Biography of Kate Chopin, American Author

Kate Chopin (born Katherine OFlaherty; February 8, 1850–August 22, 1904) was an American author whose short stories and novels explored pre- and post-war Southern life. Today, she is considered a pioneer of early feminist literature. She is best known for her novel The Awakening, a depiction of a womans struggle for selfhood that was immensely controversial during Chopins lifetime. Fast Facts: Kate Chopin Known For: American author of novels and short storiesBorn:  February 8, 1850 in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.Parents: Thomas OFlaherty and Eliza Faris OFlahertyDied:  August 22, 1904 in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.Education: Sacred Heart Academy (from ages 5-18)Selected Works:  Dà ©sirà ©es Baby (1893), The Story of an Hour (1894), The Storm (1898), The Awakening (1899)Spouse: Oscar Chopin (m. 1870, died 1882)Children: Jean Baptiste, Oscar Charles, George Francis, Frederick, Felix Andrew, Là ©liaNotable Quote: â€Å"To be an artist includes much; one must possess many gifts—absolute gifts—which have not been acquired by one’s own effort. And, moreover, to succeed, the artist much possess the courageous soul †¦ the brave soul. The soul that dares and defies.† Early Life Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Kate Chopin was the third of five children born to Thomas O’Flaherty, a successful businessman who had immigrated from Ireland, and his second wife Eliza Faris, a woman of Creole and French-Canadian descent. Kate had siblings and half-siblings (from her father’s first marriage), but she was the familys only surviving child; her sisters died in infancy and her half-brothers died as young adults. Raised Roman Catholic, Kate attended Sacred Heart Academy, an institution run by nuns, from age five to her graduation at age eighteen. In 1855, her schooling was interrupted by the death of her father, who was killed in a railway accident when a bridge collapsed. Kate returned home for two years to live with her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, all of whom were widows. Kate was tutored by her great-grandmother, Victoria Verdon Charleville. Charleville was a significant figure in her own right: she was a businesswoman and the first woman in St. Louis to legally separate from her husband. After two years, Kate was allowed to return to school, where she had the support of her best friend, Kitty Garesche, and her mentor, Mary O’Meara. However, after the Civil War, Garesche and her family were forced to leave St. Louis because they had supported the Confederacy; this loss left Kate in a state of loneliness. In June 1870, at age 20, Kate married Oscar Chopin, a cotton merchant five years her senior. The couple moved to New Orleans, a location that influenced much of her late writing. In eight years, between 1871 and 1879, the couple had six children: five sons (Jean Baptiste, Oscar Charles, George Francis, Frederick, and Felix Andrew) and one daughter, Là ©lia. Their marriage was, by all accounts, a happy one, and Oscar apparently admired his wife’s intelligence and capability. Widowhood and Depression By 1879, the family had moved to the rural community of Cloutierville, following the failure of Oscar Chopin’s cotton business. Oscar died of swamp fever three years later, leaving his wife with significant debts of over $42,000 (the equivalent of approximately $1 million today). Left to support herself and their children, Chopin took over the business. She was rumored to flirt with local businessmen, and allegedly had an affair with a married farmer. Ultimately, she could not salvage the plantation or the general store, and in 1884, she sold the businesses and moved back to St. Louis with some financial help from her mother. Kate Chopin with four of her sons, circa 1877.   Missouri History Museum/Wikimedia Commons Soon after Chopin settled back in St. Louis, her mother died suddenly. Chopin fell into a depression. Her obstetrician and family friend, Dr. Frederick Kolbenheyer, was the one to suggest writing as a form of therapy, as well as a possible source of income. By 1889, Chopin had taken the suggestion and thus began her writing career. Scribe of Short Stories (1890-1899) Beyond the Bayou  (1891)A No-Account Creole (1891)At the Cadian Ball (1892)Bayou Folk (1894)The Locket (1894)The Story of an Hour (1894)  Lilacs (1894)A Respectable Woman  (1894)Madame Celestins Divorce (1894)Dà ©sirà ©es Baby (1895)  Athenaise (1896)A Night in Acadie (1897)A Pair of Silk Stockings  (1897)The Storm (1898)   Chopin’s first published work was a short story printed in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Her early novel, At Fault, was rejected by an editor, so Chopin printed copies privately at her own expense. In her early work, Chopin addressed themes and experiences with which she was familiar: the abolition movement, the complexities of the Civil War, the stirrings of feminism, and more. Chopins short stories included successes such as A Point at Issue!, A No-Account Creole, and Beyond the Bayou.† Her work was published both in local publications and, eventually, national periodicals including the New York Times, The Atlantic, and Vogue. She also wrote non-fiction articles for local and national publications, but her focus remained on works of fiction. During this era, â€Å"local color† pieces—works that featured folk tales, Southern dialect, and regional experiences—were gaining popularity. Chopin’s short stories were typically considered part of that movement rather than evaluated on their literary merits. Chopins original manuscript for The Storm, 1898.   