Writing assingment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Writing assingment - Assignment Example Richard went to a great extend just to impress her (cleanliness). Within his school, no one seemed to understand him. Some thought he was just a fool who did not know anything. However, he was a normal kid faced with many challenges. For instance, poor housing, hunger, among many more. A few days before the Negro payday, students were supposed to pledge on behalf of their parents. Because of his love for Helene, Dick had a plan of topping up to her pledge. Unfortunately, his name was not read, and when he rose up to inquire, the teacher put him to shame. He was told that the contribution was not meant for him and those of his kind. Further, she said he did not have a father (Lunsford, 2013). Each person need to be treated equally regardless of race and background. In the short story, Gregory has been subjected to some racial discrimination. He was differentiated in a particular manner that made it seem like all minorities had to undergo. His teacher specifically did this during his early years of schooling. It is because he was from the poverty-stricken class. Consequently, this demoralized him; to the extent that he did not attend his classes as he used to. Moreover, it went ahead to affect his social life. This is because the teacher’s comments had a negative impact towards his self-esteem. As a result, he became sensitive to the slightest matter regarding him. This could evidently be seen in his change of attitude towards relief clothes and food. It was unfair for Gregory to be treated differently, yet he was a normal human being. If only the teacher could mind the aftermath of his sentiments, Gregory could be a better person today (Lunsford, 2013). Initially, the responsibility of cleaning the blackboard had been left for Gregory alone. To him this was an impression that he was important to the teacher. Foregoing the act of cleaning on a Friday usually made him feel incomplete the following school day. Cleaning the blackboard was less important

What is the theme in the story "The Chrysanthemums" by John Essay

What is the theme in the story "The Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck - Essay Example All what Elisa can perform is to watch Henry from a distant as he performs his job. Any kind of detail that reaches her about the ranch management is conveyed indirectly from Henry, who only speaks unclearly, and in with words of humiliation instead of treating his wife fairly as an equal partner. The tinker appears cleverer as compared to Henry, however does not have Elisa’s passion, spirit, and desire for adventure. As per Elisa, he may even match the skills of tinker. Yet, it the one who is favored for a ride about the country, leading an adventurous life that he imagines is flabby for women. Steinbeck employs the tinker and Henry as substitutes for the paternalism of patriarchal societies in common: the way they ignore women’s potential, the same the society does. Steinbeck outlines that urge for sexual fulfillment is incredibly powerful and causes an individual to behave in an irrational way. Henry and Elisa are in a functional marriage but very passionless and they appear to treat one another more of a sibling than a spouse. From the story, Elisa is a tough woman associated with sexuality and fertility but lacks even a single child, revealing the nonsexual character of her relationship with Henry. Regardless of the fact that her marriage does not fulfill her needs, Elisa has remained a sexual person, a behavior that Steinbeck portrays as desirable and normal. From her frustrated sexual desires, Elisa’s attraction to the tinker is astonishingly uncontrollable and powerful. When she tells about staring at the star at night, for instance, her language is through and nearly pornographic. She goes on her knees before him and in a position of sexual submission, looking and reaching out towards him, as the narrator describes it, â€Å"like a fawning dog.† In quintessence, she subjects herself at the intimacy of a completely unfamiliar person. The outcome of Elisa’s strong attraction is perhaps even much destructive than the desirability itself.

