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When considering the notion of sexual encounters in prison, perhaps two key concepts come into mind: secrecy and aggression. With the aid of mass media, life behind bars has been portrayed as a world of danger, in which dominance has to be asserted for the sake of personal safety. One example would be the prominence of “dropping the soap” jokes, not only trivializing the homosexual incarceration experience, but also dramatizing the horrors of imprisonment. However, it is vital to note that, historically speaking, attempts at legislation have been made in an effort to better control and regulate the sexual climate of prison. Conjugal visits, in particular, were initially put into practice to keep inmates in line, allowing them the short-term enjoyment of physical pleasures to compensate for their long-term sentences and labors. Over time, the appeal of conjugal visits gradually wore off, as concerns for safety and sustainability soon rendered the program impractical for many correctional facilities nationwide. Now, only four states continue this practice: New York, Washington, California, and Connecticut.
Get original essayWhat makes the history of conjugal visits fascinating is how it falls within the intersection of the public and private, privacy and intimacy, and race, gender, and sexuality. The practice similarly introduces sexual interactions as a mode of control and, perhaps, a fundamental right, capable of restoring a sense of normalcy to inmates’ lives and lessening their chances of recidivism (Sanburn, 2014). Sex, then, is no longer a private affair, as it is made into a public concern for the sake of general public benefit. Not to mention, it also connects with broader concepts of morality, incarceration, and (de)humanization. Through this essay, I aim to discuss the dark, problematic roots of conjugal visits, before delving into the act of public sex and whether any semblance of privacy can exist within such circumstances. Following this, I will be discussing how the practice has evolved, then considering the various purposes both sex and privacy serve in conjugal visits and whether I agree with its usage in prisons.
It is largely believed that the first known implementation of conjugal visits took place around the early 1900s, at Parchman Farm of the Mississippi State Penitentiary, a plantation-like facility containing numerous African-American prisoners and laborers alike. In order to ensure better behavior and productivity, “the guards had organized the arrival of prostitutes who had sex with inmates in the rows of Parchman’s cotton fields” (Mayyasi, 2015). Sex, in this instance, was worked into a for-profit “paternalistic” reward system: if you give some, you get some. Yet, it’s pertinent to realize that much of this took place within the state facility without actual legal parameters; “the guards’ actions [of bringing in prostitutes] were not prison policy, but administrators tolerated the practice for decades,” as Mayyasi points out. This blend of the public and private set a complicated precedent for formal conjugal visit policies, which extended into spousal visitation rights later by the 1950s. Above all else, earning the ability to enjoy personal, private pleasures such as sex became an indicator of power, control, and, ultimately, conformity.
Aside from the obvious racial undertones regarding the introduction of conjugal visits to state facilities, academics such as Columbus B Hopper have suggested that the practice was heteronormative and sexist in nature as well, aimed towards “cut[ting] down on homosexuality” and keeping wives from “wandering” (Hopper, 1962). As discussed in “The Conjugal Visit at Mississippi State Penitentiary,” the primary demographic most likely to benefit from Parchman’s conjugal visits are straight male prisoners. The practice not only prevents spousal infidelity being committed by the non-imprisoned partner, as one inmate states, but also dissuades married men in prison from developing and, potentially, acting upon their homoerotic desires. This implies that conjugal visits, and the act of heterosexual sex, specifically, are able to eliminate any possibility of unfaithfulness, whether from inside or outside the prison walls, therefore protecting the sanctity of a monogamous marital bond between a man and a woman. Thus, privacy—or a lack thereof—can significantly impact a person’s place within a hegemonic framework, even to the point of challenging a person’s individual traits.
In addition to all of the above, the privacy offered by conjugal visits is not always tangible or absolute; many successful encounters actually rely heavily upon unspoken agreements, similar to how the practice was conducted at Parchman Farm. According to Maverick, a convict at California prison and featured guest on the Ear Hustle podcast series, “there was an understanding in the visiting room between, uh, inmates, and the first hour and the last hour of all the visits, the patio was couples only … When you, when you know that everyone else is out there trying to do the same thing, it kind of, uh, takes the tension off. It makes it easier for you to fornicate in public.” (Poor and Woods, 2017). Although this agreement had no legal standing nor any involvement of the officials, Maverick found himself feeling more at ease as everyone around him was committing the same act. What reassured him was not some unshakeable quality of legally-determined privacy, but the private solidarity of attempting public sex. While this does not necessarily justify the act, it certainly paints a clearer picture of the visitation culture at Maverick’s prison.
This calls to mind Califia’s “Public Sex” and the unending conflict between private and “quasi-public sex,” in which he argues against the Sexual Offenses Act of 1967 and its restrictions on the meaning of “public”: anywhere where a third person was likely to be present. In Maverick’s case, every single person engaging in sexual acts on the patio would easily have been prosecuted. Whether it have been his first time with his partner Cathy—in which they simply chose to watch the others in action—or the couple’s second visit, a Toronto bathhouse-type situation would have occurred, in which the law would have had zero regard for consent or intent in either circumstance. What Maverick perceived to have been a “protected, private act” would have been considered a “forfeit [of his] right to privacy” (Califia, 1982). This marks a huge disparity regarding contrasting perceptions of indecency and consensual sexual behavior, perhaps explaining why Maverick’s fellow inmates elected to maintain a level of secrecy regarding patio usage. Privacy, therefore, can be born out of need and fears for personal safety, though its legitimacy may still be questioned in the eyes of the penal code.
Over course of time, conjugal visits were phased out as family visits took precedence, marking a transition that allowed prisoners to enjoy intimacy beyond the brief relief offered by sex. Taking place in an on-site house free from constant surveillance, these visits gave convicts the chance to experience the normalcy and privacy they are unable to have on a day-to-day basis: “many problems were solved during the privacy and closeness of these visits that would have resulted in violent arguments and hard feelings where these visits are not allowed” (Hopper, 1962). The closure attained by family visits has been attributed to an overall improvement in the behavior of convicts, demonstrating how sustained access to privacy is capable of inciting positive change in a person. Though opposers of visitation practices have insisted that “[prisoners] are in prison for a reason … [they] are in there to pay [their] debt, and conjugal visits should not be part of the deal” (Mayyasi, 2015), the right to privacy is perhaps the point of diversion between the necessity of outright punishment and gradual rehabilitation.
What these instances have all shown are the shifting perspectives on sex and privacy, ranging from acting as an incentive, to becoming a mode of healing, to being considered a fundamental right. Yet, sex cannot be viewed as completely public or private, for these two qualities are not mutually exclusive. In Ear Hustle, Maverick later describes a much riskier sexual encounter with Cathy, during which they visited the “boom boom room.” The endeavor involved four couples, each taking turns having sex in a dark room while the remaining three pairs stood guard (Poor and Woods, 2017). And, like John D’Emilio asserts in “My Changing Sex Life,” homosexual men faced many socio-political constraints, including secrecy, liberation, and the public health epidemic of the 1980s. Hence, each sexual encounter carried with it both danger and weight, and the same is reflected in conjugal visits. In essence, sex in correctional facilities inherently pushes the boundaries between the public and private, as well as danger and security, thus reflecting the pervasive nature of such issues within the broader scope of law.
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Get custom essayIn closing, I can’t help but be influenced by the anecdotes shared by inmates who have been able to experience the benefits of conjugal visits. Maverick recounts his time with Cathy as such: “We just held each other. … Just that one little moment made all the rest of the time that we wasn't able to be together just melt away. It was like we was a regular couple. We wasn't in prison. We was just us” (Poor and Woods, 2017). Certainly, an argument can be made that the current visitation policies in place across all other American prisons are sufficient enough to satiate the need to remain in touch. But, this view completely neglects the importance of intimacy and human connection under private, unmediated circumstances. Being incarcerated for any amount of time, whether twenty weeks or twenty years, is undoubtedly a dehumanizing experience. With added consideration for how to best regulate the visitation process, I can’t see why convicts should not be allowed the opportunity to spend time with their loved ones, temporarily forego their label of detainment, and—just for a little while—get to be themselves again.
When we talk about the origin of homosexuality then the 1st thing that hits is it remains one of the most debated in our society. And it is one of the major concerns that it is a result of an individual’s surrounding and environment or his biological genetic. Existence of these people is everywhere but their acceptance and approval in our cultural taboos are still negative. Among citizens it also has been viewed that they considered it as an abominable behavior and they thought it should be punishable by death or by some other extreme punishment. People considered that being homosexual is a sin and it should be illegal but why? Since I didn’t find that it’s causing any harm to anyone or to our ethics, cultures, religious etc. Time is changing so people shouldn’t come up with any kind of myth. Homosexual individuals are also human beings like others and they also have rights to enjoy their life by their choices. If we have a look on “what actually determines our sexual orientation?” then we’ll come to know that no research has conclusively established the causes of homosexuality, bisexuality or heterosexuality. There are some people who believe that orientation is predetermined genetically or hormonally. It is really not possible to convert heterosexuals to being homosexuals just as it is impossible to convert homosexuals to heterosexuals. In 1973 the American Psychiatric Associations said it should be removed from the list of mental illnesses. In 1974 the American Psychological Association did the same. And it seems like some better steps have taken towards the modernization. This research paper presents the views or reactions of social behavior towards the range of homosexuality.
