Tuesday, December 24, 2019

The Real World Reality in Middlemarch Essay - 691 Words

What makes Middlemarch such a realistic novel is the situations and the characters in the novel are applicable to everyday life. Although the novel is fictitious, many of the characters are not overly inflated into superfluous unrealistic personalities; rather, they are relatable descriptions of everyday people. The situations may sometimes be dramatic, but no more so than in real life. The settings and the surroundings in the town of Middlemarch are also appropriate with those of reality. The aspects of reality and realism throughout Middlemarch provide a much stronger connection and relationship with the reader. The impression given by the community in Middlemarch is similar to that of a small tight-knit community almost anywhere. In†¦show more content†¦The use of meanwhile throughout the novel is interesting because the events are not necessarily sequential; things are going on at the same time, or one character will mention someone else and the novel will pan over to what is happening with them. It is as though the reader is walking through Middlemarch themselves and peering in the windows of the residents. Meanwhile, in his conversation with Raffles, he had learned something momentous, something which entered actively into the struggle of his longings and terrors. (488). Here the reader is initially being told about Mr Bulstrode, but then Raffles name is slipped into the section and the reader is passed onto finding more out about what is going on with John Raffles. Other elements of reality in Middlemarch are the ways that wealth and poverty are depicted. There does not seem to be as extreme of divisions between the wealthy and the poor as in Wuthering Heights. There are a lot more working class individuals, even many of the wealthier people are still hard workers and land owners. In Emma, the wealthy do very little to earn their money except belong to the right family and inherit wealth through family association, whereas the elite of Middlemarch deserve and earn their money. In brief, Lydgate was what is called a successful man. (637). Upon Lydgates death his family was left with a large insurance payment. He was aShow MoreRelatedA Study Of Provincial Life By George Eliot2656 Words   |  11 PagesIntroduction Middlemarch, A Study of Provincial Life is a novel by English author George Eliot, first published in eight installments during 1871. The novel is set in the fictitious Midlands town of Middlemarch during 1829–32, and it comprises several distinct stories and a large cast of characters. 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You may select a work from the list below or another novel or play of comparable literary merit. Alias Grace Middlemarch All the King’s Men Moby-Dick Candide Obasan Death of a Salesman Oedipus Rex Doctor Faustus Orlando Don Quixote A portrait of the Artist as a Young Man A GestureRead MoreAmerican Slang Essay 115481 Words   |  62 PagesThe 1920s left its mark with jazz and the rise of the machine, creating such terms as flapper - â€Å"a female dancer in a short skirt† and percolate - â€Å"to run smoothly†. The 1940s was the decade of the military with such coinages as pea-shooter, from World War II Army Air Force pilots to denote a fighter pilot or plane, and the word buddy (meaning â€Å"pal†), which, although created in the 1800s, was heavily used by American GIs1 and took on a particularly sentimental connotation. This term later evolved

Monday, December 16, 2019

Amst 301 Free Essays

AMERICAN STUDIES 301 MIDTERM Please include a title for the midterm, TA name, and staple Description of assignment: Compose an anthology of thirteen quotations drawn from the materials assigned for the first three sections of this course (Parts I, II and III). The anthology will consist of a preface, short commentaries on each quotation, and a conclusion. The anthology should be governed by a theme (or a set of two topics aligned to the concerns of the first four sections of the syllabus) that offer a way to unite together the diverse materials for this course. We will write a custom essay sample on Amst 301 or any similar topic only for you Order Now The best anthologies (those that will receive an A or A- grade) will be ones where the theme enables the student to inquire into the complexities of American culture and where both the structure and content of the midterm manifest democratic thinking (i. e. , examining an issue by looking at it from multiple points of view) and integrative thinking (i. e, finding similarities or making syntheses between separate, diverse voices). Texts for the assignment: Draw one quotation from each of the following texts or set of texts. Present the quotation and cite the text and page number of the quote (if the page number is available). Then provide your analysis of the quotation. Note: You should feel free and encouraged to arrange the quotes and commentaries in whatever order you find most appropriate and compelling. It’s best not to arrange the quotes in the order presented in the list of texts that follows. Compose an arrangement that allows you to create the most interesting and revealing conversation—or dialogue and debate–among the texts. . Carroll, ed. , Letters from a Nation 2. Katz, ed. , Why Freedom Matters 3. Smith, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 4. Cumings, Dominion from Sea to Sea, chapters 2, 10 or 11 5. O’Hearn, ed. , Half + Half: Writers on Growing Up Biracial and Bicultural 6. Essays on Los Angeles by Christopher Isherwood, Sonora McKeller, Wanda Coleman, Jimmy Santiago Baca, Lynell George, or Bill Bradley. 