Upper Class In Britain Sociology Essay

Upper Class In Britain Sociology Essay There are quite intense debates nowadays about social classes between social scientists. Some argue that there is no need anymore to study the classes of society in the old ways, since in the twentieth century capitalism and the global economy altered the society and the way people live their lives so much; that classes became so fragmented, so layered that basically they have turned into lifestyles (Marsh et al, 2000). Others argue that, although there are changes in the class system, the basic classes still clearly can be found and studied (especially the upper class), and these social classes are still playing a decisive part in peoples life and identity. They agree that social classes became very layered and sometimes hardly identifiable, but they also say that people still identify themselves in the terms of classes and that the classes were not effected equally by these changes in global and national economy. They also say that inequality between people still makes the classes fairly identifiable (Macionis Plummer, 2005). These debates would not have made sense till the industrial revolution. Till that time there was a clearly identifiable working-, middle- and upper class. However the changes in the national and global economy, also in the ownership of the big companies and the birth of the joint-stock companies made the borders between social classes vague and, some say, led to the demise of the upper class (Marsh et al, 2000). Edgell (1993) cited by Kirby et al (1997, p. 125) states that there are two approaches of the upper classs situation now days. The managerialist and the non-managerialist approach. The managerialist scientists, like Dahrendorf, say that the separation of ownership and control led to the birth of a manager class and through this change it also led to vast alterations in the upper class. They state that, on one hand, the workers can buy shares in any company and the control of the companies wandered from the owners (members of the upper class) to the managers, thus the upper c lass became just as fragmented and layered as the working-, and middle-class. On the other hand, because of the changes in the quality of life, the lower classes enjoy or will enjoy the same privileges just as the upper class (Kirby et al, 1997). Hence, argue they, it does not make sense to study classes in the old way, since the classes in the way as people knew them have disappeared. However the scientists on the other side of the fence say that, though the class system became very layered, that change did not affected the upper class as much as the other classes. Moreover, they argue that the upper class is the only one which still can be identified and separated easily, although it became more layered than it was in the nineteenth century (Bilton et al, 2002). They prove this statement with statistics, surveys and other evidences. The changes that made the working-, and middle-class almost too layered to be studied, also had an effect on the upper class. The scientists now days separate different layers. The basic partitioning separates it to two layers: the upper-uppers and the lower-uppers. The upper-uppers are the old landed aristocracy and the lower-uppers are the new rich, who became wealthy during the industrialization or in the twentieth century through the changes in the global and national economy. These are the very basic layers of the upper class, but we can separate them further. As Macionis Plummer (2005) and Giddens (1980) cited by Kirby et al (1997, pp.124-125) state there are four main categories: the land-owning rich, whose income and wealth comes mostly from inherited lands and goods, the so called fat-cats who have gigantic salaries, the ‘jet-set rich who made their wealth in the show-, or any other businesses, but one thing is common in them they are all very famous. The last group i s the entrepreneurial rich who made their money through investments in companies or real estate. Scott (1997) cited by Fulcher Scott (2003, p.716) uses a different partitioning. He states that there are four layers of the lower-upper class. The first one is the ‘entrepreneurial capitalist. They make their money through running the business of big companies, whose shares they own. The second group is the ‘rentier capitalist. They made their money from the land or from any other business, but now days they make money by investing into many enterprises. The third layer is the ‘executive capitalist who own executive positions in big companies and reached this status by good education and hard work; and the last group is the ‘finance capitalist. They make their income by holding part-time positions in many corporations leadership, mainly in the banking or insurance sector. As it can be seen there are many layers in the upper class, but what makes these layers can be asked to constitute a well identifiable and basically single social group, called the upper class? Well, many things. In the nineteenth century the upper-upper and lower-upper class were quite separate. The landed upper class did not absorb the new rich till the end of the nineteenth century. This absorbing process was very slow. Though the lower-uppers had the same power and many times they were richer than many old-uppers, they did not have the prestige which the old-uppers had had for a long time. However, the unity of interests they have, slowly made them one single social class; and nowadays they are attached together by many things (Fulcher Scott, 2003). In a Weberian view, they have the power, status and wealth to defend their interests and reproduce themselves, which can be seen in the statistics. As Macionis Plummer (2005) state in 1997 there were 120.000 millionaires in Britai n, this number grew to 200.000 till 2000. Furthermore between 1983 and 1993 the earnings of the top five per cent of the population rose by fifty per cent, whilst the earnings of the lowest five per cent were basically stagnating. In addition the top one per cent of Britains population owns the one fifth, one fourth of the countrys marketable wealth, while half of the whole population owns only the six per cent of it. That is because they have huge influence in society, hence they can protect each others interest, which they do so. And what tides these people together as an upper class? As Kirby et al (1997) claim there is a social and economic unity amongst them. That means that they have similarities in background and education. They are mostly educated in public schools, and this public school system plays a very significant role in reproducing the upper class. As Stanworth Giddens (1974) cited by Kirby et al (1997, pp.126-127) found that ‘†¦of those employed in each of the following occupational categories bishops, senior ranks of the armed forces, principal judges, senior civil servants, Conservative MPs, and the directors of the largest industrial and financial corporations more than half had been to a public school (in many cases the proportion was much higher). Some 73 per cent of the directors of industrial corporations and 80 per cent of the directors of financial firms had received a public school education. This ratio is quite huge considering that public schools educate only five per cent of the male school population. For the members of the upper class this educational system has many benefits. It reproduces them and as Fulcher Scott (2003), Kirby et al (1997) and Marsh et al (2000) argue it establishes the so-called ‘old boy network. Furthermore, as Fawbert states (2007), it helps them to maintain their cultural capital (which helps them to remain wealthy); also they make very close kinship connections and interlocking networks, which ensure that their privileges will be transmitted to the next generation. Because of all these things it can be concluded that, although the upper part of society changed and got layered during the nineteenth and twentieth century, it still constitutes one well identifiable social class. The people, who belong to the upper class, manage to maintain their superiority. With the wealth and power they possess, they can ensure a privileged education to their children which leads almost straight to Oxford and Cambridge (‘Oxbridge). During this education process the youth of the upper class can develop the ‘old boy network, which helps them to get better jobs through the ‘elite self-recruitment (Fawbert, 2007). Furthermore, as Scott (1992) cited by Marsh et al (2000, p.306) argue, they are ‘†¦a group of people allied around certain social institutions. These institutions are the Conservative Party, the Church of England, the public schools and ancient universities, the legal profession and the Guards regiments†¦.Therefore despit e of the changes there is still a well identifiable upper class in Britain. Moreover it is the only social class left, which can be easily recognized and separated from the other social classes. Bibliography Bilton, T. et al (2002) Introductory Sociology 4th edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Fawbert, J. (2007) ‘Week 6: The class structure today: the upper class. Identity Structure. [Online]. Available at: http://breo.beds.ac.uk (Accessed: 7 December 2007) Fulcher, J. Scott, J. (2003) Sociology 2nd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kirby, M. et al (1997) Sociology in Perspective Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishers. Macionis, J. Plummer, K. (2005) Sociology: A Global Introduction 3rd edn. Harlow: Pearson Education. Marsh, I. et al (2000) Making Sense of Society 2nd edn. London: Longman.

