Job satisfaction Essay Example for Free

Job satisfaction Essay Learning as a way to improve happiness: When a worker is satisfied, then happiness would be realized later on. As a worker is able to get the idea that his efforts are contributing to the growth of the company, he is able to feel the true sense of being satisfied and happy with his job. His duties become his achievements and these achievements become the source of his inner happiness. Learning as a way to boost self-esteem: When a person is knowledgeable of what he does, then he gains confidence that he could do well with the duties that are assigned to him. Hence, to no doubt, his excellent performance on the matter follows as well. As for example, if an employer provides his employees of a way by which they are able to increase their capabilities as his employees, then they are encouraged more to perform well with the tasks that are assigned to them by the management. This identifies the role of learning as a way to motivate employees. On the other hand, if an employee receives the provided knowledge or improvement programs provided by the employers, then they gain self-esteem and job satisfaction as well which in turn makes them fell happy about their job. As obviously seen, the chain of providing and receiving learning or education at certain point works within a motion of giving and taking and taking and giving, which in turn results to better outcome not only for the company but for the employee as an individual as well? The equity of performance and motivation To ensure that the employees are working their best, and that their needs are equally given compared to all the things that are required of them, the following elements of motivation should be considered: 1. Dual Factor The needs of people are subdivided into two main categories. These categories include both the hygiene factor and the motivation factor. These two factors both include the most important needs of the company employees such as the wage and job satisfaction matters. Being able to provide these needs may mean that the company management needs to apply more effort in implementing policies to be able to meet the required satisfaction factors of the employees, however, the ‘loyalty’ returns to the company would make the efforts all worth it. 2. Equity Equality among all employees basing on the performance that they apply for the company’s cause is indeed a way by which the management could encourage fine performance from the workers. Everything must be in uniform, especially when it comes to rewards and benefits that the employees receive from their company. Doing s may cause the management to create fine programs that could handle such demand from the workers, while it would also result to better realization of job satisfaction on the part of the employees. 3. Expectancy Everyone expects something from something. When an employee does a good job, it is normal that he expects appreciation from the management. Hence, knowing what the employees expect and providing them could encourage them to do better, however, it should be realized that too much application of this theory may result to the employees being too demanding from the company. As seen in the three elements, human motivation processes requires fine decision form the management. Once the process is decided, it is up to the management again, to take the risk of applying the process in actual motivating practice. Hence, from the first towards the fifth theory that has been listed herein, it could be noticed that the main focus of the responsibility of encouraging the employees lies on the management. Then as the results of the process progress, the employees are the ones who are expected to act bringing the end results back to the management. The administration at some point has held the pay of the employees who have been flagged to be performing poorly during the past three months. The employees then who did not receive their salaries during the allotted payday have complained and said that the process that the management has opted to use to encourage them to work harder and perform better in their job is lame excuse on not having the capability if paying their salaries. This rising problem has not been expected by the company administration when they have decided to engage in the said process of motivation. They thought that by holding the salary of the employees, they would be waken up and realize that they have to do better in their job to be able to receive their salaries on time.

