Minor Characters in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre :: Jane Eyre Essays

The Minor Characters of Jane Eyre All the minor characters who appear in the novel, Jane Eyre are only sketched in, so to speak. They are "flat"; not developed in the way that the central three characters are developed. All of them are conventional; behave and speak conventionally, and do not develop at all. They are set merely as foils for the central characters, and they tend to be extremes or stereotypes, behaving very predictably and not surprising us with any unexpected reaction. Some of the minor characters who parallel aspects of Jane's character, like Maria Temple and Helen Burns, are idealised - made to seem saint-like. others, who contrast with Jane, like Georgiana Reed and Blanche Ingram, are grotesque in order to emphasise the difference between them and her.They become, in effect, symbolic and their excesses or virtues sharpen the contrast with Jane. Georgiana and Eliza Reed are described by JE as "feeling without judgement"(Georgiana) and "Judgement without feeling" (Eliza) - both are drawn by CB to show the results of each type of excessive behaviour. JE herself has to fight to preserve the balance in HER character between Judgement and feeling - the Reed sisters therefore provide an indicator as to what happens if the balance goes wrong. Blanche Ingram is a woman without scruples or morality - haughty and proud - very beautiful and priveleged - she is nevertheless shallow and intellectually inferior. She is a warning shadow to JE, who is soon to be faced with the temptation to give in to her passions and embrace the shallow life of a courtesan, when Rochester pleads with her to go to the continent with him after the "wedding". The more virtuous minor characters serve the same function, standing as moral or spiritual beacons to which Jane may aspire, but may not ever reach. Maria Temple - the charitable schoolteacher is both an example and a warning. She can and does serve as a role-model for Jane, but she is also a powerless female - having to answer for her independence to a wrathful Mr Brocklehurst, and having no real authority when he is on the premises. Her position is servile and inferior and she submits to it. JE later will break this pattern at Thornfield, in her dealings with her employer, but ironically her habit of submissiveness is gained as a direct result of association with Maria Temple.

