Thursday, December 26, 2019

Analysis Of Ephesians 5 21-33 - 986 Words

When it comes to love and respect and what the bible says about this many look in Ephesians 5:21-33, many significant points can be taken from here to create a happy home environment. There are so many things to consider when being in a marriage with a man or a woman. Whether it is how to love, how to treat one another, and even how to respect each other. In the first three verses, 22 through 24, it talks about how wives are to submit to their husbands. It describes it as the man being the head of the household and that the wife is to submit to him as the church does to Christ. This is very significant to create a happy home environment. If the wife follows the perfect example of how the church submits to Christ and brings that type of mindset to her marriage not only does that doing what the lord asks, but it brings a since of respect for the husband. As we all know from taking the class respect for men is everything in a relationship. By the wife submitting to the husband in every way it gives the husband the respect he needs to make him feel fulfilled. Even when it says for the wives to submit to their husbands this doesn’t mean that you are a slave though as well. Women still have their own will power, but it is more of when it comes to some decisions that even though the wife may not be in agreement, you respect his authority and trust he knows best along with choosing the decision that leads to God. If a wife doesn’t respect her husband many problems will start toShow MoreRelatedThematic Analysis Of The Book Of Acts Essay example1571 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Thematic Analysis Template Student: Copy and paste the down arrow ( ï‚ ¼ ) into boxes to show that a unit of material is continuing. Copy and paste the left arrow ( ï‚ ¹ ) into boxes to show where a unit of material ends. column #1 Paragraphs (Submit in parts 1–3) Column #2 Immediate Context (Submit in Parts 2–3) Column #3 Major Points (Submit in Part 3) Column #4 Major Sections (Submit in Part 3) Column #5 Theme (Submit in Part 3) 1:1–5 Introduction 1:1-26 Before Pentecost Read MoreThe Leader as Mentor: Jesus Christ Essay1366 Words   |  6 PagesPeter alone. The 12 together experienced Jesus teaching the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1ff), they were all given authority over demons (Matthew 10:1ff), they experienced a variety of miracles performed by Jesus, and they enjoyed the intimacy of sharing the last Passover supper with prior to the cross. As a vital part of His ministry, they participated in activities ranging from feeding the 5000 (Matt. 14:13-21), to spreading the message of the kingdom (Matt. 11:1). The Discipleship Methods Up toRead MoreActs: Thematic Analysis Template3164 Words   |  13 PagesThematic Analysis Template |Copy and paste the down arrow ( ( ) into boxes to show that a unit of material is continuing. | |Copy and paste the left arrow ( ( ) into boxes to show where a unit of material ends. | |Paragraphs |Immediate Context |Major Points |Major Sections |Theme | |1:1–5 Read MoreTheology of the Body32011 Words   |  129 PagesBody A Cliff Notes’ Version Introduction A. The Theology of the Body is the term used to describe the teaching of Pope John Paul about the human person and human sexuality given during his Wednesday Catecheses in St. Peter’s Square between September 5, 1979 and November 28, 1984. John Paul II says that these catecheses could be called â€Å"Human Love in the Divine Plan† or â€Å"The Redemption of the Body and the Sacramentality of Marriage.† B. Various scholars, in different language groupings, will generallyRead MoreBible Integration2405 Words   |  10 Pagesbiblical understanding. Still, other concepts by Greenleaf (2006), which establish a biblical foundation for servant leadership, contrast with biblical principles such as who a leader serves primarily and the basis for righteousness. A biblical analysis of Greenleaf’s servant leadership perspective Greenleaf (1996) asks, Do you get the greatest fun of your business life out of seeing people grow, and do you see the assurance of the long-run success of your company in terms of growing great peopleRead MoreEssay on A Christians Worldview1822 Words   |  8 Pagesthe daily events of a person’s life should fit. Reading the Bible is like brushing my hair daily. DOES NOT RELATE TO SUBJECT. 76   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Part Two: Articulate the biblical/Christian Worldview (what is believed) for each of the following 5 questions. Give 2 relevant scripture references (do not write out the verses) to support why it is believed. (300 words) I. 1. The Question of Origin How did life begin? How did mankind come into existence? Exodus 20:11 New King James Version (NKJV)Read MoreSame Sex Marriage (Debate Paper)4727 Words   |  19 PagesPREMISES 1. It leads to moral degradation. 2. It will increase cases of sexually transmitted diseases. 3. It destroys the true essence of family. 4. It creates gender confusion among children. 5. It is immoral. INTRODUCTION Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same  biological sex  or  gender identity. Same-sex marriage is one of the most controversial yet sensitive topicsRead MoreGambling a Bad Bet5057 Words   |  21 Pagesthe money back into the machine.† Scripture warns, â€Å"Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathered by labour shall increase† (Proverbs 13:11). Furthermore, â€Å"Treasures of wickedness profit nothing† (Proverbs 10:2). 3. In the final analysis, gambling is no better than robbery and fraud. It offers a set of false hopes to people with certain predispositions and is known to especially prey on those who can least afford to lose but who ultimately do just that. In that sense its end resultRead MoreJesus Christ And The Coming Of The Spirit Essay5984 Words   |  24 Pagesletter to the Galatians (5:22-23, NASB), â€Å" But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness , gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.† These fruits are the centrally focused traits of Christ that are the tangible empowering traits of the expression of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian. The fruit manifested within the Spirit’s â€Å"regenerating work† is established through faithfulness in God (Ephesians 2:8). The Old Testament

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

The Impact Of Nutrition Information On Advertisement Of...

The impacts of nutrition information on advertisement of fast food chains The fast food industry in the U.S. has rapidly expanded in the past few decades (Hwang, 2013). In 2014, the industry has created a 3% current value growth, indicating its robust and continued ability in the U.S. market overall (Euromonitor, 2015). This strong increase has largely changed Americans’ lifestyle and eating habits; the amount of money they spend on fast food is more than that on education, readings and videos (Schlosser, 1998). Moreover, the fast food chains spent almost $500 million on cross-promotion events with additional $300 million spent on premiums distribution in 2009 (Bernhardt, Wilking, Gilbert-Diamond, Emond, Sargent, 2015). Indeed, by spending around $10 billion on food related ads every year, the food industry becomes the second largest advertiser in America (Bernhardt, Wilking, Gilbert-Diamond, Emond, Sargent, 2015). According to a report from Fast Food Facts, the whole fast food industry spent $4.6 billion on all kinds of advertising in 2012, among which advertising spending of McDonald’s was the most. Looking into the way how fast food chain advertisements are considered to be capable in influencing people’s eating habits and food preferences (Bernhardt, Wilking, Gilbert-Diamond, Emond, Sargent, 2015), it has been attributed to the obesity of Americans (Mink, 2006). The total sales of fast food in America was 4% in 1953 while the number of 1997 sharply increasedShow MoreRelatedMcdonalds Ethical Issues1125 Words   |  5 Pagesethical criticism of the fast food giant, McDonald, in Europe. By referring to the case, the organizational ethical issues which are filled around McDonald consist of food health, ill-treatment of animals, exploitation of children, and destruction of rainforests. Besides, anti-globalization, anti-American, anti-McDonald’s activism, and Europe governments had also been the concerns and ethical challenges for the fast food giant. First of all, we will touch the field of food health. In this situationRead MoreMcdonalds Ethical Issues1140 Words   |  5 Pagesethical criticism of the fast food giant, McDonald, in Europe. By referring to the case, the organizational ethical issues which are filled around McDonald consist of food health, ill-treatment of animals, exploitation of children, and destruction of rainforests. Besides, anti-globalization, anti-American, anti-McDonald’s activism, and Europe governments had also been the concerns and ethical challenges for the fast food giant. First of all, we will touch the field of food health. In this situationRead MoreMcDonald, unethical marketing?821 Words   |  4 PagesMcDonald is the largest leading multinational fast food restaurant with more than 33000 food chains worldwide in 119 countries, serving 68 millions of customers daily. Despite McDonald’s prevalent brand name under globalization, many of its marketing strategies are come into question in terms of ethnicity. In the following essay, some of those unethical issues of McDonald being criticized will be analyzed based on the values-oriented framework, which refers to the AMA Statement ofRead MoreCorporate Responsibility Stakeholder Perspective Essay1236 Words   |  5 PagesCorporate Responsibility (2) Stakeholder perspective Obesity and fast food Use the stakeholder analysis to look at the impact of fast food (eg MacDonald’s) on each stakeholder group. Should the sale/marketing of fast food be regulated/ restricted? If so why? If not, why not? Childhood obesity has been labeled one of the most serious public health issues if the 21st century. 42 million of the children under five years old are overweight all over the world, inRead MoreLasting Effect Of Marketing On Children Essay1623 Words   |  7 PagesEffect of Marketing to Children In the past few decades, fast food companies has invested heavily in advertising to children and young adults, in return they’ll become the future of consumers of the next generation prolong business profits. Children between the ages 8 to 12 years old are exposed highest to fast food media marketing and those years are critical stages of development as this forms their eating habits for adulthood. Fast food corporations are utilizing all sources of outlet to advertiseRead MoreAdvertisement and Vice Product2568 Words   |  11 Pagesâ€Å"Vice† Product and Advertisement When is the last time you go to order a burger in fast food shop? And recently have you ever went to a convenient store and purchased a pack of cigarette? Nowadays advertisement of fast food, tobacco and alcohol product are catchy in magazines, newspapers, TV commercials or bus stop stations and it seems these products have become part of our daily lives. Fast food, tobacco and alcohol products are advertised as our â€Å"trusted friends† and fast food, tobacco and alcoholRead MoreDon t Blame The Eater Essay947 Words   |  4 PagesBlame the Eater† by David Zinczenko, he discusses the dangers of fast foods and obesity. At first, Zinczenko blames the consumer for making such poor dietary decisions, but then says consumers are not entirely at fault. Through his article, he tries to convince the readers that the fast food industry is to blame. He uses writing techniques, appeals to emotion, appeals to personal authority, and facts to prove his case against the food ind ustry. Zinczenko uses devices such as questions and a sarcasticRead MoreFederal Government Should NOT Regulate the Fast Food Industry1190 Words   |  5 PagesAfter Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser was published in 2001 and became a New York Times bestseller, the same titled movie and other food-related documentary movies such as â€Å"Super Size Me† (2004) and â€Å"Food Inc.† (2009) became smash hits, which may reflect the enhancement of people’s awareness of healthy food in last decade. However, the recent article of Time magazine online shows that today’s food situation does not seem to improve since then, it even got worse. Especially a social problem likeRead MoreChildhood Obesity : The Overbearing Truth1664 Words   |  7 Pagesoverweight or obese between the ages of 2-19 (Gavin). Childhood obesity is ruthless. It leads to an onslaught of an unhealthy lifestyle combined with bullying and an early onset of heart disease or other related health problems. Media and unhealthy food choices are contributors to this pandemic. The only way to counteract this is that parents need to be more aware of their child physical lifestyle and their nutritional choices. If not, the outcome resulting may lead to an outcome no parent would wantRead MoreFast Food Restaurants and the Decline of Americans Health Essay1948 Words   |  8 PagesStates have eaten regularly at fast food restaurants. As the obesity rate increases, the number of fast food restaurants goes up as well. Although it is not certain, many believe that obesity in the United States is correlated to eating fast food. Since the United States has the highest obesity rate out of any country, it is important for Americans to monitor the fast food industry that may be causing obesity. With the pressure to get things done in a timely manner, fast food became a big necessity. However

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Vandalism as a Crime free essay sample

Vandalism as crime The destruction of glass windows and doors is a form of vandalism. Politically motivated vandalism. Private citizens commit vandalism when they willfully damage or deface the property of others or the commons. Some vandalism may qualify as culture Jamming or sniggling: it is thought by some to be artistic in nature even though carried out illegally or without the property owners permission. Examples include at least some graffiti art, billboard liberation and possibly crop circles. Criminal vandalism takes many forms. Graffiti on public property is common in many inner cities as part of a gang culture; however, other more serious forms of vandalism that may take place during public unrest such as rioting can involve the willful destruction of public and private property. Vandalism per se is sometimes considered one of the less serious common crimes, but it can become quite serious and distressing when committed extensively, violently or as an expression of hatred and intimidation. We will write a custom essay sample on Vandalism as a Crime or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Examples of vandalism include salting lawns, cutting trees without ermission, egg throwing, breaking windows, arson, spraying paint on others properties, tagging, placing glue into locks, tire slashing, keying (scratching) paint, ransacking a property, and flooding a house by clogging a sink and leaving the water running. Side of a car that has been keyed. A caution sign damaged by bullet holes. Actions of this kind can be ascribed to anger or envy, or to spontaneous, opportunistic behaviour possibly for peer acceptance or bravado in gang cultures, or disgruntlement with the target (victim) person or society. Opportunistic vandalism of this nature may also be filmed, the mentality of which can be akin to happy slapping. The large-scale prevalence of gang graffiti in some inner cities has almost made it acceptable to the societies based there- so much so that it may go unnoticed, or not be removed, possibly because it may be a fruitless endeavour, to be graffitied on once again. In view of its incivility, punishment for vandalism can be particularly severe in some countries. In Singapore, for example, a person who attempts to cause r commits an act of vandalism may be liable to imprisonment for up to 3 years and may also be punished with caning. Vandalism in the UK is construed as an environmental crime and may be punished with an ASBO (Anti-Social Behaviour Order). Former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani made a crackdown on vandalism a centerpiece of his anti-crime agenda in the 1990s, asserting that a strong campaign against nonviolent quality of life crimes such as vandalism would bring about a corresponding decrease in violent crime. FBI statistics claim that New Yorks crime rate plummeted during his tenure. [

