Are Geishas Glamorous Prostitutes or Art Forms? Essay

The article narrates the life of a geisha and the role that they play in Japanese society and culture. Geishas represent the Japanese culture. The image of a geisha dancing or playing a musical instrument is a cultural metaphor tied up with the Japanese. Books, movies, posters, pictures, and forms of art and literature directly related to the Japanese culture involve stories and images of the geisha. Although most people see geishas and think about Japan, they do not really know the kind of life that geishas live. Some people say geishas are prostitutes, while some others say they are works of art. In part, the article reveals the concept of mizuage, which is clearly a form of prostitution. As the author continued to write, the life of a geisha, however, was represented to be a life of mastery and perfection of art. Geishas were roughly trained to play the shamisen, to put on make up and dress properly called iki, or to dance and sing gracefully and wonderfully. Geishas are looked upon for fashion, beauty and grace. Geishas epitomize the Japanese woman and the culture. The life of the geisha is entirely dedicated to art and beauty, and this image remains to live as geishas continue to represent the culture and the nature of the Japanese society. The article remains to be on the middle ground when used to answer the issue regarding geishas being prostitutes or art forms. Although this article leans toward the idea of the life of a geisha as a life of mastery and perfection of art, the concept of mizuage was explicated, revealing the other side of the geisha life, which is prostitution. Moreover, the idea of seduction was implicitly embedded on the concept of the geisha life. The mizuage is a fee paid by a man to the Okiya mother as payment for a geisha’s virginity. The highest bidder among the men shall be the one to pay for it. The physical appearance of the geisha is also intended to seduce men, by wearing thick make-up and long dresses. These ideas written in the article suggest that geishas were indeed prostitutes. However, the author continues to reiterate the art and beauty in the life in the geisha. They represent the Japanese culture and society, and have undergone numerous experiences apart from the geisha life during the war, encounter with the western culture, and the changes that come along with modernity. Ultimately, this article is a good source of unbiased information answering the question whether geishas are prostitutes or art forms, and narrates how geishas have transformed from the traditional to the modern woman of Japan. This impartiality becomes the strength of the article, and sets it apart from the other articles that shall be reviewed in the following pages. Furthermore, this article is a good source for presenting both sides of the issue in class. Shelton, Chrystine & Makela, Lee A. â€Å"The History of Geisha and Their Role in Japanese Society and Culture. † Contemporary Japan in Perspective. Google Scholar. 28 April 2008. 12 October 2003. < http://scholar. google. com. ph/scholar? hl=en&lr=&q=%22The+History+of+Geisha+and+Their+Role+in+Japanese+Society+and+Culture%22&btnG=Search>. Geisha (Book Review) by Takie Sugiyama Lebra The article is a review of the book â€Å"Geisha† written by Liza Crihfield Dalby, who went to Japan to experience the life of a geisha. Through training, she became a geisha, primarily because of her knowledge of shamisen, and was accepted in the east as one of the most prominent geishas of all time. Dalby was a Japanese language speaker and she has been learning the art of shamisen since she was still young. She stayed in Japan for a year and four months, in order to experience the geisha life and later write a book the describes how it is to become a geisha. According to Dalby, the geisha must be able to carry out two roles during geishahood. The first one is being able to train and obtain comprehensive and excellent skills in dancing and music. The second one is training to be able to entertain male guests in the teahouses. Geishas are well respected and looked upon as models of society and icons of success. Geishas are also the epitomes of fashion and glamour. In tea houses, the role of geishas are to accompany men, pour sake while they dine, and entertain the male guests through stories and dance or musical presentation. Although the image and the purpose of the geisha are limited to these concepts, geishas are being tied to prostitution because of history. However, geishahood remains to be decent and productive as a representation of the Japanese culture and artistry. The viewpoint of the review, as based on Dalby’s experiences, implied that the life of a geisha is not learning towards prostitution. This is because of the fact the role of geisha is explicated in terms of politics, family and marriage. The image of geishas as prostitutes dates back to history when women use the concept of geishahood in becoming courtesans. However, the true essence of being a geisha