The history of the number zero Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The history of the number zero - Research Paper Example For instance, the numbers 2011 and 211 represent two different numbers and have completely different sense. Secondly, zero is used in its form as a number itself i.e. 0. Both the above mentioned uses of zero have been exceedingly important. Yet, the two above described uses of zero cannot report historical evidence of creation of zero. It would not have been so easy for the term and idea behind the invention of the number to be widely accepted and used. The number and term zero has not been spontaneously derived concept. It took a huge period to develop the concept and use of zero as a name and a symbol (O'Connor and Robertson, 2000). Zero as a number, symbol and a concept has been indeed important and is known possibly worldwide for its significant usage. The recognition, apprehension and functioning of zero has been the fundamental of the world now that today, zero fulfils a key role in mathematics as the real numbers, additive identity of the integers, and a lot of other algebraic structures. In addition, the concept of zero can be employed in calculus, accounting, finance, statistics, computers, and particularly in today's connected world. The development of zero from being merely a placeholder to the driver of calculus has crossed centuries, and involved diverse and extensively great cognitive thinking, both in extent and scope globally (Kaplan and Seife, 2002). As a concept, zero indicates ‘nothing’ or ‘naught’. â€Å"How can nothing be something?† is a question that ancient Greeks asked themselves. Records have shown that they seemed to be uncertain about the interpretation of zero as a number. The creation and status of zero has led to philosophical and religious arguments by Middle-ages (Bourbaki, 1998). As a matter of fact, today’s Arabic number system has originated in India, but is comparatively newly developed. From the beginning, people have been labeling amounts and measures with a variety of figures and sy mbols throughout centuries, while facing difficulties in performing most elementary arithmetic computations with those number systems. A counting system had been first developed by the Sumerians as they wanted to mark and keep the accounts of the quantities of their goods such as cattle, horses, and donkeys. The drawback regarding the Sumerian system was that the system was positional which means that the positioning of a specific symbol as compared to others denoted its value. Around 2500 BC, Akkadians handed down The Sumerian system and in 2000 BC, the same was done by the Babylonians. The evolution of zero seems to have initiated from the Babylonians which has crossed may centuries and was very different from the symbol know to us today. Babylonians were the first to ideate a mark to to make it realized that a number had been missing from a column. For instance, 0 in the number 2011 expresses that there are no hundreds in that number. By that time zero did not have any symbol to denote the space. Although Ancient Greeks have brought many famous mathematicians who learned the basic principles of their mathematics from the Egyptians and they had a number system, but that system lacked a placeholder like the one of Babylonians so they could not suggest a name to indicate that empty space. They might have contemplated the name to denote that place between numbers, but there is no such evidence to draw conclusion that the symbol even

Server Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Server - Essay Example The computer network should also be secured from damages that may result from physical factors and dangers caused by computer virus. Thus, network security is extremely essential in any company; the chief information officer should be aware of how to ensure network security. There are several ways in which unauthorized users can gain access to the peer-to-peer networks in a company. First, they can access the peer networks by using any of the networked computers to type a unique username as well as password. This can be prevented by making sure that the networked computers cannot be accessed physically. To achieve this, the BIOS security should be enabled; this makes sure that the user sets an access name and password for the computers (Maiwald, 2003). Maiwald (2003) asserts that hackers and other unauthorized users can gain access to a company’s sever-based network by using the name and password of another person. In such a case, passwords should be changed on a regular basis, and they should not also be written down. This way, it will be extremely difficult for unauthorized users to access the company’s network. Data encryption can also be used to ensure that the network is secure and not accessible to unauthorized persons. Data should be encrypted before sending it onto the network. This way, the data will become unreadable even by a person who may attempt to tap the cable and read the data when it passes over the network. Upon arrival at the proper computer, the code designed to decipher encrypted data divides it into bits. The code then translates the bits into information that can be understood (Gollmann, 2011). According to Brown (2000), the network infrastructure of a company should also be protected from computer viruses which may infect the operating systems and files. Viruses can be transmitted through direct cable connection, floppy disks or CDs. Other means in which viruses can be transmitted include electronic ways such as through

