Bell Jar Analysis

Sylvia Plath’s semi-autobiographical novel â€Å"The Bell Jar† employs many of the same confessional techniques and themes of her poetic work. While the novel is confessional, it is also provides sociological commentary (and insight) into the processes of medical treatment and the social ostracization and victimization of the mentally ill.A basic technique used in the novel, by Plath, is to present a seemingly â€Å"normal† world and then, by way of internal monologue and character development, allow the reader to glimpse a highly studied and carefully described portrayal of the way that mental illness impacts both society and the individual.By expressing a personal encounter with metal illness, Plath, through the character of Esther, presents a ‘case study† in clinical depression and bipolar disorder without resorting to clinical diagnoses or psychological language or theories. Instead, her literary interpretation of mental illness functions to expan d the clinical understanding of mental disorders by providing cognitive insight into the experienced phenomena of mental illness.The opening line of the novel: â€Å"It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer the electrocuted the Rosenbergs† (Plath, 1) reveals the novel’s essential theme and conflict: that of the individual who stands â€Å"outside looking in† with regard to their society: it is a theme of psychological rather than physical exile, though Esther identifies, via the powerful verb â€Å"electrocuted,† with the physical suffering of the Rosenbergs who were tried and executed for espionage and treason.Because the central conflict in â€Å"the Bell Jar† is internal, Plath constructs a dynamic and multi-faceted character whose preoccupations range from fashion, to dating, to the themes of great literature and to the essential meanings of life and death. Throughout the novel more is shown than told; that is, Plath refrains from divulging in formation about Esther directly; instead, she constructs scenes which transmit the internal character conflicts through symbolism and metaphor. A clinical diagnosis of Esther's mental illness can be made by deeply exploring the literary techniques of the novel.The novel's plot is relatively simple: a young, ambitious, and very talented woman wins a summer internship as a big-time New York magazine. While in New York, the young woman, Esther, suffers a series of unpleasant and often dangerous situations, begins to feel sense of hypocrisy and unhappiness in herself and in the world of glamour-publishing and seems to rebel against this hypocrisy (and sexism) by quitting her internship and throwing her expensive wardrobe out of her hotel window.Then, after returning to the suburbs to live with her mother, and failing to begin both her hoped-for novel and her college thesis, Esther begins to act increasingly erratically and self-destructively, severing her relationships and losing touch with her own creativity and ambition, until she is referred to a psychiatrist. Esther, however, is not psychologically unstable due to weakness or deformation: this is clear from the novel’s portrayal of her as a bright and shining and talented â€Å"golden girl† who wins poetry prizes and scholarships and is dating a medical student and writing term papers on Joyce.After being treated with electroshock therapy, Esther's condition and crisis become more and more severe until she attempts suicide, is â€Å"saved,† and sent to a mental hospital where she again receives electroshock therapy. The novel fails to provide any concrete resolution to Esther's crisis, and in doing so, avoids making any determination about the benefits of Esther's clinical diagnoses and treatment.However, the emotional arc of the narrative can certainly be said to move toward the positivistic and there are potentialities and capacities that are reinstated into Esther's character after her treatment. To fully understand the process of Esther's breakdown (and apply a clinical diagnosis), the reader must read deeply into the novel and consider deeply the relationships of the characters and the cross-ties adn relationships which fluctuate, not to the rhythms of a traditional novel's story-arc, but to the weird rhythms of Esther's own mental illness.In fact, the narrative is structured very similarly to a poem in that metaphorical and symbolic expression convey the essential dynamics of the story's themes at a far more attenuated level than the conventional storytelling elements of plot, conflict, and resolution. Of the latter, Plath conspicuously avoids classical execution; for example, â€Å"The Bell Jar† posits no clear antagonist, no externalized central conflict, and refrains from set-closure at its climax. This is a way by which the clinical diagnosis of Esther's diagnosis can be made.Her initial relationships portrayed in the novel include a â€Å"mentorâ⠂¬  in New York, the editor Jaycee, an â€Å"older sister† friend named Doreen, a fiancee named Buddy, and a literary mentor and benefactress named Philomena Guinea who was is a wealthy, famous novelist. Each of the relationships reflects an aspect of the healthy personality: ambitious, creative, socially engaged, and creative. Also, Esther's erotic drive, while never posited in the novel as â€Å"resolvable† decreases until she is able to view sex as only an oppressive act against women.As Esther's plight worsens, each of the relationships is severed. The clinical diagnosis which seems most applicable to Esther Greenwood would be that of clinical depression and a bipolar personality. Interestingly enough, bipolar disorder is often associated with creative minds and artists. read at one level, â€Å"The Bell Jar† describes the plight of the artistic mind in modern society as well as the plight of the artistic mind gripped by clinical mental illness.The key to s eparating where the individualist, the artist and rebel lies in Esther Greenwood and where the â€Å"madwoman,† the victim of a clinical mental illness lies is to apply rigorous methodology to the explication of the novel as a piece of literature. One such scene, which is representative of this technique used throughout â€Å"The Bell Jar,† is the scene when Esther, having traveled to new York upon winning an internship at a famous fashion magazine, throws her expensive wardrobe out of her hotel window.