John Adams Mini Series Essay Example for Free

John Adams Mini Series Essay The epic HBO miniseries John Adams is far more than a simple historical drama or biographical account of the life of one of the United States’ founding fathers. The series is a glimpse of a period of American history of which many Americans today are unfortunately ignorant. When most modern Americans think of the period of the Revolutionary War and the birth of the country, barring those that study history during school or as an occupation, they think merely of stilted figures that are more myth than reality. When they think of George Washington, they think of a stoic, almost superhuman figure, that is best known for being so honest that he could not tell a lie as a child when he chopped down a cherry tree. When they think of Thomas Jefferson, they think of a genius that so poetically created the country’s most important documents and made the Louisiana Purchase that doubled the country’s size. When common Americans think of Benjamin Franklin, they think that he invented electricity. And, when they think of John Adams, most Americans unfortunately do not really know what to think, and more than anything else, the miniseries sets forth to enlighten the masses. John Adams, while a seminal figure in the birth of the U. S. , is largely unknown by so many of young and old citizens that can rattle off facts of popular culture faster than American history. Like many of the other founding fathers, he is viewed less as human and more as a mythological figure in history, though his actual contributions are not as pronounced as Jefferson, Washington, and even Franklin. The miniseries sheds light on the mystery of John Adams by showing him as he was: a man. Not only do they portray him as a man, they portray him as flawed, awkward at times, easy to anger and to feel slighted, but always honest and upright. He is also ceaselessly prudent and refuses to shy away from work or duty. If anything, this is the main attribute that allowed a hard-working self-made man like John Adams to elevate himself to the level of president, despite all the odds that seemed to be stacked against him. He lacked the charisma of his cousin, Sam, the finances of many founding fathers like Jefferson, and the leadership skills of Washington, but he still managed to elevate himself through hard work and his sense of duty. By portraying John Adams as a regular man that elevated himself through reason and duty, the makers of the miniseries are trying to remove the myth from the founding fathers and replace it with something far more valuable: the truth. Adams, like Jefferson, Washington, and Franklin were merely men at a pivotal time in history with strong ideals and the courage to not back down from them. Adams was also portrayed as having many of the problems and home life of common Americans today. Though his children were on the whole upstanding, he still experienced problems with his son Charles, who drank and caroused and felt neglected by his father. This aspect of Adams’ duty was portrayed excellently in the miniseries, as his wife Abigail and his children often felt the pain of having their father and husband away so often. Adams, too, was not devoid of feeling the absence, and his love for his wife often kept him grounded, if not feeling lonely on the long journeys to Europe. The relationship between Adams and his wife is one of the most humanizing aspects of the film, and it portrays the intimate life of a founding father without any romantic idealization. The Adamses loved each other deeply, and Abigail would often soothe her husband’s doubts and insecurities, while also instilling in him the confidence to succeed. As a strong, intelligent woman in a time where women were expected to live nothing more than a domestic life, the miniseries portrays Abigail as contributing a great deal to her husband’s views, and therefore a great deal in his actions concerning the founding of the country. At times, she would take a hard line with him, though never browbeating him, and she would remind him of his abilities when he would sometimes forget. This helps make modern viewers understand the humanity of life in America over two-hundred years ago, with a reality previously unseen in historical films and television shows. There are also many intricacies of Revolutionary society which are rarely portrayed, but dealt with so well in the miniseries. Fashion is a huge issue, and the wigs that men wore make a modern person wonder about such trends, possibly even questioning current fashion trends. Today, successful men wear suits with ties around their necks, and rarely wear hats. While in Adams’ time, no men went out without their hat, and few men went out without their wigs. While this could be a substitute for male pattern baldness, it seems more like a status symbol, where men can be judged by the elaborate nature of their wigs and their curls. The time spent on such things like the fashion of the French court, the powdering of the wigs, and the white wigs worn by the King of England and those in court seem to suggest an intricacy that most modern Americans may find strange, but can be no stranger than the Windsor knot. This, like many other things in the miniseries help modern viewers understand that while things like fashion changes throughout time, men do not. The miniseries John Adams is about much more than a man or a myth, but it serves as an adept chronicling of history that personalizes events significant to the founding of America. Not only does it humanize John Adams, it helps explain to modern Americans that might not know the contributions he made and how much everything they take for granted is owed to his hard work and sacrifices. The ideals that Adams held sacred are still echoed in the fabric of America, even if Americans cannot see it. The hard work, the individualism, the sometimes inexcusable lack of diplomacy in exchange for brutal honesty are all characteristics that have been respected and emulated by Americans throughout the past two centuries. Adams had few pretensions, and though he had more than a few character flaws, he was human. More than anything else, the miniseries adeptly portrays that history is not merely words in a history book or romanticized in film, but history is the collected actions of humans throughout time, warts and all. History is created by men that are flawed, all the problems and benefits of family and love are the same, and sometimes, a few regular men rise up and change the world, like John Adams.

Impact of the Chronic Illness in Patients Lives

Impact of the Chronic Illness in Patients Lives Client Focused Study This assignment will focus on the patients journey and the impact of the chronic illness in their lives. Firstly a rationale for the chosen client and the health deviation will be explained. Secondly, how the deviation has an impact on the patients journey throughout the health care will be highlighted and potential influences of on long term well being of the patient and their family will be explored. Finally, the knowledge gained from the assignment and how it can be helpful in the future practice will be addressed. In accordance with the NMC Code of Professional conduct (2010), the patient chosen for this essay will be named Miss X, to protect her identity and maintain confidentiality. Informed consent will be attached as appendix I. Miss X is a 58 year old patient who had been diagnosed 3 years ago with COPD related to Emphysema. She had been smoking for 40 years and gave up smoking 3 months after her initial diagnosis. She has currently been admitted care to specialised Respiratory ward in a local London hospital, following an exacerbation of COPD. Her current symptoms are chest pain and shortness of breath. The rationale for choosing Miss X for this assignment is because during my placement in the respiratory ward, I found the patient having difficulties to perform physical activities due to the breathlessness. As a result, I developed an interest in learning how breathlessness occurs and its affect on the patients daily life. Further rationale of The Nice guidelines for COPD (2010) reported that COPD is the 5th biggest killer in the U.K. and also Worldwide. In addition, evidence reports that the main cause of developing COPD is due to smoking. The national statistics General Lifestyle Survey (2008) reported that at least 21% of the U.Ks population smoke which means COPD will remain to be endemic in this Country. The annual cost of COPD to the NHS is estimated at more than  £980 million and the figures are rising every year. Beraden (2011) reported that incidence of breathlessness in patients with diagnosed COPD is approximately 65% and 90%. These statistics highlights that it is impo rtant to be aware of the health deviation of COPD such as breathlessness in order to ensure the patient receives a quality of life. Evidently, the pathophyisology of breathlessness caused by emphysema is noted to be a physical development of airflow obstruction and impaired gas exchange. Blackler (2007) explains emphysema as a progressive chronic lung disease where