Get original essayHomosexuality, American Psychiatric Associations, cultural taboos, Myth, Punishment, sexual orientation, Abominable, Bisexuality, genetically, hormonally, Heterosexual, American Psychological Association.
In a simple word we may define “Homosexuality” as a sexual relationship between people of same sex. It has always been pre- existed but the acknowledgement of this reality is still seems very recent. It consists of lesbian and Gay but we can say that Bisexual and Transgender are also an another branch of it. When we bring them together then it is called LGBT. This word also means the increasing understanding between gender inequality and sexual orientation. (Brown, A. (2017, June 13) Minority of these people have always been existed in India either in invisibility or in silence. But matter is their issues have never articulated seriously. There is a law called Section 377 of IPC (Indian Penal Code) which was introduced in India and in Britain at the same time in 1860s and irony is that this section was removed from British but still remains in here. According to this law “whoever has carnal intercourse against the nature with anyone should be punished either for death or imprisonment for life.” ( Is it really the responses that back up forbidding deviance? It is really critical to know how deviance belief arises among people and get accepted in society. (Greenberg, D. F. (n.d.). The Construction of Homosexuality,1998)
Homosexuality is one of the most controversial talks in our society. In today’s world this issue is moot. It’s not a problem, or a bad thing, it is just different with unusual qualities of personality (same sex attraction). LGBT should be entitled to have equal rights like everyone else. In the fighting against inequality, tolerance will not do. There is a well said slogan of the Matthew .S Foundation: “ERASE HATE”
This literature review analyzes the rights of LGBT and sensitivity of public towards the visibility of LGBT as socially and legally constructed miscreants. In 1992 The World Health Organization (WHO) issues a statement that associating homosexuality with mental illness is a mistake. And in 1993 the commission des droits de la personne du Quebec (CDPQ) Organizes public hearings on discrimination and violence experienced by gays and lesbians in Quebec. The CDPQ submits a report to the National Assembly with 41 recommendations aimed at countering persistence discrimination against homosexual people.(WHO CDPQ; 1992, 1993). They faced a lot not only then but also now. Let’s go in a sequence way.
Although it might seem that construct of homosexual relations have always been measured by Jewish traditions, historical sources proves that this is far from the case. The Bible itself shows the evidence of homosexual practices during the first temple period that were not only allowed but also the part of religious rituals of the time. These relations were considered within the norm until the religious reform of King Josiah. (Allberry, S. 2018). Christianity and Islam also adopted the ban on homosexual relations, but in practice, although it was enforced by the church in Europe, in the Muslim world it was overlooked. With the end of British mandates and the establishment of the state of Israel, a provision banning so called unnatural sexual acts was made the law. But in 1953, the attorney general at the time instructed the office not to pursue criminal charges for violations of the law. And in 1957, the policy was ordered not to investigate suspicions of these violations. In 1975, the Aguda, the 1st organization in Israel devoted to promoting gay rights, was founded. In 1979, the 1st demonstration devoting to promoting gay rights was founded. In 1990s there was gradually improvement in Israeli society’s attitude toward homosexuality. Among the religious population, the change shows a difficult issue that has not yet found resolution. (Burton, N. (2015, September 18)
The 1st misconception that we need to clear is that being homosexual doesn’t mean you won’t have any children or pass on to genes. Evidence says that gaining reproductive could be provided to homosexuals through their off springs. Therefore we can say that it’s a kind of little support for hypothesis that it can be evolved by kin selection. So parents can control children’s reproductive decisions and also encourage homosexual behavior in children at a time. (William. K, BBC World Service, 18 February 2014)"This is a paradox from an evolutionary perspective," says Paul Vasey from the University of Lethbridge in Canada. "I don’t understand how can characteristic like gay or u can say male homosexuality, although having a genetic component, to continue to exist over evolutionary time if the characteristics of that individuals shows that traits are not reproducing with the associated genes. Still research is going on and scientists are trying to find out the answers of this puzzle and there are several theories which says that It's possible that different people have different mechanisms and working in various ways. (Ambrosino, B. (2017, March 16). Mainly theories were related to the research of male homosexuality. Since the research on female homosexuality or lesbians are still understudied. May be it will take research in a different forms or in a same way as gays. (Kremer, W. (2014, February 18).
Still there are many myths about homosexuality or sexual orientation in our society. Even the families also do believe in that people need to be adult so that they can know they are gay. Different people have different assumption. Some people think that teens might have decided to be gay if they have gay friends or if they are reading about homosexuality. And all these myths are really common and incorrect. But in today’s world adolescents have much sense to know about their sexual orientation. According to Family Acceptance Project (FAP) they were attracted to the same gender at the age of 10 and some of them knew about their sex at age 7 or 9. In the eyes of observer, it’s a beliefs that homosexual is an evil, sick, undesirable or punishable thing. Now the reconstruct of homosexuality is relevant. (Greenberg, D. F. (n.d.). The Construction of Homosexuality,1998).
Section 377 of Indian penal code (IPC) law which was introduced by Lord Macaulay brought at the time of British era in 1860. This law says that sexual intercourse with the same gender is a crime or it’s against the nature of law. (Brown, A. (2017, June 13)) Now re-opening of debate on homosexuality in India takes place. And the courts decided to have a look in their past visit of 2013 verdict which criminalizes gay sex. A bunch of judges including our chief justice of India, Dipak Mishra said they need to re-visit on their earlier decision because of the involvement of constitutional issues. He said that they were trying to think it properly so that it could send to a larger bench. This law involves punishment like death or imprisonment for life term. This is also implacable for heterosexuals, as consensual sexual acts of adults – oral and anal sexing private – are currently treated as unnatural and punishable under this law of IPC. In 2013 Supreme Court cancelled the order of high court for decriminalizing homosexuality by saying that it is the job of parliament to decide on scrapping laws. This decision of criminalizing section 377 is a major setback and also criticized human rights. (Press Trust of India, N. (2018, August 07)).
There are number of studies going on throughout the country. This study basically includes the problems faced by homosexuals in our society. It also deals with so many different cases that is recently going on all over the world. It also helps to understand the role played by society and government laws in their lives.
This study is mainly based on the secondary data. News, journals and different written documents have helped me a lot in analyzing and critically thinking on this issue related to homosexuality. Their problems in society and all those laws against them made me understand it in a better way.
According to Equaldex, there are 73 countries where homosexual activity is illegal. And only five countries in the world – Bolivia, Ecuador, Fiji, Malta and the UK – have constitutions that explicitly guarantee equality for citizens on the basis of sexual orientation as well as gender identity, according to a recent UCLA study.(Gray, 2018)
America has become one of those Country, who is accepting homosexuality and LGBT in general, and according to Gall Up Tracking Survey recent data shows there is an increase in acceptance of LGBT and homosexuality.
Years % of U.S adults accepted as LGBT
2012 3.5
2013 3.6
2014 3.7
2015 3.9
2016 4.1
There is also a strong relationship between religion and homosexuality among people in different countries. Few exceptions are there like Russia receiving low score on religion but high on homosexuality. Conversely Brazilians and Filipinos are more towards homosexuality rather than religious (Brown.A, 2017). On February 26, 2018- the pentagon confirms that the first time a transgender person has ready to signed a contract for joining US military, seems like a new change. (LIBRARY, C. (2018, April 01).
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Get custom essayThe group of people who are attracted to the same sex we considered homosexuals and the biggest problem is that they are still not accepted and approved by our society. I don’t understand why the world regards them as abnormal or unnatural. Even bible also reflects about them that being homosexual is a sin. They are fighting for their rights of being equally treated like others just to prove that homosexuality is not a sin and they all are trying to demonstrate that there is nothing wrong with being a gay or a lesbians, instead, it’s just a different way of living their own life. A lots of study going on this and they shows that there are so many environmental factors affecting on their behavior like early experience of homosexuality, bad relationship with closed ones, having homosexual friends, qualities of being sissy and tom boy, unavailability of heterosexual partners, born in that way which includes homosexuality experience in high percentage, family abnormality etc. We need to change our thoughts towards them. I mean do you really think that it’s important to know what you are beneath your clothes or who is beneath your skin? Trust me I’ll choose the 2nd option. As long as love is there between two individuals, flesh shouldn’t barricade love. Stand for their rights. That’s all I have to say. We need to raise our mind from gutter, when it comes to choice of a life in general.
Often put off as a writer of supremely masculine literature, Earnest Hemingway has earned a top position in the literary canon of the modernist era. As a master of provocative understatement, Hemingway developed his reputation for addressing issues of gender and sexuality with prevailing themes of masculinity. Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises is a prime example of these typical masculine undertones. The analytic examiner has no trouble locating readings that describe The Sun Also Rises, or any other Hemingway work, in this much acknowledged, male-dominated variety. What is an uncommon investigation is the homosexual themes borne into the novel. Specific characterizations and Hemingway's subtle language, when interpreted properly, reveal the irony of homosexuality suppressed in masculinity.
