Thursday, October 31, 2019

Oedipus the King- Critical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Oedipus the King- Critical Analysis - Essay Example However, in the end we find out that this prophecy came true despite Oedipus’ attempt to steer clear of those results. In Oedipus the King, Sophocles makes it clear fate, choices, and one’s personality all go hand in hand. Before making an in-depth analysis of the story with respect to the thesis stated above, it is customary to make a quick go through the story. Laius, the King of Thebes is warned by Delphic oracle not to marry Jocasta because if he does, the couple would give birth to a baby who would kill Laius and marry Jocasta. Being ignorant towards the advice of the oracle, Laius marries Jocasta. Upon the birth of the child, Oedipus, Laius pierces the child’s ankle and leaves him unattended on a hill to die. A shepherd takes the child and delivers him to King Polybos in Corinth. The Delphic oracle finds Oedipus and tells him that he is destined to assassinate his father and sleep with his mother. Having heard such a dreadful decision of the destiny, Oedipu s resolves to run away from his family so that he would be able to make sure that he never commits the sin. On his way to Thebes, he encounters a stranger at a junction of three roads who happens to be Oedipus’s real father, Laius. Oedipus kills Laius, who is a stranger to him and proceeds to Thebes. As he reaches Thebes, he defeats the Sphinx and is rewarded with the position of the King of Thebes. He marries Jocasta in this position as she happens to be the queen. Jocasta somehow comes to know that Laius has been killed by a group of robbers. After a span of sixteen years or more, Thebes catches plague. As per his commitment with the public, Oedipus searches for the killer of Laius and ultimately gets to know that he himself is the person he has been looking for. Having realized the truth, Jocasta hangs herself to death and Oedipus loses his eye sight. The Chorus mourns the sorrowful destiny of King Oedipus. One of the most fundamental themes of this play is fate and the fa ct that it is beyond human power to escape fate. What is destined to happen, will happen at any cost and there is no way escaping it. This is what has happened with two main characters in the story, i.e. Laius and King Oedipus. By not paying heed to the divine warning made by oracle Delphic against his decision of marrying Jocasta, Laius essentially committed two sins; First, he went against the will of god and married Jocasta. Secondly, the act of leaving the newborn baby to hillside to no one’s discretion put Laius into guilt for the rest of his life. Laius resolved to leave the child alive on the hillside so that there would be at least one per cent chance of his survival (Vellacott 139). To this end, all that happened with Laius seems quite justified and reasonable since he had originally gone against the will of god. What is more important and yet, more difficult to comprehend is the reason for which Oedipus had to go through all the shameful experiences and reach the tr agic destination of blindness. Obviously, this had to happen since the oracle had warned Laius regarding the association of the very future with his act of marrying Jocasta at the outset. So Oedipus had to be the very son of Laius who was destined to be murderer and adulterer. But it seems just too unjust for Oedipus to be the victim of Laius’s mistake since he was innocent in whatever he did because that was done unintentionally and not knowingly. However, the author does seem to make sense for punishing

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The Law of Redundancy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Law of Redundancy - Essay Example Redundancy on the basis of gender, age, and the other elements are classifiable as unfair dismissal. Employers use a number of fair and objective ways to select employees for redundancy, which include last in, first out basis, use of disciplinary records, and self-selection by asking for volunteers and markings of staff appraisal, for instance, experience, qualifications, and skills. In addition, employees are allowed to select employees for redundancy if the employees’ jobs no longer exist. In such an instance, the employer can make employees redundant without necessarily following the selection process (Curtis & McMullen 1997, p. 154). When an employee is dismissed from work by reason of redundancy, the employee is legally entitled to a statutory payment for redundancy from the employer. If the employer (Wolsey Engineering Ltd) fails to pay, the employee can claim the statutory redundancy payment through an Employment Tribunal (Duggan 2012, p. 67). The entire redundancy proc ess should be impartial, consisting of, among others, consultation, redundancy payment and notice periods.   