Review Essay on Films Samples - Easy Steps in Writing

Review Essay on Films Samples - Easy Steps in WritingFor your research and for the reason that the final paper is already lengthy enough, writing a review essay on films samples has never been easier. Even if you are a complete novice in this field, just make sure that the essays that you are writing will not be easy to read by the reviewers. By following some easy guidelines, you can surely make your essay easier to read and you can read on it longer than usual.One good way of writing a review essay on films samples is by using a four-paragraph format. By this method, your readers can easily understand what the entire essay is about. In this process, the essay writers must avoid complex words and complex sentences as well as improper grammatical rules.Articles that do not possess proper grammar and style will just not be accepted by the readers. The writer must make sure that he/she will use proper grammar and proper sentence structure while writing the essay. In order to make the e ssay more readable, some authors make use of italics and underlining.It is also important for the writers to make their review essay on films samples interesting and catchy. This is necessary as they will be addressing the specific needs of the readers. There are some topics that are not as easy to comprehend by people; therefore, using some effective techniques is necessary in order to make the essay more appealing.One effective technique to make an essay more enticing is by using short sentences and keywords. By using these phrases and keywords, the essay writers can easily grab the attention of the readers. Moreover, by using this technique, the readers will get a more solid idea about the topic that is being discussed. With the help of this technique, the essay writers will be able to build a better relationship with the readers.A review essay onfilms sample that contains the proper thesis statement is more appealing to the readers. By having a proper thesis statement, the write r will be able to answer all the questions that are raised by the readers. As you may already know, these questions are commonly asked by the readers when they are reading reviews.In order to ensure that the readers do not feel bored or annoyed when reading the essay, you must always keep in mind that the essay must contain meaningful information and factual information. Therefore, the essay must include basic information and not exaggerated statements. Another important thing to consider when writing a review essay on films samples is that the writer must make sure that he/she will stick to the specific writing style that is being used.A proper guide in writing the essay can be found in several online sites. By using this guide, you will be able to prepare an outline for the essay. In addition, the writer must also make sure that he/she will follow some grammatical rules. By following these simple steps, you will be able to prepare a review essay on films samples that will surely p lease your readers.

Edith Wharton, Alice Walker, and Female Culture - Literature Essay Samples

Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence [1] and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple [2] both paint a portrait American culture in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This culture appears to be male, with no room for the female as any manifestation other than a trophy or a servant. However, in both cases an unconventional female arrives to bring attention to the fact that a female culture also exists, no matter how small and unknown. It is tempting to argue that both novels support the notion of the female culture as being both marginalized and, to a large degree, secret or underground. In The Age of Innocence, the use of a male narrator is crucially important in relation to the idea of a dominantly male American culture, specifically within the novel’s late nineteenth century setting. Clare Virginia Eby describes the novel as one â€Å"poised between the Victorian and modern eras which provocatively examines the potential for women’s freedom through a male centre of consciousness†[3]. Certainly, Wharton, although female, uses the voice of the opposite gender, and it is from this perspective that she examines and critiques the marginalization of female culture. Carol Wershoven supports this point as she argues that â€Å"[Newland’s] is the sole point of view of the novel, although it is one that Wharton distances herself from by irony and supplements with authorial comment†[4]. This leads us to question the merits of using a male narrator over a female one, providing us with yet another patriarchal voice even in a novel heavy with the idea of the necessary rejection of this patriarchy. An answer to this question is posed by Amy Taubin, who suggests that Wharton is one of multiple authors who aim to â€Å"examine the culture in which they came of age from the fictional perspective of insiders, when they themselves were outsiders†[5]. Taubin’s view of Wharton as an â€Å"outsider† is one which supports the idea of the othering of females and their culture within a patriarchal American society. Indeed, it is largely conceivable that Wharton chooses to tell her story from a male perspective in order to make her text compatible with a society in which both genders do indeed conceive culture from the same, single, male perspective. Ultimately, the action of transplanting her own views into the voice of fictional male character, allows her to achieve a greater influence over her early twentieth century audience than if she used the voice of a female. Ironically, she subscribes to the expectations of patriarchy in order to dispute and reject it. Eby puts forth a view which aligns with this idea, as she states that â€Å"In a moment of rebellion†¦Newland articulates what no female character could possibly say – â€Å"Women ought to be free – as free as we are†Ã¢â‚¬ [6]. Coming from a woman, this assertion may lack the credibility that a male voice holds within the confines of patriarchy. Meanwhile in The Color Purple, in sharp contrast to Wharton’s use of a distanced, male voice in The Age of Innocence, Walker utilizes a character whose experiences and societal positioning are more aligned with her own. This alignment comes primarily from the fact that she is a black female who has been born and raised in the deep south of the United States during the twentieth century. However, although the voice of Celie is not spoken from the same immediately male perspective as the voice of Newland, it is heavy with the male influence of Celie’s ‘father’ and husband. This influence is, in fact, so prominent that Celie’s skewed female perspective is once again more in line with the perspective of the males around her than with her own raw, unaltered female views, further suggesting that American culture is indeed universally conceived from the male perspective. For example, she refers to Alphonso as â€Å"Pa†, due to the incorrect idea that he has planted in her mind of him being her father. In addition, she also believes herself to be financially dependent on men despite the fact that she is actually the legal owner of her late parents’ house, which she believes to belong to the false â€Å"Pa†. The implication of this is that, although men and women do indeed both conceive American culture from the male perspective, for the latter party this is often a result of their blind and helpless manipulation at the hands of men and their lies. They believe culture to be male because it is what they have been conditioned to believe. Richard M. Gula highlights this effect as he argues that â€Å"We respond to what we see. It is that simple. But we always see from a certain perspective, from a certain framework of meaning†[7]. Indeed, in the case of American society, this framework can be seen as being the framework of American patriarchy and male culture. However, Gula also suggests that the female perspec tive of culture is not forever lost, as in realising it has been hidden women can reject the male view of society in favour of their own. He argues that â€Å"Celie liberates herself from male oppression only after she removed the cataracts of sexism that had been blinding her†[8]. The â€Å"cataracts† of which he speaks are symbolic of patriarchy, and the way in which male culture stands as an obscuring force preventing women from embracing their femininity and the culture which goes with it. While both novels present a view of nineteenth and early twentieth century American culture as being universally coloured by the dominant male perspective, they also deal with the reasons that the feminine cultural counterpart remains unofficial, minor, and often actually driven underground. The America portrayed in The Age of Innocence is one in which the female voice is silenced just as the male voice is promoted. The prime example of this is the character of May, who can be viewed as a character who has been conditioned to allow her perspective and her preferences to be rendered obsolete in the face of male culture. Eby supports this idea as she argues that â€Å"It is May’s â€Å"duty† neither to think nor speak nor to think for herself; her duty is to wait until men speak to her, to â€Å"have no past†, and to acquire no experience, to remain an undefiled, indeed an untouched, idol†[9]. However, this reference to ‘duty’ suggests that, alt hough oppressed, May is in actual fact neither naà ¯ve nor blind to the lies and indiscretions of her husband. This is evident as May tells archer that he â€Å"mustn’t think that a girl knows as little as her parents imagine. One hears and one notices.