Women Abuse in India Essay Example for Free

Women Abuse in India Essay Violence against women in India Violence against women in India isn’t just a current issue, but rather has deep seated traditional roots in the culture. In order to combat the problem, we must understand its causes. In India, the problem of violence against women is a result of a long standing power imbalance between men and women. Men have control over access to property and resources. There is also a sexual division of labor in India that results in female exploitation–physically, mentally, and commercially. Oppression in India Women in India are subject to all forms of violence. Female infanticide is quite common in Haryana and Punjab because there is a preference for sons because male children carry on the family lineage. The education of sons is also considered much more important. In these two states, the sex ratio is lower than the national average. Discrimination within the household Within the household, there exists gender discrimination which determines intra-household distribution of food. Because women and girls are given less food than men, malnutrition among adolescent girls and women is quite prevalent in India. Lack of opportunity to work Due to lower educational levels, a woman has a much lower capacity to earn. Women from upper castes are seldom allowed to work outside the home. However, work participation rate among low caste women is better compared to that of upper caste women. Honor killings Honor killings are quite common in Haryana and Tamil Nadu when young girls marry somebody outside their caste and clan against her family’s wishes. Women as property  Dowry is demanded from the husband’s side (in-laws) when younger women get married. Newly married women become subject to verbal and physical abuse. In many cases, young brides are burnt to death by her in-laws if the parents fail to meet the requisite dowry demanded. Women are also viewed in terms of their virginity, as chastity is considered as a great virtue. In terms of family planning, women have been used as the subjects of experiments. Governments promote contraceptives to lower fertility among women, at the  behest of multinational corporations and the corporate sector, without thinking about their consequences. Population control and family planning is considered a way to control women’s sexuality. Photograph posted on Flicker by â€Å"Mckay Savage.† Data on violence against women In a country like India, it is difficult to rely on statistics pertaining to rape cases. The data may show that such crimes being committed may be going up or down. But in reality, women are afraid of even lodging FIRs (First Information Report) in police stations despite being raped or sexually harassed. The judiciary and the legal system are biased in favor of men. Cases of violence against women are under-reported. According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau 2007, a total of 1,85,312 incidents of crime against women (both under Indian Penal Code-IPC and Special and Local Laws-SLL) were reported in the country during 2007 as compared to 1,64,765 during 2006, thus recording an increase of 12.5% during 2007. These crimes have continuously increased during 2003-2007 with 1,40,601 cases in 2003, 1,54,333 cases in 2004, 1,55,553 in 2005, 1,64,765 cases in 2006 and 1,85,312 cases in 2007. The total number of sexual harassment cases were 10,950 in 2007. The total number of cases pertaining to cruelty by husband and relatives was 75,930. There were 61 cases of importation of girls. Altogether there were 38,734 cases of molestation in 2007. (See the URL: http://ncrb.nic.in/cii2007/cii-2007/FIGURES_2007.pdf). The number of rape cases has increased by nearly ten fold from 2487 in 1953 to 20737 in 2007. Young girls also become victims of child abuse at the hands of their closest male relatives, which they are unable to protest. What can be done When women protest against their exploitation, many try to silence them. The experience of Bhanwari Devi, the ‘sathin’ from Rajasthan, is a case in point. She was gang-raped for working against child marriage practiced by the upper castes in her village. According to the NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) 2008, respect for women seem to be the worst in Andhra Pradesh, which accounted for 83.5 per cent of cases under Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act of total cases across the country. Out of a total 1,200 such cases, Andhra had registered 1,005 incidents in  this regard. The NCRB data clearly points to the profile of the average rapist – over 75% were known to the victims. In fact, nearly 10% were relatives. Another disturbing aspect was that about a quarter of the rape victims were minors. During the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in September 1995, the United Nations Secretary-General, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, said that violen ce against women is a universal problem that must be universally condemned. The United Nations has termed violence against women as a gross violation of human rights. In India, a survey showed that for each incidence of violence, women lost an average of 7 working days. Role of media Media that includes television, radio and newspapers can play a positive role in creating awareness about the pitfalls of violence against women. Mass media’s power should not be undermined by our policy makers See more at: http://www.conversationsforabetterworld.com/2009/12/violence-against-women-in-india/#sthash.rCyr6L9P.dpuf

A Thematic Unity for Heideggers Was Heisst Denken? :: Heidegger Was Heisst Denken Essays