â€Å"The wind made an effort, but failed, and a batlike shadow sank toward the roof garden of the opposite penthouse† (Plath, 90). Such compressed and highly symbolic language forwards both character development (Esther is mentally unstable) as well as foreshadowing with the bat representing death and Esther’s ultimate plunge into attempted suicide. There is no gaiety in the scene, which if in evidence would suggest a triumphant rejection of the superficia lities described in the novel about the fashion-district of New York and Esther’s experiences there.Instead, a sens of doom pervades, along with a sense of self-destruction and psychological instability: â€Å"Piece by piece, I fed my wardrobe to the night wind, and flutteringly, like a loved one’s ashes, the gray scraps were ferried off, to settle here, there, exactly where I would never know, in the dark hart of New York. † (Plath 91). This single scene stands as emblematic of Esther’s (and Plath’s) essential plight: that of the bipolar personality and the track toward attempted suicide.The scene also represents the symptomatic progression of full-blown bipolar personality disorder which is characterized by depressive episodes and suicidal obsessions. The combination of high-achievement, goal-setting, ambition, creativity, task-setting, and personal expression with an equally profound sense of purposelessness, meaninglessness, lack of energy, lac k of sex drive, and plummeting self identity and a plummeting sense of self-esteem are compressed brilliantly into the above-described scene. By explicating the symbolism deeply, the bipolar disorder is easily uncovered.The feelings Esther has of not being able to connect with her life, of not comprehending her society or valuing her interpersonal relationships are aspects of the acute depressive crisis which marks the depressive â€Å"extreme† of the bipolar disorder. The novel describes how an acute depressive episode can lead to suicide even when treatment is being administered. The treatment which would seem most applicable for Esther Greenwood by modern diagnostic processes is not that which is provided for her in the novel: electroshock therapy.Rather, what is indicated is that Esther should be treated with psycho therapy, primarily, with perhaps the inclusion of certain, limited medication. The inclusion of family-centered therapy, social rhythm therapy, and cognitive therapy along with medication would provide the best hope for Esther's clinical recovery. However, the process of metal disorder described in the novel is mush wider, much more comprehensive than even modern therapies would seem to be an adequate redress for — although even a slight improvement in prognosis would probably have saved Esther from suicide.In order to restore and strengthen hern creative gifts and reinstate her standing in society, the clinical treatments might at least give Esther an impetus toward a healthy rather than self-destructive life. So carefully designed is Esther’s portrayal in â€Å"The Bell Jar,† that the reader stands an ever-increasing chance of identifying as deeply with Esther’s plight as Esther herself seems to identify with the plight of the Rosenbergs.In other words, the last thing which is intimated in the novel is that Esther bears any personal responsibility for her mental illness or the social stigmas that are attache d to it. In fact, I personally do not belive that there was anything Esther could have done or should have done to â€Å"prevent† her collapse. From rape to institutionalized chauvinism and the â€Å"saint-whore† syndrome, Esther experiences a multitude of the sociological injuries borne against women in America.She also, as a poet, stands for the sociological persecution of artists and the cultural misunderstanding of their sensitivities. Throughout the novel, Esther’s internal dialogue and descriptions of situations stands in bold contrast to the mundane and often mean or ignorant dialogue and observations of the novel’s minor characters. In addition to these deeper, more socially and politically inspired themes, â€Å" The Bell Jar† captures intimate details of middle-class adolescence: the struggle to succeed, the position often social outcast, and the cruelties and injustices of love and eroticism.This is why The Bell Jar is such an important novel: because it places an intimately personal, yet universal, protagonist in the grip of what modern psychology and modern psychiatry understand as a clinical mental illness. Rather than approach the topic clinically, Plath approaches the theme poetically and confessionally and draws the reader into a closes identification with Esther Greenwood. The result is that the alert reader, even one who is familiar with the clinical processes of bipolar disorder, will recognize a personal plight beneath the level which is clinically descriptive.The reader's identification with Esther then takes the form of first hope, then skepticism, about the clinical treatments (and practitioners) which are engaged ostensibly in working for Esther's recovery. Whether one reads the central theme of The Bell Jar as one of individuality and the alienation from modern society or as a literary portrayal of a clinically defined mental disorder, the conclusion that individuals who suffer from mental illness ar e both victimized and stigmatized in modern society is clear.My personal feeling is that Esther Greenwood is far more of a universal character than many would like to belive and that her portrayal in The Bell Jar indicates both the destructive influence of mental illness and the destructive influence of modern society which is revealed to be both widespread and institutionalized. References Plath, Sylvia The Bell Jar Bantam Books New York NY 1971.