†[10] Indeed, it can be argued that May is representative of the way in which nineteenth century American women subscribed to the male perception of culture and society not through manipulation as suggested earlier, but simply because they were aware of societies expectations of their place in society. May is aware of her husband’s betrayal but stays silent in order to remain faithful to the expectations and traditions of marriage prevalent in a patriarchal American society. Slavoj Zizek supports this notion as he states that â€Å"far from being an ingà ©nue blessedly unaware of the emotional turmoil’s of her beloved, she knew everything, yet she persisted in her role as an ingà ©nue, thereby safeguard ing the happiness of their marriage†[11]. This suggests that, rather than understanding herself to be a victim of Newland’s unfaithfulness and acting in accordance with this, she prioritises the necessity to accommodate her husband’s misplaced passion for another woman while continuing to act as the perfect wife. Lois Tyson argues that in Wharton’s novel, â€Å"women are represented as marriage commodities who sell themselves to the highest bidder in their attempt to move up the American dream’s socioeconomic ladder†[12]. The implication of this view is that women are not only aware of their oppression and expected submission, but they also use it to better themselves in a society where female achievement and worth directly correlates with whom she marries. It can be argued that Female culture in The Age of Innocence is so minor and unofficial that success can only be achieved through allowing themselves to become pawns for the demands of mal e culture. Similarly, in The Color Purple, Celie begins as an entirely passive character. Her rape at the hands of Pa symbolises the destruction of the female at the hands of the male, with her being reduced to serving an instrumental purpose in satisfying his male sexual urges. She is forced to marry Pa, fulfilling the male cultural practise of men choosing their wives with or without their consent. After Celie and Nettie are separated by Mr_ , their relationship is reduced to communication via letters sent by Nettie. This epitomizes the underground nature of female culture as the sisterly relationship is forced underground to survive via discreetly written letters which, although intercepted and hidden by Mr_, are eventually uncovered by Celie. Furthermore, Celie silently and secretly fights back against old Mr_‘s derogatory comments about Shug. Although she mentally pictures a more conspicuous form of revenge as she says â€Å"I think about ground glass, wonder how you grind it† [13], she ultimately settles on simply spitting in his drink when he isn’t looking. This epitomizes the notion of a secret American female culture, unable to operate out in the open or to rebel against it. God and religion also play a prominent role throughout the book, as Celie’s narration comes in the form of letters addressed to â€Å"Dear God†[14]. However, her understanding of God is one which fits with a nation of male and white privilege, as she pictures him as â€Å"all white†¦looking like some stout white man work at the bank†[15]. Such a male perspective of theology can be seen as a contributing factor of female culture remaining unofficial and underground. In a Victorian society with a long history of Christian values and priorities, it had become expected for women to remain passive not just from a societal point of view, but from a religious one, with the Bible itself fuelling the prevalence of patriarchy for so long that it had become d eeply imbedded in the minds of both males and females as being the right, and more importantly the only, way to do things. Furthermore, in buying into the idea of God as a white male, he becomes something of a figurehead for Patriarchal culture, justifying the oppression of female culture by males. The implication is that if God is a white male, then in simply being the closest physically to God, white men possess some divine right to dominance. Both Wharton and Walker emphasize the female oppression of nineteenth and twentieth century American culture by my making comparable references to other nations. In The Age of Innocence, Countess Olenska arrives fresh from Europe, and embodies the free spirited and socially diverse culture predominant in eighteenth century Europe. When this vision of European society is juxtaposed against America during the same time period, the latter’s unforgiving rigidness of class structure and expectation of gender based roles become all the more visible. Her lavishly European inspired house with a window from which her bed room is visible is described as standing â€Å"in flagrant violation of all the New York properties†[16], and highlights the difference between Europe’s sexual openness and America’s prudish sexual double standards which see women expected to remain virginal until marriage. The contrast is further highlighted during Newland and May’s honeymo on. May attempts to â€Å"show herself at ease with foreigners [by] becom[ing] more uncompromisingly local in her references†[17]. Her inability to divulge from her staunchly oppressive American customs stands out against the exotically foreign surroundings. She, unlike the women of Europe, has had her sense of culture entirely defined by the society she was born and raised in, without any allowance for individuality or creativity. Walker, on the other hand, offers us a comparison between the early twentieth century United States and the native culture of Africa, the two of which actually appear to be largely similar with regards to the treatment of the female. Indeed, in her letters to Celie, Nettie describes the African tribal practises of genital mutilation and facial scarring, which serve to oppress and control the sexuality of women in a more violent and obvious way than America’s threat of social othering. Nettie’s assertion that â€Å"The Olinka do not b elieve girls should be educated†[18], along with an African mother’s justification that â€Å"A girl is nothing to herself, only to her husband can she become something†¦the mother of his children†[19], emphasizes that women are to learn no culture other than in relation to their expected part in male culture. This is reminiscent of May’s expectation to stay silent and virginal and engage only in the apparently correct behaviours for an American woman. Dave Kuhn supports this idea as he insists that â€Å"the use of African culture and ritual to dramatize the universality of the oppression of women is the most significant manifestation of African settings in The Color Purple†[20]. In the two novels, both Wharton and Walker create one solitary female character who stands as proof that, even in the face of oppression and rejection, an underground female culture does exist and endure. However, they also show the negative repercussions for these few women who dare to stray from their subscription to male American culture. In The Age of Innocence, this character is the enigmatic Elena Olenska. Essentially, Olenska does indeed represent the female culture that occupies the small corner of what is thought of as human experience by a Victorian American society. When juxtaposed against the rigid customs of nineteenth century New York, her lack of conformity to these