A Thematic Unity for Heidegger's Was Heisst Denken? ABSTRACT: This essay is primarily an analysis of Heidegger's Was Heisst Denken? I aim to provide a thematic unity for this enigmatic text, thereby rendering Heidegger's thoughts on thinking more available to those investigating the nature of human rationality and thinking. The procedure is to gather together some of the sundry themes and puzzling features resolved by unpacking this sentence: 'Most thought-provoking in our thought-provoking time is that we are still not thinking.' The chief results of this study include the establishment of a global logic to the text, the identification of 'being-thoughtful' as the proper phenomenon to be studied, and receptivity ('listening for what calls for thinking') as the distinguishing mark of the thoughtful. Perhaps it is a sign of the times that precisely this work, of all my publications, is the least read. (1) This remark by Martin Heidegger about Was Heisst Denken? is puzzling given that in the same interview he suggests that the most important issue facing us is the confrontation with what thinking is. If Heidegger is correct, then why does Was Heisst Denken? not rank among the most read of his works? Is it because we are unaware of the importance of encountering thinking? Because we believe already to understand thinking (e.g., thinking is "having thoughts")? (2) Either of these proposed explanations, it should be noted, would not startle Heidegger; he anticipated them in Was Heisst Denken? An explanation that he does not consider, however, is that Was Heisst Denken? is itself puzzling and stands in some need of critical clarification. In this essay I present an analysis of Heidegger's Was Heisst Denken? The aim is to provide a thematic unity for this enigmatic text, and thereby to render Heidegger's thoughts on thinking more available to those investigating the nature of human rationality and thinking. I proceed by enumerating some of the puzzling features of the text, and included among them are the ambiguity intentionally built into the German title and the odd fact that Nietzsche and Parmenides take center stage in a series of lectures--which collected form the text--on thinking. The main thesis of my analysis is that one particularly promising way of showing how the twenty-one lectures hang together is by unpacking this sentence: Most thought-provoking in our thought-provoking time is that we are still not thinking. (3) This essay, then, is literally an analysis,