the airways are inflamed and the tissue of the lungs and the alveoli are destroyed. The inflammation in the airway obstructs the flow of air in to the alveoli. In addition, the alveoli lose their elasticity and during breathing this loss can lead to the alveoli collapsing and causing breathlessness. The main factor causing these characteristics of Emphysema is Smoking. Mc Cance, (2010) informs that smoking cigarette activates the neutrophils which subsequently release the enzymes protease and anti protease. As a result of the toxins from cigarette smoking, the chemical activity of the protease and anti protease is imbalanced. The author further explains that a balance is required in order to maintain normal lung function and the derangements of this balance may result in increased destruction and inappropriate repair of the lungs. Inappropriate repair of the lungs can lead to the alveoli being eliminated of the pulmonary capillary bed, causing mismatching in ventilation and perfusion. As a result there is less surface area for the gases to exchange causing decrease of the oxygen levels in the blood (Mc Cance, 2010). Thus any mild form of exercise can raise oxygen requirement leaving the patient breathless. This is evident in Miss X whenever she performs any type of physical acti vity. In addition, Damjanov (2006) explains that the destruction in the alveoli and the bronchiole wall also contribute in the reduction of elastic recoil of the airway. This leads to difficulty in expiration as the loss of elastic recoil reduces the volume of air that can be expired . As the air is not effectively exhaled, air trapping occurs causing the chest to expand. Long term air trapping in the lungs causes the chest to have a barrel like appearance. This is because the lungs are over inflated with air and the ribcage mostly remains expanded which gives the chest its barrel shape (Damjanov, 2006). Barrel chest is very noticeable in Miss X. People who smoke do not necessarily develop Emphysema therefore inherited genetics disorders are believed to contribute to the development of this disease. McCance, (2010) explains that emphysema mainly occurs with patients who have Alpha 1- antitrypsin deficiency (A1AD). In A1AD enzymes such as elastase destroys the elastin and the tissue of the airway which again leads to mismatching of perfusion of gas exchange and ventilation. Furthermore, Pryor and Prasad (2009) describes the sensation of breathlessness originates when the sensory system activates within the lungs, chest wall and the respiratory muscles raise awareness of breathing discomfort. However, psychological factors can also be associated with breathlessness. It is regarded as a subjective experience in COPD anxiety act as an trigger when the patient sense discomfort in breathing. Some studies show the following sequence of events; aggravation by anxiety and panic attacks leads to breathlessness and so forth a continuous cycle is created (Robert and Stockley, 2007) The patients journey starts when the patient says so or from diagnosis to the end of life. Three years ago before her diagnosis, Miss X went to see her GP when she started noticing breathlessness whilst performing physical activities. The GP diagnosed Miss X based on her clinical features and other tests; Chest Ct Scan, her Blood test and her spirometry reading which was FEV1/FVC The GP also referred her to Smoking Cessation Clinic along with a prescription of nicotine patches which helped her quit smoking after 5 months of her first screening date. The NICE COPD Guidelines (2010) highlights that Smoking Cessation should be recommended to newly diagnosed patients. As stated by the Department Of Health the government targets to reduce the smoking population further than its current 26%, which was achieved successfully by 2010 (DOH, 2010). Despite the governments efforts, literature reviews shows that not all of the patients fully recover from smoking addiction. The study conducted by Zhou et al (2009) found that out of 2431 patients who managed to quit smoking after Smoking cessation, 80% were reported to relapse after 3 to 18 months. The data may not be reliable enough to completely prove this high number of relapse because not all the subjects observed carried on for the whole duration of the study. Despite the slight drawbacks of the studies, it has helped the government back up for the funding of smoking cessation clinics. Along with the Smoking cessation clinic miss X was also referred to have annual Influenza vaccination, Pneumococcal vaccination and was encouraged to regular exercise. Miss X is also seen by the community Respiratory Nurse specialist and community nurse on a regular basis for medical checkups. Miss X has had few hospital admissions since her diagnosis due to her exacerbation of COPD. On her recent admission she was brought in by an ambulance as she was not able to breathe due to her breathlessness and chest pain. She was immediately admitted to AE where they diagnosed her with exacerbation of COPD. Miss X was assessed and was stabilised by oxygen therapy and nebulisers in AE. She was then transferred to the Respiratory ward for further investigation and treatment. The ward respiratory doctor requested her for chest X-ray, ECG, Arterial Blood Gases test, blood test, urine dipstick test and sputum culture. The investigation confirmed that she had chest infection. Her oxygen saturation was also maintained by oxygen therapy. Miss X was then started on nebulisers, I.V. antibiotics and for a 7 day course she was on oral prednisolone (Steroids). Jong et al (2007) suggest that oral prednisolone is recommended than I.V prednisolone because there was no difference on treatment and helps reduce patient to be prone to infection. During the stay in the ward Miss X was noticed to be underweight and was referred to the dietician who prescribed her to nutritional drinks and given advice on healthy eating. She was also seen by the Physiotherapist for breathing techniques and mobilising with the breathlessness. As Miss X has had few admissions due to her exacerbation she was also referred to pulmonary rehabilitation after her discharge. The NICE (2010) highlighted that pulmonary rehab illation improves the patients quality of life and therefore, any COPD patient of grade 3 on the MRC scale (Medical Research Council) should be referred to the programme after being discharged. Currently the government suggests that the standard population for rehabilitation up take of the programme should be 230 patients per 100,000 of a normal population in a trust per year. This is a very small number of uptakes in relation to the COPD population; such limitation can create restrictions to access the rehabilitation programme. The deviation can have an impact on the long term well being of Miss X and her Family. COPD is a disease that progress over a long time along with severity of its symptoms. ( 20) confirms that COPD over time results in fatigue, depression, anxiety, reduced exercise tolerance and poor nourishment. Firstly, the effort to maintain normal ventilation, all the energy of the patient is consumed causing tiredness and fatigue restricting the patients ability to perform everyday activities. Miss X interprets her breathlessness has restricted her to perform physical activities and therefore retired from her waitress job at the age of 56. This has led to her being financially dependent on her 22 year old son and government disability financial support. She also relies on her son to help her with household chores as she is not able to perform certain activities by herself such as shopping, cleaning, washing, cooking, paying bills etc. Furthermore, Lahaije et al (2010) proved that COPD patients do eliminate their daily activities due to physiological limitation caused by breathlessness. The study was conducted on 21 COPD patients and ten healthy subjects living in Netherlands. The study measured the performance time for daily living activities; where COPD patients were involved less whereas healthy subjects were higher. The study consisted of only 21 COPD patients and 10 healthy subjects which is a very small sample therefore cannot be generalised. However, the study conducted by Szarm (2010) on a survey of 20693 patients residing in England who were aged between 51- 60 year old were reported to also have an impaired work performance due to breathlessness mostly caused by COPD. The finding from Szram (2010) is more reputable than Lahaije et al (2010) with regards to generalising COPD patients limiting breathlessness as the sample size was much larger Miss x also suffered from urinary incontinence. Literature reveals that patients with COPD do suffer from stress incontinence of urine due to increased abdominal pressure whilst coughing (Tozun et al, 2009). However, some authors forget that inability to reach the toilet in time due to breathlessness could be the factor influencing urinary incontinence in COPD patients. Secondly, the disability caused by Miss Xs breathlessness has also had an impact on her psychological state. Numerous studies have proved that the symptoms of COPD can cause patients to be