Avon Company Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Avon Company - Research Paper Example The company has 43,000 employees, is on the New York Stock exchange with the ticker symbol AVP and the NAIC is 32562 Toilet Preparation Manufacturing and 45439 Other Direct Selling Establishments. The company has recently made efforts to go back to its originating sales model where sales representatives are given a career opportunity through selling their products (Reference for Business, 2011). A new sales Leadership Model, a formation of the Direct-Selling Model, however, has been put into place as the former pyramid model has been a cause for concern with a reputation of impossible goals. The company currently has over 650,000 sales representatives in the United States, however, 70-75% of the sales are still from international subsidiaries. There is a poor retention rate, however, so therefore the three level Leadership Model has provided for a structure of mentorship where each salesperson recruits others and mentors them towards the next level. In the Leadership Model, each sale s person must sell themselves, rather than living off of the sales of others as is done in the pyramid model. (Willet, 2010). According to Avon Company, Inc. (2011), â€Å"Avon has a proven history of delivering first-to-market beauty technologies, making the company a perennial game-changer†. ... As the first product offered by the Avon company, perfume and fragrance products are a central part of the Avon line. Personal Care products are defined by the older, well-respected and popular line Skin-so Soft, as well as newer lines such as Avon Naturals, Liiv Botanicals, Moisture Therapy, and Foot Works. The Haircare lines are an important part of the company as well and are under the brand Advance Techniques, Color Protection, Daily Shine, Damage Repair, Frizz Control, Keep Clear, Volume, Toni Brattin, and Conair. The final division is under the heading Jewelry which has the brand Inspirational Treasures under the general Avon brand. Avon also sells clothing with the brands Curves and Slim Wear as two of the brands underneath the overall basic Avon heading. Avon also sells divisions of goods under the headings home, children, which includes bath and body, fashion, room decor, and toys, men, which highlights a line of skincare and fragrance under the celebrity name Patrick Dempse y (Avon Company, Inc., 2011). Avon also sponsors several lines of products that are associated with fundraising and dedicated to the betterment of the world. The products that are purchased through these divisions go towards contributions to individual organizations that have social relevance. Avon Walk Products are dedicated towards breast cancer awareness and research. Pink Ribbon Products are dedicated towards the same goals as the Avon Walk Products. The Empowerment Collection is dedicated towards women’s empowerment issues and supports various causes that are relevant to the advancement of women’s issues. Finally, Hello Green Tomorrow, which currently only includes an aluminum water bottle, is

Work experience placement to Little Sutton Nursery and Club Essay Example for Free

Work experience placement to Little Sutton Nursery and Club Essay Between 9 June and 20 June 2003 I went on a work experience placement to Little Sutton Nursery and Club. The placement lasted for two weeks. I worked Monday to Friday from 8. 45 a. m. to 3. 30 p. m. My main supervisor, who was the Manager of the Nursery, was Mrs. Debbie Blythe. On the first day I arrived at 8. 40 a. m. and I was introduced to the other members of staff. During the work experience placement I carried out a variety of jobs. The main job, which was extremely important and had to be carried out from the moment the children arrived to the moment they left, was supervising them. The days at the nursery were very structured. The children arrived at 9. 00 a. m. Between 9. 00 a. m. and 9. 30 a. m. was the time when the children sat on the carpet. The register was taken and a story was read to them. At 9. 30 a. m. the children did different activities these varied from craft to learning to count. At 10. 45 a. m. the children helped the staff to tidy up the activity they were doing. After tidying up the younger children went to the toilet before having a drink and some fruit. After having a break it was playtime again until 11. 50 a. m. when it was lunchtime. At lunchtime the children went into the dining hall with the Infant Scholl. They all had cooked school dinners. Lunchtime usually lasted about 25 minutes. After dinner the children watched a video lunch about 1. 30 p. m. At 1. 30 p. m. it was playtime until 2. 45 p. m. At this time all activities and toys were completely cleared away. The children were given a drink and a story was read until it was time for them to go home at 3. 15 p. m. While the children playing or carrying out activities, such as craft, I would do a variety of jobs. Almost everyday or my placement, I was asked to supervise the craft activity in the morning. This itself involved a number of tasks. I had to make sure each child was wearing an apron. I also had to write the childs name on their work. Once the child had finished the activity, I had to make sure the work was put on a rack to dry. I also had to make sure the children did not run out of glue or paint etc. Sometimes a child would ask me to read them a story. This usually gained the attention of other children and I would end up reading to a small group. A lot of the time the children wanted me to play with them. One day during my placement, I organised a game of dominoes with a group of six children. At break time I would sometimes make drinks for the children and prepare the fruit. Another job which I really enjoyed doing and I felt was rewarding was helping the children to complete counting books which the Nursery had produced. I think that the children enjoyed doing this with me and I found this interesting. I also learn a new skill which I how to teach children to count. I found this my most rewarding achievement. As well as teaching children to count, I also learnt many other different skills on my placement. An important thing which I had to do when reading to children was to speak clearly. I am usually a quite unclear and very fast speaker, however, during the placement I improved this skill. Another thing which I found to be very important when handling children was to have patience. Very often the children did not do as they were told the first time and therefore this meant I must have patience with them. I found this became easier as time went on. During my placement I found that I didnt really encounter many problems. However, in the first week I found myself asking questions constantly about where things were kept. After the first week I almost knew where everything was kept and routines became more familiar to me. Another minor problem I encountered was with some of the children. They were very stubborn and would not do as I asked. This was worrying sometimes as I felt they were endangering themselves. I resolved this problem by informing another member of staff. At my placement there were between 10 and 12 other members of staff. I found most of the staff very pleasant and willing to help me. However, I few of the staff were quite intimidating and I felt a little uncomfortable or lost for words when I was around them. Also, I found one of the members of staff to be very condescending. I felt as though she was talking down to me and spoke to me in the same way in which she spoke to the children. This really got on my nerves at first, but after a while I chose to ignore it and not to let it bother me. This placement has helped me to understand the disadvantages and advantages of this type of work. It has also helped me to decide on what I would like to do in the future. I found out that being a Nursery Assistant is a very badly paid job, although it is very hard work. This is the only real disadvantage of this type of job. I think the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. This job can be very difficult at times, but can also be very rewarding. I think that young children are lovely to work with. This placement has made me realise that I would definitely like to work with children as a future career.

Austens Northanger Abbey and Hoggs Confessions of a Justified Sinner

The Uncanny Works of Austen's Northanger Abbey and Hogg's Confessions of a Justified Sinner  Ã‚   In order to discuss the literature of the uncanny we must first be able to define "uncanny", and trying to grasp a firm understanding of the term "uncanny" is problematic; since as accepted reference works such as the Oxford English Dictionary filter down into popular culture the meaning subtly alters, or becomes drawn towards only one aspect of what was originally a much broader definition. To illustrate this, the Oxford Complete Wordfinder, Reader's Digest (1999), defines: "uncanny adj. seemingly supernatural; mysterious * see EERIE" and my word-processor contributes: meanings for "uncanny" : weird; "Of a mysteriously strange and usually frightening nature" (Word 2002 Thesaurus, allegedly adapted from the Oxford Thesaurus and Roget's 2nd: The New Thesaurus.) The OED, the source from which both of these definitions ultimately are derived, takes its associations somewhat further, and there are decided connotations of the perilous and mystic: "mischievous, malicious ... not to be trusted ... associated with supernatural arts or powers ... dangerous, unsafe" (lecture handout notes), but even considering this it is difficult to come to a decisive, all-encompassing definition of what constitutes 'uncanny literature', because to be concerned with the unknown, the subject matter must by its very nature be imprecise. What is suggested becomes far more important than what is actually said. An excellent illustration of this is the work of that master of cosmic otherworldliness, H.P. Lovecraft. (Typical extract from an e-text of his short story, The Outsider: "I beheld in full, frightful vividness the inconceivable, indescribab... ...ssible engagement with the text, it is also an invited one, because a great deal of the value of the text lies in presenting an unsettling and subtle variation upon a known theme or situation. Mastery of the literary genre depends upon a clear knowledge not only of recurrent themes and styles of the form (which exist to be perpetuated in continually evolving manner, much more so than in other genres), but of human nature and the psychological triggers which create in readers a spirit of curiosity. One might think that such a device was inherent to any form of writing of any quality, and whilst this is true, there is a much more marked difference between formulaic uncanny and gothic fiction than that of other genres. Works Cited Confessions of a Justified Sinner, James Hogg, Everyman, 1998. Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen, Oxford World's Classics, 1998.