Mixed Member Proportional Government for Canada

Canada's government system was drafted at the Quebec conference by the so-called â€Å"Fathers of Confederation.† In this system, the Queen of Great Britain has the formal executive power. This in effect made the Canadian government system loosely based on the system being used by the United Kingdom (One Stop Canada, n.d.). Up to now, the Queen is still the head of the state, but just like any other parliamentary democracy, her powers are extremely limited. It is still the Parliament that drafts and approves the country's laws, and then the Queen would give the final approval, so to speak, known as the â€Å"Royal Assent.† Whenever the Queen is not in Canada, the Governor General acts as her representative and performs all her ceremonial and administrative duties. The Governor General is always chosen by the Queen by virtue of the Prime Minister's recommendation. The Governor General normally stays in office for 5 years (One Stop Canada, n.d.). The seat of power lies in the House of Parliament, but specifically, in the House of Commons. It is them who make laws for â€Å"make laws for the peace, order and good government of Canada†, and this includes defence, international policies, criminal law, immigration, border control and customs. They are being elected every 5 years. The present system in the Canada is the single member representation, commonly known also as first past the post or plurality system, wherein the whole country is divided into constituencies (total of 308) and during elections, whoever gets the most number of votes in any particular constituency represents the constituency, and take a single seat in the Parliament (One Stop Canada, n.d.). This system is now being challenged by many because of the presumed â€Å"lack of real representation† of this system. Challenges on the current system and call for a change Statistics from last year's election show that in British Columbia, the Liberal Party gained 77 of the 79 seats for that province with only 58% of the votes, compared to the former ruling Democratic Party who only gained 2 seats despite getting 22% of the vote. (The Democratic Party held 52 seats during the elections before last year, with only 39.5% of the vote.) The Green Party, although they have won 12.5% of the total votes, got no seats at all. This recent election has proven to many that there is a need for a change in their electoral system. Adriane Carr, the British Columbia Green Party leader, leads the initiative to change the existing first-past-the-post system of Canada. Carr launched this initiative to encourage the government to consider her drafted legislation on the mixed member proportional government (Caron, 1999; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, 2002). In this proposed system, the benefits both electoral schemes will be combined. A voter will choose a candidate that he or she likes, and at the same time, vote for a party also. In this way, all constituencies will be represented, and at the same time, a proportionate number of seats will also be given to parties receiving a certain percentage of votes, thus, ensuring the representation on the interest or cause that it represents. It was also argued that this new system will maximize voter turnout as all votes will be taken into consideration, unlike the case of a first-past-the-post system where only the winning votes, so to speak, are represented in the parliament. This means that in this system, it would not only mean that the leading party would have seats in the Parliament, but also the minority party or parties, depending on the percentage of votes that they have won (Caron, 1999). This scheme is also said to increase the representation of women in the Parliament. In many countries in the Europe, proportional representation increased women representation by more than 10% (Caron, 1999). Such condition is something being advocated by parties like the Democratic Party in Canada. If proportional representation will be adopted by the Canadian political system, it is forecasted to increase the voter turnout from all levels of election, and at the same time, also increase the representation of other interests in the Parliament. Theoretically, this scheme will make all votes count. The ultimate question: Will this work in Canada? Many advocates of first-past-the-post system believe that if the system is not broken, then, do not fix it. But it appears that while it is not broken, there is a better way of doing it. Even cynics do not disagree with having a need for electoral reform. The current system of electoral process in Canada is based on a winner-take-all principle, which means that the only representation happening is the winning vote, i.e., the popular partisan viewpoint. This also means that the other vote, the losing view, lose their right to political representation. This system has produced a government with a winning party winning majority of seats, without really wining majority of the votes (Gordon, 2003). Canadians have only enjoyed true majority governments, elected by a majority of voters, four times since World War I (Gordon, 2003). The recent election show how â€Å"unrepresented† the voters are. And with the idea that they really have not attained a true majority government yet, still, they are using the first-past-the-post system despite the theoretically good outcome of a proportional representation system, or at least, the mixed member proportion. In all aspects of the theory, from the idea of being truly representative, to the idea of increasing voters' turnout, we know that this mixed member proportion will work. Since World War 1, only four times have the Canadian people attained a true representative majority, which means for only four times have the people been truly represented. This new system will in almost all certainty, reduce the control of the reigning party in the parliament. The system has worked or is still showing potential benefits in all countries which have tried this. Canada will not be an exemption. So, more than just asking if this system will work in Canada, the ultimate question is: Will the existing government give this a chance to work? Works cited: Caron, Jean-Franà §ois. â€Å"The end of the first-past-the post electoral system?† Canadian Parliamentary Review, 22.3 (Autumn 1999): 19-22. Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, 2002. Rod Donald exports MMP to Canada. Press release (28th March 2002). Gordon, Larry. â€Å"It’s time for fair voting in Canada.† Economics at About.com (15 October 2003). One Stop Canada, n.d. Canadian Political System. http://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com/canadian_political_system.html

