Wildes Importance of Being Earnest and Weschlers Boggs Essay

Wilde's "Importance of Being Earnest" and Weschler's "Boggs" At first glance, Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest and Lawrence Weschler’s Boggs: A Comedy of Values treat the issue of art’s function in converse ways. Wilde, the quintessential Aesthete, asserts that art should exist for the sake of beauty alone. Boggs, on the other hand, contends that art should serve a practical function: it should wake individuals from their sleepwalking by highlighting essential, overlooked aspects of society. Fascinatingly, neither Wilde nor Boggs firmly adheres to his ostensible artistic purpose. Wilde’s Importance of Being Earnest, although it showcases certain Aesthetic elements, incisively critiques Victorian society. The play is not a functionless work of pure beauty. Conversely, Boggs’ project clearly serves an instructional function while it simultaneously revels in its own beauty. Moreover, Boggs himself is often uncertain of what his art represents and does. When placed side-by-side, The Importanc e of Being Earnest and Boggs queer the division between Aestheticism and Functionalism, suggesting that both schools are unattainable ideals. In doing so, the two texts elucidate a holistic conception of art that fuses aesthetic value to social critique. Aesthetic beauty coalesces with function. Historically, Wilde was a staunch—even notorious—advocate of Aestheticism: a doctrine popular throughout Europe in the late nineteenth century which held that â€Å"art exists for the sake of its beauty alone, and that it need serve no political, didactic, or other purpose† (Britannica). Indeed, David Cooper in his Companion to Aesthetics argues that the doctrine â€Å"asserts not merely that a work of art should be judged only on ... ... [pleasure, beauty]† (GP 799) were most valued in the fourteenth century, and as we have seen, they still are today. Art must be beautiful and purposefully inspire thought. Works Cited "Aestheticism." Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. 2005. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online. 30 Nov. 2005 . Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Riverside Chaucer. Ed. Larry D. Benson. 3rd ed. Boston: Houghton, 1987. Cooper, David, ed. A Companion to Aesthetics. Oxford: Blackwell, 1995. Foster, Richard. â€Å"Wilde as Parodist: A Second Look at The Importance of Being Earnest.† College English 18.1 (1956): 18-23. â€Å"Functionalism.† American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed. 2000. Weschler, Lawrence. Boggs: A Comedy of Values. Chicago: Chicago UP, 1987. Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays. Ed. Richard Allen Cave. New York: Penguin, 2000.