Education System in Bhutan

?  ¬Ã‚ ¬ Acknowledgement Getting this research done was a team effort. Our sincere appreciation goes to Mr. Sangay Tenzin, examination controller of Bhutan council for School Examination and Assessment, for his kind support to get standardized test scores of tenth and twelfth standard; Mr. Sonam Gyeltshen working under Bhutan council for School Examination and Assessment staffed under IT Department for his tireless work in getting the scores and providing us with the same; Dr. Shivaraj Bhattarai dean of Royal Thimphu College, for his kind approval to let us go for the collection of data and also for his help in editing our approval letter; Mr.Deb Kumar Acharyya, program leader for BBA for his kind help in calling off the classes on the days of data collection; Mr. Rob Marjerison, module tutor of Research mMethodology at Royal Thimphu College for guiding us in writing research report. Content Acknowledgment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. I Abstract†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. II Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 1-2 Literature Review†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3 Design of the Study†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4 Analysis of Data†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5-9 Summary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 0 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11 Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦12 Appendix†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦13 Lists of tables and charts: Analysis of data Class ten scores in year wise sequence†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 5-6 Class twelve scores in year wise sequence†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7-8 Chart†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9 ? Abstract The core reason for us to do this research is to find out whether there is an improvement in the education quality in Bhutan in last five years or not. We have done this by taking into consideration the standardized test scores of twelfth and tenth standard.Also to show the trends of marks obtained by the students in examination and make the facts available as base for further analysis. The method we adopted is analytical research method where we will be using secondary data available from the records of BCSEA. We selected randomly 50 samples each from both classes tenth and twelveth standards and found the mean to plot a graph to illustrate the facts, which will make it easier to understand the trends. The primary result that our research provides is that education quality in Bhutan has been remaining constant in last five years (2007-2011), with little bit of variation from year to year. hich more or less gives conclusion of being constant. The result of our findings plays a vital role, as this topic is mostly highly controversial and is discussed topic frequently. at all the point. We see every time that people, higher executives, politicians, college, and schools administrators and parents talking about the education quality whether it is improving or deteriorating? Therefore, this finding will help to answer one of the most debated topics in Bhutan. ? Introduction The research problem is; â€Å"Is the quality of education in Bhutan improving or deteriorating in over the last five years? tThis is the one of the most controversial topics in Bhutan and for many years has been a concern where people keep on debating, sometimes write in blogs, organize debate and write articles. Modern education was started in early 1960’s and it has been noted as foundation for success of the nation. Education has played an important role in the development of the economy and today also education is receiving an important development priority from Royal government of Bhutan along with country’s development philosophy of GNH.The main reason for us to choose this research probl em is to clear the doubt of the people in Bhutan regarding this topic, â€Å"Is the quality of education in Bhutan improving or deteriorating in the last five years? † Moreover quality of education has become a serious issue for the Bhutanese society. and at all the time. The hypothesis for our research goes, â€Å"The quality of education in Bhutan is deteriorating in last five years†.Education quality in Bhutan has been noted deteriorated in many aspects like, In olden days students were sent to school at later ages like eight or ten, where they are matured enough to learn and analyze the teachings. In present days children at the age of four or five are sent to school where they seem to be innocent and will not be able to grasp what is delivered. In past days most of the parents were illiterate and when they sent their children to school they feel that their child is doing something new and were treated with pride and dignity.Whereas in today’s scenario, most of the parents are educated and when their child make mistake they refer it as blunder and incapable. It is said that, â€Å"The product quality directly correlates with the process quality† (Wangchuk 2009). To say that how good or bad the students are depends entirely upon how well they received the education. â€Å"The ‘quality input’ in a school setting encompasses adequately trained and motivated teachers, good infrastructure, good library, conducive teaching-learning environment, reasonable working hours, adequate stationary, normal motivated students and good recreational facilities.Take away any of these attributes and the quality of education is bound to go down the drains† (Wangchuk 2009). The other factor which leads to deterioration of education is the allocation or right teacher for right subject. The various limitations associated in our research are like, our sample size is too small to represent the whole nation and post our findings as com pared to that of optimum sample size, time allocated for us to collect data was only two days and we face lots of challenges for cash management and time management. Definition of terms used: GNH -Gross National Happiness.BCSEA –Bhutan council for School Examination and assessment. ECO – Economics ENG – English DZO – Dzongkha GEO – Geography SCI – Science COMP – Computer HIST – History COM – Commerce ACC – Accounts B. Math – Business Math PHY – Physics CHE – Chemistry BIO – Biology Literature Review For getting this research done we have referred to many articles like, â€Å"is the quality of education in Bhutan deteriorating? † by Pema Lhendrup in 2011 found that education quality in Bhutan is deteriorating with the fact that wrong teachers are ask to teach wrong subjects, for example a Geography specialist is asked to teach English in many schools [2].An article, â€Å"Be happ y with a Maruti†, by Kuenga T Dorji, 2010 found that in 2006 when a foreign call centre seeking to branch into Thimphu held interviews of class XII pass-outs and concluded that the quality of written and spoken English was inadequate. They were not able to write an application correctly. He also pointed out that in schools only theory has been given more importance and students possess no skills of application of those skills [1]. What quality of education are we looking at? Article by Wangchuk, 2009 states that teachers are not happy with the pay scales and politicians have increased the package of salary.Here he says that â€Å"monetary reward is not the ‘all cure antidote’ for the perceived decline of education quality† [4]. Also the article posted by Dorjay Rhigden Peljor in 2011, â€Å"Quality of education in Bhutan† states that education is deteriorating due to the fact that in present days most of the students are sent to schools in young age where they can’t grab what is taught to them and also most of the parents these days are educated and whenever their children make mistakes they blame their children and de-motivate [3]. According to Research Paper of 2008 titled â€Å"Quality of education in Bhutan†.Says that to measure the quality of education, there need to be use of frequent feedbacks from students side [5]. ? Design of the study The research design that we have adopted is analytical research method where we will be using secondary data available from the records of BCSEA. The source of our data is from BCSEA, where we are solely depending on secondary data, and the standardized test scores of class ten and twelve. The sampling procedure is random sampling from thousands of score of different students from various schools in Bhutan.We went to BCSEA and asked for the standardized scores to make our analysis. Whereby we selected fifty samples of students each from both tenth and twelfth standards. To make our analysis we calculated mean marks of each year and compared for both class ten and twelve scores. Also we calculated combined mean of both class ten and twelve scores taking all fives into consideration. ? Analysis of data In order to analysis our data we have divide both class ten and twelve scores and found the mean marks of each as shown below: Class ten scores in year wise sequence;SL NoGenderYearMARKS MARKS IN % EngDzoEcoMathsHistory Civics & GeoSciCOMP 1F200748484240383842. 33 2F200750604642464247. 67 3F200760608883747673. 50 4F200742443825424238. 83 5F200750464440444244. 33 6M200742604642504247. 00 7M200752696486546464. 83 8M200750666060606660. 33 9M200769886964747272. 67 10M200750725254546057. 00 548. 5054. 85 11M200850545044423846. 33 12M200869526969645062. 17 13M200854696462647264. 17 14M200874789269868680. 83 15M200869527254697865. 67 16F200852645248485052. 33 17F200869648880697874. 67 18F200869666446625259. 83 19F200876749494888885. 67 0F200854606228543849. 33 641. 0064. 10 21F200954727254645061. 00 22F200969648072746069. 83 23F200950465052524449. 00 24F200960527458725461. 67 25F200954586669585059. 17 26M200952585252525253. 00 27M200962588076586065. 67 28M200938505250404646. 00 29M200954696260625059. 50 30M200952724240605854. 00 578. 8357. 88 31F201054766950664860. 50 32F201046696244484652. 50 33F201058785050484655. 00 34F201058698060606064. 50 35F2010547244283830 44. 33 36M2010447652445450 53. 33 37M2010467866545828 55. 00 38M2010507474586035 58. 50 39M2010547880646248 64. 33 40M2010426960464828 48. 3 556. 8355. 68 41F2011727276697666 71. 83 42F2011607264445238 55. 00 43F2011586252384638 49. 00 44F2011547252445440 52. 67 45F20116950605452 7459. 83 46M20116644626458 8663. 33 47M2011506950466248 54. 17 48M2011465040445044 45. 67 49M2011696474667669 69. 67 50M2011626972507458 64. 17 585. 3358. 53 ? Class twelve scores in year wise sequence; SL NoGenderYearMARKS MARKS IN % ENGDZODZO rizhungHISTGEOECOCOMACCCOMP StudiesB. MathsMathsPHYCHEBIO 1 F20076054 485050 30 48. 67 2F20072852 307446 46. 00 3F20076960 585066 44 57. 83 4F20074254 48524230 44. 7 5F20076654 5878838069. 83 6M20077262 666678 68. 80 7M20075848 466069 50 55. 17 8M20074248 46204048 40. 67 9M20077474 8366 30 65. 40 10M20075248 587846 56. 40 553. 4355. 34 11F20085866 627452 62. 40 12F20084858 405242 50 48. 33 13F20086446 785862 61. 60 14F20087666 8064646969. 83 15F20085046 545835 48. 60 16M20085060 354640 46. 20 17M20087242 7458586261. 00 18M20087258 806962 68. 20 19M20086235 586478 59. 40 20M20085446 627858 59. 60 585. 1758. 52 1F20094454 58484842 49. 00 22F2009526060546058 57. 33 23F20095050 50524420 44. 33 24F20095066 447880 28 57. 67 25F20096072 4446546056. 00 26M20094862 62835844 59. 50 27M20094454 484615 41. 40 28M20096260 948372 74. 20 29M20096662 6986907473. 50 30M20096666 66 787286 72. 33 585. 2758. 53 SL NOGENDERYEARMARKS MARKS IN % ENGDZODZO rizhungHISTGEOECOCOMACCCOM STUDIESB. MATHSMATHSPHYCHEMBIO 31F20104662 508340 56. 20 32F20105064 506274 72 62. 00 33F20107272 9286766677. 33 34F20104860 6946605055. 0 35F20105266 304220 22 38. 67 36M20106050 62645886 63. 33 37M20104254 48722046 47. 00 38M2010487260698628 60. 50 39M20104469 804025 51. 60 40M20106064 60 606960 62. 17 574. 3057. 43 41F20115266 32405255 49. 50 42F20114858 44485240 48. 33 43F20116983 52526464. 00 44F20115048 62 4042 48. 40 45F2011525562305534 48. 00 46M20114840 6460 50 52. 40 47M20114062 50586454. 80 48M20115272743276 61. 20 49M20115858 696950 62 61. 00 50M20114642 50696664 45. 50 533. 1353. 31To get the clear picture of the above tables, a graph has been drawn to make analysis simple to understand at a glance, as shown below. YearClass 10 result (x)Class 12 result (y) 200754. 8555. 34 200864. 1058. 52 200957. 8858. 53 201055. 6857. 43 201158. 5353. 31 TOTAL291. 05283. 13 MEAN58. 2156. 63 Mean of x = 58. 21 Mean of y = 56. 63 From above tables and chart what we can conclude is that the trend of scores of tenth standard is 2007 = 54. 85%, 2008 = 64. 10%, 2009 = 57 . 88%, 2010 = 55. 68%, 2011 = 58. 53%, and for twelfth standard its is 2007 = 55. 34%, 2008 = 58. 52%, 2009 = 58. 53%, 2010 = 57. 3%, 2011 = 53. 31%. There is more or less little variation in percentage of scores from year to year, so the result is education quality is in constant for last five years. Result was better in the year 2008 as compared to other years and in all the five years; scores are above 50% on overall average. ? Summary The research question on which we were doing research is, â€Å"Is the quality of education in Bhutan improving or deteriorating in the last five years? † In Bhutan this research problem is mostly a frequently discussed topic and plays a vital role in the development of nation along with the core concept of GNH.The research method that we have used is analytical research and all the analysis made is based on the facts available from the BCSEA office. We have taken the standardized test scores of twelfth and tenth standard and picked a sample size of 100, where 50 samples are from tenth standards and 50 samples from twelfth standards. With the data available what we have found is that there is more or less little variation in percentage of scores from year to year, so the result is education quality is in constant for last five years.Result was better in the year 2008 as compared to other years and in all the five years; scores are above 50% on overall average. ? Conclusion This research paper basically focused on looking at the education quality in Bhutan. According to our hypothesis, education quality was supposed to be deteriorating, but with the help of the facts available it is proved that education quality in Bhutan has been more or less remaining constant for last five years. With available facts we have drawn our conclusion of education quality being remaining constant.We only took into considerations the marks obtained by the students and we didn’t take into considerations that what factors are actually leading the education quality to remain constant for last five years, this will be left for further studies. ? Bibliography Dorji, Kunga. (2010, 6 Jan. ). Be happy with Maruti. Retrieved form www. drukpa. bt/bhutan/3/test// Lhendrup, Pema. (2011, 13 Nov. ). Is the quality education in Bhutan deteriorating?. Retrieved from Lhendrup. blogspot. com/2011/11/is-quality-of-education-in-bhutan. tml Peljor, Dorjay. (2011, 23 Jan. ). Quality of education in Bhutan. Retrieved from dorjayrhigdenpeljor. blogspot. com/2011/01/quality-of-education-in-bhutan. html Wangchuk, Dorji. (2009, 25 Oct. ). What quality of education are we looking at?. Bhutan observer. Retrieved from www. bhutanobserver. bt/what-quality-of-education-are-we-looking-at/ Sherab, Kezang. (2009 June. ). Quality of education in Bhutan. Centre of educational research and development. Retrieved from www. pce. edu. bt/cerd/quality%20of%20Education%20II. pdf