Penmanship: Fractional Reflection :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The narrator of â€Å"Penmanship† is a man madly in love in the art of writing. It is through entering the enchanting world of pen and paper that he is able to face the complexities of reality like social cancer (corruption), violence (murder) and fiery emotions (love) with strength and confidence. He could feel â€Å"a twinge of sorrow† every time he mails a letter because he had voluntarily given away a part of himself. I think for him (and may I boldly include everybody else who writes) that every word is carefully chosen to project, be it hinted or open for others to see, the personality, character and experience that molded him into becoming who he is at the present of writing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If he loves writing, why did he concentrate most of that love to only on a fountain pen? Why not for the reader? The paper? It was clear from the start that the old Parker Vacuumatic fountain pen is sort of a heirloom therefore I won’t question anymore why didn’t he trash it for a new one. If I were the narrator, I would also fall for the fountain pen because it is the one I always use to materialize the thoughts, ideas and emotions I wish to convey. Paper doesn’t matter since any surface would do. Meanwhile readers, although necessary are not important because he writes on his own volition meaning it would be for his satisfaction first. Having readers is just one way for him to share that satisfaction by making them feel privileged to be remembered and cared for.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The narrator’s encounter with Nora was a terrible one. She only used him and destroyed his writing principles in the process. She let his emotions for her grow so she can use it to get him to be an unsuspecting accomplice who will write the lies she weaved about herself for a certain Mark (probably an ex-lover) whom she wishes to in still guilt for leaving her. The deed totally upset him. The poor penman had his heart broken again into pieces and now with a sullied principle to go with. He was filled with â€Å"filthy hurt and â€Å"felt overcome with precious feelings†. The only way for him to release those pent-up emotions from the burdening lies he had absorbed is through his pen, which already felt heavy with words waiting anxiously to be written.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are similarities with Jose Dalisay’s life and that of the narrator in â€Å"Penmanship†.

