In many ways the ideas in this dystopian novel are more important than the characters – with the exception of Offred and Moira

In many ways the ideas in this dystopian novel are more important than the characters – with the exception of Offred and Moira. The other characters tend to function as members of groups or as representatives of certain ideological positions. However, as Offred insists, every individual is significant, whatever Gilead decrees, and her narrative weaves in particularities: she continually writes in other voices in sections of dialogue, in embedded stories and in remembered episodes. It is a feature of Atwood's realism, even within a fabricated futuristic world, that she pays dose attention not only to location but to people and relationships. OFFRED Offred, the main protagonist and narrator, is trapped in Gilead as a Handmaid, one of the ‘two-legged wombs' valued only for her potential as a surrogate mother. Denied all her individual rights, she is known only by the patronymic Of-Fred, derived from the name of her current Commander. Most of the time she is isolated and afraid. Virtually imprisoned in the domestic spaces of the home, she is allowed out only with a shopping partner and for Handmaids' official excursions like Prayvaganzas and Salvagings. At the age of thirty-three and potentially still fertile, she is a victim of Gileadean sexist ideology which equates ‘male' with power and sexual potency, and ‘female' with reproduction and submission to the point where individuality is effaced. Offred's narrative, however, does not possess such diagrammatic simplicity, for she resists such reductiveness by a variety of stratagems that allow her to retain a sense of her own individuality and psychological freedom. She refuses to forget her past or her own name when she was a daughter, lover, wife and working mother; she refuses to believe in biological reductionism; and she refuses to give up hope of getting out of her present situation. She knows what she needs to pay attention to: What I need is perspective. The illusion of depth †¦ Otherwise you live in the moment. Which is not where I want to be' (Chapter 24). Offred's greatest psychological resource is her faculty of double vision, for she is a survivor from the past, and it is her power to remember which enables her to survive in the present. It is not only through flashbacks that she reconstructs the past (though these are her most effective escape routes from isolation, loneliness and boredom), but even when she walks down the road she sees everything through a double exposure, with the past superimposed upon the present, or to use her own layered image from Chapter 1, as a ‘palimpsest' where the past gives depth to the present. She has perfected the technique of simultaneously inhabiting two spaces: her Handmaid's space (or lack of it) and the freer, happier spaces of memory. Though she is forbidden to use her own name, she keeps it like a buried treasure, as guarantee of her other identity (‘I keep the knowledge of this name like something hidden, some treasure I'll come back to dig up, one day – Chapter 14). She gives her real name as a love token to Nick, and he in turn uses it as an exchange of faith when he comes for her with the black truck (‘He calls me by my real name. Why should this mean anything?' Chapter 46). Offred does not trust the reader with her real name, however, which is a sign of her wariness in a precarious situation, though there is a fascinating essay by a Canadian critic, Constance Rooke, which argues that it is coded into the text and that Offred's real name is June. What is most attractive about Offred is her lively responsiveness to the world around her. She is sharply observant of physical details in her surroundings, she is curious and likes to explore, and she has a very lyrical response to the Commander's Wife's beautiful garden. She observes its seasonal changes closely, for that garden represents for her all the natural fecundity and beauty that are denied by the regime but which flourish unchecked outside the window. It is also a silent testimonial to her own resistance: ‘There is something subversive about this garden of Serena's, a sense of buried things bursting upwards, wordlessly, into the light' (Chapter 25). Her response to the moonlight is equally imaginative, though noticeably tinged with irony, which is one of her most distinctive characteristics: ‘a wishing moon, a sliver of ancient rock, a goddess, a wink. The moon is a stone and the sky is full of deadly hardware, but A God, how beautiful anyway' (Chapter 17). Offred consistently refuses to be bamboozled by the rhetoric of Gilead, for she believes in the principle of making distinctions between things and in the precise use of words, just as she continues to believe in the value of every individual. Of the men in her life she says: ‘Each one remains unique, there is no way of joining them together. They cannot be exchanged, one for the other. They cannot replace each other' (Chapter 30). It is this sharpness of mind which informs her wittily critical view of her present situation, as in the satisfaction she gets out of teasing the young guard at the gate. ‘I enjoy the power; power of a dog bone, passive but there' (Chapter 4). Her attitude is discreetly subversive but never openly rebellious. She watches for those moments of instability which she calls ‘tiny peepholes' when human responses break through official surfaces. Offred is mischievous, but, more seriously, she yearns for communication and trust between people instead of mutual suspicion and isolation. Ironically enough, her fullest human relationship in Gilead is her ,arrangement' with the Commander. This provides her with a ‘forbidden oasis', for it is in their Scrabble games that Offred is at her liveliest and hermost conventionally feminine. In his study, Offred and the Commander relate to each other by old familiar social and sexual codes, which alleviates the loneliness both feel. It is after her first evening that Offred does something she has never done before in the novel: she laughs out loud, partly at the absurdity of it all, but partly out of a reawakening of her own high spirits. Yet she is too intelligent ever to forget that it is only a game or a replay of the past in parodic form, and her outing to Jezebel's confirms this. For all its glitter, her purple sequined costume, like the evening, is a shabby masquerade, and in the clear light of day she is left sitting with ‘a handful of crumpled stars' in her lap (Chapter 46). Living in a terrorist state, Offred is always alert to the glint of danger, as in her first unexpected encounter with Nick in the dark where fear and sexual risk exert a powerful charge which runs through the novel to its end. Their love represents the forbidden combination of desire and rebellion, and it is through that relationship that Offred manages to find new hope for the future and even to accommodate herself to reduced circumstances in the present, like a pioneer who has given up the Old World and come to the wilderness of a new one: ‘I said, I have made a life for myself, here, of a sort. That must have been what the settlers' wives thought' (Chapter 41). Offred shows through her detailed psychological narrative how she can survive traumas of loss and bereavement and how she manages to elude the constraints of absolute authority. We know little about her physical appearance because the only time she ever mentions it is when she is at her most bizarre, in her red habit with her white winged cap or in her purple sequined costume at Jezebel's. But we know a great deal about her mind and feelings and her sense of wry humour. We also know that she is a highly selfconscious narrator and that she is aware of contradictions and failings within herself She knows that she lacks Moira's flamboyant courage, and she accuses herself of cowardice and unreliability, just as at the end she feels guilty for having betrayed the household who imprisoned her. Yet, despite her own self-doubts, Offred manages to convince us of her integrity. She survives with dignity and she embraces the possibility of her escape with hope. Her narrative remains a witness t o the freedom and resilience of the human spirit. Offred and Moira are the two main examples of feminist positions in the novel (unlike the older women Serena Joy and the Aunts). Yet they are very different from each other, for Offred's resistance always works surreptitiously and through compromise, whereas Moira is more confrontational. Offred represents Atwood's version of a moderate heterosexual feminism in contrast to Moira's separatist feminism. MOIRA Moira, always known by her own name because she never becomes a Handmaid, is strongly individual, although she is also a type of the female rebel. This is a position which can be viewed in two ways, and both of them are illustrated here. From Offred's point of view Moira is the embodiment of female heroism, though from the Gileadean authorities' point of view she is a ‘loose woman', a criminal element, and her story follows the conventional fictional pattern of such rebellious figures: when Offred last sees her she is working as a prostitute in Jezebel's. Even here, Moira manages to express her dissidence, for she remains a declared lesbian and her costume is a deliberate travesty of feminine sexual allure, as Offred notices when she meets her again on her night out with the Commander. Moira's own wryly comic comment on it is, ‘I guess they thought it was me' (Chapter 38). Moira, too, is a survivor of the American permissive society, a trendy college student who wears purple overalls and leaves her unfinished paper on ‘Date Rape' to go for a beer. Much more astute about sexual politics than Offred, she is an activist in the Gay Rights movement, working for a women's collective at the time of the Gilead coup. When she is brought into the Rachel and Leah Centre she is still wearing jeans and declares that the place is a ‘loony bin' (Chapter 13). She cannot be terrorised into even outward conformity-, instead she tries to escape and succeeds on her second attempt. She manages to escape disguised as an Aunt. Always funny and ironic, to the other women at the Centre she represents all that they would like to do but would not dare: ‘Moira was our fantasy. We hugged her to us, she was with us in secret, a giggle; she was lava beneath the crust of daily life. In the light of Moira, the Aunts were less fearsome and more absurd' (Chapter 22). Moira continues to surface in Offred's narrative, bobbing up in memory, until her devastatingly fimny final appearance at Jezebel's. Behind the comedy, however, is the fact that Moira