Public Enterprises Essay Example for Free

Public Enterprises Essay What are the Objectives of Public Enterprises? SOUMYA SINGH In India, public enterprises have been assigned the task of realising the objectives laid down in the Directive Principles of State Policy. Public sector as a whole seeks: (a) to gain control of the commanding heights of the economy, (b) to promote critical development in terms of social gain or strategic value rather than on consideration of profit, and (c) to provide commercial surplus with which to finance further economic development. The main objectives of public enterprises in India are as follows: 1. Economic development: Public enterprises were set up to accelerate the rate of economic growth in a planned manner. These enterprises have created a sound industrial base for rapid industrialisation of the country. They are expected to provide infrastructure facilities for promoting balanced and diversified economic structure of development. 2. Self-reliance: Another aim of public enterprises is to promote self-reliance in strategic sectors of the national economy. For this purpose, public enterprises have been set up in transportation, communication, energy, petro-chemicals, and other key and basic industries. . Development of backward Areas: Several public enterprises were established in backward areas to reduce regional imbalances in development. Balanced development of different parts of the country is necessary for social as well as strategic reasons. 4. Employment generation: Unemployment has become a serious problem in India. Public enterprises seek to offer gainful employment to millions. In order to protect jobs, several sick units in the private sector have been nationalised. 5. Economic surplus: Public enterprises seek to generate and mobilise surplus for reinvestment. These enterprises earn money and mobilise public savings for industrial development. 6. Egalitarian society: An important objective of public enterprises is to prevent concentration of economic power and growth of private monopolies. Public sector helps the Government to enforce social control on trade and industry for ensuring equitable distribution of goods and services. Public enterprises protect and promote small scale industries. 7. Consumer welfare: Public enterprises seek to protect consumers from exploitation and profiteering by ensuring supply of essential commodities at cheaper prices. They aim at stabilising prices. 8. Public utilities: Private sector is guided by profit motive. Therefore, it is reluctant to invest money in public utility services like water supply, gas, electricity, public transport. Therefore, the Government has to assume responsibility for providing such services. 9. Defence: Government has to set up public enterprises for production of defence equipment. Supply of such equipment cannot be entrusted for private sector due to the need for utmost secrecy. 10. Labour welfare: Public enterprises serve as model employers. They ensure welfare and social security of employees. Many public enterprises have developed townships, schools, college and hospitals for their workers. Role and Rationale of Public Enterprises The public sector has been playing a vital role in the economic development of the country. In fact the public sector has come to occupy such an important place in our economy that on its effective performance depends largely the achievement of the countrys economic and social goals. Public sector is considered a powerful engine of economic development and an important instrument of self-reliance. The main contributions of public enterprises to the countrys economy may be described as follows: 1. Filling of gaps: At the time of independence, there existed serious gaps in the industrial structure of the country, particularly in the field of heavy industries. Basic and key industries require huge capital investment, involve considerable risk and suffer from long gestation periods. Private sector concerns do not come forward to establish such industries. Public sector has helped to fill up these gaps. The basic infrastructure required for rapid industrialisation has been built up, through the production of strategic capital goods. The public sector has considerably widened the industrial base of the country and speeded up the pace of industrialisation. 2. Employment: Public sector has created millions of jobs to tackle the unemployment problem in the country. Public sector accounts for about two-third of the total employment in the organised industrial sector in India. By taking over many sick units, the public sector has protected the employment of millions. Public sector has also contributed a lot towards the improvement of working and living conditions of workers by serving as a model employer. 