Bram Stokers Dracula: A Struggle to Maintain Victorian Upper and Middl

The Victorian men and women conveyed in Bram Stoker's Dracula are pure and virtuous members of the upper and middle class. However, hiding behind this composed and civilized conception of England lies a dark and turbulent underbelly. This underbelly is the lumpenproletariat, whom Karl Marx defined as "the lowest and most degraded section of the proletariat; the ‘down and outs’ who make no contribution to the workers cause". Victorian culture discriminated against these vagrants, who were seen not only as shiftless and immoral, but dangerous as well. Sex was taboo and purity was held sacred to the Victorian middle and upper class, but prostitution and sexually transmitted diseases ran rampant among the lumpenproletariat. The rich strive to be pious and good, but consider those of lower social standing to be less than human. The reaction of the characters in Dracula to the evil of the vampires can be likened to the Victorian conception of the lower classes. They were seen as a hedonistic but powerful force, with the collective capacity to end the affluent citizen's way of life. In this sense, the novel can be viewed as a struggle to maintain upper-class Victorian traditions against the traditions of the lower class. This paper will examine the similarities between the vampires and the perception of the lower classes in regards to superstition, sexuality, inequality and the "preying" of the lumpenproletariat on the respectable middle-class. It will also examine the signs evident in the novel of the Victorian mindset. Dracula is an aristocrat with a castle and noble title, but in reality he is more associated with the lumpen. While trapped in Dracula's castle early in the novel, Jonathan discovers that he has no hired help, has been performing menial tasks such as bed-making and table setting in secret, and even acting as the horse-carriage driver. He slumbers in dirt, much like the homeless, and is nomadic for most of the book. The Count associates himself most clearly with the lumpenproletariat in the form of a horde of gypsies who "attach themselves as a rule to some great noble"(49). They even do his bidding: "The [gypsies] have given me these"(50) Dracula says of Jonathan's ill-fated letters. Dracula attempts to hide his lumpen nature and exude an aristocra... ... "stagnant and foul" air (111). Vampires and the poor are projected as animal-like, and both prey on others. Since the vampires in Dracula can be seen as a representation of the lower class, we can draw some assumptions. If one draws this parallel to its logical conclusion, the battle with the vampires, it can be seen that in the end the lower class and their perceived values are soundly defeated by the righteous ruling class, and the threat is expelled from Britain. However, this ruling class does not come out of the battle unscathed, and the Victorian tradition is mostly lost. By reading Dracula as a battle to maintain Victorian tradition, one can more fully understand the actions of the characters. Their prudishness, Seward's scientific adherence to logic, and the idea of the fall from grace take on a new meaning in the light of such an understanding. Just as the characters in Dracula cling to their humanity, so too do they cling to their upper-class values in the face of the lower class. Works Cited Stoker, Bram. Dracula. England: Pengiun, 2003. defn:"Lumpenproletariat". Oxford English Dictionary. http://dictionary.oed.com

