Fashion Opinion Leadership Essay

1. Introduction Consumers influence each other in several ways: they exchange information through communication, seek or give opinions and copy each other’s behaviour. Researchers recognise the giving and seeking of opinions as one of the most important word-of-mouth influences on brand and product choice (Bristor, 1990 and Weimann, 1994). Especially in fashion, social groups and opinion leaders influence product and brand evaluations (Amaldoss and Jain 2008). Fashion consumers often refer to fashion opinion leaders who they desire to be alike. The Internet and social media speeded up the way of communication within reference groups and made it possible to share interests without physical interaction. The following essay will outline an overview of fashion opinion leaders and reference groups before giving a better understanding of how fashion retailers make use of fashion opinion leaders in order to influence customers. 2. Reference groups and reference group influences Consumers use several sources when they seek information or opinions on decisions; informal and social (Goldsmith and Clark 2008). This aspect of consumer behaviour is described as opinion-leadership-opinion-seeking, word-of-mouth, buzz or social communication (Goldsmith and Clark 2008). This means that consumers refer to something or someone when they seek information and clears the way for the term referential or reference group. Solomon and Rabolt (2009) define Humans as social animals that try to fit into certain groups, please others and take â€Å"cues about how to behave by observing the actions of those around† (p. 422) them. A group can simply be defined as two or more people sharing common goals and interests. All members of a group interact by certain patterns, frameworks and networks. A group member must therefore be perceptible to belonging to this group. Groups can be primary (family), secondary (professions), formal (churches), or informal (certain group of frie nds). Belonging to a herd or group, makes consumers want to identify themselves psychologically and physically with desirable individuals of this group. Thus, an individual or group conceived of having significant relevance upon an individual’s sociological attributes, such as evaluations, characteristics, aspirations, or behaviour is defined as reference group (Park et al, 1977). As stated by Holton (2004), Merton hypothesized that individuals compare themselves with reference groups of people who occupy the social role to which the individual aspires. Hence, the group becomes the individual’s frame of reference and influences his ideas and decisions. Reference group influence can occur in different ways. According to Solomon and Rabolt (2009), group members of reference groups can be influenced informational, utilitarian or value-expressive. Furthermore, individuals are also mostly influenced by normative referents of the group, such as parents, teachers, or peers (Childers and Rao, 1992). There are also so called aspirational groups of which individuals aspire to be a member of. This phenomenon can be considered as comparative referents, such as public opinion leaders or celebrities. Belonging to a group, aspirational or not, can influence the buying behaviour of individuals, and decisions are often based on what the group members please in order to be accepted (Joel et al 1972). According to the above, a reference group is as an individual or group that significantly influences an individual’s behaviour (Bearden and Etzel 1982). 2.1 Online referential groups and virtual consumption communities Literature mostly concentrates on face-to-face interaction within reference groups on a regular basis or on aspirational groups without direct interaction (Pentina et al, 2008). However, Sheth and Parvatiyar (1995) stated that it is not directly necessary to have physical contact and interactions with members of a group in order to refer to it. More common forms of reference groups are online reference groups, which only exist in the World Wide Web. Within the age of the Internet, arising social media networks and communities it is possible to share interests with people who the individual never met personally (Solomon and Rabolt, 2009). A virtual community of consumption is defined as â€Å"a collection of people whose online interactions are based on shared enthusiasm for and knowledge of a specific consumption activity† (Solomon and Rabolt, 2009, p 426), such as fashion for instance. In the concept of virtual communities any group of people can share common bonds, without being dependent on physical interaction and common graphic location (McDonough, 1992). But the issue of relationships between each other still lies at the heart of virtual communities (Farquhar and Rowley, 2006). Although online sharing of interests takes place on blog websites, social media platforms, like facebook or twitter or sharing services like as Pinterest, members build up relationships when sharing. On facebook, for instance, members liking other people’s post in certain theme groups and commenting on those can explain a relationship. Solomon and Rabolt (2009) state that the impact of virtual communities on individual’s product preferences and decisions are huge. Because of that, an online referential group can be considered as consumers who write about their opinions towards certain topics, seek information, publish recommendations, and post products or services. 2.1.1 Online referential groups in fashion and fashion bloggers Fashion and apparel shopping are seen as the most popular discussion topic among social networks (Thomas et al, 2007). In fashion, online communities are seen mostly through social media emergence such as blogs or facebook groups. Fashion blogs are mostly run by one person who writes or â€Å"blogs† about different products, occasions or events within the fashion industry. The community is then formed by readers of the blog, so called â€Å"followers†, that read the stories or comment on it. With gaining popularity bloggers are also able to gain money by advertising on their blog websites. According to the Telegraph, the most popular bloggers make up to  £10,000 a month in advertising (Telegraph, 28/10/2012). Meanwhile, also fashion retailers look into the blogging business. For retailers the building up of social media groups could help them to gain direct feedback from consumers while monitoring discussions in referential groups online. Burberry for example not only has its own group on facebook, but also launched a blog, showing images of people wearing their trench coats (The Art of Trench, 28/10/2012). 3. Fashion opinion leadership Referring to an opinion leader is one of the social or informal sources of decision and opinions seeking, named by Goldsmith and Clark (2008) in reference group behaviour. A person who has knowledge about a certain product and whose advice is seriously taken by others explains opinion leadership. An opinion leader or influential is a person, who is frequently able to influence attitudes and behaviour of others (Solomon and Rabolt 2009) Further, it can be explicated by the desire of leaders to distinguish themselves from followers, while followers pursue the countervailing desire to assimilate with leaders (Amaldoss and Jain 2008). Feick and Price (1987, p. 95) state that opinion leaders are more likely in product categories in which association with the product provides a form of self-expression. Fashionable clothing embodies information about the personality and status of its wearer to other people (Dodd et al, 2000). However, Amaldoss and Jain (2008) argue that in fashion, this occurrence is mostly seen within the purchasing of luxury clothing and accessories. There are several types of opinion leaders that can be observed in fashion. Firstly, some heavy consumers of fashion clothing who become extremely interested and preoccupied with it, so that their interest, knowledge and experience qualifies them to become fashion opinion leaders for others (Goldsmith, 2000). Today, these types of fashion opinion leaders occur mostly online, such as fashion bloggers. Secondly there are people who are in the public spotlight, such as celebrities. Celebrities mostly look adorable and therefore individuals follow their look because they desire to assimilate with this leader (Amaldoss and Jain 2008). But sometimes celebrities are being dressed up by personal outfitters in order to create, perform and accomplish a certain image without actually having the interest or knowledge in the area. This shows that also the perception that individuals have about a person can make the person an opinion leader. Of course, there are also people whose profession is related to fashion that can be an opinion leader for individuals, such as designers, fashion photographers, models or fashion magazines. A recent study on Mintel shows that fashion content in celebrity, lifestyle or fashion magazines, newspaper supplements and makeover shows has a direct influence on the shopping behaviour of 2 – 3.5 million people. Especially women are most likely influenced by such coverage (Mintel, Fashion Online, 29/10/12). As the fashion magazine example illustrates, an opinion leader does not have to be only one person, it can also be a company or an organisation. 3.1 Fashion opinion seeking â€Å"Opinion seeking is the behavioural counterpart to opinion leadership† (Goldsmith and Clark, 2008, p 309) and is important to the diffusion of new fashion products because it can spread word-of-mouth about the advice gotten from opinion leaders. Unlike opinion leaders, opinion seekers do not have the same knowledge of and interest in a product category than opinion leaders in this segment do (Goldsmith, 2000). Opinion leaders do also absorb risk (Solomon and Rabolt, 2009) for opinion seekers when buying a new product. Therefore, Opinion seekers consider opinion leaders as appropriate sources for information and advice (Bertrandias and Goldsmith, 2006). Nevertheless, opinion seekers are very important to opinion leaders because they act on the information they got from the opinion leader. The fashion industry is one of the industries that show the most frequent changes in trends and styles. When consumers determine on buying a new product they might ask or even search for information about the desired fashionable product. Because of that they often make use of informal or social sources when seeking information (Goldsmith and Clark 2008) or opinions on decisions from fashion opinion leaders in any form. Consumers can seek for an opinion through various types of social communication, word-of-moth recommendations, observing opinion leaders, researching a subject or buzz (Goldsmith and Clark 2008). In an online perspective, consumers can use social network communities as sources for apparel shopping. 