The Development Of Fashion In Indian History Essay Example for Free

The Development Of Fashion In Indian History Essay Fashion has been referred by many as a consciousness of the mind. In most cases, when the term fashion is mentioned, what comes to the mind is the notion of a cloth style but the truth is that the concept entails a wide range of things be it footwear, accessories, headgear or even hairstyles. It is what one thinks it is beautiful that makes one comfortable and thus it could be said to be relative as it is not universal. It may mean simplicity to one person while to another person it would mean modernity and glamour. Fashion was simply a western phenomenon originally meant for the elite class but was later exposed to other people due to globalization. Fashion like fads come and go or in other words, they exist for sometime and are replaced by others and this is something that is evident when the track record for the Indian fashion is traced back from the early 20th century up to the turn of the century.   This research paper is going to specifically focus on Indian fashion and will trace its development track and discuss in depth about the changes that occurred in every stage and give the factors that motivated that change. This paper starts by giving a short but concise introduction about fashions and then continues to discuss about the historical development of Indian fashion in its main body and concludes by recapping the most important points that have been raised. Fashion in India started being taken seriously when the nation opened up to the western world’s ideologies which with them, different cultures and dressing styles were born but there was need to safeguard and protect the national values and cultures. For this reason, the Indians developed their own traditional styles and decided to hold on to them lest their cultures and values be swept away by the western fashion’s wave. Indian fashions evolved due to regionalism, climatic conditions and due to necessity and thus were more of a cultural, religious and tribal identity[1]. Indeed a lot of fashion metamorphosis could be said to have taken place as far as Indian fashion is concerned like from the 1920’s flapper girls who were oblivious of the conventional mode of dressing and looked it with contempt to the 21st century’s elegant fashions. The 1920s period was commonly referred to as the ‘roaring twenties’ and was reflective of Charleston era. In the 1920s, change in fashion in India was basically influenced by social movements advocating for equal treatment of women and in this respect, business like dressing codes were adopted something that greatly attracted women. Though this was the case, the 1920s period was unstable period to the Indians as it was the time the western influence was at its fullest and thus anything considered Indian was of lower status that the western one and thus Indian fashions had borrowed much from the western world. In short, the 20s fashion was associated with wealth and thus was a thing of the rich as the poor went for the hand stitched or the hand made clothes however, due to their high demand those tailors became entrepreneurs and kept boutiques thereby making a fortune. People would prefer western fashions to theirs for example the Charleston dresses which had long laced sleeves either made of silk, satin or cotton. The 1920s period being influenced by equality movements, a class of women who were business-like emerged and preferred clothes which were either grey or black in color and made of [2]either georgettes or silk. â€Å"In India, the fashion scenario was in confusion as it was an unstable period. Thus fashion trends were strongly influenced by the British, with the result that western clothes became a status symbol†[3]. As each decade had something new, the 1930s period show the reduction of western influence in fashion and witnessed the rise of communism, fascism and socialism something that led to the women’s fashions becoming more and more feminine while strongly holding on to their conservative ideas[4]. During this period, the 1920s clothes such as angarkhas, jamas and chogas lost taste and there place was taken by achkan, sherwani and chapkan. According to researches that have been done, these clothes are still fashionable today and in fact are the standard mode of dressing for men. At this time the emergence of Indian cinemas played an important role in the emergence of the 1930s fashion. Clothes that exaggerated body figures would be worn something that went in line with cabaret and vamp culture. Though western influence was greatly waning over this period, the Indian women would still be seen wearing western clothes such as the ghagras, kurtas, odhnis and peshwaz during ceremonial functions and religious festivities but would make sure that though clothes would be mostly western they would wear clothes that were hand-woven and most of the clothes that were worn at this time were dark colored[5]. The 1940s decade did not see much of fashion change as there were a lot of things that were happening in the world for example the Second World War and the Indian Independence movement and thus most of the clothes that were worn by women were generally functional. However, there were some small changes which were happening in terms of fashion that are worth noting for example, clothes with pinched waist and hips and then matched with a short fluted jacket could be worn