8 Tips for How (and When) to Ask for a Raise

8 Tips for How (and When) to Ask for a Raise SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you hoping to increase your salary but aren't sure how to ask for a raise? Are you also wondering how much to ask for a raise or when to ask for a raise?Asking for a raise can be nerve-wracking, especially if you aren’t sure how to go about it, but we have all the answers you're looking for. In this guide, we explain everything you need to know about asking for a raise, including the steps you need to have done beforehand, the best times to ask for a raise, how much you should ask for, and eight tips to keep in mind when you ask. Things to Keep in Mind Before Asking for a Raise Before you even suggest having a conversation with your boss about your salary, there’s work you need to do. Don’t ask for a raise until you do the following four things. Ask Yourself If You’ve Truly Earned a Raise Everyone wants to make more money, but have you really put in enough work for your boss to justify increasing your salary, especially if you’re asking for more than just a cost of living increase?If you haven’t been expanding your responsibilities and going above and beyond what you’re asked to do, convincing your boss to give you a raise will be a much harder sell. Do Your Research Before you ask for a raise, you need to know how your salary compares to the salaries of similar jobs in your area. This will help you come up with a proper amount to ask for as a raise, and if you can show your salary is below the market average. We discuss this more in the â€Å"How Much of a Raise Should You Ask For† section. Have a â€Å"Brag List† Ready In order to get a raise, you’ll need to show how valuable you are to the company so they agree that you’re worth paying more money. The best way to do this is to have a â€Å"brag sheet† that highlights your accomplishments. These should be as specific as possible and ideally include quantifiable numbers. Saying, â€Å"I brought on five new clients and increased monthly sales by 15%† is much more effective than saying, â€Å"I was a great employee,† or something similarly vague. Remember That Asking for a Raise Isn’t Rude or Unusual Many employees worry that asking for a raise will make them look greedy or rude, but this isn’t the case. Asking for a raise is a normal part of having a job, and most employers expect you to ask for a raise occasionally. When to Ask for a Raise Timing is everything, and it can be the deciding factor in whether you get a raise or not. There are certain times when you’re more likely to get a raise, three of which we discuss below. During an Annual Performance Review If your company does annual performance reviews, these are a great, and often expected, time to ask for a raise.Since you’ll be discussing your accomplishments and goals for the future, discussing a change in salary fits right into the conversation. After Doing Excellent Work If you’ve just done an outstanding job on a project or gone above-and-beyond your typical work duties, consider asking for a raise.Your accomplishments will be in the forefront of your supervisor’s mind, and you’ll have concrete evidence of how useful you are to the company. When Your Supervisor Is in a Positive Frame of Mind Even if you’re the #1 employee at your office, you’ll hurt your chances of actually getting a raise if you ask when your boss is overwhelmed with work, had a project of their own go poorly, or is dealing with other issues that are distracting. Wait until things are going well for both you and your supervisor before broaching the possibility of a raise. In all cases, you should wait until it has been at least six months to a year since you either got a new role or received a raise. You should also you only discuss a potential raise when you’re meeting one-on-one with your supervisor, during a time when you both have time for the conversation. This isn't a talk you want to start while passing each other in the hall! How Much of a Raise Should You Ask For? Before you ask for a raise, you should always know what amount you’re hoping to get, whether this is a 3% increase in salary, an extra $2000 a year, etc.You don’t need to state this amount right when you ask for the raise, but you should expect your supervisor to ask what you’re hoping to get. Having a concrete amount you’d like your raise to be will make you seem more prepared and serious, and it’ll make it easier to start negotiations with your supervisor. It also reduces the possibility of your supervisor giving you a very small raise since no amount was specified. There’s no set amount you should ask for when you request a raise. This is another area where you’ll need to do your research. Most annual raises are between 1% and 5% of your annual salary, with 3% being the average at many companies.Ask around to figure out what other people in similar positions are making. You can also look on sites like Glassdoor and the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics to find what others in your field are making. Set your expectations around those amounts. Also, don’t start off by requesting a ridiculously large raise thinking you and your supervisor will then negotiate it down to something more reasonable. Doing that makes you look entitled. When asked what your desired raise is, state the amount you’re happy with, and be prepared to back it up with research that shows you deserve this amount (this can include printing out stats of the salaries of similar workers). 8 Tips on How to Ask for a Raise Once you get to the point where you and your boss are ready to have the conversation about your salary, keep these eight tips in mind when discussing a raise. #1: Be Confident Asking for a raise can be intimidating, but try to minimize your nervousness during the conversation. By being confident, you’ll show your boss that you’re serious about this topic and really believe you deserve a raise. If you aren’t confident you deserve a raise, why should your boss be? Many people find that practicing their speech in front of a mirror or other people several times can make the actual conversation go much smoother. #2: Make It Clear You’re Asking for a Raise This isn’t a time to be coy about what you’re asking for; doing so will just make the conversation confusing and awkward.If you haven’t already told your supervisor why you’re requesting a meeting, you should begin the conversation with something like, â€Å"I’ve learned a lot from [company name], and I feel I’ve also been a strong asset. Because of this, I’d like to set up an appointment to discuss my salary.† This removes any ambiguity from the conversation and makes it easier for you and your supervisor to communicate honestly with each other. #3: Show That You’re Valuable This is the time to bring up the topics you came up with in your brag sheet. You don’t need to list everything you’ve done for the company, but by highlighting a few major accomplishments and making it clear they’re part of a pattern of excellent work, you’ll remind your boss how valuable you are. Remember to make these accomplishments detailed and to include numbers when you can to give concrete evidence of your worth. Good examples include, â€Å"Revenue increased $10,000 since I began working the project,† â€Å"Employee turnover has decreased by half and employee satisfaction has increased by 20% since I became manager of this team.† If you’ve found solid evidence that your salary is significantly below average for your field, you can also bring this up now, but be careful not to sound accusing or bitter.Something like, â€Å"Here’s data I collected showing salaries for people in similar positions as mine. Because of my accomplishments, I believe I deserve to be making at or above the average salary for this position† makes it clear what you want without being negative. #4: Talk About Your Long-Term Goals In order to show you’re serious about your commitment to your job and will continue to be an exceptional employee, make sure you discuss accomplishments you hope to achieve in the future in your position or a future position. #5: Don’t Bring Up Personal Problems Even if you really need the money, this is not the time to mention that getting a raise will really help you recover from a bad investment, pay for your kid’s college, etc.Bringing up your personal problems during this talk isn’t professional will only make your supervisor feel more uncomfortable if they need to decline your request. This is also not the time to bring up workplace grievances like the fact that you feel you’re working a ton of hours or do twice as much work as another employee.Keep your discussion about getting a raise strictly professional, and only bring up work accomplishments as reasons why you deserve a raise. #6: Give Your Boss Time to Consider the Request Many times, even if your boss wants to give you a raise, they need to clear it with other people first. If your boss seems at least somewhat willing to consider giving you a raise, end your request by letting them know you aren’t expecting an answer right this minute, and ask when you can schedule a follow-up conversation.This takes some of the pressure off them to make a decision in the moment. #7: Consider Other Rewards If your boss is unable or unwilling to give you a raise, there are other rewards you could ask for, including: A bonus Increased vacation days More flexible working schedule Think about what other incentives you’d also be interested in having, and be prepared to offer them instead if your boss can’t give you a raise but agrees you deserve some other type of reward for your work. #8: Don’t Be Discouraged If You Hear â€Å"No† Not everyone who asks for a raise gets one. Sometimes you haven’t been in the position long enough, haven’t distinguished yourself enough, or the company just doesn’t have the money to offer you a raise right now. If this conversation doesn’t lead to a raise, a good follow-up question is, â€Å"What would I need to do to earn a raise in the future?†This will give you and your supervisor chance to discuss concrete actions you can take to put you in a better position to get a raise in the future. If your supervisor can’t offer you any definite steps you can take to get a raise, or they state that you’re already at the high end of the salary range for your position, then you may need to start looking at a job in a new company in order to increase your salary. Summary: How to Ask for a Raise at Work Before you ask for a raise, it’s important to make sure you’ve really earned a raise, have done your research on the salaries of similar workers, and have a brag list of your accomplishments ready. Not sure when to ask for a raise? The best times are during an annual review, after you’ve done excellent work, and when your boss is in a good mood.If you’re not sure how much to ask for a raise, do lots of research on what other people in your field make so you can be sure your request is reasonable. If you're not sure how to ask your boss for a raise, keep the following tips in mind: Be confident Make it clear you’re asking for a raise Show that you’re valuable Talk about your long-term goals Avoid discussing personal problems Give your boss time to think about it Consider other rewards Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get a raise What's Next? Interested in large numbers?Wondering what a Googol is? Learn every major number that comes after trillion in our guide to extremely large numbers. Thinking about learning Japanese?Learn how to say "good morning" in Japanese, plus nine other important greetings. Did you know that water has a very special density? Check out our guide to learn what the density of water is and how the density can change.