The Modern Researcher

Both authors, Jacquez Barzun and Henry Grafff are historians and are faculty members of Columbia University. They finished this book by year 1969. THE BOOK- Summary and Purpose: This book is primarily intended to â€Å"guide and instruct students in the arts of research   and writing†(note on the revised edition), with special emphasis on historiography. The book is divided into three parts, with the titles: The First Principles, Research and Writing . The idea for the first principles is to lay down the necessary frame of thought, the attitudes and qualifications of a (modern) â€Å"researcher†- apparently, to distinguish him from an antiquated one. It combines both the technique of research and writing. Unlike common writing/research manuals that concentrate only on the â€Å"how to’s† ,   Barzun & Graff, offered all the necessary ingredients for excellent history writing that is based on fastidious effort to search for â€Å"the truth†. It is a book on historiography that develops the idea that â€Å"facts alone do not constitute history† but that these need to be interpreted and ably written. Writing   should consist an effort on the writer to communicate as close as possible his   own ideas to the reader. It gives a very convenient outline summary for all the great philosophical systems  Ã‚   that influenced historians and their writings. This background could further enhance an understanding of historians’ very human tendency to reduce patterns into ‘laws’ in order to make them coherent and unified. However, such laws overly simplify   phenomenon and , if possible, should be avoided by the writer. Barzun convincingly provides strong bases for his ‘principles’ through excellent  Ã‚  Ã‚   choice of examples. An anecdote on how a historian was able to establish the authorship of the â€Å"Diary of a Public Man† is such a good example on how   one investigates and verifies his data. This historian was able to come up with a  Ã‚  Ã‚   probable answer to his problem through trial and error that took him more than thirty years- visiting libraries, interviewing key people mentioned in the diary, verifying documents written during the period in question (Lincoln Administration). In the end the historian found out that the author employed both fact and fiction in his diary entry and therefore   this (diary)   would not be useful as a historical document. Another is about a researcher who investigated the origin of the motto: â€Å"In God We Trust† written on dollar currencies. He noticed that there was a period when such a motto was absent,   and he wanted to investigate, first -its origin and then,   the reason   for its absence; then, its revival in the present currencies. Through painstaking investigation he found out that it was Stuart Chase, the Secretary of Treasury who , being a clergyman, mandated its inclusion on all currencies during his incumbency. When his term expired, his successor had this motto deleted only to reappear later when the American Congress saw the wisdom of restoring it. Such examples on the process of research reinforces the idea that research is a worthy endeavor and   is indeed exciting. Moroever, the book stresses on the importance of having the proper perspective in writing history, i.e. â€Å"Book concentrates on principles of thought and analysis of difficulties and aims at imparting the fundamentals of informed exposition.† The authors repeatedly expounds on these throughout the book. Another important tenet which Barzun convinces his reader is that it is by way of probability that all scholars, including scientists can claim the truthfulness of their work. Thus, patterning in history is intended not to arrive at â€Å"laws† or generalizations that are â€Å"unbreakable† and immutable but rather to serve as guidepost that may give coherence to an ,otherwise, confusing motley of data. They are therefore made for convenience, just as periodizations in history are. The menacing issue on subjectivity and objectivity in historical writing was given adequate attention by Barzun. He avers that   these words apply â€Å"not to persons and opinions but rather to sensations and judgments† and are better avoided by historians and their critics. â€Å"An objective judgment is one made by testing in all ways possible one’s subjective impressions, so as to arrive at a knowledge of subjects.† A corollary principle will be that â€Å"competence, not majority opinion, is decisive. There have been collective hallucinations that deceived large majorities’† (p.166). This obviously happens, specially with political issues and with politicians who exploit public opinion to suit their ends. Analysis: Barzun & Graff’s Modern Researcher is, indeed, not an ordinary manual on research and writing. But I have only one comment, why did they entitle the book â€Å"The Modern Researcher†? Nowhere in this book did they explain the title. Does the word â€Å"modern† means a historical period? Or a frame of mind? I would assume that the work being about historiography may connote a historical period. But it could also be a frame of mind, i.e. progressive and liberal.

Enviornmental Conservation essays

Enviornmental Conservation essays Everglades, El Nino, Greenhouse Effect A subtropical climate, and broad rivers... the question is can the Everglades survive? The Everglades are used for our human needs such as drinking water, and irrigation. At one point and time the water would flow from Lake Okeechobee to the Florida Bay. It contains both temperate, and tropical plant life. Including, sawgrass prairies, mangrove, cypress swamps, pinelands, and harwood hammocks. The Everglades are also known for the rich bird life. Even an inch or two of elevation would affect the difference between wet marshes and dry ground. It is very sad to know that slowly wildlife is disappearing, and becoming extinct. Some of the rare animals that live in our Everglades include the Florida panther, West Indian manatee, and the American crocodile. Now when it could possibly be too late to save our Everglades there are projects out there to help us understand and protect our Everglades. As the population of South Florida continues to grow, our Everglades are going to become more and more endangered. Not only do we have to worry about the population growth, but as the population grows so does our pollution. Our Everglades are highly polluted. The more pollution, the more the wildlife will start to disappear. There needs to be a way where we can educate the young children to protect our Everglades before it is way too late. The native wildlife rescue does their part in rescuing sick or injured animals. They rehabilitate the sick, and hurt back to health. Our Everglades is such a difficult and fragile ecosystem that has such a diversity of animals and plants. Being as the Everglades is the largest remaining subtropical wilderness of the United States. We need to learn how to take better care of it. Humans take everything for granted, being that there is water available to them for their needs. Humans get greedy and begin not to care of their resources. In my opinion I believe tha ...

