Friday, January 24, 2020
The Unnamed Wife in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Essay -- Sir Gawai
The Unnamed Wife in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight the green knight’s wife plays a pivotal role in the story. Yet, she is never given a name and it is unclear what motivates her actions. She could simply be following her husband’s orders to seduce this visiting knight. She could be under the tutelage of Morgan le Fay. Or she may be acting under her own guidance and using her sexuality to carry out her own desires or gain power. In light of this uncertainty, the unnamed wife’s role in the bedroom scene is also hard to decipher. As a woman she should be submissive, and yet it is Gawain who is forced to defend himself against her advances to which he eventually submits. The multiple readings of the wife’s role also inform the notions of Christian and pagan in the story. Female power and sexuality are aligned with the wife, Morgan le Fay and paganism, while Gawain seeks protection and chastity from Mary and Christianity. Despite the power the wife may gain from pagan traditions, she could also be perceived in a Christian, patriarchal context as a sexual object who is commanded by her husband’s authority. As a result the green knight’s wife represents the duality of Christian and pagan and its prevalence in medieval society. In the bedroom scenes the wife appears to be playing the role of a submissive woman, but is in fact using her position to dominate Gawain, who is limited by his pledge to the Green Knight. The wife tells Gawain, â€Å"My body is here at hand, Your each wish to fulfill; Your servant to command I am, and shall be still.†Here the wife is literally submitting her body to Gawain to use as he desires. Yet, she is making this proposition in order to entice him to... ...ere her true allegiance lies. On the other hand, her position in this story provides insight into medieval society. Her antics with Gawain in the bedroom scenes reveal that her position as lady of the house is superior to Gawain’s as a knight. This situation further illuminates medieval gender roles especially when examining the lady’s relationship with her husband. Even if he may use her as a sexual pawn, she is able to assert herself thought the tactics she uses to persuade Gawain to break his oath. She is also intrinsically linked with Morgan le Fay and pagan traditions. This bond is balanced by Gawain’s connection with Mary as a figure for guidance. The wife’s position in this story epitomizes the dualities of medieval society. The conflicting social and gender roles and Christian and pagan traditions are somehow able to operate in this complex society.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Bretton Woods Essay
Bretton Woods Conference The Background During the World War I and World War II the international monetary system is split into several competing currency blocs, the fierce trade war between the global recession and nation. In the post-World War II, at the end of World War II, the U. S. dollar has enjoyed a unique and powerful position in international trade and also because British and American governments for consideration of national interests, ideas and design of post-war international monetary system, proposed separately by the â€Å"White Plan†and â€Å"the Keynes plan. Huai-held plans†and â€Å"Keynes Plan†with is the establishment of international financial institutions, stabilize the exchange rate, the expansion of international trade, and promoting world economic development for the purpose, but the way they operate. Because the United States boarded the supreme world leader of the capitalist world economic crisis and after World War II, the dollar's international status because of its strength of the international gold reserves to get a solid, the two sides reached in April 1944, reflects the White Plan on the establishment of the GB currency experts of the Fund a joint statement. What is â€Å"Bretton woods conference†? The United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference, commonly known as the Bretton Woods conference, Bretton woods system or Bretton woods agreements. It was a gathering of 730 delegates from all 44 Allied nations at the Mount Washington Hotel, situated in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, to regulate the international monetary and financial order after the conclusion of World War II.The conference was held from 1-22 July 1944, when the agreements were signed to set up the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It established the rules for commercial and financial relations among the world's major industrial states in the mid 20th century and also was the first example of a fully negotiated onetary order intended to govern monetary relations among independent nation-states. As a result of the conference, the Bretton Woods system of exchange rate management was set up, which remained in place