Analysis of sexuality as liberator in The Company of Wolves Essay Example

Analysis of sexuality as liberator in The Company of Wolves Paper Under the Wolfs Skin The wolf is carnivore incarnate and hes as cunning as he is ferocious; once hes had a taste of flesh then nothing else will do quotes Angela Carter, in her reimagining of the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood in her short story The Company of Wolves. The original tale by Charles Perrault served as a thinly veiled cautionary tale for young women to suppress their sexuality which comes in the form of the wolf, and submit to the servile situations, or else they come to a bad end. In Carters version though, she turns the tale on its head and does the opposite; Angela Carters tory states that sexuality can neither be stigmatized nor evaded, as it is biological. She talks of how the women were taught to fear their sexuality, to run away from it as if the devil himself was pursuing behind. If you spy a naked man among the pines, you must run as if the Devil were after you. The image of a naked man (signifying sexual desire) is transposed on that of a raving beast who is to be eluded or escaped from. We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of sexuality as liberator in The Company of Wolves specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of sexuality as liberator in The Company of Wolves specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of sexuality as liberator in The Company of Wolves specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The reference to the Devil too perhaps isnt entirely unplanned. What better way to impose iron-clad chastity on women if not reminding them of the Devil in tandem with sexual desire, the ultimate forbidden fruit? However, as Carter puts it, the wolves have ways of arriving at your own hearthside. We try and we try but sometimes we cannot keep them out and this is perhaps the best example of Carters allusion to the attempt at repressing human sexuality. Like the wolves, she states, the desire ends up dogging at your heels, no matter how much a person might attempt to keep it out. This blatant attempt on the authors part is an attempt at restructuring the roles of the women so that they are more than Just set in their gender roles which teaches them sexuality is to be reviled or feared; sheltered in ne form or another for centuries, out of which they are beginning to emerge. Thus, in The Company of Wolves the author uses the wolf as a metaphor for sexual desire as a tool of independence for women. She uses the proverbial wolf as a sexual liberator to show the women embracing or attempting to embrace independence through sexuality by eschewing gender specific roles and by having them avow their independence by celebrating their sexuality without servility or shame. Carter uses the wolf as the sexual liberator by showing women who embrace or, attempt to mbrace their sexuality in a bid for independence from patriarchal society. In the first part of Carters story, the narrator speaks of a woman who was bitten in her own kitchen while straining the macaroni. Previous to this anecdote, as well as after it, the story stays well ensconced in the past, separating the reader from it. This image of a woman straining macaroni however, manages to Jar the reader into the present day, in which it is the rare person who fears wolves (or, their sexuality). Rather, fears of rape, murder and robbery are in abundance. Yet we find that it is the woman, deeply nsconced in her social role as a woman, in this modern day and age who fall victim the kitchen, the very symbol of servile shackles that Carter reviles. Thus, when she is bitten by the wolf, she is in accordance to the law of the lycanthropes transformed into a wolf herself. A wolf who we see is described as The wolf is carnivore incarnate and hes as cunning as he is ferocious; once hes had a taste of flesh then nothing else will do. From the lines it can be inferred that wolf is an elemental, sexual creature that is beyond societal trappings of proprieties. When the taste of flesh trikes, nothing can hold it back. In Christianity, the word flesh is used in English as a metaphor to describe sinful tendencies. A related turn of phrase identifies certain sins as carnal sins, from Latin caro, carnis, meaning flesh in the King Jamess Bible; For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. (1 John 2:16) Therefore, it can be agreed that taste of flesh may mean sexual desire. This very desire which liberates her from the role she had been well ensconced in, introducing to her to a rand new role of the aggressor in the form of the wolf who would spread desire through her bite rather than the meek, subservient female in the kitchen passively waiting for something. The wolf or, her desire introduces her to danger and passion, of walking outside the realm of sexual proprieties as decided upon by the society, instead of the mundane of routine like macaroni washing. Through this