Tips to Write a Good Rhetorical Essay

Tips to Write a Good Rhetorical Essay Rhetorical Paper Writing Tips Are you looking for an easy way to start a rhetorical paper and make it brilliant? You are reading the right article. This type of assignment is becoming popular in higher educational establishments especially in colleges. The main idea of the paper is to provide students’ opinion after analyzing specific books, TV programs, works of art, etc. The task looks rather engaging and interesting. The only problem is that a few students really know how to get started to make it work. This is where our writing tips may come in handy. At least, you will have a clear understanding of how to write a rhetorical paper from scratch. What is a rhetorical essay? As it was mentioned above, a rhetorical essay describes a TV show, specific book or article in a special manner. Before you start writing, you need to define your reading audience in order to choose a proper language and writing style. The fundamental components of this essay type include: The Author; The Target Audience; The Message. Always consider the above-mentioned elements before getting started with the rhetorical essay. Now, let’s get closer to the paper itself as well as its structure. The structure of rhetorical essay As well as any other academic paper, rhetorical essay consists of several essential blocks. They are as follows: Introduction with all major points highlighted; Thesis Statement or Logos with evidence to support the main point of your paper; Ethnos to prove the credibility of a chose author; Pathos to review the way author uses his or her emotions. This part also includes the investigation of how the visuals appeal to the paper; The Conclusion to summarize the effect main arguments have on the target audience. To handle the above-mentioned points, you need to establish an in-depth rhetorical analysis using the following instruments: Identify the core argument and sum it up; Break the main argument into smaller pieces; Link those pieces to your thesis statement. A rhetorical essay should be written in a brief and sharp style. Avoid long sentences and make the paper easy to read. Formal language is the best bet for this type of an assignment. Despite all tips, writing this type of essay is extremely hard especially if you deal with it for the first time. Opting for professional academic assistance may be a good solution to the problem. You do not need to waste your time on exploring and researching the information. You get a flawless paper in time at a reasonable price.

