Which ethical principle is most prominent in your belief system Autonomy or Fidelity?

Autonomy and fidelity are both applied in my life. I am a kind of person who has strong principle in life and not easily persuade by outside forces; thus, I am also extremely faithful to what I do. However, as fidelity being describe as truthful, I would say that fidelity is more prominent in my belief system. I am very truthful in everything I do. I cherish things with all my heart. I believe that there is no autonomy when an individual does not believe in fidelity. Fidelity should come first before you will become autonomous. The individual’s principles should be strengthened with truth so that no matter how society persuade an individual to do a thing which he believe is not right, he can hold fast to what he believes in and that’s how being autonomous become visible and displayed. In addition, I believe that fidelity is not just important in relationships and friendships but also a superb requirement in serving and treating others as an act of showing love and concern. Fidelity motivates me to do what is right in the sight of our Creator and in the sight of men. It helps me not to be partial with my dealings with other people but with genuine intentions. It gives me, too, a motivation not to betray the trust of other people especially those who are so dear in my heart. Moreover, most people nowadays are having the hard time in facing their own feelings. I must say that I am a kind of an individual who does not run away from the truth. I have the courage and strength to face the reality because that is what fidelity has taught me.

According to the Herzberg Essay

Would you be interested in working as a Hong Kong police officer? Why or why not? I would be interested in working as Hong Kong police officer because the department is paying great attention to the employees morale and motivation. This can be seen by the way the department treat their employees by rewarding them with awards and recognition after the employee had accomplished a special achievement and performed their assigned duties at a sustained level of excellence. There are several methods to motivate the employees at works. One of the methods is by giving them financial rewards. However, in my opinion, financial rewards are not enough in motivating the employees. People crave for acceptance. Meeting employee needs for acceptance can be found in rewards and recognition programs and policies. 1In this case, the Hong Kong Police Force is focusing more giving awards and recognition to their employees who had show a great achievement in performing their duties. By giving recognition to the employee, it will increases the chance that the employee will continue to perform well. It is because, the employee will feel that their performance was valued and it will keep them motivated. It also can enhance morale and productivity. Besides that, it will also boost the employees confidence to try new things and it is good for the future development in their career. By using awards and recognition as a tool to motivates the employee, it will also leads to greater job satisfaction on the part of the employees and at the same time increase the employees loyalty towards the organization. As a conclusion, I would interested in working as a Hong Kong police officer because for me money is not everything. I feel more appreciate if my supervisor/manager recognize me for completing my task and that is one of the geatest motivator for me to continue doing my job. However, not every person has a same reason for working. The reasons for working are as individual as the person. Some people put money as a motivating factors for them to excell in their job. So, employer should know what motivates their employee so that the employee can perform well in doing their job towards the company. How many examples in this case can you apply motivation theories to? In this case, there are several ways the department give recognition to their employees. For example, the candidates who attains the highest exam score is awarded with the Commisioner of Police’s Certificates of Academic Merit. The best all-around probationary inspector who gets excellent results in all aspect will get the Brial Slevin Trophy, the Baton of Honor, and a silver plaque. Besides that, the department also give internal (e. g : compliments or letters of appreciation) and external (e. g: Bravery Awards) award schemes that emphasize positive reinforcement instead of punishments. According to the Herzberg, if we want to motivates people on their jobs, we must emphasize factors associated with the work itself or with outcomes directly derived from it, such as promotional opportunities, personal growth opportunities, recognition, responsibility and achievement. By looking at the case, the Hong Kong Police force use Two-Factors theory in rewarding their employee’s performance. One may argue that the recipients of the honors and awards are only fraction of all police officers. Suggest other effective ways to motivate the police officers. Monetary rewards also important in order to motivates employees to perform at their best and strive to achieve individual and organizational goals. One way to motivates employees by using monetary rewards is that by offering pay raises when the employees had perform well in carrying out their duties or had completing training programs. By doing this, the employees will become more motivates to improve their performance levels and skills. The Hong Kong police force also may introduce the pays based on performance of the individual. The peformace of the employees will be measured by using performance appraisal system. By implementing this kind of system, employees are given financial incentive for reaching the goals. The objective of this sytem is to create a direct link between the employee’s job performance and the amount of pay he earns. In shorts, if the employees performance increase,the more financial rewards he will get. By doing this, it can motivate employees to perform at higher levels. 2 Bonuses also can motivate employees to increase their performance in order to meet the business goals. For example, the Hong Kong police Force may instituted bonuses system to encourage perfect attendance. Employee bonuses aren’t necessarily in the form of cash or money. The employer may also reward employees by inviting them to lunch/dinner. Are there any positive motivational consequences of tying compensation pay closely to firm performance? It appears to be a truism that if you want to motivates high performance, you attach rewards to it. When part of the employee’s rewards is based on the performance of the company itself, the employees will become more motivated to improve the performance of the company. When we attach rewards based on the performance of the company, employees who feel motivated to work are likely to be persistent, creative and productive, turning out high quality work that they willingly undertake. A motivated employees is more productive than employees who are unmotivated. The only way to make the employees more productive is to make sure they are motivated to work harder. By tying compensation closely to firm performance the employees are able to see what benefits they will get if they work harder for the company.

Communication in the Organization Formal Proposal Research Paper

Communication in the Organization Formal Proposal - Research Paper Example The present report is structured to propose a communication structure for an organization. The objective of this report is to plan a successful communication strategy using the theories and concepts of organizational structure and communication. For this, five communication concepts are taken for study and analysis. These concepts have been chosen after proper research in the field of effective organizational communication. The importance of these concepts with respect to organizational communication will be explained. The report will also propose pre-defined and tested strategies in order to increase the effectiveness of the following five concepts. LISTENING SKILLS Listening is one of the basic functions of human beings. Individuals do not receive any formal training for listening but experience from surroundings. In terms of organizational communication, active listening can be described as a communication technique in which the listener has to provide feedback of the information they have heard, in their own words. This can be done either by paraphrasing or re-stating the words of the speaker. The objective behind this is to confirm that both parties have been equally involved in the communication and the message sent is organized. Active listening is an important concept in organizational communication. The various ways through which active listening skills can be helpful are as follows; 1. Information Gain- active listening helps in gaining information essential for the success of a business. For example, active listening in an interview will help in identifying important insights about the application, such as attitude, confidence, performance not mentioned in resume etc. Active listening with team members help in gaining insights about the weaknesses and strengths of the co-worker, which can be further utilized for better cooperation and team building. 2. Trust Development- active listening is important for building trust and confidence among employees. Active listening between team member and leaders will help the leader in understanding the real issues faced by the team member as well as increase confidence and trust in the co-worker. 3. Reputation- listening skills can have huge impact on the success of a business. If the employers fail to listen to their customers and their issues. The organization can suffer from loss of brand image and loyal customers. 4. Employee Motivation- a leader or a manager in an organization can improve productivity and morale by understanding the motivating factors in employees. This is possible only when leaders have sufficient active interaction with the co-workers as well as team members (Bull and Brown, 2012). Thus, it is known that active listening is one of the key strength for effective organizational communication. Active listening skills can be achieved through the following steps; Positive attitude towards active listening technique Making good eye contact Remain open to new information an d ideas Taking noted of important points Rephrasing and summarizing the speaker’s ideas. Avoiding all kinds of distractions. ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE Organizational culture is a broad field of study which focuses on the behaviors and values of an organization as well as people working there, in order to establish a

Source Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Source Evaluation - Essay Example He has previously served the American Society for the History of Rhetoric (ASHR) in the capacity of the president. He got his PhD in Communication Studies in 2000, from the Northwestern University. This is on top of the 1997 MA in Communication Studies, from the Northwestern University. Presently, he is an Associate Professor who teaches classical rhetoric and rhetorical stylistics. The poetry work was published in 2011 in a journal referred to as Rhetorica: A journal of the History of rhetoric. The journal contains literature and related academic articles. The thesis explained by the source illustrates a comparison of two literary styles, as applicable to the Early Greek literature and also the modern literary context. Poetry is basically distinguished from the aspects of prose through the verse arrangement (Richard 304). Another distinguishing feature according to Richard is that, â€Å"prose is cast in sentences, poetry in lines† (304). Prose syntax is determined through meaning, and poetry syntax is determined by the visual characteristics of the poem. Before the nineteenth century, the concept of poetry was adequately understood as a literary aspect arranged in metrical lines. During this period, the preferred meaning of poetry entailed any literary subject that has rhythm and verses. This was due to the high influence of Aristotle. Poetry during this period was also viewed as a technical verse designation, instead of the normal illustration of rhetorical and fictive artwork (Richard 315). The source illustrates adequate examples in the literary areas of poetry and prose. The author explains that poetry is one of the earliest pre-date works on literacy. Earlier cases of poetry were composed and sustained through the oral tradition processes. Hence, poetry is the earliest category of literature. On the contrary, prose is a language category that applies natural speech and also the concept of ordinary

