Analyse Maria Edgeworths treatment of one of the following themes in Castle Rackrent history or politics or society Essay Example

Analyse Maria Edgeworths treatment of one of the following themes in Castle Rackrent: history or politics or society Essay It has been debated over the years that Castle Rackrent by Marie Edgeworth, published in 1800, was the first regional novel in Britain and certainly the first novel to use the vernacular for the voice of the story. In effect the narrative structure is carefully organized, the vernacular medium plays a significant part in the organisation and the novel has a political purpose which the organised text seeks to serve. To publish an Irish story in January 1800 was definitely a political act. In Castle Rackrent Edgeworth adopts the voice of the native Irish, Thady Quirk is Catholic and Irish born, whose family have worked under several generations of an Anglo Irish family, the Rackrents. Castle Rackrent was written during a turbulent period in Irish history. The 1790s was the decade of the defenders and the united Irish men and the book was published on the eve of the union. This was hugely significant not only for the old Irish but also the Anglo Irish as they were now viewed by the New English as lowly as the Irish. The novel can be read as a tortuous struggle for Irish independence against the English ascendancy. We will write a custom essay sample on Analyse Maria Edgeworths treatment of one of the following themes in Castle Rackrent: history or politics or society specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Analyse Maria Edgeworths treatment of one of the following themes in Castle Rackrent: history or politics or society specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Analyse Maria Edgeworths treatment of one of the following themes in Castle Rackrent: history or politics or society specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer It is the minor effects in the book that point to political unstableness, and change, including the title itself. Castle Rackrent This was an abuse that existed for centuries in Ireland. As we can see in the text castle rackrent was totally mismanaged leading to inefficient use of resources. In the text we know that Sir Kit Stopgap was the definition of an absentee landlord, spending most of his time in Bath. It is he who adopts the dreaded middle men who were dreaded in Ireland, as they look large farms on long leases, and set the land again in smaller portions to the poor, as under tenants at exorbitant rates. This led to awful mismanagement and in later years led to the call for Home Rule. In the text, Thady describes this, The agent was one of your middlemen, who rind the face of the poor, and can never bear a man with a hat upon his head- he ferreted the tenants out of their lives-not a week without a call for money-drafts upon drafts for Sir Kit. It is also worth noting that Ra ckrent was a form of torture, this could be noted as a torture on the native Irish people, through their possession of their land. The last couple of lines of the preface contain a very prophetic musing. That is, in my opinion, still as relevant today as it was on the eve of the act of union. Nations as well as individuals gradually lose attachment to their individuality, and the present generation is amused rather than offended by the ridicule that is thrown upon their ancestorsWhen Ireland loses her identity by an Union with Great Britain, she will look back with a smile of good humoured complacency on the Sir Kits and Sir Condrys of her former existence.1 With the continuous growth in Ireland and greater integration into Europe this statement definitely rings through today. The current generation of young Irish no doubt look back to past decades, with perhaps a since of amusement and bewilderment at old Ireland and how she was. One of the key political messages in the book, (which does contain some bit of irony which I will later talk about) is to combat English prejudice against the Irish and to create an understanding between the two peoples. Brian Hollingworth in his book Marie Edgeworths, Irish Writings says she uses two separate and contradictory strategies. Firstly, in her narrative, she allows the English their customary laughter at Irish behaviour, but then she emphasises that such behaviour is now an anachronism. So the English grow more tolerant of the Irish and view the Union positivelySecondly, by the tropes and by the allusions which she employs, she identifies the social problems which exist in Ireland and the difficulties which face the Union. 2 (1997 pg75) Concerning her first tactic, a peculiarity which leaps from the title page is her emphasis that events described in Castle Rackrent predate 1782An Hibernian Tale, Taken from the facts, and from the manners of the Irish squires, before the year 1782 Brian Hollingworth concludes that a political message, both private and public is intimated here.1782 coincides with the beginnings of the Grattanite period and the slender years of political self confidence. However I think its Edgeworths display of social degeneration though various mannerisms of the Rackrent family themselves and also the use of the Castle Rackrent as a simile. This can be seen throughout the whole novel, the jovial disposition of the Rackrent family can be seen as condescending to the native Irish at times, on PG19 Sir Kit casually throws Thady a guinea, money to him was no more than dirt, this would be in stark contrast to the native Irish. Another relevant factor is the incessant carelessness and apathy to the Castle Rackrent and its business interest by several generations of the Rackrent family. The Rackrents are famous for their parties and their exuberant spending, this fickleness, however costs them everything. The irony been is that Thadys son Jason ends up buying the Castle and its lands. Jason a proper native Irish, through hard work ends up acquiring the castle through Sir Condys carelessness. This could be seen as warning to the ruling classes of Ireland, that if this continuous mistreatment of the Irish continues, then the Irish could rise up. We know this period was very unstable with many uprisings because of land ownership. Another example of politic unstableness can be seen through the Castle itself. The Castle at the start seems to be a place of great entertainment and joy. The castle begins large, it then falls into ruins and diminishes in size, this in stark contrast to the earlier part of the story when carriages come thundering up to the great hall door and improvements are being made to the house. After Sir Condrys marriage to a spendthrift wife, and his corrupt election to parliament, however, the house deteriorates rapidly. There was then a great silence in Castle Rackrent, and I went moping from room to room, hearing the door clap for want of right locks, and the wind through the broken windows that the glazier never would come to mend, and the rain coming through the roof and the best ceilings all over the house for want of the Slater whose bills were not paid. It is clear that through political corruptness and mismanagement that thing between the Irish and the English ascendancy cannot conti nue on. Mistreatment of the Irish has led to deterioration of not only the Irish themselves but also the English world. Marriage is also used in the novel to describe the political divisions in Ireland. The Rackrent males are dominating and abusive of theirs wives, especially in the sense of possessions and wealth. The best example of this is Sir Kit who marries a wealthy Jewish heiress in order to get his hands on her money. The scenes where she is shut away in the castle, are actually quite amusing, with Sir Kit condescending her at every turn, answering every question with yes sir. Perhaps the funniest incident in the film is, when Sir Kit demands bacon every morning for breakfast. After five years of this treatment she looks to be dying. During this time she has been wearing a valuable cross, which Sir Kit has been trying to get his hands on. The irony of the situation is that she recovers and Sir Kit dies. Directly she bursts into tears, and pulling her cross from her bosom, she kissed it with as great devotion as ever I witnessed, and lifting her eyes to heaven uttered some ejaculation,. Sir Con dys also marries a girl of vast wealth, although not as a calculated as his predecessor (He flips a coin) he still forfeits true love, which also ends in disaster. These acts of Union all end in failure and can be seen as a metaphor for the Union of Ireland and Great Britain, which also ends in failure. Marriage is meant to be a holy alliance, yet if the reason behind marriage is wrong, then it is an act against God. Ireland and Britain were never meant to be, it was a sin against God

