Girl with the Pearl Earrings Essay Example for Free

Girl with the Pearl Earrings Essay There could be many different interpretations of the ending scene when the pearl earrings are returned to Griet. The look on Griet’s face is a look of shock, some anger, and recollection. Catharina gave Griet the pearl earrings because she cannot bear to wear them, nor stand the sight of them since the day she saw the painting. Vermeer betrayed Catharina and the earrings are the biggest reminder of the betrayal, so to move on from the time Griet spent as their maid and rid all those memories from her mind she needed to give away the earrings. Catharina could have given them to anyone, sold them, or even just threw them away; instead she chose to give them to Griet. She gave them to Griet, to let Griet know that she is not mad at her and she understands Griet did nothing wrong. Catharina shows that her anger and hurt comes from Vermeer’s betrayal when she, with tears in her eyes, looks at Vermeer and asks â€Å"Why don’t you paint me? † In which Vermeer replies that she doesn’t understand. Catharina then in a rage tries to slash the painting, but Vermeer stops her. She then shifts her anger to the only thing she can do, which is make Griet leave. Catharina making Griet leave was misplaced anger, it was anger she wanted to take out on her husband and the painting but couldn’t. Therefore to make it up to Griet for making her leave, she sent her the pearl earrings. She was an emotional wreck in tears and screaming, outranged by her husband’s actions and Griet was a weak young girl she could at the time let her anger out on. After a few days of thinking she realized she was wrong and had Tanneke take the gift to Griet. Vermeer not only betrayed his wife but he also betrayed Griet at the end. When Catharina tells Griet to leave Griet looks at Vermeer to say something, to let Catharina know she has done nothing wrong. Vermeer says nothing though and just lets her leave, which is devastating to her. Griet then even tries one more time to go to talk to him before she leaves to give it one more chance, but he just lets her leave. Vermeer is to blame for all that happened, but lets his wife take the blame out on Griet and then lets Griet take the blame that should be his. He hurts everyone in this story, instead of being a man and taking up for his wrong actions, he is childlike. The sudden music that plays in the movie when Griet opens the earrings is a shocking sound, in disbelief that Catharina has given them to her and is not mad. Griet at first is shocked, and you can see it all over her face. Then she clutches them in her hand as to say thank you and looks off in the other direction as thinking â€Å"What should I do now? † I did not think I would enjoy this novel because I’m not very into historical fiction but I actually enjoyed the novel and movie very much. It was extremely interesting to me, kept me constantly thinking about what each character was thinking. I do however wish the ending had a little more, like maybe letting us know where Griet ended up but I guess we are just supposed to figure that out our selves.