Monday, December 2, 2019

Music Unit 2 Text Essay Example

Music Unit 2 Text Essay Music Appreciation Text Questions Please complete the following questions. It is important that you use full sentences and present the questions and answers when you submit your work. Submit the work as a file attachment. This means you complete all work in a word processing document (e. g. , Microsoft Word) and attach the file using the dropbox tool. Use the Unit 2: Text Questions dropbox basket. The answers to the Review Critical Thinking questions are worth 10 points. Review Questions 1. What is popular music? 2. What theme does pop music typically use in the lyrics? Describe one pop song that uses this theme. Why is this theme such a popular one? 3. What is disco? What are the characteristics of this music? 4. What was the British Invasion? Which famous group was a part of this movement? What impact did the group have on pop music? 5. What is a boy band? What are some characteristics of a boy band? Critical Thinking Questions 1. Some of the music in the 1960s was used to protest social and political issues. Is music still used as a form of protest? Why or why not? 2. One of the changes in the music industry during the twentieth century was the increasing commercialization of music. Has music become too commercial? We will write a custom essay sample on Music Unit 2 Text specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Music Unit 2 Text specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Music Unit 2 Text specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Why or why not? Do you think that artists are creating music for money or for other reasons today? 3. How has technology impacted pop music? Describe at least three technological changes that impacted and shaped pop music today or in the past. 4. Pop music has often been seen as youth music. Why do you think pop music appeals to younger individuals? How has the industry promoted this idea? 5. What is one popular pop artist or group (from today or from the past)? Why does this person/group’s music fit into the pop genre? Why do you think the person/group was successful with their music?

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Dual Coding Theory Essays

Dual Coding Theory Essays Dual Coding Theory Paper Dual Coding Theory Paper The mind can perform different kind of processes ranging from verbal up to non-verbal processing and other different processes. Performing different processes has made different studies on how our mind really works. However, since the mind is too complex to be the focus of a study, many researchers resorted to studying the processes that the human mind can perform. Theoretical Background Dual Coding Theory Dual Coding Theory (DCT) focuses on the verbal and the non-verbal processes of the human mind. DCT attempts to discuss how equal weights are given to both verbal and non-verbal mind processes. The human mind is able to deal with several processes while simultaneously dealing with another process. An instance is that when mind is dealing with language processing, it can also simultaneously deal with processing non-verbal objects and events. Dual Coding Theory gives light on how this process occur simultaneously (Paivio, 2008). Dual coding assumes that two cognitive subsystems exist. The two subsystems represent a specialized processing of non-verbal images and events and the other represents a specialized processing of language. The Dual Coding Theory is illustrated below. Coding Theory. The figure also shows the three important processes involved in Dual Coding Theory. From the figure, one can see the terms logogens and imagens. Paivio introduced logogens and imagens as two different types of representational units. Logogens is a representational unit for verbal entities. While, imagens is a representational unit for mental images (Paivio, 2008). Dual Coding Theory involves three types of processes that occur in order. First is representational. In this process, the direct verbal and non-verbal representations were activated. Second is referential. Verbal system activation by non-verbal system and vice versa occurs in this process. Last process is associative processing. This process involves activation of representations by the same verbal and non-verbal systems (Paivio, 2008).

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Workplace Communication Skills for ESL Classes

Workplace Communication Skills for ESL Classes In workplace communications, with friends, strangers, etc. there are unwritten rules that are followed when speaking English. These unwritten rules are often referred to as register use or workplace communication skills when referring to employment. Good workplace communication skills use can help you communicate effectively. Incorrect workplace communication can cause problems at work, cause people to ignore you, or, at best, send the wrong message. Of course, correct workplace communication is very difficult for many learners of English. To begin with, lets look at some example conversations to help understand  the correct type of register use in various situations. Examples of Correct Register Use (Wife to Husband) Hi honey, how was your day?Great. We got a lot done. And yours?Fine, but stressful. Pass me that magazine, please.Here you go. (Friend to Friend) Hi Charlie, can you give me a hand?Sure Peter. Whats up?I cant get this to work.Why dont you try to use a screwdriver? (Subordinate to Superior - for workplace communications) Good Morning, Mr. Jones, may I ask you a question?Certainly, how can I help you? (Superior to Subordinate - for workplace communications) Excuse me Peter, we seem to be having a problem with the Smith account. Wed better get together to discuss the situation.Thats a good idea Ms Amons, would 4 oclock suit you? (Man Speaking to Stranger) Pardon me. Do you think you could give me the time?Certainly, its twelve thirty.Thank you.Not at all. Notice how the language used becomes more formal as the relationship becomes less personal. In the first relationship, a married couple, the wife uses the imperative form which would be inappropriate with a superior in for workplace communications. In the last conversation, the man asks using an indirect question as a means of making his question more polite. Examples of Incorrect Register Use (Wife to Husband) Hello, how are you today?Im fine. Would you mind passing me the bread?Certainly. Would you like some butter with your bread?Yes, please. Thank you very much. (Friend to Friend) Hello Mr. Jones. May I ask you a question?Certainly. How many I help you?Do you think you could help me with this?Id be happy to help you. (Subordinate to Superior - for workplace communications) Good Morning, Frank. I need a raise.Do you really? Well, forget about it! (Superior to Subordinate - for workplace communications) Hey Jack, what are you doing?! Get to work!Hey, Ill take as much time as I need. (Man Speaking to Stranger) You! Tell me where the  supermarket is.There. In these examples, the formal language used for the married couple and friends is much too exaggerated for daily discourse. The examples of for workplace communications, and of the man speaking to a stranger, show that the direct language often used with friends or family is too impolite for these types of for workplace communication. Of course, correct for workplace communication and register use also depends on the situation and the tone of voice you use. However, in order to communicate well in English, it is important to master the basics of correct for workplace communications and register use. Improve and practice your recognition of workplace communications and register use in various situations with the following quiz. Workplace Communication Quiz Test yourself to see how well you understand correct register usage in these following workplace situations. Choose the appropriate relationship for these phrases from the choices listed below. Once you have finished, continue down the page for the answers and comments on the correct choices for each question. ColleaguesStaff to ManagementManagement to StaffInappropriate for the Workplace Im afraid were having some problems with your performance. I would like to see you in my office this afternoon.What did you do last weekend?Hey, get over here now!Excuse me, do you think it would be possible for me to go home early this afternoon? I have a doctors appointment.Well, we went to this wonderful restaurant in Yelm. The food was excellent and the prices were reasonable.Listen, Im going home early, so I cant finish the project until tomorrow.Excuse  me  Bob, would you mind lending me $10 for lunch. Im short today.Give me five bucks for lunch. I forgot to go to the bank.You are an extremely handsome young man, Im sure youll do well at our company.Excuse  me  Ms  Brown, could you help me with this report for a moment? Quiz Answers Im afraid were having some problems with your performance. I would like to see you in my office this afternoon. ANSWER: Management to StaffWhat did you do last weekend? ANSWER: ColleaguesHey, get over here now! ANSWER: Inappropriate for the WorkplaceExcuse me, do you think it would be possible for me to go home early this afternoon? I have a doctors appointment. ANSWER: Staff to ManagementWell, we went to this wonderful restaurant in Yelm. The food was excellent and the prices were reasonable. ANSWER: ColleaguesListen, Im going home early, so I cant finish the project until tomorrow. ANSWER: Inappropriate for the WorkplaceExcuse  me  Bob, would you mind lending me $10 for lunch. Im short today. ANSWER: ColleaguesGive me five bucks for lunch. I forgot to go to the bank. ANSWER: Inappropriate for the WorkplaceYou are an extremely handsome young man, Im sure youll do well at our company. ANSWER: Inappropriate for the WorkplaceExcuse  me  Ms  Brown, could you help me with this report for a moment? ANSWER: Management to Staff Comments on Quiz Answers If you were confused by some of the answers, here are some short comments that should help you understand: Management to Staff  - In this sentence management, although unhappy, is still polite when asking an employee to come in for a critique.Colleagues  - This simple question is informal and conversational and therefore appropriate among colleagues.Inappropriate  - This is the imperative form and  is therefore  inappropriate for the workplace. Remember that the imperative form is often considered rude.Staff to Management  - Notice the polite form used when speaking to a superior at work. The  indirect question form  is used to make the question extremely polite.Colleagues  - This is a statement from a discussion about a non-work related topic among colleagues. The tone is informal and informative.Inappropriate  - Here an employee is announcing his / her plan to management without asking. Not a very good idea in the workplace!Colleagues  - In this statement a colleague politely asks another colleague for a loan.Inappropriate  - When asking for a loan never use the imperative form!Inappropriate  - The person making this statement would be considered guilty of sexual harassment in the United States. Management to Staff  - This is a polite request.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

International Law and Human Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International Law and Human Rights - Essay Example ive sense of cultural relativism, ethnocentrism, or nationalism – is one of those which distinguish the United States’ from the international human rights perspective. (346) Indeed, history has proved that the American Congress and its deliberations are characterized by a consistent concern to protect the sanctity of the US political institutions in a diverse world and a perspective suspicious and disdainful of things foreign. This American relativist attitude according to Patrick and Forman obstructs the United Nations’ human rights objective, which is to promote universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedom for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.1 And so it is understandable to assume that the areas of jurisdiction as well as the enforcement of the World Court’s mandates regarding disputes, such as in human rights, are problematic areas of concern when nations refuse to accede or at least comply with international requirements. The United States in 1986 withdrew from compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice, which meant that it accepts the court’s jurisdiction only on case-to-case basis. 2 But however the case is, one cannot deny the role that World Court, the International Criminal Court and War Crimes Tribunals assume in the peaceful and orderly coexistence among the community of nations. They serve as an affirmation of the legality of the world bodies, particularly of the United Nations. As with the other governmental institutions, the judicial branch is central to the efficiency and legitimacy of a government. According to M. Henri Spaark, who was the first President of the United Nations General Assembly, peace will not be achieved if there would be no absolute respect for international jurisdictions and its judgments.3 (Raic1997, 4) The World Court and the International Criminal Court under the wing of the United Nations have already proven their relevance as with the indictment of

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

The Literature of Exile and Imaginary Homelands Essay

The Literature of Exile and Imaginary Homelands - Essay Example This dissertation traces the movement of this dialectic between people and places and draws from that movement conclusions about the political and ethical stance of the novels' authors. Chapter 1 introduces the study and the novels, in an attempt to find the places where the three novelists' concerns intersect or diverge. In Chapter 2, I look at Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses and Midnight's Children, novels that create a fantastical and magical landscape against which post-colonial questions and problems are addressed. My study elucidates the cultural codes at work in these novels and reveals that the singularity and stability of these cultural codes are eventually denied. Chapter 3 focuses on Jasmine and The Holder of the World by Bharati Mukherjee and investigates the characters' perspectives of their own exile; Mukherjee's characters suggest that individuals can ethically engage with the world despite the alienation of the post-colonial condition. V. S.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Reaction Order and Rate Law Essay Example for Free

