Reaction to Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road Essay

Reaction to Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road - Essay Example Al these activities were however meant to try and answer one constant question in their minds â€Å"how are we to live?† Beat is there a rather ambiguous word which can have several meanings. Kerouac’s critics however emphasis that the word beat means quite literally tired or beaten down. While Kerouac himself endorsed a rather positive meaning of the word, he put forward a meaning that was beatific and blissful. That is a generation that was always on the beat like in a musical rhythm such as jazz. Holmes and Kerouac published articles to try and enlighten on their interpretation of the word beat. They implied that rather than weariness the word implied being used and raw. This they explicated as coming from the core, of the human soul. It is therefore a word that depicted the vulnerability of the beat generation. He further depicted the meaning as being reduced to the bedrock of consciousness. In his articles he additionally enlightens that the beat generation was ver y different from the lost generation of the 1920’s. The beat, generation as enumerated by Kerouac in his many articles is a generation that is rather not lost but one that is constantly searching for answers to life questions. For the beat generation therefore there main concern is not why they should live but rather how they should live. The novel depicts a rather spiritual journey which also included some subjects that the beat generation struggled with. This included religion, marriage and friendship. In numerous ways it the journey the beat generation took in Kerouac’s novel is a quest towards understanding and to find conviction, significance and belonging. They also wanted a more than average feeling they therefore searched for a profound feeling and understanding. As described by Holmes, to be beat is being at the bottom of your personality looking up. This is a state where all things that lack importance have been stripped down and only the core remains to expe rience the different sensations. The beat generation of 1950’s and 60’s were correlated to behaviors that expressed estranged feeling from the conventional society and promoted individual freedom and clarity through intense sensory awareness brought about by altered consciousness. The beat poets including Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Gregory Curso attempted to write verses which were not constrained in the academic norms but rather of a â€Å"beat† quality. They sometimes mixed vernacular and profanities in their poems this was to depict the urgency and extent of the feeling in the poem movement. In the novel Kerouac depicts various other meanings of beat this are brought out by the characters he writes about. One instance is how Sal admires Dean’s transgressions and immorality even though his indecencies are sometimes extreme and very selfish to those around him. He embodies the beat generation by living for the moment and sampling different girls that come his way not caring if he destroys their lives. Sal in just the same pace idealizes the junkie body which also depicts some aspects of the meaning of the word beat. The word also has negative meanings as brought out to be nightmarish which is embodied by the homeless man idealized by Sal as Huck Finn. He ignores the poverty and marginalization but depicts the Hobo as being in Buddhist trance like mode. This is ridicule since the Hobo

Srategic Quality Management Implementation Plan Assignment

Srategic Quality Management Implementation Plan - Assignment Example Citigroup Inc. has always made an effort to marshal as much support as possible to derive a consensus necessary to implement the SQM applicable. The effort would take longer to put in place, but at least it would be moving forward. In some settings, it is often difficult to get consensus on minor issues, and it is almost impossible on change initiatives which impact the whole organization (Peratec, 1995). To move forward the management must develop and distribute an improvement plan which is integrated into the strategic plan for the business. To be the most successful, an excellence or quality initiative should be an integral part of strategic and tactical operations of the business hence the Strategic Quality Management Assess Current Culture, Values and Operating Guidelines Citigroup Inc. uses quality information for improvement, and not to judge or control people, there are rewards for results, authority is equal to responsibility while cooperation, not competition, as a base for working together. Employees have an ownership stake, secure jobs and a climate of fairness. Top most is that compensation is equitable (Peratec, 1995). ISO9000 Broadly ISO9000 series concerns itself with the quality management purpose and it is as such the main focus in ensuring gradual and/or continuous improvement as a process as recognized in this firm. ISO9000 is concerned with quality management. To be