by Indians[6]. Also this historical period brought with it some revolutionary changes in the Indian fashion as Japanese imported fashions such as georgette, silk and   chiffon which prior to 1940s were very much in use were replaced by South Indian hand woven silks. By gaining independence, Indians felt tired of mimicking western fashions and thus concentrated and cherished theirs something that characterized the 1050s period. Much of the attention focused on the Indian blouse which shortened than it was prior to this period. This blouse came to be known as choli and the style came to be reffred to as katori which replaced the western one. The mentality that western clothes were long lasting and that would even last longer if repaired, vanished and henceforth, those clothes would be given to charity homes or be put into dustbins. Also something else characteristic of this period was the silhouette balloon skirts with narrow waist[7]. The 1960s represents a very important period in the evolution of Indian fashion. It witnessed various inventions and particularly the production of synthetics for example; brass, silver and mud were replaced by plastic and silk and cotton was replaced by polyester and nylon fabrics â€Å"New types of materials such as plastic film and coated polyester fabrics became popular. Tight kurtas with churidars and miniskirts became fashionable. The era also ushered in the age of synthetics†[8]. This period represented not only a battle between modernity and traditions but also a battle between values and lifestyles. Though nylon had replaced saris, it came back in 1964 both with a new look and wearing style for example, it would be worn below the navel in a manner that would exaggerate the curves. Also in this period, the place of salwars was taken by nylon pants. The clothes that came to be referred to as Kumar’s forte emerged at this period and were as a result of the embracement of Indian clothing styles by other nations in the world[9]. Kumar was able to put the word fashion in an Indian context something that made him to popular nationwide. The 1970s period in Indian fashion is commonly referred to as the me decade’ and was also a period that was referred to as anything goes culture. At this period, India started to produce materials in plenty with some used locally while others exported to other nations something that made its fashion to be popular worldwide[10]. In 1980s, the American fashion were selling internationally and were able to penetrate in India and some American designers such as Calvin Klein were very popular but nevertheless, their own fashion never died. In fact, silhouettes which were initially worn by women adopted a masculine nature and shoulder pads were put in salwars. With the invention of cable TV, teenagers got influenced by fashion shows that were aired as they targeted the youth who in turn influenced their elders. This ushered the millennium’s last decade, the 1990s which witnessed the rise of younger designers into the Indian fashion mainstream. This period also saw the replacement of Indian fashion by the German styles produced by designers such as such as Jil Sander and Helmut Lang. Today, people have realized the importance of preserving their fashion and protecting it from being eroded by foreign cultures and thus most Indians are going back to their ethnic cultures thereby increasing their demand with much credit going to Ritu Kumar whose role in reviving Indian fashion cannot be underrated. Unlike in the past where people thought anything foreign as modern and theirs as outdated, it has dawned on people that those were erroneous ways of thinking and have reverted to their old fashions which were reflective of their identity[11]. Indeed, Indian fashion is something that has under gone a lot of changes since 1900. Notable changes could be said to have started taking place with the coming of colonialists. Much of what took place during this time to a great extent was western in nature but people went holding on their fashions which were representative of both their cultural and ethnic identity. In the 1940s, with the achievement of independence, they deserted western cultures and came to value theirs more and this continued in the following decades. The 1960s in the Indian fashion history is the epitome of change as a lot took place including the invention of synthetic fibers. Today, Indians have gone to their former traditional way of live and have awakened to the fact that their culture is valuable than the western one unlike the 1920’s belief. References: India4world. Evolution of fashion. Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.indiavisitinformation.com/indian-fashion/evolution-of-fashion.shtml Khatai, Ajit Bhimsen. 2001. Fashionable Crossovers. Available at   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.hinduonnet.com/folio/fo0104/01040420.htm Mukerjee, Somshuvra. 2009. Changes in Fashion Trends among Women in India.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Available at http://somshuvra.instablogs.com/entry/changes-in-fashion-trends-   among-women-in-india/ Shea, Stuart. 2006. The 1960s Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Hip Happenings,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Swinging Sounds, and Out-of-sight Oddities. Brasseys. 4thmedia.com. 2008. Fashion and Lifestyle. Accessed from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://teamsugar.com/365194

