Conflict Between the Individual and Society as Depicted in Edith Whartons The Age of Innocence - Literature Essay Samples

One of the main themes that is recurrent throughout Edith Wharton’s work The Age of Innocence is the ongoing struggle between the individual and society. This is an issue that Wharton was quite concerned with in the novel, and it is reflected in the characters in the book. The story is a window into the era in which she wrote, and we can see that the situations and dilemmas faced by the main characters are largely centered around this conflict. Any attempt to understand the conflicts in the novel in the context of the larger society in which they transpire must begin with a consideration of the main characters and their motivations. May Welland Archer is a product of the social code and hierarchy in which she was raised. We can see that her choices and actions are often based upon what she thinks that other people will think. Throughout the course of the novel she gradually morphs into a near mirror image of her mother. She becomes increasingly controlling of those around her, particularly Newland. Her trickery with regards to the pregnancy ruse speaks to how far she has come in attaining and maintaining control. Ultimately, while she cannot offer Newland what he seeks in a relationship, she ironically represents what can be said to be the prototypical ideal of the model wife of the period.In a manner similar to May, Newland also seeks to keep in line with the social graces and expectations of the era. Despite the fact that he has inclinations to seek out other women, Countess Ellen Olenska really represents a dream that can never be, as Newland will never follow through with an action that runs counter to social convention. While he feels the heavy burden of duty and responsibility that society bears upon him, he cannot seem to throw this weight from his shoulders. It is also unclear if he really wants to do so. This is something that May uses to her benefit in dealing with and controlling Newland. She knows deep down that she can utilize Ne wland’s personal need to keep within social expectations to further her controlling grip over his life and their relationship. While he feels the longing for another life or at least fulfilling his desires with Ellen, his overriding need to keep to his duty and social responsibility preclude this from being a viable option. Countess Ellen Olenska represents all that is different from the structured and stratified society that the other characters find themselves in. She comes from Europe and brings with her an unconventional style that symbolizes a sort of freedom that seems quite elusive to many of the other characters such as Newland Archer. Unlike many characters, she seems to act with far less deference to what others may deem correct or acceptable behavior. We can see the conflict between what the characters wish for and what they must settle for in response to societal expectations. Newland Archer wishes desperately to be with Ellen, yet society will simply not ab ide by such an eventuality. When Newland finally decides to travel after Ellen to Europe, May reveals that she is pregnant, quashing his dreams and effectively sealing his fate. Ultimately, he cannot gather the necessary will to defy the mores of his society. Similarly, Ellen harbors wishes and desires of her own as well. She wants to divorce her husband and be free to experience her own life, but Archer persuades her that she will hurt her family and be looked down upon by society. Her family even calls on her to go back to the husband who treated her poorly in order to uphold societal expectations and protect appearances. They even cut off her allowance in an attempt to reign her in when she refuses to give in to their demands. After giving her best effort at remaking herself to fit into New York society, she realizes it is not to be and returns to Europe. Yet, she does not return to her husband as might be expected. Her final loss is realized when May announces to her that s he is pregnant with child. Societal expectations dictate that a man absolutely must stay with is pregnant wife. It is wholly unacceptable for him to do anything less in light of the overriding societal pressures of the day, and both May and Ellen know this. Ironically, it is Newland who stresses to Ellen the importance of denying her own desires and wishes to be with him for other considerations such as societal expectations and the impact upon those around them. It must be noted that Newland does not believe that this is necessarily the best course of action, but perhaps it is really the only option available to them. She clearly puts great weight in his words as she feels it is a nobler and more unselfish way of living than she has experienced in the past. Newland feels that â€Å"it was less trouble to conform with the tradition and treat May exactly as all his friends treated their wives than to try to put into practice the theories with which his untrammeled bachelorhood had dallied†¦ Whatever happened, he knew she would always be loyal, gallant, and unresentful; and that pledged him to the practice of the same virtues† (Wharton, p.196-97). As the novel progresses it becomes clear that there love can never be. Ellen states that she knows there is really nowhere for them to go to be happy together as they will never succeed in truly freeing themselves from the constraints of society. I want I want somehow to get away with you into a world where words like that categories like that wont exist. Where we shall be simply two human beings who love each other, who are the whole of life to each other; and nothing else on earth will matter.'She drew a deep sigh that ended in another laugh. Oh, my dear where is that country? Have you ever been there? . . . I know so many whove tried to find it (Wharton, 230)Another theme that runs throughout the novel and is closely tied to the notion of the conflict between society and the individual is t hat of appearance vs. reality. Many of the novel’s characters are actually more concerned with what people think about them and how they are perceived by others than in experiencing personal happiness. Ellen sees through much of this faà §ade upon her visit to New York. She sees the hypocrisy inherent in the people around her and even informs Newland that the people just refuse to or do not want to acknowledge it. This conflict or disparity between how things appear and how they actually are in reality permeates the novel. It can be seen in the way that women are