Iago Essay

Karolis 12A H/W Iago is a character who is admired and loathed in the equal measure to what extent is he both a hero and villain of Tragedy? In the play Othello by William Shakespeare Iago gets introduced in act 1 scene 1 where he had been complaining to the audience and Roderigo that he had not been chosen to be the lieutenant but Cassio being chosen instead of him by the likes of Othello. Shakespeare from this scene had shown the audience that Iago will be the Stimulus in the play causing the tragedy in the play because we have seen that he has a motive which is to gain revenge over Othello. This will straight show the audience that he is a villain alike character in this play because of this negative motive he has, so in the beginning of Act 1 Scene 1 Iago will be most likely seen as the villain. But on the other hand the audience might sympathise with Iago because he had not been chosen to be the lieutenant and that his motive understandable but he will still not be seen as the hero but a character some people can relate with, especially in the context this play had been written, The reason are that most people watching this would have been peasants in their society and the only character they would have been able to relate with is Iago. Also that in the context of this play people might have been a racist and not have seen Othello as a hero but Iago being a victim of Othello because his colour and that they might believe that Othello does not deserve being a general. Iago would be most likely seen as a villain to the modern audience because of his mischievous motive and how out of proportion it is from his goal, the audience might feel sympathy for Iago but will most likely not agree what he is doing is a good enough reason to do his plan, but it is possible that the audience say he is a villain but really it is possible that the audience want him to prosper because of his cunning us of him and his plan. The reason for this is because most production of this genre will not be as good without a cunning villain for example in Shakespeare's production â€Å"Much ado about nothing† Don John had been the cunning villain in this play who is much a like to Iago because he had tried to sabotage someone's life who had trusted him with a motive which was out of proportion to his goal with a smart plan. So the modern audience would see Iago most likely as villain but might admire him for how mischievous he is and well thought out plan he had constructed and how in the play starting off in such a bad state he is the poppet master in retrospect Likewise the audience will also have their opinion to Iago's character but might see him differently as the modern audience would see him, at the context of the play there would be two types of audiences one is the peasants and the other will be the rich. The peasants and the rich might see him differently to the rich for example, the peasants might not understand why he wants the reputation but on the other hand the rich would see it differently to the peasants. But peasants with the rich might like him because in this play he is the only character to directly speak to the audience giving a feeling to of actually knowing and that we know he thoughts unlike any other character. So in extent Iago is seen both as a villain and hero to the audience in the Shakespearean times because of the audience differently sympathies with him so I believe he would be more of a villain at that time but they would admire him for the cunning us of his plan, like the modern audience would see him and that he did not let the fact that Othello did not make him the lieutenant drag and that he still tried to gain his reputation from Cassio and ruin the reputation of Othello doing so and since he had been trying to ruin Othello and in the context Othello might have been despised by the audience and might have believed that he should not be such a high ranking because of his colour. In conclusion both the modern audience would see Iago in a similar way but for different reasons, they would most likely see him as the villain but meaning they loaf him but they admire how well thought out his plan actually is and how good he is at lying while he also has become the character who runs t he show, to the extent that he would be loafed is certain but the audience who admire him is most likely to be a bigger proportion to the audience who don't. Furthermore I believe he would also be more seen as a villain because he does not suite the definition of a hero in anyway making him most likely the villain as the audience see him

Bien entendu - French Expression

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Why Learning Essay Writing is So Boring Sometimes and How to Deal with It

Why Learning Essay Writing is So Boring Sometimes and How to Deal with It Why Learning Essay Writing is So Boring Sometimes and How to Deal with It? We perfectly get it: sometimes learning essay writing is just a snore-fest. Every time you sit down to research some information on how to write this or that type of paper, your one eye starts to blink very slowly. And when you get to looking for data on the given topic, that’s when all the â€Å"fun† comes out. But why exactly does this happen? Learning is supposed to be interesting, right? The most widespread reason for essay writing being boring is that the tasks are detached from reality. Composing a paper about the life of Abraham Lincoln? Come on, what can be more â€Å"entertaining†. This essay will get you a job in a high growth startup! (or at least at library). But joking aside, you can’t leave the situation like that because no matter what you think, essay writing skills are very important for your future. And we have several ideas on how it can be turned into an exciting and challenging task. Swim Against the Stream You don’t necessarily have to follow the standard introduction-body-conclusion structure illustrated by a burger. There is a reason you read off blog articles or your favorite authors most of your free time – they use special techniques to engage the reader. For example, bloggers apply hooks to get the audience interested while fiction writers use suspense, neat narration and so on. So, find out more about these techniques and try using them in your writing! Add More of Yourself Why do you write 3-4 posts daily on social media but can’t make yourself create a 400-word essay? Because they are connected with you, your interests and preferences. So, make your academic papers personal too. Describe your experience, adventures or contemplations, and it will be much easier to spill it all out on the paper. Go Creative Discover some new interesting approaches for yourself! Create a paper on behalf of your favorite movie character imitating their style of speech, or of someone so bodacious like Kanye West. It won’t only make the whole process much more exciting, but also will show that you are not a mindless machine that automatically produces a standard essay. You can get creative! Imagine That You Are at Oprahs You will be very surprised how this approach can change the content of your essay. Compose a paper on a given topic. Then, imagine yourself attending the Oprah’s and telling about it to show’s public. Would they be interested? Well, we doubt that and you do too. So, think how would you alter your writing so that this type of audience would like it. Do you need to add some jokes? Go ahead and do that. Does your essay need more curious facts? Surf the Internet and include them as well. Do whatever is needed for you to like this essay too. Its always important to have fun while doing even such serious tasks as completing academic writing assignments. So, make sure you don’t miss out on that. This was you won’t feel bored at all. At our service we write essays for money from scratch. We hired a perfect team of essay writers to produce top-quality custom written papers.

How to Answer the Interview Question What Makes You Unique

How to Answer the Interview Question What Makes You Unique More and more people are getting the question, â€Å"What makes you unique?† in an interview setting. It can throw even the most prepared job seekers off their guard. What does the hiring manager want to know, exactly? About your personality? About your skills profile? A general rule of thumb would be this: an interviewer is trying to see what you choose to emphasize in your answer, and also how well you think creatively on the spot with a question you may not have prepared. But you can prepare! Download this list of 10 toughest interview questions and prepare your answer before heading into your next interview.Stick to Work Stories, Not Personal StoriesThe answer is not to talk about your leisure activities, no matter how interesting, but to script yourself an answer that is both true and tailor-made to the job you’re interviewing for. Figure out, based on the company and job description, what that company seems to prioritize, how you are particularly suited to deliver , and why you are valuable in this respect.Then, draw on any of several possible pieces of your own experience to make your answer: your background, your past experience, your specific skills- hard or soft, your personality, your in-depth knowledge of the brand or industry, your involvement in issues beyond the office, and, yes, even a few things about you personally that can be peppered in for extra emphasis.Prep Beforehand With Talking PointsIf you’re stuck, make a list of personality traits or skills that show you best and most accurately. Of that list, pick the things that seem to link up best with the particular focus of the job description. Then start scripting.Choose specifics. Instead of saying, â€Å"I’m a fast learner† or â€Å"I am reliable,† find a way to cram more convincing detail into your answer. As in: â€Å"I really hit the ground running and can handle almost anything that’s thrown at me and get up to speed fast.† Beef it up. Really sell yourself. The more specific the better.Why are You and You Alone Perfect for the Job?Remember, the trick is to make yourself memorable. Stand out from all the other answers from other interviewees. Find something tangible that you can deliver, that’s exactly what they’re asking for on paper- then broaden it out with a few personal flourishes that make you the unique candidate. When in doubt, focus less on the â€Å"uniqueness† aspect of this question, and more on the particular- or â€Å"unique† value you will bring to this and other jobs.

Response Paper on the poem Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen Essay

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Statement that addresses my reasons for transferring and the Personal

That addresses my reasons for transferring and the objectives I hope to achieve - Personal Statement Example I am most intrigued and highly enthusiastic on his research that delve into the development of a drug involving a new curcumin-hybrid compound—CNB-001— that repairs stroke damage at the molecular level that feeds and supports neurons. I am confident that something optimistic and positive would be gained from the research and I am honored to be included as an instrumental part of the research. My personal and professional goals include expanding one’s knowledge, skills and abilities towards the health care profession to enable me to work with the marginalized and underprivileged people in Africa. I realized and recognized that the plight of majority of people in third world countries regarding access to much needed health care and professional medical advice remains insufficient due to lack of financial resources and access to more comprehensive information on health care needs. By shadowing emergency room physicians at the San Joaquin Community Hospital in Bakersfield, California, much needed skills and competencies in addressing various health conditions are aptly developed and improved. To gain a more holistic exposure to various settings and addressing the medical needs of diverse peoples from different cultural and demographic orientations, I have joined a variety of civic and social organizations, such as the French club, environmental club, interact club, and Armenian club, to name a few. After having attended a French immersion school in Washington, the proficiency in the French, as a second language continue to be harnessed. To date, I can speak fluently in English, Armenian, French, and Estonian. These skills in other languages are a plus factor in one’s future profession to directly communicate with people speaking these languages. I am very much interested in pursuing other activities and endeavors that would broaden my cultural knowledge and thereby contribute to increased manifestation of versatility, flexibility and adaptability to

Week 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Week 1 - Essay Example Chinatown first noticeable thematic device is the presence of an anti-hero protagonist who, although is basically a good guy, makes questionable moral decisions.  Gittes comes out as the prototypical noir style detective (Miller, Vandome and McBrewster 15). He is a solitary searching hero who comes out as someone with questionable moral attitude.Gittes indecisive morals are most of the times augmented and reflected in the people that are around him throughout the film. He is the good guy of the film, but his big ego at times drives him in making decisions that are questionable. This private investigator finds himself following his ego and ends up thinking he is ahead of the rest when in real sense he is the one who has been left behind. Gittes desperation in trying to assist the femme fatale of the film results in ruining her. Apart from the inducts of the anti hero protagonist, he comes out as a good guy. The plot of this film is full of deceit, greed and murder (Miller, Vandome and McBrewster 10). The audience is told the story through the central character who happens to be a former cop turned private detective. The good guy of the film, Gittes, tries very hard to seek the truth and to try to ensure that the good morals that are lacking in some characters are restored.. He starts with a case of adultery, but ends up getting caught in the middle of murder cases as well as the lies and conspiracies that appear to be entwined into the evil side of humanity. This investigator finds himself in more criminal case when he finally meets Evelyn. He entangles himself in case of corruption and even falls for Evelyn making the issues even more complicated and leaving the viewers questioning his decisions (Miller, Vandome and McBrewster 10). China town, though a film that was shot in the 1974, still has some feelings associated with the traditional film noir style. Some of the feeling can be traced to the cinematography that has been

Terrorist organization research and report on Hizballah (Party of God) Paper

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Sustaining tourism within developing countries like the Dominican Essay - 1

Sustaining tourism within developing countries like the Dominican Republic - Essay Example ecreased long-haul travel costs, increased holiday opportunities, changed demographics and strong consumer demand for foreign travel have given rise to large tourism growth to developing countries with global visits to the developing world comprising 25% of the universal total. Tourism brings rather influential customers to Southern countries, potentially a significant market for local business and an engine for home sustainable economic growth. Between 1985 and 1995 typical gross receipts for each tourist arrival raised by 75%. Thus tourism has become a vital sector for developing countries aiming to take advantage of foreign exchange earnings, increasing employment and securing economic wealth and to protect natural and national traditions. World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) estimation show that travel, tourism and associated activities will add 11% to the world’s GDP, rising to 12% by 2010. The tourism industry is at present estimated to create 7.8% of the total labor force. This percentage is projected to rise to 8.6% by 2012. The tourism industry is also the world’s largest employer and make up over 255 million jobs, or 10.7% of the global workforce (WTTC, 2002). Tourism has facilitated to produce millions of jobs in developing countries. For instance official estimation for suggest China has 51.1 million jobs related to tourism and India 23.7 million jobs. In terms of the comparative significance of various sectors for job creation, the largest suppliers of jobs in travel and tourism services are found in island states and destinations - ranging from 76.3% of the total number of people engaged in Curacao, to 34.6% employed in Antigua and Barbuda. The top ten countries with greatest projected comparative increase in employment over the next couple of decades are all developing countries. Vanuatu is expected a yearly growth rate of 8.8% in employment and leads the list. The balance of benefits begins to lean toward the developed countries in terms

