Monday, December 23, 2019

Gender Roles In Lysistrata By Aristophanes - 1863 Words

Aristophanes paved the way for comedy and how it would be viewed by citizens in ancient Greece. By incorporating satire and comedy, Aristophanes portrayed the social and political climate of the time. More specifically, Lysistrata, a play by Aristophanes, gives insight into the role women have in the Athenian society. The theme of gender roles in the play, Lysistrata, has evolved to parallel the social norm of feminism by women today. Lysistrata is a satirical comedy and portrays the women are at odds with man regarding several different matters, most notably the waging war on itself. The role Aristophanes embellishes within the characters are reversed between man and woman. The women, who were largely subservient to the needs and whims of†¦show more content†¦However, we cannot know for certain if women attended the religious festivals because there was no way of recording who was in attendance. Though, women were treated very differently from men, Aristophanes promotes the fact that women are capable of the same things as a man in the play Lysistrata. In nearly every conflict between man and woman portrayed in Lysistrata, the women emerge victorious. This is especially significant since women can assert themselves and impose their will on man. Traditionally, men are the ones who possess this behavior and force women to be at their ever will. Yet, there are many instances in this play when these roles are opposite occurring, which is further evidence that Aristophanes has switched the characteristics of the genders. One instance from the text is when the men and women choruses are speaking to each other at the Acropolis. â€Å"All you fellow citizens, we’ll start to give the city good advice and rightly, since it raised us splendidly†¦ I was born a woman, but don’t hold that against me if I introduce a plan to make our present situation better. For I make contributions to the state—I give birth to men. You miserable old farts, you contribute nothing! (Aristophanes 42-43). Furthermore, this quote portrays the control taken by the women when they take the Acropolis and fend of the chorus of oldShow MoreRelatedThe Gender Roles Of Men And Women1243 Words   |  5 PagesThe gender roles of men and women were quite different in pre-20th-century drama. In his play Lysistrata, Aristophanes creates a world to bring about his thoughts on the Peloponnesian war with the comedic relief of gender role reversal. The women in his play are not necessarily the way women of his time were, but more of what men thought they were as well as what men feared or fantasized women could be like. Through action and dialogue, the play shows examples of several different types of womenRead MoreLysistrat An Anti War Comedy1363 Words   |  6 PagesPeloponnesian War, Lysistrata was first performed in Athens in 411 BCE. Written by Aristophanes, this anti-war comedy tells the tale of one woman s strategic undertaking to make peace. Lysistrata, translated as â€Å"releaser of war† or â€Å"army disbander,â €  harnesses the power of the Greek women by persuading them to withhold sexual privileges from their husbands and lovers as a means of driving the men toward peaceful negotiation. This text not only serves as insight into the roles and relationships betweenRead More Sex as a Means of Agency Essay1213 Words   |  5 Pagesthan any beast, than fire, and no panther is quite so ferocious.† (Aristophanes 1058) Life for an Athenian woman was marked by her daily occupation to the household and its occupants. This was the sphere of life where she was able to exert the most power and maintain a certain degree of agency. Her domestic duties included attendance to her husband, and his sexual needs. In the comic portrayal of women in Lysistrata, Aristophanes exploits this domestic power to create a scenario where â€Å"the harshRead MoreLysistrata, By Euripides And Lysistrata Essay1478 Words   |  6 PagesLysistrata was written in ancient Greece, a time where women’s position in society was no greater than a servant. In Lysistrata, Aristophanes depicts Greek women challenging male authority through their own femininity in a comic and light hearted way. Wether or not Aristophanes was trying to challenge male authority or was simply making a joke out of women is unclear, but it is easy to note what ancient Greeks thought of women simply by how they depicted in Lysistrata. Throughout the play the womenRead MoreGender Roles in Lysistrata and Medea1651 Words   |  7 Pagesprestige from doing well in battle, and speaking well at the assembly, women seemed to acquire their honor and achieve moral excellence by birthing boys who then become men who could then gain honor in battle. Both Eripides Medea and Aristophanes Lysistrata focus on the role of women in ancient Athens and the struggle for power between the sexes. While in her book The Making of the West Lynn Hunt says that Womens exclusion from politics meant that their contributions to the city-state might be overlookedRead MoreLysistrat A Political Satire Written By Aristophanes2014 Words   |  9 PagesLysistrata was a political satire written by Aristophanes in early 400 B.C.E., and was performed in Athens. The connection between Lysistrata and the society and culture surrounding it is deeply significant. Due to the immense cultural pressure in this period, it’s difficult to pinpoint a singular theme that Aristophanes was trying to make a comment on. With the Peloponnesian War continuing to lead a seemingly endless reign of chaos over Greece and its citizens, these elements of fear and despairRead MoreLysistrat The New Critical Idiom944 Words   |  4 PagesThe role of comedy in literature is to challenge preconceptions, satirize stereotypes, and hold a mirror to societal standards in a way that changes the viewpoint of the reader, or, in the case of Lysistrata by Aristophanes, the audience. From its parody of gender roles, to its frequent use