Should Society recognize animal rights, even to the extent of Essay

Should Society recognize animal rights, even to the extent of disallowing the use of animals in scientific and medical experiments - Essay Example But in the context of pain suffered by animals, Gallistel (1989) has advocated the unrestricted use of animals for research purposes, especially in the study of the nervous system. He points out that studies on the nervous system may involve the destruction or stimulation of a part of the system to examine the ramifications of use of certain drugs and could cause pain and temporary distress to the animals used. He argues that restricting research on animals would restrict the progress in human understanding of the nervous system. It would interfere with the process of providing a moral and scientific basis for the amassing of knowledge that produces tangible benefits for the nervous ailments of humans and benefits in treatment. He contends that the suffering of a few animals cannot be accorded greater importance than the benefits that are provided to the human race. It is also argued that since animals do not possess a sense of moral values and reason, they are inferior beings as com pared to humans and therefore, their interests must be subordinated to that of human beings. In a similar vein, H Tristam Englehardt Jr believes that â€Å"morality is a human construct and that secular moral authority is grounded in consent†¦[and he]†¦..claims that animals have "rights" granted them by humans (since only humans are "ends in themselves"), but the "rights" so granted are to be used for human welfare, including the "right" to be hunted, skinned, eaten, used for entertainment, etc† (Haack, 2007). Hence, Gallistel and Englehardt are of the view that animals may have rights, but those rights are to be subordinated to those of humans and the animals can only enjoy rights to the extent that humans permit them to have those rights. Therefore, even in instances where they suffer pain, this pain is justified on the basis that their rights are

Human Resources in Healthcare - Discussion for online class Essay

Human Resources in Healthcare - Discussion for online class - Essay Example Along with this, organizations should attempt to make appointments by promoting current competent employees, so that they can save the cost of hiring and training new employees. As a second option, request the existing employees to refer the individuals with relevant skills and experience. In this way, organizations can economically select appropriate talent without bearing the cost of advertising a job (Siddique, 2004). As a last resort, organizations nowadays go through the conventional method of hiring. Integration of HR with the strategic management of the organization is a prerequisite of the business success because, it is the human factor which will utilize the infrastructure of the company to transform the intended organizational goals and objectives into a reality. Therefore, it is a must for the organization to develop the objectives in accordance with the current and developable competencies of its employees. (Marler, 2009) Strategic integration of human resource management requires a firm to recruit and select those employees with strategically aligned skill set, so that they can help the organization in attaining the goals set by the top management (Siddique, 2004). At the same time, human resource managers should performed job need analysis, to develop a list for the jobs that required to be filled. No, strategic management is not an HR function. But it is the collection of various functions, because the fundamental purpose of strategic management is to determine the long term goals of an organization (Marler, 2009), then divide them into number of short term ones. At last top management integrates all the departmental effort in order to achieve a common goals set during the first

The reign of James I Essay Example for Free

The reign of James I Essay (a) Explain briefly the financial policies of James I (b) To what extent was finance the main problem in the reign of James I Finance was at the centre of James disputes with Parliament. After his move from king of Scotland, James overestimated Englands wealth. He spent a great deal of money on Elizabeths funeral and when the ambassador of Spain came to England, he was sure to highlight the countries riches. Parliament did not give James more money. Consequently, he was forced to resort to impositions. Salisbury came up with a great plan called the Great Contract. This meant that James would give up his feudal rights in return for à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½200,000 a year. However, parliament failed to disagree with this idea, if James had enough money to rule without Parliament, he would. This refusal may have led to major dispute. Luckily, James strayed from the idea himself as he feared that high inflation would leave à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½200,000 a small fee for his feudal rights. As was stated earlier, One of James most influential problems with Parliament was finance. However, this was not the only problem that he encountered with Parliament. Some of the most influential disagreements between the King and Parliament were the Divine Right of Kings and the right of Parliament to represent public opinion. James was very competitive and liked to win arguments, he often used his title to win battles with Parliament and matters often resulted in being matters of principle. However, Gentry became wealthier and more powerful and they became determined that Parliament would be protected and then maybe expanded. Real problems begin with foreign policy when the Thirty Year War broke out. This was a Europe wide war between Catholics and Protestants. James son in law was in the centre of the conflicts. He was a protestant King who lost his country due to self greed. Parliament wanted James to support his son and daughter in law and his country by supporting the protestant cause. This left James in a predicament. He wanted to receive the money he would need to fight the war against Spain and the holy Roman Emperor, whilst hoping to avoid war by marrying his son, Charles, with the Spanish Infanta. Thus resulting on added pressure on the Roman Empire to give the elector of Palatinate his land back. James handled the difficult issue of religion fairly well and it was not the cause of major disputes between himself and Parliament. The problem came when James inherited the Anglican Church. It contained Puritans that wanted the church to loose all traces of Catholicism and it also contained Armenians who favoured many of the Catholic ideas. James met with the Puritans at Hampton Court in 1604. James did not give way to their ideas and the meeting resulted in the issue of a new Bible. The puritans wanted to get rid of the Kings bishops so that the Church would not be under the Kings control. James refused and made them do things the way the church was already. At first James was lenient towards Catholics, maybe due to his mothers Catholic ways, suspending fines that punished Catholics for not attending the Anglican Church. However, Parliament interfered and the decision was reversed. This tougher line with the Catholics led to the Gunpowder plot, with included a plot on James life. This also resulted in armed revolution from overseas Catholics. This proves that finance was a major ingredient in the ever present boiling pot of disputes between James I and Parliament but it was not the only ingredient. James handled many issues with Parliament fairly well; however, finance was a particularly difficult matter in which to find a balance, with James wanting more money and Parliament not prepared to give it to him. Subsequently, along with help and ideas from close staff, he managed to bear with the mess of finance but without the reality that England did not the riches that James believed, he would never excel in the issue.