7. Political oratory or writings by John Winthrop, Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson or Frederick Douglass 8. Herman Melville, â€Å"Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street† or Nathaniel Hawthorne, â€Å"A Gray Champion† 9. Black, Our Constitution: The Myth That Binds Us 10. Political oratory by Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr. , Thurgood Marshall, Mario Cuomo, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, or Bernie Sanders. 11. Essays or Speeches by Tony Kushner, James Baldwin, Stanley Crouch or Cornell West 12. Poetry by Pat Mora, Gloria Anzaldua, Ariana Waynes, Beau Sia, Steve Connell, Langston Hughes, or lines from comedy skits and writings by Culture Clash 13. John Leland, Hip: The History, David Brooks, On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (and Always Have) in the Future Tense, or any quotation of your own selection drawn from American music, film, literature, history, politics, including lines from movies or lyrics from a song. Analysis of the texts: Write a commentary on each quotation that is between 3-5 sentences in length. The commentary should be more than a paraphrase of the passage: it should seek to illuminate the significance of the passage and connect the passage to other passages through comparisons and contrasts. The commentary should develop the theme or governing idea of the anthology as a whole. It is vital in these commentaries to explicate the passage first and foremost from the point of view of its author rather than to offer your personal opinion of it. Consider the commentary an act of empathic listening and of comparative or contextual analysis. Seek to understand the passage in its own context rather than just declaring its personal significance to you. Comment on the language and specific details of the passage and make both comparisons and contrasts to other texts in the anthology. Preface : Write a 1-2 page Preface to this anthology in which you introduce and explain the orchestrating theme or themes of this anthology—-the topics, concerns, issues, arguments that govern selection of the quotations you use to compose this anthology. The Preface should be similar to a presenting a thesis to a 5-7 page critical essay in Writing 140 or 340. Conclusion: Conclude the anthology with a paragraph in which you briefly explain which text or reading assignment was most important for your education so far. Select the one text or assigned reading that you feel should definitely be included in the syllabus when I teach this course in a future semester. The task of this anthology (beyond revealing that you have studied the wide range of materials assigned so far for this course) is to find sources of unity in the diversity of the materials. Advice for the Midterm When commenting upon texts for the midterm and when choosing a theme or set of themes to orchestrate your midterm anthology, I recommend that you keep in mind the approaches of Anna Deavere Smith and Michael Kammen to American culture as described below. Smith believes that words can be â€Å"the doorway into the soul of a culture,† and in Talk to Me: Listening Between the Lines (2000), she writes, â€Å"I set out across America, on a search for American character. My search was specifically to find America in its language. I interview people and communities about the events of our time, in the hope that I will be able to absorb America†¦. This is a country of many tongues, even if we stick to English. Placing myself in other people’s words, as in placing myself in other people’s shoes, has given me the opportunity to get below the surface—to get ‘real. † When you comment upon these texts, try to place yourself â€Å"in other people’s words† as if placing yourself â€Å"in their shoes. † Listen to what is said and what may be hidden between the lines, and comment upon both. Consider also what might be revealed about a text by comparing and contrasting its words with v oices from other texts or by juxtaposing its words against the words of a different text. Compose this anthology, in other words, by â€Å"downloading† and â€Å"mixing† and â€Å"sampling† voices to burn your own CD representing and reflecting upon the â€Å"American sound. And just as in Hendrix’s version of â€Å"The Star Spangled Banner,† your anthology can give us sounds and voices of dissonance as well as harmony. Smith also writes in Talk to Me: â€Å"My pursuit of American character is, basically, a pursuit of difference. Character lives in that which is unique. What is unique about America is the extent