3. Balanced regional development: Private industries tend to concentrate in certain regions while other regions remain backward. Public sector undertakings have located their plants in backward and untraded parts of the country. These areas lacked basic industrial and civic facilities like electricity, water supply, township and manpower. Public enterprises have developed these facilities thereby bringing about complete transformation in the social-economic life of the people in these regions. Steel plants of Bhilai, Rourkela and Durgapur; fertilizer factory at Sindri, machine tool plants in Rajasthan, precision instruments plants in Kerala and Rajasthan, etc. are a few examples of the development of backward regions by the public sector. 4. Optimum utilisation of resources: Public enterprises make better utilisation of scarce resources of the country. They are big in size and able to enjoy the benefits of large scale operations. They help to eliminate wasteful completion and ensure full use of installed capacity. Op timum utilisation of resources results in better and cheaper production. 5. Mobilisation of surplus: The profits earned by public enterprises are reinvested for expansion and diversification. Moreover, public sector concerns like banks and financial nstitutions mobilise scattered public savings thereby helping the process of capital formation in the country. Public enterprises earn considerable foreign exchange through exports. 6. Self reliance: Public enterprises have reduced considerably the need for imports by producing new and better products within the country. These enterprises are also earning considerable amount of foreign exchange through exports. 7. Socialistic pattern of society: Public sector is an instrument for realising social objectives. Public enterprises help to check concentration of wealth and private monopolies. These enterprises can serve as powerful means of economic and social change. 8. Public welfare: Public enterprises help in the establishment of a welfare state in the country. These enterprises supply essential commodities at cheaper rates. A proper balance between demand and supply is created to protect consumers against exploitation by profit hungry businessmen. Public enterprises also protect and promote the interests of workers. Criticism of Public Enterprises [Arguments against Public Enterprises] Public enterprises are opposed on account of weaknesses in their organisation and working. These enterprises generally suffer from the following problems: 1. Delay in completion: Often a very long time is taken in the establishment and completion of public enterprises. Delay in completion leads to increase in the cost of establishment and benefits extracted from them are delayed. 2. Faulty evaluation: Public enterprises are in some cases set upon political considerations. There is no proper evaluation of demand and supply and expected costs and benefits. There are no clear cut objectives and guidelines. In the absence of proper project planning there is under- utilisation of capacity and wastage of national resources. . Heavy overhead costs: Public enterprises often spend huge amounts on providing housing and other amenities to employees. Though such investment is useful for employees but it takes away a large part of capital and the project suffers from financial difficulties. 4. Poor returns: Majority of the public enterprises in India are incurring loss. In some of them the profits earned do not yield a reasonable return on huge investment. Lack of effective financial controls, wasteful expenditure and dogmatic pricing policy result in losses 5. Inefficient management: Due to excessive centralisation of authority and lack of motivation public enterprises are managed inefficiently. High level posts are often occupied by persons lacking necessary expertise but enjoying political support. 6. Political interference: There is frequent interference from politicians and civil servants in the working of public enterprises. Such interference leaves little scope for initiative and freedom of action. Public enterprises enjoy little autonomy and flexibility of operations. 7. Labour problems: In the absence of proper manpower planning public enterprises suffer from over-staffing. Jobs are created to fulfil employment goals of the Government. Guarantee of job in these enterprises encourages trade unions to be militant in pursuing their aims. Growth of Public Enterprises in India At the time of independence, public sector in India was confined mainly to railways, communications, defence production and public utility services. Since then the growth of public enterprises has been very rapid. Now public sector consists of public utilities (e. g. , railways, post and telegraph, etc), manufacturing concerns (e. g. , BHEL, SAIL, etc. ), trading organisations (e. g. STC, MMTC, etc. ), service organisations (e. g. , NIDC, RITES, etc. ). SAIL, a Maharatna Company of Govt. of India, is the worlds leading and Indias largest steel producer with an annual turnover of around Rs. 50,348 crore (FY11-12). It operates and owns 5 integrated steel plants at Rourkela, Bhilai, Durgapur, Bokaro and