Reaction Order and Rate Law Essay Data, Calculations, and Questions A. Calculate the initial and final concentrations as needed to complete Tables 1 and 2. Data Table 1: Varying the Concentration of 1.0 M HCl | | | | |Concentrations | | |# Drops |# Drops |# Drops |Initial | |# Drops |# Drops |# Drops |Initial |Initial |Final |Final |Reaction Time (sec) |Reaction | |Well # |HCl |Water |Na2S2O3 |HCl |Na2S2O3 |HCl |Na2S2O3 |Trial 1 |Trial 2 |Avg |Rate (sec-1) | |1 |8 |0 |12 |1 M |0.3 M |0.4 |0.18 |18.4 |16.3 |17.35 |0.0576 | |2 |8 |6 |6 |1 M |0.15 |0.4 |0.0045 |37.1 |37.9 |37.5 |0.0267 | |3 |8 |8 |4 |1 M |0.1 |0.4 |0.02 |107.2 |106.6 |106.9 |0.0093 | | B. Calculate the average reaction time for each reaction by adding the times for the two trials and dividing by 2. C. Calculate the reaction rate by taking the inverse of the average reaction time, i.e., 1 divided by the average reaction time. 1. Use table 1 to determine the reaction order for HCl. 2. Use table 2 to determine the reaction order for Na2S2O3. Remember, you want to see what happens to the reaction rate when you double the concentration of one reactant while the second reactant remains unchanged. In Part 1, we varied the concentration of HCl while we kept the concentration of Na2S2O3 the same. In Part 2 we varied the concentration of Na2S2O3 while keeping the concentration of HCl the same. These are  experimental data and results will be different from some of the nice, even numbers you saw on textbook problems. For example, in this experiment you may double the concentration of a reactant but the reaction rate may increase anywhere from 1.7 times to 2.4 times. This still means an approximate doubling of the reaction rate. On the other hand, if you double a reactant concentration and the reaction rate increases by 0.7 to 1.3 times that probably means that the reaction rate multiplier is one (1). D. Write the rate law for the reaction. E. Using the rate law, the rate, and the appropriate concentration(s) from one (or more) of your experiments calculate k. F. What are the potential errors in this experiment? Laura Titus Done in the table Time average=time trial 1+time trial 2/2 HCl reaction is 1.36 Na2S2O3 reaction is 0.84 Rate law = k[HCl]^1.36[Na2S2O3]^0.84 Rate law=k[0.024]^1.36[0.0576]^0.84 Rate law= k[.03264][.048384] K=1/.00158 K= 632.9? Me not fully sure if my numbers are correct or not. Rounding correctly, documenting at right time.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Examining the Educator :: Education School Essays

One of the final problems identified in the topic of decreasing educational standards is the lack of educational competency. Educational competency is defined as a measure of excellence in the knowledge of individual educators and the ability of said educators to instruct students so that students are able to apply the knowledge to their own individual abilities; students should gain the ability to forge connections in the subject beyond the curricular base. Research also proposes than an adequate measure of defining excellence does not exist in the current educational system. It has been attempted, through research, to find a new measure - such as a peer critique and corrections system - thereby providing a medium through which a form of field expertise would arise in education. The topic of educational competency can be divided into subdivisions, these being the current institutions, evaluations, and theoretical basis of school systems. By studying literature, guidelines, philosophies, and proposals - which dominate modern education - the goal is to examine the strengths and flaws within the institution and its curriculum. In the end, the body of research examined should be sufficient to suggest the altercation needed in our current educational system. Evaluation Theory A main key to changing a system is finding a method by which to judge positive and negative changes in that system and in components of that system. Editors Donovan Peterson and Annie Ward compiled several articles pertaining to teacher competency and its theories in their book, Due Process in Teacher Evaluation. Boyd Applegarth, an author of one chapter in Due Process in Teacher Evaluation, focuses on a description and explanation of an operational evaluation system that includes classroom activities of teachers and extends to include examples of non-classroom activities that are considered crucial to the evaluation of teachers. Richard Brandt reviews several sources of nondiscriminatory criteria for evaluating teachers in his essay "Teacher Evaluation for Career Ladder and Incentive Pay Programs," in the anthology Teacher Evaluation Policy: From Accountability to Professional Development, edited and compiled by Daniel Duke. Brandt is interested in establishing criterion for a salary and career ladder for teachers based on competency. He addresses several modern systems for evaluating and rewarding teacher performance. Brandt recognizes the difficulty of judging teachers in an impartial way.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

I was only 19- Redgum Essay

I was only 19 – Redgum Depressing, sad, sorrowful emotions fulfill the reader’s mind when they read I was only 19 poem. It is a protest song written by Redgum that means the Australian folk. It is a story which describes a physical and spiritual journey of a 19-year-old boy who is forced to face the horror of Vietnam War. The song lyrics are similar to the ballad. The reader may identify several thematic lines which are depicted in the poem: difficulties of Vietnam War, its negative influence on the individual, the meaning of culture. These subjects are shown via mentioning the national towns in Australia â€Å"Nui Dat† and â€Å"Vung Tau.† Other themes refer to the history of the Australian nation, protests against war, feeling of soldiers and veterans. There are various stylistic devices used in Redgum I was only 19 to emphasize on certain words and emotions. Repetitions, colloquialisms, metaphors, rhetorical questions prevail. The repetitions occur in the main phrase which is a title of the song: â€Å"I was only 19.† It is used to reinforce the fact that very young boys had to go to the war. Although he was only 19, he had to fight for his nation and face the brutality and cruelty of war. The words such as â€Å"VB,† â€Å"drinking tinnies,† â€Å"til the morphine came and killed the bloody row† identify the colloquial language. Using such phrases allows the reader feel a tighter relation of the writer to his Australian nation. In addition, there are several rhetorical questions which are used to add philosophical meaning of the poem: â€Å"And can you tell me doctor, why i still can’t get to sleep?† This stylistic device is used to show that soldiers are in depression because no one can answer their questions. A metaphor is another technique which is implemented in the poem I was only 19 Redgum. It is used to describe the feelings of soldiers more explicitly. The spiritual and moral decay of the individual is one of the key themes of the song. The writer is a 19-year-old boy who dreams about good future, spending time with nearest and dearest. It is that period of life when a person falls in love, starts adult life, develops the career, and experiences all the other positive emotions. However, the author and his peers are deprived of such happiness. They are obliged to go to the war, although none of them want to sacrifice their precious life. Because of these thoughts, the protagonist is devastated. He does not understand the sense of living. Moreover, his soul cannot find peace even at night when everyone sleep: â€Å"And night time’s just a jungle dark and a barking M.16?† The time for relaxation for him and other soldiers is just waiting for another fight. Nobody knows when the battle starts, and enemies begin shooting. Religion is another significant theme raised in the song. The author refers to God several times in the story. However, it is important to single out the meaning of religion in the poem. There is a repetitive line used three times: â€Å"God help me.† At the first phrase, he asks the religious creature to save him because he is only 19. It means that the boy understands that such an age is not normal for wars. There is only God who can help him answer the questions because the boy is disappointed with people. Gruesome wars are not good for any age, but people do not understand this. That is why the boy begs for help in God because he symbolizes hope. There is no specific reference to the religion because the God is used in a general meaning. He denotes belief in victory and peace. During the war the significance of friendship and mateship becomes striking. Sometimes the soldiers do not have the desire to live, but they struggle more and more just because of their mates. The writer also refers to this theme, and says: â€Å"You wouldn’t let your mates down ’til they had you dusted off.† Friendship becomes even more meaningful than the duty of a soldier or event personal desire to live. It happens because soldiers are kept under the same circumstances, and nobody will ever understand that better. They even do not have to discuss this. Just being together means more than sharing a tragic postwar story with someone who has not been there. The song finishes with very philosophical lines: â€Å"And the Anzac legends didn’t mention mud and blood and tears. And the stories that my father told me never seemed quite real.† The boy is dispirited because nobody prepared him for such cruelty. He sees deaths, tortures, blood, fighting, aggression, violence. There is no explanation and logical reason for such awful deeds. However, people continue the war because there must be someone who wins and somebody who loses. The young boy understands that the reality which he faces is much worse than he has ever expected. No stories, legends, songs can ever depict the whole horror of what any war brings to the humanity. The song â€Å"I was only 19† is a real treasure for Australian folk literature, although its content is tragic and sad. This poem is full of expressive means and stylistic devices which show the writer’s rich vocabulary and good feeling of stylistics. The reader needs to research some of the words to understand all the nuances of the poem because some of them are colloquial. However, even after the first reading or hearing the song, its emotional message is clear without any extra explanation. This song proves the deleterious influence of any war on individuals and the society. People should analyze such poems and their vital sense to prevent the same mistakes which are depicted in â€Å"I was only 19.†      

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Intellectual Power

Intellectual Power: How it is Measured, and its Effect on Learning Intellectual Power: How it is Measured, and its Effect on Learning Intellectual power, brainpower and mental capacity can all be defined as intelligence. According to The Developing Child, intelligence is a set of abilities defined in various ways by different psychologists but generally agreed to include the ability to reason abstractly, the ability to profit from experience, and the ability to adapt to varying environmental contexts (Bee & Boyd, 2012, p. 67). Basically, intelligence is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. The first modern intelligence measuring tests where created over one hundred years ago. These tests where designed to incorporate the same tasks the children were performing in school; math, reading comprehension, vocabulary etc. The results of these tests identified children who may have had some problems or difficulties in school (Bee & Boyd, 2012, p. 167).Since that period, the measuring of intelligence has drastically changed. The most widely accepted method of assessing intellectual power is a standardized test called the intelligent quotient, or IQ test. The IQ test is a performance test that ranks an individual’s intelligence based on a score generated from tests results. This score compares the individual to his or her peers. For children, the test scores are compared to his or her counterparts of the same chronological age group (Bee & Boyd, 2012, p. 67). Another type of intelligence testing is achievement testing. These types of tests assess what a child has been taught and learned in school. It is based on specific material such as vocabulary or algebra. Just like the IQ test, it is also a test based on performance (Bee & Boyd, 2012, p. 171). Intelligence testing has been amongst the most controversial topics in psychology and other professional arenas such as education as well as amongst the general public (Gottfredson & Saklofske, 2009, p . 84). There are many that feel that standardized tests, like the IQ test, are not a sufficient indicator of intelligence. Howard Gardner, a developmental psychologist, believes that there are multiple types of intelligences. He broke them into seven categories: * Verbal/Linguistic intelligence – The ability to use words effectively * Logical/Mathematical Intelligence – The ability to use reasoning skills * Visual/Spatial Intelligence – The ability to ecreate one’s visual experiences * Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence – To establish harmony between body and mind * Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence – The ability to create/respond to a pattern of sounds * Interpersonal Intelligence – The ability to evaluate feelings of others * Intrapersonal Intelligence – To accurately evaluate one’s own feelings The seven intelligences enable the individual,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"to perform transformations and modifications of one’s perceptionsâ⠂¬  and â€Å"to recreate aspects of one's experiences† (Gardner 1983, p. 173). An additional intelligence, Naturalistic (nature), was added to Gardner’s theory in the 1990s.The IQ test and other standardized tests at present, do not measure all â€Å"eight† intelligences proposed in Gardner’s theory. Almost everyone agrees that intelligence is a product of nature and nurture, genetics and environment. The study of intelligence and how it affects learning has been ongoing for years. There are so many questions that don’t have exact answers which hinder the efforts of those trying to analyze the relationship between intelligence and learning: â€Å"How is intelligence measured? What method is used to assess learning? † For the majority, intelligence is directly related to learning.The more â€Å"intelligent† you are, the more capacity of learning can take place. References Bee, H. ; Boyd, D. (2012). The Developing Child (13th Edition) . Pearson Education Inc. Gardner,   H. (1993a). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences /10th  Anniversary Edition. New York: Basic Books. Retrieved from: http://www. intime. uni. edu/model/teacher/teac1summary. html Gottfredson L. ; Saklofske D. (2009). Intelligence: Foundations and Issues in Assessment. Canadian Psychology  © 2009 Canadian Psychological Association. Vol. 50, No. 3, 183–195

