Effectiveness Of Employee Empowerment

Effectiveness Of Employee Empowerment Introduction: In such a competitive environment, the organizations have to continuously provide quality products, better services and need to bring innovation to stay in the business and generate profits. To conduct such activities, efficient and empowered employees are essential (Bowen and Lawer, 1992; Fulford and Enz, 1995; Bowen and Lawler, 1995). In the past, the authority was not delegated to the employees and it centered on the managers who were responsible for making all the decisions in the interest of the organizations. This had limited the creativity to show up since the employees were not able to express or share their ideas. Empowerment in the recent years has been considered as the most important factor that contributes to the success of the organization. The creative energy and potentials of employees benefits the shareholders, suppliers and customers as well (Gandz 1990; Appelbaum, HÃ ©bert, Leroux, 1999). Empowerment means delegation of decision making authority when there is a need to take action which is important for both the managers and employees. Following are the main reasons for practicing empowerment in the organization: It provides fast solutions to business problems It provides growth opportunities for employees It helps in lowering organizational cost Employees benefit from empowerment because they have more responsibility in their jobs. Employee empowerment increases the level of employee involvement and therefore creates a deeper sense of satisfaction and higher levels of motivation. The style of management is changing as the managers are now being considered as the coach, advisors or facilitators. The decision making has been shifted down to the lowest level of the organization. According to Rob and Margret brown, empowerment isnt just a matter of delegating job authority to the job-holders. It means that everyone can take action to enhance his or her work, either in personal or organizational terms. Instead of the traditional bureaucracy, with its emphasis on control, standardization and obedience, Brown-blessed empowerment can only thrive in the liberated surround of innovation, flexibility, commitment, zero defects and continuous improvement. Effectiveness of Employee Empowerment: Employee Empowerment can only be effective when management clearly defines the achievable goals and accountability standards. The management should provide employees with the resources such as time, money, training and relevant and factual information which is supported by the upper and lower management. The benefits of empowerment can be substantial for the organization but it doesnt come without costs. If this approach is not properly implemented, it can cause many problems such as bad decisions taken by the employees who are not well-trained, conflict arising between team members reducing the team innovativeness and performance of the employees (Henderson and Lee; Davenport ) and high training costs to successfully operate in the empowered environment. There are also numerous benefits that are associated with empowerment such as enhanced creativity resulting in increased performance, making cross functional teams of diverse work group for sharing and developing innovative ideas and increased customer service quality by letting them solving the customer problems on their own without waiting for the managerial approval (Shrednick et al., [26]). Hence we can assume that empowerment is a skill and can be learned. Effective management teams must have a firm grasp on the latest business techniques as well as an understanding of the importance of human potential and high self-esteem. Empowerment is a total commitment to doing business in a productive and positive manner. The famous researcher John R. Drew proposed Seven Steps to Empowerment. According to him empowerment can be achieved by creating champions, involving people in planning the change, creating team leaders, educating the workforce, changing the support system, practicing consensus decision making and involving people in strategic and tactical planning. A lot of research has been conducted on empowerment in the last decade to fully understand its impact on the performance of employees and how it effects the organization as a whole. An organization must understand its compatibility with the organization system since its effect varies from organization to organization. The approach is dependent on the organizational structure, its system, its culture, skilled workforce and the attitude of top management toward the change. Before the organizations move to the empowerment approach, they must critically analyze what empowerment basically is and how its different from the traditional approach. Empowerment encourages information sharing with front-line workers, rewards based on organizational performance, employee training, and employee involvement in management decision making (Bowen and Lawler). Most of the researches indicate that the empowerment must be nurtured and supported by the other factors which trigger its effect and produces positive results for the organization such as Autonomy, creativity, level of communication between managers and employees, competency and high self-esteem. Theories and practices of empowerment: There has been a lack of theoretical and empirical work being done on practices of empowerment. The term empowerment being used in the business organizations is not clearly defined since it is difficult to understand what the writer is referring to when he uses the term empowerment. Broadly there are two main approaches that are widely used to understand the concept. Following Conger and Kanungo(1988) and Thomas and Velthouse (1990), spreitzer (1992) refers to these as a psychological and relational perspectives. Psychological perspective on employee empowerment: The first approach to study empowerment focuses on the concept that empowerment depends on the perception of employees. If they believe that they are empowered, then they will tend to work with more autonomy ( Spreitzer 1992). Conger and Kanungo(1988), and Thomas and Velthouse(1990) and spreitzer (1992) imply that an employee is psychologically empowered when (a) he/she finds meaning in his/her role involvement (b) feels efficacious with his/her ability and capacity to perform (c ) has a sense of determination to achieve a desired outcome with his/her role and (d) believes that he/she has control over desired outcomes meaning they have an impact on the large environment. The relational perspective of empowerment: The second approach focuses on the concept that how sharing of power is affected by the organizational structures and its cultures. It deals with the organizational structure and culture that it should be designed in such a way that creates an environment to facilitate the empowerment of its members (Bowen and Lawler 1992, Byham and Cox 1998, Jaffe and Scott 1991). Apart from these approaches, different theories on empowerment were presented by different theorists having opposite view points. Some theorists argue that there should be a relatively uniform understanding of empowerment and they were in the favor of implementing standardized programs (Rumelt 1974; Denhardt 1984; Wallace 1992; Balk, 1996). On the contrary, other theorists were of the view that empowerment is individually, contextually and variably defined (Zimmerman 1995; Quinn and Spreitzer 1997; Foster-Fishman et al. 1998). These researchers think that there exists a wide range of empowerment varying from person to person even in the same work setting, although both the viewpoints were in favor of empowerment. Each viewpoint is based on the same assumption that employees value empowerment and by exercising empowerment, they can give better outcomes, increased efficiency and performance, increased job satisfaction, and consistent ethical behavior. Objectives and significance of study: A lot of conceptual research has been done on empowerment but there is a need of studying the effect of these 5 factors and get a more generalizable result. The main purpose of this research is to explore the relationship between these variables (i.e. Autonomy, creativity, level of communication between managers and employees, competency and high self-esteem) and empowerment of front-line employees of Mobilink Company in Islamabad. We will then further investigate the impact of empowerment on employee performance. Although these relationships have been explored in the Western environment, we will be investigating these relationships in the Asian environment to explore if the results differ in any way or the hypothesis we have created shows the positive results. Following are the main objectives of this research: To understand the core concepts of Empowerment and performance To identify the variables and investigate the relationship between these variables and employee empowerment To explore the overall impact of empowerment on the performance of Mobilink employees. Problem statement The problem statement of our research paper is to study the impact of empowerment being nurtured by the other factors such as Autonomy, creativity, level of communication between managers and employees, competency and high self-esteem on the performance of Mobilink employees. