Thursday, September 3, 2020

Oppressed Rights by the Oppressive Regime in Margaret Atwood’s the Handmaid’s Tale Essay Essay Example

Persecuted Rights by the Oppressive Regime in Margaret Atwood’s the Handmaid’s Tale Essay Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale digs great into the horrendous idea of most extreme control and indecent limitations in indicating the degenerate religious specialists at huge. also, more explicitly the outcome this control has on the society’s grown-up females. During a time where a newly developed and unmerciful administrative framework called the Republic of Gilead has â€Å"put life back to the in the middle of ages. † started by a broad dread of sterility. individual flexibility and independence have become unimaginably diminished ( Genny 1 ) . Handmaids chose to populate in the places of well-to-do. all around regarded duos experience a real existence entirely structured by the experts for the elite aim of bearing children. Gotten between following the thorough guidelines made for grown-up females by the Republic and interfering with them in mystery for the enthusiasm of her mental soundness. the supporter Offred fundamentally yet non intentionally offers near nil for her society’s advantage. Not permitted to peruse. create. talk her thoughts or even look another in the oculus. the most she can offer ends up being incidental. very much observed food showcase tasks and the little chance of providing the endowment of life for a choose Commanding official and his Wife. Corresponding to an oppressed world in which Offred has been deprived of the most shortsighted remittances. grown-up females in today’s arranged Middle Eastern social orders find relatively equivalent difficulty in utilizing their qualities because of the horrendous concealment and constrained development of their everyday lives. We will compose a custom exposition test on Oppressed Rights by the Oppressive Regime in Margaret Atwood’s the Handmaid’s Tale Essay explicitly for you for just $16.38 $13.9/page Request now We will compose a custom paper test on Oppressed Rights by the Oppressive Regime in Margaret Atwood’s the Handmaid’s Tale Essay explicitly for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Recruit Writer We will compose a custom paper test on Oppressed Rights by the Oppressive Regime in Margaret Atwood’s the Handmaid’s Tale Essay explicitly for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Recruit Writer Notwithstanding the changing setting of these two situations. the two of them present themselves hazardously in noticeable radiation of women’s individual fight to loan in societyâ€in both Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and the cutting edge Middle East. evidently untrustworthy yet most extreme religious specialists practices representations of such drastically unformed power over its kin that the turn of events and disparaging of the common privileges of grown-up females become winning. Yet, on what confirmations should the male residents of the Republic of Gilead and those in today’s outside networks be allowed more discharge and possibility while the grown-up females are held progressively kept of their ain independency? As Offred ends up caught in such a preposterously limited living situation. she naturally perceives the current inadequacy of accessible unrestrained choice since she one time recognized what opportunity closely resembled. For outline. in obstruction of her readiness as a hireling with the Aunts. she can non help yet move her ind back to the pre-Republic yearss â€Å"thousands of mature ages previously. † when she and individual females could truly make a trip to class and ticker â€Å"movies of the rest of the world† that even included â€Å"dancing [ . ] vocalizing. stately covers. [ and music ] . † plainly taking topographic point in a land where â€Å"people†¦were happy† ( Atwood 118 ) . Offred each piece great as different workers in her topographic point fundamentally suffer inside their reality by looking to keep a thankfulness on the recollections of such benefits they one time underestimated. for example, existent broadcasting to propel quality guidance. On the other hand of populating the obviously expansive existence of chance that was one time accessible to Offred and existed in her place and school life. such a dream has been taken off by the specialists and exists now simply in her memory. as the Aunts present to her and the other potential workers a legislature endorsed film with â€Å"the rubric and [ few ] names blacked out†¦with a pastel so [ they ] couldn’t read them†Ã¢â‚¬another representation of a ridiculous restriction. perusing. that could hold imparted productive prospects in the leader of a grown-up female ( Atwood 119 ) . In add-on. as though the recognition of authorized guidance and other past occasions were non bounty a reason for longing. Offred other than reviews the brave. approving mixers of her late adored onesâ€particularly her female parent whom she spots in the film. â€Å"wearing such an outfit Aunt Lydia told [ the workers ] was run of the mill of Unwomen