Abstract This paper discusses how "Thelma and Louise" strayed from the typical "road movie" formula in terms of casting, theme and storyline. It shows how the film not only helped to redefine gender stereotypes but also paved the way for other women, as well as gays, people of color and other traditionally underrepresented groups, to become "road movie heroes" as well.
From the Paper "The conventional road movie twosome, which is usually comprised of either two young males or a male and female with a romantic connection, has permeated the genre since its inception. Thelma and Louise broke that tradition by not only using two female protagonists, but by portraying men in a consistently negative light; essentially as either "rapists", "bullies" or "boy toys"."
Tags: action, adventure, film, gender, roles, theme, gay, color
Abstract An argumentative paper about the legalization of abortion. The author argues for the freedom of abortion by looking at the consequences of making abortion illegal, the possibilities of other options and the religious, ethical and moral aspects involved.
From the Paper "Though I do not support the absolute freedom of abortion, I do not agree that abortion is wrong. In my opinion, we have to consider all the circumstances behind the woman's decision to abort the child and we should allow her to make the ultimate decisions. The possible consequences of making abortions illegal can be more drastic than abortion itself. In this paper, I considered three issues: first, the events of 1930s through 1960s, when abortion was illegal; second, the possible option of adoption; and last, the religious aspects of abortion."
Abstract This paper looks at the book, "Girl, Interrupted," which is the autobiographical account of Susanna Kaysen's life just after her graduation from high school in the late 1960s. The movie, is an adaptation of the book. The author reviews both works, which deal with a woman with borderline personality disorder, one of the most common, and misdiagnosed types of mental illness facing women.
From the paper:
"Another anecdote from the book that meets the DSM-IV criteria for diagnosis of borderline personality disorder is Susanna's dissociative episode. One day while simply sitting in a chair in the common room at the hospital, Susanna had the random notion that she had no bones in her hand. Susanna instantly, and for no apparent reason, became completely convinced that there were no bones in her hand. She was thus immensely disturbed and resolved to bite down on her hand until it bled in an attempt to get all the way down to the bone. Susanna felt as though she must see her bones to know that they are there and she refused to take anyone's word for it. This psychotic episode seems as though it may also be tied to a feeling of emptiness."
Abstract This paper discusses the history, practice and evolution of the Qu'aran and Islam as it relates to women in society. Roles of women, freedoms, rights, and obligations are all viewed both in present times and in traditional Islamic society of centuries ago. The paper shows positive evidence of progress for women in Islamic society, as well as roadblocks yet to be overcome.
Tags: feminism, islam, rights, sociology, studies, women
Abstract The paper focuses on the problems that women encounter while entering a male dominated industry. The author discusses experiences women encounter in the police force such as alienation, hostility and resentment.
From the Paper "Barefoot and pregnant was the motto echoed throughout the nation about women prior to 1910. In this year, Alice Stebbins Wells became the first sworn female officer. Unfortunately, even though women were accepted into the policing profession, their role was a very limited one. They were concentrated in aspects that dealt with other women, children, or clerical work. I suppose that allowing them to work solely in these areas was meant to reinforce their "motherly" side. And why not? It wasn?t considered "ladylike" to shoot a gun or deal with issues such as alcohol or violence. Women weren?t supposed to engage in fighting or tell men what to do. These thoughts are representative of the Madonna-whore duality, where a woman is either "a mother/wife/virtuous paragon" or "an evil/Eve/seductress" (Epstein 186 ). Women who make attempts to be officers of the law are considered to be those evil women who have deviated from the ?norm.? It wasn?t until 1972 that amendments were made to the Civil Rights Acts of 1964, allowing women a right to an equal opportunity in their quest for a law enforcement career."
Abstract This paper focuses on the representations of women's body image in the media and asks how these representations affect women's self-image and behavior.