societal expectations renders her an outcast, leading her to be seen as an intruder as she refuses to be bound by expectation, class or gender and instead prioritises her own freedom. Elfriede Poder supports this view as she argues that â€Å"Ellen Olenska is â€Å"the other† defining a world outsid e a very specific society and representing a set of values this (patriarchal and capitalist) society actually lacks and refuses to integrate†[21]. Indeed, after arriving in New York Olenska is by all means a social pariah, as evident when the entire guest list to Madame Olenska’s welcoming dinner decline their invitations to socialise with a woman who has not only left her husband, but has also been rumoured to have taken a lover. The snubbing of Olenska by the entirety of New York’s elite suggests that her adherence to female rather than male culture is enough of a threat to American patriarchy that society would sooner look the other way and pretend she does not exist than confront the issues of their own society. Indeed, Olenska becomes a victim of harsh double standards with regards to female versus male sexuality. Newland himself ponders these double standards as he notes that non-martial or adulterous sexual behaviour is seen to be â€Å"undoubtedly foolis h of the man, but somehow always criminal of the woman†[22]. Sexuality stands as a key aspect of female culture for Olenska, and indeed for females in general, but it is supressed by the social expectations of women as virginal creatures who become faithful wives. The women who, like Olenska, retain their sexuality and act on it are forced to either do it in secret or to face rejection and severe moral judgement. Much like Wharton’s Countess Olenska, Walker portrays the minor and unofficial female culture through the character of Shug, who is an embodiment of raw feminine qualities. She rejects the limitations on female sexuality and embraces her desires, in a similar but more extreme way to Olenska. Mr_ vocalizes the same sexual double standards present in Wharton’s vision of New York, as he says that â€Å"young womens no good these days†¦Got they legs open to every Tom, Dick and Harry†[23]. Of course, Mr_ is somewhat promiscuous himself, making adv ances on his wife’s daughter and having Shug as a mistress, but as a male in a patriarchal society this is deemed far more acceptable. These double standards lead to the othering of Shug, who is labelled with a poor reputation for being indecent. When she is sick, nobody in town other than Mr_ will take her in and society rejects her, much like the way in which Countess Olenska’s welcome party invitations are rejected. Like Olenska, Shug is the object of much social speculation and disapproving gossip such as the rumour that she has â€Å"some nasty woman’s disease†, or a sexually transmitted infection, indicating the strong social stigma between female sexuality and promiscuity. The church preacher indirectly refers to her as a â€Å"strumpet in short skirts†¦slut hussy, heifer and street cleaner†[24]. Indeed, she stands as an example of why female culture remains underground. Those, such as Shug and Countess Olenska, who unashamedly adhere t o impinged female cultural norms are forced into the outskirts of a patriarchal society which refuses to accept them. However, despite the seeming rejection and othering of the characters of Shug and Countess Olenska, there is a contrasting sense that these women, contrary to being anomalous stains on the portrait of patriarchy, are pioneers in an emerging openness of a much larger female culture. This is particularly evident in Walker’s novel as Shug draws Celie out from the oppression of patriarchy and victimhood by teaching her to embrace her womanhood. Sanguin supports this as he argues that â€Å"Shug plays the role of mentor to a young and naà ¯ve Celie†[25]. Indeed, it is through the influence of Shug and her bold assertion that the male perspective is not necessarily the correct perspective, that Celie ultimately frees herself from the constraints of patriarchy and comes to see the world from the perspective of a liberated female. In contrast to Celie’s description of the â€Å"stout white man†[26], Shug tells her that â€Å"God ain’t a he or a she, but a it†[27]. Here, she rejects a crucial part of male culture, which is male orientated theism, in favour of her own ideas about God. Bruce Sanguin highlights Shug’s dismissal of the male culture of religion and God as he argues that â€Å"Shug, anticipating a postmodernist feminism, has deconstructed the white man’s version of the Christian faith. She has learned to do her own theology.†[28] Indeed, in passing her ideas onto Celie, Shug takes on the role of a religious teacher as she sets her view of God free from its marginalization and its influence begins to convert others. In addition, both Mr_ and The Age of Innocence’s Newland are ultimately more drawn to these women who openly convey their adherence to a female culture. Mr_, in spite of society’s misgivings about Shug’s open sexuality and femininity, openly declares his love for her even telling his father that he â€Å"should have married her when [he] has the chance†[29]. This is strikingly similar to Newland’s declaration of love to the countess as he tells her that â€Å"you are the woman I would have married if it has been possible for either of us†[30]. The implication of this is that females who do not yield to the force of patriarchal culture should not be rejected by society and seen as flawed or as abominations, but rather be admired for their loyalty to their own feminine natures. Wershoven highlights this rejection of the stereotypical Victorian American female in The Age of Innocence as she argues that â€Å"The female intruder becomes part of a romantic triangle in which a [male] hero must choose between a conventional woman, and an intruder who cannot fit into a conventional world†[31]. Indeed, the preference which Newland has for Olenska, and that Mr_ has for Shug, delineates that female culture should not be forcibly entwined with male culture, as their womanly differences make them far more desirable and admirabl e than females like May who appear to conform to rigid expectations without question. Perhaps, in placing limitations on the uninhibited practise of female culture, limitations are also unintentionally places on male culture, as their desire for true women is left largely without fulfilment. Wershoven underpins this notion as she states that â€Å"The women of Wharton’s novel are, with one exception, little girls, never permitted to grow up†[32]. In other words, with the general absence of real women like Shug and Olenska, men are forced to settle for conformist girls like May in order to remain conventional and respectable within the confines of American patriarchy. Contrary to the idea of female culture as occupying only the smallest corners of human existence, The Color Purple is actually rife with the idea that female culture, although largely underground, is actually much farther-reaching among the American female population than it appears to be. A sense of community can be seen as women help and guide each other in their fight to be truly free. Katherine B. Payant supports this idea as she argues that â€Å"pleasures and redemption are achieved exclusively through love and friendships between women. Men in this novel are the enemy†[33]. This is evident in the aforementioned scene in which Celie spits in the drink of old Mr_ for speaking ill of Shug, as Celie secretly fights not for herself, but for another woman who is incapable of defending herself due to her illness. Janet Doubler Ward highlights the importance of the female community for the protagonist as she states that â€Å"Celie is highlighted by her female relationshipsâ⠂¬ [34], and Katherine B. Payant supports this as she suggests that Celie â€Å"finds independence, hope and finally transcendence through her love of women†[35].The key example of one of these empowering female relationship is the sexual relationship between Celie and Shug. At the start of the novel, Celie is merely a vessel for the wants and needs of a predominantly male culture. In the physical sense, she is raped and sold off to a husband who wants her more as a slave than as a wife. She comes to see sex as something which at best she has little say in, and at worst is used purely as a form of cruelty. However, through her homosexual passion for Shug, she discovers her hidden female sexuality, and leans to enjoy not only the