History with Derek Mahon Essay

History is a subject which preoccupies Mahon in many of his most important poems. I would choose particular poems because of his view towards our history and the past. His poetry presents history in a very negative light. Mahon sees the past as ‘deep-delving, dark, deliberate you would say’. In the poem Rathlin Mahon recalls historical violence on an island that is now a ‘sanctuary’ of peace and ‘through with history’. However this island in the past has witnessed ‘unspeakable violence’ with the massacre of the Rathlin women. He speaks of the ‘unnatural silence’ on the island gradually becoming ‘natural’ over the years through the island not being inhabited. Come the end of the poem Mahon is unsure ‘whether the future lies before us or behind’. Whether the violence is now behind us or is violence a continuing part of our future? In Mahons Poem Kinsale there is a welcome and a long awaited moment of light and hope. The opening line of this poem was an optimistic thought from Mahon himself by saying, ‘the kind of rain we knew is a thing of the past’. The use of imagery in this poem is both vivid and warming. The image of ‘Yachts tinkling and dancing in the bay’ is a striking image as it is both beautiful and positively uplifting. The sun is a direct contrast to the rain. The sun is an image of hope and the ‘future forbidden to no-one’ while the rain is the constant reminder of a violence filled history. Although Mahon showed a slight sense of hope he is constantly overcome with those ‘who have come so far in darkness and in pain’. In the poem A Disused Shed in Co. Wexford he uses the metaphor of mushrooms neglected in a shed to represent the victims of history. Please note! This is not an example of text written by our writers! Essaypedia.com is a database of essays that were collected at open web resources. You can use them at you own risk following the citation rules below. But we recommend you to order a custom plagiarism-free essay written just for you from one of our writers. Place an order, add your paper details and enjoy the results! You can keep in touch with your writer, check the draft of your paper and send your order for revision for free. If you are hesitating to place an order – just ask for a quote! However the both extraordinary and unbelievable picture of mushrooms with feelings is not the only reason I would choose this poem. Mahon uses the image of mushrooms neglected and forgotten to portray the misery and despair of thousands of victims who have died or survived the torturous past. ‘They are begging us you see’ to not forget them or forget what they have been through. Even the most insignificant people in history still deserve the recognition for their struggle. Small heroes from the past ‘In their wordless way’ are saying ‘Let not our naà ¯ve labours have gone in vain’. Mahon also deals greatly with the theme of isolation in this poem. The mushrooms are completely cut off from the world and their only form of light ‘Is a keyhole rusting gently after rain’. The theme of isolation is also portrayed in the poem Grandfather. The ‘Grandfather’ in the poem has completely isolated himself from family and friends. ‘Discreetly up to no good’ he leaves the house in the morning and does not return until ‘After dark’. However nothing gets by this grandfather, ‘Nothing escapes him, he escapes us all’. ‘His shrewd eyes bolt the door’ to his life and he would rather not be bothered by anyone or anything. Another good choice of poem sticking with the theme of isolation would be After the Titanic. In this poem the persona of Bruce Ismay is overcome with guilt and as a result has completely isolated himself from the world. This poem is a favourite of mine also because Mahon writes in the persona of Ismay so brilliantly. ‘Include me in your lamentations’ was the final line of this poem and it sums up what Ismay was asking for. Like the mushrooms in A Disused shed in Co. Wexford he wanted to be remembered just like those who had died in the sinking of the titanic. He believed he ‘sank as far that night as any hero’ as his life and soul died that night. He watched the ship go ‘thundering down’ and with it went his ‘costly life’. He now ‘stays in bed’ and ‘will see no-one’. Mahon allows the reader to become Bruce Ismay if only for a minute. It is amazing reading this poem. The poem Antarctica is also a great example of Mahons ability of writing in a variety of personas. In this poem Mahon writes in the persona of captain Lawrence Oates an explorer who gave his life for the lives of his fellow men. ‘I am just going outside and may be some time’ are said to be his final words. Mahons deals greatly with the theme of people in this poem. He shows that there is good in man kind and ‘At the heart of the ridiculous, the sublime’. Mahon shows that even in the worst instances of isolation imaginable, trudging utterly alone, to his death Oates action may seem entirely ‘ridiculous’ but in this case it is somewhat heroic. People in life may make some pretty foolish decisions but there might always be a good outcome. The poetry of Derek Mahon is poetry that one could not live without. With this collection of marvellous pieces his poetry will continue through generations and linger in peoples minds for some time, ‘In fact forever’.