Notice periods are crucial to ensure dismissal legality. Notice periods are given prior to the termination of employment. Employment laws require employers to give a notice period of at least one week for those employed between one month and two years, one week’s notice for each year if the employee worked between two and 12 years and 12 weeks’ notice for those employed for 12 years or more (Income Data Service (IDS) 2008, p. 57). In addition to statutory payment for redundancy, employers should pay a notice payment by either paying the redundant employees through their notice periods or pay in lieu of notice. In the latter instance, notice payments must be equal to the to the employees’ basic pay plus whatever amount they would have earned during the notice period (Marsh & Soulsby 2002, p. 74). Employees made redundant are entitled to appropriate periods of consultation with the employer. Such consultation includes speaking to employees regarding the reasons for their redundancy and available alternatives to redundancy (McMullen 2011, p. 91). Employees are permissible to claim to an employment tribunal if the employer fails to consult effectively, for instance, if the employers start late or fail to consult altogether. Collective redundancies of at least 20 employees require consultation between the employer and an employee representative. There is no definite limit to the length of consultation although minimum lengths are in place for more than 20 redundancies (Mellahi & Wilkinson 2004, p. 251). In essence, in order to ascertain legality, the employer should consider plausible alternative employment for all employees prior to declaring the redundant.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Evaluation Of Service Quality In Hotel Taj Marriot Tourism Essay

Evaluation Of Service Quality In Hotel Taj Marriot Tourism Essay To lead and become the international benchmark in the hospitality industry, not only in India but also in the Key regions of the world and To dazzle and delight our customers with utmost quality, food and beverage experience and exceptional service standards. The Taj Mahal hotel, Mumbai(india ) was opened on December 16,1903 under the taj group by Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, the founder of the Tata Group. htis hotel was incorporated with IHCL. Now currently Rs. 678 millions can be operated bythe taj hotels. t his is growing day by day and become th elargest hotel chain in the india. The Taj Mahal Palace Tower is one of the famous five star hotels in india and it is regarded as the most prestigious luxury five star hotel. This hotel is 105 years old hotel having the heritage building under the group of taj hotel resorts and palaces. The hotel taj mahal contains 565 rooms.this hotel was opened in 1903 commisioned in Indo-saracenic style by Tata. the hotel taj made unique history from his service sand and give best service sto their customers and supportive fro every need.it has marvellous artitecure which brings together Moorish , Florentine and oriental styles. It is a gracious landmark of Mumbai as it provides panoramic views of the Arabi an Sea and the Gateway of India. On novemeber 2008 , during the series of terroroist attacks in mumbai , the hotel taj marriot was under attack of the terrorists there is a big damage in the hotel including destruction of roof and about 167 hostages were therehe. After this attack the management of hotel annouced thathe hotel will be repared and the expenditure to repair it will be INR 5 billions and it will take 12 months to repair. In july ,209 , Hilary Clinton visit the Mumbai taj hotel and stayed there as the patway to improvement the hotel taj mahal,in October 12, 2006, the Company approved the Scheme, under Sections 391 to 394 of the Companies and this scheme was approved by the High Courts.   In July 2002, the hotel has won several international awards. The Taj hotel Group also obtained licenses to manage and operate two leisure hotels; the Rawal-Kot, Jaisalmer and Usha Kiran Palace, Gwalior in October 2002. Taj Group access to the midtown and North Mumbai market. The hotel has since been renamed as the Taj Lands End, Mumbai. An din tear 2003 the hotel taj celebrated its centenary of the opening of its flagship hotel. In 2004 it opened its first luxury service apartment Wellington Mews. The Taj Mahal Intercontinental Hotel in Mumbai consist of 582 rooms which are fully air condodtione dwith 49 suits.each room is equipped with data port , speaker phones , with IDD ,fax available , sea cty fcing rooms TV and satellite rooms , 24 service fro laundary service with eminent club rooms. This hotel in the Mumbai provide the top most services in the luxury hotels and majestic accommodation. During the recession period After the terrorist attack in 2008 taj has to face the financial problems and to rasise up from it this affects the occupancy rate of the hotel and to improve the occupancy rate the hotel offered the suite of $6750 per offer to attract te tourist . the torist in hotel taj came from the worldwide.after the attack the hoyel made a a mable memorialin the lobby for 131 guests and staff who died in terrorist attack. Now they have improved their security system by putting xray machines ansd metal detectors on the screen guessts at the entrance of the vechicals. According to business weekly news there is decline of 5.8 %in Mumbai for shares in Indian hotelsltd. Operator of taj brand . Beside of all these taj is one of the original grand hotel in the world. With the passing of time its reputation spread and grew constantly. LITERATURE REVIEW Literature review: Two major reasons exist for reviewing the literature. The first, the preliminary search that helps you to generate and refine your research ideas. The second, often referred to as critical review, is part of research project proper. (Sharp and Howard, 1996) Most research books argue that this critical review of literature is necessary. After through studies of different Export and import books and  literature, I have found that only a small portion is dedicated to the buyers and sellers behavior and most of the focus is given to, how to export and import. No doubt these were not adequate information to compete my research thats why I decided to search more and more information on topic and now hopefully I have gathered adequate information to deal with my Research methodology and to support my arguments. And this information, gathered from journal and articles will focus on the British and Pakistani textiles buyers and sellers perspective. The literature used in this research will also help in analyzing the issues and results critically either by comparing different point of views of different authors or by quoting statements in the favor of results. To gain products knowledge I will use my observations and company documents. Deductive approach: A theory/hypothesis is applied/tested by the collection of data. I shall use the literature to help me to identify theories and ideas that I shall test using data. I shall also develop a theoretical or conceptual framework which I subsequently test using data.   