Get original essayThe novel's protagonist and narrator, Jake Barnes, embodies the simplest, most obvious homosexual characterization. As a soldier in World War I, Jakes was involved in an "accident" as Hemingway describes it, that leaves him impotent. Jake's physical impotence renders him unable to perform any sexual act. This becomes a metaphor for Jake's mental impotence; homosexuality that would forbid him from engaging in sexual acts with any woman. We see Jake expressing a certain frustration over his impotence in the way individuals, especially during the 1920's, would find themselves outcast, or at least separated from the social norm. His impotence and metaphoric homosexuality are qualities that he keeps in the dark. These are qualities that he is ashamed of. Jake and Brett discuss war wounds with Count Mippipopolous who proudly displays the arrow wounds he received in Abyssinia: "And I have got arrow wounds. Have you ever seen arrow wounds?" (Hemingway, 61) Jake's war wounds, although more brutal and impressive, remain an undiscovered, shameful part of Jake. Thus, the battle wounds that are often considered a very masculine aspect of the novel become a representation of Jake's metaphoric, understated homosexuality.
Considering a subject such as homosexuality makes the character Brett a fascinating one to contemplate. Both Jake and Robert Cohn find themselves directing great amounts of effort toward winning the love of this odd character. The most heterosexual action of both of these men becomes the clearest example of their symbolic homosexuality. It is arguable that Cohn and Jake have fallen in love with the most masculine character in the novel. To state the most glaring detail, Brett has a typically male name. During one of their earliest encounters that we see, Jake describes Brett as "damned good looking", but goes on to describe her as having hair that is done "like a boy's" and being "built with curves like the hull of a racing yacht." (Hemingway, 22) Aside from Jake's manly description of Brett's handsome qualities, we find that Brett conducts herself in a very male way. She refers to herself and her male friends as "chaps". Greeting them with a hearty "Hello, you chaps", and presumptuously declaring, "Never going to get tight anymore. I say, give a chap a brandy and soda." (Hemingway, 21-22) So aside from looking like a man, and talking like a man, Brett also drinks like a man. Of Brett, literary critic Leslie Fielder writes, "...she is presented not as an animal or as a nightmare but quite audaciously as a goddess, the bitch-goddess with boyish bob (Hemingway is rather fond of women who seem as much as boy as girl), the Lilith of the 20's." (Fielder, 89) Fielder describes Brett's male personality further, quoting a line from her: "He wanted me to grow my hair out. Me, with long hair. I'd look so like Hell.... He said it would make me look more womanly. I'd look a fright." (Fielder, 89) Along with being boyish, Fielder introduces a new term to the character of Brett. This idea of the "bitch-goddess" is certainly one that would have appeal to the homosexual inclination being expressed in Cohn and Jake. The notion of a goddess of beauty, power, and masculinity is exactly the type of deity that would be most appealing according to Hemingway's homosexuals.
Near the beginning of the novel, Jake finds himself at a dance where Brett arrives with a group of gay men. As they enter Jake notes "The policeman standing by the door looked at me and smiled." (Hemingway, 20) Here, Hemingway identifies the common sarcastic attitude toward the gay populace and the discriminatory manner with which they are viewed. Jake's reaction to their dancing provokes a number of possible interpretations. Jake reflects: "Somehow they always made me angry. I know they are supposed to be amusing, and you should be tolerant, but I wanted to swing on one, any one, anything to shatter that superior, simpering composure." (Hemingway, 20) It could, obviously, be simple jealousy bringing about these feelings of anger. Jake feels threatened by their "superior, simpering composure" and is motivated by the primal instinct to do harm to the cause of his frustration. It is not unreasonable to think that Jake would feel threatened by these men who still possess their potency. However, it is not reasonable for us to imagine that Jake should feel jealous toward a group of gay men concerning the woman he is in love with. What is more likely is the recurrence of Jake's frustration toward his own sexual impotence. Jake is all too familiar with the situation that these men have found themselves in. Like the men, Jake has all the qualities of personality that Brett seeks in a lover. However, with Jake, as with the group of men, Brett has no intention of ever consummating that love. As she puts it later, "Yes. Aren't I? [sober] And when one's with the crowd I'm with, one can drink in such safety, too." (Hemingway, 22) Jake's aggression toward the homosexuals is merely reflected upon his own state of dissatisfaction with himself. So again, the masculine aggression that is typical of Hemingway becomes another vestige of veiled homosexuality.
The concept of the "bitch-goddess" becomes an idea revisited with Cohn's ex-fiance, Frances. When Cohn decides that he cannot marry Frances (a woman with a slightly less masculine name than Brett), she releases onto him a torrent of sarcastic insults including his emotional nature, significant of his metaphoric homosexuality: "Don't have scenes with your young ladies. Try not to. Because you can't have scenes without crying, and then you pity yourself so much you can't remember what the other person's said." (Hemingway, 50) All throughout her torment Cohn remains fairly silent, letting the insults sink in, interrupting only once to tell her to "shut up". Cohn's emotional, submissive nature combined with his violent past as a champion boxer further supports the idea of the manly homosexual.
Hemingway does go beyond the idea of the homosexual within masculinity, and presents the plausibility of a paradise free of women. This idea will become more significant further on. The Spanish bullfighter Pedro Romero becomes a tool of Hemingway's description of sex. The final moments of his bullfight are to be considered the climactic moments of intercourse. Backman writes:
...as their swords go all the way in, the men leaning after---the men become one with the bull, united for a single instant by death. This is the "moment of truth." It is an intense, almost an ecstatic, moment of communion, involving an abnegation of self before the final merging. The only other experience analogous to this in Hemingway's work is sexual union. (Backman, 249)
Backman writes in reference to the passage concerning Romero's slaughter of the bull: "...his left shoulder went forward between the horns as the sword went in, and for just an instant, he and the bull were one..." (Hemingway, 218) This passage, indeed, describes a very sexual insinuation: the sword being a very phallic device penetrating the bull causing them to be "one". This is an accurate representation of Hemingway's take on the purpose of women, and the etiquette of sex. The bullfight was simple. The bullfight was begun as simply as it ended and without the trials associated with relationships. It is perhaps a cynical comment on behalf of Hemingway to suggest that a successful sexual relationship is attainable, but only with a bull, rather than with a woman.
Romero had had his face beaten by Cohn the day before the bullfight, and it is not unreasonable to suggest that it is because of the meddlesome nature of women that he endured the fight. We notice Romero cleansing himself of his female-inflicted wounds during his bullfight: "The fight with Cohn had not touched his spirit but his face had been smashed and his body hurt. He was wiping all that out now. Each thing that he did with this bull, wiped that out a little cleaner." (Hemingway, 219) The simplicity of man and beast in a world free of women cleanses the mind of Romero. Again, the union of a great man and a great male beast brought together in a sexually cleansing experience negates the masculinity of the whole situation, and instead creates homoerotic innuendo.
The fishing trip to Burguette with Bill and Jake provides further evidence of the whimsical paradise of men without women. Fielder puts the fishing trip quite eloquently: "What Hemingway's emphasis on the ritual murder of fish conceals is that it is not so much the sport as the occasion for immersion which is essential to the holy marriage of males. Water is the symbol of the barrier between the Great Good Place and the busy world of women." (Fielder, 92) It is here, in a place free of women, amidst the natural, simplistic state of things that Bill and Jake are allowed to be perfectly honest. Bill tells Jake, "Listen. You're a hell of a good guy, and I'm fonder of you than anybody on Earth. I couldn't tell you that in New York. It'd mean I was a faggot." (Hemingway, 116) The manly pursuit that is fishing becomes a time for Bill to admit his tender, manly, love for his friend Jake.
The understated themes of Hemingway's literature are highly self-interpretable. It stands to reason, though, in the spirit of irony that a brilliant author like Earnest Hemingway would use themes like fishing, bullfighting, and beautiful, promiscuous women to promote the values of homosexuality.
Works Cited
Backman, Melvin, "Hemingway: The Matador and the Crucified", Hemingway and His Critics, New York: Hill and Wang, 1966.
Fielder, Leslie, "Men Without Women" Hemingway, Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1962.
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Get custom essayHemingway, Earnest, The Sun Also Rises, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1954.
From the case, Honda is a connoisseur in the utilization of product platforms. It applied its expertise to develop a new light cost-efficient truck, the element, which was immensely alluring to its target market segment. There are several factors and strategies that the company utilized leading to the immense success of the element. Key among the strategies involved the inclusion of the target market segment in the development process by letting their voice be heard. Their feedback enabled the Honda team to develop a car that perfectly suited their needs. Specifically, by listening to reviews from college students during the development process, important changes could be made ensuring that the product was as per their desire.
Get original essaySome of the key aspects of the car included a sleeping place on weekend trips and room for sports gear. These were highly vital given the buying decisions of the young people in its target market. For the target, the company applied four distinct design themes: authenticity, adaptability, functionality and expression, aspects which also contributed to the elements immense success. These completely differed from its corporate typical guidelines centered on safety, value and performance. In other words, the key element that the Honda team had in mind was innovativeness and the desire make a product that could conform to the active and dynamic lifestyle of its clients.