depressed and affect the quality of life. Stage et al (2009) literature review highlights that depression is common in COPD patients and about 40% of the COPD diagnosed suffer from either severe or clinical depression. The literature review also noted that mortality rate was lower in non depressed COPD patient than the depressed. In addition, she feels that she is a burden to her son and feels embarrassed on having sudden panic attacks in public whilst she is out shopping or socialising. Miss X reported that she felt devalued as she experienced being treated differently by others and also feel socially isolated. The qualitative study conducted by Berger et al (2010) confirms that COPD patients do experience stigmatisations which are triggered by self blame related to smoking, being a burden, embarrassment. Stuenkel and Wong (2009) highlight the Goffmans theory of support groups in which the patients shares similar stigma. The support group evidently has helped to feel accepted, gain moral support. The Breathe Easy support group programme Miss X attends every fortnight has helped her to reduce her stigmisation. In light of all this, Miss X does have a positive attitude to cope with her condition. She is aware that her condition is not curable but can be managed if she complies with the treatment. She is adherent to her medication and her treatment plan. Naidoo and Wills (2010) explain that the Health locus of control (HCOL) is divided into two controls; internal where people are in control of their condition and external where people are beyond control of their condition. Miss X falls under the internal HCOL as she controls her condition very well. Lastly, Miss Xs son is very worried about his mother going to have an emergency admission to the hospital again. The patients son is psychologically stressed and fells socially isolated due to financial and household commitments. However, he has been accessing support and advice from the doctors, nurses and special support groups. Moreover, the review of qualitative studies conducted by Spence et al (2008) explored the specific care needed of care givers of patients with COPD. The review confirmed that restricted activities of daily living and emotional distress were identified by the 7 subjects studied. This assignment has helped me to understand the impact COPD has on the patient, family and health care system. The skills and knowledge gained to care for the COPD patient will ensure an evidence based care will be delivered to the patient and the family. In future, whilst nursing a patient with breathlessness I will follow the guidelines as directed by the NICE guidelines as care required. I will also consider the psychological and social state of the patient on planning the care as these are the main aspects of the disease which impact the patients quality of life. To overcome any issues if countered, social issues will be referred to the social services and any psychological issues should be referred to the clinical psychologist. Finally, I have learned that educating patient and the family of services available and the disease itself is the key to aid them cope and comply with the treatment. In conclusion, the assignment overviews a journey of a patient diagnosed with emphysema with the health deviation of breathlessness. The NHS has been providing treatment and therapies to reduce the risk of patients developing emphysema. Literature reviews indicate that breathlessness can contribute to several psychosocial issues in the patients life. Word Count 2499 References List Beraden,K. (2011). Recent advances in the management of breathlessness. Indian Journal Of Palliative Care. 17 (4), 29-32. Szram et al. (2010). Breathlessness and work performance in older adults in Kent. Thorax. 65 (4), 78-79. Stuenkel, D and Wong, V. (2009). Stigma. In: Larsen,P and Lubkin,I Chronic illness: impact and intervention . 7th ed. USA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. 57. Jong et al . (2007). Oral or IV Prednisolone in the Treatment of COPD Exacerbations* A Randomized, Controlled, Double-blind Study. American College of Chest Physicians. 132 (1), 1741-1747. Tozun et al. (2009). Prevalence of Urinary Incontinence among Women and Its Impact on Quality of Life in a Semirural Area of Western Turkey. Gynecoloicand Obstetric Investigation . 67 (1), 241-249. Berger et al. (2010). The Experience of Stigma in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Western Journal of Nursing Research. X, 1-17. Spence et al. (2008). Active carers: living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. International Journal of Pallative Nursing. 14 (8), Stage et al. (2006). Depression in COPD- Management and quality of life considerations. International Journal of COPD. 1 (3), 315-320. Department of Health. Consultation on a Strategy for Services for COPD in England. London: Department of Health, 2010. British Thoracic Society. Burden of Lung Disease 2006. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (update). (Clinical guideline 101.) 2010. http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG101. Last Accessed 20/02/2011 Office for National Statistics. (2010). 12. General Lifestyle Survey 2008: Smoking and drinking among adults,. Available: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_compendia/GLF08/GLFSmokingDrinkingAmongAdults2008.pdf. Last accessed 20th Feb National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. (2006). Pulmonary Rehabilitation service for patients with COPD. Available: http://www.nice.org.uk/usingguidance/commissioningguides/pulmonaryrehabilitationserviceforpatientswithcopd/pulmonaryrehabilitationservicecopd.jsp. Last accessed 20th Feb 2011. McCance et al (2010). Pathophysiology, The Biologic Basis for Disease in Adults and Children. 6th ed. Missouri: ELSEVIER. 1286-1289. Nursing Midwifery Council (2008) The Code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives NMC, London Blackler et al (2007). Managing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. England: John Wiley and Sons LTD. 1-12. Damanjov Pryor,J and Prasad,S (2008). Physiotherapy for respiratory and cardiac problems:. 4th ed. UK: Elsevier. 227- 228. Mahler,D. (2007). The Physiology of breathelessness. In: Robert,A and Stockley,I Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Oxford: Blackwell Zhou et al . (2009). Attempts to quit smoking and relapse: Factors associated with success or failure from the ATTEMPT cohort study . Addictive Behaviors. 34 (4), 365-373. Naidoo and Wills

Government and the Central Bank Economic Recession Responses

Government and the Central Bank Economic Recession Responses Discuss how the government and the central bank should respond to an economic slowdown and a recession At the end of year 2008, economists suggested that the economy may be led to -or already in- a recession when economic growth was decelerating. The official definition of a recession is two successive quarters with a decline in gross domestic product (GDP). However, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) identifies that a recession as a â€Å"significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months† based on a number of economic indicators, with an emphasis on trends in employment and income. It doesnt confine itself to use the technical definition of two quarters of negative GDP growth because it is only assessed quarterly and it is subject to revisions. By the time GDP growth is negative for two quarters, the recession is already well happening. However, an economic downturn is defined less strict. For instance, we were in an economic downturn even with positive growth because the economic growth rate was slowing down, house prices were falling, unemployment rates were increasing and people could see the business cycle that moved from a boom period to bust. To respond to an economic slowdown and recession, government and central bank should take active roles in resolving economic issues through the use of two expansionary policies: fiscal policy and monetary policy. While the economy is not officially in a recession, there are signs that economic activity is slowing. According to CRS Report for Congress, 2008, economic growth in the United States was negative in the fourth quarter of 2007 after two strong quarters, but turned positive in the first and second quarters of 2008. According to one data series (graphs), employment fell in every month of 2008. The unemployment rate, which rose slightly during the last half of 2007, declined in January and February of 2008, but began rising in March and by August stood at 6.1%. The continuing financial turmoil is also cause for concern. Forecasters, while projecting slower growth in 2008, remain uncertain about the likelihood of a recession. If financial market confidence is not restored and private market spreads remain elevated, the broader economy could slow due to difficulties in financing consumer durables, business investment, college education, and other big ticket items. When the economy is down turning, economist believe the central bank should place more emphasis on short-term monetary policy as it takes