pleasures of her own female body, but of another woman’s body. Furthermore, the relationship between Celie and Nettie is shown to be incredibly strong, as Nettie never gives up on her sister, and when Celie finally discovers Nettie’s hi dden letters she finds the strength to walk away from her controlling and abusive husband. The instincts which are specific to these female dynamics not only remain strong inside the oppressed Celie, but so strong that they eventually provide her with the incentive to rebel against her husband as evident when she ponders how she will even â€Å"keep from killing him†[36]. In contrast, this sense of community is seemingly far less prevalent in Wharton’s The Age of Innocence. Olenska, the only female character who truly rejects conformity to the male orientation of American culture, actually shows her preference for male company over female company. This is evident as she spends much of her time socializing with Newland and Julius Beaufort, and little time socializing with any women. Indeed, the other women of the novel are actually shown to be just as judgemental of her non-conformity, if not more so. At the dinner table during unkind gossip about Olenska, Mrs Archer sa ys that it â€Å"was in better taste [for Olenska] not to go to the ball†[37], encouraging the othering of the subject of her gossip. However, Countess Olenska does show some loyalty to other members of her gender as she undermines Newland’s male right to marry the woman of his choosing as she turns him down out of compassion for May. This highlights the way in which she refuses to take the happiness away from a fellow female in order to sustain her own, or to uphold the desires of the male Newland. On discovering May’s pregnancy, Olenska’s decision to leave for Europe and entirely cut ties with Newland is an example of her indirect female bond with May. She refuses to leave her alone as a single mother because, as a female herself, she can empathize with the possibility of such a situation. As oppose to shedding their female virtues in order to integrate into a society centred on the male, the women in The Color Purple are shown to use their feminine traits to fight against the oppression which forces them underground. This is supported by Catherine E. Lewis who argues that â€Å"Women’s common experiences that have too long been undervalued, such as domestic and manual labour, can be used to overturn the systems that have imposed and labelled the tasks†[38]. In Celie’s case, a primary example is her sewing, which provides her with a means of channelling her feminine creativity and artistic talent into garments which can be displayed openly. The quilt which Celie and Sofia create can be seen to represent the coming together of the underground female community, as they pull together much like the needle pulls together the pieces of fabric in order to become part of a strong, whole and open female culture. Later, in one of Nettie’s letters she tells how Corrine has also made a quilt as a result of hearing about Celie’s practise of quilting. This supports the earlier assertion that liberated females like Shug and eventually Celie can subsequently free other females and introduce them to their own culture. Nettie describes the pieces of fabric used in the making of the quilt as she tells how Corrine â€Å"altered one square of appliqued figures with one nine-patch block†[39]. The patchwork nature of the quilt suggests that, as well as symbolizing the female community, it may also stand as symbolism for the integration of females, and also of black people, into the white male-centric culture of twentieth century America. Much like the different colours and types of fabric displayed in the quilt, the deduction is that both genders should be displayed equally and openly, with female culture helping to make up the patchwork fabric of American society. Another way in which Celie’s sewing serves as a means fo r fighting back against the male culture eclipsing the female one can be observed as she uses her skills to create a pair of trousers. Indeed, Daniel W Ross suggests that â€Å"Celie’s sewing associates her with a select group of female characters in American Literature who use their art not to reveal their shame, as Freud suggests, but to transplant it, placing it where it belongs – on their male oppressors†[40]. Indeed, Daniel W. Ross argues that this female making male clothing overturns the constricted gender roles and asserts that female culture is not subordinate to male culture. He states that Celie’s sewing is used as a means â€Å"of binding together the sexes so that both male and female can â€Å"wear the pants†Ã¢â‚¬ [41]. On a more literal level, Celie channels her creative sewing skills into the creation of her own pants sewing business. This progression towards economical self-sustenance stands as proof of female culture breaking fr ee from obscurity, with the fact that her pants are worn by males creating a powerful image of female cultural activities like sewing quite literally emerging to reclaim their place in open society. The sewn fabric covers the male’s genitals, much like patriarchy had once obscured the female community. In The Age of Innocence, although on the surface May appears to be either entirely oblivious to the fact that she is not free, or aware of the fact but accepting of it in order to protect her marriage and carry out her spousal duty as expected of her, she can be viewed as character who actually does fight back just like Olenska, but in a far more discreet and well thought out manner. Like Celie, she uses her imposed domestic duties and expectations to fight an underground war to keep her husband. Primarily, May uses to her advantage the expected female role of motherhood. As Archer attempts to leave her she reveals her pregnancy, drawing him into the unwanted duty of fatherhood . From this it can be deducted that she also used her virginal appeal to entice him into impregnating her even though his heart lies elsewhere. Indeed, the novel’s resolve leaves the audience with the suggestion that May had been intending to trap Newland all along, and her act of innocence is merely a faà §ade. Unlike Celie, who uses her physical female assigned skills and duties, May uses her intelligence and intuition. This idea culminates in the farewell party which May throws for Olenska. On the surface this may appear to be a literal farewell to her as she leaves for Europe, but for May and for Newland it is a celebration of May’s victory. She plays on Olenska’s conscience by revealing her pregnancy which persuades her to leave Newland with his wife and child. Here there is further suggestion that it is not only female culture which is marginalized but also male culture, as just as the women are expected to act as perfect and submissive wives, the men are expected to choose one of these women rather than a more appealing but unconventional woman. The Color Purple and The Age of Innocence portray nineteenth and twentieth century American culture as being predominantly male only on the surface. Both novels continuously suggest that an extensive female culture exists that is almost as present as its male counterpart. Although this culture does appear to operate underground, with many women participating in the faà §ade of American patriarchy, the unconventional females of Shug and Countess Olenska serve as conduits for the emergence of this culture in a transition from secrecy to open legitimacy. The marginalization of these women seems to occur not because they separate themselves from male culture, but because they do so openly rather than in secret. However, The Color Purple in particular sees this openness of the unconventional woman being passed on to other women as this sense of self-expression and recognition grows amongst the female population of America. In this sense, both novels seem to prefigure the emergence of mod ern gender equality. Bibliography Doubler Ward, Janet. Introduction to Communication and Women’s Friendships: Parallels and Intersections in Literature and Life, edited by Janet Doubler Ward and JoAnna Stephens Mink, 1-8. Bowling Green: Popular Press, 1993. Eby, Clare Virginia. â€Å"Silencing Women in Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence†. In The Age of Innocence – Edith Wharton, edited by Harold Bloom, 55-70. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2009. Gula, Richard M. Ethics in Pastoral Ministry. New York: Paulist Press, 1996. Kuhn, Dave. African Settings in Contemporary American Novels. Portsmouth: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999. Lewis, Catherine E. â€Å"Sewing, Quilting, Knitting†. In The Color Purple: New Edition, edited by Harold Bloom, 170-174. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2008. Payant, Katherine B. â€Å"Female Friendship in the Contemporary Bildungsroman†. In Communication and Women’s Friendships: Parallels and Intersections in Literature and Life, edited by Janet Doubler Ward and JoAnna Stephens Mink, 151-164. Bowling Green: Popular Press, 1993. Poder, Elfriede. â€Å"Concepts and Visions of ‘The Other’: The Place of ‘Women’ in The Age of Innocence, Melanctha and Nightwood†. In Women in Search of Literary Space, edited by Gudrun Grabher and Maureen Devine, 113-133. Berlin: Gunter Narr Verlag, 1992. Ross, Daniel W. â€Å"Celie in the Looking Glass: The Desire for Selfhood in The Color Purple†. In The Color Purple: New Edition, edited by Harold Bloom, 3-20. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2008. Sanguin, Bruce. Darwin, Divinity, And The Dance Of The Cosmos: An Ecological Christianity. Kelowna: Wood Lake Publishing Inc., 2007. Taubin, Amy. â€Å"The Age of Innocence: Torn between two lovers†. In The X-List: The National Society of Film Critics’ Guide to the Movies that Turn Us On, edited by Jami Bernard, 1-4. Boston: Da Capo Press, 2009. Tyson, Lois. Psychological Politics of the American Dream: The Commodification of Subjectivity in Twentieth-century American Literature. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1994. Walker, Alice. The Colour Purple. London: Orion, 2011. Kindle Edition. Wershoven, Carol. The Female Intruder in the Novels of Edith Wharton. New Jersey: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1982. Wharton, Edith. The Age of Innocence. Tustin: Xist Classics, 2015. Kindle edition. Zizek, Slavoj. â€Å"Lacan with Quantum Physics†. In Futurenatural: Nature, Science, Culture, edited by Jon Bird, Barry Curtis, Melinda Mash, George Robertson, Tim Putnam and Lisa Tickner, 267-285. London: Routledge, 1996. [1] Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence (Tustin: Xist Classics, 2015), Kindle Edition. [2] Alice Walker, The Color Purple (London: Orion, 2011), Kindle Edition. [3] Clare Virginia Eby, â€Å"Silencing Women in Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence†, in The Age of Innocence – Edith Wharton, ed. Harold Bloom (New York: Infobase Publishing, 2009), 55. [4] Carol Wershoven, The Female Intruder in the Novels of Edith Wharton (New Jersey: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1982), 78. [5] Amy Taubin, â€Å"The Age of Innocence: Torn between two lovers†, in The X-List: The National Society of Film Critics’ Guide to the Movies that Turn Us On, ed. Jami Bernard (Boston: Da Capo Press, 2009), 1. [6] Eby, â€Å"Silencing Women†, 60. [7] Richard M. Gula, Ethics in Pastoral Ministry (New York: Paulist Press, 1996), 38. [8] Gula, Ethics in Pastoral Ministry, 38. [9] Eby, â€Å"Silencing Women†, 60. [10] Wharton, Age of Innocence. [11] Slavoj Zizek, â€Å"Lacan with Quantum Physics†, in Futurenatural: Nature, Science, Culture, ed. Jon Bird et al. (London: Routledge, 1996), 273. [12] Lois Tyson, Psychological Politics of the American Dream: The Commodification of Subjectivity in Twentieth-century American Literature (Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1994), 17. [13] Walker, The Color Purple. [14] Walker, The Color Purple. [15] Walker, The Color Purple. [16] Wharton, The Age of Innocence. [17] Wharton, The Age of Innocence. [18] Walker, The Color Purple. [19] Walker, The Color Purple. [20] Dave Kuhn, African Settings in Contemporary American Novels (Portsmouth: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999), 71. [21] Elfriede Poder, â€Å"Concepts and Visions of ‘The Other’: The Place of ‘Women’ in The Age of Innocence, Melanctha and Nightwood†, in Women in Search of Literary Space, eds. Gudrun Grabher and Maureen Devine (Berlin: Gunter Narr Verlag, 1992), 128. [22] Wharton, Age of Innocence. [23] Walker, The Color Purple. [24] Walker, The Color Purple. [25] Bruce Sanguin, Darwin, Divinity, And The Dance Of The Cosmos: An Ecological Christianity (Kelowna: Wood Lake Publishing Inc., 2007), 70. [26] Walker, The Color Purple. [27] Walker, The Color Purple. [28] Sanguin, Darwin, Divinity, And The Dance Of The Cosmos, 70. [29] Walker, The Color Purple. [30] Wharton, The Age of Innocence. [31] Wershoven, The Female Intruder, 75. [32] Wershoven, The Female Intruder, 76. [33] Katherine B. Payant, â€Å"Female Friendship in the Contemporary Bildungsroman†, in Communication and Women’s Friendships: Parallels and Intersections in Literature and Life, ed. Janet Doubler Ward and JoAnna Stephens Mink (Bowling Green: Popular Press, 1993), 161. [34] Janet Doubler Ward, introduction to Communication and Women’s Friendships: Parallels and Intersections in Literature and Life, ed. Janet Doubler Ward and JoAnna Stephens Mink (Bowling Green: Popular Press, 1993), 7. [35] Pay ant, â€Å"Female Friendship in the Contemporary Bildungsroman†, 158. [36] Walker, The Color Purple. [37] Wharton, The Age of Innocence. [38] Catherine E. Lewis, â€Å"Sewing, Quilting, Knitting†, in The Color Purple: New Edition, ed. Harold Bloom (New York: Infobase Publishing, 2008), 172. [39] Walker, The Color Purple. [40] Daniel W. Ross, â€Å"Celie in the Looking Glass: The Desire for Selfhood in The Color Purple†, in The Color Purple: New Edition, ed. Harold Bloom (New York: Infobase Publishing, 2008), 14. [41] Ross, â€Å"Celie in the Looking Glass†, 14.

How Does the Kastle-Meyer Test Detect Blood

The Kastle-Meyer test is an inexpensive, easy, and reliable forensic method to detect the presence of blood. Here is how to perform the test. Materials Kastle-Meyer solution70 percent ethanoldistilled or deionized water3 percent hydrogen peroxidecotton swabsdropper or pipettea sample of dried blood Perform the Kastle-Meyer Blood Test Steps Moisten a swab with water and touch it to a dried blood sample. You do not need to rub hard or coat the swab with the sample. You only need a small amount.Add a drop or two of 70 percent ethanol to the swab. You dont need to soak the swab. The alcohol does not participate in the reaction, but it does serve to expose hemoglobin in blood so that it can react more fully to increase the sensitivity of the test.Add a drop or two of the Kastle-Meyer solution. This is a phenolphthalein solution, which should be colorless or pale yellow. If the solution is pink or if it turns pink when added to the swab, then the solution is old or oxidized and the test will not work. The swab should be uncolored or pale at this point. If it changed color, start again with some fresh Kastle-Meyer solution.Add a drop or two of hydrogen peroxide solution. If the swab turns pink immediately, this is a positive test for blood. If the color does not change, the sample does not contain a detectable amount of blood . Note that the swab will change color, turning pink after about 30 seconds, even if no blood is present. This is a result of hydrogen peroxide oxidizing the phenolphthalein in the indicator solution. Alternate Method Rather than wetting the swab with water, the test may be performed by moistening the swab with the alcohol solution. The remainder of the procedure remains the same. This is a nondestructive test, which leaves the sample in a condition such that it may be analyzed using other methods. In actual practice, it is more common to collect a fresh sample for additional testing. Test Sensitivity and Limitations The Kastle-Meyer blood test is an extremely sensitive test, capable of detecting blood dilutions as low as 1:107. If the test result is negative, it is reasonable proof that heme (an ingredient in all blood) is absent in the sample. However, the test will give a false positive result in the presence of an oxidizing agent in the sample. Examples include peroxidases naturally found in cauliflower or broccoli. Also, it is important to note that the test does not differentiate between heme molecules of different species. A separate test is required to determine whether blood is of human or animal origin. How the Test Works The Kastle-Meyer solution is a phenolphthalein indication solution which has been reduced, usually by reacting it with powdered zinc. The basis of the test is that the peroxidase-like activity of the hemoglobin in blood catalyzes the oxidation of the colorless reduced phenolphthalein into bright pink phenolphthalein.