Another unique and key contributing factor to the element’s success is the design process the development team undertook. A lot can be leant from the process which is a clear depiction of why the car had immense success. Below is a brief description of the main aspects of the process leading to its success.
Phase 1: Idea identification and selection
The idea of the element began in 1998 with the notion of a new light truck. The driving force was the discovery of the popularity of the company’s vehicle among the young market segment. An important aspect here is how the team came up with the idea, from an observation of its previous products leading to the success of the new element.
Phase 2: Concept generation
Unlike its previous product survey techniques, the development team took a rather whole new approach for the element. The team went an extra mile into making observations at rather unexpected places including X-game spectators and participants to get clear picture of their target clients. The results of course gave rise to a vehicle with immense flexibility suiting the needs of its young clients.
Phase 3: Concept evaluation
The main aspect leading to the success of the element in this phase was the inclusion of feedback from college students and making refinements on the design.
Phase 4: Development
The development process was centered on innovation with the team deviating from the company’s conventional design guidelines. New design aspects like ‘suicide doors’ and foldaway water seats were integrated in the design. The final result was highly impressive and the clients really loved it. A year after its first release, the car had already hit 75000 sales, far much beyond the company’s target of 50000 sales.
In summary, Honda, through expert listening to the desires of its clients, was able to develop an ideal car that perfectly met and surpassed their needs. Also, for the first time, Honda designers created a vehicle perceived to provide affordable transportation. The main learning point in this case is that industries have to work in collaboration with their target audience to whom they are developing a product. Special attention also ought to be given to the wishes and special needs of the client to create the specific product they are looking for. In this way, greater sales and benefits are guaranteed.
Dishonesty is the deliberate, knowing deception of others for one's personal advantage. It differs from lies in that lies are spoken whereas dishonesty can be communicated nonverbally. It could also mean deceptive behavior in circumstances where straightforwardness would be expected. Honesty is a trait that is highly valued in many cultures. Dishonesty can refer to a number of different things. One type of dishonesty is the breaking of an agreement. Breaking an agreement can be when someone does not tell someone something that they need to know when they expect that person to tell them. For example, when a friend asks you if you still think about them and you consciously choose
Get original essayIntegrity is the quality of being honest or fair. When someone has integrity, they are able to do what is morally right in difficult situations when there are strong temptations to act otherwise. There are no shortcuts when it comes to achieving integrity, but there are certain traits that may help people become more conscientious. It is a cultural, social and political problem.
In their book 'The Honest Truth About Dishonesty', authors Dan Ariely and Michael Norton explain how dishonesty is a natural byproduct of human nature. We lie because we want to benefit from our words, but also because we don’t want to lose face or hurt others. People lie to avoid feeling bad about themselves, they lie for gain, they lie to protect the people around them. They do it because if they didn’t have to be honest all the time they would achieve more in life.
Honesty is the best policy. Dishonesty is the worst, and it’s not a good look. People will find out sooner or later and they will lose trust in you for it. Telling the truth is a great way to build trust. It’s also a great way to build your audience. There are many ways to do this, and it doesn’t always have to come from being honest about being trustworthy.
People love honesty because they feel like you're giving them an inside look into what's actually going on behind the scenes at your company. The truth might not be as glamorous as everyone expects, but that's okay because people can relate to that more than anything else.
Dishonesty is not the same as being dishonest. Dishonesty means you are not honest with yourself. Being dishonest means you are not honest with others. Many people think they are the same thing, but they aren’t. Dishonesty is a quality, while being dishonest is an action. For example, if you are dishonest in your relationship with your spouse but have never lied to them, then it’s not true that you are being dishonest.
There was a time when honesty was considered to be the best policy. Today, dishonesty rules the roost in most parts of the world. It has become so common that people even expect it. Honesty is just one of many things that are slowly dying out with time. A recent study found that 13% of people would fudge driving records, 17% would fake their resume, and 15% would buy academic credentials. The impact of dishonesty on society is huge. It can lead to fraud, financial losses for businesses, and even loss of life. If people tell the truth more often than they lie, then we will have less crime, fewer incidents of fraud and cheating in our society.
Speech in Shakespeare's "Othello" possesses a power beyond that of deeds'. It is Othello's fantastical storytelling that won him Desdemona at the start, Iago's poisonous suggestion that leads the general to murder his own wife, Emilia's testimony that traps the villain in the end. Not all of this speech is true, and we will never know for sure whether Othello's handkerchief is magic or why Iago created his plot; but words, regardless of their truth, convince the characters even more than physical evidence does. When characters control their speech, either by remaining silent or by bursting out, they exert the strongest power they can have over the play's world.
Get original essayIago, a skilled manipulator, is in complete control of his voice. He finagles Roderigo's purse by persuading the young man that he will send the money to Desdemona, and then works on harder prey. Upon seeing Cassio finish talking to Desdemona, Iago mutters, "I like not that" a comment he pretends to be private but wants Othello to hear. Othello asks Iago what he said, and Iago replies, "Nothing, my lord; or if--I know not what." After insinuating Cassio's guilt, Iago gets Othello to mention that Cassio repeatedly visited Desdemona before her marriage. Iago exclaims, "Indeed!" and then falls silent, despite Othello's prodding for an explanation. These two lines rouse Othello's suspicions because they appear involuntary, and are therefore more likely to be indications of Iago's true thoughts. The words themselves, however, are innocent. That Iago dislikes whatever Cassio was doing, perhaps kissing Desdemona's hand or even just standing next to her, is probably true; Iago hates everybody in the play, particularly Cassio. His other comments are meaningless, but they are pauses that invite Othello to infer the darker motivations behind; Iago's silence, not his speech, frames Desdemona.
Iago excuses his silence by saying that "oft my jealousy/Shapes faults that are not," and he is honest. He discourses about Cassio's military inexperience and his tawdry affairs, warns Othello of Desdemona's unnatural behavior and deceptive practices. And yet he avoids directly accusing Cassio, and never claims that Desdemona is having an affair. Instead of lying, Iago uses silence to make Othello fill in the gaps. If Iago had laid the whole accusation bare, Othello would probably be incredulous and ask Desdemona to confirm the truth, just as Emilia, when Othello tells her about Iago's deceptions, asks her husband, "Did you ever say that she was false?" Though he admits to doing so, he never did, replacing that claim with circumstantial evidence.
For example, he says Cassio had an erotic dream about Desdemona, and the audience is no more justified to discount that claim than Othello is to believe it. Cassio's tongue has loosened against his will before, revealing a less noble officer than he first appears. He has previously made mildly insulting remarks about his social inferiors, telling Desdemona, "[Iago] speaks home, madam, you may relish him more in the soldier than in the scholar," and excuses his own "breeding" for kissing Emilia. (Since Cassio knew this "courtesy" would offend Iago, his reasons for taking it are somewhat suspect.) After Iago has gotten him drunk, Cassio shows the true extent of his sense of superiority. He shouts, "The lieutenant is to be saved before the ancient," and attacks Roderigo for his presumption, crying "a knave teach me my duty?" Iago partially proves that Cassio is the "rash and very sudden in choler" man he claimed, undeserving of the lieutenancy, and partially makes him so, much as he handles Othello. Cassio's courtly, hyperbolic praise for Desdemona, "a maid/That paragons description and wild fame," may likewise have transformed during sleep into the baser, "cursed fate that gave thee to the Moor!"
Cassio, obsessed with safeguarding his reputation, can afford to admit his lapses only to Iago, whom he trusts, who has already seen Cassio's drunkenness, whose opinion he cares little for, and who thinks far worse of the lieutenant than any confession could account. If Cassio has any faults other than drinking, fighting, and whoring, he takes great pains to hide them. He also has some virtue, and can hardly bear to acknowledge his drunkenness. For both these reasons, when Othello calls upon him to account for his brawling, Cassio responds, "I pray you pardon me, I cannot speak." Montano, the other combatant, is too wounded to explain what happened, and Roderigo has slipped away. By orchestrating the silence of his comrades, Iago remains the only one able to tell Othello what happened, and by his favorite tactic of pretended reticence, convinces the general that Cassio was more at fault than he actually was.
Othello thinks that Iago is reluctant to condemn Cassio more than he does because of loyalty to his "worthy friend." Because Iago will not say that Cassio is bad, Othello thinks he is worse; because his trusted ensign keeps silent, the general thinks the truth too horrible to reveal. But when Iago keeps his mouth shut, it is to avoid divulging good. He hates to acknowledge it just as much as Othello shudders to contemplate his wife's infidelity. Othello presumes, because he cannot stomach ill deeds, that no-one can. When Iago says that Cassio lay, "With her, on her, what you will," Othello falls into a epileptic fit. He thinks it is as painful for the hesitant Iago to say such things as it is for himself to hear them. The Moor cannot even tell Desdemona her supposed crime; he "should...to cinders burn up modesty/Did I but speak thy deeds....Heaven stops the nose at it." With Iago, his mouth is freer to shout, "Damn her, lewd minx: O damn her, damn her!" but Othello does not notice this effect of Iago's presence. At first, it is joy that Othello cannot name, he "cannot speak enough of this content, it stops me here," but once Iago has finished his work, the voluble Othello has no content to speak of. Whenever the general opens his mouth to praise Desdemona, Iago warns, "Nay, you must forget all that," and by Act III, Othello's wonderful tales of "deserts vast and antres idle" have become "fantastical lies" about the handkerchief's magic powers, to frighten Desdemona.