has not managed to escape after all, and as an unregenerate has been consigned to the brothel, where she tells Offred that she has ‘three or four good years' ahead of her, drinkingand smoking as a Jezebel hostess, before she is sent to the Colonies. Our last view of Moira is on that evening: ‘I'd like her to end with something daring and spectacular, some outrage, something that would befit her. But as far as I know that didn't happen' (Chapter 38). Moira is one of the spirited feminist heroines, like Offred's mother and Offred's predecessor in the Commander's house who left the message scrawled in the closet. The sad fact is these women do get sent off to the Colonies or commit suicide, which Offred herself refuses to do. Offred and Moira are both feminist heroines, showing women's energetic resistance to the Gilead system, but there are no winners. Neither compromise nor rebellion wins freedom, though it is likely that Offred is rescued by Nick. However, their value lies in their speaking out against the imposition of silence, challenging tyranny and oppression. Their stories highlight the actions of two individual women whose very different private assertions become exemplary or symbolic. Their voices survive as images of hope and defiance to be vindicated by history. SERENA JOY Serena Joy, the Commander's Wife, is the most powerful female presence in Offred's daily life in Gilead, and as Offred has plenty of opportunity to observe her at close quarters she appears in the narrative as more than just a member of a class in the hierarchy of Gileadean women. As an elderly childless woman she has to agree to the grotesque system of polygamy practised in Gilead and to shelter a Handmaid in her home, but it is plain that she resents this arrangement keenly as a violation of her marriage, and a continual reminder of her own crippled condition and fading feminine charms. The irony of the situation is made clear when Offred remembers Serena Joys past history, first as a child singing star on a gospel television show, and later as a media personality speaking up for ultra-conservative domestic policies and the sanctity of the home. Now, as Offred maliciously remarks, Serena is trapped in the very ideology on which she had based her popularity: ‘She stays in her home, but it doesn't seem to agree with her' (Chapter 8). Serena's present life is a parody of the Virtuous Woman: her only place of power is her own living room, she is estranged from her husband, jealous of her Handmaid, and has nothing to do except knit scarves for soldiers and gossip with her cronies or listen to her young voice on the gramophone. The only space for Serena's self-expression is her garden, and even that she cannot tend without the help of her husband's chauffeur. If flowers are important to Offred, so are they too to Serena, and she often sits alone in her ‘subversive garden', knitting or smoking. To see the world from Serena's perspective is to shift the emphasis of Offred's narrative, for these two women might be seen not as opposites but as doubles. They both want a child, and the attention of them both focuses on the Commander of whom Serena is very possessive: ‘As for my husband, she said, he's just that. My husband. I want that to be perfectly clear. Till death do us part. It's final' (Chapter 3). Offred seldom knows what Serena is thinking, though there are indications of her attitudes and tastes in the jewels and the perfume she wears and in the furnishings of her house: ‘hard lust for quality, soft sentimental cravings' as Offred uncharitably puts it (Chapter 14). There is also evidence of a certain toughness in Serena's cigarette-smoking and her use of slang, not to mention her suggestion that Offred, unknown to the Commander, should sleep with Nick in order to conceive the child she is supposed to produce: ‘She's actually smiling, coquettishly even; there's a hint of her former small-screen mannequin's allure, flickering over her face like momentary static' (Chapter 31). But Serena has her revenges too: she has deliberately withheld from Offred the news of her lost daughter and her photograph which Offred has been longing for. By a curious twist, Serena occupies the role of the wife in a very conventional plot about marital infidelity, as well as in the privileged Gileadean sense. She is one of the points in the triangular relationship which develops between Offred and the Commander: ‘The fact is that I'm his mistress †¦ Sometimes I think she knows' (Chapter 26). Actually, she does not know until she finds the purple costume and the lipstick on her cloak. It is a clich6-like situation, but Serena's own pain of loss goes beyond this conventional pattern: †¦ Behind my back,† she says. â€Å"You could have left me something.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ Offred wonders, ‘Does she love him, after all?' (Chapter 45). Serena is still there in her house, standing anxiously beside the Commander at the end as Offred is led out through the door. Her farewell to Offred is wifely in an old-fashioned sense which has none of the pieties of Gilead: †¦ Bitch,† she says. â€Å"After all he did for you (Chapter 46). THE OTHER COMMANDERS' WIVES These merely exist as a gaggle of gossips in blue, for Offred knows nothing of their lives apart from overhearing snatches of their conversation at Birth Days, Prayvaganzas or social visits, when they make scandalous comments about their Handmaids. Only the Wife of Warren achieves a moment of grotesque individuality when she is seen sitting on the Birth Stool behind Janine, ‘wearing white cotton socks, and bedroom slippers, blue ones made of fuzzy material, like toilet-seat covers' (Chapter 21). There is also one other unfortunate Wife who is hanged at the Salvaging, but Offred does not know what her crime was. Was it murder? Was it adultery? ‘It could always be that. Or attempted escape' (Chapter 42). THE AUNTS Like the Wives, the Marthas, the Econowives and most of the Handmaids, these are presented as members of a class or group, every group representing a different female role within Gilead. With their names derived from preGileadean women's products, the Aunts are the older women who act as female collaborators on the orders of the patriarchy to train and police Handmaids. They are a paramilitary organisation, as is signified by their khaki uniforms and their cattle prods, and, as propagandists of the regime, they tell distorted tales of women's lives in the pre-Gileadean past. The villainesses of the novel, they are responsible for the most gruesome cruelties, like the female Salvagings and the Particicutions, as well as for individual punishments at the Rachel and Leah Centre. Only Aunt Lydia is individuated, and that is by her peculiar viciousness masquerading under a genteel feminine exterior: ‘Aunt Lydia thought she was very good at feeling f6r other people' (Chapter 8). A particularly sadistic tormentor, Aunt Lydia is an awful warning that a women's culture is no guarantee of sisterhood as Offred's mother's generation of feminists had optimistically assumed, but that it is also necessary to take account of some women's pathological inclinations towards violence and vindictiveness. OFGLEN AND OFWARREN Only two of the Handmaids, Ofglen and Ofwarren Ganine), emerge as individuals, one because of her courage and rebelliousness and the other because she is the conventional female victim figure. Both are casualties of the Gileadean system. Ofglen has no past life that Offred knows about, but she does have a secret life as a member of the Mayday resistance movement which she confides to Offred after weeks as her shopping partner. There is nothing exceptional about her appearance except her mechanical quality which Offred notices, ‘as if she's voice- activated, as if she's on little oiled wheels' (Chapter 8). Offred is proved right in her suspicions, for under the disguise of Handmaid, Ofglen is a sturdy resistance fighter. She identifies the alleged rapist as ‘one of ours' and knocks him out before the horrible Particicution begins. She also dies as a fighter, preferring to commit suicide when she sees the black truck coming rather than betray her friends under torture. Offred learns this from her replacement, the ‘new, treacherous Ofglen', who whispers the news to her on their shopping expedition. Janine is a female victim in both her lives: before Gilead when she worked as a waitress and was raped by a gang of thugs, then as a Handmaid. At the Rachel and Leah Centre she is a craven figure on the edge of nervous collapse, and consequently one of Aunt Lydia's pets. Though she has her moment of triumph as the ‘vastly pregnant' Handmaid Ofwarren in Chapter 5, she is also a victim of the system with which she has tried so hard to curry favour. Even at the Birth Day she is neglected as soon as the baby is born and left ‘crying helplessly, burnt-out miserable tears' when her baby is taken away and given to the Wife (Chapter 21). There is no reward for Janine. Her baby is declared an Unbaby and destroyed because it is deformed; Janine becomes a pale shadow overwhelmed with guilt; finally, after the Particicution, when Offred sees her again, she has slipped over into madness. OFFRED'S MOTHER Offred's mother and her life belong to the history of feminism which is being recorded in this novel, for she joined the Women's Liberation Movement of the 1960s and 1970s, campaigning for women's sexual and social freedom. As an older woman she continued to be a political activist, and at the time of the Gileadean take-over she disappeared. Only much later does Offred learn that she has been condemned as an Unwoman and sent to the Colonies. Like Moira, and possessing the same kind of energy, Offred's mother resists classification. In an odd way she even resists being dead, for she makes two startling appearances in the present, both times on film at the Rachel and Leah Centre. On one occasion Offred is shocked to see her as a young woman marching toward her in a pro-abortion march, and later Moira reports seeing her as an old woman working as slave labour in the Colonies. Offred's mother is, however, more than a feminist icon. She haunts her daughter's memory, and gradually Offred comes to understand her mother's independence of mind and to admire her courage. Her mother is evoked in a series of kaleidoscopic images: at a feminist pornographic book burning (Chapter 7), with a bruised face after an abortion riot (Chapter 28), and as an elderly woman proudly defending her position as a single parent to Offred's husband, while accusing her daughter of naivet6 and political irresponsibility. It is her jaunty language which Offred remembers as distinguishing her mother: A man is just a woman's strategy for making other women. Not that your father wasn't a nice guy and all, but he wasn't up to fatherhood. Not that I expected it of him. Just do the job, then you can bugger off, 1 said, I make a decent salary, I can afford daycare. So he went to the coast and sent Christmas cards. He had beautiful blue eyes though. (Chapter 20) An embarrassing but heroic figure, this is the woman whom her daughter misses when it is all too late, though Offred continues her dialogue with her mother in her own mind as a way of keeping her alive: ‘Mother, I think. Wherever you may be. Can you hear me? You wanted a women's culture. Well, now there is one. It isn't what you meant, but it exists. Be thankful for small mercies' (Chapter 21). Finally Offred tries to lay her mother to rest, but without success: ‘I've mourned for her already. But I will do it again, and again' (Chapter 39). Deprived of the freedoms which her mother fought for, Offred learns to admire her mother's courage and to value her memory as a vital link with her own lost identity. Her elegy to her mother underlines the thematic motif of Missing Persons, and particularly lost mothers and daughters, which runs through the novel. MALE CHARACTERS The few male characters in this novel seem little more than functionaries of the patriarchal state or functional to the workings of the plot. Most of them have no names but only group identities like ‘Angels' or ‘Eyes' or ‘the doctor', while Professor Pieixoto is a satirical sketch of a male academic. Only three male characters are given any individuating characteristics. They are Offred's Commander, her lover Nick, and her absent, vanished husband Luke. THE COMMANDER The Commander is the most powerful authority figure in Offred's world. He is a high-ranking government official, and he is head of the household to which Offred is assigned. It is his first name which she takes, though whether as a slave or as a parody of the marriage service is never made clear. Yet he is an ambiguous figure, substantial but shadowy, whose motivations, like his career in Gilead, remain unclear to Offred; even in the ‘Historical Notes' his identity remains uncertain. As a Commander he wears a black uniform and is driven in a prestige car, a Whirlwind. He is an elderly man with ‘straight neatly brushed silver hair' and a moustache and blue eyes. He is slightly stooped and his manner is mild (Chapter 15). As Offred observes him with his gold-rimmed glasses on his nose reading from the Bible before the monthly Ceremony, she thinks he looks ‘like a midwestern bank president', an astute judgement, as he tells her much later that before Gilead he was in market research (Chapter 29). The image he presents is that of male power, isolated and benignly indifferent to domestic matters, which include his Wife and his Handmaid. This is, however, not entirely true, for Offred has seen him earlier on the day of the Ceremony, a figure lurking in the shadows outside her room, who tried to peer at her as she passed: ‘Something has been shown to me, but what is it?' (Chapter 8). It is only after the official Ceremony, performed by the Commander in full dress uniform and with his eyes shut, that Offred has the chance to get to know him a little and his stereotypical male power image begins to break down. It is he who asks her to visit him ‘after hours' in his study, for he is a lonely man who desires friendship and intimacy with his Handmaid and not the serviceable monthly sex for which she has been allocated to him. In his Bluebeard's chamber, what he has to offer is not ‘kinky sex' but Scrabble games and an appearance of ‘normal life', with conversation and books and magazines, all of which he knows are forbidden to Handmaids. On his own private territory the Commander is an old-fashioned gentleman with an attractive sheepish smile, who treats Offred in a genially patronising way and gradually becomes quite fond of her. ‘In fact he is positively daddyish' (Chapter 29). He seems to have the ability to compartmentalise his life (in a w ay that Offred cannot manage) so that he can separate her official role as sexual slave from her unofficial role as his companion. In many ways the Commander's motives and needs remain obscure to Offred, though they do manage to develop an amiable relationship, which from one point of view is bizarre and from another is entirely banal: ‘The fact is that I'm his mistress' (Chapter 26). Yet their relationship is still a game of sexual power politics in which the Commander holds most of the cards, as Offred never allows herself to forget. For all his gallantry, he remains totally trapped in traditional patriarchal assumptions, believing that these are ‘Nature's norm' (Chapter 34) and allow exploitation of women, as his comments and conduct at Jezebel's suggest. Their private sexual encounter there ends in ‘futility and bathos' and is strongly contrasted with Offred's meeting with Nick later that same evening. As she leaves his house for the last time, Offred sees the Commander standing at the living-room door, looking old, worried and helpless. Possibly he is expecting his own downfall, for nobody is invulnerable in Gilead. Offred has her revenge, for the balance of power between them has shifted: ‘Possibly he will be a security risk, now. I am above him, looking down; he is shrinking' (Chapter 46). The academics go to some trouble later to establish the Commander's identity: he may have been ‘Frederick R. Waterford' or ‘B. Frederick Judd'. Waterford, it is revealed, had a background in market research (which seems most likely), while the more sinister Judd was a military strategist who worked for the CIA. Both of them ‘met their ends, probably soon after the events our author describes'. NICK Nick is presented as the central figure of Offred's romantic fantasy, for he is the mysterious dark stranger who is her rescuer through love. He also hasa place in her real world, of course, as the Commander's chauffeur and the Commander's Wife's gardener. He ‘has a French face, lean, whimsical, all planes and angles, with creases around the mouth where he smiles' (Chapter 4) and a general air of irreverence, wearing his cap at a jaunty angle, whistling while he polishes the car, and winking at Offred the first day he sees her. At the household prayers he presses his foot against hers, and she feels a surge of sensual warmth which she dare not acknowledge. In the daytime he is rather a comic figure but at night he is transformed into Offred's romantic lover, the embodiment of sexual desire. This transformation is made all the more piquant because he is always acting under orders, either as the Commander's messenger or as the lover chosen for Offred by the Commander's Wife. From their first unexpected encounter in the dark living room (Chapter 17) theirs is a silent exchange which carries an unmistakable erotic charge. It is Nicles hands which make his declaration: ‘His fingers move, feeling my arm under the night-gown sleeve, as if his hand won't listen to reason. It's so good, to be touched by someone, to be felt so greedily, to feel so greedy (Chapter 17). As a subordinate, Nick, like Offred, has to remain passive until ordered by the Commander's Wife to go to bed with Offred. On that occasion his attitude is not directly described but veiled by Offred's three different versions of that meeting. Certainly she falls in love with him, and in defiance of danger she returns many times to his room across the dark lawn on her own. Towards the end, she tells him that she is pregnant. Nevertheless, her description of their love-making is suggestive rather than explicitly erotic, and Nick tends to remain a mysterious figure. Even at the end when he appears with the Eyes to take her away, Offred really knows so little about him that she almost accuses him of having betrayed her, until he calls her by her real name and begs her to trust him. Ever elusive, he is the only member of the household not there to see her depart. We want to believe that Nick was in love with Offred, and we must assume from the ‘Historical Notes' that he did rescue her and that he was a member of Mayday resistance. However, as a character he is very lightly sketched and it is his function as romantic lover which is most significant. LUKE Luke, Offred's husband, is one of the Missing Persons in this novel. Probably dead before the narrative begins, he haunts Offred's memory until he fades like a ghost as her love affair with Nick develops. He is the one person Offred leaves out when she tells the story of her past life to Nick (Chapter 41), though she is still worrying about him at the end (Chapter 44). He is also the most fragmented character in the text, appearing briefly as a name in Chapter 2, and then gradually taking on an identity as Offred's lover, husband and the father of her child. He is a figure whose life story stopped for Offred at a traumatic point in the past: ‘Stopped dead in time, in mid-air, among the trees back there, in the act of falling' (Chapter 35). Through her reconstruction Luke appears as a late twentieth-century ‘liberated man', full of courage and humour and remembered by Offred entirely in his domestic relations with her. He is an older man who has been married before, so that there is an ironic parallel drawn between him and the Commander. Offred remembers their affair when she goes with the Commander to Jezebel's, for it is the hotel where she and Luke used to go (Chapter 37). She retains the memory of a strong loving partner, and her detailed recollections are of Luke cooking and joking with her mother, of lying in bed with her before their daughter was born, of collecting their daughter from school. We never know what Luke's job was, but Offred recalls his supportive behaviour when she lost her job at the time of the Gileadean take-over and her resentment against him for being a man (Chapter 28). Luke figures insistently in Offred's recurring nightmare of their failed escape attempt, not only in that final image of him lying shot face down in the snow, but also in her recollections of his careful preparations and his coolly courageous attempt to take his family to freedom over the Canadian border. His afterlife in the novel is very much the result of Offred's anxieties about what might have happened to him. Is he dead, or in prison? Did he escape? Will he send her a message and help her to escape back into their old family life? ‘It's this message, which may never arrive, that keeps me alive. I believe in the message' (Chapter 18). It is also her hope of this message which keeps the image of Luke alive. The anxieties we may feel for his fate are projections of Offred's own.