Social movements and public opinion on gender issues

Social movements and public opinion on gender issues Social movements are loosely formed groupings of individuals which are usually formed with the aim of campaigning for or against the implementation of a certain issue in the society. Social movements do not have standard sizes because some may be made up of few individuals while others may cover even the whole part of the world. The size of the movement generally depends on the issues that are being debated at the time of its formation. Such movements are generally governed by the spontaneous coming together of people guided by no rules of regulations but rather by the common cause that brings the together (Saunders Walter, 2005). Some of the hottest topics that mostly capture the agendas of most western social movements include freedom of expressions, economic independence, and gender equality among others. The purpose of this study is to identify social movements that address issues related to gender and how such movements have affected gender. This will be possible by analyzing t he political environment that led to the existence of the social movements being discussed. The study will also seek to identify some of the impacts that the movements have head in the society at large (Love, 2006). Womens Suffrage, Ecofeminism and Womens liberations movements are some of the social movements identified in this study that have some effect on gender issues and how the society addresses issues related to women. Womens suffrage for instance is a social movements formed in the early 18th century to advocate for women to vote and run for public offices. This social movement has its basis on the era in which women were discriminated and considered to be too weak to hold any public office with diligence (Chapman, 2009). Such a movement called for the reformation of the economic and political spheres so that women could have equal competing field with men. Additionally, the movement also articulated for the honoring of women by being given equal rights as men in the ownership of property, payment of tax among other rights. Evidence point out that New Zealand became the first nation to vote for a woman to hold public office as a result of this social movement (Saunders Walter, 2005). The existence of the Womens Suffrage as a social movement clearly points out the nature of the political environment at those times to have been discriminative against women. Women were generally not allowed not to hold any public office and they had no right to own property. Generally, women were treated as if they did not have any say regarding their rights. However, the emergence of this movement drastically changed the perspective of the society towards women (Saunders Walter, 2005). The fact that women became part of leaders and held public offices is a clear indication that the social movement had a positive effect on the society because they ended up accepting the facts given by the social movement. The change also had the effect of changing the political structures of nations that accepted the calls made by the social movement. Ecofeminism is another social movement that has been shown to have a significant impact on the society. This movement indicates that there exists a commonality between environmentalism and being a woman. According to the proponents of this movement, there is a relationship between the way women are oppressed in the society and the destruction of nature through the creation of concepts that may indicate how inferior women are inferior to men (Chapman, 2009). This social movement explores or existed in a society that believed that men are always superior over women. Such a political environment is seen to have perpetuated social inequalities like racism among others. The brainchild of this movement was driven by the fact that the same intellect that promotes the destruction of the environment. The existence of ecofeminism describes the political environment in twofold. Women were being oppressed and discriminated in all manners possible. It also shows that there was environmental degradation that would ultimately threaten human existence. The coming of this social movement changed the societys perspective by improving the interrelationships between human beings. Additionally, the movement is seen as one of the factors that led to the extinction of discrimination on the basis of gender. Consciousness about caring for the environment also developed due to the coming up of the social movement (Love, 2006). Womens liberation movement is another social movement distinct from the feminism or ecofeminism which began to develop in the early 1960s. The social movement was formed to fight for all the possible women rights that may have been violated at the time of its formation. The movement was strengthened through the formation of two bodies in the United States. The National Organization of Women and Equal Rights Amendment were formed with the aim championing for the honoring of the rights of women. The political environment during the formation of the social movement clearly indicates how the rights of women we not being respected (Chapman, 2009). However, the existence of this social movement is seen to have changed the perspective of the society regarding the ways in which they could be able to treat women equally as men. This may have been the reason that led to the formation of the two bodies to oversee the fact that the rights of women were respected. Social movements are important bodies of the society because they address issues that dealt unfairly in the society. The ones related to gender are seen to champion for the respect of the rights of women in a society and a political environment that despises them (Love, 2006). The social movements identified in this study are seen to have facilitated the eradication of vices like racial and gender discrimination among others. The nature of the political environment is seen to facilitate the formation of a social movement in the sense that whenever the rights of a particular groups are infringed, the afflicted groups may be forced to from a movement that will champion for the ir rights (Saunders Walter, 2005).

Poverty and Sociology Essay -- Sociology Essays

In 2010, about 46.2 million people were considered poor. The nation’s poverty rate rose to 15.1 percent, whereas in 2009, 14.3 percent of people in America were living in poverty (Censky, 2011). That is an increase of 2.6 million people in 2010. In the United States, the federal poverty line – an absolute measure of annual income – is frequently used to determine who is categorized as poor (Ferris & Stein, 2008, 2010). Currently the government defines the poverty line as an income of $11,139 for an individual and $22,314 for a family of four (Censky, 2011). In sociology, poverty can be defined using two terms – relative deprivation and absolute deprivation. Relative deprivation is a comparison between people and social class. With relative deprivation, people are considered poor if their standard of living is less than that of other members of society (Ferris & Stein, 2008, 2010). Absolute deprivation is an objective measure of poverty, whereby people are considered poor because he or she is incapable to meet minimal fundamentals such as food, shelter, health care and material objects. Is it difficult to participate in society for those who live in an impoverished life? Many would say that people living in poverty are behind in our cultural movement; that he or she lack the essentials to be on an equal level with the rest of society. Many theories have been applied to the issue of poverty with controversy over how and if the poverty problem should be addressed. Inequality, homelessness, and the idea of the American dream also has an influence on poverty. A theory of poverty promoted in 1959 by Oscar Lewis is the idea of a culture of poverty theory. The culture of poverty theory is an entrenched attitude that can develop am... ...does not match reality since it is more of an ideology. The American Dream is nothing more than a belief that explains and justifies some sort of social arrangement, in this case America’s social class hierarchy (Ferris & Stein, 2008, 2010). A problem with the achievement of the American Dream is inequality. Inequality rooted in race, social class and ethnicity suggests that the American Dream is not attainable at all. Sociologists found that no matter how hard an individual works or seeks out a good education, the majority will make little movement up the social class ladder at all. The American Dream does the opposite of what it is sought out to be; it encourages consumerism and valorizes material wealth which ultimately leaves Americans in debt. With Americans going more and more into debt, there is an increasingly unlikely escape from their position of poverty.