Black & Economic Structure

1) Malcolm X spent much of his life fighting for equal rights for African Americans. Like others, Malcolm suffered from discrimination, economic suppression, and violent acts at the hands of the whites. Throughout his life, he could not escape the atmosphere of racial prejudices, as it existed everywhere from his welfare agencies to school and his family relationships. Although some form of equality exists today, many African Americans males are still continuously trying to establish themselves in society. As a young boy Malcolm participated in activities where he experienced little freedom. Malcolm was ranked number one in his class and elected class president, which shows that the school system allowed him to succeed to an extent. Malcolm had a dream of becoming a lawyer, but his English teacher quickly rejected his dream and told him he should become a carpenter, which demonstrated that whites were willing to allow black success only to a certain degree. Malcolm eventually came to an understanding that white society allowed progression when doing so did not threaten the established order of white society. Throughout his life Malcolm was seen as a â€Å"pet, mascot, and pink poodle,† which excluded him from society. He was a black student in a predominantly white school who was like a poodle in a family. He was seen as a submissive creature that represented no real threat to anyone. He was portrayed as white society’s model for how blacks should act, but white society didn’t see him as a human being in his own right. Malcolm realized that no level of accomplishment or esteem would break down the essential barrier to his acceptance and success in society. White oppression stripped him of the power and independence a normal man would experience. Although Malcolm experienced great amounts of discrimination, he was still able to succeed and become Minister Malcolm X and lead many civil rights events. In society today, the prototypical black male experience in America is extremely comparable to the life of Malcolm X. Most black men are looked down on because of the various stereotypes that exist in our society today. Many believe that if black men aren’t athletes or rappers, or if they aren’t washing dishes or waiting tables, they have no purpose in society other than being seen as inferior. Each and every day a black man experiences discrimination, but the black men who have goals and aspirations will be the ones who will make a difference like Malcolm X did. Malcolm lived through a rough time, but he still managed to make it as can every other black man in the world. ) Like Malcolm X, Washington too envied the lives of white dues to the simple fact that there was absolutely no limit placed on his or her dreams and aspirations. During his years of adolescence, Washington was very aware of what it meant to be a black man in a white society. With this knowledge, Washington was very optimistic and assured himself that whatever dreams or goals he would accomplish would be the result of hard work and persistence. Washington wrote, â€Å"I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed. Out of the hard and unusual struggle through which he is compelled to pass, he gets a strength, a confidence, that one misses whose pathway is comparatively smooth by reason of birth and race. † (Washington, 1901, p 39). Washington believed that if blacks strove to be impressive and distinctive they would be accepted in society. He believed that being black or any race other than the majority was an advantage because there was a better chance of achievement due to the fact that one would constantly try to overcome any obstacles. He believed that through proof, blacks would be connected with the white society. Alongside assisting African Americans in attaining economic success, Washington also had accomplishments in the field of education, in becoming the first black educator at the Tuskegee Institute. Washington was very concerned about forming connections within both the black and white communities, and achieved his goal. I believe his argument is still valid for those who actually want to make something of themselves in life and are willing to go above and beyond in doing so. Unfortunately black males are not always hardworking and persistent in trying to accomplish a goal. They tend to take the easy way out, and in doing so end up with the mediocre jobs unless they are playing professional sports or apart of an entertainment industry. Like Washington said success comes with overcoming obstacles, and I do not think blacks are willing to overcome the many obstacles they would have to face in order to become established. With the many stereotypes of black men, I do not think success would be as easy for the black man because they are already looked down upon from the beginning. ) In recent years, terms such as crisis, at-risk, insignificant, and endangered have been used with increasing regularity to describe the troubles and conditions of black males. The grounds for using such harsh descriptions of conditions that black males face is provided by a broad range of social and economic indicators, all of which point to the undeniable fact that large numbers o f individuals who fall within these two social categories, black and male, are in deep trouble. Many perceive black men as being violent and aggressive law breakers regardless of their true nature. It