3.1.1 The process within referential groups in fashion: coherence of opinion leaders and opinion seekers The basis of forming referential groups in virtual communities is the process combining interpersonal connectivity, social enhancement and sharing of information. Dholakia and Bagozzi (2004) state that interpersonal connectivity between members is important to retain social benefits of participating online. In fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking, the process is based on the social need of each other, shown in figure 3. Figure 1: The process of fashion influence between fashion opinion leaders and fashion opinion seekers in referential groups, adapted from Goldsmith and Clark, 2008 This process can especially be observed in online communities where opinion leaders post pictures of themselves wearing a new product. Several opinion seekers may like the product and give a positive feedback to the opinion leader or even share it with others, which shows symbolic validation to the opinion leader and creates a loop. 3.1.2 Victoria Beckham as fashion opinion leader for the Birkin Bag A good example for an opinion leader in fashion is Victoria Beckham. The ex-singer, designer and wife of English football star David Beckham is referred to being an A-list celebrity in the public spotlight. She is not only famous for designing fashion and wearing high-heels, but also for her collection of the Hermes Birkin Bag. The Birkin Bag is a hand-made handbag designed by the luxury fashion brand Hermà ¨s and is estimated to start at $6,000 (Branch, 2004). The bag is often seen adorning the arm of celebrities and has become a cult fashion phenomenon (Tonello, 2009) and is an example of a fashion product that gained high popularity. Its brand, Hermà ©s limited its production, to limit its accessibility. Victoria Beckham is presumed of possessing the largest collection of Birkins (Fashionthroughtravel, 26/10/12). The following figure shows an example of her and her Birkin Bag collection. It can be the fact that Victoria Beckham is popular and has a lot of people referring to her what made the bag so famous and desirable. Followers or referents to her then adopted the product, Birkin Bag. The more leaders adopt a product, the higher value is crated among its followers. â€Å"Thus, followers are buying the product for its reference group effect† (Almadoss and Jain, 2008, p 935). Therefore individuals that look up to their opinion leader may want to follow his choices (Amaldoss and Jain, 2008). As being outlined before, fashion clothing transmits a certain personality and status of its wearer to other people (Dodd et al, 2000) and is also a form of self-expression. Wearing certain trends or accessories like a Birkin Bag show commitment to a certain image of being wealthy, belonging to a higher class or having a sure feeling of trends and fashion. 4. Why and how marketers make use fashion opinion leaders The innovator theory by Rogers (1962) shows that consumer attitudes towards purchasing products can be classified into five categories. The following figure shows Rogers’s adoption of innovations curve. Depending on how quick consumers are to purchase they are either: 1. Innovators or Designers (2.5%), 2. Fashion opinion leaders or early adapters (13.5%), 3. Early majority (34%), 4. Late majority (34%), 5. Laggards or late adapters (16%) Directly after innovators or designers of the product, opinion leaders come second in purchasing or adapting this trend. According to the theory, opinion leaders are the key to product diffusion (Mituse, 05/11/12). Although innovators and opinion leaders combined account for no more than 16% of the overall market, a company can try to target opinion leaders already in early product stages and see if product diffusion will spread to the early and late majorities (Mituse, 05/11/12). Following Rogers’s theory and transferring it to the fashion industry, it can be argued that it is from extreme importance for fashion retailers to get opinion leaders on board in order to establish their designs and products within the market. Thus, the reasons why fashion opinion leaders influence others by sharing information are extremely important for companies (Bertandias and Goldsmith, 2006). Fashion retailers make use of â€Å"key opinion leaders† to influence the purchasing behaviour of consumers through their perceived position of authority. Therefore employing opinion leaders as advertising mascots or models in commercials or adverts, as seen in the figure below, is common in fashion retail. Figure 4: Fashion opinion leaders advertising for retailer Furthermore, collaborations with opinion leaders that are famous for their profession are common in fashion retail. This can be underlined by collaborations between mass retailer h&m and designers like Donatella Versace (2012) and Jimmy Choo (2009) or online premium retailer NET-A-PORTER and Karl Lagerfeld, as figure 5 illustrates below. Figure 5: Collaborations of retailers and designers as fashion opinion leaders Nevertheless, marketing products or brands effectively today requires tools that reach beyond normal advertising methods: by prior targeting fashion opinion leaders, marketers are able to engage positive word-of-mouth behaviours (Bertrandias and Goldsmith, 2006) about their products. According to Chaney (2001), opinion leaders act as human information processors and are an attractive marketing tool as part of the overall communication strategy. Influences by fashion opinion leaders are not only verbal, but also visual (Bertrandias and Goldsmith, 2006). In fashion, a product has to be desirable to a consumer. If no one is seen with a certain product, most consumers don’t see a reason in buying it. If someone famous is seen with the product, the probability of referential groups buying or wanting the product as well increases. When word-of-mouth networks are generated around opinion leaders, it can pave the way for spreading news or opinions about certain fashion products. Thus, it is beneficial to address fashion-marketing communications directly to opinion leaders of this segment in order to speed up advertising messages. Therefore, advertisers may address womenswear or accessories fashion campaigns directly to opinion leaders like celebrities or high-fashion magazines. Because of the important role they may have in influencing markets, advertisers may also hand out free fashion product samples to opinion leaders (Yahoo, 29/10/12). Handing out such testimonials, which often embody free designer clothes, handbags or shoes, retailers encourage opinion leaders to wear the brand in order to influence reference groups around the opinion leader visually. Outfitting celebrities that have public appearance for free, mostly sees this occurrence, exemplarily stated in the below figure. Figure 6: Celebrities on the red carpet, adapted from ELLE By doing so, the marketer uses the position of the opinion leader to carry and break down its message to influence its relevant target group. Well-established magazines such as Vogue, Elle or Glamour can also be expected to have high influences on fashion decisions of opinion seekers. A fashion magazine even has the ability to cluster a whole group of fashion opinion leaders together: celebrities, photographers, editors, industry experts and fashion journalists. This might be a reason why opinion seekers use those magazines as information source when seeking for an opinion. Thus, advertising in fashion magazines, outfitting celebrities, or using fashion opinion leaders in adverts can influence target groups in their purchasing behaviour. 5. Conclusion ‘Reference groups in fashion’ are defined as fashion consumers who are heavy fashion users and highly involved in seeking or reflecting opinions about fashion brands and products with others who share the same interests. Further, it is differentiated between fashion opinion leaders and fashion opinion seekers. As being part of a referential group, opinion leaders and opinion seekers are positively related to each other, as the one can’t exist without the other. Today, fashion opinion leaders are often classified as celebrities, people standing in the public spotlight, magazines, or bloggers, surrounded by networks of reference groups that admire to be like them. Especially in the age of social media it has become more important to marketers to understand the process of providing, sharing and seeking of information between fashion opinion leaders and opinion seekers. Therefore opinion leaders are seen to be an important marketing tool in fashion as they are able to influence reference groups in their product or brand purchasing decisions. List of references: Amaldoss, W. & Jain, S. (2008), ‘Trading Up: A Strategic Analysis of Reference Group Effects’, Marketing Science, pp. 932-942 Bearden, W. & Etzel, M. (1982), ‘Reference Group Influence on Product and Brand Purchase Decisions’, Journal of Consumer Research, pp. 183-194 Bertrandias, L. & Goldsmith, R. (2006), ‘Some psychological motivations for fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking’, Jornal of Fashion Marketing an Management, Vol 10, Issue 1, pp. 25-40 Branch, S. (2004), ‘Hermà ¨s’s jelly ache’, Wall Street Journal Bristor, J.M. (1990), ‘Enhanced explanations of word of mouth communications: the power of relationships’, in Hirschman, E.C. (Ed.), Research in Consumer Behavior, 4th ed., JAI Press, Greenwich, CT, pp. 51-83. Chaney, I. (2001), ‘Opinion leaders as a segment for marketing communications’, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, p. 302 Childers, T. & Rao, A. (1992), ‘The Influence of Familial and peer-based Reference Groups on Consumer Decisions’, Journal of Consumer Research, pp. 198-211 Dholakia, U. & Bagozzi, R. (2004), ‘A socialinfluence model of consumer participation in network- and small-group-based virtual communities ‘, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Vol. 21, Issue3, pp. 241-263 Dodd, C., Clarke, I., Baron, S. & Houston, V. (2000), ‘Looking the part: identity, meaning and culture in clothing purchasing – theoretical considerations’, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 41-48 Farquhar, J. & Rowley, J. (2006), ‘Relationships and online consumer communities’, Business Process Management Journal, pp. 162- 175 Feick, L. & Price, L. (1987), `The market maven: a diffuser of marketplace information’, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 51, p. 95. Goldsmith, R. & Clark, R. 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Ethics in - Research Proposal Example And that the participants should have the choice to withdraw from the research. And most importantly the participants should have the opportunity to give voluntary, informed consent to whether they want to participate in the investigations. Immediately after World War II a consensus emerged about the ethical principles that should be followed in any research. One of the reasons for this was the Nuremberg War Crimes Trial that followed World War II brought to the notice of the public how scientists in Germany had used prisoners as subjects in experiments that were often gruesome. Such disclosures necessitated a reexamination of ethical standards. There emerged a consensus that human beings and animals must be protected from being used as guinea pigs. Contemporary medical and social research today requires that issues such as anonymity, privacy, confidentiality, fair treatment and protection from discomfort and harm that arise while participating in a research program are taken care of. Many regulations have been put forth by establishments to protect the rights of the research participants. Some of them are outlined by William M.K. Trochim (2006) 2. The principle of informed consent which requires that the participants must be fully informed about the procedures and risks involved in the research and must give their consent to participate in the research. 4. Researchers must protect the privacy and confidentiality of the participants. They must be assured that the information gathered from them will not be made available to anyone who is not directly involved in the research. Several reasons can be put forth to stress the importance of ethics in research. Ethics promote the aims of research like truth, knowledge and avoidance of error. For instance when you bar fabricating and falsifying of records or misrepresenting research data you are promoting truth. You are less likely to make errors. Research

Critical reader response from education class(Teaching English as an Essay