The Minimum Wage Should Be Eliminated Essays -- Minimum Wage, A Bad Po

"The minimum wage is something that F.D.R. put in place a long time ago during the Great Depression. I don't think it worked then. It didn't solve any problems then and it hasn't solved any problems in 50 years." -- John Raese In the United States, the federal government maintains a national minimum wage to protect the purchasing power of ordinary workers. It seems good that the government protects your purchasing power by adjusting the minimum wage with respect to the inflation rate. Its economic side effects are so obvious that make this policy a bad one because it creates more unemployment, makes employers cut fringe benefits and is inefficient. The first argument is that minimum wage creates more unemployment. From the point of view of basic supply and demand, workers and employers adjust the quantity of labor supplied according to wages until the quantity of labor demanded equals to the quantity of labor supplied, reaching an equilibrium wage. However, the policy ignores the market price by setting a â€Å"price floor† higher than the equilibrium wage. â€Å"A minimum wage is a...

jazz Essay -- essays research papers

Jazz is the kind of music that makes me want to do one of two things. Depending on the mood of the jazz, sometimes I feel like relaxing and just listening to the music and letting it run through me. Other times I feel like getting up and dancing as if I have not a care in the world. The jazz concert I attended on at SLO Brewing Company on October 6, 2001 inspired me to do both of these due to the variety used by the musicians in dynamic, rhythm, tempo, and many other aspects of music.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The group consisted of three individuals called the Anthony Wilson Trio. The instruments included an electric guitar, a percussion set, and an organ. The three sounds were creatively combined to make for a wonderful concert.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first aspect of the music I recognized was the volume, or the dynamics. It ranged from forte during the climactic moments to mezzo piano during the calmer parts, but mostly remained in this range throughout the concert. There were also several instances of crescendo and decrescendo, which served to build up tension or slow the piece down, respectively.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The next element I discovered was the pitch of the music. Relatively speaking, I would estimate that the majority of the pieces were on the high side of the pitch, and therefore frequency, scale. The range of pitches was moderate, but as stated previously, mostly higher notes were used.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The rhythm and...