When speaking about the handkerchief, Othello asks Desdemona where it is, and she will not answer at first. His constant questioning, "is't lost? Is't gone? Speak, is't out of the way?" implies that Desdemona here hesitates. "Heaven bless us!" is her final unfortunate response, as though she were praying to be pardoned for adultery. Her mind refuses to compass Othello's meaning, and so she thinks nothing of her words and lies about the handkerchief, as though this would protect her from its powers. Her pauses also cause Othello to trust her less both in the future and the present, as her initial dithering makes the lie that much more transparent.
Soon after, she makes the same mistake for similar reasons. Othello never tells Desdemona what she has allegedly done until too late. He calls her a whore and Emilia a bawd, but prostitution is not Desdemona's supposed crime. He orders her to swear she is honest and she will not, possibly because of confusion that he meant "honest about the handkerchief," possibly out of sheer overwhelmedness or modesty but probably because she cannot believe Othello does not love her; she blinds herself to Othello's meaning and asks whether he is mad because of Brabantio, which he is obviously not. "[Othello's] unkindness may...never taint my love," says Desdemona, as though her husband simply were not feeling himself. ("Unkindness" in Shakespeare's usage often hovered between "unnaturalness" and the modern sense) She then decides, despite every sign to the contrary, that politics is the real reason for Othello's behavior. And when she knows herself lost beyond all hope to her husband's love, she refuses to say so, but only, "answers have I none."
She does manage to swear that she is neither a strumpet nor whore, unfortunate word choices in the context of being treated like "a public commoner" and not an adulteress, as the words could mean either. Her earnest prayer of, "heaven forgive us!" just as before moves Othello from the brink of believing her back to renewed suspicions. Othello, already believing Desdemona lost, told her with dubious theology to be "double-damned," but the first item she would be damned for (dishonesty) is the same as the second. He wanted Desdemona to convince him that she really was honest, and her avoidance of Othello's command, though she somewhat makes up for the deficiency a few lines later and even swears her faithfulness just after Othello has left the room, damns her just as Iago's silence does.
"I cannot say 'whore'," she confides to Iago, and oddly enough, shares that quality with him. (Iago does speak it in Othello's presence, but never, even during soliloquy, in reference to Desdemona.) Othello trusts Iago because the ensign will not mention foulness, and suspects Desdemona for that same quality. Iago's poison has made "what is to him as luscious as locusts...as acerb as coloquintida"; Othello fluctuates between believing Iago and not daring to, but by the time of their "marriage" is prepared not only to hear but to put any slander on her. While Iago patiently listens, Othello rages about Desdemona's infidelity and pours out his words in a gush of imagery mocking the kind seas that brought the couple to Cyprus.
Desdemona does not keep her peace for the whole play; she speaks at Cassio's request and Iago's manipulation. She pesters Othello with the suit, promising to "talk him out of patience" and giving a long, repetitive entreaty with its nagging cadences of, "Shall't be shortly?...shall't be tonight?...tomorrow dinner then?" etc. Othello dismisses Desdemona and murmurs a loving aside, apparently about to give in, but Iago turns her words against her and implicitly contrasts them with his own virtuous reticence. Othello, though possessed of an elegant tongue, professes his own inexperience in speech to the Duke's council; he mistrusts his own words, doubting that they wooed Desdemona enough, and in his worry wonders whether she tired of him because he lacks "soft parts of conversation." Iago demonstrates the power of his words as he employs them to cast doubt on Desdemona's, but Othello fails to understand the tactic. "It is not words that shakes me thus" he exclaims upon falling into a fit, yet, of course, it is; words, and the play of his imagination.
To Othello, more honesty resides in Iago's hesitant speech than in Desdemona's long scolding. As Iago's tightens his grip on Othello's mind, he speaks more freely. At first he swears, "you cannot [know my thoughts], if my heart were in your hand" and "I am not bound to...utter my thoughts," but later changes his tack, saying, "as I am bound, receive it from me." He tells Othello what the general already half-believes, furthering Othello's trust in words with him. The more Othello listens to Iago, the more words control him, and the less he realizes it. He abandons his demand for "ocular proof" in an instant; Cassio's mocking words and Desdemona's uneasy speech convince him at least as much as the sight of the handkerchief does. By his skill and luck, Iago finds enough of this proof to prevent Othello from realizing that he only heard half a conversation and saw no proof at all. This "handkerchief scene," which mixes verbal and visual evidence, confuses Othello's trust in the visual with his suspicion of speech, and makes him put all his faith in Iago's account. And it is at this point that Desdemona, when speech could help her most, goes silent.
Because Desdemona, unlike Othello, is unwilling to harm her beloved, another character must testify for her. The somewhat less pure and virtuous Emilia, heretofore quiet, calls for help, rails at Othello, and condemns Iago. It is difficult to say just how much Emilia knew about her husband's plot, but she does come very close to unmasking him, knowingly or not, before Desdemona; she also wails, "I thought so then" upon hearing his scheme. She stood by while Othello shouted at his wife, demanding the handkerchief Emilia gave to Iago. In spite of all this suspicion, she does not open her mouth until Desdemona is already dead. Iago complains that his wife nags him constantly when not in public, but he also claims that she has slept with about half the army, and we never hear Emilia pestering her husband. She declares herself eager to make him happy, doing "nothing, but to please his fantasy," and indeed she seems to have some strange notion that Iago's fantasy can be pleased, avoiding the realization that she has married a "demi-devil" whose sole joy on earth is to destroy the greatness of better men than himself. When she asks him about the least of his crimes, suggesting Desdemona's guilt, she adds, "I know thou didst not, thou'rt not such a villain./Speak, for my heart is full." Emilia, like Desdemona, dares not incriminate her husband.
Unfortunately for Iago, Emilia is not the epitome of virtue, maidenly silence, and devoted matrimonial love that Desdemona plays. This woman finds the role of servant to a kind mistress more important than that of wife to Iago. Like Othello, she has two competing relationships, one built upon love, the other based on authority; for her the positions are switched. Emilia and Desdemona discuss sexual infidelity as equals; Iago orders his wife around. Similarly, Othello "marries" Iago and then abuses Desdemona. Othello wavers between trusting his fears and his hopes about his spouse, moving between explosive rage, explosive love, and mute horror. If he cannot name "the cause," Emilia can too well, mentioning it no less than five times in fourteen lines. She is not Iago's wife for nothing; her canny calculations of what it would take to make her cheat on her husband contrast both Othello's and Desdemona's innocent and impractical tongue-tied purity. Emilia is less effective than her husband; she does not approach his level of thinking everyone as base as possible. Perhaps Desdemona's advice of, "Do not learn of him, Emilia, though he be thy husband" caused her unlucky trust in the essential goodness of humanity (unlikely) or perhaps, like Desdemona, Othello, and Roderigo, Emilia could just refused to wrap her mind around Iago's unbounded villainy. Yet she is the first to see it (except for poor Roderigo, who made the mistake of confronting Iago alone; were it not for Gratiano's protection, Emilia would have ended up like the young Venetian before she could tell of the handkerchief) and when she finally realizes a fraction of its extent, she speaks.
Emilia's powerful, vengeful outburst of righteous indignation--"You told a lie, a an odious, damn'd lie!"--is the first truly free speech in the play. She will not stop for shame, like Cassio, or as Iago pretends to, for Desdemona's modesty or Bianca's fear; Iago cannot command her silence like Roderigo's or Othello's. Nor is her accusation, like Othello's, Brabantio's, or Roderigo's (i.e., of Desdemona, not of Iago) spurred by him. Emilia, once she has seen the truth, confronts it though she betrays her husband, endangers her life, and threatens her disgrace. She does not react like Othello or Desdemona; she tells Iago plainly of the matter and he, not realizing the trap, admits to making the suggestion. When she explains the matter of the handkerchief, Othello believes her open outrage where he doubted Desdemona's fearful prayers.
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Get custom essayIago, having lost his power over speech, reacts in the only way he can: he murders Emilia, and refuses to speak. His half-defiant gloat, "Demand me nothing. What you know, you know./ From this time forth, I never will speak word," is his final taunt to the audience and Othello; we never doubt for an instant that he will break his oath, despite all the tortures the state can inflict. The play is over; most of the characters are or will soon be dead; he has no more reason to speak, no gulls to trap, no audience to confide in. Order has triumphed and the truth has outed, the state will handle everything and report what has happened. But none of that matters. Iago's silence still controls the play, the question of his motive still unsolved. Cassio may reign in Cyprus, but Iago rules both the hopelessly ignorant Venetians, sure that he will open his lips to pray, and the minds of the audience. Reputation and government may have the last word, but speech, the true heart of morality and power, lies beyond them.
The history of Hong Kong is a very interesting and unique one. However, due to the limited scope of this paper, only a brief overview will be provided. From 1842 to 1997, Hong Kong was a British colony. Firstly, Britain gained control over Hong Kong island after the first opium war (1839-1842). After the second opium war (1856-1860), also the Kowloon peninsula was added to the British territory.
