Gender and the Media Essay Example for Free

Gender and the Media Essay Socialisation is the way an identity is defined throughout life for a person. Children are seen a blank slate that is going to have a personality and roles set by the environment he lives in. A child generally has an idea on what gender they are by the time they are 2 years old. A boy will portray himself with the colour blue, would be very hyperactive and tend to bully girls. Females would be more mature, refer themselves to the colour pink and socialise with other girls, this is called primary socialisation. Personalities are defined through interactions with people that are close to them, there societys values and they learn the attributes of their sex at a young age and they know what is expected of them as a certain sex. The person is reinforced by social praise and punishment so the person can learn from mistakes and good deeds. Media has played a massive part on how socialisation as occurred to an individual. I am directly concerned with how the media affects young women within todays society, particularly through the use of gender stereotyping within young womens magazines, mainly through articles and advertisements. Here, the ideas and beliefs already created by the media are useful to advertisers because they are socially accepted ideologies. They know that they will influence women. It has been stated in the past that it is these media interpretations of The Perfect Woman that have been the cause for so many women becoming increasingly pressured into looking good and so dieting, keeping fit etc. This can, in extreme cases lead to serious psychological diseases such as anorexia and bulimia, where one of the main causes has been identified as social pressure. Society affects how people perceive themselves, Body Image awareness still exists in our society. Many people living on our society are influenced by the media and the fashion industry. Both are equally responsible for the increased number of people suffering from eating disorders. Fashion industries tend to only feature whose figures vary from eight to ten. Their androgynous waif-like figures are presented as representative of the everyday woman. In doing so the average woman in the street is forced to measure herself against an unrealistic ideal. Most models are above average height, have naturally lithe bodies and are aged between sixteen and thirty. Their image is constructed and manipulated by a predominately male homosexual industry which appears reluctant to show women as curvaceous individuals. Celebrities themselves fall foul of the dominant media representation of women. When society thinks of a family we automatically think of the nuclear family in which there is a mum, dad and often two or three children. This type is seen as the statistical norm until the 1980s where it was considered abnormal to deviate from this ideal family type and there were characteristics that came with this which were seen as socially acceptable. Children were seen as the outcome of a loving heterosexual couple and each person i. e. the mum and dad should have distinctive roles within the family. The mother should be concerned with motherhood and household chores. The father should protect the family and be a disciplinary role model, as well as their main role being defined as the breadwinner, this meaning they often bring in the most money. The mother should be the housekeeper who attians the house and looks after the children as they grow up. A young male would grow up learning the princilpes of the father and the young female would grow up adobting the mather principles. Post modernism shows that gender is the main topic in an individuals life as events that have occurred are directly linked to a individuals gender. Post modernism gives the individual more choice and that is the basis of post modernism, choice! The individual is more independent on their life choices; such old life ambitions of marriage and children are not compulsory but are a option that some people may seek. Unlike pre modernism and modernity where marriage and kids are ultimate goals and people automatically assume that this is the right path to follow. This gives way to new events that once were either not existent or unethical such as unisex and inter-racial marriages. It shows a deterioration of religion and supernatural belief, which leaves great division among people in identity and lifestyles. People are now working more flexible times, fashion has changed in such away that people can wear what they want, food is more oriental and music comes in a wide variety. Identity has separated into many huge groups such as social classes, ethnic group, age and gender. This leads to unrest to certain groups that want change as people now have a sense of spreading opinion and arguing their rights. Certain groups such as feminists, Marxist ideology and ageist rights. As choice and individual opinion now can be widely credited it gives chance for concern to be broadcasted such as the feminist supporters wanting females to be treated as equals among men. The first wave of feminism gave people the ideology in 1928 when they got the vote, which provoked the idea of gaining more such as the 2nd wave of feminism in the 1960s when women burned the bras, this caused great reasoning between the two gender differences. Karl Marx however says that society not the individual is the important issue as that eventually the working class will soon rule society. This radical change has brought in new changes such as the new man that is a unique gender that of a masculine and unemotional male, the new man focuses on his physical appearance and pays attention to diet, personality and self image, he is more emotional and doesnt fit in with a patriarchy idea. As post modernism has totally effected todays society it shows how an individual can make all the differences and how self concern and freedom is the new ideal but this idea could change and evidence suggests that it could lead to pre modernism of the old age as though it is a long term cycle of a society but critics say this is the final situation of society and the end solution is total equality among genders, races and age. This idea of choice could lead in any direction depending on current affairs within society yet time is not a important issue as this process could last a log time.