in those days† while â€Å"smiling. laughing†¦and raising [ her ] clench hands in the air† ( Atwood 119 ) . To observe such a wild and free soul in real life. that one time was took into consideration grown-up females however has been authoritatively restricted by the radical Christian followerss of the Republic of Gilead. without a doubt starts a profound allure inside hirelings to emerge against this approval bring bringing down such â€Å"unacceptable losingss of sane liberty† ; by and by. such an allurement ends up being a test to indict for some grown-up females today ( Tolan 1 ) . While the underlying guidelines of Islam endeavored to better life conditions for Muslim grown-up females by permitting them a portion of indistinguishable rights from work powers in the seventh century. grown-up females become unequipped for support these rights when their general public endeavors to actualize the â€Å"laws† of the Islamic confidence. portrayed by the Columbia University teachers who composed At the Crossroads of the World: Womans in the Middle East: Today. numerous Muslim grown-up females do non hold the opportunity to lounge rights one time considered theirs by their confidence. Womans might be ignorant of their privileges or live in social orders where these rights have been misjudged or distorted by people in power ( be it the region. human advancement. or then again family ) . In Moslem states around the universe. there is a cardinal contrast between what is recommended by profound writings and what is truly drilled. an inlet between the perfect and the existent ( Esposito 1998. thirteen ) . Regularly. the as far as anyone knows ‘religiously grounded’ restrictions put on grown-up females inside specific social orders have little or nil to make with the directions of Islam. All the more much of the time they are a guide of financial and political variables. Late representations of such restrictions included Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. which disallowed grown-up females from having clinical going to from guys and put different constraints on their movement in open ( Revolutionary Association of the Women in Afghanistan ) ( Crocco. Pervez. furthermore, Katz 110 ) . Probably. these grown-up females are allowed with the similarity that they have authentic opportunities. when in fact their specialists disallows this executing with the bogus defense that it just fits in with the Islamic confidence. The workers and every grown-up female moreover administered by the Republic of Gilead correspondingly should follow the guidelines of the administration that professes to be runing for the sake of the Christian religion with an end goal to formalize its prohibitive part. Thusly. no request exists regarding how Offred turns out to be â€Å"increasingly imprudent with her activities and practices. † or to why in the terminal â€Å"there is the solid chance that her imprudence has cost her life† ( Genny 1 ) . Most emphatically does Offred’s situation appear to be out of line when she in the long run encounters a little gustatory impression of the common opportunity she one time had yet at the same time merits. Since it is obviously a â€Å"oasis of the prohibited. † she needs to force herself to â€Å"hold†¦absolutely rigid† when the Commander welcomes her into his beyond the field of play individual turf to play a round of Scrabble. something innocuous. however restricted. Regardless of â€Å" [ T ] he truth that [ she’s ] frightened. † Offred still perceives that â€Å"this is opportunity [ ; ] an eyeblink of it. † as though â€Å"he were offering her drugs† ( Atwood 138-139 ) . While Atwood infers in her novel that â€Å"feminist Utopianism can non maintain a strategic distance from the pollution of autocracy. † she utilizes the build of insubordination in that Offred can support her common tendencies to truly loll herself through interfering with the guidelines ( Tolan 30 ) . Likewise for the grown-up females in Iraq. the Ba’ath Party that rose in 1963 looked for commissariats for women’s correspondence. counting the autonomies of guidance and business ; by the by. outside the major urban focal point of Baghdad. â€Å"the society despite everything consigned Iraqi grown-up females to an extremely substandard spot versus men† ( Brown and Romano 1 ) . To keep two next networks with such differentiating methods of directing grown-up females is seemingly beliing and thus. a reason for concern. At last. grown-up females have shortsightedly regular rights that should non to be rendered at all. especially by unlawful religious authoritiess. Under no fortunes are the rights to accept. assurance. perusing. also, making. among numerous others. fit for being prohibited reasonably. notwithstanding sexual orientation. With such autonomies. grown-up females convey incredible conceivable in loaning to society. notwithstanding the chance of sterility or drastically otherworldly devotionâ€and in a bunch of occasions. that part can be basic. Today in Iraq. a grown-up female can non have private effects or keep any position. while compelled to surrender her guidance and get m

