Monday, September 30, 2019

Show the importance of four women to Jane Eyre’s development

The four people who played a significant part in Jane Eyre's early life whilst also influencing the development of her character, were Mrs. Reed, Bessie, Miss Temple and Helen Burns. All four of these women had strong beliefs about how women should behave, in addition to possessing a deep rooted passion for their own religious beliefs. This essay will discuss how each of these women shaped the person that Jane Eyre became. Initially, I will be looking at Mrs Reed who is Jane's aunt through marriage and discussing how significant she was to Jane's early life. Mrs. Reed had responsibility for Jane, as sole carer, a role that neither Jane nor Mrs. Reed were happy with. Their relationship was one of hatred and general dislike on both parts. Indeed, Mrs. Reed so disliked Jane, even from a young age that she treated her worse than one of the servants of the house. It was not that she did not like children, as she had several of her own to whom she showed great love and affection. However, so acute was the resentment that she held for Jane that she frequently separated her from the activities planned for her own children, declaring that they were; â€Å"intended only for contented, happy little children†. Unfortunately, exclusion such as this only succeeded in embittering Jane and causing a larger rift between herself and her aunt. Additionally, these actions also succeeded in Jane developing a general dislike for her cousins, in particular Master John Reed, who behaved as equally disgracefully towards Jane, following the example laid down by his mother. He treated her like a â€Å"rat† whose actual existence was insignificant. Infact, the relationship between the two deteriorated to such a degree that it resulted in a physical argument which ended up with Jane being imprisoned in the Red Room. Although the intention had been to punish Jane, the Red Room actually assisted Jane in becoming a stronger person, which in turn resulted in Mrs. Reed becoming fearful of her unwanted niece. Jane had time to reflect and realise the weapons that would most offend her aunt, that is, to turn her aunt's religious convictions back upon herself, as can be seen when she relates in the mind of the mature Jane. â€Å"But I ought to forgive you, for you knew not what you did: While rending my heart-strings, you thought you were only uprooting my bad propensities†. Not only does she blasphemously incorporate the dying words of Christ upon the cross in her speech, but she also professes forgiveness, which follows the word of the Lord. Mrs. Reed had expected bitterness, hatred and spite as a response to her punishment, but instead is faced with an apparent religious conviction, which undermines her actions and leaves her nervous as to future responses. Jane had grown strong through her abuse and would in future enjoy the opportunity to un-nerve her tormentors. This speech is a prelude to the personality of the ‘new Jane' that is to come. Another example of this change is witnessed by Mrs. Reed after attempting to ruin Jane's prospects of attending Lowood School when she provided ill-intended advice to Mr. Brocklehurst. However, on this occasion Jane does not use faith to un-nerve Mrs. Reed but explodes with the rage of a ten year old when she says; I dislike you the worst of anybody in the world except John Reed†, and then continues in her tirade with, â€Å"I am glad you are no relation of mine. I will never call you aunt again as long as I live, I will never come to see you when I am grown up; and if anyone asks me how I liked you,†¦ I will say the very thought of you makes me sick†. This speech leaves its recipient wanting rid of its orator more than ever and hence Jane succeeds in her plan to be rid of her aunt and her wretched cousins, as she leaves to attend the school Mr Lloyd had suggested she attended after the Red room incident. However, she again leaves the aunt feeling un-nerved as the rest of her angry outburst had told of how her uncle would seek revenge on the wicked aunt for her poor treatment of his niece. Although it can be clearly seen that the two never liked each other, it is apparent that Jane learnt a lot from her aunt, including what is expected of a young lady, how people should be treated in order to prosper in life and she learnt about the church and religion. This brings us to the next significant influence in Jane Eyre's life. Bessie was a servant at Mrs. Reed's house in Gateshead Hall and was the first person who showed Jane real love and friendship. She was prone to giving Jane treats and creating songs about her, such as; â€Å"Poor Miss Jane is to be pitied†. On the night that Jane was locked in the Red Room having her â€Å"species fit†, it was Bessie who was at her side, making sure that the young girl was alright and ensuring that she had something â€Å"to drink, or eat†, taking care of her needs. For Bessie was of the opinion that Mrs Reed was far too hard on the young girl and thus had great sympathy for Miss Eyre. This can be seen when Bessie helps to prepare Jane for her departure to attend school at Lowood. Bessie has tea with the young Miss. Eyre in the absence of Mrs. Reed and the children, grabbing the opportunity to tell Jane that she was fonder of her â€Å"than all the others†. Despite that fact that Bessie was only a servant, she teaches Jane to become a strong woman who should not settle for anything less than honesty and commitment. It is also through Bessie's eyes that Jane sees the purer side of God's love, as Bessie was also a strong Christian who tried to let Jane see that she lived her life according to his word, which is what brought her inner peace. The third person who played a significant role in Jane Eyre's life was her teacher at Lowood School, Miss. Temple, who was superintendent in charge of Jane's daily life at school. However, unlike Mrs. Reed, Jane admired this woman with â€Å"the sense of admiring awe†, as it was Miss. Temple who had cleared Jane's blackened name. After Mrs. Reed had spoken to Mr. Brocklehurst about what a bad child Jane was, and how she resembled the devil in her actions, he had taken this information and publicly humiliated Jane with it. However, Miss. Temple managed to re-address this malicious rumour and rest ore Jane's good name, whilst also helping Jane to see that she no-longer had to be the outsider, as the other girls at the school were happy to be her friends. In short, Miss. Temple, with her healthy, truthful smile, offers Jane opportunities in life, something that had previously been denied to her. She showed Jane care, from the young girls first day at Lowood, trying to make her feel comfortable and included. She also recognised a child in need of love and thus showed her some affection, giving hugs, something only one other person had done for Jane before. Hence, Jane felt indebted to Miss. Temple and declares; â€Å"To her instruction I owed the best part of my acquirement†. So strong an influence was this person on Jane's life that when Miss. Temple left the school and got married, Jane felt that Lowood was no-longer a home. Arguably therefore, she too, like the other significant factors in Jane's life, had an impact on the woman that Jane became. Miss. Temple also held deep religious convictions and as Jane's teacher, influenced Jane to live her life as a young religious woman who obeyed the word of the Lord. Nevertheless, of all the religious influences in Jane Eyre's early life, perhaps the most influential of all was her one and only true young friend, Helen Burns. Her love of Helen is evident in the following speech; nor ever ceased to cherish for her a sentiment of attachment as strong, tender and respectful as any that ever animated my heart†. The two girls' first meeting illustrates an instant connection, as Helen was reading a book, and Jane was a keen reader, who loved nothing more than to be lost in stories, which were a means to escape her dreadful reality with Mrs. Reed and her cousins. Helen is an intelligent, knowledgeable and dutiful young lady, which leads to the two girls sharing many an opposing discussion about forbearance and religious beliefs. One such discussion centres on love and Jane's desire for it; â€Å"If others don't love me, I would rather die than live – I cannot bare to be solitary and hated†. However, Helen conveys that for her, the love of the Lord is the greatest love of all and in knowing that he is watching over her, it is enough for her to be happy and confident in who she is. For as she states, this love is more meaningful than that temporary love of â€Å"human beings†, as it lasts forever. Indeed, many of their conversations ultimately referred back to God in some way or another, no-matter from where the discussion had originated. Jane rarely argued with Helen's religious convictions as she was in fact in complete awe of her; â€Å"I was struck with wonder†. Even when discussing death, Helen had â€Å"an impression of woe†. Helen's deeply rooted religious beliefs made her unafraid of the inevitable, as she knew that the end of this life on earth was not the end of the story. Helen firmly believed in an eternal afterlife in Heaven which was difficult for Jane to understand and come to terms with. Jane knew that when her friend died, she would mourn her loss as she loved her so much, but she knew that Helen would not have wanted this, as it was against God's will. Nonetheless, the conflict within religion, supplied by the major influences in Jane's early life, shaped the woman who she became. The vengeful and fearful ‘Almighty', espoused by Mrs. Reed, was to be rejected but the more caring, loving and forgiving God that was evident in Bessie, Miss. Temple and Helen certainly played a part in a blossoming Jane Eyre, who grew to be a bright, outspoken, and bold woman. Although not filled with religious conviction herself, Jane admitted to the significant influence that these women who did believe, had played in shaping who she had grown to be in adulthood.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Globalization Impact in Brazil