BASF Case

When we speak on BASF’s efforts to restrict stakeholder pressure, the stakeholders, whom we are referring to, are the town’s commission and its populace. The two primary efforts which BASF has made to resist their pressure are: assuaging their fears and subverting their demands.Now, BASF attempted to their assuage fears by claiming no third party waste would be brought to this new waste facility. They also claimed that all waste, whether toxic or non-toxic, would be incinerated and, thus, should pose no threat to the townspeople.Additionally, BASF released two printed volumes which detailed how the waste would be incinerated. And, repeatedly, the company assured the public that building the new plant would create jobs and be perfectly safe for the community. They proclaimed that there would be no harmful effect on the environment now, nor at any time in the future. On the subversion end, BASF used many techniques. They cajoled the county commission into selling the prop erty without requiring appropriate background data and environmental information.Also, they altered their proposal after submitting it to the town council, and the data which they released was highly suspect according to a local professor. They also used high powered lawyers in efforts to push through the land’s sale and to obtain the appropriate environmental certification. This certification would allow the plant’s development to proceed. All of these tactics were a subversion of the local townspeople’s trust and wishes. However, these have been relatively affective measures in resisting stakeholder pressure, and, likely, the plant will be built.

Rip Van Winkle

The characters in Rip Van Winkle and Young Goodman Brown written respectively by Washington Irving and Nathaniel Hawthorne leave their individual communities and return with radically different perspectives (of their current lives) that change their attitudes and way of life in the remaining of their lives. Both stories are set in early American villages, Young Goodman Brown takes place in the 1700’s New England puritan settlement while Rip Van Winkle takes place over 100 years later in an English colony in eastern New York. Both authors were very clever to use different historical context to illustrate cultural aspects of early American societies in order to make the reader aware of how big of a role gender, politics and religion where to the societies. Strange/Supernatural forces challenge and would radically change both characters when they depart from their individual village and head into the forest/mountains and on their perspective, individual journeys. The external scenery that both of the authors provide, has both liberal and figurative meanings that simulate Rip Van Winkle’s and Young Goodman Brown’s experiences. Both characters go into dream-like states and are forced to face problems that would eventually expose their true identities. This shorts stories conclude with transformations in the two characters internal perspectives and external perceptions towards their respective communities and time periods. Young Goodman Brown and Rip Van Winkle illustrate their early American life in a puritan village and New English colony. Overall, one of the most important details in the stories are the relationships these characters have with their wives. In the beginning of Young Goodman Brown, Brown adores his newly wed wife named Faith who he ironically refers to as a blessed angel on Earth. Through out his journey Brown puts his wife in a pedestal of purity despite learning the truth about his brother. Brown’s attitudes starts to change toward Faith during a dream that convinces him of her spiritual demise that is been represented by the symbolic pink ribbons that are falling of the sky. Faiths pink ribbons are a symbol of her virtue, innocence, and purity. The image of the pink ribbons falling from the sky marks the start of the radical transformation of Brown’s feelings towards his wife Faith and his former self towards his society. When Brown returns from his night (dream) in the forest his reaction towards Faith is as if she was a repulsive stranger and is no longer the loving wife he held with high respect and in a pedestal. The story ends with Faith and Brown’s children following Brown’s funeral procession. In the beginning of Rip Van Winkle, Rip is portrayed as lazy husband who would do anything for others except his own husbandly duties. Rip Van Winkle’s wife, Dame Winkle, who is nothing like her husband goes around doing her wifely duties, as a wife and mother, regardless whether her husband Rip meets her needs. Despite been such a likeable person to his friends and neighbors, Winkle makes his wife’s life complicated. Dame Van Winkle is the typical wife that takes care of the obligations she has at home while Rip refuses to be productive around the house. The story emphasis’s how relentlessly Dame nags Rip. However if Rip had assumed his share of household responsibilities perhaps Rip might not have felt an impact. Dame’s life is further complicated by the absence of 20 years of her husband. When Rip returns Dame is dead and he is taken in by his daughter who replaces the maternal role that his wife (dame) had previously occupied. The external scene plays an important role in Rip’s life. The mountains where he goes to hunt are referred to as magical and fairy place, foreshadowing Winkles encounter with the supernatural. In the mountain Rip decides to stay the night ironically this is just where he sleeps for the next 20 years. The branches and the vines that are in Rip’s way on his trip back home are a metaphor for the difficulties that he will soon face back home. The same can be said of the shadowy sinister forest that Brown encounters, this is an indication of the man he will soon become. The dark cloud that Brown sees in the sky is can be a symbol of the dark magic that lies in the center of the forest. Supernatural elements and beings that display mischief in both stories have an important role in both Young and Rip lives. The person Brown meets in the forest displays weird characteristics. This individual is capable of running at abnormal speeds, turns a staff into a snake, and creates a walking stick that allows Brown to transport himself into the center of the forest . This person is later identified to be the devil, is able to change his appearance at will and appears similar to Young Goodman’s grandfather. Brown also observes members of his church, who are witches and wizards, attend a diabolical ceremony. Brown then observes the ceremony being performed by his fellow members. Unlike the evil that Brown experiences, the supernatural things that Rip experiences are nothing of evilness but more of people who enjoy their respective time. While Rip goes up to the mountains with his beloved dog to avoid his wife and hunts for squirrels, he is approached by a group of people who are in a gathering in the mountains, he is invited to join them and he steals a drink which evidently leads to his journey. Brown and Rips life’s are completely altered by the encounters of these supernatural beings and elements during their journeys. Both characters struggle with their identities after becoming lost in their dreams where they were unable to identify reality. Rip discovers that his existence has been erased from the villagers minds after 20 years of absence. Both his nagging wife, Dame, and his loving dog which where his daily aspects of his life are now dead. The new ideas and their patriotism of the villagers are different to Rip’s due to the fact that he had slept through one of America’s greatest moments the American Revolution. Rip goes into a deep confusion when he sees his son, who is now a grown man and who is the precise counterpart of himself, just as he went up the mountain. The appearance of his son makes Rip comprehend the gravity of the situation he is now in. Goodman Brown also experiences something similarly when he is trapped in his world were he discovers the unchristian secrets of his town and even worse his wife’s secrets. He also has confusion on who he is, even the devil with who he meets physically resembles him. Brown is also confused when the devil tells him that he had also had several meetings with Brown’s grandfather and father. Technically, Brown is only away one night but to him it seems along time, at the same time Rip’s 20 years of absence is also one night. Both, Hawthorne and Irving, illustrate American civilization and culture. Natives Americans are represented as evil beings hiding in the forest . While Goodman Brown is walking to the forest he would turn around to see if they weren’t hiding in the trees. When Rip returns back to his village, the villagers tell him that there where rumors that he was carried away by the Indians. References to native Americans demonstrate the mentality of early American towards civilizations that lived ere long before their colonization. In Rip Van Winkle, Irving provides examples of the change of attitudes of colonist before and after the revolutionary war. When Rip wakes up from his 20 year nap he is confronted by the villagers and they ask him what is his â€Å"role†, he makes the mistake of saying he is loyal to England and therefore, he is ac cused of being a spy . Their accusations illustrate the beginning of individual freedom that they now had after winning their Revolution. Hawthorne uses Goodman Brown to proof that the puritans in the village were not really pure. He demonstrates how the puritans would violently pursue people who had other belief systems. For instance, the devil tells Goodman how his past relatives had lashed Quaker women and set fire to an Indian village. To further demonstrate this Brown was giving the ability to witness first hand every sin that his puritan brothers had committed. By the end of both stories the inner self of the characters had undergone a major transformation. The previous role that they had in their earlier communities and lives had also transformed. Brown was aware of the sins of his neighbor, therefore his beliefs about his community had radically changed . His relationship with his wife is no longer a union of love but more of an obligation that he had. The things that the devil had shown Brown had impend him from moving on. After living his life as a cynical person, he dies. Au contraire Rip had become a living legend in his community, somewhat of a war hero, he would always retell his story to other town’s folks in the cavern . He is now free of his wife, who had always been an intrusion in his life. Despite feeling belligerent at the villagers new political stance Rip was now glad he was happy, a free man. Rip’s attitude remains the same but 20 years later he is old enough that a man his age can be taken lightly. Rip’s new perception has change the image of himself, he is now a free husband/hero in the village instead of a lazy husband. As for Brown, the perception he gained, made him more of an open minded person to the sins of the villagers in his community. After his journey through the forest is over he has to live with the burden of the knowledge that not all puritans where pure. Rip Van Winkle The characters in Rip Van Winkle and Young Goodman Brown written respectively by Washington Irving and Nathaniel Hawthorne leave their individual communities and return with radically different perspectives (of their current lives) that change their attitudes and way of life in the remaining of their lives. Both stories are set in early American villages, Young Goodman Brown takes place in the 1700’s New England puritan settlement while Rip Van Winkle takes place over 100 years later in an English colony in eastern New York. Both authors were very clever to use different historical context to illustrate cultural aspects of early American societies in order to make the reader aware of how big of a role gender, politics and religion where to the societies. Strange/Supernatural forces challenge and would radically change both characters when they depart from their individual village and head into the forest/mountains and on their perspective, individual journeys. The external scenery that both of the authors provide, has both liberal and figurative meanings that simulate Rip Van Winkle’s and Young Goodman Brown’s experiences. Both characters go into dream-like states and are forced to face problems that would eventually expose their true identities. This shorts stories conclude with transformations in the two characters internal perspectives and external perceptions towards their respective communities and time periods. Young Goodman Brown and Rip Van Winkle illustrate their early American life in a puritan village and New English colony. Overall, one of the most important details in the stories are the relationships these characters have with their wives. In the beginning of Young Goodman Brown, Brown adores his newly wed wife named Faith who he ironically refers to as a blessed angel on Earth. Through out his journey Brown puts his wife in a pedestal of purity despite learning the truth about his brother. Brown’s attitudes starts to change toward Faith during a dream that convinces him of her spiritual demise that is been represented by the symbolic pink ribbons that are falling of the sky. Faiths pink ribbons are a symbol of her virtue, innocence, and purity. The image of the pink ribbons falling from the sky marks the start of the radical transformation of Brown’s feelings towards his wife Faith and his former self towards his society. When Brown returns from his night (dream) in the forest his reaction towards Faith is as if she was a repulsive stranger and is no longer the loving wife he held with high respect and in a pedestal. The story ends with Faith and Brown’s children following Brown’s funeral procession. In the beginning of Rip Van Winkle, Rip is portrayed as lazy husband who would do anything for others except his own husbandly duties. Rip Van Winkle’s wife, Dame Winkle, who is nothing like her husband goes around doing her wifely duties, as a wife and mother, regardless whether her husband Rip meets her needs. Despite been such a likeable person to his friends and neighbors, Winkle makes his wife’s life complicated. Dame Van Winkle is the typical wife that takes care of the obligations she has at home while Rip refuses to be productive around the house. The story emphasis’s how relentlessly Dame nags Rip. However if Rip had assumed his share of household responsibilities perhaps Rip might not have felt an impact. Dame’s life is further complicated by the absence of 20 years of her husband. When Rip returns Dame is dead and he is taken in by his daughter who replaces the maternal role that his wife (dame) had previously occupied. The external scene plays an important role in Rip’s life. The mountains where he goes to hunt are referred to as magical and fairy place, foreshadowing Winkles encounter with the supernatural. In the mountain Rip decides to stay the night ironically this is just where he sleeps for the next 20 years. The branches and the vines that are in Rip’s way on his trip back home are a metaphor for the difficulties that he will soon face back home. The same can be said of the shadowy sinister forest that Brown encounters, this is an indication of the man he will soon become. The dark cloud that Brown sees in the sky is can be a symbol of the dark magic that lies in the center of the forest. Supernatural elements and beings that display mischief in both stories have an important role in both Young and Rip lives. The person Brown meets in the forest displays weird characteristics. This individual is capable of running at abnormal speeds, turns a staff into a snake, and creates a walking stick that allows Brown to transport himself into the center of the forest . This person is later identified to be the devil, is able to change his appearance at will and appears similar to Young Goodman’s grandfather. Brown also observes members of his church, who are witches and wizards, attend a diabolical ceremony. Brown then observes the ceremony being performed by his fellow members. Unlike the evil that Brown experiences, the supernatural things that Rip experiences are nothing of evilness but more of people who enjoy their respective time. While Rip goes up to the mountains with his beloved dog to avoid his wife and hunts for squirrels, he is approached by a group of people who are in a gathering in the mountains, he is invited to join them and he steals a drink which evidently leads to his journey. Brown and Rips life’s are completely altered by the encounters of these supernatural beings and elements during their journeys. Both characters struggle with their identities after becoming lost in their dreams where they were unable to identify reality. Rip discovers that his existence has been erased from the villagers minds after 20 years of absence. Both his nagging wife, Dame, and his loving dog which where his daily aspects of his life are now dead. The new ideas and their patriotism of the villagers are different to Rip’s due to the fact that he had slept through one of America’s greatest moments the American Revolution. Rip goes into a deep confusion when he sees his son, who is now a grown man and who is the precise counterpart of himself, just as he went up the mountain. The appearance of his son makes Rip comprehend the gravity of the situation he is now in. Goodman Brown also experiences something similarly when he is trapped in his world were he discovers the unchristian secrets of his town and even worse his wife’s secrets. He also has confusion on who he is, even the devil with who he meets physically resembles him. Brown is also confused when the devil tells him that he had also had several meetings with Brown’s grandfather and father. Technically, Brown is only away one night but to him it seems along time, at the same time Rip’s 20 years of absence is also one night. Both, Hawthorne and Irving, illustrate American civilization and culture. Natives Americans are represented as evil beings hiding in the forest . While Goodman Brown is walking to the forest he would turn around to see if they weren’t hiding in the trees. When Rip returns back to his village, the villagers tell him that there where rumors that he was carried away by the Indians. References to native Americans demonstrate the mentality of early American towards civilizations that lived ere long before their colonization. In Rip Van Winkle, Irving provides examples of the change of attitudes of colonist before and after the revolutionary war. When Rip wakes up from his 20 year nap he is confronted by the villagers and they ask him what is his â€Å"role†, he makes the mistake of saying he is loyal to England and therefore, he is ac cused of being a spy . Their accusations illustrate the beginning of individual freedom that they now had after winning their Revolution. Hawthorne uses Goodman Brown to proof that the puritans in the village were not really pure. He demonstrates how the puritans would violently pursue people who had other belief systems. For instance, the devil tells Goodman how his past relatives had lashed Quaker women and set fire to an Indian village. To further demonstrate this Brown was giving the ability to witness first hand every sin that his puritan brothers had committed. By the end of both stories the inner self of the characters had undergone a major transformation. The previous role that they had in their earlier communities and lives had also transformed. Brown was aware of the sins of his neighbor, therefore his beliefs about his community had radically changed . His relationship with his wife is no longer a union of love but more of an obligation that he had. The things that the devil had shown Brown had impend him from moving on. After living his life as a cynical person, he dies. Au contraire Rip had become a living legend in his community, somewhat of a war hero, he would always retell his story to other town’s folks in the cavern . He is now free of his wife, who had always been an intrusion in his life. Despite feeling belligerent at the villagers new political stance Rip was now glad he was happy, a free man. Rip’s attitude remains the same but 20 years later he is old enough that a man his age can be taken lightly. Rip’s new perception has change the image of himself, he is now a free husband/hero in the village instead of a lazy husband. As for Brown, the perception he gained, made him more of an open minded person to the sins of the villagers in his community. After his journey through the forest is over he has to live with the burden of the knowledge that not all puritans where pure.