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Explain Aristotles Understanding of the Four Causes free essay sample

Clarify Aristotle’s comprehension of the four causes. In contrast to his instructor, Plato, Aristotle accepted that the world could be clarified by physical perception. This methodology of utilizing the five detects, listing and ordering, is the establishment of logical investigation. The methodology is known as observation. Plato accepted that we expected to look past the physical for a clarification of the universe in the appearance of the World of Forms. Aristotle couldn't help contradicting this. Aristotle’s comprehension of the four causes starts with the presumption that is available in all Greek way of thinking, the thought of prior issue. He watched his general surroundings and saw that it was in a condition of steady movement, a development from probability to fact This development from possibility to reality lead Aristotle to the end that there are organizes in causation. He called these the four causes: Material, Efficient, Formal and Final causes. He comprehended that every one of the four makes was important clarify the change from possibility to reality. We will compose a custom exposition test on Clarify Aristotles Understanding of the Four Causes or on the other hand any comparative subject explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page His first reason, the material, clarified what the item or thing being depicted was produced using. Aristotle utilized the case of a bronze model and a silver saucer. Bronze or silver for this situation would be the material reason. Be that as it may, articles can have more than one material reason. Take for instance my PC. It is made of wires, plastic, amalgams and different materials. These things become the material reason for my PC. His subsequent reason was the proficient aim. To proceed Aristotle’s form thought this was the manner by which the marble was moved from its condition of possibility to turning into the real marble sculpture. An etch, mallet and stone carver essentially yet additionally a fabric or water maybe so as to change the material into the shape required. My laptop’s productive reason may shift from machines and individuals to plastic molds and screwdrivers. The third reason takes the proper state of the article or what the item really resembles, for instance the state of the article, the shading, the weight, the thickness of the item. For instance the conventional reason for my PC is a rectangular shape, very overwhelming, dark and silver, and has a screen and a console. In conclusion as far as his comprehension of causation, the last reason for a thing or article was its motivation (telos). The reason for the sculpture is tasteful in that it is appreciated; the motivation behind my PC is to assist me with accomplishing my function admirably. Aristotle utilizes the case of wellbeing being the reason for strolling, Why does one walk? he asks, that one might be sound. This is maybe the most significant of the considerable number of causes. However his comprehension doesn't end here. When something has accomplished a condition of reality it is additionally in a condition of possibility. In this sense we can see that Aristotle saw that the universe was moving continually between ‘potentiality’ to ‘actuality’ back to ‘potentiality’ indeed. This thought expected Aristotle to clarify things further still in light of the fact that all together for this hypothesis to work it must clarify everything known to man, including the universe itself. It is the Prime Mover that completes Aristotle’s comprehension of the four causes. The Prime Mover turns into the proficient and last reasons for the universe. Its ‘action’ known to man is latent. It exists in a condition of ‘pure actuality’ unequipped for change, just pondering its own reality. This is Aristotle’s god. Things are pulled in towards the flawlessness found inside its ‘pure actuality’. This is the reason the Prime Mover is known as the incredible attractor. Items that move from possibility to reality satisfy their motivation on the grounds that their change is achieved through the presence of the Prime Mover. This is the manner by which Aristotle clarified the last reason for the universe as articles known to man moved towards their reality. To finish up, Aristotle comprehended the four causes as a development from possibility to reality. This development through material, formal, effective and last causes was at last realized by the Prime Mover.

The Pharaoh Who Was Called Akh Essays - Amarna Period, Akhenaten

The Pharaoh Who Was Called Akh The Pharaoh Who Was Called Akhenaten By Weave Disherman An exploration paper submitted to Mr. Touma in halfway satisfaction of the prerequisites for World Cultures Charlotte Country Day School Charlotte, North Carolina November 20, 2000 Akhenaten will consistently be recognized as an incredible blasphemer ruler, who removed customary Egyptian religions, and invoked a monotheistic religion that is exceptionally close in nature to Christianity and Judaism. His political force was not his solid point, however with the making of the religion, and the tremendous change in works of art, Akhenaten will never be overlooked. Amenhotep IV, the name Akhenaten was brought into the world with, was the child of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III and Amenhotep III's second spouse Tiye (Vansten 6). Amenhotep III was the extraordinary grandson of the acclaimed overcome Thutmose III (Editora, ?Part I? 1), who had increased tremendous measures of land and regard from North Africa and the Middle East, and in light of the fact that he was, the wonder that his extraordinary granddad delivered, was laid onto him (Redford 34). In this way, his job in Egypt was to some degree reduced in light of the fact that he achieved no extraordinary triumphs or wars, yet he commanded the intensity of the individuals, and caused them to accept that he was the Sun King (Redford 34). In any case, one of his most critical thoughts was the presentation of co-regime, (Aldred 178) which everlastingly changed the way that Pharaohs would run the show. Amenhotep III first marriage was marginally phenomenal in quite a while. Ordinarily, a pharaoh would not be permitted to wed an ordinary citizen, yet that is actually what Amenhotep III did, he hitched Tiye (Editora, ?Part 1? 1), a young lady from the Middle Egypt whose father was an outsider named Yuya (Redford 36). Tiye was ?the Great King's Wife until one of their little girls, Sat-amun, was raised higher then she was (Redford 36). During this marriage, Amenhotep III and Tiye created two young men and six young ladies (Redford 36). Amenhotep IV was the second of the young men, and was conceived c. 1385 BC (Redford 36) Aminadab, the Hebrew equivalent to Amenhotep, lived and was instructed in the eastern delta locale, where Egyptian ministers of Ra showed him Amun, and the other significant gods, for example, Aten (Vansten 6). After he was instructed in the eastern delta district, he went to live in Thebes for his high school years (Redford 24-25). Very little is thought about his high school or juvenile years, yet numerous researchers accept that during his stay in Thebes, he got engaged with a Ra faction, that adored the god Amun. Many accept this is the place Amenhotep IV started to have confidence in the iconology, for example, the sun circle (Redford 170). During this time span, around 1368 BC, Amenhotep III turned out to be truly sick, and couldn't keep overseeing Egypt without assistance (Vansten 6). Therefor, Amenhotep IV, who was the main male still in the direct inherited line, sense his more seasoned sibling was dead, was articulated to wed Nefertiti, who was the little girl of Ay and Tey (Redford 222). Nefertiti was a niece of Tiye and Ay was a dear companion of Amenhotep III, so it would effectively come that Nefertiti and Amenhotep IV should lead as a co-official until the passing of Amenhotep III, so that the ?force could be buttressed? (Aldred 170). There is some theory during the co-rule, concerning whether Nefertiti held a higher position then Amenhotep IV, yet it is realized that when Amenhotep III kicked the bucket, Amenhotep IV took over as Pharaoh, with Nefertiti being his main sovereign (Aldred 178). In the wake of assuming responsibility for the seat in 1346, Amenhotep IV moved the city of rule from Thebes to another city called Armana (Akhen-taten)(Giuliano 2). As far as anyone knows, Armana was the main spot in Egypt where the ?old? religion had not corrupted it (Hawkins ?Who 1), and where the characteristic environmental factors delineated the city with a sun-circle like structure (Aldred 269). It took him a record four years to bring the whole capital bureau, sculptures, and resident populace from the old city to the new (Ross 3). Once Amenhotep IV had subsided into his new city, he changed his name from Amenhotep IV to Akhenaten, in acknowledgment of the sun god Aten in 1344 BC (Hawkins Akhenaten's Life 2). Therefore started the deconstruction time frame for old Egyptian polytheistic religions. After Akhenaten disavowed