From the Paper "The images of the media surround us constantly. According to Peach (1998): "We are exposed to over 2,000 ads a day, constituting perhaps the most powerful educational force in society. The average adult will spend one and a half years of his/her life watching television commercials". (p. 128). Leafing through the morning paper we unconsciously take in adverts and photographs. Going to work we pass billboards, signs on bus stations and busses, company logo's on clothing and merchandise. At home relaxing in front of the television we are bombarded by images. What are the main messages that are conveyed by this unstoppable deluge of the media?"
Abstract This paper examines the crippling disorder, Postpartum Depression. This is a state of depression associated with childbirth. It effects woman only. The author delves deeply into its symptoms, causes and cures. There are many quotes from doctors and medical journals.
From the Paper "Postpartum Depression is a common, frequently unrecognized, yet devastating disorder. While the cause of postpartum depression is debatable, we know that there are genetic, biologic and psychological influences. Postpartum depression has the ability to devastate a new mother. The keys to successful treatment are early identification, reviewing patient and family histories, and intervention. By providing information on the disease early on the patient will be aware of the warning signs. Interventions, both supportive and pharmacological are effective treatments. The ability to lessen the impact of this disease is congruent with the primary caregivers role."
Abstract This paper looks at the rise of the modern department store as depicted in Emile Zola's novel, "The Ladies Paradise." Zola uses the story to comment on the stereotyping of women. He demonstrates that stereotyping just leads to more of the same. The author comments on women's position in society in 19th century France, in order to illustrate how money cannot buy love and to show how shopping was one of the few ways that women could express their own individuality.
From the Paper "We should remember that this book ? with its concluding message that while money can?t buy love true love itself does remain a possibility. Zola's analysis of how women (and we must assume to some extent men) are drawn into a consumer culture that will in many ways steal their souls) by the very same marketing and merchandizing techniques that remain popular today, including product placement, loss leaders, incentives for impulse buying. Zola also demonstrates to us how these selling techniques are more and more tightly bound to stereotypical definitions of femininity that the store owner has collected in the previous volume of the series ? stereotypes that produce stereotypical behavior that produce stronger stereotypes that produce more stereotypical behavior, etc."
Abstract In Gwendolyn Brooks? poem, "The Mother", the narrator expresses a reluctant regret and a desire for the children to which she did not give birth as a result of abortion. The paper analyzes the poem and its use of tone, diction, and imagery. It finds that the speaker is alternately regretful, self-recriminating, and motherly in her reactions to her unborn children. Taken together, Brooks? powerful shifts in tone, diction, and imagery all serve to highlight the narrator's longing, and tentative regrets over children that were never born.
From the Paper "Taken together, the changing tone throughout "The Mother" helps to expresses the narrator's reluctant regret over abortion, and a desire for the children she did not give birth to. It is her very changes in tone and emotion throughout the poem that help to highlight her confusion and regret. She is by turns apologetic, regretful, reproachful and frustrated in her attempts to explain herself."
Abstract This paper examines how the short story, "A & P" by John Updike, chronicles contemporary American society and how it treats issues of social stratification among members of the society. It looks at how, written in the 1960s, "A & P" provides an insightful look at the dynamics of gender and socio-economic differences of people in American society. It also explores how it discusses issues on social stratification from the viewpoint of Sammy, a young man who works at the store, "A & P". In particular, it shows how Sammy's character is an interesting and essential factor for the issue of social stratification because he serves as Updike's "commentator" on sensitive issues, such as gender discrimination on women and the snobbish and oppressive nature of the elite class in the society.
From the Paper "The first theme discussed in the short story is the issue of gender discrimination among women. In the story, Sammy serves as the "male chauvinist" character, providing an explicit description of the three young women he encounters in the convenience store. Initially, audiences would react at the seemingly sexist comments of Sammy, wherein he looks at the young women's physical attributes only and making unpleasant remarks at them (through his narration to the reader)."
Abstract This research examines the life, work and legacy of Dorothea Elizabeth Orem, a nursing theorist whose ideas emerged in the 1950s, exerting a great deal of influence on nursing education and practice. This paper analyzes Orem's theory, also known as the self-care deficit theory of nursing (SCDT).