of double-entendres and sexual humor, to its sardonic message directed at the culture and politics of Greece, Lysistrata is a cornerstone of modern satire. It also possesses numerous qualities analyzed in AndrewRead MoreSatire Through The Power Of Women1278 Words   |  6 PagesSatire Through the Power of Women In Lysistrata, by Aristophanes, Love’s Labour’s Lost, by William Shakespeare, and Henderson, the Rain King, by Saul Bellow, three individual overarching themes stand out. In Lysistrata, the women of Athens manipulate their spouses and prove their intellectual strength to readers to prove futility of the Peloponnesian War. In Love’s Labour’s Lost, four beautiful and intelligent women easily manipulate a King and his Lords who, at the beginning of the novel, had chosenRead MoreEssay on Sex and Politics in Lysistrata1192 Words   |  5 PagesSex and Politics in Lysistrata Aristophanes, whom is a comedic writer, wrote Lysistrata during the Greek civil war. This unstoppable combat was between Athenians and Spartans, whom believed that the only way to prove anything was through war. The theme of Lysistrata revolves around gender, sex, and also politics. Its reasons for development were that if men were not able to fix the problems occurring, women would then take the initiative and do so. The women then came together and decided to withholdRead MoreThe s The Odyssey, Lysistrata, And Clytemnestra1530 Words   |  7 Pagesliving within the society s norms fulfilling mostly guided roles like housework. While some works of the time presented women as mere housewives, others often put them in the position of political leaders, heroines, and murderers. The women that receive major roles in the stories such as Penelope in Homer s The Odyssey, Lysistrata in Aristophanes Lysistrata, and Clytemnestra in Aeschylus Agamemnon are major characters with important r oles, thus breaking the traditions of normal culture during this

Sunday, December 15, 2019

An American Family vs. Keeping Up with the Kardashians Free Essays

An American Family vs. Keeping Up with the Kardashians Although these two shows depict different time periods, they can arguably be a model for American culture or possibly a gauge in the temperature of what American culture looks like. In American Family there is a scene where one of the young men is talking about California and how he feels about it. We will write a custom essay sample on An American Family vs. Keeping Up with the Kardashians or any similar topic only for you Order Now Just the use of his language or the words in which he chooses gives the audience an idea of the language that was used during that time period. Another example of this is when the family visits the art gallery. In the television show Keeping Up With the Kardashians although they are rich, they also give a gauge of American culture through the way in which they talk as well as the activities in which they go about on a daily basis. These two shows are very different but are somewhat based upon the same premise of being a reality show. An American Family was a 12 episode series that chronicled the lives of the Loud family of Santa Barbra, California (Ruoff, 1998). While Keeping Up with the Kardashians has run for 6 seasons so far since it began in 2007. This show is presented to viewers as reality TV but as mentioned in a prior class it is more or less a sitcom and not capturing the family in a documentary style the way in which An American Family is. An American Family challenged traditional forms of documentaries and violated viewers expectations of what a documentary was supposed to be about (Ruoff, 1998). The way in which this show is shot and edited also gives is more of a narrative feel than a documentary style. I would argue that the way the it is broken into different episodes especially the time period of the 1970’s would make it seem more of a narrative as during that time there weren’t many shows to compare its different, documentary style to. The show is centered on the upcoming divorce of the mother and father and this seems to drive the story line as well. Although again it is not a sitcom, the narrative of the story seems a bit tampered with, as it is known that the parents will be divorcing very soon. Capturing the moments that lead up to the divorce can be considered to surround a narrative structure. Keeping Up with the Kardashians being based about the life of the Kardashian family with ongoing events that take place is nothing like An American Family. Although many Americans in 1973 may have been able to identify with the characters in An American Family it did not have a crazed pop culture appeal the way in which Keeping Up with the Kardashians does. This show has become somewhat of a brand but its realness or reality is questionable. Most of the happenings of the family are devised plans to collect audiences and maintain the following that they have. They typical sitcom structure of the show also gives away the reality part of the show. There is no truth or cinema verite in this show it’s all just basically pre-planned by the producers. Their extravagant lifestyles and events don’t even compare to the simplistic structure of the Loud family about to split because of the divorce. These shows are very different but on the surface seem alike because essentially the viewer is following the lives of a family. How to cite An American Family vs. Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Essay examples

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Sustainability Accounting - Elements And Correlation