The Somali Profile in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Somali Profile in UK - Essay Example The paper also analysis the unemployment issue of the Somalis and the causes of the unemployment in London. The map below shows the location of Somalia in the African continent. Somalis in the UK, Migration and History Trends The Somali migrated to UK due to civic problems in Somalia. Somalia has had many problems since the ousting of formal government in 1991. Most of the Somali natives have escaped the worn-torn country to various destination including Kenya, Ethiopia and UK. The Somalis started their migration to England in notable figures in the early 1990s and formed the biggest group of refugees in the land then (Griffiths 2004, p25). The Somalis who fled to UK are a mixture of various clans most of whom are Muslims. Some of the Somalis migrated to Diaspora to join others who were living there (Werbner 2002, p126). Previous researches indicate that the Somali population has been in UK since the early 1980s (Grifiths 2002, p20). Most of the Somalis living in England are found in London. The number of Somalis living in London is approximately 70,000 people while the large proportion of them is found in Tower Hamlets. These are approximately 13,000 people (IOM 2006, p5). The map below shows the distribution of the community in UK. ... Some of the barriers causing the unemployment of the Somali people in London include invalid pre-migration qualifications and improper or inappropriate contacts in the land in addition to loss of significant skills due to the migrations. The unemployment problem is enhanced by the fact that most of Somalis prefer similar job to those they held in Somalia. Only a few of them about 15% have the required skills and training to acquire jobs in London. In 2006, more than 70% of the Somali living in London were jobless (Adfam 2009, p20). Lack of employment opportunities has led to desperation among many Somali people. They have in turn resulted to chewing khat as a means of passing time (Baafuo-Awuah 2005, p20). This has been a major problem and has been blamed for rising in crime and impotence among the males (James 2006, p44). Men 35years and above Women 35 years and above Young people 35 years and below With Jobs 900 400 450 Jobless 1100 2800 2350 Total 2000 3200 2800 Source:Adfam2009,p 20 Discrimination and racial issues Part of the unemployment problem of the Somalis in London is based on the issue of education. This is because compared to other ethnic groups in London in issues such as levels of wages and retaining of jobs, the Somalis perform worst. The issue of unemployment thus cannot be justified based on discrimination of black minority groups Harris 2006, p54). The Somalis are discriminated on the first impression created by nomadic settlers that they are poorly educated. Most of the women are poorly educated while the only educated people are the young individuals who have been able to enroll in the UK education system (Harris 2006,

The Role of Public Relations Companies in the Wars Article

The Role of Public Relations Companies in the Wars - Article Example This essay declares that one public relations firm by the name Hill and Knowlton played a unique role in this respect. The PR firm produced several video clips that cost well beyond 500 million US dollars, and free airtime worth tens of millions of US dollars. The video news releases (VNRs) were presented to viewers by various TV stations across the world. Little was known at this time that the public relations company behind these releases was run by Kuwaitis (What Really Happened nd). Instead of real journalism, innocent viewers were actually presented with well crafted propaganda in the form of news stories and footage. It was only after the war ended that the truth behind the releases came to be revealed. In fact, it was later noted that the more the people watched these releases the less they knew the facts about the war as they were. During the public relations campaigns, the Wirthlin Group engaged members of the public daily in opinion polls with an aim of helping Hill & Knowl ton play to the highest with the people’s emotions. This paper makes a conclusion that public relations firms have been used to garner support for war or to present concerned parties in good light. In spite of the massive support some organizations receive based on the PR activities that they enjoy, some of the information provided to the public is pure propaganda and cannot face the light of truth.

Corporate Law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Corporate Law - Coursework Example However, by virtue of a floating charge, the charge is for the most part treated as unsecured allowing the company to deal with the asset or assets to which the charge is attached as if it was not subject to a loan.9...... Should DART fail to satisfy the terms of the loan agreement, the lender will have the right to take possession of the asset subject to the fixed charge. This limits the extent to which the company may deal with the asset subject to a fixed charge until such time as the loan is discharged. However, by virtue of a floating charge, the charge is for the most part treated as unsecured allowing the company to deal with the asset or assets to which the charge is attached as if it was not subject to a loan.9 In addition or as an alternative, lenders may insist on including a clause in the loan agreement allowing them to have a measure of control over the business transactions of the company. This kind of an arrangement involves an obligation on the part of corporate management to obtain the lender’s consent prior to conducting specific business transactions.10 There are other mechanisms that lenders may use that go beyond that which is typically characteristic of a simple loan agreem ent. One of these mechanisms is the attachment of larger than usual interest payments or the retention of title to an asset purchased by virtue of a loan until such time as the loan is discharged.11 Essentially, the various mechanisms of going beyond the simple loan agreement for additional lender protection are known as â€Å"creditor self-help†.12 C. If new ordinary shares were to be issued, to raise additional capital, the entitlement of each of the existing shareholders to these shares Ordinary shares confer upon the owner the right to dividends as well as voting entitlements.13 When a company contemplates issuing new ordinary shares it must first offer those shares to existing shareholders under the right of pre-emption.14 However, since the statutory provision prescribing pre-emptive

Police Actions & Courts Procedures Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Police Actions & Courts Procedures - Assignment Example It is a legal, moral, ethical imperative, and also a practical requirement in law enforcement. Respecting and upholding human rights by the police promotes successful legal prosecutions in court, public confidence and community policing. The police forces are considered to be part of the community and the social function they perform is viewed as valuable (Taylor, 2003). Knowledge of human rights put policemen in a closer relationship with the community, and this makes them capable of preventing and solving crimes through proactive policing. This promotes peaceful complaints and conflicts resolution. It is true to say that the court has put adequate measures to protect citizens from overzealous police officers. The courts have clearly laid down frameworks that define the legal rules for police officers to use their powers (Denning, 2012). The courts have also recommended the review and investigations of police officers who have cases of brutality against members of the public. In small police departments, sergeants’ investigates the complaints filed by civilians against police officers. However, in large police departments, the Internal Affairs Division (IAD) will investigate cases filed by civilians against law enforcers. The reports and reviews are submitted to the Chief of Police who disciplines the incriminated police officers. The Supreme Court’s case involving the Fourth Amendment’s veto on irrational searches fails to clearly differentiate between a routine search for marijuana or stolen goods and a preventive search for anthrax vial or a bomb. In addition to that, the government must have a probable cause and the belief that the intended search would expose evidences of crime before obtaining a wiretap, searching a dwelling or doing a thorough check in a car (Welty, 2012).. These rules and regulations do not make sense since the rationale of conducting the search is to prevent

The Servant Leadership Essay Example for Free

The Servant Leadership Essay What does servant leadership mean to you, and how can you practice servant leadership in your college community?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In my own humble view, servant leadership may be defined as a person who lives in the service of others even as he strives to lead them towards the fulfillment of certain objectives and goals. A servant leader is usually embodied in a person who epitomizes the 10 principles of servant leadership as listed by Larry Spears of Greenleaf Center. These 10 principles are listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, and lastly, building community.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I believe that since I am a gay man living in a homophobic world, I will be able to use and develop the aforementioned skills that I know I possess, in my quest to help the homosexual community. I can help them learn how to gain social and personal acceptance in the world just as I did. We live in a world that claims to be accepting and tolerating of the third sex. With all the various cause oriented groups and gay rights advocate movement that abound, this would certainly seem to ring true. But the truth of the matter is that the world is still homophobic of people that they deem to be different from what is traditionally dictated to be normal. This is why I want to be a servant leader in my college community.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I will make it my personal crusade to insure that the gay and heterosexual communities in my future college will learn how to co-exist in peace through my example. As a servant leader, I will make it my personal duty to listen to the heterosexuals and explain to them about where my fellow gay people are coming from. I will empathize with both parties and make sure that they will listen and understand the reality of a homosexual life and why we are just like any other normal people. These things have to be accomplished in order to heal the wounds caused by decades of sexual ignorance and bigotry. A servant leader must always be self aware and generally aware of his surroundings. It is also my duty to insure that my fellow students and servant leaders are aware of important matters that will be of importance to our organization and community and insure that these are dealt with speedily and accordingly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I plan to serve my college community by using my foresight and skills in conceptualizing and creating relevant activities that will foster camaraderie amongst all the students and faculty on campus. I will insure that everyone participating in the activity will be very keen on helping develop the personal, professional, and spiritual growth of each participant. Such activities can be in the form of fundraisers, sports and music festivals, as well as other activities as suggested by the organization members.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The reality if the situation is that servant leaders, most specially those who begin in their local community college or corporations hold the future of human lives in their hands. As a servant leader, I have the ability to shape the world and affect the lives of the people around me in a highly positive manner.   In a way, a servant leader is in charge of building a community that can co-exist regardless of differing beliefs and perceptions. What is important is that I will be given a chance to lay the groundwork for a strong community composed of cooperative heterosexuals and homosexuals that will serve as the model organization for the others in my college community.

