Friday, December 27, 2019

Student Athletes And The National Collegiate Athletics...

Over 460,000 college students participate in the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) in the United States but research on the cohort is quantitatively and qualitatively unsupportive of athletes on and off the field. Athletes make up a particularly stimulating population for mental health professionals as athletes and their teams operate within their own culture and systems allowing for mental health professionals to expand their innovative skills to deal with the multidimensional realm of â€Å"no pain, no gain†. There is stereotype threat that follows athletes, the idea that athletes are less motivated in the classroom and over privileged in comparison to their student peers. In turn, peers and professors alike create their own biases towards or against the benefit of the student athlete; not allowing make up assignments for class time missed due to collegiate athletic events or, on the other end of the spectrum, giving preferential treatment to athletes (in turn perpetuating the negative stereotype). Although research indicates this threat to be strong, research also indicates that the stereotype is seemingly unfounded. Student athletes are recruited into university less academically prepared and must devote upwards of 20 hours a week to their sport while the graduation rate for student athletes (51%) is virtually equal to that of non-student athletes (52%). (Fletcher) Intercollegiate athletic departments provide services for student athletes to better assimilateShow MoreRelatedStudent Athlete And The National Collegiate Athletic Association Essay2749 Words   |  11 Pagesterm â€Å"student-athlete,† coined by Walter Byers and the National Collegiate Athletic Association, has been frequently mentioned and used in intense arguments between the NCAA and former and current students (Nocera, 1). Today’s student-athletes are expected to be students first and athletes second, but when these athletes are forced to undergo countless hours of preparation for the big lights on Saturday in order to retain their scholarships, they often must ignore their studies. These athletes do notRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid? Essay1603 Words   |  7 Pagesdebate on whether college athletes should be paid to play is a sensitive controversy, with strong support on both sides. College athletics have been around for a long time and always been wor th a good amount of money. This billion dollar industry continues to grow in popularity and net worth, while they continue to see more and more money come in. The student-athletes who they are making the money off of see absolutely none of this income. It is time that the student-athletes start to see some of thisRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1553 Words   |  7 PagesCollege Athletes Be Paid? Collegiate sports have turned into a billion dollar industry and are probably just as popular, if not more popular than professional sports. College athletes put their bodies on the line to play a sport they love, many with hopes and dreams to one day make it to the professional leagues. Athletic facilities are the major money makers for all universities. Colleges bring in billions of dollars in revenue annually, yet athletes do not get paid. Some fans believe athletes shouldRead MoreThe Ethical Consideration Of The Ncaa1153 Words   |  5 Pagesyears, collegiate athletics has evolved from the original spectrum of rivalry competition into a business model that focuses on branding and expanding markets. According to Stephanie Harrison-Dyer (2011), â€Å"Sport is too much a game to be business and too much a business to be a game† (p. 1). Although competitive sport has contributed remarkably to human culture, the increased popularity of sport and sport enthusiasts has genera ted a greater concern for moral and ethical conduct among athletes (Harrison-DyerRead MoreStudent Athletes : Is A Scholarship Enough?1638 Words   |  7 PagesStudent-Athletes: Is a Scholarship Enough? Have you noticed that when you turn on your television during the fall on Saturday afternoon that there is a college football game on about 15 different channels? The popularity of college sports, especially football and basketball, have skyrocketed. During the last decade, college athletics have seen a tremendous increase in revenues from licensing and television revenue. For example, in 2014 CBS paid 800 million dollars for the rights to broadcastRead MoreCollege Athletes1141 Words   |  5 Pagesto the National Collegiate Athletic Association, 480,000 college students were recruited to continue their education while playing the sports they love (â€Å"NCAA Recruiting Facts†). Several Americans question the lack of income for collegiate athletes, including college athletes that find themselves battling for a share of the NCAA’s profits in courtrooms. The last reported revenue of the National Collegiate Athletic Association from 2011-2012 was $871,600,000 (â€Å"N CAA Benefits to College