Change Management in Nokia Company

Change Management in Nokia Company Company background Nokia Corporation is an international communication firm whose headquarters are situated in Espoo. The company is popular for manufacturing mobile phones. In addition, the company manufactures other consumer products like mobile networks, set-top boxes, and apparatus for broadband internet.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Change Management in Nokia Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Moreover, Nokia Corporation supplies the motor industry with car speakers (Kautto 2009). Currently, the company dominates the mobile phone market with a market share of over 38.6 percent. In 2010, Nokia’s financial income was $2.6 billions. Engineer Fredrik Idestam established the company in 1965. During this period, the company dealt with paper products, which it exported to Great Britain and Russia. In early 20th century, the company concentrated on manufacture of wheelchair frames and rubber boots. Even today, some brands of bicycle tires bear the company’s name. The modern Nokia Company was established in 1967. The management brought the former paper mill section and the rubber works together to establish a technological company. In 1981, a mobile network was launched in Scandinavian, prompting Nokia Corporation to manufacture its first car phones. In 1987, the company manufactured its first mobile phone. At the same time, Nokia Corporation helped Finland, Germany, China, Poland, Italy, and Mexico to repair network for their entertainment industries (Ropponen 2008). In 2010, Stephen Elop joined the company’s management team. Nokia Corporation merged with Siemens to form one of the biggest telecommunication networks dubbed Nokia Siemens Networks. Currently, Nokia Corporation is among the companies that manufacture quality smart phones globally. The company continues coming up with novel inventions in line with the emerging technologies.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Factors influencing organizational change In 2004, Nokia Company started restructuring its operations as a way to satisfy customer aspirations. The company came up with a program dubbed â€Å"the Nokia Booster program†, which aimed at bringing together online customers and the company’s strategic development (Schienstock 2004). A number of factors contributed to the restructuring process. Among them include desire to, attain global coverage, embrace employee empowerment, promote co-creation, and support the community. One of the key factors that prompted Nokia Corporation to come up with the Nokia Booster program was the pressure to exploit the global market. The company was in need for establishing a single access point through which it could communicate with all its target consumers, and employees worldwide. Prior to the program, the comp any relied on a communication structure where information was conveyed from the top management, down to the employees through a number of senior staff (Schienstock 2004). Such a communication structure was slow. Consequently, the company required a communication structure that could keep pace with the contemporary marketplace. To enhance its performance, Nokia Corporation required having a platform through which it could share its agendas with employees. Previously, employees made limited contribution to organizational policies (Krell 2000). To make sure that employees backed the company’s agendas, Nokia Corporation had to come up with mechanisms that would captivate the employees. The company learnt that employees could be active if allowed to manage debates that fascinated them.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Change Management in Nokia Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To achieve this, the comp any assigned different employees to different agendas and requested them to share the agenda with the public. This helped the company to gather information from the public, therefore, aligning its operations with customer needs. The program helped the company to reach its target customers in remote areas where it was hard for employees to reach (Nonaka Teece 2001). Through the program, customers shared their views about the company and changes they wish the company to make, thus, spurring employee creativity. Indeed, the program led to numerous innovations in the company. Management team in Nokia Corporation maintained that, for the company to perform, it required exploiting the vast experience and knowledge; its employees possessed. Nevertheless, it could hardly achieve this without fostering cooperation between the employees. Senior managers came up with ideas concerning the innovations they would like to introduce into the company (Masalin 2003). The company then disseminated th e ideas to employees and customers through the Nokia Booster program. The program helped the company to establish a platform by which it could get opinions from all the stakeholders, therefore, coming up with products that meet all the desired specifications. Besides, the company needed to be sure that its employees are aware of the value of the projects the company initiates. Nokia Corporation could achieve this by involving the employees in formulation and implementation of the projects (Masalin 2003). The Nokia Booster program acted as an avenue through which the company fostered cooperation between employees in different departments.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In a span of six months, the company had started witnessing inventions as employees seek to enhance organizational operations. In addition, employees shared ideas on changes they considered unfeasible, thus, helping the company pursue feasible goals only (Masalin 2003). How organizational change unfolded In 2004, Nokia Corporation made it public that it intended to begin organizational change, which aimed at helping the company meet changing consumer needs. The company reduced the number of its business units to four. It implemented the entire change within one week. To implement the change, the company required a hundred employees taking new jobs. All the other employees retained their original jobs. Nokia Corporation reconstructed its initial modular teams (Ropponen 2008). The company established a common platform through which all employees shared their ideas to help the company to address customer ambitions. Ropponen posits, â€Å"The genesis of the Booster Programme, launched in late 2008, could be traced to the wide involvement of the strategy-planning process and to the flexibility and project orientation of the modular structure† (2008, p. 163). The program started with a design team led by Ian Gee and Maximilian Kammerer. The design team argued that the traditional system of communication made it hard for the company to achieve its goals. Hence, the company required a platform that would help it involve all its stakeholders in pursuing organizational goals. The design team resolved to organize a workshop â€Å"with team leaders followed by the much broader involvement of the whole community through an online social network community† (Masalin 2003, p. 69). The corporation organized for workshops in different cities across the globe. At least a hundred change leaders participated in every workshop. After the workshops, participants went back to their organizations, where they recruited employees into the adopted change processes. Online c ommunity took the centre stage in steering the changes. This mishmash of traditional communication mechanisms and novel forms of relations established an upsurge of fervor (Masalin 2003). The Booster led to open discourse between frontline workers, community members, and managers about challenges affecting the company. The online community furnished employees with information concerning potential changes that could benefit the company, therefore, helping them initiate innovations. Reference List Kautto, P 2009, ‘Nokia as an environmental policy actor: Evolution of collaborative corporate political activity in a multinational company’, Journal of Common Market Studies, vol. 47 no. 1, pp. 103-125. Krell, T 2000, ‘Organizational longevity and technological change’, Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 13 no. 1, pp. 8 – 14. Masalin, L 2003, ‘Nokia leads change through continuous learning’, Academy of Management Learning Educati on, vol. 2 no. 1, pp. 68-72. Nonaka, I Teece, D 2001, Managing Industrial Knowledge: Creation, Transfer and Utilization, SAGE Publications Ltd, London. Ropponen, T 2008, ‘The Nokia story of using action learning’, Action Learning: Research and Practice, vol. 5 no. 2, pp. 161-165. Schienstock, G 2004, Embracing the knowledge economy: the dynamic transformation of the Finnish Innovation System, Edward Elgar Publishing, Northampton.