Literature Themes on the Impact of Discovery

Literature Themes on the Impact of Discovery It is the nature of meaningful discoveries, to challenge and shift ones perceptions, in either an unexpected and sudden, or planned and deliberate medium[DK1]. The consequences of discovery may be positive or negative, yet the ability of discovery to empower through allowing changes in ones ideals and self-evaluations is unparalleled[DK2]. William Shakespeares Elizabethan/Jacobean play, The Tempest (1600s) explores the discovery of mortality and the fragile nature of mankind, which is mirrored by Adrienne Richs poem Diving into the Wreck (1973). Also, Patrick Ness novel, A Monster Calls showcases a childs journey to discover his hidden desires and ideology, through the influence of an external power. Through the varying mediums and contextual backgrounds, the three texts explore the enduring values of discovery, and the capacity of discovery to renew perceptions through an unexpected/sudden or planned and deliberate medium. Certain discoveries function to transform ones values and renew perspectives. Through the play, The Tempest, Shakespeare showcases Prosperos intellectual discovery of his limitations as a mortal and the consequential rediscovery of his human morals. Prospero showcases his initial hatred towards the royal crew, rooted from past betrayals, as he says They now are in my power. And in these fits, I leave them. The truncated sentence emphasises Prosperos cruel and revengeful mindset, depicting his firm belief in power being the tool for vengeance. However, a dramatic change in Prosperos attitude can be seen, as he makes an unexpected discovery of human mortality following Ariels monologue, which states, We are such stuff as dreams are made on; and our little life is rounded with a sleep,, here sleep is a symbol for death, and the metaphor of dream accentuates Prosperos intellectual discovery of lifes fragility, where ones memories and earthly possessions are temporary juxtaposed to the va stly eternal world. Through the alliterative such sleep and little life, Prospero emphasises the insignificance of human life, and with it, the insignificance of his art. As he discovers the futility of his power in the face of mortality, Prospero rediscovers his humanity and gains a renewed understanding of the futility of vengeance. He says, My charms Ill breakà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.They shall be themselves, juxtaposing to his initial cruelty and will to revenge and hence portraying the change in his perception. Therefore, the renewal of perceptions through unexpected discoveries is evident through Prosperos rediscovery of empathy which he gains through the intellectual experience. Similarly, the intellectual discovery of human mortality allows a re-evaluation of ones values and identity which is further explored in Adrienne Richs poem Diving into the Wreck. Richs depiction of human mortality, and the fleeting nature of life, mirrors that of Prosperos discovery, expressing a sense of community gained through renewed understanding of the inevitability of death. Rich personifies a shipwreck in, ribs of disaster to represent humanity, the metaphorical ribs alluding to human bones which symbolise the basis of life, but also the imminent death that all of humanity faces. The personas intellectual discovery of mortality is further evident as she refers to we as half-destroyed instrumentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ water eaten log, the fouled compass, alluding to death and portraying the inescapable nature of mortality. As the persona gains a renewed understanding of life and death, she develops a spiritual connection with humanity, leading to a re-evaluation of her perceptions. Her initial depiction of her identity and values can be seen as the positive tone in Cousteau with his assiduous team aboard the sun-flooded schoonerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ directly juxtaposing to the grim tone in the recurring motif of loneliness; but here aloneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ there is no-one. However her unexpected discovery of human mortality leads to a change in her self evaluation, as evident in I am she: I am heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ We are, I am, you areà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ where the connection between first second and third perspectives unify human beings under the concept of mortality. The persona, therefore is able to gain comfort from the spiritual connection based on mortality and gain a renewed understanding on her identity as a human being, hence showcasing the consequential shift in perception as a result of an unexpected discovery. Similarly, the planned discovery leading to re-evaluation of self and change in perception is further explored in Patrick Ness A Monster Calls, as he reflects the planned and deliberate process that a child takes in order to discover and accept his hidden desires and ideals. The Yew treeis introduced through the repetition of dialogue, Connor, written in an italic, holophrastic form. The short, conjunct repetition reflects the random and conjunct nature of ones subconscious thoughts, hence depicting the embodiment of the personas subconscious in the Yew tree. The truncated sentence in and here was the monster as Connor comes to face the Yew tree emphasises his initial reluctance to acknowledge his subconscious, further exemplified in the negative connotation in anthropomorphic description of monster. The negative tone highlights Connors rejective perception towards the tree, and hence showcases the innate stubbornness of humanity when one comes to face possible changes. The confronti ng process of discovery, led by his subconscious can be seen in the emotive repetition of NO!, the capitalisation and the exclamation mark further reflecting the personas unwillingness to accept his hidden desires and ideals.