History of the Olympics Essay -- essays research papers

While watching the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City this year I became interested in how the games started and what they were like in previous years. The Olympic Games as we know them have only been around since the first modern Olympiad, which was held in Athens in 1896. However, the tradition of athletic competition has been around longer than history itself. Athletics in Ancient Civilization Athletic competition was always an integral part of life for the members of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece. Physical fitness was extremely important, and children would start being trained to compete at a young age. Kings, pharaohs, and nobles spent much of their time training and preparing to compete in their athletic contests. These competitions took place as early as 3,000 BC in Egypt and Mesopotamia, but were only attended by the kings, pharaohs, and nobles of the time. Archeologists found evidence of early athletics on the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs Ptahotep, Akhethotep, and Ramses III. Each of them included a carved depiction of two men in a wrestling scene grappling one another and trying to throw each other to the ground. Some of these scenes show the presence of an official, while others show the defeated athlete on the ground with one hand raised into the air, indicating a submission. The Egyptians were also known for playing all types of ball games and participating in boxing, equestrian, gymnastic, boating, and stick fighting competitions. Ancient Minoans had their own original sport they enjoyed participating in. Unlike modern day cowboys that ride bulls, Minoans would gather for a celebration and watch their athletes spring off the ground and jump the backs of the bulls. This "bull leaping" is depicted on all types of Minoan art, and was considered an important part of Minoan culture and their religious festivals. The Origin of the Olympics During the colonization period of 750 to 550 BC, warrior life began to decline in Greece, and the emphasis turned to physical fitness. Gymnasiums, stadiums, and training facilities were built by each of Greek's city-states. Athletic competitions began, and any one with the money to train themselves could participate. Even those without money, could sometimes acq... ... were not nationally chosen like they are today, but rather came individually and at their own expense. Some of the contestants were actually tourists who happened to be in the area during the Games and decided to participate. Athletes also wore their athletic club uniforms rather than a national team outfit because the countries did not sponsor the athletes. Events in Athens included: Pole vaulting, sprints, shot put, weight lifting, swimming, cycling, target shooting, tennis, marathon and gymnastics. All of the swimming events were held in the Bay of Zea in the Aegean Sea, where athletes had to make their way through obstacles such as the twelve foot waves and freezing temperatures. The revival of the Ancient Olympics attracted athletes from 14 nations, with the largest delegations coming from Greece, Germany, and France. A total of 245 athletes competed in the 43 events, to make the Athens Olympic Games a huge success and the beginning of a revived tradition of international competition. On 6th of April 1896, the American James Connolly won the triple jump to become the first Olympic champion in more than 1,500 years.

Is Exposure to the Internet at Early Age a Good Idea

The internet currently presents very interesting questions and challengers for parents. If there were an instruction manual and how to be a parent leaning on technology and the internet would be worthy to certain the problems. Internet leaders, analysts, and activists are involved in an ongoing debate about how the internet and technology affect our lives, as virtual reality becomes embedded in your life. While technology advances have improved communication capabilities, there is wide disagreement as to whether this leads to better social tolerance, human relations, or home lives. Nowadays, children are moving towards technology in by time. Definitely, we are in a period where technology is everything without technology our life left out and monotonous. In discussion, let see the use of internet aspect for the children. Internet has both its good and bad impact. It really depends on our way of use. For me, I agree the discussion of exposure to the internet at an early age a good idea because children can develop computer skills faster, in internet many websites include types of educational will have, give your child quick and effective access and finally encourage to use more comfortable resources in internet. What can the internet do for you and your children? Let see now and in the future? Its usefulness enters every area of our lives. By the internet, updated information about vital subjects can apply which only a click way. The internet presents much benefit to the individual or children for education, business, entertainment and live socialization. Exposure to the internet at an early age because can develop their computer skills so far in education and entertainment. As a tool for education and entertainment, the internet enables users to learn about virtually any topic in education or entertainment, search information or play an infinite number of online games with other users. This keeps them aware of all things going on around technology. The internet is the most useful and important thing in today’s society may develop their computer skills faster. The first step is gaining an adequate knowledge of the facts, and then knowing where to look for solutions. As result as, our children are thinking true or false knowledge and avoid the problems. Informed parents can be proactive and reduce the risks, and perhaps just as important, they can ensure technology is positive influence for yours. Besides that, exposure to the internet at early age because information technology give learn about virtual education for their children to develop acknowledge for them. There are so many valuable information that the children can get on the internet. This keeps them aware of all the things to do and going on around them. So, children should have proper access to the internet from a very early age to learn and teach them earlier. Besides that, information technology is mediator and beneficial to young child to develop their skills. Many programs and types of education will have in internet such as citcat. com, dictionary with ‘google’ translate and many programs are beneficial to them. Before that, to suppose this advantage, family should supervision for them to allowed use the internet. In addition, exposure to the internet at early age can give your child quick and effective access the internet. Information technology gives a large amount of educational material to use for education part. Children more like to explore their mind to search any part in internet to have information for them. Other sides, schools generally give your child encourage and usually insist upon the use of computers for obtaining resources. These are started at school while they should know and where this information can get for them. This age children grow their capturing skills and knowledge around them. Then, children are quick and effective to learn more about the internet. For example, children can make tutorial between users and computer, while the computer teach what to do with tutorial itself. Otherwise, some of the using internet is also dangers with many inappropriate sites for young children. In the internet, are also dangers for their young children because it is many unfortunately and worryingly can display with searching in the internet. Predators in disguise frequent sites looking for children to deceive. For example, many website in the internet can manipulate and distribute porno sites and uncertain sites to abuse their child. It all depends on their children owns. When a child enters a chat room, they expect to find someone that is their own age with their interest. They may even find someone that just seems like they truly are the â€Å"perfect† friend. In conclusion, exposure to the internet at an early age has its pros and cons. Children using the internet at an early stage are much smarter than their counterparts who do not have access to the internet. There is also much valuable information that children can get on the internet at an early age. For recommendation, children should be allowed and exposure to use the internet at an early age only in the presence of their parents or some other adults in their family.