Ebay Culture Essay Example for Free

Ebay Culture Essay What is organizational culture? This indefinable combination of values, beliefs, and practice that a corporation posses, which makes the difference between surviving and thriving, succeeding and failing. Most large corporations typically have a strong culture with values and norms appropriate to the organizational purpose. In a big organization, sub-cultures also exist, division to division, office to office. In this part of this group assignment I will describe the organizational culture of one of the most famous internet companies in the world, which is also the largest marketplace in the internet – EBay. Many articles and books have been written in recent years about culture in organizations, usually referred to as Corporate Culture. The dictionary defines culture as the act of developing intellectual and moral faculties, especially through education. This paper will use a slightly different definition of culture: the moral, social, and behavioral norms of an organization based on the beliefs, attitudes, and priorities of its internal community. Every organization has its own unique culture or value set. The culture of the organization is typically created unconsciously, based on the values of the top management or the founders of an organization. Organizational culture has been defined as â€Å"a pattern of basic assumptions, values, or beliefs and norms of behavior. According to O’Reilly, organizational culture defined as the values shared by members of an organization. These basic values may be thought of as internalized normative beliefs that can guide behavior inside an organization. If organizational culture is developed as an organization learns to deal with the dual problems of both external adaptation and internal integration, then values that enhance the organization’s capability in these two functions should be useful for it. To the extent that members of an organization share the same sets of values, thought processes, and languages, they will have similar mind-sets and behaviors as they integrate their efforts inside the organization and adapt to environmental changes. Research has documented a variety of outcomes that are related to organizational culture. For example, organizational culture has been found to relate to organization growth and organization performance. Other studies have shown that its effect can be observed directly at the individual level, in outcomes such as commitment, resource allocation decisions, retention, and perceived attractiveness of an organization. Given the dramatic changes in both the external environment and the internal structure of worldwide organizations, organizations that emphasize cultural values that relate to external adaptation and internal integration should be more effective than those that do not. The character of any corporation or an organization characterized by set of values and principles by which the founders and the upper management run the company from its creation when it’s really begin to become part of the DNA of the company. I believe that companies form culture very early on and they get imprinted very early on with a sense of right and wrong. And it starts from the top. It started with the CFO, the President, and CEO. According to Whitman, sis he had innate sense that they needed at EBay to establish very early on what the code of behavior was going to be, what the code of ethics would be. EBay’s internal company culture was very dominant and strong. Even though its culture had great influence of its member’s behavior, the culture encourages its members to feel more commitment. Employees were expected to be open and honest, to treat one another with respect, and to speak up if they believed they were not being treated in this manner. EBay functioned as being a nonhierarchical, democratic organization that encouraged ideas and feedback from all employees. The culture at eBay characterized as being open and low risk, where employees were encouraged to express their opinions despite their different points of view. Mistakes were acceptable, but employees were encouraged to truly learn from them. According to Whitman, unlike other companies where different views and opinions from the senior management were barely heard , at EBay they do not have â€Å"punishes† attitude, meaning that there is no penalty for being on the wrong side of an issue or changing your mind in the face of better information. If an employee`s point of view contradict with his/her colleague when you end up convinced to be wrong, the culture is to appreciate your opinion and at the same time to come with the approach of: â€Å"ok? hat’s smart. You’re right. Let’s move on. † In addition, As role models, senior managers had to act with a high degree of professionalism and respect. EBay does not encourage people who scream loud or pound the tables. At EBay, it’s pretty even-keeled culture. Sustaining its culture provide a better understanding of the strength of the culture. As EBay grew , in order to conserve the unique internal culture of the organization, EBay made sure it hires only individuals who fit with the culture of the organization. In order to emphasize the importance of its culture, EBay`s CEO Meg Whitman, met with new candidates and describe eBay’s values and to set expectations for how each employee would support and contribute to the company’s culture. According to EBay founder Pierre Omidyar, experience was not the only quality they were looking in potential applicants, but for someone who really understands the significance of its both internal and external communities and that person should express its most respect to these communities. Moreover, measuring the community and organization very often represents a major challenge in terms of being sure the values and culture of EBay are being communicated correctly. Therefore, on the organizational side, they had to be sure they were hiring quality employees who fit with the culture; they could not afford to let that slip. Even though most well establish cultures resist changes, EBay was able to accept changes within its upper management and the way it works. For example, when Whitman arrived EBay she tried to make some changes because she felt they were needed the way the company goes and in order to adapt to these new changes. An example would be her trying to set up these meetings, but no one had a calendar. According to Whitman, at EBay this was a culture where appointments were not needed because of its small size there were only 35 people at the company. So she laid out a calendar and asked people to sign up for appointments. She did not appreciate the feedback; the employees did not like the changes. What ended up happening was that the employees who had previously worked in big companies signed up for multiple meetings, and the people who had worked primarily in start-ups didn’t sign up at all. Furthermore, EBay`s culture was designed to mirror its external community culture. Very important element of EBay`s culture is a respect for its community. It goes far beyond â€Å"the customer is always right† because eBay wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for its community The meetings helped Whitman realize just how special the chemistry was between eBay’s internal and external communities. EBay’s internal culture mirrored many of the characteristics of its external community culture in tangible ways: they were empowered to develop recommendations, and the company employed a nonhierarchical, team-based approach to problem solving. According to Omidyar this configuration was so important: Internally, EBay had to share the same values as their community because they indirectly influence the community in everything they do. Everything EBay put on the Web site, every press release, every utterance to the press, every corporate action, every deal, every partnership that happens in any part of the organization eventually trickles down to the community. EBay rely on all of its executives and then their managers to continue to communicate the culture. The message should trickle down to the very last employee, so that everyone really understands what we’re about and what our values are. EBay also encourage its employees to call the upper management if we’re doing something that is not quite right. EBay empowered everyone to be a guardian of the culture everyone.

Factors in Organisational Behaviour

Factors in Organisational Behaviour Organizational behavior is the study and application of knowledge of how people and groups of people act in an organization. An organization thrives on the vision set, management philosophies, values and the leadership. The culture of a specific organization determines the type of leadership, communication, group dynamics and human capital. Good leadership is vital for a business to survive in this digital age. Leadership is about coping with change. Leadership is the ability to influence a group of people towards the achievement of set goals. Effective leadership is owed to initiation where a leader is likely to define the structure of his role and those under him, as well as consideration for all by having mutual trust and respect. Communicating in any organization leads to maximum utilization of opportunities and also serves as an eliminator of all threats that can lead to the failure of an organization. A good communication system leads to improved relationships between the players hence a good working environment is created. In an organization where the working environment is available, the personnel comes together in teams to discuss the organizations goals and also team work is applied in the realization of goals. Human capital is the stock of competences, knowledge, habits and personality attributes. The concept of human capital recognizes that not all the workers in an organization are the same. It is the knowledge that the attributes of each person can be used productively in a commercial context. In the place that is the organization, with human capital and communication to direct the organization, self-assessment is imperative.If done properly can benefit an organization a whole lot more. Self-evaluat ion is important to performance appraisal to a company hence very profitable to human capital as well as organization leadership. Self evaluation gives leaders broader perspective. A manager receives better insight into an employee’s performance and their general perceptions and believes regarding a job. Manager’s work closely with their employees but it is not enough to understand all the factors that affect them. Through self assessments, managers get a closer look at factors that affect employees their performance and their motivation. These evaluations help the employees communicate their needs, strengths and weakness to their leaders’ thus increasing efficiency at the work place. Self evaluation promotes communication in regards to performance. A self assessment is a communication tool that leaders use to spark discussion between them and their employees. An employee provides relevant background information in his assessment which serves as an opportunity for their employer to know them better. Effective organizational management requires communication to flow both ways between the leader and the led. Employees are able to bring to light their priorities, challenges faced and general discussions about performance. Self evaluations are also beneficial in helping an organization revise their communication ways from top down to a two way dialogue which if includes in the organizations culture can prove very crucial. Self evaluation aids in solving issues before the review meeting. The assessment enables employees to flag their in perception of their performance before the review meeting is held. The self appraisal enables a manger to be ready for the review meeting thus making it easier to have a fruitful discussion and fair performance ratings. The assessment is really important in the review meeting considering a leader can use to assess the employee by either guiding his perception through, or redirecting his assessment. Engaging employees in the managerial process is crucial as it gives one a sense of belonging and responsibility. The self appraisal is beneficial as it enables participatory management. Good leadership allows participation in major decision making by employees. This active participation is beneficial in engaging both the employee and managers in performance and conclusive review processes and discussions. Diversity means the differences in people(. Some people let diversity get in the way of their relationships in the place of work which in turn affects performance. Successful organizations encourage employees to embrace diversity in the workplace by applying team work in different jobs given to them. Organizations encourage team work as peoples differences can be used to boost the quality of work. As Abraham Lincoln suggest united we stand, divided we fall, it is a good practice to have oneness in an organization. Sometimes diversity is not an easy situation to deal with. Sometimes individuals have enmity or no relationship at all. This is where diversity management comes in. Diversity sometimes leads to prejudice in a working space. Prejudice is blatant negative stereotyping of some people due to their different way of approaching things. Prejudice might be due to personal traits and sometimes social learning (Al-amki 2002). In both cases it can be prevented and curbed not to affect business. Prejudice can be reduced through some basic approaches such as persuasive communication, education contact and therapy According to Farley (2000) persuasive communication is any form of communication written, verbal or visual. As studied in organizational behavior, communication is vital in joining different groups of people in achieving the set organizational goal. Communication therefore becomes fundamental in the reduction of prejudice. Using assertiveness as a way of communicating our needs, wants and desires known to others can be used to reduce or rather eliminate prejudice. Assertiveness is defined as the power we use to make other people aware of our needs, wants and desires (AL-amki2002) Different people express themselves differently hence it’s next to impossible to change people’s level of assertiveness. Communication is used to make sure that two different people with different levels of assertiveness can discuss their opinions and express their points by adjusting their level of assertiveness to meet each others’. For two people who have different views and believes about something, prejudice is likely to crop up. For this to be eliminated one could send out a message with credible sources about the topic in question in an attempt to bring about a change in attitude to the highly prejudiced individuals (Cox Blake 1991). Though communication is crucial in dealing with diversity and prejudice, sometimes it does not work because highly prejudiced people tend to hold onto their belief and do not like them to be challenged. To ensure communication is effective in solving prejudice, ensure your message is clear and easy to understand and that a highly regarded person conveys the message. Prejudice can also be solved through education. Education is beneficial in reducing prejudice when it is not in an advanced stage and if personal disorders are not dominant (Farley, 2000). Farley further suggests that if a person is not prejudiced due to social learning, education can be successful in reducing prejudice. The act of imparting knowledge to an individual is in itself good enough a chance to make people as part of the process of change. One of the best methods of solving the issue of prejudice in an organization is through intergroup contact. Intergroup hypothesis suggests that the contact has to be superficial (Farley 2000). If people have casual contact, they should not expect to end prejudice. For prejudice to end, the people involved should be in contact with each other and therefore in the same environment. The reason why intergroup contact is better than education and communication is because, it is practice, is voluntary and does not involve intermediaries (Cox Bl ake1991). It is more of influencing each other to do the right thing. Therapy is also used in an attempt to reduce prejudice when prejudiced people have personality problems. If it is a personality issue, resolve the issue that led to prejudice and then try talking the person into dealing with one’s insecurities without blaming prejudice. According to Farley, people should stop blaming prejudice for all the problems they face. Organizational behaviour studies the actions of people in an organization in relation to achievement of goals. Self appraisal, as discussed in this write up is beneficial to a company that seeks to grow and have a good human capital that relates well with its leadership. The leadership of an organization must foster good communication to ensure all the personnel participate in the management of the team hence achievement of both personal and organizational goals. The management is also responsible for communicating with its employees to understand diversity hence reducing diversity in the working environment. Stereotyping is a bad vice that can lead to deteriorating working conditions hence reducing efficiency in the place of work. Diversity like all other differences should spark creativity in leaders by allowing them to use the different attributes of every personnel to create a unique organization hence reducing prejudice. In conclusion organizations should embrace self evaluation to improve on appraisal strategies and at the same time reduce prejudice since in this digital era; diverse employees find themselves in the same working place. BIBLIOGRAPHY Al-Lamki S. M. (2002). Orientation: The essential ingredient in cross-cultural management, International Journal of Management, 19, 568. Cox T. H., Blake S (1991). Managing cultural diversity: Implications for organizational competitiveness. Academy of Management Executive, 5, 45-56 Farley S. 2000 Minority studies: reducing prejudice: how achievable? How important? Knippenberg D. V de Dreu C. K. W., Homan A. C. (2004). Work group diversity and group Performance: An integrative model and research agenda. Journal of Applied Psychology,