Business Conditions Analysis (1) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Conditions Analysis (1) - Essay Example During this time span, there is considerable amount of decline or downfall in the economic activities. On the other hand, the definition of expansion, which is used by the committee, is that it is the time span between the trough and peak of the economic cycle. During this time span, the economic activities increase by a considerable rate (NBER(a)). The method used by the committee for determining the dates of the important events of the business cycle is inefficient in terms of identifying temporary shifts in the recession and expansion. As, the committee only take its decisions on the basis of the pre-defined definitions and has no method of identifying that the contraction or expansion are only temporary interruptions or actual (NBER(a)). Along with this, there is no appropriate definition of economic activity. For this purpose, the committee takes help from different economic measures which are used to determine the overall broad activity. Some of these measures, which are used by the committee, are product based real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), income based real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and the real income of the economy (NBER(a)). Apart from these broad economic indicators, Business Cycle Dating Committee also sometime uses the narrow economic indicators which are not able to cover the whole economy, for example the industrial production determine by the index of the Federal Reserve and the real sales. Although, use of these narrow economic indicators along with the broad economic indicators can result in the problem of double counting the of the industries and sectors included in both indicators but still these narrow economic indicators can be beneficial when there is conflict between the broad indicators (NBER(a)). It is also important to establish, that the method used by the committee for the determining peaks and troughs is completely different from the two

Slavery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Slavery - Essay Example In many bygone civilizations, slavery was the mainstay that enabled them to achieve the glory and reputation that they still enjoy to this day. Ancient civilizations such as those of Egypt, Greece, and the Roman Empire were all built on the backs of thousands of slaves. The modern world’s main superpower would also base its economy, during the early years of its existence, on the institution of slavery. SLAVERY IN THE ANCIENT WORLD Egypt According to Redford, the civilization of Ancient Egypt existed between 5500 B.C. and 332 B.C (Redford 31). During this 4,200-year time line, slaves created numerous structures in the different dynasties; the most famous of which were the pyramids that still remain today. In the course of its colorful existence, the civilization of Ancient Egypt developed an advanced socio-political establishment and even developed schools for its scholars. According to Redford, it is slaves who worked in extremely dangerous conditions, with thousands of them dying in the process, to create structures such as the famous pyramids of Giza (Redford 32). Egyptian records from this bygone era have also shown that slaves were not just presumed to be the property of their masters in the physical earthy life but also their chattels in the afterlife. It was not unusual for the slaves of a rich man, along with his favorite wives, to be murdered upon his death so that they could continue to serve their master in the next life. The most famous account of the existence of slaves in Egypt is found in the Old Testament where the record of the Israelite slaves living in Egypt between 1400 and 1200 BC is documented. It is unlikely that only Jewish slaves were kept in Egypt (Redford 34). There were probably slaves of different ethnicities working in Egypt. From recorded documents, it is evident that there were even instances where poor families sold their children to be slaves in wealthy families. This would ensure that their children were fed constantly while allowing them also to be able to feed the remaining family members. People who ran into debt could also sell themselves into slavery or become the indentured servants of the people whom they owed money. Even though slaves occupied the lowest rung of Egyptian society, the ones who worked for rich masters such as temple priests, wealthy businessmen, or the royal family fared better than the peasants who owned land. This is because peasants had to give a part of their crops as taxes whether they experienced good harvests or not while slaves were dependent on their masters’ largesse. Ancient Greece In ancient Greece, which existed between the Bronze Age and remained until around 1000BC, slavery was also a recognized institution in society. According to Reilly, for every free citizen in Athens there was a slave (Reilly 62). Any male citizen in Greece who had a modest salary could procure the services of a slave to perform duties in his business, as a servant in his home, or even for personal services. In ancient Greece, slaves were often prisoners of war, or people who had been born of slaves. Moreover, there were many slaves who had actually been kidnapped from their home nations and brought to Athens to be sold as slaves or male and female concubines. In city states such as Athens, slaves could aspire to become physicians. They were given more freedom; and, depending on their masters, were treated with respect for the

Extent which UK Government has Opted Fundamental Reform of the Essay

