The s Concept Of The Mythical Norm By Barbara Perry

The â€Å"Mythical Norm† Leading To Oppression Through Privilege Iqbal Dhillon - 213516604 York University SOSC 1350- Gender and the Law Julie Dowsett Wednesday, October 22, 2014 Word Count: 1,191 Introduction: This essay will critically analyze the various forms of oppression that are set out through Audrey Lorde’s concept of the â€Å"mythical norm† as discussed by Barbara Perry. Through the â€Å"mythical norm†, it can be seen that oppressions exists through the forms of racism and sexism which are exhibited through many scholarly texts and articles. Racism can be seen as a means of privilege and power that is given to individuals who coincide with the criteria of societies norm. In this case, these individuals consist of white, heterosexual, male beings who unknowingly oppress their racialized counterparts. Oppression can also be seen through the form of sexism. Sexism looks at the injustice and inequality of male dominance over female, which results to men being more privileged and advantaged in society over women who are disadvantaged. Therefore, privilege and power is obtained by those who coincide with the concept of the â€Å"mythical normâ₠¬ , leaving minority groups who do not coincide with this conception oppressed through the forms of racism and sexism. Summary/Mythical Norm Definition: The article â€Å" The Mythical Norm† by Audrie Lorde, discussed by Barbara Perry, talks about the universal conception of what a â€Å"norm† in society is considered to be. Barbara Perry

The Role of Women in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay

The Role of Women in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Whether an author is conscious of the fact or not, a fictional work cannot avoid reflecting the political, social, economic, and religious background of the author. Therefore, regardless of Frankensteins categorization being that of science fiction, Mary Shelley reveals her own fears and thoughts, and, as a result, reveals a great deal about the time and place in which she wrote. She mentions specific geographical locations throughout Europe, she raises ethical questions concerning the synthesis of life, and she writes in the context of popular contemporary philosophy and the importance of environment vs. experiences. Most importantly to this essay, however, is the†¦show more content†¦Conversely, in parts that Shelley wrote herself, she says that book was conceived in a dream in which she saw a pale student of unhallowed arts putting together the hideous phantasm of a man. She continues, the idea so possessed my mind that a thrill of fear ran through me, and I wished to exchange the ghastly image of my fancy for the realities around. Ultimately, the entire story symbolically represents some of the pressures on a woman writer during the Romantic period in Europe and Shelleys critique of the culture that has created her but sees her as its monster. Besides the representation of the author, the Romantic view of women is evident in the general weakness of the female characters throughout the story. There is only one main female character, Elizabeth Lavenza Frankenstein, the more than sister of Victor Frankenstein. In addition to the lack of women characters, Elizabeth is developed as kind, devoted, mild-mannered and sweet. Each of these adjectives could also be used to describe the other female characters, including Caroline, Victors mother, Justine, Carolines adopted child, and Agatha DeLacey, the neighbors daughter. Additionally, women in nineteenth century Romantic Europe often catered to men, even if it was unbecoming to them (Kelly 220). Therefore, womens place is society is also represented in chapter six, in Elizabeths letter toShow MoreRelatedEssay on Role of Women in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein and in Society 1294 Words   |  6 PagesIn â€Å"Frankenstein† penned by Mary Shelley, the author depicts the roles of Caroline, Elizabeth, and Justine as passive women by taking action only through the men around them. During the 1820s, when Elizabeth Blackwell saw the deaths of many people on ships being thrown overboard, she became inspired to become a doctor. However, during her time period, women were not allowed to get an education. Finally, Mulan, takes the place of her old father to join the Chinese army, despite her passiveness. 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Strategic Human resource management Free Essays