Missouri History Museum/Wikimedia Commons Dà ©sirà ©es Baby,† published in 1893, explored the topics of racial injustice and interracial relationships (called miscegenation at the time) in French Creole Louisiana. The story highlighted the racism of the era, when possessing any African ancestry meant facing discrimination and danger from law and society. At the time Chopin was writing, this topic was generally kept out of public discourse; the story is an early example of her unflinching depictions of controversial topics of her day. Thirteen stories, including â€Å"Madame Celestin’s Divorce,† were published in 1893. The following year, â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† about a newly widowed woman’s emotions, was first published in Vogue; it went on to become one of Chopins most famous short stories. Later that year, Bayou Folk, a collection of 23 short stories, was published. Chopin’s short stories, of which there were around a hundred, were generally well-received during her lifetime, especially when compared with her novels. The Awakening and Critical Frustrations (1899-1904) The Awakening (1899)The Gentleman from New Orleans (1900)A Vocation and a Voice (1902) In 1899, Chopin published the novel The Awakening, which would become her best-known work. The novel explores the struggle to formulate an independent identity as a woman in the late 19th century. At the time of its publication, The Awakening was widely criticized and even censored for its exploration of female sexuality and questioning of restrictive gender norms. The St. Louis Republic called the novel poison. Other critics praised the writing but condemned the novel on moral grounds, such as The Nation, which suggested that Chopin had wasted her talents and disappointed readers by writing about such â€Å"unpleasantness. First edition title page of The Awakening, 1899. Wikimedia Commons Following The Awakening’s critical trouncing, Chopin’s next novel was canceled, and she returned to writing short stories. Chopin was discouraged by the negative reviews and never entirely recovered. The novel itself faded into obscurity and eventually went out of print. (Decades, the very qualities that offended so many 19th century readers made The Awakening a feminist classic when it was rediscovered in the 1970s.) Following The Awakening, Chopin continued to publish a few more short stories, but they were not entirely successful. She lived off of her investments and the inheritance left to her by her mother. Her publication of The Awakening damaged her social standing, and she found herself quite lonely once again. Literary Styles and Themes Chopin was raised in a largely female environment during an era of great change in America. These influences were evident in her works. Chopin did not identify as a feminist or suffragist, but her work is considered protofeminist because it took individual women seriously as human beings and complex, three-dimensional characters. In her time, women were often portrayed as two-dimensional figures with few (if any) desires outside of marriage and motherhood. Chopins depictions of women struggling for independence and self-realization were unusual and groundbreaking. Over time, Chopin’s work demonstrated different forms of female resistance to patriarchal myths, taking on different angles as themes in her work. Scholar Martha Cutter, for instance, traces the evolution of her characters’ resistance and the reactions they get from others within the world of the story. In some of Chopin’s earlier short stories, she presents the reader with women who overly resist patriarchal structures and are disbelieved or dismissed as crazy. In later stories, Chopin’s characters evolve: they adapt quieter, covert resistance strategies to achieve feminist ends without being immediately noticed and dismissed. Race also played a major thematic role in Chopin’s works. Growing up in the era of slavery and the Civil War, Chopin observed the role of race and the consequences of slavery and racism. Topics like miscegenation were often kept out of public discourse, but Chopin put her observations of racial inequality in her stories, such as Dà ©sirà ©es Baby. Chopin wrote in a naturalistic style and cited the influence of French writer Guy de Maupassant. Her stories were not exactly autobiographical, but they were drawn from her sharp observations of the people, places, and ideas that surrounded her. Because of the immense influence of her surroundings on her work—especially her observations of pre- and post-war Southern society—Chopin was sometimes pigeonholed as a regional writer. Death On August 20, 1904, Chopin suffered a brain hemorrhage and collapsed during a trip to the St. Louis World’s Fair. She died two days later on August 22, at the age of 54. Chopin was buried in Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, where her grave is marked with a simple stone with her name and dates of birth and death. Legacy Although Chopin was criticized during her lifetime, she eventually became recognized as a leading early feminist writer. Her work was rediscovered during the 1970s, when scholars evaluated her work from a feminist perspective, noting Chopins characters resistance to patriarchal structures. Photograph of Kate Chopin, date unknown.   Wikimedia Commons Chopin is also occasionally categorized alongside Emily Dickinson and Louisa May Alcott, who also wrote complex stories of women attempting to achieve fulfillment and self-understanding while pushing back against societal expectations. These characterizations of women who sought independence were uncommon at the time and thus represented a new frontier of womens writing. Today, Chopins work—particularly The Awakening—is frequently taught in American literature classes. The Awakening was also loosely adapted into a 1991 film called Grand Isle. In 1999, a documentary called Kate Chopin: A Reawakening told the story of Chopins life and work. Chopin herself been featured less frequently in mainstream culture than other authors of her era, but her influence on the history of literature is undeniable. Her groundbreaking work paved the way for future feminist authors to explore topics of womens selfhood, oppression, and inner lives. Sources Cutter, Martha. Losing the Battle but Winning the War: Resistance to Patriarchal Discourse in Kate Chopins Short Fiction. Legacy: A Journal of American Women Writers. 68.Seyersted, Per. Kate Chopin: A Critical Biography. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State UP, 1985.Toth, Emily. Kate Chopin. William Morrow Company, Inc., 1990.Walker, Nancy. Kate Chopin: A Literary Life. Palgrave Publishers, 2001.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"$42,000 in 1879 → 2019 | Inflation Calculator.† U.S. Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 13 Sep. 2019, https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1879?amount42000.