doesn't stop there. Some stereotypes of Blacks include being arrogant, athletic, devious, dirty, dishonest, drug addicts, incompetent, inferior, lazy, unintelligent, noisy, passive, poor, primitive, untrustworthy, and violent, and â€Å"having rhythm. † Some black men have some of the same goals and aspirations as the white man, but they too have a deep fear of rejection due to the discrimination they continue to experience in their daily lives. When the black man continuously gets rejected he is eventually going to subject himself to activities just to make ends meet, or he is going to start to believe the stereotypes set out for him. When you have a large group of black men in a society that rejects them, they are going to feel like they have no chance at success, and therefore they will feel like they have nothing to lose. With nothing to look forward to, they are going to unconsciously want to destroy their surroundings. Throughout Malcolm’s he was seen as inferior, and eventually began to feel more like a â€Å"mascot† or pet than a human being equal to those around him. Malcolm had dreams of becoming a lawyer, but his teacher instead told him he should be a carpenter. One of his Malcolm’s teachers laughs at him and tells the class that â€Å"though the slaves have been freed, black people are still lazy and dumb. † When an adult says something like that to a child, the child is more than likely going to believe the teacher and begin to think of him or herself as being lazy and dumb. If a child begins to believe this negative stereotype, their performance in school could be effected, and cause them to drop out. If they drop out they may begin to deal drugs or commit robberies and end up in jail. Dealing drugs or being incarcerated is the perception whites have for blacks today. Media also has a negative effect on portrayal when it comes to representing an entire race of people. No two people are exactly alike no matter what race they come from so there is no way one film can represent all peoples. Unfortunately, many people believe that a certain depiction of black people characterizes all black people, which is certainly not the case. This is very dangerous because this perpetuates stereotyping and discrimination. Any form of media, whether it be a film, TV show, etc. , black males tend to play the role of the poor black man who lives in poverty and usually belongs to a gang. He usually has no goals, and has a mediocre job if he has one at all. They usually dress in baggy jeans with long shirts or â€Å"hoodies† and wear timberlands or sneakers. In media, blacks aren’t usually portrayed positively, and even if they were, many wouldn’t believe that is how blacks really live their lives. For example, In The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the Banks family is very well off, but many wouldn’t believe that all blacks are well off because 95% of the time blacks are being potrayed as being a threat to society. 4) LaLee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton shows the disadvantaged life of residents living in the Mississippi Delta. The documentary shows how living in poverty and the lack of education still effects the lives of many living in Mississippi even though slavery has been over now for hundreds of years. The main character, Laura Lee (LaLee) Wallace, was an illiterate 62-year-old woman who had been living all her life in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi. She had one surviving son, nine daughters, 38 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. On a daily basis she encountered many difficulties from raising her grandchildren to receiving news about her son continuously being put in jail. LaLee received $494 from her disability benefits and sold home cooked meals to workers at the cotton factory to make more money to keep the children clothed and fed. In the movie LaLee said, â€Å"I cry sometime, I pray sometime, I sing sometime. † LaLee and her grandchildren struggled each day in trying to take care of each other. The images of barefoot children playing on abandoned cars outside dilapidated motor homes, and of families who get water for drinking and washing by filling plastic jugs from a hose were unbelievable because it took you back to the times of slavery when slaves really had to wash themselves with dirty water or walk around barefoot. One of LaLee’s grandchildren, nicknamed Granny was a very attentive and intelligent in school, but her grades began to fall due to the fact that she had household chores and had to care for her younger cousins or siblings which left little time for education. Paralleling LaLee's struggle was Reggie Barnes, the superintendent of the West Tallahatchie schools, who continuously struggled in trying to raise school standards, bring in qualified teachers and obtain school supplies. If Barnes failed to raise the school from its current Level 1 status to a Level 2, the state of Mississippi has threatened to take over. Barnes and his faculty opposed this because they knew the state would not address the special needs of the children. With the illiteracy of the parents of the families of the children the children most likely will never be able to get a great education which will leave them illiterate when they get older. In LaLee’s family the cycle of living in poverty and lacking education is evident, which makes it seem like slavery still exists to this day.