Marketing Plan for the Launch of a new, electricity powered BMW in to Essay

Marketing Plan for the Launch of a new, electricity powered BMW in to the UK market - Essay Example BMW can be categorised as being the fashion brand. Its future growth strategy has been focused upon achieving greater market share in luxury car market by providing its customers innumerable alternatives (BMW Films, n.d.). It has three brands namely BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce Motor cars. The BMW Group has set its vision upon the premium sector of the international automobile markets. In order to achieve this aim the company is well equipped with the knowledge of deploying its strength along with the efficiency that is unmatched in the automotive industry. The company can be marked as the leader in providing the premium products and services for individual mobility (BMW Group, 2010). This marketing plan has been developed to launch the new i8 car of BMW in the UK. It will deal with the tactics and strategies that are required to launch a product in the UK market. The chosen vehicle is an electric car with zero emission. Therefore, it would be prudent to have a brief understanding on th is product of BMW. It is to be noted that BMW’s i8 has been based upon the Vision EfficientDynamics concept. It’s a plug-in hybrid drive vehicle. It aims at offering high performance and low fuel consumption as well as low CO2 emission. It is worth mentioning that the term ‘i’ refers to sustainable vehicles and mobility solutions (Auto Sr. Reporter, 2011). 2.0 Situation Analysis 2.1 Company Analysis BMW has been a luxury and performance car manufacturer. The revenue of the company had been ?3.468 billion in the year 2008. There has been decline in revenue by ?0.7 billion from 2007. Its target market has been middle to upper class individuals and families and business users. It tries to maintain a competitive edge by relying on the ‘Efficient Dynamics’ strategy. It endeavours to adapt to the latest technology and focuses upon greater sustainability. It is majorly customer focused (Bai & Et. Al., 2009). 2.2 Competitors Analysis The major competi tors of BMW in the UK are AUDI and Mercedes-Benz. However, the market share of BMW had been the highest in three consecutive years, i.e. 2006, 2007 and 2008. In the year 2006 the market share of BMW had been 6.45% while that of AUDI and Mercedes-Benz had been 3.6% and 3.31% respectively. The market share of BMW in the year 2007 had been 6.97% in comparison to 4.2% and 3.39% of Audi and Mercedes-Benz respectively. In the year 2008, there had been a slight decline in the market share of BMW by 0.63 points. It had been registered at 6.34% of BMW and 4.7% and 3.42% of AUDI and Mercedes-Benz respectively (Bai & Et. Al., 2009). It is essential to know about the competitors in order to launch the product. The understanding of the existing competitors can aid while considering the quality of a new product to be launched and will also aid in innovating new ideas that can be implemented in the products and services. Customer responsiveness will help the organisation to establish the needs and wants of the customers and develop the products that can be used to satisfy the needs of the customers (Bai & Et. Al., 2

Keeping staff motivated Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Keeping staff motivated - Essay Example The organization’s management has to understand its staff’s behavior to motivate the employees successfully. Therefore, numerous organizations experience problems when it comes to motivating the staff, as the process can be complicated. An organization with motivated staff will be successful in achieving its objectives. Lack of motivation leads to inefficiency, absenteeism and a stressful work environment, therefore, resulting to an unproductive staff (Stecher and Rosse, 2007). This paper will discuss the problem that organizations face in staff motivation and the different methods that can be employed to ensure that an organization’s employees are motivated to work efficiently and productively. When an organization’s personnel is unmotivated, there are more incidences of absenteeism, wastage of time, inefficiency and low quality work. This can lead to huge losses for the organization. On the other hand, motivated employees are excited about the nature of their work and they will work hard without supervision. They are also able to find new ways of completing tasks or solving problems. Therefore, motivation is important in enhancing creativity among the employees. Staff motivation is crucial at the work place, since the employees are enthusiastic about their work, thus putting in some extra effort in their work. This ensure that quality work is produced, thus enhancing efficiency and increasing the organization’s overall performance. Take the example of the Japanese Automobile Industry where fewer workers are required due to high productivity. Analysts have found out that Japanese workers are highly motivated, therefore, requiring very few employees in the aut omobile industry. Highly motivated employees are more satisfied with their jobs than demotivated ones. Managers have realized that job satisfaction goes hand in hand with high levels of commitment and low employee

Henry Percy Bulmers Background Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Henry Percy Bulmers Background - Case Study Example As the discussion outlines, Percy and Edward Frederick (his elder brother), had engaged in making small amounts of Perry and cider through the use of their neighbor’s stone mill. Percy used this as the foundation for spurring his trade and therefore he started manufacturing larger quantities. In 1887, Percy manufactured 40 casks and as a result, he established a minor commercial premises at Maylord Street. Due to this, his brother decided to abandon his intended teaching career in King’s College situated in Cambridge so as to pool with Percy in running the cider making business. Percy then borrowed a loan of up to  £1,760 from their father thereby using it to relocate the premises to a one acre land spot at Ryelands Street, where they built a small hut with an underground room. During this period, Thomas Kennett was the only external staff and they used the mill wheel to produce cider since the business could not ye afford any steam powered machinery. This therefore m ade work quite hard and tiresome since they were using their hands to rotate the mill wheel. During the year 1889, Percy sent Fred to attend the Royal Agricultural Show which was hosted at the Windsor Great Park. However, during the show, their cider won the second award in every single class that it entered. As a result Percy then sought to travel all-round the country in order to try to sell much of their cider thereby anticipating to gain more customers. However, he realized that the salesmen were only willing to buy products that were being ordered or requested for by the consumers.

