Corporate Socail Respinsibility of Merck Pharmeceuticals Research Paper

Corporate Socail Respinsibility of Merck Pharmeceuticals - Research Paper Example In a more modern and popular sense, CSR has become a public relations form as well as a marketing strategy that also pre-empts regulatory agencies (Mintzberg, 1983). However, there are many ways that firms or corporations apply CSR in their business system. One of the approaches is the community-based development where a firm establishes community presence and program in a fixed geographical area either in the area of their operation or outside of it. Some of the examples of community-based programs are efforts such as livelihood assistance for a supplier-manufacturing of clothes by a branded clothing, starting a literacy program through provision of books and learning aids, supervision, evaluation and recommendation for improvement in a certain school or area, waterways clean-up, and other efforts. A traditional approach has been philanthropy where corporations provide cash donations, products or tangible materials to a non-profit organization for its distribution to undeserved or d eserving beneficiaries such as Children International and like NGOs. Other forms of CSR are embedded on the supply-chain system such as adoption of the Fair Trade system that ensures animals are not harmed, workers are paid and benefited in a justified manner, packaging is ecological, employees are properly compensated, delivery, distribution and post-consumption processes took environmental protection measures throughout the lifetime of a single or collective products (International Business Leaders Forum and International Finance Corporation, 2007). B)  Ã‚  Merck Pharmaceutical’s CSR Program.     ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The kind of CSR the company is doing:   Merck claims to ensure that CSR is â€Å"an integral part of the way we do business†¦ to create shared value and to help solve the tough issues facing business and society today,† (Merck, 2008, p 3). Their CR principles center on conducting business with high ethical standards; engage in expans ion of access to quality care around globally; make positive and sustainable impact on the communities and societies they live and work in; and provide fair and just compensation to employees (Merck, 2008). This is reflected on their claimed CSR programs research on new medicines and vaccines needed, environmental footprint management, improved access to medicines and vaccines, ensure confidence in safety and quality, advocacy and outreach, and executing the basics which pertains to ethical business process standards (Merck, 2008). CSR has become a very complex process that is involved in various stages of the corporate system, so that a multinational corporation like Merck Pharmaceuticals may be involved in several CSR efforts at one time. The IBLF and IFC (2007) have defined various CSR efforts of which the following are addressed: protection and promotion of the rights of individuals as stakeholders of a company from employees, consumers, suppliers, distributors, to community mem bers. On this manner, Merck has adopted several more popular CSR patient assistance programs in the United States for patients who cannot afford medications (Merck, 2006). This program has started in the 1950s and is active today. There are several CSR programs undertaken by Merck but this paper will focus on seven programs in practice as noted to be more practical to the public: Act Program for Emend, Act Program for Zolinza, Merck

Role of the Human Resources manager in an organization Essay Example for Free

Role of the Human Resources manager in an organization Essay Executive Summary This report is the result from an informational interview with a professional of Human resources management with a minimum of five years experience in the field. An informational interview is an interview which allows a student or career changer to ask questions to someone working in the field he/she is interested in. The purpose of this informational interview was to gather more information regarding Human Resources Management, the experience of the interviewee and the company under which the interviewee is working for. Jennifer Horne is HR manager generalist, and the interviewee. She is the HR manager of Krug Inc and she has been doing the HR job for six years already. This informational interview was an opportunity for me to improve my communication skills with a professional; to know how people in this field are doing and gain knowledge that I will help in my resume. It was also an opportunity to know some of the challenges encountered by the HR department within an organization example keeping the employee engaged and motivated. Moreover, the informational interview helped me to have a better understanding of the future of the HR; and also know more about Krug Inc which is one of the Canada’s largest manufacturing company. Introduction An Informational Interview is a meeting in which a job seeker asks for career and industry advice rather than employment. The job seeker uses the interview to gather information on the field, and to find employment leads and expand their professional network. The informational interview was held on March 27, 2014 at Krug Inc Manitou drive Kitchener. It was a face to face interview. The interview lasted for 15 minutes. This is because the interviewee was so busy. However these few minutes were useful because I succeeded to have some important information concerning the HR and the ways to get experience in the HR field. During this interview the interviewee answered all the questions that I asked her in a professional manner. Her answers were reflecting her experience in the job. She was feeling very comfortable and confident. I learned more about the contribution of the HR department in the achievement of the company’s mission and goals. Opening paragraph Jennifer Horne is the HR manager of Krug Inc. She is HR manager generalist. She has a HR certificate. From the time she was doing her certification the degree was not required. The degree was required from 2011. Jennifer’s first job was in 2005 as administrator of human resources; then she got a couple of contracts in small companies and then she got this one. Through these jobs she developed a good personality and experience. The experience she had with small companies helped her to get this job at Krug. According to Jennifer Horne, there are some aspects of HR that are not taught in school but she learned through experience for example how to counsel the employee. When an employee comes to her, she shuts down everything and hears about the employee’s concerns because employees are her priority. As advice for the new comers in the HR field, Jennifer says that we should not look only for high positions because we do not have experience. She suggested to newcomers to start with short work opportunities (3-6 months). Additionally, she said that we, new comers, should consider jobs which are proportional to our skills but not above because if we want jobs which are above our skills we won’t get them. In others words, we should start by the entry level position. Hartman Krug was a cabinetmaker of Germany heritage. He founded Krug Inc in 1880. He started his business in Berlin and Kitchener. He was producing upholstered office chairs and carved residential furniture. Krug‘s attention to detail and quality was the force behind its popularity within Canada. Krug goal is to create an elegant and lasting product. In 1930’s, krug was producing office and contract chairs and tables exclusively, and in the war years of 1939 to 1945, virtually all the company’s production was for the Canadian government’s war effort. In the post-war boom period, Krug’s output grew rapidly to supply a market in during which office furniture was in high demand. The implementation of new equipment and procedures were required for Krug‘s entrance into the U.S market mid 1970’s. As a result Krug entered into the desk market, and purchased imperial furniture of Stratford, Ontario in 1980. Krug immediately moved its large lumber and kiln-drying line there, while continuing production at the Ahrens street plant. In 1984, Krug purchased a large building on Manitou Drive in Kitchener and immediately relocated its warehousing and distribution operations to the new facility. A large veneer operation was put in place, and over the next few years the Manitou plant became one of the premier  manufacturing facilities of desks in North America. Today Krug is one of the fastest growing companies in the office furniture industry. Fueled by product development and plant expansions, Krug has enjoyed double- digit growth each of the past four years. Additionally, Krug’s showrooms and outstanding team sales representatives across the United States and Canada have achieved sales of almost 100 million dollars. â€Å"This is a very exciting time for Krug,† says Len Ruby, Krug president. With 125 years of rich heritage we continue to grow by leveraging today’s technology, with Hartman Krug’s vision for detailed craftsmanship.