Major U.S. Historical Events 1980-Present Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Major U.S. Historical Events 1980-Present - Essay Example When Ronald Reagan was inaugurated president in 1980, his term was ushered in with a wave of new conservatism. Reagan, a military hard-liner and staunch anti-communist, was able to confront the USSR and end the Cold War without precipitating a nuclear disaster. His administration enacted several initiatives that would form the basis of a multi-faceted attack on the USSR. This was accomplished by increased military spending, support of democracy in the Soviet's satellite countries, and crippling the economy of the Soviet Union. These initiatives in unison eroded the communist system and by the end of his term, the Soviets had capitulated. The increase in military expenditures was responsible for the implementation of National Security Defense Directive (NSDD) 32, signed by Reagan in 1982. Its purpose was to financially and covertly support anti-Soviet groups in Eastern Europe (Edward's). As anti-Soviet sentiment rose in Eastern Europe, Reagan enacted NSDD 66, which called for a clandestine economic war on the Soviet Union. It called for limiting the USSR's access to technology as well as curtailing their ability to produce natural gas (Edwards). Embargoing the Soviet economy was coupled with increased pressure exerted by American military goals to bring the Soviet system to a gradual halt during Reagan's administration. The dismantling of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the most celebrated symbol of the victory, ended 40 years of American effort and opened up new opportunities for peace around the world as well as new challenges for America's foreign policy. The ending of the Cold War served to increase the public's belief in America's system of democracy and allowed diplomatic and military resources to be turned towards other endeavors. When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, the memory of the failure to secure a victory in Southeast Asia decades earlier still fomented fears of another Vietnam. Iraq, debt-ridden and weary from years of war with Iran, made a desperate and miscalculated move to invade Kuwait. President George Bush Sr. was able to capitalize on Huessein's miscalculations and through diplomacy and political savvy was able to form a united coalition of nations to stand against Iraqi aggression. Saudi Arabia, a vital American interest, and 14 members of the Arab League joined to condemn Iraq's aggression (Persian Gulf War). Within days, international cooperation led by Bush, resulted in a global embargo against the Iragi regime. Bush, able to unite America under a new wave of national pride, assembled a military team to plan a strategic operation while diplomacy and UN Sanctions worked behind the scenes in an effort to oust the Iraqis from Kuwait. As diplomacy failed and UN deadlines expired, the first air attacks on Iraq began on January 17, 1991 (Atkinson). After more than a month of air strikes, a 4 day ground war decisively expelled Iraq from Kuwait and decimated their military. This rapid victory, with few casualties, placed America as an international military power once again. The coalition victory brought with it new hope for the future of global cooperation to suppress dictators and promote human rights. American pride had been restored and resulted in a new

Correlation between ESL students Research Paper

Correlation between ESL students - Research Paper Example Two studies were done in regards to preparing instructors to teach critical languages particularly Chinese and Arabic before joining US schools. The examination was geared towards illuminating the effects of on-going professional opportunities and pedagogical training. The need to train the teachers was informed by lack of background on different religious practices, cultures and ethnicities by pre-service teachers. Lack of exposure to diverse cultures by most of the foreign teachers impacted on their teaching since they relied mostly on myths and stereotypical misconceptions. The ultimate result was poor performance for ESL students not exposed to American culture in IETLS. Millennial learners are racially diverse. They have exhibit varying ethnic, religious, educational, cultural behaviors and characteristics leading to differences in the ability and capacity to adapt new languages, particularly English. According to Ota, millennial learners vary across regions as per socio-economi c conditions. It is more dependent on familiarity and use of digital technologies, media and communications. There is a gap between efforts students have in the classroom and what they finally score in IELTS leading to a need to carry out a qualitative analysis on more than 100 participants particularly millennial learners to establish whether narratives on ESL and IELTS especially in regards to bridging the gap between the two.  The major issue faced by Saudi students being taught IELTS in U.S.  Ã‚  

Management Information System Essay Example for Free