The United States of Emergency :: September 11 Terrorism Essays

The United States of Emergency We are living in an ongoing crisis, a long-term state of emergency. We are at war all over the world (U.S. government officials tell us that Al-Qaeda operates in or from 60 countries). We have partial martial law within our country, most obviously in airports. Escalation has taken over. Killing has escalated. Fear has escalated. This gives diversity consciousness a new resonance, a new bottom line. It gives people a renewed purpose. Diversity is the key to survival. So the logic is clear: diversity must be escalated. "They don't think like we do," said a U.S. terrorism expert. "I could never imagine myself diving a plane into a building and killing people." The response of some people shows their cognitive/imaginative threshold. Some people were conceptually blocked. "I can't imagine how they could do that," said many people after Sept. 11. When we define some people as deviant, we can't approach them in our usual way, it puts them beyond our reach, or else we would have to admit that their deviance is within our repertoire as well. The more different from our norm someone is, the more we are challenged to bridge the distance. When we live with great overlap and similarity, we don't practice making contact with "the farther reaches of human nature" (the title of a book by Abraham Maslow), our own or someone else's. We talked about outsiders and outcasts in connection with the School shootings of the past few years. When I was teaching "Lord of the Flies" to a high school English class, students were quick to dismiss a character as nuts. They accepted only a narrow band of normal. We write off, avoid, demonize, pathologize, those who seem different. We homogenize our mental/emotional/political environment. We reinforce our norms and convince ourselves we are the most normal AND the most special people in existence. Feminists are terrorists to a male-dominant world order. Someone who is considered deviant is by definition not accessible in the usual mode and is seen as a threat to one's stability and security. "A physician has to enter the consciousness and subjectivity of the patient or he's not a good physician," says Dr. Oliver Sacks. Dr. Jerrold Post, George Washington University psychiatrist, has been giving interviews in which he says the terrorists are not psychotic.

Psychology Book Report :: essays research papers

The Boy who couldn’t stop Washing written by DR. Judith Rapoport, published by Penguin books in 1989, containing 292 pages, deals with obsessive compulsive disorder. Dr. Rapoport is a psychiatrist who specializes in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). In this, book she reveals new drug treatments, new methods in diagnosis and behaviorist therapies. This is done through the study of her patients and their disorders. Rapoport has revealed this secret disease and hopes to bring and understanding about it to all that may suffer from it and to anyone who may want to be informed. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about OCD. It may help those who face this disease everyday of their lives, and make them realize they are not alone. Also will aid in those who do not know much about this disease and give them and understanding and be aware that it surrounds us. There are many interesting quotes and advice given in this book; five statements stood out that I felt are worthwhile. “Most Psychiatrists don’t use the word “crazy'; but that’s exactly how to talk about it with an obsessive-compulsives. Since they are so sane in every other way, you must agree with and understand how upset they are by how crazy it all is'; (pg. 6). This stood out to me and made me realize many things. Many who would look at people with OCD would think they are crazy, but in fact they are as normal in a sense as anyone of us is but they suffer from a problem. We all suffer from some kind of problem but not to this degree, so when people label them as crazy it is wrong as yet they are saner than many of us. “Whether you know it or not you know someone with this disease';(pg. 115) After finishing this book I realized that this is somewhat true. This is a disease that has been kept a secret, and those that suffer from it keep it a hidden. It is embarrassing and those that suffer from this wish not to be identified. It has become a ritual to the person; they feel if they admit that they suffer from this that they will be labeled as “crazy'; when if fact they are not. One of our family members may have it or friends, we never know, and that’s the amazing thing because we might be able to help them but they are not willing to be open about it.

The Importance of Global Marketing Strategy

Nowadays, for many businesses, expanding means going global; it means managing to bring your products or services to more and more target markets around the world. The technology, infrastructure, and communications have developed so much that it is no longer impossible or that difficult to open up to new business markets. However, in order to be successful in this endeavor, you need to have a global marketing strategy. The way you promote your product in the United States will not have the same impact in Australia for example, or in Asia, so you need to come up with a battle plan for each culture. The amazing thing today is that you don’t need to have a very large business or be part of a corporation in order to operate in other countries or continents. All you need is for your product to be valuable, for it to be demanded; or you can create demand for it, and that could be part of your global marketing strategy. The first thing that you need to understand about it is that it definitely is not something standardized; you need to ply your product for the consumers, you need to adapt the product itself, or the way it is promoted. You can, for example, standardize your logo, thus making it recognizable around the world, but things such as packaging, promotions, commercials, and your advertising strategy have to be adjusted to the culture, economy and society they are intended for. Your global marketing strategy is only an aspect of your global strategy, and it has to take into consideration several details, such as research and development, finances, market trends, surveys and so on. First of all, you have to define your goals; think of what you are trying to achieve by going global, about the challenges and difficulties you face with a new market, or the competitors you may or may not have. Every detail of this process is important, because the clearer your objectives are, the easier it will be to find solutions and be successful on the global market. For example, depending on the countries or continents you want to reach, think of what can stay the same and what has to be adapted to that type of society. Perhaps you can keep parts of the packaging, but the way you advertise has to be different; although you’re selling the same product, how you present it can be totally different from country to country. It doesn’t matter if you have to change things drastically for each country; be glad that you have the tools and resources to adapt. The better you promote your product, the bigger the chances of success. Learn everything you can about each target and see what they respond to; that way you’ll be able to adopt an appropriate position and become â€Å"familiar† with your new customers. Today, thanks to the Internet, people know about certain products or services even if they are not currently present in their countries; you can observe whether there is a gap in the market somewhere and go to fill it, knowing that your customers are already lined up. Moreover, you can easily see how people react to similar products, or what marketing strategies function with them. Global marketing strategy is not important just because it brings your company more money and recognition, but also because it can save the company money in those places where advertising or packaging are standardized. The world already tends towards a globalization of spirit, of culture and ideas, and getting globalized products and services is just a natural step. Start working on your global strategy today and see what it can do for your business.