able to meet the demands of ISO9000, an organization has to improve quality in at each stage, from design through to delivery, assessment and evaluation, through a formal and rigorous management system to ensure conformity of the product or service to its specification as per the customer wish. It requires that all the activities necessary to produce the product or service be documented if the quality system is to conform to the standard. Everybody in the firm needs to understand its implications and to work to the systems and follow the procedures that have been put in place. T he SQM model There is interplay, back and forth, between the elements; for example, consideration of what strategic actions if taken can provoke discussions of whether and how the strategy can be implemented with real effectiveness (Peratec, 1995). The tasks involved in strategic management are never isolated from everything else that falls within a manager's preview. Strategy has to be formulated and implemented in the midst of a managerial schedule that is fragmented with appointments, meetings, paperwork deadlines, unexpected problems, and momentary crises. It is incorrect to construe the job of managing strategy as the exclusive task of managers, even though it may well be the most important function they perform where organizational success or failure is concerned (Peratec, 1995). Formulating and implementing strategy must be regarded as something that is ongoing and that evolves. What qualifies as a surefire high-performance strategy today is sooner or later rendered stale by events unfolding both inside and outside the enterprise. The task of "strategizing" can never therefore be a one-time exercise. As a consequence, fine-tuning-type changes in strategic plans, and an occasional major change in strategic thrust, are normal and expected. The need to keep strategy in tune with an organization's changing situation makes the strategic management process dynamic and means that the prevailing strategy is

Strategic HRM Case Study

Strategic HRM Case Study Introduction An organization is constructed of people. These people who assemble together as an organization’s workforce are recognized as human resources. Human resources department clutches all the scopes of employee concerns like recruiting, training and motivating. Basically, the function that focuses on how to manage the people within an organization is known as Human Resource Management (HRM). HRM deals with issues related to people such as compensation, recruiting,  performance management, organization development and employee concerns like- safety, wellness, benefits, motivation, communication, administration, and training. HRM thrives to manage the workplace  culture  and environment. Effective HRM enables employees to contribute efficiently and productively to the overall company direction and the accomplishment of the organizations goals and objectives. HRM is not managed using the traditional approaches anymore. Rather, the increased use of outsourcing has created the urge for building up new and innovative ways to manage the workforce in today’s workforce. It calls for comprehensive and thorough strategies to respond to the contemporary issues of globalization and diversity. Company overview: Complete IT (CIT) is an UK based IT support Service Company that has been providing with local IT support to SMEs for over 20 years now. They tend to maintain the highest levels of technical expertise and accreditations to resolve IT issues. They hold the motto of not just fixing problem, but finding ways to improve systems and positively impact on their clients’ tea, and business. Their services range from reactive support to proactive management of the clients’ IT, but each built specifically for each client. They promise to deliver IT support with passion and commitment with a friendly, honest and simple approach. 1. Role and Importance of Strategic HRM 1.1 Strategic HRM Strategic HRM is known as the preventive management system of the employees in an organization. More elaborately speaking, it is a technique of managing human resources that brings a strategic outline to upkeep long-term business objectives and outcomes. There are three major theories of strategic HRM used in today’s HRM. Like many other companies, CIT also uses these theories into application. Universalist Approach: Also known as Best Practice Approach, this theory assumes that high performance output in an organization can be achieved via a set of HRM practices. These practices are described in a set of four policy goals- Commitment: Confirming the faithfulness of employees to the organization so that they provide with their best of performance. Strategic Integration: The integration of the HRM to the company’s strategic planning so that HRM can be a part of company’s overall strategy should be ensured. Moreover it should also be ensured that the line managers use HRM strategies in their everyday work. Quality: The fact that employees should always be kept satisfied and motivated in order to bring out