Destructive Leadership in HRM

Nursing Essay Essays

Nursing Essay Essays Nursing Essay Essay Nursing Essay Essay Nursing as an Art and Science Introduction The debate of whether nursing is an art or science or even both continues to draw the interest of many people. However, for many years in the past, the notion that nursing is both an art and science has gone unchallenged. The current pieces of literature are now actively challenging this theory to try proving that we cannot classify nursing as either science or art. As a nurse, patients expect that one provides the necessary care and attention that will help in their healing. Therefore, patients hope that nurses are compassionate and can meet their emotional needs. Clearly, knowledge is not enough to ensure the healing of victims but rather nurses must exercise that compassion. Nursing essay examples The nurse will need to know what exactly is wrong with the patient, determine what it is he or she can do to help the patient recover and to meet the expectations of the patient. Additionally, the nurse should use his or her skills to explain the plan of care and to ensure that the patient understands. Some of these tasks that the nurse performs play a huge role in classifying nursing as an art or science. Some nurses have uncritically accepted the assertion that nursing is a science, confident that this designation assures academic and professional respectability (Bishop Scudder, 1997). Indeed, the interaction between a nurse and a patient is an art and science. Therefore, this paper seeks to understand why research classifies nursing as both an art and science but not as either. Nursing as a Science According to Bishop and Scudder (1997), nursing cannot be a science in the traditional sense of science in the West since in this tradition; the purpose of science is to disclose the truth about some aspects of the world. Nursing does not seek truth through theoretical explanations but rather nurses foster healing and wellbeing of patients. However, nurses do use knowledge from scientific inquiry in caring for the patient and through this recognition; it is clear that nursing involves applied science. Lillis, LeMone, LeBon and Lynn (2010) argue that nursing, as a science, is quite apparent and is easily noticeable. Every nurse must have the knowledge of science, which means that nursing as a science is all about knowing. The nurse should be aware of the patient-based care plan (NCP), disease mechanisms, medications, management of illness, and was to manipulate new diagnostic equipment and machines. Therefore, nursing as a science involves numbers and the expected results. Knowing what is wrong with patients, why they are in the hospital and the information needed in the treatment process, all encompass the science part of nursing. Philosophy of nursing essay Nursing as an Art It is important to get over the notion that art is a commodity to understand nursing as an art. Instead, one should comprehend that it is both a product and a process. According to Gaydos (2006), art as a process is a craft or an artistic intent, which is an intention to appeal to the senses while fulfilling a practical necessity. Often this is the sense in which to express the art of nursing. Indeed, decades ago, there were courses in nursing arts that included practicing how to talk to patients, learning how to make patients comfortable, perfecting psychomotor skills of care such as transferring patients from bed to chair, making the bed, dressing changes traction setups, and backrubs. The traditional purpose of art in the West was to create beauty whereas the goal of nursing is to foster healing and wellness; nurses foster healing and wellness in ways that can legitimately be termed as artistic (Bishop Scudder, 1997). The meaning of nursing as an art has evolved since Florence Nightingale first declared it as the finest of the Fine Arts from domestic art, helping art, expert technical performance art to transformative art (Gaydos, 2006). However, there is no consensus yet that accepts nursing as an art. Moreover, it is hard to define nursing as an art partly because the language and methods of healing are those of science rather than aesthetics. Gaydos (2006) thinks of the art of healing as a holistic experience, co-created in a relationship with the purpose of turning everyday patient encounters into extraordinary meetings that produce the aesthetic effect of pleasure and love. According to Lillis et al. (2010), the art of nursing is more than lots of science since it is more of doing, unlike science that is more of knowing. This art is the innate capacity to respond to the needs of individuals and the nurses awaken it through constant interaction with the patients. Apparently, a nurse must consider various options before responding to the needs of the patient, which too constitutes the art of nursing. Sometimes nurses apply the science but do not practice the art, which brings negative change in patients. If the nurse fails to use compassion that is an art, then he or she will create fear among the patients, which will fail to heal the patient despite the administration of the right treatment. According to Loewenstein (2003), science is not worth the paper it is printed on if the patient does not trust the instincts, actions or words, which is the art part of nursing. Moreover, Wainwright (1999) adds that if nursing is an art, it is the whole of nursing, n ot just one aspect. The CRNM standards as a science or an art The College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba (CRNM) provides some standards of practice for registered nurses. These rules act as a guide to how nurses work while handling the patient. According to these criteria, nurses ought to deliver client-centered care to the