American Women Leaving the Home and Going to Work Essay -- Working-Wom

One of the most significant sociological changes in the nation's history began in the last decade of the nineteenth century and the ramifications are still being felt today. This change consisted of the large numbers of women who entered the work force. This dramatic change in American society was accompanied by a great deal of controversy and prejudice directed towards women. It was predicted that female employment would bring about the downfall of society and the change of the American family. While a large portion of the public was appalled by the thought of independent young working women, they were also fascinated. Therefore, the attitudes of the public toward these women can be seen in the literature that was produced at that time. The works of Edith Wharton and Theodore Dreiser immediately come to mind as dramatizations of the life of women of this period. Slowly, attitudes began to change. The employment opportunities for women enlarged and women began to slowly gain their rights as full citizens, finally receiving the right to vote in 1920. The attitudes of the women in the work force also changed as time progressed. At first, they struggled for even the opportunity to work. As the century progressed, they became more active in union activities and, as newspapers from the period demonstrate, they fought to achieve better working conditions and better wages. By 1900, many poor and working-class young women, mostly of Northern white extraction, were leaving the confines and moral structures of their families and elders and venturing forth to the large industrial cities such as New York (Lunbeck 781). There they became enthusiastic participants of the new pleasures that were offered to consumers in the brand-new century. Essentially, these young women added a stage to the female life cycle that had not previously existed à ±adolescence (Lunbeck 781). In the 1890s, female factory workers were seen as a serious economic and social threat. Because women generally worked at the bottom of the pay scale, the theory was that they depressed the overall pay scale for all workers (Kessler-Harris 98). Many solutions were suggested at this time that all revolved around the idea of these women getting marriedà ³the idea being that a married woman would not work for wages. Although this idea seems ludicrous from a modern perspective, it should be noted that t... ...Times (1913): 12 January, p. 7. Connell, Eileen. "Edith Wharton joins the working classes : 'The House of Mirth' and The New York City Working Girls' Clubs," Women's Studies, v26 n6 (1997): November, pp. 557-604. Dreiser, Theodore. "Sister Carrie". Dover Publications, 2004. Fennell, Dorothy E. "Common Sense and a Little Fire: Women and Working-Class Politics in the United States, 1900-1965," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, v49 n4 (1996): July, pp. 773-774. Keep, Christopher. "The cultural work of the Type-Writer Girl," Victorian Studies, V40 n3 (1997): Spring, pp. 401-426. Web. 26 May 2015. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3829292?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents Kessler-Harris, Alice. Out to work: a history of wage-earning women in the United States (New York: Oxford University Press, 1982). Web. 26 May 2015. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2150229?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents Lunbeck, Elizabeth. "The 'girl problem': female sexual delinquency in New York, 1900-1930," Journal of American History; June 1996, Vol. 83 Issue 1 Web. 26 May 2015. http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/48102053/the-girl-problem-female-sexual-delinquency-new-york-1900-1930