Terrorist organization research and report on Hizballah (Party of God) Paper

Terrorist organization and report on Hizballah (Party of God) - Research Paper Example Specifically, Hezbollah gained its reputation for their bloody battles against invading Israeli occupational forces, during which they employed guerrilla warfare and martyr-based attacks. The Hezbollah began in 1982 as a response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. As their name literally translates to â€Å"Party of God†, they had deep religious motivations for starting the organization, though their direct actions may have seemed more political initially. During this time, Lebanon was controlled by Shia politics that had risen since the country’s liberation from France in 1943 (Norton, 2009, 21). At the outset, Israeli forces were welcomed into Lebanon to assist in forcing the Palestinians out of the southern part of the nation. However, when the Palestinians were successfully removed from the area, and Israeli occupation forces refused to leave the country in the following months, the Hezbollah viewed their actions as a direct threat to the Muslim way of life, as well as, an infringement on the Lebanese people independence. The founding members of Hezbollah were offended by the way the Israelis took ownership of their land. They were also not happy a bout the economic oppression the Israelis imposed on the native Shiites. Furthermore, the Hezbollah believed that these offenses required swift and violent action. This initiated the conflict between the nascent group and the Israeli forces, followed quickly by the involvement of other countries. To this end, in the first few years of the group’s infancy, the Hezbollah released a manifesto listing their objectives as the removal of Israeli occupation forces from Lebanon and the overall obliteration of Israeli forces from all nations. In this manifesto, they also described their desire to be free from all Western political or military involvement, as well. They viewed most of the Western nations as being allies to the Zionist movement (Jaber, 1997,

International Biz Management 4 questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Biz Management 4 questions - Essay Example The analysis of benefits and costs of moving the plant from US to Mexico are detailed below: Strategic Implications of Moving the Plant There can be a number of different reasons behind a company’s thought to move its operation, either completely or partly, to another country. As Plenert (2002) stated, out of various reasons for a company to relocate its operation, advantages of labor cost and total costs are the major drives for US companies to take wise decisions regarding relocations (p. 378). Moving to another country is strategically important as it helps a company gains more competitive advantages, build stronger brand worldwide etc. Benefits of labor cost and total costs are more evident in cases where companies decide to move from a developed country to a developing or under-developed country. Almost all major Multinationals have shown their place in China due to the availability of cheap labor that ensures increased productivity, greater accuracy and more effectivenes s in business operation. Relocating the plant from US to Mexico is not only driven by labor or total cost factor. ... und 50 % of Mexico’s total manufacturing assets are controlled by large Multinationals, mainly in border zones, making these border zones main cities of the country (Hamnett, 1999, p. 261). Moving company’s plant to Mexico thus helps the company gain greater advantages of labor and total cost, greater efficiency and increased productivity. But, if the company doesn’t decide to move, it may not be able to gain greater competitive advantages and ensuring the efficiency in its operation. Social Responsibility of the business in Mexico Social responsibility is perhaps one of the most important buzzwords of today’s business world. No matter whether the business stays in home or goes global, social responsibility is an extremely important factor that determines how good the business is and how far it can be successful. A business should never be a profit-only oriented business, but rather, it must seek to align its values, visions and strategies with needs, view s and perceptions of its various stakeholders, including employees, customers, government and wider social interests (Mallin, 2009, p. 1) When the company plans to move its plant from US to Mexico, it is highly important that its management must consider corporate social responsibility. An extensive market research may be required to recognize the tastes, specific requirements and interests of customers that it targets. As Kotler and Lee (2005) noted, social responsibility is a commitment to improve community well-being through discretionary business practices and contributions of business practices (p. 3). The proposed manufacturing plant to be established in Mexico and its operational activities should be able to add values to the community well-being. Business activities that are mandated by law or are

Macbeth Relationship Analysis Essay Example for Free

Macbeth Relationship Analysis Essay I found the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth very interesting in the play. In Act I they are completely devoted to each other. Love, respect and trust are the contents of their relationship. The trust in the relationship is revealed right at the beginning when Macbeth sends his wife a letter telling her about the witches and the predictions â€Å"This have I thought good to deliver to thee, my dearest partner of greatness, that thee mightst not lose the dues of rejoicing by being ignorant of what greatness is promised thee. † (I, v, 10-13). The affection between the two is clearly shown when Macbeth salutes his wife with â€Å"My dearest love† (I, v, 58) and also on the letter where he says â€Å"†¦my dearest partner of greatness†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (I, v, 11). The respect comes when Macbeth listens to his wife, which talks about the murder. He respects her opinion and gives her a polite answer â€Å"We will speak further.† (I, v, 71). In Act I, ii we see that King Duncan considers Macbeth a brave soldier and good man â€Å"O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman!† (King Duncan, I, ii, 24). This can be considered a weakness or, perhaps, strength in the relationship, it depends on the point of view. It is a weakness if we analyze Macbeth’s side. He is â€Å"†¦too full o’ the milk of human kindness†¦ that wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (I, v, 16 21). It is strength if we analyze Lady Macbeth’s side. She has a very strong nature and knows Macbeth’s weak points, therefore manipulating and controlling the relationship. She uses of a great argument in Act I, vii accusing Macbeth for not having the courage to do what he wants â€Å"Wouldst thou have that which steem’ st the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own steem, letting â€Å"I dare not† wait upon