their optimum performance so that they can deliver products and of the highest of quality should be ensured. Flexibility: Today’s workforce seek out flexibility in their workplace. Administration should ensure this aspect in order to keep the staff driven enough to deliver the maximum productivity. However, it is to be noted that Guest believed all of these theories shall work only together, and not individually, to attain the company objectives. Fit or Contingency Approach: HR plans and practices must be coordinated with the organization’s plans and practices for the maximum performance to be produced. This synchronization of HR and Company strategies can be labeled as the â€Å"vertical fit†. This approach is also known as the â€Å"best fit approach†. The best fit approach:The best fit approach supports that HR strategies and organizational policies have to be aligned. There are three available simulations of this best fit approach- Lifecycle model: Organizational development is done in four stages Start-up, Growth, Maturity and Decline. The HR department should be well aware of the company’s ongoing stage so they can select the correct strategies to match up the company’s current stage. Strategic configuration: In this model it is said that companies can be on the operative front if they can implement tactical configuration policy (market-type structure or internal type structure), coordinated with company types (namely Defenders, Prospectors and Reactors, Analyzers), and (classified as; Machine Bureaucracy, Divisionalised form, Simple Structure, Adhocracy Professional and Bureaucracy). Best fit and competitive strategy: three competitive strategies are; Quality, Cost-Leadership and Focus (Niche). Companies should adopt competitive strategies in order to maximize performances. This is more important because of the increasing competition in today’s business world. It is always better to have a competitive edge and to use that edge in the best way possible. The Configurationally Perspective: This model deals with the importance of the outline of several HR policies and in what way these outline of HR policies (independent variables) affect the Organizational performance (dependent variable). The term configuration is explained differently by various scholars and writers for two reasons. The first one being â€Å"the scope to which HR policies are associated into an overall HR structure† and the second one- â€Å"the notch of fit amid an overall HR structure and an administrative type†. 1.2 Importance of HRM In CIT, HRM is perceived as one of the most consequential drives of the corporation. HR management’s significance can be classified into the following subsequent activities: Enrollment and Training: Recruiting new people and training them as per the organizations’ needs are the key responsibilities of HRM. To fill up the vacant position in the organizations, HR managers plan test and trials for potential candidates. HR also fixes the terms and conditions of the contract that takes place between the employee and the organization. Performance Evaluations: HRM prompts the workforce to bring out their finest performance. It provides with feedbacks to the employees that creates a proper communication between the employees and the employers. Nourishing Work Atmosphere: Work ambiance is a crucial aspect for employee satisfaction and high level of performance. HRM manages to maintain a decent, safe and clean working environment for its employees. The performance of the workforce largely depend on the work atmosphere and company culture. So, HRM strives to keep up the best possible work environment for its staff. Handling Disputes: Inner disputes and conflicts among colleagues is a very common element in organizations. It is always the HRM’s duty to mediate in such situation so as to resolve such clashes and therefore establish an order in the workforce. While it’s important to take care of the disputes in a fair manner, the HRM must also be very cautious in handling such cases as sometimes, the methods can easily create employee displeasure. Increasing Public Relations: Developing public relation with numerous interested parties and stakeholders of the organization is a vital role played by the HRM. HRM stands responsible for organizing meetings, seminars, workshops etc. to interconnect with these parties. In some cases HR department even helps into business and marketing planning. 1.3 Analysis of different Frameworks of HRM The Harvard Analytical Framework for HRM: Produced by Beer et al. (1984), is a good equilibrium between the Universalist Approach and the Fit Approach. CIT relates this model in its HR management. This framework works on the conjecture that the problems of managing employees can be explained when the general managers of the company have their own perspective about how they want the employees to be involved in the company and what sort of policies are best for this method. Ulrich’s Multiple Role Model: Ulrich et al. (2009) proposes a multiple competency framework involving of four potentials for HR mangers other than recruiting, training, and motivating. It is specified below: Figure 2: Ulrich’s Multiple Role Model HR roles are demonstrated in this framework into two axes. The horizontal axis designates the leading focus of HR—either Future Strategic or Day to Day Operational, and the vertical axis indicates leading actions of HR, either process and systems or people connected. These two axes form the four qualities of HR- Strategic Partner, Change Agent, Employee Champion and Administrative Expert. CIT’s HR managers ponder in these features with attention. 