Voltaires Candide Essay -- Voltaire essays research papers

Candide, written by Voltaire and published in 1759, is based in the Age of the Enlightenment. Candide is a satiric tale of a virtuous man's search for the truest form of happiness and his ultimate acceptance of life's disappointments. The illegitimate son of the Baron's sister; Candide is raised in the Castle of Westphalia and taught by his friend and philosopher of metaphysico-theologo-cosmolo-nigology, Dr.Pangloss. Candide is abruptly cast out from the castle when he and Lady Cunegonde are found indiscreetly kissing behind a screen. Broken hearted and emotionally lost by the separation from Lady Cunegonde, his true love; Candide wanders off. After being tricked into servitude with the Bulgar army, Candide discovers that his one and only love Lady Cunegonde is dead and his friend Dr. Pangloss is deathly sick; Candide then decides that all is not lost and that a cure must be found for Pangloss. Tragedy, adventure and a series of horrible events follow Candide as he is forced to over come misfortune to find true happiness; in the end he determines that all is not well and that he must work in order to find even a small amount of pleasure in life. The principal theme presented throughout majority of the novel is "Optimism" by the main character Candide and how that theme is incorporated into his winning outcomes of terrible situations. His good friend and philosopher Dr.Pangloss first introduces this Optimism that Candide believes. Yet this optimist foundation is being con... Voltaire's Candide Essay -- Voltaire essays research papers Candide, written by Voltaire and published in 1759, is based in the Age of the Enlightenment. Candide is a satiric tale of a virtuous man's search for the truest form of happiness and his ultimate acceptance of life's disappointments. The illegitimate son of the Baron's sister; Candide is raised in the Castle of Westphalia and taught by his friend and philosopher of metaphysico-theologo-cosmolo-nigology, Dr.Pangloss. Candide is abruptly cast out from the castle when he and Lady Cunegonde are found indiscreetly kissing behind a screen. Broken hearted and emotionally lost by the separation from Lady Cunegonde, his true love; Candide wanders off. After being tricked into servitude with the Bulgar army, Candide discovers that his one and only love Lady Cunegonde is dead and his friend Dr. Pangloss is deathly sick; Candide then decides that all is not lost and that a cure must be found for Pangloss. Tragedy, adventure and a series of horrible events follow Candide as he is forced to over come misfortune to find true happiness; in the end he determines that all is not well and that he must work in order to find even a small amount of pleasure in life. The principal theme presented throughout majority of the novel is "Optimism" by the main character Candide and how that theme is incorporated into his winning outcomes of terrible situations. His good friend and philosopher Dr.Pangloss first introduces this Optimism that Candide believes. Yet this optimist foundation is being con...

Earth in Greek mythology Essay

Greek Mythology will always be culturally relevant in our world. There is a great deal of Greek Mythology symbolism of Greek gods in today’s society. Greek Mythology will remain compatible to the ideas of society. â€Å"†¦.myth’s adaptability is limited by the fact that a myth must be culturally relevant† (OSU Greek Mythology) Many aspects of our culture involve and began from Greek myths. The solar system is, for the most part, also named after Greek gods, â€Å"with the exception of Earth, all of the planets in our solar system have names from Greek or Roman mythology† (Starchild NASA 1). There is also much symbolism of Greek gods and mythology in today’s society. Greek mythology is greatly reflected in advertising. Several examples are Nike, the goddess of victory, and the very popular sports company, Nike. Another popular advertisement is for the FTD flower delivery company. Their logo includes Hermes or Mercury, the messenger of the gods with winged feet. Apollo, the god of music, has a famous music hall in New York named after him, the Apollo Theater. There is also a magazine of the arts called Daedalus. Greek mythology is relatable to humans. Many of the heroes in Greek mythology are on a quest for truth. In today’s society, humans are still looking for truthful answers to their many questions. Myths explain things the people are believed to not understand. Creation stories in Greek mythology tell of how everything came to be, in their opinion. Many Creation stories include a Flood story, which leads Christians to have greater faith that it occurred. It is also important to study Greek mythology because it is part if history. There can be a lot learned about the Greek culture. Greek Mythology will always be relevant and relatable to the people in this world.

