Prison Privitisation essays

Prison Privitisation essays Privatization in corrections is a trend that is assuming increasing significance. Pratt and Maahs, characterizing privatization in corrections as a growth industry go on to note: Rooted primarily in the political and economic context of the 1980s. The movement to privatize public services has received increasing support in response to taxpayer demands that government provide more services with fewer resources. Advocates of correctional privatization often argue from a public choice theoretical perspective... holding that private entities can provide correctional services at a lower cost than governmental agencies. At best, however, the empirical evidence for this claim- - the efficiency hypothesis- - remains inconclusive (1999, 358.) The practice of privatization has received its share of criticism, with concern being expressed over the possibility of prison conditions deteriorating as the result of an effort to save money on the part of government. Coercive confinement carries with it an obligation to meet the basic need of the prisoner, notes Logan in this regard. Thus, measures of health care, safety, sanitation, nutrition, and other aspects of basic living conditions are relevant. Furthermore, confinement must meet a constitutional standard of fairness and due process, so it is not just the effectiveness and efficiency, but also the procedural justice with which confinement is imposed that is important. This author goes on to characterize confinement as much more than just warehousing (Logan, 1992, 579.) The goal of confinement should be, instead, to promote the rehabilitation of prisoners and ensure that they are housed in decent and humane conditions. No one expects a prison to be a Holiday Inn, but all authorities agree that unless prisoners are assured a decent standard of living, as well as education and, job training, rehabilitation cannot take ...

The emergence and growth of multinational enterprises Essays

The emergence and growth of multinational enterprises Essays The emergence and growth of multinational enterprises Paper The emergence and growth of multinational enterprises Paper Essay Topic: Sociology Among the many existing economic and social theories on the emergence of the multinational enterprise (MNE) and its relationship with foreign direct investment (FDI), internalisation theory has room for further development in a present day context, thus is the subject of this study. An MNE is an enterprise that engages in foreign direct investment (FDI) and owns or controls value-adding activities in more than one country (Dunning, 1993, p. 3). Several schools of thought exist in business literature that explain the internationalisation process of firms, such as market imperfection theory (Hymer, 1976; Kindleberger, 1969), product life-cycle theory (Vernon, 1971), internalisation/transaction costs analysis (Buckley Casson, 1976; Williamson, 1977, 1993) and OLI paradigm (Dunning, 1980). This study focuses on internalisation theory due to its great contribution to development of MNE theory. The main objective of this study is to explore the framework of internalisation theory using a case of video game industry in Japan,to further refine the theory. In the first section, the relevant literature on internalisation theory are critically reviewed. In particular, two empirical research projects are highlighted in order to determine which research method is appropriate to this area of study. Further questions are subsequently discussed in the second section. In the last section, the research design is described. 1. Literature Review 1.1 Internalisation Theory The main concept of internalisation theory is that firms grow by internalising markets through foreign direct investment (FDI) to minimise transaction costs (Buckley, 1988). If the cost of using arms-length markets are low, some form of arms-length arrangement (licensing, exporting, franchising, joint venture (JV)) would occur (Buckley Casson, 1976, 1988). Internalisation theory developed by Buckley and Casson (1976) is based on the empirical evidence obtained from their survey research. For the sample they chose 434 large manufacturing firms and collected each firms data including growth rate, profitability, size and capital-intensity in order to examine the relationship between multinationality, growth and profitability which stems from the internalisation. Through the statistical analysis, Buckley and Casson confirmed their postulate that internalisation of markets generates MNEs. Buckley and Casson (1976)s approach to research can be categorised as positivistic approach. There are mainly two different ways of approaching research which are positivistic approach and phenomenological approach (Saunders, Lewis Thornhill, 1997). As a definition of positivism, Benton and Craib (2001) state that in social science it can be seen as an attempt