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Sanjay Menon and Clarkson (2001) have tried to explain the psychological approach to employee empowerment in this article. It was developed based on the principal that the psychological experience underlies feelings of empowerment. This article extends existing perspectives of empowerment by integrating the empowering effect of valued goals, such as those provided by transformational leadership. In addition to the two traditional facets of perceptions of control over the work environment and the perception of self efficacy or competence, internalization of goals was also identified as a major component of psychological experience of empowerment. They have also mentioned the implications of defining empowerment as a psychological state and the need of multiple measures of empowerment. They also recognize empowerment as one of the most important strategic tool to motivate employee if the organization are concerned with growth of their employees. (Employee Empowerment: An Integrative Ps ychological Approach) John Peter, Patricia Byrnes, Do-Lim Choi, Frank Fagan and Randy Miller (2002) have discussed that the empowerment of public employees is an important mediating step in improving public organizational outcomes, yet such a relationship depends on an assumption that employees value what is offered as empowerment. The empowerment is multidimensional. Survey was carried out to know the opinion of employees regarding empowerment. Employees or Street-Level Bureaucrats were in favor of empowerment because they believe that their skills will improve, they will be able to perform job effectively, they can save a lot of time and they will be able to improve their decision making skills. Empowerment programs consider what each individual employee values. (Dimensions and Patterns in Employee Empowerment: Assessing What Matters to Street-Level Bureaucrats by John Peter, Patricia Byrnes, Do-Lim Choi, Frank Fagan and Randy Miller published in 2002) Logan and Daniel C. Ganster (2007) report the result of randomized field experiment that tested the effects of an empowerment intervention among unit managers of large trucking company in this article. The intervention has designed to increase participants beliefs in their personal control and self-efficacy with regard to key aspects of their jobs. Individuals who managed geographically dispersed profit centers were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (N=38) or a no-treatment control group (N=30).the intervention significantly increased perceptions of maintenance control and impact at four months after the intervention, but only for managers who felt that their supervisors were supportive. The intervention also improved archival measures of unit performance and affected work attitudes (depending upon the level of perceived supervisory support). The data point out the key role that perceived supervisor social support plays when implementing such organizational change int erventions.(The Effects Of Empowerment On Attitudes And Performance: The Role of Social Support and Empowerment Beliefs) Butts, Mike (2004) argues in this article that most of the employees feel frustrated and completely ineffective because of lack of employee empowerment. According to the author, most of the time your manager asks you to do a certain project with full responsibility and when the time comes to implement your strategic plans and action plan, your manager doesnt support you and your higher-ups dont give you authority to bring some positive changes or to make some effective decisions. At the end, when the project fails, they ask you that why your performance has not improved. So in simple words, you cannot give someone the responsibility for a job without giving them the means and authority to bring about needed changes. (Command performance: empowerment is the catalyst for positive corporate changes By Butts, Mike Publication: Prosales Date: Wednesday, December 1 2004) Gaynor Borade (2008) discusses about the importance of employee empowerment and how it can be implemented in an organization. Employee empowerment can be attempted via dedicated virtual courses, special employee empowerment workshops by management gurus, dedicated books and articles and even software packages. It can only work if the management team believes in it. The implementation of employee empowerment involves managers willing to give up control in certain areas of work production. The writer argues that the traditional bureaucracy and the age old emphasis on control and standardization are now things of the past. The new vistas involve innovation, flexibility and commitment and consistent improvement. (Employee Empowerment by Gaynor Borade Published: 2/23/2008) Cheryl (2007) enlightens its readers with his view that the most important asset that any company will ever have is its employees. Employees are the backbone of the organizational hierarchy, allowing the employees to accomplish organizational goals by giving them some decision-making ability is the way to enhance the growth and performance of todays organizations. Empowerment is a process that is adapted through a course of time and gradually, almost effortlessly, comes together. So in this article, the writer explains that how managers assure the employees that empowerment is not only in their own best interest but also for the organization as a whole. (Employee Empowerment: Organizations Must Take Active Roles by Cheryl, published Sep 26, 2007) Susan M. Heathfield basically tries to pinpoint the fact that if employee empowerment is such a powerful tool into accomplishing word, better work more efficiency then why does it fail. It then takes a look at 5 reasons why employee empowerment fails such as managers pay lip service to empowerment but do not really believe in its power, they fail to provide easy access to the information and training to the staff to make decisions, they fail to establish boundaries for empowerment, have defined the decision making authority and boundaries with staff but then micromanage the work of employees and lastly the managers fail to appraise or appreciate the employees for their hard work.(Five More Reasons Employee Empowerment Fails by Susan M. Heathfield) Robert Bacal (2004) basically answers to a question of a manager who is finding it hard to implement empowerment as the employees themselves are hesitant to take an initiative and in the answer to the query tells the manager that empowerment just does not mean treating the employee like a guest as the employees tend to get used to the traditional hierarchy of the firm and thus resist the opportunity(empowerment) and in order to empower employees in the real sense steps such as clearly defining what empowerment criteria you have set what you actually mean by it and clarifying the goals of the firm , effective routing of information in the firm, clear process for input of decision making, management consistency i.e. not necessarily blindly following each decision but over-ruling it with tactics so that the spirit of empowerment is not hurt and skill development that is providing the necessary tools to extract ones ability to benefit from it, and a stable and respectful workplace histor y which will give confidence to employees to work with confidence and no hesitance otherwise a bad track record will just suppress the ability to participate freely. (Empowering Employees Can Yield Unexpected Conflict and Resistance! By Robert Bacal published in 2004) Peter Grazier (1998) discusses the benefits associated with the employee empowerment in his article that how it helps a company to reduce its expenses or costs occurring due to Absenteeism and turnover. The author further describes that due to employee empowerment, Absenteeism and turnover goes down, safety assurance and employee performance gets better and the company obtains other associated benefits as well. (Quantifying the Soft Costs of Empowering Employees by Peter Grazier Originally published in EI Network on April 1, 1998) Susan M. Heathfield has defined employee empowerment in her article as the process of enabling or authorizing an individual to