Burnpur and 3 special steel plants at Salem, Durgapur and Bhadravati. As part of its g lobal ambition the Company is implementing a massive expansion plan involving project work of building/adding new facilites with emphasis on state of the art green technology. List of Maharatna, Navratna and Miniratna CPSEs As per available information (as on February, 2013) Maharatna CPSEs Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited Coal India Limited GAIL (India) Limited Indian Oil Corporation Limited NTPC Limited Oil amp; Natural Gas Corporation Limited Steel Authority of India Limited Navratna CPSEs Bharat Electronics Limited Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited National Aluminium Company Limited NMDC Limited Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited Oil India Limited Power Finance Corporation Limited Power Grid Corporation of India Limited Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited Rural Electrification Corporation Limited Shipping Corporation of India Limited Miniratna Category I CPSEs Airports Authority of India Antrix Corporation Limited Balmer Lawrie amp; Co. Limited Bharat Dynamics Limited BEML Limited Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited Bridge amp; Roof Company (India) Limited Central Warehousing Corporation Central Coalfields Limited Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited Cochin Shipyard Limited Container Corporation of India Limited Dredging Corporation of India Limited Engineers India Limited Ennore Port Limited Garden Reach Shipbuilders amp; Engineers Limited Goa Shipyard Limited Hindustan Copper Limited HLL Lifecare Limited Hindustan Newsprint Limited Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited Housing amp; Urban Development Corporation Limited India Tourism Development Corporation Limited Indian Railway Catering amp; Tourism Corporation Limited IRCON International Limited KIOCL Limited Mazagaon Dock Limited Mahanadi Coalfields Limited Manganese Ore (India) Limited Mangalore Refinery amp; Petrochemical Limited Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited MMTC Limited MSTC Limited National Fertilizers Limited National Seeds Corporation Limited NHPC Limited Northern Coalfields Limited Numaligarh Refinery Limited ONGC Videsh Limited Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited Projects amp; Development India Limited Railtel Corporation of India Limited Rashtriya Chemicals amp; Fertilizers Limited RITES Limited SJVN Limited Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited South Eastern Coalfields Limited State Trading Corporation of India Limited Telecommunications Consultants India Limited THDC India Limited Western Coalfields Limited WAPCOS Limited Miniratna Category-II CPSEs Bharat Pumps amp; Compressors Limited Broadcast Engineering Consultants (I) Limited Central Mine Planning amp; Design Institute Limited Ed. CIL (India) Limited Engineering Projects (India) Limited FCI Aravali Gypsum amp; Minerals India Limited Ferro Scrap Nigam Limited HMT (International) Limited HSCC (India) Limited India Trade Promotion Organisation Indian Medicines amp; Pharmaceuticals Corporation Limited M E C O N Limited National Film Development Corporation Limited National Small Industries Corporation Limited P E C Limited Rajasthan Electronics amp; Instruments Limited

Practical Experience And These Approaches Business Essay

Practical Experience And These Approaches Business Essay Difference between analytical/Planned and emergent approaches. We explore the differences among the concepts of Analytical and emergent strategy. Critics challenged the traditional analytical-approach impossibility of forecasting, introduces emergent approach. Strategic planning no more remains a ritual where future is assumed to remain more-or-less similar (Grant, 2003). Analytical/planned approach Planned strategy requires clearly articulated vision and associated plans, presence of formal controls to impose them, in a stable totally predictable/controllable environment (Mintzberg and Waters, 1985). We can argue the three characteristics of a planned approach as a) precise mission of the firm, articulated to its staff in an unambiguous manner, e.g. become the market-leader in the cloud-computing domain in next 5years, b) existence of a shared organisational intention among the staff at all level, e.g. meet the CMMi ML-5 or Six-sigma quality standards in all deliverables, c) these collective-intentions must be realized irrespective of any environmental [external] forces, e.g. Tata-group places quality above all other aspects, often at the expense of profit. In planned strategy, leadership, devices a plan, articulates it precisely and strives for its implementation in a surprise-free environment; external-factors are not considered for any distortion of this plan. It is non-res ponsive to external-factors e.g. newer technology, change in customer-choice, government policy change etc. Though this could be applicable to Army, but surely not in modern business-environment. Does an organisation could have a totally predictable/controllable business-environment? No, referring to Shell oil-spill in Bonga oilfield, BP