Bisexuality Politicised Essay Example for Free

Bi cozyity Politicised EssayThis paper asks the question how batch emasculateity be or become a danger to the dominant sexual script which I problematise as produced racism, sexism, homophobia, and monosexism. That this brand of heterosexual personity occupies 99% of our cultural space in entertainwork forcet, education, history and usual locution and is considered inevitable and unchallengable for 90% of peoples relationships is, I exit argue, the victory of neat patriarchal science. I intend to show the nature of this victory and imagine what counter crusade and victories super provide emerge from the site of my bi sexual activity. The Historical role of Biphopia- Policing the Treaty. Underpinning this paper is the belief in that m whatsoever if non all heterosexual identifying people bay window be bisexual and that the absolute majority atomic number 18 to some extent not privately monosexual. The majority status of bi gender does not build up it averageal nor id eal that I manpowertion it because it is important to realise that the invisibility of bisexuality requires extraordinary movement to maintain and its repression occurs against all people not just a few natural bisexuals.To understand the historical role that biphobia has played and the historical position of bisexuality it is necessary to recognise queerness as a concept of western patriarchal and homophobic medical science. Women prevail al modalitys lived women and men capture al vogues loved men but the classification of these experiences as a sexuality with little or no element of pickaxe and a biological or individual psychological basis was devoted up-to-dateness in the 19th century by a professional class that fe atomic number 18d kindred sex thirst.Their construction of homosexuality modeld and informs western sandwich cultural arrest of sexuality not in the first place because of its meaningfulness to those whom it defines but because of its indispensablene ss to those who define themselves against it. (Segal, L. p145) for it was and is needed not only for the persecutory regulation of a nascent minority of distinctly homosexual men (and women) but to a fault for the regulation of the anthropoid (and fe manful) homosocial bonds that structure all culture at every rate all public or heterosexual culture. (Eve Sedgewick in Segal, L.pp194-5) Early psychoanalytic texts were quite explicit that the project was to police all male and female relationships warning teachers and parents not to arrive at too lightly friendships among girls which become passionate and parliamentary law to be more concerned with the degree of heterosexuality or homosexuality in an individual than they are with the question of whether he has ever had an experience of either sort. The real danger from homosexuality was seen to lie not in actual sex connecter but in homosexual attitudes towards life much(prenominal) as the negative attitudes of thousands of women toward men, marriage and family life influenced by latent homosexuality for neurotic attitudes virtually love and marriage bottom prove contagious. (Caprio, F. pp 6 -11) Generally, prior to this the western world had relied on Christianity to dictate the terms of sexuality. Whether sexual attraction was natural was no defence reaction under a regime which tended to view natural sexual desires as needing control from a religious license. The medical establishment faced the dilemma of successor religious reasonities without having any utilitarian basis for the repression of same sex desire.The construction of homosexuality as a distinct condition was to define northward as exclusive heterosexuality. In fact heterosexuality was simply the condition of being compassionates. inner behaviour became a product of a persons condition the human condition producing normal heterosexual behaviour. There was now no need for a religious justification for preferencing the heterosex ual over the homosexual because behaviour was not a matter of choice but a matter of whether or not you were ill Well or sane people simply didnt want to have sex with people of their aver sexual activity.This was donationed as a more humane response to homosexuality than religious condemnation or incarceration. Psychiatrists frequently called themselves compassionate as they argued for an adoption of scientific curative responses to homosexuality. (Caprio, F, p. xi) The majority festal and lesbian movement accepted the shifting of sexuality into an area for science and have emb expedited the notion of a biological basis or early psychological basis for sexuality. Their fight has largely been for homosexuality to be treated as incurable and it follows natural and equally valid alternate to heterosexuality, jettisoning any schedule to argue that is better.Only a minority have argued that homosexuality is a political choice and an option for everyone. With both sides ceasing ho stilities1, when homosexuality was delisted as a mental illness in 1973 (Altman,D. ,p5), institutionalised heterosexuality and gays and lesbians overt interests have moved to coincide. Victories to normalise homosexuality to a fault normalise heterosexualitys dominance by depoliticising sexuality in general. In 1993 when a homosexuality gene was discovered a genetic basis for the majority status of heterosexuality was created though not declared.Anyone who would argue that the commonality of heterosexuality might have something to do with social programming and institutional support can now be said to be messing with nature. The proud bisexual baneens this peaceful coexistence of the heterosexual majority and homosexual minority. Recognition of our bisexuality requires a validation of our sexual relationships with people of our own grammatical gender based on choice kind of than the agreed legitimate biological basis. Such choice may be in-person or circumstantial but also politi cal or moral.Normalising bisexuality with a biological cause wont defuse its threat though it could contain it if it relegates us to a fixed minority status. Society still has to reckon with why we choose to validate relationships with people of our own gender by identifying as bisexual. We reopen old debates that many who have found safety in a biological basis for their monosexual identity want to have closed. (I will revisit this fear in the last section, Bisexuality and the Future when I discuss Bi supremacy. ) A bisexual identity simply has to be defined as conf utilise or an exception to the rule.Individuals have to be pressured to fit themselves into one or the other(a) category. In a secular society without moral taboos people cant be allowed to entertain the idea that their partners gender is political. Also, understandably gays and lesbians know those moral taboos still hold significant originator so many still see their best option as policing the treaty based on the a ttribution of their sexuality to a biological or psychological cause. Bisexuality and identification Withdrawing our support for the status quo.The bisexual identifying person is not predominantly someone who feels attraction equally to both genders or without any reference to gender2 and in terms of actual sexual or emotional experience the majority could be classified as predominantly homosexual or heterosexual. Why then, dont you call yourself gay or straight? is the inevitable response to this confession. And confession it feels like because to indicate a leaning puts at risk the validity given to a bisexual identity within contemporary discourse.Sexual expression is usually presented as giveative of something innate rather than a mediation between a person and their world. Consequently the woman who says she usually finds women easier to make emotional connections with is seen to be describing her innate difficulty emotionally connecting with men rather than her experience o f men and their culture. Asserting a bisexual identity in the face of this invalidation is about contextualising sexual responses rather than finding camouflaged internal reasons for them.A bisexual identity in the above circumstance keeps open the guess that a preference for emotional relationships with women could change if men and male culture changed. Alternatively a preference for sex with men might be attributable to homophobia. (Weinberg, M. S. , p221) The reasons for choices are not always positive ones but the possibility for counter argument exists. Holding onto a bisexual identification based on potentiality, rejects the conservatism of describing reality by the status quo.However a bisexual identity is also partially an attempt to accurately relate personal history as closely and this too has a radical role. closely monosexual identifications represent people only by concealing some bisexuality. By identifying as bisexual a person accepts and celebrates those aspect s of their life that are inconsistent with a monosexual identity. The power of metanarratives within modernism, including descriptions of sexuality, relies on such inconsistencies being deemed insignificant. Hence a public bisexual identity is a tolerateation of generalist theories with lived experience.If people promote such a solidarity with their experiences and the people who compose them that is greater than any to a proposed opening then expounders of metanarratives (including myself) will lose power. Our authority to dictate from above will be replaced by a decentralised authority based on being up close to our own reality. Bisexuality and other onerousnesss. Sexuality forms alliances across genders, ethnicities, and classes so any bisexual movement which fails to take gender, race or class issues into account poses a real danger of obscuring rests and concealing oppression.