Plagiarism disclaimer:I understand that plagiarism is a serious offence and have read and understood the college policy on plagiarism. I also understand that I may receive a mark of zero if I have not identified and properly attributed sources which have been used, referred to, or have in any way influenced the preparation of this assignment, or if I have knowingly allowed others to plagiarise my work in this way.I hereby certify that this assignment is my own work, based on my personal study and/or research, and that I have acknowledged all material and sources used in its preparation. We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Human resource management or any similar topic only for you Order Now I also certify that the assignment has not previously been submitted for assessment and that I have not copied in part or whole or otherwise plagiarised the work of anyone else, including other students. The last two decades Human resources pioneers understood that human resource functions had to be associated to the strategy to run companies and organizations with long term goals. â€Å"Strategic human resource management can be defined as the linking of human resources with strategic goals and objectives in order to improve business performance and develop organizational culture that foster innovation, flexibility and competitive advantage. In an organization SHRM means accepting and involving the HR function as a strategic partner in the formulation and implementation of the company’s strategies through HR activities such as recruiting, selecting, training and rewarding personnel.† This is how Armstrong defines the new age of the Human resource management. For 30 years, companies adopt and adapt the strategic human resources approaches as a keystone to the success. Meanwhile several approaches have been developed by specialists such as Torrigton, Taylor and Hall. Three approaches remain the most widely represented in the business : Universalist approach , the Contingency or Fit Approach and the Resource-Based Approach. On one hand we will describe these theories and on the other have a critic analysis about the consistency of these three theories. I) The universalist approach 1) Description The Universalist approach focuses on four themes that are dominating: commitment,quality,flexibility and strategic integration. These goals described by Guest in 1992 tend to optimize the human resources available in the company â€Å"dealing with cost effectiveness, low employee turnover†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ To ensure the success of the company, this approach requires the interdependent application of these four parameters. The Universalist approach promotes a high commitment in both ways which means between the company and its employees. This approach had been used in different ways considering the countries. For example in the United Kingdom it’s based on the â€Å"best practice†. On the other side American companies rely more on the Harvard Model This model puts employees as a special resource and states on the humanistic side to get a total involvement which leads to motivation and performance. In other words the Universalist approach deals with high performance and high commitment (soft HRM) in both ways granted by rewards for employees in a healthy environment allowing promotions and highlighting learning. Employees are seen as organizational key success to reach the  « productivity through people as explained by Waterman and Peters. Companies like IBM and generally speaking firms from the bank sector use this approach 2) Criticism of the Universalist approach This approach seems ideal for employees and managers. Indeed the Universalist approach appears as the best way of managing human resources in companies because of the high commitment in both ways which means high output in a rewarding and serene work environment. The human aspect of the employee is taken into account and plays a major role to achieve the objectives of the strategy. Moreover the Universalist approach is promoting strategic integration which guarantees a daily managerial guideline. Flexibility is another point stated in this approach asking for employees to have multiskills and be adaptable to different tasks. Finally Quality would result of the added value by employees who perform product or service of quality. By combining and achieving these objectives it would be possible to optimize the human resources while avoiding the problems processed by Guest in 1989 â€Å"all (cf goals) need to create the desired organizational outcomes, which are high job performance problem solving ,change, innovation and cost innovativeness , and low employee turnover, absence and grievance†. However, this theory appears to be utopian. Indeed, it suffers from some inconsistencies and lack of reality. The Universalist theory and human resources management in general are not an exact science. In fact this approach appears as a unique best way in order to access a successful SHRM. This approach does not take into account the enormous costs involved. Therefore the Universalist approach is available only to large companies and thus abandoning the small and medium enterprises which cannot afford it. This would be the â€Å"best way† management only for companies that can afford it. At this point it is clear that this approach does not take into account companies’ size limiting the strategy to the social side ignoring the commercial and financial side. Besides the Universalist approach suffers from contradictions as those reveled by Ogbonna and Whipp in 1999 such as the unlikely coexistence between commitment and flexibility. Also, it appears that this approach differs from one geographical area to another. It is important to understand that European and USA have different cultural and social contexts. The Universalist approach excludes such areas as compliance, equal opportunities, trade union relationships and government involvement. These are the main reasons developed by writers such as Guest and Gaugler in 1999 who remains skeptic for adaptation of this theory in countries such as Germany and Great Britain. The Universalist approach does not take into account the volatile aspect of the business. The world and business change. Finally we must talk about the fact that the Universalist theory is vague because it ultimately poses no limits and levels of reward and commitment The Universalist approach suffers from a too simplistic view of strategy making it obsolete or outdated in some cases and remains unrealistic. How to cite Strategic Human resource management, Essay examples