Literary discourses in the modern literary theory Essay

Literary discourses in the modern literary theory - Essay Example It has been maintained that "the reading of literary narratives is best characterized as point driven-a process in which the reader considers what the narrator is getting at [and] that point-driven reading involves a sense of an author seeking to make a point." (Miall, 339) One of the most effective strategies of attaining the literary meaning of piece is reading for point which includes different components such as coherence, attention to surface features, and the transactional stance. It is possible and largely illumining to engage in a literary activity of reading for point in order to arrive at the meaning of the literary creations. The significance of the structural elements in the creation of a cohesive and coherent narrative discourse in fiction is often emphasised. This paper focuses on a profound and reflective analysis of the structural elements in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen with close reference to the novel, which make the piece a cohesive and coherent narrative di scourse. Though different in objective and function, structure and meaning are interconnected and it is the relation between the two which make a literary discourse meaningful. The important relation between structure and meaning in literary discourse needs to be clearly comprehended. ... very work possesses a structure, which is the articulation of elements derived from the different categories of literary discourses; and this structure is at the locus of the meaning." (Todorov et al., 141) An evaluation of the relation between structure and meaning in literary works through the years confirms the significance of readings in literary discourse which focus on these elements. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen provides one of the best illustrations of the pertinent relation between structure and meaning in literary discourse. It is obvious that the structural elements in the novel make it a cohesive and coherent narrative discourse and an analysis of the novel's narrative structure substantiates the point. The structural elements include narrative structure as well as constituents and linkage. In Pride and Prejudice, the best known and probablythebest liked novel by Austen, the narrative structure, the relation among story, plot, structure, system, rules, the cohesion, coherence and congruence in story etc contribute to the structural elements, which ultimately bring about the meaning to the novel. An analysis of the narrative structure of the novel is important and the sociolinguist Labov's Model of Natural Narrative, which is a prolific model of analysis in stylistics, provides with an effective tool in this regard. As Labov's model focuses on the everyday discourse practices of actual speakers in actual social circumstances, it has a great validity in literary analyses. Labov made use of the various stories by informers from many diverse backgrounds and "isolates the core, recurrent features that underpin a fully formed natural narrative. Six key categories are rendered down from this body of data." (Simpson, 114) According to the model, there are