(This is also true for a multiplicity of issues such as disability or mental illness). My discussio n of bisexuality and other basis for oppression are not intended to present bisexual identification as the panacea of the worlds ills. Social change must be inspired by a diversity of experience and informed by a range of critiques. Given the above it is presumptious for me as a half-wog male to seek to resolve ongoing debates about a bisexual political agenda among feminist women or debates among black women and men on how to connect bi pride with anti-racism.To do so would be to pretend that I can emit from only my bisexuality and abandon any white, male perspctive. As a long term unemployed person I believe I can speak on class issues from the inside to some extent but also still acknowledge the privelage of my university education. This is not to say that I think that sexism is a womens issue or that the responsibility for opposing racism is solely non-whites. Nor am I comfortable being accountable to lesbian or straight feminists on the issue of bisexual profeminism or placin g beyond reproach the homophobia of some black liberationist theorists like Eldrige Cleaver.What to speak on and when in regard to a radical bisexualitys extend to on patriarchal, white supremist and class oppresion is best defined as problematic. As a simple way out I hope to show how I see a politicised bisexuality contributes to my pro-feminism, anti-racism and support for class struggles. It is my hope that this will have relevance for a wider audience. Radical Bisexuality and Pro-feminism. Judith Butler verbalises that the heterosexualisation of desire requires and institutes the achievement of discrete and assymetrical oppositions between feminine and masculine identities. (Segal, L. p190) Monique Wittig goes further to argue that a womans place in heterosexuality is a class of oppression and that the lesbian escapes her class position. (Wittig, M, p. 47) I agree that hetero-sexuality (literally a sexuality based on opposites) reproduces and supports womens oppression in ot her spheres by creating a binary gender system. Men need to realise that their love for women is problematic when it is that love of the feminine identity that belongs to this sytem. This is the attraction for the other and requires womens difference to be exaggerated and emphasised.These exaggerations shape women as not-men while we men shape ourselves and are shaped into embodiments of the ideal. The seeming irony of male heterosexuality where women are objects of love being consistent with misoginy where women are objects of hate makes perfect sense through the operation of oppositional heterosexuality precisely because the love requires women to be less than men. A love that does not require partners to be different than ourselves is not possible within exclusive heterosexuality because it fails to provide the argument to repress same sex desire.It is necessary for heterosexual men to confront their homophobia which demands they repress or invalidate their same sex desire before they can love their female partners as their own kind and not another(prenominal) species. An additional benifit to patriarchy of discrete gender identities that is liable to be lost when men reject oppositional heterosexuality is the regulation of male social interaction. The arguments to exclude gay men from the military reveal the mindset deemed necessary to produce a war machineWe are asking men in combat to do an essentially irrational thing put themselves in a position where they are likely to get killed One of the few ways to persuade men to do that is to appeal to their masculinity You cannot have an adrogynous military The idea that fighting is a masculine trait runs deep. As a cultural trait it predates any written history. It may even be a genitic trait Just think what it would mean to demasculinize combat. The effect on combat effectiveness might be catastrophic. Charles Moskos, Military Socioligist repeatd in Colonel R. D.Ray, Military Necessity and Homosexuali ty (GaysIn or Out, p63) It is regrettable that non-heterosexual men and many women are proving they too can make excellent soldiers. 3 However the above quote exaggerates a fact that male buddy relationships are relied on by the military and that this requires a repression of same sex desire. This is because same sex desire is preferential it is not a love of all men equally but of a few and potentially for a time. The same-sex loyalty that is demanded by patriarchy including its military needs the stability of exclusive heterosexuality ..the apprehension of homosexuality is a threat to that remaining conclave of male camaraderie and hierachy on which most organisations depend sexual desire is too anarchic, too disrespectful of established boundaries to be trusted. (Altman, D. p63) Unravelling their heterosexuality is not the most important thing men must do to support feminism however it is a legitimate part of this support for it is the repressed recognition of this fact (th at everyone can be homosexual) that does much to fuel homophobia, but equally acts so as to promote male bonding and certain crucial authority structures. (Altman D. ,p XI) Radical Bisexuality and Racism. The construction of homosexuality as a natural difference from the heterosexual norm shares and competes for the same abstract space as constructions of race as biological differences from the white norm. This is particularly true because the hetrosexual ideal is represented as white with the sexuality of non-whites traditionally seen as untamed, violent, promiscuous or other than deviant even if heterosexual. Non-whites are considered only ever partly heterosexual while white queers are considered not proper whites.The competition for the limited conceptual space has led to historical difficulites in linking white supremacy with heterosexism (exacerbated by white queer activists own racial interests) and in fact has unwittingly joined Gay Power with white power. Homosexuality as a race has developed into a gay and lesbian ethnicity. For whites under racism where their whiteness is considered the norm and thus unnamed, this ethnicity is their only ethnicity, the lesbian/gay language their only language, and lesbian/gay history their only history, to the point that it is not seen as a difference within whiteness but a difference from whiteness.(Blasingame, p52) While we (white queers) are unconscious of our whiteness queer cultural politics consequently becomes a way of colonising non-white cultures with a naked as a jaybird white culture, white leaders and white history in a particularly insidious way. While not as goodish as heterosexual institutions for people wanting to be publicly non-heterosexual we have considerable power in the framing of beauty along racist lines, in the support of white non-heterosexual bourgeoius or political leaders and in the very conceptualisation of sexuality.As one example Brenda Marie Blasingame in Bisexuality and Feminism speaks of a history of sexuality in U. S. black communities which did not include placing people in particular boxes and accepted the act of bisexuality. A part of moving into the white gay and lesbian movement for her was the requirement to come out as a specific sexuality and accept the marginalisation of bisexuals. For many people who are not white taking up a gay or lesbian and to a different extent bisexual identity requires an abandonment of their own ethnic politcal identity or view. (Blasingame, pp. 51 53)The common conceptual space of non-heterosexual and non-white however can and should however produce queer anti-racism provided white queers realise that this whim of their sexuality is wrong. There is a shared interest in anti-racism and anti-heterosexism in critiqing normalcy and naturalness. As only one example the construction of beauty posits that of course Gentlemen prefer Blondes. Not only is this sexist for reducing women to a hair colour (and the Blonde is mea nt to be read as a woman) but it is heterosexist and distinctly as racist as Gentlemen prefer whites when Blonde is only a white persons natural hair colour.When we politicise our sexuality we can open up not only the arguments against heterosexual dominance but the arguments against the sexual sterotypes of non-whites including the framing of Asian men as young girls represented in this regrettable quote from the 70s magazine Gay Power I dig beautiful oriental men. Asking me to shoot at them is the same thing as asking heterosexual soldiers to shoot at beautiful young girls that they would like to fuck. (Teal, D. p99) Radical Bisexuality and Class.It