Student-Athletes†)Read MoreCollege Athletes Should Receive A Paycheck1474 Words   |  6 PagesThe National Collegiate Athletic Association is a â€Å"membership-driven organization dedicated to safeguarding the well-being of student-athletes and equipping them with the skills to succeed on the playing field, in the classroom and throughout life† (NCAA.org). In the past few years, there has been a lot of controversy over whether or not college athletes should receive a paycheck to play their sports. College athletes should receive a paycheck because the scholarships that are offered to them justRead MoreThe National Collegiate Athletic Association1589 Words   |  7 PagesThe National Collegiate Athletic Association is a member-led organization that regulates the athletes of over 1,200 universities, conferences and organizations. The NCAA prides itself on dedicating themselves to the wellbeing and lifelong success of college athletes, believing and committing to core values and beliefs (NCAA). The NCAA’s main and most important task is to make sure that all students and institutions adhere to the extensive rules and regulations that the Association has created (Andrews)Read MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?951 Words   |  4 Pages Compensating Student Athletes Although the, debate continues to be unsettled about paying student athletes. College sports players gain so much revenue which, as resulted from the (NCAA) National Collegiate Athletic Association. Due to, this situation rising over the few past decades. Participating colleges have caused such debate in whether college athletes should be compensated. Actors, actresses these people can sign things and get paid for it. How come this kid can t? How come aRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1435 Words   |  6 Pagescollege athletes should be paid. It has been known that the fewer scholarships given to student-athletes increase their competiveness on the field, which shows us that keeping money away from student-athletes makes them more competitive (Baird 2). There is also a case that student-athletes are being robbed because they are not receiving compensation for their own likeness (Holthaugh JR. 1). Television networks are paying millions for the rights to show big games on TV, which shows us that student-athletes

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Media Stereotypes’ Effect on Women in the Workplace Essay

She’s blond so she must be dumb. He is wearing glasses so he must be smart but socially awkward. She is not dressed very feminine so she must be a man-hating lesbian. He is fat so he must be lazy. He has fashion sense so he must be gay. He is wearing a turban so he must be a terrorist. These are just a few of the many stereotypes that are portrayed by the media. A stereotype is an oversimplified conception that you put on someone because of the way they look, what gender they are, or countless other categories that we put people in. Many people fail to realize how the media influences the way they think about people of a different nationality, race, religion, or gender. This widespread belief in stereotypes has adversely affected†¦show more content†¦Of the women polled, 45% had been personally affected by stereotypes in their current workplace. The survey also showed that 85% of the women knew someone who had been affected by stereotypes in the workplace. Participants were asked the outcomes of both themselves being affected by stereotyping and someone they knew being affected by stereotyping. For those reporting that it happened to them it was about even for positive and negative outcomes. For those reporting that it happened to someone they knew, 82% said the outcome was negative. We can see by these findings that stereotyping in the workplace is not a positive influence. (Blattner, Tina) Stereotypes in workplace can and do lead to wage discrimination. On average, women’s wages are only 81 percent of men’s wages for doing the exact same job. (Kelly, Young, and Clark) One common stereotype is that women don’t need equal pay because they are married, so their income is just a supplement to their husband’s income. Whether or not a there is another income in a woman’s family should have no bearing on what she gets paid. There is no justification for paying a woman less than a man when they are both doing the exact same thing. A woman’s job is only to supplement a man’s job. Women are not aggressive enough. Women are not as good at problem solving. These stereotypes and more pose serious challenges to women’s career advancement. If a woman’s job is only to help a man whyShow MoreRelatedEssay on Cultural and Racial Stereotyping1439 Words   |  6 Pages Most people find stereotypes to be obnoxious, especially when they have to do with sensitive subjects like gender or race. â€Å"Stereotyping is a generalization about a group or category of people that can have a powerful influence on how we perceive others and their communication behaviors† (Floyd, 61). Because they underestimate the differences among