Inductive approach: Theory is developed after the data have been collected. I will be planning to explore my data and to develop theories from them that I shall subsequently relate to the literature. Review purposes: The literature review has a number of purposes. Many of these have been highlighted by Gall et al. (1996). These are To help you to refine further your research question(s) and objectives; To highlight research possibilities that have been overlooked implicitly in research to date; To help you to avoid simply repeating work that has been done already; To sample current opinions in newspapers, professional and trade journals thereby gaining insight into the aspects of your research question(s) and objectives that are considered newsworthy; To discover and provide an insight into research strategies and methodologies that may be appropriate to your own research question(s) and objectives; To discover explicit recommendations for further research. These can provide you with superb justification for your own research question(s) and objectives; Literature sources available: The literature sources available to help researcher to develop a good understanding of and insight into previous research can be divided into three categories: Primary (published and unpublished) Secondary Tertiary Primary literature sources  (also known as grey literature) are the first occurrence of a piece of work. They include published sources such as reports and some central and local government publications such as white papers and planning documents. They also include unpublished manuscripts sources such as letters, memos. There are so many published sources available from where I can get enough information about my research topic. Pakistani government published so much material on the export of Pakistan Textile industry. I read that publications and I got a good idea about the behavior of the Pakistani sellers and also about the buyers of the Pakistani Textile products. I also reviewed the reports, which are published by the British government about the import of the textile products from different countries. This is also helpful for my research topic. Secondary literature sources  such as books and journals are the subsequent publications of primary literature. These publications are aimed at a wider audience. They are easier to locate than primary literature as they are better covered by the tertiary literature. There is book by  Nasim Yousaf  with the title Export Import Apparel and Textiles from Pakistan will be quite helpful for my research. In this book there is so much information about the Pakistani textile industry and there is also some information about the buyers and sellers behavior. There is also enough information about the topic in so many articles and journals, which are written, by the Pakistani authors and British authors. From these articles and journals I got so much information about my topic. This will be helpful for me in the future. Tertiary literature sources  also called search tools, are designed either to help to locate primary and secondary literature or to introduce a topic. They therefore include indexes and abstract as well as encyclopedias and bibliographies. Export Promotion Bureau of Pakistan has a uploaded a website and on that website I found so much relevant material about my research topic. In that website there is so much information about the, share of Pakistani textile products in the international market, the information about the main buyers and sellers of textiles products, about the quality of the Pakistani textile products, in that website they also discussed the buyers expectation from the Pakistani seller. So this website of Export Promotion Bureau Pakistan is also a good source or information for my research topic. http://www.epb.gov.pk/epb/index.jsp Evaluating the literature: For evaluating the literature two questions frequently asked how do I know what I am reading is relevant? and how do I know when I have read enough? both of questions are concerned with the process of evaluation. You should, of course, read all the literature that is closely related to your research question(s) and objectives. The literature that is most likely to cause problems is that which is less related (Gall et al.; 1996). After collecting all the information from all of the sources then I will evaluate my literature that what is much important for my research and which is less important for my research topic. I will evaluate the literature by keeping some important in my mind like how recent the item is, do it have enough references, does the item support my research topic etc. Research Design and Methodology: The research philosophy: The research philosophy refers to the fundamental approach that research should be conducted. There are three views about the research process dominating the literature: positivism, interpretivism, and realism. The mixed approach will be applied in my research work, primarily because the subject matter is largely intangible, open to subjective interpretation and based upon social interaction.  