Race and Ethnicity Essay Example for Free

Race and Ethnicity Essay Pretend you are driving along on the highway. You see a person on the side of the road having car problems. This is person is wearing an Armani suit and driving a Porsche. The next day, you encounter the same incident but, this time, it is a man wearing baggy jeans with holes in them, a dirty shirt and he looks very unclean. Would you be more likely to stop for the man in the Armani suit, or the the second man? I know that I would stop for man #1. The reason I and most of our society would do so, is because we have a horrible habit. The habit is unintentional and we do it not meaning to hurt anybody This habit is stereotyping people by the way they look or talk based on what society considers normal. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Scout, Atticus and Tom Robinson are victims of being stereotyped by others. Each has to cope with being stereotyped. Scout and Atticus have the ability to change their ways in order for people to respect them, unlike Tom Robinson, who is stereotyped as a mutant to the town of Mayberry simply because he is black. For example people are preaching to Scout that she should act like a typical girl. Atticus is stereotyped as a traitor to his people, the white race, because he stands up for a black man, Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a young woman. Last but not least, Tom Robinson is stereotyped as being a flaw in the human race because he is black. When he is accused of committing a rape, he is not given a fair trial, due to the fact that he is an African-American. During a Sunday brunch, Scout’s aunt, Alexandra, forces Scout to wear a skirt and help her to cook. Being a proper lady, Aunt Alexandra does not want the town ladies to think that she was raising her niece to be a tomboy. Therefore, she has Scout put on a facade. Against her will, Scout does everything a typical polite girl would do. She serves the ladies, wears a skirt, and brushes her hair. Scout goes through this tremendous effort because she does not want to be known as a tomboy simply because she would choose to climb a tree rather than bake a pie. Scout is able to make a deception. Should she change her ways to prevent getting a bad name or should she stick to her beliefs and deal with being called a tomboy. Unfortunately, Scout ignores her morals and changes her ways. Scout is not the only character having to rise above stereotypes. Her father, Atticus, must do so as well. Atticus, a white man, is asked to be a lawyer for Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell.. After carefully examining evidence, Atticus realizes that Tom Robinson is 100% innocent. Therefore, Atticus goes to court, where he stands up for a black man in front of a white jury. Atticus gives sure proof arguments and evidence to prove that Robinson is innocent. Unfortunately, after a long recess, Robinson is found guilty of rape. Because Atticus stood up for the truth, and went against his own race, he is stereotyped as a traitor and a blacks lover by the Ewells.. It is truly unfortunate that both Atticus and his daughter, Scout, are cast aside by the population of their town because they go against majorities beliefs and do what they believe is decent. Although, there is one factor that separates Scout from Atticus in this situation. Both Scout and Atticus are able to control what people think of them in these particular situations. Scout becomes a conformist, while Atticus continues to stand up for his beliefs and does not change despite the fact that he will get a bad reputation. Unlike Atticus and Scout, Tom Robinson does not have the ability change his ways in order for him to be seen as an equal because Tom’s fault was that he was born black. This was not his choice or decision. When Tom Robinson was accused of committing a rape, every person knew that no matter how good Atticus’s arguments were, Robinson would be found guilty simply because he was black. Blacks were considered as flaws in a wannabe-utopian society. They were treated as if they were rodents, some inferior animals that were not human because they had a dark skin tone. Being a black man, Robinson lived with this stereotype his entire life. Even though people treated Robinson worse than they would treat an animal, Robinson felt no hate towards these people. He was very polite towards them; he was always willing to lend a helping hand. Unfortunately, Tom Robinson could not change the outlook of the people. It is obvious that Scout, Atticus, and Tom Robinson had to face the world knowing that nobody looked at their character but they looked at the title, an ignorant stereotype, given to them by society. Scout preferred to be comfortable and not wear skirts, therefore, she was a â€Å"tomboy. † Atticus defended an innocent man that was of color, therefore, Atticus was a â€Å"black lover. † Lastly, Tom Robinson was marked guilty in the minds of the people before they even knew what he was accused of because he was born black. Unfortunately, only Scout and Atticus had the ability to change their ways to lose their bad name. Scout, Atticus, and Tom Robinson are only three examples of how society handles issues that contrast the primitive belief of normalcy. We label the object and teach our offspring’s to stay away from this object. Unfortunately, in the process of stereotyping, we ourselves are becoming a stereotype.

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Globalization: Jobs: How Foreign Laborers Can Affect the U.S. Economy The economy is becoming increasingly global. Business face complex decisions when conducting operations, as business boundaries are no longer stated in national terms, but instead in global terms. For instance, management for companies ranging from medical information technology to software engineering must ask questions, such as: From what company should our company purchase input parts for our latest medical diagnostic equipment? Or should we outsource our manufacturing process for laptop computers overseas? Or how will globalization affect return to our investors for our latest software development subsidiary? Outsourcing is among one of the economic decisions businesses of all sizes must face. U.S. Corporations have high incentive to outsource job functions to foreign markets, as the wages of a foreign worker are a fraction of the domestic counterpart. The incentive is especially high to outsource to emerging markets such as China and India. According to a study conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2010, a production worker in India would work for an average of 92 cents an hour as compared to a U.S. worker who would not be able to legally obtain employment for any less than the U.S. minimum wage of $7.25 an hour (U.S. BLS, 2010). At that time, India labor cost just 13% of U.S. labor. Imagine a U.S. corporation competing with businesses that incur labor costs that are only 13% of the U.S. equivalent; in order for that business to remain profitable, they would outsource as many functions as possible. Outsourcing trends are unlikely to change, at least in the short-term futu re. Historically, outsourcing has occurred in labor intensive indust... ...oduct, is a formula that economists use to measure economic growth. GDP in China has grown at an average ___, whereas U.S. GDP has grown at ___ for the same period of ___. A reason behind this phenomenon is that developing countries typically grow at a faster economic pace than more industrialized nations. When the United States economy was industrializing, GDP grew at a pace of†¦. Modern economic theory demonstrates that some developing nations will eventually approach the economic wealth of more developed nations. In may not happen for at least fifty years, but eventually wage differences will substantially lessen, at least in terms of national boundaries. Foreign labor cost is currently a factor that aids firms in achieving an advantage in the market place. In the far future it is unlikely that the price of labor will be much different across national boundaries.