The Identity Theory Of Mind - 1385 Words

The development of the Identity Theory of Mind is representative of materialist philosophy’s shift towards questions of human consciousness. Within philosophical and scientific circles, discussions of the mind and body have supplanted discussions of what constitutes the world around us. Staggering technological innovation, alongside the establishment of superior of scientific research methodologies, has given rise to this philosophical trend – Identity Theory is, indeed, the culmination of this trend. Throughout the course of this essay I will both define and defend Identity Theory against what I consider to be two superficially convincing counter-arguments; namely, the invocation of the ‘Leibniz Law’ (otherwise referred to as The Identity of Indiscernibles) and ‘The Problem of Other Minds’. Though seemingly persuasive, the invocation of the Leibniz Law, at its core, consists of a semantic trick. As a general ontological principle the Leibniz L aw may possess some validity; in its specific application to Identity Theory however, it remains destitute of substance. On the other hand, The Problem of Other Minds relies on a radical scepticism irreconcilable with current understandings of the brain. Based on the degree of scientific knowledge available regarding the composition of the brain, Identity Theory, at this time, provides a logical and coherent account of the relationship between mind and body. The Identity Theory of Mind asserts that â€Å"states and processes of the mindShow MoreRelatedThe Mind Body Identity Theory1668 Words   |  7 Pagesnature of a human person; this has lead to various theories and speculation about the nature of the human mind and body. The question they are tying to answer is whether a human being is made of only the physical, body and brain, or both the physical or the mental, mind. In this paper I will focus on the mind-body Identity Theory to illustrate that it provides a suitable explanation for the mind and body interaction. Identity Theory Identity theorists hold the view that the mental events are nothingRead MoreThe Mind Brain Identity Theory1096 Words   |  5 Pagesof the mind have been made for and against, whether or not the mind and the brain are the same entity. The mind-brain identity theory is the view that the mind is the brain and that mental states are brain states (Mandik 77). Therefore, we can identify sensations and other mental processes with physical brain processes (Blutner 4). I argue, that the mind is not identical to the brain, and the conceivable idea of zombies, as well as the multiple realizability argument, can disprove this theory. InRead MoreThe Mind Brain Identity Theory1371 Words   |  6 PagesPhilosophy October 29, 2015 In this paper, I will argue that the Mind-Brain Identity Theory provides sufficient grounds to accept Epicurus’ argument for death being annihilation. I will argue my thesis by referring to Peter Carruthers’ The Mind Is the Brain to establish that one’s mental states are in fact brain states and will also refer to Epicurus’ Death is Nothing to Us. Next, I will explain that if one accepts the Identity Theory then one should also accept, as Epicurus argues, that death shouldRead MoreThe Mind / Brain Identity Theory1718 Words   |  7 PagesA person relates to the world through different mental and corporeal experiences. The former is associated with one having a (non-physical) mind, which contains beliefs, desires, feelings and so on, while the latter involves having a (physical) brain. The Mind/Body problem questions whether the mind and brain are the same or different objects. For a long time, the interpretation of these experiences has been much debated by philosophers and scientists. One influential interpretation is Descartes’sRead MoreThe Mind Brain Identity Theory1689 Words   |  7 Pagesargument that dealt a â€Å"considerable blow† to the Mind-Brain Identity Theory—a theory developed by J.C.C Smart—in which he [Putnam] stated â€Å"mental states are multiply realizable.† His argument is driven by functionalism. His functionalist account of mental states like pain differs from what is explained by the Mind-Brain Identity Theory. In turn, he also avoids the issue of multiple realizability, an issue that was proven to be problematic for the Identity Theory. This leads into John Searle s argument againstRead MoreThe Mind Brain Identity Theory Essay1977 Words   |  8 Pages The mind is a complex myriad of thoughts and psychological systems that even philosophers today cannot entirely grapple. It is composed of the senses, feelings, perceptions, and a whole series of other components. However , the mind is often believed to be similar or even the same as the brain. This gives rise to the mind-brain identity theory, and whether there exists a clear distinction between the physical world and the non-material mind. In this paper, I will delineate the similarities and differencesRead MoreThe Identity Theory Of Mind With Dualism1259 Words   |  6 Pagescontrast the physicalist identity theory of mind with dualism about the mind. â€Å"Physicalism is the position that everything that exists does so within the limits of its physical properties, and that there are no other kinds of things other than physical.†* To concisely describe physicalism in my words, it is the idea that we agree to everything being physical or in â€Å"flesh†. â€Å"In the philosophy of mind, dualism is the theory that the mental and the physical—or mind and body or mind and brain—are, in someRead MoreThe Theory Of Personal Identity988 Words   |  4 Pagessame soul theory. By having the same soul, we are the same person. I will support this argument by giving a brief overview of all the theories of personal identity then stating the objection of the same soul theory using the same body and same mind theorist. Last but not least, I will then respond accordingly to the objection by stating the connection and unchanging qualities from the same soul theory. There are approximately four theories of personal identity: no self, same soul, same mind and sameRead MoreMental States Of The Mind Body Problem1725 Words   |  7 Pagesof the Mind-body problem Abstract: The mind-body problem is a highly debated topic in philosophy, and has resulted in the creation of many theories attempting to answer it. Applying the mind-body problem to a situation where a patient lacks a normal brain but appears completely normal questions the mental states that the patient has. Looking at the views based on different theories that five doctors express, the things that stand out to me are multiple realizability, Token Identity theory and functionalismRead MoreUsing Material From Smart And Armstrong1378 Words   |  6 PagesI will explain the motivations of the type-identity thesis (Occam s Razor, and explanation of the casual efficiency of mental states) using material from Smart and Armstrong. Third, I will go onto examining type-identity thesis merits (how it solves Descartes problem of mind and body and how it allows us to derive the casual role of mental phenomena) and drawbacks (violation of Leibniz s Law and Multiple Realizability Argument). The type-identity thesis holds that mental processes are brain

The Effect of Trade Balance on National Income Growth

INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY The attainment of balance of trade is always a critical factor in the economic development of many nations. This simply means that continuous trade deficits and surpluses are undesirable. The world has become a global village in which different countries interact with themselves and get involved in business transactions and trade. This kind of trade between countries is known as international trade which involves the exchange of goods and services between nations. Some countries are more or less deficit nations which mean they import more than they export, while some countries produce more than is absorbed by their domestic economy so they export the surpluses. Either of these actions means that a†¦show more content†¦He proposed as an example to suppose that he, a Frenchman, exported French wine and imported British coal, turning a profit. He supposed he was in France, and sent a Cask of wine which was worth 50 francs to England. The custom house would record an export of 50 francs. If in England, the wine sold for 70 francs, which he then used to buy coal, which he imported into France and was found to be worth 90 francs in France, he would have made a profit of 40 francs. But the custom house would say that the value of imports exceeded the value of exports and was trade deficit against the ledger of France. By reductio ad absurdum, Bastiat argued that the national trade deficit was an indicator of a successful economy, rather than a failing one. Bastiat predicted that a successful, growing economy would result in greater trade deficits, and an unsuccessful, shrinking economy would result in lower trade deficits. This was later, in the 20th century, affirmed by economist Milton Friedman. Trade deficits can be healthy if it is used in importing capital goods that increases output. Small trade deficits are generally not considered to be harmful to either the importing or exporting economy. However, when a national trade imbalance expands beyond prudence (generally thought to be several percentage of GDP, for several years), adjustment tend to occur. While unsustainable imbalances may persist for long periods,Show MoreRelatedU.s. Trade Pattern Is Affected By The 2008 Financial Crisis883 Words   |  4 PagesThe proceeding discussion elaborates how Sino-The U.S. trade pattern is affected by the 2008 financial crisis. There are few macro factors which are the driven forces behind financial crisis. From above sections, we conclude that the U.S. is more flexible to promulgate new country specific trade policy due to its imports centralization from few countries, and China is more sensitive to the protective trade policy due to its economic growth is more relying on the exp orts. The consumers’ purchasingRead MoreGovernment s Trade Protection As A Basic Economic And Trade Policy1383 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction: Trade protection is a basic economic and trade policy which is based on national benefits, domestic firms and economic situation. Trade protection is designed to protect domestic firms and limit other countries’ business development in all over the world. Trade protections’ measures are set up to enhance own nation’s economic and to prevent other nations’ economical aggression. Although there is always free trade during international trade, which makes the biggest benefits of free trade to stimulateRead MoreThe Republic Of South Korea1410 Words   |  6 PagesCharacteristics The republic of South Korea is located in East Asia, according to the World Bank it is a high-income developed country with a developed market, with a GDP of $1.449 trillion(US) and GDP per capita (ppp) of 25,977(US), averaging an annual growth rate of 2.9%. Over the past four decades the country has shown incredible growth and global integration to become a high-tech industrialized economy. South Korea is the world’s 4th largest car producers being home to Hyundai Motors, the largestRead MoreThe World Trade Organization ( Wto ) Essay1508 Words   |  7 Pagesworldwide movement toward economic, financial, trade, and communications integration.