to which it does, from time to time, pull off being a merged culture. Finding American character is a process of looking at fragments, of looking at the unmerged. One has to do the footwork, one has to move from place to place, one has to stand outside. Your anthology will be composed of a set of 12 quotations, and each quotation can be c onsidered a fragment. When commenting upon each fragment or text, try to relate the fragment to other fragments. Seek out and explain places of merger or agreement among the fragments. But also be willing to see each fragment as unique, as a different take or look or perspective on your theme. The various quotations will come from different places, different times, and along with noting the specific time and place of each quotation, you should note on occasion how the quotations differ or disagree with each other. The anthology should, in effect, create a conversation and dialogue and debate—or a drama or a jazz performance–among the texts, playing one text off another. Consider each voice a solo or a monologue whose performance you analyze, but let your commentaries and the structure of the anthology as a whole be a jazz orchestra, or a play, or a congress of voices checking and balancing each other. A crucial part of the anthology will be your selection of a theme or themes that will enable you to unite together the different materials for the course. If you conceive of the anthology as part of an attempt to understand some aspect of the â€Å"American character,† you can follow the path of Michael Kammen who advises us to seek out paradoxes and contradictions within American culture. He notes that many have tried to provide a master key to unlock the mystery of the American character, proposing such single explanations as the Puritan sense of mission, the westward movement of the frontier, the desire for opportunity and open land, the effects of immigration, or the story of freedom. But any â€Å"quest for national character, culture, or style,† Kammen cautions, â€Å"plunges one into a tangle of complex historical considerations,† and he draws upon the writings of Erik Erikson to remind us, â€Å"It is commonplace to state that whatever one may come to consider a truly American trait can be shown to have its equally characteristic opposite. † There is no simple answer and no one right answer to the question: â€Å"What is the American character? You might say that America is a place of â€Å"mixed messages† and that it will take some â€Å"hard work† to understand the complexity of the struggle for democracy, freedom, justice, equality, and a more perfect union in America. Godfrey Hodgson in his book, More Equal Than Others: American from Nixon to the New Century (2004) gives us an wonderful update on Kammen’s attempt to see Americans as a â€Å"people of paradox. † Hodgson writes, â€Å"At the beginning of of the twenty-first century, the United States was a mature civilization marked by striking, well-rooted contradictions. It is (and the list of pairs by no means exhausts the difficulties facing anyone who attempts a simplistic analysis) generally pacific but occasionally bellicose; religious yet secular; innovative but conservative; tough but tender; aggressive yet reluctant to incur casualties; egalitarian by instinct but stratified in tiers of wide and growing inequality; puritan yet self-indulgent; conformist but full of independent-minded people; devoted to justice, but in many ways remarkably unfair; idealistic yet given to cynicism. (â€Å"Nice guys finish last† is almost a national motto. At some times it can be self-confident to the verge of complacency, at others self-doubting to the point of neurosis. † When choosing a theme for you anthology, I recommend that you search for a topic that allows you to study America by highlighting at least one or two of the contradictions or paradoxes within its â€Å"character. † You can draw upon the list of contradictions/paradoxes/ te nsions/conflicts as possible topics of themes for your anthology. Freedom vs. Tyranny Liberty vs. Slavery Equality vs. Hierarchy (or Supremacy) Democracy vs. Monarchy/Aristocracy or Imperialism/Empire Democracy vs. Racism/Sexism (or the Tyranny of the Majority) Tradition vs. Revolution/Innovation Purity (or virtue) vs. corruption Exclusion vs. Inclusion Culture clash—culture merger Memory (studying the past) vs. Forgetting (letting go, living in the present) Born to Run/Born to be Wild vs. Stability/Civilization/the Home The Founding Fathers Know Best vs. The Sins of the Fathers Democracy vs. Theocracy Church—State Religion—politics Letter of the law—spirit of the law (or a higher law) Unity—-diversity Melting pot—-mosaic Assimilation—roots Majority–Minority Insiders—outsiders (outcasts) More perfect union—individualism Self-interest vs. fraternity (brotherhood) Care for self vs. Care for others (caritas) Materialism—-spirituality Gold—God Success-failure Happiness—misery Blues–gospel Mobility-fixity Tradition—innovation Conformity—revolt Parents—children (generational conflict) Machismo—feminismo Country—city Civilization—savagery Hope—-fear