The Legality, Morality, and Social Responsibility

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law on March 23rd, 2010. The Act is a daring attempt by President Barack Obama to reform the healthcare system in the United States. The new healthcare reform act is historical because of its scope and size. Opponents to the healthcare act state it is an attempt to increase the size and power of the federal government and it is one of â€Å"the largest tax increase in the history of the world,† despite it being almost equally in size to President Clinton 1993 tax increase (â€Å"‘Obamacare’ isn’t the largest†, 2012).There is an abundance of questions surrounding the new healthcare act ranging from the constitutionality of Act to the ethical and moral ramifications of such wide sweeping legislation. This paper will attempt to answer some of these questions as they pertain to healthcare provider Florida Blue. We will also explore how Florida Blue is transitioning as a company under these ne w laws and their role as a socially responsible company in the community. On June 28, 2012, the Supreme Court rendered a final decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act.According to (Cavico & Mujtaba, 2008) this was possible due President Lincoln’s leadership, implementing the legal system; it was restored to be more liberal, justified, and democratic. The idea is that every law enables the government of the people, by the people, and for the people to make laws that befit the people. The constitution was effectively written to allow for flexibility. The new provisions would allow families and small business owners the ability to make choices that work best for them. The power of the government is divided into three branches judicial, executive, and legislative.In order for a bill to become law, all three branches of government must approve it. That separation of power is what does not allow one branch from becoming more powerful than any of the others. Under the law, the ne w â€Å"Patient’s Bill of Rights† gives the American people the stability and flexibility they need to make informed choices about their health. (Obama, 2013) The main purpose of President Obama’s bold healthcare reform was to address the affordability and quality of health care as well as to curb the growth of healthcare spending in the United States.Many of the provisions in the Affordable Care Act are aimed at fixing these major issues facing the U. S health care and insurance industries. In the idea of not only helping the people to consider and obtain health insurance. The group agrees that the law is constitutional and should be addressed, in most countries there are laws stating that you much have health insurance and based on your income you get it for free or you pay a very small amount. The United States has waited a long time to enact this law and should be enforce.Despite evidence to the contrary, explained in the joint dissent the Chief Justice name d Roberts, along with 4 other Justices Breyer, Ginsberg, Kagan, and Sotomayor upheld Obamacare’s â€Å"penalty imposed upon individuals’ failure to purchase federally-approved health insurance (the Individual Mandate) as within Congress’ taxing power. † A majority of the Court held that the Constitution’s Commerce Clause did not grant Congress the power to institute an individual mandate.A significant portion of the law’s Medicaid provision was partially overturned as an unconstitutional coercive federal spending condition imposed on the states. Instead of entirely striking down this provision, the Secretary of Health and Human Services is prevented from withholding current Medicaid federal spending to those states who decide not to participate in Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion. (Teller, 2012). Whether Obamacare was upheld as a proper exercise of Congress’ taxing power or through the commerce power is simply a distinction witho ut a difference.The law as it was before the Supreme Court decision is virtually the same as it was afterward. But, as a matter of legal precedent and technical legislating, such a determination is monumentally important in terms of how future cases of congressional power will be decided, as well as how bills are crafted for consideration. The Chief Justice’s opinion recognized the long-standing history of Congress attaching conditions upon states in exchange for receiving federal funding under Congress’ Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 spending power.17 The legitimacy of this power â€Å"†¦ rests on whether the State voluntarily and knowingly accepts the terms of the contract,† since the â€Å"Constitution has never been understood to confer upon Congress the ability to require States to govern according to Congress’s instructions. †18 When â€Å"pressure turns into compulsion, the legislation runs contrary to our system of federalism,† (Teller, 2012). Florida Blue, the largest health insurer in the state of Florida, had to reinstate 300,000 policies in order to meet the new Affordable Healthcare Act requirements.Florida Blue is attempting to offset many of these costly new healthcare requirements, which now include things such as maternity/newborn care, mental health services, substance abuse services, and emergency services. These services will now be covered by individual and small market plans. Under this new law anyone the government determines can afford healthcare, and does not purchase it by 2014, may have to pay a fine. This fee will be referred to as an individual responsibility payment, individual mandate or penalty.The Supreme Court of the United States has determined the Affordable Care Act, and its provisions, are constitutional and have upheld the legality of the act. Therefore a discussion regarding its legality would be mute. However, the ethical ramifications of the act are worthy of noting and di scussing. Ethics is one of the five branches of philosophy that deals with human character and how humans conduct themselves in society. Humans have the freedom of doing various activities that may benefit them, ethics is essential because it defines their character and conduct.In essence, ethics systematically assesses human activities in an attempt of establishing whether they are right or wrong. In a society where chaos and disorder prevails, ethics offers an appropriate solution because it provides moral values, principles, norms, and ideals, which humans should adhere to as standard practices of human conduct and behavior. According to (Cavico & Mujtaba, 2008), the goal of ethics is to understand the epistemology of human conduct and character so that it can define the best ways in which humans can co-exist and attain the real meaning of life.In this view, ethics enables humans to regulate their conduct and character in order to be more in line with the moral values, norms, ide als, and principles that society cherishes and upholds amidst chaos and confusion. To define and expound ethics, diverse philosophers have come up with theories and models such as utilitarianism, deontology, pragmatic ethics, and postmodern ethics. Hence, this term paper seeks to use utilitarian theory and model in assessing whether it is moral for Florida Blue to implement President Obama's health care reform act.Utilitarian theory is the dominant ethical theory that philosophers and ethicists apply when analyzing human conduct and character. John Stuart Mill is one of the pioneers and proponents of utilitarian theory. Fundamentally, utilitarian theory belongs to the category of consequential theories that assess morality based on the consequences of an action. According to Mill (2010), rightness or wrongness of an action is dependent on its consequences rather than the nature of the action.On this assertion, utilitarian theory rejects