Critical reader response from education class(Teaching English as an Additional Language) - Essay Example One of the most important things teachers can do to support literacy development of students is to choose and expose them to quality literature. Children's literature is particularly rich with illustrations, images, genre and cultures; it reflects the maturational development process with regards to cognitive, emotional and social, as well as language development. Reading strategies are developed to retrieve information from 3 categories: 1) meaning cues, 2) visual cues, and 3) structural or syntactic cues. There are eight steps to implementing think-aloud strategies: 1) choose a small portion of the text, 2) chooses a few strategies, 3) communicate the reading purpose, 4) model the think-aloud strategy to the students as you read the text aloud, 5) instruct students on annotating the text, 6) discuss and think through the strategies used, 7) show students how to generalize reading strategies, and 8) reinforce think-aloud techniques with follow-up lessons. As an EAL teacher, I feel t his is an excellent method for helping L2 learners to deal with literature. Absolutely they should use a winning strategy for digesting literature; at best they usually struggle with the vocabulary to the point that frustration takes over and the richness of the literature is lost. Students develop a much stronger command of the language through open reading of literature among peers. Their fluency and diction develops quickly in the presence of a native speaker of L2. In the case where cultures are vastly different, the students need a lot of support to connect with and internalize the story. Often open discussion occurs in comparing and contrasting the cultural differences allowing not only for a deeper understanding and connection to the story, but also to peers. This further reinforces L2 bonding as well as building self-confidence in expressing ideas in L2. This think-aloud strategy helps develop the self-confidence of the L2 learners in their ability to read and comprehend lit erature at the L2 level. They also begin to apply this strategy to their other core L2 subjects, which resulted in higher academic achievement. They even begin to challenge themselves to speak L2 with peers, further reinforcing their self-confidence and pronunciation. The component of the think-aloud strategy that is probably understated is the one of prediction. Often L2 learners don’t have highly developed critical thinking or creativity skills. Predicting what would happen throughout the story is a new challenge for them as it causes them to imagine new possibilities for where the author may be leading the story. As they begin to work with the stories more, their abilities at prediction sharpen, even to the point that they increase their critical thinking skills in other academic areas, such as science and math. At first, the visual cues are critical for them; a picture makes fighting vocabulary and learning through contextual clues easier. With time, they increase their v ocabulary base to independently take on significantly more difficult stories. They enjoy being able to discuss the behind the scenes meaning, messages, and values being taught by the author. Role playing to understand what is happening in the story is another approach that can be

Sample Research Paper for English Essay Example for Free

Sample Research Paper for English Essay The struggle now being waged in the professoriate over which writers deserve canonical status is not just a struggle over the relative merits of literary geniuses; it is a struggle among contending factions for the right to be represented in the picture America draws of itself. (Tompkins 201) In 1850, with the help of her well-known father, James Fenimore Cooper, Susan Fenimore Cooper published Rural Hours, a natural historical account of one year in the Otsego Lake area of New York state. I mention her fathers name in order to situate Susan Fenimore Cooper in literary history, or, more accurately, to position her book in relation to our understandings of literary history. For truthfully, if literary history were faithful to the developments of, and reactions to, literature of the past, Susan Fenimore Coopers name would be well-known to all scholars of nineteenth-century American literature. Her book was immensely popular both in America and abroad; it went through six printings by 1854, the publication year of Thoreaus Walden. Rural Hours was reissued with a new chapter in 1868, reprinted again in 1876, and then abridged by 199 pages and reissued in 1887. When critics praised Rural Hours1 and the volume sold well, Susan Fenimore Cooper achieved literary fame as a writer of natural history. However, while many of her contemporaries knew her name, most scholars in the 1990s know only of her father. Why this oversight in the construction of literary history?2 In 1968, David Jones, a visitor to the Otsego Lake region in New York, reissued the 1887 edition of Coopers book. In his introduction he compares Rural Hours to the canonically established Walden and claims, Rural Hours is not, like Walden, a multi-level book (xxxvii). Instead Coopers text, Jones asserts, tells us as [well] as a book canhow a representative part of the rural northeastern United States looked, sounded, smelled, and even felt in the middle of the nineteenth century (xxxvii-viii). Admittedly, portraying a location so fully is no small task, and although Jones intimates that Rural Hours provides enjoyable light reading, he clearly believes that Thoreaus text far surpasses Coopers in its complexity and depth. I want to suggest that Joness evaluation of Rural Hours overlooks subtle but important textual intricacies, that Coopers text is  multi-levelled, and is, in fact, concerned with much more than the local flora and fauna of the Otsego Lake region. One problem in determining the literary value of Rural Hours lies in our inability to classify its genre. The book takes the form of a nonfictional journal, but Rural Hours cannot be classified as autobiography in the traditional sense of one writer imparting the story of his or her life experiences. Cooper portrays her outside world as much as her personal experiences, and she relates her writings to her community more than to her own life. One is tempted to call Rural Hours nature writing and, in fact, her contemporary supporters do classify her text as such, but Coopers text does not meet the typical criteria for this genre, either. This is in part because of the imprecision of definitions of nature writing itself. Critics generally agree that nature writing is non-fictional prose in which the writer functions as an observer of the outside world, attempts to represent that outside world in language, and typically, reflects on the process of giving language to the natural world. It is commonly agreed that nature writing also evinces the authors reflections of his or her individual spiritual growth. Sharon Cameron, in writing about Thoreau, suggests that to write about nature is to write about how the mind sees nature, and sometimes about how the mind sees itself (44). In his recent study of several nature writers, Scott Slovic echoes and expands Camerons definition: [Nature writers] are not merely, or even primarily, analysts of nature or appreciators of naturerather, they are students of the human mind (3). We find, then, that according to our current definitions, nature writers write about their environment, but they also consider their personal relationship to it. Therefore, a writer like Coo per, who concerns herself more directly with her surroundings and less with her personal reactions to them, somehow does not quite fit the criteria for the genre. How can a book such as Rural Hours, rich with observations on the botany, ornithology, and natural history of an area, not be considered nature writing? I submit that we have been trained to read books about the natural world and  the human relationship to it in ways that affect our abilities to find value in texts that deviate from the canonical Thoreauvian forma form based on personal reflections regarding ones relationship with nature, ones connection to the community, the difficulties of conveying perceptions through language, and, most importantly, perhaps, the process of forming identity. When contemporary readers realize and examine the expectations that they bring to Rural Hours, and willingly suspend those expectations, thereby allowing the text to reveal its own agenda and voice its own concerns, they will discover that Coopers work is rich with insights regarding nineteenth-century Americas social, natural, and historical politics. Rural Hours is not so directly involved in exploring how the mind sees nature or how the mind sees itself. Instead, Cooper concerns herself with the ominous task of giving words to each aspect of her natural surroundings and to exploring the implications of this environment not for herself as an individual, but for her larger community, and ultimately, for the entire nation. We must ask, then, not only if Rural Hours has literary value, but also if we as critics can consider expanding our current conceptions of nature writing to accommodate a book such as Rural Hours. In his attempt to summarize what he considers to be the weaknesses of Coopers book, Jones quotes a description of autumn in Rural Hours and uses Coopers words to create an analogy concerning her prose: autumn, like Coopers prose, is variable, changeable, not alike twice in succession, gay and brilliant yesterday, more languid and pale today (xxxvii). As literature, Jones further explains, Rural Hours varies from brilliant in one passage to languid and pale in another (xxxvii). Jones offers very little support for this critical assessment of the book and, therefore, I cannot help but wonder why he truly found the narrative to be languid and pale. As we will see, Joness explanation for the weakness of Miss Coopers work is circular and underdeveloped, and supports the conventional notion that quality nature writing portrays less of nature, and more of the authors engagement with the natural world. Further examination of his criticisms will help to explain the exclusion of Rural Hours fr om most records of literary history. Jones explains, [Cooper] brought realism and vitality to her portrait of rural life by revealing its variable and changeable nature, to be sure, but the very act produced a major flaw in the book (xxxvii). Jones here suggests that Coopers realistic portrayal of the natural world is the very downfall of her book. However, her narrative dedication to the natural world, to its vitality and constancy, necessitates that portions of the text be purely descriptive. Jones thus seems to contradict himself: the one level at which Coopers text is unsurpassed, he asserts, is in its ability to so accurately and faithfully describe the natural world. This strength, however, is also the weakness of the book. Finally, Jones does not define this flaw at all; instead, he proceeds to discuss Thoreaus Walden. Jones assumes throughout his introduction that Thoreaus book is far superior to Coopers, that readers of Rural Hours will agree with this assessment, and that, therefore, his assessment requires no justification. This method of reasoning also presupposes that Walden and Rural Hours afford the same criteria for judgement, or, that they exhibit similar attempts at representing nature.3 If Cooper and Thoreau actually engage similar projects, this assessment is valid. If, however, these writers differ in their purposes, or representand react tothe natural world in distinct ways, then we need to examine these criteria of evaluation. How do we approach a text that attempts to represent the natural world on its own terms? Have we been taught to read texts whose straightforward depiction of the natural world is, seemingly, their main goal?4 If, as Jones suggests, Coopers prose remains so loyal to her subject that it is too realistic, and therefore borders on boring, we need to ask how we expect Cooper to represent nature so as to hold our attentions and why her contemporaries were not also bored by her book. Many questions arise: what are contemporary readers expectations of writing that engages the natural world? How do our expectations differ from those of readers in the nineteenth century? Assuming that readers bought and consumed Coopers text because they found interest in both its subject matter and its perspective, how does Coopers direct conveyance of the natural world reflect her  cultures interests and concerns?5 What is the role of nature in such a text, as opposed to the role of people? How often do we require that a realistic portrayal of nature be replaced by metaphor or symbolism, thereby preventing languid and pale prose? How often do we want to read specifically about nature, and how often are we more interested in exploring the human presence in nature? Finally, is Rural Hours actually poorly written, or boring? Such questions, originating from an attempt to understand the immense success and warm reception of Rural Hours in the mid- to late-nineteenth century, cause us to examine our