Literature ans society Essay Example for Free

Literature ans society Essay The literature of an age, and its social set up keeping and reacting one over the other. Literature influences the society; society is reflected in Literature and in this way, in all languages and at all times there has been a close interaction between the two. Literature of any age cannot escape the influence of the social scene and therefore is found reflecting the society of the age when it is created. The poet, the dramatist, the novelist, the essayist are all the product of their age and their-age openly and clearly gets imaged in their compositions. That cannot be helped, it so seems. Take  the example of two literatures — English and Hindi. Chaucer is called the father of English poetry and actually English literature in its form and language which kept on developing and improving, begins from him. His most representative work is the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales and then the Canterbury Tales. All the characters painted in these tales are the true representation of the types of such people as they were in his times. While Chaucer is a reflector of those characters and their types of his age — he is virtually and truly described as the chronicler of his age — his characters whether a  Knight; the Prioress; the monk, the fat fryer, the sailor, the squire, the priest — all are truly the representatives of their types in the contemporary society as they actually were. Chaucer is a painter as well as a critic of his society. Shakespeare — the greatest dramatist of English language — one of the greatest of all languages brings in ‘ghosts’, ‘witches’, and ‘courtier’ and ‘fools’ in his plays which were as per the liking of his audience and a part of the English Society of his times. That is what is rightly said about Shakespeare that in addition to the normal three ‘unities’—  Time, Place and Action in drama, he brought about the fourth unity — ‘unity with the people’. That encomium clearly Shakespeare being influenced by the society of his age and in his plays he, though never gave any message or pronounced any philosophy, but that is always there — the triumph of the good over the evil. This was the message that was most needed to his age after all that had happened earlier — Henry VIII —the king having been killed, Mary Tudor — a despotic, arrogant, a cruel ruler and then a benevolent, all embracing middle-path follower queen — Queen Elizabeth. As is the king so are the people — is an old but true saying and Shakespeare reflects that hilarious sometimes, but somber and philosophic at the other in his plays. Hulton was very much the product of his age. A truly puritanical person; a deeply religious man, he gave to his age which was battling with belief and disbelief — the message of God’s triumph over Satan. The Eighteenth century of English literature is a true product of the age. The social scene had degenerated into debauchery and license after the Restoration of Charles II who brought along with him all that he had enjoyed during his exile and adjourns in France and the literature of that period reflects all that was happening in the society. Alexander Pope’s ‘Rape of the Lock’ is a reflection of the so-called lascivious high society of and pungent satire too, on all that was too much too bad for the society. Thus Pope is a reflector as a corrector of his age. So are Addison and Steele as essayists. Balzac, Zola, Maupassant of France had cast their influence on every Wycherley, conserve and later Restoration dramatists who had gone to the lowest depth in describing social disparity and this is how literature reflected the age. The French Revolution — a very significant political and social event of Europe had as its basic tenets — Equality, Fraternity and Liberty — and these tenets and the revolution did cast its spell all over Europe and England and the English poets could not escape that influence. Wordsworth was moved by the humanitarian aspect of the revolution in the earlier phase but later its bloodiness and violence disillusioned him and all this is reflected in Wordsworth’s poetry — ‘poet of man’ and in his later poetry. Shelley was moved by the revolution’s ‘spirit’ of revolution and Byron by its fighting spirit. Tennyson was a true representative of the Victorian age and sang of the glories of the Empire while his nature poetry gets influenced by the advancement of Science in the later nineteenth century. He did not remain a ‘priest of nature’ as Wordsworth was because where science advances religion declines. Charles Dickens saw the backside of industrialization — the poor getting Poorer and the rich richer — the sufferings of the poor are ignored and his novels reflect all this. The First World War (1914-19) created a group of who sang of the glories of war, of chivalry and  Sacrifice for the nation and then there is the post w poetry and post-war drama — Bernard Shaw dramatist known for his pungent satire, pricking the balloon of romanticism associated with war heroism and love in his ‘Arms and the Man’. Eliot comes on the literary stage to deal with the utter disillusionment of the age in his ‘Wasteland’ all this about English Literature. Similarly in Hindi Literature, when Prithvi Raj Chauhan was fighting valiantly with Mohammad Gori Chandrabardai — the warrior poet was singing of the glories of war and his hero in his ‘Prithvi Raj Raso’. Then came the Bhakti Kal — the period of Bhakti — the country and the nation had fallen under the Muslim yoke and there were class conflicts on the basis of faith and religion. There came on the literary scene, Kabir, who preached anti-fanaticism; pricked the bloated balloon of superstitions and blind faiths and admonished both ‘mullahs’ and ‘Pandits’ and showed the way of God. Tulsidas found the Hindu society divided into factions ‘Shaivas’ and ‘Vaishnavas’ and showed the path of love, brotherhood and mutual respect for all Gods and presented the ideals of a son, a brother, a wife, and a devotee. The triumph of Ram — the incarnation of the Good over Ravan, the symbol of Evil is an eternal lesson given by him to the society — whose lessons remain revered even till today. The period of comparative social peace created a set of poets who indulged in pleasing their patrons — the Kings — as their courtiers and songsters. Their poetry is full of amorous sports in which they make Krishna a Radha and the Gopis their actors — a very wrong a vitiated depiction — unbecoming of those great. This was done just to gratify their patrons — the sensuous and sensual kings. This is how the social scene was reflecting itself in literature. Then, comes the modern age. The British were ruling India and there were classes close to the ruler and classes suffering at the hands of the officials and at the hands of the so-called elite of the society. There were classes created — the superior, the downtrodden — the imperialists and the nationalists. Prem Chand — the great novelist unravels this class fight in his novels and thereby, not only reflects the society of his times but gives a lesson too. His novels, his short stories — all have a lesson to give. There was Bhartendu Harishchandra — the poet the harbinger of the modern age and thought, who successfully caricatured the classes — social and religious — thus reflecting the social scene with a point to reform it. Thus goes on the scene. Maithili Saran Gupta — the Gandhian poet sings of the glory of Ram, of the glory of Lord Buddha, of the glory of other mythological heroes his thrust throughout being to awaken the masses and enlighten them into cordial social contacts. The national fervor reverberated through the veins of the Psyche under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi and poets  after poets, writers after writers sang of the of our ancient land and its culture. Jai Sanker rasad, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, the poets; Dharmvir Shrilal Shukla — the novelists brought into focus the inequalities and imbalances that plagued the social scene and through their thoughtful and sometimes highly satirical way brought to the fore the social and political malaise through which our present generation passing. This true presentation has been with a purpose — to awaken the social conscience to the problems that dog the people. Literature thus has been holding the mirror up to Nature on one hand; reflecting all traditions,  trends and tendencies while rising up the finger of caution too to guard against all that goes against the basic values of life. Literature and Society have remained and shall remain ever intertwined and the more they so remain, the more solid would the foundations be laid for a sustained growth; a well-coordinated growth and a corrected social order Literature has to play its part as a reflector and a corrector of society and society has to inspire men of letters to keep themselves on their guard towards their mission of social good.