to put the study of human social life on a scientific footing by extending the methods and forms of explanation which have been successsful in natural science (Benton Craib, 2001, p. 28). On the other hand, phenominology is concerned with understanding human behaviour from the participants own frame of reference (Hussey Hussey, 1997, p. 52), PAs Hussey and Hussey (1997) explain, positivistic approach is objective in nature and uses deductive process, while phenomenological approach is more subjective in nature and inductive in the research process. The advantage of positivistic approach is that research findings possess a high level of reliability. The data produced from positivist research is usually quantitative data which refers to all data that is collected in numerical form (Hussey Hussey, 1997, pp. 150). Therefore, if research findings yielded from quantitative data were repeated by another researcher, (s)he could obtain similar results (Hussey Hussey, 1997). In the case of Backley and Casson (1976)s research, large cross-sectional samples and numerical company data made their findings reliable. The disadvantage of positivist research is that validity will likely be low (Hussey Hussey, 1997). Validity is concerned with whether the findings are really about what they appear to be about (Saunders, Lewis Thornhill,1997). According to Hussey and Hussey, because positivistic research focuses on the precision of measurement, often the measure does not reflect the phenomenon which the researcher investigates. Regarding Backley and Casson (1976)s research method, Kobrin (1977, pp. 138) criticised as follows: difficulties of their research are unnecessarily compounded by a very partial reporting of results; for example, statistics rather than coefficients are reported as measures of the strength of association. From a different viewpoint, Backley and Casson (1976)s research has another weakness in terms of data collection. They mention two short-comings of the data: firstly, information on RD expenditure is available only by industry and not by firm, and secondly, an international and interregional breakdown of operations by host country is available only for a very limited number of firms (Buckley Casson, 1976, pp. 84). In quantitative research, such lack of data would be a severe disadvantage. 1.2 Application of Internalisation Theory Considerable amounts of research have been undertaken in order to test the application of internalisation theory. A case study of Coca-Cola in China conducted by Mok, Dai and Yeung (2002) is an empirical tests. In their research, internalisation theory was used to explain Coca-Colas experience and success by changing modes of entry from franchising to JVs. Mok et al. concluded a key of Coca-Colas success in the Chinese market was the internalisation of its market transactions through establishment of JVs rather than wholly owned subsidiaries. The contribution of Mok et al. (2002)s research was they not only provided implications of internalisation theory but also insight into the market expansion strategy of a global soft drink manufacturer in China. For research methodology, Mok et al. (2002) employed case studies in addition to general data collection. The case study is a research strategy which focuses on understanding the dynamics present within single settings (Eisenhardt, 1989, p. 534). It involves gathering detailed information about the unit of analysis with a view to obtaining in-depth knowledge (Hussey Hasse, 1997). There would be three strengths in Mock et al.s case study. First, Mok et al.s choice of sample fully matches their objective of research. Since Coca-Cola is undoubtedly one of the biggest MNEs and has long history of investment in China since 1979, it is a good sample with which to explain the growth of MNE and FDI. In addition, China is a preferable location because its market was a typical imperfect market (Mok, Dai Yeung, 2002). Secondly, Mok et al. (2002) took advantage of qualitative data gained from interviews. Qualitative data is concerned with qualities and non-numerical characteristics (Hussey and Hussey, 1997, pp. 150). Mok et al.carried out interviews with high-level management of Coca-Cola. Their main purpose of the interviews was to obtain information about the companys business operations, especially its relationship with local partners (Mok et al., 2002). They emphasis the importance of interviews as follows: only rarely was this type of information obtainable from any other publicly available sources (Mok et al., 2002, pp. 40). According to May (1997), the advantage of interviews is that they yield rich insight into peoples experiences, opinions, aspirations, attitudes and feelings. In the case of Mok et al.s research, companies entry mode choices were made clear by examining managerial perception revealed in the interviews. Such evidence would not be found sufficiently in official data. However, there are limitations of Mok et als case study. First, since the sample came from a single industry, thus the generalisability of the results is restricted (Mok et al., 2002). Second, as Dunning (1993) claims, the information obtained by field questionnaires and/or interviews with MNEs represents the subjective judgment of the responders to questionnaires or the interviewees. 