conceptions of how writers should relate to nature, how their relations should be represented through language, and how weas readersshould read such texts. Read within our common understandings of nature writing, a conception that stresses writings influenced by the Romantics, Coopers prose may seem languid and pale, but if we approach Coopers text in other ways, as I will demonstrate, we will discern the richness of Rural Hours. Interest in writing that depicts the environment has increased in recent years. Clearly, texts such as Emersons Nature and Thoreaus Walden have dominated our reading lists, but studies such as Cecelia Tichis New World, New Earth and Annette Kolodnys The Lay of the Land and The Land Before Her investigate the history of American interest in the environment and invite us to consider a variety of literary forms as important in understanding how Americans have related to their natural environment through the centuries. Tichi states, Consistently since the seventeenth century [environmental reform] has formed an integral and important part of our cultural and literary history (x). American interest in the land infiltrates our earliest documents, as Tichi proves in her study. In early America, the American spirit and the American continent were bonded ideologically, and arguably continue to be bonded ideologically, albeit in different ways (Tichi ix). Another important study of Americans conceptions of the wilderness as reflected in literature is Bernard Rosenthals City of Nature. Rosenthals  study focuses on Coopers predecessors and contemporaries, and concludes that two ideas of nature emerge in the writings of the American Romantics. He locates one idea of nature in the conception of wilderness as the space to be assumed by the emerging American city. The second idea of nature concerns the new religious myth, an individual journey into nature for the purpose of establishing what Rosenthal terms the city of the self (27). Put another way, two irreconcilable connotations emerged as the most important definitions of the word nature: one in which nature represented commodity being transformed into civilization, and one in which nature became the metaphor for a new spiritual mythology for the nineteenth-century individual (Rosenthal 31).6 Rosenthal suggests that, during the nineteenth century, the majority of Americans conceived o f nature in this first way, and that most of the American Romantic writers worked within the second understanding of nature (71).7 These two conceptions of nature largely inform our readings of nineteenth-century texts that center, in some way, around the natural world. We have been taught not only to conceive of the natural world as a metaphor for our own society, but also to read texts that depict the natural world in terms of what they impart regarding the individual human spirit.8 We therefore approach texts that describe the natural world and that share personal reflections regarding the landscape with the expectation that they will either consider the transformation of nature into its purest form, civilization, or that they will explore nature as spiritual place, as the site of an interior journey to a private place in the spirit (Rosenthal 18), or that the author will attempt both visions of nature.9 As readers we are taught that while purely descriptive prose may be poetically beautiful, it is boring, contains no metaphor or symbolism, and therefore lacks importance because it does not pertain to individ ual spiritual growth. In the words of a colleague, We skim over the flowers and birds and pretty things and look for what really happens. However, what really happens often happens within the descriptive prose that we overlook. In relying on metaphor for our readings of such texts either the metaphor of nature as civilization or nature as self we fail to investigate the implications of capturing nature in language or the process by which a writer envisions  elements of nature and transforms that vision into linguistic representation. We fail, finally, to ask how this investigation into the natural world functions not only for the individual or for society, but for the natural world itself. At this point, some may accuse me of oversimplifying nature writing; some may argue that metaphor and symbolism are the more complicated ways in which authors employ language, and that to dismiss these linguistic forms is to reduce nature writing to the parroting of knowledge of natural history, or the meaningless naming of colors, sounds, and sights. I am not, however, suggesting that nature writing texts not be considered for their metaphorical value, only that we consider the implications of only considering them in this way. Susan K. Harris makes a similar point in her study of nineteenth-century womens sentimental novels written between 1840 and 1870: There appears to be an unspoken agreement not to submit nineteenth-century American womens novels to extended analytical evaluation, largely because the evaluative modes most of us were taught devalue this literature a priori. (44) While Harriss study focuses on fictional writings, the implications of her study for the study of nature writing and Susan Fenimore Coopers text are multiple and deserving of some attention. Harris finds that the criteria upon which scholars often scrutinize texts in order to determine their literary merit and the methods they employ in analyzing texts disregard important alternative aspects of texts. Harris suggests reading texts through a method she calls process analysis, a method of reading and interpreting a text that foregrounds the relationship of the literary critical task to the critics stance in her own time (145) and that considers the public, political and social context from which the text emerged. 10 Harris explains her belief that it is important to establish the terms of the debate(s) in which the text participates the positions it takes, and how these positions are embodied in its textual structure  (46).11 Thus, as the language of the text is foregrounded, we look at the text as both reactive and creative, and disregard the traditional concern that the text self-consciously embody timeless truths' (45). A text such as Coopers Rural Hours faces many of the obstacles in contemporary criticism that the sentimental novels that interest Harris face, especially when considered as part of the category of writing that has come to be called nature writing. Not only does Coopers book adopt a prosaic style that is contrary to those of canonized texts, but her book also forms part of a genre that itself is not very well established in the canon. She is, finally, a woman writing in a denigrated style within in a genre largely ignored by traditional scholarship. As critics have only recently begun to realize, historical and contemporary writers who represent their relationships to their surrounding environments exemplify differing ways of using language, and the linguistic methods these writers employ to represent and conceive of the natural world reflect, in complicated ways, the ideological implications of our cultural conceptions of nature. An understanding of the content of such writings, the issues they raise, and the methods of linguistic construction they employ will enable us, as literary scholars and historians, to realize how our language reflects our attitudes toward the earth, and more pointedly, how such attitudes have determined, prevented, or justified our actions against, and reactions to, the earth. The traditional approaches to such texts consider timeless truths in the forms of metaphors concerning nature as civilization or journeys to nature as journeys to the self. But these views often neglect to consider the authors in terest in the political and social opinions of the time concerning the proper relationship of society and the earth, and how writers in our society throughout history have coded such opinions in language.12 Studies such as Harriss often center on cultural conceptions of gender in womens fiction.13 The recent critical focus on issues of gender differentiation has lead contemporary critics to ask if women naturally relate to the outside world differently than men. In keeping with this  interest, Annette Kolodny suggested in her 1975 study, The Lay of the Land, that womens writings and linguistic usages have all along been offering us alternate means of expression and perception (ix) and that an examination of womens writings on the subject of nature could yield better understandings of American conceptions of the wilderness. Kolodny also states that a conscious and determined struggle to formulate for themselves the meaning of their landscape characterizes the writings of nineteenth-century Americans (Lay of the Land 71). Certainly both Cooper and Thoreaus texts engage in this struggle, although their engagements take different forms. Although I am not aware of any critical investigations as to whether Coopers and Thoreaus alternative narrative styles are based in gender differences,14 most recent critics of Cooper (of which there are few) do seize on the issue of gender when exploring her text. Unlike Jones, they quickly dismiss Thoreau from their studies, and instead suggest that Coopers text presents a representative depiction of womans relationship to the natural world in nineteenth-century America.15 The most recent study of Rural Hours appears in Vera Norwoods Made from This Earth, in which the author devotes a chapter to Susan Fenimore Cooper and her arguable influence on the women nature writers subsequent to her.16 Norwood argues that Cooper represented a literary domestic,17 a woman writer who wrote to deliver the scenes and values of middle-class homes to a wide readership (27). Thus, Norwood suggests, Cooper used the occasion of her book not only to describe her natural surroundings, but also to impart valuable lessons to her readers in a non-threatening manner. Norwood asserts that Cooper turned to nature to discover what nature teaches about the roles of women in the domestic realm. 18 For example, Cooper describes robins and praises the mother robins dedication to her young, implicitly suggesting that human mothers should emulate the robins self-sacrificing nature (Cooper 39-40/Norwood 37-8). Thus, Norwood sees a conversation in Rural Hours, a dialogue that Cooper creates in her text between the natural and human worlds in which gender roles in nature inform and enlighten gender roles in human society. Finally, Norwood claims that Cooper was consumed with understanding what nature suggests about female roles and family responsibilities, and how gender definitions and familial arrangements help  people comprehend what they see in nature (37). Cooper does occasionally focus on gender roles and responsibilities in Rural Hours, but to state that she is consumed with such issues greatly exaggerates her narrative interests. As Norwood points out, Cooper ruminates on the devoted mother robin, but she also, interestingly, refers to the voluntary imprisonment of the mother, and to her generous, enduring patience (Cooper 40). While this patience is clearly a noble attribute of parental affection for Cooper, the scene leaves her somewhat incredulous and stunned by the mothers consistent, uncomplaining waiting: Cooper admits this is a striking instance of parental devotion (40). While she may advocate human parental devotion, she also recognizes that the natural world is more willingly generous than the human world,19 and that whereas humans can learn from nature, there are also aspects of the natural world beyond human comprehension.20 Interestingly, and perhaps even provocatively, Norwood does not point out that the voluntarily imprisoned mothering robin is accompanied by the male of the little family, who occasionally relieves his mate by taking her place awhile and exerts himself to bring her food, and to sing for her amusement (40). Cooper includes his participation in her description of voluntary imprisonment; his is also a striking instance of parental affection. If Cooper invokes the mother robin as a testament to giving mothering, her invocation of the father bird suggests his necessary assistance around the