patients by identifying their needs and communicating the plan of attention to them in the right manner that they can understand which builds trust in the nurse. Client-centered care also requires that the nurse provides the necessary information and references to patients to help them make informed decisions. Similarly, nurses must display competence. Additionally, nurses should maintain the standards to develop and maintain professional relationships with the patients and other members of the team. This aids in fostering collaboration and leadership while helping the nurses to administer safe healthcare services to patients. Moreover, nurses must observe the ethical standards set for this profession. Ethical nurses should be responsible and professional in addition to behaving in a respectable manner while dealing with other members of the team or patients. Consequently, these standards describe nursing more as an art since the nurses apply their skills to ensure that they comply with the criteria. Conclusion To conclude, one can classify nursing as both an art and science but not as either. However, in the real sense, he or she cannot strictly call nursing a science or art. Therefore, this classification of nursing as an art and science is just a common assumption. The science of nursing is all about knowing about diseases and their treatment. However, it is clear that knowing how to treat patients is not enough to respond positively to the treatment. Simply put, the science of nursing is about knowing the numbers and the results while the art is the skill of using this knowledge to administer treatment to patients in a compassionate and creative manner to foster healing and well-being of patients. Nevertheless, the art aspect of nursing is more crucial than the science aspect, but one cannot perform without the other. References Bishop, A. H., Scudder, J. R. (1997). Nursing as a practice rather than an art or a science.Nursing Outlook,45(2), 82-85. Gaydos, H. L. B. (2006). The art of nursing.Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing,2(1), 70-74. Lillis, C., LeMone, P., LeBon, M., Lynn, P. (2010).Study guide for fundamentals of nursing: The art and science of nursing care. Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Loewenstein, M. (2003). The art of nursing.Nursing2015,33(12), 48-49. Wainwright, P. (1999). The art of nursing.International journal of nursing studies,36(5), 379-385. Own nursing experience and importance of clinical practice Since nursing requires practice, a thorough guide by those already in the profession is essential. Clinical practice being an integral part a students education that allows direct to the real world of clinical routines. During my five weeks in practice, I have come to learn several things that are critical in the life of a nursing professional. I began my practice by taking on some patients in the hospital. The tasks that I was involved in were the administration of medicines and IV therapy. The process of taking in patients involved admission and discharge of patients to a home or any other facility. To be able to manage these responsibilities, I was required to familiarize with the environment and the patients needs. Another important tool that I would use was time management. This meant that patients safety should be the number one priority. I also learned that teamwork is also a key point. This was effective in that one could seek advice and help in case someone was not sure of w hat to do in a particular situation. Performing the above tasks was a bit easier on my part because I had some experience. However, there are those areas that I lacked experience. These areas included wound management. Wound management requires critical thinking on the patients current condition. This ensures that any possible pressure is prevented. Other areas included learning how to prevent a patient from falling off the bed. Communicating with the patients family who most of the times are always nervous was also a tussle. Communication is hard because it required a clear choice of words because the intention is always to reassure and calm down the family. These and other incidents needed one to handle them efficiently. Five weeks of experience in;nursing career For a person to succeed in the nursing career, I learned that experiences need a built up base immediately the incidents or events happen. Most of these incidences require a person to be calm and self-reassurance that all will be well. One needs to believe in their abilities and remember that people work together as a team. This means that in case one is stuck with a particular task, there is always room to seek advice and help from those with more experience. Other insights to being a better person in my nursing career meant being prepared at all times. This means that a student should always be prepared for being able to understand what to do, being at the right place at the right time, and being alert to new experiences. Guidance is also a key point that I learned during my five-week placement. This means that one should graduate from being an observer to seeking more knowledge, and from focusing on the technology used to getting involved with the patients through personal visits. ; In summary, guidance and preparedness were imperative in making the five weeks educative. The five weeks were quite an experience for me in my nursing career. Though I was nervous at the beginning of this practice, I realized that I needed further practice in other clinical areas such as wound management. Others areas that required some additional knowledge were time management and medication. All in all, I was able to manage the pressures during the five weeks period, and this reassured me that I was on the right path of my nursing career.