1.3 Discussion After establishment of its basic concepts, the internalisation theory was confirmed by many researchers as a general explanation for the MNE trend. However, it is questionable that internalisation theory can sufficiently explain the recent variety of activities of MNE. The emergence of global E-commerce companies could be cited as a prime example. For these companies, internalising advantage would be less of a factor since the Internet reduces both internal coordination and market transaction costs (Dunning Wymbs, 2001). Another example is Japanese video game companies which are multinationalised but less internalized to their market. Nintendo and Sony have great share in the video game industry both domestically and internationally, but they seldom have a joint venture or partnership with foreign partners and their almost all production takes place in Japan1. Their overseas subsidiaries are mainly only responsible for sales and marketing. Unlike with E-commerce, the video game industry requires a certain physical space to manufacture and convey its products, similar to other mass-production industries. Nevertheless, the fact that internalisation rarely occurs in Japanese MNEs in video game industry is problematic. It can be supposed that unique characteristics of this industry cause this phenomenon. Thus, further study is needed to examine whether internalisation theory can apply to the video game industry in Japan. 2. Research Method The purpose of this research is to test the applicability of internalisation theory and reconsider the theoretical framework of the theory. Finally, suggestions are made with regards to further research that could be carried out in relation to the discoveries made in this study. 2.1 Research Design This research takes a positivistic approach. As noted above, while phenomenological approach is concerned with generating theories, positivistic approaches focus on hypothesis testing (Hussey Hussey, 1997). In this research, the data collection is concerned with testing a theory rather than generating new theories. The research approach can also devided inductive or deductive (Hussey Hussey, 1997). Deductive research is defined by Hussey Hussey as a study in which a conceptual and theoretical structure is developed and then tested by empirical observation. Hussey Hussey describes inductive research as a study in which theory is developed from the observation of empirical reality. It is this former approach that applies to this study. As a research strategy, this research uses a case study. The research strategy is a general plan of how you will go about answering the research questions (Saunders et al, 1997) The different strategies are experiment, survey, case study, grounded theory, ethnography and action research. As Saunders et al. (1997) mentioned, case studies can be a very worthwhile way of exploring existing theory. It is the main aim of this research. In addition, a case study will be of particular interest to a researcher if (s)he wishes to gain a rich understanding of the context of the research and the process being enacted (Morris and Wood, 1991, cited in Saunders et al., 1997). This research will be effective by gaining rich and detailed information in a particular setting. 2.2 Data collection method This research utilises methodological triangulation both a quantitative and qualitative data collection method (Easterby-Smith, Thorpe Lowe, 1991, cited in Hussey Hussey, 1997). According to Hussey and Hussey (1997), triangulation is advantageous in understanding a research problem and can overcome the potential bias and sterility of a single-method approach. In this research, quantitative data are collected by survey, and qualitative data are gathered through interviews. Mail-in survey questionnaires will be sent to the Japanese video game companies that expand their business overseas including hardware makers and software providers. The objective of questionnaire is to obtain general information on MNEs profiles and performances and to explore their strategy for market entry mode. In order to complement the survey data, secondary data will also be used such as annual reports of companies and government publications The collected data will be analysed using appropriate measuring. At the same time, interviews will carried out with management level staff in a Japanese video game company or those who have knowledge about this area of study. Such qualitative interviews will be used to provide significant quantitative results.