Satire in Jane Austen’s Pride in Prejudice

Jane Austen’s Satirical Writing: Analyzing the Satire of Social Class Within Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice delves into the issue of why social standing in a society based solely on class should not be the most important thing when evaluating the worth of a person. Through several different literary techniques – such as letters and abundant focalizers – Austen conveys important information about key issues she has with the significance placed on social standing. The theme of class and social standing is echoed constantly throughout Austen’s novel in numerous ways, highlighting several aspects of the gentry that she distrusts. The entirety of the novel focuses mainly on the distances placed between characters due to their social standing in a class based society. Regardless of how fit a person may be in either mind or capabilities, if a high sum of money is not contained within their personhood (or their estate), they are considered menial. Jane Austen uses the social relationships between her characters to satirize the importance placed on the hierarchy of class in society. Austen wrote the novel in order to define and satirize the problems that she saw in the hierarchy of class in the society of her time. Throughout the entire novel â€Å"there isn’t a character†¦who’s introduced without his income being mentioned in the next sentence† (Selznick 92). The ridiculousness of the value placed upon money – of which the middle class has very little – is evident as Austen progresses the story and the relationships between her characters – namely between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. The fact that, in Austen’s time, the society revolved around the gentry – whose entire idea of class and power involved money – makes it easier for the audience reading Pride and Prejudice to understand why she has satirized this issue. She does this quite flawlessly throughout the novel, relying on her knowledge of the increasing adamancy of the middle class to gain social status and power through more than just land, money and relations. The significance of social standing and the desire of the characters aspire to it can be seen in different instances throughout the novel. However, there are a few characters for which the idea of wealth and power mean very little, who strive to better themselves through their own wit and charm, rather than through the advantages of money. Elizabeth Bennet, the protagonist of the novel, is one such character. It is difficult for her to adjust to the sense of reality in which the novel exists due to the fact that the society has been permanently established and there is very little she can do to earn the credit she deserves. Yet it is due to Elizabeth’s unique personality that the audience is able to understand why her interest for the things at Pemberley and the positive change in heart she has for Mr. Darcy’s character show the dual nature of how Austen thought of the personal attainment of identity and morality balanced with her begrudged acknowledgement of a limited and restrained society (Hamilton). There are several other characters that believe the importance placed on monetary gain to be superfluous and still others that also come to realize this. It is through both the understanding and ignorance of these characters that it becomes evident just how deeply Austen distrusted the idea of an individual requiring social power in order to be recognized as an accomplished individual. Austen paid especially close attention to economic and social standing when it came to her characters for the express purpose of satirizing why their superior class was not necessarily more agreeable or accomplished than those in the lower classes. She wrote her novels with the idea that â€Å"the quality of humanity is to be judged by moral and human standards†¦not by social status; but like her own temporary snobs†¦she pays full attention to their social status first† (Copeland 121). As seen with Austen’s character Mr. Darcy, she concentrates fully on his attachments to his reputation before she delves into who he becomes and how much better off he is when he realizes the error in his way of thinking. In assessing the weight that social standing has on the progression of the story in Pride and Prejudice, one can attain a great bit of insight into why specific characters act the way they do throughout the novel. The infamous Bingley sisters, for instance, are so attached to the idea of material wealth that they fail to realize when their comments are unacceptable. Ms. Bingley herself, who is so attached to the idea that she is superior to Elizabeth in every way, cannot understand why Mr. Darcy could possibly find Elizabeth attractive in any sort of manner. It is her status-hungry and conceited personality that allows the audience to see the sheer difference between her and her brother, Mr. Charles Bingley. Unlike his sisters, he is not trying to climb up the social hierarchy to gain status and power; instead, he shows a gentler, more levelheaded side to the gentry as he falls in love with Elizabeth’s older sister, Jane. It is characters with personalities and ideals like Mr. Bingley’s that Austen revered and trusted above all others. Curiously enough, however, the hardheaded Mr. Darcy, who is very aware of his social standing, is the one character in the novel who goes through the most drastic personality change. Though Elizabeth Bennet had the positive, clever and levelheaded personality that Austen herself may have had when dealing with the social mobility of her time, it is instead the incredible change of heart that Mr. Darcy undergoes that shows how someone who is socially superior can realize the importance of wit, charm and beauty of those around him instead of being concerned only with their social status. This is how Austen is able to satirize these problems so efficiently that a modern audience does not realize that she is poking fun at the societal importance of class in her time and instead sees nothing but a charming romance. Yet Austen was doing much more than writing a simple love story. The novel was written in a transitional period when peoples’ way of thinking was shifting from a romantic look at life to a more enlightened view of living. The ideals of the eighteenth century – where people saw society as organized and divinely structured – were quickly lost to the thinkers of the more modernistic views of society in the nineteenth century, in which there was a significant loss of faith in any spiritualistic based society. Instead, nineteenth century thought turned towards the idea of the individual as the only path towards order. This new idea of placing emphasis on the self was especially important to Austen, yet she realized that the tendency of an organized and structured society was to value a person by their material wealth, rather than who the individual really was. She was able to take both ideas and mold them into her ideal situation, which can be seen in the last few lines of the novel when Elizabeth is at last accepted into Pemberley and its heritage. It is here that the individual â€Å"remains exactly where Austen would have it, in the center of a stable eighteenth-century world† (Hamilton 36). Class and social standing is a very evident and important issue for Austen and she satirizes it with the