expected to overlook their husband’s affairs (so long as they are discreet for appearance sake), and in the fact that all of society turns out for the Beaufort Ball despite the fact that he is talked about poorly behind his back. This also is seen in the elaborate send-off given to Ellen, despite the undercurrent of hostility just beneath the surface. This party to say goodbye is also a societal expect ation that has more to do with appearances than reality. There were certain things that had to be done, and if done at all, done handsomely and thoroughly; and one of these in the old New York code, was the tribal rally around a kinswoman about to be eliminated from the tribe (Wharton p. 285)It is telling that the characters have something of a love/hate relationship with the structured society in which they live. In fact, Wharton herself uses the novel to critique the social code, while still not really branding it as absent of value. While she acknowledges that there are certainly issues with the way things were, the moral code of society is not without a certain measure of importance. This is because it is through these social mores and norms that society is able to pass down traditional values and cultural history. In truth, her work is an examination of the inherent tensions present in the conflict between personal happiness on the one hand and societal pressures and expec tations on the other. The main characters of the novel try to find a middle ground but ultimately conclude that their society is filled with absolutes and they ultimately resign themselves to the way things are.

What is a Conservatarian Anyway

On the right, there have always been labels to describe various factions of Republicans and conservatives. There are the Reagan Republicans and the Main Street Republicans and the neoconservatives. In 2010, we saw the rise of the tea party conservatives, a group of newly active citizens with a decidedly more anti-establishment and populist tilt. But they were necessarily more conservative than other factions. Enter Conservatarianism. A conservatarian is a blend of conservatism and libertarianism. In a way, modern conservatism has often led to big government. George W. Bush campaigned on big government compassionate conservatism and many good conservatives went along for the ride. Pushing a conservative agenda - even as it led to bigger government - seemingly became the GOP way. Libertarians have long been, rightly or wrongly, labeled as pro-drug, anti-government, and beyond too far beyond the mainstream. They have been described as fiscally conservative, socially liberal, and internationally isolationist. There is no easy ideological line going from point A to point B on the right, but there is a pretty big divide between libertarians and conservatives. And thats where the modern conservatarian comes in. The end result is a small government conservative who will push more hot-button issues to the states and fight for a smaller role of the federal government. Pro-business but anti-cronyism Conservatarians are often laissez-faire capitalists. Both the Republicans and Democrats have long been engaged in big deals and favoritism with big business. The Republicans have rightly favored creating pro-business policies including reductions in corporate taxation and tax reduction overall. The Democrats irrationally blame and target big business for everything thats wrong in the world. But at the end of the day, both Democrats and Republicans have favored setting up favorable deals with business allies, offered specialized tax incentives and subsidies, and pushed policies that favor business allies rather than let businesses compete and grow fairly and on their own. Even good conservatives use the hand of government far too often. Using the excuse that subsidies or specialized tax breaks are pro-business, conservatives and liberals selectively choose who gets what and why. They choose the winners and losers. Conservatarians have, for instance, turned against subsidizing industries to give them an artificial advantage over competing interests. Recently, Green Energy subsidies have been a favorite of the Obama administration and liberal investors have benefited the most at the taxpayers expense. Conservatarians would argue in favor of a system were businesses are free to compete without the corporate welfare and without the government choosing the winners and losers. During the 2012 presidential primary campaign, even the more moderate Mitt Romney campaigned against sugar subsidies in Florida and against ethanol subsidies while in Iowa. Primary competitors including Newt Gingrich still favored such subsidies. Focused on State and Local Empowerment Conservatives have always favored stronger state and local government control over a large centralized government. But that has not always been the case with many social issues such as gay marriage and recreational or medicinal marijuana use. Conservatarians tend to believe that those issues should be handled at the state level. Conservative/conservatarian Michelle Malkin has been an advocate for medical marijuana use. Many who oppose gay marriage say its a states rights issue and that each state should decide the issue. Usually Pro-Life but Often Socially Indifferent While libertarians are often pro-choice and have adopted the government cant tell someone what to do talking points of the left, conservatarians have tended to fall on the pro-life side, and often argue from a pro-science stance over a religious one. On social issues, conservatarians may hold conservative beliefs on social issues like gay marriage or be indifferent, but argue that it is up to each state to decide. While libertarians typically outright favor drug legalization of many forms and conservatives oppose it, conservatarians are more open to legalized marijuana for medicinal and, often, recreational purposes. Peace Through Strength Foreign Policy One of the big turns on the right may have been on foreign policy. There are rarely easy answers on issues of the American role in the world. Following the aftermath of Iraq and Afghanistan, many conservative hawks became less so. Conservative hawks all too often seem eager to intervene every time an international crisis. Libertarians often want to do nothing. Whats the right balance? While this is hard to define, I think the conservatarians might argue that intervention should be limited, that the use of ground troops in battle should be almost non-existent, but that the US must be strong and ready to attack or defend when needed.