woman Angela Carter shows women bound in servitude of one form or another, those confined to their limiting roles can be, and are attacked by the wolf, as if desire at rodding at them to break free, finally manages to make them do so, even after years of oppression at times. Thus, it can be understood this wolf can be the sexual liberator that can at least make women try and embrace independence through their sexuality. Another example of such an act of independence through a womans sexuality would be the tale of the witch. The witch whose lover had spurned her for another woman turned an entire wedding party into wolves and used to order them to visit her, at night, from spite, and they would sit and howl around her cottage for her, serenading her with their misery. The author again uses the word wolf as an allusion for sexuality. The witch, instead of succumbing to the set gender-sexual paradigm, where she is to revile her sexuality now that a man had chosen another woman over her, casts a spell instead. She turns the wedding party into wolves perhaps becomes the object of their desire using her feminine wiles, regardless of their sexual orientation and breaks out of the mold of playing untutored victim. Rather she entraps them sexually, willing them to come to her over and over again allowing the character to depart from the usual gender role of a woman. Also, the author uses the metaphorical wolf of sexual desire to describe women who shun gender-specific roles and celebrate their independence through sexuality. Therefore, in her story Angela Carter uses the wolf or the sexual desire to embody a change the kind we see in the girl in the red hood. Through the wolf we see Angela Carter introducing a breed of women who revel in their sexuality without shame. The girl signifying Little Red Riding Hood is young -she is a sealed vessel she is a closed system; she does not know how to shiver. (6) The girl therefore is spared of the ultural conditioning of shaming and shunning of the female sexuality and is therefore more open to change. She comes across the huntsman and we immediately reach her grandmothers cottage before her, which she accepts. Upon arrival, when she realizes that things werent the way they should be, we see that the girl shunning all that she was ever taught, and, since her fear did her no good, she ceased to be afraid. He is the sum of all she had been taught to fear, and yet she gives him the kiss owed, and begins to take off her clothing and throw it into the fire, symbolically bandoning all she had ever been taught regarding repressing her sexuality. When she comments on his teeth, and he reminds her that they are they are there to eat her with, we do not see him scream in fear like the original Red Riding Hood. She knows that she has nothing to fear, that she knew she was nobodys meat. She laughed at him full in the face, she ripped off his shirt for him and flung it into the fire. It is here we see the powers shift; the girl embraces her sexuality within the wolf, instead of fearing it. We find her freely exercising her sexuality and desire as he sees fit. She relies solely on these for protection, and for salvation. Looking at the story even in its most basic, we do not find her imploring to God or bowing down in servitude to a man. Rather, she embraces her own nature and, see! Sweet and sound she sleeps in grannys bed, between the paws of the tender wolf. That not only saves her, but helps her discover herself as an equal, in bed with her desire rather than haunted by it, or shamed by it afterwards. The wolf therefore ends up signifying the young womans stepping out of her socio-cultural taboos such as ender-role, religion and morality, and the its role in her celebration of her sexuality, without guilt. Of course, it can be argued that the wolf instead of a sexual liberator can instead be a commentary on the parallel between men and wolves. She portrays men as the carnivore incarnate repetitively and shows them as savage, lusty, rabid beings that are all starving. Statements such as once hes had the taste of flesh, nothing else will do and worst of all he cannot listen to reason are frightening in context and leave no room for question in this blatant link between the wild wolves nd the male sex. Thus, it can be argued that instead of the role of the sexual liberator, the wolf plays the role of a rabid, but manageable social construct; men who are only appeased by immaculate flesh yet, a girl could lay his fearful head on her lap. Here we can see, I suppose, where postmodern feminism confronts the violence inherent in these narratives that construct and regulate gender and sexuality, exposing misleading totalities inherent in fairy tales, myths, and other such dominant narratives (B rooke 18). Yet, despite the arguments raised, the role of the olf as a sexual liberator still stands strong. Taking into account the cases of the woman bitten and thus, introduced to independence through her sexual desires, the witch who