2. Formulation Implementation of HR Strategies 2.1 Analyzing the Strategic Human Resource Process Strategic HR Process can’t be constructed of any single approach, it can always vary between organizations. CIT uses a specific model for Strategic HR process that encompasses of the following key facts: Structuring the strategic course: When the HR policies are backed up by the company’s mission, vision and objective, this process is constructed. In CIT, the entire HRM process is established by concurring the company leaders’ long term objectives. So the entire process of recruitment, training, motivating and additional processes are planned to achieve long term company goal. Developing the HRM System: Since CIT is an IT based firm, it allows its employees to work from home by using internet. Also, CIT believes in creating variety in their workforce in lieu to which they are engaging female employees in definite positions. Planning the total workforce: Defining the essential future workforce depending on the company’s progress and necessity is a very challenging activity of the HRM, especially now-a-days. Producing the required human resources: The key focus of this process is to recruit, contract, organize, formulate and convey staffs grounded on the tactical provisions of the management’s workforce strategy. Dedicating to HR progress and performance: HR development process marks on the growth and use of business proficiency and the cooperating elements, all of which lead to a thriving organizational performance. A good encouragement program for the employees should comprise a mix of base pay, bonus, profit share, priority in company share etc. in overall. (Robert C. B., 2003). Evaluating and supporting managerial aptitude and performance: Basically, there is no exact approach to precisely measure the changes in HR policies or how performances affect the company’s output. This can be overcome by the usage ‘balance scorecards.’ 2.2 Roles in Strategic Human Resource Management The strategic roles of top management, front-line management, HR executive, HR specialists are the ones that sums up the roles of strategic HRM. Their roles in CIT are described below- Strategic Part of Top Management: The long term business goals of the company are set by the idealistic leaders of the company- the ones who forms the top management. This set consists of the CEO, CFO and President. They ensure the concurrence of the company growth and objectives with those of the individual departments. Strategic Part of Front-line Administration: According to Eduardo Salas et al (2001), front line managers ‘bring HR policies to life’. This means that if the managers are against a new HR strategy, it would be problematic to device the strategy which will gradually lead to dissatisfaction among employees. Tactical Role of the HR Director: Because they are the part of the top management, the HR Directors hold a great position in the strategic planning. They ensure the integration of HR policies and tactics with overall business goals and supervise the implementation of those plans. Strategic Part of HR Authorities: HR executives have various tasks like new preparation programs, performance management, granting employees, improving the work atmosphere etc. therefore, at any given point, they should work on a priority basis. 2.3 Development of HR Strategies There is no single way to advance HR strategies. For example, CIT uses the six step method proposed by Gratton (1999): Figure the superintendent association: Comprising people from all parts of the professional. Envisaging the upcoming: Building a shared idea for the regions of strategic prominence. Identifying present abilities and pinpoint the gap: Assessing the company’s present point and analyzing the break between company’s upcoming goals and current condition. Shape a map of the system: This is done to safeguard the small stages taken can be expressed into a whole plan. Model the refinements of the structure: All possible future results should be taken into account to evade any unexpected change or uncertainty in the strategic plan. Bridge into action: Involving line managers, creating guiding principles, forming cross-functional collections to recognize objectives and performance devices. 