Integrative Paper on The Family Crucible’s Brice Family Essay

The origin of family therapy can be traced back to a period in the mid-1900’s when focus shifted from individual psychoanalysis towards the correlation of psychological problems and family structure and relationships. It began when the psychoanalytical setting became insufficient to address some cases where the involvement of other members of the family was a greatly influential factor. It has long been established that humans as social beings are greatly affected by these interpersonal relationships. For instance a significant amount of visits to psychotherapists are due to marriage and family problems. When mental illnesses are present with no biological of such, it is also the family that is first assessed. Freudian theories focus very much on familial relationships as well. All of these developments offered new suggestions for therapy (Long, 1996). One technique that arose, for example was the â€Å"conjoint family therapy†. Here, sessions are videotaped or observed behind one way screens. Another was holding meetings with other families, called â€Å"multiple family groups†. Eventually, these gave birth to family therapy, which is now only about forty years old. The family, as a person’s immediate environment, was therefore presented as the most basic social unit. Since each one has its own set of values, rules and principles, we can analyze the role and interactions within the family, and use this analysis in a broader context- the community. Underneath the light and conversational tone that Napier and Whitaker (1988) use in their book, The Family Crucible, are fundamental concepts and approaches that can be helpful in understanding family therapy. It narrates the story of how the Brice family’s conflicts were resolved by encouraging interaction among all five members and solving issues in the parents’ marriage. The Brice family is composed of David, the father who is a VIP lawyer, Carolyn, an angry mother, their teenage daughter Claudia, and their two other children, Laura and Don. The story was also able to present the way some problems may dynamically affect each member of the family- a misunderstanding or imbalance of family roles, for example, or excessive child focus that may lead to a couple’s unhappiness. Among other concepts presented too are blaming, family life cycle stages, polarization and reciprocity. For some time, the idea that Whitaker’s charismatic personality, and not really his theory, seemed accurate in the solving of the family problem. Without a formal education or training in therapy, Whitaker started developing his theories as he began a research on how to treat schizophrenia using â€Å"aggressive play therapy†, after which he invested in developing other methods that could be applied in cases other than schizophrenia. For example, he used a form of pyknolepsy, where he would dream about himself and his patient during a session. This would show what their relationship was like and would be used as part of the therapy (Whitaker, 1981). He also said that in using a technique, a therapist also develops himself, with the patient as a conciliator. However, some of the points in the book can definitely suggest otherwise. For example, spontaneity in the family was seen as a sign of trust and good communication lines, an element that family therapy aims to measure. Where there is a free exchange of ideas, it becomes easier for members to bring up and solve issues, which, if swept under the rug, can only pile up and become a cause of angst. In another book by Whitaker (1981), he emphasizes how normal families should not add up to each other’s stress. Another characteristic of a family in good shape is a certain freedom or flexibility in roles whenever certain changes occur. A member’s role should not be one that is strictly defined, but rather one that results from the conditions that the family is in, including their values, culture and needs, which can change at a given time. I personally saw their insistence that all members of the Brice family be present during the therapy as impressive. When Carolyn, the mother, started showing signs of impatience about their son Don’s tardiness, she wanted to begin the therapy without him already. However, the therapists saw the need to treat the family as a whole, especially since their â€Å"demand to have the whole family in† is the start of their â€Å"battle for structure† (p. 204).   Family therapy has developed is a clinical methodology that revolves around the hypothesis that psychological distress can be assessed through the observation of human relations. It also capitalizes on the assumption that every member of the system affects or influences each other and the system. And while other cases may require individual therapy based on the individuality of the patient, some cases need to involve the whole family when the nature of the issue is much connected with it. Even though Carolyn insists that â€Å". . . Don isn’t the problem. The problem has to do with Claudia (p. 6)† or Claudia identifies herself as â€Å"it†, the fact remains that as a family, Claudia affects her siblings and parents, just as much as she affects them. Furthermore, the purpose of family therapy, like all other forms of therapy, is to create a therapeutic experience, and that experience will not be felt as a family if one is absent. The therapists constantly created activities like playing for the children in order to create such an experience and to later on suggest and have improvement. Later on, even the grandparents become involved in the therapy. They were asked to come as consultants during sessions, especially since they have know the Brice family better and can help in observing or assessing them. I believe that the intervening approach used by Napier and Whitaker proved to be appropriate for the Brice family. The way confusion, awkwardness and silence were utilized to â€Å"unbalance† the family was also impressive. When the question â€Å"When did you divorce your husband and marry the children?† was straightforwardly asked to Carolyn, Whitaker also displayed a sense of professionalism in the sense that he put the method of using Carolyn’s â€Å"unbalance† over the want to be liked by the client. Perhaps this emphasizes that during therapy, the therapist’s self-development and maturity is essential as well. Observable too is the movement of the therapy from one stage to another, where the need for structure was identified and addressed during the first one, role playing and interaction were done during the second one to improve relationships especially that of the parents’, and finally, the therapists saw the family functioning independently as one unit. However, it is also important to note that while these techniques were effective for the Brice family, they may not have the same results on other families. For example, the technique of â€Å"unbalancing† the family, though seen as an unnecessary stressor, is a risky step to take. If the purpose of such straightforwardness is not seen by the client, or if the dislike towards therapist grows to deter the progress of the session, unwanted consequences could arise. A thorough initial assessment of the family, therefore, is necessary. Using the technique of co-therapy also seemed successful here, mainly due to the fact that Napier and Whitaker, after having been together in other cases, know how to work efficiently already. They even called this co-therapy a â€Å"professional marriage†. Nevertheless, the need for initial assessment is again emphasized as having to share your problems with two therapists can appear to be intimidating to some families, and can stir up some hesitation. BIBLIOGRAPHY:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Long, P. W. (1996). Family therapy. Retrieved June 18, 2009 from http://accg.net/family_therapy.htm Napier, A. Y. & Whitaker, C. (1988). The family crucible: The intense experience of family therapy. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. Whitaker, C. A. (1981). Symbolic-experiential family therapy. In A. S. Gurman, & D. P. Knistern (eds.), Handbook of family therapy. New York: Brunner/Mazel.