Cellular Manufacturing System

What is Lean? Running an operation lean means: Removal of waste of all kinds (e. g. time, motion, inventory, poor cost of quality, etc. ) An organization that stimulates productivity and quality An organization using value-added processes Low Quality = High Waste High Quality = Low Waste and Higher Value There are several ways to be Lean— TQM Six Sigma SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die) PM/TPM (Preventive Maintenance/Total Preventive Maintenance) JIT (Just In Time) Continuous Improvement/Kaizen And Many More†¦CELLULAR MANUFACTURING: MANUFACTURING A Lean Manufacturing Concept Cellular Manufacturing One of these lean practices, cellular manufacturing, is based on a group of different processes located in close proximity to manufacture a group of similar products. The primary purpose of cellular manufacturing is to reduce cycle time and inventories to meet market response times. Some of the other benefits include: Space Reduction Quality Improvement Labor Cost Reduction Im proved Machine Utilization Where would you begin? First, you would define the cell you plan to create.Criteria required for defining the cell would be based on: Processes Required Part Numbers & Attributes (size, shape, raw materials required) Market segments/customers Degree of Automation By Jay P. Patel, Principle Consultant, Quality & Productivity Solutions, Inc. Copyright ©2000 by Jay Patel Cellular manufacturing is an application of the group technology concepts for factory reconfiguration and shop floor layout design. A part family can be parts similar in size or parts created using similar manufacturing steps.Typically, a cell is dedicated to a single part family. Cellular manufacturing does have some important human resource issues to consider: Operators must be trained properly to perform tasks including inspection and simple maintenance Cross functional training is critical since operators perform a variety of tasks and move between workstations and cells as the need ari ses Operators should be trained on Team Building Supervisors become Coaches. Cell teams require only guidance. Supervisors facilitate, assist nd guide the overall effort. Compensation issues: Cell employees usually receive the higher pay because they are better qualified to do multiple tasks. We recommend implementation of an incentive program that provides incentives on the basis of results and incremental improvements. Management may be concerned that there will be resistance from employees when the result is actually opposite. Typically, any initial resistance disappears once employees understand the win-win situation at hand.Cells need support from several functions including product engineering, material management, manufacturing engineering, QC/QA, maintenance and management. It is vital to implementation success that this support is committed, visible and consistent. Team Selection Most crucial to the implementation of cellular manufacturing is team selection. To help determi ne who is best to include in your team, identify the skills required for each step by creating a Process Map. Clarify the roles and responsibilities of the roles you need filled.Once the skills are identified, determine the potential team members. Explain to potential members what the nature of the task is and get a feel for their interest. What will you look for in your team members? Understanding the importance of selecting the right team cannot be overemphasized. Both objective and technical criteria should be established, including skills in: teamwork interpersonal skills leadership skills change adaptation positive thinking Develop a checklist for selecting these members based on the needs of the cell.This can also be used in setting goals for those who wish to grow in their own skill sets. 2 From here you will need to do some negotiating. You will need to meet with affected Supervisors to discuss: Overall priority Current structure and plans Current authorities and relative po wer of team leaders Potential team members and the support they will need Negotiate to acquire members best suited for the team. Renegotiate as necessary with the help of management and a detailed implementation plan. Skill Matrices Match skills to tasks.Create a matrix to define who is best qualified to perform specific tasks. This will be the document used for contracting your team to the project: aiding in obtaining commitment as well as communicating responsibilities and expectations. Determine what training is needed and implement a training plan. Make sure communication lines are established, open and well used. The success of the program is contingent on the team dynamic and the goals set. Communication is key—learn to listen and help others to do the same. What are the communication channels and links? Who provides and who expects what?Can the team members accomplish the tasks assigned? Team Management Develop trust and provide the team a reason to be motivated. Learn to manage team morale and create a system to encourage teamwork. Make your team an example of how successful teams cause great things to happen. Start with a pilot cell—be sure the product family chosen has the most potential for success. Stockpile if possible to provide an alternate source during implementation. When changes are necessary, communicate the reason for these changes in order to gain acceptance and understanding from your team.Be confident in implementation. Designing the Cell Cell design should be based on your project needs. Keep in mind the following when designing the cell: product life cycle continuous, flowing work through the cell proper allocation of resources for gauging and tooling aggressive update of equipment and processes cell development is evolutionary and always in a state of flux challenges in facility changes due to structure and age Involve your team and their knowledge in the construction of the cell.Understanding throughput is essential to cell development—do not underestimate the contribution and acceptance of the team once the concept is understood. Ultimately, the logistics and cell construction is only a small part of the battle. Creating a culture where a team can flourish is the hard part. This task requires a true leader. Can you meet the challenge? -JPP 3