Election Commerical Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Election Commerical - Research Paper Example The narrator repeats the words â€Å"strength†, â€Å"restraint†, and â€Å"leadership† as he introduces Reagan to the viewers, and juxtaposes Reagan with President Carter in order to show a contrast in their policies. â€Å"Peace is lost when such strength disappears,† says Reagan, as he goes on to describe his perspective on negotiating with the Soviet Union, and finally claims that â€Å"hope, confidence, and facts† are at the heart of his strategy. â€Å"The time is now,† concludes the narrator. â€Å"Reagan for president.† The feeling the video gives is split. In the opening sequence, it shows images of worrying foreigners, while the narrator speaks ominously over the droning of an air raid siren. The viewer comes to feel a sense of concern as the narrator repeats the word â€Å"slowly† while naming off conflicts that the US has been involved in, starting with Korea. It then shifts focus, using a condemning tone while menti oned countries where Carter’s foreign policy has be ineffective—â€Å"Angola, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan.† This shift in focus does not outwardly suggest that Carter is to blame for the Iranian hostage crisis, nor that he will lead the US into another war. However, it surely invites the viewer to make that connection based on the flow from describing future risks to the current leader’s shortcomings. The video then transitions into a scene of Ronald Reagan giving a speech, then a television interview. This is where the mood splits, and suddenly the video presents confidence and reassurance, indicating that Reagan is the man with the answers to the problems that Carter presents. The Reagan half uses live quotations and conveys future hope and strategies, focusing on Reagan as the answer. The context of this video is a chaotic political environment, where President Jimmy Carter, the incumbent, was mired in the details and faced with a critical opponent who w as quite aware of all his faults. Ronald Reagan was the two-term governor of California and former actor who faced-off against Carter in 1980. He had a fiscal reputation that would give him great appeal during the inflation problems of the time, but also used his charisma as an actor to be a confident, strong, and effective speaker who could engage listeners and convey his messages with success. While the economic issues were forefront in this election, and his plans for dealing with them well-developed, the Iranian-hostage crisis unexpectedly dominated public opinion as 53 Americans were held in captivity over the course of a year in the American embassy in Teheran. Possibly increasing the strength of his ballot, Reagan selected UN Ambassador George H.W. Bush as his running mate, and the focus of the race shifted greatly to what the Reagan-Bush ticket could do for America’s relations abroad. What was most important in 1980 was indeed US foreign policy, and this is the primar y area where Carter experienced stress and criticism. Carter’s approach to foreign policy was humble and restrained, which may have been perceived as weak by some. This perception of weakness increased during the Iranian hostage crisis. Carter staged a failed rescue attempt of Americans held hostage in Teheran in April of 1980, and as a result, Americans at home grew frustrated. Elizabeth drew is quoted in a description of the political atmosphere as saying "Fairly or not, [the hostage crisis] came to symbolize the question of whether Carter was a leader, whether he was competent, whether he was strong." The issue of who could keep the peace and who was likely to let it slip away caused the election to be very close by October 1980 (Jimmy). The Iranian hostage crisis led to a severing of relations between the United States and the newly formed Islamic Republic of