Diana, Princess of Wales - Timeline of Events

Diana, Princess of Wales - Timeline of Events July 1, 1961 Diana Frances Spencer born in Norfolk, England 1967 Dianas parents divorced. Diana initially lived with her mother, and then her father fought for and won custody. 1969 Dianas mother married Peter Shand Kydd. 1970 After being educated at home by tutors, Diana was sent to Riddlesworth Hall, Norfolk, a boarding school 1972 Dianas father began a relationship with Raine Legge, Countess of Dartmouth, whose mother was Barbara Cartland, romance novelist 1973 Diana began her education at the West Heath Girls School, Kent, an exclusive girls boarding school 1974 Diana moved to the Spencer family estate in Althorp 1975 Dianas father inherited the title of Earl Spencer, and Diana gained the title of Lady Diana 1976 Dianas father married Raine Legge 1977 Diana dropped out of West Girls Heath School; her father sent her to a Swiss finishing school, Chateau dOex, but she only stayed a few months 1977 Prince Charles and Diana met in November when he was dating her sister, Lady Sarah; Diana taught him to tap-dance 1978 Diana attended a Swiss finishing school, Institut Alpin Videmanette, for a term 1979 Diana moved to London, where she worked as a housekeeper, nanny, and kindergarten teachers aide; she lived with three other girls in a three-bedroom flat purchased by her father 1980 On a visit to see her sister Jane, who was married to Robert Fellowes, an assistant secretary to the Queen, Diana and Charles met again; soon, Charles asked Diana for a date, and in November, he introduced her to several members of the royal family:Â  the Queen, the Queen Mother, and the Duke of Edinburgh (his mother, grandmother, and father) February 3, 1981 Prince Charles proposed to Lady Diana Spencer at a dinner for two at Buckingham Palace February 8, 1981 Lady Diana left for a previously-planned vacation in Australia July 29, 1981 wedding of Lady Diana Spencer and Charles, Prince of Wales, at St. Pauls Cathedral; broadcast worldwide October 1981 the Prince and Princess of Wales visit Wales November 5, 1981 official announcement that Diana was pregnant June 21, 1982 Prince William born (William Arthur Philip Louis) September 15, 1984 Prince Harry born (Henry Charles Albert David) 1986 strains in the marriage began to be obvious to the public, Diana begins relationship with James Hewitt March 29, 1992 Dianas father died June 16, 1992 publication of Mortons book Diana: Her True Story, including the story of Charles long affair with Camilla Parker Bowles and allegations of five suicide attempts including once during Dianas first pregnancy; it later became apparent that Diana or at least her family had cooperated with the author, her father contributing many family photographs December 9, 1992 formal announcement of the legal separation of Diana and Charles December 3, 1993 announcement from Diana that she was withdrawing from public life 1994 Prince Charles interviewed by Jonathan Dimbleby, admitted he had had a relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles since 1986 (later, it was questioned whether his attraction to her had been rekindled earlier) the British television audience was 14 million November 20, 1995 Princess Diana interviewed by Martin Bashir on BBC, with 21.1 million audience in Britain, revealing her struggles with depression, bulimia, and self-mutilations; this interview contained her line, Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded, referring to her husbands relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles December 20, 1995 Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen had written to the Prince and Princess of Wales, with the backing of the Prime Minister and Privy Counsel, advising them to divorce February 29, 1996 Princess Diana announced shed agreed to a divorce July 1996 Diana and Charles agreed to divorce terms August 28, 1996 divorce of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Charles, Prince of Wales, final; Diana received about $23 million settlement plus $600,000 per year, retained the title Princess of Wales but not the title Her Royal Highness, continued to live at Kensington Palace; agreement was that both parents were to be active in their childrens lives late 1996 Diana became involved with the issue of landmines 1997 Nobel Peace Prize went to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, for which Diana had worked and traveled June 29, 1997 Christies in New York auctioned 79 of Dianas evening gowns; proceeds of about $3.5 million went to cancer and AIDS charities. 1997 linked romantically with 42-year-old Dodi Fayed, whose father, Mohammed al-Fayed, owned Harrods Department Store and Paris Ritz Hotel August 31, 1997 Diana, Princess of Wales, died of injuries sustained in a car accident, in Paris, France September 6, 1997 Princess Dianas funeral. She was buried at the Spencer estate at Althorp, on an island in a lake.