Extent which UK Government has Opted Fundamental Reform of the Education Provision with SEN - Essay Example These have raised two arguments from the disabled Activists who want the society to include the disability clause in the policies. The first focuses upon the ways in which disability and learning difficulties are problems created socially by the society's power structure. The arguments clearly points out that physical and also mental impairment are there to show the large diversity of human nature and should not be viewed as disabilities. Mistreating people with physical and mental impairments is what transforms the impairments into disabilities. Isolated Special education institutions are viewed as oppression to the disabled. The New Labour initiative which supports inclusive schooling has been the Strategy for special education needs which remove barriers to educational achievement (DfES, 2004). The importance of this strategy is that it takes special education within the wider policy initiative of the Green Paper Every child matters (The Stationery Office, 2003) 144 D. Armstrong offers the most comprehensive expression of inclusive education policy within New Labour's wider ideological vision of the inclusive society. With its origin bein... SEN (DfES, 2004) strategy by the Government seeks to signify inclusive education in the same cocoon of protecting the child and promoting learning activities for those children with special needs. The four essential areas of activities for chid protection are; Parents of children with special needs should be given access to suitable healthcare and children with learning problems should receive help in the early stages Inclusive practice should be adopted in early years in every school which will considerably remove barriers to learning. Developing and improving teachers' proficiency and policies for meeting children with special education needs which will raise expectations and the general school leading to the learner's progress. Involving parents in delivering which will help parents develop confidence on the education needs obtained by their children. Pursuing this child protection model of inclusion, the Strategy for special education needs locates special educational interventions within the broader context of social disadvantages experienced by young people whose origins lie within 'risk factors' associated with educational failure, community breakdown, parenting inadequacies, school disorganisation and individual and/or peer group difficulties. These risk factors have been widely proclaimed as giving rise to concerns for the welfare of young people across the domains of education health, social welfare and youth justice (Lupton, 1999; Bessant et al., 2003). The risk factor model is one that has been instrumental in promoting an interventionist strategy of risk reduction to be delivered by cross-agency childhood services. The DEE, (1994) Code of Practice came

Systems of Social Stratification Essay Example for Free

Systems of Social Stratification Essay The caste, the class and the colour-bar are among the systems of social stratification. The main aim of this essay is to compare and contrast these systems as well as indicating their advantages and disadvantages to development. The essay begins with defining the key terms which include comparing, contrasting and development. It further goes on to define as well as explain social stratification itself, the caste, the class and the colour-bar systems respectively. The essay further talks about the advantages and disadvantages of these systems of social stratification and how they affect development. Lastly but not the least comes the conclusion of the essay. The term â€Å"comparing† can be defined as the way of coming up or finding out the similarities between two or more items. On the other hand, the term â€Å"contrasting† means finding out some differences between two or more items. However, the term development refers to the act or process of bringing positive change or improvement. It also referred as a multi-dimensional improvement in people’s well-being at all levels. Social stratification on the other hand is defined as a system by which society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy. The caste is the system in which people are categorised in a fixed arrangement of strata from the most to the least privileged, with a persons position determined unalterably at birth. However, class system is a system of categorising people which is based on individual achievement depending on their social and economic statuses. The colour-bar system on the other hand is the system in which involve inequalities between people and they are categorised on account of their skin colour or race (Giddens 2006). According to Joan Ferranti (1982), there are four fundamental principles of stratification: firstly, Social stratification is a characteristic of society and not just due to individual differences. Secondly, Social stratification persists over generations yet most societies allow some sort of social mobility or changes in peoples position. Social mobility may be upward, downward, or horizontal. This means that social mobility may increase, decrease or remain constant. Thirdly, Social stratification is universal but variable (it changes), and lastly Social stratification involves both inequality and beliefs. Furthermore, social stratification is a trait of society and not simply reflection of individual and it is universal, though it varies from society to society. Ferranti further indicated that Stratification is usually based on three major premises: Power which he described as the ability to impose one’s will on others, Prestige and described it as Horner given to someone by others and Property which he described as forms of wealth. If a person’s or group’s respect is given to know whether that person or group possess or does not possess certain traits, then it will be able to predictable with reasonable accuracy how this person or group is likely to fare in the social hierarchy. He also defined Social Hierarchy as a set of ranked statuses and Social Inequality as some types of people systematically experience advantages in society while other types of people are systematically disadvantaged in the society. This determination is based on who is socially advantaged and who is included among the ranks of the socially disadvantaged and it is on certain characteristics that these individuals possess and how society values or devalues these characteristics. Social stratification affects people’s lives and can be manifested in various ways in society (Ferranti 1982). As articulated in the above statements, social stratification is the system of classifying people in terms of gender, race, social-economic conditions, and many other conditions that affect their lives. Social stratification is divided into six major systems, but this assay concentrate much on explaining three of them as listed above. According to Hindson, D (1987), the caste is a system in which groups are separated from each other on