Larry King - a King of the American TV and Radio Broadcasting Research Paper

Larry King - a King of the American TV and Radio Broadcasting - Research Paper Example Larry King’s first show with CNN was initiated in June 1985. He hosted a number of controversial personalities on his shows which essentially made the Larry King Live a unique show in its own right. As far as his conducting of the show was concerned, he had a very direct and non-confrontational approach. He allowed the guests to speak their mind and thus allow them to get their message to their intended audience without any hindrances whatsoever. The guests felt special being on his show, which is indeed a positive if seen within the related settings of the Larry King Live show. He asked easy, open-ended questions which made him an instant hit with his guests. Also, the audience enjoyed the cozy dialogue between Larry King himself and the guests present on the show (Farha 2001). As far as his interview style is concerned, frankness is one word that comes to mind. He was vivid and very clear on his topic, and thus the reason why he was always prepared on his show. He had the exact idea as to how to prepare himself for the show and what kind of subject he was studying before sitting in front of the guest. There were occasional bursts of humor embedded in his conversation with the guests. His approach was very welcoming for those guests who usually avoided any interviews. Even though he was known for his lack of pre-preparation of the interview, he had solid knowledge at hand. Much appreciation goes on his shoulders because people appreciate him for what he did and what kind of atmosphere he created in the studios. A number of guests felt emotional within his show and started to weep. There seems to be an emotional bonding of Larry King with his guests and thus the reason why his guests understood that Larry King is one man who can be considerate enough and can understand what they are saying. CNN’s online biography suggests that Larry King conducted nearly 40,000 interviews during his career.  

The Theory of Gestalt Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Theory of Gestalt - Term Paper Example This attitude, for a time, forced Gestalt into the background of scientific study. Today the therapy is striving and gaining professional ground in not only a myriad of areas of endeavor, but also in combination with other therapies which once discounted it. The Basis of Gestalt As a psychology term created in the early 20th century by German psychologists, gestalt essentially means a unified whole. It referred to theories of visual perception which attempt to describe how people tend to organize visual elements into groups, using certain elements to perceived, in the end, the whole. The term and concept was later applied by the Perls and Goodman in their Gestalt Therapy studies. There are many critiques and analysis of gestalt, so it is important from the outset that we explain the concept in layman’s terms that inform the remainder of the paper. Gestalt as applied to Gestalt Therapy is a method of awareness practice akin to "mindfulness" in eastern philosophical thought â₠¬Å"by which perceiving, feeling, and acting are understood to be conducive to interpreting, explaining, and conceptualizing [the hermeneutics of experience]† (Brownell, 2010: p. 128). ... The concept as applied in Gestalt Therapy according to Brownell (2008) relies upon several aspects, including the phenomenological method but also dialogical relationships, practical theoretical strategies and the perceived freedom to use these strategies and insights as experimental tools to help clients reach personal goals. The goals for success include a suspension of past expectations; understanding and empathy between client and therapist; a thorough understanding and confrontation of the client’s environmental field of experience; and the singularly specific approach of moving the client from analysis to positive, concrete actions. Evolution and Application of Theory Gestalt psychology and therapy fell out of favor with the emergence of cognitive psychology and methods in the mid-1900s. As recently as 1995, however, professionals cognizant of its benefits have emphasized the value of the insights Gestalt Therapy brings to understanding and insights brought about by the behavioral and cognitive methods. While behavioral therapy assumes that mental disturbances are learned but aimless behaviors, and cognitive therapy studies how people think and how they interpret their experiences, Gestalt Therapy helps patients become more aware of themselves and what is going on in the private inner world in which they actually live; that includes the therapists themselves. In terms of gender therapy, Gestalt has been used for therapist training by the Gestalt Therapy Institute of Philadelphia Women’s Therapy Center to help them better approach gender identity issues with patients from a â€Å"nonpathological, non-shaming perspective†

Iraq War Essay Example for Free

Iraq War Essay The past decade had been one of the few significant eras for international relations and international politics. Various activities and phenomenon had occurred which made such era a memorable moment in which the topics of decision making including the people whom creates and enacts the decisions had become significant. One of the numerous events which had occurred in the past happened during the day of September 11, 2001 in which two buildings in New York City were seen by all the people in the world to be crashing slowly in front of their eyes. This news was spread in different parts of the world and made a mark in the history. The violent actions or the terrorists created a difference in the relationship of various states most especially United States and also led to different actions of the offended state. As said by different analyst, newspaper columns and politicians, it is said that one of the major results of the September 9, 2001 event was the war in Iraq which was launched by the United States. Many various speculations were theorized by the different people and one of the most common