2.4 Implementation of HR Strategies HR strategies implementation can always vary from organization to organization, it has no perfect model. CIT practices the following tasks to implement HR policies. Supporting employees to understand the strategy: Employees must have the proper understanding of the ‘what and why’ of the policy to actually execute it in the workplace. A failure to comprehend the company policy properly will prohibit the employees from using their full level of talent to achieve company objective. Improving employee responsibility to the strategy: It is always known that change causes disharmony. Any kind of modification in strategy can easily cause displeasure among employees. Employees must be given the understanding that accepting the current change will lead to a better outcome. Reforming local work with the strategy: The proper understanding of the strategies by the employees is not always enough, it must also be executed by dismissing off-strategy works and starting on-strategy works with new vigor. Generating inter-departmental assistance: Creating bridging relation among the employees of different subdivisions is always a little challenging because of their different work nature. Activity 2 3. Contemporary Issues in Strategic HR Management 3.1 Identification of Contemporary Issues Affecting Strategic HRM Strategic HRM is mostly affected by the following issues- Job Stress: The adverse reaction that people tend to show when they’re incapable of coping up with the pressure and atmosphere of work can be defines as Job Stress. It can lead to illness, absenteeism, low efficiency rate, frustration, personal problems etc. Work-Life Stability: Everyone is always busy in today’s competitive corporate world. The use of advanced technology allows employers to engage employees in work even after office hours, via internet. Diversity: In any organization today, people from diverse backgrounds come together to work. Globalization has become a major issue in today’s HR management. Downsizing: Many companies are economizing their workforce due to recent economic recession, as a measure of cost cutting. 3.2 Analysis of Contemporary Issues Affecting Strategic HRM The increasing challenges in HRM management are forcing today’s organizations to consider strategic HRM in a different way. Recruitment procedure is now a two-way approach. Employers can use a resume record or ‘corporate poaching’. Because job switching has become a very common issue today, keeping employees, specially the most adept ones, motivated and satisfied is becoming much tougher. Even CIT has not been able to keep a hold of many of its most capable employees. So, they’re now forming new strategies to keep their staff driven. Activity 3 4. Assessing the range of HR Strategies its Application This section discusses different types of strategies in HR and their application in business organizations. 4.1 Range of HR Strategies The ranges of HR strategies include different tools. The ones used by CIT are discussed below: Strategies for improving organizational effectiveness: Concrete leadership from the upper management. A strong management team. Continual pressure to renovate and expand. Ability to react fast to opportunities and threats. Strategies for Learning and Expansion: This ensures the correct training of the employees in order to achieve organizational goals. This is related with housing a learning culture, encouraging organizational knowledge, providing for individual learning and launching a learning organization. Strategies for Performance Measurement: Performance Management â€Å"carries a mean of joining business strategy and technical assembly to direct the whole organization to achieving mutual organizational objectives† (Purcell et al, 2005), it delivers the best means to attain organizational goals. Strategies for Employee Relations: Here, the intents of the organization about what is required to be done and what is needed to be altered in the customs in which the organization maintains its relationships with employees and their trade unions is explained. It is to be noted that employee policies are different than strategies. Strategies are dynamic. 3.2 Application of HR Strategies CIT attempts to achieve its organizational goals by applying all the strategies defined above, including resourcing strategy and reward strategy. It can be quite impossible to measure the exact amount of return these applications of HR strategies bring; nonetheless, there are some indicative measures that can help us towards greater understanding of the impact of change in HR policies. For example, if the workforce management program has been integrated properly with the company’s goals and company is performing well, it can be said that we are getting good return on HR strategies. Another example of good HR outcomes is found on Michael Armstrong et al (2006) research reports on hospitals which decreased mortality rate by creating efficient HRM. Conclusion It can be concluded that human resource management is one of the crucial activities in today’s organizations. No workplace can be run proficiently without correctly trained and motivated employees. And with the increasing globalization today, proper Human Resource Management is becoming more and more challenging.