The Three Abrahamic Religions

The Three Abrahamic Religions The three Abrahamic Religions do have some things in common, such as the belief that there is only one God, but they have some differences too. Beliefs in profits, beliefs in who is the real God and things such as those make their religions different. A first major difference between the religions is the book they study and follow and how they treat this book. The Islams have a book they call the Quran. The Jewish population has a book called the Talmud, and the Christianity religion has a book name The Bible. What are the differences in these books? Well first of all, they all treat them differently. The Islams never put the Quran below themselves. They think of this as if they were saying, Im higher than God, and Im more important than him. They also take very good care of it. When they arent using it they have it wrapped up inside of a cloth and set it on a high shelf. Also, no one else can touch their Quran without permission from an Islamic believer. The Quran itself states that only those who are clean and pure should touch the sacred text. About.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. . The Jewish population studies a book called the Talmud. They read over this book, memorize it, and sometimes go into major detail of what somethi ng in it means. The Talmud is made up of six sections, called Sedarim (orders). Each Seder contains several books called mesachot or tracts (singular: mesachet). The Talmud. Bje.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. . There are eleven mesachot in the Talmud. Each of them deals with many of the different Jewish laws. Lastly, there are the Christians, who study The Bible. The Bible to Christians is like a book full of different ways to live your life. Most people dont treat their bible like a special sacred book. People toss them around, lay in on their nightstand next to their beds, and other things such as that. The Bible has many different sections, some of these sections are in the Old Testament, and some are in the New Testament. Within these sections, there are many, many chapters, and within the chapters there are verses. For instance, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me -Philippians 4:13. Philippians is the section, 4 is the chapter, and 13 is the verse. As you c an see, these books are all very different within each religion. They study them differently, treat them differently, and the text within them is very different. They also have different beliefs in the coming of God and who Jesus was. The Jewish religion believes that the messiah has yet to come, whereas Christianity and Islam believe than Jesus was the messiah. The Jewish believe that messiah will come later in life and they will be taken with him. The Christians and Islams believe at the second coming of Jesus, Jesus will leave the Jewish people behind and only take true believers as to let the Jews accept the fact that this is the second coming of the messiah, then he shall later come back and bring the Jewish people with him. The places where the three religions think they will be taken after Jesus takes them with him are all different also. The Islams think they are going to an eternal paradise. Jews believe one of two things, either they are going to heaven, or they think there is no afterlife. Lastly, Christians believe they will have an eternal heaven. They also have a specific view on a bad afterlife. Islams and Christians both think they will go to eternal hell whereas Jews think they will go to either eternal Gehenna, reincarnation, or no afterlife. They also have different outlooks on the birth and death of Jesus. Christians and Islams believe Jesus was born from a virgin birth, meaning Mary just randomly by Gods will had a child she was to name Jesus. The Jewish people on the other hand think Jesus came by a normal birth, saying that Mary and Joseph had a child together. Then theres the death of Jesus, which they dont agree on either. Islams believe that Jesus did not die but ascended into heaven during crucifixion. The Jewish and Christians populations believe that he died by crucifixion. Comparison of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Religionfacts.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. . Then each religion has an outlook upon the other two religions. The Islam has something to say about Jews and Christians, Christians have something to say about Jews and Islams, and Jews have something to say about Christians and Islams. The Islamic people think that Jews and Christians are respected as People of the Book, but they have wrong beliefs and only partial revelation. This means that Islamic people think that the other two religions are respectable by what the Quran says, but they think that the beliefs of these people are wrong. Jewish people think that both Islam and Christianity are false interpretations and extensions of Judaism. This means that the Jews think that Islams and Christians are completely wrong in what they do and that they are not following or believing what they actually should. The y think that the other two religions should do exactly what the Jewish people do and then they would be following what they need to be. Then there is Christianity. They think that Judaism is a true religion, but with incomplete revelation. Christians believe that Jewish people are right in what they believe in, but they dont think they have full grasp of everything they need to believe in. They also think that Islam is a false religion. Christians believe that Islams are wrong in everything they do and what they are doing is completely wrong. They are against anything Islamic people do, and would never partake in any of it. Comparison of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Religionfacts.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. . Not everyone in this world can believe the same things, do the same things, or even partake in the same activities, but that doesnt mean they cant sometimes get along. These three religions dont hate each other, they just dont always necessarily agree with one another. Its like they are siblings fighting over where to go out to eat. One of them wants seafood, one wants barbecue, and the other wants Italian. Christians want Jesus to come take them away so they can go live an eternal life in heaven, Islams want their God to come save them so they can have an eternal life in paradise, and the Jewish people want Jesus to have his first coming and save them. They all have disagreements on whats right and whats wrong, but they can sometimes get along. For instance, they all believe in one God and worshiping that one God. They all believe that there should be a certain day on which they worship, even though these days are not the same. They all believe in a hell and demons along with angels . They all have a special book of their own that they study, and in that book is the word of that religions God. So you see, they may have many, many differences as the three Abrahamic Religions, but they do have some things in common that they agree about also. About.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. . The Talmud. Bje.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. . Comparison of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Religionfacts.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. .

