Discuss Dickens treatment of the Victorian concept Essay Example for Free

Discuss Dickens treatment of the Victorian concept Essay Discuss Dickens treatment of the Victorian concept of a gentleman in Great Expectations. Great Expectations is a novel about a boy called Pip and is of him growing up. One day a lawyer turns up at his sisters house saying he has great expectations of him. A mysterious benefactor is giving money through the lawyer to Pip. Pip spends this money on what he thinks is becoming gentleman i. e. buying new furniture. However towards the end of the novel, when Pip finds out who his mysterious benefactor really is, he realises what a true gentleman is, a man of great principles and, a person with good manners. The novel is written by a much older Pip looking back at his life and being amazed at some of the mistakes he actually made. In Great Expectations, every character has there own opinion of what a real gentleman should be like. Pip, the main character of the novel; while he is still a teenager thinks that a real gentleman should have a lot of money, wear expensive clothes, know how to read and write and should go to a gentlemans club. Whereas towards the end of the novel, when he is much more grown up, he realises that a true gentleman has good manners and is loyal. Dickens wrote this novel in many sections, which appeared in a newspaper, as the story became so famous the sections were collaborated into a novel. The novel was written in Victorian times, and like many of his novels they were about the times and the attitudes of all people of society. In this novel Dickenss message to the Victorian people was that to be true gentleman one did not have to be of a rich family or have lots of money; but a true gentleman was loyal, treated others with great respect and had immaculate manners. In modern society we all think that a gentleman should treat others with respect, dress smartly, have excellent manners and be well behaved in public. However some people follow the literal meaning of a gentleman, being that the individual comes from a noble / family. In the novel Pip makes friends with Bently Drummel, who is a gentleman by definition of a dictionary, however what Pip realises a true gentleman is, Bently Drummel is not. There are many things about Bently Drummel that convinces the reader that Bently Drummel is not a true gentleman. Firstly for example he beats his wife, which a true gentleman would never do. A true gentleman would treat a lady with respect at all times. Bently Drummel is only a gentleman because he comes from a rich family his ethics are all completely wrong. He does not lens any money to his friends and he treats them as if they are inferior to him due to his riches. We all know that a true gentleman would never mistreat his friends and would always take great care f them. However on could also argue against these accusations, which are against Bently Drummel and say that he is in fact quite a gentleman. But that all depends upon what one defines a gentleman as. If one says that a gentleman is someone who is very arrogant, and loves himself and his riches more than anyone else then you could say that Bently Drummel is a gentleman However I think in modern day society, and what dickens is trying to put across to the reader is that it is not ones position in society; it is not ones riches that make him a gentleman but his humility, his kindness and his love for his neighbours. In the Victorians times, in which the paper is set, the book as we have said was published in small sections in the newspaper and middle and even lower class people would get to read these newspaper one way or another, so Dickenss message is not just to the rich or just to the poor but to the whole society. Another example of gentleman by definition and a true gentleman is of Compeyson and Magwitch Magwitch is not rich nor of noble decent, but has good principles, he is Pips mysterious benefactor who sends him money in order for him to become a gentleman, although it may not seem so due to the events early in the novel but Magwitch is kind and caring, as he makes sure that Pip is well looked after. Having said that Magwitch is an escaped convict yet he earns money via an honest living from which he sends money to Pip. Compeyson was Magwitchs accomplice who ran away with all the money and blamed all the crimes on Magwitch who served the time. Another thing against the Compeyson is that he had very bad principles compared to Magwitch. He conned Miss Havisham into loving him and then and on their wedding day he left Miss Havisham waiting at the altar and ran away with most of her money. This left Miss Havisham devastated she sat I a room with all the clocks stopped at the time of the wedding, she sat their in her wedding gown, very frail obviously because she was not eating well. A true gentleman could never do this to a women and this is highlighted in the way that Magwitch treats women. At the time in which this novel was released in its different sections, Dickens wanted to add enough suspense so that the reader wanted to read the next section and would remember all the previous sections. He added thrill and excitement to the section by introducing a new character relatively in each section, who has there own appearance, is from there own part of society i. e. working class, and who has their own different views and opinions. This is clearly apparent as each character has his own view, for example Estella a beautiful girl, who Pip is deeply in love with tells him that a gentleman dresses smart, has nice shoes and soft hands. IT is clear to see the message that dickens is broadcasting to the people through his novel and is seem to have an effect because it tells all the people the rich and poor that money does not make a gentleman in the eyes of the community so it is better to be happy with what one has and to have good principles and scruples.