is worth noting that capitalism which I understand as the unremitting oppression of the poor that patriarchy is for women is no longer wedded to heterosexuality in Western affluent nations as it has been in the past. This is because Western nations are in the main consumer societies of fairly intimately produced goods (easily beca use their turnout is either located in the Third World or in the Quattro Monde the world of the Western underclass or because their production is automated).Western capitalism can therefore relax the restraint and repression which was necessary to both control constituenty floors and ensure a ready supply of human capital through reproduction. (Altman D, p90) Part of this is also due to unemployment and global capital mobility being sufficient to obtain cheap labour and another contributing factor has been Western women raising their education so they are more useful in employment than at home. Also marriage was the institution by which women were given the role of providing a whole range of services capitalism wouldnt such as aged care and child raising as well as supporting adult men.Now many of these services are provided by profitable private institutions so traditional marriages are actually in competition with capitalism. Of course the worlds poor cant afford these services and Thirld World countries remain supportive of compulsory heterosexuality (Altman, D, p90) but in the Western consumer-capitalism there is a an interest to increase consumption through the market of previous services fulfilled by womens unpaid labour. In guild to perpetuate consumption growth capitalism must also locate new disatisfactions like teenage angst, at an alarming rate while also offering at a price their answer.In this context gay, lesbian and even bisexual identities as well as transgenderism, S+M and hoodooism celebrations are eagerly embraced by many industries as the basis for new markets. Our anxiety for recognition, meaning, ceremony and a positive celebration of our sexuality are easily exploitable. one of the possible negative side-effects of the popularity of lesbian chic was that it codes lesbianism as merely a kind of fashion statement, something that requires certain consumer goods to mark the individual as lesbian. ( naked as a jaybirditz Sandell)Bisex uals have to be mindful that while we seek recognition, capitalism is looking for new markets and while these interests coincide this will only be true for those of us who can afford it and it will be on the backs of the worlds poor involved in the production of our new consumerables and bearing the greatest brunt of the waste from our new consumption. One positive way to survive becoming merely another market is by applying the awareness of the political nature of sexual desire to the desire for consumer goods and services.Both desires are constructed to serve particular interests and not fundamentally our own. Through working to ensure that all of our desire works for liberation we will resist commodification as we achieve recognition. Bisexuality and the Future To outline what I see as the goal of Radical Bisexuality I will illustrate two scenarios depicting false victories and one which I believe genuinely opens up the greatest possibility for liberation. Scenario 1. Recogniti on of bisexuality as a third alternative way that people unchangably are.To some extent as I have said earlier this cant overcome the capacity of bisexuals to fit in as straight and thus cant conceal the choice to embrace the homosexuality within the heterosexual that they represent. However there are arguments that could be presented that bisexuals have to express their same sex desire or become depressed (go mad). These arguments could form the basis of depoliticising and medicalising bisexuality as has been through with(p) with homosexuality.This may make bisexual lives easier to defend and add to the options for young people but relegates bisexuals to the same minority status as is currently given to gays and lesbians. Most people who admit to loving their own gender in straight society would face the same oppression bisexuals now face as heterosexual experimenters and recruitment of the majority would be difficult as they would remain true heterosexuals as unable to change as true bisexuals or gays and lesbians.Further it could also trade the oppression that is invisibility for bisexuals with the oppression that is hyper-visibility for straight men and women, and increasingly gays and lesbians. Having recognised sexualitys repression but not its production we will be easily exploitable by capitalism and our liberation may mean as being as marketed to and ritutalised as heterosexuality. Scenario 2. Bisexuality is considered the only natural sexuality which equates it with the only right sexuality.Heterosexuality would be patholigised along with homosexuality as both are considered to have unnatural blocks to loving one or the other gender. This is Bisexual Supremacy which I acknowledge as a justification for gays and lesbians to distrust bisexuals. While it is unlikely to be widely accepted it is possible that it could look out on queer spaces as a pocket of resistance to heterosexual dominance in the same way as celebrations of gay and lesbian purity ha ve. It is sure enough more likely to be targetted at lesbians and gays than straights and while this is the fault of heterosexisms power, not my own, it must be refuted.This is not to say that politicising sexuality will not require some gay men in particular to reassess their rhetoric. Mysoginistic comments which denegrate womens bodies deserve political criticism and cant be certified the right to be accepted. However the wider charge of institutionalising the sexual oppression of women and supporting male social bonding cant be levelled at male homosexuality and certainly not at lesbianism. Indeed at certain points in the struggle against institutionalised oppression different sexual identifications and choices will be appropriate.Because bisexuality is as deliberate a sexuality choice as any other and not a submission to some biological dogmatic (and even if it were I reject the claim that naturalness equals rightness) we cant claim an non-contextual ideal status. Its politic al usefulness is only that of any tactic relation back both to the circumstances and to the person, meaning that for some and at some times other sexual choices and identifications are more appropriate. Bisexual supremacy also prioritises the effort to be bisexual over other efforts to unravel heterosexist, patriarchal and racist programming.I have already stressed the need for a variety of critiques of power to inform social change which Bisexual supremacy ignores. In particular men in relationships with women need to realise that doing their share of the housework is far more meaningful than maintaining or developing their capacity to love other men. Scenario 3. The Dream. Realising our sexualities are scripted will hope richy prompt redrafts along feminist, anti-racist and anti-capitalist lines. No-one should be the sole author of this project even with their own sexuality as we all need to listen to the perspectives our privelages rob us off.Certainly a part of this will be a d ialogue between political lesbians, bisexuals and straight women which already has a history and whose future I dont want to conclude. Consequently my pipe dream is vague. What I dont see in this future is the fetishisation of wealth, whiteness or gendered difference. Women in relationships with men will recieve support and encouragement as full humans. Advertisers will be incapable of capturing our consumption with snake oil as we demand economic production satisfy new needs that we create, for justice and community.pleasance including sexual pleasure will mean enjoying our values not forgetting them. Bisexuality like other sexualities will have to argue its political genuineness but not its existance. Sexual identifications such as Confused may replace bisexual for many if it is recognises more of their personal truth and political terms like Anti-racist may be key elements of sexual identification. Radical bisexuality wont end all struggles but the raw energy of sexuality will be accountable to and in the employ of the great project of improving the world .Bibliography Altman, Dennis, The Homosexualisation of America, The Americanization of the Homosexual, St. Martins Press, New York, 1982 Sedgewick, E. K. , How to Bring Your Kids Up Gay, pp. 69 81, Fear of a Queer Planet Queer Politics and Social Theory, Warner,M. (Editor), University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 1993 Segal, Lynne, Straight Sex Rethinking the Politics of Pleasure, University of California Press, U. S. A. , 1994. Foucalt, Michel, The History of Sexuality, Volume 1An Introduction, Allen Lane, London, 1978 Newitz, A. and J.Sandell,Bisexuality And How To persona It Toward a Coalitional Identity Politics, Bad Subjects, Issue 16, October 1994 Caprio, F. S. M. D. Female HomosexualityA Psychodynamic study of Lesbianism, The Citadel Press, New York, 1954 Weinberg,M. S. , C. J. Williams, D. W. Pryor, Dual Attraction Understanding Bisexuality, Oxford University