A safe Choice-but her only choice Essay Example for Free

A safe Choice-but her only choice Essay James Joyces short story Eveline sets the stage for a time between adolescence and maturity. Written in 1914, which was four years short of the womens suffrage in Ireland, the storys protagonist, Eveline, is largely influenced by the feminist issues. Since she has little control over her life, Eveline has grown accustomed to a routine life. She is paralyzed from the thought of leaping into a new path. Eveline faces two extremes: a miserable home life or a dramatic escape to an uncertain future. Both extremes she deals with involve a man controlling her life. Living in the early 1900s women did not have the opportunity to be independent. No matter which path she chooses, she would still answer to a man. She lives in a male-dominated world in which she is stripped of choice and emotion. She is helpless against the way her life is heading. Considering this, one cannot blame her for choosing to stay home because it was not much of a choice, and she has never made an independent choice of her own. If she left with Frank, her lover, then there could be the possibility of danger. â€Å"She felt him seize her hand† (Joyce 7). Joyce’s choice of diction â€Å"seize† tells the audience that Eveline’s guard is up because she knows how a man can be abusive. She saw this with her mother and father and wants to have a life different from her mother but cannot. Furthermore, psychologically, Eveline cannot move towards Frank because she was exposed to a life of domestic violence, which her mother and older brothers endured. She knows how violent a man who at times can be even kind, funny, and sweet. â€Å"She remembered her father putting on her mother’s bonnet to make the children laugh† (Joyce 6). That same man turns into an aggressive, ruthless man who selfishly makes his daughter feel guilty about herself. On the other hand, she has known him her entire life. Her older brothers used to take the beating and now that they are not there â€Å"†¦he had begun to threaten her and say what he would do to her for only her dead mother’s sake† (Joyce 4-5). If she has gone 19 years without a beating, then there would be a good chance of his threats as just talk. Since he says, he will not hit her for â€Å"her dead mother’s sake,† then one would think he would honor his word for the respect of his deceased wife. All of Eveline’s life has revolved around her family. She runs her household domestically and works for a living in which all her earnings wind up with her father. In addition, she manages to care for her two younger siblings seeing them to school and preparing dinner. Since the death of her mother, she took over domestically and maternally with no choice. Her mother, on her deathbed, made Eveline â€Å"promise to keep the home together as long as she could† (Joyce 6). By doing so her mother has caused another obstacle Eveline must face in order to leave, that is the guilt of a broken promise. As any good daughter would, she stays to fulfill her vow. This vow gives Eveline another excuse to stay home and carry out her routine life. In addition, Eveline knows the difficulties of her life but she still prefers it. Joyce explains Eveline’s view of her life â€Å"†¦a hard life but now that she was about to leave it she didn’t find it a wholly undesirable life† (5). Any modern day daughter with those responsibilities would find that a very undesirable life, but Eveline changing her mind about leaving shows the reader how she cannot bear to abandon her family and this life, which has been the only thing, she has known her whole life. Because compared to an unknown destiny, Eveline would much rather stay home and be miserable because she would expect this. Being a woman with little say in her everyday life, the present opportunity is new to her, and she cannot make a major decision on her own because she has never had to. Eveline has been given an opportunity to flee home in hopes of happiness, but she could not risk a life of uncertainty. Frank, a sailor, offers a chance of happiness to her and â€Å"†¦she had begun to like him† (Joyce 6). Eveline says that she â€Å"like(s)† him; not loves. Can their â€Å"like† for one another be enough to survive in the New World? Joyce says that Eveline â€Å"begun† meaning she barely knew if she was interested in him not if she was ready for a lifetime commitment. Eveline’s upbringing influences her adult decisions because she has never known anything but Ireland. The fear of leaving home is essentially, why she doubts Frank. A future with him is not set in stone; thus, it cannot be. As one might foreshadow, â€Å"she chooses the hell she knows rather than the possible hell of the unknown† (Rogers 172). Hell here symbolizes the men and she would much rather be with the familiar than the unfamiliar. She likes to play it safe because if Frank turns out to be the worst, then where will she go since going back home is not an option. As they are ready to begin this epic adventure in her life, Eveline believes that â€Å"†¦he would drown her. She gripped with both hands at the iron railing† (Joyce 7). The first part â€Å"he would drown her† meaning he would not save her from this wretched life. This is a change of setting from the window seal to the sea. The window was sturdy, whereas, the sea is constantly moving. She is unable to adjust to this new path because she believes Frank cannot guarantee a life better than her home. â€Å"She gripped with both hands at the iron railing† symbolizes her paralysis. The iron railing signifies the home ground and she grips on the rail for dear life. Her actions tell the reader how fearful she is to leave her homeland. Eveline does not want to depart the only thing she has known. Eveline’s life is routine from the footsteps in front of her house to turning her wages to her father every week. â€Å"But Eveline†¦ perceives any and every change as a loss†¦ she knows this with her head, her heart rejects it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Rogers 171- 172). Eveline cannot seem to grasp the changes around her as a positive because deep inside her she knows where she must be, at home. Meeting Frank was a change to her and instead of embracing it; she ultimately fears it. Even, if staying home will most likely lead to a miserable life one like her mother’s, she would because she cannot accept change. Today, most young women have not had to endure a â€Å"life of commonplace sacrifices† (Joyce 6). Sadly, Eveline has no choice but to stick to the familiar and steer away from any fickle opportunities. If Joyce set the setting during a modern era, then Eveline would be more aware of the opportunities there are now. Furthermore, the world today has come along way and is not as male-dominated as before.