account of religious rules of ritual purity. He indicated that this system has recently been practiced much in India and reflect on the Hindu religious belief where the caste system is more than two thousand years old. According to the Hindu belief, there are four major types of castes: The â€Å"Brahmans† mostly priests and scholars, the â€Å"Kshatriyas† warriors, rulers, and large landholders, the â€Å"Vaishyas† merchants, farmers, and skilled artisans, the â€Å"Shudras† labourers and unskilled artisans, However, there is an additional group called the â€Å"Harijans† Sometimes called untouchables,† they are ranked so low that technically, they are outside the caste system itself. According to Krishnamurti Badriraju (2001), the caste system has many advantages: It helped in the preservation of culture because it was passed on from one generation to another. Preservation of purity; because of its endogamous nature, it permitted marriage within the caste thus preserved purity for each caste. Division of labour; caste system required each individual to do work prescribed for each caste. It promoted co-operation within caste to preserve their culture and protect it from degradation from other caste. Caste system was also responsible for protecting the society from alien cultures. Furthermore, the caste system promoted permanency and continuity such that each caste had a permanent constitution to guide its behaviour and action. The caste system also improved living standards because each caste struggled hard to prosper. Badriraju did not only look at the positive side of the caste system but also looked at its negative side and came up with some disadvantages. The caste system was found to undemocratic. This means that it denied equal opportunity for advancement of people belonging to different castes. There was no mobility among the caste because each individual adopted the occupation prescribed for his/her caste. The caste system also prohibited physical contacts or communication between the Brahmin and the Sudra. Furthermore, the caste system is a class of idlers where Brahmins were well entrenched at the top of the social hierarchy and stopped devoting themselves to study, teaching and started living on alms provided by other castes. This made the low caste people to be oppressed regarding their place of living, movements and other activities and this was against the integrity of the nation. The caste system promoted discrimination by the false sense of superiority and inferiority between the Brahmin and the Sudra. Class system is a form of social stratification in which society tends to divide into classes whose members have different access to resources and power. An economic and cultural rift usually exists between different classes. In the early stages of class stratification, the majority of members in a given society have similar access to wealth and power, with only noticeable members displaying more or less wealth than the rest. As time goes on, the large share of wealth and status can begin to concentrate around a small number of populations. As the members of the community begin to spread out from one another economically, classes are created (Hawley, John Charles 2008). Karl Max saw classes as defined by peoples relationship to the means of production. According to him, the Capitalists (bourgeoisie) are people who own factories and other productive business and the proletariat are people who sell their productive labour to the capitalists. Marxs theory has been enormously influential and his work has been criticized for failing to recognize that a system of unequal ewards may be necessary to motivate people to perform their social roles effectively. According to Marxist theory in a class system, social stratification benefits the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor. Karl Marx also described two other classes, the petite bourgeoisie and the lumpenproletariat. The petite bourgeoisie is a small business class that does not accumulate enough profit as compared to the bourgeoisie, while the lumpenproletariat is a low life part of the proletariat class which include beggars, prostitutes and many others (Gimbutas, Marija 1992). Unlike Karl Marx who defined social classes in terms of ownership of the means of production, Max Weber identified three distinct dimensions of stratification. He argued that social standing consists of three parts or dimensions: class, which he regarded as determined mainly by economic standing or wealth; party, which was equivalent to political power; and status, or social prestige and honour. Following Webers lead, contemporary sociologists often use the broader concept of social-economic status to refer to a persons ranking along several social dimensions, particularly education, occupational prestige, and income. He added on by saying that people had different qualifications and skills on the basis of which they can be differentiated. Wright, E. O. (1997), found the class system to have both advantages and disadvantage: It promoted group solidarity and co-operation between people belonging to the same class, it promoted hard work among the lower class as they strived to be as those the higher class, it also promoted pride on one’s success or achievement through hard working. For example, if a lawyer would be seen to the same as a garbage man and get the same salary, he would feel inferior and think that his hard work was in vein as has the same income with someone who did not spend 18 years in school. On a negative part, wright found the class system to be undemocratic as it denied equal opportunities for advancement of people’s belonging to different groups. Another system of social stratification is the colour-bar system (also known as the race system). Jeremy Seekings (2003) described it as a system which involves inequalities between groups of people by the colour or race of its people. Mainly these inequalities deal with the antagonistic action between the whites and black racial groups. The colour-bar is associated with the apartheid in South Africa where people were categorised in four groups: on top of the hierarchy being the whites (Caucasians) followed by the coloureds, then the Asians (mongoroids) and lastly, the black (negroids). This system is also associated with discrimination and prejudice. Furthermore, the system is