think, behaves, take action, and control work and decision making in autonomous ways. She has also discussed the main problem regarding employee empowerment that most organizations experience. They think that the manager bestows empowerment on the people who report to him rather than thinking that each employee should work in empowered ways. Lastly, the author argues that the organizations should create such environment that helps boost the ability of employees to act in empowered ways. (Employee empowerment by Susan M. Heathfield) Theoretical framewor And hypothesis The theme of this research is to shed the light on the empowerment as a core concept and a major factor in this study and to investigate the impact of some antecedent factors including (autonomy, creativity, level of communication between managers and employees, competency and self esteem) on the degree of employee empowerment and then to research the impact of empowerment on employee performance as illustrated in the following framework. Identification of variables: Dependant variable: Performance of employees Independent variables: Employee empowerment Autonomy Creativity Level of communication between managers and employees Self esteem Competency Network of Associations Positive relationship between autonomy and employee empowerment Positive relationship between employee empowerment and performance Positive relationship between creativity and employee empowerment. Positive relationship between self esteem and employee empowerment Positive relationship between understanding between managers and employees and employee empowerment Positive relationship between competency of employees and employee empowerment. Justification of relationships: Employees having more autonomy are more empowered to make decisions. This shows that relationship between autonomy and empowerment is positive. There is a positive relation between employee empowerment and performance. With the increase in empowerment, performance of employees will increase. Creativity and empowerment has also a positive relation. If employees are more creative, they will do their work with more freedom and bring innovation to the work. Positive relation exists between self esteem and empowerment of employees. If employees are having a high level of self confidence, they will definitely make right decisions. If there is a good understanding between managers and employees, employees will feel more comfortable in doing work with them and it will effect the performance of employees in a positive way. If employees are more competent or capable enough, they will exercise empowerment and will show high level of performance. After developing a theoretical framework of above mentioned variables, we will develop hypothesis of each variable. We will then test these hypotheses to check whether these factors are the primary ones that influence employee empowerment and ultimately this leads to increased performance of employees. Autonomy Autonomy is defined as the state of independence one has to take decisions without the consent of others. Autonomy can play a major role to increase the job satisfaction of employees and they show more involvement in their work, thus creating a competitive edge for the firm. In our study we will focus at the autonomy of each individual within an organization and how it will lead to empowerment being exercised by the employees and to what extent it is effective in increasing their performance. White (1986) found that certain strategies that require high levels of control produce better results with low rather than with high autonomy. So, along with affecting people at their jobs, autonomy is also related to many variables crucial to organizational effectiveness (Brock 2003). Empowerment and autonomy are not interchangeable but rather autonomy enhances the degree of empowerment among employees. It helps in lowering the turnover rate and level of absenteeism in an organization and promotes quality work. Hypothesis: H 1: The higher the level of autonomy given to service employees, the higher the level of empowerment they would exercise. Creativity As defined by the Webster dictionary Creativity is marked by the ability or power to create to bring into existence, to invest with a new form, to produce through imaginative skill, to make or bring into existence something new. It can also be defined as the ability to use different modes of thought to generate new and dynamic ideas and solutions (Carnevale, Gainer, and Meltzer). Creative thinking involves imagining familiar things in a new light, digging below the surface to find previously undetected patterns, and finding connections among unrelated phenomena (Roger von Oech). Creativity and employee empowerment have complementary relationship. Employees should be empowered to take decisions and this leads to the opportunity of being creative. Creativity facilitates the employees to show the expressions of commitment, courage, to take decisions, more involvement in their jobs, risk taking and using their imagination for the success of the organization. Innovative employees show more productivity as compare to those who are happy in doing their boring routine work because creative people are curious, self confident, optimistic, flexible, visionary and have a good sense of humor . Creativity and empowerment are believed to result from comparable organizational factors. For example, creativity is enhanced by freedom of information and relaxation of conditioned thinking. Empowerment results from open communication and network building, access to decision making and control of resources are empowering. Providing resources and support and encouraging the solution of unstructured problems enhance creativity. Low levels of supervision, participation in goal setting, and the establishment of challenging work goals foster creativity, while participation, expanded awareness, and being attuned to organizational goals empower individuals. Hypothesis: H 2: The higher the level of creativity shown by the employees, the higher the level of empowerment they will exercise. Level of Communication between managers and employees There is an often saying that The only thing constant in the World is Change. With the advancement in technology and rapidly changing environment, the methods of communication are also changing and the organizations are expecting more productivity from its employees due to increased efficiency and effectiveness of communication process within the firm. There is a definite relationship of communication between managers and employees with empowerment. More authority the manager gives to its employees, the higher the level of performance will be shown by them. Open communication between managers and employees is essential and must be practiced in the organizations since it reduces stress and removes ambiguity. Open communication flatten your organization, reduces the hierarchal levels and decentralizes the authority which creates more empowered environment. Hence Empowerment in business means knowing how to humanize the work environment so management and employees work together to enhance productivity and achieve greater personal and professional success. HYPOTHESIS: H 3: The higher the level of communication between managers and employees, the higher the level of empowerment they would exercise. Self esteem Self esteem is defined as the opinion you have about your self or how much confident you are about yourself. Some employees may have low self esteem and some may have high self esteem. Employees with high self esteem tend to show more positive response towards their work and environment and this confidence motivates them to takes decisions on their own. Since they believe in their self, this results in more productivity or output. This effects the organization as whole and leads to success. Negative thoughts about one self can be demotivating and one can easily give up or loose hope. They start depending on others and are not able to decide on their own. In a CNN interview, Robert Wagner on Larry King 2002 was asked the following question: What is the most important thing for a person starting out on the road to success? I would tell them the most important thing is to work on your self esteem, thats the best advice I can give An empowered company begins with self-empowerment. Owners and managers cannot empower others to perform their best until they are empowered themselves. Empowered management begins by hiring leaders who possess healthy self-esteem, superior people skills, and the willingness to share expertise to bring out the best in employees. Promoting and maintaining consistently high self-esteem in managers and employees is a vital ingredient to a highly empowered