Management Information System Essay The ten major domestic carriers in the United States reported revenue of 145. 3 billion dollars in 2012, according to data gathered by Airlines for America (2012). The combine market capitalization of the twelve largest and publicly traded airlines stood at 48 billion dollars as of April 2012 just four billion greater than the value of Starbucks and way below other companies like Facebook and eBay ( Airlines for America, 2012). Our research will give a detail analysis of the two theories developed by Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter. Porter posited that in order for businesses to compete an in-depth analysis should be done not only of your direct competitors but also external forces that can help a business performance; Porter labelled this as the Five Forces of Competitive Strategy. Another concept developed by Porter was the Value Chain, the Value Chain breaks the business process into two groups, Porter argues that business should analyse the areas of the Value Chain to see where improvements can be made to enhance performance. Our report will show how Southwest Airlines uses Information system in Porters theories and concept to gain competitive advantage Introduction to Southwest Airlines According to information received from Southwest. com (2013), Southwest Airline was incorporated in 1971 by co-founders Rollin King and Herb Kelleher as Air Southwest Company. The company is based in Dallas, Texas and has a staff capacity of over 46,000 persons. The carrier was formed has a low cost domestic carrier originally only flying in the state of Texas before branching out to other US states. From inception Southwest policy business strategy was to offer low fare and conveniently times flights on short haul routes (Ross Beath, 2007). Today Southwest Airlines flies domestic in the United States to 79 cities. Southwest Airlines is the largest airline in the world by passengers carried, in 2012 over 100 million persons was transported by the airline to different cities in the USA. The airline has being a pioneer in the industry and is credited for setting the foundation for the rise of other low cost carriers across the world like Ryan Air and Easyjet. In an industry where profit margins are very low and different carriers filing for bankruptcy ever so often Southwest has managed to stay above the fray. In almost 40 years of service the airline has consistently turned a profit while other airlines have struggled and has remained one of the world’s most profitable airlines. The airline’s consistent profitability was due to its own ability of low cost on a set per mile basis due to its use of a single aircraft model the Boeing 737 and its fuel hedging program that protect the company from rising fuel prices (Ross Beath, 2007). Southwest Airlines commands a market capitalization of over nine billion dollars making it one of the most valuable airlines in the world. Southwest credited its success for building a philosophy of simplicity, the company offering of low cost fares kept attracting passengers while its high touch customer service kept them coming back (Ross Beath, 2007). As the airline grew and its business processes became more complex and with other airlines investing heavily in technology in order to survive Southwest’s CEO at the time realised that a solid IT infrastructure would be essential for the company to achieve its strategic goals and could lower the airline cost without compromising on customer service (Ross Beath, 2007). Porters Five Force Model for Competitive Strategy Porter’s Five Force Model was developed by Michael Porter, Professor at the Harvard Business School in 1979. According to Porter (1979) the Five Forces is a holistic approach of looking and analysing any industry to understand the structural underlining drivers of profitability and competition. Porter believes that industry players take too much of a narrow look in assessing competition by believing that direct competitors in an industry are the only ones that are important. He uses the five forces model to show how business are engaged in a broader form of competition that can affect their profitability. These broader forces of competition include customers and suppliers who can have certain bargaining powers, new entrants that can emerge in the industry and affect your market share, substitute products or services that can be used and can have a direct effect on your profitability or growth and direct industry rivalry and competition within the industry. According to Hills Jones (2008) a business’s ability to earn great profits are dependent on the strength of Porters Five Forces, the reverse is also true that a weak competitive force allows for a greater opportunity to make profits. For example, a company that controls a monopoly in a certain geographical area will see greater opportunities for profit, because being a monopoly will eliminate the threat of new entrants, no internal rivalry and low bargaining power of consumers. The greatest issue most businesses will have is to identify changes in the five forces and knowing how to formulate strategies from the opportunities and threats that may arise from the change (Hill Jones, 2008). The image below illustrates Porter’s Five Force Model. Fig. 1 Source: (Porter, 1979) Threats of Entry in the Airline Industry The domestic airline industry in the United States has intense rivalry between its competitors. Over ten airlines fight for market share with the rivalry completely driven on price. Southwest Airline faces some its greatest competition from fellow low cost airlines such as Spirit air and JetBlue all three compete against each other on direct routes trying to offer the lowest prices and the best service to passengers with very low profit margins. Passenger figures stand at approximately 450 million passengers travelling domestic annually in the United States (International Air Transport Association, 2012). However, Southwest Airlines remained the dominant domestic carrier with a passenger load of over 100 million 2012 (Southwest Airlines, 2012). The competitive nature of the domestic market in the