characterised by racial segregation where racial or ethnic groups inhabit the same territory but do activities separately also termed as â€Å"mix but not combine†. Similarly to other systems, the colour-bar also promotes solidarity among groups of the same race by the preservation of culture because it passed on from one generation to another. However, the colour-bar system was found to have more disadvantages than advantages because promoted racism, discrimination, prejudice, stereotyping, and ethnocentrism because people in the lowest category could feel to be more inferior. In comparing the three systems of social stratification, it would be found that they have some features in common; at the same time they would be found to have some differences depending on how they occur or practiced. According to how scholars have been describing each of these systems, they all come to a common conclusion of classifying people into different categories, they share the same principles as well as dimension which are: wealth, power and prestige. Although these systems share the same principles and dimensions, it is clear from their descriptions that they vary in the way they are practiced. The caste system is a system in which groups are separated from each other on account of religious rules of ritual purity, and the class system as articulated by Karl Marx is a system where people are classified on account of ownership and non-ownership of the means of production. Furthermore, it is a system where people are classified depending on their social and economic statuses. On the other hand, the colour-bar system as shown by Jeremy Seekings (2003), it is a system which involves inequalities between groups of people by the colour or race of its people. However, this clearly shows that although these systems of social stratification have some similarities, they are different in the actual way they occur. During the Conference on Race in Durban in 2001, Dalit participants made out a strong case that caste discrimination was not different from race discrimination and casteism was no different from racism [United Nations 2001]. The Indian Government rejected this equation, just as it rejected calling Indian forest dwelling communities as ‘indigenous peoples,’ though its own terminology of ‘adivasi’ means exactly that. It has maintained that such classifications are not rigorous enough. The Indian government apparently has forgotten that it was the intervention of the Indian delegation in 1965 that forced the International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination [CERD] to include the term ‘descent’ as a factor. It has also been pointed out that in practice racial and caste discrimination coalesce â€Å"be it exclusion, inequality, institutionalised prejudices or discrimination† (Khan 2010). On the other hand, the colour-bar system is different from the class system in many ways: the colour- bar is a closed system of social stratification whereas the class is open. This means that in the colour-bar system there is little or no interaction between people of different colour/race, but people of different classes are free to interact in the class system. Social mobility is restricted in the colour-bar system, and open in the class system. Inequality is based on one’s skin colour in the colour-bar system whereas in the class system, it is based on one’s social and economic status. In the colour-bar system, the lowest race (blacks mostly) are denied development opportunities, whereas in the class system everyone is not hindered but eligible of developing his status. The colour-bar system does not allow marrying outside the race (it is endogamous), and this is what makes it similar to the caste system (John S 1983). John did not only look at the differences between these systems, but he also talked about their similarities by outlining that they both have elements of slavery because in the colour-bar system, the whites exercise absolute control over blacks and in the class system, the owners of the bourgeoisie exercise absolute control over the proletariats. Little do these systems of social stratification contribute to development, Davis and Moore argued that the most difficult jobs in any society are the most necessary and require the highest reward and compensation to sufficiently motivate individuals to fill them. This promotes development as it makes people work hard (mostly academically) in order to acquire those positions. However, this argument has been criticised by many scholar as it only apply to the class system and not the caste and the colour-bar where one cannot change his race (the new york times 2005). Since development comes through hard work, these systems play a vital role in promoting development because those in lower class work hard in order to become like those in higher class. However, this development is limited to the class system because it does not occur at a broader level in the caste and the colour-bar systems but occurs within the particular caste or race. The reason is that no matter how much one succeeds in these two systems, he will remain a black, coloured or Sudra. This can hinder development because a Blackman will feel it is better to remain poor and being looked down by a Whiteman than to succeed while still being laughed at. However, this same applies to the caste system where a Harijan thinks that even if works hard; he will not be as pure as the Brahmin. In summary, it would be concluded that these three systems of social stratification hinder development because they all involve inequalities between groups of people. For as long as these systems promote racism, discrimination, prejudice, stereotyping, and ethnocentrism, development cannot occur because people in the lowest category (such as the blacks, Sudra, harijan, the proletariats and lumpens) would feel to be more inferior and think that they cannot do anything where development is concerned. This analysis can be interpreted in a range of ways as regards the positions in society concerning the classification of people. Looked at one way, almost the whole of society can be considered as ‘a society of classes’. For this reason, Karl Marx advocated the attainment of classless society after the workers overthrow the owners of the means of production from power of which it has not been attained even today.