Friday, November 8, 2019

William Quantrill and Jesse James

William Quantrill and Jesse James It wasn’t always possible to determine on which side certain individuals fought for during the U.S. Civil War, especially when Confederate guerrillas were involved in the State of Missouri. Although Missouri was a border state that stayed neutral during the Civil War, the state provided more than 150,000 troops who fought during this conflict- 40,000 on the Confederate side and 110,000 for the Union.   In 1860, Missouri held a Constitutional Convention where the main topic was secession and the vote was to stay in the Union but to remain neutral. In the 1860 Presidential election, Missouri was one of only two states that the Democratic candidate, Stephen A. Douglas, carried (New Jersey being the other) over Republican Abraham Lincoln. The two candidates had met in a series of debates where they discussed their individual beliefs. Douglas had run on a platform that wanted to maintain the status quo, while Lincoln believed that slavery was an issue that needed to be dealt with by the Union as a whole. The Rise of William Quantrill After the onset of the Civil War, Missouri continued its’ attempt to remain neutral but ended up with two different governments that supported opposite sides. This caused many instances where neighbors were fighting neighbors. It also led to famed guerrilla leaders like William Quantrill, who built his own army that fought for the Confederacy. William Quantrill was born in Ohio but eventually settled in Missouri. When the Civil War started Quantrill was in Texas where he befriended Joel B. Mayes who would later be elected as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation in 1887. It was during this association with Mayes that he had learned the art of guerrilla warfare from Native Americans.   Quantrill returned to Missouri and in August 1861, he fought with General Sterling Price at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek near Springfield. Shortly after this battle, Quantrill left the Confederate Army in order to form his own so-called army of irregulars that infamously became known at Quantrill’s Raiders. At first, Quantrill’s Raiders consisted of just over a dozen men and they patrolled the Kansas-Missouri border where they ambushed both Union soldiers and Union sympathizers. Their main opposition were  the Jayhawkers- guerillas from Kansas whose loyalty was pro-Union. The violence got so bad that the area became known as Bleeding Kansas.   By 1862, Quantrill had approximately 200 men under his command and focused their attacks around the town Kansas City and Independence. Since Missouri was divided between Union and Confederate loyalists, Quantrill was easily able to recruit Southern men who resented what they perceived to be the harsh Union rule. James Brothers and Quantrills Raiders In 1863, Quantrill’s force had grown to over 450 men, one of whom was Frank James, older brother of Jesse James. In August 1863, Quantrill and his men committed what became known as the Lawrence Massacre. They torched the town of Lawrence, Kansas and killed more than 175 men and boys, many of them in front of their families. Although Quantrill targeted Lawrence because it was a center for Jayhawkers, it is believed that the terror that was imposed on the cities’ residents stemmed from the Union imprisoning family members of Quantrill supporters and allies, including the sisters of William T. Anderson – who was a key member of Quantrill’s Raiders.  A number of these women died, including one of Anderson’s sisters while imprisoned by the Union.  Anderson who was nicknamed Bloody Bill. Quantrill would later have a falling out that caused Anderson to become the leader of most of Quantrill’s group of guerrillas which would include sixteen-year -old Jesse James. Quantrill, on the other hand now had a force that only a few dozen. The Centralia Massacre In September 1864, Anderson had an army that totaled approximately 400 guerrillas and they were preparing to assist the Confederate Army in a campaign to invade Missouri. Anderson took about 80 of his guerrillas to Centralia, Missouri to gather information. Just outside the town, Anderson stopped a train. On board were 22 Union soldiers who were on leave and they were unarmed.  After ordering these men to remove their uniforms, Anderson’s men then executed all 22 of them. Anderson would later use these Union uniforms as disguises. A nearby Union force of approximately 125 soldiers began to pursue Anderson, who by this time had rejoined his entire. Anderson set a trap using a small number of his force as bait which the Union soldiers fell for. Anderson and his men then surrounded the Union force and killed every soldier, mutilating and scalping bodies. Frank and Jesse James, as well as a future member of their gang Cole Younger,  all rode with Anderson that day. The Centralia Massacre was one of the worst atrocities that occurred during the Civil War. The Union Army made it a top priority to kill Anderson and only one month after Centralia they accomplished this goal.  In early 1865, Quantrill and his guerrillas had moved on to Western Kentucky and in May, after Robert E. Lee had surrendered, Quantrill and his men were ambushed. During this skirmish, Quantrill was shot in the back causing him to be paralyzed from the chest down. Quantrill died the following as a result of his injuries.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Biography and Profile of Charles Lyell

Biography and Profile of Charles Lyell Learn more about famous geologist Charles Lyells life and his contributions to the Theory of Evolution. Early Life and Education: Born November 14, 1797 - Died February 22, 1875 Charles Lyell was born on November 14, 1797, in the Grampian Mountains near Forfarshire, Scotland. When Charles was only two years old, his parents relocated to Southampton, England near where his mothers family lived. Since Charles was the oldest of ten children in Lyell family, his father spent a lot of time helping to educate Charles in the sciences, and particularly nature. Charles spent many years in and out of expensive private schools but was said to prefer wandering and learning from his father. At the age of 19, Charles went off to Oxford to study mathematics and geology. He spent vacations from school traveling and making astute observations of geological formations. Charles Lyell graduated, with honors, with a Bachelors of Art in Classics in 1819. He continued his education and received a Masters of Art in 1821. Personal Life Instead of pursuing his love of Geology, Lyell moved to London and became a lawyer. However, his eyesight began to worsen as time went on and he eventually turned to Geology as a full-time career. In 1832, he married Mary Horner, the daughter of a colleague in the Geological Society of London. The couple had no children but instead spent their time traveling all over the world as Charles observed the Geology and wrote his field changing works. Charles Lyell was knighted and later bestowed with the title of Baronet. He was buried in Westminster Abbey. Biography Even while practicing law, Charles Lyell was actually doing more Geology than anything. His fathers wealth allowed him to travel and write instead of practicing law. He published his first scientific paper in 1825. Lyell was planning to write a book with radical new ideas for Geology. He set out to prove that all geologic processes were due to natural events rather than supernatural events. Up until his time, the formation and processes of the Earth were attributed to God or another higher being. Lyell was one of the first to propose these processes actually happened very slowly, and that the Earth was extremely ancient rather than the few thousand years old most Bible scholars purposed. Charles Lyell found his evidence when studying Mt. Etna in Italy. He returned to London in 1829 and wrote his most famous work Principles of Geology. The book included a large amount of data and very detailed explanations. He did not finish revisions on the book until 1833 after several more trips to get more data. Perhaps the most important idea to come out of Principles of Geology is Uniformitarianism. This theory states that all the natural laws of the universe that are in existence now existed at the beginning of time and all changes happened slowly over time and added up to larger changes. This was an idea that Lyell had first gotten from works by James Hutton. It was seen as the opposite of Georges Cuviers catastrophism. After finding much success with his book, Lyell headed to the United States to lecture and gather more data from the North American continent. He made many trips to the Eastern United States and Canada throughout the 1840s. The trips resulted in two new books, Travels in North America and A Second Visit to the United States in North America. Charles Darwin was greatly influenced by Lyells ideas of a slow, natural change of geological formations. Charles Lyell was an acquaintance of Captain FitzRoy, the captain of the HMS Beagle on Darwins voyages. FitzRoy gave Darwin a copy of Principles of Geology, which Darwin studied as they traveled and he collected data for his works. However, Lyell was not a firm believer in evolution. It wasnt until Darwin published On the Origin of Species that Lyell began to adopt the idea that species change over time. In 1863, Lyell wrote and published ​The Geological Evidence of the Antiquity of Man which combined Darwins Theory of Evolution through Natural Selection and his own ideas rooted in Geology. Lyells staunch Christianity was apparent in his treatment of the Theory of Evolution as a possibility, but not a certainty.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Various Models of Human Resource Management Essay

Various Models of Human Resource Management - Essay Example Guest Model is very similar to the Harvard model because of both advocates that superior individual and organizational performance is possible only through the integration of core activities of HR. HRM practices are at infancy in the developing economies like China, India etc. Therefore, according to HR professionals, the national factors may influence the HR practices in different countries, thereby, creating distortions in HR models. The four major factors, which are important in this regard, include national culture, dynamic business environment, industrial sector and national institutions.1 The process of formulating HR strategy consists of a few steps. In the first step, it is decided that who is involved in a process and how. In the second step, a business strategy is defined. In the third step, the business strategy is set in an HR context. In the fourth step, a SWOT analysis is done to analyze the problems in the business strategy in the HR context. In the next step, after identifying the priority changes the action plan implemented and outcomes are measured.2 This HR strategy process has been designed for the furniture industry and they are very similar to the bookish HR strategy formulation steps. For the formulation of corporate strategy, the participation of all departments of the organisation is very important because the corporate strategy is very interactive with functional strategy. An organization cannot develop its corporate strategy unless it knows the functional strategies such as HR strategy and capabilities of its departments. Therefore, when developing corporate strategy, the developers should get the feedback of HR people and their considerations should be focused very seriously. In 1997, Essar Steel Ltd realized the importance of HR strategy to develop business strategy therefore, Essar Steel developed their HR function based on their corporate strategy.

Friday, November 1, 2019

Technology and Mass Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Technology and Mass Media - Essay Example 53). The five components of intimate relational ties basically guide the person to adjust to the subsequent changes brought about by old age. The stronger relational factor to define success of family ties in the later life might be commitment. In the absence of all the good things brought by youth, the feeling of accountability for another person is one of the few things that make the bond of the ties stay as it is. Commitment is especially important because without it, it would be somehow impossible to exhibit deep feelings and expressions of caring and compassion. On the other hand, the other components play their roles individually but serve with the same purpose; to strengthen family ties even in the later life. For example, the preference of close proximity of the elderly to their children and grandchildren poses willingness to perform duties despite their old age, such as baby sitting. Reference Connids, I.A. (2009). Family ties and aging. CA: Fine Forge Press.

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Business Research Methodologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business Research Methodologies - Essay Example Businesses are working together in procurement, outsourcing, and consultancy to ensure sustainable growth and competitive advantage in the market (WÃ ¶lfl, 2005). The trend is set to continue because of the emergence of innovative technologies and the growth of national economies. Technology has opened up the various organizational operations. According to WÃ ¶lfl (2005), the growth of B2B and e-commerce in particular has also been promoted by the growth in the service sector. In the OECD economies, services are now accounting for over sixty percent of the aggregate employment and production. The service sector is made up of some of the largest global corporations who have grown to become among the major users and buyers of innovative technologies. The global entities are also active innovators whose activities have led to the growth in number of firms in almost all the sectors. Throughout the world, service firms have become the major stimulant for productivity as wells as efficiency in the business to business arena. They do so through e-commerce and in the long run accelerate the changes in the economy. According to Fill & Fill (2005) the B2B services have witnessed the fasted grown in the last ten years. In the United States and the United Kingdom, the sector accounts for about 50 percent of all employment opportunities (Achrol & Stern, 2008). In the academia, the B2B topic is well established. Scholars have investigated the issue in terms of the scope and the nature of business markets, employee and organizational behaviour, business strictures, management strategies and the critical success factors. Despite this being the case, there are only a few studies that have examined the critical B2B issues which come out of the service concept. Scholars have not widely studied the experiential, interactive and the process dependent aspects of B2B services. Minimal work has been done on B2B with