workforce. High self-esteem within the company is achieved by encouraging creativity, individuality, problem solving, and an open and honest exchange of ideas among all the employees in a non-threatening environment. The opposite of an empowered workforce is one composed of negativity, low morale, and a distrust of management. An unempowered workforce is an unproductive workforce. Managers and workers have the basic need to feel they are contributing and making a difference. Employees who consistently feel enthusiastic about what they are doing, do a good job. In our study, we will be looking at the relationship of self-esteem and empowerment and how it promotes an employee to work in a decentralized organization causing employees to be empowered in many ways. Hypothesis: H 4: The high level of self esteem in employees, the higher the level of empowerment they will practice. Competency Competency means an individuals conviction or confidence in his or her ability or effectiveness in accomplishing the performance requirements of a task. To delegate the employees, the managers must provide them with the necessary knowledge, enhance their skills and try to make them feel competent. A Competent person seeks opportunities to increase personal contribution and level of responsibility; Supports and respects the individuality of others and recognizes the benefits of diversity of ideas and approaches; Delegates and empowers others to increase contribution and level of responsibility; Facilitates team goal setting and problem solving; Recognizes differences between individuals, cultures and teams and provides developmental feedback in accordance with performance management principles; Identifies competencies required and suitable resources for specific tasks; Displays personal interest in the well-being of colleagues; Able to manage own time as well as time of colleagues and other stakeholders; and Manages conflict through a participatory approach. In the different researches and studies of employee empowerment, such as one carried out by Erickson et al, revealed that employee empowerment is said to occur when the management and employers pursue goals of both personal as well as professional growth for their employees. For example the senior managers and leaders within the organizations can assist their employees in enhancing their capabilities, in turn enhancing their potential to fully utilize their capabilities. Hypothesis: H 5: The level of Empowerment will be high for those employees who have the capability or the necessary skill or knowledge to take decisions. Now that we had clarified how each of the previous variables (Autonomy, Creativity , Level of Communication between managers and employees, self-esteem and competency) affects and contributes to the adaptation of an empowerment culture, the following section is dedicated to verifying the relation between employee empowerment and the job performance concepts. Performance Simple, some people say. Performance is getting the job done. Producing the result that you aimed at, nothing else matters. There are no prizes for coming second. [reference] Performance is basically the level of output shown by an employee. The level of performance (high or low) varies from person to person. Some employees may produce good results and some may show poor performance. Managers consistently check the performance of employees to ensure that goals are consistently being met in an effective and efficient manner. There is a deep connection between employee performance and employee empowerment which is based on two things. The first main thing is the goal setting. If the employee understands his job or work well and know how it will effect the organization, he will take those decisions that will benefit the company for long-term. Second, empowerment implies accountability, along with the freedom to make decisions. It helps to create that accountability for results and the outcomes of decisions the employee makes through ongoing communication, and of course, the performance review process. Intellectual capital of a staff can be distinctive competence of a company. Firms that motivate their employees to make creative decisions and being open to experience (always ready to take risks) are more likely to achieve success. The most efficient and effective way to increase the performance of employees is to empower them as it gives authority to workers to make prospective decisions. This delegation of authority increases job satisfaction and sense of responsibility (Marshall, Talbott Bukovinsky 2006) Empowerment is the most important practice which has a greater effect on the performance of employees in an organization. Progressive Productive firms are profitable, effective, adaptive and proactive towards changing environment

Our Journey to the New World

For Two days Martha rode in the back of the dusty wagon and cried. She was one big mess. Feeling sorry for herself, and mad at the whole family. Pa stopped the wagon, and everybody got out to eat, Everybody but Martha. She just sat where she was, moping instead of crying, till she'd run out of tears. â€Å"Martha Madison, are you going to eat something?' asked ma. â€Å"You know I can't swallow when I'm upset,† she told Ma. â€Å"Leave her be,† said Pa. â€Å"My Martha has a mind and a stomach of her own.† â€Å"I'll take her gingerbread,† said Billy. He was Martha's older brother, only one year older. Ma plunked Bob on Martha's lap. â€Å"Well, if you're not going to eat, how about looking after your baby brother?† Bob was a cute little rascal, but Martha was busy thinking about her home back in Jackson, Mississippi and her friend Denis. Martha missed her home and wanted to go back home. Denis and Martha swore to be friends forever, but the creaky old wagon was putting more miles between them everyday. Billy and Bob liked traveling in the wagon, the same with Pa. Ma wasn't the complaining sort, but Martha just hated traveling. Ma said to many times to Martha, â€Å"Your Pa's got itchy feet. He's a traveling man and he'll keep on moving west till we run out of land.† Everybody was excited about going to Saint Joseph, Missouri. It was where Pa was bringing them to join a wagon train headed for Oregon. It took them two weeks to reach Saint Joe. When they got to Saint Joe it was Pa and Billy who turn to be disappointed. They were too late for the wagon train. It had been gone for a week. They'd have to wait a month for the next one. After their long miserable ride from Jackson things moved pretty fast. By late afternoon they were set up in two little rooms on Mudd Street. And Pa found a job with the New West Harness Company. Martha and Ma had supper ready. They all crowded around the table and joined hands. Pa said grace and they all said â€Å"Amen.† After supper Ma spread two blankets on the floor for Martha and Billy. Pa and Ma and Bob took the big bed in the other room. And everyone was sound asleep. Pa worked all day at the New West Harness Company. â€Å"Missing that wagon train may turn out to be a blessing,† said Pa. â€Å"Why?† said Ma. â€Å"It'll give me time to bargain for all the things we'll need for Oregon,† answered Pa. First Pa bought extra oxen. Then he traded their old wagon in for a big new one with a canvas top. â€Å"How does she look?† he cried. â€Å"Looks like a cross between a boat and a wagon,† said Ma. â€Å"That's why they call these contraptions prairie schooners,† said Pa. â€Å"We're going to sail her all the way to Oregon!† shouted Billy. Martha had to laugh. The wagon did look like a ship, with its big white canvas top. There small rooms in the wagon were crammed with things for the trip. Bags of dried beans, tin buckets of lard and brown sugar, and jars of apple jelly all these things crowded around their beds. When Martha looked up at night, Martha was staring at slabs of bacon and dried beef hanging from the ceiling. â€Å"We'll need enough food to last us through six months,† said Ma. Saint Joe was filling up fast. New wagons pulled in, crammed with goods and people. New children and dogs were all over the place. Martha's worries came to her head the day Pa said, â€Å"Time to pack the wagon. Captain Jonah, the trail boss, says the train moves tomorrow.† Billy and Pa loaded all the heavy boxes into the wagon. â€Å"It's going to hard to fit everything in the wagon,† she said. â€Å"But all of us ought to have our own little space. You can take anything you want, as long as it fits into your box.† Martha took out her box out to the porch. It wouldn't hold much. Maybe the box would hold her doll with the china head and her hair ribbons. Leaving Saint Joe was going to be just as bad a leaving Jackson. At breakfast Pa said grace. â€Å"Dear Lord, give us a good journey and safekeeping. And bring us finally to Oregon if it be thy will.