Press, Inc. , New York, 1994 Blasingame, B. M. , The Roots of Biphobia Internalised Racism and Internalised Heterosexism in Closer to Home Bisexuality and Feminism, Edited by E. R. Wise, Seal Press, U. S. A. , 1992 Colonel R.D. Ray, Military Necessity and Homosexuality , reprinted in GaysIn or Out The U. S. Military Homosexuals A Source book, Brasseys, March 1993. Teal D. , The Gay Militants, Stein and Day Publishers, New York, 1971. Wittig, M. , The Straight Mind and Other Essays, Beacon Press. Boston, 1992 Descriptors for Sexual Minorities Front Page What is h2g2? Whos Online Write an Entry Browse Announcements Feedback h2g2 Help RSS Feeds Contact Us Like this page? Send it to a friend Descriptors for Sexual Minorities sexlessness HomosexualityHeterosexuality Bisexuality Polyamory The Kinsey Scale The Gender Pronoun Game Coming Out Embarrassing Questions About Sexual Orientation Going Back In Sexuality U-turns Modern culture has developed a number of terms and symbols to set apart its sexu al minorities. Some of these originated within the different communities themselves. Others evolved from scientists, psychologists, legislators, and newspaper reporters move to describe their gay, bisexual, transsexual, and polyamorous subjects. Many include obscure references to history that go largely unrecognized. Words LesbianThe word lesbian comes from the Greek island Lesbos, where the poet Sappho lived in 600 BC. Sappho wrote numerous poems about her female love, most of which were destroyed by religious fanatics during the Middle Ages. While the first usage of the word lesbian is unknown, it was used in several faculty member books as early as 1880. The word became more popular during the 20th Century, especially during the feminist era. The term lesbian separatist was commonly used to lie with feminists who wished to avoid the company of men altogether. Fag, Faggot, Fag Hag Fag and faggot are American vexs for gay men.The term faggot first started being used in this way in around 1914, but it is not clear where the word came from. A faggot is a bundle of sticks, used for firewood and tied up for carrying around. In the 16th century it was used as an insulting term for a useless old woman as something that weighs you down, in the same way that baggage is sometimes used nowadays. But its quite a jump from 1592 to 1914 with nothing recorded in between. Gay men in the latter half of the 20th Century began using the term fag hag to refer to straight women who frequently gather at gay establishments, partly as an insult and partly because of the rhyme.Dyke Contrary to popular belief, the origin of the insult dyke1, in reference to lesbians, has nothing to do with waterways or canals. The word first appeared in 1710 in British newspaper stories about presumed homosexuals Anne Bonny and Mary Reed. The two women captained a very successful pirate venture and completed several lucrative raids of the British Empire before agreeing to be interviewed. Reporter s often noted their predilection for wearing mens clothing, and one editorial avoided the unpleasant connotations of cross dressing by using a French word which refers to mens clothing, dike.Over the years, this term was corrupted to the modern form dyke. Since then, general misunderstanding about the terms origins have inspired many bristle comedy routines and bad puns. Polyamory, Polygamy, Monogamy The prefix poly- means many, while mono means one. The suffix gamy was originally from the French word for marriage, but has since been misunderstood as referring to sex. These terms refer to the number of consensual romantic partners taken by each adult in a family. Of course, the suffix amory refers to love.Polyamory is a comparatively new term coined by modern practitioners, and is greatly preferred by them. Polygamy and the now defunct term bigamy were coined as early as 1800, as the practice of multiple marriages was outlawed in most Western nations. The state of Utah in the USA applied for Statehood three times before finally evaluate an injunction against the polygamy practised at that time by the Mormon church. Polygamy is commonly understood as referring to heterosexual relationships where the man has multiple partners.However, with modern polyamory any combination of genders and orientations fulfills the definition. It is not necessary for all parties in a polyamorous relationship to be involved each with the other. Gay During the 1800s and early 1900s, gay was simply a state of jubilant happiness. However, during the late 1800s gay was sometimes used to describe prostitutes in much the same way that the phrase happy hookers is used today. One theory is that gay came into use to describe homosexual men because of the rise in numbers of male prostitutes during the 1900s. Another theory is that gay was

Pick n Pays Essay Example for Free

Pick n kick ins EssayWhat is your schema to reverse Pick n Pays loss of market sell? Pick n Pay lost market sh be in part because it opened materially less space than some of its major competitors. A significant proportionality of its capex was invested in supply chain technology infrastructure in recent forms, which by its nature doesnt drive sales compared to caudexs. Our capital focus is now on new stores and refurbishment, which give drive sales and, in time, profitability. Over the erstwhile(prenominal) year we have refreshed, without substantively altering our strategy. Our overarching ambition is for the Group to become the Retailer of alternative for all South Africans. This builds on Pick n Pay and Boxers brand strength and strong store portfolio. Importantly this refreshed strategy does not represent a major departure from the strategy that has been followed for the past five years.We have seven themes geared to ensure that the business can stupefy sustainabl y and profitably. There is a balance of growth-driven priorities, focusing on space, customer, franchise and product, and those largely focused on meliorate efficiency such as replenishment and store operations. The One Pick n Pay initiative ties these to fetchher to ensure that the business works well as a unified whole.Strategic precedency Grow selling space ahead of the marketThere is substantial competition for retail space both within South Africa and in new(prenominal) African markets. Ensuring that Pick n Pay increases its overall share of trading space over the long term is an important strategic priority. Over the past three years our space growth has lagged that of our competition particularly into the faster growing lower income areas and small stores. This not only getly reduces our market share but also puts pressure on like-for-like sales growth. We will continue to develop store formats and channels that meet customers changing needs both in Pick n Pay and Boxer, in South Africa and beyond. Additionally we continue to build a pipeline of new sites, whether greenfield or through acquisition that will ensure we meet our aspirations.Strategic priority Build deep customer relationshipsThe launch of our customer rewards programme Smartshopper gives us asignificant opportunity to get to live our customers shopping habits and preferences substantially better than we do today. Since its launch in March 2011 the programme has been a great success. After just one year we now have over five million active cardholders, exceeding our initial target by two million. This enables us not only to know and understand each customer a great deal better, but to communicate with our customers in a different and more engaging manner.We have direct access to the vast majority of Smartshopper customers by either sms or email, which means that we can send targeted marketing communications directly to them. We can also assume for feedback directly from them. All of t his translates into a very valuable two-way dialogue with our customers. As a result we are designing and executing marketing campaigns which are more relevant to our customers. We are extracting insights from their shopping habits data in order to tailor our product ranges and more accurately serve them. All of this will avail us in growing our sales volumes significantly.Strategic priority Revolutionise Pick n Pays product offer During the past 12 months we have invested considerable time and resources in building a single work category buying division. Prior to the establishment of this division, Pick n Pays sourcing activities were distributed across the operating regions. This led to fragmentation of the Groups buying scale, with each buyer having a wide range of products to source. Our new specialised category buying division is made up of category teams each of which is responsible for the end-to-end profitability of a specific product category. They are tasked with create a product range that meets all customer needs, sourcing those products at the lowest possible cost, constructing shelf layouts that help customers find what they are looking for easily, building a promotional plan that generates customer excitement, increased volumes and higher margins, and ensuring that Pick n Pays prices remain highly competitive. Included in their responsibilities is the task of improving our Pick n Pay branded offer.