individuals in a group, stereotyping can lead to inaccurate and offensive perceptions of other people. Although stereotypes are prevalent in almost everyRead MoreSocial Media and Society Negatively Influence Gender Roles1376 Words   |  5 Pages Social media and socie ty negatively influence gender roles and perpetuates stereotypical gender behavior. These influences can be found in sports, school, the arts, and the workplace. No matter what stage of life a person is in they will continue to be bombarded by the harshness of stereotypes. However, between the ages of 9 and 15 people are at their most vulnerable state because they are evaluating the people around them and are able to see how media perceives gender roles. Although, men are affectedRead MoreThe Effects Of Media And Stereotypes On Women1554 Words   |  7 PagesWomen Leaders and The Effects of Media and Stereotypes Confidence, integrity, purpose, empowerment, determination, and courage. These are some of the many words associated with leadership. Regardless of gender, these words apply to all leaders. It is no longer a question of what women leaders are, but rather why there are not women leaders. Today’s society focuses on fulfilling leadership positions with males, not because females do not have the same skills and knowledge as men, but because peopleRead MoreSocio Cultural influences on sexuality809 Words   |  4 Pagesinfluences on sexuality one has to look at many different factors. One of those factors that has an influence on sexuality is the culture or society that person is from and their expectations of sexual behavior. Gender identity, their roles, and stereotypes associated with a person’s gender also play a part. Finally the psychological impacts of these expectations and how commercial sex influences expectations and perceptions of sexuality should be explored. Gender Identity and Gender Roles Read MoreStereotype Threat On The Workplace1716 Words   |  7 PagesStereotype Threat on Women in the Workplace Stereotype threats are negative consequences about one’s race, sex, nationality, or social group. Stereotype threats are used a lot more frequently than people realize. Gender is a powerful stereotype that affects many people’s decisions and actions. The stereotype of women in the workplace has come a long way even in the last twenty years. Many businesses tend to want to diversify their demographics by making the ratio of men to women almost equal. â€Å"DemographicRead MoreGender Roles Of Women And Men Essay1485 Words   |  6 PagesAbstract Through many generations women were not treated equally as men. Women have fought their way to have gender equality but it has been slowly progressing. More women are starting to have high ranked jobs, more have been going into the workforce and don’t have to stay home all day long to take care of the kids. There are many differences between the gender roles (how women and men act or how they should be) when it comes to certain things. Like if you tell a girl, she hits like a boy or tellRead MoreThe Media Is A Mirror Of Society, And If That Society Is1461 Words   |  6 PagesThe media is a mirror of society, and if that society is by any means influenced by stereotypes, the media will reflect it. Advertising, according to Erving Goffman, author of the book Gender Advertising, depicts how men and women behave as a social purpose and how today’s social purpose is highly unbalanced in men’s favor. Some people say that advertisers should be held accountable for th e unethical images they present. Others, however, say that consumers should be to blame because by buying theRead MoreGender inequality is well reflected in our society today and has900 Words   |  4 Pages  government,   media   and   workplace.       Women   had   won   the   right   to   vote   and   to   fight   for   equal   right   and   the   political    table.   Thought   women   might   have   the   right   to   vote,   but   gender   stereotype   still   exist    in   the   levels   of   government.   United   States   isn’t   the   only   country   were   gender    inequality   still   exist   .For   example;   women   in   AfghanistanRead MoreSexism, Prejudice, And Discrimination On The Basis Of Sex1610 Words   |  7 Pagestowards women. Sexism affects everyone but not effecting everyone evenly. For women, they suffer from sexism socially, educational, political, religious, social, etc. The idea of sexism is that the men have more power than the women. Women get judged differently than men do. Women get judged in the workplace which limits them to certain jobs. The stereotypes that women are under are unbelievable. Some stereotypes like women are bad drivers, women are bad at leadership, and that all women are goodRead MoreStereotyping And Its Effects On The Workplace987 Words   |  4 Pagestheir workplace. One of the ways people perceive people is stereotypes. Stereotypes is a way of judging someone by basing their perception on the group that they belong. Stereotyping is a shortcut for judging others. The problem with stereotyping is that it is a worldwide issue that includes widespread gene ralizations that may not be true when applied to a certain individual or situation. Stereotypes can influence individual’s decision making significantly. Research shows that stereotypes operates