nest. Ultimately, then, to read Coopers text in terms of its interest in gender affords some intriguing insights: Cooper clearly remains within her position as a middle- to upper-class lady throughout her narrative and, just as clearly, seeks confirmation of gender divisions and domestic roles from the natural world.21 These instances, though, are rare in Coopers text. The themes and issues that arise more often in Rural Hours concern the establishment of a national identity and history, and while Cooper does not divorce her gender from the concerns that inform her larger agenda, she also does not encompass her interest in nationalism within explorations of  domesticity. Certainly one aspect of Coopers desire to explore the natural world in order to formulate a national identity concerns the place of women in society, but to read Rural Hours solely in terms of its attempt to explore the implications of gender roles as exemplified in the natural environment greatly simplifies the complexi ties and layers of Coopers book. I do not wish to suggest that traditional feminist readings of Coopers text are unwarranted or unnecessary, nor that such readings will prove unproductive. I do believe, however, that reading Coopers book through too narrow a focus is hazardous not only in seeking to establish her in the canon of serious and teachable writers, but also in that such a reading sidesteps many larger cultural issues that her text engages. A critical reading of Coopers text should investigate her representations and explorations of gender roles in mid-nineteenth century America as well as her other complex and overt concerns, such as the creation of an American history, the treatment of American Indians, the problems of deforestation, and the religious connotations of the natural world, all of which fall under the rubric, in Coopers text, of the establishment of a national identity.22 As Jones points out, the majority of Coopers text contains descriptions of her surroundings. Her reflections are not always couched in metaphor, as Jones also suggests, but this does not detract from the value of Coopers text, nor does it indicate that Cooper does not entertain significant issues in her writing. Coopers descriptions of her surroundings reflect and embody her larger concern for the development of a national identity based in the land. In her view, the establishment of a national identity is linked to individual conceptions of the land, its flora and fauna, its people, and the relationship of the countrys peoples to the land. Cooper depicts the landscape of Otsego Lake, relates the history of the land and its peoples, and describes the indigenous plants, animals, and waters of the area in an attempt to create an identity of place. The landscape, and the life the land supports, create the identity of this place. Coopers literature of place23 serves not only to create a natural identity for the Otsego Lake region, but also to assert the need for a similarly  constructed national identity. The creation of a national identity, then, is the cultural work of Coopers text; she seeks to locate the natural identity of her new nation. Coopers development of this theme a national identity rooted in the landscape is subtle and calculated, but a scrupulous reading of Rural Hours reveals the careful construction of Coopers text. The opening pages of Rural Hours share observations that reflect the intentions of the book as stated in Coopers 1850 preface: The following notes contain, in a journal form, the simple record of those little events which make up the course of the seasons in rural life. In wandering about the fields, . . . one naturally gleans many trifling observations. . . The following pages were written in perfect good faith, all the trifling incidents alluded to having occurred as they are recorded. (Preface) In her first chapter, we read of the coming of spring: snow thaws, buds appear, robins return to the area. These are seemingly little events, trifling in their lack of worldly significance. One almost immediately notices, however, the pride Cooper takes in plants and animals peculiar to her native land, those that are uniquely Americas own. In contrast to the European robin, our robin never builds [a nest] on the ground (21), and the pretty white-bellied swallow, which has been confounded with the European martin is, Cooper assures, peculiar to America (56). Cooper also explains the uniqueness of American plants, complaining that the wild natives of the woods are often crowded out by European plants that were introduced by the colonists and that [drive] away the prettier natives (81).24 In her discussion of autumn in America, Cooper ruminates, Had the woods of England been as rich as our own English writers would have praised the season in their writings long ago (336). Instead, one is led to believe that the American autumn has helped to set the fashions for the sister season of the Old World (335). American writers reflections on the landscape have encouraged English writers to do the same, Cooper  suggests. These trifling observations begin to speak together, and we find Cooper asserting the importance of knowing the natural forms indigenous to ones place. Thus, for Cooper, determining which birds, animals, and plants are native to America, as well as which of these are unknown to Europeans, helps to define the American landscape, and therefore helps to establish a national identity. She takes pride in her land and in its natural wealth. Cooper also mourns the losses that her land incurs, suggesting that any depletion of the natural aspects of a place drastically alter its identity. Like her seemingly innocent cataloging of natural plants and animals indigenous to America, which emerges as a plea for national pride and definition based on the natural world, her repeated lamentings of disappearing or decreasing portions of the natural world emerge as a plea for the preservation of the wilderness. Like Coopers gently emerging concern for identifying indigenous plants and animals, Cooper gradually develops this theme of loss throughout her text. Little events, when taken cumulatively, have large implications. Cooper observes wild pigeons in early March, for instance, and recalls a previous season when they passed over the valley in large unbroken flocks several miles in extent succeeding each other. Then she remarks, There have not been so many here since that season (18). The reader might dismiss this observation due to its early position in her book, but as one progresses through the text and continually comes across this motif of longing for previous times whensomehownature was more complete, one realizes that Cooper is truly concerned about the changes taking place in her surroundings. Her concern becomes much more overt, but not until much later in the book.25 Coopers seemingly minor concern for the losses of groups of birds or plants culminates in her consideration of the rapid deforestation occurring in the country.26 She returns to the subject many times throughout the course of Rural Hours and, further along in the book, strongly criticizes people for their careless use of timber: One would think that by this time, when the forest has fallen in all the valleys when the hills are becoming more bare every daywhen timber and fuel are rising in prices, and new uses are found for even indifferent woodssome forethought and care in this respect would be natural in people laying claim to common sense. (213-14) Clearly, Cooper is warning her contemporaries by suggesting that they discontinue the destruction of trees for purposes of fueling their homes. The continual destruction of the forests so radically alters the landscape that Cooper cannot conceive of continued deforestation. She not only seeks to educate her audience regarding the benefits of preservation; she also makes the preservation of the American landscape a moral imperative. This moral duty for national preservation becomes linked to Coopers feelings regarding the red man, or Native Americans (93). Again, Cooper subtly portrays this sense of the loss of the indigenous peoples early in Rural Hours. When standing beside a clear running spring, she states, one seems naturally to remember the red man; recollections of his vanished race linger there in a more definite form than elsewhere (93). The rolling, clear water somehow evokes the vanished race: yesterday they were here, to-day scarce a vestige of their existence can be pointed out among us (94). However, later in Rural Hours, Cooper more overtly conveys her feelings regarding the colonists treatment of the indigenous peoples, which she finds integral to the colonists treatment of the landscape. While viewing a forest grove, she laments: It needs but a few short minutes to bring one of these trees to the ground (193). She reminds her readers that entire generations will come and go in the time that it takes for one of these mature trees to reach such magnificent heights: The stout arm so ready to raise the axe to-day, must grow weak with age, it must drop into the grave; its bone and sinew must crumble into dust long before another tree, tall and great as those, shall have grown from the cone in our hand (193-94). In the same paragraph, Cooper calls for a reinstitution of wilderness, claiming that the wild deer, the wolf and the bear must return from beyond the great lakes, and then, significantly, that the bones of the savage men buried under our feet must arise and move again. . . ere trees like those ever appear again, so large, so wild (194).27 The mistreatment of Native Americans emerges as a large theme in Coopers text. She advocates retaining the names they gave to places and portions of the natural world, partly because of the beauty in Indian words, which [unite] both sound and meaning (484). In the creation of a national identity, Cooper intimates, the power of names is very suggestive: names reveal history and meaning, and the Indians words capture both elements. She argues against re-naming places not only due to the beauty of the Native Americans languages, however, but also because she believes that somehow European-Americans owe the indigenous peoples something. The refrain of loss that resonates throughout Coopers text reaches its climax in the following passage. I quote at length to impart Coopers passion: There are many reasons for preserving every Indian name which can be accurately placed; generally, they are recommended by their beauty; but even when harsh in sound, they still have a claim to be kept up on account of their historical interest, and their connection with the dialects of the different tribes. A name is all we leave them, let us at least preserve that monument to their memory; as we travel through the country, and pass river after river, lake after lake, we may thus learn how many were the tribes who have melted away before us, whose very existence would have been utterly forgotten but for the word which recalls the name they once bore. (485) As these words suggest, Coopers concerns in Rural Hours are far-reaching. Cooper finds little distinction between the establishment of a national identity based in the uniqueness of the land, the preservation of the wilderness, and the maintenance of the influence of indigenous cultures.28 The natural history of this place and its people provide its meaning. These enmeshed issues resonate even more strongly when Cooper places them in accordance with her religious ideals. Although her Christianity by no means permeates the text, its presence offers a cohesion between her many areas of interest. Cooper envisions each and every aspect of the natural world as belonging to part of Gods plan for Americans. For example, while admiring a particularly beautiful sky, Cooper says, At hours like these, the immeasurable goodness, the infinite wisdom of our Heavenly Father, are displayed in so great a degree of condescending tenderness to unworthy, sinful man, as must appear quite incomprehensible- entirely incredible to reason alonewere it not for the recollection of the mercies of past years, the positive proofs of experience.What have the best of us done to merit one such day in a lifetime of follies and failings