Periyar’s Self Respect Movement

COLLECTIVE ACTION AND COOPERATION ASSIGNMNET PERIYAR’S SELF RESPECT MOVEMENT SUBMITTED TO: Prof. Sony Pellissery SUBMITTED BY: Ashish Chaturvedi (29042) Avinash Dwarapu (29014) INSTITUTE OF RURAL MANAGEMENT ANAND 2008 Self Respect Movement was started by E. V Ramasamy Naicker. He was popularly known as â€Å"Thanthai Periyar†. This movement was intended to provide equal rights to non Brahmin backward castes in Tamil Nadu. All through his life, Periyar fought against Brahmin domination. E. V Ramasamy Naicker was born on 18th November in 1879. He was born in a rich high class family. He was a normal kid in every means. He left school at an early age of twelve and joined his father’s business. He got married to Nagammai at the age of nineteen and started handling his father’s business after his father’s death. Very soon, he became well acquainted with the business. Periyar later entered politics. Periyar entered the public scene with the formation of Madras Presidency Association in 1917. It is in this place that his convictions and ideals were strengthened. He was known for taking ecisions on his own without the influence or pressure from others. At this time he showed some affiliation towards the congress party. He found the ideals of Congress party such as removal of untouchability, prohibition, improvement in the condition of masses similar to his ideology. He joined congress in 1919. He became a staunch follower of Gandhian principles. In 1920 Gandhiji started the non cooperation movement. Periyar closed down his whole sale business for the cause and also in order to fully work for the congress. His commendable work during the Temperance Movement and Khalar Movement and also the Vaikom satyagraha made him very popular. He was given the title of Vaikom Veerar (Vaikom Hero). Slowly Periyar started loosing faith in the principles of congress party, because he felt that some leaders in the party itself were trying to spread differences based upon community. He was also in opposition to Gandhi’s and Nehru’s meaning of freedom. Gandhi’s meaning of freedom had a religious attachment to it, which Periyar never agreed upon. Nehru freedom will be achieved only when we will be free from the clutches of the British. But periyar felt that true freedom means when one is free from all inequalities and everyone is the same in all conditions. This loss of faith in the principles of Congress, forced him to leave congress. Apart from this he was also very disturbed by the inequalities present in the society. He realized that the upper classes (the Brahmins) were the main people who were propagating the inequalities. Incidents such as Kashi yatra and Vaikom were the seeds for Self respect movement. Periyar at the age of 25 went Varanasi because it was believed to be a very holy place. When he went there he noticed that Brahmins were being given better treatment. Periyar being a non Brahmin was not given any food. He was also not allowed to live in the hostel because it was meant for the Brahmins. This experience made him completely against Hinduism. The other event that hurt him more than the previous was that which happened in Vaikom in Kerala. At Vaikom, the lower caste people were not even allowed to walk or pass through the streets where there were temples. These incidents really frustrated Periyar and he decided to start a movement against these social evils that treated people irrationally on the basis of the caste they took birth in. He was completely dejected to be a part of the social structure where one class of people claimed to be superior to others. Periyar belonged to upper class and an economically well-off family so in real terms he was not being affected by the situation. Hence he entered as an external agent in the whole scene to stand with these people and motivate them to raise their voices against the age old exploitations. His extra-rational intentions to start this movement were to completely eradicate untouchability and to establish a united society based on brotherhood and sisterhood. The incidents of exploitation and ill treatment to the backward classes kept on building the frustration amongst the neglected masses but the major incidents like Vaikom episode instigated people to rise against these exploitations. This incident can be looked from the convergence approach where frustration and impulse keeps on building, until a collective action is activated by an incident. This period was actually the time of social unrest because it was the time when the individual action was getting transformed into a collective action. The first Self Respect Conference was organized on 17th and 18th February Chegalpattu, Tamil Nadu where the main agendas related to tackling the situation of inequality were discussed. More than six thousand common people attended this conference basically to gain some insights regarding the social equality, social evils and ways of overcoming the forces of exploitation. Two more conferences took place in 1930 and 1931 with the common aim to make people realize the need for a movement to fight against all odds and demand equality. It was actually after the conference of 1931 that the Self Respect Movement gained momentum and people started realizing that caste differences should never be encouraged. They started to feel that there should be equality in terms of social and economical considerations. The social service rendered by Periyar thus helped in the liberation nd upliftment of the neglected masses and brought them into the mainstream of National Life. Through this movement, Periyar wanted to enlighten the people by uprooting their ignorance. He used public forums to give speeches and instigate people to bring about change in the institutions and values that lead to meaningless divisions and unjust discriminations. He stuck to non-violence methods such as speech and other similar propagandas. He advised people to change according to the requirem ents of the changing times and keep pace with the modern conditions. Periyar was of the opinion that everyone in politics was bound to turn dishonest and betray the cause he is working for. So he tried his best to keep political service and social service separate and kept away from politics completely. The Dravid Kazhagam party to which he belonged was also a social party and not a political one. Later, the political parties DMK and AIDMK were the offshoots of the Dravid Kazhagam party that still carry some similar ideologies of bringing economic and social equality in the society. This movement resulted in the change in the way people thought. Periyar was able to create this awakening among the people who had, for generations, got used to a subordinate position. They started recognising the importance of sending their children to school and demanding equal rights and status. The important results of the movement were self-respect for the backward classes, reduction in the domination by Brahmins, social reform, economic equality to the backward classes, eradication of caste, removal of caste names. There were some other achievements that were not under the agenda of the movement in the beginning but were achieved during the course of this movement like upliftment and equal rights for women and inter-caste marriages. The laudable social progress that has been achieved now in Tamil Nadu can be attributed to the Self-Respect Movement and the tireless propaganda conducted by Periyar over the years. References: 1. Social movements in India- Rao, M. S. A 2. A research paper by Louis Antony (http://snphilosophers2005. tripod. com/louis. pdf) 3. http://www. thanthaiperiyar. org/political-career/self-respect-movement/

Process of Business Research Methods

The steps of basic and applied research are the following: 1. OBSERVATION (Broad Area of Research Interest Identified) – Identification of broad problem area through the process of observing and focusing on the situation. Any area/situation that has got identified for improvement can be classified as a broad problem area. 2. PRELIMINARY DATA GATHERING (Interviewing Literature Survey)- Once the broad problem area has got identified, the same can be narrowed down to specific issues for investigation through preliminary data gathering. . PROBLEM DEFINATION (Research Problem Delineated)- It is clear , precise and succinct statement of the question or issue that is to be investigated with the goal of finding an answer or solution. 4. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK (Variables clearly identified and labeled)- A theoretical framework is a conceptual model of how one theorizes or makes logical sense of the relationships among the several factors that have been identified as important to the pro blem. It is a logically developed, described and elaborated network of associations among the variables( dependent/criterion , independent/predictor, moderating , intervening) deemed relevant to problem definition. 5. GENERATION OF HYPOTHESIS- After identification of important variables and establishing the relationships amongst them, formulating of testable statements (to test the relationships) is called hypothesis development. The null hypothesis states a definitive, exact relationship between two variables. The hypothesis is tested scientifically through appropriate statistical analyses. 6. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH DESIGN – Design of the research in a way that requisite data can be gathered and analyzed to arrive at a solution. Experimental designs need to be done to examine the possible cause and effects on the various variables. 7. DATA COLLECTION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION: For data collection, sources of data (primary or secondary) need to be identified first. If secondary sources, then data is already available for analysis. If primary data is required, sources of data can be focus groups, panels and unobtrusive sources. Next will be the data collection methods, which can be through interviewing, questionnaires, observational studies, projective tests. Various sampling techniques can be used in structuring the samples for example simple random sampling, Stratified random sampling , systematic sampling etc. After the data is gathered, then the data is made ready for analysis by editing, coding, categorizing data and entering data in computer system for further analysis. . Data Analysis – Basic objectives of data analysis is getting the feel of the data, testing the goodness of data for reliability, validity and for hypothesis testing. Once the various statistical tests like t-test, Pearson correlations matrix etc. are done on the data, interpretations are being drawn from the respective tests. Sometimes software like SAS , SPSS are getting used worldwide to do the data analysis. 8. DEDUCTION (Hypothesis substantiated? research questions answered? ) – It is a process of arriving at conclusions by interpreting the meaning of the results of the data analysis. It validates the hypothesis or research questions. 9. REPORT WRITING – After the deduction a detailed report is written with the definite title , table of contents and the various steps with acknowledgements , summary etc. 10. REPORT PRESENTATION:- After the preparation of the report , main summary along with the findings is sometimes required to be presented to some authorized committee. 11. MANAGERIAL DECISION MAKING: After the written and oral presentation, managers required to take decisions based on the reports. Though this particular step is not strictly part of the BRM process , however this step is important to complete the cycle which started with the observation of the problem and the problem getting addressed to by the managerial decision.

Similarities and Conflicts in ” a Streetcar Named Desire”