Patricia Hill Collins Views On Feminism

Patricia Hill Collins Views On Feminism As a standpoint feminist, Patricia Hill Collins continuously argues that feminist studies should be practiced from the standpoint of women or particular groups of women who are not as egocentric to think they understand certain aspects of the world. Because of the differences that women have, many standpoint feminist now recognize this division of women and how it is impossible to claim one universal experience for women. Sexism occurs so miraculously that it is important to view it in relation to other systems of domination and analyze how it interacts with other classes in Collins matrix of domination. Collins does this through the thought of black feminist point of view. Collins is embedded in this idea that despite long standing claims by aristocrats; women, African Americans, Latinos, and other downgraded groups in America remain incapable of producing the type of analytical thought that is labeled as a feminist theory. People with powerful knowledge of resistance trampled former social structures of social and cultural inequality abandon this view. Members of these downgraded groups do in fact theorize and our critical social theory has been central to political empowerment and the search for justice. This led to Collins publishing Black Feminist Thought. Collins is above all concerned with the relationship among empowerment, knowledge, and self-definition with a primary focus on black women. It is the oppression with which she is most personally familiar. But Collins is also one of the few Standpoint and Social thinkers who are able to rise above their own experience. She challenges us with a significant view of oppression and other views that no t only has the possibility of changing the world but also of opening up the likelihood of continuous change. To her, for change to be continuous, it cant be exclusively focused on one social group. In other words, to be continuous, a social movement that is only concerned with racial inequality will end its influence once equality for that group is achieved. Collins gives us a way of transcending specific politics that is based upon Black Feminist Epistemology. Her intent is to place black womens experiences in the center of analysis without privileging those experiences. Basically we can learn from black womens knowledge. There are so many major trends that influence her to do so much of her work. She has sociological significance in a few different areas of which the content of her ideas has been influenced by on-going dialogue in many sociological societies. This has showed that in some way women are gaining more of a voice. For instance in her popular book From Black Power to Hip-Hop: Racism, Nationalism, and Feminism, this examines the debated spaces of racism, feminism, nationalism, and popular culture in an attempt to expand the struggle for a truly democratic society for the whole universe. She highlights specific themes to truly hint the struggle of place in society. The book is divided into 3 parts: Race, Family, and the US; Ethnicity, Culture, and Black Nationalist politics; and Feminism, Nationalism, and African American women. She is careful with words, she reclaims the term Black women for its globalizing potential to include more than America women of African descent. She redefines the g roup, she states, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a unifying language that women of African descent and women who are rendered socially Black [in and outside the US] can use to describe their needs as racial and ethnic women (Collins 23). With this said early on in the book, one anticipates a broader view to reframe black feminist thought in the global eye. Not necessarily to analyze everything but to at least rethink the effects of transnational migration on urban environments in America. Collins highlights these shifts in black identity, in ways of how we discuss black experience, race relations, and how contemporary feminist redefine themselves as women of color. In spite of that, Collins sticks closely to the familiar ground of African American urban communities and their related feminist theories and practices. She is concerned with the development of contemporary black feminist thought into social movement and its expansion into multiracial collective identity politics. Hip Hop is the dominant cultural expression in many black womens lives, but it is just one part in the complex of her matrix of domination. Because of our influence of Hip-Hop and other trends of society she tries to influence us to put into practice the collective identity of politics. She tries to influence into creating a group base identity while avoiding group based essentialism. She wants us to detach ourselves from this intricate and worldwide place of domination without falling into more temptation. It doesnt seem like she has many forerunners that truly influence her to do all of what she has done. She is more influenced by herself. She gives her opinion of what she thinks females (mostly black females) need to achieve and prove, and how others should understand and learn. As mention before she operates on the Matrix of Domination. This is a sociological theory that explains issues of oppression that deal with race, gender, and class. Even though these issues are classified differently they all are connected in a way. Other forms such as age, sex, gender, and religion apply to this too. Collins introduces this in her book Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and Politics of Empowerment. Many feminist have contributed a great deal of research to help her in an advantage. Although, it seems Collins has had a little bit of help from Alice Walker and her view of black women and feminism, in which she changes to Womanism. Walkers construction