Monday, October 28, 2019

Developing New Philosophies in Art

Developing New Philosophies in Art Introduction In the context of western art, many artists from the modern art movements shape their artistic approaches through the avant-garde ideals they are convinced of. These ideals are the beliefs that behave like doctrines in their practice against the political background where both war world one and two took place. The modern art period gave birth to artworks of revolutionary value [a] produced in rebellion against traditional art practices, models, methods consequently altering the long established perception on functions of art. [b]The change in artistic perceptions are considered being more suitable for the environment where the social, economic, and intellectual conditions have changed. [c] This research is propelled from the queries that arise in my practice as a visual artist where my interest revolves around questioning the identities of everyday objects. I question the reality of their existence, the absoluteness in their definitions and forms presented by the everyday conventional reality. Abstraction in the context of this writing refers to the absurd attempts of redefining existing accepted definitions framed by everyday conventional reality. As Theodor Adorno agrued modern art is as abstract as the real relations among men [f] (Adorno, Aesthetic Theory, 45) Therefore this writing takes the approach of looking at the radical efforts of selected artists from the modern art period who have demonstrated in their practice, added new dimensions to their investigated subjects. These artists that are selected in this study strive to provide alternate perspectives to the existing mundane definitions in each of their artistic domains. The definitions borne of the conventional reality taken into their investigation include the ideas on object, form, colour, time and space. Such subjects are continuously reinterpreted and given new definitions by the artists of this period. Research questions The research questions in this writing aims to contemplate and justify the practice of the selected artists who are unsatisfied with mundane representations of the conventional reality against the background of their political situation. What are the trajectories taken in their practise of these pursuits? How are their artistic beliefs justified in their practise? What are the truths in the definitions of these subjects defined by conventional reality if reinterpretations could be justified? What is the impact of these reinterpretations in the scene of visual arts during the modern art period? How are the Singapore contemporary artists influenced by these ideals? These redefinitions in and of visual arts lead to main research question in this paper; what constitutes and substantiates the meaning of real in conventional reality? Can these be a projection of psychological reality [g] as positioned by Erin G. Carlston of modern Methodology Proclamations of the artists beliefs in different aspects executed through diverse methodologies are imprinted in manifestos and documented in writings of artists and art critics. Artists with similar aims come together amongst others, which resulted in different and possibly co-related art movements. Within some of these selected co-related art movements is the sign of migration of the artists whose beliefs change or are said to echo more closely the credo of later movements. The momentum of this writing look into modernity as a continuity of movements (from late nineteenth century to 1970) through the study of interconnected artists. While artists have their subjective interpretations of what the subject matter could be, the core of my research is an attempt to rationalise the array of artistic definitions and trace the evolution of these new reinterpretations across the radar of different modern art movements to the present contemporary art scene. It will also be strived for in this research to compare the conventional and the artistically portrayed definitions of the studied subjects. Hence, this seeks to build the tempo to the main research question. However, it is not the purpose of this research to embrace or establish any reinterpretations as the epitomised explanation in the field of visual arts. Artist with similar research subjects will be compared and categorized together across modernity with their artistic journeys examined under an umbrella. Ideally, the conclusion to this research will be to piece and compare particles of similar reinterpretations across the selected different modern art in western art history in order to derive a relatively holistic depiction of each investigated subject. Therefore critical studies will be made on the artists thinking, works, style, writings, manifestos and critics responses. How does each artist re-define and justify their subjects in their art works? How do these reinterpretations affect the way we currently look at these investigated subjects? How are these ideas translated in contemporary art? Ultimately, what could be the main doubt behind all these reinterpretations; that the conventional reality is illusive? In the latter part of the writing, two cases studies of Singapore artists influenced by the modern art ideals in this writing will be included. As the study of this research will be carried out in the investigation of per-art-movement approach, I intend for this work to be documented and presented in the form of a journal (running account) where the recordings of critical findings and personal interpretations are written in a formal yet time-sensitive format. This approach is analogous to the chronological art movements that have taken place, such as a piece of time-based artwork. Modern art movements The majority of modern art artists selected for study in this research adopt new philosophies and ways of seeing. They were interested in promoting better fitting ideologies for the changing Western society during the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, where ideas on traditional forms of art amongst others, were deemed obsolete. It was then artists established an unofficial pledge of individualism in their practice. [d] Many modern art manifestos retort towards older conventional dogmas making modernism an era inherent of revolutionary responses especially towards what was aesthetically, morally or politically accepted.[e] Here, art movements where traditional ideologies were initiated from the art movements that took place before the early nineteenth century encompass Medieval Art, Renaissance, Neoclassicism and Romanticism. Although most of the artists are stylised according to the art movements where they are branded under, each of them practise according to their individual beliefs; where self consciousness remains a signatory feature of many modern art artists. Hence, discussions on what art encompasses includes the process of art making, discussion on the physicality of the materials used from the traditional viewpoint to the resultant work itself. Functions of art are largely debated and revamped during this timeframe. Although modernism does not support thoughts on enlightenment, it does however, reflects the questioning of the axioms in the practice of its artists. Discourse on abstraction in forms is often a response penetrating into this area of research. Majority of the artists included in this writing either produces abstract works or sort out solutions to their practice in an abstract and unconventional manner as opposed to abstraction per se. Areas of research: Reasons behind the selection of major modern art movements (arranged chronologically, in terms of association) Include artists and their ideals Cubism The ideas that rejected traditional perspective of stemmed strongly from the Cubism movement spearheaded by Pablo Picasso and George Braque. This movement brought about an avant garde positioning of the European paintings and sculptures by redefining the one-viewpoint perspective in these genres. First of its kind in creating multiple viewpoints on one surface of the canvas and assembly of sculptural forms, this movement reinvented what the view of an image could be from a traditional standpoint. The conceptual concerns also involve the elements of space and time. Der Blaue Reiter This art movement started because of the rejection of Wassily Kandinskys painting from an exhibition and naturally revolves around his artistic beliefs since there is no record of a core artistic manifesto. This group believed in expressing spiritual truths though their abstract works, in contrast to conveying the existence of spiritual truths by figurative depiction of biblical scenes.A study drawing the parallels and differences between Kandinsky and Paul Klee will be included. Futurism With the adoption of Cubism, Furturism developed its style of broken colours and divided short brush strokes that emphasised on the connection of movements, technology and speed amongst other elements contributing to industrialisation. Breaking away from the conventional idea of capturing a freezed moment on canvas or in sculptural form, this movement dwelled at the portrayal of moving motions in objects. This is universal dynamism was being read as the connection between objects and their surroundings, where none was a standalone element. Artists with distinctive styles include Umberto Boccioni and Giacomo Balla. Supermatism The originator of this movement is Kasimir Malevich who had been inspired by Cubism and Der Blaue Reiter. He wrote a book The Non-objective World which relates the interest of this movement, focusing on basic geometric forms especially the square and the circle. Introducing the idea of replacing regular images with geometric forms or coloured masses, Suprematism also integrated the spirit of Futurism into its philosophy with non-euclidian geometry where forms are imagined to be in movement. Another important thinking infused in the movement was the idea of the fourth dimension by P.D. Ouspensky. De Stijl This movement advocated the ideal of utopia. It pushed the spirit of Suprematism to new heights by its attempt to communicate the ideas of spiritual harmony and order through the manipulation of only primary colours including black and white, geometric forms of only the square and the rectangle, with straight horizontal and vertical lines. The underlying philosophy in its artistic direction was known as neoplasticism or the new plastic art, a new term and improvised methodology in the history of western modern art. Piet Mondrian, an important figure in art history, invented the term neoplasticism for his abstract paintings wrote in his essay Neo-Plasticism in Pictorial Art that As a pure representation of the human mind, art will express itself in an aesthetically purified, that is to say, abstract form []The new plastic idea cannot therefore, take the form of a natural or concrete representation []1 Dada The legacy that Dada has left and impacted on the contemporary art world of today, lies in its embrace of extraordinary materials, methods and strategies2 unthought-of in the history of art movements prior to it.Although Dada started out to assume a very definite political identity2 due to the war, it evolved to adopt the character of undermining expectations and shocking the viewer into questioning blindly accepted, fundamentally repressive conventions and structures of all kinds 4 in cities further from the catalyst of the Great War. Marcel Duchamp and Constantine Brancusi participated in the Dada movement. Both friends created works that transcend the conventional representation of reality where the meaning of form is reinterpreted in their practice. Fluxus is a 1960s attitude that is highly associated to Dadaism. It gained many insights from Marcel Duchamp and therefore their art performances are associated with the idea of perceived connection of the everyday objects. It is know that artworks produced under the influence of Fluxus are simple, handmade, humorous and small. Yoko Ono and Joseph Bueys are renowned artists linked to this style. Surrealism: Metaphysical art movement is the catalyst for the development for both Dada and Surrealism. Metaphysical art promoted illogical reality where objects are placed out of their explanatory context in conventional reality in paintings, to explore their inner conscious of being. This spirit is being continued in Surrealism where Andre Breton first became the leader of. He also supports Sigmund Freuds psychoanalytic methods and went on to develop automatism and explore the real function of thought. The group believed it was a better method to call for societal change compared to Dadas aggressive opposition on existing values. Abstract Expressionism: Spirituality This movement originated from America and this terms applied to the new abstract art of the 1940s and 50s. With similar aims from Surrealism, the movement believed in that art should come from the unconscious mind and also involving the spiritual, took steps to further refine this re-interpretation of art. There are two groupings in Abstract Expressionism; action painters and colour field painters. In action painting, artist like Jackson Pollock realised the process of making work is as vital as the work itself. The discussion on the physicality of the work and the journey in the gestural making of the work as the artwork itself was hence debated by the art critics then. On the other hand, Paul Klee and Barnett Newman experimented with the psychological use of form and colour, keeping their objectives to only the basics. Minimalism Often being put across as a movement in opposition to Abstract Expressionism in terms of their philosophies and discourse, Minimalism took an extreme reductive approach in the creation of works. Contrary to the complex surfaces of works under Abstract Expressionism, it was argued that the basics could represent the state of sublimation better, an attempt to re-decipher the spirit in art. These works are at their most fundamental essential, geometric forms, a feature analogous to works produced under De Stijil. Artists like Donald Judd, Sol Lewitt, and Tony Smith integrated these ideologies and took their works to the maximum with seemingly minimal complications. Robert Morris wrote in defining the framework of Minimalism to be very much about the idea of the gestalt hence re-defining the edge in visual arts. Consequently, Minimalism became a bridge to postmodern art practices. Op Art: forms and illusions Op Art is also known as optical art which is a painting method that gives the eyes optical illusions. It sets off perceptual experiences that stem from the interplay of the figure-ground relationship, patterns and colours. Although this form of art received positive responses from the public, art critics thought of it merely as trickery to the eyes. Optical art is also about seeing and understanding the seen. In Bridget Rileys works, one could experience movement with the changing patterns and colours. This is the perception illusion has given by a still object, and in this case a painting sparks off the thought of the illusions that arise from objects in the conventional reality. How does one define the real and unreal in conventional reality? Postmodern art and Contemporary art Although art works produced after World War II are considered as contemporary works in some literature texts, works produced after the 1970s to the present are considered as contemporary study. Postmodern artworks were created in response and some say in rejection to modern art movements. However, museums like Tate treated postmodern works to be a continuation of modern artworks. Ideals rejected by the modern art movements are re-established during postmodernism. Therefore utopian ideals are carefully scrutinised and examined to provide relatively up-to-date views on the investigated subjects. Exhibition component (non-theoretical/practical module) I am interested in the re-interpretation of objects in my practice. Works will be made to address similar research questions in this proposal to complement the theoretical component of the course. NOTES Neo-Plasticism. 2009. Tate. 04 Dec. 2009. . Leah Dickerman et al., Dada: Zurich, Berlin, Hannover, Cologne, New York, Paris. (Washington, D.C: National Gallery of Art, and New York, 2005) ix. Richard Huelsenbeck, En Avant Dada: A History of Dadaism, 1920. Theories of Modern Art: A Source Book by Artists and Critics. Eds. Herschel B. Chipp, Peter Selz and Joshua C. Taylor. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1968) 378. Sarah Ganz Blythe and Edward D. Powers, Looking at Dada (New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2006) 3. Art in theory, 1900-2000: an anthology of changing ideas By Charles Harrison, Paul Wood Page 360 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/387137/modern-art http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/387137/modern-art http://books.google.com.sg/books?id=rsZ-fGso3gICpg=PA1dq=modern+artclient=firefox-acd=5#v=onepageq=f=false Modern art: a very short introduction By David Cottington pg 10 http://books.google.com.sg/books?id=rsZ-fGso3gICpg=PA1dq=modern+artclient=firefox-acd=5#v=onepageq=f=false Modern art: a very short introduction By David Cottington pg 6 theodor Adorno , aesthetic theory, p45) Extracted from:The Problems of modernity: Adorno and Benjamin By Andrew E. Benjamin Thinking Fascism: Sapphic Modernism and Fascist Modernity By Erin G. Carlston

Friday, October 25, 2019

Comparing the Orpheus Myth and Conrads The Secret Sharer :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

Parallels in the Orpheus Myth and Conrad's The Secret Sharer The myth of Orpheus and his descent into the underworld is paralleled in Joseph Conrad's "The Secret Sharer," revealing a common theme, the narrator's self-fulfillment through the conclusion of his symbolic and inward quest. This parallel, which may be called archetypal, serves to increase the reader's sense of identification with Conrad's narrator, and it lends an otherworldly tone to the work as a whole. Likewise, these echoes of Orphic material lead the reader through three stages. These are a modern and secular rendition of the descent into the unknown, followed by a symbolic rebirth or rejoining of the fractured portions of the complete self, and finally the parting with the previous 'self' that ostensibly existed in the initial state. The reader finds an initial parallel between the myth and story through Conrad's 'sea,' as compared to Orpheus' 'underworld,' along with the surface of the quest motif. The ship in "The Secret Share" is described as "at the starting point of a long journey" (Conrad 273), and as being "very still in an immense stillness.... [where] nothing moved, [and] nothing lived" (273). I read the stillness of the sea and the absence of life is an allusion to the stillness of death, which is the realm Orpheus takes his journey to, before turning homeward. Moreover, the stars are described in this opening scene, but do not reappear in the story until after the departure of 'the secret sharer'; the narrator's Euridice or hidden self (this hidden self aspect closely reflects the 'double' nature of the 'sharer' as well). Between these two appearances of the stars, which could only visible in an 'overworld,' the ship and its crew as consumed by "the tide of darkness" (273) that encompasses the vessel, much as Orpheus leaves behind the stars when he descends into the realm of death in Hades. On a symbolic level, both the Orpheus myth and "The Secret Sharer" use the journey as a rite of passage, or a rebirth into a greater state of self-knowledge. Orpheus comes to know the reality of death and the limitations of his powers, while Conrad's narrator makes a transition from "being a stranger to the ship..., untried as yet by a position of the fullest responsibility" (273) such that "the comfort of quiet communion... was gone for good" (273), to "the perfect communion of a sea with his first command" (113; italics mine).