and sins? (73-74) I do want to stress that these moments are rare in Coopers text, that her homilies are short and few, but that they clearly convey her sense of wonder about the natural world.29 She finds value in each aspect of the natural world, and seeks to preserve the world as a testament of her faith in God. While maintaining the Puritan notion that the new world was intended for the colonists to cultivate, and that their duties included imparting Christianity to the Native Americans,30 Cooper also stresses the need to balance the human presence on, and cultivation of, the land with careful preservation of it. She envisions a society that works with the land, not against it, and that creates a national identity based on its intimate knowledge of, and respect for, the natural world. She suggests this balance between humans and nature lightheartedly, saying Many birds like a village life; they seem to think man is a very good-natured animal, building chimneys and roofs, planting groves, and digging gardens for their especial benefit (63). But she also asserts the seriousness of her belief in admiring her village, rural and unambitious, and quite in proportion with surrounding objects (114). Cooper further explains her belief in a rural ideal,31 a sustainable  balance between civilization and nature, in an essay collected in The Home Book of the Picturesque, which was published in 1851: The hand of man generally improves a landscape. The earth has been given to him, and his presence in Eden is natural; he gives life and spirit to the garden. It is only when he endeavors to rise above his true part of laborer and husbandman, when he assumes the character of creator, and piles you up hills, pumps you a river, scatters stones, or sprinkles cascades, that he is apt to fail. Generally the grassy meadow in the valley, the winding road climbing the hill-side, the cheerful village on the bank of the stream, give a higher additional interest to the view; or where there is something amiss in the scene, it is when there is some evident want of judgement, or good sense, or perhaps some proof of selfish avarice, or wastefulness, as when a country is stripped of its wood to fill the pockets or feed the fires of one generation. (82) This interest in creating a national identity based upon a balance of civilization, nature, and the preservation of religious ideologies forms the basic underlying motif in Coopers text. While her words often convey seemingly simple observations about her surroundings, Coopers linking of the natural world and the human treatment of it with the necessity of establishing a national conception of the proper human relationship to nature forms a complex, intricate portrayal of the myriad concerns of nineteenth-century life. Rural Hours also reveals how issues surrounding the formation of national concepts of environmental treatment were intertwined with the establishment of pride in a new country. Additional readings of Rural Hours will undoubtedly uncover themes and tropes unexplored in the present essay. In order for this to occur, however, we must continually ask ourselves how our preconceptions may prohibit finding value in texts that do not meet established, too often unchallenged, criteria for judgements. One can approach Rural Hours, finally, as a natural history engaged in creating the story of a region and as an attempt to appreciate nature on its own terms: not as a commodity for human use, but as beautiful, powerful, and suggestive of Gods greatness. In writing a  balance between humans and nature, Cooper sets an agenda not only for her region, but for the country as a whole. Her text is filled with natural history, but it also expounds upon the concerns of an age in Americas history. As such, it greatly contributes to our understandings of the human presence on the land.

The Cahokian civilization Essay Example for Free

The Cahokian civilization Essay The Cahokian civilization, one of the largest Native American tribes, was indigenous to the Midwest. Cahokia is also known as â€Å"the city history forgot.† This complex and sophisticated society challenges the stereotypical beliefs of Native American as being primitive, ignorant savages. The Cahokian civilization provides the basis for political, economic, and social developments that â€Å"changed the course of human history.† ( Timothy Pauketat) After reading Timothy Pauketat’s insightful essay, â€Å" Cahokia: A Pre-Columbian American City†, I was intrigued by the Cahokia’s people and culture. This society quickly evolved from a village to an elaborate city. The Cahokian complex architectural aspects included better homes, pyramids and plazas. Through expansion, their beliefs and customs were diffused into other civilizations. Due to warfare, many complex advancements were designed to protect the central city. An elaborate 15, 000 log wall was built to defend their city. The advanced Cahokian society was developed prior to any European interaction. Having known very little about such a complex and elaborate civilization, I was intrigued by many of the Cahokian developments and beliefs. Their centralized authority, the nature and the extent of their influence over vast areas, are aspects of many other European civilizations. This essay challenged many of my prior ideas and beliefs about the Native Americans. The city planning and the organization of the city of Cahokia resembled the city of ancient Rome. The Cahokian civilization used the method of Cahokianization to expand and spread their ideologies throughout their territory. Similarly, the ancient Romans used the method of Romanization to expand and spread their empire. Both societies developed and utilized similar military tactics and strategies. Under the rule of Constantine I, the Romans built a wall to protect their city from invaders, the Cahokians built a wall made of logs for protection. These two distant civilizations demonstrated similar ideologies and strategies. I have gained more insight and knowledge after reading Timothy Pauketat’s essay on the intricate city of Cahokia. It is puzzling that such a complex society that had lasted for about 250 years just vanished. Many archeologists have different ideas on the collapse and disappearance of Cahokia. It is incomprehensible that such an elaborate society vanished and is forgotten in many history books. The civilization of Cahokia was advanced, complex and sophisticated. This innovative tribe challenges the European ideologies of viewing Native Americans as primitive and ignorant. This civilization provided the economic, social and political standards that was implemented in other civilizations.

Gender Equality in Employment

Gender Equality in Employment Even though Men and Woman constantly work and compete in this society for recognition and rewards. Nowadays Woman is given equal opportunities in every profession from Business to Defense. But there is an historical saying that Men are stronger and smatter than Woman, Which is true to some extinct but when we compare todays world we say that its totally disagreeable statement. In every profession woman are showing there talent and hard work and making others praise them. Recently in a study conducted by an UK University there are few things that should be noted, Men are 30-40% stronger than Woman and Woman are 10% more smatter than Men (Sunderland University, 2007). Today we can see that Customer Service and Other Office oriented jobs are mainly dominated by woman, in which aggression levels are not accepted, where as Engineering and Construction oriented jobs are dominated by Man. By this we can understand that Men are more aggressive than Woman. Governments all around the world actively encouraged woman to take part in country development expect some Gulf countries where woman are only allowed to work in offices but not in other sectors. Woman are excelling now a days in every profession, they are leading countries and business, Recently Germany elected its first woman president and companies like Pepsi Co. and other Fortune 500 are managed by Woman CEOs. Women are made as brand ambassadors for many International brands like Cannon, Sony etc But still in some parts of the world women are criticized and not able to perform, the recent assassination of former and the first women president of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto, which shocked the entire world (New York Times, 2008). Many influential women around the world are  assassinated for dominating men. Although many western countries already started respecting women in every action they perform. Social relationships of women with men are weakening resulting divorces. Domestic violence against women in the Western countries like United States increased a lot since 1980s. Women are sexually abused by Men, making them restricted to some part of the society. Statistics prove that three out of every four women were subject to abuse: 9% of which was done by ex-husbands, 35% by boyfriends and 32% by ex-boyfriends (Domestic Violence-Report of an Inter-Agency Working Party, 1992), Governments passed strict rules even death sentence in Republic of China for abusing women. Facing all the se problems still women are equally competing with men in all areas. Some of the most influential women in the world are Oprah, Hillary, Mother Theresa, Benazir Bhutto, Indira Ghandi, Angelina Jolie, and many others. Literature Review The scope of this research is whether women can truly be successful in the world dominated by men, in which I studied various topics on women development which are explained below. I explained the various stages of women development during last century. In current situations women are given equal opportunities with men, but can this really done? The basic idea of this research is women are still striving over the domination of men. I examined many Surveys, Interviews, and Observations to include in this project, which claims the result. There are some factors which prove the fact. The most important social changes for woman development are identified as: Gender Equality around the world makes a clear description of the women development. Resource Availability to  women worker to prove them in the society, Schemes launched by Governments to Women empowerment and the Advertising Media interference to the issue like rating top influential women in the world bought some radical changes in the society. Methodology When I Studied the Recent Survey on Womens Empowerment and Development I found that in Globalizing world Men and Women are given equal gender rights. Still, the violence towards women is an epidemic Against which no country in immune. Womens Empowerment is different in different countries; we can take an example of Developed, Developing and Underdeveloped Countries. The women in Developed countries seem to assign more rights and freedom than the developing and underdeveloped countries. People in western countries honor women for there excellence and courage, but in some Gulf, African and Asian countries they are not able to even go out of their homes. During last Iran war thousands of women are made homeless and widows, many Western NGO (Non Profit Organizations) came forward to help the disadvantaged people by providing some work under Government schemes. In a Recent Public Poll on Women rights conducted by World Public Opinion 89% of Mexican said its very important for women to have equal rights as of men, where as 77% of United States people said its very important and the average stands at 59%. The majority of the people around the world are supporting equal rights (World Public Opinion, March 6th 2008). United Nations (UN) started participating actively around the world for women development. In a questionnaire survey conducted in 16 countries 14 countries responded in favor of UN in actively participating for women development, however in Egypt Most of those polled (70%) think the United Nations should not get involved in efforts to improve womens rights and among the Palestinians views are evenly divided. On average, 64 percent approve of UN efforts to further the rights of women, while 28 percent say this would be improper interference. (World Public