The Rebellion of Nora in Ibsens A Dolls House Essay -- Dolls House e

The Rebellion of Nora in A Doll's House      Ã‚  Ã‚   A Doll's House, by Henrik Ibsen, was written during a time when the role of woman was that of comforter, helper, and supporter of man. The play generated great controversy due to the fact that it featured a female protagonist seeking individuality.  Ã‚   A Doll's House was one of the first plays to introduce woman as having her own purposes and goals. The heroine, Nora Helmer, progresses during the course of the play eventually to realize that she must discontinue the role of a doll and seek out her individuality. David Thomas describes the initial image of Nora as "that of a doll wife who revels in the thought of luxuries that can now be afforded, who is become with flirtation, and engages in childlike acts of disobedience" (Thomas 259). This inferior role from which Nora progressed is extremely important.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ibsen's A Doll's House depicts the role of women as subordinate in order to emphasize the need to reform their role in society. Definite characteristics of the women's subordinate role in a relationship are emphasized through Nora's contradicting actions. Her infatuation with luxuries such as expensive Christmas gifts contradicts her resourcefulness in scrounging and buying cheap clothing; her defiance of Torvald by eating forbidden Macaroons contradicts the submission of her opinions, including the decision of which dance outfit to wear, to her husband; and Nora's flirtatious nature contradicts her devotion to her husband. These occurrences emphasize the facets of a relationship in which women play a dependent role: finance, power, and love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ibsen attracts our attention to these examples to highlight the overall subordinate role that a woman ... ...y is representative of the awakening of society to the changing view of the role of woman. A Doll's House magnificently illustrates the need for and a prediction of this change. Works Cited and Consulted: Clurman, Harold. 1977. Ibsen. New York: Macmillan. Heiberg, Hans. 1967. Ibsen. A Portrait of the Artist. Coral Gables, Florida: University of Miami. Ibsen, Henrik. "A Doll’s House." Perrine's Literature.   Forth Worth:   Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1998.   pp. 967-1023 Northam, John. 1965. "Ibsen's Search for the Hero." Ibsen. A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. Shaw, Bernard. "A Doll's House Again."   Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism.   Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1979. Sturman, Marianne Isben's Plays I, A Doll’s House Cliffs Notes, 1965. Thomas, David. Henrik Ibsen. New York: Grove, 1984

Identify and Explain Two Reasons for an Increase in Cohabitation [17]

Identify and explain two reasons for an increase in cohabitation [17] One reason is changing social attitudes. Religion regarded cohabitation as ‘living in sin’, but today there is less shame attached to it. Barlow et al found increasing acceptance of cohabitation. This shows that the change in religions social attitude, cohabitation is accepted more, leading to an increase in cohabitation. Some people prefer love that focuses of on intimacy, closeness and emotion rather than the duties of marriage.Giddens argues that there has been a trend towards confluent love. This love focuses on the intimacy, closeness and emotion of a relationship, rather than the feelings of obligation and duty that is in vows at marriage. When a marriage no longer has confluent love, the relationship is likely to end. This shows that monogamy may start being replaced by serial monogamy, in which cohabitation is most suited to. However, the ONS found that 60% of cohabiting couples will eventually end in marriage showing that monogamy can often replace serial monogamy.There is less pressure to follow traditional norms and values. Beck and Beck-Gernshiem argue that individualism has led to changing attitudes towards cohabitation and marriage. There is less pressure to follow the norms and values around love and relationships set by family, religion or culture. This shows that the change in attitudes has led to people making their own decision about whether they marry or cohabitate. The acceptance of sex outside marriage has made it more likely that cohabitation will occur.Allan and Crow argue that effective contraception has made it possible for partners to cohabit without fear of pregnancy. This alongside the acceptance of sex before marriage means cohabitation without marriage is likely to occur. This shows that the change in social attitudes towards sex outside of marriage has led to an increase in cohabitation. Another reason is the decline in the popularity of marriage. The drawbacks that come with marriage often turn people away from marriage.McRae found cohabitation had been chosen over marriage because marriage was seen as limiting personal freedom and independence, offering no advantages over cohabitation. This shows that