Question: Jonathan Davidson, the director of your firm (which offers consultancy services to medium and large accountancy practices around the world), with a reputation as someone who has expertise in innovation and latest trends requested you to draft a response to the above scenario providing this information in a report format.Make sure that your report includes any information that you think will assist the partners to make these important decisions. The partners want recommendations that they can discuss at their next Board meeting. Answer: Executive Summary The report provides a vision for sustainability accounting. It provides with brief information regarding the meaning, elements, pros and cons of implementation and the key matters that should be kept in the mind prior setting up a division providing services in the field. The purpose of the report is to come over a decision on the conflicting issue of whether or not to implement and introduce a new division by the firm which would such related services. Introduction During the study and analysis of the current position of the firm, it had been found that the most challenging tasks for implementation of the division are:Conflict of opinion between the partners of the firm: Amongst the partners, one of them is against the opinion of introducing the subject and is of the belief that the activity would just add to the cost of the firm in spite of being beneficial in terms of cash flows.Limited Knowledge: The partners are not having proper and enough knowledge of the topic and therefore are not yet in a position to provide services or enter into the market.Uncertainty: There exists a risk of failure of development of the division. The partners are not certain over the outcome of the introduction of the division. The report set forth present with the opportunities that the firm can grab and the issues that could arise.Through the overview of the present scenario of the firms internal environment and the external environment that influence the operatio ns of the firm, we come across the finding that there exist a latent market that could be explored provided the prominent inputs needed for the providing of services are developed by the firm. Discussion Meaning of Sustainability Accounting: It is a part of financial accounting which deals with the disclosures relating to non- financial data and information relating to the concerned companys performance such as environmental, social and other material issues to the stakeholders of the company, i.e. shareholders, creditors, government, financial institutions, etc. It signifies upon the activities of the organization which have a direct impact on the society. (Hannah Jones, 2010). Present elements of sustainability accounting and correlation of sustainability accounting with present work Sustainability accounting or environmental accounting is a concept that has marked its entry into the literatures nearly a decade ago. In addition to the financial accounting approaches and methods, sustainability accounting can be explained as those methods and activities which records, analyze and report on the economic value of the activities made for environmental protection, etc.basically has two elements, i.e. environmental related expenditure and savings and the impact of companys operations on the environment. Environment related expenditures and savings deals with the expenses specifically made for the purpose of environmental protection or some social benefit. A company operates in society and thereby the activities of it affect the society. Environmental accounting, unlike the traditional ways of accounting which only measures the financial aspects of the business, also quantifies these non- financial activities and the same is reported to the stakeholders of the organization. Thus, there are four areas of sustainability accounting: Internal Ecological Accounting; Environmental Management Accounting; External Ecological Accounting; and Environmental Financial Accounting At present, the firm is a large Australian accounting practice provider. The work to be done post implementation of the Sustainability Accounting Division is in positive correlation with that of the scope of workings offered by the firm. As Sustainability Accounting is more or less an extension of financial accounting, therefore the services provided by the firm at the point of time is what we can call a general practice whose scope can be advanced and enhanced through the implement of the new division. (Aras, G. Crowther, D., 2008). Ways to engage employees in the program Advantages of introducing a sustainability accounting division within the firm: Implementation and adoption of Sustainability Accounting practices is not an easy one. The top management needs to plan upon the procedures to be taken for the integration of the standards into the existing disclosures and accounting practices followed by the organization and the processes to be taken by the management for the implementation of the same. A company needs to identify the matters that are of material nature and to be covered under the sustainability accounting and reporting and to disclose the same in such a decision- based manner that it is beneficial for the stakeholders of the organization. The following step can be taken in order to properly implement the program: (Gyula Flp Bettina Bettina Hdi Herndi, 2013). The foremost task is to determine the standards applicable to the company. The standards includes the topics that needs to be disclosed, accounting metrics, and technical procedures which needs to be adapted keeping in view the industry in which the company operates. Assessment of the Business Environment: Analyze as to whether the disclosure topics mentioned in the standard comprise of material information for the company stakeholders. The term materiality depends totally upon the transactions and the influencing value of them. Materiality, in general, depends upon the fact that whether the information can affect the decisions of the investors, shareholders, lenders, supplier, etc. Evaluate the companys present position regarding the knowledge of the disclosure requirements as per the standard. According to the same, identify the difference between the actual and the required. Assemble documents of the company such as CSR report, Annual Report and other corporate communications