† Everyone rolled up there bedding and put it in the wagon. Martha helped Ma hang her pots on big hooks on the outside of the wagon. Pa said, â€Å"I'm going to drive the wagon to the front of the house. Just to see how she pulls.† They all watched. Billy bounced up beside Pa. â€Å"Giddup!† shouted Pa. The oxen strained under the load. The wagon jerked forward. â€Å"She rides real smooth,† called Pa. â€Å"Everybody hop in.† Ma climbed up with Bob. The grove outside Saint Joe where the wagon train formed looked like a big campground. Children ran yelling and playing around the wagons, dogs joined in, barking and chasing after kids. Pa finally found Captain Jonah. He gave Pa a number for our wagon number 49. Billy asked Pa if he could carve the number on the side of the wagon. â€Å"You can do more than that,† said Pa. â€Å"We've got to keep track of the days. Carve a notch for each weekday and a long mark for each Sunday.† Martha felt cheated. Pa always gave Billy the important things to do. But Pa surprised Martha. â€Å"Come with me, Martha girl,† he said. â€Å"I've got a special job for you.† Pa lifted up a round tin can from under the wagon seat. Then he showed Martha how to put axle grease on the big wagon wheels. â€Å"Every day it gets dark I want you to grease each wheel, Martha. Then check all the spokes for cracks. Let me know if you find anything wrong.† said Pa. Martha stared at the big wheels. They were as tall as her. Pa said, â€Å"It's these wheels that will get us to Oregon. You've got a sharp eye, Martha. I'm trusting our wheels to you.† Pa managed to get there wagon through all the confusion. Finally they found wagon number 48. They pulled up right behind it. Toward the front of the line they could hear a lot of shouting. â€Å"I can't make it out,† said Pa At first Martha couldn't make it out either. Then she got it clear. â€Å"They're shouting, ‘Wagons, ho!† she cried. The air was ringing with â€Å"Wagons, ho!† too. Martha thought it was pretty exciting, before she knew it she was yelling, â€Å"Wagons, ho!† too. The white tops of the wagons in front of us started bobbing up and down. â€Å"Giddup!† shouted Pa. â€Å"Oregon, here we come!† yelled Billy. Martha crawled over the boxes and sacks to the back of the wagon. She raised the lid of her box, and there she saw her doll. â€Å"We're on our way, Miss Chocolate,† she whispered. â€Å"So far, so good.† The canvas topped wagons were like ovens. Billy and Martha found out they could walk as fast as the train moved. It was cooler to walk, too. The first day they were walking beside the wagon, she met a big girl who was in wagon 48. She was a sight. Wild, curly, carrot colored hair shot out in all directions around her head. Her calico dress looked about two sizes too large. She wore it hitched up so you could see the big brogan shoes on her feet. This big headed girl walked right up to Martha and said, â€Å"My name's Laura Smith. What's yours?† â€Å"Martha Madison,† she told her. â€Å"Let's be friends, I'll look after you,† said Laura. â€Å"But I don't need anybody to look after me,† Martha told her. â€Å"Rats!† she said. â€Å"Everybody needs a friend, and I am the best looker you'll ever meet. I do all the looking after for my Pa.† â€Å"What about your Ma?† asked Martha. â€Å"Ma's dead a year now,† she said. â€Å"And you cook and wash and do everything?† asked Martha. â€Å"Everything,† boomed Laura. â€Å"Promised Ma I'd look after Pa.† Then Laura said, â€Å"Stick with me, honey. You won't have a thing to worry about. Let's shake on it.† When the shadows started getting long, a message came down the line of wagons. â€Å"Campsite for the night about a mile ahead,† yelled the scout. By the time they made the circle with the wagons it was late afternoon. Pa and Billy unhitched the oxen to let them graze on grass. Martha helped Ma get a cook fire started. Then Martha got the tin bucket from under the wagon seat and greased the wheels. She felt every spoke till they were smooth as glass. Supper on the prairie that first night was delicious. Cook fires circled the big camp. There was lots of visiting back and forth. Laura came barreling over to there campfire. She didn't give Martha a chance to even introduce her. â€Å"I'm Laura Smith,† she said, grabbing first Ma's, then Pa's hand. When she went to Billy, he stepped back and just nodded his head. â€Å"Welcome,† said Ma. â€Å"Would you like some coffee?† â€Å"No, I'm full as a boardinghouse bedbug,† said Lauren, patting her stomach. Everyone laughed. Then Laura settled down with them like a longtime friend. In one of the wagons someone was playing a fiddle. Martha looked up at the sky. About a million sparkling stars were winking at her. It was a perfect night. From the first day, Billy was asking, â€Å"When are we going to see some buffalo?† But he had carved ten notches on the wagon before we spotted any. â€Å"I'd sure like to see one of them beasts up close!† he cried. â€Å"I like them right where they are,† Martha said. In a way Martha soon got a lot closer to the buffalo. They ran out of firewood and had to burn dried buffalo droppings. They were called â€Å"chips.† The longer they were on the trail, the hotter it got. Everybody was glad to see the sun set. At least it was cooler at night. But when night came, so did thousands of buffalo gnats. The only way to keep from being eaten alive was to sit close to the campfires. The gnats hated smoke more than they liked humans. Martha sneaked over to Laura's wagon , and got dozens of bites. Late one afternoon Laura and Martha were counting the notches Billy had carved. â€Å"It's hard to believe we've been on the trail almost three weeks,† Martha commented. â€Å"Not for me,† said Laura. â€Å"I feel like I've already walked three thousand miles and picked up a million buffalo chips!† While they were laughing, Martha heard a rumbling sound. â€Å"You hear that?† asked Martha. â€Å"Sounds like thunder,† said Laura. From the front of the train two scouts came riding towards them. â€Å"Swing the wagons in a circle!† they shouted. â€Å"What's wrong?† asked Pa. â€Å"Buffalo stampede!† shouted the scouts. The rumbling was growing louder. Laura ran to her wagon. In a few minutes the wagons were in a raged circle. Ma and Martha ducked under the wagon with Bob. Pa and Billy grabbed guns and crawled behind the big wagon wheels. All Martha could see was a big dark cloud mobbing towards them. â€Å"Where are the buffalo?† Martha asked. â€Å"In the dust cloud,† said Pa. â€Å"There must be thousands of them.† Captain Jonah rode up. â€Å"Have your guns ready!† he shouted. â€Å"But don't shoot until I give you the order.† The buffalo were close. Martha could taste dust in her mouth. Then, in the moving dust cloud, she saw them. They were packed tight, like a solid wall. Their heads were down. Their tails were in the air. The ground shook under their pounding hooves. â€Å"Hold your fire!† commanded Captain Jonah. Martha was sure the buffalo would crush them any second. She closed her eyes. â€Å"Fire! Fire! Fire!,† shouted Captain Jonah. The guns barked and Martha's eyes flew open. Several buffalo in the front of the pack crumpled to the ground. More and more piled up behind them. But one huge wounded beast kept coming. He plowed into a wagon near there's. There was this sickening thud. The wagon rolled over. Martha heard screams and more gunfire's. The huge shaggy buffalo was slumped against a schooner. A red stain was spreading in the sand around the dead buffalo. Martha felt sick. But the gunfire was working. The solid line of buffalo split in the middle. They turned away from the pile of dead buffalo and ran past the wagons. Martha could see hundreds of brown shaggy legs flying by their wagon. â€Å"We've broken the stampede!† shouted Captain Jonah. The mad, rushing buffalo swung wide of the wagons. Soon the last of the huge herd passed them by. The dust began to settle. The thundering roar of the stampede faded away. â€Å"We're safe now,† said Pa. â€Å"I'm going over to help the folks under the wagon and shook the dust off. Back at the wagon Pa told us we were going to stay put for the night. â€Å"It'll give us time to skin some buffalo for supper,† he said. Billy went to skin the dead buffalo. Martha started greasing the wagon wheels. The men came back with big buffalo steaks. Ma fixed some for there supper. Martha couldn't eat the tough meat. Martha stared out across the starlit prairie. She felt so lonely. As far as she could see there was nothing just flat prairie stretching on and on. â€Å"Where is your Pa?† asked Captain Jonah. â€Å"Over there,† Grasped Martha, pointing in the opposite direction. The Captain rode away, in a hurry. When Pa came back to there wagon, he said we would make camp early. â€Å"Why?† asked Ma. â€Å"Indians,† said Pa. â€Å"They've been tracking us all day.