the assessment of morality based on the action s. Hence, utilitarian theory assumes that human actions have no morality in themselves unless assessed using their consequences. Cavico and Mujtaba (2009) argue that an action is morally right if its consequences are good, and it is morally wrong if its consequences are bad. Hence, the consequences of an action are central in determining if an action is right or wrong. The utilitarian theory also assesses the degree of morality or the extent to which an action is right or wrong.According to the utilitarian theory, for an action to be morally right, it must generate greatest happiness or pleasure to most people and cause the least pain and harm (Mill, 2010). In this view, the theory does not only assess the degree of morality basing on the consequences, but also assesses morality basing on the number of people that gain happiness or experience pain. In the examination of utilitarian theory, (Cavico & Mujtaba, 2009) state that the consequence of an action should be good and beneficial to most people in the society.In this view, utilitarian theory requires consideration of action’s consequence and the number of people that experience happiness or pain. Thus, an action is morally right if its consequences are good and beneficial to most stakeholders, and it is morally wrong if its consequences are bad and harmful to most stakeholders. The use of the utilitarian model in the assessment of human actions provides a quantitative way of analyzing morality. The utilitarian model apportions numerical values to goodness and badness of an action’s consequences.The goodness of an action has a positive scale of 1 to 5 (1 to 5) while the badness of an action has a negative scale of 1 to 5 (-1 to -5). Zero is an intermediate value on the scale, which shows that actions’ consequence is neither good nor bad to a specific stakeholder. The utilitarian model quantifies the degree of pleasure and pain, which are consequences of an action (Cavico & Mujtaba, 2009) . Therefore, the term paper utilizes the utilitarian model in establishing if it is moral for Florida Blue to implement the Affordable Health Care plan. 1.The act that the term paper seeks to evaluate using the utilitarian model is whether it is moral for Florida Blue to implement the Affordable Health Care plan. 2. The following are the stakeholders that the implementation of the health care reform affects, both directly and indirectly. a) The government The foreseeable good is that the government will improve general health of the population, and thus enhances the health of the nation. However, the foreseeable bad consequence is that the cost necessary to sustain health care reforms may not be sustainable in the end.b) Health care system The foreseeable good of the health care reforms is that the health care system will offer improved quality of healthcare services (Rosenbaum, 2011). Given that quality of healthcare services depend on many factors, the foreseeable bad is that the quality of care may deteriorate with time. c) Florida Blue The foreseeable good of the health care reform in Florida Blue is that it will increase the number of patients and thus improve its growth. However, Florida Blue may not be able to satisfy the demands of the patients.d) Insurance companies If Florida Blue implements health reforms, the foreseeable good is that it will provide a competitive environment for insurance companies. The foreseeable bad consequence is that the insurance companies will increase insurance premiums. e) Healthcare providers and working environment The foreseeable good of the health reforms is that it will improve competence, remuneration packages, and the working environment of healthcare providers. Since the number of patients will increase in Florida Blue, theforeseeable bad consequence is that healthcare providers will have to perform extra duties to serve all patients. f) Patients The foreseeable good among patients is that they will receive quality services that they have been unable to afford. Nevertheless, the foreseeable bad consequence is that the quality of healthcare services offered to patients may deteriorate with time. g) Citizens and society Since health care reforms legally require citizens to acquire health insurance coverage, the foreseeable good is improved health and lifespan of the people.However, the foreseeable bad consequence is that the cost of health insurance may increase and become unaffordable to many people. Quantification of Good and Bad Consequences Stakeholders Foreseeable Good Foreseeable Bad a) The government +5 -2 b) Health care system +4 -3 c) Florida Blue +3 -3 d) Insurance companies +5 -1 h) Healthcare providers +3 -3 e) Environment +4 -2 f) Patients +5 -2 g) Citizens +3 -3 h) Society +4 -2 i) Total 37 -22 Conclusion The assessment of the act of implementing the affordable health care plan in Florida shows that it has more good than bad.Since the good consequences of implementing Obamaâ€℠¢s health care reform outweigh the bad consequences, from the utilitarian perspective, it implies that the act is moral in the case of Florida Blue. The utilitarian analysis shows that Florida Blue should implement health reforms to improve healthcare services that it provides to all stakeholders. Another major ethical work exploring is the Kantian Ethical Principle. Kantian ethics originated from the German philosopher Immanuel Kant.It revolves around his work—Groundwork (or Foundation) of the Metaphysics of Morals (Cavico & Mujtaba, 2009). The basis of Kant’s work was reason. Kant deduced that reason is the source for morality. To Kant, morality relied only on human reason. His definition and elaboration on morality excluded conscience, law, and utility. According to Kant, to be moral is to be rational (Cavico & Mujtaba, 2009). Morality and rationality must coexist; therefore, morality consists of acting rationally. It must be noted, however, that rationality must be employed to arrive at a moral conclusion.The intellectual use of reason, or â€Å"intellectualism†, is a form of egoism and does not serve a purpose toward morality (Cavico & Mujtaba, 2009). In comparison to the utilitarian approach, the Kantian approach does not take into account happiness when deciding morality. Kant deduced that dignity and worth were not fulfilled from a sense of happiness, but rather from the ability to reason. After all, it can be argued that the human ability to reason is the only differentiation from other species. Happiness, or the lack there of, is not an appropriate measure for morality.In summary of Kantian ethics, it is not arriving at a moral conclusion that is the challenge (any rational human can do that), it is possessing the self-control to follow through with what is right, regardless of consequences. The Categorical Imperative is the principle which Kant called the â€Å"supreme ethical principle† (Cavico & Mujtaba, 2009). A catego rical imperative regards certain actions are absolutely vital, regardless of desires or end result. The rules that surround moral conduct are, according to Kant, absolute. Kant went on to create a â€Å"test† to discern between moral and immoral actions.His categorical imperative must satisfy three conditions, without exception. The three conditions that an action must have to be moral are as follows: 1) the action must have the possibility to be made consistently universal, 2) it must respect rational beings as ends in themselves, and 3) the action must stem from and respect the autonomy of rational beings. Kant concluded that by satisfying the aforementioned conditions, the question of morality would be unaffected by consequences, personal gain, and compulsions. Instead, any rational human being would be able to rationalize the morality of actions by fulfillment of his three tests.In determining the morality of the Affordable Care Act using Kant’s Categorical Imperat ive, the main point of focus will be the morality to the intended benefactors (United States citizens and legal residents) from the law. The first test forces one to ask oneself: can the Affordable Care Act be applied universally? For argument’s sake, â€Å"universally† implies throughout the United States for this analysis. Furthermore, satisfaction of the first test eliminates any individuals from regarding themselves as â€Å"special. † Rather, nobody is exempt from the moral â€Å"law.