Friday, August 21, 2020

Quality Assurance and Software Testing Certifications

Quality Assurance and Software Testing Certifications At the point when we consider IT (data innovation) we will in general spotlight on improvement, system, and database issues. Its simple to overlook that before sending work out to the client, there is a critical go between. That individual or group is quality affirmation (QA). QA comes in numerous structures, from the engineer who tests her own code, to the testing masters who work with mechanized testing devices. Numerous sellers and gatherings have perceived testing as a necessary piece of the turn of events and support process and have created affirmations to normalize and show information on the QA procedure and testing apparatuses. Merchants That Offer Testing Certifications Objective Empirix Merchant Neutral Testing Certifications ISTQB Certified Tester, Foundation Level (CTFL) -  The Foundation Level capability is focused on experts who need to show useful information on the essential ideas of programming testing. This remembers individuals for jobs, for example, test architects, test examiners, test engineers, test advisors, test supervisors, client acknowledgment analyzers and IT Professionals.The Foundation Level capability is likewise suitable for any individual who needs a fundamental comprehension of programming testing, for example, venture administrators, quality chiefs, programming advancement directors, business experts, IT executives, and the board consultants.Quality Improvement Associate Certification (CQIA) - The Certified Quality Improvement Associate has an essential information on quality devices and their uses and is engaged with quality improvement ventures, yet doesnt fundamentally originate from a conventional quality area.Certified Test Manager (CTM) - The CTM Certification was created dependent on the Test Management Body of Knowledge (TMBOK) to fill the hole in the administration abilities required by test supervisors and test prompts viably deal with the test procedure, the test venture and the test organization.â Guaranteed Software Test Professional (CSTP) - CSTP is the short structure for â€Å"Certified Software Test Professional. This was started by International Institute for Software Testing (IIST) in 1991, thus far has been fruitful in improving the vocation of thousands of competitors by giving the expert range of abilities to programming application testing. This accreditation program could be taken by any newcomer in the testing field just as for the chiefs and pioneers in the testing field.Six Sigma Black Belt Certification (CSSBB) - The Certified Six Sigma Black Belt is an expert who can clarify Six Sigma ways of thinking and standards, including supporting frameworks and devices. A Black Belt ought to exhibit group administration, comprehend group elements and relegate colleague jobs and obligations. Dark Belts have an exhaustive comprehension of all parts of the DMAIC model as per Six Sigma standards. They have fundamental information on Lean venture ideas, can distingu ish non-esteem included components and exercises and can utilize explicit devices. Guaranteed Software Quality Analyst (CSQA) - Prove your level capability as a director or counsel with regards to IT standards and practices of value confirmation when you become Certified Software Quality Analyst affirmed. In spite of the fact that this rundown is short, the connections above go to locales that offer more specialty affirmations for you to investigate. Those recorded here are regarded in IT and are an unquestionable requirement have for anybody thinking about a passage into the universe of testing and Quality Assurance.

Wayexplain How the Relationship Between an Organisation’s Structure and Culture Can Impact on the Performance of the Business