Lincoln: An American Historical Drama Film by Steven Spielberg Essay

Lincoln is a 2012 American historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as United States President Abraham Lincoln and Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln. The film is based in part on Doris Kearns Goodwin’s biography of Lincoln, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, and covers the final four months of Lincoln’s life, focusing on the President’s efforts in January 1865 to have the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution passed by the United States House of Representatives. Lincoln begins a year before the end of the civil war with the movie’s only battle scene. It’s a minute of the bloody, hand-to-hand combat at Jenkins’ Ferry, Arkansas. Then two black soldiers recall the battle while talking to Lincoln about the future of the Union. In January 1865, and United States President Abraham Lincoln had just started his second term in office as an extremely popular leader, especially among his supporters. However, the country is in disorder with the Civil War entering its fourth year and having taken the lives of many a soldier on both sides. Lincoln believes that passing of the Thirteenth Amendment of the Constitution; This would declare that â€Å"neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction†, would most importantly achieve something he strongly believed in, but also end the war since slavery was a large reason for it. The Amendment already passed in the Senate, and was scheduled for vote in the House of Representatives at the end of the month. While he is assured of yes votes from his fellow Republicans, he and his team had to work hard under the radar to assure enough yes votes from Democrats, which will require compromise in other areas. But other factors may also come into play on the vote, such as the Confederate forces in the war issuing their own compromise to end the war but keep slavery. Meanwhile, Lincoln also deals with hostile relationship with wife Mary Todd Lincoln and their latest situation in oldest son Robert leaving law school to enlist. From personal experience, President Lincoln is thought of as one of the most influential and best president throughout history. Abolishing slavery really put the nation on its path to unity and the superpower it is today. Even though throughout history after that historical event there has been several steps taken to further his actions to make black and whites and equal part f society, abolishing slavery was the largest and most influential step. After watching this film, it became evident that President Lincoln was an extremely well respected man and made the hard decisions that he knew wouldn’t be popular at the time because of how the country was structured. The film illustrated that Lincoln was wise beyond his years and knew that his decisions would impact the nation in a positive manner for the rest of time. Pre sident Lincoln’s leadership skills were evident and were the major theme in the film. From the beginning of the movie, from his wife to his cabinet members, everyone was trying to convince him that getting rid of slavery wasn’t going to happen and he will lose the approval of his country by pushing the issue. Slavery in the United States was a way of life up to that point. Blacks were not considered equal and were looked at more as property than people. From the first President until Lincoln’s time everyone including the past presidents had slaves. Slaves were a major part of the economy because of the labor power that was being utilized. Slaves were used as servants, worked in the fields for countless hours and used for everyday jobs that today are vital occupations. With the 13th Amendment, slaves would be freed of their unpaid work and would now have to be compensated for their time and would cause many people to lose money. Of course such an immense decision to change the entire culture of the country would be hated by a majority of the people. President Lincoln felt strongly about the issue and was looking at the big picture of the country, not the present, which is why he is considered one of the best presidents of all time. Being a leader means not always making the popular decision. It’s making the hard decisions that are not always the popular one, but the one that will directly or indirectly benefit, in President Lincoln’s case, the country as a whole. Even in today’s society there is still racism and controversy between ethnicities. Until the 1950s, not too long ago, there was still segregation and blacks were not looked at as equals. After watching this movie, these themes really stood out and hit home about how far the country has come since President Lincoln made one of the most historical decisions of all time. His leadership skills are evident throughout the course of the movie by being able to sway the decisions of both parties into standing by his decision and believing in him that the 13th Amendment was the right thing. I would absolutely recommend this movie to everyone, young or old, because of the history that’s behind it. The scene of the movie that really stood out was in the end of the film when the votes were being cast and the leader of the house asked to cast his vote. He was called out by a Democrat that was against the amendment because it was an irregular occurrence for him to cast a vote but responded with, â€Å"This is a historical event. † President Lincoln changed history and this country forever. Even though it took over a century to get to where we are as a country today and many major events occurring in between, President Lincoln was arguably in my opinion the indirect forefather of the civil rights movement and one of the most influential men in history.

The Lord of the Flies Journal Entry Chapter 2

Entry II: Day 1 Today’s events have left me thinking a bit. After we got back from exploring the island, Ralph assembled another meeting to spread our new discoveries. We realized everyone would not stop talking at once, so Ralph decided that whoever holds the conch has the right to talk and can only be interrupted by Ralph himself. Great idea at first, until that fat, useless oaf Piggy took it. He wouldn’t stop worrying and whining about getting rescued. Ralph said it himself, his dad’s a navy commander and will probably have us rescued in a few days.I don’t understand why he doesn’t have faith in Ralph like the others. After a while, Ralph brought up the great idea of making a fire in order to signal the rescuers we would be on the island. I knew there was little time to waste just sitting around, so I led the group into the forest to gather firewood. Upon gathering wood, I was the one who came up with the idea of using Fatty’s specs as bur ning glasses. Still, I had never imagined that keeping a fire burning would be so hard! Later, I humbly offered the choir to maintain the fire in shifts. Everything went well until that swine Piggy decided to speak out again.He kept repeating himself about how building a fire was a bad choice, even though he didn’t contribute squat to anything to begin with. Still, bigger problems arose to overshadow his stupidity. The fire we thought had been put out actually spread and began burning down a chunk of the forest. To top it off, we are now missing a little shrimp with a mulberry-colored scar on his face. I remember him as the one who wouldn’t stop scaring others by talking about the â€Å"beasties in the forest†. Stupid kids always getting themselves into trouble. As the leader of the hunters, I will definitely find him.