GLOBALIZATION IN BRAZIL HOW HAS GLOBALIZATION AFFECTED THE ECONOMIC, POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS IN BRAZIL? GINA MARIE HELLAND HAUGE MARIE THERESE MAGNUSSON MASTER THESIS August, 2011 Pages: 97 STUs: 240 410 COPENHAGEN BUSINESS SCHOOL MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SUPERVISOR: JOACHIM LUND Department of Business and Politics Executive summary This thesis investigates the concept of globalization and its effects on the economic, political and social development in Brazil. For many years Brazil suffered from economic instability, high inflation and high levels of income inequalities and poverty.New reforms and opening up of domestic markets has had positive effects on Brazil in terms of stabilizing the economy. Globalization is a growing phenomenon and its effects on the world and people have been enormous. Trade liberalization has led to increased foreign direct investment inflows and it has also increased Brazil’s international trade. During the era of globali zation and economic growth, Brazil has received more power within international organizations and has become an important addition to international politics.But, even if the trade liberalization had positive effects on Brazil during the 1990s, inequality and poverty levels did not decline. This was due to the lack of functioning social policies. Governmental changes in the 21st century led to social reforms and by introducing new policies poverty levels were reduced. Today Brazil is experiencing a growing middle class and a further reduction of inequality levels. For globalization to have a positive effect on Brazil it must be controlled and the working economic reforms must be introduced.This happened during the mid 1990s and since the beginning of the 21st century Brazil has experienced the benefits of globalization. 2 Table of Contents Executive summary Abbreviations 1. Introduction 1. 1 Background 1. 2 Problem specification 1. 3 Delimitations 1. 4 Methodology approach 1. 5 Liter ature review and previous research 1. 6 Structure 2. Globalization 2. 1 Definition of globalization 2. 2 Measuring globalization 2. 3 The economic dimension of globalization 2. 4 The political dimension of globalization 2. 5 The social dimensions of globalization 3. Social evelopment in Brazil 3. 1 Overview 3. 2 A historical perspective 3. 3 Social Security Development 3. 4 Rural vs. urban areas 3. 5 Bolsa Familia 3. 6 Social participation 3. 7 Public policy councils 3. 8 Conferences 4. The economic and political history of Brazil 4. 1 Before democracy 4. 2 1985- ­1992 – Years of instability 4. 2. 1 The Cruzado Plan 4. 2. 2 The Bresser Plan 4. 2. 3 GDP growth 4. 3 1992- ­2002 4. 3. 1 The Real Plan 4. 3. 2 A change in the economy 4. 3. 3 Fiscal Responsibility Law 4. 3. 4 Challenges from the outside 4. 4 Governmental change 5. Brazil s a â€Å"BRIC- ­country† 5. 1 Origins of the term 5. 2 The development and growth stages 5. 3 Obstacles and financial crises for the BRICs 5. 4 Summits 5. 5 The role of Brazil 6. Economic Analysis 6. 1 Foreign Direct Investment 6. 2 Foreign Trade 7. Political Analysis 7. 1 Mercosur 7. 2 The World Trade Organization 2 5 6 6 8 8 9 10 11 11 11 18 19 21 23 26 26 28 30 32 32 34 34 35 36 36 37 38 39 40 40 40 43 44 45 50 53 53 55 56 58 59 60 60 64 67 67 69 3 7. 3 The International Monetary Fund 7. 4 The World Bank 7. 5 The United Nations 8. Poverty and income distribution nalysis 9. Discussion 10. Concluding remarks Bibliography Appendix 1 71 72 73 75 80 87 90 101 4 Abbreviations BRIC: EU: FDI: IMF: OECD: UN: UNCTAD: WIR: WTO: Brazil, Russia, India and China European Union Foreign Direct Investment International Monetary Fund Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development United Nations United Nations Conference on Trade And Development World Investment Report World Trade Organization 5 1. Introduction 1. 1 Background Globalization is a complex phenomenon that has had enormous effects on the world economy and i ts people.Today, one is used to have shirts produced in Bangladesh, the coffee originates from Brazil and the camera is imported from Japan. A few decades ago the word â€Å"globalization† barely existed, but today it is a widely used expression and the effects of globalization is discussed in a great number of economic articles and journals. At one extreme, globalization is seen as a force that delivers economic prosperity to people around the world. At the other, globalization is blamed for making rich people richer and the poor poorer.Globalization is referred to as a process of interaction and integration among people and companies, and the process of globalization have effected the environment in different countries, the culture, the people and the political systems within the economy. Globalization also has a major effect on economic development. Policy and technological developments of the past decades have stimulated international trade and investments to that extent that many believe that the world has entered a new phase in its economic development.The current wave of globalization has been driven by policies that have opened up economies around the world and by technological developments during the past decades (World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization, 2004). Even if globalization in many situations has been referred to as something positive, the word globalization is a deeply controversial term. Proponents of globalisation argue that it allows poor countries to develop economically and socially.Opponents, on the other hand, argue that globalization has benefited multinational corporations in the Western world at the expense of small, local firms and common people (de Soysa and Vadlamannati 2011). According to Kiggundu, globalization offers developing countries new opportunities and challenges such as economic, political and social development, but it also gives these countries an opportunity to reduce poverty and increase w ages, and thereby adding wealth to the economy (Kiggundu, 2002).There are several different ways to measure and define globalization, but the most used measurement methods are to divine the effects of globalization into one economic, one political and one social dimension and thereby evaluate the effects (Dreher, 2006). Globalization and internationalization are two words frequently used today. Boundaries become smaller and world trade and investments abroad are increasing. The world has 6 become familiar with terms such as †emerging markets† and †BRIC-countries†.Globalization has indeed provided more opportunities for countries and their people. But, obviously countries are facing challenges in the globalization process. Globalization generally refers to an increasing interaction across national boundaries that affect many aspects of life: economic, social, cultural and political. It is a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by info rmation technology. This process has effects on the environment as well as on political systems, and on economic development in societies around the world.This process has speeded up dramatically in the last two decades as technological advances make it easier for people to travel, communicate, and do business internationally (de Soysa Vadlamannati, 2011). It is hard to say when the globalization process in Brazil started, but what one can say is that it definitely has changed Brazil, economically, politically and socially. Brazil is the largest economy in South America, and is because of its size offering one of the most promising markets in the world (Brazil Country Brief).Brazil is, together with India and China, ranked as one of the countries that will offer the highest predicted development in the next 25 years. During the past decade, Brazil was number two of the emerging economies in the world receiving high levels of foreign direct investment. The Brazilian economy has faced some substantial changes in the past five decades. During these decades the economy also changed from being a strong state-oriented economy to a more market driven economic model.In the 1990’s and in the early 2000’s, many market-orientated reforms within trade liberalization and privatization were made. In the beginning of the 1990’s, the country faced economic problems due to high inflation and an unstable economy. This was why the Real Plan was introduced in 1994. The plan aimed to avoid many of the problems with inflation and what it brought in terms of economic instability, and it was based on fiscal adjustment (Gouvea, 2004). In the past decades, Brazil also has attracted a large amount of foreign direct investment (hereafter denoted as FDI).For many years FDI was restricted to certain sectors and were highly regulated. In the 1990’s, Brazil opened its doors to FDI inflow and the economy experienced an enormous growth in FDI (Baer and Rangel, 2001) . When considering overall subjects for this thesis, the authors wanted to go in depth and look at the development of emerging markets as these are becoming more and more important in the global economy. During the first years of the study program, the main focus was on Asia and the development of important economies such as China and India. Therefore, we wanted    7 o focus on a different, but just as important region. South America, and in particular Brazil has shown to be an important player in the international economy, which makes it an interesting market to investigate. 1. 2 Problem specification The aim of this thesis is to investigate the effects globalization has had on Brazil in terms of economic, political and social development. This is a major task and it looks both at how globalization has affected the Brazilian economy and the role of Brazil in the world economy on one side, and the people of Brazil on the other.To do this one will have to look at many different asp ects of the country and its role within the world. The specific and interesting episodes from the country’s economic and political history to what role Brazil plays in the world economy, and also the importance of the Brazilian market in the world is worth noticing. What also falls under this theme is FDI in Brazil, since globalization often starts with the opening up of domestic markets to the global economy.How is the inflow of FDI in Brazil and how has it developed during the time of liberalization? By looking into the wave of FDI-inflow in Brazil during the past decades, it will be investigated how the economic dimension of globalization has affected the political and the social structure in the Brazilian economy. It is also interesting to look at how higher FDI-inflows in Brazil has affected the poverty and the income inequalities, i. e. if the economic dimension of globalization has helped Brazil to develop socially.Our research question is as follows: â€Å"By investi gating the previous and current economical, political and social conditions in Brazil, we want to find out how it has developed during the globalization, as well as what globalization has offered. † 1. 3 Delimitations Restrictions to this paper are necessary due to the scope of the paper and the limit of time. As the topic is very broad it has been necessary to narrow it down to a specific period of time. The thesis aims to investigate how the recent globalization process in Brazil has affected the economic, political and social structure in the country.At first a definition of globalization and how globalization has affected Brazil is necessary to set the outline of the thesis. It is also necessary with an overall background of Brazil in terms of historical, economical, political and social development. To be able to make a significant analysis of the globalization process    8 in Brazil the time limit is important. Hence, the paper aims to take a look at the recent globali zation process in Brazil, starting in the beginning of the 1990’s until today.The thesis aims to bring up the problems Brazil was facing in the beginning of the 1990’s, the introduction of the Real Plan, the political development during this period and the social structures in Brazil. In addition to this, the authors will make connections between the economic development and social development in the country, to see if there is a relationship between higher FDI-rates, which derived from a liberalization of the Brazilian market, and social conditions such as poverty and income distribution.Hence, the thesis aims to link economical, political and social development in Brazil and cannot be used for generalization to other countries. The limitation regarding the time period is necessary in this paper, but it might have dismissed different interesting topics that could have added value to our research. 1. 4 Methodology approach This thesis aims to explain how globalization has affected the economic, political and social structure in Brazil. The first objective is to explain and define important and commonly used terms such as economic, political and social globalization.Since a main part of the thesis is based on the economic history and development of Brazil, it is significant to define important terms. The thesis approaches the research question primarily with an explanatory approach. An explanatory study is best suited because the paper aims to understand how the globalization has affected the economical, political and social development in Brazil. The goal of explanatory research is to go beyond the traditional descriptive designs of the positivist approach to provide meaning as well as description.The purpose of explanatory research is broader than descriptive research; it is conducted to build theories and predict events. Objectives for explanatory research include explaining why some phenomenon occurred as well as interpreting a cause-and-effec t relationship between two or more variables (McNabb, 2008:100). In this paper there will be conducted an analysis of the effect the globalization process has had on Brazil and how the country has developed during the past two decades.The research design has furthermore been of quantitative nature, using already existing research papers from organizations such as the United Nations (UN), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In the collection of quantitative data such as FDI-rates, poverty rates and income 9 distribution, The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the IMF websites have been helpful sources. The authors aim to use secondary data as the main source of information.For this type of research approach the authors believe that using secondary data is sufficient for answering our research question. In this thesis the aim is to use existing theories and data to analyze. Most of the data has been collected through research and an extensive use of journal articles and reports from reliable sources. Hence, the authors are not aiming to explore new theories. 1. 5 Literature review and previous research The literature this thesis is based on has been gathered from various sources, which are considered recognized and reliable.The authors have used various literatures within the subject of international business. Specific literature about foreign direct investment and globalization has been used to get a broad understanding concerning the chosen subject. The authors have been aiming at finding as recent literature as possible to get reliable information. Inspiration from respected newspapers such as The Financial Times and The Economist has proven to be helpful when exploring the subject of globalization in Brazil. Within the subject of globalization, there seem to exist different literature and well-known and respected authors.One of these is Jagdish Baghwati, who is a professor of economics at Columbia University and known for his research within international trade. His book â€Å"In Defense of Globalization† (2004) has proven helpful in the research to get a better understanding of why globalization is positive for the world. Another important person within the liberal approach is Axel Dreher, a German economist known for the KOF Index of Globalization. This index measures mainly three dimensions of globalization; the economic, political and social dimension, which has been used as a measurement of globalization in this thesis.The literature is mainly specialist literature about globalization, both pro and con. For the background part, literature about Brazilian history has been gathered from recognized sources such as Science Direct and Business Source Premier, which are recommended by the CBS library. The authors have also found books on Brazilian history and the development of the Brazilian economy to be reliable sources as they have been written by respected professors at well-known universities. 10 When analyzing income inequality and trade liberalization, a report written by Bergh and Nilsson has been very helpful.According to this article, there is a positive link between income inequality and trade liberalization, but only for certain types of reforms. These are trade liberalization, deregulation of product and labor markets and economic globalization such as inflow and outflow of FDI. 1. 6 Structure This thesis consists of ten chapters. After a brief introduction where the problem is discussed and specified, the methodology approach and the delimitations are presented. Chapter two is mainly a globalization chapter where a definition of globalization is introduced.Since globalization can be measured in many different ways, a presentation of the measurements is made in section 2. 2 to 2. 5. In chapter three, the social development of Brazil will be assessed. In chapter four, the economic and political h istory of Brazil will be presented. Here, the authors will review the history of Brazils economic and political development with focus on the different plans such as The Real Plan and The Cruzado Plan, but also development in terms of economic growth such as GDP.In chapter five, the authors will evaluate Brazil as a BRIC-country, trying to get a better understanding of why Brazil has had such a strong growth the last decades and what this means to Brazil. In chapters 6 through 8 an analysis of how Brazil has been affected by globalization in terms of economic, political and social aspects will be conducted, and a discussion on this will follow in chapter 9. In the last chapter there will be a conclusion on the findings. 2. Globalization 2. 