† For three days the scouts reported: â€Å"Indians still tracking us.† â€Å"They probably only want to do some trading,† Captain Jonah reassured us. â€Å"The important thing is that no one panics and does something foolish. I've brought many wagon trains through Indian country and I had never had any real trouble.† It was late in the afternoon on the fourth day when Martha saw them. At first they were tiny specks bobbing up and down far out on the plains. â€Å"They're on horseback,† said Laura. The scouts rushes up shouting, â€Å"Circle the wagons!† As soon as the circle was made, Pa grabbed his gun. Then he joined the men lined up behind Captain Jonah. Martha peeked through a slit in the canvas. A long line of Indians on horseback were moving slowly toward them. It was so still and quiet, Martha could hear everyone breathing in the wagon. Suddenly the Indians stopped. Captain Jonah made a sign with his hands. An Indian who must have been the chief returned Captain Jonah's sign. Then Captain Jonah and the chief rode out and met in the middle. For a few minutes they talked, and made signs with their hands. Then Captain Jonah turned and went back to his men. The chief did the same. Crack! A single gunshot rang out from one of there wagons. The pony one of the young Indians was ridding stumbled and crashed to the ground. The rider went down with him. Our scouts raced back toward the wagon train, yelling, â€Å"Hold your fire!† The Indians pulled up around the wounded pony and the fallen rider. Captain Jonah dashed up to them and jumped off his horse. Martha was sure the Indians would kill him. Why didn't the scouts go to his rescue? Instead the scouts kept yelling, â€Å"For God's sake, don't shoot!† In a few minutes that seemed to last forever, the crowd around the fallen rider parted. The young Indian who had gone down with the pony looked dead. The captain rushed back to the wagons. The Indians made a long line facing them. They just stood there, silent and threatening. â€Å"Who fired that shot?† demanded the captain angrily. Two scouts dragged a man from wagon 42. â€Å"That was a stupid thing to do, Ned Butcher!† shouted the captain. Ned stared to protest. But Captain Jonah shouted, â€Å"I don't care about your excuses. I only care about the safety of the folks on this wagon train. I could hang you for disobeying orders. Or I could just hand you over to the Indians.† Ned's wife rushed up to Captain Jonah. She stared to pleading with him. Captain Jonah motioned her away. â€Å"All they wanted was to trade hides for blankets and sugar. Now the stakes are higher. Thank God the boy's only stunned. But the pony is dead. Either we supply them with two oxen and sugar and blankets, or we can expect an attack. Those are the terms!† The men started shouting all at once. Captain Jonah held up his hand for silence. â€Å"They're going to sit there for a half hour. If we don't have the oxen and other stuff outside the wagon train by then, they're going to come swooping down on us. I've told the chief we'd meet their demands.† â€Å"Ned Butcher, you have 4 oxen. Unhitch two of them for the Indians,† commanded the captain. â€Å"But only two oxen can't pull my wagon,† Ned protested. â€Å"You can lighten your load by dumping some of it right here.† â€Å"Every wagon must give a pound of sugar and a blanket,† said Captain Jonah. â€Å"And be quick about it! Our time is running out.† In just a few minutes every person piled up a great mound of blankets and sugar. Captain Jonah and the scouts brought out the two oxen. They staked them by the sugar and blankets. Then everyone pulled back behind the wagons. â€Å"Keep your guns ready, men. But don't make a move unless I give order!† shouted Captain Jonah. Suddenly the still, silent line of Indians plodded. They came racing toward them. They were yelling and waving guns and spears, kicking up clouds of dust. Martha expected arrows and bullets to rip through the wagon any second. When the Indians reached the staked oxen, the pile of blankets and sugar, the Indians stopped in a cloud of dust. Suddenly the wagon train started to move out. When Martha looked back, the Indians were dividing up the blankets and sugar. They were chattering and laughing and didn't seem the least bit warlike. That night as they sat around the campfire, they celebrated there coming to Oregon. In the morning Captain Jonah pushed the wagon train hard after the Indian scare. â€Å"This is the hard part of the trip,† he said. â€Å"We've got a tough river to ford before we cross the mountains.† â€Å"But the oxen are worn out,† one of the men protested. â€Å"Get out of the wagons and walk!† snapped the captain. Then he made it an order. â€Å"Everybody walks from here on.† All of them plodded along beside our wagons in the boiling sun. â€Å"If you had three wishes, what would you wish for?† Laura asked Martha. â€Å"Ice, ice, and more ice!† â€Å"Your wishes wouldn't last a minute in this heat,† said Laura. They kept walking in the whole terrible heat. One day they came upon a long line of boxes, trunks, and furniture scattered beside the trail. Lauren and Martha ran over to see what was in the trunks. â€Å"Keep moving!† shouted one of the scouts. â€Å"Just count yourself lucky we don't have to dump all our goods. Take a like over there!† Martha gasped. Sun bleached skeletons of oxen lay in the sand. â€Å"Their teams gave out,† explained the scout. â€Å"They doubled up and went on as best they could. Move along now. We've got a river to ford up ahead. By the time they reached the river, the scouts were struggling to get ropes strung across. The muddy water looked ready to overflow the riverbanks. The oxen had a hard time making it across. But finally the scouts got two short ropes anchored across the river. Then the captain gave the signal. â€Å"One driver to a wagon, everybody else, over on the ropes!† he ordered. Pa drove there big schooner into the river. â€Å"She floats like a boat!† he called They plunged into the water. Martha could see Laura up ahead on the rope. At first it felt good just to be cool again. Then in the deeper water Martha began to feel the strong pull of the undertow. Billy called behind Martha. â€Å"Hey, this is fun!† Martha was about to tell him to hold tight, since he'd soon be in the undertow. But Billy shouted again. â€Å"Look, no hands!† Martha turned, there he was, treading water with both hands off the rope. â€Å"Billy!† called Martha. â€Å"Stop that!† You know you can't swim!† He struck the undertow and went under like a rock. Martha was so frighten, she couldn't even call for help. Billy popped back up right next to her. He was coughing and spitting water. Martha grabbed his arm. But she was thrashing around so wildly, Martha lost her grip on the rope. They both went whirling toward the center of the river. They shot right past Ma and Bob. Ma screamed. Martha was sure they were lost. But she still held on to Billy, but his head kept on bobbing under. Then she hit something. Something hard that sent pain shooting up her arm. It was Laura's wagon. Martha grabbed it. Then she pulled Billy up close, where she could keep his head above water. He coughed, and spit more muddy water. â€Å"Grab the wagon!† She yelled. He clawed at the side of the wagon and found a pot hook to hang on to. Martha was afraid to let him go. But her arm was hurting so, she didn't know how long she could hold on. Suddenly Laura was there with her arms around both Billy and Martha. She had them penned against the wagon. â€Å"Hang on!† she cried. â€Å"You all right, Billy?† He spit more water and mumbled, â€Å"I'm fine.† â€Å"You don't look too bad for someone who's just drunk half a river,† said Lauren. â€Å"How about you, Martha?† Martha was scared to death, and her arm was hurting something fierce. Laura clung to the wagon with them until they were across the river. Everyone cheered as they staggered up the muddy riverbank to safety. The three of them flopped on the ground and sat there, completely worn out. â€Å"Oregon's on the other side,† announced Captain Jonah. â€Å"We've got a hard ride up, but an easy ride down. Let's start climbing!† They all still had to walk. And when the trail got steeper, they had to help push the heavy wagons. But the coolness in the mountains felt good. The rocky trail was hard on wheels. Every day a wagon would have to pull out of line to fix a broken wheel. Martha still took care of their wheels. Even though her arm was hurt, she wouldn't let Billy take over. She was superstitious about them. When the last one was checked, she'd pat it and say, â€Å"Lucky wheels! You'll get us there!† Well, the luck played out before they reached the crest of the mountains. The whole family plus Laura's was pushing there wagon up a steep part of the trail. Crack! There left front wheel hit a big rock. â€Å"Knocked the iron rim completely off!