of Womanism was an attempt to establish the true black woman in history and culture and to change the negative and inaccurate stereotypes that are given to black women. Walker lists the black woman as a thinking subject who is always seeking knowledge. She interrogates the epistemological exclusions she endures in intellectual life and general and feminist intelligence. Walker also highlights the black womans strength, capability, and independence. Opposed to feminism, Womanism presents an alternative for black women by framing their survival through men and women. In Black Feminist Thought, Collins states, Many black women view feminism as a movement that at best is exclusively for women, and, at worst, dedicated to attacking or eliminating menà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Womanism seemingly supplies a way for black women to address gender-oppression without attacking black men (Collins 11). Collins seems agreeable in this case of Womanism and seems to be that Alice Walker is a versatile influence upon her. Collins goes into a lot of depth about Womanism in her book, a great impact on the Matrix of Domination. Patricia Hill Collins outlined America Black Feminism through the expression in music, fiction, poetry, and oral history. She continuously saw and pointed out three themes. The oppressions are interconnected greatly through the different points. Black women create alternative world views for self-definition and self determination. Black women also have often incorporated imposed and restraining definitions of who they are. They especially do this by revitalizing concepts of beauty, skin color, and physical body notions. Collins also points to areas that have been overlooked many times. Gender roles within family and work, politics, violence, and homophobia all need to be revitalized also. Collins draws on black womens experiences and voices to explain concepts that have been obscured institutionally and ideologically. Her interdisciplinary methodology engages an analytical approach to domination and subordination. She rejects defensive thought because either/or thinking categorizes people, things, and ideas in terms of their differences from each other. She stresses the both/and analysis because it could transform the way in which we think about the claims in knowledge. Her work has made Afro-centric and feminist thought more liable, broader in view, and more essential. She forces her readers to think differently and to reexamine the way in which truth and knowledge are thought to be, produced, and approved. This helps us to realize the importance of our gender society. This is some knowledge of why she seems to be an important figure in the evolution of gender studies. She gives her opinion with valuable information to back it up. Collins largely devotes a significant amount of work to present intellectual ideas mixed with everyday life ideas in an accessible way. This gives more of an encouragement for black females and other races to say what they feel, to give their opinion straightforward as can be. Her book Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment seems to be one of the most contributing books that she has published for the general public, but with a focus for black women. She reanalyzes race, gender, and class as an interlocking system of oppression. She talks about the lack of womens experiences as blood-mothers and other-mothers. The community reveals that there is a norm of a heterosexual, married couple, with a husband earning the money. This is far from being natural, universal, and preferred but instead is deeply embedded in specific race and class formations. Placing African American women in the center of analysis not only reveals much needed information ab out black womens experiences but also questions what perspective we give them. Black womens actions in group survival suggest a vision of community that stands in opposition to that extent in the dominant culture. This community is seen as arbitrary and fragile, structured accordingly by competition and domination. Afro-centric models of community stress connections, caring, and personal accountability. As cultural workers African American women have rejected the generalized ideology of domination in order to safeguard the conceptualizations of the community. According to Collins, black women have been unable to spend time theorizing about alternative conceptualizations of community. Instead, through daily actions black women have strongly created alternative communities that truly empower themselves. Experiences as mothers, other-mothers, educators, labor women, and community leaders seem to suggest that power as energy can be encouraged by resistance. In Fighting Words: Black Wome n and the Search for Justice, Collins states, The spheres of influence created and sustained by African American women are not mean to solely to provide a respite from oppressive situations or a retreat from their effects. Rather, these black female spheres of influence constitute potential sanctuaries where individual black women and men are nurtured in order to confront oppressive social institutions (Collins 56). Collins explores an astonishing range of ideas and images through history, sociology, and popular culture. Rather than debate the dominance of race versus sex in the history of social injustice to black women and other races; Collins offers a theory of Intersectionality, viewing race, gender, and sexuality together. She explores the social and personal implications of historical images and more current concerns about the influence of urban culture and how its glorified. Demonstrating how the politics of race has traditionally neglected concerns about gender and sexual orientation, Collins explores a range of issues, advocating certain aspects of cultural situations.