Privilege—equality Reverence–irreverence Authority—-rebellion Provincialism—cosmopolitanism Country-city Myth vs. history Stories we want to hear vs. stories we need to hear Format: Title Preface 1. Anna Deavere Smith, Talk to Me: Listening Between the Lines (2000): I set our across America, on a search for American character. My search was specifically to find America in its language. I interview people and communities about the events of our time, in the hope that I will be able to absorb America†¦. This is a country of many tongues, even if we stick to English. Placing myself in other people’s words, as in placing myself in other people’s shoes, has given me the opportunity to get below the surface—to get ‘real. ’ (p. 12) 3-5 sentences of commentary 2. Author, title quotation: xxxxxxxxxxx 3-5 sentences of commentary Conclusion How to cite Amst 301, Papers

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Critical Review of Australian Tax and Transfer System

Question: Describe about the Report for Critical Review of Australian Tax and Transfer System. Answer: A robust taxation system is considered to be the life blood of the government since it provides the vital revenue which the government requires to dispel its myriad responsibilities. The importance of taxation system in the recent past has increased by leaps and bounds as the responsibilities of the modern state continue to grow. Hence, unlike the past, the governments role is not limited to providing physical security but has to ensure that the citizens are able to enjoy a particular standard of life where certain basic requirements such as food, education, healthcare, shelter are taken care of. For the government to be able to discharge the above responsibilities, it is imperative that the tax system should be driven by four key principles namely equity, effectiveness, simplicity and efficiency (ACOSS, 2015). It is noteworthy that the role of taxation is not limited to being revenue raising measure for the national government but it actually much expansive. Through the taxation system, the government aims to fulfil a host of objectives which can be easily deciphered by conducting a through and critical review of the tax and transfer policy prevalent in Australia. Additionally, this would also serve another purpose i.e. to develop a better understanding of the tax implications and any overburden present in the tax and transfer system (Treasury, 2013). As a result, the various flaws in the current system would be identified and various measures would be suggested so as to ensure that the four principles are better complied with and the policy objectives are better realised. The core purpose of the taxation system is to act as a source of revenue to government for meeting its expenditures. However, tax revenue needs to be raised in a manner that does not penalise indulgence in activities leading to generation of income. This can be done by ensuring that any particular section must not carry a disproportional taxation burden. Therefore, it is required that the taxation laws must undergo a review on periodic basis so as to ensure that the concessions provided are appropriately targeted and not abused while the incidents involving tax evasion need to be minimised (CoA, 2015). However, while maintaining higher compliance from taxpayers, the central principles of a robust tax system must not be deviated from. Yet another objective of the tax system is to enhance the efficiency of allocation of scarce resources so as to generate maximum output. The resource allocation is altered through the application of differential tax rates with regards to consumption and production of specific goods and services. The effectiveness of differential tax at altering the underlying consumption patterns of customers has sufficient empirical evidence to indicate that products and services that have relatively lesser tax burden tend to be consumed in more quantities. Using taxation, it is possible for the government to promote goods associated with positive externality while discouraging usage of those goods which have negative externality associated with their consumption. This process if continued for a sufficient length of time tends to bring variation in the patterns of production and consumption which is skewed towards goods with lesser tax burden. This effectively leads to an increased allocative effici ency since the country produces goods beneficial for the society (Treasury, nd). Also, another objective of the taxation system is to cause income redistribution. The progressive direct taxation system is testimony to this as the rich have to pay tax at higher rates as compared to the poor. As a result, the income collected through tax from rich people is utilised for delivery of vital support services to the downtrodden and poor section which improves their standard of life. Hence, there is no denying the fact that income redistribution is achieved through taxation as the users of the various government schemes are the poor and vulnerable population who otherwise lack the purchasing power to avail the basic amenities (CoA, 2015). The Australian transfer system ensures that no section of the population is deprived from the usage of merit goods due to lack of purchasing power or any disability. Hence, assistance is provided to such people through cash payments which provide them opportunity to lead a normalised and prosperous life. It is estimated that almost 50% of the spending incurred through the transfer system is utilised for individuals who are either retired or disabled. Further, as the population becomes more aged in the near future, the importance of transfer system is poised to enhance which makes a valid case for enhancing their overall efficiency (CoA, 2008). Ever since the beginning of the last decade of 20th century, the tax revenues have surgse as indicated below. The main reason for this trend is the introduction of multitude of tax particularly the GST along with Capital Gains (1985) and rationalisation of tax system through the introduction of ITAA, 1997(ACTU, 2011). On one hand, the increase in revenue was positive news but this came at the cost of enhanced complexity in the tax regulation system. This was caused as the various taxes have their respective provisions with regards to concessions, threshold values. The effect was that that the taxpayers could not decipher the complex regulations which led to a rise in the overall compliance cost. The comparison of complexity Australian tax system in comparison with other prominent nations of both developed and developing world is presented below (ACTU, 2011). The rise in compliance costs causes due to rising complexity of the tax transfer system is highlighted below (CoA, 2015). The rising complexity in the tax system is evident from the above graph and the fact that there is a dip in the compliance costs at the turn of the decade implies that the government is also aware of the extent of the problem and hence taking active measures for simplification of tax system. However, these measures have continued to remain insufficient. Even now, huge sums of taxpayers money is being wasted for complying with tax regulations which instead needs to be used in a productive manner so as to fuel economic growth especially in the current times when the economic growth is lacklustre. Besides, the complexity of the system also provides incentives for specific behaviour on part of the taxpayers which results in inefficient allocation of resources. An apt illustration of the above is in the form of taxation policies towards affordable housing which have fallen short of the stated objectives. Instead these have proved to be counter-productive with a host of concessions and exemptions of payment of taxes and therefore instead of making it easier to buy a house, it has led to a frenzy which has led to the formation of a real estate bubble. This frenzy is led by the wealthy individuals and HNI (High Net Individuals) who tend to use residential property not only as an investment but as a mechanism to minimise their tax liability (ACOSS, 2015). In this regard, the IMF has advocated that the tax rebates must be used sparingly as they are in violation with the principles of equity and efficiency of a robust tax system. Despite this, Australia provides generous tax expenditure as depicted in the graph below which draws a comparison with other developed nations in this regard (Thornbill, 2015). It is apparent from the above discussion that the tax concessions extended to the housing sector is leading to distortions and hence urgent rationalisation is required. This would cause a change in the taxpayers behaviour and thereby ensure that the multiply policy objectives of the tax and transfer system are met. Further, housing tax expenditures leads to a double whammy for the government as on one hand, the revenues are being lost due to concessions while on the other hand, since these concessions are not reaching the poor and vulnerable, hence government needs to provide greater support as rent assistance which is expanding the fiscal deficit (ACOSS, 2015). It is apparent from the arguments listed above that tax and transfer system in place is inefficient and overburdened. As a result, a complete overhaul of the taxation system is required whereby emphasis is on four main taxes namely corporate tax, personal income tax, tax related to private consumption and also rent tax collected on usage of economic resources owned by the state. These four taxes have been selected as a major portion of the tax revenue is earned through these taxes only. Taxes besides the above ones should continue to exist only if a particular social/economic issue is being addressed such as the taxation on cigarettes. Other taxes which do not belong to the above shall be abolished as these lead to an enhancement in the complexity of the taxation system without significant incremental revenue (Treasury, 2013). For attracting more foreign investors, it is required that there must be an reduction in the corporate tax rate to 25% over a period of time. Besides, the imputation policy employed for dividends also needs to be modified so as be in sync with the global