† The Affordable Care Act will require U. S. citizens and legal residents to obtain healthcare. Healthcare for all U. S. citizens and legal residents can be consistently universal. Furthermore, with proper planning, the idea behind the Affordable Care Act can be sustained. Currently, the U. S. has many uninsured pockets of people that are unable to get a routine medical exam without a hefty fee. Although there are caveats in the Affordable Care Act, it can be applied ove rall to the majority of the population. The Kantian tests for determining morality disregard â€Å"privilege.† Instead, by applying universal healthcare, a rational person can deduce that everyone obtaining healthcare is logical and consistent. The first test is satisfied. Kant’s second test is called the â€Å"Kingdom of Ends† test. This test works to further eliminate the possibility of immorality by taking into account the human condition. Kant states that,†each people must be treated by every other person as an end† (Cavico & Mujtaba, 2009). Again, we are forced to reexamine whether the Affordable Care Act treats each person with â€Å"dignity and respect and as a valuable and worthwhile entity.† The current state of healthcare denies various groups of people the ability to obtain medical care. Through his second test, Kant holds the intrinsic worth of human beings as an undeniable truth. Thus, by existing as a human, one has an unconditio nal value. Because a rational human would be able to identify their own intrinsic value, so would they be able to identify that value in others. The Affordable Care Act extends healthcare coverage to individuals that would previously have no viable options. In addition, it minimizes discrimination by encompassing groups of people that have consistently gone without healthcare coverage.By expanding Medicaid to 133% of the federal poverty level, alone, the government is extending its recognition of intrinsic worth to those that have been previously disregarded. The â€Å"Kingdom of Ends† test is centered on human dignity; by extending healthcare coverage, the U. S. government has empowered more individuals to be free to make a choice of what medical services to pursue. Although the implementation of the Affordable Care Act may result in higher costs to the public, the self-interest of individuals is not a basis for determining morality.Rather, the freedom, empowerment, and reco gnition of intrinsic worth provided by the activation of the Affordable Care Act satisfies the second test. The final test is deemed the â€Å"Agent-Receiver Test†. This third test allows for further dissection of an act. The use of the â€Å"Agent-Receiver Test† in relation to the Affordable Care Act is extremely relevant and allows for a more black-and-white approach by further stripping any vested self-interest. A rational person must be able to accept the action or rule, regardless if they are the agent (giver) or receiver of the action or rule (Cavico & Mujtaba, 2009).Would an individual accept the Affordable Care Act whether they were supplying or receiving the benefits? In this case, there are stereotypically many white collar, upper middle-class U. S. citizens that oppose the act because of the implied rise is costs for themselves. However, a rational person would be able to remove their selfish motive by analyzing it from the point of view of the receivers. Sa y the individual was, instead, an uninsured, 20-something pregnant woman barely living above the federal poverty line, would they still oppose the act?The Affordable Care Act allows healthcare to become more impartial to people using it. The â€Å"Agent-Receiver† test, thus, proves the act moral. Analyzing such a complex act, such as the Affordable Care Act, does present exceptions and caveats as it is currently written. The overall basis behind the creation and implementation of the act aims to value more humans and increase dignity and self-worth. By removing individual motive and self-interest, the Kantian model for determining morality strives to decide morality based on impartial tests.After reviewing and applying the three tests to the Affordable Care Act, we have found it is moral. The theory of ethical emotism is centered on feelings and emotions (Cavico & Mujtaba, 2009). David Hume is credited as one of the most important contributors to the idea of the emotist theor y. The theory is ethical emotism lies on the other side of ethical theory spectrum from the Kantian model. In the Kantian model, reason is the basis for morality, but in ethical emotism, reason is merely a tool employed to help one judge morality.In ethical emotism, the act itself is not used to decide morality, rather the feelings from the act are what is important. Morality is viewed as a purely emotional response and is, therefore, extremely subjective under this theory. Although ethical emotism is, on the surface, a rather simple measure of morality, it often overlaps with ethical relativism and utilitarianism. The concepts behind ethical emotism can be laid out simply. If one has positive emotions towards an act, the act is deemed moral and good. If one has negative emotions toward an act, that act would be deemed immoral or bad.In terms of the morality surrounding the Affordable Care Act, ethical emotism can present some consequences that will not allow for a sound moral concl usion. First and foremost, this theory relies heavily (entirely) on emotions and emotions may be very subjective. When employing the emotist theory, the Affordable Care Act must be analyzed from the perspective of each group affected and/or involved. Because of the subjectivity of emotions, different groups of people will feel different ways, thus, creating the large possibility of different moral conclusions.As an example, a 24 year old, recent college graduate, in an entry level, minimal salary position may feel positively about the act because they can be under their parents’ insurance for an additional two years. The implementation of Affordable Care Act is moral in this instance because of the positive feelings felt by the receiver. However, five years later, this same individual may be earning a higher income, invested in real estate, and covering their own health insurance with no assistance—their feelings may have changed. The aforementioned individual likely h as negative feelings regarding the Affordable Care Act because of higher taxes.In this sense, the implementation of the Affordable Care Act is immoral. The changing of one’s feeling is a big consequence of the ethical emotism theory. Since individuals will deem the Affordable Care Act moral or immoral based on their own individual feelings, reaching a general and standardized consensus is impossible. From the prospective of those becoming eligible for obtaining healthcare, the act is likely moral. Those individuals have not had or have lost the opportunity to make decisions about their health and are feeling extremely positive about the act.On the other hand, individuals who have had no problem covering their healthcare insurance costs could have feelings of disapproval towards the Affordable Care Act. In their case, the act is seen as simply a probable increase in their own taxes. Moral conclusions are