until itself collapsed in 1971, when President Richard Nixon severed the link between the dollar and gold. What they agreed: * Formation of the IMF and the IBRD (World Bank) Adjustably secured foreign exchange market rate system: * Exchange rate were fixed, with the provision of changing them if necessary * Currencies were required to be convertible for trade related and other current account transactions * All member countries were required to subscribe to the IMF’s capital * if exchange rate might not be favorable to a country’s balance of payments position, the governments had the power to revise them by up to 10% Who’s involved? Delegation from around the w orldAustralia|                     India|     Belgium|                     Iran|     Bolivia|                     Iraq|     Brazil|                     Liberia|     Canada|                     Luxembourg|     Chile|                     Mexico|     China|                     Netherlands|     Colombia|                     New Zealand|     Costa Rica|                     Nicaragua|     Cuba|                     Norway|     Czechoslovakia|                     Panama|     Dominican Republic|                     Paraguay|     Ecuador|                     Peru|     Egypt|                     Philippines|     El Salvador|                     Poland|     Ethiopia|                     Union of South Africa|     France|                     Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)|     Greece|                     United Kingdom|     Guatemala|                     United States|     Haiti|                     Uruguay|     Honduras|                     Venezuela|     Iceland|                     Yugoslavia| The United States, having the largest delegation, brought a wide spectrum of economists and politicians to the Bretton Woods Conference. China, represented by the Nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek, played an active role and was granted the fifth largest quota among the original members of the IMF.Cuba, governed by Ramon Raul San Martin, sent a delegation that represented the interests of small agr icultural economies. Delegates from many Latin American nations were deeply involved in the negotiations. The democratic process at Bretton Woods ensured that concerns of all countries were addressed. Though the delegation from the Soviet Union was active at the Conference and signed the draft Articles, the Soviet government later decided not to join the Fund or the Bank. The cooperation of the U. S. and USSR delegations was a positive moment before the onset of the Cold War. In 1944, the Indian delegation to Bretton Woods included both British citizens as well as Indian nationals, as India was still part of the British Empire.Alexander Argyropulos (at right in photo), a member of the Greek delegation, arrived in New York on June 21. Argyropulos had been a prisoner of war for a year. His arrival in the United States culminated in the reunion with his wife and daughter, who had escaped Greece when Axis forces invaded. Camille Gutt one of the Belgian delegation. Once the Fund was esta blished, Gutt was elected as its first Managing Director, a post he held until 1951. Outcomes: The Conference led to the creation of three organizations in order to lead the world economy in the right direction. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT) and the World Bank.The IMF was intended for keeping track of the monetary policy, to balance the exchange rates, reduce restrictions on the foreign exchange rate, and provide loans to invest in the infrastructure of developing countries and countries that had debts. The number of votes a country for the IMF board depends on its contribution factor towards the reserve. The U. S, U. K, Japan, Germany have 40% of the votes. Out of that percentage, the U. S has 17% of the votes, making them the majority power in the IMF. The GATT encouraged â€Å"laissez-faire system†, to make trade without government intervention, to reduce taxes when two countries are trading with each other and make it fair. It is known now as the World Trade Organization.The World Bank main idea and purpose was to help third world countries and reduce poverty, and to corporations who want to aid the developing countries. The World Bank would offer loans to rebuild roads and utilities. These were the organizations that emerged from the Bretton Woods Agreement. Another outcome for the United States was the Dollar being a â€Å"World Reserve Currency†and that all trade and business will be done in American dollars. Even trade between two different nations that do not use the American dollar as their currency; will do business with each other using the dollar. For example the price of oil from Saudi Arabia will not be in Saudi Rials, but in American dollars. Then those dollars would be redeemable through gold from the U.S at a fixed price of 35$ per ounce. All the countries that signed the Bretton Woods Agreement agreed to fix