Cyrano/Roxanne Comparison Essay

Cyrano writes letters to Roxanne telling her how much he loves her, pretending to be Christian. He loves Roxanne, but feels that he is ugly and could never get her to love him back because of his huge nose. The book and movie have the same main characters playing the same roles. Cyrano is charming, poetic, and witty with a huge nose in both the book and the movie. Women love Cyrano as a friend but nothing more. In the book, Cyrano is a famous sword fighter who fights people. In the movie, Cyrano is the fire chief who fights fire. Cyrano is Roxanne’s distant cousin in the book, but in the movie, they meet when they are adults and are friends. Christian works for Cyrano in both the movie and book. In the play it discusses about the strengths and weaknesses of Cyrano, it is explained that Cyrano and C. D. both have love for Roxanne and that they are both skilled characters, the weaknesses are that Cyrano doesn’t really tell roxane in the play that he is in love with her but in the movie Bales does tell Roxanne how he feels but not face to face. The similarities of christian and chris are that they both ask for help on what to say to Roxanne, christian in the play asks Cyrano if he could talk to Roxane for him because he is very nervous when he talks to women, in the movie it is shown that bales and chris are workers and friends, but chris runs off and vomits every time he see’s Roxanne in either the bar where he runs off with sandy the bartender or Dixie’s diner( Raguneau bakery in the play). Christian and chris’s character traits are both the same and I think the author of the play and the director of the movie did an awesome job comparing the two in a more modern day form. C. D. Bales has a spilt personality just like Cyrano does in the movie because it is detailed that they both get insulted cause of the enormous nose but they handle it well with Cyrano sword fighting against others in the play and bales humorously fighting two tennis players with a tennis racket and also in the bar with 20 jokes to a dart champion. Both of the characters put the needs of others before himself, in both the play and the movie Cyrano and c. d. help chris/christian out with what type of letter he should send to Roxane/ Roxanne because it’s very hard to talk to her in person.