utmost diligence throughout the novel using intricate, yet simplistic designs for her characters’ relationships. For instance, instead of being forced to marry Mr. Collins for the express purpose of making a new connection on their own, Elizabeth refuses to be controlled by society’s standards and defies Mrs. Bennet’s wishes in order to â€Å"demonstrate that it is still possible for individuals to make new connections in defiance of society† (Austen 395). Tony Tanner, a British literary critic, who wrote the original introduction to Pride and Prejudice conveyed that Austen wrote about â€Å"a society which stresses social control over individual ecstasy, formality over informality, sartorial neatness over bodily abandon, and alert consciousnesses over the more Romantic states of revery and trance† and yet it is also â€Å"a society in which the individual can experience freedom as well as commitment† (Austen 395). The unfathomable amount of thought that Jane Austen put into writing Pride and Prejudice show how deeply she cared for the freedom of the individual and the ability to stand proudly in a society that overlooked individual assets for material ones. Tanner also credited Austen with the ability to create a character around the central idea of attempting to prove their individual worth within a society bound entirely by the ordinance of class. He is able to demonstrate the importance Austen placed on her characters – especially Elizabeth and Jane Bennet – finding themselves in a gentry-based society by drawing on William Blake’s In the Marriage of Heaven and Hell. Tanner argues – with Blake’s ideals in mind – that Austen takes two completely different aspects of life, energy and reason, and instead of reconciling these opposite attractions, there is a mutual coming together of complementary characteristics. He puts it plainly when he states that â€Å"she makes it seem as if it is possible for playfulness and regulation – energy and boundaries – to be united in fruitful harmony, without the one being sacrificed to the other† (Austen 106). This ability to take two unlike ideas and mesh them together without either losing its significance is exactly how Austen takes society’s emphasis on social standing and class and reverses it into something that now benefits a character where before it could only hinder (i. e. Elizabeth’s transformation from a meager middle-class girl, to the Mistress of Pemberley). However, not all critics have been kind to the way in which Austen portrays this transformational miracle of a young girl suddenly coming into great sums of money, merely by the tact and wit she shows in the way she lives. These critics find Austen’s dealing with social standing and class to be abhorrent. In fact, one such critic happens to be a famous authoress who, in writing a letter to G. H. Lewes in 1848, stated that she disliked the novel due to its frivolous dealings with the common life of both the upper and the middle-class. In her writing to the British literary and theatre critic, the authoress stated that she â€Å"should hardly like to live with her ladies and gentlemen, in their elegant but confined houses† (Austen 368). It was, in fact, Currer Bell – more widely known as Charlotte Bronte – who wrote this letter, in which the reader can clearly sense the contempt she had for Austen’s writing and the way she portrayed her characters. Though perhaps more of an criticism towards the way Austen wrote in general, Bronte was still very serious with her concern about the way in which Austen depicted her characters and their lives. She had, in Bronte’s view, â€Å"no sense of the outward world – either scenery or personal appearance† (Mazzeno 558). It is obvious that Austen’s portrayal of social standing, class, romance, money, marriage and many other themes throughout Pride and Prejudice were not held in high regard with Bronte. Though the majority of critical analyses both praising and condemning the way in which Austen depicts social standing in her novel have been done by literary thinkers, there have been other mediums through which the novel has been adapted, such that even criticism of someone as famous as Charlotte Bronte is outshined. For example, in their book Authority, State and National Character, professors Kuzmics of the University of Graz and Axtmann of the University of Wales, when addressing the problems that both Britain and Austria have seen in relation to social class when examining the issues that arose in several literary novels and dramas of the time, state that when they first studied Pride and Prejudice, they thought it had very little to do with such issues. They believed that â€Å"the fate of the Bennet sisters in rural gentry-based England just after the turn of the century revolved around such harmless matters as a ball at Netherfield† (Kuzmics 223). It is apparent that both professors believe – at least upon their first reading of it – that Austen’s novel had very little to do with the very real problems that are satirized throughout the story. Their criticism of the novel, however, in relation to how both Austrian and English society has evolved during the civilizing process is perhaps accurate without an in depth reading of Pride and Prejudice, as it seems to merely have a â€Å"relaxed air of cheerfulness and ironic, detached art of people watching† (Kuzmics 223). Conversely, after one looks past all the pleasantries that the story has to offer, one realizes that, as the professors correctly stated, it only appears to have nothing to do with issues of class. This is why the novel must be read carefully, to push past the obvious romance of the story and dig into the satirical tone in which Austen addresses such important matters. As the professors continue their research into the heart of the novel, they revealed very important aspects of Austen’s writing about social class and how it is a perfect example of English society, even to this day. She defined so clearly how England was a â€Å"face-to-face† or â€Å"shame society† in which â€Å"the opposite of social respectability is social disgrace† which was â€Å"to be avoided at all costs† (Kuzmics 227). This meant that for those families that were unable to depend on an inheritance or their relations in order to live comfortably in society, they could only rely upon prospective marriage partners for a comfortable life. It is because of this importance placed upon society’s standards of what makes a family valuable that â€Å"the social value and respectability of the potential future spouse is ascertained and made visible† (Southam 113). This, in turn, makes it difficult for someone such as Elizabeth – who is very accomplished in her wit and charm – unable to stoop so low as to accept a marriage proposal from someone she has no tender feelings toward. The idea of marrying only for money, power or social stability is part of the reason why Elizabeth Bennet is thought of as impertinent by other characters in the novel such as Mr. Collins, Lady Catherine, and at times even her own mother. Yet it is because of Elizabeth’s character and the audacity she is capable of showing to such renowned individuals that proves Austen meant her novel to be much more than a romantic story between two characters. She wanted a stab at the problems of the gentry, to affirm her belief that basing the worth of an individual merely by their material wealth was