As Saunders et al (2003, p99)  point that: there are two major advantages to applying multi-methods in the same study. First, different methods can be used for different purposes in a study. Secondly, it enables triangulation to take place.   Qualitative Approach: Secondary Research: Published  data that is Books about the export of Pakistan textiles and also about the buyers and sellers behavior of the Pakistan textile. Articles and Journals on Pakistan textile export for UK Chamber of Commerce Documents Internet Websites Past conducted research Print and electronic media Primary Research: Personal experience and observations: As I have worked in this industry thats why I know the trends in textile and the rules against conducting this business. I also have the idea of Britain buyers behaviors and about their needs and expectations. Pure Research: The research conducted for the topic will be pure and it will discuss the core issue for the sake of improving knowledge. It will directly discuss about the buyers and sellers behavior for the Pakistan textile industry in a theoretical way. Inductive Approach: My approach towards data gathering will be inductive, as it is a flexible structure to utilize all the data in your research findings and also based on qualitative data with a slight involvement of quantitative data. JUSTIFICATION HYPOTHESIS METHODOLOGY RESEARCH REPORT 2. SECONDARY RESEARCH PRIMARY RESEARCH QUALITATAIVE QUANTITATIVE SCOPE LIMITATION ETHICS

Friday, October 25, 2019

ad assignment warrant :: essays research papers

â€Å"Advertisement Analysis: Warrant† The implicit warrant in this advertisement is that simple and quick products are superior. In our society this statement is becoming increasingly true. We are always looking for the new quicker faster way to do our tasks. New products come out all the time that claim to do tasks faster and it is assumed that they do it at nearly the same quality, but this does not matter as much as the need to get tasks done quickly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Washing and waxing our cars are no exception. Many of us who wash and wax our cars do so on the weekend, because the process is rather time consuming. The process of washing the car is not so much the part that takes a lot of time, but rather the second part of waxing the car. First, the car must be completely dry and moved to a cool shaded spot to start the waxing process. Second, take the buffing applicator and add some liquid wax. Now take the applicator and buff the car in a circler motion making sure that no spot is missed on the car. After this is done the wax needs to dry to a haze, which can take anywhere from 20 minutes to and hour. Once the wax has dried to a haze the wax must now be buffed off with some force. The car should now shine and be almost as smooth as glass.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are a few problems that can occur when waxing a car. Since, the wax has to dry on the car one major problem that one might encounter is the wax drying in the grooves of the car. I waxed my car about three months ago and still have white spots of wax in a few of the grooves. Another problem happens when wax gets on the plastic parts of the cars exterior. When this happens those plastic parts have a look like they have faded making the car look has though it is older and not well-taken car of. This look is the opposite of what people who wax their car are looking to achieve. ad assignment warrant :: essays research papers â€Å"Advertisement Analysis: Warrant† The implicit warrant in this advertisement is that simple and quick products are superior. In our society this statement is becoming increasingly true. We are always looking for the new quicker faster way to do our tasks. New products come out all the time that claim to do tasks faster and it is assumed that they do it at nearly the same quality, but this does not matter as much as the need to get tasks done quickly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Washing and waxing our cars are no exception. Many of us who wash and wax our cars do so on the weekend, because the process is rather time consuming. The process of washing the car is not so much the part that takes a lot of time, but rather the second part of waxing the car. First, the car must be completely dry and moved to a cool shaded spot to start the waxing process. Second, take the buffing applicator and add some liquid wax. Now take the applicator and buff the car in a circler motion making sure that no spot is missed on the car. After this is done the wax needs to dry to a haze, which can take anywhere from 20 minutes to and hour. Once the wax has dried to a haze the wax must now be buffed off with some force. The car should now shine and be almost as smooth as glass.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are a few problems that can occur when waxing a car. Since, the wax has to dry on the car one major problem that one might encounter is the wax drying in the grooves of the car. I waxed my car about three months ago and still have white spots of wax in a few of the grooves. Another problem happens when wax gets on the plastic parts of the cars exterior. When this happens those plastic parts have a look like they have faded making the car look has though it is older and not well-taken car of. This look is the opposite of what people who wax their car are looking to achieve.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