Character Analysis As we as a whole realized that the characters driving people groups practices and thought. As far as characters impacted by condition and support, from one perspective, individuals don't accept that characters will influence when their settle on choice, one the other hand, characters will likewise decide people groups work position or the degrees of life later on. Presently, let us talk concerning why characters are significant in our life. Despite you accept that or not, characters are your name and when you fall in a difficult situation or something happened that characters will cause you to foresee your act.Even you are meeting new individuals, through the subtleties when you are taking about that will help you making the levels about the individual rapidly. Truth be told, the entirety of the subtleties are reflect of people groups characters with the goal that we are making character investigation ordinary. In this paper I might want talk about my own character s and examination it. At first, I will discuss my own positive characters. Coincidentally, my name is Mouzhi-youthful and my name was given to me by my granddad. He need to me become an insight and desire individual. Obviously, youthful is my family name.I am an agreeable man and I delight help other people. At the point when my companions get in a tough situation I generally the primary man is chosen to. Then again I think my great quality comprise by resolve. What I am chosen I never surrender. That implies I will attempt my best to do. Now and again my companions think I am a neurosis. Opposite, I additionally have some negative characters. Somewhat due to my name, my folks need to me become a helpful and effective man so they have a lot of wish for me. At the point when I was a kid, they request me go to a great deal obviously in the free time.I do dont realize for what reason am I need to invest such a great amount of energy to examine. At that point, I surmise I despise study and I totally recognize that the genuine articles are would what you like to do. So I surmise I am an optimist. The explanation is I do dont care about others brain and I simply care about myself. I wont place myself in a tough situation. I think it isn't narrow minded and it is simply the official method to secure. Essentially, I delight help my companions and I generally do that. It is some of the time I just dont realize how to manage the relationship with others so I make the contrary method to do that is attempt to decrease correspondence with others.There is significant model about myself that I dont feel like make others obviously think about me. Close by, I apprehensive that other thought about me a lot because of I am bad at clarify and I likewise despise clarify. I never at any point attempt to think about others insider facts, so I am wish others would give me a free. From that point forward, I surmise I am excessively enthusiastic and touchy. I will profile everything in my life. It is implies I obsessed with make sense of all that it. g

Saturday, June 27, 2020

The Gendered Identity Politics Behind the “I” in Life Isnt All Ha Ha Hee Hee and The Hope Chest - Literature Essay Samples