Deepwater-horizon oilspill in Gulf of Mexico, the financial turmoil in US during 2010 affecting business [both financial and IT domain]. Referring to the recent incidents of Boeing-Dreamliner [787-series aircrafts] which has been grounded worldwide, short after its much hyped-release, due to major technical problems. Concluding, firms normally have almost none or little control over the environment where it operates and hence purely analytical approach is not advisable. Emergent approach Vision could provide a holistic view of firms direction, with room for adaptation, i.e. the ultimate vision could emerge during the journey itself Mintzberg and Waters (ibid). In an emergent approach feedback is welcome on past actions, opportunities and threat and thus firms vision can be re-developed considering all these factors en-route. Flexibility to external factors and adaptation to turn the threats into opportunities are pivotal in emergent approach. We can consider this as an bottom-up approach, a necessary component of the strategic planning process, as it ensures that information from all parts of the organization is included in the decision-making process (Plant, 2006). We can refer to matrix project based organisation structure (Brooks, 2009) in this context where information flows freely and decision is taken considering all inputs. Transformational leadership can nurture such an environment from where strategies could emerge, e.g. leadership [captaincy] in a football or cricket match- with the common vision [win the match] leader need to formulate strategy based on the ground-situation which is totally unpredictable and uncontrollable [e.g. an injury of a key-player, rain, wind]. Differences Identified Formal plans, precise intention, centralised leadership in a controllable and predictable environment where as emergent is adaptable to new threats/opportunities, shared beliefs, collected vision and respondent to external inputs. We can refer to Gumps success in life in the movie Forrest Gump as emergent style. For a deliberate approach become successful the business environment, must be perfectly predictable and/or under the full control of the firm Mintzberg and Waters (ibid). Analytical/planned assumes a controllable/predictive environment which is almost impossible to have in recent high-tech, turbulent, boundary-less business environment. In an emergent approach the actions need to be consistent over time Mintzberg and Waters (ibid). But these are two extremities; pragmatic approach should be in between these. The presence of feedback (Roger, 1996) and the continuous strategy-formulation via learning is two key aspects in my view of emergent approach over deliberate one. Often emergent approach is perceived by many that management is out of control; instead it establishes a feedback loop, a matrix structure which is open, flexible and a responsive learning organisation. This maturity to react to external factors makes emergent approach the advantage. But too much emergent can bring trouble on the other hand. Practical experience and these approaches I was working with a MNC-Bank in Benelux region, local government has mandated them to implement stringent security-measures to enhance its risk-exposure after the credit-crisis in 2010. Our vision was at very high-level and the threats/opportunities were unknown, as we progress down the program we take input from our environments [e.g. government regulatory bodies, Banks staff, industry best-practices] and formulate the path to implement the vision during the journey. Had we chose an analytical approach it would have failed as we did not have any hint on the external factors [what measures we need to implement, what are the external security threats, what are the significant Bank assets that needed security etc] and unpredictability of ground situation. We were challenged by both external factor [like government regulation, cyber attack] and internal factors [legacy of the departments, preparedness of the Bank staff, apprehension over possible lay-off etc] . planned approach percei ved by the staff as imposed as there is less chance for feedback and re-formulate the strategy but only strong adherence to that planned tasks, in our environment [the MNC Bank, our customer] that wont work, we needed to motivate the staff and persuade them assuring that these measures wont affect them in any way. Once this sensemaking was done, their feedback was taken, workshops arranged to brainstorm on the challenges and we collectively turned those threats into opportunity and our programme was endeared by staff and once we had a motivated workforce rest was easier. It was also for us a learning experience as the concept of emergent approach opens the possibility of strategy formation by learning process, Mintzberg and Waters (ibid). Such a learning behavior is especially important when an environment is too unstable/complex to comprehend, or too hard to predict- as was the case with the Bank, stakeholders were four vendors, mandating government-organisation, six internal-depa rtments spread across two countries and competing with each other. Emerging approach, we took helped us to enhance