Combat Strategies of Pizza Hut Essay Example for Free

Combat Strategies of pizza pie pie hovel EssayIn the past, Pizza Hut is an outstanding restaurant, peculiarly in offering different trend of pizza. Pizza Hut is still a unique restaurant in the early 90s. Therefore, competitors havent existed yet. However, Pizza Box has already existed that became Pizza Huts competitor. Recently, there be more and more choices for people to choose when they want to carry off pizza. For instance, California Pizza, Saizeriya Italian Restaurant, Pizza Express and so forth They be not only offering similar feed as pizza hut, some of them may even sell their food at a more affordable price. Apart from the growing number of restaurants, there are more restaurants offering food obstetrical delivery service. For example, McDonald, Pizza Box, Cheese Pizza, Yoshinoya, Sushi One and so forth There are various choices and even different style of cuisine for customers to choose. Customers groundwork just order their food by phone or internet which is really convenient. In order to combat the competitors, Pizza Hut has adopted several strategies on indoor dinning service and pizza delivery service.We think the mainstay combating strategies of Pizza Hut is that it keeps creating and promoting immature style of pizza with efficient marketing strategies. New product may attract customers as some of the customers may ascertain bored about the original style of pizza and giveing to try bracing things. The marketing strategies of Pizza Hut are effective as it promoted their new style of pizza through different ways. For instance, it showed advertisements on television, posted posters in public area and sent leaflet. People keep receiving message about the new dishes of Pizza Hut.People will be more likely to think of Pizza Hut when they are wondering what to eat. As a result, Pizza Hut focused on the marketing tactics and development of new dishes. Pizza Hut allowed customers to deliver their choices according to their interes t. Basically, customers can choose to have thin or thick layer of the pizza base. They can even pay extra money for mozzarella cheese stuffed into the edge of the pizza. Moreover, customers can also create their own pizza by choosing the ingredients they like. Furthermore, Pizza Hut offers free refill of soft-drinks.This can attract soft-drinks lover, especially teenagers. On the other hand, Pizza Hut create pizza card. Customers who got pizza card can enjoy 20% discount. Sometimes, they may also cooperate with banks. Customers who got specific credit card can enjoy the discount. The special offers mentioned above can attract more customers because it can help Pizza Hut to gain loyal customers and repeated business. Pizza Hut plyd an efficient set menu in the restaurant. In the set menu, dishes are bundled and packaged together.They are usually divided into set menu for 2 people, 4 people and 6 people. Some of the customers, especially those who are in a group, like the set menu of Pizza Hut since the set menu can give suggestions and recommendation on dishes that are suitable for them. It is convenient for them to make decisions on what to eat. Moreover, it can also bring advantages to Pizza Hut since the service and kitchen team can have a best management. Servers can recommend customers to try dishes that they might not normally order.It brings benefits for both service and kitchen teams, since it is easier to predict what the customers will choose and chefs can distribute the workload among kitchen displace more evenly. Therefore, the food and service can be maintained in a high quality. Apart from the set menu, Pizza Hut also provide A la Carte menu. The A la Carte of Pizza Hut included various choices of food and beverages. Therefore, customers can choose what they want to eat from those various dishes. Pizza Hut can also promote their signature dishes more easily. Pizza Hut aims to provide efficient and high quality pizza delivery service.To achieve their goal, they focus on the design of the delivery bags and the supervision of efficiency. Customers concerned about the efficiency of food delivery service. Pizza Hut will supervise the delivery efficiency through advanced system and make sure the food will deliver to the destination on time. There are more than 900 deliverers in Hong Kong and they will deliver the food to the destination through the most efficient and direct route. Furthermore, there are 500 telephone operators which make sure that there are adequate operators to receive customers order calls.The design of the delivery bags helps to maintain the quality of food. Pizza Hut named their delivery bag as Heat Bag. There are heat device in the delivery bags which can keep the food hot and sweet-smelling during the delivery process. Then, the food quality can be maintained when the customers received their food. To sum up, Pizza Hut can project its characteristics and maintain the quality of food through their combati ng strategies. Although there are numerous competitors, Pizza Hut is able to survive in the market.

Concepts Of The Seduced And Repressed Marketing Essay

Concepts Of The Seduced And Repressed Marketing EssayThis essay will introduce the concepts of the seduced and repressed and excuse what they mean in Baumans theory of refiner social clubThe briny body will consider how Baumans conceptshelp us better understand how expending fits into and affects our advanced UK consumer society.fail to help us understand (what ar their strengths and weaknesses ? what are their limitations as tools ?)feedback from TMA01 make it shorter (10%)Main Body(approx 1000 words)Introduce the concepts, excuse what they meanSummarise Baumans theory (consumption replaces class in post-industrial consumer society as a means of classifying members of society). Explain what Bauman means by Seduced and Repressed as concepts within his theory.How the concepts help (try using Circuit of Knowledge)Question How do the concepts help us better understand consumption in our society ?Claim They enable us to create a clear, simplified description of a consumer society prove Examples of what Bauman describes from UK society Hetheringtons description of his street as an fashion model of a representative UK street, show how the concepts help us describe contemporary UK consumer society as exemplified by his street, how they simplify/clarify the description.Claim They render an accurate (enough) bill of why things are this way in a consumer societyEvidence Show how the concepts offer an explanation of why pot shop as they do, using the description of Hetheringtons ambit. Jackson reached the same conclusion for retail park shoppers.How the concepts fail Question How do the concepts FAIL TO help us better understand consumption in our society ?Claim Baumans theory is a bit out-of-date, patterns of consumption and opportunities for consuming come changed. Distinguishing by ability to consume or not is less meaningful if everyone can consume satisfactorily. We might need a new set of concepts to variance the new seduced, or a re-definition of B aumans concepts to address this.EvidenceMoney is more freely available on easy credit terms/store card game etceteraOnline (ebay), high-street stores like Primark allow more people to consume successfully at antithetical levels, not just a choice amongst consuming luxury or nothing at all.Rising affluence (chapter 3 evidence, spend on essentials as a proportion of all expenditure has dropped since 1986), great nark to a wider appreciation of cheaper goods (e.g. cheap clothes in supermarkets chapter 2).Quote from V.Brown about how people in the UK induct more stuff than ever in the leadClaim They over-generalise/over-simplify they dont explain lots of consumer types and how they behave.Choose from these examples of consumers who dont fit the concepts depending on wordcountEvidencePeople who may not consume luxuries to fit in/portray a life style normally, but who use occasional retail therapy as an escape mechanism from a stressful or boring lifestyle. They KNOW theyre be ing seduced, and hence choose to be for relief. People who consume to reward themselves for working hard.People in both categories simultaneously e.g. may be heavily seduced whenever they spend on hobbies or interests, but begrudge every penny spent on former(a) non-essentials People who consume goods and services aimed at the seduced, but who understand the purpose and dont carePeople who choose not to consume in rove to make a point (Chapter 1 Hetheringtons oppositional, and Audio CD1, Helen Rimmer (FoE) re. Tescopoly and other protesters)People who would be classified as repressed but are not, as yet though they havea good income(e.g. have high demands on their means) or they grade essentials over luxuryConclusion (approx 150 words)What has the essay discussed ?What conclusions have been reached ? NO NEW MATERIAL It has examined the concepts from the perspectives of how they help us better understand how consumption fits into and affects our society and where they fail to help us in this understandingIt has concluded that the benefits outweigh the shortcomings, but that other concepts and theories are required to give a complete assure of the modern UK consumer society. So they leave a number of significant gaps, thus need to be augmented/extended to give a good understanding.References attach references at the end dont forget the CD referenceDavid Byrne (PI B0984954, DD131, TMA02 Task 2, Essay of not more than 1250 words)Discuss the role of the concepts of the seduced and the repressed for understanding the place of consumption in contemporary consumer society.Zygmunt Bauman has created an abstract model of the typical modern consumer society, as a way of describing this type of society and explaining why it might be so. He has invented a number of concepts to help with this explanation, and this essay will consider cardinal of these that are closely related what Bauman calls the Seduced and the Repressed. This discussion will initially introduc e these concepts and explain what they mean in Baumans theory. It will then explore their usefulness by considering each from the contrasting perspectives of how they help us better understand where consumption fits into our modern UK consumer society, and conversely ways in which they might fail to help our understanding.As noted by Kevin Hetherington (2009, p25), Bauman suggests that post-industrial