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Consumer Behaviour and Marketing Strategies

Question: Discuss about the Consumer Behaviour and Marketing Strategies. Answer: Introduction The reflective summary is based on how my views about the customer behaviour and marketing strategies have changed with due course of time. While working on the first assignment I have observed that there are different ways in which consumers buy their likeable products from different markets. I have also observed that the products, which the consumers buy, are put to various applications. Businesspersons and marketing professionals play an important role in formulating the decision making process of the consumers. While studying the consumer behaviour we have observed that most customers depend on the advertisements given by the brands to push their products, while some others make their choice for buying goods depending on the comments and views of marketing experts. We have observed that the marketing professionals of different medium, big or small sized organisations resort to different marketing strategies to pull customers towards them (Marketing Donut 2016). The marketing professionals decide upon their marketing mix and strategies by knowing the consumers choice and tastes. They get to know the choice and preferences of the consumer by interrogating them and conducting surveys. The markets select a group of target customers and then fetch the desired information from them by asking questions to them on their products. This is how the marketing people get the idea of the choices of their target customers. The marketing team of a brand can also throw light on the knowledge of the customers about their product. By talking to different types of customers personally the marketers also get the idea of how the customer is involved in the marketing strategy of the brand (Leonidou et al. 2013). Impact on the understanding of marketing Reading different articles and journals on the marketing strategies of different brands, I have developed a clear idea about the different strategies, which the brands adopt to pull customers towards them. I have developed the idea that by adopting a proper marketing strategy of the products the brands can choose different ways to communicate with their customers regarding the product. By adopting the correct marketing strategies, the brands get the proper idea of exactly what to produce and for whom to produce. Marketing strategies also help to reduce wastes. Consequently, this reduces the cost of production (Gummesson et al. 2014). I also learnt many other things about different marketing strategies. Some of them are the following: 1. Proper marketing strategies help the brands to increase their sales by producing for their target customers. 2. Appropriate marketing strategies help the companies to make a proper packaging of their services and products and to set the prices for their products. 3. The marketing strategies of the brands help them to understand their customers better. The brands can gather a better understanding of the segments of the markets. 4. The marketing strategies help the brands to make a plan of networking and advertising their product. They can make plans whether to adopt direct marketing techniques or to offer their products on trade shows (iastate.edu 2016). Understanding these concepts of the marketing strategies helped me change some of my views regarding this matter. Now I have a better understanding of the factors that influence the behaviour of the customers in the market. Reflection on the study of other marketing units The other marketing strategies that the brands adopt, there are some other units of marketing that I have learnt. A few other marketing units that I have learnt are discussed here: Advertising Advertising is a form of marketing strategy that the brands follow to promote and push their products into the minds of their customers. Advertisement is a paid form of promotion of the product of the brand. Advertisement highlights the attributes and features of the product that would draw the attention of the consumers to the product. The brands should follow a proper campaign for advertising focussing their target customers. The advertising message of the brand highlights the features of the products that would satisfy the needs of their target market. There are different types of advertisements that the brands offer. These include selective demand advertising, cooperative advertising, testimonials and slice of life advertising to name a few (Parente and Strausbaugh 2014). Agents Another important marketing unit is the person who helps in bringing sellers and buyers together in the market. There are different types of agents present to facilitate the business: 1. Selling agents: a person who facilitates and administers all the marketing activities for the brand is known as a selling agent. 