† cried Pa. â€Å"We'll have to drop out of line and fix it.† â€Å"How long will it take?† Martha asked Pa. â€Å"Maybe half a day,† he answered. Captain Jonah rode up. â€Å"Tough luck,† he said. â€Å"We're less than a day away from the crest. Then it's easy going. Tell you what we'll do. I'll camp an hour early tonight and start out an hour later tomorrow. That'll give you time to catch up.† Pa thanked the captain. Then he rode off and left them to tend the broken wheel. Martha was scared seeing all the wagons go, and being left behind. By the time Pa fixed the wheel, it was dark. â€Å"Hurry! We've got miles to make up,† he said. And he pushed the oxen as fast as he dared. â€Å"Pray for a bright moon,† said Pa. â€Å"Driving by night is the only way we're going to catch up.† But low hanging clouds blocked out the moon and the stars. It started to rain. â€Å"We'll have to stop,† said Pa. â€Å"It's foolhardy to go on.† â€Å"Might as well try to get some sleep,† Ma said. Martha then realized it stopped raining. A bright patch of moonlight cut through the back of the wagon. â€Å"The moons out! It's so bright you can see everything! Pa! Pa! Martha called. Wake up! The rain's stopped. We can get moving!† Pa jumped up â€Å"By golly, our luck's changed. We'll catch up now!† he cried. Day was breaking when we saw the wagon train camp on the crest of the mountains. When we pulled into camp, Lauren ran to meet their wagon. â€Å"I knew you'd make it!† she shouted. I've got breakfast ready. As they had breakfast the sun suddenly popped out, round and red and beautiful. Captain Jonah's big voice boomed, â€Å"Look, folks. There it is. That's Oregon down there!† From there high perch you could see miles of wild, beautiful valleys stretching before them. For a moment no one said anything. Then Martha let out a yell and turned a cartwheel. Pa put his arm around Ma. â€Å"Now, this looks like our Journey to the New World.†

Nature’s Role in Frankenstein

The writers of the Romantic period portrayed nature as a celestial source. In many Romantic works, nature's beauty is praised with pantheistic, almost pagan, terms. To these writers, the natural world was a direct connection to god. Through appreciation for nature, one could achieve spiritual fulfillment. The contrary, failure to surrender to natural law, results in punishment at the hands of nature. Mary Shelley, as well as her contemporary, Samuel Coleridge, depicts the antagonistic powers of nature against those who dare to provoke it.Victor Frankenstein offends nature in several ways. The first and foremost insult is his attempt to gain knowledge forbidden to humanity. Then, he uses this knowledge to create an unnatural being that serves no purpose in a natural world. Finally, Frankenstein refuses to take responsibility for his creation's actions, which have obvious and dangerous consequences for society. By daring to tread on the laws of nature, Frankenstein becomes the target o f the natural world's wrath. He, much like the Ancient Mariner, suffers due punishment for his sin.In both â€Å"Rime of the Ancient Mariner† and â€Å"Frankenstein,† nature is portrayed as a divine power. It is a deific force, capable of creating transcendental beauty, as well as inflicting horrific torment upon those who violate its laws. The Ancient Mariner's crime is his senseless murder of the albatross; his punishment presents itself through a series of natural phenomenon. Nature deprives him and his men of natural elements, food and water, â€Å"Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink. † (Coleridge 433). Nature also uses other natural elements to cause him further suffering.For instance, the Mariner and his men must endure the heat of the sun as their ship halts, the wind stops and intensifies the heat, â€Å"Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down†¦ â€Å"â€Å"All in a hot and copper sky, The bloody sun at noon. † (Coleridge 4 33). Frankenstein also faces retribution for his disobedience to the laws of nature. His punishment, however, is not as simple as the Mariner's. Nature bestows a far more cruel and spiteful fate upon Frankenstein. It uses Frankenstein's creature against him, adopting his former object of pride and manipulating the creation into a weapon against its creator.Abandoned by its â€Å"father†, Frankenstein's monster is forced to seek another parental figure. It finds one in Mother Nature. As the creature embarks on a lonesome journey, nature teaches him the lessons that Frankenstein does not. The creature learns of the dangers of fire by burning its hand in the flame â€Å"One day, when I was oppressed by cold, I found a fire which had been left by some wandering beggars, and was overcome with delight at the warmth I experienced from it. In my joy I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain.How strange, I thought, that the same cause sho uld produce such opposite effects! † (Shelley 389). In other such lessons, Nature shapes its â€Å"child† as a tool of revenge. For instance, the creature learns of it's hideousness by seeing it's reflection in a pool of water, † At first I started back, unable to believe that it was indeed I who was reflected in the mirror; and when I became fully convinced that I was in reality the monster that I am, I was filled with the bitterest sensations of despondence and mortification. Alas!I did not yet entirely know the fatal effects of this miserable deformity† (Shelley 431). This realization evokes anger within the monster, and its resentment towards its creator grows. Nature uses Frankenstein's hubristic disposition against him. When creating the monster, Victor Frankenstein gives it a gigantic stature. He states that he did this due to his haste, â€Å"As the minuteness of the parts formed a great hindrance to my speed, I resolved, contrary to my first intent ion, to make a being gigantic in stature†¦ † (Shelley 171).However, Frankenstein's ambition also played a role in his decision to make the creature a physically intimidating size, â€Å"A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me† (Shelley 172). Here, Frankenstein states his desire to become the father of a supreme race of beings. By giving the creature an enormous form, Frankenstein is assuring that it will be dominant over other species. This is not only a threat to nature, but it also adds to the creature's unnatural genesis.The monster is abnormally powerful, as it possesses abilities far surpassing to any other species on Earth. Therefore, it is something unnatural and cannot be apart of the natural world. Nature, instead of removing the monster straight away, uses its physical superiority to taunt Frankenstein's pride. As the scientist begins his all-consuming quest to seize and kill the monster, he is constantly mocked by his own creation's power. Even at the end of his life, Frankenstein is still unable to capture the monster. The unnatural being has no true place or purpose in he natural world, so Nature uses the creature in the only suitable way: a tool for revenge. This becomes the monster's only role in the natural world. Once it has finally inflicted true punishment against Frankenstein, it will have no purpose. The monster does not belong in the natural world, and so it will be destroyed, â€Å"I, the miserable and the abandoned, am abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on† (Shelley 886). Revenge is its only objective, when nature finally achieves this intention it returns the monster back to nature.The creature's birth was allied by the use of natural materials, human flesh and lightning, similarly its death is caused by Nature's elements, fire, â€Å"I shall collect my funeral pile, and consume to ashes this miserable frame, that it s remains may afford no light to any curious and unhallowed wretch, who would create such another as I have been. I shall die. † (Shelley 889). The creature is of no use to Mother Nature any longer, and so it must remove itself from the natural world. â€Å"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner† and â€Å"Frankenstein† describes the horrors that result from invoking nature's rage.The natural world, according to the Romantics, was a divine force. Like the pagan gods of Greek and Roman culture, nature's wrath is terrible and unmerciful to those who dare to wrong it. Victor Frankenstein, the Promethean figure of the Romantic period, defies nature in his decision to bring unnatural life into the natural world. This is an act of blasphemy against nature, and to an extent, â€Å"God† himself. Frankenstein's punishment for this sin is both thorough and justified. Like Prometheus, Victor Frankenstein spends his remaining life paying for his act of defiance against the g ods of nature.