Summarises the themes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Summarises the themes - Essay Example The position seemed extremely painful and the body must have been subjected to excruciating pain through this activity. Considering this position, watching from above, the soul was extremely angry. The anger became stronger and stronger; however, he was powerless and could not do anything but watch. He screamed and shouted to let his body free and not subject it to such horrific activities. He would become quiet and listen to what they had to say and what they plan to do next and then start screaming again for mercy. After being subjected to this level of misery and not being able to do anything about it, he gave up. Once he gave up he found that everything changed. He now found himself in a place which was far away from this dreadful scene. He found peace and beauty from where he was now present. The environment was serene which left his speechless. He found himself floating in an area where there were beautiful rainbows and delicate beings. Everywhere he looked there were colors and sounds that were soothing to the ear. At once he forgot the pain he was being subjected and became lost in this beautiful world. The place seems timeless and he wanted it never to go away. The beauty was never ending, could be seen till far. In white robes, loving being welcomed him to his new home. He found them to be caring and helped him cross over to the next world. He left behind all pain and sorrow to be become a part of this new beautiful world. The being circled around him to show him that they were present at all times to comfort him and help him. The environment was such that all transparent clouds were blended together to bring about the beautiful scenario. The joy and happiness was unmatchable. It was serene and it was at once understood that it is only God who can create such an environment. The beings circling around him were sent by God to guide him into the right direction. His suffering was finally over and now he could become a part of this beautiful

BUS699 MoD 2 Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

BUS699 MoD 2 Case - Essay Example These models also help to investigate the external and internal factors affecting the organization and help to evaluate itself and prepare according to the demands from the environment (Falletta, 2005). There are several theories explaining the organizational diagnosis: This model investigates whether the company’s inputs align with the company objectives (Leadersphere, 2008). Every organization has objectives which help them achieve their vision and mission and therefore this model is used to assess the progress of the organization. Variations in the variables often result notable changes. This model does not put into consideration the environmental effects on the organization’s effectiveness and operations. Even though there might be some negative effects from the external environment, this model has limitation to it and does not consider its effects. This model identifies the degree to which the needs, objectives and structures of one part of an organization are congruent to the needs, objectives and structures of another part (Leadersphere, 2008). This model is only useful in making sure that these needs, objectives and structures are harmonious with another part. This model is used to investigate the internal and external factors influencing the organization and also how the factors interact (Martins & Coetezee, 2009). Moreover, the model does not have limit to the external environment since it analyzes both internal and external factors on how they affect the organization and also how they interact. This model helps the organization evaluate itself based on both factors which improves its performance. According to Burton (2006), this model analyzes how variations occur in variables. Its analysis is based on organizational structure and human resources. This determines how human resources and the organizational structure are used to bring out the best. Human resources are applied in an