United States has led to the merger of some of its carriers in order to consolidate costs. The most recent merger being that of American Airlines and US Airways and before that it was Continental and United Airlines who joined forces. Barriers to Entry in the Airline Industry Prior to 1978 the airline industry in America was heavily regulated by the United States government and was driven by high prices and empty airlines. Government regulation not only prevented competition among industry players but also created an entry barrier for new airlines, as government regulated routes presented a monopoly for established carriers (Bloomberg Business Week, 2011). In the United States the state of Texas was the only state which never had government regulation in the industry. The deregulation in Texas gave Southwest Airlines an opportunity to enter the market offering its service in the major cities of Texas only (Southwest Airlines, 2012). The deregulation effort that was led by democratic senator Ted Kennedy and signed into law by former President Jimmy Carter saw a dismantling of fare and route controls in 1978 (Bloomberg Business Week, 2011). This deregulation made it increasingly easy for new airlines to enter market and compete. With government control no longer a barrier airlines were able to enter the market once they were able to access the capital that was required and meet the safety standards that were required by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). However, Michael Porter (2008) in an interview with Harvard Business School described the airline industry as one of the easiest enter with low barriers to entry he pointed out there is a constant stream of new airlines that enter the market regularly despite low profits. Bargaining Power of Suppliers and Customers in the Airline Industry According to Porter (2008) the limited number of suppliers in the airline industry gave a considerable amount of power to the ones that existed. Porter argues that airline suppliers made considerable more profits than airlines themselves. Aircraft manufacturing is dominated by only two major players,’ American company Boeing and French company Airbus. In 2011 both manufactures controlled over 90 per cent of new air craft orders with Airbus dominating at 64 percent (The Guardian, 2012). An airline survival in the industry is also tied considerably to the price of oil which is core to operation. Southwest Airlines use a method of hedging to compete on the price of oil which allows the airline to lock in to contracts at cheaper prices in anticipation of future rises in the world market prices (CNBC, 2012). Other supplier cost that affects performance includes security cost, airport gates and terminal fees and wages to staff. The greater the rivalry among industry players the more fickle customers will become. Customers in the airline industry have tremendous bargaining power and are very price sensitive. The fast pace nature of the industry can allow a customer to switch airlines at any time. Customers were the key beneficiaries from the deregulation of the industry, before the removal of price structure and other regulation, government policy ensured that airlines competed on service and not price (Bloomberg Business Week, 2011). This shifted dramatically with deregulation has new entrants to the markets like Southwest and JetBlue built their business model on low prices which has caused older established companies to lower their own margins. Substitutes Products for Airlines There are a number of substitute services available in the domestic airline industry in America. Substitute products include rail service, water, coaches, private car transportation or refusing to travel. These substitutes provide customers with other alternatives other than flying and are strong competitive forces to the industry. Airlines are therefore forced to show the economical convenience of air travel as oppose to using other means. For example a person travelling on business who places great value on time could find it more efficient to fly instead of using substitutes. Airfares offered by low cost airlines like Southwest are also competitive with other substitute products. The Value Chain Analysis Along with the Five Forces Michael Porter also developed the Generic Value Chain as a means of understanding competitiveness in the business industry. The Value Chain is aimed at helping us understand how goods and services move through an organization and how value is added to them. According to Porter the Value Chain represents a business process that comes along with a product (Porter, 1985). The main aim has articulated by Porter (1985) is to find sources for a company’s competitive advantage by dividing the company into several activities in the business process which are all strategically relevant to the goods or services provided. The business process is divided into primary and secondary areas. Primary activities include areas directly related to getting the product to the consumer. Inbound logistics is the acquisition of the raw materials that are necessary to provide the product or service. Southwest inbound logistics include areas such as route selection, flight and crew scheduling, fuelling, acquiring aircrafts and ticket management systems. Operation generally refers to the physical actions that are required to produce the service once all the raw materials are acquired. Southwest Airlines operations include a variety of actions to provide its service. It covers the airlines customer care services, gate operations, air craft operations and maintenance and