fewer time to implement and its decisions to significantly decrease interest rates, and natural market adjustment, along with the already enacted stimulus, would be enough to avoid recession. When there is a massive intervention in the financial markets, the transmission of money can be stimulated into the financial sector and ultimately into the broader economy, where an important expansion of credit could significantly raise aggregate demand. It is said to emphasise more on monetary policy than fiscal policy because there are lags before a policy change affects spending. Therefore, stimulus could be delivered after the economy has already entered a recession or a recession has already ended. First, there is a legislative process lag that applies to all policy proposals — a stimulus package cannot take effect until bills are passed by the H ouse and Senate, both chambers can reconcile differences between their bills, and the President signs the bill. Many bills get delayed at some step in this process. As seen in Table 8, many past stimulus bills have not become law until a recession was already underway or finished. Is additional fiscal stimulus needed during the economy slowdown? It depends on the current state of the economy. Fiscal policy temporarily stimulates the economy through an increase in the budget deficit. Fiscal stimulus can take the form of higher government spending (direct spending or transfer payments) or tax reductions, but normally it can boost spending only through a larger budget deficit. A deficit-financed increase in government spending directly boosts spending by borrowing to finance higher government spending or transfer payments to households. A deficit-financed tax cut indirectly boosts spending if the recipient uses the tax cut to increase his spending. Economists usually agree that spending proposals are somewhat more stimulative than tax cuts since part of a tax cut will be saved by the recipients. The most important determinant of the effect on the economy is its size. Economic performance can be illustrated through shifting in aggregate demand and aggregate supply curves. Aggregate supply and demand are shown in the graph below. If consumer confidence in the economy falls and people reduce their spending, aggregate demand will fall, reducing real output and prices and possibly dropping the country into a recession (figure1). As the American economy slid into recession in 1929, economists relied on the Classical Theory of economics, which promised that the economy would self-correct if government did not interfere. But as the recession deepened into the Great Depression and no correction occurred, economists realized that a revision in theory would be necessary. John Maynard Keynes developed Keynesian Theory, which called for government intervention to correct economic instability. As fiscal policy is the use of government spending and taxes to stabilize the economy, Keynes recommends that parliament should increase government spending in order to â€Å"prime the pump† of the economy during periods of recession. At the same time, he calls for tax decreases in recessionary times, to increase consumers disposable income with which they can buy more products. Through both methods of fiscal policy, the increase in aggregate demand brought about by such actions leads firms to increase production, hire w orkers, and increase household incomes to enable them to buy more. While both tools are effective, Keynes advocated change in government spending as the more effective fiscal policy tool, because any change in government spending has a direct effect on aggregate demand. However, if taxes are reduced, consumers most likely will not spend all of their increase in disposable income; they are likely to save some of it. Referring to the graph, a rise in government spending G or a decline in autonomous taxes will cause the aggregate demand AD shift to the right, thus increasing both the equilibrium level of real GDP, Q*, and the equilibrium price level P*. When economy is running into recession, central bank is one of the agencies responsible to influence the demand, supply and hence, price of money and credit in order to keep production, prices, and employment stable. To do this, the central bank uses three tools: open market operations, the discount rate and reserve requirements. In order to bring the economy out of recession, central bank will lower the reserve requirements. Due to the act, member banks are required to keep less money, and so more money can be put into circulation through expanding their loans to firms and people. Furthermore, with the use of its open market operations for buying government securities, the central bank pays for these securities by crediting the reserve accounts of its member banks involved with the sale. With more money in these reserve accounts, banks have more money to lend, interest rates may fall, and consumer and business spending may increase, encouraging economic expansion. The discount rate is serves as an indicator to private bankers of the intentions of the central bank to enlarge the money supply. So a lowered discount rate which is announced by the central bank encourages more banks to borrow from the reserve banks. According to the graph below, a central bank open market purchase of securities, a fall in the discount rate or a decrease in the required reserve ratio will raise the money supply, thereby increasing aggregate demand and the equilibrium level of real GDP, Q*, and the equilibrium price level, P*.

Abortion Essay -- social issues

Abortion From 1973 to 1987, over 22 million abortions have been performed. Pro-lifers would call that a terrible waste of humanlife. True, 22 million lives were taken, but I believe that we are better off without those. Webster's dictionary defines abortion as "the expulsion of anonviable fetus." Abortion might possibly be the mostcontroversial topic right now. I'm sure by now that you've heard of all the different types ofabortion. Almost all abortions performed in the US are surgicalabortions, where the fetus is removed by suction or other means.(Medication offers another option, to be discussed later in thisreport.) During a suction abortion, the fetus is dismembered anddisposed of by a small tube. This process takes but about 10 minutes, and the mother experiences very little or no physicaldiscomfort. Pro-lifers immediately say that emotional trauma andguilt haunts every woman after she has an abortion. However,during my research, I found numerous women who led (and continueto lead) prominent and scot-free lives after their abortions. Ithink that the mental state of the mother depends very much onher personal feelings toward abortion, and the actual experiencethe had before and during the abortion. I have found that most of the time,they employ the use of a few strategies for making their viewsknown. One tactic pro-lifers use to convince people of theirviews is to play on fear and emotions. Their graphicdesc riptions and gruesome pictures are a crude attempt to "scare" people out of abortion, while their pious talk andsobbing try to make us feel sorry for them and the unborn.Another popular strategy of pro-lifers is to protest things like"Life begins at conception! The fetus is human!" Science hasproven these facts, and pro-choicers are by no means trying todeny them. However, pro-choicers feel that the rights of theparents (namely the mother) override the rights of the unbornchild.Neither of these tactics work on pro-choicers like myself. True,pro-lifers are entitled to voicing their opinion (just as I am),but I feel that some of their methods (as illustrated in thenext section) are very unorthodox. A new bill was introduced in April 1994. The Freedom of Accessto Clinic Entrances Act (aka FACE or FACEA) protects womenseeking abortion, and the facilities performing them.Specifically, FACE protects reproductive health service staffand patients from vi... ...arepeople out of abortion. Judging by the reaction of the class,people have wised-up to pro-lifers. People will no longertolerate being bombarded with graphic descriptions, gorypictures, and sorrowful testimonies. To but it bluntly, I am fedup with extreme pro-lifers. Granted, not all of them are as badas I make them out to be, but about a year ago, while walkingout of my dad's office at Jewish Hospital, we were "harassed" bythree pro-lifers. At first I thought they would respect ourprivacy and let us pass. However, they blurted out "Did you knowthat there are abortions being performed at Jewish Hospital?!"What did they intend that question to accomplish? We tried toignore them kept walking, but they persisted and attempted toforce their pamphlets and handouts on us. I would have had noproblem had they simply offered us a pamphlet, but I feltviolated when they thrust them into our faces. After researching this report, I still hold my ground about being pro-choice. I think that th e woman's rights override thoseof the fetus. Regardless of the reason or circumstances safe,reliable abortion should be made available to any woman. Acts of Violence Against Abortion Providers and Clients.