Complete Darkness - Original Writing :: Papers

Complete Darkness - Original Writing I woke up in complete darkness with an uncontrollable sharp stabbing pain in my jaw, it was the middle of the night and I was about ten, I had been sleeping in the top bunk bed in our Camper Van. I gave out a great cry of pain and I could hear my mum coming down the steps from her cabin bed. She switched on a light and I could see blood all over the camper vans lineal floor, I could hear my sister Jenna complaining about the bright light that had awoken her from her deep sleep, Mum told her to go back to sleep. My mum took me up of the floor and placed me into the bed and I can remember jumping up and down with the pain. Mum took me into the bathroom to clean up the blood and I remember her holding me on her knee while she sponged my face with a facecloth. I also remember the bathroom being very small for two people. My stepfather Davy was also at the door of the bathroom and then he turned to clean up the blood from the floor. Mum remarked that I must have put a tooth through my face, as there was a small hole above my lip. When the bleeding stopped Mum put me back into bed and I was still in a lot of pain but she stayed with me for a while and comforted me to try and make me go back to sleep. After some time Mum decided that she wanted to call the casualty department at Coleraine Hospital to ask their advice on my fall. When she came back I told her that I could feel a hole on the inside of my mouth - my tongue would have gone into it. Mum got a torch and looked in and said nothing. I could hear her going up the steps to the cabin bed and speaking with my stepfather. Next thing I knew was that Mum was telling me we were going to Coleraine Hospital.

Henrik Isbens A Dolls House Essay -- A Dolls House Essays

Independence   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most of us live a life where we do what we want and when we want without anyone telling us how to live our lives. This wasn’t the case in A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, where he illustrates to us how one woman lives a life through her father and husband. Throughout the play we see how a once childish like woman gains her independence and a life of her own. Ibsen shows us a very realistic play that demonstrates how on the outside Nora and Torvald seem to have it all. While in reality their life together is simply empty until Nora stands up for herself and starts to build her own life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nora Helmer was a fragile character that relied on her husband for her own identity. This dependence has kept her from having her own personality in so many different ways. Throughout the story Nora portrays the perfect housewife who stays at home to take care of her family and please her husband. From early childhood Nora has always held the opinions of either her father or Torvald, only hoping to please them. Nora’s upbringing was so easy that she only needed to make a cute noise and someone would come running over to serve her. It’s no wonder that when she got married that Torvald followed the same routine. Ibsen even states that, â€Å"she was merely a doll, a plaything, passed from papa’s hands onto Torvald’s† (1610). I believe that these actions made her look extremely infantile, showing that she had no thoughts of her v... Henrik Isben's A Doll's House Essay -- A Doll's House Essays Independence   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most of us live a life where we do what we want and when we want without anyone telling us how to live our lives. This wasn’t the case in A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, where he illustrates to us how one woman lives a life through her father and husband. Throughout the play we see how a once childish like woman gains her independence and a life of her own. Ibsen shows us a very realistic play that demonstrates how on the outside Nora and Torvald seem to have it all. While in reality their life together is simply empty until Nora stands up for herself and starts to build her own life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nora Helmer was a fragile character that relied on her husband for her own identity. This dependence has kept her from having her own personality in so many different ways. Throughout the story Nora portrays the perfect housewife who stays at home to take care of her family and please her husband. From early childhood Nora has always held the opinions of either her father or Torvald, only hoping to please them. Nora’s upbringing was so easy that she only needed to make a cute noise and someone would come running over to serve her. It’s no wonder that when she got married that Torvald followed the same routine. Ibsen even states that, â€Å"she was merely a doll, a plaything, passed from papa’s hands onto Torvald’s† (1610). I believe that these actions made her look extremely infantile, showing that she had no thoughts of her v...