speculations was that United States wanted to have revenge against the terror that they have experienced. Different theorists have presented their point of view regarding the situation and stated that the few reasons were: 1. the September 9, 2001, Saddam Husseins stock of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and the stock of oil in Iraq. The three speculations were the most talked about and debated by known personalities in politics and in media. As the war continues on, the interest of the United States were slowly presented to the world. After the United States invaded the state of Iraq, the troops of the Americans seek for the weapons of mass destruction but then, the group was not successful in finding any weapon which could threaten the whole world. The prosecution of Saddam Hussein became the last reason for the United States to occupy Iraq. However, the United States did not leave Iraq immediately—which was expected by most of people at watch of the situation. The situation of Iraq war was influenced by different actors within the international community. Different organization as well as individuals became involved in the resolution and the activities of the War in Iraq. The most significant personality in the Iraq war was President George W. Bush Jr. The United States President acted as the main person that lead the whole nation to war and encouraged the world to join in the battle against terrorism. Another actor was the former Prime Minister of United Kingdom Tony Blair. Tony Blair, together with President Bush teamed up in order to fight the violent groups in which promoted terroristic activities. The United Nations also became a great part in the actions in which the United States had taken. The organization of the United Nation became the actor in which the actions of United States were justified. The United Nations was one of the international organizations in which supported the mission of the United States to pursue its goals to put a stop in the violent actions of groups and individuals. Another great influence in the decision to attack and invade Iraq were the republicans in which were really persistent in the promotion of war against terrorists. For the masses to understand the decision making processes in the Iraqi war the theoretical framework called â€Å"Global Complexity† was used by McGoldrick in order to understand the process as well as the decision making of the actors. McGoldrick provided the â€Å"tipping points† which he took from John Urrys definition: â€Å"three notions: that events and phenomena are contagious, that little causes can have big effects, and that changes can happen in a non-linear way but dramatically at a moment when the system switches† (McGoldrick 2004, p. 8). However, in the written work of Daniel Masters and Robert Alexander they stated that President George Bushs administration molded the war related to September 9, 2001. The administration became the â€Å"front† of the whole state to justify the actions that the state had made. The authors stated that President George Bush made use of the situation of the devastating event and then made the hearts of the American Nation follow to the desires as well as the beliefs of the President. (Masters and Alexander, n. p. ) References Masters, D. S. and Alexander, R. M. (2007, Mar) Framing War: The 9/11-Iraq link and public support for the Iraq War Paper presented at the annual meeting of the WESTERN POLITICAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION, La Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada. Online PDF Retrieved 2008-08-20 from http://www. allacademic. com/meta/p176638_index. html. McGoldrick, Dominic. (2004) ‘9-11’ To the ‘Iraq War 2003’: International Law In An Age Of Complexity. Oxford and Portland, Oregon: Hart Publishing.

Judaisms Beliefs on Suffering :: essays research papers

Judaisms beliefs on suffering by Alex Barnett Why do the innocent suffer? This question has been asked for ages. Jewish sources, from the earliest to the latest, have tried themselves to answer this. It occurs to every single person with an interest in religion or not. We all know cases of good people who suffer terrible pains for no obvious reason. From a religious side of life this disturbs me because it seems to contradict certain basic Jewish beliefs. In particular, we believe: God is omniscient (He knows everything), God is omnipotent (He can do anything), and God is just. If these beliefs are right then how is it possible that innocent people suffer? In this essay I am going to briefly tell you what Judaism says about the concept of suffering and then I?m going to attempt explaining the two main explanations! The firstly and the most widely used answer across many religions is ?We simply do not know. Our rabbis (teachers) tell us that god?s logic and actions are way, way, way more advanced than us, physical human beings would ever be able, even to attempt trying to understand. We simply will never understand until we meet the big guy in heaven! Also some people although may seem innocent may actually not be so great and are punished for the things they do wrong. For me in Judaism by far the more impressive explanation is free will, God made Satan, he is not a rebellious angel. God created both good and evil. The Bible says so, in Isaiah 45:?God created the universe because God wanted to do good.? So there had to be people to receive that goodness. But God does not want to just give away good as a present. God wants people to appreciate it. Something you get for free you do not appreciate. And in fact, if you got something amazingly good for free, and you were allowed to enjoy it for all eternity, you would not appreciate it. If you didn't work for it, you don't deserve it. So G-d decided that people would have to work for it, and receive the ultimate goodness as a reward for hard work. People are tempted every day by their yetzer tov and yetzer horah, whether to do good or bad things, you need to overcome your yetzer horah to become a great person and receive reward in the afterlife. Say, for example, you have a desire to tell harmful gossip about someone.