subjective under the ethical emotism theory and must be addressed individ ually. Many different theories can be used to help decipher morality, especially on large-scale issues like the Affordable Care Act. However, each theory must be maximized, while taking into account the consequences that accompany each train of thought.The above theories discussed use various criteria to determine morality. However, ethics and morality become an even greater point of focus when applied to real world scenarios. Ethics and morality must transcend their place as theories of study and come into play in our current world. In the case of Florida Blue, it is certain they will have to embrace the Affordable Care Act if they want to continue as a functioning healthcare provider. As the company will likely continue to grow in size and influence, they will likely take a closer look at their role within American society.It is becoming a common trend among many high stature corporations to integrate a humane tactic into their company’s strategic plans. Companies are begin ning to give back to the community, while in return noticing the positive reaction consumers are developing towards their product especially when they see the company’s brand is perceived in a positive and philanthropic light. Now more than ever before, corporations have taken notice of the increased benefits being perceive as a positive, giving company can bring such as an increased rate of profitable.This sincere act of kindness, which no company is legally liable to fulfill, is what we call social responsibility. Social responsibility is the act of an entity to provide a need for the community. When a corporation takes the initiative to create a solution for society, they are deemed as a socially responsible firm. The organization is not necessarily the last resort or the only solution to the problem, however the corporation takes ownership of the need and the responsibility for creating a solution for a particular problem their consumers face.The success factors and formu lation of fulfilling the act of a socially responsible entity, quoted by (Cavico & Mujtaba, 2008), according to Banks, a few reasons for being a socially responsible firm is by â€Å"1) obtaining a â€Å"social license† to operate from key stakeholders, 2) ensuring â€Å"sustainable competitiveness,† 3) creating new business opportunities, 4) attracting and retaining quality investors and business partners, 5) securing cooperation from local communities, 6) avoiding difficulties due to socially irresponsible behavior, 7) obtaining governmentsupport, and 8) building â€Å"political capital. † Florida Blue, formerly known as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, is a not-for-profit health insurance company that strives on social responsibility. In preparation for the Affordable Care Act, Florida Blue has prepared several different tools for consumers to utilize to educate themselves about the new law that will eventually have an effect on everyone in the U. S. Flori da Blue has created a Health Care Reform eBook that can be downloaded on any tablet. This eBook is constantly being updated as changes are continuously being made to the law.Also, to ensure they are doing their due diligence as an educational source for the community, the app is available in English, Spanish and Creole. According to Florida Blue CEO, Pat Geraghty, between the 16, soon to be 18, Retail Centers across the state the company will have organized over 3,000 Health Care Reform seminars by the end of the year. As a socially responsible company, these tools Florida Blue has put tremendous amounts of effort into creating, are not only available to Florida Blue members, but they are available to the general public.Whether you are insured with another company, not insured at all, or insured with Florida Blue, the organization prides on being a tool for Floridians to turn to in reaction to this new law that has many consumers dumfounded. In addition to being accessible by any me mber of our community, all of these tools are complimentarily available to the consumer market. Florida Blue has been in preparation for Health Care Reform since 2006 when they opened their first Retail Center.With the Affordable Care Act implementing a new focus gearing towards individual plans, and steering away from the well-known and accustomed group plan, Florida Blue has built these Retail Centers to accommodate selling to the individual rather than selling to the employer (â€Å"Health Insurance Companies†, 2013). These Retail Centers offer the face-to-face experience that consumers need and allow health care shoppers and customers to build a relationship with one individual agent that they can rely on and come back to time and time again with any questions and concerns.In addition to face-to-face Retail Centers, there is a FloridaBlueHealthCareReform. com website that anyone can visit, a Health Care Reform hotline facilitated by employees trained to specialize in the Affordable Care Act, and customers can also call into any Retail Center and talk to any sales or service consultant over the phone just as you would meet with them in person. In any recommendation of social responsibility it would be a wise business decision for a company to partake in socially responsible acts.As (Cavico & Mujtaba, 2008), state, â€Å"business also gains an improved public image by being socially responsible. An enhanced social image should attract more customers and investors and thus provide positive benefit for the firm. † For a company to engage in community affairs in order to enhance the level of success it would be somewhat foolish not to participate in socially responsible acts in an effort in improve your company’s prosperity, while achieving greater good for consumers.Overall, is it a legal requirement for companies to be socially responsible? No. Is it implied that companies should partake in some type of social responsibility to enhance th e well-being of the community in order for them to be considered a moral organization? Yes. It is solely up to the discretion of a corporation and their shareholders whether they determine to provide a socially responsible contribution for their consumers, but more than likely it is in their benefit to give back to the community they operate in and engage in socially responsible acts.To be perceived in a positive manner, generally has a positive return on investment for the company and their shareholders. It is simple to determine that being socially responsible has a positive impact on all parties involved in the act. As mentioned earlier in this paper, the legality of the Affordable Care Act, and its implementation by Florida Blue, has been deemed legal by the Supreme Court.Ethical analysis of the Affordable Care Act and Florida Blue using the Utilitarian and Kantian ethical theories have all proven both the Act, and the implementation of the Act by Florida Blue, to be ethical. It was also shown that using the Ethical Emotism theory for such a complex matter would provide mixed results and no definitive answer would likely ever be reached. Florida Blue continues to develop tools that help explain and guide the average consumer through the new healthcare process.By providing information to all consumers-not just their clients, holding fairs and encouraging face-to-face contact, they are continually shaping the public’s perception of their company and attempting to show the public they are committed to assisting them regardless of whether or not they are members. It would be in Florida Blue’s benefit to continue to show good will and become further engaged in the neighborhoods where they operate. It is our opinion that Florida Blue will continue to grow as they now have access to new groups of people seeking insurance.