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Compare Contrast: Hitler and Roosevelt

Compare/Contrast Hitler and Roosevelt The World War II era brought out many leaders, but two that were commonly acknowledged were Franklin D. Roosevelt and Adolf Hitler. Both men were very popular and were known throughout the world for their choices. The men had differed personalities but some traits were the same in both of them. The similarities and differences when comparing the two men are extremely noticeable. Hitler and Franklin are similar in the way of both being leaders of a powerful nation. Hitler led Germany while Roosevelt led the United States.These men both had a stubborn trait, which could be used good or bad. They both used the media as a way to convey their messages and to convince the public that their argument was better. Both men were also considered to be very headstrong in their ideas and opinions. In addition to their similarities, these men also have numerous differences. Roosevelt was well known for his kind demeanor and his ability to lead the United States during depression and war. Hitler was known for being a dictator and a mass murderer.Roosevelt felt sympathy for the people and his choices in politics reflected this. Hitler was arrogant and racist against various groups of people. The World War II era was a difficult time for the world to overcome. There were many disputes and feuds. Franklin and Roosevelt both contributed to World War II although not always in a positive way. Roosevelt was admired by the public,while Hitler was despised by a majority of the people. The similarities and differences between the two mens personalities and strategies is interesting to learn.Compare/Contrast Works Cited â€Å"Franklin D. Roosevelt. † Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 June 2012. Web. 06 Dec. 2012.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Female Subjectivity and Shoujo (Girls) Manga