Opinion, March 6th 2008). In 2004 The OECD was subsequently asked to investigate the barriers for women in academic and non-academic research careers in New Zealand. The reports say that women has higher rate of enrollment in higher education with 9.4% where as men as 8.2% (OECD and Ministry of Research Science and Technology, Feb10, 2005). By which we can easily understand women are stepping an ahead of men in scientific careers. When we compare the turnover rate of Women with Men here is the result of the survey conducted in 2004 for African Women Development, since 2000, the turnover rate for women has been higher than the rate for men. Turnover for female public servants increased from 12% in 2000 to 13% in 2004. The turnover rate for male public servants remained unchanged over this period (at 10%). This Survey also proved a Psychological factor which is making women focus on there development is the family responsibility. Overall, 52% of women earned less than $40,000 (compared with 33% of men) and 5% e arned more than $80,000 (compared with 12% of men). The pay gap between the median salary for female and male public servants decreased between 2000 and 2004, from 17% to 16%. Women are reaching new heights, attaining growth and development. The migration of women has always been an important component of international migration. As of 2000, 49 per cent of all international migrants were women or girls, and the proportion of females among international migrants had reached 51 percent in more developed regions. (2004-World Survey on the Role of Women in Development, Conducted by UNESCO), Even though women are facing more troubles than man have, these factors all lead to the destruction of social relationships between man and woman making a self competing world. When I Studied a Recent survey on Women Rights here is what I like to present Globalization is a multi-dimensional process of economic, political, cultural, and ideological change. It has had a mixed impact on womens rights. On the one hand, it has led to increasing violations of womens economic, political, and cultural rights in large measure due to the withering away of the welfarist/developmentalist state, the feminization of poverty, the expansion of religious fundamentalisms, and new forms of militarism and conflict. It has been noted by many international womens organizations, for example, that the new trade agreements contravene the spirit and often the letter of international conventions on human rights, labor rights, and womens rights. On the other hand, aspects of globalization have provided women with increasing opportunities to work in solidarity at national, regional, and international levels to demand their rights. UNSECO is actively working on the implementation of adv anced Human Rights which mainly focus on contribution on Women security and welfare. The women are seeking equal work culture in organizations, which are now only enjoyed by men. In many companies the women as less pay rates when compared to men, where as security of a women working in a company is less. World Jurisdiction has ample of cases registered on sexual harassment on women. When I made a Research on Recognition of Women in the society Women all around the globe are respected and treated as important source of development and existence of human mankind. International Womens Day (IWD) is observed on March 8th Which is celebrated across the globe. It is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women. The first IWD was observed on Feb 29th, 1909 in the United States. Many women marked there positions as the most influential persons in the world, Such as Mother Teresa who was given Woman of the Century for her service. Women proved in every area such as Polictics, Business, Adminstration, Law, Engineering etc†¦ Women ruled nations, managed companies taking potential decesions, worked in Space and every deal as the list goes on. Countries like Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka are once ruled by princess and these countries give a lot of importance to woman. Woman in these countries serve in most influential posit ions in the Government. Many countries have elected women as Presidents, United States in yet to elect a Lady President. Time Magzine also reported the top most influetial woman on the planet, which is the highest recognition in the society. Women are given Nobel Lauratee for there excellence in the field of specialisation. During an Interview with Vicki Donlan, author of Her Turn and founder of Womens Business describes why its time for women to continue to step into leadership roles in America, the steps we can take to make this happen and the benefits for women AND men when more women lead. She said women are capable of leading a country like United States without any obstacles, She also stated that women all around the world are intelligent and courages for their development. Indra Nooyi, CEO of Pepsi Co.: Indra was named the #1 Most Powerful Women in Business in 2006 by Fortune Magazine. As President and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo, she is the highest ranking Woman in corporate America. Shes helped engineer over $30 billion worth of deals in the past few years and is taking on the challenge of some fierce competition: a newly energized Coca-Cola campaign. She was every confident with her work and decisions she take for the one of the latest business which operates in 190 countries. She always says that every woman can do anything in life, they are equal with men. (Top Business Woman, 2006 by Fortune Magazine) During an Interview with Michelle Crain, Director of Call center, Inc. and one of the most influential women in the business, she started that women are best in business and she said about the Women Educational Development as â€Å"A number of occupations became professionalized through the 19th and 20th centuries, gaining regulatory bodies, and passing laws or regulations requiring particular higher educational requirements. As womens access to higher education was often limited, this effectively restricted womens participation in these professionalizing occupations. For instance, women were completely forbidden access to Cambridge University until 1868, and were encumbered with a variety of restrictions until 1987 when the University adopted an equal opportunity policy.† Beside Interviews I also observed during my Internet Research I found that women are leading the way in many countries, but in some countries they are lagging behind men. The inspiration of other women makes them to move forward and achieve new heights. For example in United States more than 65% of the women work and 12% are running business in the same way if we take Kenya only 14% of the women work, mainly devoted to Agriculture field. The Women in Countries like China, India and Other Asian Countries are developing and there is an increasing statistics of working women. Governments are taking initiatives for Women Development in these countries by launching schemes for working women. The United States Employment Law is totally in favor of women by providing same wage rates, flexible working hours and Maternity leaves. It is observed in United States that the women as better Credit Score than men. This shows that Women are constantly developing in the society. The inspiration and Government actions women are excelling and there is lot more to do. The Women in Countries like United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Other European Countries are fully development and in transition phase. But the Countries like India, China, Pakistan and Other Asian Countries they still developing; Governments are taking active role in Women Development and Empowerment. UN interference is also making them to work on this issue. Reports and Surveys say that Women in North Korea, Kenya and other African Countries are still facing lot of problems, and there is no aid to rescue them. When I made an Internet Research Observation the Women in Developed and Developing Countries are facing sexual harassments at work environment. Governments and Companies passed strict rules against the sexual harassment on women, but the strategy didnt change. The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2004 shows that there are more than 1500 women killed in United States for Sexual Harassments. In India the working women are sexually harassed and killed, recently three cases are recorded in International companies like HP and Wipro, where Call Center Associates were sexually harassed and killed by the Drivers appointed by the companies, this made companies to take initiative in launching GPRS to the cars that are used to pick and drop women employees. The jurisdictions around the world are fully loaded with sexual harassments cases, which are yet to justify. When I made a survey with other women on Streets about the Security on Women the Woman told that the women should develop there own security system to protect against men, by waging fight for human rights. Many activists have already started these types of fights to improve the women rights in the society. Many Women Claim that these types of sexual harassments make women mentally bind to there homes and are not able to work in the environment. Majority of the women said that we are also part of the society and should be respected and treated well is the basic point that should be noted by men. When I made an Observation on Women in Business I found that Women are leading many International companies with motivation and high decision making skills, Men and Women equally contribute to the development of the economy. Both are now money maker and creators. UN has taken a step forward to help the women in Business by launching a Development center for Women Development, which focuses on women in Business sectors. Training programs are given to women who are interested in starting there own business. In my Internet Research on Women in Business I found that Fortune 500 Companies are managed and operated by many women. For example: Indra Nooyi. The present CEO of Pepsi Co. and another example: The founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics created a business that has helped some half a million women fulfills their dreams of business ownership. A best-selling author and powerful motivational speaker, Lifetime Television named her the Most Outstanding Woman in Business in the 20th Century. Debbi Fields is one of the greatest Women Entrepreneur she at age of 20, Debbi Fields was a housewife with no business experience, but a great chocolate chip cookie recipe and a dream. Today, Mrs. Fields Cookies is one of the worlds most recognizable dessert franchises, with over 600 stores in the U.S. and ten other countries. When I made an Online Observation on the Women in Scientific Inventions where I found that Women also spread there activity in Scientific Inventions by inventing many prominent inventions in the world. Cancer is one of the most killing diseases on the world, Dr. Marie Curie is known to the world as the scientist who discovered radioactive metals i.e. Radium Polonium Marie Curie contributed greatly to our understanding of radioactivity and the effects of x-rays. She received two Nobel prizes for her brilliant work, but died of leukemia, caused by her repeated exposure to radioactive material. Mary Dixon Kies in 1809 received the first U. S. patent issued to a woman. Kies, a Connecticut native, invented a process for weaving straw with silk or thread. First Lady Dolley Madison praised her for boosting the nations hat industry. Unfortunately, the patent file was destroyed in the great Patent Office fire in 1836. She is generally regarded as the mother of inventions. Many other women fo r there excellence in Inventions were awarded Nobel Laureates, in every filed that Nobel is awarded Women had there positions. When I made an Observation on Successful women in Space and Defense Sector I found that Space Administration is most difficult way to exploring the universe, Women has made everything possible there are more than 50 women still date that traveled in space exploring new inventions and discoveries. Tereshkova is a Russian Engineer