Seeking Proposals of Cummins International Case Study - 16

Seeking Proposals of Cummins International - Case Study Example I am looking for hardware equipment, fasteners specifically. The equipment should include; screws, bolts, washers amongst other fasteners. The detailed list is attached alongside this document. Provide a quotation of the fasteners you can supply, the price per piece, the overall price and the rate of price. The company requires that the supplier provides a documentation of the state of their products, indicating that they meet standards of operation. Â  Any bidding supplier is expected to have equipment that meets the ASTM International fasteners standards. The products are also expected to be within the ISO standards for industrial fasteners. The ASTM standards outline that equipment should go through its own testing environment, evaluation of the use of the material in its manufacture, dimensional aspects and certain properties of industrial fasteners in various uses. In the ISO standards, suppliers should meet the requirements outlined in the ISO Standards Handbook. Â  Every bidder will be expected to fill out answers to the following questions, accurately and correctly to ensure they get high consideration for the issuance of the project. The questions are meant to help us understand the suppliers’ background, their professionalism, and experience amongst other necessary details. The questions and answer will also work in great favor for the suppliers in helping them understand the requirements much more clearly. Â  As you bid, please remember to include your managerial team as your point of references for your work. Additionally, provide contact information for previous clients whom you have worked with in the past, or you are continuing to work with, and have been satisfied with your work. Â  Financial records are taken seriously to ensure that the winning bidding suppliers do not face any blocking circumstances.

Detroit and municipal bankruptcy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Detroit and municipal bankruptcy - Research Paper Example This essay seeks to elaborate on why Detroit should pursue bankruptcy. Detroit filling of bankruptcy can follow the city’s current existing population record. According to the census record taken in 2012, Detroit hosts a population of around 700,000 residents. This number stipulates that the city stand among the highest populated cities in the state of Michigan (Rattner 15). The high population implies that the city requires relatively higher resources compared to other cities to sustain the residents within the area. Filling for bankruptcy suffices as a good course because it enables the city to maximize on the available resources from tax exemption policies within the enacted act’s provision. The unemployment rate in Detroit has elevated to significantly alarming records. Since the year 2000, the unemployment rates have changed tremendously. The high unemployment rate is evident around the metropolitan areas where it has risen by over 10% of the national average. Unemployment rate factor is directly inversed to other factors like the homicide rates within the city considering that Detroit has the highest homicide rate and is among the most dangerous cities in the United States of America. The judicial state within the city raises the significance of filing for bankruptcy. In the year 2014, only 8.5% of cases commenced were solved. This number compared to the 30.5% of the cases solved nationwide indicating that the judicial system requires redress. The security system in Detroit also begs for the filling of bankruptcy. In Detroit city, the response to the police calls averages 56 minutes compared to the 11 minutes nationwide. The faulty security and policing system in Detroit are attributive to the lack of resources. The fire trucks and police trucks conditions neglect is evident in that they are old and cannot work efficiently. Nevertheless, just like other

HRM cast study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

HRM cast study - Essay Example One of the aspects that will hinder the successful delivery of Ralph’s strategy is his father’s influence on management of the business. As seen from his management of the company, William always likes his ideas implemented. From the information provided, Ralph fears that his father might object the strategy. Putting into consideration the powerful position he holds, that of the chair to the company, William’s objection of the strategy will be effective on the level of its success. Another area that might hinder the delivery of this strategy is the role of the staff in the formulation of the strategy. A successful strategy should be drawn from the many decisions made by staff members over a period of time (Epstein 2004, p.24). Once compiled, this strategy will reflect the views of the staff. Considering that it is the same staffs that will be expected to implement it, the level of success of such a strategy will be expected to be high should they be involved in strategy formulation. This is not the case, however, with the strategy adopted by Random Alloys. The managing director, without incorporating all staff members, formulated the strategy. As indicated by the members of staff in their remarks in the questionnaires, there is a feeling among staff members that they are not included in any changes made in the company. The staff are only included when the changes are happening. Lack of a clear flow of information within the company can also hinder the level of success of its delivery (Alston & Bryson 2013, p.145). Currently, Random Alloys lacks a defined formula through which information is communicated to members of staff. This leaves staff members looking for information they need from only those they know in the various offices. Lack of clarity on who gathers and provides information within the company will translate to misunderstandings during the implementation of the

Entrepreneurship choose one of two questions to write ) Essay

Entrepreneurship choose one of two questions to write ) - Essay Example They also take risks and engage other individuals in implementing ideas. The individuals who develop such ideas posses appropriate characteristics and behaviours for the development and success of a business. These qualities range from creativity, persistent, risk-taking, influence, time management and leadership qualities. An entrepreneur is responsible for the success of the business and any failures result to business closure or a reduction in profits. Various theories and laws define entrepreneurship in the economic world (Bygrave and Zacharakis, 2010). The resonant alternative entrepreneurship theories explain its various aspects including uniqueness, personality, and creativity. The alternative theories are also useful in explaining various elements that facilitate effective business development. The alternate arguments for entrepreneurship describe entrepreneurs and their involvement in business development. The theories focus on either individual entrepreneurs or recognition of opportunities. Most of the alternative assumptions reflect essential entrepreneurial phenomena such as the entrepreneur, the decision-making process and the nature of business opportunities (Alvarez, 2005). The alternative approach to entrepreneurship is an excellent avenue to establishing various elements regarding innovation and contemporary entrepreneurship. They are further useful in explaining the development of successful entrepreneurship characteristics. The alternative theories explain how the uniqueness of entrepreneurs influences their success in implementing business ideas. The applications and the impact of these theories reflect on the individual characteristics of entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurship alternative theories include the discovery and the creative theories (Bygrave and Zacharakis, 2010). The discovery theory entails discovery, existence and exploitation of opportunities, and individual influence. The theory comprises of three different

Employee Relations Essay Example for Free

Employee Relations Essay In various business organizations, we find that, many employees are neglected and are most often demoralized, not motivated in performing their duties in the particular organisation, thus encouraging a poor employee relations, but in the United Kingdom, many businesses are flourishing, since they have set up an enabled system that tends to come up with factors that makes the firm to get a frequent and significant recognition of its employees, thus enhancing a good employee relations. The factors that are known to be most influential in the shaping of these employee relations in the United Kingdom are as follows: Communication In this case, we find that, most managers come up with a system to re-examine the performance of their employees. This system normally, include a precise communication system that brings an understanding between the employees and the management team, under which, the employees seem to appreciate the principles on which they are assessed thus, encouraging justice and equal opportunities in the organisation. The firms have an established internal coordination system and structure; this is usually a practical cooperation that helps to build stronger relationships among the employees. Thus there is the recognition of each employee’s contributions. In a firm every department has employees with different skills that are required at different roles. Therefore, the managers bring all these skills together, so that the firms objectives are achieved, and therefore, each employee is meant to understand what these objectives are, and how the different skills and functions within the firm are to contribute in achieving the goals of having a better employee relations, therefore they should know why they need to support each others efforts. Motivation The success of an organisation basically, depends on the employees using their full skills and knowledge in their production, therefore, these employees require motivation, and this motivation can be done in different ways and by different things. The employee Motivation in the United Kingdom normally involves, the compensation system which is the activity of giving the employees what they really want most from work, it therefore makes the manager, get his expectations from the employees, this expectations may include; production of quality goods and services. Motivation will enable the employees to have their goals in the organisation achieved; they will have a positive perspective on their position in the organisation. Motivation also creates the influence to change and build employees self-esteem and capacity to work. The managers have the responsibility of motivating workers, when the organizational structure is experiencing changes, and in this case, we find that the manager comes up with a plan that is used to define the environmental factors that brings an atmosphere of integrity, honesty, and confidence to the employees. Under this, the managers’ plan considers the factors that motivate the employees; this involves the determination of the important factors to the employee in his working life, and how they relate to his productivity. He also finds out what motivates the employees in their work, this is a situation where, we find most employees wanting a privileged compensation, an enhanced working environment, and flexible benefits from the amount of work that they do. This is always done by, asking them during the performance assessment, attitude inspection, and is also retrieved from informal discussion on what the employees want most from their jobs. On the other hand, the managers also spot the de-motivating factors of the organisation to the employees; these factors may be physical factors which include buildings or equipment or psychological factors such as monotony, injustice, barriers to promotion and lack of appreciation which normally affects the employee relations in an organisation. Since most workers in the United Kingdom claim to be working for money, and that their extreme benefit is encouragement; under this, money is always regarded to be a low motivator, and that it is only a short time motivator, after a rise is given to the employees salary, so the managers are always aware that benefits given after a particular performance rarely motivate their employees to use their potential effectively, most of the employees say that, the benefits are only used to motivate the new employees in the organisation but not the existing ones. Change Management Poor employee relations is normally said to be a leading factor to a change in an organizations’ performance; therefore most managers have been seen adopting a policy for managing changes within their organizations. In this case, we find that the introduction of this change is always meant to be motivating to the employees, since it is always used as an entry to the firms’ better achievement of its goals. To achieve a positive change in an organisation in the UK, the managers do not tell or instruct the employees, this does not help, but it only creates ignorance to the doubts and expectations of the employees, therefore the management team in an organization carry out discussions, through which the sharing of a particular problem helps in the creation of a better actions in dealing with the issues that are predicted to affect the productivity of the firm, due to the shared ideas and decision making processes derived from the open discussions, the employees are able to realize a change in the organizational performance. Changes in any organisation in the United Kingdom, normally involve learning, where the managers are able to know the learning capabilities of every employee in the organisation. Under this, one finds that his employees are categorized as follows; activists the manager may find that some of his employees like involving themselves in new ideas, problems, or opportunities meaning that, they do not like being impartial, Theorists, this is the category of learners, who are always comfortable with ideas they do not prefer involving themselves deeply without a reason. The other category is that of reflectors; they like taking time to think through things, thus they do not like being forced to move from one thing to another rashly and lastly the pragmatists they normally prefer to be linked between issues and their job description. Therefore, the manager is always in a position to deal with his employees who have different learning preferences and approaches, who may also respond differently to diverse situations affecting the organisation. In this learning process the manager is expected to give feedback, that plays a major role in motivating the employees, thus he should not leave the employees guessing the progress of their accomplishments, therefore, the managers always give adequate and accurate information on the development. Employee Recognition This is another factor that the employers put into consideration for the organisation to improve its employee relations, this is basically a communication instrument, which strengthens and compensates the most significant production that the employees have created for the organisation. The recognition structure is always made simple, instant, and effectively supportive to the employees’ relations and the organisation at large. Under this, the management team ensures that a principle for performance is established, involving the rewardable behaviour of the employees thus all of them are entitled to the recognition by the employer. This recognition supplies the employees with specific information about the behaviour they are being rewarded for. The management therefore, states that any employee who performs at a specified level receives a reward. Basically recognition occurs hand in hand with performance of the employees, thus it reinforces the employees’ encouragement and thus improving the workforce relations. Culture This is another factor that is most influential in the employee relations in an organisation, culture basically means, the environment surrounding an employee at work. In the United Kingdom we find that, culture is meant to shape the relationship of an employee and his work in an organisation. Culture represents an employee’s personality that carries principles, attitude, fundamental interests, knowledge, background, and behaviour that creates a person’s behaviour. Culture is particularly inclined by the organization’s management team due to the roles in decision making and strategic direction they impose in the organisation. We find the managers put in mind that culture is learned, thus employees are capable of learning how to perform, employees value rewards that are not associated with behaviours, since they have different needs, shared rewards from co-workers or have their most important needs met in their departments or project teams.