Role of the a3b4 nicotinic receptor in drug addiction and in the Essay

Role of the a3b4 nicotinic receptor in drug addiction and in the antiaddictive action of novel ibogaine analogs - Essay Example The abnormalities that produce addiction, however, are wide-ranging, complex, and long-lasting. They may involve an interaction of environmental effects, for example, stress, the social context of initial substance use, and psychological conditioning. Many factors, both individual and environmental, influence whether a particular person who experiments with drugs will continue taking them long enough to become dependent or addicted. For individuals who do continue, the drug's ability to provide intense feelings of pleasure is a critical reason (Kalivas and Volkow, 2007). Historical and social factors are keys to the understanding of addictive disorders. These factors affect the rates of addictive disorders in the community, the types of substances abused, the characteristics of abusive users, the course of these disorders, and the efficacy of treatment. Addictive substances aid expression of several human functions that can enhance both individual and social existence. On the individual level, desirable ends include the following: relief of adverse mental and emotional states, relief of physical symptoms, stimulation to function despite fatigue or boredom, and â€Å"time-out† from day-to-day existence through altered states of consciousness. Substance use and dependence cause a significant burden to individuals and societies throughout the world. The World Health Report 2002 indicated that 8.9% of the total burden of disease comes from the use of psychoactive substances (World Health Organization, 2004). The report showed that tobacco accounte d for 4.1%, alcohol 4%, and illicit drugs 0.8% of the burden of disease in 2000. Much of the burden attributable to substance use and dependence is the result of a wide variety of health and social problems, including HIV/AIDS, which is driven in many countries by injecting drug use. Over the past decade, use of addictive substances has infiltrated its way into the mainstream culture in certain countries. Younger people in particular seem to possess a skewed sense of safety about these substances, believing rather erroneously that they are safe and benign. Meanwhile, addictive substances are posing a serious threat to the health, social and economic fabric of families, communities, and countries. For many countries, the economic burden is relatively new, but

Global Warming - Causes, Impacts, the Way Ahead Essay

Global Warming - Causes, Impacts, the Way Ahead - Essay Example The effects of global warming are already obvious as many of the impacts are adversely experienced by the common man these days. For instance, there have been notable variations in the climatic patterns all around the globe. In last couples of decades, the incidence of climatic disasters like floods, hurricanes, landslides and droughts became more and more frequent at different parts of the world. There is widespread consensus in the scientific community that driving force behind climatic changes can be attributed to 20th-century humans’ activities that disturbed the natural atmospheric and the ecological balance and eventually leads to climate change and global warming. The objective of this easy is to analyses the causes and impacts of global warming. The last century industrial revolution greatly influenced global surface temperatures by raising the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and hence changing the concentrations of aerosols and ozone layer. These changes modified the land cover of earth’s surface and it changed the radiative balance governing the earth on various timescales and at varying spatial scales. Various studies show that in last 100 years the average temperature of the air near earth’s surface has risen by 1.3 Fahrenheit (Venkataramanan & Smitha, 2011). The increase in temperature results various changes in the physical system of earth. For instance, it accelerates the melting of glaciers and poles ice that raises the sea level. The rise in sea level would have devastating effects as it would submerge a large number of islands like the Maldives laying at very low sea level and hence hundreds of thousands of human lives would be at risk. Also, the rise in global temperature changes the wind pattern across the globe. It would result in colder winters in Europe and more rain in West Africa. On the other hand, there would be an acute scarcity of rain in central Africa (Venkataramanan & Smitha, 2011).  