The tumultuous journey towards the search for identity is a trajectory that many characters deal with in novels. Likewise, this struggle forms a big part of Meera Syal’s Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee and Rukhsana Ahmad’s The Hope Chest, as both depict the growing up stories of a group of women. In Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee, Tania, Chila and Sunita are three friends who have to navigate between their natal Punjabi culture and the opposing values of the British world that they live in. Eventually, they are able to find their own unique identities through a return to their natal culture. Things do not go so well in The Hope Chest – while Rani manages to break away from an arranged marriage and assert her own agency, Ruth ends up a mentally unstable single mother, and Reshma is forced to leave her children and family after having an unauthorised abortion. When compared to the things that these characters go through, the struggles that Tania, Chila and Sunita have to contend with almost seem to be solved too easily. Ahmad’s portrayal of the female identity struggle in The Hope Chest suggests that Syal’s depiction may be an overly simplistic generalisation, one that largely glosses over the debilitating effects that a patriarchal society can have on the female identity. While Syal’s protagonists face crises that are brought on by the destabilising of their identities, Ahmad’s characters start off with little to no personal identity. For instance, in Life Is Not All Ha Ha Hee Hee, Tania initially appears to reject her natal culture completely, breaking â€Å"loose from her traditional moorings and drift[ing] into an uncharted ocean with her English man and snappy Soho job† (Syal 18). She lives a life that does not follow â€Å"the ordained patterns for a woman of her age, religion, height and income bracket† within the Punjabi culture (15). Tania’s identity seems to be based off of Western values that are completely against those of her maternal culture, but it is later revealed that she is not as detached from the latter as she thinks she is. This can be seen in the way Chila notes that Tania still â€Å"[sits] like one with them, [†¦] in a way that suggest[s] [†¦] that part of her still respond[s] to th em like Home† (19). In unconscious moments, Tania falls back to her natal culture – her identity, which she has formed on a completely separate sphere from Punjabi culture, starts to be destabilised throughout the novel as she realises that she cannot completely separate herself from her maternal culture. For instance, she wishes that her boyfriend, Martin, â€Å"would call her jaan† (72), a Punjabi endearment. This suggests that Tania still yearns for the maternal culture that she has tried so hard to distance herself from, implying that the completely Westernised identity she has formulated for herself may just be that – a synthetic formulation instead of an authentic identity. However, despite the characters’ struggles with reconstructing their identities in Life Is Not All Ha Ha Hee Hee, it is notable that they still start off with some form of identity at the beginning of the story. In contrast, the characters in The Hope Chest are portrayed as ones with no personal identity at all; who they are is completely dictated by their gender and what society thinks that women should be like. For example, Ruth is described by her mother as having â€Å"no words, no dreams, no drive, [and] no ambition, [†¦] reeking of the same greyness that had hung about her father† (Ahmad 25). She is depicted as someone with no colour of her own, possessing none of the qualities that could possibly define her as a unique person with her own thoughts and values. The female identity exists in The Hope Chest as a collective group identity instead of a unique individual one; within the patriarchal Pakistani society, women are expected to act in a certain and singu lar way. When Kamal, Rani’s husband, goes to her on their wedding night, he thinks to himself that â€Å"Rani’s person is so un-woman like! Almost as if she were sexless!† (182). Here, the idea that a woman has to be â€Å"woman like† suggests that society has its own set of rules for what it means to be a female. Rather than each having unique personalities befitting individual persons, women are simply expected to act like women – they are seen as a collective, homogeneous whole instead of unique individuals. As seen from the way Reshma’s father, Ajaib Khan, worries that her prospective husband â€Å"might hear of some other marriageable girl in Mardan, as pretty as Reshma, and change his mind† (42), women are interchangeable subjects with no individual quality. Aside from being a woman, the oppressive patriarchal society allows them to have no personal identity. Compared to Rani, Ruth and Reshma, who have their identities dictated for them by society, Tania, Chila and Sunita have much more agency when it comes to shaping their own identities. When Sunita decides to figure out her identity and starts â€Å"putting unnatural colours in [her] hair, going out a lot and coming back late† (Syal 242), she is mostly free to do whatever she wants; she does not receive any backlash for any of her actions, such as when her parents do â€Å"not even [refer] to her bright red mini-dress† (278), a provocative choice of dressing that would usually be frowned upon in their culture. Similarly, Chila’s split from her husband, Deepak, is glossed over and barely spoken of in the text. The last time Chila is mentioned, she is â€Å"fe[eling] light as air, solitary† (333). While Chila is a deeply traditional woman at the beginning of the novel, with her â€Å"tomorrows [†¦] built around a Deepak† (160), she manages to trans ition fluidly into a lone identity that is not tied around the idea of her husband. The end of her marriage has seemingly liberated her, as she plans to take her son to India, her home country, alone (333). The novel paints her current status as a single mother as something that is wholly positive, ending the story on a simple happy ending for the women, which fails to address the issues that they may face for acting outside of the cultural norms that are expected of women in society. Ahmad complicates Syal’s sanitised depiction of the female search for identity by portraying how women can have a complete lack of agency in a patriarchal society. While Sunita has free control over her body and can freely communicate her identity through it, that is not the case for the women in The Hope Chest. Reshma’s mother, Rehmat Bibi, agrees to the marriage arrangement for Reshma as she thinks that â€Å"girls belong not to their parents but to the one who comes to marry them† (Ahmad 75). Notably, women are seen as objects that always belong to someone – first their parents, then their husbands. This is also seen through the way Ajaib Khan gets upset when Rani takes his sick daughter, Munni, to the hospital, angry â€Å"at the imperious way in which Rani Bibi had taken control of Munni, who was his daughter and, therefore, only his business† (38). He is upset that someone else has taken control over what he sees as his property, instead of be ing more concerned for his daughter. When Reshma appeals to Shehzadi to help her â€Å"get rid of [her new baby]† (210), it is an act of agency; she decides what to do with her own body. However, the novel suggests that acts of agency such as this come with dire consequences for women, as they are in fact acting on something that does not belong to them. In the end, Reshma is banished from â€Å"[her husband], from her children and her home†, and sent back to her parents’ house (Ahmad 271). Her fate is described to be an â€Å"exile†, and her abortion a crime for which her husband has â€Å"tried her, condemned her and punished her† (271). This suggests that even by exercising agency over her own body, Reshma is committing a crime against the patriarchal society, which decrees that her body is not hers. Unlike Tania, Sunita and Chila, who are able to formulate new identities in a fluid transition, Reshma is unable to do so, as she does not even have any rights to herself. While there are patriarchal values that permeate the Punjabi culture in Life Is Not All Ha Ha Hee Hee, the characters interact with them self-consciously – they are always aware of the limitations that the patriarchal culture places on them and question those values. For instance, Sunita is very much aware of the gender dynamics within the Punjabi culture, from the way she notices â€Å"the way men would [†¦] wait to be served while the women ran in clucking circles around them† (Syal 82). She, however, does not mindlessly accept this subservient dynamic between men and women, instead championing female empowerment by getting â€Å"heavily involved with the Uni Women’s Group† in her university, advocating the idea of a â€Å"strong female†(87). She questions the validities of the values that are being instilled in her, and is not afraid to fight for women’s rights when she realises that she does not agree with those values. Similarly, wh en Sunita cracks a dirty joke about the doli suit that she got from her husband’s mother on their wedding day, Tania teasingly calls her a â€Å"bad Indian woman† (21), implying her awareness that the so-called good women of their culture are not supposed to make sexual jokes. However, they ignore this unspoken cultural rule, thereby recognising it as an arbitrary rule instead of an inherent one that must be followed, and not allowing it to control who they are as people. In making her characters clearly aware of how patriarchal society works and giving them the abilities to act outside of these gendered norms, Syal neglects the fact that not all women are capable of resisting the mandates of society. According to Louis Althusser, every person goes through a process called â€Å"interpellation†, in which an individual is â€Å"always already a subject†, and is inducted into the â€Å"practices and rituals of ideological recognition† at the time of birth, as they are born into the ideology (Resch 209-10). When one is born into a society, one is taught since birth the values and beliefs of that certain society, and thus, may internalise those views and values as one’s own. An example of an interpellated subject can be seen in the form of Reshma in The Hope Chest. On her wedding day, despite hoping that â€Å"she could jump in for a quick swim† in the stream, she stops herself because â€Å"she [knows] only too well th at she [has] to sit decorously amidst the women† (Ahmad 80-1). How Reshma knows she should act is at odds with how she wants to act, which is to â€Å"[leap] down the slope of the river bank, [†¦] kneeling on the smoothly polished boulders at the edge of the bank, her clothes flapping in the wind† (80). However, despite the difference in her desires and how she is told to act, she never once questions the reasons behind things being so. Later on, despite not wanting to lie down, she â€Å"rose to obey, out of sheer habit† when her husband tells her to (131). Reshma is so deeply ingrained with the values of the patriarchal society that she unquestioningly obeys them, never stopping to question why she is doing the things that she does, leading to a suppression of her own identity in favour of the one that society has created for her. By only depicting characters who are completely in the know about how their society works and functions, and constantly questio n the values that are being imposed upon them, Syal neglects the complexities behind patriarchal ideology and how it may impact a woman’s formation of identity. Indeed, breaking out of the patriarchal ideology in one’s search for identity is never as easy and smooth a process as Syal depicts in Life Is Not All Ha Ha Hee Hee. When Reshma is driven from her home and wants to learn the skill of midwifery, the first thing she is asked is if she is married, and if â€Å"[her] husband [has] given [her] permission to learn midwifery† (Ahmad 279). Even then, she has no control over herself, and needs authorisation from her husband to be able to do something. While Reshma manages to sign up for the classes by lying that her husband is â€Å"dead† (279), this cannot be seen as her successfully breaking out of patriarchal rules. Rather, she is still operating within the rules of the patriarchal society, as a dead husband means that she can make use of the authority of his name as his wife, yet have no one to control her. She is known as his â€Å"widow† (281), hence, her identity remains not fully her own – it is stil l very much tied to her husband. The bittersweet ending for Reshma in The Hope Chest provides a strong contrast to the trajectories of the three friends in Life Is Not All Ha Ha Hee Hee, in which there are little to no consequences that they have to face for their actions, which defy patriarchal cultural norms. Syal’s novel suggests a journey towards personal identity that is easily navigated and conquered, while Ahmad’s The Hope Chest complicates this narrative, presenting a more cynical viewpoint that questions if the effects of patriarchal ideology on the female identity can be transcended, and if women can create an identity that is separate from their gendered bodies. Works Cited Ahmad, Rukhsana. The Hope Chest. Virago Press, 1996. Resch, Robert Paul. â€Å"Althusser: The Interpellation of Social Subjects.† Althusser and the Renewal of Marxist Social Theory, University of California Press, 1992, pp. 209–213. Syal, Meera. Life Isnt All Ha Ha Hee Hee. Black Swan, 2000.