our understanding of the situation over-time and to respond to an evolving reality, Mintzberg and Waters (ibid). . Analysis of Benefits Pragmatic strategy-development need to combine both deliberate, and emergent approaches, Mintzberg and Waters (ibid) at first leadership need to establish a vision to direct its staff and a path to realize the same, at the same time it is highly important that strategy responds to the external factors during the journey. We can conclude that the emphasis may change from time-to-time based on situation demand but both are needed to succeed. It depends on the situation and business-domain too. An umbrella-approach, devised based on the ground-situation, which is partially deliberate and partly emergent, is the ideal to follow. Analytical/planned approach In a manufacturing unit [e.g. steel, car, aircraft] or in Banking/Insurance domain the planned/analytical approach would be successful as they operate in Bureaucratic structure (Brooks, 2009) where Standard Operating Procedures are followed religiously with little scope of innovation. So are the government firms, hospitals [to some extent] and sports organisation. Once planned people unquestionable follow the instructions and stringent control implemented to realize the pre-defined path. Monopoly business [former Nokia, Blackberry over mobile market, IBM and its mainframe, Microsoft and its windows] could be a good place for successful deliberate approach implementation because the firms have to some extent control over their environment [market] and they are not challenged aggressively by external factors [e.g. Nokia until HTC, Samsung flooded the mobile market]. In Army/Police departments could follow deliberate [planned] strategy but during the actual war-field they need to util ize the feedback loop and change tactics based on ground-situation. Emergent approach Emergent approach, which is being developed over time in collaboration with and accommodating the changing reality, it is a front-line approach, tends to solve actual issues In the modern volatile, fast-moving, boundary-less market, firms need to be more agile to obtain the competitive-edge over competitors, this makes emergent approach more pragmatic and beneficial in a slow-growth market too. We can view emergent strategy as a set of actions, or behavior, consistent over time Mintzberg and Waters (ibid). in the traditional deliberate approach idea was generated by individual [or a few leaders at the top-most rank] whereas in emergent it emerges en-route, collective ideas surely would be better than a single-one. Front-line staff and middle-managers who can spot a threat early [being close to production-line/customer] and swiftly react on that [to turn it to an opportunity] this enables the firm to withstand the threat- this is paramount in emergent approach (Moore, 2011).

Hawthorne and Young Goodman Brown :: essays research papers fc

It has always appeared to be fact that sin was an easy word to define and that merely doing anything that goes against God and his teachings is a sin. In order to avoid sin, one must possess an infinite amount of faith and be able to follow the teachings of a master that one can’t always see, but needs to understand is always there. In literature, many works have been created dealing with faith and sin, but most are usually not written from a perspective in which a sinning man does not seek redemption. Most stories are not allegories dealing with a man leaving his wife – named Faith – so that he can go off into the woods and, literally, dance with the devil. Most stories, however, are not Young Goodman Brown and most are not written by Nathaniel Hawthorne as a response to the guilt he felt over being the descendant of people involved in the Salem Witch trials. An immensely important part of this allegory is the character of Faith, Young Goodman’s wife, wh o represents just what her name says, and how her character affects the entire story. Her existence alone allows for the crisis Young Goodman Brown feels and even later further enhances that same crisis. She is both the cause and solution to all of Brown’s problems, if only he would allow himself to accept his faith rather than enter into the kingdom of the devil.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Faith is a highly subjective thing that all people who wish to have religion in their lives must have and embrace. Now, Hawthorne wrote Young Goodman Brown as a commentary on a seriously religious society that went as far as to drown women who were preported to be witches. As Brown tells his wife that he is going away for a while, she – in her pink bows and her young face, implores him not to go. Brown knows that he’s about to embark on a journey where having faith is important and necessary. Even he acknowledges such a fact when he states â€Å"what a wretch am I, to leave her on such an errand.† (Hawthorne 614). Brown is fully aware that on the journey he’s about to embark on, he needs his faith. However, he’s also aware that if he brings his faith along then the meeting with the devil will go differently than planned and will end with him maybe not accepting the devil’s pleas.