Family in the play Essay

The issues of parentage and family are profoundly of paramount importance in the play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, both as primary forces motivating the plot and as subjects yielding philosophical speculation and debate. Parentage can be defined as the group of individuals descending from a common ancestor and in Victorian England the issue of parentage was largely touched upon. In fact, appropriate parentage was a key to proving ones place as a member of the upper class of that particular era. Through his work, Wilde attempts to express his views on the matter through his so called â€Å"trivial comedy for serious people† and these views, along with integrated examples from the play itself, are what will form the basis of this essay. The issue of family is introduced from the very first Act, where we observe Algernon Moncrief expecting a visit from his aunt, Lady Bracknell, and her daughter Gwendolyn Fairfax. Even though Algernon has devised the act of Bunburying so as to be able to avoid confronting his family members in order to keep up appearances he agrees to meet Lady Bracknell for tea, even arranging for cucumber sandwiches to be made specially for her visit. The extended cucumber sandwich joke further exemplifies the superficiality of Algernon’s relationship with his Aunt when without realizing it; he steadily devours all the sandwiches that have been meticulously prepared for her visit. The arrival of Algernon’s kin, towards the middle of the first Act is signalled by the sound of the electric bell in a way that â€Å"only relatives, or creditors, ever ring in that Wagnerian manner†, according to Algernon. When Gwendolyn and her mother arrive the issue of parenting immediately comes to the foreground. Lady Bracknell immediately urges her daughter to join her in the kindest of manners: â€Å"Won’t you come and sit here, Gwendolyn? † in an attempt to keep her at her side. Her domineering nature, even over her own daughter, is exposed once again when, rather than asking as before, she states â€Å"Gwendolyn, you will accompany me (into the music room)† . Nevertheless, as in mother-daughter relationships of the present day, children always defy their parents and Gwendolyn does so by intentionally staying behind so as to confront Jack about their relationship. Gwendolyn’s determination and conduct during her brief encounter with Jack does show evidence of her mothers affect on her. Therefore, it is proven true that as stated in one of the most famous witticisms of the play â€Å"All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy†. Nevertheless, the instance during the play where the notion of parentage proves pivotal is during Lady Bracknell’s â€Å"interview† of Jack, so as to see if he would make an eligible husband for her daughter. Here, it is noticeable that even though Lady Bracknell is willing to negotiate with Jack on his political beliefs, hobbies and rather â€Å"unfashionable† place of residence she condemns his marriage to her daughter unless he manages to â€Å"produce at any rate one parent, of either sex, before the season is quite over†. To back up her decision she further clarifies that neither herself nor Lord Bracknell would ever allow their only daughter â€Å"to marry into a cloak-room, and form an alliance with a parcel† as she sweeps out in majestic indignation (as designated by Wilde’s stage instructions). On the basis of Lady Bracknell’s words and actions, it is evident that the fact that Jack was abandoned as a baby without any indication of which family line he descends from excludes him as a potential husband for Gwendolyn, proving just how significant parentage was in the Victorian era. It is common knowledge that above all else both parents and family are responsible for the upbringing of their children by setting the right examples. When crafting the character of Cecily, Wilde depicts the norm that occurs when one loses his/her relatives at a young age. In this case, even though Jack is not Cecily’s blood relative, she is his ward and he -apart from being as her legal guardian- acts as her father figure. Out of sheer respect Cecily addresses him as: â€Å"Uncle Jack† and her gratitude is even more evident in her engraving on his cigarette case: â€Å"from little Cecily with her fondest love†. Ward’s were not uncommon in the Victorian era as mortality rates were high and the average life span was a little over 50 years, but Cecily differs from Jack in the sense that she knows which family line she descends from. To conclude, it has been confirmed that the notion of family and parentage is influential throughout the play. First, it is what drives Algernon to the act of Bunburying. Second, it causes ideals to be projected from mother to daughter (from Lady Bracknell to Gwendolyn). Third, the absence of parentage in Jack’s case constitutes a barrier to his marriage to Gwendolyn and finally in Cecily’s case the absence of her family augments her relationship to Jack, as his beloved ward.