hardly the best way of assessing someone’s value (Wilhelm). She was able to do a fantastic job of satirizing the gentry throughout her novel by using several different aspects of what made a renowned person so important: money, connections and property. In the general notes of the Penguin Classic version of Pride and Prejudice, David Spring, author of Interpreters of Jane Austen’s Social World, used historian Alan Everitt’s coined term ‘pseudo-gentry’ to describe a group of individuals that were comprised mostly of those involved with the trade, who aspired to attain the lifestyle of the landed gentry. It is because of this idea that in order to be worth something, a person must own land, that several of the characters from Austen’s novel seek ‘land-based wealth,’ which is an obvious sign of â€Å"a class intensely interested in income as means to, and a sign of, status† (Austen 413). This shows that Austen’s novel is written from a point of view that sees upward mobility as a bleak, corrupt hierarchy and is much more interested in the professional middle class – the class which, in Pride and Prejudice is represented quite adeptly by the Gardiners. This idea of attempting to identify oneself in a strict society based on social class has taken on numerous different forms: books, critical essays, movies and television series. Innumerable amounts of professional critics have delved deeply into Austen’s novel’s representation of class, manners and even the social status of women in British society. In the incredibly faithful six hour long A&E/BBC adaptation of the book, Sue Britwistle – the program’s producer – wanted to include â€Å"many clear illustrations of the way that class and gender are governed by proper British manners†¦and highlight the importance of economic status in Regency England† (Selznick 92). The fact that women could only gain social standing through marriage is very apparent through all of Austen’s writing, not just Pride and Prejudice. It is incredible to think that a woman was worth nothing unless she had a substantial inheritance, as seen with Georgiana and Mr. Wickham. He cared nothing for her abilities, her looks, her personality – the only thing he desired was the hefty sum of money she would receive through inheritance. The type of relationship is seen numerous times throughout the novel and only contravened when Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy marry the two Bennet sisters. It is, as professors Kuzmics and Axtmann so rightly called it, a marriage market. The worth of an individual could only be seen through the instance of marriage, when a person’s monetary value was ascertained and brought into light. There are several different instances throughout the novel in which social standing and class are satirized, though none so much as the motif of carriages. Austen placed importance upon how many and of what kind carriage a person owned; it signaled wealth, status and power – which, to Austen, was not a feasible way to judge the worth of a person. The aspect of carriages even flows into the marriage market, where the prospective bride (because the groom always seemed to be worthy regardless) is critiqued and either approved or denied. Part of this process is inquiry into how many and what kind of carriages the bride owns – if any. Their chances of finding a suitable match dwindles if they do not own an acceptable carriage (Walder). This is seen when Lady Catherine tracks down Elizabeth at Longbourn, wondering how her nephew could have possibly proposed to one such as her – someone who walks places without the aide of a carriage to take her anywhere. One of the most noteworthy characters that Austen uses to satirize social standing in her novel is Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Austen utilizes Lady Catherine for the primary function of criticizing the aristocratic society in which she places her character, as Lady Catherine is one of the most prideful and overbearing personalities in the novel. Jane Austen mercilessly ridicules the hierarchal society she was raised in by using Catherine as a means to convey how prominent figures (who were only important because of their wealth) thought themselves to be experts on almost every topic, even if they had no prior knowledge of the subject of which they were speaking on. For example, when Elizabeth visits Lady Catherine at Rosings, she is not only terribly inquisitive about how the girl had been raised, but when she asks Elizabeth if she plays the piano, Catherine admits that she herself could not. Though, as she states soon afterward, if she had practiced, there was no doubt that she would have been incredible. Ironically enough, it is due to Lady Catherine’s sudden visitation with Elizabeth near the end of the novel that Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth are married. By telling her nephew of the interview that she had with Elizabeth, Catherine allows the seed of hope to appear in Mr. Darcy. Lady Catherine’s attempt at interference between her nephew and Elizabeth is ultimately the reason that the two marry – not to mention that it is a means by which Austen can convey the strong personality she bequeathed upon Elizabeth to show that one’s social station should not limit her, but help her to hold her own in what most people saw as polite-society. Through many instances of dark humor, tragedy and even comedic aspects, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice takes a critical look at the issue of social standing in society and severely reprimands its ideals. Austen distrusted several aspects of the society in which she lived and tried to right its wrongs by satirizing the importance that the gentry placed on social standing and class. Though this may not have worked quite as well as she would have hoped – as most people view Pride and Prejudice as a mere romance story – with her cut and dry, black and white views of what a person should be judged by, Austen clearly wanted her society to realize that a person could only be considered accomplished if they truly had the talents to be – not whether or not they could afford to buy their name. Works Cited Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. London: Penguin, 2003. Print. Copeland, Edward, and Juliet McMaster. The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1997. Print. Hamilton, Sylvia N. Constructing Mr. Darcy: Tradition, Gender, and Silent Spaces in Jane Austen. Thesis. University of Central Oklahoma, 2007. Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest, 2008. Print. Kuzmics, Helmut, and Roland Axtmann. Authority, State and National Character: the Civilizing Process in Austria and England, 1700-1900. Aldershot, England: Ashgate, 2007. Print. Mazzeno, Laurence W. Jane Austen: Two Centuries of Criticism. Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2011. Print. Selznick, Barbara J. Global Television Co-producing Culture. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 2008. Print. Southam, B. C. Jane Austen: the Critical Heritage. London: Routledge, 1999. Print. Walder, Dennis. The Realist Novel. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print. Wilhelm, Julia. Appropriations of Jane Austen's â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† in Contemporary British Fiction. Thesis. Johannes Gutenberg University, 2007. Mainz, Germany: Grin Verlag, 2008. Print.