† (Businessdictionary.com) Globalisation enables vast growth within international trade, foreign direct investment (FDI) and standard of living (measured by Human development Index). Globalisation in relation to Indonesia has greatly expanded the country’s international relationships, improved standard of living for the na tion’s population and improved economic growth through assistance from strategies implementedRead MoreThe Trade Between East And West1650 Words   |  7 Pagesthat facilitated the trade between East and West. The modern territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan once hosted northern routes of fabled Silk Road and served as ancient trade hub, conjunction of trade channels, consequently supporting significant development of China, India, Europe, Egypt and others. Soviet period brought the region into integrated economic space with relatively efficient system; however, it was oriented towards the needs of Soviet economy meaning weakened trade with foreign entitiesRead MoreButler Lumber Case1404 Words   |  6 PagesStark’s share for $105,000 to be paid of in 1989 out of which $70,000 was raised by a loan carrying an interest rate of 11% and repayable at the rate of $7,000 over the next 10 years. Over the past five years, Butler Lumber Company has experienced rapid growth i n its business. It derives its business from retail distribution of lumber products in the local area. A large portion of its business is based in repair services, and as a result, it should be somewhat protected from a downturn in the real estateRead More Role Of Government In Mixed Economies Such As Australia Essay1741 Words   |  7 Pageseconomic policy? Why is the government concerned about microeconomic reform? Synopsis: The role of government in Australia today has less influence on the market than they did a decade ago. It function now is to provide a stable internal and external balance under which the market can function. This is achieved through the use of fiscal, monetary and microeconomic reform. Australia currently operates under a mixed economic system. This means that the government has partial control over the economy andRead MoreEcon984 Words   |  4 Pagesthat country. A5-3. In Saudi Arabia, gross domestic product (GDP) is less than gross national product (GNP). This means that the nation produces domestically more than it is able to consume domestically. A5-4. 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This document will analyze the impact of a country’s net balance of payments on the exchange rate of the country’s currency. An analysis of the impact of a country’s net level of interest rates and nominal inflation rate on the country’s exchanged rate will also be reviewed. In addition, a review of the growth in a country’s Gross National Product will be analyzed to determine if there is any relationship to a country’s trade deficits. Finally, a recommendation will be presented on how monetary

Legal Issues Of Affirmative Action - 1528 Words

Student affairs and higher education professionals must be familiar with legal obligations in regards to their diversity efforts policies in order to be fully compliant and successful in their endeavors. Legal Issues Pertaining to Diversity in Higher Education Today When addressing legal issues of diversity in the modern day era, one main topic is brought to discussion, affirmative action. It was put into place by the federal government in the 1960’s and was initially developed to close the gap in relation to the privileged majority and the unprivileged minority in America (Aguirre Jr. Martinez, 2003). While it has been controversial since its origin, it remains controversial as critics argue it tries to equalize the impact of so many†¦show more content†¦ Martinez, 2003). The Supreme Court ruled that the University of California was wrong in the way they approached a special admissions program that was open only to minority applicants (Aguirre Jr. Martinez, 2003). The ruling argued that the special admissions program violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment (Aguirre Jr. Martinez, 2003). Justice Lewis Powell, Jr. stated in his opinion on the Bakke case that quotas â€Å"would hinder rather than further attainment of genuine diversity† (Aguirre Jr. Martinez, 2003, p. 141). Justice Powell, Jr. also wrote that race is only one part of many factors that an institution can consider in truly achieving a heterogeneous student population (Aguirre Jr. Martinez, 2003). By siding with Bakke in this case, the Supreme Court essentially outlawed the use of racial quotas in admissions processes in higher education, yet universities took this as it is okay to use race as a selective factor as long as there are no quotas (Aguirre Jr. Martinez, 2003). There are two recent lawsuits from 2003 that brought to the forefront college admissions using race; these include Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger (Bowman, 2013). Both cases involve the University of Michigan. In Grutter v. Bollinger, the court sided with the university stating that their admissions office can continue to use race-based initiatives in fostering an education benefit to the students (Bowman, 2013).

Analysis of Outsourcing Practices-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Write a Literature Review on Advantages and Disadvantages of Outsourcing Business Functions. Answer: Introduction This section of the research is the key section where the ideas of different authors will be discussed on the topic Advantages and Disadvantages of Outsourcing Business Functions. This section contains the secondary data which contains the views and opinions taken from various sources which will help in completing the research successfully. Outsourcing can be referred to the process which is used for reducing the costs of the business operations by transferring the business functions to outsiders rather than completing it internally. Outsourcing has been a topic of discussion from many years and it is often observed that it is used to achieve economies of scale. Different authors have given different views on the concept which will be discussed here as under. Literature Review Scope and Objective The scope of the literature review is wide because Outsourcing is a wide topic which can be discussed thoroughly. The advantages and disadvantages of the outsourcing business functions will be discussed in different business areas and the thoughts of various authors will be discussed on the topic which can cover the benefits harms of outsourcing to the business with the real life examples of the corporate world to make it clearer. The main objective of the project is to identify the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing business functions. This will be done by going through various articles, journals and web sources which provides a clear idea about what different authors think about the same. It also considers that how outsourcing has proved beneficial or failure for the real corporate giants. Comparative analysis According to Krstic and Kahrovic (2015), outsourcing of business functions improves the efficiency of the business and also provides the competitive advantage of the business. The author provides opinion that Outsourcing is now an important tool for the businesses and it provides the competitive advantage to the small or large scale businesses. There are many drivers for outsourcing which includes reduction of costs, savings, reduction in the capital investment, focus on core competence and flexibility. In simple terms, it can be said that it is moving the processes of business from internal service providers to the external service providers in return of fee paid to the service provider. Similar to this, Iqbal Dad (2013) added that the companies discontinue the production facilities of their own and handover these functions to other companies to seek better services, lesser costs and by this they can also pay attention to their core functions. It provides overall global cost advant ages which is a the most important factor for outsourcing the business functions which cannot be ignored. As per the author, there are four reasons which are responsible for outsourcing the business functions. These reasons include improvement in the cash flow, improvement in the payment control, staffing and improvement in the overall business performance (Bajec Jakomin, 2010). As per Manning, Massini Lewin (2008), outsourcing of business function has different views like Transaction- Cost view, Competence- Based view Relational view. The author further adds that the global scenario is changing which is also bringing a change in the process of comp0leting the business functions. Outsourcing is important because it reduces costs and brings economics of scale. In the business, it brings technological advancements in the business and the business is able to access the global talent. Outsourcing helps business to focus on its core competencies and this is how it makes itself capable to provide improved services to the customers which improve the customer relationship. In contrast to that Tayauova (2012) suggested outsourcing can lead to the loss of managerial control from the managerial operations and can also provide threat to the security and confidentiality of the organisations. The disadvantages of the outsourcing of business operations include the hidden costs as well which ultimately increases the cost of the operations and can also create quality problems. The execution of outsourcing is difficult. When an organisation outsources the services, it expects better quality of services from the service provider which sometimes influences the satisfaction level of the service user. In addition to this, Soriano-Meier, Garza-Reyes, Lal Rocha-Lona (2012) views that outsourcing of the business functions creates a fear of leakage of the confidential data of the company. It creates quality issues and problems or can also be slow in providing response. In the opinion of Brcar (2011), Outsourcing of the business functions can ensure the competitiveness of the firm. The author conducts a research by collecting information through survey and finds that outsourcing business functions is a strategic decision which ultimately affects the entire organisation. It is taking advantage of the global markets and the stronger strategies which