Language structure and stage devices Essay

‘A View from the Bridge’ is still relevant to a contemporary audience. Discuss this in relation to Miller’s use of language, structure and stage devices; showing how they are used dramatic effect.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Miller intended the play to be a modern version of a Greek tragedy† and even though Miller set the play in a specific time and a specific place it still resembles that of a Greek tragedy. Miller has inputted a bit of him self into the play as the play is also based on his personal experiences. He confronts the audience with a situation which we know the outcome of, due to the timeless structure also used in Greek theatre. ‘A View from the Bridge’ is and always will be relevant to today’s events, society and happenings because of its Greek theatre influence, using very strong morals and timeless themes. Such as: Love, Betrayal, Hate, Jealousy, honor, and Identity, Which are maneuvered in and out of the play.  In the opening section of the play Miller sets the scene in Red Hook, â€Å"the slum that faces the bay on the seaward side of Brooklyn Bridge†, portraying to the audience the areas personality. Miller manages this to a fine art, as he visited and worked in Brooklyn as a ship-fitter and therefore knew the area and its surrounding people well. While in Brooklyn, he heard a story from a lawyer friend which was of a longshoreman who had â€Å"snitched† to the immigration bureau on two brothers – who were living illegally in his home – just to stop an engagement between one of them and his niece. This story is where he got most of his ideas from. Due to this he was able to describe through his use of language all the events so they have a realistic feel which could make the reader feel like it could have been set in today’s society. The broken English used in the play, as a device, shows how uneducated the characters are but also how identifiable they are with people in society today. Words missing or words abbreviated, using an apostrophe, show this. â€Å"They been pullin’ this since the Immigration Law was put in! They grab a green kid that don’t know nothin'†, this broken speech is still direct and can be understood but still shows how the character feels. The language is used, like in Greek theatre, to also describe the settings with quite some precision. The devices Miller uses can also communicate to the audience what speech cannot. Furthermore, the language Miller uses combined with the stage devices he uses can communicate something completely different. For example: when Eddie is â€Å"teaching† Rodolfo to box and there is overlapping dialogue from Beatrice and Catherine – which builds a lot of tension – from â€Å"I don’t want to hit you, Eddie† to â€Å"No, no, he didn’t hurt me.†, (Page 41) after the climax is reached when Eddie punches Rodolfo. The overlapping dialogue is meant to show confusion and a build up of tension to when Eddie hits Rodolfo. Although the overlapping speech builds up tension the audience knew that this would happen. Another example of language – or even the lack of language and dialogue – being used as a dramatic device is while Marco is lifting the chair (page 42). This is all done through language being used as a dramatic device. â€Å"Here†, is all that Marco says, the rest is communicated by his actions as he wants to communicate to Eddie what he cannot say aloud. â€Å"He transforms what might appear like a glare of warning into a smile of triumph, and Eddie’s grin vanishes as he absorbs his look†, this still has the intended impact that Marco wanted on Eddie without speech involved. This is very similar to what might have been used in Greek theatre, using acting and stage devices instead of language. Even today in every day life we do the same, using physical actions instead of words. Miller uses a lot of different techniques and devices to portray different ideas to the audience, to create meaning and make them understand. The stage devices Miller uses create meaning for the audience and reveal subtext, showing the inner feelings of the characters. For example: the phone booth glowing (Act 2, page 49), â€Å"A phone booth begins to glow on the opposite side of the stage; a faint, lonely blue. Eddie stands up, jaws clenched†, this reveals an amount of subtext to the audience showing them that Eddie is thinking of phoning the Immigration Bureau. The revealed subtext is also showing us that Eddie is feeling angered and is trying to hold back on something, causing more tension. Another example of language being used as a dramatic device is while Eddie is â€Å"taking cheep shots† at Rodolfo – making out that he is homosexual – with the dramatic devices before and after the comments, using a newspaper as his prop. â€Å"(He has been unconsciously twisting the newspaper into a tight roll. They are all regarding him now; he senses he is exposing the issue and he is driven on.)I would be someplace else. I would be like in a dress store. (He has bent the rolled paper and it suddenly tears in two.