Financial Support Letter Example

The following is provided on behalf of (name) to support his petition to be considered an independent student. In January of 2012 1 became aware of (name) intention to attend school at The College of the Siskiyous in Weed, California. I also became aware of an unfortunate diminishing relationship between him and his parents and the impending affects that that relationship has and will continue to have on his efforts to pursue a college degree.As a former teacher at Meade High School, where (name) graduated, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting this very poised young man. I believe he has turned his ife around and is determined to succeed both as a father and as a student. Our relationship grew to where he trusted me. I have received many calls where he talked about the struggles of being abandoned by his parents and left to survive on his own. I have continued to provide counsel and guidance on the importance and value of staying the course.I applaud his courage attend a college, p articularly one that is located across country from his hometown. While I know that he has been quite resourceful in obtaining the necessary financial support to meet his needs, this does not negate the fact that this s truly a young man who is struggling – and one with no assurance that money will be available to support his educational needs. (name) is an excellent athlete and quite capable of achieving excellence in the classroom.Like everyone else, he deserves an opportunity to get a decent education. I believe we live in a society where â€Å"no child should be left behind,† particularly when it comes to education. Accordingly, I strongly believe that this child should no longer be left to fend for himself. Therefore, I strongly recommend that he be supported financially, to the greatest extent possible, in the furtherance of his education.

Free Essays on Should Marijuana Be Legalized

Should it be Legalized Should marijuana be legalized it is a simple question with complex answers. There are many questions regarding marijuana ranging from should it be legalized, to whether it is a harmful drug. This topic is important to the people of America because we, as taxpayers spend millions of dollars each year on drug control. This is a major issue arising not only in America, but also in our neighboring country of Canada. Should marijuana be legalized? If it is legalized what would it mean to America’s war on drugs? What might the moralists’ argument against drugs become? Legalizing marijuana would make people change their perspective on the issue as well as the people who use it, due to it no longer being a crime. This issue is significant because it will affect our country as a whole. It will affect our taxes, laws, as well as the political parties and elections that will run our country. Legalization of marijuana also touches on the rights of citizens, as well on modern medicine. Marijuana is the drug that has a big question mark that goes along with it. What should our country do while faced with the issue of legalization of marijuana? Before making a decision on whether or not marijuana should be legalized, the history as well as the origin should be known. Marijuana is obtained from dried and crumpled parts of the ubiquitous hemp plant Cannabis Sativa. Marijuana can be grown just about anywhere. It is a easily harvested plant, which makes it a favorite of drug farmers. Marijuana comes in different strengths (â€Å"Marijuana† Encyclopedia International Vol. 11) from mild marijuana to potent Pg. 2 hashish. Even though some of these forms of marijuana are very potent, it has not been proven to be addictive. Marijuana was something foreign to Americans until the late 19th early 20th century when immigrants from Mexico and the Caribbean introduced the drug. It was often used during days of long work as a ... Free Essays on Should Marijuana Be Legalized Free Essays on Should Marijuana Be Legalized Should it be Legalized Should marijuana be legalized it is a simple question with complex answers. There are many questions regarding marijuana ranging from should it be legalized, to whether it is a harmful drug. This topic is important to the people of America because we, as taxpayers spend millions of dollars each year on drug control. This is a major issue arising not only in America, but also in our neighboring country of Canada. Should marijuana be legalized? If it is legalized what would it mean to America’s war on drugs? What might the moralists’ argument against drugs become? Legalizing marijuana would make people change their perspective on the issue as well as the people who use it, due to it no longer being a crime. This issue is significant because it will affect our country as a whole. It will affect our taxes, laws, as well as the political parties and elections that will run our country. Legalization of marijuana also touches on the rights of citizens, as well on modern medicine. Marijuana is the drug that has a big question mark that goes along with it. What should our country do while faced with the issue of legalization of marijuana? Before making a decision on whether or not marijuana should be legalized, the history as well as the origin should be known. Marijuana is obtained from dried and crumpled parts of the ubiquitous hemp plant Cannabis Sativa. Marijuana can be grown just about anywhere. It is a easily harvested plant, which makes it a favorite of drug farmers. Marijuana comes in different strengths (â€Å"Marijuana† Encyclopedia International Vol. 11) from mild marijuana to potent Pg. 2 hashish. Even though some of these forms of marijuana are very potent, it has not been proven to be addictive. Marijuana was something foreign to Americans until the late 19th early 20th century when immigrants from Mexico and the Caribbean introduced the drug. It was often used during days of long work as a ...