1 Definition of globalizationAn extensive amount of research has been done within the field of describing globalization. According to a report from the OECD the term â€Å"globalization† refers to the dynamic and multidimensional process of economic integration within a country and can be explained by the fact that national resources are becoming more and more internationally mobile. Furthermore, globalization has for a long time been used to describe the increasing internationalization of financial markets and the different markets of goods and services.There are mainly three forces that are contributing to the process of globalization and these are the liberalization of capital movements, the opening of global markets to trade and    11 investment, and the increasing use of information and communication technologies. Governments and international organizations have also played a very important role in the globalization of the world economy. The WTO has for example helped with making global markets more open by reducing trade barriers such as tariffs through trade negotiations, while the IMF has worked to ensure a smooth international monetary system.Also the OECD has played an important role by liberalizing capita l movements. The globalization in terms of trade in goods and services is opening up new and important markets in the world. In terms of financial markets, the increasing trade has triggered a growth in investments abroad and movements in capital over seas (OECD Handbook on Economic Globalization Indicators, 2005). As mentioned before, there are many pros and cons to globalization. Authors such as Jagdish Bhagwati and Martin Wolf argue that globalization provides economic, political and social benefits for the people in the orld. Free markets denote voluntary exchange and the allocation of goods according to supply and demand, where success and failure in the market is based on effort and talents. The ones that are skeptic to globalization fear that unfairness between people such as income inequalities and higher poverty rates will rise when the globalization process heats up. According to these people, globalization will hinder economic and social development in developing countrie s because it takes away the independence of governments to act in the people’s interests (de Soysa and Vadlamannati, 2011).It seems appropriate to take a brief look at globalization versus internationalization. Although it seems like two quite similar concepts, there are important differences between globalization and internationalization. It can be said internationalization is a phenomenon that is older than globalization. It is important to note how globalization is different from internationalization. According to Daly, internationalization refers to the increasing importance of international trade, international relations, treaties, alliances, etc.Inter-national means between or among nations. The nation remains the basic unit, even as relations among nations become increasingly necessary and important (Daly, 1999). According to Petrella, â€Å"the internationalization of economy and society refers to the ensemble of flows of exchanges of raw materials, semi-finished and finished products and services, money, ideas and people between two or more nation-states†. The mist visible instruments that are used to measure and monitor the nature, scope and direction of internationalization is    12 rade and population movement statistics. In modern capitalism, internationalization took shape through the conquest of colonies and the rise of mercantilism. George Modelski used the term â€Å"globalization† in 1972 to refer explicitly to the European-lead expansion to gain control over the communities in the world and integrate these into one global trading system. The pattern and degree of internationalization has changes over the centuries as old powers have declined and new ones emerged with different interests and strategies (Petrella, 1996:63). Globalization is as mentioned more recent phenomenon. Therefore, the forms and processes occurring are more difficult to capture in a single sentence. In short, globalization refers to the global econ omic integration of many formerly national economies into one global economy mainly by free trade and free capital mobility (Daly, 1999). Petrella lists some of the principal characteristics of globalization. He mentions that there is a globalization of financial markets and there is a transformation of consumption patterns into cultural products with worldwide consumer markets.There is globalization of financial markets and there is a diminished role of national governments in designing the rules for global governance (Petrella, 1996:64). The one factor that has changed more than others is about the effect of globalization. For example, the production of wealth in countries such as Germany, France, Japan or Costa Rica is no longer dependent upon the performance of their â€Å"local† firms in local technology, capital and labour markets, but instead on those firms which are increasingly part of global networks of financial and industrial corporations.They respond to strategic interests that are not bound to their own country’s national needs and they are even more dependent on technology designed, produced and transformed everywhere in the world, on capital made available at the global and world level, which is confirmed by the fast growing globalization of financial and capital markets. They are also increasingly dependent on highly skilled labour, not necessarily trained in their own country (Petrella, 1996:68). One can say that internationalization is a predecessor to globalization.Internationalization seems like a Western phenomenon, the Western states were trading only with each other at some point and now the whole world is trading with each other. Globalization reaches wider than internationalization, and it also grasps a larger part of the world. More countries are involved in the global process it does not only include the more developed countries. Today globalization is hard to avoid and it affects people around the world on a daily bas is. 13According to economists David Dollar and Aart Kray, globalization has since 1980 contributed to a reduction in poverty as well as a reduction in global income inequality (Dollar and Kray, 2001). However, studies have shown that a number of people in different countries hold the view that the benefits and burdens of †the economic developments of the last few years† have not been shared fairly. In developed countries, those who have this view of unfairness are more likely to say that globalization is growing too quickly- especially in Germany, France, South Korea, Japan and Italy.In some developing countries, in contrast, those who perceive such unfairness are more likely to say that globalizations is proceeding too slowly. These countries include Turkey, Indonesia, The Philippines, Kenya, Brazil, Mexico and the Central America countries. When working on raising living standards throughout the world it is important to create a climate that enables countries to realiz e maximum benefits from globalization (BBC World Service Poll). According to Wolf, liberal globalization is a movement in the direction of greater integration, as both natural and man made barriers to international economic exchange continue to fall.The increased impact of economic changes in one part of the world on what happens in the others is a natural and necessary consequence. In the question of the effect of globalization one has to consider what has happened within developing countries and high-income countries separately. Critics say that globalization only benefits the rich countries. An important term is capitalism and the relationship between capitalism, inequality and globalization. Does capitalism benefit all and does it lead to less inequality within societies? When looking briefly at this the focus will be on Latin America as a region. 14 Figure 1. Liberal apitalism, inequality and welfare states. Source: Schneider and Soskice, 2009 Capitalism is a social formation i n which markets and commodity production are pervasive, including capital markets and labour markets. Capitalism is considered to be the most dynamic economic system in economic history. Its driving logic involves the expansion and diversification of multiple markets (Hodgson, 2003). Liberal capitalism has an impact on both the market distribution of income through labour markets, and on redistribution and the welfare state through the preferences of middle class voters, and business on the political system.With    capitalism comes a greater demand for skilled labour, which leads to a higher educated middle class. More middle class investment in the education system leads to inequality of education outcomes. This increase in education has had a major impact on labour. The focus is now on general skills, which rewards general education. However, this penalizes those with low educational competences, which in turn will lead to a more inegalitarian income distribution. Liberal capita lism leads to weaker unions since the society becomes more individualistic and no one wants to share their wealth.The median voter from the middle-class does not want a welfare state because recipients of welfare state benefits are the poor. According to Schneider and Soskice, capitalism leads to demand for general skilled labour, which leads to increased inequalities and a minimal welfare state. 15 Keynes draws attention to the disadvantages for demand-led economic development as a result of great inequality in distribution. Too wide a distribution gap results in the rich increasingly saving up their income instead of spending it for investment purposes, while the poor lack sufficient income and thus also purchasing power.This will lead to a decline in the general demand for investment and consumer goods and thus growth will be limited (Eissel, 2008). Research has shown that capitalism does not benefit all. Inequality has increased among what the World Bank calls the â€Å"new glo balizers†, its twenty-four countries with an aggregate population of close to three billion people (Wolf, 2004:167). According to the World Bank, the â€Å"new globalizers† have approximately doubled their ratio of trade to GDP. These countries include India and China.On the other hand, about 2 billion people live in developing countries that are trading less today than they did twenty years ago (Soubbotina, 2004:84). It has been argued that trade helps growth and that the poor tend to share in equal proportions with the rich in any rise in subsequent incomes. It has also been argued on the contrary, that inequality rises initially with growth, before declining once again. The evidence suggests modest widening in inequality in growing economies (Wolf, 2004:167,168). According to Leiva, three decades of neoliberal labour policies in Latin America have failed to deliver the promised results.Neoliberals sees the opening of the economy to international competition, deregula ted labour markets and â€Å"labour flexibility† as a recipe for eliminating unemployment, poverty and inequality. This is seen differently in Latin America. The expansion of capital enabled by labour market flexibility is seen as the cause, not the solution to rising poverty, inequality and unemployment in the Latin American region (Leiva, 2006). Latin America is a continent with relatively high wages and a history of protection aimed at distributing income from the agricultural sector to the industrial working class.One would in these cases expect liberalization to create greater inequality (Wolf, 2004:168). Looking at Brazil in relation to capitalism it is clear that with so many poor people and a high level of inequality, capitalism will not benefit the people that are considered poor. The people that are not able to receive an education still rely on the welfare state. In the developing countries it take longer for the poor people to see how they can benefit from capital ism and globalization. 16Globalization is reshaping how we have traditionally gone about studying the social world and human culture. It is evident that a field of globalization studies now is emerging across the disciplines. The globalization studies arose around sets of phenomena that drew researchers attention from the 1970s onwards. One of them was the emergence of a globalized economy that involved new systems of production, finance and consumption and worldwide economic integration. A second one was new transnational or global cultural patterns, practices and flows, as well as the idea of â€Å"global cultures†.The third was global political processes, the rise of new transnational institutions and the spread of global governance and authority structures. A fourth one was the multidirectional movement of people around the world that involved new patterns of transnational migration, identities and communities. Finally, there is the phenomenon of new social hierarchies, f orms of inequality and relations of domination around the world and in the global system as a whole (Robinson, 2007). The scholarly literature on the phenomena has spread, as have specific studies on the impact of globalization.The increasing literature on globalization reflects the enormity of the task of researching and theorizing the breadth, depth and pace of changes underway in human society in the early twenty-first century (Robinson, 2007). Since this paper is an analysis of how globalization has affected the economic, political and social conditions in Brazil, it is appropriate to review the perspectives and effects of globalization. According to McGrew there are four modes of analyzing globalization. These are defensive globalism, critical globalism, post-globalism and glocalism.In the view of defensive globalism, globalization is an existing and enduring condition that is changing societies around the world. The view can be divided into liberal and transformationalist pers pectives. Globalization is generally seen, in the liberal view, as a benign process that has continuities with the past and historical changes. It is primarily economic in nature and leads to increasing integration through the market and technology. Liberal theorists Martin Wolf and Jagdish Bhagwati emphasize how globalization is re-structuring the world economy.As trade has become more open and there is now a transnationalization of production, this creates a new world division of labour. This facilitates the rise of new economic powers such as China, India and Brazil. The liberals show awareness to the fact that there are problems associated with globalization, and they adopt the view that it can be made to function better (McGrew, 2007). 17 The transformationalist position is that globalization is unique in history and that it involves much more than economic changes. There are benefits to globalization, but there are also problems such as great inequality in and across societies (McGrew, 2007).Castells argues that economic globalization is associated with a divided world, as the gap between the rich and poor widens, whilst much of humanity remains on the margins or is excluded from its benefits (Castells, 2000). Critical globalism takes on a critical view of globalization because it is associated with the extension and transnationalization of power. Theorists say that a new globalized social formation is in the making, which, according to critical globalist theory, requires new ways of thinking about and acting in the world.Post-globalism says that globalization never occurred or that it is in decline or disappearing. Due to the fact that borders of nation-states are being reasserted, as is the case with the border of United States and Mexico, and nationalism is being revived, this can be seen as involving deglobalization. This view is under the impression that the whole idea of globalization has been â€Å"oversold† as a description of social reali ty, an explanation of social change and as and ideology of social progress. Glocalism is the final mode of analysis.Holton argues that there is an interpenetration between the local and the global that has to be observed. He says that the global and the national or local may under certain circumstances depend on each other (Holton, 2005). According to Brenner, global and local cannot simply be dissolved into one another due to the fact that they retain their distinctive forms (Brenner, 2004). Hence, the explanation of one needs an account of the other (McGrew, 2007). It is obvious from these modes of analysis that different theorists have different views on the impact of globalization and what its implications are. . 2 Measuring globalization There are many different ways to measure globalization and the effects of it. A proxy often used for globalization is trade openness, which can be measured as total trade of GDP, FDI and portfolio investments. However, trade openness can be inf luenced by location of a country and access to the sea, which is important to take into consideration. Many efforts have been made to measure and quantify globalization, but the most common ways of measuring it is to split globalization into economic, political and social dimensions.According to the KOF Index, developed by Axel Dreher, these three measures are used. The advantage of using Dreher’s three dimensions for globalization is that it is the most 18 comprehensive measure, not only taking the trade openness into consideration but also the political and social structure. By looking at Axel Dreher’s index of globalization, we have decided to use the following as a measurement for globalization and the effects of it (see appendix 1).Economic globalization: This dimension consists of two dimensions, actual capital inflows that measure the extent to which a country is exposed to foreign capital and trade with the world including income payments to foreign nationals. The second part of the economic globalization consists of restrictions of capital and trade flows, which work as obstacles to market access. Political globalization: Measures the degree of a country’s political integration. For example it measures diplomatic relations with the rest of the world and international relations.Social globalization: Indicators on social globalization can be for example poverty, unemployment and income distribution. Taking Dreher’s globalization index into consideration, we have decided to look at how the economic dimension of globalization has affected the political and social dimension. As proxy for economic globalization, we will look at FDI-inflows in Brazil from 1990 until today. After this, a review of the political landscape in Brazil will be made, telling us a little bit about what happened in Brazil during these years.Furthermore, as proxies for social globalization we will use poverty rates and income distribution, as these two meas urements can say a lot about how the people’s welfare in Brazil has developed during the recent era of globalization. 2. 3 The economic dimension of globalization FDI remains a key element in the rapidly developing globalization process and it provides means for creating direct, stable and long-lasting links between economies. FDI can also serve as an important vehicle for local enterprise development, and it may also help improve the competitive position in the receiving economy.FDI encourages the transfer of technology and know-how between countries, and it provides an opportunity for the host economy to promote its products more widely in international markets. Additionally, FDI has a positive 19 effect on the development of international trade (OECD Handbook on Economic Globalization Indicators, 2005). FDI plays an important and growing role in international business since it can provide a firm with new markets and marketing channels, access to new technology, products, s kills and financing, as well as cheaper production facilities.For a host country or foreign firm that receives the investment, it can provide a source of new technologies, processes, capital products and management skills, which in turn can provide a strong impetus to economic development (Graham and Spaulding, 2004). The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has defined FDI as â€Å"an investment made to acquire lasting interest in enterprises operating outside of the economy of the investor†. In cases of FDI, the investor’s purpose is to gain an effective voice in the management of the enterprise.The foreign entity or group of associated entities that makes the investment is termed the â€Å"direct investor†. Another important term is â€Å"direct investment enterprise†, which refers to the unincorporated or incorporated enterprise-a branch or subsidiary, respectively, in which direct investment is made. Some degree of equity owner ship is almost always considered to be associated with an effective voice in the management of the enterprise. The Balance of Payments Manual, which has been developed by the IMF, suggests a threshold of 10 percent of equity to ownership to qualify an investor as a foreign direct investor.This is the level of participation at or above which the direct investor is normally considered as having an effective say in the management of the enterprise involved. However, countries differ in the threshold value for foreign equity ownership, which is seen as evidence of a direct investment relationship. As mentioned it is suggested to be at 10 percent for FDI, for data on the operation of Transnational Corporations (TNC) it involves chosen ranges of between 10 and 50 percent. Countries that do not specify a threshold point rely entirely on other evidence.This included the companies’ own assessments as to whether the investing company has an effective voice in the foreign firm in which it has an equity stake. The quantitative impact of differences in the threshold value used is relatively small, owing to the large proportion of FDI, which is directed to the majority-owned foreign affiliates. It is necessary to define which capital flows between the enterprise and entities in other economies should be classified as FDI, once a direct investment enterprise has been identified.Only capital that is provided by the direct investor either directly or through other enterprises related to the investor should be classified as FDI, since the main feature of FDI is    20 taken to be the lasting interest of a director investor in an enterprise. Equity capital, the provision of long-term and short-term intra-company loans (between parent and affiliate enterprises) and the reinvestment of earnings are the forms of investment by the direct investor, which are classified as FDI.To get a deeper understanding for FDI one need to understand the difference between FDI and other typ es of investments. Direct investors have different investments motives than investors in portfolio investments. Investors that invest in FDI intend to have a long-term relationship with the foreign company to enable them to have a significant influence on their management. Portfolio investors or other investors may also have a long-term outlook, but they have no intention of establishing a long-term relationship with the management of the foreign company in question.Portfolio investors either invest a relatively small amount in the voting shares of the foreign company or acquire other types of claims in the foreign company (UNCTAD, 2009). In the past decade, FDI has come to play a major role in the internationalization of business. New information technology systems and decline in global communication costs have made management of foreign investments far easier than in the past. Proponents of foreign investment emphasize that the exchange of investment flows benefits both the home a nd host country (Graham and Spaulding, 2004). . 