A sound mind in a sound body - Smart Custom Writing Samples

A sound mind in a sound body - Smart Custom Writing GregorThe Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka's is a characteristic in the genre of investigational symbolic fiction that came about in the early 20th century. The central character of the story, Gregor Samsa, is the epitome of the numbing of the soul amidst the rising of the industrial revolution. An irony in The Metamorphosis is that Gregor Samsa experiences a metamorphosis in the corporeal sense only; philosophically was always a bug and turning out to be one physically has no consequence on his satisfaction in life. According to Karl Marx, the laborer's "work is external to the worker, i.e., it does not form part of his essential being so that instead of feeling well in his work, he feels unhappy, instead of developing his free physical and mental energy, he abuses his body and ruins his mind" (Bloom 107).   Gregor is the perfect symbol for what Marx is arguing about; he is estranged from the product he endeavors to generate for the reason that he doesn't own it. Further, he is actually not even laboring to earn a wage; his wages are going to settling his father's sum unpaid. When Gregor body transforms into the bug he was philosophically all alone, his alienation and isolation turns out to be complete. â€Å"Gregor Samsa's transformation into vermin presents self-alienation in a literal way,not merely a customary metaphor become fictional fact...no manner more drastic could illustrate the alienation of a consciousness from its own being than Gregor Samsa's startled and startling awakening† (Bloom 105). Lastly, Gregor's estrangement from his humankind is totally realized and physicalized: â€Å"That is to say, Samsa, having been a successful salesman, was once the pillar of his family, but now, being helpless, his sister assumes in the eyes of his parents the role of leadership and reassuring strength that he had once occupied† (Scott 37). Just like an insect is a small participant in the grander system of nature and not anticipated to experience things such as ambition or content, so does Gregor ultimately give over completely to a scheme m eant to obliterate those key workings of humanity. Bloom, Harold, ed. Franz Kafka's the Metamorphosis. New York: Chelsea House, 1988. Scott, Nathan A. Rehearsals of Discomposure: Alienation and Reconciliation in Modern Literature: Franz Kafka, Ignazio Silone, D. H. Lawrence . New York: King's Crown Press, 1952. Kafka, Franz. "The Metamorphosis." The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Vol. F: The Twentieth Century. 2nd Edition. Ed. Sarah Lawall. New York: W.W. Norton Company, 2003.

Difference Between an Immigrant Visa and Nonimmigrant Visa

Difference Between an Immigrant Visa and Nonimmigrant Visa What Is the difference between an immigrant visa and a nonimmigrant visa? Your choice of visa is determined by the purpose of your travel to the United States. If your stay will be temporary, then youll want to make an application for a nonimmigrant visa. This type of visa allows you to travel to a U.S. port-of-entry to request admittance from a Department of Homeland Security official. If you are a citizen of a country thats part of the Visa Waiver Program, you may come to the U.S. without a visa if you meet certain requirements. There are more than 20 visas available under the nonimmigrant classification, to cover the variety of reasons why someone may visit for a short time. These reasons include tourism, business, medical treatment and certain types of temporary work. Immigrant visas are granted to those who intend to live and work permanently in the U.S. There are 4 major categories within this visa classification, including immediate relatives, special immigrants, family-sponsored and employer-sponsored.

The Misrepresentation of Police on the TV Research Paper

The Misrepresentation of Police on the TV - Research Paper Example In many TV programs and shows, police officers are depicted as the front line of defence, as a strong force able to protect all citizens from all possible threats and crimes. Drugs, crime, and threats to the family and to safety generally are the stock-in-trade of these shows. However, programs like "Cops" depict the police as the front line of defence against such threats. "Americas Most Wanted" gives viewers a sense of empowerment as they fight back with telephone calls that help to capture dangerous criminals. There is actual footage of the police in action, breaking down a door in a drug bust, or chasing and wrestling a suspect to the ground. In real life, the police are unable to respond effectively to all reported cases of crimes and check all telephone calls coming each hour (Dowler 230). Also, some are concerned about the guarantee of confidentiality for callers that seemed to be compromised by televised comments identifying them as "neighbours" or "former girlfriends," or gi ving other identifiable characteristics. In real life, the source of scepticism is, for the most part, related to the experience of various forms of contact with the police. In reality, when you do try to help the police, the police never turn up until the crimes been committed. Also, Scharrer (2001) admits that: â€Å"the depiction of previously unemotional cops who were "all business" has changed to include modern sensitivity and more well-rounded portrayals in these roles† (615).