Iran-Contra Affair Essay -- US International Relations

America had begun to indulge in the unilateral environment afforded to it during the Cold War. As the Soviet Union began to collapse in the 1980s, the United States was on its way to becoming a solo super power. This acquisition of complete power would inevitably lead the country into new problems, including those foreign and domestic. One of the main issues that came around in the 1980s for the Unites States was the Iran-Contra Affair, which involved the Reagan Administration. With the United States readily inserting influence across the globe, the Iran-Contra Affair proved how foreign intervention can lead to scandal and disgrace in the modern world. Along with detrimental scandals, the Iran-Contra Affair showed how America’s imperialistic behavior in South America was beginning to catch up. In order to remain a dominant influence in South America, the United States had no choice but to topple governments that did not align with American ideology. Using guerillas like the C ontras insinuates America’s cornerstone of doing what is necessary in order to satisfy foreign interest. The Iran-Contra Affair involved the United States, Iran, and Lebanon. The affair coincided with the Iranian hostage crisis, which promoted the United States’ actions in sending weapons to Iran. The Reagan administration decided to trade arms for hostages in hopes of successfully retrieving American hostages from Iran. Iran was at the time under the power of Ayatollah Khomeini, who had put his full support behind the hostage crisis and believed there was nothing that the United States could do to Iran. America’s only chance of rescuing the hostages was to put their support behind Iran in the Iran-Iraq War, which involved the shipment of weapons to Iran f... ...es when it comes to implementing controversial foreign policy decisions that directly affect Americans and those in different countries. The main aspect of the affair that greatly influences the United States’ government is ensuring that its past imperialistic motives do not become an integral part of American affairs once again. Works Cited Boland Amendment. Decemmber 2010. http://www.fact-index.com/b/bo/boland_amendment.html (accessed Novemeber 2010). PBS. Reagan Timeline. 2000. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/timeline/index_5.html (accessed November 2010). U.S. History: Iran-Contra Affair. Iran-Contra Affair. 2010. http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1889.html. Vianica. History of the Sandinista Revolution: the union of a whole nation. January 2010. http://vianica.com/go/specials/15-sandinista-revolution-in-nicaragua.html (accessed November 2010).

Advertising :: essays research papers

For this newspaper report I have selected two ads for trips to Greece in the Greek newspaper, the Orthodox Observer. The travel agencies here are "MARKOS TRAVEL SERVICE" and "PHAROS TRAVEL". Both ads offer trips to Greece with really good deals from all over the United States. "Markos Travel Service" offers non-stop flights on Jumbo 747 with Olympic Airways and says that it has unbelievable low rates from anywhere in the United States. The prices at "Markos Travel Service start from $289.00 the one way ticket which departs from New York (JFK) and arrives in Athens Greece, and the round trip ticket starts from $489.00. Now with "PHAROS TRAVEL" he has the one way ticket $299.00 and the round trip $498.00 plus tax (which usually the tax ranges between $40-60.00 .This travel agency ad tells us about the children's fare too and it also gives a 20% off discount to all corporate accounts with either domestic or international trips. It also deals with add on from all over the United States too and it actually gives us the prices to it. "MARKOS TRAVEL SERVICE" doesn't show these features in its ad not even for the children's price or the discount price. Another difference between the two is that "MARKOS TRAVEL SERVICE" has only one office in Connecticut but "PHAROS TRAVEL" has two locations, one in Manhattan and the other one in Astoria, which makes it much more easier to go too. Both of the travel agencies ads gives us a nation wide toll-free number so you can call them from wherever you are without you being charged. I consider the "PHAROS TRAVEL" ad much more effective than the "MARKOS SERVICE TRAVEL" because first of all "PHAROS TRAVEL" is much more known and has many more years than "MARKOS SERVICE TRAVEL" in business. Also because its ad has everything basically there about what you need to know, far more details and I can say more reasonable prices. "MARKOS TRAVEL SERVICE" may have on the add cheaper prices but when you call in Advertising :: essays research papers For this