Musical period essays

Musical period essays The Renaissance period saw the rise of the middle class. All the wealth did not go straight to the higher class and the middle class became more privileged and able to experiment with their own music. People moved to cities, and spent more time seeing plays and concerts. Music became part of a good education. By 1600, popular music of the day was available across Europe, and the middle class learned to play instruments using method books for recorder, lute, and guitar. Composers like Giovanni Palestrina led the way into a new way of composing. Man, rather then God, became the new focus in a great deal of music. Composers now turned to another dimension of music, and the use of harmony changed music for ever. There were two main musical types during the renaissance period Secular Music and Sacred Music. The sacred music of the Renaissance period originated from the plainsong used in the Middle Ages by the monks. This simple two-line polyphony was expanded to use up to four different vocal parts. This new vocal form was the called the motet, Giovanni Palestrina were the most famous Renaissance composer of motets he believed that the music was more important than the words. Music began to become very ornamented at this time and Motets became more ambitious and elaborate; more and more voices were also used and movements became longer and cleverer. The other most popular form of music in the renaissance period was secular music this was defined by Madrigals which were songs for small groups of voices without instruments. Usually about love Madrigals became very important for special occasions usually such as at feasts and weddings and often had verses with repeated choruses of the popular music of the time. Renaissance period music was able to be defined by the use of polyphonic rhythms and compositional styles for instruments these pieces were often written to accompany ballroom dancing...