more people started a cohabiting relationship rather than a marriage, leading to a decline in marriage, but a rise in cohabitation. Some people find it better to have more sexual partners than to get married. Patricia Morgan argues that cohabitation is part of a worrying trend in which marriage is going out of fashion and the family is in decline.It is a sign of an increasing trend to have more sexual partners and change them frequently than to commit to stable married relationships. This shows that cohabitation is becoming more popular than marriage because people are starting to want more than just one partner for life. Cohabitation is an alternative to marriage Chandler argues cohabitation is a relatively stable alternative to marriage and that the length of time couples spend together is expanding. This shows that it is a good alternative to marriage, but with more freedom.However, the New Right claim that cohabitation is less stable than marriage and can lead to negative consequences. Fear of divorce could lead to more people cohabitating, rather than getting married. The ONS showed that 45% of marriages ended in divorce, which could lead to people not wanting to get married and preferring to cohabit instead. This shows that the fear of divorce can turn people away from marriage and turning to cohabitation, which declines the popularity of marriage and increases cohabitation. Identify and Explain Two Reasons for an Increase in Cohabitation [17] Identify and explain two reasons for an increase in cohabitation [17] One reason is changing social attitudes. Religion regarded cohabitation as ‘living in sin’, but today there is less shame attached to it. Barlow et al found increasing acceptance of cohabitation. This shows that the change in religions social attitude, cohabitation is accepted more, leading to an increase in cohabitation. Some people prefer love that focuses of on intimacy, closeness and emotion rather than the duties of marriage.Giddens argues that there has been a trend towards confluent love. This love focuses on the intimacy, closeness and emotion of a relationship, rather than the feelings of obligation and duty that is in vows at marriage. When a marriage no longer has confluent love, the relationship is likely to end. This shows that monogamy may start being replaced by serial monogamy, in which cohabitation is most suited to. However, the ONS found that 60% of cohabiting couples will eventually end in marriage showing that monogamy can often replace serial monogamy.There is less pressure to follow traditional norms and values. Beck and Beck-Gernshiem argue that individualism has led to changing attitudes towards cohabitation and marriage. There is less pressure to follow the norms and values around love and relationships set by family, religion or culture. This shows that the change in attitudes has led to people making their own decision about whether they marry or cohabitate. The acceptance of sex outside marriage has made it more likely that cohabitation will occur.Allan and Crow argue that effective contraception has made it possible for partners to cohabit without fear of pregnancy. This alongside the acceptance of sex before marriage means cohabitation without marriage is likely to occur. This shows that the change in social attitudes towards sex outside of marriage has led to an increase in cohabitation. Another reason is the decline in the popularity of marriage. The drawbacks that come with marriage often turn people away from marriage.McRae found cohabitation had been chosen over marriage because marriage was seen as limiting personal freedom and independence, offering no advantages over cohabitation. This shows that more people started a cohabiting relationship rather than a marriage, leading to a decline in marriage, but a rise in cohabitation. Some people find it better to have more sexual partners than to get married. Patricia Morgan argues that cohabitation is part of a worrying trend in which marriage is going out of fashion and the family is in decline.It is a sign of an increasing trend to have more sexual partners and change them frequently than to commit to stable married relationships. This shows that cohabitation is becoming more popular than marriage because people are starting to want more than just one partner for life. Cohabitation is an alternative to marriage Chandler argues cohabitation is a relatively stable alternative to marriage and that the length of time couples spend together is expanding. This shows that it is a good alternative to marriage, but with more freedom.However, the New Right claim that cohabitation is less stable than marriage and can lead to negative consequences. Fear of divorce could lead to more people cohabitating, rather than getting married. The ONS showed that 45% of marriages ended in divorce, which could lead to people not wanting to get married and preferring to cohabit instead. This shows that the fear of divorce can turn people away from marriage and turning to cohabitation, which declines the popularity of marriage and increases cohabitation.