capitalist societies are based on consumption, which he believes is a key characteristic of such societies. In a similar fashion to the class-based divisions in industrial society that group people by their positions in relation to the means of production, he proposes that societal divisions within consumer society are based on peoples ability to consume material goods, services and experiences, and offers the concepts of the Seduced and the Repressed to describe those groupings. The Seduced in Baumans model are those able to acquire the material goods that are valued as status symbol s by their peers, and to live lifestyles aspired to by the group. As successful consumers, they are valued as members of society with a positive identity. In contrast, the constituents of the Repressed are those who are unable to access this way of life for some reason, for example because they do not have the disposable income to spend on non-essentials, or cannot access the sites of consumption such as retail parks and high streets delinquent to factors such as physical disability, age or lack of transport. These are seen as negatively-valued members of the consumer society, by the seduced and by those with something to sell.Baumans concepts can be used to describe and explain the different patterns of consumer activity in contemporary UK society. They distil all the subtly different attitudes to consumption held by the individuals in society down to just two consumer types, giving a simplified model that is much easier to understand than one incorporating all the individuals mea ns and circumstances. Consider Hetheringtons account (2009, p13) of the businesses in his local area, a typical example of todays UK urban landscape that includes small local shops, bars and restaurants, and out-of-town supermarkets and retail parks. This society can easily be described using Baumans concepts, where the Seduced are likely to be those people Hetherington identifies as the night-time clientele of the bars and restaurants, and those who drive to the large supermarkets and retail park to shop, while the Repressed could include those such as the latest group of migrants to arrive that Hetherington mentions. Baumans concepts also offer a simple theoretical way to explain why those who shop in each of the different outlets in the area do so. They suggest that the shoppers in the local retail park are the Seduced, who shop there because they are buying into a lifestyle that emphasises acquisition of goods available in that environment, who have access to it by virtue of bei ng car owners, and who can afford to shop there because they have decent disposable income. Those with sufficient disposable income to enjoy the bars and restaurants in the vicinity would also fit this category. In contrast, those local residents forced to settle for the limited range of goods on offer in the somewhat run-down local convenience stores because they cant afford to shop in the large out-of-town stores, or who do not have the appropriate means of transport to shop there, fit into the category of the Repressed. This explanation of current UK society offered by Baumans concepts is supported by pragmatic studies such as Peter Jacksons survey of retail park shoppers (1990, cited in Hetherington, 2009, p45).However since Bauman first presented his concepts in 1988, new opportunities for consuming that they do not fit have emerged in the UK. Vivienne Brown (2009, p111) presents evidence from the ONS of rising affluence here over the last fifty years, with the most signific ant rises in disposable income and in real earnings occurring in the mid-eighties and early nineties, trends accompanied by increased access to credit facilities through loan companies, store cards etc. Giant multinational retailers such as Tesco and Primark, with their global supply chains and huge buying power have brought an ever-increasing range of cheaper goods to the UK market, and online stores and auction sites facilitate high volumes of trade in cheaper goods. This combination of increased access to money and wider range of options means that a growing proportion of people are able to access a level of consumption that satisfies them instead of just being able to either consume or not. As Brown observesPeople in the UK have more clothing and shoes than ever before, eat a wider range of food than ever before, and increasingly their homes are fitted with appliances and facilities that would have been undreamed of or classed in the luxury bracket in the past (2009, p108).Bauma ns concepts distinguish people by whether they can consume or not, and are most effective when these distinctions are clear. When a majority of people are consuming satisfactorily, albeit at different levels, the differences between them as consumers narrow and the concepts may really only be useful for distinguishing between extremes. Additionally, without a baseline for comparison the concepts are hard to apply consistently those considered Seduced from one perspective might equally be considered Repressed by those even better off. These gaps suggest that alternative concepts are needed to partition the contemporary Seduced in order to satisfactorily explain our society.While Baumans concepts simplify and clarify, they over-generalise and over-simplify. Many people in the UK today either dont fit neatly into the categories of the Seduced and Repressed, or move easily between these groups. Examples include those who do not normally follow a consumption-centred lifestyle but who use occasional shopping (retail therapy) to escape from stress or boredom, or as a personal treat or reward. They write out they are being seduced, and indeed choose to be for their temporary specific purposes. Similarly, the concepts do not explain those that choose to not consume in order to make a point, who Hetherington (2009, p47) suggests might be termed the oppositional, such as those who select what they buy on the basis of environmental friendliness, trade fairness or other ethical grounds. Helen Rimmer (DD131, CD1) describes communities in a number of UK locations who have rejected new opportunities to consume by actively opposing the introduction of big supermarkets in their area because they object to the local economy being disrupted. The people in these examples are notseduced, but neither are they repressed their conscious choices of where and how much they consume compared to others do not impact on their status in society or on how others value them.This again suggest s that Baumans concepts may need re-definition to have more meaning in the context of our modern society.Having evaluated the strengths and the limitations of Baumans Seduced and Repressed concepts as tools in advancing our understanding of the role of consumption in contemporary post-industrial UK society, it seems that they offer a useful way of classifying many of the members of that society, and often help to explain their patterns of consumption. However this essay has presented a number of examples where the concepts fail to offer a satisfactory explanation because they are too generalised and/or simplified. The evidence that Baumans concepts leave important gaps in our understanding therefore suggests that while they are most useful in giving a big picture view of the role that consumption plays in modern UK consumer society, additional concepts and theories are required if we wish to understand the detail.(1331 words)

Representation of the female masculinity in the boxing movie

Representation of the egg-producing(prenominal) masculinity in the packing material videoRepresentation of the fe priapic masculinity in the slugfest movie GirlfightLately there be more than and more proceedion movies in which the leading character is female ace. Men atomic number 18 more uniformly to be seen as leading characters in the action films, hardly there is a tendency toward seeing more female characters as the protagonists of this emblem of movies. Also the female boxing movies atomic number 18 discussed within the context of the action genre and the main characters of those movies atomic number 18 seen as female action stars. in that respect atomic number 18 two different types of action heroines. One of them is the so c eithered action babe. Those characters are somatogenicly active but also highly sexualized females. We come across this type of heroines in the movie Charlies Angel, where the action heroines are contend while wearing high heels and fo rmal clothes. They are achieving their goals non only by using their fighting skills but also by using their sexu totallyy attractive appearance. The other(a) type of action stars are those female characters who are getting the necessary physical strength and skill in value to gain independence from abusive male characters (Enough starring Jennifer Lopes as Slim Hiller an mistreated young woman). Gender influences peoples crack upicipation in different sports. For example sports much(prenominal) as football and boxing are considered to be male whereas gymnastics and construe skating are female dominated sports. In 2000 The Independent Film Channel Production released the boxing film Girlfight (starring Michelle Rodriguez). Boxing films are generally fancied to be more or less a male boxer but this movie is just about a misfire who is trying to pave her way in the boxing career. Rodriguezs low gear role as Diana Guzman in Girlfight and the subsequent staring roles as Len ny in The Fast and The Furious, Rain Ocampo in Resident Evil, Chris Sanchez in S.W.A.T., and Ana Lucia Cortez in Lost help us associate her with pictures such as female masculinity and tomboyish appearance. Rodriguezs heroines are portrayed as a rude(a) sub who demonstrates no tralatitiously distaff qualities (Beltrn, M.). The movie Girlfight represent how one person coped with the gender clear upifys and overcame the gender barriers in order to become a boxfighter. The movie starts with a tool of unfocused crowd walking around a school corridor. Through the gaps between the crossing people only a persons physical structure leaning against a locker gouge be seen. The person is wearing baggy trousers and army jacket hands are trusted into the pockets in positive and masculine pose. The viewer is unable to recognize whom this body belongs to, whether it is boys or girls one. No gender differences are brought into relief until when the photographic camera appearings the u pper body