baggage handling. Outbound logistics involves moving goods into inventory and places where they can reach customers. Southwest Airlines outbound logistics includes website for booking tickets, connecting passengers on flights, offering, baggage collection systems and other gate services. Other areas Primary agents of the value chain include marketing and sales and services. Marketing and sales involves the initiation of buying the product by utilizing advertising, promoting and monitoring sales (Porter, 1985). Therefore any advertising, promotional activity or deals and incentives offered by the airline will fall under marketing and sales activities. While service involves handling of customer relations once the product or service is in the hand of the consumer these include handling customer complaints, handling special request from customers such as disability requests or dealing with elements such as flight delays and cancellations. The secondary activities are important in creating a product or service but are not directly involved in its creation. Procurement is responsible for buying the raw materials for the company it can include computers furnisher and other fix assets which are essential to the value chain, the act of procurement according to Porter is normally carried out by management or the sales department (Porter, 1985). Technology support activity includes research and development that could lead to product development for the primary areas of the value chain, human resources role provides the company with essential staff to carry out functions while infrastructure involves the processes and procedures needed to execute the business process for example payroll and account (Porter, 1985). The purpose of this process is to analyse all the aspects of the Value Chain and determine if improvements can be made to increase the profitability and performance of the business. For example, Southwest Airlines could look at a value chain and determine if they could reduce the speed at which it check in passengers to flights to reduce turnaround time or increasing the speed of operating procedures such as maintenance and refuelling. Value Chain is a structured way to look at improving the business process and information systems can play a key role in this effort.

Demand For E Ticketing Systems Computer Science Essay

Demand For E Ticketing Systems Computer Science Essay It has already seen that there has been a rapid growth in the demand for E-Ticketing systems in a widespread range of applications like cinemas and theatres. The usage of an Electronic ticketing system has become a huge convenience in the Airline industry as well. Most airlines currently prefer that the bulk of their reservations and booking be done online. As it is a no-paper system, there are huge savings to be made when using the electronic system. This section of the research paper is where the research methods to develop this mobile ticketing are discussed. Upon completion of the literature review, the existing systems have been thoroughly studied. The advantages and disadvantages of the existing systems have been pointed out. The target now is to produce a new idea that has the advantages of the existing systems but does not have its disadvantages. The system has to be new and improved. To accomplish this, the literature review is not enough. Further research needs to be done t o assess if it is even possible to create this system, whether the people will approve of it and find it useful, how feasible is production of this system, what measures need to be taken to make this system and other factors. How this further research will be carried out will be explained here. The planning and schedule of the research method is also stated. Introducing: Mobile Ticketing System for Airlines. A mobile ticketing system is yet to be utilized by most airlines. It is intended to produce such a system where people can finally use their cell phones or mobiles throughout their flights. The use of mobile ticketing has been seen in cinemas and other areas but NOT for airlines. This has not been introduced for flights anywhere in the world, but it has an excellent future. There are many reasons why this is so. There has been an increase in the usage of mobile payment schemes. This has streamlined the process of payment for various products and services. The various schemes include Direct Operator billing, Premium SMS transactions or even linking the application to external payment methods like credit cards or PayPal. This is one of the key features that make this new system very usable. Over all the usage of mobile phones now a days are a must. Almost everyone has a mobile phone with them. So there will be many mobile phone users who will find this system very useful. Mobile Ticke ting will still include benefits to service providers like travel agencies to access new opportunities through smartphones, by bringing value added services, such as traveller guides and tips. It will reduce the amount of paper work and also use of paper itself. Passengers will not have to worry about losing their tickets any more. The system will be the first system that will implement the scanning of mobile QR codes or a quick response code for flights. As the name suggests this code will be apt for the system because it is read very fast and it can store a large amount of data, which is perfect for storing the ticket information. A simple scan of the code and the passenger will be ready for the flight. This new system is Mobile Ticketing System for Airlines. Aims and Scope: The first step in producing any system is