ensure competitive advantage to the company in the global industries. It is found that outsourcing will increase in future and the areas where it will be used the most will be HR, quality and after sales services. The author concludes that it is increasingly important for the success of the business organisations and this sector of outsourcing will grow in future. According to Troac? Bodislav (2012), outsourcing has evolved in the last two decades and is continuously rising. The author discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the concept of outsourcing. The advantages of the concept are that Outsourcing is the strategic tool use in the business which provides competitive advantage to the business. It helps companies to increase their level of savings from 10 to 15% on the total costs incurred on the processes which is because of the economies of scale. Besides financial advantages, there are other benefits of outsourcing like it helps the business in focussing on the core processes and in accessing the resources. But there are also some of the concerns with Outsourcing like specially when the organisation loses control from its operations and also loses the performance which ultimately affects the image of the firm in the market and reduces the profitability. The results of outsourcing the business functions are not immediate. When a bus iness outsources its business functions, it loses the productivity of its labour because the time spent on the transfer of knowledge to the service provider could have been used in generating services by themselves (Marvin, 2011). In accordance with Sharma Loh (2009), outsourcing is a contributing factor in the success of businesses and in the year 2009, it contributed US $172 billion in the industry. The main drivers of the outsourcing activities like cost efficiency was considered important and it has been found that the multinational companies are taking more part in the outsourcing of services and the developing countries like India and China will be much ahead than they are right now. There will be competition in future in relation to the outsourcing industry. In US, the number of outsourcing companies doubled between 2005 to 2008 and 60% of the companies showed their willingness to expand their current outsourcing services in future. It is also found that smaller companies are more apt for outsourcing their business operations to gain specialisation and expert services on the services. It is seen in the last few years that the labour cost is reducing due to the outsourcing of services and cost saving is the primary motive of any company for outsourcing their business activities (Gotzamani, Longinidis Vouzas, 2010). It was also found that the firms which outsource the services have saved up to 3.5 times more than their actual savings. The affect is different in different industries, like in manufacturing industries, there is no such positive affect is seen on the performance but the lead time of the processes increased because the outsourcing helps the businesses to deal with the supply chain management (Smith, 2012). As per Wang, et al. (2008), around 145 UK and US organisations have been surveyed and among these 56 per cent of the companies did not see any cost reduction benefits while 23% experienced cost benefits in their business. The author suggests that the companies should not underestimate their in-house production capabilities and should only adopt outsourcing facilities if it provides benefits to the business. The survey conducted by the author came to a conclusion that among several UK based companies which took part in survey, 350 companies were pulled out of the outsourcing contract and held of these companies said that the quality of the outsourcing services were poor and remaining half said that there were no cost savings which bought them back to the in-house production facilities. According to Cowley (2004), JP Morgan in the year 2004 have cancelled the outsourcing contract of $5 billion with IBM and hired back the employees who were hired by IBM to process the functions. This shows that JP Morgan decided to start their operations in house instead of outsourcing them to IBM. IN house production facilities bought competitive advantage to the firm. Outsourcing provides swiftness and expertise to the businesses which helps in completing the work faster and helps in giving better output. It also helps in sharing the risks between the service provider and service user. But on the contrary, there are some hidden costs and it also provides risks of leakage of confidential information (Suraju Hamed, 2013). For e.g. there are many success stories of sousing the business activities and also the cases of failure. According to Muzychko (2015), there are many companies which have successfully used outsourcing services and created value in their businesses. For e.g. Procter Gamble is a leading company for fast moving consumer goods which is successful across the world. The company was facing a challenge in the global markets due to rapidly changing market of technology and innovation; the company outsourced its Research and Development activities and it proved to be one of the best decisions of the company. Outsourcing its Research and D evelopment function boosted the innovation activities. By 60 per cent and it created more than $10 billion revenue from its products. Today, more than half of the innovation for the company comes from an external source. On the contrary there are some other real examples of failure of outsourcing of business activities. One of the examples is of Royal bank of Scotland. In June 2012, the software update of RBS failed which left millions of customers unable to access their bank accounts and they were unable to withdraw money from their accounts. Also, the bank was not able to carry n its transactions. The problem was converted huge backlog in the economy and it took several days to clear the mess up. It was all because of the IT vendor which was providing the software services to the bank and the bank did not have any back up plan which created the problems and it became worse. With all these pros and cons discussed, it is advisable that the businesses should consider the type of services which should be outsourced and the benefits and harms related to it. The streams which are commonly outsourcing its services are Information Technology, Outsourcing of legal matters, web designs and recruitment services (Weske, 2012). There should be a consistent communication between both the parties for increasing the overall effectiveness of the outsourcing decisions taken by the company. Also, the long term relationships need to be established in order to maximise the benefits of outsourcing the business functions. The companies can also make a business plan for building an optimum model for outsourcing. It may reduce the costs of outsourcing, capabilities and results of outsourcing the business functions. The improvements in the business functions might enhance more when it is done with proper planning and execution (Chew Gottschalk, 2013). Quality and currency of articles and sources used The quality of the research papers or other sources used for completing the literature review is high in quality which is helpful in conducting the research well. The sources used are supported with genuine references which show that these sources are valid. The references have the details of the author, year of publication, title of the source and from where the source has been taken. All the content which has been mentioned in the assignment is secondary in nature which means that it has been already used before. Currency of Literature Review By currency we mean the publication details of the material which has been used in the literature review. All the sources used in the literature review are recent. The sources used are of the year 2004 and after years. There are some recent researches which focussed on the uses of outsourcing of business functions and also the drawbacks of the business functions. Most of the researches are of the year 2012 and above. It depicts that the information used is not out dated and provides the latest information and views of different authors on the topic which helps in building up clear conclusion on the topic. Gaps identified Research gap is the missing or insufficient information which hampers the conclusions of the research. It also affects the ability of decision-making of the practitioners. It can also be referred to the gap between the existing research and the research to be done. It shows the missing information in the collected data for the research which could have been used to generate the final conclusions. The research conducted above covers the concept of outsourcing and the advantages disadvantages of same for the businesses of today. It has also been covered that how outsourcing has been proved success and failure for different business organisations. The research does not cover the drivers of the outsourcing of business functions and the critical success factors of the same. The ideas of different authors have been compered on the basis of similarities and differences in their views for outsourcing business functions. Conclusion It can be concluded from the literature review that Outsourcing business activities is a strategic tool for the business. It depends on the type of business and its internal capabilities that it needs outsourcing or not. Outsourcing business functions is both beneficial and harmful for the businesses. On one hand it may improve the effectiveness of organisational functions and the decision making and also minimise the business risks. On the other hand, it contains hidden costs and also risks the confidential information of the company. The literature review discusses the real life examples of the businesses which show how outsourcing can be success and failure for the business. Outsourcing business functions brings competitive advantage to the companies. For having benefits from outsourcing the business functions, the companies should consider the risk factors, their outsourcing partners and also the cost of outsourcing and should compare it with the benefits it gets from the same. The comparative analysis will let the company know that whether it should go for outsourcing or should develop in house capabilities References Bajec, P, Jakomin, I 2010, A make-or-buy decision process for outsourcing, PROMET-TrafficTransportation, 22(4), 285-291. Brcar, F 2011, The Perspective of Business Process Outsourcing in Slovenian Organizations, Organizacija, Volume 44. Chew, E, Gottschalk, P 2013, Knowledge Driven Service Innovation and Management: IT Strategies for Business Alignment and Value Creation, IGI Global. Cowley, S 2004, Update: J.P. Morgan cancels $5B IBM outsourcing deal. 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