Analysis of Barbie Doll free essay sample

The Devastation of Social Pressure One would think that growing up would be a fun, not a worry in the world, happy experience. Yes, that is the way it should be, but that’s not always the case, especially for women. As girls season into women they realize they not only have to face the fact that they’re in a patriarchal society, but also the influences and pressure they face in the social aspect of things, such as their looks and body image. There is so much competition amongst girls, especially when transitioning into a woman and through most of their adulthood. So instead of being able to enjoy life and absorbing the true quality of it, we are side tracked with superficial, stereotypical, shallow thoughts and images of how we think life is supposed to be. Although, who’s to say what’s right and what’s wrong with the way we interpret things? Marge Piercy, who wrote the poem â€Å"Barbie Doll†, has a very strong view of how destructive social pressure can be to a girl through her transitioning stages into a woman. We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of Barbie Doll or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page She expresses how the Barbie doll, the toy figurine that woman idealize, is, in fact, a method of corruption to a young girl. First and for most we must understand who the persona is in the poem, which is a woman, and more specifically Marge Piercy herself. She is observing a young girl going from Wolfe 2 childhood, adolescents, adulthood and then death in a roundabout way. Starting with the first stanza, of four, the persona explains of a young girl, and her playing with a doll, the Mattel’s Barbie doll to be precise. This doll is to be described as tall, blonde hair, blue eyes and it has the perfect body. The girl, â€Å"†¦presented dolls that pee-pee/and miniature GE stoves and irons/ and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy† (2-4). The words iron, stove, and lipstick are all play-things for the girl, but are also identity markers. Such that the doll represents the ideal body image, the iron and stove tells us what type of work is expected of the girl when she becomes an adult (keep in mind that this poem was written in the nineteen seventies and that woman in the work force was still a very small percentage, thus women were still very domesticated) and the lipstick is to imply a sexual innuendo. In the last line in the first stanza the girl goes through puberty and no time is wasted before a classmate judges and criticizes her, â€Å"You have a great big nose and fat legs† (6). Going through puberty is a stage of growth. Adolescents become more aware of their social standing and sexual being. As we read further, the doll, she once played with, will create a major impact on her; in the aspect of her body image and the pressure she faces from her peers. In the second stanza we see how the woman is dissatisfied with herself even though she is â€Å"healthy and tested intelligent/possessed strong arms and back/ abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity† (7-9). The persona continues to say, â€Å"She went to and fro apologizing/Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs† (10-11). The traits that this woman possesses, is in every way correct; however, she is so sure her physical traits are unacceptable to the culture. No matter what she sees in the mirror or what she hears, this won’t change her opinion about herself image. She has been brainwashed about her looks and she doesn’t think she is good enough. She goes around apologizing to everyone about the person she has become, believing there is no way she can change, at least in a healthy manner. In the third stanza we read how society is forcing the woman to change her healthy ways, physically, into something she isn’t. She does what she can to fit into society by, â€Å"†¦play[ing] coy/ exhorted to come on hearty/ exercise, diet, smile and wheedle† (12-14). She had so much pressure from every direction, she felt obligated to try and conform her body into what society viewed as ideal, which we know of as the Barbie doll toy. This idea was short lived. Instead of standing her grounds and accepting the individual that she is, she drowns. Society got the best of her, â€Å"Her good nature wore out/ like a fan belt† (15-16). She gave up and paid the ultimate price to be accepted in society, â€Å"†¦she cut off her nose and her legs/ and offered them up† (17-18). Now that she has removed her flaws she temporarily relinquishes her depression, weakness, and anxiety. Now that she has met the, impossible, unrealistic, standard, she can permanently wash her existences away and leave her shell of beauty behind. In the final Stanza, Piercy highlights the theme of the poem. Simply put, women aren’t accepted into society unless they represent the ideal woman. Now that the woman is free of body flaws and has had a makeover, she can be accepted into her culture even though we know this isn’t her true self. What must this say about the society she has been exposed to? In order to survive in this specific culture, if we’re not perfect, is to become someone we’re not. So not only do we have to try to live up to a standard that is not comprehendible but we also have to be fake. In the middle of the last stanza Piercy explains, â€Å"with the undertaker’s cosmetics painted on/a turned-up putty nose/dressed in a pink and white nightie† (20-22). The woman now has the superficial , but perfect, looks. She is manipulated (physically) so she can finally be recognized. Letting a society make this woman frail and surrender to being her own individual shows a lack of values and morals within herself. Having our own opinions, life experiences and ethics make us who we are and if we were all the same or are held up to the same expectations what would life be like? Would we all act like robots? Clones? As the woman has been re-configured, shallow talks are amongst her, â€Å"Doesn’t she look pretty? everyone said/Consummation at last/To every woman a happy ending† (23-25). Mission complete, she achieved her goal; she is pretty, unflawed, and looks like the ideal woman.