Symbolism in A Doll’s House Essay examples -- Literary Elements

Henrik Ibsen’s â€Å"A Doll’s House† is a controversial play focusing on the marriage of Nora and Torvald Helmer. The play is filled with symbols that represent abstract ideas and concepts. These symbols effectively illustrate the inner conflicts that are going on between the characters. Henrik Ibsen’s use of symbolism such as the Christmas tree, the locked mailbox, the Tarantella, Dr. Rank’s calling cards, and the letters allows him to give a powerful portrayal to symbolize aspects of characters and their relationship to each other. The Christmas tree in itself is symbolic and it means the play takes place during Christmastime. Ibsen uses Christmas tree to mainly construct the character of Nora. The Christmas tree symbolizes the feelings of Nora. At the start of the play, Nora enters the room carelessly and her mood is festive. The Christmas tree, a festive object used for decorative purposes, represents the function of Nora in her household who is pleasing to look and who adds the charm to their home. Nora dresses the tree just as Torvald dresses her up for the Stenborgs’ party. Like other married women during the period, Nora is simply decorative and is not allowed to make familial decisions. Nora instructs the housemaid, â€Å"Hide the Christmas tree carefully, Helen. Be sure the children do not see it till this evening, when it is dressed† (Ibsen 793), the same as when she tells Torvald that no one can see her in her dress until the evening of the dance. The Christmas tree also imitates th e psychological state of Nora when it is described to be â€Å"†¦stripped of its ornaments and with burnt-down candle-ends on its disheveled branches† (Ibsen 812). This describes Nora when she receives the bad news from Krogstad; as a result her min... ...her family. The analysis argues the use of symbolism as it applies to the aspects of the characters and their relationships. Henrik Ibsen’s extensive use of symbols is applied to capture the reader’s attention. Symbols like the Christmas tree, the locked mailbox, the Tarantella, Dr. Rank’s calling cards, and the letters add a delicate meaning to the characters and help convey ideas and themes throughout the play. Work Cited Ibsen, Henrik. â€Å"A Doll’s House.† Literature for Composition. Ed. Sylvan Barnet, William Burto, and William E. Cain. 9th Ed. New York: Longman, 2010. 792-841. Print. â€Å"La Tarantella.† 10 Apr 2010. Streetswing.com. 20 Mar 2011. http://Streetswing.com/histmain/z3tartla.htm. SparkNotes Editors. â€Å"SparkNote on A Doll’s House†. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. SparkNotes.com. 20 Mar 2011. http://Sparknotes.com/lit/dollhouse/themes.html.

