The Role of Social Class in Thomas Hardy's Writing
The works of Thomas Hardy reflect the ideas of a man who was clearly obsessed with the issue of social class throughout his literary career. From his first novel, The Poor Man and the Lady (the very title of which indicates class differentiation), to his final work, Jude the Obscure, class issues are woven into every novel which Hardy wrote. Furthermore, his works are personal in the sense that they depict Hardy's own lifelong struggles with social mobility and the class structure as a whole throughout his life.
Hardy was born the son of an independent mason in the rural area of Higher Bockhampton, Dorset. As he was growing up, he felt that the circumstances surrounding the working class limited the opportunities by which he could fully develop his talents. Thus, in order to create a place for himself in society, he pursued architecture for nearly twenty years while writing on the side. Only when Hardy had firmly established himself as a writer with the success of Far from the Madding Crowd did he completely devote himself t...
...igade, Praetorian Guards and even some were able to be selected for the position of Governor over a province. In an attempt to restore the true significance of being a citizen of the Republic, Augustus also restricted the number of slaves who could be freed by a master and age limits to slaves who could be freed. However, Augustus clearly did not hold any form of distaste to these freedmen, as many were employed to carry out financial and administrative affairs, some even personally to Augustus. The use of the talents of these freedmen and equestrians proved beneficial to the maintenance of Rome, and as the historian Scullard states, “Thus Augustus succeeded in building up an efficient body of salaried professional administrators; all o them indirectly depended on their favour, and a large proportion of them directly appointed by him and responsible to him alone.”
Within 21 years of Xerxes reign to the Persian empire, Xerxes impact and legacy to is questionable from the successes and failures of: the military and administration contributions. From the use of sources such as the Harem inscription “When my father Darius went away from the throne, but the grace of Ahuramazda, I became king on my father’s throne. When I become king, I did much that was excellent. What had been built by my father, I protected, and I added other buildings” is essential and useful in assessing Xerxes’ legacy.
First, as the war between England and France intensified, American merchants continued to trade with both countries. In 1805, a British court ruled that enemy goods were not neutralized ...
As noted in the case, their initial payout ratio was 15%. However, when they considered increasing their dividends, they wanted the payout ratio to be 25% to 30%. The issue at hand is whether or not they can keep a consistent payout even with their drop in sales and earnings in 2003. T...
Jane Austen seems to have been disheartened by the decay of England's aristocratic society. The exploration of the innocent protagonist of each novel further into her core ethics, and the relation of these to the imposing culture of her immediate family and surrounding social class gives the reader a fresh taste of the prominence of class distinction and the apparent emptiness of the aristocratic society that in reality existed in Austen's own life. A close examination of the evolution of Austen's ideals through her novels will reveal the essence of the protagonist's relationship to her family, and its direct relationship to the family's moral stance, as well as conclusive evidence regarding Austen's own values.
Richardson, G. E. (2002). The Metatheory of Resilience and Resiliency. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(3), 307-321. doi:10.1002/jclp.10020
In mid September 2005, Ashley Swenson, the chief financial officer of this large CAD/CAM equipment manufacturer must decide whether to pay out dividends to the firm¡¦s shareholders or repurchase stock. If Swenson chooses to pay out dividends, she must also decide on the magnitude of the payout. A subsidiary question is whether the firm should embark on a campaign of corporate-image advertising and change its corporate name to reflect its new outlook. The case serves a review of the many practical aspects of the dividend and share buyback decisions, including(1) signaling effects, (2) clientele effects, and (3) finance and investment implications of increasing dividend payout and share repurchase decisions.
Dividends are the distribution of profits in the company. It depends on the type of dividend policy made by companies. Dividend policy will affect the behaviours and attitudes of investors towards the company. Many economists or financial experts have constructed different theories to interpret the effects of a dividend policy to the society. But these theories are contestable since they are not tested in the real world. Managers’ decision on determining the size and time of a company’s next dividend payment is also important for both companies and shareholders. They will affect the company to distribute an appropriate amount of dividends in a right time. This essay will discuss whether theories of dividend payment, such as the dividend irrelevance and signalling effects are applicable in the real world. It will then describe some key factors that managers should consider on deciding the time and size of a company’s next dividend payment. Finally, it will conclude with the significance of a company’s decision on dividend payments.
Social class was the foundation of everyday life during the Middle Ages. Social class played a significant role in the lives of medieval people. The aristocracy class and the immoral lower class were often viewed by society as practically different races. In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer shows the wide variance among the classes in every aspect of their daily lives. The zeitgeist of the Middle Ages can be seen through his illustration of differences between classes in moral behavior, economic power, the autonomy and education of women during the Middle Ages.
'The business of the poet and novelist is to show the sorriness underlying the grandest things, and the grandeur underlying the sorriest.'; Thomas Hardy said this upon completion of the novel The Mayor of Casterbridge. Thomas Henchard, the main character in his novel, becomes the example to illustrate this idea. Henchard is at one point the most powerful person in a small town called Casterbridge. He is the wealthiest person and commands the most respect, but Hardy shows some terrible characteristics of Henchard. Because of Henchard's pride and ego, he loses his fame and fortune and becomes a part of the lowest working class. There, while exhibiting some of his cruder qualities, he also shows signs of true affection to others.
Thomas Hardy wrote about society in the mid 1800's and his tales have rural settings in the fictional name he gave to the South-West of England, Wessex. The short stories reflect this time and the author also demonstrates the class division in rural society - rich and poor - and the closeness of the communities. Almost everyone belonged to the 'labouring classes' and worked on the land.
A central theme to the book is the class consciousness that is regarded so highly by many of the characters. People of an inferior class were expected to realize their inferiority and act upon it accordingly. Furthermore, upper-class occupants are privileged to hold their inferiors in disdain and even contempt. The middle-class women are especially vulnerab...
In order to analyze Austen’s treatment of class system in Persuasion, the novel can be split into two somewhat contradictory halves. Austen spends much of the first half of the novel attempting to convince the audience of the importance of a system of manners, upon...
Essay Title- Examine how either text represents EITHER class OR gender. Are these representations problematic or contradictory? How do they relate to the plot and structure of the novel?
...y a set of expectations and values that are established on mannerisms and conduct challenged by Elizabeth. From this novel, it is evident that the author wrote it with awareness of the class issues that affect different societies. Her annotations on the fixed social structure are important in giving a solution to the current social issues; that even the class distinctions and restrictions can be negotiated when an individual turns down bogus first impression s.