How America’s Social Structure Causes Deviance

Although many people know that deviancy is apparent in American society, few realize that it is society itself that causes deviancy. Our social structure exerts numerous pressures among people in our society to engage in non-conforming and deviant behavior to achieve the American dream. American society does this by emphasizing certain success goals, and not emphasizing the correct means to achieve these goals. In addition, deviancy is reinforced in numerous elements of American social structure through culturally defined goals, institutionalized means, societal reactions, and various forms of sanctions. Further, American society has a strong emphasis on wealth and an unreasonable demand for success. Therefore, Americans are lead to forms of innovation, deviancy, and live in a state of anomie. First, we must examine the definitions of deviance and norms. Henry defines deviance as a person who goes against the standards, expectations, and norms of their society (lecture). Further, deviancy is thought of as a personal attribute or behavior that results in social disapproval from others, or behavior that breaks the rules and norms for that society(Social Deviance 5). Norms are rules of conduct, and each norm is a statement of desirable or undesirable behavior. Examples of desirable and undesirable states of being are messages like â€Å"don’t be too fat† and â€Å"don’t be too thin† (Social Deviance 5). In addition, norms are the shared expectations and evaluations of behavior or being that the majority of society’s members agree upon. Meier states that expectations refer to how people will act or be, and evaluations are how people should act or be (Social Deviance 5). These expectations and evaluations further reinforce the standards and expectations of our society. Some sociologists previously believed that deviance was caused by biology. Sociologists once believed that deviant people were â€Å"born bad†, and that heredity, genes, and a persons body chemistry were all common denominators in deviant people. Merton contradicts this theory by noting that: With the more recent advancement of social science, this set of conceptions has undergone basic modification. For one thing, it no longer appears so obvious that man is set against society in an unceasing war between biological impulse and social restraint. For another, sociological perspectives have increasingly entered into the analysis of behavior deviating from prescribed patterns of conduct. For whatever role the biological impulses, there still remains the further question of why it is that the frequency of deviant behavior varies within different social structure and how it happens that the deviations have different shapes and pattern in different social structures. (230) Now sociologists, such as Robert K. Merton, have new insight into the theory that deviancy is caused by the society in which we live, not biology or body chemistry. This theory of deviance is also backed up by the belief that American society leads an individual to want the American dream, but does not afford them with the means to achieve them (Fanning). As members of a society obsessed with television and media, we have pressures that reinforce the popular belief that material possessions and wealth are extremely important in American society. Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that if we can locate certain groups subject to the pressures of achieving the American dream, we should expect to find high rates of deviancy in its members. In addition, some social classes do not have equal opportunity to achieve goals. Due to discrimination, members of lower classes, and certain racial and ethnic minorities, all suffer from blocked opportunities. The stress and strain that results from blocked opportunities causes the individual to question the legitimacy of traditional and institutionalized means (Fanning). In effect, these members of society begin to think of other, often illegal, ways to succeed. Furthermore, when this occurs, respect for the traditionally accepted means of achieving goals crumble, norms weaken, and society is no longer able to regulate the methods its members use to obtain success. Therefore, high crime among lower classes can be attributed to the stresses caused by American society. If a person is born into a poor family, they might be forced to work while going to high school, and may not be able to focus on school work, like other classmates. Therefore, due to life chances, they might not have the opportunity to go to college due to bad grades or unaffordability. While constantly struggling to make ends meet, they decide to commit a crime to be able to have material possessions, since they believe that they will never be able to save up to buy anything through traditional work. This new social theory states that deviancy is people simply responding normally to the social situation in which they are in. Furthermore, Merton states that â€Å"some social structures exert definite pressures upon certain persons in the society to engage in nonconforming, rather than conforming conduct† (230). In addition, deviance varies culture to culture. What we consider to be deviant is different than what other societies consider deviant. Deviant definitions also change rapidly. American society used to think that women who wore short skirts, or smoked cigarettes were deviant. Now, the same acts are not considered to still be deviant. In addition, Merton notes that â€Å"some social structures exert a definite pressure upon certain persons in society† (230). American society is a perfect example of a society that