embraced her sexuality and independence, and even the young woman implementing her sexuality to proclaim her independence, is a stronger account of the wolf standing for a positive change. In Carters The Company of Wolves the wolf itself signifies feminine independence and deviation from patriarchal role through sexuality and the change is certainly a positive one and the arguments given more han meets the ones that can be raised against the set definition given. To conclude, Angela Carters The Company of Wolves is a feminist restructuring of an old moralistic tale warning women of their sexuality. She rewrites it so that instead of being haunted by the proverbial wolf of their sexuality here the females attempt to role and, to enjoy their sexuality without servility or shame. The wolf of desire isnt something to be reviled, loathed or to run away from. Rather, like the young girl, Angela Carter wants women to embrace their liberation and take their destiny in their own hands. She wants them to use the power of their sexuality without shame or fear and, like Red to survive the encounter with the savage wolf unscathed. Angela Carter wants women to welcome their independence with open arms and The Company of Wolves is her way of declaring the separation from cookie cutter gender roles of women as non-sexual beings driven by others decisions to sexually independent ones capable of making choices of their own. Work Cited Brooke, Patricia. Lions and Tigers and Wolves Oh My! Reversionary Fairy Tales in the Work of Angela Carter Critical Survey. Berghahn Books. Jstor. November 2013 http://www. Jstor. org/stable/41 55725 Carter, Angela. The Company of Wolves. The Bloody Chamber. Victor Gollancz Ltd. 1979. Litgothic. 20 November 2013 http:// www. litgothic. com/PDFOther/carter_company_wolves. pdf Film. In the Company of Wolves. April 18, 2005. 10 November 2013 The Holy Bible, King James Version. New York: Oxford Edition: 1769; King James Bible Online, 2008. 1 December 2013 http:// www. king]amesbibleonline. org/. Perrault, Charles. Little Red Riding Hood Tales from Perraul 1697. Pitt. 15 November 2013. http://www. pitt. edu/†dash/ type0333. html#perrault

Whats the Average High School GPA

What's the Average High School GPA SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Nearly all high school students have, at some point, wondered whether their GPAs are good or not. One way of knowing is to look at the national averages. What is the average high school GPA?Is your GPA above average?How do you compare with all the other high school students in the country? In this article, I'll give you an overview of the national averages for high school GPA so that you can see where you stand. I’ll also tell you what these averages mean for you and how to understand them better in the context of the college application process. What’s the Average High School GPA Nationally? According to a 2017 study written about onInside Higher Ed, the average high school GPA in 2016 was 3.38. This study also found thatthe average high school GPA has risen steadily over the years. This increase in the average GPA has a lot to do with grade inflation (which we talk about in more detail below). In addition to this study, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) offerssome data on average high school GPAs in the US, althoughthis data is from2009, so it'sa bit out of date. (Unfortunately, NCES has not conducted a similar study since 2009.) The NCES study provides a fairly thorough look at average high school GPAs, so we're going to use this study for our analysis below. Because the average GPA has risen since 2009 (when the study was conducted), it's safe to assume that the 2018 GPAs will actually be a bit higher, though the trends will remain the same. Now let's take a closer look at the GPA data, starting with the overall averages. High School GPA Averages Here are the high school GPA averages, according to NCES: Overall GPA average: 3.0 Average in core academic courses (math, science, English, and social studies): 2.79 Average in other academic courses (foreign language and other academic courses not in the core curriculum): 3.14 Average in other courses (physical education, cooking, health): 3.39 As you can see, the national overall average GPA is 3.0. Butthis might be deceptive: the average GPA in core subject areas is actually a bit lower (2.79), meaning the overall average is only brought up to 3.0 by the higher grades students receive in courses that are not part of the core curriculum. The core curriculum in the NCES data consists of math, science, English, and social studies courses. The average GPAs for these different types of courses were as follows: Math: 2.65 Science: 2.70 English: 2.85 Social studies: 2.89 This data shows that students tend to have lower average GPAs in math and science courses compared with English and social studies courses. Average High School GPAs by Gender and Ethnicity NCES also provided some interesting (and a bit upsetting) statistics