Affording EU Homes

The ever rising housing demand in Europe, and indeed all over the world is forcing countries to develop measures ensuring that all people across income lines get decent accommodation.Being among basis human rights, states are obligated to develop and maintain systems that consistently help citizens with their housing needs. In this regard, individual EU countries are under, the Union supposed to ensure that the basis human right of hosing is provided, failure of which could lead to disciplinary action from the secretariat as well as ridicule from other members.However, the question whether the Brussels should have a say in member country housing policy has been rising and consistently debated at national and regional level. As a contribution to this debate, this paper shall investigate whether the European Union as a body has a part to play in national hosing policy development; it shall be argued that Brussels has no role to play at the national level. However, Brussels should provi de guidelines and targets to be followed by individual member countries.The paper shall pass Italy's decentralization and Localization of housing problems as the best framework that EU should copy.   The concluding part would reiterate on important points made in the paper.Brussels' Role in National Housing PolicyCurrent arrangement at the regional levels have national governments take control of their nation's housing policies (Priemus, 2006, p. 1). This ensures that individual countries develop and maintain policies that are in line with national demand. In addition, countries are able to wither through business cycles affecting their industries without affecting other nations.Having each country take care of housing policies further mean that member countries are able to see and learn for best practices used in different nations. This diversity of policies are hard for EU officials to manage, which explains why national governments should continue taking the center stage.Despit e the independence of national governments in managing their countries' housing markets, it has been reported that the European Union has been slowly making inroads into the management of the sector, a matter that many countries are not very comfortable-with (Priemus, 2006, p. 1). The EU comes into the management circle in the name of streamlining housing industry in the entire region. One route that is consistently used by the EU is the pretext of assuring that social aspects of housing are met by all members.That is, members of the community without abilities to provide themselves with shelter are considered and equally attended. Due to the need of providing shelter for all in the region, EU authorities have been pushing national governments to adopt a single approach to the issue. This however requires minimal state intervention and increased role of the European Union in running of housing affairs in the region.The loss of national control of the housing market is not being take n lightly by European governments and the electorates. One reason being that the sector is seen as so vital such that the state and local stakeholders have to be involved with day to day running of the industry.National governments should less be involved in the management of housing industry as is in Italy, which means that even the EU should stay clear of housing. Reason: the one-size-fits-all policy of development would not be effective in meeting housing goals than the policy of decentralization (Eurofound, 2006, p. 7).ReferencesEyk, H. (2002). EU & Housing. Amsterdam. Housing Ministry.Eurofound, (2006). Social Dimensions of EU Housing. Dublin: Eurofound.Longo, G. (2006). Coupling Localization and Urbanization of Housing in Italy.   Ljubljana:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ENHR.Premus, H. (2006). EU and National Housing Systems. Ljubljana: ENHR.Toa, A. (2007). Italian Housing Policy. Roma: University of Roma.

The Reformation of Religion European History (1500 - 1560) Essay

The Reformation of Religion European History (1500 - 1560) - Essay Example During this time many women were changing from avowed Catholics to the new religion spreading rapidly across Europe. The new religion was that of the newly named Protestants. The topic of the reformation is an important issue to raise among women today. Before the Reformation, women had little or no participation in the Catholic Church. Priests did not discuss religious matters with a mere woman. Wealthy women could attend Mass and church services regularly, but middle class and poor women were not as fortunate. The middle class and poorer women normally had the services of the Church when married or after birth. Most of the time middle class or poorer women only attended Mass and confession once a year around the Yule time. Many Catholic women were also illiterate. The need to read did not become important to women until the Bible was translated from Latin into the local language by the Protestants. On the other hand, Protestant women attended church services regularly, whether wealthy, middle class or poor. Women could speak about religious with their Protestant pastors. In fact, women could speak on religious matters like an equal with men. Since the backbone of the Protestant movement was the right to translate and read the Bible personally, literacy rose among women after becoming Protestants. Women had a little more freedom through becoming Protestants than before the beginning of the Reformation. To prove her conclusions of the time, Natalie Davis used various sources to prove her point. She used the traditional books. Some of the books used were The Heresy or the Free Spirit in the Later Middle Ages by Robert E. Lerner, The Appeal of Calvinism by Nancy Roelker, Power to Dissolve by John T. Noonan, Jr. and Le marriage li Geneve vers 1600 by R. Stauffenegger. Ms. Davis also used journals such as â€Å"The Double Standard,† Journal of the History of Ideas 2.0. The most impressive of Ms. Davis’s sources were the