Queer Theory Reading of a Picture of Dorian Gray

Queer Theory Reading of a Picture of Dorian Gray Aestheticism dictates that life should be lived by an ideal of beauty and a movement embodied by the phrase of art for arts sake. There is perhaps no greater advocate of such beliefs as Oscar Wilde, and the characteristics of aestheticism run through much of his work, both plays and stories, particularly in the character of the dandy. It would be difficult to analyse any of Wildes work without considering his own personal life and consequently, almost impossible to analyse his use of aesthetics without tackling the elements of homoeroticism. Living in a society largely intolerant to homosexuality, Wilde was obviously restricted to some extent with regard to what he could write about explicitly and as a result secrecy becomes an important influence over Wildes work. This makes for an extremely interesting relationship between aestheticism and homoeroticism, and it is this relationship that will form the main focus of this essay. What are the forms and techniques that Wilde uses to aestheticise homosexuality, and why? And how by doing this his literary works reveal aspects of his own life and sexuality, ultimately creating the figure of Wilde the aesthete, dandy, and campy witticist who has become a public icon forhomosexual men in Britain and America. It will focus primarily on The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Happy Prince and Other Stories. The Portrait of Mr. W.H portrays Shakespeare as being a slave to beauty – that is the condition of the artist! This concept of theartist as worshipper of beauty is a recurring characteristic of Wildes literature and will be dealt with later in this chapter. Firstly, itis necessary to look at the ideal of beauty that Wilde presents as worthy of worship. There is an overwhelming resemblance between Wildes portrayal ofbeauty and the concept of beauty in the Greek era. As Summers observesin his book Gay Fictions: Studies in a Male Homosexual Literary Tradition, both The Portrait of Dorian Gray and The Portrait of Mr.W.H focus heavily on portraits of androgynous young men bothstories allude to famous homosexual artists and lovers in history andthey both assume a significant connection between homosexual Eros andart. Same-sex desire is referenced heavily throughout Greek literature, for example, during the sixth century, the poet Sappho wrote numerous homoerotic verses concerning young women, with the term lesbian derived from the name of her island home of Lesbos. Platoalso referred to same-sex desires and relations, even forming his own theory on the pre-determined nature of different sexualities. In words taken from The Portrait of Mr. W.H, the ideal of beauty is a beauty that seemed to combine the charm of both sexes, and to have we dded, as the Sonnets tell us, the grace of Adonis and the loveliness ofHelen. Wilde uses this Greek ideal of beauty as a means of adding authority to his allusions to homoeroticism, to make the content of the two aforementioned works more acceptable to a Victorian audience. Itis important to note that there is a marked difference of public attitude towards homosexuality and homoeroticism between Greek and Victorian society. Donald Hall observes that during the Greek eraadult male sexuality, had much more to do with power status and social positioning than it did with any expression of identity-determining desire for the same or other sex. Wildes ideal of beauty also overlaps with the Greek concept of the muse. The Portrait of Dorian Gray presents us with Dorian, the muse topainter Basil Hallward, and The Portrait of Mr. W.H provides us withan insight into the life of one of the most famous muses of all, the young man who Shakespeare addressed many of his sonnets to Who was he whose physical beauty was such that it became the very corner-stone of Shakespeares art; the very source of Shakespeares inspiration; the very incarnation of Shakespeares dreams. The muse, defined as asource of inspiration especially for a creative artist succeeds in objectifying the subject, transforming a human presence into aesthetic fodder to fuel the creative mind, as well as something far superior tothe person beholding the muse. With regard to The Picture of Dorian Gray, Summers suggests that, the implied link between homosexual Erosand creativity is clear in Dorians effect on Basils art. Dorians beauty and the ideal that he represents ca use Basil to see the world afresh and inspire him to his greatest work as an artist. This is where the idea of worshipping beauty comes into play. TheHappy Prince, for example, is distinctly removed from everyday lifeand is admired from afar in a quite literal sense. However, Dorian isperhaps the best illustration of Wildes fascination with the worshipof beauty. The novel suggests that to other young men Dorian seemedto be of the company of those whom Dante describes as having sought toâ€Å"make themselves perfect by the worship of beauty.† Like Gautier, hewas one for whom the visible world existed. At the same time,Dorian is presented to us as the worshipped, with regard to hisrelationship with Basil Hallward. The experience of the muse in the manner of Basil and Shakespeare (asportrayed by Wilde) seems to present something of a double-edged sword,producing feelings of such passion that joy and despair becomeintertwined. The narrator of The Portrait of Mr. W.H suggests thatShakespeares muse was a particular young man whose personality forsome reason seems to have filled the soul of Shakespeare with terriblejoy and no less terrible despair. In a similar vein, Basil hasominous feelings on meeting Dorian for the first time, I knew that Ihad come face to face with someone whose mere personality was sofascinating that, if I allowed it to do so, it would absorb my wholenature, my whole soul, my very art itself. The effect of beauty canbe seen as both gift and curse – in the same way that Wilde perhapsregarded homosexuality in Victorian society. The importance that Wilde places on the worship of beauty is closelyrelated to his strong beliefs in aestheticism. The distance that Wildeseeks to construct between the observer and the object of beauty can beread as a mechanism of aestheticism whereby he aims to eliminate anyattachment to moral and wider societal concerns. The following chapterwill analyse the relation of aesthetics to Wildes literary works, andhow far he is able to separate the appreciation of art from moralvalues. Mary Blanchard, in Oscar Wildes America suggests that the personaof the invert or male homosexual was an emerging concept during the1880s, and the connections between aesthetic style and a homosexualsubculture cannot be overlooked. And with other critics referring toWilde as the high priest of aestheticism, its clear that Oscar is noexception to this rule. He lived a hedonistic lifestyle, flitting as asocial butterfly from one experience of art and beauty to the next. InVictorian times the male dandy soon became a symbol of this aestheticage, with no finer literary examples than Dorian and Lord Henry of ThePortrait of Dorian Gray, and Algernon and Jack of The Importance ofBeing Earnest. Lord Henry declares that pleasure is the only thingworth having a theory about and it is this preoccupation withmaterial things and surface-level emotions that characterises thedandy, a choice of style over substance. As a result Dorian becomesfascinated with acquiring commodities such as perfumes, je wels andmusic. Wilde dedicates pages of description to this search forsensations that would be at once new and possess that element ofstrangeness that is so essential to romance. The concept of dandyism is closely linked to that of Victoriandecadence. Goldfarb, in his essay on Late Victorian Decadenceprovides us with a useful definition of decadence, highlighting itsresemblance to aestheticism – the value to be gained from experienceof all sorts and from indulgence in a life of sensation. Because ofthis emphasis, decadent literature is animated by the exploration ofimmoral and evil experiences; never does it preach morality, nor doesit strongly insist upon ethical responsibilities. This separationbetween decadence and morality is also a characteristic common toaestheticism. Glick studies the concepts of dandyism at length in her essay onThe Dialectics of Dandyism, identifying an opposition betweencritical thought on dandyism and arguing that two different modelslocate dandyism at the opposite poles of modernity, simultaneouslypositioning the queer subject as a privileged emblem of the modern andas a dissident in revolt against society. Therefore, on the one handthe reader can accept the dandy as person who embraces the aestheticsof culture and celebrates beauty – as a preoccupation with surfacetrends to conceive of gay identity solely or primarily in terms ofartifice, aesthetics, commodity fetishism and style. Or, beneath thesurface, we can read a protest against the commodification of modernlife and a rejection of common values and aspirations. Goldfarb note asimilar contempt for modern society in the movement of decadence, aself-conscious contempt for social conventions such as truth andmarriage, by an acceptance of Beauty as a basis for life. Bothaestheticism and decadence seek to remove beauty from the confines ofmodern society and use it to their own ends in a self-created sensualand fantastical lifestyle. Wildes use of aestheticism can be read as an attempt to showhomosexuality as a sign of refined culture, as a means to his desiredend where such a topic becomes more acceptable. In the same way thatWilde alludes to the Greek ideal of beauty to disguise what couldotherwise be seen as a direct and possibly offensive portrayal ofhomosexual desire, by adhering to the rules of aestheticism Wilde isable to divert attention from any moral attack on his writing. Themovement of aestheticism shuns any notion that art can be connectedwith morality and passionately encourages individual freedom and socialtheatricality. Ironically, whilst it can largely be seen as arebellion against Victorian sensibilities, it is simultaneously amethod of retaining a covert nature to the expression of homoeroticdesire. In the case of Basil Hallward, he finds art an outlet for suchdesires, there is nothing that Art cannot express. Through Dorian,Basil is able to discover a new manner in art, an entirely new mode of style not just when he is painting Dorian, but when he is merelypresent. It allows him a new way of looking at life, having realisedthe power of homoeroticism In presenting homosexuality through the lens of aestheticism andconsequently presenting it as a refined culture with close links to theidealised and romantic image of the Greek age, Wilde also separates thelifestyle of the homosexual man from the classes of heterosexualsociety. As Elisa Glick suggests in her essay on the dialectics ofdandyism, Wilde depicts Dorians seemingly endless appetite forexotic, luxury objects as the exterior manifestation of his innerintellectual and artistic superiority. This presents Doriansdesires and those of other aetheticism advocates as elitist andultimately superior to other classes. Through the use of aestheticism,it can be argued that Wilde attempts to give homoeroticism the power totranscend class. By describing such episodes in this romantic andfantastical manner, he places homosexuality in a highly refined classof its own, in a position out of reach from the realities of theworking class and bourgeoisie. To take this concept one step further, Wilde can also be seen toreject the realities of common society entirely, as an aesthetepreferring to lose himself in sensual experiences and ultimatelydreaming of an escape from reality to a place where such experience canbe fully realised. Glick goes on to note that Dorians acquisition ofluxuries and curios not only seems to affirm his â€Å"aristocratic†distinction, but also aims to build a self-created world byaestheticizing experience itself. Gray yearns not so much for theenjoyment provided by an individual object, but for the aestheticpleasure provided by its reincarnation of part of his collection.Indeed, Dorian does become obsessed with creating his own desiredversion of reality, in which worshipping beauty and living by thesenses is the priority. Having embarked on this aesthetic journey-largely instigated by Lord Henry –Dorians passion to adhere to theseideals becomes clear, It was the creation of such worlds as these th atseemed to Dorian Gray to be the true object, or amongst the trueobjects of life. Early in the novel Wilde even goes so far as toassociate reality directly with the lower classes and as therefore,something ranked below the aspirations and lifestyle of those likeDorian; in this extract no sooner is Dorian overcome by fascinationwith Lord Henry than he is brought down to earth by the entrance of aservant: Dorian Gray never took his gaze off him, but sat like one under aspell, smiles chasing each other over his lips, and wonder growinggrave in his darkening eyes. At last, liveried in the costume of the age, Reality entered the roomin the shape of a servant to tell the Duchess that her carriage waswaiting. By personifying Reality Wilde presents it as something that can bedefeated, beaten by those who have enough desire and strength of mindto do so. In the same way Wilde often capitalises and personifiesArt to add character to the subject and emphasise his position onthat subject. Although in one respect this separation of the dandy or aesthetefrom reality may seem to alienate him from others in society, thecontent of Wildes narration does not necessarily isolate him from amoral standpoint. It is interesting to note that we are given verylittle information on the uglier types of experience that Dorianseeks. As readers, we understand the influences and transition thatthe protagonist is going through as his soul darkens, but we are noteducated in the exact nature of the experiences. This allows lessopportunity for concentrating on the moral aspects of his lifestylechoices, and more opportunity for pondering on the nature ofaestheticism; we focus more on the influences on Dorian and theconsequences, rather than on judging his actions and decisions. Whenone delves deeper to find a moral standpoint on Wildes part, it isdifficult to do so, and consequently, easier to assume that the absenceof analysis in this area suggests ambiguity on his part. Summer seeks to find an answer to this moral ambiguity in the worldof Oscar Wilde himself, and in relation to The Portrait of Dorian Grayfound that Wilde summarised the moral as â€Å"all excess, as well as allrenunciation, brings its own punishment. The painter, Basil Hallward,worshipping physical beauty far too much, as most painters do, dies bythe hand of one in whose soul he has created a monstrous and absurdvanity. Dorian Gray, having led a life of mere sensation and pleasure,tries to kill conscience, and at that moment kills himself. Thiscomment of Wildes confirms the notion that becoming a slave to beautyis a condition of art, illustrated by the tone of the inevitable thataccompanies the phrase as most painters do, an observation that wecan easily transfer to the experience of other artists as well. Wildegoes on to explain that Lord Henry Wotton seeks to be merely thespectator of life. He finds that those who reject the battle are moredeeply wounded than those who take part i n it. In this respect bothBasil and Henry are ultimately doomed, thus suggesting no clear moralpath that the reader need follow for salvation. Moral ambivalenceoccurs frequently as a result of the narrators attitude; the narratoris sympathetic towards whichever character he is describing, and inparticular, often seems just as seduced by the strong and influentialcharacter of Lord Henry as Dorian is. With this in mind, Summersconcludes that notwithstanding the retributive ending of the book, theFaustian dream of an escape from human limitation and moral stricturesultimately triumphs over