Summary Stella and Blanche are in the bedroom on an August afternoon. Blanche breaks out in laughter at the untruthfulness of the letter she has just finished writing to Shep Huntleigh, prompting Stella to ask her about the letter’s contents. Blanche gleefully reads the letter aloud. In it, she suggests that she visit Shep in Dallas, and she claims that she and Stella have been amusing themselves with society parties and visits to luxurious country homes. Stella finds no humor in her sister’s stories. Their conversation is interrupted by the sound of Steve and Eunice fighting upstairs. Eunice accuses Steve of infidelity and cries out as he begins to beat her. After a huge noise, Eunice runs out of her flat, yelling that she is going to the police. Stanley, returning home from bowling, asks Stella why Eunice is so distraught. Stella says that Eunice has had a fight with Steve, and she asks whether Eunice is with the police. Stanley replies that he has just seen her at th e bar around the corner, having a drink. Stella responds lightheartedly that alcohol is a â€Å"more practical† cure than the police for Eunice’s woes. Steve comes downstairs nursing a bruise on his forehead, inquires after Eunice’s whereabouts, and grumpily hurries off to the bar. In the Kowalski apartment, Stanley and Blanche have a tense conversation. Blanche makes superficially charming comments to Stanley that subtly insult his lower-class disposition. Stanley is unusually rude to Blanche. He insinuates that he has acquired knowledge of Blanche’s past and asks her if she knows a certain man named Shaw. Blanche falters immediately at the mention of Shaw’s name and answers evasively, replying that there are many Shaws in the world. Stanley goes on to say that the Shaw he met often travels to Blanche’s hometown of Laurel, Mississippi, and that Shaw claims Blanche was often the client of a disreputable hotel. Blanche fiercely denies Stanley’s accusation and insists that Shaw must have confused her with someone else. Stanley says he will check with Shaw the next time he sees him. Eunice and Steve stroll back to their apartment, affectionately wrapped in each other’s arms. Stanley then heads off to the bar, telling Stella to meet him there. Stanley’s remarks leave Blanche horribly shaken, but Stella doesn’t seem to notice. Blanche demands to know what people in town have been saying about her, but Stella has no idea what Blanche is talking about. Blanche confesses that she has behaved badly during the past two years, the period when she was losing Belle Reve. She criticizes herself for not being self-sufficient and describes herself as â€Å"soft,† claiming that she has to rely on Chinese lanterns and light colors to make herself â€Å"shimmer and glow. † She then admits that she no longer has the youth or beauty to glow in the soft light. Offering Blanche a soda, Stella responds that she doesn’t like to hear such depressing talk. Blanche says that she wants a shot of alcohol to put in the Coke. She tries to get it herself, but Stella insists on waiting on her, claiming that she likes to do so because it reminds her of their childhood. Blanche becomes hysterical and promises to leave soon, before Stanley throws her out. Stella calms her for a moment, but when she accidentally spills a little soda on Blanche’s skirt, Blanche lets out a shriek. Blanche tries to laugh off the fact that she is shaking, claiming that she feels nervous about her date that evening with Mitch. She explains that she hasn’t been honest with him about her age and that she feels she lacks the forces of attraction her youthful beauty once provided her. She has not gone to bed with him because she wants Mitch’s respect, but she’s worried he will lose interest in her. She is convinced that she must maintain her act if Mitch is to love her. She wants him very badly and says she needs him as a stabilizing force—and as her ticket away from Elysian Fields. As Stanley comes around the corner, yelling for Stella, Steve, and Eunice, Stella assures Blanche that everything will work out. She gives Blanche a kiss and then runs off to join Stanley at the bar. Eunice and Steve run after her. Sipping her drink, Blanche sits alone in the apartment and waits for Mitch. A young man comes to the door to collect money for the newspaper. Blanche flirts with him, offers him a drink, and launches a seduction. The young man is uncomfortable and nervous. Blanche declares that he looks like an Arabian prince, then kisses him on the lips and sends him on his way, saying, â€Å"I’ve got to be good—and keep my hands off children. A few moments later, Mitch appears with a bunch of roses. Blanche accepts the flowers with much fanfare, while Mitch glows. Analysis Although Stella’s reassurance and comforting of Blanche about her relationship with Mitch is a rare moment of unchecked affection between the two sisters, by not revealing her past Blanche prevents Stella’s full comprehension of the desperate nature of Blanche’s situation. Even without Stanley around to prevent free and open communication, Blanche cannot bring herself to explain her belief that Mitch is her last chance of salvation from ruin. Because Stella does not know the full weight of the baggage Blanche is carrying, she cannot provide the advice and support Blanche needs, and she simply expresses hope that Mitch will bring Blanche the same contentment that Stanley brings her. When she throws herself at the young newspaper boy, Blanche reveals her hypocrisy—she is lustful underneath her genteel, morally upright facade. Blanche condemns Stanley and Stella’s purely sexual relationship, but we see that her urges are every bit as strong as Stella’s, yet much less appropriate. Compared with Blanche’s behavior, Stella’s love life looks healthy and wholesome. Eunice and Steve’s quick reconciliation after their fight also underscores the notion that Stella and Stanley’s violent love is the norm in these parts. Like the sexual attachment between Stella and Stanley, Eunice and Steve’s sexual attachment appears far healthier than Blanche’s, and Blanche’s expectations for love begin to seem unrealistic. As a dramatic device, the scene with the newspaper boy prepares us to learn the truth about the circumstances surrounding Blanche’s departure from Mississippi. She is one of the â€Å"epic fornicators† of her clan, the last in a line of aristocrats who secretly indulged in forbidden acts because they could not find a stable outlet for their desires. When a bumbling Mitch arrives at the apartment for his date with Blanche, he quickly becomes an antidote to Blanche’s strong carnal desires. As the identity Blanche has constructed for herself begins to disintegrate, she begins to lose ground in her battle against Stanley. Stanley’s questioning of Blanche about her acquaintanceship with Shaw is the play’s first direct mention of Blanche’s blemished past. Blanche does a poor job of pretending not to know Shaw. Her claim that she needs to avoid revealing her past to Mitch further supports our suspicions about her truthfulness. Up to this point, Blanche’s jitteriness and her need to hide herself from the outside world have suggested that she also had a past to hide. Now, the emerging facts of Blanche’s past begin to confirm the hypocrisy of her social snobbery. Opposing Backgrounds: When Stanley mentions the Flamingo Hotel, Blanche replies that she would never be seen in it. That sort of establishment is too common, low, and base for a girl of her upbringing. She thinks herself too proper to associate with it. Opposing Backgrounds: Blanche admits to pretending to give the impression of wealth. She tells Stella that she wants Mitch to want her. He thinks that she is proper and refined. She gives the impression that she is, secretly knowing that she is not. She needs to believe that she is in order to keep up her facade. Sexuality: Stanley leaves the house without kissing Stella on purpose. This lack of sexual contact illustrates the power he has over her. By withdrawing his kisses, he is withdrawing himself from Stella, in turn showing her how upset he is without using violence.SexualityBlanche sees the young man collecting money for The Evening Star. She is very attracted to him sexually and tells him so. She seduces him into a kiss and then forces him to leave. She knows she cannot get mixed up with a young boy when she is a grown woman. This sexual desire seems to be a weakness for Blanche. Lies/Honesty: Stanley mentions a man and place from Blanche's past and tests her honesty by asking about him. She tells him that she does not know him and would also never be seen in a hotel like the Flamingo. However, she is nervous and does know the things about which Stanley speaks, which implies that she is lying. Stanley knows the truth and so does Blanche. Lies/Honesty: Blanche tells Stella that she wants to deceive Mitch into wanting her. She wants to affect someone else through a type of deception or lie. This lie will make Blanche feel better about herself. Scene Five of A Streetcar Named Desire begins with a bit of fleeting optimism. Blanche DuBois is writing a letter to a wealthy male acquaintance, hoping to sweet talk her way into some form of financial security. She reads a draft of the letter to her sister, Stella; however, the women are interrupted by violent shouting upstairs. Eunice and Steve Hubbell, the neighbors who live in the apartment above, battle each other — presumably over Steve's infidelity. The noise escalates from loud insults to the sounds of dishes and furniture smashing against the walls. Eunice escapes the apartment, threatening to summon the police. Instead, she races around the corner and goes into a bar. Our brutish yet attractive antagonist, Stanley Kowalski enters the scene. Blanche tries to make small talk about astrology. When she mentions that she is a Virgo (aka â€Å"virgin†), Stanley laughs contemptuously. He claims to have met an old friend of hers, a man named Shaw who used to meet her at an ill-reputed hotel in her hometown of Laurel. Blanche denies the allegation, but since the stage directions indicate her growing sense of fear, readers/audiences will sense that there might be something lascivious about Blanche DuBois and her past. Then, who should return, arm in arm from the local bar: Eunice and Steve. She sobs â€Å"luxuriously† while he is â€Å"cooing love-words. Playwright Tennessee Williams once again demonstrates the abhorrent pattern of domestic abuse followed by an emotional â€Å"make-up† period. Stanley leaves the apartment, expecting Stella to meet him at the Four Deuces bar. He doesn't want to kiss Stella in front of Blanche, once again showing his animosity towards Stella's sister. As soon as Stanley leaves, Blanche asks if Stella has heard any rumors from Laurel. Blanche then goes into an almost confessional monologue in which she admits that she has not been â€Å"good† in the last two years.BLANCHE: When people are soft – soft people have got to court the favor of hard ones, Stella.Have got to be seductive – put on soft colors, the colors of butterfly wings, and glow – make a little – temporary magic just in order to pay for – one night's shelter! That's why I've been – not so awf'ly good lately. I've run for protection, Stella, from under one leaky roof to another leaky roof – because it was storm – all storm, and I was – caught in the center. (Pause. ) People don't see you – men don't – don't even admit your existence unless they are making love to you. In the above monologue, Blanche is trying to confide something upsetting and shameful. For the past two years (perhaps longer) it seems as though Blanche has been offering her body in exchange for temporary security (very temporary, it would seem). However, Stella refuses to pay attention because Blanche's words are too morbid. This exchange between them represents a significant moment; Stella is now beginning to detach emotionally from her sister. Blanche's problems are becoming too complex and disturbing to deal with. Like Blanche who seeks security from men, Stella will soon be siding more and more with her husband in subsequent scenes. Instead of delving into her sister's emotional problems, Stella offers her a coke. Blanche accepts, hoping the drink will contain a shot of alcohol. When the coke spills over the glass, Blanche lets out a manic scream, again revealing her fragile mental state. Blanche explains away the scream by stating that she is just nervous about her date with Mitch that evening. Blanche views the affable, soft-spoken Mitch as one of her last chances at security. Stanley calls from the street, and Stella runs to him after giving her sister a quick kiss and reassuring her that the date will go well. Blanche is alone in the apartment, listening to the sounds of the dysfunctional lovebirds, Eunice and Steve. Then, a young man knocks at the door. He is collecting money for the local newspaper (The Evening Star — in case there are trivia buffs reading this). Blanche flirts with the teen, comparing him to a â€Å"young Prince out of the Arabian Nights. † Then, she kisses the young man. She says, â€Å"Now run along, now, quickly! It would be nice to keep you, but I've got to be good – and keep my hands off children. † How should reader's interpret the above line? It could be viewed as something odd but ultimately harmless. Or, the kiss could indicate that Blanche has made these sexual advances toward younger men before. After all, she never explains why she stopped teaching high school English. This is probably not her first offense, further indicating her mental instability. After the teen leaves, her date arrives. Mitch brings flowers and Blanche gaily accepts them, thus ending Scene Five of A Streetcar Named Desire. Motifs, Themes ; Connotations: Conflict ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is suggested that Eunice is having trouble with Steve, shown through the stage directions ‘Eunice’s voice shouts in terrible wrath’ indicating her rage and anger towards her husband Steve, claiming him to have been unfaithful to her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We find Blanche in conflict with Stanley as he questions her about her acquaintance with Shaw. This is important as it reveals that Stanley is the first person to actually see through Blanche’s facade. The stage directions: ‘Her face expresses a faint shock. ’ reveal the unsettling effect that this has had on her. ?