Aestheticism in The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay - 2257 Words

Aestheticism was a popular dogma in the late 1800s that centered on the belief that art should exist for beauty alone. This doctrine is defined as an â€Å"exaggerated devotion to art, music, or poetry, with indifference to practical matters† and â€Å"the acceptance of artistic beauty and taste as a fundamental standard, ethical and other standards being secondary† (â€Å"Aestheticism,† def. 1 and 2). In Oscar Wilde’s sole novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, aestheticism is a fashionable belief accepted by society at the time. Oscar Wilde uses the moral deterioration and ultimate destruction of Dorian Gray in The Picture of Dorian Gray to emphasize the negative effects of society’s preoccupation with aesthetics and offer a moral for the reader. In†¦show more content†¦His devotion is based solely upon her skilled acting, but Wilde makes it clear that Dorian truly adores her: She is all the great heroines of the world in one. She is more than an individual. You laugh, but I tell you she has genius. I love her, and I must make her love me†¦.I want to make Romeo jealous. I want the dead lovers of the world to hear our laughter, and grow sad. I want a breath of our passion to stir their dust into consciousness, to wake their ashes into pain. My God, Harry, how I worship her! (Wilde 54) However, Dorian’s love soon turns to hatred when he sees Sibyl perform again. Sibyl, having never experienced love, is struck by her new feelings and loses her passion and talent for acting because the play, Romeo and Juliet, no longer appears to her like true love, the love she feels for Dorian. Her performance is stiff and unfeeling and Dorian looks like a fool in front of his friends, to whom he boasted about her talent. Dorian is embarrassed and angry and reacts by disavowing his love for Sibyl. His sudden loss of affection offsets his previous vows of devotion and shocks the reader. Insulting and bitter, Dorian rebukes his former sweetheart: I loved you†¦because you realized the dreams of great poets and gave shape and substance to the shadows of art. You have thrown it all away. You are shallow and stupid. My God! how mad IShow MoreRelatedThe Picture Of Dorian Gray Aestheticism Analysis1585 Words   |  7 Pagesclaim made by Oscar Wilde in the preface to his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (3). Along with the rest of Wilde’s preface, this sentence rebukes literary realism in favor of aestheticism. This is unsurprising to anyone who is familiar with the playwright’s other plays and lectures; Wilde was an avid opponent of realism and a firm believer in the concept of â€Å"art for art’s sake.† Critic Elizabeth Prettejohn claims that aestheticism includes a focus on the visual elements of a piece of art. OscarRead MoreExamples Of Aestheticism In The Picture Of Dorian Gray1284 Words   |  6 Pagesto the Aesthetic movement. He was a spokesperson for aestheticism. He tried his hand at various literary activities. He was an Irish playwright, novelist, essayist and poet. He refined his ideas about the importance of art in a series of dialogues and essays, and incorporated themes of duplicity, beauty and decadence. He incorporated all these vital characteristics that define the supremacy of art into his only novel The Picture of Dorian gray written in 1890. This novel bore the true essence ofRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray Aestheticism Analysis935 Words   |  4 PagesThe notion that art can exist for the sake of its beauty alone is the essence of aestheticism, a nineteenth-century arts movement that had a significant impact on the writings of Oscar Wilde; in particular, his enrapturing novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is an insightful narration that expresses many of the central elements of this aesthetic philosophy. Centered on the life of an attractive young man named Dorian Gray, the novel details how through the influence of others, he becomes morall y depravedRead MoreThe Picture of Dorian Gray: Corruption Through Aestheticism1464 Words   |  6 PagesThe Picture of Dorian Gray: Corruption Through Aestheticism The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is the story of moral corruption by the means of aestheticism. In the novel, the well meaning artist Basil Hallward presets young Dorian Gray with a portrait of himself. After conversing with cynical Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian makes a wish which dreadfully affects his life forever. If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that I would give everythingRead MoreAestheticism In Oscar Wildes The Picture Of Dorian Gray1532 Words   |  7 PagesINTRODUCTION Aestheticism, which found its footing in Europe in the early nineteenth century, proposed that art ‘need not serve moral, political, or otherwise didactic ends.’ Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde was a dramatic leader in promoting the movement near the end of the nineteenth century. The English essayist Walter Pater, an advocate of art for arts sake, helped to form society’s aesthetics in which they was more concerned with the self, than with popular movements like IndustrialismRead MoreAbstract Aestheticism in Oscar Wildes The Picture of Dorian Gray2148 Words   |  9 Pagesexpression, but also one of social advancement. With this idea at its forefront, art suddenly inundated places where art was never previously found, such as social education and morality. In contrast, Oscar Wilde was a key advocate of an idea known aestheticism, a concept that relied on art simply being art. Oscar Wilde played a major role in Victorian England, having a major influence t hrough his writing. At its peak the movement had a disdain for any traditional, natural, political, or moral ideals;Read MoreThe Picture of Dorian Grey, by Oscar Wilde771 Words   |  4 Pagespeople; and is filled with hardships and trouble over â€Å"doing the right thing†. One quality cannot be held without losing the other, due to their conflicting natures. While the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray brings out the central question â€Å"Is it better to pursue Aesthetics or Morality?† it describes the life of Dorian Gray, who constantly sought to maintain his appearance at the cost of his morals, and answers the question by revealing the consequences of living Mr. Gray’s â€Å"beautiful† lifestyle. InRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray Character Analysis830 Words   |  4 Pagesand the way the characters themselves interact with both their own thoughts and the world around them. In the works chosen, the appearances of the characters to be analyzed fall on opposite ends of the spectrum of aestheticism. Dorian Gray, from Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray possesses an â€Å"...extraordinary personal beauty (Wilde 1),† one that controls other character’s reception of him, as well as affecting his own inner thoughts, for he knows that he seen as beautiful. On the oppositeRead MoreThe Picture of Dorian Gray 1823 Words   |  8 PagesAestheticism is a philosophy in which its followers practice complete self-indulgence. Aesthetic principles teach that the arts, beauty, and youth are absolute over anything else. People who follow this philosophy are very egotistical, and are extremely concerned with appearances. It is often associated with jewelry, painting , music, and perfumes. (insert quote to prove) All followers of Aestheticism put activities pertaining to beauty above anything else. Their priorities hold beauty above attributesRead MoreMacbeth and Picture of Dorian Gray Essay1821 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿The Picture of Dorian Gray – Victorian Era Gray swaps his soul for the painting through an indirect Faustian Bargain. Quote: Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that! Social Values/Context: Aestheticism was exposed to Dorian Gray by Lord Henry who was an aesthetic himself, which ultimately leads to the Faustian Bargain. Quote: Oh, she is better than good – she is beautiful, murmured Lord Henry, sipping a glass of vermouth and orange-bitters