newspaper report I have selected two ads for trips to Greece in the Greek newspaper, the Orthodox Observer. The travel agencies here are "MARKOS TRAVEL SERVICE" and "PHAROS TRAVEL". Both ads offer trips to Greece with really good deals from all over the United States. "Markos Travel Service" offers non-stop flights on Jumbo 747 with Olympic Airways and says that it has unbelievable low rates from anywhere in the United States. The prices at "Markos Travel Service start from $289.00 the one way ticket which departs from New York (JFK) and arrives in Athens Greece, and the round trip ticket starts from $489.00. Now with "PHAROS TRAVEL" he has the one way ticket $299.00 and the round trip $498.00 plus tax (which usually the tax ranges between $40-60.00 .This travel agency ad tells us about the children's fare too and it also gives a 20% off discount to all corporate accounts with either domestic or international trips. It also deals with add on from all over the United States too and it actually gives us the prices to it. "MARKOS TRAVEL SERVICE" doesn't show these features in its ad not even for the children's price or the discount price. Another difference between the two is that "MARKOS TRAVEL SERVICE" has only one office in Connecticut but "PHAROS TRAVEL" has two locations, one in Manhattan and the other one in Astoria, which makes it much more easier to go too. Both of the travel agencies ads gives us a nation wide toll-free number so you can call them from wherever you are without you being charged. I consider the "PHAROS TRAVEL" ad much more effective than the "MARKOS SERVICE TRAVEL" because first of all "PHAROS TRAVEL" is much more known and has many more years than "MARKOS SERVICE TRAVEL" in business. Also because its ad has everything basically there about what you need to know, far more details and I can say more reasonable prices. "MARKOS TRAVEL SERVICE" may have on the add cheaper prices but when you call in

Shakespeares As You Like It - The Many Flavors of Love Essay -- Shake

As You Like It:  Ã‚   The Many Flavors of Love  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As You Like It is remarkable among Shakespeare's plays for ending with four marriages, something of a record even among comedies. Love is a central theme of the play, although in some of its variations it cannot quite be said to be romantic! The love relationships may, at first glance, appear to be stock types: Rosalind and Orlando representing romantic hero-heroine love, Silvius and Phebe combining love in the lower classes with unrequited love, Audrey and Touchstone a darker attempt to seduce, and Celia and Oliver simple tying up of loose ends. However, Shakespeare makes the theme interesting not just through the sheer variety of relationships that he explores, but also through the unusual elements he brings to each.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Rosalind-Orlando relationship could be stock hero-heroine love, but for the interest Shakespeare adds by way of Rosalind's luminous character and the humor of Orlando encountering and being attracted to Rosalind in her guise as a "saucy lackey", Ganymede. The way in which they meet and fall in love is traditional -- Rosalind is won over by Orlando's manly labors and good looks at his wrestling match with Charles, and performs her feminine office of mercy by trying to dissuade him from what appears to be such a disastrous venture. It is true love at first sight, another traditional feature of such a romance. However, a new dimension is added by Rosalind's disguise as Ganymede and her suggestion that Orlando pretend to court her. Orlando's attraction to her in her boyish guise is unexpected and sends the audience into fits of laughter. His gradual progression from a brusque retort to Ganymede's cheeky question, "I pray you, what is't o'c loc... ...liver. The audience will also be greatly amused at the fact that although Celia has been teasing Rosalind ever since she fell in love with Orlando, she herself is not proof to sudden and irrational love. All in all, their marriage is necessary for the comic resolution of the play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The many love relationships in As You Like It are delightful in their romanticism and the humor that Shakespeare has dashed into each of them, enhancing the happy nature of the play. Various situations of love are explored -- true love at first sight, unrequited love, even a hint of homosexuality in Orlando's attraction to Ganymede and Phebe's falling for Ganymede, who is really a woman. Their contrasting variety causes them to complement one another in the play's theme of love and the foolish things it makes people do, making As You Like It both entertaining and romantic.