Get original essayIn 1898, the new territories were added under a 99 year lease which ended in 1997, when Britain had to hand over Hong Kong to China. During that time, Britain briefly lost control over Hong Kong when it was occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. Before the handover to China in 1997, Britain introduced a Bill of rights forcing china to agree to a „One country - two systems" policy for 50 more years. The main purpose of this was, that Hong Kong would be able to keep their capitalist economic and political system. Furthermore, Hong Kong does not have to pay any taxes or fees to China which means that more money is available for investments within Hong Kong (The Daily Conversation 2017).
The political system is based on the „Basic Law" which is the constitution of Hong Kong. The chief executive is the head of Hong Kong and the position is currently filled with Carry Lam who was elected in 2017. The chief executive is elected by an election committee and then the executive council is appointed by the chief executive. The purpose of the executive council is to advice the chief executive on government issues. To pass or amend laws, the chief executive also needs the approval of the legislative council which is elected by the people every 4 years.
The seats within the legislative council are divided into two parts. Half of the seats are elected per region and according to the size of the region, the number of seats is determined. The other half are functional seats, which are elected according to 28 functions that are in some way connected to the Hong Kong economy, such as transportation or construction. However, not all workers in these branches can vote for the respective functional seat. Instead, many functional seats are elected mainly by corprations which gives them more decisive power. There are five additional seats which are elected by all those who do not work in brachnches represented by the other functional seats (GovHK 1).
The number of votes is not equally represented by the number of seats in the legislative council which leads to an unequal distribution of power within the government (Pickett 2016). This results from a complicated set of rules and regulations which will not be further explained due to the limited scope of this paper. It should be noted at this point, that despite being a special administrative region, China does influence the political system in Hong Kong by suggesting appropriate candidates for the position of chief executive. Only these candidates approved in Beijing can be elected by the election committee. This lack of indipendence togther with the various rules concerning the distribution of power within the government are viewed critically by the people and have been the reason for many demonstrations (The guardian 2017). Another strong political connection to mainland China concerns the defense force. Hong Kong’s government does not have a defense department, because military issues are taken care of by China (GovHK 1).
Hong Kong has various economic partnerships which supports their goood international relations and shows their willingness to facilitate trade with different countries. The most important partnership agreements are presented subsequently.
The CEPA is an agreement between China and Hong Kong which regulates Hong Kong’s preferential access to the mainland Chinese markets regarding residents, products and companies. It was signed in 2003, but many further agreements have been added since then to deal with specific issues, such as investment regulations.
The objective of this agreement is to strengthen the cooperation on trade and investment between China and Hong Kong, while also supporting joint development. For that purpose, tariffs and other non-tarrif barriers are eliminated on almost all trade of goods. Furthermore, efforts are made to eliminate discriminatory measures and to generally facilitate mutual trade and investment. This agreement is especially meaningful because Hong Kong accounts for 8.3% of China’s total trade in 2016, thereby making it the second largest trading partner of the Chinese mainland after the US (Trade and Industry department 2).
Hong Kong has signed a variety of free trade agreements which makes it very attractive for international trade. So far, FTA‘s have been concluded with the European free trade association, New Zealand, Chile and since November 2017 also the association of southeast Asian nations (ASEAN). Additionally, there are already negotiations in order to form agreements with even more countries (Trade and Industry department 3).
Double taxation agreements are made in order to avoid that income is taxed, both in the homecountry and in the country where the profit is made, provided these differ from each other. Honk Kong has formed DTA‘s with 30 jurisdictions so far and is currently negotiating with 15 more. (Bundesfinanzministerium) Thereby, Hong Kong increases its attractiveness for foreign investors because they can be sure to pay taxes only once on their income, made in Hong Kong. Additional to the aforementioned agreements, Hong Kong is also a member of the following cooperations and organisations:
The APEC is a cooperation between 21 Pacific Rim member economies, promoting free trade within the Asia-Pacific region (Trade and Industry Department 1)
The PECC is a network of committees, which are composed of institutions and individuals who are dedicated to promote cooperation in the Asia Pacific region (PECC).
The „UNCTAD is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment, and development issues. It is also the United Nations focal point for the least developed countries" (UNCTAD).
The WTO is an organisation of cooperating international governments, which regulates international trade. Hong Kong is not only a member, but is among the founding states of the WTO (WTO).
As mentioned before, the large number of agreements and participations within various organisations shows, how good Honk Kong’s international relations are, and how much is done in order to facilitate trade with countries all over the world.
The overall economic situation of Hong Kong can be considered very good and even improving further. This is also evidend by the fact that it has been on rank one of the world’s freest economies for the last 23 years (Yau 2017). The positive economic development can be seen in figure 3 which shows the increase of GDP from 2006 to 2016. The GDP of 320.91 billion USD in 2016 can be considered very high especially in relation to Hong Kong’s very small size (Tradingeconomics 1, 2017). While there has been a decrease of the growth rate in the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016, there has not been negative growth, and again strong growth rates towards the end of 2016, which can be valued very positively with 3.6% as the latest measure (Tradingeconomics 2, 2017). The large majority of Hong Kong’s GDP is generated by the service sector, which makes up a total of 93%. This shows how relatively insignificant production and agriculture are for the Hong Kong economy (GovHK3).
Hong Kong International Airport, also referred to as Chek Lap Kok Airport and HKIA, is situated on Chek Lap Kok, a strategically-located man-made island measuring three and a half miles by two miles (Foster + Partners, 2016). As one of the greatest and most ambitious projects in the civil engineering industry, the construction of HKIA took six years – from 1992 to 1998 – and required an overall investment of more than $20 billion (Kable Intelligence Ltd., 2016). As a result of its complexity, the project had to be divided into ten distinct projects and involved over two hundred contracts, several sponsors and a remarkably large international workforce (Kable Intelligence Ltd., 2016; Major Projects Association, 2001).
Get original essayConstructed specifically to replace Kai Tak airport, HKIA was meant to accommodate China’s growing demand for multimodal connections and become one of the region’s main cargo gateways and passenger airports (Foster + Partners, 2016a; Major Projects Association, 2001). In 2014, it handled over four million tons of cargo and more than 60 million passengers, thus becoming one of the world’s busiest airports (Airport Authority Hong Kong, 2016a; Airports Council International, 2015). In light of its advantageous position, up-to-date facilities and continuous growth, it has even been estimated that its annual passenger traffic will reach 80 million by 2040 (Foster + Partners, 2016a).
As of today, HKIA’s leisure facilities and amenities comprise approximately 200 shops and restaurants, free Wi-Fi lounge areas, paid Internet lounge areas, Televisions and even an area where children can play (Kable Intelligence Ltd., 2016). Thanks to its top-notch facilities, HKIA has been ranking among the world’s five best airports since 2002 (Kable Intelligence Ltd., 2016). One of its main strengths lies in its excellent multi-modal transport network that connects HKIA to numerous strategic destinations across Hong Kong and Mainland China (Kable Intelligence Ltd., 2016). The Airport Authority is aware of the positive impact that the airport’s multi-modal connections have on its operational efficiency, performance and attractiveness to both domestic and international passengers (The Airport Authority Hong Kong, 2016a). As a result of passengers’ growing demand for fast and efficient transport services, the Airport Authority will keep enhancing HKIA’s connections, which currently include cross-boundary coaches, limousines, ferries, as well as other comfortable arrangements (The Airport Authority Hong Kong, 2016a).
As reported by China Trend Building Press (2011), the international consortium that was awarded the HKIA project consisted of five large companies, namely Amec International Construction Ltd (United Kingdom), CSCEC (China), Kumagai Gumi Co., Ltd (Japan) and Maeda Corporation (Japan), which formed a joint venture called BCJ JV that was responsible for the construction of nearly 90 lifts, 1,5 miles of moving walkways (also known as travelators), over 70 jet bridges and almost 250 check-in desks (China Trend Building Press, 2011).
In order to start building the airport, over 900 hectares of land were reclaimed between the islands of Chek Lap Kok and Lam Chau and a high peak situated on Chek Lap Kok had to be reduced from 100 to 7 metres (Foster + Partners, 2016a).China Trend Building Press, 2011). Specifically, the site onto which the airport platform lies was obtained by razing two pre-existing islands and constructing a dredged reclamation (Covil, 1998, pp. 197-200). As explained by Covil (1998, pp. 197-200), while a drained reclamation was perfectly feasible, the project had to be completed within a short period of time, which made it necessary for the consortium to opt for a fully dredged reclamation, which would have taken less to construct than a drained one. As part of the Site Preparation Contract, the site preparation phase lasted two and a half years and involved a variety of different techniques, including mud dredging, seawall construction and mining (Covil, 1998).
In spite of the numerous technical obstacles that had to be overcome in order to deliver the project in time, the consortium had to deal with a number of political challenges that threatened the successful completion of HKIA (Major Projects Association, 2001). Since Hong Kong was to be handed over to China in 1997, the project contributed to fuelling tensions between the two powers, thus preventing investors from financing the project and making it impossible for an airport authority to be established before 1995 (Major Projects Association, 2001).