Characterization of the Automotive Interior Cabin Noise Research Proposal

Characterization of the Automotive Interior Cabin Noise - Research Proposal Example Consequently, interior trims such as the car-seats and roof covering play a very vital role in the observation of interior noise and vibrations specifically in relatively heightened frequencies (>400Hz). This therefore means that the automotive industry has had to focus on the redesigning the interior of this personal cars to make the cars as quiet as possible. The automotive industry has been compelled to enhance their interior trim products with better designs due to eco-friendly factors such as whether these products are recyclable, the fact that the noise and vibrating levels have the possibility of resulting to serious health issues and price of products. However, there is still a lot of research that need to be done in order to get a more profound understanding of the consequences of the interior trim design on the noise and vibrating levels. Once this improved and refined trim designs and concepts are recommended for the automotive industry, this need to enhance their interior trim products with better designs will become even more obligatory. Hence, this research paper is anticipated to deliver a practicable process which can estimate and optimize the interior cabin noise level for dissimilar interior trims and seating arrangement. In carrying out this research we first have to understand the effects of vehicle interior trims in minimizing interior cabin noise. In doing so, we will begin by establishing the noise characteristics. In establishing the noise characteristics of interior design, I will peg my research on a paper published by Jha and Priede which investigated the simplest mechanism of understanding how noise is generated in a car. This noise is majorly caused by the vibration of the cabin walls. While this research was carried out over 30 years ago the findings from this research are still applicable with the design and features of an ordinary modern day vehicle. Jha and Priede carried out experiments of internal noise spectra of a number of vehicles. The internal noise spectra of the vehicles were also done at contrasting speeds. The internal noise spectra was seen to elevate to an all-out level of 20 Hz and later decrease at a constant rate of averagely 25 Db per decade to a level exceeding 1 kHz. Although, the frequency at which the highest level of noise is experienced normally depends on the size of the car, the corresponding interior noise spectra for all personal vehicles as investigated by Jha and Priede are all alike. The rotation of the wheels are one of the major contributors of interior noise and vibrations whereby they result to noise peaks of about 20 Hz which in combination with various harmonics result to a lot of noise and vibrations within the car. The engine is also a major contributor of these noise and vibrations within the car whereby when an engine fires it produces harmonics of a low order that account for a frequency of about 100Hz. The second part of this research will be identifying the role of different trims in absorbing noise and vibrations produced within the cabin. The most commonly used trims are Acoustic Insulation materials. These materials that are applied in the reduction of noise and vibration levels within a personal car have the following mechanism; they first absorb the energy produced which is then transformed into heat energy. This transformed sound energy is reflected away from the vehicle. The acoustic insulation

Effectiveness of Strategy at Subsidiary Level Essay

Effectiveness of Strategy at Subsidiary Level - Essay Example It is the method of aligning all the activities being undertaken in the organisation such as management, marketing, research and development and Computer information system in a prescribed way to achieve the goals of the organisation. The first step namely the strategy formulation involves the development of the business mission, evaluation of the opportunities and threats faced by the business organisation in the business, by using tools such as SWOT analysis, examining the strengths and weaknesses of the business, determining the long term objectives of the business and designing the new strategies to eke in the process of achieving the new targets. It also include the processes to determine the investment direction, the business markets to be addressed, extension of the operations of the business, limitations faced by the business in order to undertake the business activities. Strategy formulation also helps the business in deciding about the matters to be addressed on priority basis. There is not any organisation in the world which has unlimited resources. Therefore the business organisations need to evaluate which projects are important and need investment. The future of a business organisation is very much effected by the strategic decision of the management of the organisation. With the globalisation of the economy the concept of Multinational Enterprises is prevailing all over the world. An MNE is a differentiated network of internationally dispersed units, which are simultaneously embedded in two business contexts: the internal MNE and the external (host country) environment. Thus, the roles and/or strategies of subsidiaries are both shaped by and affecting these two contexts. A subsidiary has a dual role to play: it interacts with the rest of the MNE internally and with local partners externally. Firstly, while subsidiaries can benefit from knowledge flows from the rest of the MNE, they can also do so from the local partners in the host country, to enhance their level of competence and hence contribute to the overall competitive advantage of the MNE. Secondly, subsidiaries may also help or hurt their local partners during their external interactions in the host country business environment. It has been argued that the state of the economy of the host country has significant implications for the operation of the subsidiaries, and consequently for its strategy (Hunt and Morgan, 1995). Because of this the main macroeconomic concepts relating to the determination of economic activity, and related issues such as the inflation rate and the exchange rate, have been discussed in some detail. The various factors affecting the company should

Five Traits Essay Example for Free

Five Traits Essay 1.Define and discuss the importance of the following traits associated with leaders: intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity, and sociability. Is this list all inclusive? a.Intelligence: Having a strong verbal ability, perceptual ability, and reasoning abilities; Leaders intellectual abilities, however, should not differ too much from their subordinates; Intelligence is also defined as a trait that significantly contributes to a leader’s acquisition of complex problem-solving skills and social judgement skills; Intelligent leaders have the ability to consider every situation individually and make an assessment as to what is the best solution. b.Self-Confidence: The ability to be certain about one’s competencies and skills is self-confidence; Includes both self-esteem and self-assurance; Self-confidence is an essential trait for any leader because without self-confidence it may become harder for followers to fully trust their leader c.Determination: Determination is the desire to get a job done and includes characteristics such as initiative, persistence, dominance, and drive; these people are proactive and have the perseverance to face obstacles; this trait is needed in order for leaders and followers to overcome goals. d.Integrity: Integrity is the quality of honesty and trustworthiness; these people are those who adhere to a strong set of principles and take responsibility for their actions; Leaders need integrity in order to inspire confidence in others since they are trusted to do what they say they are going to do. e.Sociability: A leader’s inclination to seek out pleasant social relationships; people who possess sociability are able to create strong relationships with their fellow followers. f.The five traits described above are all traits in which strong leaders possess. While the list is certainly not all-inclusive, these five seem to be essential in order to produce a strong and successful leade r.