Free Education In Nigeria Education Essay

Free Education In Nigeria Education Essay Education in Nigeria  is managed by the  Ministry of Education. And the  Local and state authorities  take charge for implementing guidelines for state and public education  and  schools  at a regional level. The education system is divided into Nursery education,  primary education,  secondary education  and  tertiary education. Nursery education begins at age of 2 for most Nigerians: students spend three years in nursery education and graduate with a school leaving certificate in other to progress to primary education. Primary education commences at the age of 4 for most Nigerians; students spend six years in primary school and graduate with a school-leaving certificate. Primary schools students are required to take a Common Entrance Examination which is supported by the government in order qualify for admission into the Federal and State Government Secondary schools, as well as private ones. Students spend six years in Secondary School that is 3 years of JSS (Junior Secondary School), and 3 years of SSS (Senior Secondary School). By Senior Secondary School Class 2 (SS2), students are taking the GCE OLevels exam, which is not mandatory, but most students take it to prepare for the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination, The Senior Secondary School Exam is taken in the last year of secondary school (SS3). They also have to take examinations like WEAC (West African Examination Council) and JAMB (Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board) Private organizations, the State government or the Federal government manage secondary schools in Nigeria. (author, education in Nigeria) What contributions are made by the Nigerian government to promote free primary education in Nigeria? In 1948, Sidney phillipson,The Financial Secretery of the Nigerian Government appointed to review grants in -aid to education,recommended a univerasal ,free compulsory system of primary and secondary for Nigeria. Seven years later,1955,free primary education was inroduced in the Western Region, and in 1957 in the Eastern Region and in 1957 in the Eastern Region and in Lagos. However,free universal was not introduced in the Northern Region during the period under review.Infact, it was not launched until after the independence. (author, www.equip123.net) As you can see from the text sidney Phillipson constucted a plan to promote free primary education in Nigeria,This is a good because literacy improves the economy, country and improves the way of living. What steps are needed to implement the plans. The government would have to locate areas where children have little or no education The money gotten from the production of crude oil would be used to finance free primary education in Nigeria. The government is going to find teachers to teach in the schools. The government would check the education budget based on the actual needs of the educational sector. The Nigerian government would distribute free notebooks and textbooks. What challenges have been incurred during implementation of plans? One of the greatest challenges that Nigeria is going to face implementing free primary education in Nigeria is financial issues considering it is a developing country with other problems e.g. corruption, poverty and crime. In addition to finance-related issues including teacher training programs, funds for the school, there would also be different arguments about if the plans are going to be a progress. The implementation of free primary education in Nigeria would be hard because it is a matter of political convenience rather than planned education development. Lack of recourses has considered as a challenge because of the increase of children. (author, www.equip123.net) Due to rise of the terrorist group Boko Haram teachers similarly felt abandoned did not make efforts to teach which leads to strikes, they go on strikes because the is no getting enough pay and conditions for themselves? Another problem is shortage of qualified teachers, the government not being able to locate the children in numerous villages that dont go to school. Corruption among government officials, while many stats officials claimed to be spending so much money on books and supplies, teachers werent paid well, students didnt have books and they had to bring chair from home every morning because they lack proper seating. In order to ensure the implementation of free education in Nigeria these steps must be followed and considered: 1. Supervision of teachers and educational workers 2. The government should monitor the way the money is spent in order to check for fraud. 3. Adequate planning and enrollment of teachers, equipment should be acknowledged. 4. Funding should be adequate 5. Implementation of the program by all stakeholders 6. Teachers should be supervised and be paid equally. 7. Teachers should take training in order to improve their techniques 8. Anticipation of increased enrollment 9. Coordination of various levels of the free education in Nigeria program 10. The government should motivate those who have graduated by giving them small loans to start small businesses Several factors may contribute to the failure of the free primary education program in Nigeria, including 1) poor planning; 2) inadequate funding; 3) lack of qualified teachers. 4) Poor implementation; and 5) population explosion. (author, www.equip123.net) What quality of education would be provided? No situation analysis and evaluation of both the quality and extent of primary education preceded its implementation. As such, problems related to adequate funding allocation and infrastructure needs are being accommodated. Furthermore, in some countries, the amount of financing and the way it is distributed may be undercutting the quality of education that is being provided. (author, www.equip123.net) According to the text above no situation analysis of the quality of education has preceded its implementation; The Nigerian government should try to focus on the quality of education that would be provided because it is very important. Does literacy affect Nigeria Economy? Literacy is the ability to use reading and writing to widen and display ones intellectual and economic horizon well enough to be able to tackle very effectively many