4 The political dimension of globalization The political dimension of globalization is all about the political forces that shape the waves of globalization in a country. Political decisions such as openness to trade, income distribution and membership in international organizations are all things that might affect the way globalization hits a country and its people. According to Acemoglu and Yared, openness to globalization is the same as openness to trade, and how open a country chooses to be to foreign investments is mainly a decision that the government takes.This means that changes in the political atmosphere can change the whole process of globalization for a country. They also state that countries that are experiencing greater militarization and those countries witnessing greater militarization among their trading partners have seen smaller increases in trade over the past 20 years. This means that political changes and a strong military could be a reason for a smaller increase and exposure to the globalization.Political integration is a dimension of the globalization process that binds states together through bilateral contact and as members of international organizations. A higher participation from one country in global 21 politics, closer the political ties between governments and lead to greater cooperation. The political integration within a country is definitely a reason for the welfare of the people of the state (Acemoglu and Yared, 2010). The political dimension of globalization has been discussed in the globalization literature ever since globalization was â€Å"discovered†.The emphasis has been on the decline of the nationstate under the impact of global forces. When globalization increases, boundaries are becoming smaller and borders are erased. For some, the process of globalization has opened up new possibilities while globalization for others has lead to a loss of independence. One of the most common forms of political globalization is the worldwide spread of democracy. Democratic government exists in some form in most parts of the world and where it does not, as for example in China, there is a considerable demand for it by democratic movements.Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the communist regimes in Europe after 1991, democracy has become the universally acceptable form of government (Delanty and Rumford, 2007). Taking Dreher’s measurements of globalization into consideration, political globalization can be measured as a degree of a country’s political integration. To analyze the impact of it, one can analyze the political forces that have affected the growth in the country in question. Political globalization can also be measured by diplomatic relations with the rest of the world and international relations.Hence, a good way of assessing this way of globalization would be to look at a country’s integration with the re st of the world as for example membership in international organizations, but also to look at what forces that has been behind a country’s decision to open up its markets to trade (Dreher, 2006). According to the WTO Trade Policy Review, globalization is making all nations increasingly independent, which means that the world needs better global rules, policies and institutions that ensure that globalization does not lead to larger inequalities around the world.People experience both opportunities and problems with an increasingly interconnected world, and the importance of politics and stable institutions is increasing. Policies within nations continue to be a key factor in determining whether or not countries and people benefit from globalization. According to the report, globalization leads to economic adjustment in all countries, both industrialized and developing. New economic opportunities emerge, but they may demand new skills and may also appear in new locations.Reloca tion of production between countries can destroy jobs in one place and create employment in others. Whole regions where production is concentrated in declining sectors suffer, while other sectors    22 benefit from new opportunities. The whole role of the political dimension of globalization is that governments need to manage these changes in coordination with key actors to support adjustment and new opportunities and to protect citizens from insecurity. The challenges are especially important in many of the developing countries, where unstable institutions and infrastructure are key problems.The basis for good governance is a well-functioning democratic political system that ensures representative and honest governments that are responsive to the needs of the people, which means more than just holding of regular and free elections. It also involves respect for the human rights of the people, and involves basic civil rights such as freedom of expression. Financial liberalization e xposes countries to greater risks of economic fluctuations, and can be especially devastating when a financial crisis occurs.This risk requires a strengthening of the role of the government in providing social protection for the people. At the same time as globalization create new jobs it can also relocate jobs, which mean that some people get new jobs while other people lose theirs. This effect on employment emphasizes the need for stronger people that can only contribute and benefit from globalization if they are endowed with knowledge skills and values and with the capabilities and rights needed to pursue their basic needs. They need employment and incomes, and a healthy environment.These are the essential conditions that empower them to lead a self-determined, decent life, and to participate fully as citizens in their local, national and global communities. These goals, which are at the heart of the Millennium Declaration1, can only be reached if national governments ensure a go od education, basic infrastructure and the environment needed to create the institutional framework for it (World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization, 2004). 2. 5 The social dimensions of globalizationOne can say that there are people that benefit from globalization while others do not. Globalization has by critics been called a global apartheid, with increasing inequalities and huge contrasts between those who benefit from it and those who do not. As an example of this, one can take Bill Gates, who earned 120 million USD per day in 1999 while 1. 3 billion people still live on less than one USD per day. Another example is the industrial countries, 1 The Millennium Declaration was adopted in 2000 by all 189 member states of the UN General Assembly.The Declaration sets out within a single framework the key challenges facing humanity at the threshold of the new millennium, outlines a response to these challenges, and establishes concrete measures for judging performance through a set of inter-related commitments, goals and targets on development, governance, peace, security and human rights. (http://www. undg. org/index. cfm? P=70) 23 which have 88 percent of all Internet users while 2 billion people do not even have access to electricity.At the same time, it is important to remember that globalization provides opportunities for human development (The Social Dimensions of Globalization, 2000). The social dimension of globalization refers to the impact globalization has on the life of the people in the country. Concerns are often raised about the impact globalization has on employment, working conditions, income and social protection. The social dimension of globalization also includes security, culture and identity. These will however, not be assessed as measurements in this paper (International Labour Organization).There are no doubts that globalization brings potential for development and wealth creation. But there are many different views and p erceptions among people as people are concerned about its economic and social impact. Some argue that the present model of globalization has created problems such as unemployment, inequality and poverty, while others argue that globalization helps to reduce these issues. These problems predated globalization of course, but it is clear that for globalization to be politically and economically sustainable, it must contribute to their reduction.Hence, the goal of globalization is what meets the needs of all people (International Labour Organization). While some people benefits from the waves of globalization, others suffer from it. Concerns about increasing income inequalities in the world have become more and more widespread over the past 20 years. Rising income inequality does not generate concern only in the high-income countries, but also in emerging markets where fast growth has led to concerns about growing income differences.To be able to make an analysis of income distribution, inequalities and poverty, it is necessary to distinguish between these terms since they are often confused. According to Duncan, there is no doubt that between the richest and the poorest countries the gap in average incomes has been growing for the last decades. But, one must also consider that many of the poorest countries some decades ago, does not count as one of the poorest countries today. It is also important, according to him, that global welfare should be measured in terms of people, not countries.China and India together, for example, account for close to half of the world’s population. Both countries have been increasing the per capita GDP very quickly in recent years, much faster than the high-income countries. Within developing countries, research has not been able to find any systematic relationship between economic growth and changes in income inequality. Within globalization and inequality, it is interesting to look at what role globalization played in    2 4 changes in income inequality. Most research on this issue has been concentrated in recent years on the changes in income inequality in the high-income countries.The focus has been on whether the widening wage gap in the US or the increasing unemployment in the EU is due to increased imports of labour-intensive goods from developing countries (Duncan, 2000). Poverty, on the other hand, as a public concern is now widely considered to be a multidimensional problem, whether it is at the global, national or community level. According to Lister, â€Å"how we define poverty is critical to political, policy and academic debates about the concept† (Lister, 2004:12). Three alternative conceptions of poverty have evolved as a basis for international and comparative work since the 1880s.The ideas of subsistence, basic needs and relative deprivation is what they principally depend on. These ideas have influenced scientific practice as well as international and national policies for over 100 years (Chambers, 2006). The organization distinguishes between â€Å"absolute† and â€Å"overall† poverty. Absolute poverty has been defined as â€Å"a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health shelter, education and information.It depends not only on income but also on access to services. † Overall poverty is defined as â€Å"lack of income and productive resources to ensure sustainable livelihoods; hunger and malnutrition; ill health; limited or lack of access to education and other basic services; increased morbidity and mortality from illness; homelessness and inadequate housing; unsafe environments and social discrimination and exclusion. It is also characterized by lack of participation in decision-making and in civil social and cultural life. Overall poverty occurs in all countries, and can be recognized as for example loss of lives as a result of economic r ecession, sudden poverty as a result of a war, poverty of lowwage workers and humans that fall outside of family support systems, social institutions and safety nets (Gordon, 2005). The UN agreed upon this definition in 1995, however, in 1998, the organization introduced a new definition that does not distinguish the different levels of poverty. The UN now has the following definition of poverty â€Å"Fundamentally, poverty is a denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity.It means lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society. It means not having enough to feed and cloth a family, not having a school or clinic to go to, not having the land on which to grow ones food or a job to earn ones living, not having access to credit. It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and communities. It means susceptibility to violence, 25 and it often implies living on marginal or fragile environments, without access to clean wat er or sanitation† (Gordon, 2005).As mentioned above, poverty can be divided into absolute and relative poverty. But, it can also be divided into new and old poverty. Old poverty is when people have a lack of food and basic services as medicine and education. New poverty is drug addiction, violence at home, family break down and environmental degradation. According to The Economist, the problems of new poverty are more complex than the problems of old poverty because they often occur in big, fast growing cities particularly in developing countries (The Economist).Poverty is a phenomenon that has to be understood as a painful reality experienced by millions of human beings and as a construction of competing conceptualizations, definitions and measures (Lister, 2004:36). What we see from the definitions is that people are in poverty when they are deprived of income and other resources needed to obtain the conditions of life that enable them to play the roles and participate in th e relationships and customs of their society (Townsend, 2006).Income inequality is usually measured by the Gini coefficient; one of the most commonly used proxies of economic inequality. For a completely equal income distribution in which the whole population has the same income, the Gini coefficient will be 0, while a value of 1 indicates that all incomes in a country are concentrated to one single person (The World Bank). 3. Social development in Brazil 3. 1 Overview According to Maluf and Burlundy, Brazil can be classified as a â€Å"large middle income country†.The condition of being a â€Å"large country† is an important differentiating factor with implications in terms of socioeconomic patterns, international relations and institutional capacities. A country is usually considered large when it possesses a high population; from the economic viewpoint this factor is expressed in the size of the domestic market, which increases the possibility of diversification in the productive base. In addition to population, a second variable to consider is the country’s geographic scale, a feature that is receiving    26 ncreasing attention not only because of issues related to spatial distribution of people and infrastructure, but also the implications in terms of the availability of natural resources, regional diversity and the need for decentralized strategies, among other questions. Here, the classification â€Å"middle income† differentiates economically those countries grouped under the euphemism of â€Å"developing countries†, where the income level clearly shows an intermediary condition between the developed countries and the other nations making up the periphery of the global economic system.It may be presumed that large middle- income countries possess a distinct institutional capacity across the various areas of public action (Maluf and Burlundy, 2007). Generally, the evolution of poverty, especially in Latin America, de pends on three elements: the level of inequality, the variation in this level and the economy’s rate of growth. Even if the country displays a more pronounced economic dynamism, which is measured by the GDP growth rate, the conversion of the latter into greater social equity depends on the existing level of inequality and the adoption of measures to reduce it.In Brazil, the persistence of absolute poverty is largely the result of the well-known inequality in the distribution of income. Poverty levels are more sensitive to alterations in levels of inequality than the variations in economic growth (Maluf and Burlundy, 2007). A term that describes the social conditions in Brazil in quite a way is inequality. When looking at the social development of the country it is important to understand why Brazil has become such an unequal society even though it is such a large economy.To understand the current gap between the rich and poor in Brazil, one has to look at the socio-historical factors. According to a report by the World Bank written in the late 80s, Brazil has one of the most unequal distributions of national income in the world. Glaring disparities in the living standards, health status and educational attainment of different segments of its population have persisted despite several decades of remarkable economic growth (Bruns and McGreevey, 1988). This has not changed.According to Beghin, Brazil is still one of the most unequal nations in the world, although it is one of the wealthiest (Beghin, 2008). It has high levels of social spending compared to other developing countries, measured as a share of GNP and of total public spending (Hunter and Sugiyama, 2009). This year, Brazil was ranked as the eighth largest economy in the world, surpassing Italy (DR, 2011). Despite the size of the economy, the income distribution is unequal to such an extent that it can be compared to some of the poorest African countries such as Sierra Leone, Lesotho and Namibia ( Beghin,    27 008). In Brazil, the richest one percent of the population – less than 2 million people – have 13 percent of all household income. This percentage is similar to that of the poorest 50 percent, about 80 million Brazilians. This inequality results in poverty levels that are inconsistent with an economy the size of that of Brazil. Also, 30,3 percent of the population, 54 million people, are considered poor, and within this group, 20 million people, 11,5 percent of the population, are ranked as extremely poor (Beghin, 2008).Brazils high incidence of poverty, low educational achievement, and middling health indicators explain why it ranked 73th globally in overall human development in 2010 (UNDP, 2010). 3. 2 A historical perspective The main reason why so many Brazilian families are living in poverty is not a general lack of resources, but rather their distribution. Inequalities and poverty in contemporary democracies result from tensions between the ethical requirements related to â€Å"rights† and the imperative of economic efficacy; between the legal order that promises equality and the reality of exclusion brought about by the exercise of power.Back in time, in many western countries, there came a time when social disparities were so extreme that society mobilized g