Reflect Victorian Society and Culture in the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Essay

In this essay I will be exploring the ways in which Robert Louis Stevenson portrays and reflects the society into which his novelette, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was initially introduced. To do this I will explore setting, language and form within the novel. There are also a number of themes and ideals that I will also discuss Gothic Literary Tradition, Victorian Science, duality, hypocrisy and Victorian concepts of virtue and vice. Many of the characters in â€Å"Jekyll and Hyde† show two sides to their personality. This duality is shown in their spotless and respected public face that contradicts their despicable behaviour in private. Possibly the most obvious example of this is seen where Sir Danvers Carew, a respectable MP and gentleman, seemingly a perfect person in Victorian society, is seen and killed whilst in Soho. At the time, Soho was a very undesirable area of London where respectable men were not expected to be, at an unusual time of the night. The lateness of his visit there suggests that he was doing something that he didn’t want his friends or anyone from his social circle to see, probably something deviant. Soho was a haven for drug dealers, drug users, prostitutes, all types of crime and very poor people. This is reflective of a common situation that was seen in the late eighteen hundreds. It would have been a shocking and unthought-of of idea to discuss this concept openly at the time the book was written, however, as it would make those who carried out deviant acts feel scrutinised and less safe. As if their secret was being made public. This is a very innovative and original reflection of a Victorian situation that was commonplace yet underground. We see more of this social situation when Jekyll himself explains that, as Hyde, he could perform acts that in his normal form he could not. His social standing would prohibit such behaviour and yet he felt compelled to act in this way. Conscious within Hyde and free from social expectations, he gained a sickening sense of satisfaction, remorselessness and enjoyment when he acted upon his suppressed evil longings. Or, at least, at first he did. A sentiment shown in his statement of the case where he points to, â€Å"secret pleasures, that I had enjoyed in the disguise of Hyde.† This explains that, owing to his social standing being rather high and respectable, he could not act upon certain longings, but, as Hyde, an unrespected nobody, he could. This was a similar, if more extreme, version of a situation that society at the time forced many respectable people into. Obviously nobody had two separate appearances and personalities, in a literal sense, but some had a public face and life and a private one. Expectation was very high amongst people from respectable social positions and classes. There was no room for misbehaving. It is suggested that social expectation indirectly resulted in the birth of Hyde, as the potion to turn Jekyll into Hyde was formulated in order to separate good from evil. Social expectation was satisfied by Jekyll as the focus was on the good things. As Hyde, a separate persona, he could be evil without the worry of social pressure and reputation. Jekyll says: â€Å"If each, I told myself, could but be housed in separate identities, life would be relieved of all that was unbearable; the unjust might go his way, delivered from the aspirations and remorse of his more upright twin; and the just could walk steadfast, and securely on his upright path† The duality shown in so many of the characters shows the inherent hypocrisy in Victorian society in which people had an open, public life and a secret life that only took place where the person was not available to come under scrutiny from their society or class. This is a display of the Victorian social mindset that appearances account for almost everything. So any deviancy or misbehavior could only be conducted in secret where that no one would know. The Victorians’ are shown to be willing to disregard, ignore and remain uninvolved in unpleasant things at the danger of falling from grace. This is a form of hypocrisy which is well shown where Mr. Enfield says, â€Å"I make it a rule of mine: the more something looks like Queer Street the less I ask,† to which the reply from Mr. Utterson is, † A very good rule, too.† This shows the desperation of people to save face and maintain a facade of perfection and decency in order to agree with and remain in favor of Victorian social expectations. This explains the importance of a reputation of decency and gallantry in the Victorian society in which the book was published. The idea of reputation being essential is used as a tool to scare and warn Hyde in the first chapter of the book. Enfield explains, â€Å"Killing being out of the question, we did the next best. We told the man we could and would make a scandal out of this, as should make his name stink from one end of London to the other. If he had any friends or any credit, we undertook that he should lose them.