Elizabeth receives three proposals of marriage in Pride and Prejudice Essay

The first sentence of the novel Pride and Prejudice states, â€Å"It is the truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.† This clearly demonstrates how important marriage was in the Victorian age and to the Bennet girls. Using this as the first sentence of the novel reinforces the theme of marriage from the very start. The plot of Pride and Prejudice is centred on four relationships with all of these resulting in marriage. The first relationship was between Charlotte Lucus and Mr Collins which resulted in a marriage of convenience as neither party showed any affection and thought of marriage as merely a contract that would help both sides. The second couple was Miss Lydia Bennet and Mr Wickham. In the novel Lydia and Wickham eloped and ran off to London. Mr Wickham was paid by Mr Darcy to marry Lydia. The third was between Miss Jane Bennet and Mr Bingly which was a relationship of true love. The relationship encountered many ups and downs but eventually true love triumphed. The fourth was between Mr Darcy and Miss Lizzy Bennet. This was an unusual couple as they came from very different classes in Victorian society and their marriage very nearly did not happen. This marriage was based on love. The Bennet girls had limited options in life. The first was to get married and love honour and obey their husband. The second was to become a spinster and live off her male relatives. To be a spinster you were regarded as a social outcast in society. The third was to be a governess. To get married was seen to be by far the best option for women in the Victorian age. Women had few rights. The Bennet girls had the unfortunate coincidence of being five girls in their family. This meant that they would only have a small dowry, as all money had to be split five ways. Extra pressure was mounted on the Bennet girls’ shoulders through Mr Collins. If Mr Bingly died the Bennet girls would have been thrown out of Longbourn in favour of Mr Collins’ as their house was entitled to ‘heirs male’. Miss Elizabeth Bennet is the heroine of the novel. Elizabeth has several character traits, which make it somewhat less difficult for her to refuse her first proposal from Mr Collins. These include; her perceptiveness, which enabled her to easily manipulate Mr Collins. Lizzy is very witty and we know this because it says in the text that, â€Å"She has more of a quickness than her sisters†. In the last paragraph of the proposal scene we see that Lizzy puts an emphasis on the personal pronouns â€Å"we† and â€Å"I†. This shows that she is as proud and self interested as Mr Collins. However, Elizabeth lacks self-awareness – she is proud and prejudiced. Elizabeth wants to be seen as an intelligent, educated woman. She wants a marriage but only if it is based on love. She will not settle for merely a business arrangement. The novel of Pride and Prejudice has two comedy climaxes and both have connections with Mr Collins. The first is Mr Collins’ proposal. Elizabeth is genuinely shocked and embarrassed by this proposal. She nearly bursts out laughing when he says that he was â€Å"Run away with by my feelings†. Humour is achieved by Mr Collins’ manner as Austen satirises the role of a traditional clergyman. For example, he is supposed to put others first yet through the first paragraph of the proposal he uses the personal pronouns â€Å"I†, â€Å"me† and â€Å"my† thirteen times. Elizabeth is clearly affronted by the fact that Mr Collins believes that he is dong her and her family a service by making his proposal of marriage. He believes that Elizabeth and her family should regard him as an exceedingly good â€Å"catch†. Elizabeth, however, with her strong intellect does not regard Mr Collins as her equal or as her superior. She can hardly contain her fury when she replies sarcastically, â€Å"I am very sensitive of the honour of your proposals but it is impossible for me to do otherwise other than to decline them†. Her temper rises when Mr Collins persists with his proposal as he believes it is customary for prospective brides to reject a proposal â€Å"a second or even a third time†. Elizabeth, in exasperation, does her utmost to convince Mr Collins that marriage to him is completely out of the question, â€Å"I am perfectly serious in my proposal. – You could not make me happy.† This is the basis of Elizabeth’s refusal – she wants a marriage based on love and respect which will lead to happiness. She regards Mr Collins as beneath her in intellect and sensitivity. In her eyes, he is a pompous fool with an over-inflated sense of importance. She does not love or respect him. She feels that she would be compromising herself by accepting him his proposal and she is totally frustrated by his apparent in ability to accept her refusal. In this proposal we see that there is a character contrast between Elizabeth and Mr Collins. Mr Collins obeys orders. He admits that to Elizabeth he is following Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s instruction to marry when he says, â€Å"It is the particular advice and recommendation of a certain noble lady whom I have the honour of calling patroness.† Lizzy, however, will not be swayed by the opinion of others whatever their social status. During his proposal Mr Collins reminds Lizzy that he is, â€Å"To inherit this estate after the death of your honoured father.† This shows Mr Collins’ lack of understanding of Lizzy’s love for her father. This is juxtaposition between the theme of love and marriage and the death of Mr Bennet. This is very amusing for the reader. The second proposal that Elizabeth receives is from Mr Darcy. The title of this novel, Pride and Prejudice is a metaphor for Elizabeth’s relationship with Mr Darcy. Mr Darcy is seen by Elizabeth to be too proud. Mr Darcy is a lot further up the social strata than the Bennet family. He thinks that he would be degrading himself to marry her. â€Å"He really believed, that were it not for the inferiority of her connections, he should be in some danger.† Elizabeth is prejudiced against Darcy. Elizabeth has been fooled by Mr Wickham’s stories of Mr Darcy. Elizabeth believes that after the death of the late Mr Darcy, Mr Darcy threw Mr Wickham out of his father’s house and failed to adhere to his promise of a family living. However later on in the novel this is confirmed to be not the case. Through the plot line we see how Austen has created hostility between Mr Darcy and Elizabeth. At their first meeting, Mr Darcy does not endear himself to Elizabeth and her family because of his superior attitude. He says of Elizabeth, â€Å"She is tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me.† This dislike of Mr Darcy is increased through his interference in the relationship between Jane and Mr Bingly. He admits to Elizabeth that â€Å"I did everything in my power to separate my friend from your sister.† Elizabeth was very astounded by Mr Darcy’s first proposal. Her prejudice against him increased due to the manner in which he made this proposal. He explained to her how she had struggled with himself but was unable to stop himself from telling her, â€Å"how ardently I admire and love you†. However, Mr Darcy made the mistake of dwelling on what he perceived Elizabeth’s inferiority. Elizabeth could see that, like Mr Collins, Mr Darcy expected her to accept his proposal and it had not crossed his mind that she would do otherwise. Elizabeth’s anger increases because she can see that Darcy arrogantly assumes that she will marry him. ‘Elizabeth felt herself growing more angry every moment’. He openly tells her that he has tried to quell his feelings for her because a marriage to her would be degrading. This arrogance and sense of superiority and pride infuriates Elizabeth. Although she is flattered by his proposals, her prejudices make it impossible for her to accept it. She does not want to be seen as a charity case. Also, she does not want to be seen to condone what she perceives to be his ungentlemanly past behaviour towards Mr Wickham and her sister. She declares that from the very beginning she despised his â€Å"arrogance†, â€Å"conceit† and selfish disdain of the feelings of others†. The third proposal that Elizabeth received was again from Mr Darcy. However, by this time Elizabeth has heard the truth about Mr Wickham and his atrocious behaviour. Her regard for Mr Darcy has grown through her understanding of the part that he played in resolving the problems with Lydia’s elopement and eventual marriage to Mr Wichkam. At the time of the second proposal Elizabeth’s prejudices against Mr Darcy have disappeared. Indeed she cannot wait to express her thanks for the part that he played in helping Lydia and ultimately her family. However, Mr Darcy tells Elizabeth that her family owe him nothing and he only cares about her. On her return to London, Lady Catherine De Burgh called on Mr Darcy to obtain the promise from Mr Darcy which she had not got from Elizabeth. She told him of her visit to Longbourn and her conversation with Elizabeth and how she had refused to promise that she would not accept a marriage proposal from Mr Darcy. The effect of her visit, â€Å"had been exactly contrariwise†¦It taught me to hope†¦I knew enough of your disposition to be certain that had you been absolutely irrevocably decided against me you would have acknowledged it to Lady Catherine frankly and openly.† He humbles himself when he openly, for the second time, declares his love for Elizabeth and openly outlines his inferior traits. He confirms that he has been â€Å"a selfish being all his life†. He as an only child her was spoilt and not taught to control his temper. He also says admits that he was â€Å"almost taught to be selfish and overbearing, to care for no-one beyond my own family circle†. He tells Elizabeth that that it is she who has brought him humility. In my opinion it was not only Elizabeth who was prejudiced but Darcy too as he is prejudiced about her place in the social hierarchy. It is also not only Darcy who is proud but Elizabeth is too. She will not lower her standards and complies with the conventions of the day by consenting to marry just to please her mother or other members of society. She is determined to hold out against all the odds and marry only for love. At the end of the novel Elizabeth achieves her goal of marrying someone who will truly make her happy. This could be seen as a reflection of Jane Austen’s view on marriage, that is, that a good marriage is one that is based on love and mutual respect. â€Å"Do anything rather than marry without affection.†