Comparing Suppression of Women in Feminine Mystique, Radicalesbians, an

Suppression of Women through Isolation in The Feminine Mystique, Radicalesbians, and Trifles It is far easier to break the spirit of one human being than that of a united group of people. Betty Friedan’s "The Feminine Mystique", "Radicalesbians", and Susan Glaspell’s "Trifles" come to the same conclusion: isolation and separation caused women to be vulnerable to domination by male society. Social stigmatization by men, an inability to describe the situation, and a lack of personal identity kept women apart from one another. A fear of social stigma was one factor that kept women from supporting each other. In "The Feminine Mystique", Betty Friedan discusses how American housewives went about their daily lives "afraid to ask even of herself the silent question – ‘Is this all?’" Women were told that family, a husband, and children would bring them fulfillment and when it didn’t, they were afraid to admit that they weren’t happy. Freidan’s white, middle-class housewives were afraid of living outside the feminine ideal they had grown up heari...

Army Standards and Ethical Dilemmas Essay

The inconsistent application of Army standards leads to unethical decisions on a daily basis. Despite an emphasis on Army values at all levels, military leaders open themselves up to make unethical decisions when they don’t adhere to set standards. Despite the Army having clear standards on height/weight, APFT, the tattoo policy, and reporting requirements, leaders often take it upon themselves to ignore the standard or create their own. Leaders have the responsibility to maintain and enforce standards which are driven by regulations. If military leaders would consistently enforce these standards, ethical dilemmas and unethical decisions would be significantly reduced. Army Standards and Ethical Dilemmas Standards are necessary within an organization to promote discipline, production, and efficiency. Recently, the Sergeant Major of the Army visited the Sergeants Major Academy and the focus of his presentation was really about Army Standards. The Sergeant Major’s message got me thinking about Army standards and the inconsistent application of these standards throughout the Army, specifically the ethical dilemmas that arise due to this inconsistency. If an organization’s standards are applied inconsistently, that organization’s culture changes and allows room for unethical application of those standards. In the Army we see this inconsistent application of standards in the areas of height and weight standards, the APFT, the tattoo policy, application of punishment through the UCMJ, and in unit reporting. Standards First, we must define what a standard is. Standards are methods that define what success is in a training event, such as an APFT or marksmanship qualification. Standards are the rules for conduct in the work place and while off duty. Standards are rules or guidelines for proper wear and appearance in the uniform. In the Army we have regulations, training manuals, and unit standing operating procedures that spell out the â€Å"standard† for everything we do without exception. The Army even has a standard for organizational values, LDRSHIP. A tool that should make consistent application of standards easy for leaders is the acronym LDRSHIP: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. Despite regulations and despite Army values, our leaders, Army wide, have difficulty in enforcing standards consistently the result for these leaders, often times, is making unethical decisions which have a negative effect on the force. Our challenge as leaders is to do a much better job of enforcing standards, as well as consistently applying the standards in order to reduce ethical dilemmas. Height/Weight and APFT The Army clearly spells out its policy or standard for both height/weight and physical fitness standards in AR 600-9 and in FM 21-20. In AR600-9, the standard for how much a Soldier can weigh, based on his or her height and age is spelled out. If a Soldier exceeds the height/weight screening table, then the Soldier is taped to assess the amount of body fat the Soldier has. If the Soldier exceeds the allowed body fat percentage, AR 600-9 specifies what actions are to be taken by the commander. Some of the consequences include, counseling by the Soldier’s supervisor, nutrition counseling, the Soldier should be flagged and barred to re-enlist until meeting the height/weight standard, ultimately the Soldier should be chaptered out of the Army if he or she is unable to meet the standard. Just like AR 600-9, FM 21-20 specifies the Army standard for both the conduct of the APFT as well as the standard for passing the APFT. Additionally, the Army has specified that a Soldier that doesn’t pass the APFT should be flagged and not eligible for promotion until that Soldier meets the standard. One would think that such straight forward standards would be easy to follow and adhere to as an organization, but quite the opposite has been true throughout the Army the application of standards has been difficult. The first example that comes to mind is the measuring techniques that are spelled out in AR 600-9 that determine a Soldier’s body fat. I have been in the Army for twenty-one years and have been subject to the tape test my entire career; I can tell you that measurement methods have been inconsistent at best. Sometimes, there are the appropriate numbers of people doing the taping, but often times there is just one person doing the taping. Sometimes, the person doing the taping measures the Soldier correctly and other times the person may tape in such a way as to give the Soldier an advantage. As far as the grading of the APFT goes, although FM 21-20 specifies the correct way to do a push-up or sit-up, the actual scoring for these events are