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Performance Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Performance Management - Essay Example It involves establishment of within reach targets as well as clearly outlining roles (Kanigher, 2005). Development of Performance Management This discipline traces its origin in the 20th century, where managers developed the process to determine whether the remuneration paid to workers was reasonable (Kanigher, 2005). One of the earliest contributors to this theory was Fredrick Taylor, with his scientific management theory, which he developed by studying the work process scientifically. In his work, he studied how work was done and how it affected people productivity (Kanigher, 2005). His findings were that workers and managers need to cooperate with each other, work needs to be simplified for efficient results to be achieved and, he advanced the idea of â€Å"a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work (Kanigher, 2005). This was during the industrialization era, and at that time, factory managers had little contact with workers leaving them to produce on their own. This le ft workers with poor motivation, because continuation of employment was the only incentive at that time. In his, â€Å"time and motion† studies, Taylor concluded that certain workers were suitable for certain jobs, to achieve efficiency (Kanigher, 2005). This is the basis of role definition in the contemporary business environment. This theory concerns itself with managing people’s performance. It attempts to understand the fundamental factors, which enhance employee relations to yield maximum organizational output. Taylor suggestions of presence of certain conditions to improve work performance paved way for future scholars and theorists in understanding what influences performance (Kanigher, 2005). This is the foundation of performance management and there would be no practical application of this concept in the absence of this theory. Douglas McGregor is another major contributor to the development of performance management theory and practical applications in moder n business world. In his, â€Å"The Human Side of Enterprise† book, he proposed theory X and Y, which was a constructive and modest reminder of the ordinary rules for handling people, which are overlooked under the density of day-to-day business (Koontz & Weihrich, 2007). His ideas suggested there are only two fundamental ways of managing people; one is by treating them as lazy and disliking work, hence they will do anything to avoid work. They ought to be directed, assured job safety in order to consent accountability. This is theory X, which suggests dictatorial management style (Koontz & Weihrich, 2007). Another war regards workers as people devoted to objectives and, they will admit and pursue responsibility. They are self-disciplined and pursue organizational objectives without threat of punishment (Koontz & Weihrich, 2007). He regarded this as theory Y that proposes a democratic management style. Performance management entails understanding people’s behavior. Thi s theory sheds lights on the sophistication side of employees. Though it suggests only two kinds of employee, it paved way for organizations to realize that the human aspect of an enterprise is complex, and exhibits numerous characters. After inception of