the condemnation of excess and therebysubverts the apparent moralism. To summarise, he argues that theFaustian dream is rendered more appealingly than the superimposedlesson of dangers of narcissism. However, if we accept Summersreading, it still remains impossible to read the novel withoutquestioning the relationship between aestheticism and morality.Whether we believe Wilde to subvert or strengthen common moral values,their presence within the narration is undeniable and invites furtherthought from the reader. To conclude this chapter on aestheticism, we can see that Wildesliterature aestheticism and homosexuality exist co dependently. Thisobviously has an effect on the publics reading of his works, and howreadily and comfortably they associate these two aspects. As Summerssuggests it is interesting to note that The Picture of Dorian Gray wasamong the first novels in the language to feature (though blurred andinexactly) a homosexual subculture Summers wrote that homosexualreaders would certainly have responded to the books undercurrent ofgay feeling, and may have found the very name â€Å"Dorian† suggestive ofGreek homosexuality, since it was Dorian tribesmen who allegedlyintroduced homosexuality into Greece as part of their militaryregimen. In contrast, Mary Blanchard notes a negative consequenceconcerning heterosexual readers during the Victorian era – Allyingaesthetic style with the masculine self provoked attacks from someVictorian men unsure of their own gender orientati on. This raisesthe issue of how a heterosexual readership can be seen to react to theundertone of homosexuality, and how a readers interpretation canchange when fuelled by more knowledge of Oscar Wildes personal life.Before looking at the effect of the writer on what is ultimately afictional narrator, this essay will look at the importance of secrecyin the life of the homosexual man. Todays society is obviously more accepting of Wildes sexuality andits effect on his art, Summers illustrates this point by suggestingthat Wildes demise meant that he ultimately functioned as Saint Oscar,the homosexual martyr. But of course it was not until some timeafter the late nineteenth century that Wilde was fully appreciated by awider audience. Miller and Adams in Sexualities in Victorian Britainobserve that the Victorians were notorious as the great enemies ofsexuality: indeed in Freuds representative account, sexualitysometimes seems to be whatever it was that the middle-class Victorianmind attempted to hide, evade, repress, deny. In this respect thehomosexual man had a double secrecy to adhere to – that of sexuality,as well as homosexuality. In Victorian society there was very much aclear-cut idea of what was natural and unnatural, of what was normaland abnormal. Consequently, Wilde set himself up as a figure to beattacked by the press as unnatural and abnormal the V ictorian presspublicized in wildly inflammatory ways Wildes eccentric dress,effeminate, and haughty demeanour, all held up as important signifiersof his unnatural sexuality and the threat he posed to â€Å"normal,†middle-class values. Being such an extravagant and extrovertedcharacter, Wildes sexuality was not particularly covert and eventuallyprovided Victorian society with a case by which to lay down the law asto what was acceptable in terms of sexuality. As Ed Cohen suggests inhis essay, Writing Gone Wild: Homoerotic Desire in the Closet ofRepresentation, the court proceedings against Wilde provided aperfect opportunity to define publicly the authorized and legal limitswithin which a man could â€Å"naturally† enjoy the pleasures of his bodywith another man. Despite the fact that it was Wildes indiscrete homosexual behaviourand demeanour that led to his downfall, aspects of secrecy featureheavily in his literary works and certain narrative techniques aid tothe covert nature in which homoeroticism is often presented. To recap,by relating same-sex friendships to aestheticism and ideals of beauty,Wilde is able to divert attention from aspects of homosexuality thatwould be otherwise be interpreted as immoral by Victorian society.Also, Wilde omits any direct reference or description of same-sexphysical relations and hardly even alludes to such activities. Thecontent of the narration and emphasis on aestheticism means that ahomoerotic reading of Dorian Gray is not immediately obvious – at leastnot to a heterosexual readership. Therefore, homosexual love becomesthe love that cannot be spoken of and is fundamentally secretive. The secret language of homosexuality is particularly evident in TheImportance of Being Earnest, a play riddled with code words alluding tohomosexual behaviour. Karl Beckson argues that the title of the playis not only a pun on the name of Earnest, but is also a representationof same-sex love since the term Urning (a variant of the more commonlyused Uranian) referred to same-sex desire in fin-de-siecle London.Beckson also argues that Wildes use of the term bunburying as ameans for Algernon to escape responsibility also has Uranianimplications. With the action of bunburying being such a focal pointof The Importance of Being Earnest, this reading of the play suggest aserious preoccupation with the secret world of the homosexual. It isalso interesting to note that an unnamed critic in Time suggests thatâ€Å"Bunburying was shorthand for a visit to a fashionable London malewhorehouse† (2 February 1979, 73), an opinion reaffirmed by JoelFineman in 1980. Understandably, after the suc cess of play thephrase bunburying became a commonly used term as same-sex slang.John Franceschina notes other code words used in the play as musical,effeminate, and aunty, all of them Victorian expressions for same-sexactivity. Yet, again Wilde diverts attention from a moral reading bywriting in a style that is based on farce and euphemism, a style thatrejects an immediate analytical reading. In her essay Dialectics of Dandyism, Elisa Glick observes theissue of secrecy within both modern and Victorian society and suggeststhat modern gay identity is pervaded by the trope of the secret.She pays particular interest to the dichotomy of appearance and whatlies beneath, in her words the opposition between outward appearanceand inner essence. This split between appearance and essence of apersons character and desires is central to Wildes portrayal ofhomosexuality, as illustrated by the character of Dorian Gray. Dorianis a contradiction of appearance and essence, with the portrait beingan omnipresent reminder of this. And to return to The Importance ofBeing Earnest, the very act of bunburying on Algernon Moncrieffs partsuggests a web of deceit where appearances are never compatible withreality. One might think that such a heavy reliance on secrecy might lead tosome resentment by those forced to hide their sexuality from anintolerant society, but in the case of Wildes dandies, this does notseem to be the case. In fact, such characters appear to activelyembrace a world of secrecy. If we equate Dorians portrait withhomosexuality, then we can read his response to the secrecy that isforced upon him as something of a guilty pleasure pride ofindividualism that is half fascination of sin, and smiling with secretpleasure at the misshapen shadow that had to bear the burden thatshould have been his own. This seems to suggest that throughsecrecy, a homosexual man can avoid all the negative consequences thatwould be thrust upon him by an offended Victorian society. Glickobserves that it the portrait is not just related to the secret worldof Dorian, but that it also functions on a wider scale, Wilde makes itclear that the portrait does not exhibit a single secret; rather it isthe site f or a circulation of secrecy in which all these characters –Basil, Dorian, and Lord Henry – are implicated. The portraittherefore, becomes a symbol of the secrecy of the homosexual man, whichis simultaneously associated with issues of aestheticism. Glick goeson to suggest that Basil expresses the sense of homosexuality as bothknown and unknowable – the double bind of gay identity – when hedeclares, â€Å"I have come to love secrecy. It seems to be the one thingthat can make modern life mysterious or marvellous to us. Thecommonest thing is delightful if only one hides it. But just how realistically can homosexuality exist by these secretcodes of conduct? Just as Wilde suffers at the hands of an intolerantsociety, so does Dorian Gray struggle to live a life of doubleidentity. By the end of the novel it becomes clear that he issuspended between two worlds, with no lasting way of marrying the two.To return to the essay of Elisa Glick, Dorian must die when he stabsthe portrait because he can only exist in the relation between thepublic and the private, a relation that Wilde literalizes in theportrait and its subject. Right from the outset of The Picture ofDorian Gray we are presented with the concept of that part of anartists inspiration that remains secret and personal to them.Therefore, the portrait of Dorian Gray does not merely conceal thesecrets of Dorian, but also the secrets of the painter of the subject -the portrait is a â€Å"mysterious form† because its outward appearanceconceals its inner essence. – it reveals the essence of both painterand painted. The secret desire hidden within the painting is broughtto our attention by Henrys shallow comment that the painting looksnothing like Basil; the fact that his retort misses the point entirelymerely succeeds in enhancing our understanding that there is much moreof Basils desires and passion in the painting than is immediatelyobvious from its surface attributes. Interestingly, this revelationcontradicts the concept of appreciating art purely for its appearanceand with no relation to moral values. In many cases living by thesenses reveals much about the person, and experiences cannot be soeasily detached from emotion and personal feeling. For example, whenDorian falls in love with Sibyl Vane, Henry observes that out of itssecret hiding place had crept his Soul, and Desire had come to meet iton the way. Within the stereotypical lifestyles of the aesthetes,inner feeling will inevitably show its face and with it, bring at leasta fleeting ponder on moral values. Having analysed The Importance of Being Earnest and The Picture ofDorian Gray with regard to elements of secrecy, both positive andnegative consequences of such an influence on homosexual lifestyle areapparent. But it is the story of The Happy Prince that puts Wildesfinal and definitive seal of opinion on the issue of secrecy. Once theswallow has sacrificed his life for the statue of the Prince, the twoTown Councillors far from understand the relationship between theswallow and prince, becoming preoccupied with the trivial matter of whoshould be the subject of the next statue. However, there is ultimatelya happy ending with the swallow and Prince receiving recognition andacceptance from God, for in my garden of Paradise this little birdshall sing for evermore, and in my city of gold the Happy Prince shallpraise me. The relationship between Prince and Swallow does havehomoerotic undertones, with the Swallow often read as the dandycharacter, in this case fascinated by the beauty of the statue. Thehomoerotic aspect of the tale culminates in a kiss between the two,but you must kiss me on the lips, for I love you. If we are toaccept a homoerotic reading of The Happy Prince then accordingly wecan read the ending as Wilde voicing his opinion of homosexuality asnatural and literally giving such a lifestyle the blessing of God. InThe Portrait of Dorian Gray, Wilde uses a similar technique whereby hepresents the character who can most easily be classified as homosexual,as the very character who is the most morally sensitive. However, a homoerotic reading of The Happy Prince, indeed of anyof Wildes literary works, relies on and is substantially influenced byour knowledge of Oscar Wildes personal life. This brings us to thefinal chapter of this dissertation, a chapter that will analyse therelationship between the writer and the narrator, and the effect ofthis relationship on aesthetic and homoerotic readings of Wildesfiction. Chapter 5 -Wilde the storyteller So far we have looked mainly at The Importance of Being Earnest andThe Picture of Dorian Gray and we have touched upon the fact that it isoften difficult to read such works without considering the personallife of Oscar Wilde. A Victorian audience would have held someknowledge of Wilde, considering that he was an extremely sociablecharacter with social critiques often published in Reviews of thetime. And of course, his two years imprisonment would have beenwidely publicised and consequently common knowledge. There is no doubtthat it was around this time that heterosexual readers would havestruggled to accept the links that Wilde makes between aestheticism andhomosexuality, fearing a similar fate merely for sharing thecharacteristics of aestheticism. Reading in the twenty-first centurywe now have the privilege of even further information on Wildesprivate life. The nineteenth century novel largely focused on the third person,omnipresent narrator, and in doing so inevitably drew attention to thepersona of the narrator and subsequently to the author himself. Wildeis no exception to this rule and it is difficult not to see his owncharacter or what we believe to be his own character shinethrough. As suggested in the previous chapter, it is not just thecondition of the artist to worship beauty, but also to allow his owncharacter and desires to become a part of his art. In the case of ThePortrait of Dorian Gray, our knowledge of Wilde as a dandy and aesthetecolours our interpretation of characters such as Lord Henry andDorian. Knowing what we do about Wildes extravagant social life andturbulent relationship with the press, lines such as You dont wantpeople to talk of you as something vile and degraded spoken to Dorianby Basil, begin to take on more significant meaning. With this quotein mind, it is possible to read between the lines and observ e a feelingin Wilde that he wishes somehow, outside of his literature not to belooked upon as vile and degraded. This desire for acceptance isoffset by the more typical tongue in cheek wit of Wilde, the use ofwhich diverts attention from serious emotions. This type of humour canbe seen in Dorians retort to Basil on hearing gossip, I love scandalsabout other people, but scandals about myself dont interest me. Theyhave not got the charm of novelty. It seems that Wilde isdeliberately poking fun at himself and joining in with the popularridicule that was present in Victorian society about the life of theaesthetic gentleman. Many cartoons and caricatures were in circulationat the time that sought to make fun of the extravagances of theaesthetic lifestyle. Numerous satirical works were also released,worth particular mention is Robert Hitchens Green Carnation, asatirical novel on decadence influenced by the authors beliefs inaestheticism as unconventional and exhibitionist. The Importance ofBeing Earnest also has a farcical tone throughout, which often servesto allow the reader to question Wildes authority, whilst also allyingthe comments of certain characters with Oscar himself. For example, aline of Gwendolen appears to point directly at Wildes personal life,And certainly once a man begins to neglect his domestic duties hebecomes painfully effeminate, does he not? And I dont like that. Itmakes men so very attractive. However, many critics would argue that the very definition of fictiondictates that the reader should accept that there need not necessarilybe a connection between narrator and author. In the same way that anactor does not need to have experienced a similar history and lifestyleto the character they play, so too should we allow the writer to assumedifferent characters. This very point crops up in the story of ThePortrait of Mr W.H whereby the narrator argues that To say that only awoman can portray the passions of a woman, and that therefore no boycan play Rosalind, is to rob the