Female Subjectivity and Shoujo (Girls) Manga (Japanese Comics): Shoujo in Ladies’ Comics and Young Ladies’ Comics Fusami Ogi I. Sexist Reality and Ladies’ Comics: Women’s Lives and Experiences Shoujo manga experienced a turning point in the 1970s when more women began to choose different lives from those the traditional gender role system expected them to take. Although the Japanese social system supports women as housewives, the number of women who work outside the house has been increasing. In this article, I am going to survey the situation of women in Japan when ladies’ comics was born in the 1980s and consider how ladies’ comics could convey those women’s voices. The ? rst publication of the genre ladies’ comics is Be Love published by Kodansha in 1980. Its target reader is an adult female approximately 25 to 30 years old. Generally, the target readers of ladies comics are adult women or shoujo who are almost adult. Ladies comics seem to have performed two roles as a new kind of writing for women: the ? st is to present women’s desires when they are no longer girls; and the second is to offer alternate role models to adult women. In these respects, ladies’ comics is a genre which ? rst requires identi? cation with the category ‘‘woman,’’ rather than a genre which gives readers an objective point of view de? ned by the category ‘‘woman. ’’ The number of ladies’ comics magazines increased as if re? ecting women’s increased concern with their own lives. There were only two ladies’ comics in 1980, but the number went up to 8 in 1984, 19 in 1985, and 48 in 1991 (Shuppan 1996: 201; 1999: 226). The 1980s, when ladies’ comics became quite popular, was a time in which working women disrupted sexist myths which presented working women as unattractive and sexually frustrated (Buckley 1989: 107). It is signi? cant that after 1985 the number of ladies’ comics increased dramatically, because in 780 Female Subjectivity and Shoujo Manga A 781 1985 Kikai kintou hou [The Equal Employment Opportunity Law] was passed in the Diet, which guarantees equal employment opportunities to both men and women. However, the law was not strict and there was no punishment stipulated if companies did not follow the law. Since the law just encouraged companies to arrange equal opportunities for both men and women, most women had to continue their ? ght against the discrimination triggered by being women (Shiota 2000; Ueno 1995; Ueno 1990: 303; Sougou 1993: 268; Bornoff 1991: 452). Although the law barred sexual discrimination in the workplace, jobs and career expectations were still gender coded. The law was passed on May 17 in 1985, and by April 1 in 1986 when the law became effective, companies managed to invent two new categories to classify full-time jobs: sougou shoku [managerial career track] and ippan shoku [regular service]. According to Ueno Chizuko,1 in 1986, 99 % of male employees of new graduates were employed as sougou shoku, which includes business trips and transfers to other sections or branches in the future, and 99% of female employees recruited from among new graduates were employed as ippan shoku, which does not include the possibility of such transfer (Ueno 1990: 303). A woman in an ippan shoku position is generally called an ‘‘O. L. ,’’ or ‘‘of? ce lady. ’’ This position never allows the possibility of promotion. It is a position that re? ects the traditional feminine role as a housewife in a household. To cite Yuko Ogasawara: Most of? ce ladies are not entrusted with work that fully exercises their abilities, but are instead assigned simple, routine clerical jobs. They have little prospect of promotion, and their individuality is seldom respected, as evidenced by the fact that they are often referred to as ‘‘gifts. ’’ (1998: 155) Of? ce work that included preparing and serving tea to male workers was mostly reserved for the of? ce ladies (Allison 1994: 93). Ogasawara claims that ‘‘[I]ndeed, men in Japanese companies are dependent on women for their loyal and reliable assistance’’ (1998: 156). According to the data in 1996, women workers occupy 8. 2% of all managerial posts in Japan, while in the US, 42. 7% of the managerial posts are held by women (Inoue 1999: 115). The position of of? ce ladies only creates a glass ceiling. 782 A Journal of Popular Culture The law was not a happy avenue to equality between men and women. It was based on gender segregation. It forced female workers to work as late hours and at as physical and demanding jobs as men, and raised the number of female parttime workers (Sougou 1993: 268; Ueno 1995: 702). According to Shiota Sakiko, in 1987, 48. 2% of wives of employees had a job, and more than 40% of the wives with a job were part-time workers (Shiota 2000: 152). In fact, the Equal Employment Opportunity Law was not a law that encouraged women to pursue long-term careers. Rather, it was a law that aimed at protecting women who were also engaged in housework. Protecting the position of housewives, the Japanese government has maintained women as a low cost, secondary labor force (Shiota 2000: 175; Ueno 1995: 700). Shiota declares that in the 1990s the easiest lifestyle for a woman is still to choose the traditional female role, where a woman is economically supported by her husband (Shiota 2000: 165). Women who pursue careers have to choose either of two courses: to give up housework or to ? nd a substitute in the home for herself (Shiota 2000: 87). In fact, it seems dif? cult for most women to give up housework. Therefore, according to Shiota, if she cannot ? nd a substitute in the home for herself, she has to do with both housework and outside employment. However, the number of women who are pursuing careers has been increasing. The Equal Employment Opportunity Law opened opportunities for some women. The number of women whose work is not secondary is increasing (Konno 2000: 218-19). Moreover, the traditional form of marriage, in which men go out to work and women stay at home, is becoming obsolete. Anne E. Imamura remarks: [In the 1990s] The cost of living pushed women into the labor force, but the sluggish domestic economy cut into women’s gains in the job market. Women’s age at ? rst marriage rose to twenty-six, crossing the magic number of twenty-? ve, when womenFlike Christmas cakesF were supposed to become stale. Women were in no hurry to marry, and once married had fewer children. (1996: 4) Despite the reality of the current Japanese society, in which the birth rate (Inoue 1999: 5)2 is decreasing, according to Shiota, most women who work outside the house regard child raising as a part of their future happiness (2000: 84). According to Shiota, Female Subjectivity and Shoujo Manga A 783 n Japanese society, which values housework only in relation to housewives, women need different role models for their current lives from that of the conventional lifestyle for women, because more and more women do not conform to the conventional role models the society endorses. Ladies’ comics may provide women with such models and possible ideas for their futures. This genre may help women to generate a space where they can amuse themselves a s women and also consider their dif? culties in reality in the process of pursuing a more satisfying, ful? lling way of life. The increase in ladies’ comics magazines seems to re? ect ` women’s consciousness-raising vis a vis their position both within and outside the house. As we have seen, the Japanese social system has been more supportive of the position of housewife, which resulted in the increase in the number of housewives who also worked outside the home as part-time workers. The position as a part-time worker imposed a double bind on a woman: housework has continued being regarded as a woman’s duty and the woman’s labor force outside the house has been kept as secondary. However, the number of housewives who are engaged only in housework is decreasing and more women are participating in work outside the home. The Employment Equal Opportunity Law did not bring many bene? ts to working women, but as Ueno points out, the law permitted companies to require women to work outside the home as hard as men (Ueno 1995: 702). This meant that women had to be like men to work outside, but it also gave both men and women an opportunity to reconsider existing gender roles. That is to say, the law ironically exposed the fact that women were not the only ones that had suffered from traditional gender roles. Shoujo in Ladies’ Comics Ladies’ comics has become a genre which re? ects the contemporary dif? culties of women’s lives and their pleasures. In order to present ‘‘women,’’ the women writers each pursue the image in their own manner. As I pointed out before, the following two roles are crucial to examining ladies’ comics as writing for women: the ? st is to present women’s desires when they are no longer girls; and the second is to offer role models to adult women. In this section, I would like to explore 784 A Journal of Popular Culture these two points in turn, considering how ladies’ comics, as intended explicitly for a woman who is no longer a shoujo, is independent of shoujo manga, if they still share some aspects, I would like to examine how they rework the concept of gender and how the social background has been re? ected in those aspects. 1. A Woman as Sexual Subject The most crucial reason for the popularity of ladies’ comics in the 1980s, according to critics (Matsuzawa 1999: 29; Ishida 1992: 76), is the introduction of the theme of sexuality. Because shoujo is a common word in Japanese meaning a teen-aged female before marriage, it was very dif? cult to deal with the theme of sexuality in shoujo manga, in spite of its being a genre for women, by women, and about women. As a result, in the 1970s shoujo manga created a special way to use the male body in order to introduce the theme of sexuality. Ladies’ comics visualizes the theme of sexuality using adult women’s bodies. Ladies’ comics offered the theme of sexuality to both women writers and readers in a more suitable way for their age (Yonezawa 1988: 168) and the issues positively represent sexuality, showing women who frankly enjoy their sexual affairs (Fujimoto 1999b: 84). Employing women’s own bodies, ladies’ comics provided women, who were not allowed to be in a subject position for their sexuality and pleasure, with a space in which they can acknowledge and accept their sexuality. However at this point, we have a problem with ladies’ comics in that the texts represent women’s roles only from women’s points of view. For example, explicit sexual encounters from a female protagonist’s point of view are often depicted in ladies’ comics, which seem to challenge the pornographic discourse of maleoriented publishers. This may heighten woman’s consciousness, suggesting that women can also gain a subject position from which they can ‘‘look’’ at and objectify males. But we cannot say that the texts do not reinscribe the man/woman power relationship because they are written for female readers alone and thus do not affect male readers in any way. As long as these texts explore ‘‘women’’ only from the point of view of heterosexual women, the use of women by women is not much different from men’s use of women for purposes of sexual titillation (Pollock 1977: 142), which Female Subjectivity and Shoujo Manga A 785 retains the hierarchical power relationship; they remain mere image-promoters rather than image-makers. This limitation of ladies’ comics is re? ected in the fact that ladies’ comics present marriage as a natural goal for a woman. As Arimitsu Mamiko remarks, ladies’ comics mainly functioned as a reinscription of patriarchal values and a female version of pornography (Arimitsu 1991: 154). As long as the characters in ladies’ comics question whether they can get married or continue their marriage safely, they never question the system itself. To envision a woman’s future position as a ‘‘happy’’ housewife and mother might even enhance the myth of motherhood as a natural result of marriage. Here women objectify themselves according to patriarchal codes, reinforcing heterosexual gender roles and preserving a ? xed ideology. Considering that the genre ladies’ comics does not abandon the traditional view of ‘‘women’’ but perpetuates it, we cannot help but see the genre reinscribing the existing value of gender. However, considering the turning point in shoujo manga in terms of sexuality in the 1970s, it is crucial to note that ladies’ comics provided women with a space in which they could confront and acknowledge their own bodies. Although most ladies’ comics might only represent the traditional power relationship between men and women, the space of women in manga for women has been changing, generating different forms. The history of shoujo manga as women’s space has existed for only a few decades and has offered various ways to challenge the existing gender roles. After the turning point in the 1970s, in which shoujo manga introduced the subversive theme of sexuality, shoujo as a female body has been secured by employing a boy’s body to explore the theme of sexuality. In terms of the theme of sexuality, ladies’ comics is one of the ‘‘failures’’ of shoujo manga. adies’ comics is a genre which can deal with explicit sexuality that shoujo manga could not handle. As a gendered category for women, ladies’ comics is a younger sister of shoujo manga. But ladies’ comics is not a genre which takes over the characteristics of shoujo manga regar ding sexuality. Instead, dealing with a taboo subject for shoujo’s sexuality, ladies’ comics is a genre for a woman who fails to be a shoujo. Shoujo manga has interpellated readers and writers in terms of gender, while portraying taboo subjects in the form of the absence of the shoujo. The category ladies’ comics as a women’s genre would also tell women how to perform as 786 A Journal of Popular Culture ‘‘women’’ and signal writers and readers that they are reading what has been written for adult ‘‘women,’’ while portraying what shoujo cannot be or do. Here, the existence of ladies’ comics, which promises women’s sexual pleasure, seemingly performs what adult women want, and reinscribes the existing power relationship between man and woman merely by replacing male gazes with female gazes. However, as a ‘‘failure’’ of the category shoujo manga, it also disturbs a woman when she sees her sexuality in a traditional way. As a supposedly sexual ‘‘subject’’ in pornographic representations for women in ladies’ comics, a female reader may enjoy her sexual desire, but may also see her sexual desire of an adult woman as a ‘‘failure’’ of a shoujo or what is not shoujo. The female sexual subject of ladies’ comics destabilizes the idea of shoujo, which does not contain female sexuality of women and does not present women’s bodies. Ladies’ comics, as a category for women, reinscribes the traditional values of women, but at the same time, as a ‘‘failure’’ of shoujo manga, promising to introduce what shoujo or a future woman should not have, stimulates the world of comics for ‘‘women. ’’ This characteristic of ladies’ comics, which presents what shoujo manga cannot contain, might emphasize and develop ladies’ comics as pornographic representations of women’s bodies, which could not directly be represented in shoujo manga and needed to be transformed into other bodies. In this sense, pornographic representations of ladies’ comics are part of the concept of shoujo and its absence, rather than a result of a mere reversal of a male and female power relationship which merely looks at a woman’s body as a sexual object. 2. Role Models to Women Another function of ladies’ comics has been to present various images of women’s lifestyles as role models for other women. Mainly dealing with themes which closely report women’s daily lives such as love, marriage, and work (Yonezawa 2000: 1009), the purpose of the genre has been to describe ‘‘real’’ women’s lives (cf. Fujimoto 1990: 193-94). A shoujo manga writer, Shouji Masako, who is currently writing ladies’ comics, comments that writing shoujo manga is easier than writing ladies’ comics, because in shoujo manga you can Female Subjectivity and Shoujo Manga A 787 pursue dreams and readers would not recognize them as lies (Shouji Masako 1983: 110). A realist perspective on women’s lives is one difference between shoujo manga and ladies’ comics. Since the 1970s, one of the crucial reasons for shoujo manga to be treated as serious ? ction has been its use of fantastic illusions in addition to realistic concepts. As Fujimoto Yukari remarks, in the world of shoujo manga, most of the working women’s occupations are special ones such as designers, pianists, actresses, or models, where talent and originality matter; ladies’ comics, however, even in the late 1980s, depict common women’s daily lives (Fujimoto 1994). Offering various familiar lifestyles and their problems, ladies’ comics becomes a sphere in which women can see their own lives as women. However, ladies’ comics, as well as shoujo manga, does not always encourage women to be independent (Matsuzawa 1999: 29) and to ? ht traditional, patriarchal values, which compel women to stay within a subsidiary position. For example, Waru [A Bad Girl], a long-run ladies’ comic from 1988 to 1997 in Be Love, presents the success story of a woman who continuously overcomes the dif? culties of her lower status as an of? ce lady and at the same time never gives up her love. Some readers regard Waru as an example of ladies’ comics with a feminist point of view which encourages women readers to be independent (Sakamoto 1999: 27). At the same time, this work has been criticized in that the heroine is totally passive and merely lucky (Erino 1991: 177). Erino Miya claims that the heroine does not do anything to further her career. The protagonist only accepts other people’s advice, and never doubts it, and she is asked to do things which seem to have no relation to her career, such as to remember a sweeper’s name. This work only regards a woman as a person who cannot do anything without help and never discovers her life by herself, but always thinks about love. Although some ladies’ comics depict the severe and unequal reality which women may face at the of? ce, most stories end with a happy marriage to a nice husband. Yet according to Murakami Tomohiko, since the 1990s, ladies’ comics began to be regarded as a genre which also deals with social issues. Until then, ladies’ comics had drawn attention only to its pornographic and radically sexual scenes (Murakami 2000: 1006). As a genre which deals with women’s 788 A Journal of Popular Culture eality, ladies’ comics began to focus on more social and political issues, such as domestic violence, rape, sexual harassment, and so on, presenting how the woman character tackles the problems, suffers, and sometimes makes mistakes, rather than clearly suggesting which solution she should take. Ladies’ comics draws both women’s reality and their fantasies in a more serious way than shoujo manga, in that shoujo are at an age when they can still enjoy illu sions of gender, while the reality faced by readers of ladies’ comics requires them to consider marriage as if it were a social obligation. The theme of marriage in ladies’ comics begins to appear as one social and political issue, while shoujo manga deals only with a process to marriage. Moreover, differently from shoujo manga, ladies’ comics can present issues after marriage, including divorce as a principal theme. For example, Amane Kazumi, one of the most productive ladies’ comics writers, deals with current women’s issues in a serious way. Shelter, one of her ladies’ comics, depicts a woman who is beaten by her husband (see Figure 1). They had two daughters. The younger daughter was very smart and her father’s favorite. After she died in an accident on her way home with her mother, the father’s violence toward his family erupts. His violence unveils his male-centered values and contempt toward his wife. The wife and their elder daughter escape from the husband and go to a shelter for battered women. Shelter depicts how the female protagonist overcomes her problem, recovers her con? dence, and regains an independent life, which she once had as a lawyer. Presenting other women who share the same problem, this work considers different cases of domestic violence. As we see in this manga, ladies’ comics as a genre about women living in reality as adults, seems to show more concern about the process of how the heroine and other women change their lives, rather than about a solution leading to a happy ending. This work not only reveals male dominance within society, but also portrays each woman’s ? aws and how she easily spoils her partner and their relationship without knowing it, for example, by only being concerned about her ? nancial status and being supported by her husband although she does not love her husband any more. In this work, each story ends when a woman decides to change her life in a positive way, which leaves an impression of a happy ending. Yet in fact, it is not simply a happy ending. It is a new beginning for her life, Female Subjectivity and Shoujo Manga A 789 Figure 1. Amane Kazumi. Shelter. Tokyo: Hakusensha, 2001. 