Aristophanes Agathon in Women at the Thesmophoria Essay -- Aristophan

Aristophanes' Agathon in Women at the Thesmophoria Aristophanes and Agathon were peers in Ancient Greece. Aristophanes was the master of comedy, and Agathon was the master of tragedy. They traveled in the same circles and are present in the same works. In looking through the comic lens at Agathon in Aristophanes’ Women at the Thesmophoria, the reader is presented with a portrayal of an effeminate man with a flair for the dramatic and a queenly attitude. Aristophanes’ Agathon is a comic character to be laughed at, a man that is more female than male. In looking at this view of Agathon, Greek views of homoeroticism are brought up and Agathon’s reputation and character in the world of Ancient Greece is brought into question. How much of this portrayal is actual, and how much is Aristophanes use of comedy? More importantly, what is exposed in viewing Agathon in this light? In order to answer these questions, an alternate, non-comic view of Agathon must be looked at, which Plato’s Symposium offers. By comparing Agathon’s portrayal in both works, views on Agathon and on Greek homoeroticism can be inferred. Aristophanes’ portrait of Agathon is not true to Agathon’s actual self, but rather uses cultural stereotypes and bigotry to gain laughs. Looking at Aristophanes’ portrayal of Agathon in both Symposium and Women at the Thesmophoria and in looking at the general treatment given to Agathon in Symposium, a basis for this interpretation is created, allowing the modern reader a clearer look at Greek life. Three lenses are presented- Aristophones’ comic lens in his famous comedy, Aristophanes’ personal lens through his speech in Symposium, and Plato’s non-comic lens in Symposium, providing a wide range of views to be explored. Arist... ...ng the most cultured, the stereotypes of the masses were ignored. Through combining all three lenses, it is clear that Aristophanes’ portrait of Agathon is not true to Agathon’s actual self, but rather uses cultural stereotypes and bigotry to gain laughs. Though Agathon was a womanly man in a long-term homo-sexual relationship, Women at the Thesmophoria plays on stereotypes, exposing the common Greek ideals of masculinity and homoeroticism. Through further exploration of Symposium, both with Aristophanes’ tint and without, it is apparent that Agathon was no one to be lampooned, but was rather an intelligent, well-respected member of the highest social circles. Women at the Thesmophoria serves as more of a lens into common Greek beliefs then a lens into Agathon’s character, showing that the comic lens of Aristophanes goes deeper culturally then it does personally.