Building Sustainable Organizations Analysis

The report discusses the HRM practices in an organization through the case study of a   hospital which is located in Australia with around 400 staff members. The hospital has its unit across the Australia. The case study discusses ineffective HR practices operating in the hospital administration which have contributed to high attrition, grievances, absenteeism and shortage of staff in the organization. The hospital has been reported to have some serious accidents involving patients and staff members. The case then discussed a contrasting view of another hospital that is effectively implementing HRM practices in its administration through employee engagement activities, HR policies, job analysis and recruitment and selection. The hospital has been reported to have great patient services because of its sustainable management practices and policies. The first hospital discussed in the case reflects ineffective HRM practices which have degraded the quality of patient services and have even led to some serious patient accidents. The hospital only has one payroll department which takes care of the salary of the employees and one HR consultant who conducts weekly visits to the hospital. All the responsibilities of an HR manager have been laid down on the middle managers which has overburdened them. The CEO of the hospital has been overlooking the consequences of this activity of overburdening middle managers. This has resulted in work conflicts, staff turnover and absenteeism. The overall quality of the services of the hospital has also degraded. The hospital lacks an effective munication model, which is taken care by an HR manager. Effective munication is required for assigning roles and responsibilities, boosting employee confidence and evaluating performance of the employee. An effective munication holds an organization together through effective policies, employee handbook, meetings and conferences, performance evaluation, employee engagement etc. munication helps to transfer the information from one department to other and thus maintains the flow of information through mails, telephones, meetings, documents, employee record etc (Fielding, 2006). It is the role of an HR to maintain an effective munication in an organization which is not present in the hospital. Employment r elations are also not being properly managed ineffective HR policies. Employment relations are required to hold the employees and have good staff retention in the hospital through developing relation between employee and the hospital through benefits and pensation, appraisal system etc (Gardner & Palmer, 1997). The employee gets frustrated and demotivated due to work conflicts and situation based problems. They need to be motivated by an HR manager through meetings and other activities. The managers are not even aware that these assigned responsibilities are not even part of their job and get frustrated sometimes which creates absenteeism and staff turnover. This overall impacts employee petence through work conflicts and absenteeism which indirectly affects the quality of the services of hospital and leads to disappoint patient. This spoils the image of the hospital and affects the long terms goals and objectives of the organization. A sustainable HRM model is required to improve the quality of the services of the hospital (Wolper, 2004). The CEO of the hospital needs to review the performance of the hospital in order to build a sustainable business model. He needs to understand that an HR consultant is not enough while considering the long term goals and objectives of the organization. The patient care and safety are one of the essential ponents for a successful running hospital which are not as per the norms of a hospital. The severe accidents may increase in the future and may have disastrous consequences on the operational system of hospital. The CEO needs to develop a sustainable HRM model in order to achieve the long term goals and objectives of the hospital (Wolper, 2004). CEO would have to create an effective HR department and ensure proper implementation of the HR policies and practices. He could have a look at the HRM model of other successfully running hospital as mentioned in the case study. The hospital has a proper HR department which has led to quality services to the hospital through its staff retention and employee engagement. Thus, CEO should plan to develop an HRM model in the hospital by considering the following roles and responsibilities of an HR department and should hire an HR manager who could assist him in other recruits for the department. The HR manager is responsible for hiring the suitable employees as per the needs and requirement of the job profile in the organization. Employees are recruited through different channels such as newspaper ads, online ads, networking, telephone etc. It is the responsibility of an HR to use the right channel for selection (Brinkerhoff & Goldsmith, 1992). When a new employee gets hired and joins the organization, he needs to be well versed about the organization and his duties and job role. The HR manager guides and instructs the employee through an induction and training program regarding what he would be expected to do through employee handbook, job description, pany policy manual and training and