Queer Theory Reading of a Picture of Dorian Gray Queer Theory Reading of a Picture of Dorian Gray Aestheticism dictates that life should be lived by an ideal of beauty and a movement embodied by the phrase of art for arts sake. There is perhaps no greater advocate of such beliefs as Oscar Wilde, and the characteristics of aestheticism run through much of his work, both plays and stories, particularly in the character of the dandy. It would be difficult to analyse any of Wildes work without considering his own personal life and consequently, almost impossible to analyse his use of aesthetics without tackling the elements of homoeroticism. Living in a society largely intolerant to homosexuality, Wilde was obviously restricted to some extent with regard to what he could write about explicitly and as a result secrecy becomes an important influence over Wildes work. This makes for an extremely interesting relationship between aestheticism and homoeroticism, and it is this relationship that will form the main focus of this essay. What are the forms and techniques that Wilde uses to aestheticise homosexuality, and why? And how by doing this his literary works reveal aspects of his own life and sexuality, ultimately creating the figure of Wilde the aesthete, dandy, and campy witticist who has become a public icon forhomosexual men in Britain and America. It will focus primarily on The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Happy Prince and Other Stories. The Portrait of Mr. W.H portrays Shakespeare as being a slave to beauty – that is the condition of the artist! This concept of theartist as worshipper of beauty is a recurring characteristic of Wildes literature and will be dealt with later in this chapter. Firstly, itis necessary to look at the ideal of beauty that Wilde presents as worthy of worship. There is an overwhelming resemblance between Wildes portrayal ofbeauty and the concept of beauty in the Greek era. As Summers observesin his book Gay Fictions: Studies in a Male Homosexual Literary Tradition, both The Portrait of Dorian Gray and The Portrait of Mr.W.H focus heavily on portraits of androgynous young men bothstories allude to famous homosexual artists and lovers in history andthey both assume a significant connection between homosexual Eros andart. Same-sex desire is referenced heavily throughout Greek literature, for example, during the sixth century, the poet Sappho wrote numerous homoerotic verses concerning young women, with the term lesbian derived from the name of her island home of Lesbos. Platoalso referred to same-sex desires and relations, even forming his own theory on the pre-determined nature of different sexualities. In words taken from The Portrait of Mr. W.H, the ideal of beauty is a beauty that seemed to combine the charm of both sexes, and to have we dded, as the Sonnets tell us, the grace of Adonis and the loveliness ofHelen. Wilde uses this Greek ideal of beauty as a means of adding authority to his allusions to homoeroticism, to make the content of the two aforementioned works more acceptable to a Victorian audience. Itis important to note that there is a marked difference of public attitude towards homosexuality and homoeroticism between Greek and Victorian society. Donald Hall observes that during the Greek eraadult male sexuality, had much more to do with power status and social positioning than it did with any expression of identity-determining desire for the same or other sex. Wildes ideal of beauty also overlaps with the Greek concept of the muse. The Portrait of Dorian Gray presents us with Dorian, the muse topainter Basil Hallward, and The Portrait of Mr. W.H provides us withan insight into the life of one of the most famous muses of all, the young man who Shakespeare addressed many of his sonnets to Who was he whose physical beauty was such that it became the very corner-stone of Shakespeares art; the very source of Shakespeares inspiration; the very incarnation of Shakespeares dreams. The muse, defined as asource of inspiration especially for a creative artist succeeds in objectifying the subject, transforming a human presence into aesthetic fodder to fuel the creative mind, as well as something far superior tothe person beholding the muse. With regard to The Picture of Dorian Gray, Summers suggests that, the implied link between homosexual Erosand creativity is clear in Dorians effect on Basils art. Dorians beauty and the ideal that he represents ca use Basil to see the world afresh and inspire him to his greatest work as an artist. This is where the idea of worshipping beauty comes into play. TheHappy Prince, for example, is distinctly removed from everyday lifeand is admired from afar in a quite literal sense. However, Dorian isperhaps the best illustration of Wildes fascination with the worshipof beauty. The novel suggests that to other young men Dorian seemedto be of the company of those whom Dante describes as having sought toâ€Å"make themselves perfect by the worship of beauty.† Like Gautier, hewas one for whom the visible world existed. At the same time,Dorian is presented to us as the worshipped, with regard to hisrelationship with Basil Hallward. The experience of the muse in the manner of Basil and Shakespeare (asportrayed by Wilde) seems to present something of a double-edged sword,producing feelings of such passion that joy and despair becomeintertwined. The narrator of The Portrait of Mr. W.H suggests thatShakespeares muse was a particular young man whose personality forsome reason seems to have filled the soul of Shakespeare with terriblejoy and no less terrible despair. In a similar vein, Basil hasominous feelings on meeting Dorian for the first time, I knew that Ihad come face to face with someone whose mere personality was sofascinating that, if I allowed it to do so, it would absorb my wholenature, my whole soul, my very art itself. The effect of beauty canbe seen as both gift and curse – in the same way that Wilde perhapsregarded homosexuality in Victorian society. The importance that Wilde places on the worship of beauty is closelyrelated to his strong beliefs in aestheticism. The distance that Wildeseeks to construct between the observer and the object of beauty can beread as a mechanism of aestheticism whereby he aims to eliminate anyattachment to moral and wider societal concerns. The following chapterwill analyse the relation of aesthetics to Wildes literary works, andhow far he is able to separate the appreciation of art from moralvalues. Mary Blanchard, in Oscar Wildes America suggests that the personaof the invert or male homosexual was an emerging concept during the1880s, and the connections between aesthetic style and a homosexualsubculture cannot be overlooked. And with other critics referring toWilde as the high priest of aestheticism, its clear that Oscar is noexception to this rule. He lived a hedonistic lifestyle, flitting as asocial butterfly from one experience of art and beauty to the next. InVictorian times the male dandy soon became a symbol of this aestheticage, with no finer literary examples than Dorian and Lord Henry of ThePortrait of Dorian Gray, and Algernon and Jack of The Importance ofBeing Earnest. Lord Henry declares that pleasure is the only thingworth having a theory about and it is this preoccupation withmaterial things and surface-level emotions that characterises thedandy, a choice of style over substance. As a result Dorian becomesfascinated with acquiring commodities such as perfumes, je wels andmusic. Wilde dedicates pages of description to this search forsensations that would be at once new and possess that element ofstrangeness that is so essential to romance. The concept of dandyism is closely linked to that of Victoriandecadence. Goldfarb, in his essay on Late Victorian Decadenceprovides us with a useful definition of decadence, highlighting itsresemblance to aestheticism – the value to be gained from experienceof all sorts and from indulgence in a life of sensation. Because ofthis emphasis, decadent literature is animated by the exploration ofimmoral and evil experiences; never does it preach morality, nor doesit strongly insist upon ethical responsibilities. This separationbetween decadence and morality is also a characteristic common toaestheticism. Glick studies the concepts of dandyism at length in her essay onThe Dialectics of Dandyism, identifying an opposition betweencritical thought on dandyism and arguing that two different modelslocate dandyism at the opposite poles of modernity, simultaneouslypositioning the queer subject as a privileged emblem of the modern andas a dissident in revolt against society. Therefore, on the one handthe reader can accept the dandy as person who embraces the aestheticsof culture and celebrates beauty – as a preoccupation with surfacetrends to conceive of gay identity solely or primarily in terms ofartifice, aesthetics, commodity fetishism and style. Or, beneath thesurface, we can read a protest against the commodification of modernlife and a rejection of common values and aspirations. Goldfarb note asimilar contempt for modern society in the movement of decadence, aself-conscious contempt for social conventions such as truth andmarriage, by an acceptance of Beauty as a basis for life. Bothaestheticism and decadence seek to remove beauty from the confines ofmodern society and use it to their own ends in a self-created sensualand fantastical lifestyle. Wildes use of aestheticism can be read as an attempt to showhomosexuality as a sign of refined culture, as a means to his desiredend where such a topic becomes more acceptable. In the same way thatWilde alludes to the Greek ideal of beauty to disguise what couldotherwise be seen as a direct and possibly offensive portrayal ofhomosexual desire, by adhering to the rules of aestheticism Wilde isable to divert attention from any moral attack on his writing. Themovement of aestheticism shuns any notion that art can be connectedwith morality and passionately encourages individual freedom and socialtheatricality. Ironically, whilst it can largely be seen as arebellion against Victorian sensibilities, it is simultaneously amethod of retaining a covert nature to the expression of homoeroticdesire. In the case of Basil Hallward, he finds art an outlet for suchdesires, there is nothing that Art cannot express. Through Dorian,Basil is able to discover a new manner in art, an entirely new mode of style not just when he is painting Dorian, but when he is merelypresent. It allows him a new way of looking at life, having realisedthe power of homoeroticism In presenting homosexuality through the lens of aestheticism andconsequently presenting it as a refined culture with close links to theidealised and romantic image of the Greek age, Wilde also separates thelifestyle of the homosexual man from the classes of heterosexualsociety. As Elisa Glick suggests in her essay on the dialectics ofdandyism, Wilde depicts Dorians seemingly endless appetite forexotic, luxury objects as the exterior manifestation of his innerintellectual and artistic superiority. This presents Doriansdesires and those of other aetheticism advocates as elitist andultimately superior to other classes. Through the use of aestheticism,it can be argued that Wilde attempts to give homoeroticism the power totranscend class. By describing such episodes in this romantic andfantastical manner, he places homosexuality in a highly refined classof its own, in a position out of reach from the realities of theworking class and bourgeoisie. To take this concept one step further, Wilde can also be seen toreject the realities of common society entirely, as an aesthetepreferring to lose himself in sensual experiences and ultimatelydreaming of an escape from reality to a place where such experience canbe fully realised. Glick goes on to note that Dorians acquisition ofluxuries and curios not only seems to affirm his â€Å"aristocratic†distinction, but also aims to build a self-created world byaestheticizing experience itself. Gray yearns not so much for theenjoyment provided by an individual object, but for the aestheticpleasure provided by its reincarnation of part of his collection.Indeed, Dorian does become obsessed with creating his own desiredversion of reality, in which worshipping beauty and living by thesenses is the priority. Having embarked on this aesthetic journey-largely instigated by Lord Henry –Dorians passion to adhere to theseideals becomes clear, It was the creation of such worlds as these th atseemed to Dorian Gray to be the true object, or amongst the trueobjects of life. Early in the novel Wilde even goes so far as toassociate reality directly with the lower classes and as therefore,something ranked below the aspirations and lifestyle of those likeDorian; in this extract no sooner is Dorian overcome by fascinationwith Lord Henry than he is brought down to earth by the entrance of aservant: Dorian Gray never took his gaze off him, but sat like one under aspell, smiles chasing each other over his lips, and wonder growinggrave in his darkening eyes. At last, liveried in the costume of the age, Reality entered the roomin the shape of a servant to tell the Duchess that her carriage waswaiting. By personifying Reality Wilde presents it as something that can bedefeated, beaten by those who have enough desire and strength of mindto do so. In the same way Wilde often capitalises and personifiesArt to add character to the subject and emphasise his position onthat subject. Although in one respect this separation of the dandy or aesthetefrom reality may seem to alienate him from others in society, thecontent of Wildes narration does not necessarily isolate him from amoral standpoint. It is interesting to note that we are given verylittle information on the uglier types of experience that Dorianseeks. As readers, we understand the influences and transition thatthe protagonist is going through as his soul darkens, but we are noteducated in the exact nature of the experiences. This allows lessopportunity for concentrating on the moral aspects of his lifestylechoices, and more opportunity for pondering on the nature ofaestheticism; we focus more on the influences on Dorian and theconsequences, rather than on judging his actions and decisions. Whenone delves deeper to find a moral standpoint on Wildes part, it isdifficult to do so, and consequently, easier to assume that the absenceof analysis in this area suggests ambiguity on his part. Summer seeks to find an answer to this moral ambiguity in the worldof Oscar Wilde himself, and in relation to The Portrait of Dorian Grayfound that Wilde summarised the moral as â€Å"all excess, as well as allrenunciation, brings its own punishment. The painter, Basil Hallward,worshipping physical beauty far too much, as most painters do, dies bythe hand of one in whose soul he has created a monstrous and absurdvanity. Dorian Gray, having led a life of mere sensation and pleasure,tries to kill conscience, and at that moment kills himself. Thiscomment of Wildes confirms the notion that becoming a slave to beautyis a condition of art, illustrated by the tone of the inevitable thataccompanies the phrase as most painters do, an observation that wecan easily transfer to the experience of other artists as well. Wildegoes on to explain that Lord Henry Wotton seeks to be merely thespectator of life. He finds that those who reject the battle are moredeeply wounded than those who take part i n it. In this respect bothBasil and Henry are ultimately doomed, thus suggesting no clear moralpath that the reader need follow for salvation. Moral ambivalenceoccurs frequently as a result of the narrators attitude; the narratoris sympathetic towards whichever character he is describing, and inparticular, often seems just as seduced by the strong and influentialcharacter of Lord Henry as Dorian is. With this in mind, Summersconcludes that notwithstanding the retributive ending of the book, theFaustian dream of an escape from human limitation and moral stricturesultimately triumphs over