Critical Evaluation of the Constraints Faced by Project Managers and Essay

Critical Evaluation of the Constraints Faced by Project Managers and How These Impact Project Scheduling and Planning - Essay Example The attention of the whole company is focussed on a particular problem that is of great concern to the consumer (the challenge). The rest of the activities in the company are synchronized with the challenge process, which makes sure that the challenge process is not piled up or it is starved because the needed inputs are not available. The bottleneck must be eliminated in any way possible and this increases the capability of the entire company (Jawa 2004, p1). For many years, project managers have been told to focus on constraints. In projects, a constraint is thought to be an important path, which is a series of activities that determine the least time required for the project to finish. Vanhoucke (2012, p192) further notes that the project management generally overlooks the scarce resources required by activities which are either on or off the critical path and probably by other projects (Vanhoucke 2012, p192). Goodpasture (2004, p211) also asserts that project constraint is a crit ical path. In other words, the project is constrained to a particular duration, and the constrained time cannot be shortened. The impact of the critical path is that the constrained throughput cannot be increased, and thus, the throughput is threatened if the critical path is not managed in a proper way (Goodpasture 2004, p211). It is worth noting that all projects have constraints. Not very long ago, the three main constraints (also known as the triple constraints) were the project management creed spoken by experienced project managers. The three main constraints that project managers face include scope, cost, and schedule. However, these are not the only constraints faced by project managers; other constraints include consumer satisfaction, budget, and quality. All the mentioned constraints have significant impact on the outcomes of the project, and that is why they get considerable attention (Heldman 2011, p23). Scope All projects are set out to generate a unique result or produ ct. Scope describes what the result or the product should be like. It considers the objectives and the goals of the project and defines what the project is attempting to achieve. The goals are then broken down into smaller elements until the work can be easily described. Scope can frequently change or grow during the course of the project. Thus, it is very crucial to document scope. Scope generally entails interchanges with the other constraints, and transformations in scope will affect budget, time, or both. Changes in the time or budget can also affect scope. For instance, if one is constructing a new house on a restricted or limited budget. The individual wants granite countertops in the bathroom, but he does not have sufficient money in the budget. Then, the scope has to be modified and a different material chosen for the countertops to avoid the necessity of going over the budget again (Heldman 2011, p23). Schedule Majority of the projects function under some form of deadline. If the project involves constructing a new shopping center that must be completed in time for the holiday shopping period, then the project is time-constrained. Schedules are developed on units of time thus; the word time is sometimes used in place of the word schedule when describing the triple constraints (Heldman 2011, p23). The time deadline governs the manner in which the project activities are completed and scheduled. The projector requestor or the stakeholders

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Summarize Comm Theories - Essay Example principle of human social organization is made up of three basic elements: The appearance of the other with the self, followed by the identification of the other with the self, and lastly the searching of self-consciousness through the other (p. 253). The three elements of human social organization are enabled through mass communication. The theme in this reading is supported by the critical cultural theory. The theory argues that mass media establishes the status quo that defines social movements to bring about positive social change. The critical cultural theory illustrates that; communication occurs through a psychological process referred to as â€Å"mob-consciousness† (Baran & Davis, 2015). The psychological process is identified through a quantitative research method. An experimental approach is adopted to indicate how mob-consciousness is influenced by attitude and the surrounding environment. The quantitative research method was efficient and effective in establishing that a speaker has the ability to influence the general attitude of the audience. The research concluded that; communication occurs when one party assumes an attitude passed from another party and adjusts the attitude in respect to a particular aspect of the environment. The environment that influences attitudes is of much importance to the parties in the audience. The text achieves a common ground between the authors and the readers. The authors successfully explain how the social foundations and functions of thought influence communication. The critical cultural theory supports the theme of human social interaction. Communication arises when attitudes are assumed and adjusted to accommodate a common ground between the speaker and the audience, and among the audience

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The challengs facing kindergarten teachers for deal with children whom English is an additional language - Essay Example There was the definition of the research question and the explanation of the significance of the paper. The second chapter looked into the literature of challenges faced by kindergarten teachers when dealing with children whom English is an additional language. The chapter critically evaluated the consideration of the essence of bilingual education in the kindergarten. This chapter mostly focused on various policy issues in the UK related to kindergarten classrooms that teach English as a second language. The third chapter concentrated on the research methodology and design. This was a qualitative research because the results are expected to describe challenges facing ESL kindergarten teachers, rather than predicting the challenges. The fourth chapter dealt with the outcome of the study. The discussion of these findings is in chapter five. The section dealt with the interpretation of results of the study into the challenges faced by teachers of kindergarten pupils with EAL. The last chapter focused on the conclusion and recommendation of the study. Here, the paper identified implication for the change and summarized the key findings. According to Clarke (2009), most parents who English are not their families’ first language, worry how their children will cope in an English-speaking kindergarten. Kindergarten teachers are used to helping children whose English is an additional language. Statistics indicate that, one in nine kindergarten pupils learns English as an additional language in the UK (Colombo, 2014). A language mismatch between teachers and the children they teach in Kindergarten, as noted in a study by Bialystok (1991), can result in uncomfortable classroom experiences for some children and teachers. The children that join Kindergarten and find familiar environments and teachers who speak English, feel they are moving ‘around the same

Evaluate Merleau-Ponty's account in The World of Perception of the Essay