Dealing with conflicts Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Dealing with conflicts - Assignment Example The land was in a different area from my area of residence. After the purchase, another owner came up claiming that the land was his hence creating a conflict of interest on the right ownership of the land. This was attributed to the fact that, for a long period of time, the area had been faced with problems of land conflict (Adler & Proctor, 2010). This was what I was not aware of and it became a challenge after purchasing the land. It was challenging for me to defend this case because of the difference in our ethnic backgrounds. Date In order to arrive at an appropriate remedy, it was vital that we book an appointment with each other in order to discuss our fate. We agreed to meet after each of us had acquired the right documents that were valid in laying claims on the land. After two weeks, we were all ready to meet each other each accompanied by those who had sold the land. I turned up with all the relevant documents together with the financial transactions that I had undertaken in order to pay for the piece of land (Ronald & Adler, 1981). The claimer on the other hand, also turned up with documents that ended up not being valid and was forced to make a follow up to the person who had sold him the land. The conflict had now been extended to the third party. Negotiation of a Solution The incompatibility between the goals of the buyer and the seller ended up in a conflict between two parties hence a struggle. The scenario indicates that the buyer had negative intentions towards the opposing party with which we were conflicting for the land. The problem in this context was the lack of trust between the initial seller of the land and the buyer who had been conned. Through the win win experiment, it is clear that I won the conflict as it finally came out that the initial seller had negative intentions for his buyer. The seller may have tried to avoid the conflict by defending the first seller but the truth finally came out. This attempt to avoid the truth is a p essimistic attitude and this deceptive behaviour, goes ahead to make the conflict grow hence becoming unbearable in future (Adler & Proctor, 2010). Clans learn to hate their neighbours and conflicts become something normal and part of the society. The need in this context was to find the rightful owner of the land in question. The partner’s point of view was the fact that he also owned the same land I knew was mine. However, further interrogation by using the documents brought a valid solution and the owner was me. Pillow Method The pillow method, serves as a communication tool in which the actions of an individual are justified by his words and sometimes it is through some of the words that a conflict arises. This is because, we are likely to hear something different from what is expected and this may in the end bring about a conflict. For instance, there is the use of the words, â€Å"I’m right, you are wrong,† and they serve as judgmental statements that are likely to end up in conflict. Such statements, often elicit conflict in the sense that the parties have not listened to each other yet they are already judging the situation. It is always advisable to find the strengths in other people’s mistakes in order to avoid conflicts. This is however a rare trait in most individuals who are always quick to judge and confront those who wrong them and the result is a conflict (Crosland, 1987). The method was applicable in my conflict case in the sense that we were able to listen to the two differing parties and reach an applicable remedy to the conflict. This shows that communication is essential aspect in solving conflict and without it consensus and agreement cannot be

Group Discussion Pocess Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Group Discussion Pocess - Essay Example This is basically because I got an opportunity to not only read about different views from various students but also to retain more as well as learn much better. This was a unique group as compared to the others that I have attended before. For instance we would sometimes discuss ideas on online forum and at other times we would just leave our messages and wait for the other members’ response. I could also leave messages and later on find responses from the rest of the members. Sharing as well as free discussing of information was also a common feature of this group. This experience is definitely relevant to group work in organizations since we learnt and shared a lot as a group about team work .Thus, each member in a group was tasked with a certain responsibility to perform and given a timeline. This is something very important since it teaches an individual the importance of discipline as well as responsibility; two great values in group work in any organization. It does not really matter to the group that it is an online class, since we were able to not only accomplish our set goals but also communicated and coordinated well; just like in the conventional groups. It’s all about knowing your role in the group and what you are supposed to do and at what time. Group work in an online class can be improved by setting clear goals to be met by individuals in the group, setting adequate time especially when all group members are available and making sure there are no disruptions to internet access. Finally, the discussion atmosphere ought to be responsible as well as supportive of all group members. It was really a great learning opportunity, very applicable in my