Adolescent Case Study Essay - 1051 Words

Adolescent Case Study I. Identification A. Kathy Johnson is a 14 year old female, a freshman at Parkway High School, and resides at 789 Parkview Way, Bossier City, LA 70000. II. History of Family A. The subject lives with her biological mother and stepfather. The childs biological father resides in Bossier City as well, but he has not maintained a relationship with the child since he divorced her mother in 1981. The child also has a brother who lives out of state and has no relationship or contact with him either. B. The subject comes from an upper middle class family. Her stepfather is a high school graduate and owns his own construction business. Her mother is a homemaker and quit school during her sophomore year.†¦show more content†¦During the school year, she also plays basketball for her church basketball team. She diligently attends every practice and never misses a game in either sport. Although her physician states that she is in good general health, she regularly complains of stomach pain and lethargy. B. Due to the subjects physical complaints, her school attendance is relatively poor; however, her grades are above average in the A to B range. In the past, her attendance in school was better, but her grades were not as high. They usually remained in the B to C range. C. The subject receives an allowance of $25 per week for doing household chores such as cleaning her room, vacuuming, and cooking dinner. Most often, she spends her allowance on name brand clothing and shoes. Fitting in with the Preppy crowd seems to be very important to her, hence the expenditures on only name brand clothing, shoes, etc. D. Although she wants to fit in, she seems to lack the social skills required in order to get along with her peers. She tends to be somewhat aggressive which often results in confrontations and arguments with peers her own age. Therefore, she only has one close friend and is not part of any clique or group. According to her, the other adolescents describe her as being overbearing and bossy, so ultimately she stays to herself and does not get along well with her peers. E. The subjects recreational habits consistShow MoreRelatedEssay on Adolescent Case Study1021 Words   |  5 Pages Adolescent Case Study I. Identification nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;A. Kathy Johnson is a 14 year old female, a freshman at Parkway High nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; School, and resides at 789 Parkview Way, Bossier City, LA 70000. II. History of Family nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;A. The subject lives with her biological mother and stepfather. 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Concepts of Customer Relationship Management †MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Concepts of Customer Relationship Management. Answer: Introduction: This part of the report depicts the processing of client transactions through the use of cloud based accounting system. The financial reports developed through the use of computerized based accounting system for July 2017 are as follows: As depicted, the use of cloud based computing system has aggregated all the sales and expenditure in a small number of rows for enhancing the visibility of major issues. The cloud computing system has enabled the grouping of accounts of sales and expenditure thus streamlining the preparation of financial statements. The sales and expenses are divided into separate categories for ensuring that each row is easily understood by the end-users. The use of cloud based system has enabled the development of an effective reporting structure for depicting the profit and loss statement that can be used at customer, department or a business unit level. The accounting software system also proves to be largely useful in fostering the changes in the reporting structure due to restructuring, new product lines or mergers and acquisitions (Terkper, 2008). As depicted from the balance sheet developed through the use of cloud based computing system, the accounting software system has helped in developing the structural make-up of the current asset accounts. The balance sheet developed through the use of cloud computing system has helped in realizing the accurate amount of accounts receivables and inventories. The Goodie Gumdrops is an accounting firm and thus need to determine accurately the financial figures of its accounts receivable. The accounts receivable accounts help the business firms to analyze and