Friday, June 5, 2020

An Electrical Engineer from Ghana in Yale SOM

This interview is the latest in an Accepted blog series featuring  interviews with business  students, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at top programs.  And now, introducing Ernest Kojo Mills†¦ Accepted: Wed like to get to know you! Where are you from? Where and what did you study as an undergrad? Ernest: I’m from Cape Coast in the Central region of Ghana. That’s where I was born and lived with my family until we moved to Accra (Ghana’s capital) when I was about two. I was always curious about Technology, so I studied Electrical/Electronic Engineering at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science Technology (KNUST) in Ghana for my undergrad. While there, I got really fascinated about Telecoms, so I took a job in that industry upon graduating and worked in it for six years across six different functions in Accra and London. Accepted: Where are you currently in business school? What year are you? Ernest: I’m currently a second year at Yale SOM. Accepted: Why did you choose Yale? How did you know you were a good fit? Ernest: Growing up in Ghana I idolized the Ivy League, but it wasn’t until I started college that I realized â€Å"Oh, I could actually go there!† So when I decided to do business school, I considered Yale and a couple other top schools. A number of things stood out to me at SOM: first, I found their integration with other schools (in and out of Yale) to be remarkable. We have one of the highest percentages of dual degrees (which brings multiple perspectives to the classroom), and also have the chance to take classes from other schools. As an example, last semester I took a Programming class from Yale College, this semester I’m taking this really cool class at the Law School called Regulating Emerging Technologies, and next semester I’ll take something from the Divinity School. There’s also great integration outside of Yale via the Global Network for Advanced Management. This past fall break, a ton of my classmates went to study in member schools al l over the world, and I was a TA, welcoming 85 students from 26 schools across the world. It was really fun getting to know these amazing people and showing them around Yale. Since I’ve spoken so much about my first point, I’ll just quickly mention that SOM has an amazing culture (people are so smart, down to earth, help one another a lot with recruiting, academics, etc. and are from very diverse backgrounds); the professors are awesome (they’re super approachable, do great research and teach really well); and we have a very engaged alumni base, that isn’t limited to SOM (which alone is very impressive), but includes all other Yale schools – from the Medical school to the Drama school. That’s pretty awesome! Working in a cross-functional rotational program early in my career and working in London where at a point, no two people in my team of 10 were from the same country made me realize my strength in diverse teams, so I knew I’d fit well into Yale’s diversity. I also thrive in smart, yet humble environments, and SOM offers exactly that. Accepted: Looking back at the application process, what would you say was your greatest challenge? How would you advise other applicants who may be experiencing similar challenges? Ernest: I’ve thought very hard about this question and no major challenge readily comes to mind. As I reflect, I think it’s because I planned far ahead of time and was therefore able to pace myself during the application process. I had many months to reflect on all of my achievements and collate them in one place even before the schools released their questions. I also notified my recommenders in advance, so it was easy to get their recommendations when the time came. I would say a minor challenge was that having been out of school for six years made it more difficult to ace the GMAT as much as I would have wanted. I guess my advice to other applicants will be to start the process very early. Think about when you can make time to research schools, study for the GMAT/GRE, write your essays, engage your recommenders, etc. Planning and starting the process early will set you on a course for success! Accepted: As someone from Ghana, and who has worked in international roles, what made you want to pursue your MBA in the United States? Ernest: My desire to experience a different geographical and cultural environment, coupled with my strong passion for tech brought me to the US. Another childhood dream of mine growing up in Ghana was to work in what I call the world’s Tech HQ – the Bay Area. This past summer I had the opportunity to do just that as a consultant with The Boston Consulting Group, advising a really cool tech client. It was just awesome being on the train and seeing people in YouTube hoodies, with Airbnb backpacks, Salesforce umbrellas, etc. It was also great to visit the Google and Facebook campuses. Accepted: Where do you see yourself, and your career, in 10 years? Ernest: I honestly don’t know, but that’s okay because I have some good options. Ten years is a long time and many things will change, but my passion for tech will remain. There’s a couple ways I can realize this passion including consulting for tech clients, being a leader in a large tech firm (either here in the US or somewhere in Africa or Europe), or creating my own startup to help solve some of the issues in Africa and the world. Speaking of solving African issues, I wouldn’t be surprised if I went into politics in Ghana because one of the things I’ve learned is that I should be the change I want to see (and SOM is educating me to become a leader for Business and Society!). There’s also very important factors to consider such as where I would want to raise my family. So there’s many possibilities, and we’ll take it a step at a time. Accepted: What are some of the most important lessons youve learned about yourself in business school thus far? Is it as hard as you imagined an MBA program to be? Ernest: This might sound strange but a big lesson I’ve learned is the very important role my faith plays in my life. I’m constantly reminded of how God’s blessings have been and continue to be a big part of my achievements. I also realized that although I’m closer to the introverted side of the spectrum, and my background didn’t focus a lot on networking, it’s an important skill that I could learn, become good at, and enjoy. So I’m working towards that, and I already see great improvements. The answer to the second part of your question changes from first year to second year. First year was much harder than I ever imagined it to be! Transitioning from Engineering to Management, adapting to the culture, learning to network, recruiting, trying to make friends, being away from my family, etc. was just overwhelming, and that was one of the hardest years of my life. Second year though has been amazing! Having learned to navigate all the above-mentioned challenges, and having a job offer made second year a cruise control situation. There’s more opportunities to connect with friends (old and new), help classmates out, give back to the school, and really just enjoy the amazing community here at Yale. Accepted: Lastly, what are your top tips for b-school success? Ernest: Priorities, priorities, priorities! There’s so much to juggle in business school, and in order to succeed you need to determine what’s important to you and prioritize that. The beauty about it is that you can have a different set of priorities at different times during your MBA journey. This means you can do (almost) everything you want – just not at the same time. Also make a conscious effort to get to know your classmates. Arguably the best value proposition of the MBA is the network you build. Get to know people, be interested in their lives, share your life, make friends. That’ll be helpful to you in the long run. Want to learn more about Ernest? You can check out  his LinkedIn profile here. Thank you Ernest for sharing your story and advice – we wish you much success!   For one-on-one guidance on your b-school applications, check out our catalog of  MBA  admissions services. Do you want to be featured in Accepted’s blog? If you want to share your b-school  journey with the world (or at least with our readers), email us at  bloggers@accepted.com. ; For 25 years, Accepted has helped business school applicants gain acceptance to top programs. Our outstanding team of MBA admissions consultants features former business school admissions directors and professional writers who have guided our clients to admission at top MBA, EMBA, and other graduate business programs worldwide including Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth, INSEAD, London Business School, and many more.  Want an MBA admissions expert  to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch! Related Resources: †¢ Navigate the MBA Application Maze, a free guide †¢ Yale SOM MBA Application Essay Tips Deadlines †¢ The Importance of Teamwork in MBA Admissions