and the face of a girl staring the floor. Her hair is braided into cornrows along her scalp. Her mouth is firmly closed, showing us anger and disinterest. This impression is strengthened by her gaze. Then the camera shows us Diana entering the female bath path and the sign GIRLS on the door is clearly visible in the centre of the frame. Despite the Dianas outfit and her tomboyish tact the girl sign puts her on the female side of the gender binary male/female opposition. The scene in the bathroom shows us two girls (Veronica and Merisol) fighting over a boy. both of the girls are wearing heavy make-up and girls clothes. The purpose of the bathroom scene is to show us the contrast between Dianas female masculinity and the excessive femininity, exotic and impulsive heterosexuality that exhales form the other chica. Dianas lack of concern about her appearance and the aggressive behavior drifts her away from the sample lady-like persona. She is not kindle in being like the o ther girls at school who are in the period learning how to flirt and use their feminine features to become popular and desirable. The wrangle between Diana and Veronica in the bathroom turned into a fight started by Diana. She solves her problems by using her fists into whatever and whoever confirms against her. If we stipend attention to Dianas fighting manners we can notice that she is fighting like a boy. Most of the girls are fighting by using pinching biting and furious hair while Diana is hitting the other girl with her fists tighten. The next scene is taking place in a boxing gym. Shots of different boxers operative out and sparring in the gym alternate with close-ups of Dianas face, which shows us that Diana is entering a male-dominated space. Diana is in the gym because she had to pay for her brothers boxing lessons. She found Tiny (her brother) on the ring fighting with Ray (another training boxer). Ray punched Tiny in the face after the round was over which wasnt rig ht, so Diana punched him back to defend her brother. It is believed that brothers/boys are those who have to defend their sisters/girls, also Tiny is the one that is practicing boxing. He had to be the one that is protecting Diana not the other way round. Taking a stand against the boxer shows us that Diana is not afraid to fight not only dolled up girls but also physically trained boys. Then the camera takes us in front of the gym where we can hear the chat between Ray and Adrian (another boxer). . You get slapped by a girl thats weak Ray are the words that Adrian tells him. If a boy had punched him it wouldnt be a topic for conversation but when the matter in hand is a girl punching him its considered as a weakness. here we have the gender stereotype that boys are physically stronger that girls and girls are not supposed to fight against them. Girls are supposed to be cute, sweet and to act like ladies. In that scene we have another girl who is walking by the boys. She is weari ng tight clothes and make-up and the two boys give her the centre of attention and she smiled at them in return. She is flirting with them whereas Diana is fighting physically at least with one of them. Here again the director shows us the visual contrast between Diana and the ordinary girls. Rays cue to Diana Guess you never learned how to be a lady and the other female character helps us to distant Diana from the female stereotype and to stress on her female masculinity. Then we have the scene in Guzmans kitchen when Tiny shared with his family that he received the scholarship application for an Art school. Both his father and Diana think that it is a waste of time to learn to draw. The future artist career that the father foresees for his son is not going further than him picture houses. In his mind it is better for the boy to stick with the boxing which will be more helpful in his future life. Boys are supposed to be able to fight not to paint. subsequently on in the movie Diana tells his father that Tiny doesnt want to box, but he insists on the point that all the boys wants to box. According to his father, Tiny needs to learn boxing so he can defend himself. Tiny breaks the stereotypes, because he prefers the more female activities instead of the male one such as boxing. According to his father going to drawing classes is girls job.There is genuinely interesting conversation when Diana went to sign for boxing confidesDiana I wanna be a boxer . No, for real I wanna fight. Hector Oh, you can train but you cant fight. Diana Why not? Hector You just cant. Girls dont have the homogeneous power as boys.Girls are stereotyped into quieter, subordinate femininity. Girls are judged against masculinity, whereas boys achieve custodyts are judges with regard to their masculinity. It is believed that boys have more natural abilities or so of the boys are more aggressive and its shown in their physical abilities whereas girls are more shy and timid. It is be lieved that its natural for boys to be fighting around and to like it. In the beginning of the movie we byword Diana fighting with Veronica, later on we saw her standing without fear in front of Ray. Later on in the movie Diana proves that girls can be as strong as boys, because the physical abilities of boys and girls can be matched with determination and hard work. Hectors only condition to start training Diana is to be paid for her practices. He did not believe that she will find the money, and he was sure that she will not show up again. After all, he decides to train her even though he believes it is not right girls to be boxing. He agrees because he thought that she will not able to endure the tough exercises and the whole training process and quit. The first training sequence in the gym starts with Dianas distorted face image in a mirror. Then we see her baggy and worn-out clothes which show us her physique and her body shape. Her split image in the mirror and her outlook un derlines her androgyny and Dianas struggle for a unified gender identity. During one of the quest training sequences Hector and Diana had argu workforcet about the persistence in training. Hector tells her that fighting skills come natural neither to boys nor to girls and they have to practice in order to improve them. For first time boys and girls are taken not separately but within one and the same concept both boys and girls have to practice if they want to become physically durable. Her first boxing match is with a boy called Ray. His coach advices him try to be a gentleman. This shows that nobody takes the fact that she could be a good fighter no matter that she is a girl seriously. During her first fight Diana proves that she is physically stronger and more powerful than Ray unheeding of the fact that the outcome of the fight is not shown. There is an interesting conversation between Diana and Merisol in the school corridor. Diana is trying to tell Merisol what she is busy with. Merisol insists that there is a boy that occupies Dianas big time. Merisol is surprised when Diana tells her that it is not a boy that occupies her free time but a male sport such as boxing. Later on Diana tells her that there is also a boy entangled in the boxing story and Merisol replies I knew it. Merisol thinks that the name Adrian is a girly name, but Diana assures her that he is 100% man, if you know what I mean. For a first time in the movie Diana shows that she is actually interested in boys and not only interested in acting like a boy. We understand that she likes Adrian and his company. This is strengthened by the scene when they go for a dinner together. Their orders in the restaurant are very interesting and grab attention. She is ordering herself deluxe bacon cheese burger with extra bacon whereas he is ordering soup, garden salad and Italian dressing. Their eating habits are very different. He is on a weight diet while she is not worried about gaining or loosing weight. Women are more likely to keep to a diet than men but in this movie the situation is reversed. Keeping a diet doesnt make Adrian to look more feminine. It is breaking the stereotype that women are those who worry about their weight. On the question why she chose to box, she answered that she didnt make the cheerleading team, which is in fact a lie. The contrast between boxing and cheerleading contains the idea that she is not accepted in such a girl society as the cheerleading team so then she tries to find her place in the boys society boxing. When Adrian walks Diana home they kiss. He tells her that she tastes sweet to which she answers Ive of all time thought of myself as spicy. Here we have the binary opposition of sweet and salty. If the girls are the one that are sweet then the boys should be the salty one. Adrian perceives her as a girl (sweet) whereas she thought of herself as more boyish (salty). In the next scene her physical powers is in comparison to her girl cl assmates one. There is a long-shot of her and her girl classmates standing in front of a fence. All of the girls are looking bored with their arms crossed on the chest whereas her body is intense, tight and ready to compete. The weakness of the other girls during the President Physical Fitness Exam makes the contrast between them and Diana more vivid and shows her physical superiority. After one of her training matches Adrian walk her home again and her father sees them talk. When she enters her home her father sees her black eye and the first thing that comes to his mind is that Adrian is beating her. When a girl is having a black eye it is more likely to be beaten up that to be participating in a fight in which she can defend herself. So her father presumption is that she has been maltreated not that she is participating in an equal fight. After an argument with her father she goes to Adrians place to spend the night. His room is painted in blue whereas hers is in girly pink. Pare nts are those who decorate childrens rooms, so they make the distinction between boys and girls by identifying them with different colors boys are those who are identified with blue and girls are the one identified with pink. The next meeting between Adrian and Diana is on Hectors birthday when Adrian shows up with a girlfriend. This action on his part shows us that he is confused by the fact that he is strongly attracted to a woman who exhibits distinctly masculine attributes. His unwillingness to express his feeling about Diana in the public eye(predicate)ly recalls the idea that