who was entitled to be the first women in Space; she was in space for 2.95 days. NASA has more than 2500 women engineers and technicians working on different space missions. Many explorations which include the recent Mars exploration which was engineered by women, marking there name on top. Many women even died in failures of missions leaving an inspiration note to other women, When studying Successful women in various Internet and Extranet sources I found that nowadays the Women Applications at NASA centers and other Defense Research Centers are increasing, which shows a sign of interest and motivation. There are women Pilots, Engineers, Technicians and other working staff in every country Defense Research and implementation. Many women are leading armies and the defense related issues. Questionnaire Question 1: Do you really think men and women are equal in working environment? Question 2: What are the changes you need to get for better woman working? Question 3: Do you think working men and women have low social relationships? Question 4: What is the role men play in womens working class? Question 5: Do you think men are responsible for women underdevelopment? Question 6: Do you support women working in defense? Question 7: What are the additional rights that a woman is in need of? Question 8: Do you think UN is taking an active role in Women Development? Question 9: What are the measures we have take to develop the women working class in African and other Asian countries? Question 10: Do you think women in western countries are safe? Question 11: What are the measures you suggest for decreasing the Sexual Harassment cases? Please mention a few of the measures? Question 12: Do you think United States has equal gender rights? Question 13: Do you support women having low wage rate than men? Question 14: What is the role that governments should play for equal gender rights? Question 15: Whom do you prefer if you have a company? Men Women The Data I found when I surveyed 160 women near my Neighborhood and on Streets was only 3% of the women show anguish that women are not equally treated to men, there was 94% of the women say that women are equal with men in all fields. When I asked some questions from the above questionnaire in my survey like the response for the survey is 1. Do you think Women are Successful? The Answer was 96% of the women said yes and the rest 4% said up to some extent only needs more development. 2. Do you think United States has equal gender rights? The Answer is 100% said yes, United States has 100% equal gender rights. 3. Do you support women having low wage rate than men? The Answer in the survey is 74% said yes we support and 26% said no, when I asked them why you are not supporting yourself in wage plan: They just answered that Men should know that we are also same in the work. 4. Do you support women working in defense? The Answer was 100% percent said Yes, We can anywhere in the world. When I asked my group the most sensitive question in my questionnaire. 5. Do you think working men and women have low social relationships? The Answer is only 12% said yes on Low Social Relationships where as 88% percent said No, Its understanding and family responsibility. Discussion on Women Success Men had dominance over Women from the inception of human mankind, making them restricted to a very own limits. Men dominated Women in every step of life, taking out the opportunities from her hand. Now the time has come for a rapid change, which is equal existence. This is mainly not agreeable by some men, who always see women in a lower identity. Women responded well for this situation and started protesting for their basic rights. Men and Women must be given equal opportunity and status that men enjoy in the society. Some men agree to this statement, while some say that women are not compactable to working situations. While we take some examples of greatest men and women the larger percentage are men, and how the reports are changing even women are having higher rates of success. In earlier days very low percentage of women used to graduate where now the percentage is highly rising above the men, with the effect of Globalization the opportunities for women and men are almost same in the corporate world. If women are working smatter than men, then a radical change happens in the corporate world which involves switching of gender workers. Some women strongly believe that women are equal to men, which is true only to some extinct, where as in some cases men deal more smatter and quicker than women. Experiments and other surveys show that women concentrate on work more than men, but the decision making skills are slower when compared to men. Governments support to women development is also considered as important step in women achievers. The world around us clearly agree that Women as Successes in eve ry step of there life. SWOT Analysis of Working Women When I made some Internet Research on Women Success, I made a SWOT analysis to test there ability and treats so I made SWOT analysis for both men and women Here is the SWOT analysis of women, by which we can evaluate the points that help the women in there development, also we can evaluate the weakness of women. Strengths: Work Concentration, Determination and inspirational towards work. Weakness: Physically weak, Psychological Weakness, Barrier for Long Working Hours. Opportunities: Government Schemes, Globalization, Equal Gender rights and Special Women Rights. Threats: Sexual Harassment, Dominance of Men and Devaluation of Social responsibilities. Here is SWOT analysis of Men, by which we can evaluate on which basis men are leading over women. Strengths: Hard Working, Decision Making Skills, High Technical Knowledge and Long Hour Working. Weakness: Addiction to Alcohols, Low Concentration skills and Financial Tensions. Opportunities: Predominance in Engineering and Construction sectors, Physical Strength and Globalization. Threats: Entry of Women to the industry and Government Schemes. Comparison: After comparing and researching the two SWOT analyses I can clearly understand that Women and Men are equal in Oppurtunities, Strengths and Weakness but when we see the Treats Women have high risk features when compared to men. Suggestions and Opinions Keeping Women Success in Research Ive included some suggestions and opinions, that helps in improving the Success rate in Women. Equal Gender Rights and Women Empowerment are the main issues that were faced as critical areas of development by Governments these days. Governments and NGOs appointed several cultural working organizations for this development, which is a good step but these are mainly concerned to some extent of the geography. Here are some of the suggestions this project includes for Women Development and Equal Gender Rights. †¢Governments in African and Asian Continents should implement more developing schemes and take an initiative for Women Development and Equal Gender Rights. The Women rights in these areas are not well implemented as of many western countries. Governments should enforce Laws relating to wok environment and Sexual Harassments on women. †¢United Nations Role for Women Development in these Areas: UN should sanction more International funds to these areas for Women employment, Appoint volunteer organizations in these areas for educating and training women in specific skills. UN must force Governments to implement Equal Rights for Women and Men. †¢Special Schemes for European Women Workers: European Union (EU) is the richest financial market in the whole world, Euro as marked its presence as the Global Trading Currency, Even though the women workers in EU are less when compared to United States and Canada. EU should take initiative in increasing wage plans for Women workers and other fringe benefits. †¢During my Research I found that Female Discrimination in Asian countries is very high, female child deaths are recorded in every part of Asia, Mainly in India. Indians Psychologically think that females are low productive and cost oriented as they grow up, So poor families kill if a female baby is born, Now a days trend is changing Low Female Child Deaths are recorded. Government intervention in this issue made this happen. Government of India has passed several laws for presentation of early marriage of women and child labor in the society, which is not disabled till now. These types of activities on women should be completely taken out from the society. †¢ With Opinion of the people I surveyed, I found that 96% of the women need more Women Maternity Leaves: In United States women are generally assigned to taken maternity leave for 30 days which is a good option for the working women to take leave without quitting the job, But I think these leaves should be increased to 45-50 days with paid benefits. Result After briefly examining the growth and success of women in the last century and different surveys and interviews based on women development and empowerment. Womens motivation and determination towards work is running them towards success. Women around the world are now empowered with new innovative ideas and techniques with the support of Government and other Organizations. There was a rapid change in the status of women in last 2 decades, they started careers in every profession that man has done. The constant inspiration they get from other women makes them to search for a new opportunity. Women are more exploring nature than men, so they have new prospective ideas which work. Many women have marked there names as the most influential women on planet earth, But when we compare the worlds top 100 richest people in the world we have only two womens listed on. This says there is lot more to achieve. Women have just started off in there success run; there is a long distance to travel for status and pride. Men and Women are building competitive work culture, which is having cutthroat competition. Women are fighting for equal rights, even many women welfare and development organizations were established for protecting women against these unlawful issues. Women with tremendous support and motivation may lead there way to success. Globalization shows a challenging way for women with ample of opportunities from Small Scale industries to Defense. Women have wide spread there wings across each and every profession. During my Research with Women Companies World Magazine, 2007 I found that even companies deigned some professional careers especially for women, in which female domination appears than men such as Tourism and Service Sector Jobs. Women now a day appear more confident in work than men, hard work, motivational levels made them to reach different scales of height. Women are clearly standing on the same stature than a man enjoys in the society, Working women are respected and appreciated with rewards. In todays society Men and Women are equally treated with honor and respect, Even though there is no end for Development, Women should move wisely towards the better futures with more and more new innovations in mind. Mother Teresa is truly Women of the Century with working on Social Service as profession, well recognized and honored for her excellence. Mother Teresa Inspirations made many women to work hard towards there goal and destiny. References A survey on women rights by www.WorldPublicOpinion.org on March 6, 2008. Women Development and Strategies, Women Empowerment A Book written by Desbai in 2000. Increase of Women in Research and Development by Ministry of Research Science and Technology of New Zealand (www.morst.govt.nz). Chapter 8 of Women in Public Service by Government of New Zealand (www.ssc.govt.nz). 2004 Survey on role of women in the worlds Development by UNESCO. Worlds leading Business women and there achievements taken from www.leadingwomen.biz. Indra Nooyi, Powerful Business lady www.Capitalistchicks.com. A Survey on Womens loss in Global warming Women Development Environment Organization (WEDO). An Interview with C. Rice (Secretary of State), by Washington post on Dec 15th, 2006. List of NASA women astronauts published in January 2008. Top influential women on the planet earth Fortune Business Successful women, 2006 Andre Grove