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although not a physical conflict, the difference between the opposing backgrounds of Blanche and Mitch are made obvious when she says: ‘Look who’s coming! Mr. Rosenkavalier! Bow to me first! Now present them! ’ – This clearly shows a difference in status between the two different people. Mitch, comes from a working class background whereas Blanche comes from a well educated family. The different levels of the characters at the point of bowing indicate this hierarchy of status? The conflict between Eunice and Steve is also reflected through this scene, beginning with a fight and ending with their eventual reconciliation. This relationship reveals key points about the society, as it seems to be similar to that of Stella and Stanley’s relationship, where they fight in a loud and possibly violent manner, yet soon seem to return back to normal as ‘Eunice shrieks with laughter and runs down the steps. Steve bounds after her with goat-like screeches and chases her around the corner. † (p. 172) Furthermore, Stella’s calm response to this argument â€Å"she and Steve had a row† shows that this type of situation is quite normal as and even though it seems quite dramatic as Eunice threatens to â€Å"call the police†, the other characters do not interfere and are not concerned or alarmed. This argument also reflects the extremely intense lifestyle in this society, thus depicting the kinds of vibrant, raw and animalistic relationships common in this society. The different reactions towards this argument by Blanche and Stella further reflect their characters, as Blanche seems excited by the situation as she says ‘brightly’ ‘did he kill her? ’, in contrast to Stella’s understatement, revealing how she has accepted and is used to this society. Loneliness and the need for Protection? Blanche writes letters to Shep, her high school sweetheart, in which she embellishes facts about herself in order to create a respectable facade to present to him. There is also a sense in which she is trying to make this illusion real for herself ? Blanche briefly reveals her misdeeds from her ‘last two years or so, after Belle Reve had started to slip’ away from her. She says ‘I never was hard or self-sufficient enough’ and here we being to learn of Blanche’s experiences and sullied reputation, although the pathos created does evoke sympathy for her as we see her (or at least she paints herself) as the victim of a cruel, harsh and unloving world. Although sex is not explicitly mentioned, it is implicitly suggested through her long speech to Stella announcing her reasons for her actions – ‘I’ve run for protection’, ‘It isn’t enough to be soft’ ? Blanche’s desires to ‘have’ Mitch are expressed; although it seems that she desires him more for the protection that he can offer her from the harsh world than out of true love. This is implied in Blanche’s selfish ‘I want to rest! I want to breathe quietly again! Yes – I want Mitch†¦ very badly! Just think! If it happens! I can leave here and not be anyone’s problem†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ – the use of ‘if’ suggests a kind of desperation – as if she is clinging to a fragile hope. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On pg. 169 Williams evokes sympathy for Blanche by portraying her as weak and vulnerable: I’ve run for protection, Stella, from under one leaky roof to another†¦People don’t see you men don’t-don’t even admit your existence unless they are making love to you. And you’ve got to have your existence admitted by someone†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ This not only evokes sympathy for Blanche but also represents women’s dependence on men in the play and the society of the time. Blanche further shows that this dependence is not only for financial security but further for happiness and indeed life itself. Fantasy’s Inability to Overcome Reality .(pg. 165) Blanche: ‘Darling Shep. I am spending the summer on the wing, making flying visits here and there. And who know, perhaps I shall take a sudden notion to swoop down on Dallas! ’ When Blanche is writing her letter to Shep she finds herself telling lies about what she has been up to the past few months. †¦Most of my sister’s friends go north in the summer but some have homes on the Gulf and there has been a continued round of entertainments, teas, cocktails, and luncheons –‘: As the audience we oscillate between finding Blanche’s lies pathetic, after all she is attempting to seduce this Texas oil millionaire into helping her, and feeling sympathy for her as she is unable or unwilling to admit that she can no longer take part in the indulgences of the wealthy, such as ‘spending summer on the wing. ’ Obviously, looking at her surroundings and her dependence on Stella and Stanley she will be doing no such thing. Beyond this tension in Blanche’s character we can see that Shep is another male figure in the play that Blanche is appealing to. Thus, there is the reoccurrence of the idea of female dependence on men for financial (and other) security. Stanley attempts to unsettle Blanche’s by asking about a man named Shaw, indicating that he knows about her shady past and that the illusion of gentility which she has surrounded herself with will soon be challenged by the ugly truths that Stanley has learnt from his contacts. In response, and with a touch of desperation, Blanche tells Stanley that he has been told lies and that she would never be seen in a hotel like ‘The Flamingo’; however, her nervous appearance implies that she is lying. Stanley knows the truth and so does Blanche. Stanley seems to the first character of the play to see through Blanche’s ‘show’ as he slowly acquires information about Blanche’s past from Shaw. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Blanche’s ‘†¦Of course he – he doesn’t know – I mean I haven’t informed him – of my real age! ’ implies that Blanche is sensitive about her appearance. She feels her appearance/beauty is the only thing going for her as she constantly needs reassurance that she maintains a particular ‘young’ appearance. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ‘I want to deceive him enough to make him – want me†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Although her manipulation of Mitch is selfish, there is pathos in Blanche’s implicit admission that she does not believe herself truly worthy of someone to love her. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (pg. 169) the discussion between Blanche and Stella is important relating to this theme, as Blanche suddenly defends herself through her long speech. Men don’t – don’t even admit your existence unless they are making love to you. And you’ve got to have your existence admitted by someone’, here Blanche reveals her emotional need to be recognized and we feel sympathy towards her as women seem to merely be a tool used by men for pleasure, a tool which only ‘exists’ if a man recognizes them. Throughout this speech by Blanche we see her at her most honest and vulnerable; this tragic manner creates sympathy for her and reflects her loneliness and ultimate need for constant comfort from men. Blanche believes that you have to ‘put a – paper lantern over the light’ revealing the idea of pleasant dreams verses reality, as she is covering the light / the truth and reveling her inability to face the truth. Furthermore, throughout this speech she reveals that she is fading and that she is putting up appearances, one again revealing Blanche as an honest character who knows her that she uses her looks for seduction but who is now, again tragically, aware that this power of hers is fading. While we are aware that Blanche did use her sexuality for comfort and that she continues to live this ‘pleasant dream’ and create ‘temporary magic’. the majority of the audience probably do sympathise with Blanche’s idea of trying to add ‘magic’ to the ugly reality and this reveals how Williams possibly appreciates her motives for lying as she is attempting to make the world a better place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The presence of paper particularly at the start of this scene is also related to the theme of inability of pleasant illusions to overcome the ugly reality. The letter that Blanche is writing at the start reflects how paper is used to hide reality and lie. It is similar to the legal documents present at the start of the play concerning Belle Reve, while the legal documents detailing the sale of the Belle Reve estate are true they reveal that Blanche’s pretentions and aristocratic grandeur are all unfounded. Therefore the presence of paper here suggests the deterioration of the upper class since Blanche only appears to be wealthy on paper, thus depicting the decay of the ideals of the upper class and the possible decay of Romance. ? Finally, Blanche’s physical attraction towards the young man enhances the idea of a pleasant dream and temporary magic as she describes him as a ‘Prince out of the Arabian Nights’ which is representative of her constant attempt to Romanticize things by depicting them as more attractive than they really are. This ‘dressing up’ of events and attempts to romanticize them, contrasts to Stella and Stanley’s relationship, which is blunt but pure. The Destructive Nature of Desire/ Sexuality/ Lust ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Blanche seems to be leading Shep on in her letter as she flirts with the idea of swooping down to Dallas to see him, thus emphasizing her lustful and flirtatious nature with men. The idea of swooping here seems almost predatory. ?Blanche’s flirtatious and lustful actions towards the young newspaper man slowly begin to reveal her true sexual desires. This incident reveals that Blanche’s conservative and proper faced covers a lustful nature; ironically, it is Stella’s sexual relationship with Stanley that Blanche condemns; however we learn at this point that she is just the same, perhaps worse than her younger sister and that she is hiding the truth of her past. Here we again see Blanche in the role of wicked temptress and the line ‘I’ve got to keep my hands off young boys’ foreshadows Stanley’s later revelations about the reasons for Blanche’s dismissal from the school in Laurel. Blanche’s attraction to her husband broke her heart, her attraction to other men (especially the soldiers near Belle Reve) destroyed her reputation in Laurel, her attraction to the schoolboy ended her career there and her final partial attraction to Stanley (and in particular) his attraction to her will be what eventually steals her sanity. Beyond this, this incident in the play goes to show the audience that Stella uses younger man as a means to build her own self-esteem and comfort herself as her looks have begun to fade. The scene ends with Mitch’s arrival and Blanche says â€Å"look who’s coming! Bow to me first! Now present them. † The contrast between this behaviour and her obvious lust for the newspaper boy emphasises Blanche’s deceitful nature and the sympathy we feel for Mitch. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although Blanche admits that she ‘want(s) Mitch†¦very badly! ’ (p. 171) it would be a mistake to interpret this as a sign of passion, it is a more a hunger for protection and shelter. Colour   ‘Stanley comes around the corner in his green and scarlet silk bowling shirt’ – the hideous appearance of his shirt colour suggests his gaudy and low status but at the same time its bright vibrancy suggests life, energy and vitality – in contrast to the exhausted and washed out whiteness of Blanche ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Blanche: ‘Right on my pretty white skirt! ’ – The connotations of the colour white suggest purity. However, in this case, we as the audience know that Blanche is not so pure and therefore find this ironic. The fact that her skirt is ultimately unstained merely suggests her ability to hide her past reputation, her lies and her drinking problems. Alcohol/Smoking ? Stanley: ‘Naw. She’s getting’ a drink. ’ – This suggests that the majority of the characters turn to alcohol when times fail with their relationships. This is further emphasized with Blanche’s drinking and later Stanley’s drinking after getting into an argument with Blanche. Alcohol represents a means of escape for nearly all the characters in the play. In Eunice’s case it is from domestic abuse. This type of escape is interestingly accepted when Stella says it is more practical than the police. In the case of Blanche her need to drink further shows her need to escape from her situation and reality in general, having just been questioned by Stanley. ? Blanche: ‘Why, you precious thing, you! Is it just coke? ’ – In this case, it is suggested that Blanche had prior alcoholic problems as she fails to have a drink without having a shot in her soda. Characters: Blanche Dubois Visits her younger sister, Stella, and her husband, Stanley, in New Orleans and stays with them throughout the summer. She is initially seen as a conservative, proper and condescending however, she drinks, smokes and tells lies to those around her. Stella loves her sister, though Stanley dislikes her, possibly because of the challenge she poses to his control of the house and the different value system she represents, which is at odds with his own. Blanche is overly concerned with her appearance, accessories and age and therefore doesn’t want to be seen in direct light. She has a romance with Mitch in this scene and once again the audience sees the precarious state Blanche is in. She fails to have a full grasp of reality and her surroundings. Beyond this, she is unable to admit her actions in the past as shown by her denials to Stanley in the scene. Furthermore, she has strong sexual urges as shown by the encounter with the newspaper boy, but she puts on the airs of a woman who has never known indignity. From this scene above all else we find that Blanche avoids reality, preferring to live in her own imagination reaching into this escape again through drink. Stella Kowalski She is Blanches’ younger sister and the wife of Stanley’s, she moved to New Orleans from Mississippi when she was young and fell in love with Stanley. As the audience, we learn she is pregnant and is eventually torn between her love for her husband and devotion to her sister. Stella continues to be the gullible ‘foil’ to the other two characters as she represents the majority of us torn between the competing values represented by Blanche (the beautiful dreams / lies of aristocratic gentility) and Stanley (the vibrant, thrusting competitive nature of modern Capitalist America. Throughout this scene Stella is further contrasted with Blanche as Blanche constantly attempts to ‘dress’ events up, however Stella seems to accept the society she has chosen to live in, for instance as when the row between Eunice and Steve is occurring she does not interfere or seem disturbed or exited by the situation, unlike Blanche. Stanley Kowalski Stella’s husband, he is strong and good looking. He works in a factory and has had a limited education. He has trouble controlling his rage. However, he is ‘street smart’ and he is the first one to see through Blanche’s superficial appearance. He bowls, drinks and is in love with Stella. Stanley’s insistence on questioning Blanche about a man named Shaw and The Hotel Flamingo shows that he has a personal vendetta to discredit and do away with Blanche. Further Stanley is depicted as a shrewd individual. Although Blanche attempts to subtly insult his lower class position, by brushing off her statements then raising questions as to Blanche’s somewhat murky past Stanley asserts his authority and undermines Blanche’s remarks. Mitch Mitch is a friend of Stanley’s from the factory who in this scene develops a romance with Blanche. For the majority of the play he is the object of sympathy as the audience see him beguiled and manipulated by Blanche. The end of this scene demonstrates how he is clearly being used to undermine Blanche’s character in our eyes as she takes advantage of his good natured gentility. Shep Huntleigh Although unseen throughout the play, Blanche is constantly mentioning him. He is now a Texas millionaire who Blanche used to date in college. Blanche believes that he will save her from the New Orleans trap that she currently lives in. In a sense he represents the dream world that Blanche wants to live and the fact that the audience is aware of the implausibility of him coming to rescue Blanche reveals how we are also aware that Blanche’s dreams of safety and happiness are unachievable. Shaw A friend of Stanley’s who also remains unseen throughout the play. He knows of Blanche’s past and reputation, and tells Stanley much of the information he knows that he uses against her. In contrast to Shep, Shaw represents the intrusion of unwelcome realities / truths into Blanche’s life. In the end he (along with Stanley and Kiefaber) are the ones who tie a tin can to the tail of the kite of Blanche’s dreams. Imagery ; Setting: Scene 5 of A Streetcar Named Desire is mainly set in the Kowalski household. Throughout this scene, we find that Blanche and Stella can hear Eunice and Steve arguing from their apartment above, emphasizing the idea that even the walls seem to be permeable, suggesting lack of privacy, safety, refuge and escape, the very things that Blanche is so desperately in need of. Relation of Part to Whole: This scene is important as we slowly begin to learn of Blanche’s past through the discussion with Stanley and her lustful actions towards the young newspaper man. Furthermore, the fight between Steve and Eunice and their reconciliation represents another example of the numerous instances of domestic abuse followed by forgiveness that we find throughout the play. This reveals the reliance of the women on men as they return despite the abuse. This is accentuated when Blanche’s desire for Mitch is revealed,   when she says ‘I guess I am just feeling nervous about our relations†¦ men lose interest quickly†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ suggesting that she is afraid to lose him as she feels he is her escape from New Orleans and Mississippi. Furthermore, Blanche’s desire for Mitch also reflects her ultimate need for comfort and to have her ‘existence admitted by someone’. Though we feel deeply sympathetic towards Blanche in this scene as she seems to reveal and honest side of herself (p. 69 speech) and further conveys her ideal of creating a better impression of reality through her self created ‘temporary magic’, this pathos is ultimately undermined due to manipulative nature. Finally, this scene additionally develops further the motif of drunkenness as both Eunice and Blanche turn to alcohol as means of escaping from distressing situations. Analysis The quarrel between Eunice and Steve re veals a relationship similar to that between Stanley and Stella. Sexual passion is strong, and there are frequent violent outbursts from the man. But they are quickly over and the couple makes up. Both couples seem happy with this uninhibited state of affairs; there is a raw animal vigor about it that satisfies the man and seems to arouse admiration in the woman. It is a kind of sensual paradise for them. Not for nothing is the area in which they live called the Elysian Fields. The Elysian Fields were the happy land in Greek mythology in which those who have found favor with the gods lived forever. This is in complete contrast to Blanche’s fragility and neuroticism. Each scene reveals more of the real woman behind the facade that she tries so hard to keep up. Her letter to Shep, for example, reveals her as an accomplished liar, although one senses that it is only desperation that drives her to such lengths. The audience is likely to sympathize with her because she has considerable self-awareness about what is happening to her. She reveals this in her confessions to Stella in this scene. She is a highly sensitive, â€Å"soft† woman, ill-suited to survive in a harsh world. If she is not to be destroyed, she must somehow shield herself from reality and keep the illusion going, both for herself and others. It is not an easy task. Blanche's deceptions begin to crumble in this scene, as Stanley reveals his investigations into her background. He comes close to an outright accusation, but chooses to instead make sure that Blanche knows that he knows, and to let her sweat while wondering exactly how much he has been told. Blanche's shadowy past has been foreshadowed since early in the play, but now we begin to see the truth about her background. Blanche is the last member of that long line of aristocrats with â€Å"epic fornications† that led so disastrously to the family's downfall. Stella escaped both the responsibility for the family's estate and the burden of its common sin, while Blanche is truly one of the family. Blanche expresses to Stella her anxiety about her reputation – she does not want to confess, but wants to find out what Stella already knows. And, tellingly, rather than apologizing she rationalizes her behavior. In a moment of self-awareness – of seeing realistically rather than romantically – she admits that she is a soft person, not hard or self-sufficient, but with her waning attractiveness she doesn't know how much longer she can sustain the illusion. Or, in her interesting choice of words, how much longer she â€Å"can turn the trick. † This choice of idiom implies that Blanche is prostituting herself – not literally, most likely, but rather that she is using her body and her charms to buy stability and comfort and association in a cruel world, and she is aware that this is a commodity with its expiration date fast approaching. But this moment of poetic lucidity is followed by a moment of imbalance, as Blanche shows uncomfortably strong emotion for her sister and then cries out as her drink spills. Stella sees for the first time that her sister is perhaps not quite mentally stable, as her emotions ride far out of sync with the content of the exchange. The heightened unreality that will characterize the tone of the second half of the play first begins to show here. Although we do not yet hear the Varsouviana or see the shadows on the wall, the cracked inside of Blanche's mind is beginning to show from her behavior on stage. Blanche blames her nerves on worry about her relationship with Mitch, making clear her intention to win his hand, to turn one last trick with her faded propriety and buy herself ome permanent stability. Her affection for Mitch is real, but her concerns for her personal welfare and security are more real, and they drive her to manipulate Mitch into behaving as she desires. Her intentions are undermined in the last part of the scene, before Mitch arrives, when we see a glimpse of just what it means when Blanche says she â€Å"wasn't so good the last two years or so. † Culture looks more kindly on female nymphomaniacs than male – Blanche does not appear to be a predator as she flirts with the paperboy, so much as sad and pathetic. She is drawn to children, children who are innocent and gay as she imagines herself to be. Trapped emotionally in a fictional past – was her childhood so innocent with the epic fornications of her family, or her youthful love so pure with her â€Å"degenerate† husband? – she grasps at the straws of youth that she sees in the paperboy and countless other youths before him. Analysis Note that as soon as Blanche says that she was born under the sign of the virgin, Stanley chooses this moment to ask her about the man named Shaw. Blanche becomes visibly agitated during the cross-examination. At the end, when Stanley leaves, she is trembling and in need of a drink. This, then, is Blanche's past life beginning to close in upon her. This is also the beginning of Stanley's plan to destroy Blanche, and she feels herself being trapped. Thus in this encounter between Blanche and Stanley, Blanche is seeing her own valued world disintegrate under the force of Stanley's attack. This scene also illustrates Williams' fondness for the use of symbols. The astrological signs, the spilled coke on Blanche's white dress, and the cherry soda that the young man mentions are all used as slightly suggestive symbols. At this point in the drama, the scene with the young boy might seem puzzlingly out of place. It is not until later that we learn Blanche had once married a young boy and had been terribly cruel to him when he most needed her. Therefore, her sexual promiscuity returns to her guilt feelings over her failure to help her young husband. She seeks to relive the past and longs for a young lover to replace the young husband who shot himself. In other words, since she once denied help to her young husband, she now tries to compensate by giving herself to almost anyone.