2. Manufactures agent: This agent is a representative of sales who work independently and promotes several products that are not competitive to each other. 3. Commission agent: This is the person who sells the products on behalf of the producer (Belleflamme and Peitz 2015). Distribution Channel The channel of distribution of the product is defined as the journey of the product from the producer to its target customers. Discounts and Coupons Another important marketing unit is the discounts and coupons that the producers or brands offer to their customers. This gives an impetus to the customers to buy the products. Coupons are a certificate, which offers the customers with a reduction in the price of the product or a refund of cash. Brands offer discounts on their products that reduces the marked price of the product to some extent. Brands offer quantity discount, seasonal discount or cash discount to their customers (Kumar and Rajan 2012). Reflection on the future actions as a marketing specialist While working on the different strategies of marketing and the units of the market that play important roles in influencing the customer behaviour in the market, I have gathered the knowledge and idea about how I should act as a marketing specialist in the future. One of the most important roles of a marketing specialist is to predict for the future. The marketing professional should have the knowledge and insight to forecast what amount of the product needs to be produced in order to satisfy the demands of their target customer. Being a marketing professional the first task I would do is to collect the past data of sales figures and consumer demands and other relevant information. Then I would study and analyse the data to understand the trend of the production process. I would also need to analyse and study the market share of the brand. Then I will decide upon the segments of the market where I can promote my product. Segmentation of the market is an important part of market strat egy. Then I would identify my target customers. Then I would implement ways to push my product into the hands and minds of the target customers. I would strictly follow the methods which I described above to increase the sale of my product. Role of marketing specialist In todays business scenario, the marketing specialist of a brand performs the following functions that are listed below: 1. They conduct research in the market to find out the requirements of the consumers and their habits. 2. They develop ideas for creating campaigns for marketing. 3. They assist in both outbound and inbound marketing activities by developing contents, advertising for the product, planning and management of events. 4. They negotiate with concerned persons to execute campaigns and events for promotional purpose. 5. They coordinate with professionals for the development of their brand and generating awareness regarding the brand (Workable Blog HR Templates Hiring Tutorials Guides Customer Support 2016). These are some roles, which marketing specialists play in business in todays scenario. In order to increase the popularity of the brand they should work hard to gather more experience in the field of marketing. In future, they should have a thorough and proper understanding of the elements and units of marketing. The marketing professional in future should be able to demonstrate their experience in marketing tools and data analytics in a better way. The marketing people should have a proper understanding of details and should be well organised. They should improve their writing and communication skills in order to convince their customers to buy their product. They marketing professionals should have a mind blessed with creativity and should be commercially aware (Halinen 2012). Consumers product knowledge and involvement The marketing professionals base their strategies depending on the consumers knowledge of the product and their involvement in the production process. Customers before buying new products use their knowledge about the product to judge any new information obtained and then make up their mind whether to buy the product or not. The customers have knowledge about the form of the product, the class of the product, the model of the new product and about the brand (Olsen and Mai 2013). The customers have knowledge about certain characteristic or attributes of the product. The customers may have an idea about the benefits and consequences for using the product. The customers may also have the idea of the value that they will receive by using the product. Hence, the marketing people should keep all these aspects in mind before formulating the marketing strategies (Anon 2016). Attention and comprehension of consumers The marketing department of a brand should take into account the comprehensive ability of the consumers and their attention to the product value. By the attentive nature of the consumers, they help themselves to