exerts unreasonable pressures, and therefore leads some of its members to deviant behavior. This social theory is proven further by Merton’s theory of social structure. In American society, Merton believes that there are two elements of social structure; culturally defined goals, and institutionalized means. Culturally defined goals are integrated into society, involving various degrees of value and significance. Culturally defined goals are what society thinks its members should strive for, such as financial success. Institutionalized means are the regulations and norms that are the acceptable way of achieving the culturally defined goal (234). An example of a culturally defined goal is a good education, and a good job. Our society gives a strong social reaction to those who deviate its norms. Societal reactions embrace the ways in which society responds to the individuals, their acts, or suspected deviance. Forms of societal reactions are sanctions and formal sanctions. Sanctions are â€Å"punishments usually designed to control suspect or actual deviance† (Social Deviance 5). Formal sanctions are the punishments administered by the state or other form of legal authority. Examples of formal sanction are fines or imprisonment. Most often these formal sanctions have a negative stigma attached to them. Furthermore, sanctions are the ultimate measuring rod for identifying deviancy and deviant acts. An example would be a person given the formal sanction of a prison sentence being labeled a â€Å"ex-con†. Informal sanctions are sanctions from less official sources, such as family, peers and friends. Examples of informal sanctions are ridicule, peer disapproval, and criticism (Social Deviance 5). The next point to discuss is the common types of deviance that result from the pressures that American society puts on its members. Merton says that members of American society are sometimes forced to innovate to reach the goals society prescribes for them. First, goals are internalized and thought of as important, such as wanting a nice car, money, and a home. These people conform to the expectations society gives them, and therefore try to achieve the goals. The person who wants a car to be accepted in society, so they conform by going to college to get a good job, to be able to buy the car. The problem occurs when members want these things, but may not have access to them. Thus, this leads persons to have to innovate to achieve these goals (Merton 233). An innovator may be a person who is unable or unwilling to go to college to get a god job, so they rob a bank to be able to buy the home and car, and therefore can fit in to societies material demands. Deviancy is also caused by the numerous contradictions and variations American society has on what avenues are thought of as acceptable ways of achieving the goals. In addition, our society also has many double standards about what is seen as acceptable. Some cheat the system, but may be thought of as being crafty, or smart. On the other hand, some equally dishonest acts have punishments, and are looked down upon by members of our society. An example of this is when a business owner price fixes. Even thought the business owner is being exploitative, he is thought of as a business genius, and intelligent. People who cheat on their taxes, or get paid under the table are dishonest and using morally wrong ways of attaining money. However, these lawbreakers are not criticized, looked down upon, or thought of as criminals. An example of this double standard is when we find an illegal act with the absence of social disapproval. Without social disapproval, an illegal act is not considered to be truly deviant (Fanning). An everyday occurrence of this discrepancy is when someone is caught speeding. The act of speeding is illegal and punished with formal sanctions, such as fines, tickets, or license suspension, but is accepted in our society. We have police officers that are paid to regulate the highways, but no negative stigma attached to the act of speeding, or the punishment given by legal authority. The demand for success in American society is overwhelming. Success has become constructed as â€Å"winning the game† rather than â€Å"winning under the rules of the game. Through the same process, tension generated by the desire to win in a poker game is relieved by a successful dealing one’s self four aces, or when shuffling the cards in a game of solitaire. Merton states that â€Å"cultural (or idiosyncratic) exaggeration of the success – goals leads men to withdraw emotional support from the rules† (232-233). On the other hand, a person who robs a bank to attain money is labeled a criminal, and given punishments. People who mug, rob, and burglarize are feared and hated in our society, but cheaters, plagiarizers, and perjurers are not. These double standards create confusion, and lead members of our society to feel as if they are without guidance or clear morals. The next argument proving how American society causes deviance is due to American society putting too much emphasis on goals, and not enough value attached the correct means to achieve these goals. Merton states that â€Å"American culture continues to be characterized by a heavy emphasis on wealth as a basic symbol of success, without a corresponding emphasis upon the legitimate avenues on which to march toward this goal† (Social Structure 235). Due to this lack of clear guidance, strong social pressure to achieve, and inadequate ways to achieve the pressures society inflicts causes members to be deviant to attain acceptable status in our society. Merton further emphasizes that: Of the types of societies