† . Located in the heartland of southern Ontario, Canada, we employ over 500 non-unionized staff members . The human resources department of Krug Inc does not have the entry level position. The branch of Kitchener Manitou has one HR manager generalist and one HR manager specialist who controls the generalist. Krug is a vertically-integrated manufacturer, taking raw materials through state-of-the-art processes to finished products, and delivering them directly to its customers. The customers of Krug include many of North America’s growing companies and its products are specified by designers, architects and major distributors across the continent and beyond. The different products of Krug include private office casegoods, conference tables and meeting room furnishings, and a wide range of office and hospitality seating and tables. Krug encounters many challenges. First of all, the rapid appreciation in the value of the Canadian dollar is the first challenge. Krug and other companies of the same sector are highly exposed to the international trade; and the export prices are fixed in US. The second challenge is the increasing of energy costs. Energy intensive manufacturing industries make up approximately 29% of Canada’s manufacturing gross domestic product and the companies of the energy sector have considerably increased the price of the energy cost. The third challenge is the competition from emerging economies. The Canadian manufacturing sector is impacted by the global competition especially the one from china. The manufacturing sector is facing low cost and high value competition from other emerging economies like India. These emerging economies have a great labor force that is qualified and not expensive. The fourth challenge is the availability of skilled labor. There is a lack of skilled and experience  workforce in Canada. This is because the major part of the Canadian population is baby boomers: The populations is aging and close to the retirement. However, there is a high demand of skills labor in the face of advanced technologies and the â€Å"knowledge based economy. The last challenge is the regulatory environment. The Canadian government wants Canada to become one of the best countries with a small pollution footprint. For this reason, all companies in Canada have to follow the regulations. The protection of the environment is one of Krug’s missions, but the regulations from the government are a little bit difficult and are considered a burden to the company. The HR at Krug has a great influence on the organization because it contributes to the company development by hiring potential employees who can fit to the organization culture. The HR train and develop the new and current employees. The HR department also assists employees through counseling. The HR department coordinates the health and safety program and the workplace safety and insurance board (WSIB). The HR department and the safety staff strive to have a zero lost accidents and continually train the employees to the health and safety purposes. To ensure this, the senior management and the HR department constantly review performance, ensuring that both joint health and safety committees are operating effectively. They promote employees in order to motivate them and make them more engaged. The HR helps the payroll department to calculate the employees’ compensation. They make sure the employees are paid proportionally to their performance and productivity. They also ensure that the work force is diverse and contains all the four designated groups: women, people with disability, minority group and aboriginal. The HR department maintains the pay equity in accordance to the regulations. The HR department is facing a lot of challenges; the biggest challenge encountered by the HR department of Krug Inc is keeping the employees engaged in order to always be productive. The economical situation had an impact on the company and the benefits package of the employees have reduced. This economical situation has made the situation worse for the department. Another challenge is finding the right fit for the organization. The right fit is the candidate who is able to identify himself/herself as a member of the organization and accept the culture of  the organization. Furthermore, the HR manager handles employees’ conflicts. Such conflicts make the employee less productive and encourage job dissatisfaction. To keep the employees engaged the organization has to motivate through rewards and by involving them in the decision making process. The reward is a way for the organization to show their recognition of the employees’ performance and contribution to the succe ss of the company. The reward is a kind of feedback given by the organization which pushes the employees to put in more effort. Get the employees involved in the decision making may be a good way for the organization to always take the right decision because the managers may not have all the information they need to make the decision. Moreover, the involvement of the employees makes them more committed to the decision taken and engaged to carry out the decision. The implication of the employees in the decision making process increases the employee motivation and performance and by the way the productivity of the organization also increases. This informational interview has been a great experience for me because it helps me to know more about the duties of HR and now I actually know what is expected of me in the HR. Primarily, I learned that the HR generalist job required a lot of emotional intelligence (EI) because the manager has to deal with emotions and feelings of employees. The EI helps the manager to understand the needs and feelings of the employees and it also leads to a stronger and more fulfilling t he employees’ satisfaction. The EI helps the manager to resolve workplace conflicts. With EI helps the manager understands what motivate (drivers) the employees. The EI gives the manager the potential to use the diversity of the team to increase the productivity of the each employee in the team. The second major point that I have learned is that the job of HR generalist requires the manager to be more flexible. The flexibility here refers to the ability of the manager to respond to the needs of employees anytime that is necessary and to move easily from one task to another. The generalist does all the responsibilities of the HR department by herself. Therefore, the manager has to be available to hear about the concerns of the employees anytime. The third major point that I learned is that the HR generalist has to be able to work under pressure. The pressure here is caused by the fact that the manager has a lot of responsibilities that are time framed. The HR generalist does all the responsibilities of HR  department for example are hire, train and develop employees , assist the payroll department, responsible for the WSIB and health safety and all others responsibilities. Thus, the manager has to be able to work under the high pressure. These three elements mentioned above are considered as the major points that I have learned because they reflect the real role of the HR manager within an organization, they help me to better understand the HR field. These majors points help me to know where I have to work more if I want to become a good HR manager. The interviewee was a generalist and I do not really appreciate the role of generalist because they touch everything concerning HR but they do not do it deeply. The HR generalist job is more stressful especially in a company like Krug that do not hire for an entry level position. This makes the situation more stressful. I want to know deeply everything concerning the HR field because if I know a lot about the HR job it will not be stressful anymore. I want to be a HR specialist not a generalist. Moreover, the other thing I would like to do differently is the interview process. This was my first time and I was not really acting like a professional. The next time I will ask more questions to the interviewee and act like a professional. However, what I hope to do the same concerning the HR job is to develop an emotional intelligence so that I will be able to manage effectively the emotions and feelings of employees. Conclusion To sum up, the informational interview was a great experience for me because I learned a lot about the HR job, the interviewee and Krug Inc. this interview was an opportunity for me to start building my network and make my resume more interesting. It was a little bit stressful but I succeeded to collect the most important information I needed this is how to get experience in the HR field. For my next informational interview, I think I will be more professional than this first one. Few days after the interview, I sent a thank you carte to the interviewee to thank her for her time and all the information she gave to me. This was a step forward experience.