Knitting In Edith Whartons Roman Fever English Literature Essay

Knitting In Edith Whartons Roman Fever English Literature Essay In writing, it seems as though a writers every word is calculated, each sentence a carefully crafted work of art intended to invoke a thought, idea, or message in a readers malleable psyche. In essence, this is indeed the goal of writing: to convey to others ones own ideas through written words. When viewed this way, a reader is required to read differently than he or she would otherwise. When the reader takes on the challenge of searching for some deeper, more sophisticated meaning within a story beyond that which appears on the page, each sentence becomes a golden nugget nestled in the gold mine of the paragraph as a whole, the reader a miner meticulously working his or her way through the paragraphs in search of the mother lode. With each reading the walls of the story recede, revealing ever more of the intricacies and complexities infused into the story by the writer. Edith Whartons Roman Fever is full of delicately placed words, carefully planned structures, and pieces of the pu zzle conveniently hidden from readers, and yet for reasons unknown it has received very little critical attention in the seventy-five years since its release in 1934 (Bauer 681). Those who have turned their attention toward it, however, seem to have focused largely on the role Mrs. Ansleys knitting plays in the story. In Whartons Roman Fever, the authors mention of Mrs. Ansleys twist of crimson silk is calculated, as the knitting serves to emphasize and symbolize the relationship between Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley as well as to foreshadow the characters dramatic revelations later in the story (Wharton 1 of 12). Color is central to the human understanding of the surrounding world. People associate colors with feelings, places, people, and events in their lives, and each color harbors a different meaning for each individual. Thus, the color used by the narrator to describe Mrs. Ansleys knitting is vital to ones interpretation of the story. The narrator describes it as a twist of crimson silk, and in these five words there exists no shortage of meaning (Wharton 1 of 12). For instance, the knitting is said to be crimson (Wharton 1 of 12). Alice Petry explains it as an insistently passionate color in her article entitled A Twist of Crimson Silk: Edith Whartons Roman Fever' (164). In the article, Petry details the various meanings of the knitting, highlighting also the significance of the knitting within the story. Petrys characterization of the color is not singular to her interpretation of the story: red and its various shades are widely regarded as colors of love and of passion. This passionat e color choice serves to foreshadow the upcoming revelation of the characters as they realize that neither of them knows the whole truth about Mrs. Ansleys tryst with Delphin Slade. Much of the critical attention given to the story has centered on Mrs. Ansleys knitting, and so it is not surprising that critics have emphasized its color. Jamil characterizes the crimson hue of the knitting this way: If black signifies the gloom of guilt, then crimson signifies the heat of sexuality and risquà © youthfulness of romantic passion (99). The black to which Jamil refers is actually the black color of the handbag Mrs. Ansley is carrying, as the story says, Half guiltily she drew from her handsomely mounted black handbag a twist of crimson silkà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Jamil 99; Wharton 1 of 12). This innovative comparison between the two colors emphasizes the foreshadowing effect created by the crimson color of the knitting. In much the same way that the human consciousness is heavily influenced by color, so also does the material from which something is crafted play a large part in how one perceives an object or an event. Different substances carry with them various connotations and denotations that must be taken into account when interpreting a story. Thus, just as color is important, the narrators mention of the type of material used in Mrs. Ansleys knitting is key as well. According to the narrator, the knitting being done by Mrs. Ansley is not made of yarn but of silk (Wharton 1 of 12). This seemingly minor detail is actually very significant, and it too foreshadows the characters coming disclosure of what really happened between Mrs. Ansley and Delphin Slade. Silk is often viewed as a very slinky, seductive material, and so this minor detail foreshadows the climactic revealing of the past that is to come. It suggests some kind of covert romantic encounter on the part of Mrs. Ansley and it can even