Facilities and Conflicts

There is an increase in tourism in Castleton, because of this many conflicts take place between the tourist and locals. To over overcome these conflicts the council have had to add facilities for tourists. The table attached with this shows some of the facilities added to try and solve some of the conflicts that take place. I have also explained below about each conflict and how the council have tried to solve the conflict. Litter: One of the first conflicts that occur in Castleton is that many of the tourists drop litter. When tourists drop litter this obviously make the locals furious because is ruining the environment. The council have tried to overcome this problem by putting bins around the village; there are also notices of fines for dropping litter around the village to make an attempt to stop tourists dropping litter. Toilets: Another conflict that occurs in Castleton is that the tourists annoy the locals to let them use their toilets. For example some tourist only go into a shop/public house to use the toilet. The council have tried to overcome this problem by putting public toilets in some places in Castleton. Directions: Another conflict that occurs that annoys some of the locals a lot is that tourists are regularly asking the locals for directions. The council have put up signs and information boards around the village. There is also and tourist information centre in Castleton, were the tourist could ask questions (directions) instead of asking the locals and they could also pick up leaflets and maps. Traffic: Another major conflict between the tourist and locals because of the traffic. There are two parts to the traffic conflict. The first part is the parking. There weren't enough parking spaces along the roads for the tourist. This caused a major problem parking problems because tourist parked their vehicle wherever they could. This caused problems and conflicts with locals because locals needed places to park their vehicles too. To solve this problem the council built a big car park for tourist vehicles (cars, coaches etc). The council have also put parking restrictions such as double yellow lines. The second part to the traffic conflict is the congestion. There is a lot tourist traffic, which causes congestion, which again annoys the locals. To solve this problem the council built a roundabout at the entrance of the car park. They have also made some roads a one-way system. The council have also introduced a system know as winnaits pass which means only car's with the pass are allowed in the area. Seating: Another conflict that has caused conflicts between the locals and tourist is that the tourists sit on walls, which eventually weaken and could make them crumble overtime (stones in a stone wall would loosen up and weaken and would crumble). To solve this problem the council have built benches in many areas to prevent this from happening. School Groups: The final conflict that occurs in Castleton is between tourist (mainly school groups) and locals. The school groups come to Castleton and make a lot of noise, which annoys the locals because they local residents want to enjoy the quiet environment. To solve this problem the council send the teachers to the information centre, which prevents too many school groups coming on the same day and also warns them about the residential areas. The council have also put up signs warning tourists about residential areas and tells the tourist to keep the noise level low

William Wordsworth, the Wandering Poet.

William Wordsworth, the Wandering Poet. Through the many works of William Wordsworth is found a vast correlation in his poetry and the experiences which he went through as an early child and throughout the rest of his life. These experiences carved themselves into Wordsworth's mind giving him a favorable ability to put his experiences and emotions into words through his good-natured poetry. To greater understand the poetry he wrote, it is crucial to have a knowledge of the life he lived.William Wordsworth was born the second child of John and Ann Wordsworth in Cockermouth, Cumberland, on April 7, 1770. Wordsworth was living up a decently good childhood in Cockermouth until 1778, where in March of that year his mother Ann died and the family was split up. Wordsworth's sister Dorothy was sent to live at Halifax with her mother's cousin, and the boys of the family were sent to school at Hawkshead where they were educated well and cared for.English: Portrait of William Wordsworth by William...It was young William's headmaster at Hawkshead who first encouraged him to read and write poetry. Wordsworth also happened to later write a poem about this early time in his life called "The Prelude." In this poem Wordsworth directly conveys the childish activities which he experienced which seemed quite normal, but would later develop him into a great poet.Four years had passed since his mother died and then, on December 30th, 1983 after celebrating the Christmas holidays, his father passed away at Wordsworth's young age of thirteen. After this occurrence their house was given up and the boys were made to live with their maternal grandparents the Cooksons, and their uncle, Christopher Crackanthoope Cookson. At this time in Wordsworth's life he underwent a significant change experienced dependency through patronization and also underwent a rebellious state from having to live with people who weren't...