mentoring. He also checks all the required documents of the employee such as id proof, degrees etc (Brinkerhoff & Goldsmith, 1992). It is the duty of an HR manager to ensure that hospital plies with the rules and regulations of the government through his legal research expertise on hospital. The hospital must abide by the laws as prescribed by the government which may include recruitment contracts with the medical practitioners. Then there are employee contracts which should be very well documented (Brinkerhoff & Goldsmith, 1992). It is the duty of an HR to control and monitor the performance of an employee through employee engagement, resolving work conflict, handling grievances, appraisal system etc. The employee performance is responsible for quality of the services of a hospital. An HR boosts the confidence of employees through different activities and ensures smooth operational activities in an organization (Wolper, 2004). An HR manager is also involved in core team of a hospital and helps in building strategies in alignment with the goals and objectives of the organization. An HR manager acts as an intermediate between the employees and the hospital and thus, helps to resolve employee issues and concerns through proper planning and devising solution (Evans, 1990). Training and development is a very crucial element to develop a sustainable business model in hospital industry. It ensures quality services and equipping the staff with latest technology and practices in the market. It is the duty of an HR to conduct regular training in the hospital such as handling patient effectively, being polite to the patient etc. Thus way training improves the quality standard of a hospital (Savage, Fottler & Khatri, 2010). HR is responsible for running operations of a hospital smoothly and effective administration is the core element of HRM in hospital. The responsibilities may vary from hospital to hospital (Fried, Fottler & Johnson, 2005). Studying the above roles and responsibilities, it can be evaluated that an HR plays a very important role in effective delivery of services and ensuring quality patient care. Further, the report would discuss the ways to develop a sustainable HRM model in a hospital and its consequences. A sustainable HRM model consists of six elements which would be discussed one by one below: HR Management Systems: It ensures that the operational activities are being maintained in an organization through integration of data, staffing and placement and employee support system. The data is helpful is evaluating the performance of the employees and provides employee feedback and coaching and mentoring to the employees if required. This would improve overall work productivity of the hospital through an effective appraisal system and policies and measures (Evans, 1990). Leadership: Employees look for continuous guidance and instructions from their superiors to make sure that their work is in alignment with the goals and objectives of the hospital. HR manager would make sure that the employees are fully aware of their job profile and expected results through intensive planning and organizing. Their involvement in the decision making process ensures that the hospital’s planning, budgeting and organizing considers the issues and concerns raised by the employees. Thus, an HR ensures that there is continuous involvement of stakeholders in the decision making process (Evans, 1990). Partnership: A hospital must ensure that there is proper planning, organizing and optimum utilization of the resources. Partnership is a way to hold the stakeholders and direct them towards a mon goal and objective of the organization (Evans, 1990). Finance: Employees need motivation in order to increase their work productivity which can be ensured through timely incentives and a properly defined salary structure for an employee. The salary package of an employee must be defined in advance so that he is aware about his benefits which may include education, medical, allowances etc (Evans, 1990). Education: Employees look for their career advancement and growth in an organization. Education would motivate them and would also help to increase the work productivity of a hospital (Evans, 1990). Policy: An organization must have effective policies to ensure discipline in the system. An employee must abide by the rules and regulations of an organization so as to align with the goals and objectives of the hospital (Evans, 1990). Thus, a sustainable framework can be ensured through following approaches: A sustainable HRM model would involve four steps which are as follows: Purpose: The purpose is analyse the current situation which can be done through various methods such as taking feedback from the stakeholders, reviewing the records and documents etc. In the case study, CEO must identify the key stakeholders first and then analyse the plete situation through the inputs received from the stakeholders (Savage, Fottler & Khatri, 2010). The process can be carried out through a meeting with the key stakeholders, reviewing the existing HR documents which can be collected from HR consultant and payroll manager. This would help in identifying the root cause of the problem (Savage, Fottler & Khatri, 2010). Purpose: Once the inputs have been received from the previous step, this step would define the actions