Hedge Fund Policy Essay -- Economics Wealth Papers

Hedge Fund Policy What makes a hedge fund such a unique investment? And why is it so controversial? Many feel the risks of a hedge fund strongly outweigh its benefits. And with some funds, it does. But when a hedge fund strives, it has impeccable potential. It is arguable that the regulation on hedge funds, or lack there of, is what allows for so many to falter. However, despite various suggestions for policy changes, a few lemons still remain. Would changes in policy and regulation of a Hedge Fund allow it to be a more attractive investment opportunity? Although some alterations could make the hedge fund a safer investment, some risks are completely unavoidable. Ultimately, these changes may not only create more problems, but also take away from the uniqueness of this remarkable form of investment. A hedge fund is typically a private partnership invested primarily in publicly traded securities or futures. They are limited to 99 investors and require large minimum investments, which can range from $25,000 to several million dollars. Sixty five percent of the investors must have a net worth of at least $1 million. A general partner, who uses sophisticated strategies to make bets on the fund?s direction, and generally receives 20% of the profits, leads the fund. Hedge fund strategies fall into four open categories: absolute return, long/short equity, event driven, and global asset allocation. Absolute driven strategies are known as "market-neutral" funds, which seek to moderate the effects of overall market forces. Long/Short hedge funds, which represent about half of the assets in the hedge fund industry, seek to profit from underpricings by buying long, and overpricing through short selling. Event driven hedge funds ... ... able to grow and have the leverage it had, if it had not been lent the money," said Bert Ely. Though many may argue that hedge funds do more harm than good, they are still extremely popular investments and have proven to be very successful. Many have benefited with the current hedge fund policy and see no need for regulatory changes. Various proposed changes may not, in fact, be entirely beneficial. Once implemented, the suggested solutions could create more problems for the hedge fund world. And such changes would alter the characteristics that attract so many to such incredible investment opportunities. In the end, a better hedge fund policy is neither plausible nor desirable. Sources: http://library.hbs.edu/hedgefunds.htm http://www-personal.umd.umich.edu/~mtwomey/newspapers/100198he.html http://www.bernstein.com/perfstrat/products/ts_020401.htm