Is There a Need for Constraining or Even Prohibiting the Sale and Use Essay

Is There a Need for Constraining or Even Prohibiting the Sale and Use of Alcohol - Essay Example Hence, those in favor propose that there should be monitored restrictions or absolute prohibition on alcohol consumption whereas the opponents who are in majority recommend that individuals should be guaranteed liberty to consume as much as they prefer. Alcohol consumption is a major factor that contributes to the increasing crime rate. In many countries its involvement can be up to 60 percent to 70 percent. It is one of the common reasons that lead to chaos in the public for example fights on the streets. It adds up figures to the list of sexual assaults, domestic violence, brutal crimes, murders, child abuse etc. Therefore in short, alcohol consumption is one of the leading factors that build up ground for crimes and violent behavior and a fall in its consumption will definitely lead to controlling these wrong deeds. Contrary to this, the opponents claim that sex and violence are two things toward which humans are inclined by nature and alcohol plays no part in bringing the urge fo r it. Alcohol can aid the process but is not a cause for them. The causes for them are biological. Hence whether it is made illegal, violence will continue. The drug laws in the country should be uniform. Addictive drugs like cannabis are made illegal because they affect the human mind, although they result in nearly no violence and crime. So drugs like alcohol should definitely be forbidden because of their immense crime rate. On the other hand those who oppose this stance claim that even cannabis should be legalized because the mainstream knows how to use these drugs securely and maturely. It is an addictive and destructive drug that when taken in large quantities, it completely shatters human lives. People end up with broken marriages, losing jobs, disturbed families, becoming shelter less only because of extreme alcoholism. Sadly its percentage is very high in our country. However, as opposed to this others believe that drinking has been a part of many cultures since hundreds of years. It is a social phenomenon and banning this act is entirely impractical. It is very much correct that if alcohol is banned the government will face huge losses in the tax revenues. However this is not a serious issue. It is because the government is already spending so much on treatment of addicts, illnesses related with alcohol and also on the police department for addressing alcohol related crimes and issues. If alcohol is banned, these spending will also cut down and the losses in tax revenue will be settled. Opponents however believe that alcohol has multibillion dollar industry globally and being a part of it brings huge revenues for the government through taxation and duties. Banning it would bring a massive set back to the governments earnings. Moreover if it is banned, black markets, traffickers, ill legal drug users will continue to flourish and this way the government would lose all its revenues. No doubt that drinking is very common in our country in all age groups and the government earns huge revenues through the industry, it still is a harmful substance for the humans in numerous aspects. It destroys the brain cells and drinkers have 10 percent smaller hippocampi- the part of the brain that deals with memory and learning, as compared to non drinkers. Severe drinking can lead to alcohol poisoning which can cause respiratory

The role of ombudsman in ADR and its impact on sovereign government Coursework

The role of ombudsman in ADR and its impact on sovereign government - Coursework Example While usually asked by one party or the other to become involved, the ombudsman may take the initiative without being requested to do so. While formal definition of the role is not legally universally accepted, the description of the role is generally as stated and practiced within the limits and specifications of various legal systems and constitutions. Functioning on local, national and international level, the role of ombudsman is the purest and most effective form of alternative dispute resolution between individuals and more powerful entities. The Ombudsman: Concept and Mechanisms for ADR The role of Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) in resolving the grievances of private citizens has expanded over the years to achieve a status even among attorneys as a valid legal and useful practice. Rather than merely an alternative to costly litigation, it has resurrected ‘traditional notions’ about the use of negotiation and out of court settlement.1 Over the past two decades ADR has evolved into a complex arena for settling disputes, encouraged by the rise in popularity and acceptance of the ombudsman as prime impartial negotiator. With the increased use of ombudsmen, officials in this role can be found at all levels of government, as well as in settings of private industry and academia. Modeled on a long established Swedish precedent, the concept took hold in Europe the 1960s along with a growing ‘power to the people’ movement seeking redress for the average person against the powerful forces of government and industry in dispute situations. Ombudsman were to assist in achieving fairness by means of independence, unfettered access to records and persons, careful investigation, impartiality and the prestige of the office. Ombudsman today can be found in almost any official capacity where parties involved in disputes are in need of an impartial negotiator. Differences in the operational aspect among these negotiating agents often depend upon where he or she is expected to function, but always within the clearly defined parameters of impartiality and/or political neutrality. In the private corporate environment, the ombudsman may not only resolve differences between workers and employers, but often affect better conditions in the workplace that discourage extreme acts by the offended party or parties as a means to resolution. Mechanisms employed in these circumstances may prove simple or complex, depending upon the nature of the grievances or dispute, as well as the commitment and attitudes of the parties at odds. The goal, however, is always the same: a fair resolution to a conflict of interests that satisfies and is fair to both parties achieved in a non-litigious setting. In the public arena--as in disputes with government and public agencies—the ombudsman also functions as a bureaucratic monitoring mechanism. Basically, the activity in the public realm may be viewed as threefold: as stopgap measure to holding administrators accountable for treatment of citizens; as righting wrongs done to citizens, and as a tool to dissuade citizens from becoming alienated from the tangled government bureaucracy, rendering it, or seemingly so, more human and personal. As watchdogs, ombudsman look for potential government abuses, and at times, as is fair and appropriate to their role as impartial mediators, they can also vindicate officials unjustly charged in a grievance with wrongdoing.2 The position then is a hedge against what many citizens see as an all powerful bureaucratic