select some of the information, which they obtained from the market regarding the brand, and consider them for further processing. By the comprehensive nature of the consumers, they try to interpret every information that they obtain from the market. A number of factors influence these two qualities of a consumer comprehension and attention. Two most important factors among them are the involvement of the consumers and their knowledge about the product (Highered.mheducation.com 2016). Hence, the marketers should form the marketing strategies based on the above facts. Other factors influencing consumer behaviour In my study of the factors influencing consumer behaviour, there are some other important factors, which I would like to discuss in my reflective study. Some of the factors are the following; 1. Consumer decision marketing 2. Product positioning and segmentation of the market 3. Product strategy of the consumer 4. Operating conditions and classical conditioning (Anon 2016) Discussion on reactance theory I would be explaining the concept of reactance theory about the journal titled The Effects of Limits in Retail Advertisements: A Reactance Theory Perspective authored by Greg J. Lessne. The article clearly describes the concept of reactance theory as a psychological-social theory that explains how an individual would react if their independence to choose from a number of options is restricted by some external factor. The theory of reactance states that when a persons independence to exhibit a particular behaviour is curbed, then that restricted behaviour becomes more attractive to that person (Van et al. 2015). The article supports the reactance theory as it gives evidence in support of the same. The article says that in an experiment conducted on the residents of Miami, researchers imposed restriction on the use of detergents that contained phosphate. There were very few detergents available in the market that did not contain phosphate. The experimenter observed that after imposing such restriction, the residents of Miami considered phosphate detergents to be more effective than any other detergents compared to people from other places. This proves the fact that the reactance theory works on the people of Miami (Greg 2016). The teacher of the course gave an example of an advertisement tagline that the marketers of the brand Patagonia has used to their customers Do not buy this jacket. Here we can see that the market specialist of the brand is employing the reactance theory to promote and popularize their product among their customers. The marketing professionals are aware of the fact that the consumers would be more inclined to buy that jacket if they promote it in a negative way. Hence after segmenting the market and positioning their product in the minds of the customers, the marketers of Patagonia are trying to influence and manipulate the behaviour of the consumers by applying the reactance theory (Sittenthaler et al. 2014). The marketers have a clear idea about the knowledge of the products, which the customers have, and also their comprehensive and attentive power and their involvement. Conclusion This reflective writing highlights the change in the viewpoint of the author regarding the different marketing strategies followed by the marketing professionals of different brands. The reflective summary discusses about other units of the market that play an important role to influence consumer behaviour. Finally, the summary describes the reactance theory that can be observed among consumers. References: Anon, (2016). [online] Available at: https://www.busn.uco.edu/dgoudge/Chapter004.pdf [Accessed 6 Jun. 2016]. Belleflamme, P. and Peitz, M., 2015.Industrial organization: markets and strategies. Cambridge University Press. Extension.iastate.edu. (2016). Product Marketing Terms | Ag Decision Maker. [online] Available at: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/wholefarm/html/c5-14.html [Accessed 6 Jun. 2016]. Gummesson, E., Kuusela, H. and Nrvnen, E., 2014. Reinventing marketing strategy by recasting supplier/customer roles.Journal of Service Management,25(2), pp.228-240. Halinen, A., 2012.Relationship marketing in professional services: a study of agency-client dynamics in the advertising sector. Routledge. Highered.mheducation.com. (2016). Attention and Comprehension. [online] Available at: https://highered.mheducation.com/sites/0073404764/student_view0/chapter5/index.html [Accessed 6 Jun. 2016]. Kumar, V. and Rajan, B., 2012. Social coupons as a marketing strategy: a multifaceted perspective.Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science,40(1), pp.120-136. Leonidou, L.C., Leonidou, C.N., Fotiadis, T.A. and Zeriti, A., 2013. Resources and capabilities as drivers of hotel environmental marketing strategy: Implications for competitive advantage and performance.Tourism Management,35, pp.94-110. Marketing Donut. (2016). Marketing strategy. [online] Available at: https://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing/marketing-strategy [Accessed 6 Jun. 2016]. Olsen, S.O. and Mai, H.T.X., 2013. Consumer participation: The case of home meal preparation.Psychology Marketing,30(1), pp.1-11. Parente, D. and Strausbaugh-Hutchinson, K., 2014.Advertising campaign strategy: a guide to marketing communication plans. Cengage Learning. Sittenthaler, S., Jonas, E., Traut-Mattausch, E. and Greenberg, J.L., 2014. New directions in reactance theory.Zeitschrift fur Psychologie/Journal of Psychology,222(3), p.186. Solomon, M., Russell-Bennett, R. and Previte, J., 2012.Consumer behaviour. Pearson Higher Education AU. Tn3tv8rl4l.search.serialssolutions.com. (2016). CDU Full Text Electronic Journal List. [online] Available at: https://tn3tv8rl4l.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.comrft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journalrft.genre=articlerft.atitle=The+Effect+of+Limits+in+Retail+Advertisements%3A+A+Reactance+Theory+Perspectiverft.jtitle=Psychology+%26+Marketing+%281986-1998%29rft.au=Greg+J+Lessnerft.au=Elaine+M+Notarantoniorft.date=1988-04-01rft.pub=Wiley+Periodicals+Incrft.issn=0742-6046rft.eissn=1520-6793rft.volume=5rft.issue=1rft.spage=33rft.externalDocID=415567781paramdict=en-US [Accessed 6 Jun. 2016]. Van Petegem, S., Soenens, B., Vansteenkiste, M. and Beyers, W., 2015. Rebels With a Cause? Adolescent Defiance From the Perspective of Reactance Theory and Self Determination Theory.Child development,86(3), pp.903-918. Workable Blog, HR Templates, Hiring Tutorials, Guides, Customer Support. (2016). Marketing Specialist job description. Ready to post and easy to customize. [online] Available at: https://resources.workable.com/marketing-specialist-job-description [Accessed 6 Jun. 2016].

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Shakespeare Lack Of Understanding Of Women Essays -

Shakespeare Lack Of Understanding Of Women Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew Paper I believe that Shakespeare had a very little understanding of women. In this play The Taming of the Shrew the women seem very flat. There is Kate; she is the proverbial witchy woman. The butt of jokes men think of while sitting around a campfire discussing their troubles with women, or the woman everyman wants to go out with and conquer to prove how really macho he is. Then there is Bianca; she portrays everymans fantasy of the prefect woman. Her youth, beauty, and charm desired in his world. And finally, the woman Hortensio marries the Widow. The widow is the sugar mama of the group. The lazy male fantasy of having a woman to love and take care of you at the same time. My first example of the static characters of women as portrayed by Shakespeare is Kate. I believe it is a male fantasy of sorts to be the one who could tame the untamable. I also believe Shakespeare probably shared this fantasy (unless my other theories of his sexuality turn out to be true). This is accomplished through Uber-male Petruchio. A quote that shows this is on page 83, line136 So I to her, and so she yields to me, for I am rough and woo not like a babe. This shows how Petruchio is convinced he's god's gift to women. And also portrays the male fantasy of domination. My next example would be Bianca. She is quiet, beautiful, and weak. Everything diserable to the men around. Later we find out its somewhat an act but we won't mention this for my papers sake. She appears weak in beginning when she has had her hands tide by Kate and is being beaten by her, ActII page 78, line1 good sister wrong me not nor yourself to make a bondmaid and a slave of me. This is Bianca showing off how weak she is, being able to be dominated by her husband. Lastly, there is the widow whom Hortensio marries. She seems to be his caretaker, and not other way around. This is somewhat of another male fantasy, to be taken care of. And yet this also embarrasses Hortensio. He appears weak for following a woman, and not leading as Petruchio, uber-male has. This shows how Shakespeare views women as followers, and if you are lead by one, then you are not a man. Page 148, line92, this is right after Hortensio sends for his wife and she tells him to goto her and Petruchio is making fun of Hortensio Worse and worse, she will not come, O vile, intolerable, not to be endured!. These are the reasons why I felt that during the reading of The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare had very little understanding of the female sex. I believe the woman in this book were a compilation of classic male fantasies shared by all. He should have granted more freedom to act differently to the female characters. I thought it might have been interesting if he would have gone somewhat into widows past. Or if he had shown private flashes of rage by Bianca, that went against her preset character. I would have also enjoyed somewhat of a prologue of sorts. An explanation of the roots of Kates bitterness towards her sister, the suitors, and life itself. So that's my paper?..You can stop reading now, theres nothing leftgo on go on to another page? okay look away.NOW. Bibliography no biblio English Essays