required to be taken. This would be carried out through prioritizing the actions which are necessary in the current scenario. The planning would involve cost calculation for the implementation of those actions and the consequences the actions would have on the hospital (Savage, Fottler & Khatri, 2010). Purpose: The most critical part of building HRM model is the execution of the planned layout and most of the organizations fail at the execution level. Thus, a leader must ensure that the roles and responsibilities are properly allocated to the respective departments and employees so as to ensure that an effective implementation is being carried out (Savage, Fottler & Khatri, 2010). Thus, the phase would involve planning the execution though funding, allocating the responsibilities and budget planning for the action plan. Purpose: It is very important to measure the success of plan that has been executed and evaluate the process of implementation. Monitoring and controlling helps to determine the milestone achieved and helps in future planning (Savage, Fottler & Khatri, 2010). The process involves analyzing the key stakeholders who would decide the factors for monitoring and evaluating the execution. The roles and responsibilities of the employees must be clearly defined (Savage, Fottler & Khatri, 2010). Developing a sustainable business model for any organization is a challenging task and requires the contribution of all the stakeholders of an organization. But, once the framework is being developed, it would have great results in terms of employee mitment and improve the service quality of the hospital. Effective munication: munication helps in constant flow of information in an organization. An effective munication is required in an organization to keep the employees updated regarding their roles and responsibilities. The HR manager would ensure an effective munication in the organization (Zelles, 2012). Performance Management: Performance management must be evaluated on a regular basis in an organization. Effective HR policies would help to evaluate the performance of an employee (Niles, 2012). Employment Relations: An organization must ensure that the employees are satisfied with their job role to maintain employment relations. An HR manager acts as an intermediate between the organization and the employee to build trust and loyalty among the employees which helps to increase the work productivity (Zelles, 2012). Thus, a sustainable HRM Model is crucial for an organization to ensure employee mitment and quality services. The r mendations for the CEO of the hospital are as follows: The report has analyzed the case study and the measures required to be taken in order to devise a solution for the same. The discussion has involved the steps that CEO needs to consider to build a sustainable HRM Model for his hospital to improve the quality of the services. Most importantly, a sustainable model requires a great leader, HR management systems, effective HR policies and involvement of key stakeholders in the decision making process. Gardner, M & Palmer, G. (1997). Employment Relations:  Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management in Australia. Melbourne: Macmillan Education AU. Dressler, S. (2004). Strategy, Organization and Performance Management:  From Basics to Best Practices. Sydney: Universal-Publishers. Colbert, B.A. &Kurucz E.C. (2007).Three Conceptions of Triple Bottom Line Business Sustainability and the Role for HRM.Pro-Quest, 30(1), 21-29. Brinkerhoff, D.W. & Goldsmith, A.A. (March 1992). Promoting the sustainability of development institutions: A framework for strategy.World Development, 20(3), 369-383. Hahn, T., Pinkse, J., Preuss, L. (March 2015). Tensions in Corporate Sustainability: Towards an Integrative Framework. Journal of Business Ethics. 127(2), 297-316. Savage, G.T., Fottler, M.D. and Khatri, N. (27 July 2010). Strategic Human Resource Management in Health Care. UK: Emerald Group Publishing. Fried, B., Fottler, M.D. and Johnson, J.A. (2005).Human Resources in Healthcare:  Managing for Success. US: Health Administration Press. Evans, D.W. (1990). People, munication and Organisations. London: Pitman. Anthony, R.J. (2009). Organizations, People & Effective munication:  Most Good and Bad Consequences e Down to People and munication. US: UNIV READERS Holbeche, L & Matthews, G. (2012). Engaged:  Unleashing Your Organization's Potential Through Employee Engagement. US: Wiley. Zelles, R. (2012). Methodologies to measure and define Employee Engagement. Germany: GRIN Verlag. Bridger, E. (2014). Employee Engagement. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Macev, W.H., Schneider, B., Barbera, K.M., & Young, S.A. (2011). Employee Engagement:  Tools for Analysis, Practice, and petitive Advantage. London: John Wiley & Sons. Flynn, W.J., Mathis, R.L., Jackson, J.H., & Valentine,S.R. (2015). Healthcare Human Resource Management. US: Cengage Learning. Wolper, L.F. (2004). Health Care Administration:  Planning, Implementing, and Managing Organized Delivery Systems. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Nick, G., Reinhold, G., & Valerie, I. (2005). Managing Health Services. UK: McGraw-Hill Education. Niles, N.J. (2012). Basic Concepts of Health Care Human Resource Management. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