Year without Oil :: essays papers

Year without Oil OPEC Oil Embargo There are several things that come to mind when presented with the picture and topic, but the one that stands out most is shortage. However, shortage is an ironic word to use for it. It wasnÕt really a shortage in the fact that the world is out of oil, which being a non-renewable resource will be one day, but it was an incredible 130% increase in price by OPEC, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. This forced the petroleum market to head into a tailspin. OPEC, started by the major oil producing countries in the Middle East, was designed to give price control to the oil producers, instead of the oil manufacturers. Formed in 1960, OPEC was only a middleman for 10 years, but in the 1970Õs, they found the right time to drive up the price of gas. One viewpoint can say it was about time that we started paying these countries for what they were up to that point, "giving us," but from the other standpoint, OPEC is no more than a cartel and monopoly. A cartel is two or more parties, the oil producing countries, hurting an innocent third party, oil consumers. OPEC was created to hurt the oil manufacturers who were taking advantage of the oil producers, but unfortunately the one that got hurt from the agreement are the oil selling stations and us, the consumer. There are several reasons why it isnÕt the manufacturers didnÕt get affected by any of the price raises. First of all, no matter how high the price of crude oil goes, the world still has to keep buying oil products. In fact, the world is using more petroleum products now than it ever has before, and can only get it from a few manufacturers, which means a monopoly is feeding an oligopoly. Monopolies are when the economy relies on one source for all of a product, also called a trust. Monopolies are banned in the United States by Anti-Trust Laws. Oligopolies are products, that the economy relies on, that are only available from a few sources. In a large market, the oil market, these companies can raise prices for consumers and receive massive increases in their profits. "To really understand the hardships that happened in the 1970Õs, and not being around in that time, we can look at the situation we are experiencing today.

Stride Gum

Is It Ridiculously Long Lasting? In the recent Stride commercial, Shaun White endorses their new Whitemint flavored gum. The advertisement’s main purpose is to promote the gum by creating an ironic situation that grasps the audience’s attention with a humorous tone. Without stressing the product so heavily, they provide a less demanding approach for the audience to buy their product. The advertisement promotes the gum as ridiculously long lasting. Although, throughout the commercial, the marketer’s debate over solutions for the consumers to chew another piece.By the end of the commercial they come up with the solution for consumers to either â€Å"Spit it out. or Yeti will find you. † Stride Gum Inc. uses irony, social appeals, and tropes to lure the audience. The ironic situation in the Stride Gum commercial is how it is an advertisement within an advertisement. Obviously an advertisement’s purpose is to promote a specific product. But in this adve rtisement, it shows the marketing professionals for Stride Gum deciding on ways to promote their product. It is ironic to see a commercial that is about their company making their commercial.Another ironic appeal is Stride Gum’s use of a yeti. At the end of the commercial, Shaun White comes up with an idea to get the consumers to chew another piece and quickly gets on his phone. Suddenly, a giant yeti comes barging in the meeting room and punches the head-marketing executive in the gut, forcing his gum to shoot out of his mouth. The audience clearly knows a yeti would never come force their gum out by punching them in the stomach, let alone even encountering a yeti. This sets a humorous tone for the audience to relate to which increases their interest for the product.Another tool Stride Gum incorporates is their usage of a social appeal. In their commercial, Stride features Olympic gold medalist Shaun White. Just this year Shaun White was named the second most powerful athlet e behind Peyton Manning. Not only is White a tremendous snowboarder and skateboarder, he has become a celebrity and role model for the youth culture. Stride purposely uses Shaun White to target the youth audience because of his friendly face, personality, athletic ability, and popularity.Once the youth audience sees him on TV, they instantly feel a connection that the older generation cannot relate to. Being a popular hit for sports and role modeling for the fans, White makes Stride Gum a sure way to instant marketability. Lastly, Stride Gum uses the appeal through tropes to capture the audience. The first trope used for the Whitemint flavored gum commercial is, â€Å"The ridiculously long lasting gum. † When they first advertise this gum as long lasting, Stride’s main purpose is to suede the audience in believing their gum lasts longer than other competing products.But throughout the commercial the main concern for the marketers changes into getting the consumer to ch ew another piece. The change is ironic to see because at the beginning Stride really wants the audience to believe their gum is ridiculously long lasting. But by the end of the commercial, they act like the viewers have already believed their long lasting flavor proposal. This then puts the stress on the idea that the marketers are trying to find a way to get the consumers to stop chewing it and get another piece.By using these two different tropes, it represents Stride as being confident that their gum is long lasting, and its so long lasting they have to find a way for people to spit it out and chew another piece. By the end of the commercial the slogans change from â€Å"the ridiculously long lasting gum† to â€Å"spit it out, or Yeti will find you. † Stride purposely changes the tropes because they want the audience to believe that the Stride marketers have perfected long lasting gum. They now want the viewers to believe their Whitemint gum is so long lasting that they are facing the issue of getting the consumers to chew another piece.With the use of transforming tropes, social, and ironic appeals, Stride Gum Inc. attracts the audience’s interest and attention. Shaun White and the yeti implement a humorous tone that coincides with the ironic situation that appeals to the youth culture. Also, switching up the tropes sways the viewers to fully believe Stride Gum’s advertisement due to the confidence displayed by Stride in the commercial. By applying multiple appeals into their commercial, Stride Whitemint flavored gum is advertised effectively to sway the younger generation’s interest to consume their product.

Literary Translation Essay

Literary studies have always, explicitly or implicitly, presupposed a certain notion of `literariness’ with which it has been able to delimit its domain, specify, and sanction its methodologies and approaches to its subject. This notion of `literariness’ is crucial for the theoretical thinking about literary translation. In this paper, I have attempted to analyze various recent theoretical positions to the study of literary translation and sought to understand them in the context of the development in the field of literary studies in the last three decades of the twentieth century. The recent developments in the literary studies have radically questioned the traditional essentialist notion of `literariness’ and the idea of canon from various theoretical perspectives. I have contrasted the traditional discourse on literary translation with the recent discourse in order to highlight the shift in the notion of `literariness’ and its impact on translation theory. The traditional essentialist approach to literature, which Lefevere (1988:173) calls `the corpus’ approach is based on the Romantic notion of literature which sees the author as a quasi-divine `creator’ possessing `genius’. He is believed to be the origin of the Creation that is Original, Unique, organic, transcendental and hence sacred. Translation then is a mere copy of the unique entity, which by definition is uncopy-able. As the translator is not the origin of the work of art, he does not possess `genius’, and he is considered merely a drudge, a proletariat, and a shudra in the literary Varna system. This traditional approach is due to the Platonic-Christian metaphysical underpinning of the Western culture. The `original’ versus `copy’ dichotomy is deeply rooted in the Western thought. This is the reason why the West has been traditionally hostile and allergic to the notion of `translation’. The traditional discussion of the problems of literary translation considers finding equivalents not just for lexis, syntax or concepts, but also for features like style, genre, figurative language, historical stylistic dimensions, polyvalence, connotations as well as denotations, cultural items and culture-specific concepts and values. The choices made by the translators like the decision whether to retain stylistic features of the source language text or whether to retain the historical stylistic dimension of the original become all the more important in the case of literary translation. For instance, whether to translate Chaucer into old Marathi or contemporary are very important. In the case of translating poetry, it is vital for a translator to decide whether the verse should be translated into verse, or into free verse or into prose. Most of the scholars and translators like Jakobson (1991:151) believe that in the case of poetry though it is â€Å"by definition impossible †¦ only creative transposition is possible†¦ â€Å". It is the creative dimension of translation that comes to fore in the