Ancient Greek History Athens

Ancient Greek History Athens Ancient Greek history may reveal the secrets of the Greek glorious past, when all political and cultural life of the state was concentrated in a polis. Probably, the most powerful Greek polis was Athens. Exactly political life of Athens inspired this essay. In the writings of some prominent ancient historians one may find a lot of essential information about the political life of Athenian polis and the Athenians themselves.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Ancient Greek History: Athens specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The works of these historians give an opportunity to state that in spite of the fighting and dying in wars, the Athenians contributed to the good of their polis. The essay is focused on desires and motives of the Athenians that led them to this contribution. Also, it seems to be necessary to understand how these desires and motives affected the political and cultural life of Athens. Herodotus (484-425BC) describes the sea battle of Salamis (480 BC), one of the Greek-Persian wars. The battle took place in Aegean Sea, near the island salamis. The Greeks achieved a glorious victory. The extremely powerful Athenian military fleet was a reliable stronghold of the entire ancient Greece that time. The Athenian citizens were evacuated from the polis. When the Persians were located in Athens, the Athenian army was positioned in the Eleusinian bay. In spite of the fact that the number of Persian ships excelled that of Greek ones, the masterful military strategy of the Athenians gave them an opportunity to win the battle. Herodotus writes: â€Å"†¦the Hellenic fleet reached its full number of three hundred and eighty ships† (Herodotus, 430 BC). Proceeding from the Herodotus’ writing, one may find that Themistocles, an Athenian political leader and a military general, tried to focus the Athenian power on sea, in contrast to his â€Å"bitter enemy† Aristides, who was f or the land superiority; Herodotus calls him â€Å"the best and the most just man in Athens† (Herodotus, 430 BC, LXXIX). However, their military union allowed them to win. The historian notes that it was a truly glorious sea battle: ‘Yet they were brave that day, much more brave than they had been at Euboea, for they all showed zeal out of fear of Xerxes, each one thinking that the king was watching him† (Herodotus, 430 BC,LXXXVI). This way, Themistocles’s fleet sank many Xerxes’ ships, and destroyed the army; however, some of Persian ships managed to escape. Herodotus underlines that after the victory, they were ready to fight again with Persian enemy, and prepared for other battle (Herodotus, 430 BC). Thus, the Athenians showed the military unity in the battle of Salamis. In the face of the common danger, the Greeks were able to unify their strengths, and achieved the victory.Advertising Looking for essay on ancient history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The period of tyrannical Pisistratus’ rule found its descriptions in the writings of some historians. Herodotus describes one of his sons, Hipparchus, and his assassination. Also, he writes: â€Å"the Athenians were subject for four years to a tyranny not less but even more absolute than before† (Herodotus, â€Å"The Assassination of Hipparchus, n. d.). According to Herodotus, he ruled with his brother Hippias. Hippias was responsible for economical and political aspect of Athenian life, Hipparchus was interested in the arts. The historian notes that he had a vision of his death from his dream. The representatives of Gephyraean clan (Harmodius and Aristogeiton) murdered Hipparchus. The reason is obvious: Hipparchus was in love with Aristogeiton’s woman, Harmodius; after his death, Hippias turned into an even crueler tyrant. However, the citizens could not stand it for a long time, and f inally, â€Å"the Athenians got rid of their tyrants† (Herodotus, â€Å"The Assassination of Hipparchus, 430 BC, LXV). However, Lacedaemonias’ army contributed to the tyranny end, as well. Thucydides (460-395 BC) also described the period of Pisistratus’ rule, the tyranny of his sons, and the circumstances of Hipparchus’ death. He writes: â€Å"The commons had heard how oppressive the tyranny of Pisistratus and his sons had become before it ended, and further that that tyranny had been put down at last, not by themselves and Harmodius, but by the Lacedaemonias† (Thucydides, The Assassination of Hipparchus, n. d.). As one may see, the Athenians experienced hard times under tyranny, and were able to drive the tyrannical family away. The successful revolt was a natural response to it. However, there are other essential pages in Athenian political life. In one of his writings, Thucydides mentions Theseus, king of Athens. It was the time, when there we re many independent towns near Athens. The historian states that this king was â€Å"of equal intelligence and power†, whose main organizational feature in policy was â€Å"to abolish the council chambers and magistrates of the petty cities, and to merge them in the single council-chamber and town-hall of the present capital† (Thucydides, 431 BC, XV). As Athena was the main goddess honored buy the Athenians, Theseus established the traditional feast: Synoecia. Thucydides believes that â€Å"from him dates the Synoecia, or Feast of Union; which is paid for by the state, and which the Athenians still keep in honor of the goddess† (Thucydides, 431 BC, XV). Thus, the king preserved the Athenian traditions, and became one of the Greek heroes. Nevertheless, the peaceful golden period finished, and Athens was involved in the military conflict. Thucydides dedicated several works to the Peloponnesian war, where Sparta (Dorians) and Athens (Ionians) took part. There was a long tension between them; the reason lies in their political life. Athens was a democratic polis, while Sparta’s political rule was oligarchy.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Ancient Greek History: Athens specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thucydides mentions Pericles as a famous Athenian ruler (Thucydides, 431 BC). Under his rule, Athens experienced the golden peak of their political, economic and cultural development. He turned Athens into the sea mistress: the polis had the most powerful fleet in ancient Greece. However, Peloponnesian war became the fatal event in the history of Athens. It was a tragic page of the Athenians; many citizens died in that war. In his work, Thucydides describes the funeral and Pericles’ oration. The author writes: â€Å"the dead are laid in the public sepulcher in the most beautiful suburb of the city, in which those who fall in war are always buried† (Thucydides, 431 BC, XXXIV). The Athenian ruler, Pericles pronounced his eulogium on the elevated platform near the sepulcher. His embittered speech was saturated with deep patriotism and bitterness of defeat. Pericles recollected the glorious background of the Athenians. Also, Pericles mentioned that the Athenian constitution is unique that makes democratic, liberal and highly-developed Athens a pattern for others to follow. He stresses the powerful military policy that makes Athens different from its antagonists. He tells the following words: â€Å"We throw open our city to the world, and never by alien acts exclude foreigners from any opportunity of learning or observing, although the eyes of the enemy may occasionally profit by our liberality; trusting less in system and policy than to the native spirit of our citizens; while in education, where our rivals from their very cradles by a painful discipline seek after manliness, at Athens we live exactly as we please, and yet are just as ready to encounter every legitimate danger† (Thucydides, 431 BC, XXXIX). It is obvious that the Athens ruler realizes all the valor of those who died in one of numerous Peloponnesian wars. Pericles’ speech reflects all the glorious pages of Athenian history and military policy of their neighbors. However, Thucydides draws reader’s attention to another episode of the Peloponnesian war. In one of his works, he describes Mytilenian debate that occurred in Athens in the period of the Peloponnesian wars. In general, these wars were the result of political and ethnical diversity of Greece, where the Athenian played the role of authoritative centre. Nevertheless, the Mytilenians’ (from the island Lesbos) rebellion that signed their desire to defeat Athenian authority, did not have success, and the Athenians divided most of the Lesbian land (Thucydides, 427 BC). The analyzed historians’ works give an opportunity to make some general conclusions about political m otives and desires of the Athenians in the period, when Athens was considered to be the powerful political and cultural centre. The glorious battle of Salamis proves the Athenians’ desire to defeat the foreign enemy, the Persians.Advertising Looking for essay on ancient history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The victory of Greeks would be impossible without powerful military unity of several Greek peoples (Ionians, Dorians, etc.). Moreover, the Athenians managed to overthrew their tyrants (Pisistratus and his sons) that showed their negative reaction to the tyranny (Athens was a democratic polis). However, ancient Greece flooded in internecine wars, and the Peloponnesian wars worsened the political situation for the Athenians. Nevertheless, such prominent figures as Theseus and Pericles were those political leaders that improved the life of the Athenians. Sea military power, constitution and successful political way of life gave Athens an opportunity to prove their significance.