Friday, September 27, 2019

PATTERN OF KNOWING AND NURSING SCIENCE Assignment

PATTERN OF KNOWING AND NURSING SCIENCE - Assignment Example Aesthetic knowing is â€Å"knowing that connects with deep meanings of a situation and calls forth inner creative resources that transform experience† (Hood, 2014, p.116). It is considered the knowing of feelings. This is where you build a sense of trust with family members and the patient. For examples, last week I was assigned a patient whose family members, I was told, would be difficult. I went into the room and explained everything that was going to be done to the patient. I also involved them in the care and educated them about the patient’s situation while interacting with them and giving them a sense of belonging so that I could gain their trust. There is also personal knowing, which I believe comes hand in hand with the aesthetic part of knowing. Once that connection is established, personal knowledge will come easily— the building of a patient-nurse relationship, the formation of trust, that solid foundation that is truly essential in accomplishing the desired outcomes. According to Hood (2014, p. 117), â€Å"The individual must be open to experience and intuitive feelings, be honest with their self, and make efforts to acknowledge the response of others...† Sometime ill people simply need someone to listen and some affection. For example, I had a very anxious patient to take care of and her heart rate rose to 130. I went into her room, sat and talked to her for 30 minutes. After we laughed and I gave her a hug, she was fine. With this being said understanding and appreciating the ways of knowing develops and enhances your nursing practices, making you a better nurse. We are able to see different things from different points of view. Using the ways of knowing in practice and delivery of care can change a lot of lives and increase customer service for our patients. According to Hood (2014, p. 117), â€Å"The individual must be open to experience and intuitive feelings, be honest with self, and make efforts to acknowledge the response of

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Social Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Social Performance - Essay Example nd are shrinking within the conventional channels and are and will be taking a highly fragmented, tough channel in which the advertisers know instantly that they have reached their audience. The performance-based marketing is online oriented giving a healthy marketing environment. In the performance-based marketing, the trend is currently encompassing an all-time high speeds for surfing. In this case, the current advancements in technology have made reporting and targeting undemanding. Indeed, the performance-based marketing has become stable to growing because of its inherent superiority of measurability. The trend is more of recession-resistant instead of the recession-proof, which could be experienced in the traditional media and whose features were not measurable. The performance-based marketing, which can be via display, email, and search, or social media, applies to a large set of advisers, publishers, agencies, plus the social media marketing in the entire continuum. For ad vertisers: with the current trends in performance-based marketing, the online advertising is subject to real-time search whenever it comes to results, which is due to the tracking of advertising. Advertisers can utilize the affiliate programs to generate highly direct links, from web-based content towards appropriate opportunities in e-commerce. The subset of performance-base marketing, the Cost per Acquisition, provides a full continuum of advertising services online hence generate a demonstrable return for advertisers (Barbara & Norman, 2001). For publishers: following the performance-based advertising, publisher get the true worth of their audience. A publisher becomes highly proactive within their marketing since they get paid for their activities. The website of the publisher can focus on moving the target market towards a highly lucrative avenue for transactions based on the market requirements. This is an indicator that; the publisher is an individual who understan ds

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Ads and Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ads and Media - Essay Example There is a dire need to include more ethnic groups in broad media and bring them to the forefront in order to give them greater opportunity in professional and other aspects. The media that is portrayed to the broader audience is usually the least ethnically diverse and covers less of their lives and there are only the stereotypical caste members. Mostly in America, during the hours in which people view television the most is the time in which very skewed caste members and limited types of shows are aired, building the perception in children from a very young age as to what constitutes an important caste and which caste is subordinate, when that should not be the case. In 1998 the role of ethnic minorities, such as African Americans, Native Americans and Hispanics actually declines when their visibility should actually have increased over the years. Narrowcasting to an ethnic minority about their group of people doesn’t make other groups aware of their potential and their life style, and doesn’t bring about the sensitization that is necessary for a harmonized media and a harmonized world (J.E. 2005)) Media just focuses on the glamor and luster; they prefer to show the downtrodden as downtrodden in broader mediums such as television and print rather than reality, because they want to carry on with the stereotypical images that were set years ago. But the world is becoming more globalized today, and different media gets across different channels and to different groups of people; therefore media should become more ethnically diverse as well. Broadcasting should be done on matters that can relate to all kinds of people and not just relating to one caste or creed. Even though most people have their own judgments, and have become to realize the true face of media, it is nevertheless the only means of communication with the mass and thus can be influential whether it portrays a good image or a bad image. And for those whose only means of news is the medi a, their life concepts would be built around what the media portrays; for example in those cultures with lesser opportunity, and only access to a television, media is all what they believe in, and if Americans are seen as being an assertive race or the Iraqis as being Taliban, animosity is built through the media by casting to a smaller audience. Ethnic media is broadcasted in some societies and it helps in preventing isolation and keeping the language and cultures alive and this helps bring about change and is essential to a healthy society. News media which caters to a broader audience, also gives a voice to members of society and so if only the majorities are represented, the minorities lose out their voice on this medium as well. It also eliminates the top down approach and connects all cultures on a horizontal plane, thus reducing ambiguity and hostility. However, even the news can create dissent among racial groups rather than community (European Research Centre on Migration a nd Ethnic Relations 2002). U.S residents get majority of their information from ethnic media. There are multilingual polls, and there is a preference among people to view ethnic media and even those who preferred mainstream media have reverted to ethnic media. However, the consumers of this media were usually minorities, so this doesn’t represent the mainstream media channels, be it television, radio or newspapers (Lalley 2005). Most sources do not believe that ethnic minorities are given adequate representation in mainstream media; and even if they are, it is inaccurate and doesn’t give a true picture. Therefore it is important that they are not only represented on this platform which will help them communicate better and