that result from independent variations of cultural goals and institutionalized means, we shall primarily be concerned with the first – a society in which there is an exceptionally strong emphasis upon specific goals without corresponding emphasis upon institutional procedures. No society lacks norms governing conduct. But societies do differ in the degree in which the folkways, mores, and institutional controls are effectively integrated with the goals which stand high in the hierarchy if cultural values. The culture may be such as to lead individuals to center their emotional convictions upon the complex of culturally acclaimed ends, with far less emotional support for the prescribed methods of reaching out to these ends. As this process continues, the society becomes unstable and there develops what Durkheim called â€Å"anomie,† or normlessness. Anomie is caused by a society without clear norms, such as American society. Being without institutionalized structure, expectations, and regulations, leads people to become disorientated. Capitalist societies, such as America, are perfect examples of anomic societies. Through ruthless competition and lack of morals and values, capitalists strive for money. Therefore, our social order becomes upset and people lose their way in pursuit of wealth without real regulation. In addition, money in our society is thought of as more important than honesty, morals, family, and happiness. As Merton states â€Å"in some large measure, money has been consecrated as a value in itself, over and above its expenditure for articles of consumption and or its use for enhancement of power. â€Å"Money† is a peculiarly well adapted to become a symbol of prestige† (233). Money can buy class, power and status, all of which are highly regarded in American society. Simmel emphasizes that money is highly abstract and impersonal. However acquired, fraudulently or institutionally, money can be used to purchase the same goods and services (Illuminating Social Life 84). Therefore, it doesn’t really matter how one gets money; it just matters that one has money. The next argument as to why American society leads its members to be deviant is because our society puts a tremendous emphasis on wealth and success. Merton states that the United States has three cultural axioms. The first axiom is that everyone should strive for the American dream, which are wealth, success and independence. The second axiom states that present failure is only a slight setback; third, the only real failure is personal failure, and the withdrawal of ambition (235). This social structure puts tremendous amounts of pressure on all individuals in American society. Our society looks down upon members who do not have wealth or success. Furthermore, there is a negative attitude towards people who do not wish to achieve the â€Å"American Dream. † Some members of our society are satisfied with what they have, and do not strive for raises, promotions, or anything greater. These people are thought of as lazy, lacking ambition and work ethic, and put down in our society for simply being content with what they have. In conclusion, many people think that money will solve all of their problems, and give them happiness. On the contrary, many wealthy people are miserable, and their money has created numerous problems for them. Merton notes that when he was an observer of a community in which the common annual was in the six figures. He witnessed one victim of the American Dream saying, â€Å"in this town, I’m snubbed socially because I only get a thousand a week. That hurts† (233). Competition among neighbors, community, co-workers, and club members is overwhelming. Even after achieving monetary success, it seems as is there is no stopping point to the amount of money some strive for. Merton states that â€Å"in the American Dream there is no final stopping point. The measure of â€Å"monetary success† is conveniently indefinite and relative† (232). No matter how much money one has, it is never enough. No one can be â€Å"too rich† in America. Durkheim states that â€Å"to pursue a goal that is unattainable is to condemn ones self to a state of perpetual unhappiness. Our passions must first be limited by a moral force† (Suicide 229). Since we put pressure on ourselves to reach unattainable goals, we are therefore always dissatisfied with our lives. These social pressures that are reinforced in almost every aspect of American society can further explain deviance. Merton states that: To say that the goal of monetary success is entrenched in American culture is to say that Americans are bombarded on every side by precepts which affirm the right or, often, the duty of retaining the goal even in the face of repeated frustration. Prestigeful representatives of the society reinforce the cultural emphasis. The family, the school, and the workplace- the major agencies shaping the personality structure and goal formation of America- join to provide the intensive discipline required if an individual is to retain intact a goal that remains elusively beyond reach. (233) One of the major agencies that shape young Americans morals and values is our education system. Our education system places great emphasis on grades, test scores, and grade point averages. It seems that achieving these things is more important than really learning and retaining information. Therefore, this leads to cheating on tests, bribing professors, and altering transcripts, and all of which are forms of dishonesty and deviance. Durkheim believes that once our society brings back morals and values we will begin to establish more acceptable and reinforced ways of achieving goals (Anomie 79). We must set achievable goals for ourselves and put more emphasis on attaining happiness, not monetary success.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