Multiple Directorship

Issue of multiple directorships has recently came to public concern. It becomes more and more common that directors in listed companies retaining multiple directorships and even some legislators are involved. This situation is popular in Hong Kong and Singapore, however, many directors in United States are usually involved in one company only. There are serval problems in exercising multiple directorships to listed companies. First, director may not meet his function diligently. With regard to the Non-statutory Guidelines on Directors Duties Principle 4 , a director of a company must exercise the care, skill and diligence that would be exercised by a reasonable person with the knowledge, skill and experience reasonably expected of a director in his position. It doubts that one can dedicate enough time to read documents and attend meetings for each company if he has multiple directorships. If he made any decisions that harm the company given that he did not read sufficient information and understnad the situation of the company, he is not act due care and skill as a director. The Guidelines Principle 11 also sated that a director of a company must take all reasonable steps to ensure that proper books of account are kept so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and explain its transactions. As many companies follow similar accounting schedules, most common are setting year-end date as 30 April or 31 December, during the end of the accounting period, they have to review all the financail statements of the listed companies they directed in order to ensure there are no fraud. It doubts that they can review all the financail statements if he has directored over 20 listed companies. If there are frauds and mistakes in financial statements, it would affect the investors and shareholders who rely on the annual reports of the companies to make investment decisions. Furthemore, directors may have conflicts of interests when he exercises multi corporate directorships. As more director roles will increase opportunity of represetning compainces which are related. In Bristol and West Building Society v Mothew (1998), the court explained that one of the fiduciary duties of directors is not to allow any conflict between their duties as directors and their personal interests. If the contract in which he has a personal interest adverse to that of company is voidable by the company and the profits made may be recovered by the company. In Transvaal Lands Co v New Belgium (Transvaal) Land and Development Co (1914) UK, defendant had a benefical inrerest in a company which sold shares to the company which he was a director, H took part in the decision to make the purchase. So, if the director of one company has business or transactions to other company that he has directorship, it will have higher chance for conflict of interests or transferring benefits between companies. Regarding to the legislators being multiple corporate directors, now seven legislators have hold total of 63 paid board positions. According to Cheung (2012), it will be difficult for the legislators to deal with livelihood issues if the they keep in touch with and work for the corporations. If legislators are the companies' directors, public will have a perception that they spoke for the buiness sectors rather than citizen. Moreover, it may prevent the functioning of Legislative Council (Legco), according to the editoiral of ming pao (2011), at least five Legco members have omitted to register such interests. Although these are not serious omissions, we can see that some legislators are not serious about registering their interests and have neglected that they have not followed the guidelines. It is important for them to disclose all their intersts including shareholdings, paid directorships, property and election donations of their directorships. By now the listed companies in Hong Kong need to have at least a third of independent directors who do not have business relationship with the company and do not manage the operation of the company. Before, companies are required to have at least three independent directors, but no restrictions on the ratio. It is believed that this new rule is to match the international practices such as United States and UK and protect shareholders’ interest. This new listing rules will make it difficult to find independent directors because not so much people are interested in the low remuneration role. It may indicate that some firms need to cut the size of the board. In conclusion, one especially a legislator should not take up too many directorships in order to advoid conflict of interest and act due deligent. The legislaors cannot avoid disclosing their interest to Legco. It is suggested that Legco should amend its Guidelines on Registration of Interests to require legislators not only register the remunerated directorships but also unmunerated so as to protect the shareholders and the companys’ interest.

U.s. Security Interests On Egyptian Citizens - 1944 Words

Introduction Over the past five years Egypt has been in a growing state of turmoil. It has suffered two coup d’à ©tats that has resulted in five different leaders, and a constant change in national aims. It temporarily lost US economic aid and military support, and the recent studies have brought to light the effect that global warming will have on Egyptian citizens in the near future. If you consider all these aspects together, you may assume that Egypt is in risk of soon becoming another problem state for U.S. security interests. However, if you take a closer look at the changes made in just the last two years, you can see that the opposite is true. This paper will argue that rather than being a hindrance to U.S. security interests, Egypt has the potential to be one of its greatest allies. To do this, it will first look at the overall importance of Egypt in the National Security’s objectives of the United States. It will then review the history of US-Egyptian Relatio ns, Egypt’s military involvement with the United States, and the recent political changes that are shaping Egypt’s future. Then finally this paper will take a moment to exam the leadership of Egypt’s newest President, Abdel Fatteh el-Sisi. In doing so we will be able to see how Egypt is poised to be a key player, in accomplishing the U.S. security objectives, and gain a better understanding of why the U.S. must make it a priority to support Egypt’s newly established leadership. Egypt’s Strategic ImportanceShow MoreRelatedCharacteristics of the Modern Nation-State Essay1600 Words   |  7 Pagesnation-state, explain how the United States fits the criteria of and functions as a modern nation-state, discuss the European Union as a transnational entity, analyze how nation-states and transnational entities engage on foreign policy to achieve their interests, and the consequences of this interaction for international politics. 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