relies on artistry and knowledge. Apparently, geishas get involved with politics because of their relationship with men who hold powerful positions within society. Geishas are allowed to fall in love with men they like, and they can switch roles and opt to leave geishahood in order to become teahouse managers, mistresses, or wives. This article encourages the reader to look through the book that Dalby wrote in order to gain first hand information about the geisha life. If there is one person who can answer the question of whether geishas are prostitutes or art forms, Dalby would be the likely suspect. The review was able to sum up all the ideas narrated in the book and include added information about the important role the geishas play in society. What makes this article stand out between the two articles is that it reiterates the meaningful roles of geishas as they become involved with politics, the family and the married life. Although there was somewhat a connotation of geishas being involved with sexual activity, the article tries to focus on the essence of being a true geisha, sans the malice. This is important in presenting the class with meaningful information the elevates an individuals’ ideas and perceptions of the geisha. What I mean is that, if the first article concentrates on the glamour and artistry there is in geishahood, this review delves deeper into the geisha world and acknowledges the meaning and significance of being a geisha as a member of society. Lebra, Sugiyama Takie. â€Å"Geisha. † Liza Crihfield Darby. Pacific Affairs, Vol. 57 No. 4. University of British Columbia. 28 April 2008 < http://www. jstor. org/stable/2758733>. Yoshiwara: The Glittering World of the Japanese Courtesan by Cecilia Segawa Seigle The book, written by Seigle, talks about prostitution beginning from the history of Japan. The book starts to describe the concept of prostitution and how it all started in the country, and its connection to the Yoshiwara geisha. Although the book talks about courtesans and prostitutions, the book denies geishahood as a form of prostitution. Geishas in the past were both men and women, who were skilled in playing a musical instrument, dancing, and repartee. They were dressed conservatively yet fashionably and groomed neatly. Courtesans were the complete opposite of the geishas. They were vulgarly dressed and were hired by men for sexual interactions. The book narrated the geishas were simply employed in teahouses in order to accompany and entertain the customers, but is only limited to decency and conservativeness. Due to their artistic skills and knowledge in engaging conversations, the geishas during that time became more popular than the courtesans. This ushered the connection between the geisha life and prostitution as more and more courtesans who cannot compete with the geishas learned the art of playing musical instruments and dancing. Although at that time, the geisha and the courtesan were almost similar in acquired skills, one would notice the geisha from the other just by looking at the clothes and the manner of grooming. The book clearly states the distinction between being a geisha and a courtesan. The book claims the non-involvement of geishas to prostitution. According to the author, geishas were all about artistry and entertainment, and not engaging in sexual activity for money. The book creates a distinction between prostitution and geishahood. Unlike the two articles previously discussed, the book suggests that the image of geishas is not tinted with prostitution and vulgarity as opposed to what most people think. Although the title of the book suggests prostitution and the life of courtesans, geishas were not considered to be part of the group, and were actually responsible for the decline of the popularity of courtesans. Interestingly enough, the fame and popularity of geishas downplayed the prominence of courtesans during that time. Perhaps, Japanese men wanted more meaning and sense out of the women who accompany them in teahouses, such as entertainment and sensible conversations. The book is effective enough to point out why geishas are different from courtesans and why they should not be related to prostitution. The book reiterated the role of geishas to be connected with art and skills. If the first article talked about the glamour in geishahood, and the second article talked about the meaning in the geisha life, the book talks about the real roles of geisha. It ties up all the ideas from the two articles and the book itself to form one unifying idea that geisha is not prostitution. Although the two articles remain to imply the prostitution in the geisha life, the glamour, the meaning, and the important role of being a geisha still remains to be the most significant image that geishahood is trying to portray. Seigle, Cecilia Segawa. â€Å"Yoshiwara: The Glittering World of the Japanese Courtesan. † University of Hawaii Press. Questia Media America, 310 pgs. , 1993. 28 April 2008 < http://www. questia. com/read/596793>.