Constitutionalism vs Absolutism

Constitutionalism vs AbsolutismIn the following paragraphs I’m going to explain what constitutionalism is, and how it differs from absolutism. Constitutionalism is the way a state or country governs it’s people based off of laws set forth to protect the people’s rights and liberties. These laws are called constitutions, for example the Constitution of the United States. There are two types of constitutional governments, republican and monarchy. Within a constitutional republic the sovereign is elected by the people to govern according to the constitutional laws.Constitutional monarchy is almost the same, except a king or queen rules according to the constitutional laws, but is given some political authority. As with constitutional republic a constitutional monarchy’s powers rest in the electorates. The best example of constitutionalism is John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government. He states, â€Å"liberty to follow one’s own will in anythin g that isn’t forbidden by the rule, and not to be subject to the inconstant, uncertain, unknown, arbitrary will of another man. † (John Locke)The difference between constitutionalism and absolutism is that the king or sovereign is believed to be ordained by God. There are no rules or regulations for the sovereign to run his state. This gives him the ultimate power to rule over his subjects as he sees fit. No one can challenge his authority because his word is God’s word, to question the king, would be questioning God, and this would be considered treason. (Mike Cox) The infamous Louis XIV, other wise known as the â€Å"Sun King†, governed by this mentality. He has been heard saying, â€Å"I am the State! You also have Thomas Hobbe’s Leviathan, which goes on to describe how people need an absolute ruler to keep the peace and discourage civil war. To conclude, I have given you a descriptive explanation on constitutionalism, and described how it diffe rs from absolutism. As you see it is a matter of how much power a sovereign has over his people, and how much power the people have over him. http://www. earlymoderntexts. com/pdf/lockseco. pdf http://www. sparknotes. com/philosophy/hobbes/themes. html A History of Western Society Vol II

BMS forum discussion- Summary post Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