The Drug Of Illegal Drugs - 2609 Words

About one in every two violent crimes is committed by someone who is under the influence of illegal drugs. To some of these people it was the right thing to do for them to get money or drugs. Living with an addiction will change someone’s identity for the worst. An Addiction is a strong and (or) harmful need to regularly have something or do something, and Identity is the morals, values, and beliefs that make a person different from others. The addiction to hard drugs degrades the addict’s morals, values, and relationships which results in a more aggressive, and desperate identity. These Hard drugs are substances that lead to physical addiction. Most countries do not allow people to make, sell or use some of them, other than for medical purposes. Specifically methamphetamines and heroin are the central drugs for the definition. Typical use leads to aggressive behavior in people who are otherwise passive or have calm behavior Not only did 82 percent of heroin or meth users commit violent crimes, but nearly all, 95 percent, of meth users had experienced or been a victim of violent crime. Heroin did not seem to contribute to victimization. Most of these crimes are committed while under the influence of the drug or and an attempt to obtain and be under the influence of the drug. The person’s choices and decision making skills are impaired when under the influence of the drug. These can become prolonged or even permeant impairments past the euphoric states the drug produces. AShow MoreRelatedIllegal Drugs1263 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ Illegal drugs Illegal drugs are drugs which have controls on them by a government and are illegal in certain situations (a person is not allowed to have them). A drug is any chemical designed to affect the human body. A psychoactive drug is a drug that affects the brain. Some controlled drugs are allowed if you have permission (called a prescription) from a doctor. Other drugs are illegal - meaning you are never allowed to have them. Individual countries and places have different laws about differentRead MoreIllegal Drugs And The Affects Of Drugs1564 Words   |  7 PagesThe purpose of the essay is to explain what is illegal drugs and the affects of drugs and evaluate attempts to control it. Any chemical you take that can affect the way your body works is all can be called drugs. For example, caffeine, aspirin and nicotine are all drugs. It must be able to pass from your body into your brain. Once the drugs are inside your brain, it can change the messages your brain cells are sending to each oth er, and to the rest of your body. By doing this, they interfering withRead MoreIllegal Drug Abuse And Drugs980 Words   |  4 PagesIllegal Drug Abuse For quite a long time, different types of drugs have been used across the globe. Indeed, the different drugs have been observed to impose varying impacts on users. While some of the drugs are curative and positive in usage, others are remarkably detrimental and can facilitate the mental and psychological breakdown of the user and their families. In this respect, many of the detrimental drugs have been illegalized in many parts of the world. In the United States, for instance, cocaineRead MoreDrug Use And Illegal Drugs1025 Words   |  5 Pagesindividuals around the globe use illegal drugs. Individuals that use these illegal drugs make up around a â€Å"quarter of a million deaths per year.† (livescience.com) These individuals who are participating in drug use are not just adults however. They are also teenagers that walk the streets around us all day. According to teens.drugabuse.gov, â€Å"in 2006, 8% of youth in the United States between the ages of 12 17 met diagnostic c riteria for abuse or dependence on illicit drugs.† This means that â€Å"more thatRead MoreThe War On Drugs And Illegal Drugs1878 Words   |  8 Pagesfirst waged the â€Å"War on Drugs†. This war has cost hundreds of billions of dollars to fight and has supplied our country with a plethora of mixed results as well as emotions. We have seen fluctuations in the numbers over the years, which can be linked to different social fads and political agendas. Despite the enormous amount of money we have spent to rid our country of illegal drugs, we still face all time high addiction and distribution rates today. These strict drug laws have created an overflowRead MoreThe Illegal Drug Business1361 Words   |  5 PagesThe Drug Business Paper Introduction The smuggling of drugs has been a part of the society for over a century in most parts of the world. This form of business has flourished mostly in the developed countries such as the United States of America, where the demand for drugs is high while there is no or very small production in the country. The production in the countries where drugs such as cocaine, heroin, cannabis, etc are supplied is banned mostly under the respective local laws, and thereforeRead MoreThe War On Drugs, And Sale Of Illegal Drugs1865 Words   |  8 Pages abuse, and sale of illegal drugs is an epidemic that has remained an unsolved problem of the United States. The biggest effort that the United States has launched in order to deal with rampancy of drug issues is the War on Drugs that was started by former president Richard Nixon. During its beginning, the War on Drugs was controversial due to the attitudes that were directed to drug users that were cultivated by the policies being set. In the prese nt day, the War on Drugs is under scrutiny asRead MoreIllegal Drugs in the U.S.841 Words   |  4 PagesThe trade and use of illegal drugs in the US and around the world is one of the world’s biggest and most prevalent problems. Illegal drug trade accounts for more than $300 billion a year. The legal, physical, and mental consequences of drug use easily outweigh the so called â€Å"high† that people receive from using them. Though current users wouldn’t consent to this statement, everyone else including rehabilitated users would agree. They would also agree that drug use is the easiest and quickest routeRead MoreThe Legalization Of Illegal Drugs1262 Words   |  6 PagesBefore President Richard Nixon declared drug abuse as America’s number one public enemy in 1971, the United States already had a long history of combating the use of illegal drugs. The first of its kind was the legislation that passed in San Francisco in 1875. This newly passed legislati on banned the smoking of opium. However, this legislation seemed to be racially motivated. San Francisco citizens believed that Chinese men who resided in the community, and who were highly regarded as opium smokersRead MoreThe Importance Of Illegal Drugs1014 Words   |  5 PagesNearly 6% of the U.S. population uses illegal drugs. There are many different causes and factors that go into the reasons why these 12.8 million Americans choose to use illegal drugs. In this essay, we will analyze several reasons why Americans choose to use illegal drugs. Many people just do not understand why or how other people use and become addicted to drugs (Enviromental Factors in Addiction, 2015). We will look at medical and mental health as a reason, environmental factors, and genetics/