26-27. r 2000 Kazumi Amane/Hakusenha. which is not guaranteed to be a better life than before. However, some reference to the actual law related to women’s status and reliable comments by the heroine as a lawyer may suggest to readers that this manga could help and encourage women who are in reality suffering from a problem. Thus, ladies’ comics develops as a genre for female readers and their issues, which shoujo manga could not take up. Nevertheless, ladies’ comics seems still to contain a conventional sense of femininity, which shoujo manga also displays as a genre. The following two points especially emphasize the traditional concept of femininity in ladies’ comics. First, as I suggested before, ladies’ comics presents many women who depend upon their husbands or partners and are waiting for someone who would lead them and love them. Second, ladies’ comics rarely present elderly or middle-aged female protagonists, although the genre was generated from women’s need to ‘‘grow up. ’’ 790 A Journal of Popular Culture The ? rst point supports a passive femininity like that of Cinderella which can be seen in shoujo manga. As we have examined, it also re? ects the current status of Japanese women, in which, as Shiota and other critics remark, the traditional woman’s life as a housewife totally supported by her husband has been the easiest, most traditional, and socially acceptable life for women to choose. This may explain why ladies’ comics are more concerned with marriage, than with women living independently of marriage. However, as we have seen in Shelter, the treatment of marriage has been changing and ladies’ comics is becoming a genre which shows the problems of current social issues about women who can be part of an unhappy marriage. The second point also re? ects traditional femininity. That is to say, in the world of ladies’ comics, the concept of youth seems still effective as a key concept of ideal femininity, just like in the world of shoujo. In comparison with men’s comics which presents many middle-aged male main characters, ladies’ comics, which rarely show older females as main characters, seem a part of shoujo manga, rather than an independent genre. One of the characteristics of the genre for adults might lie in its treatment of various types of characters in part de? ned by age. In this respect, ladies’ comics as a genre for women could have focused on widely aged female characters and have even expanded a sense of femininity regarding age. However, middle-aged women, as Susan Napier points out, have been excluded from the world of manga: ‘‘It is also interesting to note that there seem to be relatively few manga concerning middleaged women or mothers in contemporary Japan’’ (Napier 1998: 105). Nevertheless, in comparison to other genres, we ? nd more middle-aged and older women characters in ladies’ comics as subcharacters. Their problems are depicted from the younger heroines’ point of view, and in that sense, ladies’ comics at least do not ignore elder women, but include them. Thus, ladies’ comics still maintains the traditional sense of femininity, which shoujo manga also holds as part of its conventional sense of shoujo. In this respect, ladies’ comics has not made a genre of manga for women in a general sense yet. Rather, ladies’ comics is a genre which presents what shoujo manga cannot do. In other words, dealing with both tradition and subversion to the existing notion of shoujo and making a dissonance between them to destabilize the existing system must be a way which ladies’ comics takes over from shoujo manga. Female Subjectivity and Shoujo Manga A 791 Promising to show women who are not shoujo any more, ladies’ comics stimulates readers’ existing notion about women who still recognize imaginary shoujo in themselves. However these days, we see the term josei manga, which means manga for women, and which tries to replace the term ladies’ comics. Although it has not emerged yet, in a strict sense that there are no manga for women of different ages, this genre is gradually moving away from shoujo manga to a women’s genre. Performing what cannot be shoujo and promising the emergence of a genre of manga for women, the genre adies’ comics may also continuously urge women not to depend on the division anymore between shoujo manga for shoujo and ladies’ comics for women who are not shoujo, which divides women into only two types that supposedly never merge. Writing Women and Shoujo Manga The number of ladies comics magazines increased from two in 1980 to 48 in 1991, and to 57 in 1993, as I noted ea rlier. By 1998 the number had shrunk somewhat to 54. They still have a large readership, although their publication was reduced in the late 1990s. The total publication including special issues of ladies’ comics in 1998 was 103,820,000, which comprises 7% of all manga publication; the highest total publication of ladies’ comics was 133,520,000 in 1991 (Shuppan 1999: 226). However, the concept of ladies’ comics has gradually changed. As we have seen, the contents of ladies’ comics have experienced some change in that ladies’ comics also became a genre of political and social issues. Further, another genre of manga for women emerged from ladies’ comics and shoujo manga. In the late 1980s and 1990s, a different type of commercial magazine of manga for women came out: Young You in 1987, Young Rose in 1990, and Feel Young in 1991. While some data count these magazines as ladies’ comics, they have been regarded by critics and readers as another genre (Ishida 1992: 76; Fujimoto 1999a: 28). Since these early magazines share the word ‘‘young’’ in their titles, the new genre has been called ‘‘Young ladies’ comics. ’’3 Their target readers range from girls in their late teens to women under thirty. Yet the genre seems to cover a wider range of readers, since there are characters over thirty and readers’ pages often show letters from middle-aged 792 A Journal of Popular Culture women. Although we manage to distinguish these three genres, the actual boundaries regarding contents, readers, and writers among shoujo manga, young ladies’ comics, and ladies’ comics are somewhat vague, perhaps except for shoujo manga for lower teens and the special interest of ladies’ comics in pornography, horror comics, mothering, and so on (Yonezawa 2000: 1009). Besides, some young ladies’ comics magazines call themselves shoujo manga. For example, a phrase of the copy for Chorus, one of the popular young ladies’ comics magazines, signi? es the status of young ladies’ comics: shoujo manga mo otona ni naru [shoujo manga also grows up]. Young ladies’ comics is a contradictory genre which at once contains sexuality, shoujo, and adult women. How mi ght we explain the contradictory impulses at work in the new genre, which has both characteristics of shoujo manga and ladies’ comics, and at the same time, is different from the existing two genres in terms of women’s lives? I will explore what enables this alternative perspective, which can share and separate the two genres at the same time, considering how the genre young ladies’ comics can open a different perspective in the world of manga for women, and how the term shoujo, which these three genres share, functions upon this genre to create a new writing. Since the genre contains shoujo, young ladies’ comics can be regarded as a part of shoujo manga, but it also contains adult women and their issues and has characteristics of ladies’ comics. In this sense, young ladies’ comics is a genre between shoujo manga and ladies’ comics. As Fujimoto remarks, the concept of marriage seems to play an important role to distinguish these three genres. shoujo manga represents women before marriage and ladies’ comics deals with women after marriage, while young ladies’ comics represents both women’s lives before and after marriage. Fujimoto’s idea of the division between shoujo manga and ladies’ comics, i. e. , marriage, suggests that both shoujo manga and ladies’ comics are patriarchal products. Ishida Saeko also sees young ladies’ comics as a product between shoujo manga and ladies’ comics. Yet Ishida regards young ladies’ comics as manga closer to shoujo manga. According to Ishida, although it contains sexuality, the genre takes over the world of shoujo manga, which is more concerned with shoujo’s inner mind and cannot escape the narrow and personal world of ‘‘herself. ’’ In this respect, young ladies’ comics is not a totally new genre. That is because shoujo manga as the ? rst genre of Female Subjectivity and Shoujo Manga A 793 manga for women has heavily affected other genres of manga in terms of women, especially this genre which employs shoujo as main characters. Yet simultaneously, we may also ? nd some signi? cant characteristics in young ladies’ comics, in its treatment of the same term shoujo. These three genres share the concept of shoujo, but their modes of representation are different. Shoujo manga has shoujo, ladies’ comics has a taboo concept for shoujo in the form of sexuality, and young ladies’ comics has shoujo, although it deals with sexuality. They are all manga, for women, by women, of women, but make use of the concept of women in terms of shoujo differently . The characteristic of young ladies’ comics appears in its treatment of shoujo and reality, which distinguishes this new genre from shoujo manga and ladies’ comics. On the one hand, shoujo manga visualizes the concept of shoujo and, as I suggested, even if it introduces taboo concepts like displacement into male bodies to shoujo, readers would notice their existence in the form of the absence of shoujo. On the other hand, ladies’ comics deals with what is taboo to shoujo as a counter category to shoujo manga and tries to depict adult women’s real lives and issues which shoujo manga cannot imagine. Young ladies’ comics maintains a shoujo’s point of view, but it also inherits a characteristic from ladies’ comics, which surveys reality rather than fantasy and tries to present shoujo’s life and issues as part of the reality surrounding them, just like ladies’ comics tries to deal with women’s issues and lives from their own perspective as women. Reading works published as young ladies’ comics, we would never think at least at the ? rst glance that they are presenting ‘‘reality. ’ Many elements remind readers of shoujo manga: their cute characters with big eyes, their concern for love and inner feelings, and special situations or happenings which would rarely occur to ‘‘actual girls. ’’ Yet their concern for reality makes young ladies’ comics unique and different from shoujo manga. For example, let us examine Onna tachi no miyako [Women’s Utopia] (1992-1994) by Matsunae Akemi , one of the most productive and popular shoujo manga writers who also writes for young ladies’ comics. In the late 1980s, an early series of this manga was published as shoujo manga. From 1988 to 1990, Katorea na onna tachi [Women Like Cattleya], which employs the same characters, was published in LaLa, and from 1992 to 1994, Onna tachi no miyako was published in Bouquet. 794 A Journal of Popular Culture LaLa and Bouquet are both shoujo manga magazines. In 1993, the series was also published in a new magazine Chorus, which has been one of the popular young ladies’ magazines. This work experienced a transition from shoujo manga to young ladies’ comics. It is about three women characters running a nursing home for elderly people. At ? rst glance, this work may seem to present typical cute shoujo characters. Then immediately, we notice that this manga uses the term shoujo in a double sense. One is shoujo in their teens and the other is shoujo in an ideological sense, which signi? es women who have either shoujo’s mind and feelings or appearance despite their age, even if they are in their seventies. In Figure 2, an interviewer mistakenly asks them a question for girls. The interviewer immediately runs away after she notices that she made a mistake, but the ‘‘aged’’ girls complain why the interviewer does not de? ne a girl’s age up to 74, instead of 24. Using aged protagonists, this manga unveils how the term shoujo is ? ated on the notion of youth. Simultaneously, this manga portrays issues of old age and sometimes depicts aged characters’ pasts, Figure 2. Matsunae Akemi. Onna tachi no miyako. Vol. 1. Tokyo: Shueisha, 1994. 7-8. r 1994 Matsunae Akemi/SHUEISHA, Inc. Female Subjectivity and Shoujo Manga A 795 in which they were physically â₠¬ËœÃ¢â‚¬Ëœshoujo. ’’ Not seriously, but comically, this work depicts how they had to suffer as shoujo in a traditional world under the patriarchal society before the war, suggesting a contrast with the current meaning of shoujo, which appears totally liberal in the story. This disruption of the notion of age in the world of shoujo manga, which later moved into the category young ladies’ comics, might tell us how the term shoujo began to become a sign which can ? oat free from the body of shoujo. The characters insist that they are still shoujo. Yet their existence as shoujo might subvert our notion of the existing shoujo and the traditional shoujo image. In this work, shoujo is not a body anymore, but is an ideological concept that suggests that everyone can be shoujo if they want. Young ladies’ comics is a genre which visually uses shoujo manga’s technique and presents cute girls. Like ladies’ comics, the genre centers on female characters and their issues, but its representation offers ? exible images of shoujo, which does not always show the properly aged shoujo. The notion of shoujo can be applied to any body beyond its physical sense of being a teenaged female before marriage. A con? ict between the notion of shoujo and what is actually presented as shoujo subjects gives a twist to the world of shoujo. Young ladies’ comics is about shoujo, and does not always show a taboo concept to the category shoujo, as ladies’ comics tries to show. This aspect of young ladies’ comics, once again, refers to the fact that shoujo can be a signi? er which freely moves from the existing bodies of shoujo, emphasizing itself as an ideological notion, from which readers may take and get out whatever they want. Furthermore, such different treatments of reality among these three genres will appear in their different endings. A typical shoujo manga has been regarded as the story, of a prince and a princess with a happy ending to a love story such as Cinderella, in which a lower-status girl gains a higher-status husband through magic. Ladies’ comics present their works as part of real lives and expect the ending to provide readers with an actual solution which they would also have in their lives. Young ladies’ comics also concerns reality and many women writers for this genre claim that they want to write manga which does not end but continues in the same way as the real life that they are having now continues. In general, they regard shoujo manga as a limited genre which does not allow them to write what they are writing currently. The concept of the ‘‘real’’ 796 A Journal of Popular Culture ppears as if it were a common key word among them regarding their comments on the limit of shoujo manga. However, the concept of the ‘‘real,’’ which young ladies’ comics deals with, also seems to have a unique message, because young ladies comics does not abandon shoujo’s point of view, which also allows readers to see dreams. Despite its concern about real lives of women, the concept of shoujo still remains in young ladies’ comics. Yet, the difference between shoujo manga and young ladies comics can be found in their treatment of this shoujo. Basically, shoujo manga shows the world of a girl before the age of social duty. Young ladies’ comics seemingly present a similar world in which a character can appear as shoujo without any social obligations. However, young ladies’ comics also emphasize some aspects of the protagonist, which stress that she has also been living in a ‘‘real’’ life. In reality, ‘‘she’’ gets hurt, gets old, or gets changed in some way. She also witnesses somebody experiencing a change. A shoujo protagonist in young ladies’ comics appears not as a momentary existence which will ? nish once the story ends, but as an actual existence, just like the readers who are living and continue their lives after the story ends. This perspective, which sees shoujo’s life as one that will continue after the story ends, is common among popular authors in the ? eld of young ladies’ comics. For example, a wellreceived young ladies’ comics, Happy-Mania, by Anno Moyoko, which started in 1995 and ended in July 2001, presents a unique shoujo character, who easily makes love but cannot ? nd a boy whom she can trust. Unlike the existing type of shoujo, this heroine uses her body as her ? rst step to love. Anno says that she now writes a ‘‘real’’ love story with sexual scenes which Anno herself could have experienced but shoujo manga discourages (Anno 1999: 160). For example, in Figure 3, the protagonist is excited about her new love, while her friend, who is drawn as a smaller ? gure, asks her if they used a condom or not. Tracing this protagonist, who is easily blinded by her love, this story continues to show various cases of love affairs which young women might experience. Figure 4 shows a moment when she ? nds out that her boyfriend has another girlfriend. That does not end her love, and the story continues showing her pursuing her boyfriend until she becomes something like a stalker and ? nally notices what she is doing for a worthless male; she decides to ? d another lover. And then, another story Female Subjectivity and Shoujo Manga A 797 Figure 3. Anno Moyoko. Happy-Mania. Vol. 1. Tokyo: Shodensha, 1996. 97. r 1996 Anno Moyoko/Shodensha. 798 A Journal of Popular Culture Figure 4. Anno Moyoko. Happy-Mania. Vol 1. Tokyo: Shodensha, 1996. 112. r 1996 Anno Moyoko/Shodensha. Female Subjectivity and Shoujo Manga A 799 about this protagonis t begins. Although readers of shoujo manga may expect a happy ending, the readers here do not necessarily expect one (Anno 1999: 164). Moreover, Minami Qta, one of the popular young ladies’ comics writers, denies the concept of ending itself. Her work is quite different from typical shounen (boys) and shoujo manga which offer a clear ending. According to her (Minami 1997: 196), typical shounen and shoujo manga are stories about gaining something. Shounen manga deal with the pursuit of power, money, or a position, while shoujo manga aims at attracting a handsome boy. Yet, to her, ‘‘reality’’ does not cease the moment something has been attained. Makimura Satoru, a popular and renowned shoujo manga writer who has written for shoujo manga since the 1970s, refers to how she felt when she began writing for young ladies’ comics (Makimura 1999). She thought that she could not write any more dream-like works for manga. She wished to write ‘‘reality,’’ in which as long as she lived, she would face more uncomfortable facts. At the same time, she did not totally abandon shoujo manga. Yet she composed her works in a different way, using some aspects of shoujo manga. She began research outside the world of shoujo manga. Researching readers by herself, she found how deceitful and ? ctitious what she had written as shoujo manga was. Here, what she notes as the importance in the category genre of young ladies’ comics is to present ‘‘reality. ’ These young ladies’ comics writers ? nd shoujo manga full of deceits which tell only comforting myths to entertain shoujo with dreamlike ideas; young ladies’ comics allow them to write something other than fantasy. In fact, many popular young ladies’ comics writers share this wish for the ‘‘real. ’â€⠄¢ Onozuka Kahori, another popular young ladies’ comics writer, also makes similar comments that she is writing a life, not a story, with upheavals, which might even hurt you. They wish to show how shoujo will be if she continues her life. Even after the story ends, their characters’ lives would continue. Onozuka suggests that she would like to send a message to readers, which suggests that even if they can be hurt, they will be ? ne, and such experience will give them power to continue their lives (Onozuka 1999: 30). However, in speaking about the ‘‘real’’ that shoujo manga cannot present, we should note that these young ladies’ comics 800 A Journal of Popular Culture writers point out facts. On the one hand, they have shoujo, and on the other hand, they want the shoujo to grow up, move, and change. Can shoujo grow up? The term shoujo is a category for girls during a special period in which they are neither children nor adults. Yet some heroines in young ladies’ comics seem to already have grown up because they deal with the theme of sexuality. Considering the ideological function of the category shoujo, which has used even her absence as her substance, we note a similar function of the category shoujo in young ladies’ comics, which uses shoujo’s absence, rather than showing a heroine who is shoujo. By offering a heroine who grows up enough to deal with sexuality, but has not found a way to settle down herself in accordance with the social codes which her gender requires, such as marriage, young ladies’ comics make use of the concept of shoujo. This heroine, who already has a sexual body of a woman, offers shoujo’s absence, rather than her existence. The absence of shoujo functions here again as a key to perceiving the connection of the manga with a ‘‘real’’ life, which shoujo does not have; young ladies’ comics resists idealization which portrays only one piece of her life as if it were the best moment. The genre of ladies’ comics, which employs the theme of sexuality and women’s bodies and their issues, has been a practice of how to develop what shoujo manga has treated in the form of the absence of shoujo to describe women’s sexuality and their adult lives. Ladies’ comics enabled what shoujo manga could not contain. Then young ladies’ comics was born and dealt with what ladies’ comics could not contain. Showing both what ladies’ comics cannot contain and what shoujo manga cannot contain, the new genre, temporarily called young ladies’ comics, seems to occupy a place in between shoujo manga and ladies’ comics, but it is more than that, rooted in the term shoujo. Showing the body of shoujo, it alters the meaning of shoujo into that of a future adult woman, who is still in the process of changing and considering her life in reality. In 1999, the Kikai kintou hou [The Equal Employment Opportunity Law] of 1985 was amended. A clause concerning sexual harassment was added and the law became stricter. The older version of the law only encouraged companies not to discriminate against women, but the revised law bans discrimination in promotion, education, and so on. It becomes a company’s duty not to discriminate against employees in terms Female Subjectivity and Shoujo Manga A 801 of gender. However, there are still many points which need to be amended. For example, the new clause concerning sexual harassment does not ban sexual harassment. According to the new version of the law, it is a company’s duty to take sexual harassment into consideration. Under such circumstances, women’s struggle at work will continue. The category shoujo functions as an ideological apparatus for women to be free from social obligations such as marriage. Women’s world of manga began with the term of shoujo. Even a new genre for adult women has been formed out of shoujo manga and seems to be still part of shoujo, which could escape from the reality and social obligation. houjo still functions as an important aspect of comics for women. When will women in Japan escape the world of shoujo? The Japanese society imposes many problems on women although women are trying to get out of the category shoujo, which they claim ignores ‘‘reality. ’’ However, women continue to question the disconnection between the category shoujo and themselves as adult women, allowing them both to think of their actual lives from the point of view of a shoujo who has not been involved in social obligations yet, and to imagine themselves as shoujo. In that sense, the category shoujo still gives female readers a performative power by promising to show another perspective which is the reality in which they live, in a process of their search for their own way of living. Notes Japanese names appear in the same order as they appear in their articles or books. 2 Number of children to whom one woman shall give birth when she is between the ages of 15 and 49 years old. In 1997, the birth rate in Japan was 1. 39. 3 Mediaworks. /http://www. mediaworks. co. jp/alt/000/text/ya. htmlS. 4 Yonezawa remarks that ladies’ comics magazines have three kinds of target readers: ‘‘young Mrs. ’ for housewives, ‘‘ladies’’ for working women, and ‘‘young adult’’ for younger women around twenty. Ladies’ comics by major publishers employ many manga writers who were once engaged as shoujo manga writers. 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