From the Paper "Based on the assessment, the nurse may provide different degrees of "compensation" for the individual patient's "deficits" or relative inability to care for himself/herself(Orem, 1985). The theory is consistent with notions of wellness, preventive intervention, and patient empowerment that have been observed to foster recovery in a variety of venues and with a variety of illnesses (Shea, 1992; Neergaard, 1990)."
Abstract This paper will explore some of the images of women in the media. It will concentrate on the images of women as presented in print; particularly in magazines. The thesis is that, despite the many changes in the social, legal, and cultural status of women that have brought women more and more equity in relation to men, women are still portrayed in sexually objectified ways. The thesis will go into some detail as to the origin and meaning of such portrayals where women are reduced to what is considered sexually desirable. This occurs in a large number of advertisements in all types of magazines.
Abstract This paper takes a look at both stances on the abortion issue: pro life and pro choice, defines what a movement is in terms of discourses, ideologies and practices, and concludes that movements are essential in today's society.
From the Paper "Abortion is one of the most controversial and talked about topics of our time. It is discussed in classrooms, work places and even on the Internet. Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in or closely followed by the death of an embryo or fetus. This definition includes accidental abortion such as, miscarriage and stillbirths. But this is not what is being debated. People want to know if abortion is ethical, if the fetus can feel pain, and when it is more human than non-human. These questions are very difficult to answer and may never be answered in our lifetime. But one thing we as humans do know is that we have opinions, ranging from completely anti abortion (pro-life) to completely for abortion (pro-choice), and anywhere in the wide spectrum in between. Abortion is a movement that was erected almost 40 years ago. This movement has been very controversial over the years; the main reason being that it is something that there is virtually no in between. You either are, or you are not. Both movements, (pro-life and pro-choice) have been one of the most controversial movements in a political presents. The opposition feels that pro-choice does not mean Pro-abortion, it is the right in choosing whether to reproduce, adopt, or abort. It is every human being's right to make there own decisions, and so it is a woman's right to make the choices that affect her life as she sees morally right. It is a woman's right to choose what she does with her body and it should not be altered or influenced by anyone else. As you can see, there are two sides of this movement that are constantly looking for contradictions in what other believes."
Abstract This is a paper about internet marketing research, and uses Nike and it's women's products as a case study to show how this is an effective marketing tool in today's market. The paper gives a brief history of Nike, and looks at its share of the women's market, it's competitors and different ways in which Nike has tried to distinguish itself from the other companies in the women's market.
From the Paper "Now we see more and more women becoming physically active and we also see more women's sports being acknowledged, such as the Women's National Basketball Association. Our views towards women as athletes are finally changing for the better. Nike picked up on this and realized that they had a new market to really focus on. Nike Goddess was developed through a very solid marketing strategy, which had much research, and planning behind it. The site should do very well with these young female "Gen-Xers" and "Gen-Yers"."
Abstract This paper presents an analysis of sexual harassment in the workplace. The author discusses background of sexual harassment, legalities of sexual harassment and business strategies to reduce sexual harassment in the workplace such as various policies and requirements.
From the Paper "In 1964 Title VII of the Civil Rights Act was accepted into our nation's law. Since then sexual harassment has been added as a protected class under Title VII. Unfortunately, it has taken many high-profile lawsuits such as the Anita Hill Senate hearings, Faragher v. Boca Raton, and Crowley v. L.L. Bean for employers to understand that it is imperative for every company, no matter how big or small, to have a well-thought out plan for dealing with sexual harassment situations. It is also crucial that these organizations make sure their employees are completely aware of the procedures to follow if such a situation arises. Not only should companies have guidelines in this area, but they should also make it clear where they stand on relationships between employees and how sexuality is viewed within the company, because what is acceptable in one instance may be unacceptable in another. One of the most common reasons sexual harassment situations evolve into multi-million dollar lawsuits is because the victims are not made aware of their organization's policies or their claims are not properly dealt with by the organization. By taking a few simple preventive measures, the probability that a lawsuit will arise from a sexual harassment is minimal, making the workplace better for both employees and employers."