where the company discloses the non- financial information. Analyze the quality and quantity of the current reporting status with the required. (Burritt, R. Schaltegger, S., 2010). The next step is to prepare a roadmap for the implementation of the standard and to enumerate internal control and managerial requirements. The next step is to execute and monitor the procedures. The ways to engage the employees in the program are enumerated as below: To provide information and awareness amongst the employees regarding the same By conducting training programs to develop the required environment in the organization By developing incentives and rewarding schemes in order to motivate the employees for efficiently conduction of the program By regularizing and monitoring the performance of the employees by a special team made for the purpose. To provide the employees with the examples of best practice, the organization needs to provide training to the employees of the best practices that suit the organization for the standard applicable depending upon the industry/ industries in which the organization operates. (Stefan Schaltegger Roger L. Burritt, 2010). Arguments for and against introducing a sustainability accounting division within the firm: Advantages of introducing a sustainability accounting division within the firm: It would provide a competitive edge to the firm. The implementation of the division would provide the firm a gateway for entry into the market of other firms providing the same services. The concept of sustainability accounting is an emerging concept and it can be noticed that slowly and gradually mostly all the developing companies are moving in the same track towards the implementation of sustainability accounting standards which signifies the growth and the emerging market in the field. The firm should try to take the advantage of same in order to foster its future earnings and cash flows. Through the implementation of the division, the firm can try to propose and influence its existing clients and try to grab the opportunity involved before they goes to some other service provider. The firm can build up its goodwill through initiating the providing of services in such a segment or division which is in its initial stage of growth. This would in order be beneficial for the firm to build up its brand image. Disadvantages of introducing a sustainability accounting division within the firm: Developing a division is a costly affair and hence involves outflow of funds at large scale. The firm therefore before implementing the division should analyze the future cash inflows against the cash outflows and other opportunity costs involved in the same. A partner in the firm is against the opinion for the implementation of the division. Hence, the same could create conflicts of interests in the future. Also, it could hurt psychologically the partner and therefore the same should be taken into account and further more discussions should be made on the pros and cons before emerging towards any decision.Before the implementation of the division, the firm should itself develop the understanding of the topic as according to the available information, it seems that the partners of the firm are not having full- fledged information of the topic and about how to implement the same. (Stefan Schaltegger Roger L. Burritt, 2010). Development of the division- Future Prospects Creation of such a division that provides such services would be undoubtedly in the benefit of the firms present clients. The clients would be able to seek the services from the firm in a more comfortable form as to that compared with some other in the market place.Also, the firm would be able to serve the client in a better manner than to other as it is familiar to the organizations business environment and other related issues. Also, as the firm itself the provider of financial accounting advisory and related services, it would be able to implement the standard in easier and better form.The name is the reflection of what one is and what one does. The division should be named in accordance with the services to be provided by it. One should easily identify the nature of services the firm provides keeping in mind its name. Therefore, the name of the division should be related to and should include Sustainability Accounting. The type of services that might be provided by the firm through the division: Consultancy on sustainability accounting issues Implementation of sustainability accounting Overview or Evaluation of a Companys current position Providing a guidance on the disclosure requirements under the standards on sustainability accounting Calculation and reporting of the required disclosures to be disclosed to the stakeholder Skills requirement in the staff to be employed in the division: Must have thorough knowledge of the standards and the subject involved Must be efficient and effective Must be highly aware and up to date in accordance with the notifications and news in this regards The candidate should be of adaptive nature and must understand the business environment of the client It has been found through the study on the emerging need of the topic that there definitely exists a market for such services. The firm needs to develop a competitive edge in its workings so that it could present itself in the market. To market it, the firm should: Present its proposals to the existing clients. In service sector, mouth publicity is the best, therefore, the firm should try to ensure that it comes out with providing best services so that other companies and organizations get encouraged to take services from them. The firm can prepare a sort of documentation like report or presentation on the basic information regarding the subject matter and the need to go for it in the emerging global market and try to introduce in it their firm as professional consultants and the brief on the services to be provided. The same could be used to attract prospective