Causes of crime in Trinidad

There are several causes of crime in Trinidad and Tobago but this essay will analyse four of these causes of crime in Trinidad and Tobago.Firstly I will analyse the laxity with which the government has been dealing with the crime situation; It will also be discussed that a nation that forgets God will sin in this way; The eroding morals of society is another ;and the impact of the media on people’s lives. Ð ¡auses of crime And the raison detre successive governments have been unable and unsuccessful in dealing with this problem is primarily because they have all adopted a Euro-centric approach instead of an Afri-centric approach. The Euro-centric approach focuses on the results/effects of a problem while the Afri-centric deals with the causes. This writer strongly contends that the endemic causes of crime in Trinidad and Tobago are three-fold, viz, the 18th century imposed Euro-centric British education system, the abolition of corporal punishment in schools in February 2001 and the subliminal Americanisation of all aspects of life in Trinidad and Tobago, 24/7 365 days a year. The fact of the matter is that the current Euro-centric education system produces young people who are unemployable, devoid of the vital life-survival- empowerment skills and any sense of direction plus low esteem. As a result of all this societal baggage on their shoulders, these young people have no other choice but to resort to a life of crime to survive, And this mind-set makes sense to them, period. The Euro-centric education system continues to imbue in these young people a sense of worthlessness, nothingness and unpreparedness. At the end of their matriculation, these young people seriously and disgracefully lack the 3Rs— Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. They are doomed, period. They are totally convinced (rightly or wrongly) that society, as in the System, has failed them. They feel betrayed by society. Ipso facto, they not only internalise their accepted truism that they are failures but more self-destructively, they also publicly act out Bob Marleys lyrical dictum that the Babylon system is a vampire. Ergo, they are now totally convinced that they have the right to turn on society—crime, therefore, becomes their magnetic force just to survive. On the thorny issue of corporal punishment, this writer vociferously rejects the Euro-centric notion that the decision to abolish was based on research carried out in North America and Europe. Thats the problem. Again, this is exactly what the renowned Euro-centric psychologist Sigmund Freud did centuries ago, namely, using the European behaviour/experience as the norm, standard and model for all people ( including governments) to accept and follow—total, unabashed rejection by this Afri-centric scholar/professor, period. This decision not only represents a direct correlation with but also a very dangerous embrace of the Euro-centric world view and policy-making modus operandi. And thats the problem with solving crime in Trinidad and Tobago. The stark reality is that the historical experience/behaviour of the European coloniser is totally different from that of the colonised. Ergo, what is good and works for the European coloniser is not necessarily good and works for the colonised. That must be clearly understood by public policy-makers in Trinidad and Tobago. The truth be told: As a direct result of the Euro-centric decision made in 2001, today (2012) the chickens (have finally) come home to roost in Trinidad and Tobago, period. The subliminal Americanisation of life in Trinidad and Tobago is overtly reflected in the proclivity for crass materialism, instant gratification, 50 Cent philosophy, disgusting ghetto attire, slangs, body antics and mannerisms of young people, gang turf warfare, just to cite a few. Indeed, judging the daily attire of young, mature and older Trinbagonians one can correctly conclude that just maybe Trinidad and Tobago has been re-assigned. albeit re-located, from the tropical (hot) zone to the temperate (cold) zone. The truth be told: The failed Euro-centric education system in Trinidad and Tobago compels young people to gravitate and mimic only the most self-destructive aspects of American ghetto life styles. In the final analysis, this writer offers the following Afri-centric solutions to deal with crime — (i) radical surgery on the current dependency Euro-centric education system (ii) re-introduction of corporal punishment in schools so that young people will respect/obey adult authority/discipline and (iii) immediate deletion of the BET and BET J channels on Trinidad and Tobagos daily television schedule.

Importance of a Global Approach to Regulating Corporate Governance Essay

Importance of a Global Approach to Regulating Corporate Governance - Essay Example Multi National Corporations needs to introduce excellent business practices, enhance their decision making and give valid reasons for people to invest in the company. Many companies around the world have failed due to lack of proper corporate governance. The global crisis is an example of how failure of executive and boards to manage the financial institutions, banks and other organization using proper corporate governance. The corporate governance problems are mostly experienced in countries where legal environment provides incredibly few corporate government strategies and practices, few shareholders right and few disclosure requirements. Companies can efficiently compete, and the economies can prosper well if they adopt the practices, and strategies recommended by International Corporate Governance Network. Multi national corporations should ensure that the shareholders exercise the rights through effective and open conversing and communicating information as well as engaging them in general meetings. This will be very useful and effective as it will lead to growth and expansion of companies. Transparency and disclosure of material matters concerning the Multi National Corporations should be balance and timely. Everybody interested in the company gains confidence because he or she will note the areas that need improvement or are well managed. Multi National Corporation should be aware that, disbursement of resources in proper corporate governance will inexorably bring good returns on investment and hence the corporations’ survival. They will be very successful when they adopt and implement good corporate governance strategies and practices. INTRODUCTION As corporate governance persists to be an area of spotlight for most companies especially Multi National Corporation, there are many issues and questions that firms still fight with:Â   what it is and what it is concerned with; the reason many governments and firms promoting advanced tactics in corpor ate governance (Ghosh and Chakraborti, 2010). Corporate governance is how the companies or firms make decisions, how they manage and organize themselves and how they converse with shareholders and the entire world. It deals with issues like how executives and boards are chosen, what responsibilities and mandate executives and boards have, whether shareholders and stakeholders have rights to get involved in some types of corporate decisions through participating in voting and if they have, what form they take. These issues are crucial because they endorse excellent business practices, good opportunities and decision making for investors to make certain the integrity of their investment. Since these issues are very important to improving and developing good businesses and best businesses environment, policy makers and companies are much interested in ensuring that excellent corporate government is widely adopted and is successfully institutionalized throughout the firm. Many companies and firms identify that good corporate governance is a good business strategy and good commerce practice (Bitanga and Bridwell, 2010). What many companies are focusing on is to advance their businesses specifically in the promising global market place where companies are repeatedly trying to outdo each other to ensure their businesses are effective and to magnetize new investors. Companies and firms especially the well managed ones, want to introduce