The Necessity of Positive and Normative Economics :: essays papers

The Necessity of Positive and Normative Economics Keynes once wrote: â€Å"The object of a positive science is the establishment of uniformities, of a normative science the determination of ideals.† (Blaug, 122) This is the dichotomy that economists recognize when approaching their field of study. The social scientist must recognize both positive and normative distinctions, means and ends, as important factors of fruitful research. Secondly, they must clearly express the conditions and assumption which theories holds in order for economics to be useful for society. Positive science is that which is a fact of nature or a fact by definition. In mathematics this is the difference between the knowledge that the angles of a triangle sum to 180 degrees, and the definition of a triangle as a two dimensional polygon with 3 sides. In economics, such facts of knowledge include that money is a store of value, or facts of definition that the UN’s Human Development Index ranks Canada above Mexico. These are all positive facts. Whether they rely or are associated with values does not reduce their factualness to a normative realm. One cannot refute positive statements by claiming they are arrived at due to values. It is up to normative science to judge the value of the HDI, a positive fact, and not mistake this action as denying the existence of the HDI. This is probably better stated with a topic from macroeconomics. Suppose that some economists agree that inflation produces the social cost of having to adjust prices to new levels. This is a completely positive statement. As long as every term has been clearly defined, one can understand the relation between inflation (as defined) and cost (as defined). Yes, the definitions have been chosen based on specific values, but this does not disaffirm the statement as a true reflection of reality. Suppose we make a true statement which denies that inflation produces this social cost, by defining inflation or the cost differently. The old positive fact of reality that the first statement asserted has not changed. By changing definitions, we have merely created a new positive statement. A statement is a true positive fact, according to Weston, when it â€Å"is consistent with definitions and axioms that define the system. We are not necessarily saying anything about what is true outside of that system.

Too Big To Fail – Andrew Sorkin, Book Review

Too Big to Fail is the book that has most clear explanation event by event about the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression. Even though Too Big to Fail is Andrew Sorkin’s first book, he made it possible to most of readers understand what really happened in 2008 with the failure of Lehman Brothers and the resulting misfortunes. Coming out in less than a year after the disaster, the book covered the whole catastrophic event, thanks to the meticulous research and countless interviews (made by the author) with those involved in the hassle. The title of this book basically covers what is spoken throughout the course of the story; companies that believed to be Too Big to Fail. Sorkin starts writing about the months after the sale of Bearn Stearns that was a global investment bank and securities trading and brokerage sold in 2008 to JP Morgan Chase at the low price of 2$ per share then introducing us to the collapse of the Lehman Brothers and finally leading us to the bailout or how the government officially call it; TARP or Troubled Asset Relief Program, a program that was announced on 9-19-08 by Secy Paulson that basically consisted in a series of grants and outright purchases of illiquid assets that would extricate the problem areas weighing down the economy. In addition, money funds were to be guaranteed. The details that make the history so interesting are the detailed information provided by the book of the behavior, personality and way to make decisions of the main characters. Sorkin focus seems to be almost exclusively on the human failings and human suffering on Wall Street that the fall of Lehman Brothers caused. In the story there are no specific villains but plenty of arrogant, blind and irresponsible decisions taken by some. However there are some people such as Henry Paulson, Timothy Geitner and Ben Bernake that may be considered heroes for their wise way to make decisions on pressure moments. The book would be a handy guide to people who want a clear and concise picture of the series of decisions that led Lehman Brothers directly go to bankrupt and of course the resulting chaos that this situation meant to Wall Street and the rest of the world. The book pleased me personally because it was very realistic in all it was the attitude of each character on the problem itself. I liked how in some cases it became reflected how the main U. S. business leaders were unable to conceal their greed when it came defending their interests.

The Problem With Today s Adolescent Society - 1432 Words

Brennan Carter Mrs. Van Wyk English 10 4 December 2014 Rough Draft The Problem With Today’s Adolescent Society In American society, kids are not exercising nearly enough. The percentage on childhood obesity is slowly rising as the years move on. These kids are learning a very unhealthy lifestyle that if not taken under control, could potentially lead to Type II Diabetes or high cholesterol. Some people believe that the kids’ parents should be leading their children in the right direction but the parents may not have the correct education or understanding for knowing the components of a healthy diet and lifestyle. On the other hand, other believe that childhood obesity comes from fast food and the media offering the consumers a very cheap†¦show more content†¦sometime in the day. The parents of these kids should also prepare healthy meals for their children in order for these kids to eat healthier. Some people believe that parents should be cooking healthy meals for their kids in order for the kids to obtain the correct nutrition needed for these kids. While on the other hand, others believe that fast food is fine because it is much cheaper and much quicker. Children need nutrients the healthy foods contain unlike the fast food and unhealthy ones. Kids need these nutrients if they would like to live an active life and a life without medical problems relating to their weight and health. Eating healthy could reduce your risk of getting Type II Diabetes, which is caused by the pancreas producing an excess amount of insulin. The pancreas can only produce the excess amount for a certain amount of time. The blood levels with glucose levels being unbalanced results in Type II Diabetes. (Facts about Type 2). Type II Diabetes is treated by given an insulin pump installed into the body. A child who lacks these nutrients is being put in a sticky situation because of habits that will be fo rmed by eating these unhealthy foods and leading to medical problems later in their life. Some parents believe that the foods in schools today need to be much healthier as they lack nutritional values needed for these kids, as others