Death The End or a New Beginning Essay - 1319 Words

What is death? Looking up the meaning in the dictionary would probably read â€Å"the loss of life† or â€Å"ceasing of all vital functions†. As human beings the word could mean one of many things depending on what you believe in. To most of humanity throughout history it meant the end of a life, to others a shortcut to avoid the inevitable, or even what might be the beginning of something new. Unfortunately, today in our modern time our conception of death has changed drastically throughout history. Many like you and me will never truly understand death’s true meaning unless experienced firsthand. â€Å"The subject of death is shrouded in mystery, folklore, and different meanings from every culture on this planet†. Although death should not be†¦show more content†¦Until the moment when their time has come and either struck down with grief or despair or they embrace it. In most cases it wouldn’t be the latter because we would not have prepared for our own demise. Death can affect not just the deceased but there close companions and family members in many ways mostly on an emotional level even change the way we all think. Most people wouldn’t think much about death because it would be the last thing on their minds compared to their other priorities. If a near death experience were to be involved then it would change that person to apprec iate their life more. You would think that there would be nothing good from death, although there are things that some people could learn something new about themselves that they would have never thought of in the first place or could be a mercy killing. â€Å"Two young women - teenager JJJ MMM in California and mother MMMM MMMM in Texas - have both been deemed brain-dead, a final state according to statutes. Beyond that determination, however, the cases have taken dramatically different paths and reveal the many complexities involved.† Cases such as these two women would have no bodily functioned what so ever. Their loved ones can either give them two choices. One to keep them on life support for the rest of their remaining lives or two allow doctors to help their patients die to free them of their tortured states. â€Å"Riggs testified inShow MoreRelatedEssay on Death: The End or a New Beginning802 Words   |  4 Pages What is death? If you were to look it up in a dictionary it would probably read â€Å"the loss of life† or â€Å"ceasing of all vital functions†. To us being human it could mean one of many things depending on your beliefs. To most it meant the end of a life, to others a shortcut to avoid the inevitable, or even the beginning of something new. Unfortunately, today our conception of death has changed drastically over time. 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Chopin uses a bad news to st art her story, the death news of Mr. Mallard plays an important role to develop the story. As a turning point of this story, how does Mrs. Mallard think about her husband’s death? She sees it as a window towards freedom. FurthermoreRead MoreDylan Thomas Literary Analysis1453 Words   |  6 PagesLiterary Works Analysis And Death Shall Have No Dominion is a poem in three nine-line stanzas. Each of the stanzas begins and ends with the title line, which echoes Romans 6:9 from the King James translation of the Christian New Testament: Death hath no more dominion.(Dylan Thomas, 30) When Saint Paul said in his letter to the Romans that death hath no more dominion, he meant that those who had chosen salvation would not suffer eternal damnation and spiritual death. 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