examine its credit policies or determining the use of leasing for replacing the accounts receivables (Mageto, 2017). The trail balance developed through the use of cloud computing devices will provide an online platform to the Goodie Gumdrops for verifying the client balances and sending the tax return. The software features helps in handling of import and export accounts easily with instant onscreen validation. Also, the software enables to develop multiple journal types and multiple views of trail balance within a short-span of time. Thus, the use of cloud-based system will provide an easy platform to the firm and enable it to attain superior tax results with its trial balance report (Liguo, 2014). Aged Payables Aged Receivables The use of cloud based computing system for developing the aged payable and receivables account will enable the firm to get rid of manual tasks such as maintaining a general ledger and calculating the amount of fixed assets, inventory and other accounting data. The software provides advanced features for automating the routine tasks and provide single-entry to double-entry program that help in calculating accurate information about the fixed assets, invoicing, inventory and other features. The software enables the accountants to increase their efficiency by connecting the ledger to the clients and thus synchronizing the information flow. Also, it enables to gain a complete control over financial transactions related to the accounts receivable and payable for ensuring accuracy through working with clean and timely data (Hall, 2015). The cloud based accounting system help in gathering reliable information about the products in hand by providing an adequate knowledge of the warehouse items and thus helps in maintaining optimum level of inventory. As such, the system is highly beneficial for reducing the unnecessary capital expenditures by providing a proper match between demand and need of products. The management can make decisions about the inventory processing very easily by the accurate information obtained from cloud based computing system about the inventory items. It helps in inventory management though accessing the daily needs of products and thus enabling the management to plan for future by maintaining an adequate inventory level (Curtis, 2015). The Goodie Gumdrops can benefit from cloud based accounting system through integrating its various functions such as demand planning, financial and logistics and thus providing real-time visibility for inventory level. The accounting software system provides the function of using spreadsheets that helps in better managing of inventory through providing solutions related to inventory problems through providing scalability. Also, it improves the speed and precision required for reporting the inventor level by providing features such as quantity-based pricing, lot and bin management and landed cost calculations. It also provides improved visibility through depicting seasonal or unexpected changes in demand of inventory (Buttle and Maklan, 2015). Conclusion Thus, it can be said from the overall discussion held in the report that cloud based accounting system will help in improving the efficiency of business operations of Goodie Gumdrops. It will help in achieving accurate financial figures thus reducing the chances of error occurrence. Also, the improved visibility and flexibility provided by this system will help the firm to better manage its resource and expenditures and thus achieve increase profitability. The Goodie Gumdrops is an accounting firm and thus the sue of accounting software will enable the firm to integrate and co-ordinate the functions of its various department thereby streamlining its business processes. References Buttle, F. and Maklan, S. 2015. Customer Relationship Management: Concepts and Technologies. Routledge. Curtis, V. 2015. MYOB Software for Dummies Australia. John Wiley Sons. Hall, J. 2015. Accounting Information Systems. Cengage Learning. Liguo, Y. 2014. Overcoming Challenges in Software Engineering Education: Delivering Non-Technical Knowledge and Skills: Delivering Non-Technical Knowledge and Skills. IGI Global. Mageto, J. 2017. Accounting Softwares in Australia. An Overview. GRIN Verlag. Rangaraju, M.S. and Kennedy, H. 2012. Innovation in Management Challenges and Opportunities in the next decade. Allied Publishers. Terkper, S.E. 2008. Accounting Challenges for Semi-Autonomous Revenue Agencies (SARAs) in Developing Countries, Issues 2008-2116. International Monetary Fund.