Analysis On Bharati Mukherjee English Literature Essay

Analysis On Bharati Mukherjee English Literature Essay In turn, Mukherjee lays claim to an America that is both constantly transforming, and transformed by, the new immigrant. As the title of her short stories collection The Middle Man and Other Stories (1988) suggests, each protagonist from a different part of the world functions as a mediator of cultures, negotiating the two-way transformation (Mukherjee, AUP 141) of either an expatriate or immigrant experience in America. That the collection won the National Book Critics Circle Award undeniably affirms the appeal of such a Maximalist narrative strategy professing to give an equal voice to each immigrant group. On further analysis, however, it is clear that Mukherjees representation of a fluid American (trans)national identity influenced by diversity is ultimately predicated on the foregrounding of differences. Despite Mukherjees call for America to go beyond multiculturalism in its treatment of new immigrants, her own postcolonial immigrant subjectivity-inevitably shaped by her elite British and American educational background-remains aligned with white hegemony, which continues to hierarchize its immigrants on the bases of ethnicity, class and gender. After all, Mukherjee specifically reveals in Jasmine that [e]ducated people are interested in difference (33). Keeping Mukherjees explicitly stated literary agendas in mind, this chapter will attempt to examine the ironies in Mukherjees postcolonial subjectivity in the novel Jasmine and the two short stories A Wifes Story and The Tenant, both from The Middleman and Other Stories collection. Radical alterity of India From the vantage point of a successful female intellectual in America, Mukherjee disavows India precisely because its repressive patriarchy severely limits womens opportunities in life, insofar as the sanctity of womens lives is largely disregarded and constantly endangered. However, feudal compliance was [precisely] what still kept India an unhealthy and backward nation (Mukherjee, Jasmine 77). This necessitates that Mukherjees heroines break the vicious cycle of being locked into arranged marriages that technically seal their fates with violent subjugation. In Mukherjees short story The Tenant, Mayas claim that [a]ll Indian men are wife beaters (99) may be an exaggeration, but the more disturbing revelation is that the grooms mother was absolute tyrant of the household (Mukherjee, Jasmine 147) in India. Indeed, generations of Indian women have also been physically abusing female subordinates deemed to have transgressed patriarchal norms. Yet, when meted out to any woman who defends or is interested in the pursuit of an education, such domestic violence is clearly a violation of basic human rights, unjustified to an America that champions the inalienable rights of every individual to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In Jasmine, Jyotis mother suffers strikes from her husband because she supports Jyotis aspiration to continue her studies and become a doctor. In the short story A Wifes Story, Pannas mother is beaten by her illiterate mother-in-law because she enrolled in French class at the Alliance Franà §aise. The fact that even these Brahmin wives are not spared the rod underscores that physical violence against women cuts across the entire caste system, denying all women personal and professional progress. These scenarios emphatically portray the radical alterity of India, insofar as it becomes utterly incomprehensible to Americans who privilege individualism and gender egalitarianism. Aligned with these values, Mukherjee attempts to consolidate her status approval from the American market by positioning herself not as [an] advantaged inside[r] of Asian culture but as similarly disadvantaged as [her] Anglo readers in finding that Asian component bizarre, distasteful, and difficult to comprehend (Shirley Lim, AG 161) as well. As Mukherjee reveals, it is necessary to give Jasmine a society that was so regressive, traditional, so caste-bound, genderist, that she could discard it (IMC 19) in exchange for a rebirth in America. In exposing the oppression inherent in Indias patriarchal structure, Mukherjee situates her decolonizing impulse as one that embraces emancipation in America, a land that seemingly affords women endless opportunities to attain self-actualization. Beyond pervasive domestic violence, even sectarian violence in post-independence India is targeted at women at some levels. In Jasmine, the Khalsa Lions are a Sikh fundamentalist group that conflates political and religious agendas to commit terrorist attacks against its detractors. Because Prakash does not believe that the sovereignty of modern India should be jeopardized by religious differences, and because Jasmine is deemed whorish (Mukherjee, Jasmine 65) for being Prakashs modern Hindu wife, they both become victims of the Khalsa Lions bombing. The death of Prakash, a progressive Indian man who serves as Mukherjees mouthpiece for rejecting feudalism, is significant. It convinces Jasmine that there is nothing else redeeming about strife-ridden and regressive India, and that her only alternative is to go alone to America, without job, husband, or papers (Mukherjee, Jasmine 97) to complete Prakashs mission. Jasmines conception of this mission is to commit sati, the traditional but now illegal Hindu ritual of widow self-immolation, at the Florida International Institute of Technology where Prakash had earned a place to study. However, Gurleen Grewal points out that despite Jasmines apparent antipathy toward Indian cultural life, her commitment to the extreme practice of sati ironically suggests otherwise (Born Again American 189). This contradiction is unfathomable even to Indian readers, let alone American ones. After all, Prakashs respectful and relatively egalitarian treatment of Jasmine does not necessitate that she make such a violent sacrifice. This calls into question Mukherjees purpose for narrativizing Jasmines single-minded resolve to commit sati and make America the place [she] had chosen to die, on the first day if possible (Jasmine 120). Compared to mere domestic violence against Indian women, sati symbolizes a classic instance of Orientalism that depicts Indian cultural inscrutability in a more sensationalistic manner to justify Mukherjees disavo wal of the old country. Jasmines intended transplantation of this archaic practice to modern America is thus a powerful juxtaposition that exposes the cultural incongruity in her nascent immigrant subjectivity. In order to effectively negotiate the crossing over from India to America, this incongruity undeniably requires ironing out. Violence in America Ironically, rape marks Jasmines entry into America, indicating that violence is never far from the threshold of the postcolonials consciousness (Dayal 78) regardless of her physical location. In terms of identity politics, the rapist Half-Face, a Vietnam War veteran, represents a masculine America whose aggression toward a feminized Asia presupposes the latters passive submission. Yet, Jasmines incarnation as Kali-a Hindu goddess possessing destructive violence-to murder Half-Face epitomizes the paradigm, as Rita DasGupta Sherma notes, that the female subjects alignment with a powerful goddess can serve to subvert conventional power