Evaluate Merleau-Ponty's account in The World of Perception of the relation of human beings both to each other and other animals - Essay Example Humans interact with other animals differently depending on the value of the other animals. The nature of the relationship both among humans and with other animals is structured with the view of sustaining the life of humanity. As social organisms, humans live in effectively constructed societies with a set of laws that govern the nature of the relationship among humans. The need for procreation and sustenance of life is a fundamental feature that influences both the nature of the relationship among humans. Among the basic relationship among humans is the family an institution that guarantees both companionship and the sustenance of life. However, for the development of effective societies humans require peaceful correlation among each other a feature that influences the development of governments. Social contract theorists explain that the need for peaceful coexistence in societies influence the formation of governments through democratic governments to govern for specific periods. Among the basic objective of the governments is to maintain law and order besides safeguarding the rights and privileges of the people. While the creation of governments is an effective way of ensuring orderliness of the societies thus guaranteeing freedom and safety of every individual in a society, it portrays the inability of humans to live peacefully without conflicts. Humans’ population increase results in increased pressure on the resources a feature that give rise to numerous conflicts. Such is a fundamental feature of human interactions that Maurice Merleau-Ponty discusses in his book. All the conflicts in the human society arise from either competition for resources or competition for mates. In order to provide amicable solutions to their conflicts, humans organize themselves in societies with effective leadership and systems that perfect in conflict

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Political Economy of Japan - Essay Example †¢ The national authorities had been in favour of trade liberalization Japan had historically been in favour of trade liberalization and deregulation of all trade barriers. Prior to 1960, Japan had imposed strict trade restrictions in the form of quotas and tariffs. However, gradually these impediments were lifted so that the domestic industries gathered the technical skills to compete with the external players. Nevertheless the national authorities had been cautious about the protection of the domestic sector or the indigenous firms. But, all its qualms were erased when the newly adopted trade policy became a huge success in 1963, which was prominent through soaring economic growth rates. Despite the high success of trade liberalisation, the nation experienced trade deficits in the early 1970s, mainly due to hikes in oil prices. Hence, the nation submerged in a phase of high inflation. This initialised the government to tighten its monetary policies and control the flow of money in the nation, leading the nation to a period somewhat similar to that of a recession. These external factors also made them impose certain restrictions on their international trade arena (Ho, 1977). †¢ The national authorities of Japan had been more or less against liberalisation and deregulation between 1970s and 1990s The Japanese economy, unlike its neighbours had remained stringent regarding international trade relations prior to the East Asian crisis of 1997.

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A movement in American history - Term Paper Example Therefore, drawing on a variety of sources the paper will discuss the Anti-Vietnam War movement of the l960s. On January 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy became the 35th head of state of the United States of America. During that time, there were continuous revolutionary attempts to topple the American backed South Vietnamese government by the communist National Liberation Front (NLF). By December 31, 1960, there were already more 900 military personnel in Vietnam (Bowman 20). President Kennedy’s administration provided more help to South Vietnam, including American military advisers and soldiers. During that same year, the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was formed and it became a crucial force during the Anti-Vietnam War campaign in the 1960s. By 1962, the combat troops had doubled. American involvement increased further when the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution gave President Kennedy more power to increase military presence in Vietnam. In 1965, regular combat soldiers were deployed. Proponents of the Vietnam War argued that by turning the Vietnamese nation into a communist state it would imply that the anti-communists would be losing the Cold War. In other words, the involvement of America in the war was a way of preventing the communist takeover of South Vietnam. While South Vietnam was supported by the U.S and other anti-communist allies, North Vietnam was supported by China and the Soviet Union, as well as other communist allies. The NFL, a communist front in the South, fought in favor of the North Vietnam. Supporters of the war asserted that communism was a threat to free governments and America was protecting its national interests (Bowman 34-37). The protests against the Vietnamese War were very few at the beginning. However, as the Vietnamese War continued to gain intensity; public disenchantment also escalated. The Americans were growing tired of the increasing war casualties together with

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Personal Interview - Essay Example The first question for Anne was about how women get respect and break through the glass ceiling. Confidently, she believes that education is the key to getting respect from the industry aside from experience and training. Although she has observed that nowadays, more women are given better jobs but access to top managerial jobs still remains â€Å"severely restricted†. Anne also related how much she enjoys doing her job although other people label her as â€Å"bulldog†. The reason for that is her ability to see things transparently, detect risks as well as weaknesses that makes them vulnerable. However, the labeling does not affect her at all since she knows that in the end, her suggestions would do good once a project is finished. Anne also shares her positive experience in the online courses and seminars that her company is constantly providing to its employees. The classes and seminars helps Anne to be more effective although she has already gained a reputable experience in the industry. It seems that Anne is never too old to learn and humble enough to accept new thoughts which is a good indication of an innovator. ...Well let’s see, I go to a department I know nothing about, I sit down with the manger analyze their controls and their day to day work flow. I then asked at the end of the day how do you know you have covered everything you are suppose to do, they would look at me with a blank face, and I would say do you have a checklist, and their response as always would be no. After a couple of these meetings I would have them coming up to me asking Anne how you think I can implement procedures to mitigate my risks. She admits that she does not know anything about the certain department and that her expertise is Risk Management. But because of her exposure to different positions in the industry ( Operations Control, Trading Assistant, Equity Market Risk Management, Credit Risk Management) Anne is