wildly inconsistent from grader to grader. Sometimes these inconsistencies hurt a Soldiers score, but often these inconsistencies give an unfair advantage to a Soldier over his or her peers. The inconsistencies in grading the APFT and measuring a Soldier’s body fat are magnified by those leaders who don’t even bother and just â€Å"pencil whip† the results of both. What a unit or leader does or does not do to Soldiers who fail the APFT or do not meet the standards of AR 600-9 is where possible ethical dilemmas arise. I was the height/weight NCO for a company for almost four years, and we never chaptered a Soldier for height/weight. However, it was not because I or any other NCO didn’t do what is required by AR 600-9. Soldiers were not chaptered primarily due to end strength, bottom line we needed Soldiers. Commanders were unwilling to adhere to standards in order to retain more Soldiers. This is a classic example of inconsistent application of standards that led to the unethical decision of retaining Soldiers that could not meet the Army standards for height and weight. Tattoo Policy Another area of inconsistent application of an Army standard is the Army’s policy on tattoos. For years, the Army’s policy on tattoos prohibited those in the Army or those seeking to enter the Army from having tattoos that were visible below their wrists or visible above the neckline while in uniform. In order to meet recruiting requirements, this policy was lifted and those entering the Army were allowed to have tattoos that were visible above the neckline and below the wrist. Now that the Army is drawing down, the standard is reverting back to the old policy of no tattoos visible above the neckline and below the wrist. If a Soldier with such tattoos desires to stay in the Army, that Soldier will have to pay to have the tattoo removed. Personally, I agree with the policy of no visible tattoos and think such tattoos present an unprofessional appearance. However, I don’t think the Army should have changed the standard to allow such tattoos in the first place, regardless of the recruiting requirements. What has resulted from this policy change or unethical decision is that a significant number of Soldiers who were allowed to join with these tattoos, are now being required to either pay to have the tattoos removed or get out of the Army. If there is no â€Å"grandfathering in† of this policy, then the Army has made an unethical decision to force these Soldiers out or to pay, from their own pockets, to have these tattoos removed. The Army allowed these Soldiers into the Army when the Army needed them, now that the Army is downsizing these Soldiers are being forced out or forced to remove the tattoos. Where were the Army values in this decision? Application of UCMJ Having been a first sergeant, I have been a part of many UCMJ proceedings and have witnessed how Soldiers of different ranks are treated differently. I have witnessed First Lieutenants that have been convicted of DUI get moved to a new unit and later get promoted to Captain. I have also witnessed Sergeants First Class get DUIs that have been demoted and forced to retire. What is ethical in having the same standard, yet having a totally different application of punishment for the same offense? This same argument can be made for two Soldiers of the same rank committing the same offense, and receiving totally different punishments. This usually happens when the Soldier’s chain of command states what a great Soldier they are, request leniency on the Soldier because the Soldier has a family, or is in financial trouble. It is ultimately the decision of the commander to decide punishment of a Soldier, but I contend that it is unethical and unfair to give different punishments to Soldiers for the same offense. Soldiers know what happened when two specialists who went AWOL both came out of their Article 15 hearings and while one is still a Specialist, and the other is now a Private First Class. This type of unequal treatment is unethical and unfair, and has a negative effect on the command climate and unit morale. Official Reporting Another area of unethical activity that is widespread throughout the Army is n official reports, both to the next higher headquarters, clear up to the Department of the Army. A very common occurrence of this false reporting occurs when mechanized or aviation units report their operational readiness rates. Commanders at all levels are under tremendous pressure to report a readiness rate within the Army standard for their type of unit. A commander whose unit’s OR rate is not up to standard, has a high likelihood of being relieved. All too often, these commanders succumb to the pressure and submit false reports to maintain the illusion of preparedness. Conclusion If an organization develops a standard, then those standards should be both enforceable and enforced upon all in the organization. If an organization creates a policy and then changes the policy, the organization should build in exemptions to that policy that prevents the change from being unfair to those already in the organization. If an organization’s standards are applied inconsistently, that organization’s culture changes and allows room for unethical application of those standards. In the Army today and through the years we have seen inconsistency after inconsistency in the enforcement of Army standards. The creation of the Army values and focusing to ensure that all Soldiers know the acronym LDRSHIP was supposed to help with ethical decisions and prevent inconsistent application of Army standards. I think as a whole the Army is getting better in these regards, but we have a long way to go. Continued ethics training from basic training through the war college will help, but consistent application of standards is the key to keep leaders from making unethical decisions.

