Money Can Buy Happiness The Question of Choice in Dreiser’s “The Second Choice” free essay sample

The United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century was undergoing a drastic change. A war between its states had just concluded, enslaved people were granted freedom, immigrants from all over the world flocked to the country, and a bitter divide between rich and poor was beginning to form. The literature followed the same trajectory of the country and, as does most literature, became a mirror of the happenings across gender, race, and class. Many telling insights about the new construct of country post-Civil War could be found within these works. One such insight about the United States concerned the relationship between women and choice. During this new chapter of American history, women were making their voices known. Writers like Margaret Fuller, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman were some of the most prominent female writers during this time and were large contributors to this new wave of literature. We will write a custom essay sample on Money Can Buy Happiness: The Question of Choice in Dreiser’s â€Å"The Second Choice† or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They blended feminine perspective with a form of literature that became extremely popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century: Realism. Feminine realism was so marketable that even male authors produced such writings. One such male author was Theodore Dreiser with his short story â€Å"The Second Choice. † Much can be inferred from this story, but mainly that while money can buy women’s happiness and the freedom to choose, true mobility and choice is something only accessible to rich, white men. The title of the work may give many readers the implication that Shirley, the protagonist, ultimately resigns to her fate and chooses Bart, her second choice for a mate. While that is a very valid interpretation, it certainly isn’t the only one. One reading into the title could suggest that Shirley is the second choice. Consider the opening pages of the story, which is Arthur’s, Shirley’s love, letter to Shirley. While Shirley is limited to her choices, Arthur has, and has made, many choices. He tells her, â€Å"But I’m too young to marry now. You know that, Shirley, don’t you? † He continues with, â€Å"Roxbaumthat’s my new employercame to me and wanted to know if I would like an assistant overseership in Java (p. 1). † Within one paragraph of a letter, Arthur has already made two choices! Furthermore, the fact that he has even penned this letter to Shirley all the way from Pittsburgh shows the mobility and free range that he has. Dreiser perhaps was reminding his audience (which was largely composed of immigrant and/or lower class women) that despite the fierce feminist movement that had gripped the nation, equality between men and women was still grossly imbalanced. In the span of about forty pages, Arthur easily moves from West Leigh (the adjoining suburb), to Shirley’s town, to Pittsburgh to Java. However, for Shirley, West Leigh is the furthest she travels in the story, and even then, she was invited by a friend. It is only through another person that Shirley is able to move from one place to another. Another reading into both the title and plot is the question about class. Anatomy already puts half of the population at a disadvantage in attaining mobility, but class can also be a major hinderance to the freedoms of choice. In the beginning of the story, Shirley muses, â€Å" her parents, her work, her daily shuttling to and fro between the drug company for which she worked and this street and housewas typical of her life and what she was destined to endure always. † She continues her lament by comparing herself to other â€Å"girls [who] were so much more fortunate. They had fine clothes, fine homes, a world of pleasure and opportunity in which to move (4). † Shirley is very conscious of her position as a â€Å"have not† and yearns for that â€Å"world of pleasure and opportunity in which to move. † It is with this passage in mind that raises the question: Is Shirley really in love with Arthur or is she simply drawn to the opportunity and world he represents? A compelling case can be made for both, however, the question nor answer are as important as the result. Due to her gender and class, she will not have the chance to find out. Her gender and class are parts of Shirley’s identity that restrict her from movement. The choices that such confining circumstances allow are so limited, Shirley might as well have no choice at all. She can marry Bart, marry someone else, or spend her life alone. None of these choices include Arthur, so none of them will make her happy. Through this short story, Dreiser is making a statement about the position of lower class women in the feminist movement. Feminism does not include someone of Shirley’s status and gender. This was a movement strictly for the higher classes. Besides this, perhaps Dreiser is making an even broader statement about the suffrage movement. Indeed the suffrage movement was largely composed of genteel women, but much like Shirley, the only chance at more freedom and choice for any woman in this country is still through a man. Women’s right to vote and the right to make more independent decisions for themselves still must be approved by a federal government run exclusively by men. Regardless of any choice that Shirley (women) could have made, Arthur (men) still have the greatest mobility. Dreiser probably neither praises or condemns the feminist movement, but rather reminds his readers to keep things in their proper perspective and not to allow themselves to be carried away quite so quickly. No matter class or gender, true freedom is still only reserved to rich, white males.