The War between Scotland and England in the Reign of...

Why did War break out between Scotland and England in the Reign of Edward I? On the 14th of May 1264, the forces of Simon de Montfort, Gloucester and the Londoners were set arrayed against the loyalist forces of King Henry III, Richard of Cornwall and Prince Edward (later to become King Edward I). The loyalists suffered a massive defeat at this Battle of Lewes and among those captured, aside from Richard of Cornwall and perhaps the King (Prestwich indicates the unsure nature of the Kings capture 46), were the northern barons (Scottish lords) of Balliol, Bruce and Comyn. (Jenks 132) Prince Edward also became a hostage as part of an exchange after the battle. These same men who fought together and were held captive by the de Montforts†¦show more content†¦One of these four advisors was John Balliol, father of the future King of Scotland. (Prestwich 26) It is quite clear that, [families] notable in Scottish history were also notable in England†¦ The Bruces†¦ were a Yorkshire family, and the Robert Bruce who was Balliols rival for the Scottish crown in 1292 had served Henry III for twenty years and ended†¦ as chief justice of the English court of kings bench. (Miller 4) Given that such relationships so closely tied the English and the Scottish leaderships war was far from anyones agenda. However, during this time it was not uncommon even for close relationships to digress towards war. Family lines were built with strategic marriages to link families together, but they could just as easily lead to arguments and even war, specifically resulting from such strategic partnerships (or lack there of). Alexander II King of Scotland had been married to Joan, younger sister to Henry III, but later married Mary of Coucy (daughter of a great French house) after Joans death. This new marriage offended Henry III, not least of all because he was trying to recover French land (Poitou) and gain respect in continental Europe. (Powicke 586-7) To prevent war a new treaty was made giving the King of Scots more power, but at the same time asking him not to enter into any alliances hostile to England. This treaty was cemented by the marriage of Alexander (son of Mary and King Alexander II, who died before theShow MoreRelatedMonarchy Is The Oldest Form Of Government1657 Words   |  7 Pagesmonarchs and their ruling will begin with Edward the III from the House of Plantagenet (1327) and end with Charles the I from the House of Stuarts (1625) with added attention to the time period of 1299-1485 during the time of War of the Roses. Studying English history in accordance with Shakespeare’s p lays gives the reader a better understanding of the time period the play was written and helps the reader understand what shaped Shakespeare’s story. 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Article Analysis Marker of Brand Communities

Question: Discuss about theArticle Analysisfor Marker of Brand Communities. Answer: Introduction Marketing and Brand Management has seen several changes over the years. In this era of globalization and digitization, few of the most widely used marketing and brand management concepts are relationship marketing, social media marketing, brand equity etc. It is rightly said that the veneration of brands as part of brand communities reflects the expansion of consumerism in advanced capitalism (Stratton Northcote, 2014). Simply defined, A brand community can be defined as an enduring self-selected group of actors sharing a system of values, standards and representations (a culture) and recognizing bonds of membership with each other and with the whole. The objective of this paper is to discuss and analyse the paper, When totems beget clans: The brand symbol as the defining marker of brand communities. This paper would discuss the paper and its implications for brand managers. The paper would also discuss the lessons learned from this paper. Analysis The paper is about brand community and the way brand managers can use the concepts of brand community to reach out to end consumers. There was a time when corporations and brand managers used to manage the operations in a small territory or domestic market (Laroche Habibi, 2012). However, with Internet, technology and advancements in the corporations, the brand managers have started to explore the international market. There is also a change in the overall definition of marketing. In fact, the brand managers have seen a transformation from the traditional selling concept to marketing concepts. With the concepts like brand community, brand identity and brand equity, the focus of the brand managers is to change the PUSH marketing philosophy to PULL marketing philosophy. In the article, authors mentioned that there are significant differences between the brand community and other forms of community (Stratton Northcote, 2014). It is important for leaders, brand managers and marketers to understand this difference between brand community and other forms of community. It is argued that brand communities differ from other types of communities in one important respect the community is a