to figure out exactly what the system needs to be able to execute, that is to say, its functions. The Mobile Ticketing System is required to fulfil all the business processes of an airline booking system. It will inherit the basic flow of processes of current E-Ticketing systems. Below are the basic functions of this system. Creating Reservations The passenger must login to the airline booking system on the application. The destination, departure and/or return date will be input. Once a flight is booked, the passenger will be prompted for payment. Once the payment clears, the system will generate a unique QR code for the passenger. Checking in Upon arrival at the check-in counter, the passenger allows the scanner to scan the QR code in the phone. The system then validates the ticket and the passenger is checked in. Boarding Once the passenger arrives at the respective boarding gate, another scan is done and the passenger is let on board. Boundaries Boundaries of a system is the boundary that separates the external entities of the system from its internal entities. Knowing the system boundaries assists in reaching the project development goals. The mobile application to be developed is web based and will interact with the current booking system of the airline. As a result, a booking system itself will not be required to be made. The users themselves will interact only with the mobile application. Deliverables: When managing a project, the deliverables of the system need to be well defined. Deliverables are the objects that need to be produced in order for this system to function properly and execute what it is designed to. External Deliverables: The external deliverables of this research project will include an overall report of the system and an appendix including screen layouts, charts and questionnaires. Internal Deliverables: The internal deliverables include a Gantt chart showing the development timeframe and a description of the Methodology of developing the system. Objectives: Please refer to the Appendices for the Gantt chart that displays the overall tasks and timeframe for the development of the system. Key Features: The system must be able to provide the user with up-to-date flight information along with the various prices for a ticket. Must allow the purchasing of a ticket. The system must be able to generate a QR code containing the information regarding the ticket purchased and also information required for validation. The system must include mobile payment methods including Direct Operator billing and Premium SMS transactions. To do this, the system must be registered with the various telecom operators of the country of use. In the case where a passenger does not wish to use mobile payment, the application must allow the user to pat using other methods like credit card or PayPal. In the checking in and boarding process, the system must be able to validate the passenger using scanners. The user must be able to access flight information at any time. Flight cancellation. Advantages of the system: Ease of use The application itself is very simple to use. The purchasing of tickets is fast and less time consuming. Reduces the requirement of waiting in lines, thus saving the user valuable time. Tickets can be purchased from any location, whether it be at home or at the airport itself. All that is required is an internet connection. Avoids the requirement of carrying cash or credit cards during ticket purchase. Significantly reduces the number of free-riders. This is a term given to those travellers who arrive late for a flight and do not have the time to purchase a ticket using the regular method. Mobile Ticketing can increase the consumer experience with the use of Value-added services. For example, in the case of a traveller visiting an unfamiliar location, the application can use the ticket information to generate useful advice and guidelines to the traveller. Ecosystem advantages Savings in cost due to no printing required. There is also a reduction in marketing costs. The system reduces the impact on the environment caused by printed tickets, especially those using magnetic stripes, which are not recyclable. Less paper is used, which saves trees. Solutions to limitations: The descriptions of the limitations of the current systems used are detailed in the literature review. From the limitations mentioned there, the main ones concerning the mobile ticketing system were: Payment methods may not work with foreign subscription phones Tickets can be forged easily Phone can get lost or turn off due to lack of battery charge. Last minute flight cancellations will pose a problem when trying to book a different flight. The solutions to the above problems are elaborated below: In the case in which certain Premium SMS transactions are blocked by some operators, registering the foreign operator providing the Premium SMS with the local operators may solve the problem. In the case where it is not possible at all, other payment methods like credit cards or PayPal must be used. Another problem for E-ticketing systems is ticket forgery. With the use of Mobile-ticketing, various encryption methods can be used to prevent forgery. Also, the smartphones used by the passengers can be registered into the system, so that alerts can be made if a phone is stolen. Prior notice will be given to go to the airport with the phone battery fully charged. In the case of a flight cancellation, the system will look for an alternative flight. If there is a difference in pricing, a refund process will be initiated or extra charges will be added to the passengers account.