Soul of Dell Essay Example

Soul of Dell Essay Example Soul of Dell Essay Soul of Dell Essay The â€Å"Soul of Dell† was created Kevin Rollins was serving as the Senior Vice President of strategy and noticed Dell had a culture that needed to be changed. This culture was, â€Å"created a culture of stock price, a culture of financial performance, and a culture of whats in it for me? throughout our employee base (Zellen, 2004). Between Rollins and Michael Dell the â€Å"Soul of Dell† was created. This is now the corporate philosophy for Dell and has been since 2000. The purpose of The Soul of Dell is to define the kind of company Dell is and where they aspire to become. The Soul of Dell serves as a guide for their actions around the world, and ultimately forms the basis of their winning culture. † The core elements of The Soul of Dell are: Customers: We believe in creating loyal customers by providing a superior experience at a great value. We are committed to direct relationships, providing the best products and services based on standards-based technology, and outperforming the competition with value and a superior customer experience (Soul of Dell, n. d. ). The Dell Team: We believe our continued success lies in teamwork and the opportunity each team member has to learn, develop and grow. We are committed to being a meritocracy, and to developing, retaining and attracting the best people, reflective of our worldwide marketplace (Soul of Dell, n. d. ). Direct Relationships: We believe in being direct in all we do. We are committed to behaving ethically; responding to customer needs in a timely and reasonable manner; fostering open communications and building effective relationships with customers, partners, suppliers and each other; and operating without inefficient hierarchy and bureaucracy (Soul of Dell, n. d. ). Global Citizenship: We believe in participating responsibly in the global marketplace. We are committed to understanding and respecting the laws, values and cultures wherever we do business; profitably growing in all markets; promoting a healthy business climate globally; and contributing positively in every community we call home, both personally and organizationally (Soul of Dell, n. d. ). Winning: We have a passion for winning in everything we do. We are committed to operational excellence, superior customer experience, leading in the global markets we serve, being known as a great company and great place to work, and providing superior shareholder value over time (Soul of Dell, n. . ). There are different levels and forms of communication. James S. O’Rourke IV and Jaba Mukherjee Gupta listed four different levels in our book. Those levels were intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, and mass or public (Rourke, 2010, p. 26). Once Dell implemented The Soul of Dell the interpersonal communications between Dell and Rollins changes significantly. When they signed internal communications instead of signing â€Å"Office of the Chairman† or any level title they were now signing â€Å"Michael† and â€Å"Kevin† (Rourke, 2010, p. 0). Dell also used Mass and Public media when they announced the Town Hall Meetings, Platinum Council, or even during the help they provided after September 11, 2001. Within communication there is the sender, receiver, message, medium, code, feedback, noise, and effect. All these factors play a part in how the message is communicated and received. In the case of Dell the management (sender) gave the employees (receiver) their first taste to The Soul of Dell through the intranet (medium) (Rourke, 2010, p. 28). This happen through what Dell called â€Å"Splash Screens† (code) and this particular screen was the first screen they saw with new products or messages. Using all these different areas to make sure they are working right you need to evaluate your feedback (what the audience is telling you about the message), noise (how many messages are you putting in one place), and the effect (is your audience getting the message) (Rourke, 2010, p. 28). Even though the employees got the messages and update through the intranet it was also responsibility of their immediate manager to train and teach them about The Soul of Dell. In October of 2002 there was a phone interview with a Dell manager that said the following about The Soul of