on how average high school GPA differs with regard to gender and ethnicity: Average GPA By Gender: Males: 2.90 Females: 3.10 Average GPA By Ethnicity: Asian/Pacific Islander: 3.26 White: 3.09 Hispanic: 2.84 Black: 2.69 According to this data, female students tend to have higher average GPAs than male students do. In addition, Asian/Pacific Islander students have the highest average GPA, whereas Black students have the lowest.This observed disparity between the average GPAs of different ethnic groups is a result of many intersecting socioeconomic factors, including family income, school quality, and other stressors that could impact a student's academic performance. Overall, there has been an upward trend over time with regard to average high school GPA.This is related to the phenomenon of grade inflation,whereby students seem to be earning artificially higher grades for the same quality of work. From 2000 to 2009, the average GPA for high school students increased from 2.94 to 3.0.As an even more drastic comparison,in 1990 the average GPA was only 2.68! Why Does High School Grade Inflation Happen? So how does something like grade inflation become a problem?Essentially, teachers are pressured by administrators, parents, and students to give out higher grades.If students are doing poorly, it reflects badly on the school.Once some schools start giving higher grades, other schools have to follow suit to avoid looking bad in comparison and to prevent jeopardizing students’ chances at college admission. It’s a cycle that’s tough to control because everyone likes to feel as though they’re doing well, but this trend in grade inflation has some negative consequences. First, itforces increased reliance on standardized tests as measures of academic ability.It also harms high-achieving students who are unable to stand out from the crowd when their whole class has the same perfect GPA. The motto of our educational system? What’s the Average GPA at Your High School? These NCES statistics can only tell you so much if you don't consider the average GPA at your high school and the way it‘s calculated. First, you should know whether your high school reports GPAs on a weighted or unweighted scale.Weighted GPAs can be higher than 4.0 and take the difficulty of a student’s coursework into account. The most difficult coursework is typically represented by AP, IB, and/or Honors classes. If your school uses weighted GPAs, the national average won’t necessarily compare directly with the number you see on your transcript. For example, at my high school- which used a weighted scale- GPAs went up to 5.0. If a student earned an A+ in an AP or Honors course, that translated into a 5.0. By contrast, an A+ in a low-level course translated to a 4.0. This wonky scale meant that the average weighted GPA was a 3.36, so a 3.0 would have been below average in the context of my school's GPA scale. Even if your school doesn't use weighted GPAs, the difficulty of your classes is an important factor. If you have a GPA that’s not super impressive but you’re in the hardest classes, you will have a better chance of being accepted to selective schools than someone with a slightly higher numerical GPA in lower-level classes. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. What’s the Average GPA for College Admission? The most important average you should take into account is the average GPA of admitted students to colleges that interest you. To find the average GPA for a college, Google "[School Name] PrepScholar."Our database gives the average GPA requirements for tons of schools. Here's an example of our page for the University of Mississippi (colloquially called Ole Miss): Don’t freak out if your own GPA is a little below the average you see on a school's page. This info should serve as a reference point rather than a hard rule. Remember that every high school has different ways of measuring and calculating GPA, so these comparisons have somewhat limited utility. What’s most important is that you’re challenging yourself in your classes.Especially if you’re applying to very selective schools, the average GPA nationally and for your school doesn’t give you the best sense of where you should be.At the most competitive schools, the majority of accepted students have GPAs in the 3.75-4.0 range, meaning that these schools almost exclusively accept applicants with an A average. On the flip side, even with a GPA that's below the national average, you might have a good chance of getting accepted to some less selective schools whose average GPAs are around the 2.5-3.0 range. You just have to do your research so you know what to expect. When you apply, colleges receive a lot of specific details about your high school in addition to your transcript, so if there are special circumstances that made your GPA skew higher or lower, the school should be able to adjust its standards accordingly. The ivory tower where admissions officers are imprisoned day and night as they're forced to review endless