Review of Michael vey Essay

The book I read was Michael Vey The Prisoner Of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans. This book was an action, adventure based young-adult fiction and it is based in modern day California. It revolves around a boy named Michael Vey and his two friends Ostin and Taylor. While Michael might seem like a loser to people because he is skinny and does not talk much he actually is the most powerful being on earth. He can transmit electricity through anything that can conduct it including humans! The book is mainly about how Michael has powers and has to hide them until his mother is abducted and he goes to find her but also finds out about other kids like him and there is this organization that uses them in a plan to control the world. The adventure is mostly told through the point of view of Michael but occasionally switches to a 3rd person view of the whole surrounding. I think that the author forges sentences that put you in the room and make you feel the pain and the frustration of the characters. The author perfectly mixes the real world with the abnormal events that happen to Michael Vey. The author starts out with a mysterious call between two men talking about blowing up a commercial airliner, which automatically sucks the reader into the book. It then transitions to the story of this boy named Michael Vey and while it all might seem perfectly normal the author then throws a curveball and introduce the powers that this boy possesses. The thing that I did not like is how he stalled the story after that. He introduced the fact that this skinny 14 year old kid can fry a person by simply touching them and then goes on to describe his boring day at school. Who does that? Although it annoyed me at first I was grateful that Richard Paul Evans (the author) did that with the story. If he did not we would have never met Taylor the crush in Michael’s life. Who we later find out has the ability to reboot someone’s brain like a computer and can also read  someone’s mind. Then when he has introduced every-thing he takes a sharp turn into a different direction by having Michael’s mother and Taylor kidnapped by the Antagonist, and then begins the intense series of events. I like how the author controls the mood in this book. Initially the mood is very calm and it is unemotional eases you into the story. Then the mood changes rapidly for the rest of the story especially after Michael’s mother is kidnapped changes into an intense series of thrilling events kidnaps his mother. I would say that depending on the scene the author would either use a calm but sympathetic tone or and intense and aggressive tone He uses imagery a lot in his book when he describes different parts of the building structure that they are trapped in or he will depict an emotion that a character is feeling to an extent that you can relate to. For example when the antagonist puts Michael into a cell and manipulates his fears you really can see that play out in your mind. I think that in this book at least for me there were no boring slow parts. I just wanted to read more which is strange because usually all books have slow parts but this author mixes the right amount of suspense into each part that you want to find out what will happen next whether it is when the character and his mother are just talking or the character is in the rage of battle. This book reminded me of another amazing book with the same concepts. I can relate this to another book I read called Daniel X. I can relate because like Michael Vey prisoner of cell 25 Daniel X Keeps the world around the character normal while only making the events that happen to the character a sequence of abnormal events. Another book I can relate it to would be Max by James Patterson. I think that the author creates a perfect blend between past and present personal conflicts. He incorporates the setting by describing it vividly to the reader but also describes the character’s reaction to the setting change so that the reader can relate to the characters feelings. I think that this work is a very well put together book. Even though In the earlier questions I make it sound like a ten on ten this book is not. I rate this book a 9/10 for the soul reason that it was on a very directed path and you could the events that were going to happen before they did by just reading the book. Even the twist that the author put in were not that book which made some of the book predictable and who really wants a book in which they know everything that is going to happen. In this book I had a lot of moments of truly being astonished by the characters views and what they would say. The line that meant the most to me in this book was when The Antagonist had given Michael Vey an ultimatum of either killing a innocent man or letting his mother die. Michael’s response to this was, â€Å"My mother would rather die then see me become a murderer† I liked this because it showed both the justice and willpower of Michael. I say this because I know for a fact that I would have killed that man because even if it would be the wrong thing to do I would take his life for my happiness. This was an amazing book and even though I did not want it to finish I enjoyed the ending greatly I think that I would give the ending of this book a 10/10 because it was an amazing way to finish of the book in such a way that there can be a sequel but it also did not end it happily. I say this because even though him. In conclusion I think that this book is a 10/10. Maybe I am being too kind but I really enjoyed it. Like all books it had its slow parts but even those were page-turners and they built up to the best parts of the book. I think that the character Michael Vey himself was very well made and even though he had superpowers he had his quirks, which made the book more relatable and fun to read.