client and grab new clients. (Cooper, S., Owen, D. 2007). Introduction within Accounting Practice It can be observed that the Sustainability Accounting is an extension of the financial accounting, but one should also understand that the same is a new concept which is not presently acceptable to all the organizations. Furthermore, the increasing scope of the need and trend of disclosing the related issue cannot be left unseen. Therefore, the firm needs to understand that with widening scope, there is immense opportunity in the field subject to the nature of business activities and environment of clients organization. It can thereby be wrapped up by saying that the firm shall implement the division on Sustainability Accounting so that the present workings and clients are not disregarded and the services to them are not affected. Also, the introduction of new division would lead to maintaining specialization in both the topics, financial accounting practices and sustainability accounting. Further, as the same is a new concept for the firm and the firm also needs a sort of training on the subject, formation of new division would be beneficial for the firm as it would enable them to continue the research and practice part without influencing the working on the present clients. (Lamberton, G., 2005). Conclusion We have arrived to a conclusion that given the situation and the present scenario, the firm should properly analyze all the aspects related to the implementation of a separate division on Sustainability Accounting keeping in view the following internal and external factors of the firm:The strengths: the firm is already dealing in the service providing of accounting and therefore it would take a less effort to introduce itself in the market.The weaknesses: the firm is encountering various internal issues such as difference in opinion amongst the partners, lack of sufficient knowledge of the subject, etc.The opportunities: the concept of sustainability accounting is emerging in the global market and therefore the opportunity can be grabbed by being an early bird in terms of responsiveness towards the changes in the external environment and traditional practices.The threats: the firm should properly analyze the demands of the market and the activities of the competitors. Recommendations We would recommend the firm: To have a healthy communication amongst the partners regarding the agreement and disagreement on the matter. It is advisable to come out with a peaceful decision rather than a conflicting one. To study and analyze the market demand and a comparative analysis over the services and quotations provided by the competitors. To develop a team of professionals to provide expertise services in the field. To promote itself in existing, prospective and opportune market. References: 1 Gyula Flp Bettina Bettina Hdi Herndi, 2013, Sustainability Accounting: A success factor in corporate sustainability strategy, University of Latvia. 2 Aras, G. Crowther, D., 2008. Evaluating Sustainability: a Need for Standards. Social and Environmental Accounting, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 19-35. 3 Burritt, R. Schaltegger, S., 2010. Sustainability Accounting and Reporting: Fad or Trend? Accounting, Auditing Accountability Journal, Vol. 23, No. 7, pp. 829-846. 4 Timothy F. Slaper Tanya J. Hall, 2011, The Triple Bottom Line: What is it and how does it work?, Indiana University Kelly School of Business, Indiana Business Research Center. 5 John Elkington, Towards the Sustainable Corporation: Win-Win-Win Business Strategies for Sustainable Development, California Management Review 36, no. 2 (1994): 90100. 6 Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, 2010, Sustainability Reporting matters. 7 Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, 2013, Conceptual framework of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board. 8 Stefan Schaltegger Roger L. Burritt, 2010, Sustainability accounting for companies: Catchphrase or decision support for leaders?, Journal of World Business, Volume 45, pp. 375-384 . 9 Unites States Environmental Protection Agency, 2014, Green Accounting. 10 Schaltegger, S., Hasenmuller, P. (2006). Sustainability management from the perspective of business sustainability. In E. Tiemeyer K. Wilbers (Eds.), Berufliche Bildung fur nachhaltiges Wirtschaften. Konzepte, Curricula, Methoden, Beispiele. Bielefeld: Bertelsmann. pp. 7186 (only in German). 11 Lamberton, G., 2005. Sustainability accounting A brief history and conceptual framework. Accounting Forum, 29(1): pp. 7-26. 12 Accounting for Sustainable future, 2014, Using SASB Standards. 13 Cooper, S., Owen, D. (2007). Corporate social reporting and stakeholder accountability: The missing link. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 32(7): 649667. 14 Damien Currie, 2013, Sustainability Reporting Challenges and Benefits. 15 Gray, R. (1994). Corporate reporting for sustainable development: Accounting for sustainability, in 2000 AD. Environmental Values, 1745. 16 Qian, W., Burritt, R. (2008). The development of environmental management accounting: An institutional view. In S. Schaltegger, M. Bennett, R. Burritt, C. Jasch (Eds.), Environmental management accounting for cleaner production. Dordrecht: Springer. pp. 233248. 17 United Nations (2003), Handbook of National Accounting, Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting 2003 (SEEA 2003). 18 PCSD (Philippine Council for Sustainable Development) (2007), Sustainable Development in Public Sector DecisionMaking. 19 Hughes, P. (2007), Sustainability Reporting as a Driver of Sustainability Innovation: An Introduction to Sustainability Reporting and the Global Reporting Initiative, presentation at CPA Australias National Public Sector Convention 2007. 20 INTOSAI WGEA (International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions) Working Group on Environmental Auditing (2004), Sustainable Development: The Role of Supreme Audit Institutions.