† The fact that ruining his reputation was regarded as the next best thing to killing him emphasizes the importance of this to Victorian society. Another display of the importance of reputation occurs at the end of the book where Poole and Utterson are breaking down the door to Jekyll’s cabinet and Jekyll forces Hyde to kill himself. It shows the extreme measures that Jekyll will take: he would rather be dead than tarnish his good reputation by letting his secret escape. This is a starkly shocking reminder of the importance of a reputation in Victorian high society. Victorian concepts of virtue and vice are discussed throughout the book. There was a set belief amongst the higher ranks of society that a malicious or evil nature in a person should be hidden and suppressed beneath the good features. This is explored through Jekyll and Hyde as Jekyll and Hyde are supposed to be the good and evil sides to Jekyll’s personality. So that Jekyll can safely release his suppressed evil through the form of Hyde. He could do this without coming under scrutiny from the society around him. He says â€Å"secret pleasures, that I had enjoyed in the disguise of Hyde.† Danvers Carew is another example of this as we see him in the area of Soho, despite his respectable faà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ade. This may be because he is secretly acting upon the evil longings that he must suppress for most of the time, due the social expectations of a man in his position Another way that Stevenson explores Victorian society is through its science. At the time of the publication of the book, one new scientific theory was the Darwinian theory of evolution. This is explored in the book. Many Victorians believed that criminals were less evolved than normal people; they were thought to be a throwback from humanity’s primitive past. Hyde, the criminal, is often described as being similar to an animal and less evolved. Specifically, he is described as being â€Å"ape-like† in his fury. Mr. Utterson says, â€Å"The man seems hardly human! Something troglodytic.† This implies he is primitive and less evolved. When Poole and Utterson are breaking into Jekyll’s cabinet Hyde emits, â€Å"A dismal screech, as of mere animal terror.† Again, animal-like traits are highlighted. Gothic Literary Traditions from the time period of the publication of the book are also important when we are discussing its storyline and themes. They were traditions that were commonplace in novels of the time. There were set rules and patterns. There is the idea of the gothic â€Å"monster† which was very common at the time, which takes the form of Hyde in this case. There was also the typical atmosphere of darkness and secrecy and unnatural forces at work. This is exemplified in the novel by the dingy and dark setting. For example, Stevenson says that there were heavy â€Å"pea souper† fogs and much of the story occurs at nighttime in eerie locations such as the run-down Soho area. This draws from real life because there were real â€Å"pea soupers† and the area of Soho was extremely undesirable and dingy. Also the fact that most of the evil occurs at nighttime is, to an extent, a reflection of Victorian reality, as the only time when respected people would be somewhere undesirable or acting upon â€Å"evil† desires would have been at night, under the cover of darkness. Hyde’s house has no windows and a single door, so is ominous, dark and secretive, with no means of an outsider being able to view what lies beyond its walls.! Another secretive technique is that the monster, Hyde, is never described in great detail. Hyde is only ever described vaguely; his â€Å"unexpressed deformity† is a clear indication that Stevenson is conscious of the vagueness of his description. We also never see the story from his direct perspective, so his point of view is hidden which adds to the secrecy of the book. There is also the idea of Hyde’s house being a lair, shown in the form of the cabinet and laboratory that add to the secrecy and is another common technique in gothic texts. Stevenson uses these traditional ideas; however, he does so in a subtle way with far less crudeness than in other books, such as Shelley’s Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Hyde is not literally called a monster and is, after all, human. It is the actions and nature of the character that make him the monster. Stevenson’s use of language helps to explore the Victorian culture that the