Folkways, Mores, Taboos, and Laws

Folkways, Mores, Taboos, and Laws The social norm, or simply norm, is arguably the most important concept in sociology. Sociologists believe that norms govern our lives by giving us implicit and explicit guidance on what to think and believe, how to behave, and how to interact with others. We learn norms in a variety of settings and from various people, including our family, our teachers and peers at school, and members of the media. There are four key types of norms, with differing levels of scope and reach, significance and importance, and methods of enforcement. These norms are, in order of increasing significance, folkways, mores, taboos, and laws. Folkways Early American sociologist William Graham Sumner was the first to write about the distinctions between different types of norms in his book Folkways: A Study of the Sociological Importance of Usages, Manners, Customs, Mores, and Morals (1906). Sumner created the framework that sociologists still use today. Folkways, he wrote, are norms that stem from and organize casual interactions, and emerge out of repetition and routines. We engage in them to satisfy our daily needs, and they are most often unconscious in operation, though they are quite useful for the ordered functioning of society. A common example of a folkway is the practice, in many societies, of waiting in line. This practice brings order to the process of buying things or receiving services, allowing us to more easily perform the tasks of our daily lives. Other examples of folkways include the concept of appropriate dress, the practice of raising ones hand to take turns speaking in a group, and the practice of civil inattention- when we politely ignore others around us in public settings. Folkways mark the distinction between rude and polite behavior, so they exert a form of social pressure that encourages us to act and interact in certain ways. However, they do not have moral significance, and there are rarely serious consequences or sanctions for violating them. Mores Mores are more strict than folkways, as they determine what is considered moral and ethical behavior; they structure the difference between right and wrong. People feel strongly about mores, and violating them typically results in disapproval or ostracizing. As such, mores exact a greater coercive force in shaping our values, beliefs, behavior, and interactions than do folkways. Religious doctrines are an example of mores that govern social behavior. For example, many religions have prohibitions on cohabitating with a romantic partner before marriage. If a young adult from a strict religious family moves in with her boyfriend, her family, friends, and congregation are likely to view her behavior as immoral. They might punish her behavior by scolding her, threatening judgment in the afterlife, or shunning her from their homes and the church. These actions are meant to indicate that her behavior is immoral and unacceptable, and are designed to make her change  her behavior to align with the violated more. The belief that forms of discrimination and oppression, like racism and sexism, are unethical is another example of an important more in many societies today. Taboos A taboo is a very strong negative norm; it is a prohibition of certain behavior that is so strict that violating it results in extreme disgust and even expulsion from the group or society. Often times the violator of the taboo is considered unfit to live in that society. For instance, in some Muslim cultures, eating pork is taboo because the pig is considered unclean. At the more extreme end, incest and cannibalism are both considered taboos in most places. Laws A law is a norm that is formally inscribed at the state or federal level  and is enforced by police or other government agents. Laws exist to discourage behavior that would typically result in injury or harm to another person, including violations of property rights.Those who enforce laws have been given legal right by a government to control behavior for the good of society at large. When someone violates a law, a state authority will impose a sanction, which can be as light as a payable fine or as severe as imprisonment.