Similarly to Stansted airport, which revolutionised airport terminal design with its light roof and fluid structure, HKIA also features a roof canopy that lets a significant amount of natural light in, thus offering passengers a memorable and spectacular air travel experience (Foster + Partners, 2016a; 2016b). Its spacious and luminous internal structure was created by placing all the technical equipment below the main concourse, i.e. the building that allows passengers to reach the aircrafts through the gates (Foster + Partners, 2016a).
As of today, HKIA consists of two large terminals and two runways, and is connected to nearly 200 domestic and international destinations (Airport Authority Hong Kong, 2016a). Since it employs approximately 65,000 people, HKIA contributes greatly to Hong Kong’s economy and its presence has been benefitting the local community ever since its operations began in 1998 (Airport Authority Hong Kong, 2016a) .
The airport is managed and administered by the Airport Authority Hong Kong (also referred to as AA), an institution that is completely owned by the Hong Kong Government (Airport Authority Hong Kong, 2016b). Besides managing the airport’s operations, AA is also responsible for its growth and development and takes its social and environmental duties very seriously (Airport Authority Hong Kong, 2016b). AA is committed to meeting the needs of various stakeholders by keeping HKIA efficient, secure and in line with the latest technological innovations, ensuring passenger safety, making effective investments, sticking to environmentally friendly solutions and practices, promoting its employees’ interests and contributing to the well-being of the entire community (Airport Authority Hong Kong, 2016b) .
In order to ensure that the airport is prepared to handle an ever-growing number of passengers, AA is currently planning to construct a third runway, thanks to which HKIA’s annual capacity should reach 100 million travellers, 9 million tons of cargo and over 600.000 flights within the next fourteen years (Airport Authority Hong Kong, 2016a).
Over the decades, many scholars and experts have developed models and frameworks aimed at helping practitioners assess project success. As explained by Muller & Turner (2007, p. 299), much of the existing project management literature maintains that project success consists of two main components or dimensions, namely project success factors and criteria. The former encompass all those aspects of a project that can be managed and manipulated in such a way to maximise the likelihood of success; the latter refer to the dimensions that help determine the extent to which a project was actually successful (Muller & Turner, 2007, p. 299). As Serrador (2014) pointed out, even though more and more firms are starting to realise that stakeholder satisfaction has a profound impact on the successful outcome of their projects, most project managers still associate project success with efficiency-related criteria.
In an attempt to explore project managers’ attitudes towards project success assessment, Muller & Turner (2007) asked several project managers to rate the importance and usefulness of ten success criteria, including performance and stakeholder satisfaction. Their responses revealed that time, budget and user-defined goals were widely considered to be much more important than stakeholder satisfaction (Muller & Turner, 2007).
That being said, recent research has clearly demonstrated that technical performance and stakeholder satisfaction are two equally important and strongly correlated success criteria (Serrador, 2014, pp. 24-25).
As far as efficient and technical performance are concerned, the HKIA project was certainly successful as it was delivered on time and on budget (Hong Kong International Airport, 2011). It is also worth mentioning that the final result (persistent deliverable) was in line with the original Hong Kong Airport Core Programme and that the project team even managed to save approximately $1 billion (Bechtel, 2016).
With regards to stakeholders’ needs and expectations, the airport’s impact on contractors, end-users, the Government and the local community has been mostly positive.
Considering the size, visibility and innovativeness of the HKIA project, contractors had the opportunity to bid on remarkably large contracts whilst enhancing their reputation. As reported by Kable Intelligence Ltd. (2016), BCJ JV was awarded a $1.2 billion contract for building the main passenger terminal; three large subcontracts were given to a Chinese-Italian-British joint venture, a French company and a Hong Kong-based lift/escalator builder. Other contracts were awarded to Lindner KG (Germany), Paul Y (Hong Kong), Wenco International Mining Systems (Canada), Fujitsu’s ICL (Japan), SigNet (U.S.A.), a joint venture between Downer Edi (Australia), Paul Y (Hong Kong) and McAlpine (United Kingdom), as well as other subcontractors (Kable Intelligence Ltd., 2016).
Besides expanding Hong Kong’s territory through the creation of new land, HKIA has also contributed to strengthening Hong Kong’s status as one of the world’s largest transportation hubs, and a major commercial gateway (Bechtel, 2016).
With over 65.000 employees, HKIA has certainly had a positive impact on the local economy. Moreover, it has reduced congestion and provided residents with a fast and efficient service thanks to which they can easily reach the airport in less than half an hour and fly to nearly 200 destinations all over the world (Airport Authority Hong Kong, 2016a; Bechtel, 2016). Specifically, Foster + Partners (2016a) reported that travelling between the city and HKIA by train takes approximately 20 minutes.
As the project’s end-users, passengers can currently benefit from efficient services and top-notch facilities that are improved and enhanced on a regular basis in order to accommodate growing demand. AA has recently reported that operations to build a new cargo terminal began in 2013 and that the airport’s capacity will be increased by investing in a three-runway system which should enable HKIA to handle more traffic (Airport Authority Hong Kong, 2016a). Moreover, AA maintains that its strategy revolves around four fundamental priorities, namely safety, environmental protection, efficiency and passenger convenience traffic (Airport Authority Hong Kong, 2016a).
In view of these considerations, it is evident that the project meets the particular needs of both passengers and local residents. After all, airport operations and air traffic are commonly associated with negative environmental effects, including environmental degradation, increased air pollution and environmental noise – whose correlation with sleep disturbance is well-documented (Dillingham & Martin, 2000; Perron et al., 2012). In this regard, it is worth noting that even though AA’s intention to convert the airport into a three-runway system has been criticised for its potentially negative impact on the environment, ever since its establishment the airport authority has been striving to act like a responsible citizen by managing its operations in an environmentally-friendly manner (Airport Authority Hong Kong, 2016b; Legislative Council Secretariat, 2015).
In 1995, AA borrowed $1, 05 billion from eleven different financial institutions, which helped the project team complete the first phase of the HKIA project (Chapman & Georgoulias, 2010). Between 1995 and 2001, AA raised additional capital by issuing bonds and in 2000, its financial statements reported earnings of over $37 million, which had a remarkably positive impact on investor confidence and resulted in Standard & Poor upgrading the airport authority’s credit rating to AA (Chapman & Georgoulias, 2010). As a result of that, when AA announced yet another issuance of bonds for local retail investors in 2003, the semi-public body raised over HK $1,7 million, three times its initial target amount (Airport Authority Hong Kong, 2003).
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Get custom essayIn light of the above considerations, it can be inferred that the HKIA project was successful in more than one way. From an operational perspective, Bechtel (2016) reported that the project team completed HKIA ahead of time, delivered all the intermediate and final deliverables included in the initial plan, and even managed to save $1 billion. With regards to stakeholder satisfaction, even though airport operations are likely to have a negative impact on the environment, AA has been minimising such negative implications by promoting environmentally-friendly practices (Airport Authority Hong Kong; 2016b). Moreover, as a large and ambitious project that has resulted in the creation of one of the world’s busiest airports, HKIA has benefitted a wide range of different stakeholders.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold is a relatively small book, yet it is open to countless interpretations as to the book's overall purpose. Here I will discuss two such interpretations: Isabel Alvarez-Borland's analysis sees the novella as asking why a senseless murder was allowed to occur; Carlos J. Alonso focuses on the point of the text being a ritual means for redemption. Both analyses are strongly argued and very conceivable, offering valuable insights into the text and developing meaningful interpretations.
Get original essayReadings of Garcia Marquez's Cronica de una muerte anunciada" asks why the town allowed the murder to transpire when there was ample opportunity to stop it. The analysis blames the town's hypocritical honor codes for Santiago Nasar's death and indicts the townspeople for their complicity. In this society, the women must remain virgins until marriage or else they are considered defiled and damaged. The men, on the other hand, seem to do as they please with no social repercussions. They even solicit whores before and even after marriage. For example, the narrator declares of Maria Alejandrina Cervantes, the town whore, "It was she who did away with my generation's virginity" (Garcia Marquez 74).
Indeed, in this view, the townspeople's mentality is to blame. This social code is a blatant double standard, strictly censoring the women's sexuality while the men go out and have promiscuous sex. In reality, Santiago is himself quite the womanizer, going around "nipping the bud of any wayward virgin who began showing up in those woods" . The town is so entrenched in these antiquated beliefs that the Vicario brothers are eventually absolved of the murder. The court accepts the argument that the murder was a necessary defense of honor, and after three years in prison, they are free men.
The murder plot is known to almost everyone because the Vicario brothers make no secret of their plan. The town's knowledge of the murder plot is illustrated by the narrator's ironic comment, "There had never been a death more foretold" . The death is foretold to practically everyone except for Santiago himself. It seems absurd to think that the murder is allowed to take place, or that Santiago is not warned sooner, with such an abundance of foreknowledge.