Dell, â€Å"I actually know non of the key tenets [of The Soul of Dell], but would guess they have something to do with maintaining work-life balance, building a long-term career time here, valuing diversity, and leadership† (Rourke, 2010, p. 92). In this case Dell spent all this time as the sender, but did not evaluate if the receiver understood the message. Dell should do a better job of evaluating the message and the new corporate philosophy. The high level managers of Dell want to live by The Soul of Dell and have the employees live by these values as well, but in order to do so they need to find a medium that will get the appropriate message across. References Rourke, J. S. (2010). Management communication: a case-analysis approach (4th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, N. J. : Prentice Hall. Soul of Dell | Dell. (n. d. ). Dell aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" The Official Site | Dell. Retrieved February 6, 2011, from dell. com/content/topics/global. aspx/corp/soulofdell/en/index? c=us;l=en Zellen, B. 2004, September 1). Getting In Touch With Dells Culture: Youve Got Soul! Analyst Insights EnterpriseInnovator. EnterpriseInnovator. Retrieved February 6, 2011, from http://enterpriseinnovator. com/index. php? articleID=3844;sectionID=269 Appendix Leslie Eggleston 12397 E Tennessee Dr, Aurora, CO 80220 (720) 878-8840 - [emailprotected] com February 9, 2011 Ms. Elizabeth Allen Dell Inc. One Dell Way Round Rock, Texas 78682 Dear Ms. Allen, I woul d like to start off my introducing myself to you. My name is Leslie Eggleston and I am an independent management consultant that works for High Class Consultants. I am based out of Denver, CO and travel to different Fortune 500 and help out the upper management. Mr. Michael Dell asked me to evaluate The Soul of Dell and come spend some time at different locations and report directly to you with my findings. After visiting several locations it has come to a shock to me that over half of the staff that I interacted with did not know the purpose of The Soul of Dell or they had never heard of it. In order for Dell to live my theses values I would recommend having a training just on The Soul of Dell with the orientation and test all the employees yearly to make sure they retain the meaning. Another issue that I found is the communication between the different segments. It is great that the upper management signs only their first name, however this sometimes can cause confusion to the other employees. In the intranet portal the message seems to get lost with all the advertisements of the new products and specials that are going on. I would suggest making the first page focused on The Soul of Dell and have links to different pages of information. This will help remind the employees about the corporate philosophy. Overall I believe Dell is a great company and has upper management that believes in the employees and the product. Feel free to contact me with any questions and we can discuss my finding in more detail. Hope you are doing great and I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Leslie Eggleston

Continued Review of Article on Hypertension Coursework

Continued Review of Article on Hypertension - Coursework Example Alternatively, in the blood pressure measures, the total prevalence reflected that 287 cases were a part of the socio-demographic correlates in the tackling of dependent variables such as central obesity and cardiovascular disease. It means the 250 respondents who are equivalent to 20.2 percent are calculated using the multivariate logistic regression supported by Creswell in his tables. On the other hand, the descriptive statistics applied amongst 45,587 individuals spread in 11 villages and found among 7,164 families indicate the disparity in correlation especially for testing true and false hypotheses. Additionally, in the data sets as observed in the statistical tables, analysing random variables is crucial because it will reject null data acquired during the sampling method. In the case study, for instance, an allowable error of between 15 and 95 percent was permitted because the hypothesis could not cover all the socio-demographic risk factors and variables. Overall, the rationale for using the experimental study is to help in comparing the various data