Online Shopping vs Traditional Shopping Essay

Shopping always has been associated with long, dragging lines, parking issues, and the hassle of driving around from store to store until we finally find what we need; but not anymore. Online shopping has given people the freedom to shop at home wearing only their pajamas and still get what they want. Although this might seem like the answer to prayers of many people, online shopping has its flaws as does traditional shopping. To facilitate this decision we have to see if online shopping can measure up to the purchasing power of traditional shopping. To do this we need to weigh both methods to see how they compare to one another. Online and traditional shopping offer choices to shoppers; knowing the risks and benefits of both alternatives is necessary for them to make a smart decision. Online Shopping: When it comes to online shopping the idea of shopping in the comfort of your own home is very appealing to most people. You also have the choice of browsing different sites to find what you need instead of wasting gas and time driving around different stores. Also, many people dread standing in long lines especially during the holiday season. Online shopping offers a retreat from these situations. Another good thing about online shopping is that things are easy to find online. You just type whatever it is your looking for on a search engine and you will get many suggestions of sites on the item. And perhaps the best feature of all is the price reduction offered by the online option. The reason for this is because taxes seem to be lower or nonexistent on some products in some states when shopping online. Online shopping also prevents consumers from walking around with a big wad of money that can be easily lost or stolen. The flaws of online shopping usually come between the reliability of the websites, the risk of identity theft, and the risk of credit card fraud committed by computer hackers. There is also a risk of running into a website that can infect your computer with various kinds of viruses. Reading online reviews about certain websites can sometimes help in this matter. Quality is sometimes an issue with online shopping because you don’t physically see or try out the product before you make the purchase. That is  a huge turn off for most people because research has shown that motor skills are very important when it comes to activities such as shopping and people just plain and simple want to see and test out what they are purchasing. For example, ladies want to test out the new perfumes but cannot do that through the computer. Sometimes there are certain items people like to try out and physically see what it looks like on them, but obviously they can’t do that online. Another disadvantage to online shopping is the fact that you have to wait to receive your item. So, if you are in a rush then you are out of luck. This probably means that grocery shopping online is not a good idea. Method of payment is another risk by itself. Usually credit cards are the preferred method but sometime you can use PayPal. But, it is risky to use credit cards online because you don’t know who is looking at your information. With that being said, it is probably a good idea to make sure you are using a good anti-virus program before going on a shopping spree online. Traditional Shopping: In traditional shopping you simply get in your car, drive to your favorite store (possibly with a friend with you) and buy what you want. It is an opportunity to socialize as well as having the excitement of being in a store with millions of products which you can see and try before you purchase. This method allows you to get the item right now without having to worry about the product being lost in the mail. Also, if you don’t like something or if something doesn’t fit you can just simply take it back to the store and get a refund or your money back instantly rather than waiting for the postal service. Conventional shopping has a certain vibe or electricity to it which is hard to experience from a computer. Traditional shopping sounds great; however it does have its issues. Some of the problems with traditional shopping include gas money spent driving around to different stores looking for what you want. Sometimes what we are looking for might be available in a store in a different state. And that makes it pretty impractical to obtain that item which leaves us to basically wait until it comes to our favorite store. Also, trying to find parking at big department stores and malls can be very troublesome. Some  people simply forget where they parked. Some people accidently lock the car keys in the car, or sometimes we have to deal with traffic jams that cause unnecessary stress. It is just the overall consumption of time and energy that most people find difficult. You will also experience a phenomenon known as shopping rage which is more common during the holidays. People get tired and frustrated during the holidays and let their frustration out on other people when shopping. It is very uncomfortable in those situations especially if you have your kids w ith you at the store while shopping. This is something you won’t have to deal with when you are safe at home on your computer. The online shopping industry is growing more and more and there is good reason to believe that this growth will continue. One major factor to this prediction is that people are in fact saving money online because of the vast availability of items and because of the competition this creates among online stores. Despite its advantages, online shopping is still a relatively new concept for most people and because of this online shopping will fall behind the traditional shopping market, at least for now. It is a personal preference when it comes to choosing the two different shopping methods. Just like anything else they have their pros and they have their cons. Just remember to shop the way you feel comfortable and you will automatically become a smart and knowledgeable shopper. Happy shopping!!!

A Research On Scandals Of Baseball - 3731 Words

Abady, David Mr. Laub Research Paper on Scandals in Baseball 4-30-15 Introduction For this paper, I will be researching the controversial topic on whether athletes or coaches, especially in baseball, should be recognized for their achievements if they were involved in any sort of scandals during their tenures. This subject is hotly debated due to the fact that some find it wrong to reward people who have committed major wrongdoings or even cheated the game they were a part of. On the other hand, some believe that there comes a point in time when, after the players or coaches have suffered enough from their wrongdoings, these people should be rewarded and recognized for providing their sports with all of the glory they possibly could. For example, in the case of Pete Rose, some believe that he has served his time and should be voted into the MLB Hall of Fame due to the fact that he shattered records during his playing years. 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