Web Du Bois and Double Consciousness

W. E. B. Du Bois: Double-Consciousness Ashanti Johnson SOC101 Lestine Shedrick October 18, 2011 W. E. B. Du Bois (1968-1963) was a huge contributor to sociology through the eyes and experience of an African-American scholar (Vissing, 2011). Du Bois was an author, activist and student of Black sociology. In his 1897 article, Strivings of the Negro People†, Du Bois introduced the term â€Å"double-consciousness†, a concept I believe to be just as relevant in today’s African-American communities. Double consciousness refers to what Du Bois considered an absence of â€Å"true self consciousness† (Du Bois, 1897) amongst Africans in America. In place of that absence, lies a dual awareness- awareness of one’s self combined with an awareness of how others perceive you. Is being an American a contradiction to Black identity, even in contemporary society? In his 1903 book, ‘The Souls of Black Folk’, Du /bois gives an analysis of African-Americans and double-consciousness, that Black people are caught between separate self conceptions, as an American and as an African. â€Å"The negro ever feels his two-ness, an American, a negro, two souls, two warring ideals and one dark body whose dogged strength keeps it from being torn asunder† (Du Bois, 1903). Du Bois broke his concept of double-consciousness down into three manifestations: First, the power of White stereotypes on Black life and thought. Second, racism and the exclusion of Black Americans from mainstream American society. Lastly, Du Bois points out the internal conflict between being of African descent and being an American. What is the power and influence of White stereotypes on the everyday lives of African-Americans today, in the 21st century? We live in a society that, many could argue, is saturated with Black culture. Commercial television, film and radio are largely influenced by African-American language, imagery and music. Examples of what used to be considered African-American youth vernacular, have seeped into mainstream culture. Words and phrases such as â€Å"bling† and â€Å"you go boy† are not Black slang, but American slang. The continued commercial inclusion of African-American images, language and music, does not eliminate double-consciousness- it may, in fact, magnify it. The stereotypes and images of Black people in America have evolved since Du Bois coined his term in 1897, but even the ever-changing understanding of Black culture leaves most African-Americans trapped in a conflict of who they are versus who they are believed to be in the eyes of America. On one hand, Africans are credited with inventing many genres of sound, dance, art and athletic styles. Although there are many groundbreaking contributions in math, medicine and science, Africans are not â€Å"popular† for these attributes. Because of this, many African-American parents keep their children from concentrating on such areas of strength as dance, music or sports in order to keep them away from a stereotypical field of study. Double-consciousness will have a talented athlete fore-go a sports career so that they are not considered â€Å"just another ball player†. When we think of Black Americans being excluded from mainstream American society, we consider the generations leading to the civil rights movement. Today, our President is an African-American, so surely this issue is no longer relevant. Racism cannot flourish in contemporary America, right? According to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, racism is â€Å"a belief that some races are by nature superior to others† and the â€Å"discrimination based on such beliefs† (Webster, 2011). We now live in an anti-racism society. It is frowned upon to act or react in any way that could be construed as racist. Our society has laws in place which make racist actions in the workplace, school or even in public- illegal. The conflict of double-consciousness still exists in this modern, anti-racist America. Perhaps even more frustrating for today’s African-American, is living with the reality of racial tension in a society refusing to admit that such tension still exists. Du Bois spoke of internal conflict as being the most significant manifestation of double-consciousness. There is an inner conflict between being of both American and African lineage. African-Americans are a special group of immigrants who did not choose America as their new home. It was slavery that brought the African to America for generations of forced labor. The knowledge that most of the African culture, language, history and experience, was lost to American Africans after the slave trade, helps fuel the inner conflict. Where should the African-American feel his strongest connection? Africa? America? In conclusion, double-consciousness impacts the African-American today just as it did in the early 1900’s. W. E. B. Du Bois described his concept as â€Å"a world which yields no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world† (Du Bois, 1903). Today’s politically correct society tends to use the word â€Å"color blind†, intended to show an acceptance for all people, regardless of race or color. Today, the double-conscious African-American must continue the search for his conscious identity in a society which has gone from color-racist to color-blind in a matter of a few decades. References Du Bois, W. E. B. (1897, August). Strivings of the negro people. The Atlantic, Du Bois, W. E. B. (1903). The souls of black folk. Chicago: McClurg and Company. racism. 2011. In Merriam-Webster. com. Retrieved October 18, 2011, from http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/racism Vissing, Y. (2011). An introduction to sociology. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education