structures (cited in Kafka 94). Importantly, that Jasmine decidedly aborts the mission of self-immolation only after she kills Half-Face is Mukherjees narrative strategy to reinforce the necessity of annihilating disempowering cultural practices associated with the old country in order to remake oneself (Jasmine 29) in the new world. With the killing of H alf-Face, as Timothy Ruppel argues, Jasmine passes from innocence and enacts a radical break, suggesting a form of resistance that is contingent, disruptive, and strategic (187). Indeed, this violent initiation rite has effectively bestowed upon Jasmine an assertive self-agency and self-reliance necessary for survival in America. Recalling that back in India Jasmine could only beseech the policeman to kill Prakashs murderer, her phenomenal capability to kill the perpetrator of her rape in America is an irrevocable transformation. In the end, Jasmine only executes a symbolic sati, burning the suitcase containing Prakashs suit and her own white widow sari in the trash bin. The completion of this ritual signifies Jasmines desire of traveling light in America, in spite of its apparent violence, to wholeheartedly attune herself to the speed of transformation, the fluidity of American character and the American landscape (Mukherjee, Jasmine 121, 138). American Orientalism Although the Orientalism that Edward Said posits does not deal with an Other situated in the West, Yasuko Kase suggests that the Asian American functions as the Other in what she calls American Orientalism (795). Mukherjee also portrays her female protagonists as Asian objects (of desire) subjected to the white gaze, although each of them responds to this exoticization differently. In A Wifes Story, Panna Patels immediate reaction to the line-[Patel women] look like theyve just been fucked by a dead cat (26)-in David Mamets play Glengarry Glen Ross is to leave and write the playwright a letter. With her people and, in particular, her gender made the butt of a racist joke in America, Panna confronts the ambivalence of her visible minority status: Its the tyranny of the American dream that scares me. First, you dont exist. Then youre invisible. Then youre funny. Then youre disgusting. Insult, my American friends will tell me, is a kind of acceptance. No instant dignity here. A play like this, back home, would cause riots. Communal, racist, and antisocial. The actors wouldnt make it off stage. (Mukherjee, AWS 26) Recognizing that she is an Asian female, Panna understands that American Orientalism manifested in cultural productions, even at its crudest, is best taken with a pinch of salt. In comparison, the violent intolerance expected in India toward such derogatory remarks seems to reflect a Third World barbarism and lack of restraint. Having successfully, albeit only temporarily, broken free from the oppressions in India to pursue a doctorate degree in America, Panna assumes that postcolonialism has made her the[] referee (Mukherjee, AWS 27) of both worlds because of her transnational mobility. However, to believe that this is an achievement great enough for David Mamet to be a little afraid (Mukherjee, AWS 29) of South Asians in America, instead of being condescending in his Orientalist representation of the latter, is overly delusional on Pannas part. Mukherjee is evidently being ironic here, but it is perhaps necessary for Panna to dismiss American Orientalism in order to recuperate the dignity of her Indian identity, considering that she is only an expatriate for whom the return to India remains a very real possibility. However, Jasmine, the illegal immigrant in the novel Jasmine, responds to the hegemonic exertion of American Orientalism in a strikingly different manner. To be sure, Yasuko Kase suggests that critics should not be too quick to accuse Asian American writers who appear to accommodate American Orientalism of being unauthentic or selling out (797, 797) without first evaluating how this may be a survival strategy for minority groups. Significantly, Jasmine realizes that Orientalist binaries deployed to stereotype her are assets, rather than liabilities, that facilitate her transition into American life: Bud courts me because I am alien. I am darkness, mystery, inscrutability. The East plugs me into instant vitality and wisdom (Mukherjee, Jasmine 200). Empowered by her exotic sexuality that successfully mesmerizes the white American male, Jasmine quickly gains entry into the American middle class. Jasmines foreign femininity serves to domesticate racial difference (Bow, Betrayal 30) in th e Ripplemeyer household, where the wheelchair-bound Bud is physically and emotionally reliant on her, inasmuch as Jasmine astutely panders to Buds desires by facilely switching her role between caregiver and temptress (Mukherjee, Jasmine 36). Indeed, Gurleen Grewal highlights that Jasmine readily complies as the exotic Other [because] this compliance is her ticket to the American Dream (Born Again American 191). More importantly, however, this compliance entails the conscious silencing of aspects of the old country that unsettle the American. As a quick stud[y] (Mukherjee, Jasmine 29) of the process of assimilation, Jasmine recognizes that America ultimately has the upper hand in deciding what it finds fascinatingly or frighteningly exotic about the Asian female, in turn dictating which fragments of her Indian identity she should discard. While this (re)affirms the hegemony of the metropolitan center in which Jasmine now finds herself, it is also Mukherjees means of asserting unapologetically that any form of lingering entanglement with the old world is tantamount to the immigrants betrayal of America. Effectively, then, Mukherjee strategically resorts to Orientalism to prove how un-Oriental she is (Ma 14) and how the immigrant ought to embrace America wholeheartedly. Just as Bud and Mrs. Ripplemeyer are uncomfortable with Jasmines stories of poverty and backwardness in India, so Jasmine also remains uncritical of Bud assuming the white mans burden-originally the Wests rationalization for colonizing and civilizing the backwaters of the East-to save Asia. It is ironic that Jasmine seems genuinely unaware of Buds Orientalist impulse in adopting Du, a Vietnamese refugee. If Bud symbolizes an American nation whose foreign policy is indicative of its positioning as the current imperium of the world, then his interventionist act clearly enacts the extension of Americas neocolonial grasp to an Asia-as represented by Du-that is in need of social uplift by American standards. This is evident from Bud feeling gratified, but not that impressed (Mukherjee, Jasmine 155) when Du exhibits a creative affinity with the American technology made available to him. However, Jasmines idealistic naÃÆ' ¯vetà © leads her to believe that it is [e]xtravagant love tugging at Buds conscience to atone (Mukherjee, Jasmine 228) for his comfortable American life that Asia is deprived of. Jasmine romanticizes Buds altruism in part because her tumultuous immigrant experience makes her envy the straightforwardness of Buds middle-class life. Nevertheless, Rajini Srikanth is perplexed that Mukherjee finds it necessary for American writers to probe into the severity of global injustices simply because she is complacently confident that American institutions can effectively redress these injustices (211). This