Effect of Globalisation on Media and Diversity

Effect of Globalisation on Media and Diversity Cahanoo Krishna Globalization encourages the production of culturally diverse media. Discuss. Executive Summary This essay is aimed to seek and to find out whether globalization of the media tends to undermine culturally diversity or does it encourages or benefits it. Existing and present point of view around the relationship/connection between media globalization and diverse cultures are to be examined, considered and evaluated. A study of the diverse purposes performed by global media and surrounded by the perspective of different economies, technological and cultural aspects ( from a cultural perspective ), was done in order to observe to what extent and changes of diverse ways globalization along with media could impact on different cultures. Generally media could influence an essential and active role in upsetting a country’s culture. Whether the globalization of media weakens a country’s national culture or not, it is also to determine by how potential and active a specific country’s national culture is. Amongst the positive side, economic and technological globalization of media do not only refreshes the already existing media strong points, but they also allocate contribution to newer media groups to develop and to mature. At some specific point this essay uses the case of Mauritius and the international facts to demonstrate the cultural homogenization with global media. The national and regional media groups in Mauritius, such as channels from the Mauritius Broadcast Corporation (MBC) like â€Å"Bhojpuri Channel and Sen Creole† develop quickly. Also all the radio stations helps to contribute towards a culture preservance. Thanks to cultural factors, the MBC and Local Radio stations have an edge over foreign competitors and play a very important role in the preservation of our Mauritian cultural identity. (Gov.mu, 2014) Globalization Media in cultural diversity Globalization can be defined as a concrete happening which is caused concurrently by the means of new technologies. It refers to a fast rising and the progress of complex interconnections amongst societies, cultures, organizations globally. The objective of this essay is to consider and to evaluate whether the new circumstances shaped by globalization in the media business imply a risk for the cultural diversity. Most agree that the trend towards becoming international or as one appears to be irreversible, and it is a progression that is inevitable to affect all of us in one way or another. (Sohail, 2014) Globalisation could never occur or exist without the help of media and communication. The media itself performs as a contributor which integrates and connect different cultures nations present around the globe. According to Marshall McLuhan, he describes globalisation as an inter-relations amongst different nations whose purpose is to highlight the ‘electronic media and technology which increasingly integrates the world’, and so those happenings in a certain country can be experienced here and now by other individuals which would make the world more integrated. (McLullan, n.d.) Therefore persons from around the globe are imposed by the cultural colonisation which occur in regards to the actual media and which greatly influences the community and individuals. The combination of diverse cultures from different countries therefore can be integrated, mixed and characterised into different notable forms of media illustration which can practice the media globalisation and mul ticulturalism. (Media Globalisation, n.d.) Through the distribution of the Internet, this has provided the media with additional channel to interrelate itself with the world and is considered to be the most valuable, all-inclusive channels of communication used through the globe. The media globalisation has prominently prolonged the implication of communication throughout numerous media channels such as social networking sites like ‘Twitter, Facebook, blogs and YouTube’ which have developed into a leading platform, populaces from around the world and numerous diverse cultures use these communication networks even though it was at first initiated from the Western community, but still creates positive effects on the less developed countries. (UK Essays, 2014) The media uprising has transformed the whole sphere into a world-wide village. Considering the Satellites TV networks are one of the great tools which contributed to media and the public acknowledge it with love. In Mauritius Satellite TV like ‘Canal Sat, MBC TNT, Orange MYT and DSTV’ are in an increasing reputation and popularity day by day and have taken over traditional forms of entertainment. According to Giandev Moteea, numerous channels form the ‘MCB TNT and Orange MYT’ are bringing up-to-date technical and scientific information at no cost which almost all houses do have them according to statistics. On a simply touch of turning on our television, we can be conscious of the most recent changes around the world instantly. We can watch programmes like the upcoming ‘2014 World Cup, scientific robots at Mars and marvels of engineering in the field of medicine and technology’. This latest verge of technology have delivered us the opportunities to move from a standing stage of lack of knowledge to a modern era of uprising and judgement. Right now we are living in a speedily and constantly changing world, change is around and within us. (Moteea, 2014) The Impact of new technologies According to Teresa M, traditional media as we know will most unlikely continue to have the utmost dominance in the spreading and distribution of cultural ethics. The digitalisation of the media unlocks further angles for the supply of contents which will show a surge in the cultural mixture along the media. However, there is a tendency towards the implantation of pay media which could mean that access to the contents is restricted for a great part of the society, who do not have sufficient resources. This tendency must be counteracted especially by the public ownership media. The convergence and digitalisation of media compromise of new potentials for the increase of cultural diversity, such as the public straight access to subjects, further opportunity for the distribution of subjects and contents. Internet is an exclusively suitable intermediate for the spreading and communication of cultural contents. The Internet can ease the existence in society of cultural associations and oth er groups of similar nature, which will help to develop stimulating cultural accomplishments. (Teresa, 2001) According to So hail Butt, the whole planet has changed and turned into a global community due to the media. The extensive power of media have spread in almost every society and cultural aspects all over the globe. Currently with the development within the field of science and technology, we are internationally interconnected with communication from other countries. The internet has surely brought countries and nations closer, it has functioned to help in the development of the world into global village. (Sohail, 2014) Conclusion The global media mainly the term globalisation concept, permits the different cultures to present a distinct expression to promote and to encourage their awareness and also to provide the general community with proper understanding and awareness of their stories and characteristics. It also permits for the communication of their applicable explanations and observations on diverse issues that are at utmost importance through the preserving of culture and understanding acquirement of the diverse cultural ways, thus this allow them to hold and keep their mixture rather than extinguishing some of the cultures, as others have predicted. (Etec.ctlt.ubc.ca, 2012) The mass media though globalisation contributes in the uplifting and re-establishing of the different cultural preservation of countries. We see that somehow with the help of technology, it can be used to promote and preserve cultural language, customs and the culture itself. Technology like the internet and social networks also al lows for self-representation and conservation of subjective and combined distinctiveness by providing independence and authorisation. Globalisation and the media along with technology have been providing opportunities to redefine shared and combined distinctiveness along with categorising a place for any distinctive cultures present. Globalisation along with the media is here to help the community, governmental and economic systems, combined with a common goal in mind, will no doubt in the present and the future help and enable the evolving authorisation among diverse cultural aspects and peoples throughout the world. Through globalisation and the media, this provide a beneficial impact on person’s, societies or groups advancing to promote and help in the cultural aspects in an international or locally. Globalisation have also complexes the method of education in numerous times over but while doing so, it has help to generate numerous farfetched occasions and opportunities for states and countries to break free with the old-fashioned and traditional ways of cultivating and now work in the direction of producing awareness and understanding in different communities across the globe. Thanks to the media, any individual is perceived as a person who can perform locally but yet reason internationally. To my poin t of view media is encouraged to preserve and maintain the cultural mixture through the assistance of globalisation. (Etec.ctlt.ubc.ca, 2012) References Etec.ctlt.ubc.ca,. (2012). Globalization and its Effect on Cultural Diversity ETEC 510. Retrieved 3 June 2014, from http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Globalization_and_its_Effect_on_Cultural_Diversity Gov.mu,. (2014). Republic of Mauritius. Retrieved 2 June 2014, from http://www.gov.mu/English/Pages/default.aspx Mc Lullan, M. (n.d.). Marshall McLuhan, The Global Village. Livinginternet.com. Retrieved 1 June 2014, from http://www.livinginternet.com/i/ii_mcluhan.htm Media Globalisation. (n.d.). Retrieved 3 June 2014, from http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/9446_010773Ch2.pdf Moteea, G. (2014). Giandev Moteea : â€Å"Television goes digital, Mauritius Post cooperates with ICTA and IBA to carry a study on the state of DTT†. Defimedia.info. Retrieved 3 June 2014, from http://www.defimedia.info/news-sunday/interview/item/26827-giandev-moteea%E2%80%9Ctelevision-goes-digital-mauritius-post-cooperates-with-icta-and-iba-to-carry-a-study-on-the-state-of-dtt%E2%80%9D.html Sohail, M. (2014). Globalization, its impact on mass media. The Nation. Retrieved 2 June 2014, from http://www.nation.com.pk/national/24-Feb-2014/globalization-its-impact-on-mass-media Teresa, M. (2001). GLOBALISATION OF THE MEDIA INDUSTRY AND POSSIBLE THREATS TO CULTURAL DIVERSITY. Retrieved 1 June 2014, from UK Essays,. (2014). Is Media Globalisation A Form Of Cultural Imperialism Media Essay. Ukessays.com. Retrieved 2 June 2014, from http://www.ukessays.com/essays/media/is-media-globalisation-a-form-of-cultural-imperialism-media-essay.php