BMS forum discussion- Summary post - Essay Example The employees would be asked to give their response on several factors that leads to these problems as well as the possible ways of solving or their perception on the problem identified. Creation of departmental units that incorporates employees from various cadres in the organisation will bring the management and the employees to interact more often, a factor that is likely to break the communication barriers. Acquiring relevant information is the most important aspect of any business dealing with information management system. Data is the unprocessed piece of information while information the processed data. There are primary and secondary data; the former is collected using questionnaire when one is undertaking study, while secondary data involves using data that was collected by previous study. For instance, the organisation will depend entirely on the accounting section to provide financial data for the stakeholders and potential investors. Therefore, relevant information needs to be communicated after the auditing process to ensure its reliability. Good information must be reliable and reproducible, this can only be achieved if the one can follow the same approach used previously and obtain similar finding by repeating the entire process. The method for analysing data will depend on the variable and the expected results. If there are more than two dependent and independent variable, a multiple approach like multiple analysis of variance is appropriate, however, if the data is simple analysis of variance is appropriate. Data has one disadvantage of possible manipulation; besides, if the size is not representative it will give misleading information. The information on the other hand depends on data, hence may give misleading

Rising Oil Prices and the Scottish business Essay - 7

Rising Oil Prices and the Scottish business - Essay Example Scotland has a very rich history, and it has played a significant role in bringing in enlightenment to the United Kingdom as modern economics was born from the lush green meadows of Scotland. Over the period of time, Scottish businesses have developed their core competencies and reached to a point where they are significantly contributing towards the economy of the country. An analysis of the Scottish business industry would suggest that it is dominated by heavy industry such as shipbuilding, coal mining and steel industries. This stratification of the industry within the Scottish economy suggest that it is heavily reliant on much larger industries involved mostly into Business 2 Business kind of business transactions therefore key economic variables such as rising prices hardly have the impact on them.  A recent history of oil prices suggests that they are on increasing constantly due to various factors. Many analysts believed that rising demand from China and other emerging marke ts such as Brazil, Russia, and India created a strong increase in prices of oil all over the world. Besides, there are different seasonal patterns in production as well as consumption of oil, therefore, the oil prices tend to increase due to these seasonal patterns as well as strong demand from emerging markets. (IMF).  Further, there is a growing increase into the production of alternative energy sources such as ethanol which is selling at high prices, therefore, the oil prices in the market are also going to replicate that process because alternative products are selling at higher prices. Further, the depreciation of the dollar against major currencies such as the Euro is also considered as one of the major factors behind the increase in oil prices.  These rising oil prices, however, are being considered as a good omen for the Scottish business due to different reasons. The following section will discuss whether rising oil prices are good for Scottish businesses.

The History of Gregorian Chant Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The History of Gregorian Chant - Research Paper Example Bewerunge indicates that the name Gregorian chant points to Gregory the Great (590-604), to whom an appealing steady custom ascribes a convinced final understanding of the Roman chant. Most recently, the president of the Brussels music school has tried to prove, that the collection of the Mass music belongs to the end of the seventh or the start of the eighth century with a considerable quantity of learning (1). The Gregorian chant was named after Pope St. Gregory, who was the bishop of Rome and was in power from 590 to 604 AD. According to Catholic custom, it is said that under divine encouragement, Pope St. Gregory composed at least some of the Gregorian chants. Pope St. Gregory, in due course, established a singing school. This was primarily because he wanted the chant to be sung as perfectly as possible. Choir singers and teachers of singing in the skill of chant were taught in this school. Those who were trained from this school were then sent into a variety of countries to teach the chant. Chant was established in the new countries, which transformed as well. This was how ultimately chant became known as Gregorian (Garno p20). People’s ideas about Gregorian chant were summed up in a gracious myth for more than a thousand years. This myth connected the music source to the actions of Gregory the great. The Carolingians put this in pictures. They showed the Holy Spirit, in the appearance of a dove, communicating musical issue to Gregory’s year and Gregory passing it on to writing engraves. At the early stages of antiphonies, Gregory’s work was also illustrated in poems that appeared outstandingly. This concept took hold of Gregorian chant with its eventual background in transmissions that were auditory rather than notational in the mid twentieth century that (Levy p4). Sunol argues that the art of mixing sounds and regulating their extent is what is termed as music in general. Sound is therefore, before all things, the substance