translation of poetry though nobody seems to be sure of what is meant by creativity in the first place. The word is charged with theological-Romantic connotations typical of the `corpus’ approach to literature. The questions around which the deliberations about translation within such a conceptual framework are made are rather stereotyped and limited: as the literary text, especially a poem is unique, organic whole and original is the translation possible at all? Should translation be `literal’ or `free’? Should it emphasize the content or the form? Can a faithful translation be beautiful? The answers to the question range from one extreme to the other and usually end in some sort of a compromise. The great writers and translators gave their well-known dictums about translations, which reflected these traditional beliefs about it. For Dante (1265-1321) all poetry is untranslatable (cited by Brower 1966: 271) and for Frost (1974-1963) poetry is `that which is lost out of both prose and verse in translation ‘(cited by Webb 203) while Yves Bonnefoy says `You can translate by simply declaring one poem the translation of another† (1991:186-192). On the other hand theorists like Pound (1929, 1950), Fitzgerald (1878) say† †¦Ã‚  the live Dog is better than the dead Lion†, believe in freedom in translation. The others like Nabokov (1955) believe â€Å"The clumsiest of literal translation is a thousand times more useful than prettiest of paraphrase†. Walter Benjamin, Longfellow (1807-81), Schleriermacher, Martindale (1984), seem to favour much more faithful translation or believe in foreignizing the native language. While most of the translators like Dryden are on the side of some sort of compromise between the two extremes. Lefevere has pointed out that most of the writings done on the basis of the concept of literature as a corpus attempt to provide translators with certain guidelines, do’s and don’ts and that these writings are essentially normative even if they don’t state their norms explicitly. These norms, according to Lefevere, are not far removed from the poetics of a specific literary period or even run behind the poetics of the period (1988:173). Even the approaches based on the `objective’ and `scientific’ foundations of linguistics are not entirely neutral in their preferences and implicit value judgements. Some writings on translation based on this approach are obsessed with the translation process and coming up with some model for description of the process. As Theo Hermans (1985:9-10) correctly observes that in spite of some impressive semiotic terminology, complex schemes and diagrams illustrating the mental process of decoding messages in one medium and encoding them in another, they could hardly describe the actual conversion that takes place within the human mind, `that blackest of black boxes’. Lefevere notes, the descriptive approach was not very useful when it came to decide what good translation is and what is bad. Most of recent developments in translation theory look for alternatives to these essentializing approaches. Instead of considering literature as an autonomous and independent domain, it sees it in much broader social and cultural framework. It sees literature as a social institution and related to other social institutions. It examines the complex interconnections between poetics, politics, metaphysics, and history. It borrows its analytical tools from various social sciences like linguistics, semiotics, anthropology, history, economics, and psychoanalysis. It is closely allied to the discipline of cultural studies, as discussed by Jenks (1993:187) in using culture as a descriptive rather than normative category as well as working within an expanded concept of culture, which rejects the `high’ versus low stratification. It is keenly interested in the historical and political dimension of literature. Paradigm shift’ to use Theo Hermans’ phrase or the `Cultural turn’ in the discipline of translation theory has made a significant impact in the way we look at translation. Translation is as a form of intercultural communication raising the problems that are not merely at the verbal level or at the linguistic level. As Talgeri and Verma (1988:3) rightly point out, a word is,’ essentially a cultural memory in which the historical experience of the society is embedded. H. C. Trivedi (1971: 3) observes that while translating from an Indian language into English one is faced with two main problems: first one has to deal with concepts which require an understanding of Indian culture and secondly, one has to arrive at TL meaning equivalents of references to certain objects in SL, which includes features absent from TL culture. The awareness that one does not look for merely verbal equivalents but also for cultural equivalents, if there are any, goes a long way in helping the translator to decide the strategies he or she has to use. Translation then is no longer a problem of merely finding verbal equivalents but also of interpreting a text encoded in one semiotic system with the help of another. The notion of `intertextuality’ as formulated by the semiotician Julia Kristeva is extremely significant in this regard. She points out that any signifying system or practice already consists of other modes of cultural signification (1988:59-60). A literary text would implicate not only other verbal texts but also other modes of signification like food, fashion, local medicinal systems, metaphysical systems, traditional and conventional narratives like myths, literary texts, legends as well as literary conventions like genres, literary devices, and other symbolic structures. It would be almost tautological to state that the elements of the text, which are specific to the culture and the language, would be untranslatable. The whole enterprise of finding cultural equivalents raises awareness of the difference and similarities between the cultures . It also brings into focus the important question of cultural identity. Else Ribeiro Pires Vieira (1999:42) remarks that it is ultimately impossible to translate one cultural identity into another. So the act of translation is intimately related to the question of cultural identity, difference and similarity. A rather interesting approach to literary translation comes from Michel Riffaterre (1992: 204-217). He separates literary and non-literary use of language by saying that literature is different because i) it semioticicizes the discursive features e.g. lexical selection is made morphophonemically as well as semantically, ii) it substitutes semiosis for mimesis which gives literary language its indirection, and iii) it has â€Å"the` textuality’ that integrates semantic components of the verbal sequence (the ones open to linear decoding)-a theoretically open-ended sequence-into one closed, finite semiotic, system† that is , the parts of a literary texts are vitally linked to the whole of the text and the text is more or less self contained. Hence the literary translation should â€Å"reflect or imitate these differences†. He considers a literary text as an artefact and it contains the signals, which mark it as an artifact. Translation should also imitate or reflect these markers. He goes on to say that as we perceive a certain text as literary based on certain presuppositions we should render these literariness inducing presuppositions. Though this seems rather like traditional and formalist approach, what should be noted here is that Riffaterre is perceiving literariness in a rather different way while considering the problems of literary translation: `literariness’ is in no way the `essence’ of a text and a literary text is, for Riffatere one that which contains the signs which makes it obvious that it is a cultural artefact. Although he conceives of literary text as self-contained system, Riffatere too, like many other contemporary approaches sees it as a sub-system of cultural semiotic system. However, if one is to consider Riffatere’s notion of `text’ in contrast to Kristeva’s notion of intertextuality one feels that Riffaterre is probably simplifying the problem of cultural barriers to translatability. The assumption that literary text is a cultural artefact and is related to the other social systems is widespread these days. Some of the most important theorization based on this assumption has come from provocative and insightful perspectives of theorists like Andre Lefevere, Gideon Toury, Itamar Evan -Zohar, and Theo Hermans. These theorists are indebted to the concept of `literature as system’ as propounded by Russian Formalists like Tynianov, Jakobson, and Czech Structuralists like Mukarovsky and Vodicka, the French Structuralists thinkers, and the Marxist thinkers who considered literature as a section of the `superstructure’. The central idea of this point of view is that the study of literary translation should begin with a study of the translated text rather than with the process of translation, its role, function and reception in the culture in which it is translated as well as the role of culture in influencing the `process of decision making that is translation. ‘ It is fundamentally descriptive in its orientation (Toury 1985). Lefevere maintains, `Literature is one of the systems which constitute the system of discourses (which also contain disciplines like physics or law. ) usually referred to as a civilization, or a society (1988:16). ‘ Literature for Lefevere is a subsystem of society and it interacts with other systems. He observes that there is a `control factor in the literary system which sees to it that this particular system does not fall too far out of step with other systems that make up a society ‘ (p.17). He astutely observes that this control function works from outside of this system as well as from inside. The control function within the system