book was written in. He uses them to add to and invoke some of the Gothic Literary Traditions in his book. Stevenson describes Jekyll in a lot of detail saying that he is handsome, respected and a gentleman. However, Hyde is given very vague and non specific descriptions which add to the secrecy of the character that is, reverting to Gothic tradition, the â€Å"monster† character. Here we see a perfect display of this technique; â€Å"He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance: something displeasing, something downright detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why. He must be deformed somewhere; he gives a strong sense of deformity, although I couldn’t specify the point. He’s an extraordinary-looking man, and yet I really can name nothing out of the way. No, sir; I can make no hand of it; I can’t describe him. And it is not want of memory, for I declare I can see him this moment.† By giving a vague, sketchy description Stevenson separates Hyde from other main characters that are described in detail, by almost de-humanizing him. This adds to the sense that Hyde is the traditional monster character, which is a tool used in Victorian writing. Setting is also used by Stevenson to draw on gothic tradition and gives an eerie yet sometimes truthful view of London. The way in which Stevenson describes the lodgings of Jekyll and Hyde is a use of language that adds to the gothic literary tradition. Jekyll’s house is in a very upper class area and is decorated and furnished with great taste and wealth. Whereas Hyde lives in a very rough area, Soho and his house is a dark, seedy place with no windows and a solitary door.!! This surrounds this character, the monster, with secrecy and shields him from the outside world. It creates an ominous, tense atmosphere, which was often used in gothic texts of the era. Also the places in the book where evil occurs are described as foggy and dingy. And the majority of the story occurs at night. This adds to the darkness and secrecy of the gothic novelette. A point that is further reinforced by the secrecy that shroud the lodgings of Jekyll and Hyde. Contemporary London is portrayed as having an outwardly respectable veneer of goodness that disguised a dangerous and immoral undercurrent, the hiding place for much evil. This was to an extent actually true of Victorian London; it had respectable areas but was quite a seedy place. As an example there was the notorious Jack the Ripper, who killed prostitutes in London in the Victorian era at night in back alleys and brothels and was suspected to have been a respected politician or businessman by day. This links in with the idea of Victorians often leading double lives: good in the day and bad at night. The structure and form of the book emphasize the gothic traditions that Stevenson draws. The book is written from Mr. Utterson’s perspective with narratives and interjections from other characters, such as â€Å"Dr. Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case†; however, importantly Hyde’s opinion is omitted. This heightens the shroud of secrecy and depravity that surrounds Hyde, the â€Å"monster.† This technique was common in Gothic novels of the time. It adds tension and terror to the novels by keeping the reader deprived of knowledge. To this we can link the reaction of the contemporary reader to this story. The reader would recognize much reality in the book. They would see truths from the time. For example, the pressures of society would be familiar. Some may be shocked or slightly uncomfortable when reading it, because the ideas of living double lives and suppressing evil and acting upon it in privacy, would have rung true of some readers. To discuss this in the open would have been out of the question and may have put certain individuals in an extremely uncomfortable spotlight. As was discussed earlier in the essay there was a clear Victorian mentality that reputation was very important, possibly the most important thing to some individuals. So some may have had private feelings and longings and may have acted upon these in private. On seeing this in the book, Sir Danvers Carew’s situation for example, it may have felt to them as though they were no longer safe to have a sinful private life as people ne w that this sort of thing happened. * * * In conclusion I think that the book is a fairly truthful reflection of many aspects of Victorian society and culture, especially the idea of living a double life. I also think that Stevenson’s use of Gothic Literary tradition is effective. In the novelette, he provides a new variation on traditional themes. All in all, I think that Stevenson employs a high level of reality and supplements this by drawing from the literary culture of the Victorian Britain of which he was a part.