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

The Subprime Meltdown Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Subprime Meltdown - Essay Example (Gordon, 2008). The less stringent regulations for financial sector encouraged banks and other financial institutions to go on lending spree by defying prudent lending practices and lend into those areas which were historically considered as bad credit areas. Subprime mortgages is also the part of same sequences under which banks financed mortgages of those borrowers who had the histories of default. Based on the concept of high risk-high reward, banks and financial institutions devised products which catered the needs of subprime borrowers which ultimately resulted into the crisis as subprime borrowers started to default on their payments. The problem emerged when, through financial innovation, banks and financial institutions securitized those mortgages and issued fixed income securities whose payments were tied with the repayments received from subprime mortgage repayments. The process of securitization thus created essentially the mismatch between cash flows which finally culmina ted into the crises. This research paper will attempt to analyse and understand how and why crisis emerged, where the crisis emerged and the possible role of hedge funds into crises besides discussing its impact on world financial markets in general and Australian Financial Markets specially. "Sub-Prime lendSubprime lending "Sub-Prime lending typically has been characterized as lending at relatively costly interest rates and fees to credit impaired or otherwise high risk borrowers." (Lax, Manti, Raca, & Zorn, 2004). Sub prime lending is relatively a new and a popular especially for mortgage loans like interest loans. These types of loans are typically targeted to first time buyers of homes or borrowers with restricted capacity to finance new home purchase. Most of the homeowners tend to use this class of borrowing in order to consolidate their debts or when their credit ratings fall to a level where they can be declared as bankrupts mainly due to the fact that their available funds are utilized in some other resourcess such as high medical bills etc. (Blanton, 2005). Subprime lending became famous for many reasons. On one hand it not catered the needs of low quality customers but also provided an opportunity to the financial institutions to charge high amount of interest rates and other fees therefore b anks, spotting the opportunity to earn high started to lend extensively in this area. Due to this perceived high reward, financial institutions take the risk because it is compensated through better returns. Subprime lending- a problem Most of the subprime lending has been made in mortgage markets. It was because of this reason that homeownership increased tremendously over the period of time besides being favorite of the persons with loose credit ratings and a history of defaults. With the advent of financial innovation which took place especially after 1970s saw the emergence of financial derivatives as one of the most important financial instruments for banks to use in different situations. Banks, in order to regain the lost liquidity used in subprime lending started to securitize their mortgage portfolios by issuing mortgaged backed securities. However,

Monday, September 23, 2019

Bodies of United Nations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Bodies of United Nations - Essay Example This paper illustrates that the United Nations organization has 192 Member states which have to follow the rules laid down by the UN in the general assembly along with 5 permanent states and 10 non-permanent states in the Security Council. It also has an Economic and Social Council which has 54 members and an international court of justice consisting of fifteen judges. It has a Trusteeship council and a secretariat which are discussed subsequently. The United Nations through its five bodies is helping to maintain international politics in such a way that the whole world remains in peace and harmony. It is basically acting as a judge of politics so that countries do not fight or the populations of the countries do not suffer either financially or physically because of any threat. In order to develop a norm for all the countries, international laws are laid down by the United Nations which have to be followed by all the member countries. These international laws are regulated by treati es between the UN and the countries. These treaties are broad as they consider many aspects of the society such as human rights, refugees, and border restrictions. The question now arises as to if the United Nations has remained successful in achieving its objectives or not. This question can be viewed from several perspectives as some would view the role of United Nations to be limited to only the betterment of itself, however, some would view the UN to be an organization which is working for the betterment in the society. Rwanda Genocide is cited to be one of the failures by the United Nations organization which shows that the UN has not been very successful in achieving its objectives. On the contrary, many other successful scenarios of UN can also be analyzed all over the world which shows that they have regulated international politics in such a way that many wars have been avoided. An example of Indo Pak can be cited here which was stopped with the help of UN intervention.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Studies in English Literature Essay Example for Free

Studies in English Literature Essay Henry V, positioned during the critical move from the Theatre to the Globe, can serve as a case study for this kind of economic close reading. It tells a story of continual repositioning, good and bad decisions, business errors, and the workings of a company that was trying to succeed financially but was far from assured of success. From 1598 through 1599, the Chamberlains Men dealt with a series of difficulties. One of these difficulties was related to politics: the companys choice of Henry V as a topic, assuming that it would be topical and popular, and the subsequent return of the earl of Essex in defeat. But most of the companys problems were internal and economic. [3] The search for a theatrical home took up most of the companys energy, through the Blackfriars financial fiasco, in the bitter battles with Giles Allen over their lease (which resulted in pulling down the Theatre), and through their commissioning of Peter Street to build a new theater in Southwark, the Globe. Another major blow was the departure of William Kempe from the company. Henry V shows the strains of making a series of accommodations to fit financial and internal crises: casting changes, location changes, and changes in topical references. These accommodations can be seen in the prologues, in the accommodations to the casting, in the break from 2 Henry IV, and finally, quite possibly, in the Bad Quarto text of 1600. In 1597, James Burbage died, leaving his sons capital invested in the Blackfriars Theater. He had bought the Blackfriars on 4 February 1595/96. [4] His plans to move the company there had been frustrated by the petition of the inhabitants, including the companys own patron, Lord Hunsdon: [W]hereas one Burbage hath lately bought certaine roomes in the same precinct neere adjoyning unto the dwelling houses of the right honourable the Lord Chamberlaine and the Lord of Hunsdon, which romes the said Burbage is now altering and meaneth very shortly to convert and turne the same into a comon playhouse, which will grow to be a very great annoyance and trouble [ldots] both by reason of the great resort and gathering togeather of all manner of vagrant and lewde persons that, under cullor of resorting to the playes, will come thither and worke all manner of mischeefe, and allso to the great pestring and filling up of the same precinct, yf it should please God to send any visitation of sicknesse as heretofore hath been [ldots] and besydes, that the same playhouse is so neere the Church that the noyse of the drummes and trumpetts will greatly disturbe and hinder both the ministers and parishioners in tyme of devine service and sermons [ldots] there hath not at any tyme heretofore been used any comon playh ouse within the same precinct, but that now all players being banished [ldots] from playing within the Cittie by reason of the great inconveniences and ill rule that followeth them, they now thincke to plant them selves in liberties. [5] The petitioners object to the increased traffic, the noise, the nature of the audience (vagrant and lewde persons), and to the possibility of the plague. Perhaps most significant is their statement that the players are banished from the city and now thincke to plant them selves in liberties. It has often been assumed that the freedom sought by the playing companies was primarily political and that the companies were marginalized. [6] Steven Rappaport points out, however, that the liberties were economically attractive to those who wished to avoid city regulation in order to make more money. [7] The liberties were, therefore, enterprise zones, and as such were equally attractive to theatrical companies seeking economic freedom. In short, the inhabitants of Blackfriars successfully blocked the move. The Chamberlains Men were losing their lease at the Theatre and had nowhere to go. Adams, John Cranford. The Globe Playhouse: Its Design and Equipment. 2nd ed. New York: Barnes Noble, 1961. The years all other theatres of its type had to be closed down, refurbished, or replaced. And until its accidental destruction in 1613 the Globe was the principal theatre, public or private, in all London, occupied exclusively by the leading theatrical company, during that companys strongest years. In short the Globe witnessed indeed it helped materially to create the golden years of Elizabethan drama. If for no other reasons this study of the Globe would be justified. But its chief object is to prepare the way for a fuller understanding of Shakespeares plays. The stage for which he wrote differed radically from our modern stage, and as a consequence his techniques and conventions were unlike those of Broadway and Hollywood. As Mr. Tyrone Guthrie observed (in The Listener of April 10, 1958): Shakespeare will always have to be butchered so long as his work has to be produced in a sort of theatre for which the plays were not written, to which they are positively ill-adapted; a sort of theatre designed for effects which are irrelevant to Shakespeares purposes, and inimical to the kind of effects he sought. If we are to comprehend his genius as not only the leading dramatist but also the leading theatre craftsman of his age, we must bring more to a study of his plays than the theatrical assumptions and techniques of today. It is important to the study of Shakespeare and his fellow dramatists to understand the design of an Elizabethan public stage and the extent to which that stage was equipped with fixed or alterable scenery, with traps, machines, and properties all helping to enlarge and sustain the scope and force of dramatic illusion. It is essential, for example, to know where the audience was placed in relation to any given unit of the multiple stage, and whether the inner stages (where such scenes as the murder of Desdemona or the blinding of Gloucester took place) were remote and dimly lighted or were in full view and well lighted. It revives some of the excitement Shakespearean.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

How to Establish and Maintain a Safe and Supportive Learning Environment Essay Example for Free

How to Establish and Maintain a Safe and Supportive Learning Environment Essay ‘’A suitable learning environment is crucial for effective learning to take place. This involves not only the venue and resources used, but also your attitude and the support you give to your students’’ ( Gravells A 2012, pg 24). In providing an ideal learning environment, you might have to be creative and work with the settings you are provided with. You must consider your student’s health and safety needs, and work within the boundaries of your organisation policies. Should there be any concerns about health and safety you must inform your organisation’s designated personnel. At no time should your learner’s health and safety be compromised. To establish purposeful learning in your given environment you must arrange the physical space to be conducive to discussion, and you as the facilitator should be easily seen by your learners. The toilet facilities should be clearly accessible, and any disable needs are met. When food and drink are provided, it should be suitable for everyone. For example the vegetarians, kosher and halal preferences, should be catered too as far as possible. If you have a break time it is good practice to let your learners know when this will take place. Knowing this can help your learners focus on their learning. Delivering your sessions with passion can help to motivate your learners. It is your responsibility to be prepared; making sure your environment is clean, and at the right temperature. If it is too hot, be considerate and open doors or windows- do try to solve or manage the problem. Also the quality of your lesson, tells your learners, you are professional and serious about your job. In such an environment your learners can feel ‘’safe secure, confident, and valued’’ (Gravells A 2012 pg25). This safety first approach is reflective of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, which states if one’s basic needs are met, and one feels comfortable, then one can feel a sense of belonging, which positively affects self esteem, this in turn can have a positive effect on learning Maslow 1987. (Gravells A 2012 pg 42).