The Life and Death of Al Capone

Al Capone was an American criminal who started engaging himself in criminal activities quite early in life and was very popular in the 1920s in Illinois.   Al Capone was born in 17th January, 1899 in Brooklyn to Teresa Capone and Gabriel and was named as Alphonse Gabriel Capone. He died in 1947.He was popularly known by many as Scarface due to the knife cut mark that was on his left cheek. The name Al Capone is thus synonymous with crime especially in Chicago and thus one cannot talk of crime and fail to talk of this man. This research paper is specifically going o focus on the life and death of Al Capone. It will in particularly focus on his role as far as crime in the United States is concerned.Al Capone rose to fame in the 1920s during the period known as the Prohibition era. His activities led Chicago to look as if it was a lawless state due to his success in criminal activities. Just like other students, Al Capone went to a public school but unfortunately the teachers in these schools were a bit harsh to immigrant students and would use physical force to discipline them and Al Capone being one of them as his family had migrated to USA from the Old Country, was thus no exception[1].Specifically, Al Capone did not have a good relationship with his school’s administration and thus they were always crossing paths something that drastically affected his grades. After sometime, his relationship with teachers deteriorated to a level such that he was dispelled from school and that marked the end of his life in school[2].Though indirect, his career received a major boost when his father relocated his family to 21 Garfield Place. This relocation gave Al Capone an opportunity to join local street gangs such as the Forty Thieves Juniors and the Brooklyn Rippers where he met other gangsters such as Johny Torrio and Lucky Luciano[3].Having worked for James Street gang and Five points gang, Al Capone gained some skills in ‘street smarts’ making him to be qualified as a bar tender and a bouncer in a brothel in Brooklyn owned by Torrio and Frankie Yale.As a bouncer, he would mistreat people for example; he broke the legs, arms and even skulls of those who were deemed to be chaotic. It was while working as a bouncer in this brothel that Al Capone earned his name the scarface after being attacked and slashed by Frank Gallucio after he insulted her sister although he would later lie that he was injured in the Great War in France[4].It is in 1919 that he was arrested for the first time firstly for disorderly conduct and secondly for a murder case where he killed a man in   1918 but fortunately for Al Capone, as per ganglands’ principles or etiquettes, nobody testified for or against him and thus he was not tried for this murder. To ease down the tension that had built up, Yale who had been invited by his uncle Jim Colosimo in Chicago invited Al Capone to stay with him for a while. This time coincided with when the Prohibiti on Act was in force.Torrio was in disagreement with his uncle because he wanted his uncle to embark on bootlegging something that he was totally opposed. By this time his uncle whoring business had already amassed enough profit and thus he did not see the need to diversify. Torrio started seeing his uncle as a stumbling block and thus thought of how he would eliminate him. With the help of Al Capone, the mission was executed and they took over the business[5].While working for this gang, Al Capone helped his gang to prosper and extended its relations to another gang organization known as Colosimo mob. These organizations in one way or the other helped Al Capone to become the man he was.The reason for this is that after five years of his service, Torrio accidentally got wounded and could no longer be able to lead the gang thereby transferring its leadership to Al Capone. Under his leadership, the gang became the most feared and successful and anyone who challenged its leadership was eliminated. Due to their ruthlessness, they were able to conquer over mobs that succumbed to their threats or entreaties. Those that would not dance to their tunes were suppressed by use of force and a case in point is the Dion O’Bannon’s killing attempt, the Irish Northern Side gang in 1924.According to Oregon Coast Magazine, contrary to the expectations of Torrio and Al Capone, the failure to take over this gang opened a can of worms as from there on the two gangs never saw each other to eye and this culminated to the shootings that left Torrio badly injured. In 1926, he was at it again and was arrested in connection to murdering of three individuals where he spent only one night in jail only to be released for lack of enough evidence[6].[1] Pasley, Fred D. Al Capone: The Biography of a self-Made Man. Kessinger Publishing, 2004; 45 [2] Oregon Coast Magazine online. Al Capone: Social Issues, 1899-1947. Available at http://www.u-s-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   h istory.com/pages/h1616.html [3] Lorrizo, Luciano J. Al Capone: a Biography. Green wood Publishing Company, 2003; 15 [4] Ibid; 16[5] Carpenoctem. Alphonse â€Å"Scarface Al† Capone (1899-1947) Chicago Crime Leader. 2000. Accessed from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.carpenoctem.tv/mafia/acapone.html [6] Oregon Coast Magazine online. Al Capone: Social Issues, 1899-1947. Available at http://www.u-s-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   history.com/pages/h1616.html