Comparing A Thousand Acres and King Lear :: comparison compare contrast essays

A Thousand Acres and King Lear: A New Twist When Jane Smiley wrote A Thousand Acres, she consciously made the story parallel to Shakespeare's King Lear for several reasons. The novel's characters and basic storyline are almost direct parallels to King Lear, but Smiley's dissatisfaction with the traditional interpretation of King Lear is showcased in her modern day version (Berne 236). The story of the Cook family is almost a carbon copy of the saga of Lear's family. The ruler, or father, possesses so much power that he is driven to insanity. Both divide up their kingdoms and land, giving the largest portion to the most "loving" daughter: "In spite of that inner clang, I tried to sound agreeable. 'It's a good idea.' Rose said, 'It's a great idea.' Caroline said, 'I don't know.'" (Smiley 19). In each family, one daughter, the youngest, rebels against her father's wishes and is not given any land. Cordelia: Nothing, my lord. Lear: Nothing? Cordelia: Nothing. Lear: Nothing will come of nothing: speak again. Cordelia: Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave My heart into my mouth. I love your majesty/ According to my bond; nor more nor less. (Shakespeare I. i. 89-94) Shortly after giving up his power, the father realizes that he is nothing without it and appears to be slowly becoming insane. In both instances, the father, in a crazed moment, wanders off and puts himself in a life-threatening situation. In the end the youngest daughter comes to the fathers' rescue. With so many basic plot similarities, Smiley manages to convey a new take on an old-fashioned story. At the end of King Lear, Lear traditionally is believed to be a changed man. Smiley doesn't buy into this common belief; therefore Larry Cook remains a static character throughout the novel. He never changes his attitude towards his possessions, his daughters and his land. Another difference that contributes to Smiley's new interpretation is the point of view from which the story is told. King Lear is told from a strictly male point of view. A Thousand Acres is told through the viewpoint of Ginny, Smiley's parallel to Goneril. Through Ginny's self-revelation, the reader is made aware of many circumstances that would cause a daughter to hate her father. Smiley believes that Lear's daughters must have had some reason for hating him. This is why, in her novel, she includes a childhood of incest.

The Influence of the Internet on Modern Society.