Pablo and Pedro Vicario feel so strongly bound by their society's honor codes that they kill a man. In fact, the reader gets the sense that the Vicario brothers do not even want to kill Santiago; they are just doing it because they feel duty bound to do so. They believe that their family's honor can only be redeemed through the public murder of Santiago. They cannot back down because the honor code binds them to a course of action. The amount of social pressure that is upon the boys can be seen in Prudencia Cotes's startling statement, "I knew what they were up to and I didn't only agree, I never would have married Pablo if he hadn't done what a man should do" . The only way they can be stopped is by the people around them, but the townspeople fail to prevent the murder. The town accepts and lives by this honor code which allows murder to regain respect. By failing to stop the murder, every person has, to some extent, been an accomplice to the crime.
Alvarez-Borland's analysis goes on to state that the last two sections of the story can be viewed as the author's condemnation of the townspeople. In the second to last section, the narrator describes the autopsy as a massacre, a murder after the murder. This coupled with the grisly depiction of the actual murder "can thus be viewed as a motivation for the reader to realize, with the implied author, the dire consequences of hypocritical honor codes" (Alvarez-Borland 221). Also, as the analysis points out, the point of view changes from "I" to "we" in the fifth section, which "can be taken as further evidence of the condemnation by the author of the narrator and the townspeople, thus presenting a scathing comment on the corruption of their moral values as well as their institutions" . The book reveals the town as it really is: ugly and dirty.
In fact, after the crime that these antiquated honor codes have led to takes place, the entire town seems to fall apart. Filled with a collective guilt, the town is changed forever, perhaps symbolized by Bayardo San Roman's house and car: "The house began to crumble. The wedding car was falling apart by the door, and finally nothing remained except its weather-rotted carcass" (Garcia Marquez 100). Don Rogelio de la Flore dies at the shock of seeing how Santiago is murdered. Santiago's former finance, Flora Miguel, runs away with a lieutenant who then prostitutes her in a nearby town. Divina Flore, now overweight and faded, sits surrounded by her children from various fathers. Every person suffers a different fate, from death to insanity to that of the narrator, but it seems certain that the town has paid the price for their sins.
While Alvarez-Borland's analysis looks at Chronicle of a Death Foretold as a text that explores why the murder is allowed to happen, Carlos J. Alonso argues that the novella's purpose is to reenact the murder as an attempt at redemption. In "Writing and Ritual in Chronicle of a Death Foretold" he asserts that the text is merely a means of recreating the crime, not understanding or accounting for it. The ritual reenactment of the offense "is an attempt to endow the crime with the prescribed order of ceremony, thereby overcoming the centrifugal and fortuitous character of the original events" (Alonso 265). The townspeople feel a tension that they try to alleviate by calling the day's events fate. They find themselves constantly "trying to give order to the chain of many chance events that have made absurdity possible, and it is obvious that they aren't doing it from an urge to clear up mysteries but because none of them can go on living without an exact knowledge of the place and the mission assigned to them by fate" (Garcia Marquez 113). Calling it fate makes it easier to accept that a murder that could have and should have been prevented took place. It serves to lessen the guilt felt by the townspeople.
The story, Alonso argues, is told simply for the cathartic nature of storytelling. The chronicle's purpose is the reliving of the murder in an attempt to relieve the town's and the narrator's tension and guilt. However, the very fact that the story is a ritual reenactment means that it can never serve as the instrument of redemption. With each reading and rereading of the story, the reader relives the murder. It is an endless cycle of violence that is never cleansed. In fact, Santiago is killed many times throughout the text. There is, of course, the grisly murder that appears at the end of the book, but Santiago Nasar also dies symbolically in his dreams. The night before his murder, for instance, Santiago's dream contains the unlucky omen of birds. His mother, who is an experienced interpreter of dreams, curiously misreads her son's warning, something she will never forgive herself for. Victoria Guzman also kills Santiago symbolically in the kitchen as she guts the rabbits, to Santiago's disgust, thereby foreshadowing his own disembowelment. Also, as mentioned above, the autopsy is a gruesome mess in which Santiago is butchered once more. With the continual act of murder after murder, the book can offer no contrition.
The only information that is gained from reading the story is the same limited data that is available to the narrator. He does not uncover any more truly significant facts than the investigating magistrate before him. He does not discover the truth about Santiago Nasar's guilt or innocence. It is clear that the reader must look beyond this for the true purpose of the story. It may be a condemnation of medieval traditions and beliefs, or it may be a pass at penitence. Perhaps it is a comment on the corollaries of murder or a dissertation on the psychology of mass complicity. The text is open to several different interpretations, and thus should be approached with an open mind.
Honorable Mentions
Get original essayThe characters Prince Hal and King Henry in William Shakespeare’s drama Henry IV portray an unlikely father-son relationship. Shakespeare demonstrates Prince Hal's fate by associating him with consistent approaches of negative influences. These forces mainly come from his father, King Henry IV, and the friendship with the worthless acquaintance Falstaff. Aside from the extremely high expectations from his father, Prince Hal deals with the constant comparison of himself and the nobleman Hotspur. These three influences shape Hal into an important leader, which essentially is a fundamental part of his training to become an ideal ruler. In the play, the concept of honor presents a pivotal role through the characters; each character perceives the concept differently. Evidently, the uncertain concept leads them to different courses of action. The idea of honor changes between each individual and in this way the theme of honor does not have one specific meaning. Instead, the word contains multiple meanings due to the characters’ different interpretations of it.
These three distinct people, Falstaff, Hotspur, and Prince Hal, all view the concept of honor in unique ways. While Hotspur and Hal ideally perceive recognition as something significant and commendable, Falstaff recognizes courage as just a word that carries on with the dead. Falstaff is a thief, a delinquent, and a deadbeat who misuses his commission as an officer, as well as neglects to pay his dues at the inn. This combination of evidence reflects the fact that he justifies as a character who is not honest. Before war between the king and the enemies, Falstaff continues to make money by taking valuables and cash from men who decide not to fight in combat. Instead, of taking real soldiers to battle, Falstaff takes people who are beggars and prisoners and uses them as his army which is a highly offensive action. Falstaff explains his idea of honor by describing how it cannot "take away the grief of a wound" (5.1.) and as it is not something that can stay with the living. Per Falstaff, honor is a "word...hair. A trim reckoning" (5.1.), which means that Falstaff views honor simplistically and without meaning. Falstaff proves he has no concept of honor when he claims to have killed Hotspur himself, even though he had just seen Prince Hal kill him. While honesty is not important to Falstaff, it is imperative to others who assign it a specific meaning.
King Henry states that Hotspur is the “theme of Honor’s tongue” to set him as the perfect example of an honorable man, (1.1.). Hotspur's idea of honor is mainly about redeeming and protecting his reputation as the perfect honorable man. Readers reveal this revenge via the dethroning of King Henry in the battlefield. Through this way of promising a spot as royalty, Hotspur seems to base honor on a respectful scale and believes recognition through defeating one through battle was gained. Before the fight, Hotspur learns that his father is not going to join them in battle, resulting in a delay for Glendower and his forces. Ultimately, Hotspur views the absence of his allies as a challenge; if he can defeat the king's army, he will receive a reward of high honor. Also, even dying in battle is seen as a way for Hotspur to gain honor, "For let it be, My father and Glendower both being away, The powers of us may serve so great a day / Doomsday is near. Die all, die merrily" (4.2.) Hotspur bases his honor on respectfulness, in which he believes it can be regained through battling and defeating the one who has taken that connection away.
Although readers view Hotspur and Falstaff in their own element which makes it easy to define their views on honor, the audience sees Hal's in a different perspective due to his acquaintances. King Henry exclaims that he would much rather have an honorable man, like Hotspur, as a son than Hal. It is then evident that King Henry believes that his child is very dishonorable. Prince Hal explains how he wants to change and regain honor by repaying those he has done wrong, "So when this loose behavior I will throw off / And pay the debt I never promised /Redeeming time when men think least I will" (1.2.). Hal is planning to surprise everybody who shunned him for his past actions. Mostly, Hal wants his father to be proud after his exchange of shame for honor. By protecting his father in battle and defeating Hotspur, Hal shows that he was indeed a nobleman. Therefore, Hal’s plan to become an honorable man to his father, and to the nation unraveled perfectly.
Falstaff, Hotspur, and Prince Hal are three extremely different characters who perceive honor in their unique ways. In Shakespeare's play Henry IV, Part I, courage demonstrated through battle, love, and in some cases, nothing. Hotspur and Hal accumulate similar ideas of honor throughout the drama; honor is a concept of bravery that can only be regained through battle resulting in a victory. Unlike Hotspur and Hal, Falstaff fails to express any interest in one word: honor. Thus, it has no significant meaning to him. Throughout the play, the idea of an honorable mention has commonly prospected in redeeming oneself in battle. Shakespeare demonstrates that honor has no precise definition for one person.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. "Henry IV, Part 1: Entire Play." Henry IV, Part 1: Entire Play. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.
"Introduction to Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part I - Honour in King Henry IV." Introduction to Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part I - Honour in King Henry IV. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.
"Henry IV Part 1: Theme Analysis." Novelguide. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.
"William Shakespeare, Dramatist–Not Statesman, Not Philosopher." George Anastaplo's Blog. N.p., 29 July 2014. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.