The Burden of Love, the Bonds of Sisterhood Essay

The Burden of Love, the Bonds of Sisterhood - Essay Example "When people looked at Lindsey, even my father and mother, they saw me. Lindsey was not immune. She avoided mirrors. She now took her showers in the dark." (Sebold 59). This signifies that people were not seeing Lindsey as a person, but as part of a broken sisterhood, they perceived the absent sister instead. She fears to confront that absence, to see herself without her sister and to avoid the fear and pain, she avoids the evidence of her own single existence. In Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones, events before and after Susie's death, may be seen to reflect the experiences of other children who find themselves in a similar situation. In particular, it provides insight as to how children 'left behind' may deal with the trauma of grief, horror and loss. Before Susie's murder, she and Lindsey were pretty much like any two teenage sisters, with certain resentments and jealousies, but strong in family loyalty and acceptance of each other. Susie is bright, feisty and has a good sense of humor, Lindsey is gifted and takes herself rather seriously. Susie explains their differences when she says "She locked herself in her bedroom and read big books. When I read, Are You There God It's Me, Margaret, she read Camus's Resistance, Rebellion and Death." (Sebold 32) The natural envy of the younger sister is shown when Lindsey finds herself in Susie's closet: "Lindsey had always wanted the clothes I owned first-run but had gotten them all as hand-me-downs." (Sebold 106). Every younger sister in the world would recognize that feeling, and sadly, if similar circumstances of loss pertained, some might share in the "guilt and glee" (Sebold 106), felt with the realization that everything was now hers alone. Whatever their differences, sisters love an d care for each other, and the constant reminder of loss is a sadness which never goes. For Lindsey, there is much more to cope with, she has almost a greater responsibility than that of any other family member. This forces her to continually change and adapt, to acknowledge she has not just lost Susie, but her own childhood. She thus must develop ways to handle life differently, for as long as it takes to become whole again. Her immediate response can be appreciated as a major defense mechanism many would employ. She must develop a hard, impenetrable shell, in public at any rate, and build up strength, both mental and physical. "She sat in her room....and worked on hardening herself...make yourself small and like a stone.." (Sebold 29). For Lindsey this is necessary to protect her from the pain and horror of this particular death, and the allusion to 'stone' suggests she believes in the need for a hard inner core. Other strategies included looking through people, a refusal to appear weak, avoidance of those who might breach her defenses, and those she believed to be talking about her and the murder aspects of her sister's death. These beliefs hold some truth, people's perceptions do change, and the dead define the living, robbing them of their individuality, raising expectations of