Juvenile Courts

Juvenile Courts Free Online Research Papers What was the social and historical context in which the juvenile court was created? What has been the fundamental difference between the procedures used in juvenile courts and those employed in criminal (adult) courts? Juvenile Court, authority charged with the disposition of legal actions involving children.One hundred years ago, the Illinois legislature enacted the Illinois Juvenile Court Act (1899 Ill. Laws 132 et seq.), creating the first separate juvenile court. The policy debates raging around the country in this centennial year(1899), however, make it uncertain whether the traditional juvenile court will prevail. Early in the 19th century, juveniles were tried along with adults in criminal courts. In common law, children under age 7 were conclusively presumed immune from prosecution because they lacked state brings the suit and must show guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, while in civil cases the plaintiff brings the suit and must only show the defendant is liable by a preponderance of the evidence.Clearly, both the adult criminal and juvenile justice systems have undergone vast changes over the last 100 years. However, one thing that has remained constant is the desire of courts, correctional professionals, and policymakers to reduce recidivism and enhance society safety. To achieve those goals and other important objectives, implementation of a variety of sentencing, corrections, and diversion practices resulted. Currently, officials are looking at new ways to deal with crime or are modifying existing practices to achieve their goals. Research Papers on Juvenile CourtsThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseOpen Architechture a white paperEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenQuebec and CanadaThe Effects of Illegal Immigration19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesDefinition of Export QuotasComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 Europe

Impact of print media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Impact of print media - Essay Example Media can promote democracy. In fact, media can be an important incubator of dissent and principled opposition to the military regime (Tironi and Sunkel 2000). How audience is targeted. A clearly defined target audience is important in any media such as print. Targeting an audience as a concept is best explained by examples. Consider the Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFFA), a social justice organization achieving equality and acceptance for gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual (GLTB) people ("We are" 2007). For their primary target audience, they have the "moveable middle," or heterosexuals whose opinions can be "moved" toward the positive through education. This group had conducted research beforehand and knew too well that a greater percentage of well educated people, females and higher income people, will be less prejudiced against homosexual people. They also learned that the general heterosexual population is extremely under-educated as regards GLBT people. Finally, they also came to know that heterosexuals are largely unaware of the lack of civil rights GLBT people experience, and are exposed largely to stereotypes and myths about them. Heterosexuals then became their primary target audience. ... Their energy, they decided, is to be saved for those who will listen ("We are" 2007). In targeting audience, therefore, research is needed where time, money, and effort could be used most efficiently. AFFA had to consider if the people who will be exposed to the message are above average in terms of education and income when placing media. If positive, they can become the best target market for change in attitudes about GLBT issues. They had to conduct a survey toward this objective to be able to get reliable data. In some media campaigns, a secondary target audience may also be obtained. The AFFA, for example, has the GLBT community being exposed to their message as secondary target audience, the purpose of which is to instill confidence and self-esteem. The objective of media campaign at times dictates choice of the primary target group. For example, to change sex selective behaviour, the target group should be those who seek the services to determine the sex of the fetus and later to abort it ("Sex Selection" 2007). It was found out that it is not effective to target medical practitioners who supply their services exclusively through mass media. Instead, the young unmarried women are best the target audience as they are the most open to questioning inherited values and behaviors, display the greatest conflict with choices forced upon them, and express discomfort with practices of sex selection. Mostly, they appear to be the most amenable to behaviour change ("Sex Selection 2007). In both instances mentioned here, the common denominator for target audience appears to be those most responsive to behavior change. What research literature says is first considered, then, time, money and effort are spent in planning the most efficient way how