secondary, rather than primary, effect of brand community association. It means that brand is a symbol before its get its space in brand community. In other communities, the symbol is the after affect or the aftermath of the work being done (Kuo Feng, 2013). Authors also argued that brand communities have unique dynamics that are typically not observed in the communities. The concept of brand community is still a new concept and it is expected that this concept would further evolve in the coming time. The marketers of various brands have a lot to learn from these concepts. One of major learning from this article is that different brands can have different brand communities. For example, the brand communities for Unilever may not be same as the brand communities for Southwest Airlines (Shaomian Heere, 2015). It is also important to mention that a big corporation can also have different brand communities for its different products. For example, Unilever may have a different brand community for its soap product and different brand community for its tea product. Therefore, it is important to mention that marketers should think twice before selecting their brand community. Another important discussion or the learning is in the way brand communities are developed. In the article, authors argued that the brand managers or the marketers may not always have the direct control over the way brand communities are developed (Stratton Northcote, 2014). There are times when the brand communities are build or developed as the people spread the news about the brand. Therefore, it would be correct to say that the people or the consumers have a great impact over brand communities. In the article, authors referred the brand identity or the brand symbol as the maker of brand community. Authors argued that in various case, the brand symbol could be considered as a totem that acts as a sign board for the brand (Stratton Northcote, 2014). It would be correct to say that the brand symbol or brand identity is of utmost importance for corporations. The entire marketing effort of organizations can go in vain if the brand is not able to establish its reputation in the market. In fact, this is one of the reasons that it is recommended that the marketing mix of the product should be in synchronization with the overall brand message. Every element of marketing mix (product, price, place and promotion) conveys a message and it is important that these messages should be in line with the overall message being communicated by the brand. The brand may not be a tangible thing like a product. However, the brand identity or the brand positioning can have a high impact on the sale of products. It would be correct to say that for organizations, brand identity or brand community should come first and then it should be followed by the core principles of marketing like segmentation, targeting, positioning and marketing mix (Brodie Juric, 2013). In fact, the marketing strategies of the organizations would depend on number of internal and external factors. The internal factors can be managed by the organization. However, the external factors like political, social, economical, legal, technological, etc. are not under the direct control of organizations (Zhang Zhou, 2013). Conclusion The above paper discusses the article When totems beget clans: The brand symbol as the defining marker of brand communities. With the above discussion, it can be said that the organizations should have a proactive approach towards marketing and brand management. The brand community could only be a step towards the effective marketing strategies of organizations. It is important that the organizations should keep a watch while the brand communities are being developed. The brand communities are typically based on the brand symbol and therefore, it is crucial that the brand communities should echo the brand promise. References Brodie, R. J., Ilic, A., Juric, B., Hollebeek, L. (2013). Consumer engagement in a virtual brand community: An exploratory analysis. Journal of Business Research, 66(1), 105-114. Kuo, Y. F., Feng, L. H. (2013). Relationships among community interaction characteristics, perceived benefits, community commitment, and oppositional brand loyalty in online brand communities. International Journal of Information Management, 33(6), 948-962. Laroche, M., Habibi, M. R., Richard, M. O., Sankaranarayanan, R. (2012). The effects of social media based brand communities on brand community markers, value creation practices, brand trust and brand loyalty. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(5), 1755-1767. Shaomian, A., Heere, B. (2015). The Path to Loyalty Among Theater Patrons: The Importance of Interaction and a Sense of Brand Community. MEIEA Journal, 15(1), 13. Stratton, G., Northcote, J. (2014). When totems beget clans: The brand symbol as the defining marker of brand communities.Journal of Consumer Culture Zhang, N., Zhou, Z. M., Su, C. T., Zhou, N. (2013). How do different types of community commitment influence brand commitment? The mediation of brand attachment. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(11), 836-842.