How does Stevenson explore duality in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde? Essay

The idea of duality, in this case, of people displaying duality of character, being â€Å"two faced†, of showing contrasting sides to a person, was of much interest to people in the late 19th century, due to the way it reflected upon their society, and was a key concept of Gothic literature written at the time. In this essay, I shall see how Stevenson explores this, the techniques and methods he uses, and the way in which he shows us how duality is significant in Victorian society. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was one of the first novels to re-introduce the Gothic literary genre, and thus has several elements that are common to other Gothic novels, which I shall explore in this chapter. With Gothicism being a genre of horror fiction, almost all Gothic novels have some kind of monster as the antagonist. Mr Hyde, although generally regarded as human (a point which I will explore further later on), is quite obviously a monster in the original sense, that is, a being of pure evil and sadism. He is described as a repulsive, grotesque person, for example, by Mr Enfield: â€Å"There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable †¦ he gives a strong feeling of deformity, although I couldn’t specify the point.† The fact that his features are not truly described, but only hinted on vaguely, is also important; it is common for Gothic literature to prey upon the fear of the unknown. Hyde as a monster is only ever witnessed through the eyes of others’, in other words, at no point in the novel do we get an explanation from his viewpoint. This is also another Gothic technique, designed to de-humanise the monster: if we could see things from it’s perspective, we could sympathise with it, therefore this is not allowed. In this novel, the idea of a monster is combined with another Gothic element: the double. The double is the idea of duality taken to an extreme, physical level: a character who has two different forms, often with one being good, the other evil. Common doubles in Gothic literature include werewolves, people who transform from regular humans into a wolf form, and vampires, people who, by night, become blood-sucking monsters. Hyde is the double of Jekyll; although he has a different form, he is not an entirely separate person, but is the evil side of Jekyll. By creating Hyde, Jekyll allows himself to express his innermost desires, without receiving the consequences, such as shame, guilt, or a loss of respect and reputation. This is part of one of the key themes of the book, which is exposing duality in Victorian society, that will be explored later. Finally, there is one thing that sets Jekyll and Hyde apart from other Gothic novels. Usually, they are set in very remote places, often in foreign, Catholic countries. This distances the reader from the often scary events happening, however, in Jekyll and Hyde, the fact that it is set in London makes the events seem much closer and real, and therefore scarier. Other than this minor point, however, it is easy to see how Stevenson uses the Gothic genre to explore duality in the book. Stevenson also uses a particular style of writing and a variety of techniques that help to explore duality, for example, the story is titled as â€Å"The Case of†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , which, as well as being a case as in a particular event, it is in some ways presented almost as a legal case. As the story unfolds, we see Mr Utterson on an investigation, with â€Å"evidence† in the form of accounts from Mr Enfield, the maid and others, as well as various letters and the will made by Dr Jekyll. At the end of the book, we get the full statements of the two main witnesses, Dr Jekyll and Dr Lanyon. As noted before, Mr Hyde’s recollection of the events is never known. By writing in this way, Stevenson clearly shows us contrast between the protagonist â€Å"prosecutor† and the antagonist â€Å"defendant† in the book, as well as involving the other characters as more neutral witnesses, but leaving it open to speculation whether they are in this case necessarily good or bad, exposing their duality, for example with Dr Jekyll, who, although he obviously hates Hyde for his crimes, still continues to crave becoming him for the purposes of expressing his desires. Another technique Stevenson uses is symbolism, mostly in the form of weather, for example, the city streets were filled with smog when Hyde was out, and in chapters 2 and 4, where Utterson and others are trying to find Mr Hyde, there is a thick early-morning fog. This, although common in London at the time, still had associations of secrecy and