search of people who are ready for an international business career. What they need to do is to motivate these people to perform well and while capitalizing on their skills improve their outlook and prepare them for their foreign assignment. 2(Daniels, 2007 ) Foreign assignments can be beneficial both for the person and the company. For the individual the following benefits can be seen. 3(K. Aswathappa, 2008) Increased experience of working with different cultures, personnel and work / life styles, this will make the employee more marketable and will improve his outlook. The expatriate is most likely to benefit from tax reductions. Most organizations offer their employees an expat package which

The Cask of Amontillado Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Cask of Amontillado - Essay Example He is insensitive to people’s feelings, but it does not seem to be coming from a place of malice, but more of a place of always thinking â€Å"what’s the big deal?† Burger is the opposite – he apparently was poor, worked his way up on the ladder, was not given anything, had to work for everything, and takes everything very seriously. So, both men came upon fame and fortune, but in very different ways. As indicated above, there is nothing in the early part of the story that would indicate that horror would be befalling Kennedy by the end of the story. This is in contrast to â€Å"The Cask of the Amontillado,† the story upon which this story was evidently based. In â€Å"The Cask of the Amontillado,† we know from the beginning that the narrator had a problem with Fortunato, who is the man who eventually has the same fate that Kennedy does in this story, for we know from the very first paragraph that the narrator is angry with Fortunato, althoug h we know not for what, and never do find out. However, in the â€Å"The New Catacomb,† there is initially not a hint that there is anything amiss. The two men are enjoying one another’s company, and there begins almost a casual conversation about two things – the fact that Burger has artifacts from a new catacomb that he has discovered, and the fact that Kennedy had had a scandalous affair, the details of which is not yet known. As the two men spar a bit – Kennedy is eager to know about the new catacomb, and Burger does not want to give up the secret – one does not necessarily get the sense that Burger has anything against Kennedy. Initially, the reader is led to believe that Burger is only asking Kennedy about the affair to prove a point – that, as Burger has a secret that he does not want to reveal, so does Kennedy. And, if Kennedy does not want to reveal the details of the affair, then Burger is not going to reveal the details about the new catacomb. Initially, it seems that this is all that there is to it. Of course, Kennedy does reveal the affair, and, in the process, the reader is brought into Kennedy’s mind. He comes across as callous and insensitive, for he had an affair with an engaged woman, all for the sport of it, and nothing else. Then he pretty much sealed his fate when he shrugged off the question about the woman’s other man by stating that it was simply survival of the fittest, and that if the other man would have been a better man, she would not have deserted him. Of course, the reader finds out at the end exactly who that other man was, but, at the moment, this information is not revealed, so the entire back and forth between the men about the affair does not seem to be foreboding. It is only when Burger states that he must take Kennedy to the new catacomb that the reader gets a sense of foreboding. Since most readers have read â€Å"The Cask of the Amontillado† at least once, th ere is, at this moment, a sense of dread for Kennedy. Although the reader does not know exactly why something will happen to Kennedy, there is immediately an â€Å"oh, no† when Burger offers to take Kennedy to the catacombs. Does Burger want revenge for the affair? If so, why is it his business? Or does he simply want a rival out of the way? After all, these men are rivals, even if they are friendly rivals. Whatever the motivation, the reader instantly can sense that this will not end well for Kennedy. As the