Death Penalty :: essays research papers fc

Death Penalty In 1972, the Supreme Court declared that under then existing laws "the imposition and carrying out of the death penalty ... constitutes cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments." The majority of the Court concentrated its objections on the way death-penalty laws had been applied, finding the result so "harsh and freakish" as to be constitutionally unacceptable. In 1976 more than 600 people had been sentenced to death under new capital-punishment statutes that provided guidance for the jury's sentencing decision. These statutes typically require a two-stage trial procedure, in which the jury first determines guilt or innocence and then chooses imprisonment or death in the light of aggravating or relieve circumstances. Executions proceeded throughout 1977 and in the early 1990s nearly 3000 people were sentenced to that death penalty and more then 180 had been executed. The death penalty does not arise from misplaced sympathy for convicted murderers. Murder demonstrates a lack of respect for human life. For this very reason, murder is despicable, and any policy of state-authorized killings is immoral. The death penalty could also be a good thing. If crazy people out there realize what the high consequences are for killing someone they may think twice before acting on hurting someone. Most people don't know which side to go on when it comes to the death penalty. Of course if it has to do with your family or close friends you will have no question about whether or not you should spare someones life that didn't spare your family member or close friends. People should suffer the way they made their victims suffer to see what it feels like to know they're going to die. To feel the pain the victim went through the moment they acted on their rage of having to hurt someone. Capital punishment does not stop crime, and the death penalty is uncivilized in theory and unfair. I do not think it is right no matter what the person did to sentence them to death.

Thinking, Values, And Beliefs :: essays research papers

Ideology is a way of thinking that reflect the social needs and political doctrines of an individual or group. There are many different people and different circumstances this results in a variety of different ways of thinking, values and beliefs. Our ideology grows with us from childhood. From the moment you are born the family influence begins to impact your thought process. A child is like a sponge that absorbs ideas and beliefs. Beliefs are taught to a child in subtle ways such as just listening to the parents and their opinions from everything including politics, social problems, moral issues and even opinions about how others behave. It is within the family unit that a person learns their moral values. It is from their parents that a child is taught right and wrong. Often this is through religious training. Religious beliefs or the lack of religious beliefs has a great influence on a person's beliefs and values. In the early years a child looks to their parents as the final authority on any subject. It's not uncommon to overhear a child explain something as being absolutely true because their mommy or daddy said so. As a child grow's older they see the world through outside influences such as the school system, the media, and their peers. School is often a child first opportunity to think for themselves. They experiment with ideas and values of their own. School teaches children to use a critical thought process. One way where this is done is if a child is given an opinion in a debate and they must find reasons to defend a certain viewpoint. They are exposed to a wide variety of viewpoint and opinions. Another source of influence on values and beliefs is the media. Free speech guarantees the rights of anyone to express their opinions. Children begin to form new beliefs and ideas of their own, the family influence is still there, but just not as strong. Also, peers become a major influence on a young person's thinking. To express their newfound values a child will often go through a stage of rebellion where they reject a lot of their parent's values. This doesn't mean that they have taken on a whole new belief system. It just means they are expanding the values, thinking, and belief system from the home with new ideas and thoughts. The country where you are raised is one of the major influences on a person's values and thinking process.

Hardys dramatic dialogue Essay

Denying the harsh moral codes set upon you can at times improve your material circumstances; however it can reduce you to a situation lower than poverty. Hardy’s dramatic dialogue â€Å"The Ruined Maid† attempts to portray the injustices and ironies of Victorian morality. Hardy is able to achieve this through his elaborate control over language. The class distinctions and moral codes placed upon women in the Victorian era have a large degree of irony. In the first stanza Hardy introduces two women: an unnamed, impoverished farm maid and a relatively wealthy â€Å"ruined† woman. The fact that the farm maid is unnamed shows her relatively insignificant life in comparison to the â€Å"ruined† woman who is named. The â€Å"ruined† woman (‘Melia) is said to have acquired â€Å"fair garments†, illustrating her affluence as the adjective â€Å"fair† suggests her