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DISCUSSION 6 - Article Example The sampling strategy that was used for the purpose of study was a random sampling. The study was conducted in one place of DRC, which has typical for the given country conditions. Only one period of distribution was selected (between November and January). Three hundred and sixty two women were randomly selected to take part in the study. Three hundred and twenty eight delivery interviews were conducted. A random sample of 115 women were invited to participate in a 6-month post-delivery interview (Pettifor et al., 2009). Presented sample strategy is representative for the given region. However, it has several limitations that does not permit to spread the obtained results to all population of Congo. The authors admit that the main limitations are the small sample size, estimation for only one object and for only one period. The study that compared the effectiveness for different social groups, groups living in rural and urban areas was not conducted. The damages of nets after 6-month period of utilization that does not permit the further use were not taken into account. Nevertheless, the significant difference of LLINs utilization before and after the distribution permits to conclude that obtained results support the idea that distribution free of charge is the effective measure. The improved sample strategy has to include estimation of the given measure for several objects in different parts of the country. Participants in the places have to be selected several times per year, especially before the periods when mosquitos are the most active. Sample size have to be increased. Random sampling strategy would be the most effective. The possible suitable strategy that permits to estimate the effect for different social or age groups could be a stratified random sampling. Pettifor, A. et al. (2009). Free distribution of insecticide treated bed nets to pregnant women in Kinshasa:

Managing Across Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Managing Across Culture - Essay Example This article will discuss diversity management from the point of view of a wide-ranging definitional perspective, professional training and acquisition of information. Contemporary studies of multinational managers specify the foremost reasons for failure to operate competitively in a foreign nation which include the manager’s â€Å"inability to adapt rapidly to a different culture; personality or emotional characteristics and inability to cope with the complexity of work responsibilities posed by the overseas assignment† (Katz and Seifer 1996, para 4). Managerial shortcomings happen not merely in the classic multi-year expatriate missions but also in short-term, more focused tasks that are oftentimes vital to the prospect of the company’s success in overseas markets. Significant inefficiency is more likely to occur if managers without adequate understanding and appreciation of the host country’s culture are sent on foreign assignment. ... Apart from the nationality of the manager selected for the task at hand, selection, training and socialization aspects continue to be a crucial part of increasing managerial achievements (Dowling, Schuler & Welch 1994). It is a common agreement among multi-national firms that there is no alternative for on-the-job expatriate training in the premature stages of executive growth. For instance, Colgate-Palmolive, whose foreign sales correspond to two-thirds of the company’s annual sales of $6 billion, recognizes international managers as those who have attained considerable first-hand experiences in various environments (Lublin 1992). Therefore, a multi-national firm’s success profoundly depends on the capability and competence of expatriate managers. Hence, there is an urgent and significant need for a solid and useful training ground for the expatriates. Nevertheless, MNCs initially consult theories regarding expatriate training in order to come up with a viable activity -based management plan that would produce efficient, spirited and open-minded expatriate managers. Hofstede’s and Trompenaar’s Theory of Diversity Management Geertz Hofstede, equipped with a vast record of cultural information, examined the outcomes and discovered evident trends of difference and similarity among the feedback alongside the five cultural dimensions (Lucas 2006). His study was conducted with IBM employees only, which enabled him to ascribe the trends of national differences in culture, mainly eradicating the diversity issues in organisational culture. The five dimensions are: (1) power distance; (2) individualism; (3) masculinity; (4)

Twinearth Thought Experiment Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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A contemporary artist Robert Smithson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

A contemporary artist Robert Smithson - Essay Example The essay "A contemporary artist Robert Smithson" talks about Robert Smithson, the American artist. He plunged into various realms of architecture, making plans or different regions, and explored industrial development wherein he devout himself in different sampling, such that resembles an earth scientist. By observing much of his works, further discussing his idea is essential to describe him as an environmental artist (earth artist) and an innovator in his field. This is because he is finding another ways of making himself enganged in capturing the beauty of this world. In this context, he was able to connect his perspective to the places he is turning to be his works of art establishing the relationship between environment and art. He developed and raised the idea about site and non-site art, not a jargon, but a term he employ himself. Non-site art is the location where art in different forms is being displayed or kept, like galleries and museums where evidences of the works (phot os, film etc.) are collected. On the other hand, the â€Å"site† is the place itself, where the artistic freedom is formed, which is to be particular, pertains to the earthworks that he frequently made. In this perspective he developed concepts that has become so essential in describing his distinct views about how art can be applied not as how it has been traditionally described and exercised. As Smithson cleave to his innovative idea, he engaged himself in developing land into his own earthwork. He produces monumental landscapes.