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

The Pearl by John Steinbeck This is a small village where Kino and his family as well as relatives live in. The people living in this village have similar houses as Kinos house. The reader can tell that the people living in this village are also very poor and therefore are probably uneducated. Furthermore, this village serves as a contrast to the town that the rich people live in. Since the people are poor and uneducated, the rich people will be able to take advantage of them easily. The setting contributes to the theme of the social class since it demonstrated the inequality between the rich and the poor. Since Kino is very poor, so when he discovers the pearl, people should feel happy for him, right? It is not this case in this novel. People want to steal the pearl even though they are already very rich. Thus, this setting clearly helps to demonstrate the tendency of human beings to be greedy and cruel even to those who have already suffered for a long period of time. Gray stone mountain: A mountain north of La Paz where Kino and his family run to in order to escape from the trackers. The mountain is very high, and there is a spring and a shallow cave on the top where Kinos family hide in. Since all animals seek to go to the high place when they are hunted or pursued, the mountain gives the readers a sense of what it is like when hunting and being hunted. The setting itself also creates a suspenseful and tense mood when the novel is at its climax. 6. Plot outline (brief): Kino, Juana, and their baby Coyotito live in a humble brush house by the sea in the village of La Paz. On one morning, a scorpion stings Coyotito. Kino and Juana then rush him to the doctor in the town nearby. When they arrive at the front of the doctors house, they are rejected by the doctors servant because they cannot afford the medication fee. Kino then decides to dive into the ocean and look for pearls so he can pay the doctor money. Later, Kino finds the largest pearl that has ever existed on Earth. After hearing about Kinos discovery, the doctor comes to Kinos house and cures Coyotito toward the evening. Before going to bed, Kino hides the pearl under his sleeping mat. Later in the night, he is awakened by an intruder looking for the pearl inside his house. A violent struggle follows, and Kino is injured during the fight. The next morning, Kino and Juana goes to town to sell the pearl. After realizing that the pearl dealers are trying to cheat on him, Kino decides to sell the pearl in the capital instead. In the middle of that night, a group of men attacks Kino again in an attempt to steal the pearl. During the fight, Kino accidently kills one of the men. Kino and Juana then decide to flee. After they find out that Kinos canoe is destroyed and their house is burnt, Kinos family hides in Juan Tomass house until night comes. At night, Kino, Juana, and Coyotito leave for the capital. They rest after a long journey and are about to continue again when Kino finds out that three trackers are following them. Kino decides that they must go up the gray stone mountain and attempts to mislead the trackers by creating false trails. After they find a cave at the top of the mountain, Kinos family decide to hide inside of it and wait for a chance to escape. Slowly, the trackers make their way to the top of the mountain. The trackers are preparing to sleep when Kino decides that he must attack them before the moon rises so he will not be seen. A s Kino prepares to attack, Coyotito lets out a gentle scream, waking the trackers. Then, one of trackers fires his rifle at the cave Juana and Coyotito are in. The moment he fired, however, Kino attacks and quickly kills all of the trackers. Later, Kino finds out Coyotito has been shot. The next day, Kino and Juana travel back to their town. They walk to the ocean as the townspeople watch in silent enthrallment. At the shore, Kino takes out the great pearl and tosses it back into the ocean with all his might. 7. Major themes of the work: Wealth brings trouble and causes the loss of innocence Kino transforms from a happy, contented man to a greedy savage criminal after he finds the pearl Wealth causes ambition and greed, which destroy mankinds innocence Greed transforms the pearl from a symbol of good luck and hope to a symbol of destruction Kinos greediness leads him to act violently toward Juana and eventually to his sons death People become jealous and want to obtain Kinos newfound pearl in both legal and illegal ways The greed and jealousy of all the people destroy the peace and happiness that Kino has known Steinbeck points out that human beings have a tendency to be jealous of other people. Most people are envious of the wealth of others, and many will try to take a portion of that wealth by using any method. Therefore, it is very important for us to not to be too greedy and ambitious. The roles of fate (destiny) and luck Forces beyond human control (like fate and destiny) can completely change an individuals life either for the better or the worse at any moment Kino and Juanas lives are changed when the scorpion (symbol of wicked fate) bites Coyotito Their lives then change again when Kino discovers the pearl (symbol of beneficial fate) Even though Steinbeck points out that fate and other forces do play a role in shaping human life, he also suggests that it is not fate, but human emotions and desires in the forms of jealousy and greed that ultimately leads to the novels devastating tragic ending. Cruelty of Humanity and the Social Classes The doctor cruelly refuses to treat Coyotito since Kino does not have money The pearl buyers try to cheat on the ignorant Kino so that they can make more money The trackers and other unknown invaders are willing to kill Kino in order to become wealthy The poverty and lack of education prevents the lower-class from enjoying the benefits of the higher-class The upper-class members take advantage of the lower-class because they are more educated In showing how the pearl affects other people, Steinbeck points out that most people have a cruel nature. We might do harm to others in order to achieve our own personal goals. Furthermore, Steinbeck also points out that there is an inequality between the higher-class and the lower-class, since the better educated higher-class will always take advantage of the uneducated lower-class. 8. Symbols in the book: The Pearl The pearl constantly appears throughout the novel. When the pearl is first discovered in Chapter 2, it represents possibility, good luck, and a symbol of divine assistance. Kinos discovery of the pearl fills him with hope for a better-quality life. It seems to be an event that serves as a relief to the disaster of the scorpion bite. Once the town learns about the pearl (Chapters 3-6), however, the pearl begins to make everyone to become greedy. The pearl becomes less symbolic of all the good things that it represents and now symbolizes greed, ambition, desires, and cruelty. Juana and Juan Tomas also begin to see the pearl as a dangerous threat. Kino begins to dedicate all his efforts and possessions to protecting the pearl toward the end of the novel. The pearl therefore comes to symbolize the destructive nature of greediness. The scorpion The scorpion that stings Coyotito in Chapter 1 represents evil and the annihilation of innocence and purity. Even though the scorpion only appears once in the novel, the process of the destruction of innocence that it represents occurs constantly throughout the plot. For instance, Kinos innocence is destroyed by his ambition and greed, and the colonists destroyed native peoples beliefs and traditional ways of life. Kinos canoe Kinos canoe represents his pride, a means of making a living, and his connection to his cultural tradition. The canoe appears twice throughout the story. The first time is when Kino uses it to find the pearl. Kinos races culture is deeply spiritual, so it is important that Kino uses his canoe to discover the pearl, which is granted by a heavenly power that has nothing to do with human behaviors or actions. The second time it appears is when Kino attempts to escape by using the canoe. However, he finds it already destroyed. This is very important because Kinos ownership of the pearl leads directly to the destruction of his canoe, and this is an event that symbolizes how Kinos greediness and ambition have destroyed his traditional way of life. 9. Other significant imagery: The stars still shone and the day had drawn only a pale wash of light in the lower time, and the early pigs were already beginning their ceaseless turning of twigs and bits of wood to see whether anything to eat had been overlooked. Outside the brush house in the tuna clump, a covey of little birds chattered and flurried with their wings. ~ Chapter 1, page 5 Steinbeck portrays the natural world as a kingdom that reflects the human world. This imagery mirrors the natures peaceful innocence the same innocence that Kino has at the beginning of the novel. However, hiding inside that innocence is the tendency to be greedy. The pigs in this quote are greedy in a sense that they are trying to find anything that they can possibly find to eat. The gray oysters with ruffles like skirts on the shells, the barnacle-crusted oysters with little bits of weed clinging to the skirts and small crabs climbing over them. An accident could happen to these oysters, a grain of sand could lie in the folds of muscle and irritate the flesh until in self-protection the flesh coated the grain with a layer of smooth cement. But once started, the flesh continued to coat the foreign body until it fell free in some tidal flurry or until the oyster was destroyed. Swarms of fish lived near the bed to live near the oysters thrown back by the searching men and to nibble at the shining inner shells. ~ Chapter 6, page 85 The descriptions of the sea emphasize the fact that life is a struggle for existence in which only the strongest will be able to survive. The fish can only eat what the men left behind. So if the food is not enough for them, they will die. This struggle can be seen in the conflicts between natives of Kinos race against the oppressive colonists. Also, this quote suggests that oysters must die in order for a pearl to form. Again, Steinbeck points out that every time something is gained, another thing is lost. Kino, with his newfound pearl, has lost his innocence. Beside this tiny stream, wherever enough earth collected for root-hold, colonies of plants grew, wild grape and little palms, maidenhair fern, hibiscus, and tall pampas grass with feathery rods raised above the spike leaves. And in the pool lived frogs and waterskaters, and waterworms crawled on the bottom of the pool. Everything that loved water came to these few shallow places. The cats took their prey there, and strewed feathers and lapped water through their bloody teeth. The little pools were places of life because of the water, and places of killing because of the water, too. ~ Chapter 6, page 85 This imagery suggests that there are two sides to almost everything. The pool is a place of birth for plants and other animals. However, it is also a place of death since predators look for prey here. Steinbeck also applies this principle to the pearl as well. Kino is able to afford the doctor and have his son cured because of the pearl. However, his son ultimately died because of the pearl, too. 10. Significance of title of work: The title of the novel is very symbolic and represents the themes of the story. The way the pearl is described throughout the novel reflects the changes that Kino, the main protagonist, goes through. At first, the pearl is a simple and gorgeous object of nature. Once it becomes intertwined with ideas of material value, greed, and desire, however, it becomes dangerous and destructive. The pearl is an item of natural splendor and goodness that draws out the wickedness innate in men. 11. Authors techniques that are important to this work: One of the special techniques that Steinbeck used in this novel is the way he makes all the characters to seem very realistic. In order to develop the characters that he was creating, John Steinbeck studied the culture, traditions, and the thinking of ancient races like those depicted in the novel. As a result, the novel and its characters are very realistic and believable to the readers. For example: Beware of that kind of tree there, he said, pointing. Do not touch it, for if you do and then touch your eyes, it will blind you. And beware of the tree that bleeds. See, that one over there. For if you break it the red blood will flow from it, and it is evil luck.' ~ Chapter 6, page 76 In this quote, we can clearly learn what Kinos cultures traditions are and what the people of his race think and believe in. One thing we can tell just by looking from this example is that Kinos race thinks that if a tree bleeds, then it is bad luck. This shows us that they are superstitious and might believe in some kind of religion.