the condemnation of excess and therebysubverts the apparent moralism. To summarise, he argues that theFaustian dream is rendered more appealingly than the superimposedlesson of dangers of narcissism. However, if we accept Summersreading, it still remains impossible to read the novel withoutquestioning the relationship between aestheticism and morality.Whether we believe Wilde to subvert or strengthen common moral values,their presence within the narration is undeniable and invites furtherthought from the reader. To conclude this chapter on aestheticism, we can see that Wildesliterature aestheticism and homosexuality exist co dependently. Thisobviously has an effect on the publics reading of his works, and howreadily and comfortably they associate these two aspects. As Summerssuggests it is interesting to note that The Picture of Dorian Gray wasamong the first novels in the language to feature (though blurred andinexactly) a homosexual subculture Summers wrote that homosexualreaders would certainly have responded to the books undercurrent ofgay feeling, and may have found the very name â€Å"Dorian† suggestive ofGreek homosexuality, since it was Dorian tribesmen who allegedlyintroduced homosexuality into Greece as part of their militaryregimen. In contrast, Mary Blanchard notes a negative consequenceconcerning heterosexual readers during the Victorian era – Allyingaesthetic style with the masculine self provoked attacks from someVictorian men unsure of their own gender orientati on. This raisesthe issue of how a heterosexual readership can be seen to react to theundertone of homosexuality, and how a readers interpretation canchange when fuelled by more knowledge of Oscar Wildes personal life.Before looking at the effect of the writer on what is ultimately afictional narrator, this essay will look at the importance of secrecyin the life of the homosexual man. Todays society is obviously more accepting of Wildes sexuality andits effect on his art, Summers illustrates this point by suggestingthat Wildes demise meant that he ultimately functioned as Saint Oscar,the homosexual martyr. But of course it was not until some timeafter the late nineteenth century that Wilde was fully appreciated by awider audience. Miller and Adams in Sexualities in Victorian Britainobserve that the Victorians were notorious as the great enemies ofsexuality: indeed in Freuds representative account, sexualitysometimes seems to be whatever it was that the middle-class Victorianmind attempted to hide, evade, repress, deny. In this respect thehomosexual man had a double secrecy to adhere to – that of sexuality,as well as homosexuality. In Victorian society there was very much aclear-cut idea of what was natural and unnatural, of what was normaland abnormal. Consequently, Wilde set himself up as a figure to beattacked by the press as unnatural and abnormal the V ictorian presspublicized in wildly inflammatory ways Wildes eccentric dress,effeminate, and haughty demeanour, all held up as important signifiersof his unnatural sexuality and the threat he posed to â€Å"normal,†middle-class values. Being such an extravagant and extrovertedcharacter, Wildes sexuality was not particularly covert and eventuallyprovided Victorian society with a case by which to lay down the law asto what was acceptable in terms of sexuality. As Ed Cohen suggests inhis essay, Writing Gone Wild: Homoerotic Desire in the Closet ofRepresentation, the court proceedings against Wilde provided aperfect opportunity to define publicly the authorized and legal limitswithin which a man could â€Å"naturally† enjoy the pleasures of his bodywith another man. Despite the fact that it was Wildes indiscrete homosexual behaviourand demeanour that led to his downfall, aspects of secrecy featureheavily in his literary works and certain narrative techniques aid tothe covert nature in which homoeroticism is often presented. To recap,by relating same-sex friendships to aestheticism and ideals of beauty,Wilde is able to divert attention from aspects of homosexuality thatwould be otherwise be interpreted as immoral by Victorian society.Also, Wilde omits any direct reference or description of same-sexphysical relations and hardly even alludes to such activities. Thecontent of the narration and emphasis on aestheticism means that ahomoerotic reading of Dorian Gray is not immediately obvious – at leastnot to a heterosexual readership. Therefore, homosexual love becomesthe love that cannot be spoken of and is fundamentally secretive. The secret language of homosexuality is particularly evident in TheImportance of Being Earnest, a play riddled with code words alluding tohomosexual behaviour. Karl Beckson argues that the title of the playis not only a pun on the name of Earnest, but is also a representationof same-sex love since the term Urning (a variant of the more commonlyused Uranian) referred to same-sex desire in fin-de-siecle London.Beckson also argues that Wildes use of the term bunburying as ameans for Algernon to escape responsibility also has Uranianimplications. With the action of bunburying being such a focal pointof The Importance of Being Earnest, this reading of the play suggest aserious preoccupation with the secret world of the homosexual. It isalso interesting to note that an unnamed critic in Time suggests thatâ€Å"Bunburying was shorthand for a visit to a fashionable London malewhorehouse† (2 February 1979, 73), an opinion reaffirmed by JoelFineman in 1980. Understandably, after the suc cess of play thephrase bunburying became a commonly used term as same-sex slang.John Franceschina notes other code words used in the play as musical,effeminate, and aunty, all of them Victorian expressions for same-sexactivity. Yet, again Wilde diverts attention from a moral reading bywriting in a style that is based on farce and euphemism, a style thatrejects an immediate analytical reading. In her essay Dialectics of Dandyism, Elisa Glick observes theissue of secrecy within both modern and Victorian society and suggeststhat modern gay identity is pervaded by the trope of the secret.She pays particular interest to the dichotomy of appearance and whatlies beneath, in her words the opposition between outward appearanceand inner essence. This split between appearance and essence of apersons character and desires is central to Wildes portrayal ofhomosexuality, as illustrated by the character of Dorian Gray. Dorianis a contradiction of appearance and essence, with the portrait beingan omnipresent reminder of this. And to return to The Importance ofBeing Earnest, the very act of bunburying on Algernon Moncrieffs partsuggests a web of deceit where appearances are never compatible withreality. One might think that such a heavy reliance on secrecy might lead tosome resentment by those forced to hide their sexuality from anintolerant society, but in the case of Wildes dandies, this does notseem to be the case. In fact, such characters appear to activelyembrace a world of secrecy. If we equate Dorians portrait withhomosexuality, then we can read his response to the secrecy that isforced upon him as something of a guilty pleasure pride ofindividualism that is half fascination of sin, and smiling with secretpleasure at the misshapen shadow that had to bear the burden thatshould have been his own. This seems to suggest that throughsecrecy, a homosexual man can avoid all the negative consequences thatwould be thrust upon him by an offended Victorian society. Glickobserves that it the portrait is not just related to the secret worldof Dorian, but that it also functions on a wider scale, Wilde makes itclear that the portrait does not exhibit a single secret; rather it isthe site f or a circulation of secrecy in which all these characters –Basil, Dorian, and Lord Henry – are implicated. The portraittherefore, becomes a symbol of the secrecy of the homosexual man, whichis simultaneously associated with issues of aestheticism. Glick goeson to suggest that Basil expresses the sense of homosexuality as bothknown and unknowable – the double bind of gay identity – when hedeclares, â€Å"I have come to love secrecy. It seems to be the one thingthat can make modern life mysterious or marvellous to us. Thecommonest thing is delightful if only one hides it. But just how realistically can homosexuality exist by these secretcodes of conduct? Just as Wilde suffers at the hands of an intolerantsociety, so does Dorian Gray struggle to live a life of doubleidentity. By the end of the novel it becomes clear that he issuspended between two worlds, with no lasting way of marrying the two.To return to the essay of Elisa Glick, Dorian must die when he stabsthe portrait because he can only exist in the relation between thepublic and the private, a relation that Wilde literalizes in theportrait and its subject. Right from the outset of The Picture ofDorian Gray we are presented with the concept of that part of anartists inspiration that remains secret and personal to them.Therefore, the portrait of Dorian Gray does not merely conceal thesecrets of Dorian, but also the secrets of the painter of the subject -the portrait is a â€Å"mysterious form† because its outward appearanceconceals its inner essence. – it reveals the essence of both painterand painted. The secret desire hidden within the painting is broughtto our attention by Henrys shallow comment that the painting looksnothing like Basil; the fact that his retort misses the point entirelymerely succeeds in enhancing our understanding that there is much moreof Basils desires and passion in the painting than is immediatelyobvious from its surface attributes. Interestingly, this revelationcontradicts the concept of appreciating art purely for its appearanceand with no relation to moral values. In many cases living by thesenses reveals much about the person, and experiences cannot be soeasily detached from emotion and personal feeling. For example, whenDorian falls in love with Sibyl Vane, Henry observes that out of itssecret hiding place had crept his Soul, and Desire had come to meet iton the way. Within the stereotypical lifestyles of the aesthetes,inner feeling will inevitably show its face and with it, bring at leasta fleeting ponder on moral values. Having analysed The Importance of Being Earnest and The Picture ofDorian Gray with regard to elements of secrecy, both positive andnegative consequences of such an influence on homosexual lifestyle areapparent. But it is the story of The Happy Prince that puts Wildesfinal and definitive seal of opinion on the issue of secrecy. Once theswallow has sacrificed his life for the statue of the Prince, the twoTown Councillors far from understand the relationship between theswallow and prince, becoming preoccupied with the trivial matter of whoshould be the subject of the next statue. However, there is ultimatelya happy ending with the swallow and Prince receiving recognition andacceptance from God, for in my garden of Paradise this little birdshall sing for evermore, and in my city of gold the Happy Prince shallpraise me. The relationship between Prince and Swallow does havehomoerotic undertones, with the Swallow often read as the dandycharacter, in this case fascinated by the beauty of the statue. Thehomoerotic aspect of the tale culminates in a kiss between the two,but you must kiss me on the lips, for I love you. If we are toaccept a homoerotic reading of The Happy Prince then accordingly wecan read the ending as Wilde voicing his opinion of homosexuality asnatural and literally giving such a lifestyle the blessing of God. InThe Portrait of Dorian Gray, Wilde uses a similar technique whereby hepresents the character who can most easily be classified as homosexual,as the very character who is the most morally sensitive. However, a homoerotic reading of The Happy Prince, indeed of anyof Wildes literary works, relies on and is substantially influenced byour knowledge of Oscar Wildes personal life. This brings us to thefinal chapter of this dissertation, a chapter that will analyse therelationship between the writer and the narrator, and the effect ofthis relationship on aesthetic and homoerotic readings of Wildesfiction. Chapter 5 -Wilde the storyteller So far we have looked mainly at The Importance of Being Earnest andThe Picture of Dorian Gray and we have touched upon the fact that it isoften difficult to read such works without considering the personallife of Oscar Wilde. A Victorian audience would have held someknowledge of Wilde, considering that he was an extremely sociablecharacter with social critiques often published in Reviews of thetime. And of course, his two years imprisonment would have beenwidely publicised and consequently common knowledge. There is no doubtthat it was around this time that heterosexual readers would havestruggled to accept the links that Wilde makes between aestheticism andhomosexuality, fearing a similar fate merely for sharing thecharacteristics of aestheticism. Reading in the twenty-first centurywe now have the privilege of even further information on Wildesprivate life. The nineteenth century novel largely focused on the third person,omnipresent narrator, and in doing so inevitably drew attention to thepersona of the narrator and subsequently to the author himself. Wildeis no exception to this rule and it is difficult not to see his owncharacter or what we believe to be his own character shinethrough. As suggested in the previous chapter, it is not just thecondition of the artist to worship beauty, but also to allow his owncharacter and desires to become a part of his art. In the case of ThePortrait of Dorian Gray, our knowledge of Wilde as a dandy and aesthetecolours our interpretation of characters such as Lord Henry andDorian. Knowing what we do about Wildes extravagant social life andturbulent relationship with the press, lines such as You dont wantpeople to talk of you as something vile and degraded spoken to Dorianby Basil, begin to take on more significant meaning. With this quotein mind, it is possible to read between the lines and observ e a feelingin Wilde that he wishes somehow, outside of his literature not to belooked upon as vile and degraded. This desire for acceptance isoffset by the more typical tongue in cheek wit of Wilde, the use ofwhich diverts attention from serious emotions. This type of humour canbe seen in Dorians retort to Basil on hearing gossip, I love scandalsabout other people, but scandals about myself dont interest me. Theyhave not got the charm of novelty. It seems that Wilde isdeliberately poking fun at himself and joining in with the popularridicule that was present in Victorian society about the life of theaesthetic gentleman. Many cartoons and caricatures were in circulationat the time that sought to make fun of the extravagances of theaesthetic lifestyle. Numerous satirical works were also released,worth particular mention is Robert Hitchens Green Carnation, asatirical novel on decadence influenced by the authors beliefs inaestheticism as unconventional and exhibitionist. The Importance ofBeing Earnest also has a farcical tone throughout, which often servesto allow the reader to question Wildes authority, whilst also allyingthe comments of certain characters with Oscar himself. For example, aline of Gwendolen appears to point directly at Wildes personal life,And certainly once a man begins to neglect his domestic duties hebecomes painfully effeminate, does he not? And I dont like that. Itmakes men so very attractive. However, many critics would argue that the very definition of fictiondictates that the reader should accept that there need not necessarilybe a connection between narrator and author. In the same way that anactor does not need to have experienced a similar history and lifestyleto the character they play, so too should we allow the writer to assumedifferent characters. This very point crops up in the story of ThePortrait of Mr W.H whereby the narrator argues that To say that only awoman can portray the passions of a woman, and that therefore no boycan play Rosalind, is to rob the