idealistic view of America explains why Mukherjee ultimately skirts around the political implications of Buds humanitarian deeds, leaving Jasmine to celebrate the impacted glories of individual consciousness (Mukherjee, OBAW) instead. Consequently, Mukherjees unquestioning appropriation of (American) Orientalism reveals her complicit alignment with an i mperialist attitude that continues to view the West and the East in the Manichean allegory of binaristic oppositions. Further, through deploying the trope of abject suffering in the old country to accentuate the validity of the Asian immigrants self-actualization in the United States, Mukherjee over-valorizes the recuperative and salvific modernity (Walter Lim 10) of America. In A Wifes Story, Charity Chins uncle is a first-generation Chinese American who escapes the Wuchang Uprising of 1911 into the safety of America. Yet, the ellipses between his initial arrival and his eventual success as a gift store owner in New York can hardly be satisfactorily accounted for by Pannas reductive evaluation that though he doesnt speak much English, he seems to have done well (Mukherjee, AWS 31). Just as Amy Tan has elided the first-generation Chinese American mothers adaptation in America in the novel The Joy Luck Club, Mukherjee is also silent about the conditions of successful assimilations (Grewal, Indian-American Literature 100) in her portrayal of some Asian immigrants. It seems that Mukherjees idealization of the American Dream supersedes any critical need to examine how the underclass immigrant without the relevant symbolic and cultural capital copes with the demands of America. Similarly, Jasmines explanation that Dus doing well [in America] because he has always trained with live ammo, without a net, with no multiple choice [in Vietnam] (Mukherjee, Jasmine 214) also postulates an assumed cultural superiority that the First World abundance of America is a panacea for Third World deprivations. Yet, Mukherjee fails to address how suffering in the Third World, in effect, transnationally translates into the form of racial discrimination in America. Rather, Jasmines claim that prior suffering must count for something (Mukherjee, Jasmine 32) seems to imply that suffering is a prerequisite for the immigrants civic legitimacy in America. While Rajini Srikanth contends that this is a dangerous and morally untenable position of endorsing discriminatory practices as aà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦rite of pa ssage to share in the nations founding ideals (212-3), the trope of abject suffering in the Third World helps Mukherjee ratify the narrative of Asian immigrant desire that America offers salvation and unlimited opportunities for the Third World immigrant seeking liberation. Repudiating Purity of Culture In her short story Two ways to Belong in America published in the New York Times in 1996, Mukherjee highlights the crucial difference between herself and her sister Mira. While both of them have lived in America for decades, Miras retention of Indian citizenship is a clear sign that she is in America to maintain an identity, not to transform it (Mukherjee, TWBA). Mukherjees quarrel with such resistance toward assimilation finds vivid expression in Jasmine through her portrayal of the Vadhera household, Jasmines initial host family in the Punjabi ghetto of Flushing, Queens. The self-sufficient ethnic enclave constructs an artificially maintained Indianness for the immigrant to comfortably bunker oneself inside nostalgia (Mukherjee, Jasmine 145, 85) in order to safeguard Indian culture. Such conscious alienation illustrates a coping strategy to mitigate the underlying difficulty of immigrant life in ethnic ghettoes that Mukherjee, however, chooses to overlook in favor of foregrounding Jasmines transformations in America. Significantly, the revelation that Devinder Vadhera, once Prakashs professor in India, now depends on the menial labor of sorting imported human hair for a living elicits not sympathy, but shame, from Jasmine. It convinces Jasmine all the more that the green card is her passport to the pursuit of happiness, and that if she remains stuck in this neighborhood, she will be doomed to die from unnamed, unfulfilled wants (Mukherjee, Jasmine 148). Here, the allusion to Betty Friedans 1963 social commentary The Feminine Mystique, in which she diagnoses the sense of emptiness and entrapment felt by suburban housewives across postwar America as [the] problem that has no name (20), is clear. By conflating Jasmines underclass predicament with that of middle-class American women, Mukherjee seems to suggest that Jasmine, at this point just a newly arrived illegal immigrant, possesses the same sensibility that stands her in good stead to achieve the kind of lib eration that her American sisters have enjoyed since the success of the womens movement. Jasmines decision to leave the Vadheras conveniently eschews any serious debunking of the American Dream, which discriminates on the basis of social class. Jasmines dramatic elevation from a village girl to a professional (Mukherjee, Jasmine 175) caregiver is unquestioningly celebrated as the miracle of the American Dream. In stark contrast, Mukherjees representation of the Vadheras bears no empathetic critique of the grim reality of deprofessionalization plaguing many South Asian immigrants, whose professional credentials acquired back home are either not translatable to or devaluated in the American context. Instead, Mukherjees disavowal of India is fleshed out equally, if not more strongly through her dismal portrayal of the Vadheras as cowardly Indian immigrants resistant to change. Effectively, then, the Vadheras are scapegoats for Mukherjee to emphasize that honorable survival requires res ilience, curiosity, and compassion, a letting go of rigid ideas about the purity of inherited culture (BM 456), harkening back to her conviction that immigrants ought to embrace their American identity. On the other hand, living on the cutting edge of suburbia (103) but similarly bunkered inside nostalgia are the Chatterjis in Mukherjees short story The Tenant. Immune to the deprofessionalization which debases Devinda Vadheras American life, Rab Chatterji is a Physics professor while his wifes nephew Poltoo is a postgraduate student at Iowa State University. Their personal success makes them Americas model minority from which other lesser minority groups are expected to learn, but Grewal points out that [a]mong the insidious effects of this pronouncement are the stereotyping of an Asian character' (Indian-American Literature 98) that, I posit, does not extend beyond the Asian immigrants economic value, or the lack thereof, to America. The notion of model minority already presupposes the hyphenated identity of the Indian immigrant, even if s/he is already a naturalized American. This clearly runs counter to Mukherjees identification of herself as an American without hyphens (Mukherje e, BM 460). For this reason, Mukherjee satirically exposes all the Chatterjis Indian traits that make them undeserving American citizens. Mukherjee first repudiates Dr. Chatterji, who only wants to live and work in America but give back nothing except taxes (Mukherjee, TT 106). Dr. Chatterjis valorization of Indian Standard Time and criticism of Americans constant race against time further exemplifies an absurd