A Dream within a Dream: A Critical Analysis Essay

A Dream within a Dream, by Edgar Allen Poe, is a poem with its central themes being sorrow, loss, confusion and frustration. The poem is divided into two stanzas, each with a different setting but both closely interconnected. It begins with the narrator kissing his lover upon their â€Å"parting† (line 2). He ponders whether everything in life is nothing but â€Å"a dream within a dream† (line 11). The second stanza depicts the narrator standing on a sea-shore while he weeps. He struggles to hold the â€Å"grains of golden sand† (line 15) within his palm, but alas, is unable to. The tighter he tries to grasp, the more they slip away. The poet, through this work of his, has portrayed his most profound feelings and thoughts. â€Å"The surf-tormented shore† (line 13) symbolizes the poet’s fraught state of mind. His mind is the shore that is â€Å"tormented† with many thoughts (surf). The grains of sand can be taken to represent the people and things that he loves in life. He communicates his sense of anguish at not being able to hold on to them, and at the thought that ultimately the â€Å"pitiless wave† (perhaps death) will carry them away. The poet twice states that he is weeping and he cries out to God. This further highlights his agonized mental and emotional state. The lines â€Å"all that we see or seem Is but a dream within a dream† are repeated twice; once as a question and the second time as a statement, possibly with a sense of hope that all the losses suffered by him are nothing but mere dreams from which he will wake. The language and strong use of symbolism by the poet endow the poem with deeper meaning. The reader can easily relate to it because each one of us undergoes this sense of agony at the loss of a loved one. We might feel that things are slipping away from our hands but we remain helpless. The poet has captured this aspect of human existence very beautifully. Although there are portions of the poem that are vague as one cannot be sure what the poet is trying to convey, the overall effect of the poem on the reader is captivating. ? Works Cited Poe, Edgar A. â€Å"A Dream within a Dream†. Poetry X. 29 Nov 2004. 14 July 2010 <