Power Struggle in the Victorian Era as Reflected in My Last Duchess Essay

Power Struggle in the Victorian Era as Reflected in My Last Duchess - Essay Example Browning was born in England in 1812, to an average Christian family. His father owned a rare book collection from which Robert acquired the love of books and inspiration to write. As a little boy, he was said to have learned to read at the age of five. He received education in the arts mainly at home and learned greatly from his father. His mother endowed him with belief in God which he carried on for life. Moreover, Browning is known to be the loving husband of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, who is also a well-known poet. These considerations guide readers to the thought that Browning’s theme in My Last Duchess is mainly inspired by the poet’s observation of his society. My Last Duchess illustrates the battle of the sexes in the Victorian Period. It presents the monologue of a duke who can be considered psychologically ill as he recalls the memory of his dead wife, who he kills himself. As Friedrich (656) claims, the duke in the poem is the Duke of Ferrara of Italy whose wife was rumored to be poisoned. In the poem, although the death itself of the duchess draws much interest from the audience, the seeming calmness of the Duke presents a deeper controversy. The speaker discusses his wife’s qualities as he shows his visitors a painting of the Duchess. Although he speaks calmly, his speech is marked with hesitations and contradictions (Mannle (3). He asks his guests to sit down yet seems to be ordering them, saying, â€Å"Will 't please you sit and look at her?† He asks the guests to sit down not to relax while looking at the portrait of the Duchess but instead to allow him to justify his thoughts and actions, to convince his guests to affirm him of his decision to kill his wife. The Duke attempts to convince his audience by telling them the negative qualities of his wife. He claims, †¦She had A heart . . . how shall I say?.. too soon made glad, Too easily impressed; she liked whatever She looked on, and her looks went everywhere. (21-24) The duke claims that his wife was too friendly and easily impressed, â€Å"too soon made glad, too easily impressed†(22-23). From these lines, readers can sense the jealousy of the duke. He implies that his wife was never satisfied with him, with the things he gave, and still looked at other men. Thus, he says, â€Å"Sir, 'was not/Her husband's presence only, called that spot/Of joy into the Duchess' cheek†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (14-15). In saying these, the duke reveals his struggle to please the Duchess, which is a sign of a power struggle. The power struggle is further reflected as the Duke recalls his wife’s unethical behavior. He narrates, †¦--and if she let Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse, E'en then would be some stooping; and I choose Never to stoop. Oh, sir, she smiled, no doubt, Whenever I passed her; but who passed without Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped togethe r. (39-46)  Ã‚  

Macroeconomic Stabilisation in Regards to Labor Market Essay

Macroeconomic Stabilisation in Regards to Labor Market - Essay Example 139 – 140). Aside from believing that there is a perfect labour market among the firms, employers and employees, classical economists assumed that equilibrium within the labour market is possible because of the presence of monetary wages or wage-price flexibility that could make supply and demand curve adjust with the changes in labour markets in order to remove or eliminate the presence of excessive supply and demand for labour (Rossana, 2011, p. 370; Gupta, 2008, p. 273; Ahiakpor, 2003, p. 160). Given that there is profit maximization or profit seeking behaviour on the part of the local business group; demand for labour is often represented by a downward-sloping curve since these companies are less likely to employ a lot of high-paid employees as compared to low-paid employees (Rossana, 2011, p. 370). On the other hand, the aggregate supply curve for labour is represented by a vertical curve (Rossana, 2011, p. 371). Specifically the classical theory on labour market is often based on the Walras’ and Say’s law which strongly suggests the idea that the labour supply is capable of creating its own demand through the use of price or wage adjustments (Gupta, 2008, p. 273). Likewise, the issue on real wage and employment level is determined by the movements in the supply and demand curve within the labour markets. Contrary to the beliefs of Keynesian economists, classical theorists strongly believe the presence of unemployment rate is a result of unforeseen economic disturbance which can be easily solved as soon as an adjustment between the supply and demand curve occurs. Since the presence of job-seekers who refuse to accept lower wage rate are classified as ‘voluntary’ unemployment, classical economists assume that there is always full employment in...This essay offers a comprehensive analysis of macroeconomic concepts that characterize economic conditions in the labour market. This paper makes use of economic principles and theo ries in discussing why aggregate labor market as a clearing market is difficult to achieve. In the study of macroeconomic theories, the interrelation between the labour markets, the goods market, money market, and the foreign trade market is being taken into consideration in order to determine the interaction between the levels of employment, employees’ participation rate, aggregate income, and gross domestic product. In a market clearing situation, the quantity of labour demanded is expected to be equal to the quantity of labour services supplied by the employers. Aside from believing that there is a perfect labour marketclassical economists assumed that equilibrium within the labour market is possible because of the presence of monetary wages or wage-price flexibility that could make supply and demand curve adjust with the changes in labour markets in order to remove or eliminate the presence of excessive supply and demand for labour. The labour market will remain unclear because of imperfect labour market conditions which is often triggered by the presence of economic factors that continuously affect the movements in the supply and demand curve in labour markets. The study of macroeconomics in labour market strongly suggest that full employment is close to impossible to achieve, because of the presence of macroeconomic factors.