sense of Indian superiority that puts him on a pedestal of three thousand years plus civilization, sophistication, moral virtue, over people born [in America] (Mukherjee, TT 102). In line with Mukherjees own distaste for the uneasy aggregate of antagonistic them and us' (Mukherjee, BM 459), Maya, the female protagonist, cannot relate to Dr. Chatterjis ridiculous rhetoric. In turn, the Chatterjis retention of Brahmin demeanor precludes them from embracing American multiculturalism and hybridity at any meaningful level. Although they live in a middle-class neighborhood accommodating people of different colors (Mukherjee, TT 103), the only sign of multicultural interaction is Mrs. Chatterji perfunctorily playing ball with a Korean or Cambodian child next door at best. Beyond that, the Chatterjis have neither the open-mindedness nor desire for any more intimate interethnic mingling. That Poltoo is contemplating marriage outside the Brahminic pale-to a Negro Muslim (Mukherjee, TT 103, 106) at that-thus threatens to contaminate the purity of the lineage. Mrs. Chatterji is counting on divine intervention to avert this disaster, while leaving the locked-up Poltoo feeling crazy, thwarted, [and] lost (Mukherjee, TT 105). The perverse repression of Poltoos desires is both antithetical to the American ideal of free will and anachronistic in the American modernity of progress. Mukherjees representation of how this so-called model minority functions in America thus easily makes the Chatterjis a more dishonorable bunch of Indian immigrants than the Vadheras, at the same time that it makes a highly charged statement of her own rejection of a hyphenated American identity. Beyond Multiculturalism Moving beyond her harsh critique of Indian immigrants who resist assimilation, Mukherjee attempts to consolidate her status as an America writer by strategically expanding the scope of her literary project to wage a crusade against multiculturalism. Rather than encouraging unhyphenated assimilation, multiculturalism, as Mukherjee argues, emphasizes differences between racial heritages (Mukherjee, BM 459) and discounts how the experiences of new Americans from non-traditional immigrant countries (Mukherjee, IW 28) also constantly contribute to the American socio-cultural fabric. The ambition to create a postethnic America culminates in Mukherjees assertion: To reject hyphenization is to demand that the nation deliver the promises of the American Dream and the American Constitution to all its citizens. I want nothing less than to invent a new vocabulary that demands, and obtains, an equitable power-sharing for all members of the American community. (BM 460) There is, first and foremost, no question about Mukherjees representation of the United States as the ultimate end of Asian immigrant desire. Yet, despite Mukherjees high-flown rhetoric of eradicating multiculturalism, her literary representation of immigrants who are not of South Asian origins only further reinforces this hegemonic structure and reaffirms the existence of an immigrant hierarchy where differences are emphasized and [identities are] fixed into a static notion of alterity (Ponzanesi 47). This jarring discrepancy is vividly highlighted in Jasmine when Jasmine is quick to set her own Americanization apart from Dus, in spite of their common desire to assimilate. Jasmine claims that [her] transformation has been genetic; Dus was hyphenated (Mukherjee, Jasmine 222), as though this is validated just because she is pregnant with Bud Ripplemeyers child, whereas Du is merely an adopted Vietnamese refugee. More importantly, it implies Jasmines identification with the hegemonic Orientalist inclination to be so full of wonder at how fast [Du] became American, only to marginalize him as a hybrid (Mukherjee, Jasmine 222, 222) whose assimilation into American society can never legitimately be considered full-fledged. As Verhoeven posits, the politics of ethnic representation is ultimately no more and no less than the privileging of the ethnic self over the ethnic other (n. pag.). Given that Mukherjees immigrant subjectivity is inextricably tied to her own elite background as a Brah min and as an intellectual in American academe, it is perhaps inescapable that ethnocentricity also features in her depiction of immigrants who are not from South Asia. At the expense of Du, then, Jasmine gets away as a very special case (Mukherjee, Jasmine 135), considering that other characters readily validate her full assimilation. The unqualified relegation of Du to the peripheries as a Vietnamese-American underscores Mukherjees double standard in the treatment of both characters. By simply using the word hyphenated (Mukherjee, Jasmine 222) to conclude the formation of Dus American identity and by referring to Chinese Americans as Orientals (Mukherjee, AWS 29) in her short stories, Mukherjee thus posit[s] a system of easily recognizable forms of identity and difference' (Roy 129) that precisely reflects and endorses the exclusionary underpinnings of multiculturalism. Indeed, such a position from which Mukherjee entertains the immigrant issues of class and ethnicity renders her quest for an equitable power-sharing for all members of the American community (Mukherjee, BM 460) untenable. Ultimately, then, Mukherjees Maximalist approach toward the immigrant experience in American literature is self-defeating. The difficulty undeniably involved in representing all immigrant groups accurately and authentically makes the credibility of Mukherjees following claim suspect: Perhaps it is [my] history-mandated training in seeing myself as the other that now heaps on me a fluid set of identities denied to most of my mainstream American counterparts. That training, in our ethnic- and gender-fractured world of contemporary fiction, allows me without difficulty to enter lives, fictionally, that are manifestly not my own. Chameleon-skinned, I discover my material over and across the country, and up and down the social ladder. (IW 29) Albeit apparently inclusionary, Mukherkees Maximalist credo merely inherits the exclusionary connotations (Chanadry 434, 434) of multiculturalism as far as her literary representation of non-South Asian immigrants is concerned. Even with the best of intentions to propose an alternative model to multiculturalism, Mukherjee, by virtue of her own elite immigrant status, is not exempt from the tendency to reinscribe the minority group immigrant back into the hegemonic rhetoric of difference and otherness. Conclusion Finally, the spotlight is ultimately focused on the individuality of the Indian immigrant in fashioning her own life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the free country' (Mukherjee, Jasmine 239). The immigrant subjectivity that each female protagonist advantageously adopts is aptly encapsulated by Jasmines declaration: I am not choosing between men. I am caught between the promise of America and old-world dutifulness (Mukherjee, Jasmine 240). While Mukherjee justifies the disavowal of the old world by means of the Manichean allegory that juxtaposes India and America in binaristic oppositions, the more important revelation is that the postcolonial immigrant is also free to reject aspects of America exemplifying failed idealism (Mukherjee, TT 108). If the female immigrants search for a fluid yet empowering American (trans)national identity depends partly on the (white) male with whom she is romantically involved, then wheelchair-bound Bud and armless Fred symbolize a freak (Mukh erjee, TT 112) America that must be abandoned as well. Maya is sure that Freds world will not end with her departure, while Jasmine feels potent (Mukherjee, Jasmine 12) in saving Bud by not marrying him. Through this reversal of power, Mukherjee aligns her female protagonists with a sense of hegemonic benevolence toward the inferior. With Jasmine choosing Taylor for his world, its ease, its careless confidence and graceful self-absorption (Mukherjee, Jasmine 171) and Maya choosing Ashoke Mehta for his adoration of idealism and abhorrence of smugness, passivity, caste system (Mukherjee, TT 109, 109), it is evident that Mukherjees literary agenda is ultimately underwritten by her inclination to embrace and valorize an ideal America that is capacious of fulfilling the immigrants desires. (4682words, excluding subheadings (18))