be seen as contextually symbolic. Jamil puts it this way: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the act of bringing out the yarn, which is exquisitely delicate (silk), is the act of bringing the delicate thread out of the past into the present or bringing the present into the past (99). Jamil is not the only one to suggest some sort of connection between the silk and the storys plot, however. Petry also weighs in on the subject, saying, The sensuality and forcefulness suggested by [Mrs. Ansleys] knitting materials will help to render plausible her passionate moonlight tryst with Delphin Slade twenty-five years earlierà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (164). Both Jamil and Petry seem convinced that the narrators mention of the silk is not simply aesthetic; rather, both seem to believe that it is premeditated and deliberate, as it serves as one of the storys most powerful agents of foreshadowing. Mrs. Ansleys knitting does not solely serve to foreshadow the storys climax. Instead, it serves also as a contextual symbol of the relationship shared by Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade. As a result of the narrators descriptions of the knitting, it can be said that the knitting suggests a great deal about the relationship between the two women by its very structure. To knit is, by definition, to makeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦by looping together yarn or thread by means of special needles (Knit def. 1). Because knitting does not normally relate to relationships beyond the context of this story, the use of knitting here acts as a contextual symbol for the relationship between the women. Curiously, this aspect of Mrs. Ansleys knitting has received little critical attention. This does not, however, detract from its magnitude. Knitting is essentially a system of interwoven strands that seem to be completely connected and totally intertwined; the article I Had Barbara: Womens Ties and Whartons Roman Fever' describes the lives of the women in much the same way in the following few sentences: [Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley] move as one, they lean as one, and their expression is the same one. Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley had lived opposite each other actually as well as figuratively for years: a cohabitation, figuratively if not actually alongside their marriages (Bowlby 45). In these few sentences Bowlby outlines just how close the two women really are. Much like the threads of a piece of knitting, the two women cannot get much closer together. The lives of Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade are completely interwoven, and as a result it can be said that the knitting acts as a contextual symbol of the relationship between them. That said, however, even the best knitting will begin to destroy itself with even the tiniest snip of a pair of scissors. Viewed from this perspective, Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade represent the strands of silk, the relationship between them is the knitting as a whole, and Mr s. Ansleys encounter with Delphin Slade and its emergence later in the story act as the scissors that will cause the relationship to fall apart. The one-night rendezvous between Mrs. Ansley and Delphin Slade has such far-reaching, severe effects that it eventually unravels the very structure of the relationship shared by the two women, which had heretofore been intimate (Wharton 3 of 12). Edith Whartons Roman Fever is, according to Petry, Probably Edith Whartons best-known short storyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (163). It is bursting with symbols, foreshadowing, plot twists, and vivid descriptions. What sets it apart from other stories, however, is the significance it places on the simple, seemingly innocuous act of knitting. Mrs. Ansleys knitting plays a central role in the story, as it foreshadows the storys climax and symbolizes the relationship between Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade. The quantity of times it appears lends credence to the idea that Wharton intended for the reader to place a heavy emphasis on the knitting, and the placement and timing of its appearance is too uncanny and too often to be coincidental. Thus, it can be deduced that the narrators mention of Mrs. Ansleys twist of crimson silk is indeed calculated and is meant to invoke a deeper meaning to the story than would be found otherwise (Wharton 1 of 12). As a result, it cannot be ignored as one of the chief aspe cts of the story, and when included in ones interpretation of the story it in turn makes the story more realistic, more meaningful, and more enjoyable.