obscurity, as it was the domain of people like Jack the Ripper, and therefore the perfect setting for the crimes of Mr Hyde. As well as weather, Stevenson used the symbolism of doors and windows also as metaphors for secrecy. For instance, in Jekyll’s laboratory, it is always behind the closed cabinet door that he transforms into Hyde, and it is only when this door is broken down that the mystery is solved. Also, when Utterson and Enfield go to speak with Jekyll in Incident at the Window, the window serves as a barrier between Utterson and the truth that Jekyll hides. To understand how the book as a whole expresses duality, it is important to understand how contemporary readers would have viewed and reacted to the book. Obviously, at the time it was published, readers would have not suspected the idea of transforming into an evil doppelgà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½nger was the key to the mystery about Jekyll and Hyde. We should bear in mind that the most logical solutions are that Jekyll and Hyde were having a homosexual relationship, that Hyde was the illegitimate son of Jekyll, or that Jekyll was somehow being intimidated and controlled by Hyde, possibly via blackmail or debt; contemporary readers would probably have guessed that one of those was the most likely to be the case. It is also important to understand how readers would have viewed Hyde. In the late 19th century, many post-Darwinist theories about evolution and creationism were being discussed and debated, and people were beginning to accept the idea that humans were descended from apes. From this came the idea that people who were socially unacceptable, that is, anyone who did not confirm to the Victorian ideals of etiquette and manners, could be regarded as less evolved, and in a way sub-human. This is highly evident with Mr Hyde, who is described as being very short, deformed and ape-like. There is, however, a final point about the readers of the book, which I regard as one of the most important, and it is what made the book so shocking and controversial at the time. This is the way in which the book exposes the duality that was present in Victorian society, which is displayed by the important characters in the book. Society and culture at the time were based highly on etiquette and conformity, and of appearing the best as possible in public. Any person’s vices were kept behind closed doors, even with close friends and family, and thus, this lead to people leading very separate public and private lives. In Jekyll and Hyde, Stevenson shows this to some extent with all of the major characters, the most significant of which I shall explore further. Mr Utterson seems to be the most single-track, sincere character, however, he does display moral ambivalence as a lawyer. In his own words, â€Å"I let my brother go to the Devil in his own way†. At first, it seems that it is good of him, as a lawyer, to not judge people at all, however, although this seems helpful, it can also be bad, for example it means that he will not step in to help someone who is â€Å"going to the Devil†, but rather let them sort things out in their own way. He only seems to change this at the end of the book, and that is only because Poole suspects that Hyde has murdered Dr Jekyll. Mr Carew, an MP, is clearly shown as being a well-mannered gentlemanly figure, but because of this, we can not help but wonder why he is out in a shady district of London at night, and what he said to anger Mr Hyde so much (if anything). This shows once again the idea of having a private life, kept hidden and separate from your public life, which is what Carew appears to be doing. Finally, there is Dr Jekyll. Throughout the book he is described as a good man, who was respectable, admired by his friends, as someone seen as nearly perfect by Victorian standards. However, beneath the public face we can see that his fascination with Mr Hyde is not purely scientific. Once he has experienced what it is like to be in Hyde’s body, he begins to crave it more, this is because, through Hyde, he can do things that are completely unacceptable, even by modern standards. The book suggests that, as well as murder, he practised many sexual perversions, and similar acts. This shows how a man can fall and become a lesser human, as noted before, and that this is achieved by science. At the time, people believed in the idea that humanity could reach a peak level, and then devolve, becoming ape-like once again, Jekyll and Hyde could be seen as a metaphor for this. As you can see, Stevenson uses these characters effectively as well a wide variety of literary techniques and in the style of a Gothic novel to explore duality and how it relates to society at the time.