the anxiety around a males attraction to a masculine female is rooted in the association between masculinity and maleness, which evokes notion such as homosexual desire.The first training match between Diana and Adrian is saturated with tension not only because they are romantically involved but also because of the fact that the competition for physical dominance threatens the core of heterosexuality. T he fight is lacking of action because Adrian refuses to hit Diana, which frustrated her and make her angry. The sequence ends with a shot of both boxers holding for each one other outside the boxing ring this can be treated as an embrace. This is the moment in which Diana verbalise in Adrians ear I love you, I really do. As the bell rings indicating the end of the sparring match, Diana punches Adrians head. That final punch shows us Dianas confidence and her willingness to fight against whoever her opponent is.Up until now in the movie we had seen Diana training only in the public space of the boxing gym encircled by boys. There is a scene in which Dianas training is situated in the female sphere and intimate space of her bedroom. While boxing in front of the mirror in her bedroom we hear Hectors voice-over reading a letter saying that male and female amateurs within the same weight class are allowed to compete with each other in the ring, so from now on they are equal. In real l ife the so called gender-blind boxing fights are not allowed. Her first public match was supposed to be with a well known female boxer but the fight is called off. Dianas first public sparing match is against Rays one of the male boxers in the gym. When the audience understands that the match will be between man and woman there is a palpable tension surrounding this battle of the sexes. This tension is caused by the perceived treat to the dominate gender order which is based on the idea that men are stronger and physically superior than women. During the whole match between Ray and Diana his unwillingness to fight a girl and the fear that he can be defeated by a girl is underlined.Through this boxing sequence Diana is pronouncing her persistence in pursuing her boxing carrier despite the fact that most of people around her think that it is inappropriate for her gender. Dianas father shows up at the boxing match and this is the moment in which he understands that she has been boxing in her free time. This results in a huge fight with her father because he is absolutely opposed to hers pursuit of boxing, while early in the movie it was clearly shown that he pressures his overly effeminate son into taking boxing lessons. The other reason for the father-daughter argument is that Diana blames her mothers suicide on his alcoholism and abusive behavior. The image of her father guile on the kitchen floor is his last appearance in the movie. This image can be seen as a violent reaction against the patriarchal nature of traditional gender stereotype that men are those who rule over women. First girl fight that Diana participates in is with famous and well trained female fighter Stiles. During the match there is a scene in which Adrian admires her moves and punches. The final fight is the most dramatic and intense overlap between her boxing and private worlds. Diana fights for the raw York Amateur Championship (title). This is her reward for the hard work and difficul ties that she undergoes. The fact that Adrian will be her opponent puts additional meaning in the context of their romantic relationship. This physical confrontation between a man and woman who are engaged in a romantic relationship draws our attention to the normative notion of gender. The conversation between them before the fight shows us that Adriane feels protective of her not because she is a female boxer, but because he is in love with her. They both have feelings for each other, but Adrian takes this boxing match too personal whereas Diana is thinking of it as another boxing experience. Right before the fight starts a woman says to her preserve that the match card says Diana Guzman. The husband tell her that it is probably a misprinting. He couldnt even imagine that a girl could be fighting for the Championship (title). Adriane fights with her like she is any other boxer so does she. Both of them give everything they have and the better one win the match. The image of the b oxers circling and holding onto each other in intimate embrace implies connection between boxing and dancing. This scene looks more like a love scene than a fight sequence. The gender-blind boxing match between Adrian and Diana strengthens their relationship but also clears up their boxing attitudes. In that final sequence the depiction of the boxers is removed from the articulation of a specific identity from the representation of the materiality of the sexed and gendered body.During the whole movie Diana is trying to change the gender norms and understanding of masculinity and femininity and after all she successfully does so. Her violent actions, her physical appearance speak for themselves those are the things that get her into gender trouble. But she stands clearly against the idea that human being are shared out into two clear-cut groups women and men. By the end of the movie she had already found, formed and chosen her own individual identity. What caught my attention in Girlfight review called No Winners Here The Flawed Feminism of Girlfight by Anju Reejhsinghani is that the reviewer thinks that Kusama, the director, used the intergender tournament to assume the love story between Adrian and Diana. I think that one of the usages of those gender-blind fights is indeed to dramatize the love story but it also carries the idea that everybody should defend their individual identity. By those crossed-gender fights the director shows that equality between male and female is possible.

William Blakes Chimney Sweeper Essay -- William Blake Songs of Innoce

William Blakes Chimney Sweeper In this essay I am red ink to explore Blakes Chimney Sweeper poems from the Songs of Innocence and the Songs of Experience. During this essay I will cover Blakes life and times and the way chimney sweepers get treated ab aside that time and what Blake attempts to do about it. Blake was born on November 28 in the year 1757. His parents where strict but understanding. Blakes parents realized early in his life that Blake was gifted. He had an extremely active imagination and he of hug drug got mountains. At only four years old he claimed he had seen God in adept of these visions. Another time when he was with one of his friends he envisaged angels filling a tree. He horridly told his family what he saw but the response he got from his sky pilot was quite negative. His father threatened to whip him because he believed it was time for him to grow up. However his mother took Blakes side and when she asked him about it he state d that the angels took the form of his thoughts. This vision was stuck with him and was extremely influential in his life. Blake obviously had a gift for seeing things with his eyes and in his imagination. He used his ar dickensrk to express his experiences. When Blake turned ten years of age his parents decided to enrol him into a drawing school. Later on in his life Blake used his talent as an artist to aim a apprentice engraver. Throughout Blakes life he had a dislike for nasty, unfair people especially towards those that had power and money like those in the government, and those that where associated with the church. Blake too could not stand power abusers and bad unfair treatment to... ... final stanza Blake goes on the attack at the church and the government he does this by fire anger towards them through the unfairness of it all. And because I am happy & dance and sing, They think they have done me no injury, In these lines Blake is how th e chimney sweeper feels afterwards his ordeal, putting on the front everything is ok when it is not. Going deeper into what Blake is trying to bring across is representation that the chimney sweep is the poor people again. The final two lines Blake attacks the church and the government, the chimney sweep is wise and is experienced and realises that the church and government exploit the poor so that they can make their own heaven out of the money from the society. And we gone to praise God & his Priest and King, Who make up a heaven of our misery

Free Essay on Homers Odyssey - Odysseus and Telemachus :: Homer Odyssey Essays

The Odyssey - Odysseus and Telemakhos       At the beginning of the prevail Telemakhos is troubled with the suitors trying to marry his mother.  He tries to keep them in line but they are rampant, especially when theyre drunk.  They polish Odysseuss herd for their own feedings and disrespect the house of Odysseus.  So Telemakhos is obliged to search for his father because he is his last and only hope of keeping the suitors away.  He is pertinacious to search for his father and must find him at all costs.  When Odysseus is stuck on the island of Kalypso, Athena had obliged him to leave the island in search of his home, Ithaka.  She tells him of the memories he had there and he remembered how much he had longed for Ithaka.  So he was determined to get home.  Just like how Telemakhos was determined to find his father.  They were destined by the gods to come together.  In book 16, it talks about Telemakhos and his father talking to each other planning how they were going to take over the suitors.  They talked and talked and were happy to see each other.      When Odysseus told Telemakhos that he wished to keep on as a mendicant for a little while and get used to the town before he attacks the suitors, Telemakhos didnt feel it was right.  He knew that if he were to go into town he would be mocked by the suitors and antagonized by them.  He may even be beaten.  This shows that Telemakhos cares for Odysseus and his honor.  But Odysseus knew that he must be a beggar until it is the right time.  Let your ribs cage up your springing heart, no matter what I suffer, no matter if they pull me by the heels or practice shots at me, to cause me out.  Look on, hold down your anger. (16, 326)  So Telemakhos had no choice but to agree.  Ah, father, even when danger comes I think youll find courage in me.  I am not scatterbrained. (16, 369) Th is may greatly affect his honor and maybe create hatred towards the suitors so he will be pumped up and ready to kill the suitors at any time.