The Hangman versus The Terrible Things Essay -- essays research papers

During World War II, six million Jews were brutally massacred by Adolph Hitler's Nazi regime. Several authors have written about the actions of bystanders in the Holocaust. In a poem, "The Hangman," and an allegory, The Terrible Things, Maurice Odgen and Eve Bunting described how bystanders could cause problems through their inactions. In the poem "The Hangman," by Maurice Ogden, the poet explained that a person could resolve a situation by showing acts of courage. One day, a hangman came to a town and built a scaffold on the courthouse square. The townspeople asked him which criminal would be hanged and he replied with a mischievous grin and a glint in his eye that it would be the person who will continually make his job easier. When the hangman spotted a foreign person, he chose him to be the first victim. The townsfolk were relieved that they weren't picked to be hanged, and that the gallows frame would be gone the next day. However, after they saw that it was still there, the hangman said that the foreigner was used to determine how strong the hemp was. When a man cri...

Analysis and Interpretation

Impressionist movement. He saw â€Å"Claude Motet's Impression, Sunrise exhibited in 1874, and stated it was a sketch or â€Å"impression† not finished painting. Short visible strokes are the style included in Impressionism. This may include dots, commas, smears and/or blobs. Paintings in this style often show shadows and highlights in color. This style of loose brushwork gives an effect of spontaneity and effortlessness. Brief moments of life are shown in paintings by Impressionism artists. (Art T. M. , 2000-2014). There was major political and social transition in central Europe that helped lead into theImpressionism period. This included the 19th Century industrial expansion. Farmers were forced to become paid labors in factories. Governments across Europe are exploring methods to balance the polarities of social right and material progress. Churches were trying to use new scientific knowledge and social theory against the ancient scriptures. â€Å"France was experiencing various governments and various forms of government rising and succeeding another between the absolute monarchies that ends with Louis the XVI in 1789† (Hammerings, 1998).Among these turbulent years France saw lattice outcomes that range from reign Of terror, constitutional monarchy, a republic, a royal restoration and a socialist commune as well as the Napoleonic Empire. These artists came together due to the fact that they were dissatisfied with the Salon system. This was for multiple reasons. It included the type of art being sold and the structure for exhibiting and selling art. Paris become a city in which mass spending was a major activity. Stores with generous windows displays existed. Art exhibitions were becoming more widespread. Many people collected art in the same manor that the bought ewe clothes.Art was displayed in a manner that made people want to purchase it. It was the beginning of advertising. Magazines would display beautiful women with the artwork. AY. La ter Historical Art Period – Post Impressionism Roger Fry invented Post-Impressionism as he got ready for an exhibition at Grafton Gallery in London in 191 0 (Geris-Nisei, 2014). ‘ ‘The show was called â€Å"Meant and the Post-Impressionists† (November 8, 1910-January 15, 191 1), a canny marketing ploy to pair a brand name (?dotard Meant) with younger French artists whose work was not well known on the other side of theEnglish Channel† (Geris-Nisei, 2014). Vincent van Gogh, Paul CZane, Paul Gauguin, George Serrate, Andre Derail, and other painters were included in the exhibition. Post Impressionists expanded Impressionism while not giving into its limitations. They persistently used vivid colors, thick application of paint, and real-life subjects. Post Impressionist artists were likely to emphasize geometric forms, to distort forms for expressive effect, and to use unnatural colors. With the use of vivid colors and forms, their art was characterized by visual and abstract tendencies (Gallery, 2002-2013).The social and political proceedings in France during the sass were years of extremes. The French underwent rapid industrialization and economic growth. In the mid 1 8805 they were subject to the depression. They also had to deal mentally with its defeat by the Prussian in 1 870 (History, 1979-1980). Industrialization brought in capitalism to the society with materialism as the key point. Revolutionary painting techniques were used to attempt to outrage the art-loving public. AY. Relationship Impressionism and Post-Impressionism refers to an influential artistic movement.It was started by a group of artist that wanted to open paintings up to a different approach. The artists were also rejected by the art galleries at that time. I feel these artists were looking for a way to provide support for themselves at a time when France's government was unstable. Both of these styles were able to let artists to open up in the type of paints that were completed. This allowed the next style of paintings to arise. AAA. Similarities and Differences Similarities between Impressionists and Post-Impressionists are they both obtain real-life subject, distinctive brushstrokes, thick layers of paint and vivid lord.The artists in both periods painted landscapes and scenes of modern life (Online, 2007-2014). The Impressionist painted in the open air and used a palette of pure colors. The Impressionist painters were concerned With way that light or sunshine lights up the subject-matter. Paintings of this type were much quicker to be completed. The main difference between both styles is that Post-impressionism aimed to attain more form and structure, as well as more expression and emotion into their paintings. Post-Impressionists rejected Impressionism's concern with the spontaneous and naturalistic endearing of light and color† (Online, 2007-2014).Instead they placed more emphasis on more symbolic content, formal order and st ructure (Online, 2007-2014). Post Impressionism artists did their paintings in an indoor studio. They could take hours to complete a single painting. Baby. Explanation Nature painted in the terms of light and color were a style of Impressionism. Post impressionists painted with emotion, and intellect. They wanted to express