college applications. Conclusion: Average High School GPA Nationally, the average high school GPA (based on 2016 data) is around 3.38.However, as we saw with the NCES study, this number can vary across different demographics (including gender and ethnicity) and high schools. Be sure totake into account how your high school calculates GPA before comparing yourself with the national average.By far, the most important average to consider is the average GPA of admitted students at schools that interest you. Just remember to take these numbers with a grain of salt since they might reflect a different GPA scale than the one used at your high school. Finally, don't forget that the difficulty of your coursework is usually more important to schools than the actual number of your GPA. Whether you’re considered above or below average depends mostly on how much you’re willing to challenge yourself. What's Next? Now that you've learned about average GPA, you might be curious about average SAT scores and average ACT scores.Read these guides to get the scoop! Beginning your college search?Then read my guide on how to choose the best college for you. If you're set on attending a very selective school,check out our popular in-depth guide on how to get into Harvard and the Ivy League! Want to improve your SAT score by 160points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Innovation to Sustainability of Lexus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Innovation to Sustainability of Lexus - Essay Example 2010, p.1). This paper will then critically discuss the sustainable innovation results of Lexus Company in relation to Lexus CT 200h series. Evaluative Points Innovation strategy Lexus has been amongst the highest ranked company in motor vehicle industry. The innovation of the name Lexus which is associated with luxury has attracted many customers to these products since it is a symbol status. The company has introduced some of the most advanced vehicle with modern features to meet the users’ needs. The company has open day sessions where they involve their clients in displaying their vehicles. The customers have had an opportunity to make their contributions on the brand of vehicle that they need. One of the important aspects of innovation in Lexus is to bring about competitive advantage within the market. The company conducts field study and assess the customers’ tastes and preferences so as to come up with vehicles that meet their needs. The innovation in this compan y has led to continuous improvements in the industry. The vehicles are produced with specific features that suit specific tasks. The materials used to develop the vehicles are mixed with chemicals therefore making them more durable. The vehicllles manufactured are safe for most users. They use less fuel therefore conservint the environment and saving on fuel expenditure. (Pellissier, 2008, p.98) Although this can be achieved through many ways, the biggest problem or challenge is how to sustain it especially in the competitive auto world where cars are unveiled every year. The company products are being imitated by other companies therefore losing originality. The innovation comes with additional cost thus making the price of vehicles too high to the customers. The vehicles require regular It is important to have competitive markets but also it is equally important to look at the organization of firms. This is important for competitive advantage because organization is important in d etermining how resources are allocated and utilized. Lexus organization is similar to that of its mother company Toyota which is decentralized with each entity being autonomous (Stirman, Kimberly, Cook, Calloway, Castro, & Charns, 2012, p.1). Research and developments The company has carried out many researches to come up vehicles that suit the needs of different customers. The company conduct field studies to assess different terrain so that they can make vehicle for specific areas. In the materials used to make the vehicle they conduct tests to ascertain their durability and strength. The vehicles have evolved through many stages, designs and designs to meet the changing trends in consumer tastes and preferences. The company has grown into an international company exporting vehicles to all regions of the globe. The company has set up assembly subsidiaries in many parts of the world so as to meet the consumer needs wants and needs (Roy, 1994, p.103). The research and development ha ve led to dynamic transformation in the vehicles produced by the company. The vehicles of the company have been tailor made to adapt to various demographics. The researches have set up high standard on the quality of vehicle. The research and developments have led to an increase in market for the company products. The company has researcher for different matters therefore giving the company a competitive advantage since the researchers are specialized. The vehicles of Lexus are manufacture in accordance with the researchers’