their currency with the same value as the value of gold. The s upply of money a country had went hand in hand with its gold reserves. The countries that were not rich in gold, would have to borrow money in order to finance their investments and development. The system performed trade through stable and adjustable exchange rates. However there was an increase in demand for dollars which lead to an increase in trade deficits, and the value of the dollar remained high. The United states couldn’t fix the exchange rate between itself and other urrencies. It became known as the â€Å"n’th currency problem†. All the countries currencies were at par with the US dollar. The United States worth of gold was $26 billion by 1964. The world’s worth of gold was $33 billion. Many countries held the U. S dollar as their main reserve asset. Because of that, the French President, De Gaulle said the U. S had a privilege of unlimited financing, because of the majority of countries having dollar assets. The U. S was unable to eliminate it s deficits. The ways in which the balance payment deficits could be corrected include deflating the economy by using a monetary policy, which means raising interest rates.Another policy to use is the Fiscal Policy that includes reducing government spending in order to reduce demand. The U. S could have also devalued its currency, which meant foreign currency prices are higher. This would reduce exports from foreign currencies, and more exports from the U. S. The Bretton Woods system was successful until 1971, August 15th. A few measures were taken to avoid the system going to fail. They included imposing an â€Å"interest equalization tax†to reduce the outflow of investments and private capital. However this lead to more loans from foreign borrowers. A lot of the funds went to financial institutions in places lke Europe and Japan. The United States President Nixon said the amount of gold that was sent out of the U.S for the 27 years since the agreement was unsustainable. He announced a 90-day freeze on wages and prices, a 10% import surcharge on imports and suspended converting dollars into gold. The value of gold had increased, yet the price of $35 per ounce remained. Even though many countries still owed money to the U. S and were in debt. References: http://weber. ucsd. edu/~jlbroz/Courses/Lund/handouts/Lecture12%20_Bretton_%20Woods. pdf http://id. wikipedia. org/wiki/Sistem_Bretton_Woods http://www2. econ. iastate. edu/classes/econ355/choi/bre. htm http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Bretton_Woods_system http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/International_Monetary_Fund http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Gold_standard
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
A Bit Of Black Business - 1003 Words
Pauline Whyman’s short film Backseat is a film like no other and is yet another eye opening intriguing film in the new Indigenous Australian short film series A Bit of Black Business. It promises to intrigue you through the fantastic acting and the unique yet effective storyline that makes up the film. A Bit of Black Business is a series of thirteen short films produced by Indigenous Australians addressing many socio-cultural circumstances. There’s films representing Indigenous communities as mysterious to others representing them as courageous to even outrageous. They cover a broad range of topics. Some cover serious topics like relationships, others cover Indigenous unemployment and some are humorous while also addressing issues. The films promise to cater for everyone, no matter what your interests are. This new series is being unveiled for the first time at the 2015 In the Bin Festival. In the Bin, Australia’s largest touring short film festival has decided to dedicate a day to show the new film series. In the Bin is an iconic festival showcasing films from rural and regional Australia, making it one of the most unique festivals in Australia. It is surely a festival not to be missed. Backseat, is just one of the amazing films on showcase, however it is very unique as it aims to explore one of the most serious issues faced by Indigenous Australians both in the past and today, in an emotion drawing unique manner. The focus of this film is to explore the issue todayShow MoreRelatedNarrative Dialogue of C P Ellis Why I Quit the Klan1258 Words  | 5 Pagesoutside of Lexington, the went across state lines and had another intervention, you know. Yeah, well, see, thats kinda what Im fixin to see my uncle about, I cant be part of that all kind of business, Im alright for going to the ballot box, coupla meetings every now and then, but that kind of business is a little out of my spectrum after all. You know, a mans gotta look out for his own skin first dontchya know. Well, its that, but theres actually more to it than that, tell the truthRead MoreEssay On Sex And Race In Toni Morrisons Sula1201 Words  | 5 PagesRynetta Davis Sula: Sex and Race Toni Morrison’s Sula, is a powerful novel surrounded around the lives of black female characters and how their day to day lives help shape the community around them. Morrison depicts the struggles of gender, friendship, and suffering through the lives of these characters. Most importantly, she tells a story about â€Å"The Bottom†(which was a black community) and how these characters struggled with prejudices and racism from the wealthier community â€Å"The MedallionRead MoreApple Case Study1250 Words  | 5 Pagesdifferently. They look for people who love their product and enjoy using it. Apple is looking for people who, â€Å"isolate true enthusiasm and believe in the Apple products†(Jason Colquitt, 2011). Black cards are the new invention at this company. Apple has a new strategy to have their people hand out black cards t employees at other organizations. These cards have the apple emblem and have something written on each side. On the front of t he card it has a compliment and tells them they should talkRead More Black Boy Essay1087 Words  | 5 Pages In the book Black Boy, we see many black people in the south dealing with many hardships. One of the most prominent problems for blacks seemed to be the quot;Jim Crowquot; laws. These laws withheld blacks from society, breaking them apart from whites and making it very hard for them to live an even close to normal life. Black people couldn’t express their own ideas at all. They had to call all white men quot;sirsquot; and all white women quot;ma’amquot;. They couldn’tRead MoreEssay about The Internet1218 Words  | 5 PagesMost have radios and satellites for cable television. To some people technology is all that they depend on for survival. I have learned that technology plays a huge role in every person’s life. The use of technology today has helped make life a little bit simpler and has changed our way of thinking. For instance, the Internet is a highly effective tool for communicating, for gathering information and for cooperation between dispersed locations. It has â€Å"negated the limitations of physical presence†(ShieldsRead MoreEssay Florence by Alice Childress1180 Words  | 5 PagesFlorence by Alice Childress This 1950 play by Alice Childress takes place in a train station waiting room in a very small town in the south. The play describes how Miss Whitney, an old black woman, discovers that her premonition of the success of her daughter, Florence, as a black actress is undesirably similar to that of a racist, white society. This troubling discovery has just as strong an impact on the reader as it does on Miss Whitney. This drama teaches the reader how the views andRead MoreEssay on Black Boy1041 Words  | 5 PagesIn the book Black Boy, we see many black people in the south dealing with many hardships. One of the most prominent problems for blacks seemed to be the Jim Crow laws. These laws withheld blacks from society, breaking them apart from whites and making it very hard for them to live an even close to normal life. Black people couldnt express their own ideas at all. They had to call all white men sirs and all white women maam. They couldnt act the slightest bit superior to whites. It wasRead MorePopulism/Progress Essay example870 Words  | 4 PagesPopulist and Progressive Eras? Section 1: Short-Answer Questions (30 points) Write multi-sentence responses for the prompts below. Be specific and give examples from the history we have learned. A. Use the grid below to compare the ideas of early black civil rights leaders for assisting African Americans during the Progressive Era. (10 points) W.E.B. Du Bois | - Increased political representation - Equal voting rights- Equal education opportunities | Booker T. Washington | * Former slaveRead MoreColonialism Of Film And Literature Essay1598 Words  | 7 Pagesare women’s roles, the Islamic faith, and modernity in Tjoet Nja’ Dhien and racial identity, inequality, and cultural oppression in Camp de Thiaroye. Two works of literature that support the themes in these movies are Child of All Nations and God’s Bits of Wood. Tjoet Nja’ Dhien is a 1988 Indonesian film about a woman who led the Acehnese army against the Dutch after the death of her husband. The movie began with the attempt of the Dutch to colonize Indonesia and the start of the war between themRead MoreBlack Entrepreneurship : Inequality And Exploitation Of Black And Brown People1501 Words  | 7 PagesBlack Entrepreneurship Disparity in business ownership is a salient example of racial inequality. Black Americans are the most affected by this disparity, as African-American run businesses have statistically lower sales, fewer employees, smaller payrolls, and a greater probability for closure. The amount of self-employed Black Americans is below every other racial group. Historical oppression and exploitation of black and brown people in the United States gives a lack of access to both human and
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)