clothes were of great beauty. The farm maid also wonders how ‘Melia has come across â€Å"such prosperi-ty† emphasising her newfound wealth. ‘Melia states that she has acquired this wealth as she has â€Å"been ruined†. By crossing the Victorian morality line and selling herself she has been rewarded instead of being looked down upon. In the second stanza Hardy contrasts the two women’s lifestyles to illustrate their vast differences. Hardy uses negative diction such as the noun â€Å"tatters† to describe the poverty-stricken woman clothing which contrasts to the description of the wealthier woman in the first stanza. Hardy also contrasts this in the second stanza where Hardy uses positive diction with vibrant connotations such as â€Å"gay bracelets† and â€Å"bright feathers† to again describe the â€Å"ruined† woman’s clothing. The use of juxtaposition between the poverty of one woman and the relative wealth of ‘Melia emphasises their class differences. The â€Å"ruined† woman, obviously gaining from her denial of normal moral codes, states â€Å"that’s how we dress when we are ruined†. This illustrates that all women in her profession wear wealthy clothing, portraying the ironies of Victorian moral rectitude. Restrained in the entrenched Victorian class system with its moral and economic confines women at times have to escape in order to improve their situation. In the third stanza Hardy illustrates the â€Å"ruined† woman’s original poverty. She is described to have had a â€Å"home in the barton†, illustrating her initial lack of wealth through the use of the noun â€Å"barton†. ‘Melia is said to have in the past used archaic, colloquial language such as â€Å"thee† and â€Å"thou† portraying her earlier impoverishment; only those of the lower classes would have used these words. However Hardy contrasts this with the woman’s â€Å"talking† which now â€Å"fits ‘ee for high company†, again emphasising her gain from selling herself. ‘Melia says that â€Å"some polish is gained with one’s ruin†. The noun â€Å"polish† suggests the woman has gained refinement by becoming â€Å"ruined†, illustrating the potential gains from defying Victorian moral codes. This can also portray the hypocrisy of Victorian society as pure, virginal women are approved of; however happen to live depressing, miserable lives. In the fourth stanza Hardy again contrasts the woman’s current position with her past one, describing how she used to have â€Å"paws† and a â€Å"face blue and bleak†. The fact that her hands are said to have been â€Å"paws† illustrates the strenuous work she had to endure. The adjective â€Å"bleak† is an example of a synecdoche as it is used to illustrate ‘Meila’s former emotions. However she is now said to have â€Å"little gloves† and a â€Å"delicate cheek† portraying her dramatic improvement both in her occupation and emotionally. The last line: â€Å"we never do work when we’re ruined† emphasises her lack of taxing labour after becoming â€Å"ruined†. Crossing the morality line can at times result in improvements to one’s position economically. By defying Victorian morality one’s situation is condemned to being lower than the poverty of those who are pure and righteous. In the fifth stanza Hardy again uses negative diction to describe ‘Melia’s past position. Hardy illustrates that she used to view her life as a â€Å"hag-ridden dream† portraying her past depressive outlook on life due to her previous poverty. She is said to have â€Å"sigh[ed]† and â€Å"sock[ed]† emphasising her negative view on life. However now she â€Å"know[s] not of†¦ melancholy†. This shows her emotional improvement as a result of becoming â€Å"ruined†. In the last stanza the farm girl says she wished she was like her former friend and â€Å"had feathers† and a â€Å"fine sweeping gown†. This illustrates her misunderstanding of ‘Melia’s new profession due to her poverty. She is unable to see through the vivacious fai ade of ‘Melia’s wealthy clothing in order to see the realities of her occupation. ‘Melia however separates herself from her former friend stating that she is but a â€Å"raw country girl†. The adjective â€Å"raw† again emphasises the girl’s righteousness and innocence contrasted to the other woman’s â€Å"ruined† morality. The two women are completely different due to the chasmic nature of the Victorian class distinctions and ‘Melia’s decision to sell herself. ‘Melia’s also denies the farm maid of her dreams stating that she â€Å"cannot quite expect that†. Although she wishes she could become wealthy she can’t escape the class which she was born into. ‘Melia says that â€Å"you ain’t ruined† showing that to become rich after being born into the lower classes you must become â€Å"ruined†. However this could also be seen as a warning to the other woman to hold on to her maidenly modesty due to its huge worth in Victorian society. Furthermore Hardy uses the colloquial expression â€Å"ain’t† to show the reader that the â€Å"ruined† woman hasn’t escaped her poor origins. Women of the Victorian times held a very insecure position in society; one which could change dramatically just by defying ironic moral codes. In â€Å"The Ruined Maid† Hardy attempts to show the ironies and injustices place upon women in the Victorian era. He shows that although one may improve their economic situation by defying the moral codes of their society they are condemned to a fate worse than poverty.