Diversification free essay sample

Consider, for example, an investment that consists of only the stock issued by a single company. If that companys stock suffers a serious downturn, your portfolio will sustain the full brunt of the decline. By splitting your investment between the stocks of two different companies, you reduce the potential risk to your portfolio. Another way to reduce the risk in your portfolio is to include bonds and cash. Because cash is generally used as a short-term reserve, most investors develop an asset allocation strategy for their portfolios based primarily on the use of stocks and bonds. It is never a bad idea to keep a portion of your invested assets in cash, or short-term money-market securities. Cash can be used in case of an emergency, and short-term money-market securities can be liquidated. Instantly in case an investment opportunity arises, or in the event your usual cash requirements spike and you need to sell investments to make payments. Also keep in mind that asset allocation and diversification are closely linked concepts; a diversified portfolio is created through the process of asset allocation. When creating a portfolio that contains both stocks and bonds, aggressive investors may lean toward a mix of 80% stocks and 20% bonds while conservative investors may prefer a 20% stocks to 80% bonds mix. Regardless of whether you are aggressive or conservative, the use of asset allocation to reduce risk through the selection of a balance of stocks and bonds for your portfolio is a more detailed description of how a diversified portfolio is created than the simplistic eggs in one basket concept. With this in mind, you will notice that mutual fund portfolios composed of a mix that includes both stocks and bonds are referred to as balanced portfolios. The specific balance of stocks and bonds in a given portfolio is designed to create a specific risk-reward ratio that offers the opportunity to achieve a certain rate of return on your investment in exchange for your willingness to accept a certain amount of risk. In general, the more risk you are willing to take, the greater the potential return on your investment. What Are My Options? If you are a person of limited means or you simply prefer uncomplicated investment scenarios, you could choose a single balanced mutual fund and invest all of your assets in the fund. For most investors, this strategy is far too simplistic. While a given mix of investments may be appropriate for a childs college education fund, that mix may not be a good match for long-term goals, such as retirement or estate planning. Likewise, investors with large sums of money often require strategies designed to address more complex needs, such as minimizing capital gains taxes or generating reliable income streams. Furthermore, while investing in a single mutual fund provides diversification among the basic asset classes of stocks, bonds and cash (funds often hold a small amount of cash from which to take their fees), the opportunities for diversification go far beyond these basic categories With stocks, investors can choose a specific style, such as focusing on large caps, mid caps or small caps. In each of these areas are stocks categorized as growth or value. Additional choices include domestic stocks and foreign stocks. Foreign stocks also offer sub-categorizations that include both developed and emerging markets. Both foreign and domestic stocks are also available in specific sectors, such as biotechnology and health care. In addition to the variety of equity investment choices, bonds also offer opportunities for diversification. Investors can choose long-term or short-term issues. They can also select high-yield or municipal bonds. Once again, risk tolerance and personal investment requirements will largely dictate investment selection. While stocks and bonds represent the traditional tools for portfolio construction, a host of alternative investments provide the opportunity for further diversification. Real estate investment trusts, hedge funds, art and other investments provide the opportunity to invest in vehicles that do not necessarily move in tandem with the traditional financial markets. These investments offer yet another method of portfolio diversification. The Importance of Diversification:- Diversification is a technique that reduces risk by allocating investments among various financial instruments, industries and other categories. It aims to maximize return by investing into different areas that would each react differently to the same event. Most investment professionals agree that, although it does not guarantee against loss, diversification is the most important component of reaching long-range financial goals while minimizing risk. Here we look at why this is true, and how to accomplish diversification in your portfolio. Different Types of Risk Investors confront two main types of risk when investing: Undiversifiable Also known as systematic or market risk, undiversifiable risk is associated with every company. Causes are things like inflation rates, exchange rates, political instability, war and interest rates. This type of risk is not specific to a particular company and/or industry, and it cannot be eliminated or reduced through diversification; it is just a risk that investors must accept. Diversifiable This risk is also known as unsystematic risk, and it is specific to a company, industry, market, economy or country; and it can be reduced through diversification. The most common sources of unsystematic risk are business risk and financial risk. Thus, the aim is to invest in various assets so that your assets are not all affected the same way by market events. Why one should Diversify Lets say you have a portfolio of only airline stocks. If it is publicly announced that airline pilots are going on an indefinite strike and that all flights are canceled, share prices of airline stocks would drop. Your portfolio would witness a noticeable drop in value. If, however, you counterbalanced the airline-industry stocks with a couple of railway stocks, only part of your portfolio would be affected. In fact, there is a good chance that the railway stocks prices would climb as passengers turn to trains as an alternative form of transportation. But you could diversify even further since there are many risks that affect both rail and air because each is involved in transportation. An event that reduces any form of travel hurts both types of companies statisticians would say that rail and air stocks have a strong correlation. Therefore, to achieve superior diversification, you would want to diversify across not only different types of companies but also different types of industries. The more uncorrelated your stocks are, the better. But its also important that you diversify among different asset classes. Because different assets such as bonds and stocks will not each react in the same way to adverse events, a combination of asset classes will reduce your portfolios sensitivity to market swings. Generally, the bond and equity markets move in opposite directions, so, if your portfolio is diversified across both areas, unpleasant movements in one will be offset by positive results in another. There are additional types of diversification and many synthetic investment products have been created to accommodate investors risk-tolerance levels; however, these products can be very complicated and are not meant to be created by beginner or small investors. For those who have less investment experience and do not have the financial backing to enter into hedging activities, bonds are the most popular way to diversify against the stock market. Unfortunately, as the world has seen cases of fraud and earnings manipulation, even the best analysis of a company and its financial statements cannot guarantee that it wont be a losing investment.