is that of dominant poetics, `which can be said to consist of two components: one is an inventory of literary devices, genres, motifs, prototypical characters and situations, symbols; the other a concept of what the role of literature is, or should be, in the society at large. ‘ (p. 23). The educational establishment dispenses it. The second controlling factor is that of `patronage’. It can be exerted by `persons, not necessarily the Medici, Maecenas or Louis XIV only, groups or persons, such as a religious grouping or a political party, a royal court, publishers, whether they have a virtual monopoly on the book trade or not and, last but not least, the media. ‘ The patronage consists of three elements; the ideological component, the financial or economic component, and the element of status (p. 18-19). The system of literature, observes Lefevere, is not deterministic but it acts as a series of `constraints’ on the reader, writer, or rewriter. The control mechanism within the literary system is represented by critics, reviewers, teachers of literature, translators and other rewriters who will adapt works of literature until they can be claimed to correspond to the poetics and the ideology of their time. It is important to note that the political and social aspect of literature is emphasised in the system approach. The cultural politics and economics of patronage and publicity are seen as inseparable from literature. `Rewriting’ is the key word here which is used by Lefevere as a `convenient `umbrella-term’ to refer to most of the activities traditionally connected with literary studies: criticism, as well as translation, anthologization, the writing of literary history and the editing of texts-in fact, all those aspects of literary studies which establish and validate the value-structures of canons. Rewritings, in the widest sense of the term, adapt works of literature to a given audience and/or influence the ways in which readers read a work of literature. ‘ (60-61). The texts, which are rewritten, processed for a certain audience, or adapted to a certain poetics, are the `refracted’ texts and these maintains Lefevere are responsible for the canonized status of the text (p179). `Interpretation (criticism), then and translation are probably the most important forms of refracted literature, in that they are the most influential ones’ he notes (1984:90) and says, ` One never translates, as the models of the translation process based on the Buhler/Jakobson communication model, featuring disembodied senders and receivers, carefully isolated from all outside interference by that most effective expedient, the dotted line, would have us believe, under a sort of purely linguistic bell jar. Ideological and poetological motivations are always present in the production, or the non production of translations of literary works†¦ Translation and other refractions, then, play a vital part in the evolution of literatures, not only by introducing new texts, authors and devices, but also by introducing them in a certain way, as part of a wider design to try to influence that evolution’ (97) . Translation becomes one of the parts of the `refraction’ â€Å"†¦ the rather long term strategy, of which translation is only a part, and which has as its aim the manipulation of  foreign work in the service of certain aims that are felt worthy of pursuit in the native culture†¦ † (1988:204). This is indeed a powerful theory to study translation as it places as much significance to it as criticism and interpretation. Lefevere goes on to give some impressive analytical tools and perspectives for studying literary translation, `The ideological and poetological constraints under which translations are produced should be explicated, and the strategy devised by the translator to deal with those constraints should be described: does he or she make a translation in a more descriptive or in a more refractive way? What are the intentions with which he or she introduces foreign elements into the native system? Equivalence, fidelity, freedom and the like will then be seen more as functions of a strategy adopted under certain constraints, rather than absolute requirements, or norms that should or should not be imposed or respected. It will be seen that `great ‘ages of translation occur whenever a given literature recognizes another as more prestigious and tries to emulate it. Literatures will be seen to have less need of translation(s) when they are convinced of their own superiority. It will also be seen that translations are often used (think of the Imagists) by adherents of an alternative poetics to challenge the dominant poetics of a certain period in a certain system, especially when that alternative poetics cannot use the work of its own adherents to do so, because that work is not yet written’ (1984:98-99). Another major theorist working on similar lines as that of Lefevere is Gideon Toury (1985). His approach is what he calls Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS). He emphasizes the fact that translations are facts of one system only: the target system and it is the target or recipient culture or a certain section of it, which serves as the initiator of the decision to translate and consequently translators operate first and foremost in the interest of the culture into which they are translating. Toury very systematically charts out a step by step guide to the study of translation. He stresses that the study should begin with the empirically observed data, that is, the translated texts and proceeds from there towards the reconstruction of non-observational facts rather than the other way round as is usually done in the `corpus’ based and traditional approaches to translation. The most interesting thing about Toury’s approach (1984) is  that it takes into consideration things like `pseudo-translation’ or the texts foisted off as translated but in fact are not so. In the very beginning when the problem of distinguishing a translated text from a non-translated text arises, Toury assumes that for his procedure `translation’ will be taken to be `any target-language utterance which is presented or regarded as such within the target culture, on whatever grounds’. In this approach pseudotranslations are `just as legitimate objects for study within DTS as genuine translations. They may prove to be highly instructive for the establishment of the general notion of translation as shared by the members of a certain target language community’. Then the next step in Toury’s DTS would be to study their acceptability in their respective target language system followed by mapping these texts, `Via their constitutive elements as TRANSLATIONAL PHENOMENA, on their counterparts in the appropriate source system and text, identified as such in the course of a comparative analysis, as SOLUTIONS to TRANSLATIONAL PROBLEMS’. Then a scholar should proceed to `identify and describe the (one-directional, irreversible) RELATIONSHIPS obtaining between the members of each pair; and finally to go on to refer these relationships- by means of the mediating functional-relational notion of TRANSLATION EQUIVALENCE, established as pertinent to the corpus under study-to the overall CONCEPT OF TRANSLATION underlying the corpus. It is these last two concepts which form the ultimate goal of systematic studies within DTS†¦ only when the nature of the prevailing concept of translation has been established will it become possible to reconstruct the possible process of CONSIDERATION and DECISION-MAKING which was involved in the act of translating in question as well as the set of CONSTRAINTS which were actually accepted by the translator. ‘ (1985:21) Toury’s step by step procedure is descriptive, empirical and inductive, beginning with the observed facts and then moving towards uncovering the strategies and techniques used by translator and the implicit notion and presupposition of equivalence rather than treating the notion of equivalence as given. The concept of constraint puts him in the company of Lefevere. The essential question is not of defining what is equivalence in general, whether it is possible or not, or of how to find equivalents, but of discovering what is meant by equivalence by the community or group within the target culture. These approaches are also extremely useful in the area of comparative literary studies and comparativists like Durisin (1984:184-142) whose approach is in many ways similar to Lefevere and Toury in focusing on function and relation of literary translation in the target or the recipient culture. He is of opinion that it is impossible to speak of theories of translation without applying the comparative procedure, as the aim of analysis of a translation is to determine the extent to which it belongs to the developmental series of the native literature. He like the other two theorists discussed, considers the translation procedure as well as the selection of the text being ` primarily determined by the integral need of the recipient literature, by its capacity for absorbing the literary phenomenon of a different national literature, work, etc.  and for reacting in a specific manner (integrational or differtiational) in its aesthetic features’ as well as the norm of time. This type of theorization is far from the traditional paradigm of translation theory that is obsessed with the ideas of fidelity and betrayal, and the notions of `free’ vs. literal translation. Thanks to the proponents of system approach to literary translation, translation studies can boast of becoming a discipline in its own right due to the development of powerful theoretical models. However, the problem with Leferverian system is its terminology. The words `refracted’ and `rewriting’ presuppose that a text can be written for the first time and that it exists in a pre-non-refracted state. These presuppositions take him dangerously close to the very `corpus’ based approach he is so vigorously attacking. Perhaps Derridian philosophy can explain why one is always in danger of belonging to the very system of thought one is criticizing. Another obvious limitation of these types of theories is that they are rather reductionist in their approach. Though Lefevere maintains that the system concept holds that the refracted texts are mainly responsible for the canonized status of the corpus and the intrinsic quality alone could not have given canonized status for them he fails to point out the exact features and qualities of the literary text which solicit refractions. Then there are problematic words like` the system’ which Lefevere points out `refer to a heuristic construct that does not emphatically possess any kind of ontological reality†¦.’ and `is merely used to designate a model that promises to help make sense of a very complex phenomenon, that of writing, reading and rewriting of literature†¦ (1985: 225). Besides types of theories are descriptive and hence have a limited use for the translator as well as translation criticism, which is a rather neglected branch of translation studies till date. Lefevere says that translation criticism hardly rises much above, `he is wrong because I’m right level†¦ ‘(1984:99). He also points out that it is impossible to define once and for all, what a good translation is just as it is impossible to define once and for all what good literature is. And † critic A, â€Å"judging† on the basis of poetics A’ will rule translation A â€Å"good† because it happens to be constructed on the basis of the principles laid down in A’. Critic B, on the other hand, operating on the basis of poetics B’, will damn translation A† and praise translation B’, for obvious reasons†¦ â€Å"(1988:176). He believes,† Translators can be taught languages and a certain awareness of how literature works. The rest is up to them. They make mistakes only on the linguistic level. The rest is strategy. † (1984:99). The perspective of course is that of a value relativist and a culture relativist, which seem to be the politically correct and `in’ stances today, but the stance can be seen as symptomatic in the light of deeper moral crises in the larger philosophical context. An ambitious and insightful essay by Raymond van den Broeck, `Second Thought on Translation Criticism: A Model of its Analytic Function’ (1985) attempts to go beyond the mere descriptive and uncourageous approach of Lefevere and Toury which tries to incorporate the ideas of their theories. Like Toury and Lefevere, Broeck stresses the importance of examination of the norms among all those involved in the production and reception of translations and remarks that it is the foremost task of translation criticism to create greater awareness of these norms but he also gives room for the critic’s personal value judgements. The critic may or may not agree with the particular method chosen by the translator for a particular purpose. He is entitled to doubt the effectiveness of the chosen strategies, to criticize decisions taken with regard to certain details. To the extent that he is himself familiar with the functional features of the source text, he will be a trustworthy guide in telling the reader where target textemes balance source textemes and where in the critic’s view, they do not. But he must never confuse his own initial norms with those of the translator (p. 60-61). Broeck attempts a synthesis of the target culture oriented inductive – descriptive approach and the notorious task of evaluating translation and the result is indeed very useful and commendable as translation evaluation is a neglected branch of translation studies. As opposed to this descriptive approach is Venuti’s The Translator’s Invisibility (1995). With a normative and extremely insightful point of view he examines historically how the norm of fluency prevailed over other translation strategies to shape the canon of foreign literatures in English. He makes a strong case for `foreignness’ and `awkwardness’ of the translated text as a positive value in the evaluation of translation. The other approaches to the study of translation which seem to be gaining ground lay greater emphasis on the political dimension of literary translation. The more recent literary theories like New Historicism are interested in reading the contexts of power relations in a literary text. In his critical exposition of New Historicism and Cultural materialism, John Brannigan (1998) states, `New Historicism is a mode of critical interpretation which privileges power relations as the most important context for texts of all kinds. As a critical practice it treats literary texts as a space where power relations are made visible ‘(6). Such a perspective when applied to the texts that communicate across cultures can yield very important insights and open an exciting way of thinking about translation. Tejaswini Niranjana’s book Siting Translation, History, Post-Structuralism, and the Colonial Context (1995) examines translation theories from this perspective. â€Å"In a post-colonial context the problematic of translation becomes a significant site for raising questions of representation, power, and historicity. The context is one of contesting and contested stories attempting to account for, to recount, the asymmetry and inequality of relations between peoples, races, languages. † In translation, the relationship between the two languages is hardly on equal terms. Niranjana draws attention to a rather overlooked fact that translation is between languages, which are hierarchically related, and that it is a mode of representation in another culture. When the relationship between the cultures and languages is that of colonizer and colonized, â€Å"translation†¦ produces strategies of containment. By employing certain modes of representing the other-which it thereby also brings into being–translation reinforces hegemonic versions of the colonized, helping them acquire the status of what Edward Said calls representations or objects without history ‘(p.3). She points out in the introduction that her concern is to probe `the absence, lack, or repression of an awareness of asymmetry and historicity in several kinds of writing on translation’ (p. 9). Harish Trivedi (1997) has demonstrated how translation of Anatole France’s Thais by Premchand was distinctly a political act in the sense that it selected a text which was not part of the literature of the colonial power and that it attempted a sort of liberation of Indian literature from the tutelage of the imperially-inducted master literature, English. St-Pierre observes the fact that translators when faced with references to specific aspects of the source culture may use a variety of tactics, including non-translation, as part of their overall strategy and use many other complex tactics in order to reinvent their relations in a postcolonial context (1997:423). Mahasweta Sengupta has offered a rather engaging and perceptive reading of Rabindranath Tagore’s autotranslation of Gitanjali. She points out giving numerous examples, of how Rabindranath took immense liberties with his own Bengali originals in order to refashion his Bengali songs to suit the English sensibility. He modified, omitted, and rewrote his poems in the manner of the Orientalists to cater to his Western audience (1996). Bassnett and Trivedi (1999) believe that the hierarchic opposition between the original work and translation reflects the hierarchic opposition between the European colonizer culture and the colonized culture. This hierarchy, they observe, is Eurocentric, and its spread is associated with the history of colonialization, imperialism and proselytization. Because of these historical reasons, radical theories of translation have come up in the former colonies. Recalling how members of a sixteenth century Brazilian tribe called Tupinamba ate a Catholic priest, an act which could have even been an act of homage, Bassnett and Trivedi suggest that the metaphor of `cannibalism’ could be used for the act of translation as it is one of the ways former colonies might find a way to assert themselves and their own culture and to reject the feeling of being derivative and appellative `copy’, without at the same time rejecting everything that might be of value that comes from Europe. Else Ribeiro Pires Viera has considered the translation theory of Haroldo de Campos, a renowned Brazilian translator who uses very interesting metaphors for translating like, perceiving translation as blood transfusion and vampirization which actually nourishes the translator and thus subverting the hierarchic polarities of the privileged original and inauthentic translation in a post colonial context. This type of approach to translation promotes the awareness of political and historical field in which translation operates among the readers as well as the translators. Another significant statement on `The Politics of Translation’ comes from Gayatri Chakaravorty Spivak (1998:95-118) who conceives of translation as an important strategy in pursuing the larger feminist agenda of achieving women’s `solidarity’. ` The task of the feminist translator is to consider language as a clue to the working of gendered agency. ‘ Translation can give access to a larger number of feminists working in various languages and cultures. She advises that a translator must `surrender’ to the text, as translation is the most intimate act of reading. It is an act of submission to the rhetorical dimension of the text. This act for Spivak is more of an erotic act than ethical. She also advises that one’s first obligation in understanding solidarity is to learn other women’s mother tongue rather than consider solidarity as an `a priori’ given.