?The influence of the internet on modern society. CSC 1015 By Ryan Foreman 091811594 Introduction This essay focuses on the impact that the interent has had on modern society. I will give a brief history of the internet, talking about its origins and the key developments that have occured up until now. Then look at how the internet has changed society so far, including how it has changed social interactions, e-commerce and jobs. Also discussing the advantages and disadvatages of the interent and if we are better of with the internet, how i think the internet will develop and finally drawing my own personal conclusion. History of the internet – Before the invention of practical computers, people had visioned concepts of the internet Mountbatten, (1946 cited in Naughton,2000) thought that â€Å"Morse operators would be replaced by automatic apparatus . . . a single unified world-wide network of stations would be set up over which messages would be passed automatically. † Mountbatten's theory is simular to the function of e-mails. The term â€Å"father of the internet† has been thrown abouut, this is because so many people have contributed to the development of the internet three names always occur Vannevar Bush, Norbert Wiener and J. C. R Licklider. My personal opinion is that it was Paul Baran, this is because of his work on packet switched networks Naughton, (2000) â€Å"The core of Baran's algorithm was a constantly updated table containg data about how many ‘hops' were needed for a message to reach every other node in the system. † This is the idea of packet switching. The first form of the public internet was developed by CERN and invented by Tim Berners-lee he was the first person to communicate from a HTTP client to a server via the internet. Since the internet has become avaliable it has had millions of users, the internet have expanded vastly from being able to communicate from one computer to another to having television channels broadcasted live. How the internet has changed society so far. Society has been able to become socially active online with social networking sites such as facebook, myspace and Instant messaging services, i think the reason this has become popular is because these websites and programs are free and the ease of access, allowing people anywhere to talk to anyone in the world providing they have internet access. High street stores, have developed websites to advertise what they have instore online, giving the user the abilty to buy the product online and have it delivered to their house without having to go to the high street, i see this as a great advantage to people who live in remote locations, do not have mobile transport or are unable to travel, having an online store appeals to alot more people and gives the comapny a larger market. The internet has created many jobs, with the development of servers people are needed to maintain them, well as website developers and people needed to develop new technologies for the internet. Banks now allow customers to monitor their accounts online,[6] â€Å"49% of internet users access internet banking. † giving them more control over their account and they can check themselves. I personally think that this is a bad idea because of the risk of fraud and people becoming paranoid about their money, on the other hand account holders can also keep track of their finances incase illegal transactions are taking place. Thanks to the internet employees can work from anywhere, saving office space and capital costs on bulidings, i think that this has changed alot of workplace ethics, social workplace interaction has changed because employees are not working together in one place, although if employees are happy to work from home they may have higher job satisfaction. The benefits of the internet In the following paragraph i will discuss the advantage of the internet in modern day society. The interent has created new was of communication, such s instant messaging and video confencing but i think that the biggest influence is e-mail [1]†The use of e-mail is having a great impact on society. † E-mail has changed communication that now businesses use it. [1] â€Å"E-mail is a very fast way to work that reflects very well the nature of business today. † because of its efficiency, cost and ease of use e-mail has become a favoured method of communication. Business has thived on the intern et, internet business are able to reach a wider market [2]†Through the internet, a business of any size can compete in the global marketplace. In fact, on the internet, the size of an organization's operation makes little difference because the internet is an open environment. † because anyone has access to the internet businesses can reach anyone also giving the customer a wider choice of products. The internet has also seen new markets for jobs appear [3]†over the last decade or so the Internet has created 1. 2 million jobs, many paying higher salaries than average. † because of the new developments there are more people needed to perform research maintain and manage these areas of the internet. The dangers of the internet. In this paragraph i will be looking at the disadvantages of the internet. There are dangers of online communication such as social networks where users can lie about who they are [4]â€Å"Megan thought she was being abused by 16-year-old Josh Evans, she was actually talking to Lori Drew, the 49-year-old mother of one of her former friends who, it is alleged, had set up a fake profile to taunt Megan. † in social networking sites it is very easy for people to lie about who they are and trick other people. Businesses using online transactions have become victim to cyber-crime, there are many forms of cyber-crime, hacking involves gaining information without the users permission and misusing it, Cyber-crime is a huge part crime in todays society and is still growing [5]â€Å"Online theft costs $1 trillion a year, the number of attacks is rising sharply and too many people do not know how to protect themselves† because many businesses don't know how to protect themselves are being preyed on by hackers. Since e-mails have become mainstream less letters have been sent [6] â€Å"The impact of the internet and other communication technologies, such as mobile phones, has been so great that it has actually severed the link between the postal market and economic growth. † this decline in the postal market may be [6] â€Å"the rapid increase of internet access, with 70% of homes in the UK now online. † and also [6] â€Å"87% of internet users send e-mails. † because so many people have access to the internet and e-mails post is becoming redundant. If the benefits outways the dangers In this paragraph I will draw a conclusion on whether the benefits of the internet outway the dangers. Businesses have hugely benefitted from the internet with the access to a wider market, but a major disadvantage is cyber-crime one crime in specific fraud. I beleive the advantage outways the disadvantage because there are many ways businesses can protect themselves against fraud with software and training. Social networks have a huge advantage of being able to communicate with vast amounts of people from anywhere at any time, but people many younger internet users are targeted and negatively influenced over these sites, these influences can be stopped if the correct action can be taken a careful use of these sites. There have been so many jobs created by the internet because of all the new markets being created, aswell as all of these jobs being created many jobs have been lost [6]â€Å"55,000 jobs lost since 2002. . There have been many more jobs created than lost so far so i see the internet being an advantage. Summary The internet has vastly changed society through the many different areas that i have looked at, communication has greatly benefitted by having fast, easy and cheap communication, businesses have been able to reach a larger market and customers can choose from a wider range of products, more skilled jobs have been created. The internet has also created negative aspects such as communication and businesses have xperienced crime and online bullying, also many jobs have been lost because less people are using some services that the internet can now provide. My own personal experience of the internet has been of all of the areas discussed and i have always had good experiences. In conclusion the internet has created so many new jobs and markets rather than taken them away, as [6]â€Å"70% of homes in the UK now online. † it has affect a huge amount of the UK society and had a positive affect or people wouldn't use it.