their paintings beyond the appearance. There paintings stressed their personal view of the world. Post- impressionism artists' used both color ND form to describe emotions.Post-Impressionists rejected Impressionism's apprehension with the unprompted and naturalistic rendering of light and color. Post Impressionists favor a prominence on more symbolic content, formal order and structure. They also believed that color could be impartial from form and composition and an exciting bearer Of meaning (Online, 2007-2014). AY Comparison of Works have chosen two paintings to compare â€Å"The White Bridge† by John Henry Attachment and â€Å"Traces on Water† b y Claudia Presence. I personally really like both of these paintings. They both contain bodies of water. Would prefer the second selection if had to chose one. Eke the vivid colors and the deepness of the water. The second painting is of a body of water that I would like to see in nature. It looks beautiful and peaceful. ‘The White Bridge' by John Henry Attachment (Attachment). â€Å"The White Bridge† scene captures the blossoming of spring. It has loosely feathery brushstrokes of green and rich brown colors. The painting shows the peacefulness of the water. The bridge crosses over a body of water that has a reflective surface. The white bridge stands out in contrast to the rest of the painting. The bridge was painted in light airy tokes. Would like to think there may have been trees close by. Chicago, 2000, p. 94). â€Å"Traces on Water† by Claudia Presence (Presence). The water shown here is the main element in the picture. Water is a basic element of survival. The dark blue-green color shows the depth, and stillness of the water. The color in this picture are more vivid than the painting by John Henry Attachment. This painting shows the difference between the perception of light and the beauty of nature. In Presence's paintings the lines and curves are more abstract and suggestive than in some traditional Impressionist art (Art F. ). This painting hints at the objects they represent rather than showing them realistically.AY. Influence of Later Historical Art Period personal styles that focused on the emotional, structural and spiritual elements are another reason that the post impressionism came from Impressionism (Post Impressionism ; The Roots of Modern Art). The artists by drastically influencing styles and artistic expression were able to influence generations of artists to follow. Their combined contributions to the artistic roots of modern art assisted for the next eighty years (Post Impressionism – The Roots of Modern Art). I have enjoyed researching and learning in depth about the two different types of paintings.

Hound of the baskervilles Essay Example

Hound of the baskervilles Essay Example Hound of the baskervilles Paper Hound of the baskervilles Paper Essay Topic: The Hound of the Baskervilles The first description of Baskerville Hall is fury of years of storm; this sets a dark and dismal atmosphere. Storms seem to make everything dark and gloomy and sunlight seems to bring positive emotions. When it states years this shows that Baskerville Hall has not seen sunlight for a while, this suggests that the curse is still alive as Baskerville Hall is a dark, evil place. Long, dark drive, is the first statement when they arrive in Baskerville territory. This can be related to the case, as now the readers see it as long, as it is taking a while to solve, and dark because they are exploring the hound and the deaths. The house glimmered like a ghost, this shows a scary atmosphere, as ghosts are philosophical scary creatures used to express death. When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle states, ghost he may be talking about the hound, as the reader does not know whether the hound is real. It too may be philosophical like the ghost. The atmosphere now is dark and evil as dark and ghost are both representative terms associated with evil. When young Baskerville states, scare any man, it shows how scary the hall is. In the book Sherlock Holmes is seen to be different as he can pick out the smallest crucial bits of detail in seconds, for example when he was looking through the cup at Watson in chapter one. For Baskerville Hall to be deemed to scare any man implies that Holmes himself would be scared. This would make the reader feel exposed to harm as Holmes gives the impression of being fearless. Fading light shows the final comparison, as they started off in the light countryside and now they arrive at Baskerville Hall where the light is disappearing. This shows they are not safe. When they arrive at Baskerville Hall a voice states, Welcome, Sir Henry! this is ironic as Sir Henry does not feel welcome, as Baskerville Hall appears to him as gloomy and uninviting. In chapter six, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses atmosphere to compare the countryside to the moor. Comparing the scenery and the mood, as when travelling it seems to the reader that the closer they get to Baskerville Hall the further they get from safety. Also the closer they get the less peaceful it gets, as the moor is described as noisy and roaring. Also the light seems to disappear and in the countryside there were rays of sun but in the moor it states fading light. These many comparisons show that the passengers would rather be in the countryside. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses anthropomorphism to help the reader understand the emotions of the characters. Fading light represents Sherlock Holmes opinion on the case, as it seems to get more difficult. As the atmosphere gets worse through the chapter it leads the reader to believe that things will only get worse when arriving at Baskerville Hall. As the atmosphere now is dark and gloomy, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses this to make the reader interested and read on. The reader needs to get to a safe place and is encouraged to read on hoping for a return to normality. In conclusion the general feeling toward Baskerville Hall is that it is evil, and this shows that evil deeds will befall the three passengers. As it states difficult and dangerous, this leads us to believe that the curse will take a while to solve. Dangerous shows us that there will be consequences and the evil tone suggests it will involve the hound. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses atmosphere to show true feelings of the area where Sherlock Holmes is situated. In chapter two Mortimer presents Holmes and Watson with a manuscript which the always observant Sherlock Holmes had already noticed and dated as 1730. The document shows the curse of Baskerville Hall, and reveals the terror of Baskerville Hall expressed by the atmosphere in chapter six. At the time of the Great Revolution, Mortimer reads, Hugo Baskerville lorded over the Baskerville mansion in Devonshire. Sex crazed and lecherous, the infamous Hugo became obsessed with a local yeomans daughter, whom he kidnapped one day. Trapped in an upstairs room, hearing the raucous drinking and carousing going on downstairs, the girl escaped with the help of an ivy-covered wall. She fled across the expansive moorlands outside. Enraged at finding that his captive escaped, Hugo made a deal with the devil and released his hounds in pursuit of the young girl. This explains to us why the curse was placed upon the family.