practices in this regard (BCA, 2014). To make up for the loss in tax through the decrease in corporate tax rate, rationalisation of tax expenditures is the need of the hour. Additionally, for increasing the female participation rate in labour, there needs to be a marked improvement in the child care services and emphasis should be on making these affordable. Besides, for enhancing the workforce diversity, vulnerable sections should be given support in the form of payments for supporting the income (CoA, 2008). Also, there is a strong case for rationalisation of personal income tax so that there is wider coverage and simple regulations. Further, an increase in the threshold income level to $ 25,000 is also recommended as for lower income, the compliance costs tend to be more substantial than the actual tax collected. Besides, it is imperative that no liabilities must be attached to the various transfer payments (example: allowances and pensions). Additionally, for individuals who belong to the labour force but fail to contribute fully must be given participation allowances. Also, differential threshold levels should be introduced for assistance payments extended to aged, students and the cared. This is because their needs are quite different which must be reflected in the assistance provided. Further, indexing of assistance payments for inflation must be done as currently this is not the case (CoA, 2015). The various allowances and pension payments shall be provided not on the basis of the asset test but on the analysis of comprehensive means which would ensure better targeting. Also, the family assistance program needs to be integrated into a unified program so that the quantum of assistance is driven by the total familys taxable income levels. Further, certain levies that the state enforces are highly inefficient and must pave way for low-rate destination cash flow tax. The revenue raised through this can be utilised by the local and state governments for public welfare. The GST that applies on financial services shall be replaced with a separate financial services tax which could result in gains if the modalities are prudently worked out based on consultations with stakeholders (CoA, 2008). The royalty system in place currently also needs to be discontinued and a 40% resource rent tax shall instead be levied so as to ensure that volatility of prices can be reflected in the governments revenue. Also, the employees superannuation contribution should be made tax free but the contribution from the employer in this regard needs to be brought within the tax net provided there is breach of a reasonable limit (Treasury, 2013). Based on the above discussion and the various arguments, it may be concluded that the current tax and transfer system seems overburdened and complex despite efforts by government in this regard. Also, the transfer system suffers from targeting errors due to which they are utilised by the relatively richer population and hence requires an overhaul based on the central tenets of sound taxation system. References ACTU 2011, Paying our Way: Personal income tax in Australia. Australia Tax Paper No.4 , pp. 4-37 BCA 2014, The future of tax, Business Council of Australia, Available online from www.bca.com.au/.../Future_of_Tax_Australias_Current_Tax_System_FI (Accessed on August 5, 2016)CoA 2008, Architecture of Australias tax and transfer system, Commonwealth of Australia, Available online from https://taxreview.treasury.gov.au/content/downloads/report/architecture_of_australias_tax_and_transfer_system_revised.pdf (Accessed on August 5, 2016)CoA 2015, Tax Discussion Paper, Commonwealth of Australia, Available online from https://bettertax.gov.au/files/2015/03/TWP_combined-online.pdf (Accessed on August 5, 2016)Treasury nd, 2.4 The objectives of taxation, Australian Government, Available online from https://comparativetaxation.treasury.gov.au/content/report/html/04_Chapter_2-03.asp (Accessed on August 5, 2016)Treasury 2013, 2.10 Administration of the taxà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœtransfer system, Australian Government, Available online from https://taxreview.treasury.gov.au/content/Paper.aspx?doc=html/publications/papers/report/section_2-10.htm (Accessed on August 5, 2016) ACOSS 2015. Fuel on the Fire, Australian Council of Social Service, Available online from https://www.acoss.org.au/images/uploads/Fuel_on_the_fire.pdf (Accessed on August 5, 2016) Smith, L. 2015. Superannuation tax concessions poorly targeted: ACOSS, SolePurposeTest Blog, Available online from https://www.solepurposetest.com/news/superannuation-tax-concessions-poorly-targeted/ (Accessed on August 5, 2016) Smith, G. 2013. Australian tax reform: Post-Henry, CEDA Council on Economic Policy, Available online from https://adminpanel.ceda.com.au/FOLDERS/Service/Files/Documents/15436~gregsmith_ccep032013_web2.pdf (Accessed on August 5, 2016) Thornbill, A. 2015. Our tax systems not so progressive ACOSS, Private Briefing Website, Available online from https://privatebriefing.com.au/2015/01/24/our-tax-systems-not-so-progressive-acoss/ (Accessed on August 5, 2016)