The Security Issues With Social Networks Media Essay

The Security Issues With Social Networks Media Essay Social networks such as Facebook and twitter are becoming more and more popular among the younger generation. Social networks were designed to keep in touch with friends no matter where in the world they were located. Parents though are worried that their childrens privacy is not protecting on the social network. According to pole results realised most parents think their children share to much information online and that the search engines are not doing enough to protect them. Privacy is the ability to conceal personal information about yourself from other people but if they wish to show their information it is selective. Parents are increasingly worried that their children are under threat by hackers and conmen, parents want far more education and leadership about online privacy, and they clearly want the industry and the federal government to update privacy policies. Criteria B- The IT background of the Issue Social networks are places where you can communicate with others no matter where they are in the world and is also a ways of communication for other purposes such as business. A social network is a social structure that maps out the relationships between individuals. Technically we all belong to one giant social network, but we also belong to smaller, tighter social networks defined by our families, our friends, where we live, where we work, where we went to school, our hobbies and interests and much more. Social networks are helpful as they help us to keep all the people we know in one place and we are able to communicate with theme at any time, imagine if you sat down with a pen and paper, it would be difficult to map out all the people with whom youre connected and all the people with whom theyre connected. Thats why social-networking Web sites are so powerful. Criteria C- Impact of the Issue The main issue of social networks are privacy concerns. Even though social networks were set up for people to keep in contact with friends and family around the world but despite these aspects the sites are dangerous because much information is shown. This causes parents to worry about how much information is put online. Even though most information is put on these networks is voluntary some things are not meant to be public but security issues might occur, a security issue occurs when a hacker gains unauthorized access to a written language. These breeches into personal information are a problem because people might be exposed in inappropriate manners and personal information can be gathered to do be used inappropriately. Also, talking to friends over lunch, the Internet keeps a permanent record of what we say to each other. If you are having an online conversation with your friend(s) then you should be aware that conversation can be seen by countless others and that a record of tha t conversation will be kept somewhere on the Internet. Criterion D- A Solution to a problem arising from the Issue The only solution is for the website to create a way to privatise information to users but at the same time be shown to users that you wish it to be shown. The users theme selves can more carefully approach to what they share and with the growth of social networks, its becoming harder to effectively monitor and protect site users and their activity because the tasks of security programmers becomes increasingly spread out. The growth of users of these sites has grown very rapidly take this as an example, if a prison whose inmate count jumped from  a few dozen to 250 million in less than five years only employed 300 guards (in the case of MySpace). In reaction to the growth of pressure to users most chief networks are now enabling users to set privacy controls for who has the ability to view their information. But increase privacy settings are not always definite privacy. Also Do Not Call methods can be used on social networks but developed in such a way that it becomes Do Not Track Kids like stated in the article. Parents survey says social networks dont protect kids privacy CNN Wire Staff (CNN) Most parents think their children share too much information online and that search engines and social networks arent doing enough to protect privacy, according to poll results released Friday. More than 90 percent of the parents surveyed by Zogby International said they are concerned that their children share too much information online, and 75 percent said they would rate the job social networks are doing to protect online privacy as negative. The results, released by the nonprofit advocacy organization Common Sense Media which commissioned the poll do not mention particular social networks or websites by name. Common Sense Media CEO James Steyer said the need for reform is clear. Parents want far more education and leadership about online privacy, and they clearly want the industry and the federal government to update privacy policies, Steyer said in a statement The organization begins a campaign Monday aimed at protecting kids personal information and reputations online. We need a Do Not Track Kids approach similar to the Do Not Call policies that restrict telemarketers, Steyer said. The results also include a survey of 401 teenagers aged 15 to 18. Common Sense Media said 79 percent of the teens surveyed also think their friends share too much personal information online, and 85 percent of them want search engines and social networking sites to ask for permission before using personal information to market products. The poll results present a clear divide between the industrys view of privacy and the opinion of parents and kids, Steyer said. To conduct the online poll of parents, Zogby International used a sampling of 2,100 adults from its online panel, which the polling firm says is representative of the adult population of the United States. The sampling margin of error is 2.2 percentage points. The sampling margin of error for the online poll of teenagers was 5 percentage points. Criterion E- Bibliography CNN Wire Staff, 2010,Parents survey says social networkes dont protect kidsprivacy http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/social.media/10/08/parents.poll/index.html Wikipedia, Privacy, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy Fast Company, Privacy and security issues in social Networking http://www.fastcompany.com/articles/2008/10/social-networking-security.html Help Net Security, Social networking privacy issues http://www.net-security.org/article.php?id=1331 How stuff works, How social networks work http://communication.howstuffworks.com/how-social-networks-work.htm

Womens Identity in the Early 1900s Essay examples -- Women Studies,

Ibsen wrote this play in 1879. It is a three-act play with prose dialogue. The play takes place in the 19th century in Europe. It is a play about a woman, who struggles to find her own identity. The main point is women need treated as humans and not dolls. Women need to know their place and that they have rights. They also have duties as a wife and mother. As a wife, they need to be trustworthy and as a mother, they need to be role models. As do husbands need to respect their wife and know that, they have their own opinions and titled to them. Women cannot be good wives and role models to their children, if they do not know who they are and what their roles are in life. Ibsen uses the symbolism in his setting to show various aspects of Nora's character and reveal the theme of women's identity in the early 1900's. Symbolism, is used before the play even begins. The title A Doll's House is a symbol of tendencies for characters to play roles. The setting is in Helmers' apartment; the set is set up to furnish the thought it is his home and not hers (obj. 3). Nora returns with a Christmas tree setting the mood for the play (obj. 3). She also brings presents for the children. The presents signify pushing roles onto the children (obj. 3). Helmer proceeds to call Nora his "little lark" and "little squirrel" (pg. 1559). She answers "yes" (pg. 1559) right away leaving the impression that she is inferior compared to Helmer. He treats her in a demeaning way that she tolerates because she really knows no different. This also sets the tone that Helmer is superior over Nora throughout the play (obj. 3). He shows us his superiority over her with the macaroons that he forbids her to have. Yet she has them anyway and hide... ...he image of man; therefore, women have the same capabilities as do men (obj. 1). Every human being in life is equal and needs treated with respect and dignity (obj. 1). Ibsen is aware that women need to know who they are in order to be productive in society. He does a good job of bringing out the overall theme in A Doll's House of women's identity (obj. 2). In the theme, we are able to see his view of women and their need to be independent. Ibsen used symbolism to define the characters and the role of women's identity in society. This is not a typical structure of a home in 19th century, which left the ending causing immense controversies. Ibsen was taking a stand when he wrote this play (obj. 1). In the way, he wrote the play using Nora as the protagonist and Torvald as the antagonist, made this one of the best-constructed plays of the 19th century. Women's Identity in the Early 1900's Essay examples -- Women Studies, Ibsen wrote this play in 1879. It is a three-act play with prose dialogue. The play takes place in the 19th century in Europe. It is a play about a woman, who struggles to find her own identity. The main point is women need treated as humans and not dolls. Women need to know their place and that they have rights. They also have duties as a wife and mother. As a wife, they need to be trustworthy and as a mother, they need to be role models. As do husbands need to respect their wife and know that, they have their own opinions and titled to them. Women cannot be good wives and role models to their children, if they do not know who they are and what their roles are in life. Ibsen uses the symbolism in his setting to show various aspects of Nora's character and reveal the theme of women's identity in the early 1900's. Symbolism, is used before the play even begins. The title A Doll's House is a symbol of tendencies for characters to play roles. The setting is in Helmers' apartment; the set is set up to furnish the thought it is his home and not hers (obj. 3). Nora returns with a Christmas tree setting the mood for the play (obj. 3). She also brings presents for the children. The presents signify pushing roles onto the children (obj. 3). Helmer proceeds to call Nora his "little lark" and "little squirrel" (pg. 1559). She answers "yes" (pg. 1559) right away leaving the impression that she is inferior compared to Helmer. He treats her in a demeaning way that she tolerates because she really knows no different. This also sets the tone that Helmer is superior over Nora throughout the play (obj. 3). He shows us his superiority over her with the macaroons that he forbids her to have. Yet she has them anyway and hide... ...he image of man; therefore, women have the same capabilities as do men (obj. 1). Every human being in life is equal and needs treated with respect and dignity (obj. 1). Ibsen is aware that women need to know who they are in order to be productive in society. He does a good job of bringing out the overall theme in A Doll's House of women's identity (obj. 2). In the theme, we are able to see his view of women and their need to be independent. Ibsen used symbolism to define the characters and the role of women's identity in society. This is not a typical structure of a home in 19th century, which left the ending causing immense controversies. Ibsen was taking a stand when he wrote this play (obj. 1). In the way, he wrote the play using Nora as the protagonist and Torvald as the antagonist, made this one of the best-constructed plays of the 19th century.