of the socio-economic problems confronting individuals and the country as a whole. the south Western Nigeria remains the first part of the country to have a major literacy campaign for its people ,They introduced an ambitious literacy programme in form of free and compulsory primary education before other regions began their own programme . The programme guaranteed basic literacy for people this setting the pace for literacy development in Nigeria. Thus, it can be argued that Nigerians had access to basic literacy early enough to prevent a situation where most citizens are illiterates. So, it can be well argued that the major cause of socio- economic problems, that have become endemic in the area, is not lack of basic literacy but functional literacy because most of the people can read and write. it has been realized that not only aim at just reading, writing and calculating but also helps in improving the social ,political and economic systems of given society as a whole. The aim of this study was to examine the strategies that could be used to develop functional literate citizens in the South Western part of Nigeria. (Wang, 1995) Problems of education in Nigeria Experts in the education sector has been able to identify examination malpractices with poor preparation of students for an examination, and lack of self- confidence In view to identify examination malpractices with poor of the rising costs of education (school fees, enrolment fees, cost of books and other materials)students and even their parents will not ordinarily want to be held back by any form of deficit or failure in any of the required subjects, hence will go to any length to ensure success. In some cases, some teachers at the secondary school level are involved by the way of encouraging student to contribute money (cooperation fees) in order to secure the needed assistance during such examinations because they, the teachers are left with no alternative considering the fact that they are aware of the inadequate preparation of their students as well as the lack of facilities to get them properly prepared for the exam. Interview with 50 school heads in Benin City, reveals that more than 50% of our secondary school students on annual basis choose to enroll and write their final year external examination in schools in the interior and some private schools where they are very sure of success at the end of the day (Omofonmwan) Cheating should not be supported because it brings dishonesty, lack of confidence and other problems. What type of education is offered in Ibadan The first university to be set up in Nigeria was the University of Ibadan. There are also a lot of local teach in the native language (Yoruba)There are also numerous public and private primary and secondary schools located in the city. Other noteworthy institutions in the city include the University of Ibadan Teaching Hospital, also known as University College Hospital (UCH), which is the first teaching hospital in Nigeria; the internationally acclaimed International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA); the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER). Also the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, the Nigerian Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), and the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IART), all under the auspices of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria; and the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria Before the dissolution of the Western Region, Nigeria, Ibadan and its environs were the home of the most sophisticated and liberal scientific and cultural community on the continent of Africa, as personified by the immortalized Ibadan School of historiography. In 1853, the first Europeans to settle in Ibadan, Reverend Hinderer and his wife, started Ibadans first Western schools. They built churches and schools and the first two-storey building in Ibadan, which can still be found today at Kudeti. The first pupils to attend an elementary school in Ibadan were Yejide (female) and Akinyele (male) the two children of an Ibadan high chief. (Ibadan) Another country that is supporting free primary education is Ghana Ghana has abolished all primary school fees and increased its financial support to schools. Since then more than 1.2 million more children have been able to attend school; this is the equivalent of twice the population of Frankfurt. In 2006 Ghana set aside one fifth of its total budget to spend on education. In conclusion majority of Africas population are poor, and abolishing school fees may not make sense if these children complete primary education and are unable to join secondary school because they are unable to afford fees. I think every child should be given the opportunity to attend school because through education we learn new things every day and it helps people become better and stronger every day. Education makes people brighter every day and improves the way if life. (oxfam international) Bibliography athor, n. (n.d.). oxfam international. Retrieved october 18, 2012, from www.oxfam.org: http://www.oxfam.org/en/about/issues/aid-effectiveness/aid-works/germany-ghana-education author, n. (n.d.). Retrieved october 18, 2012, from www.equip123.net: http://www.equip123.net/docs/e2-SF-PIS.pdf author, n. (n.d.). Retrieved october 18, 2012, from www.equip13.net: http://www.equip123.net/docs/e2-SF-PIS.pdf author, n. (n.d.). Retrieved october 18, 2012, from www.equip123.net: http://www.equip123.net/docs/e2-SF-PIS.pdf author, n. (n.d.). education in Nigeria. Retrieved october 18, 2012, from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Nigeria author, n. (n.d.). education in Nigeria. Retrieved october 18, 2012, from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Nigeria Ibadan. (n.d.). Retrieved october 18, 2012, from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibadan Omofonmwan, L. O. (n.d.). Educational System in Nigeria Problems and Prospects. Retrieved october 18, 2012, from http://www.krepublishers.com: http://www.krepublishers.com/02-Journals/JSS/JSS-14-0-000-000-2007-Web/JSS-14-1-000-000-2007-Abst-Text/JSS-14-1-081-086-2007-541-Odia-L-O/JSS-14-1-081-086-2007-541-Odia-L-O-Tt.pdf

The Characters of Molières The Misanthrope Essay -- Molières Misanth

The Characters of Molià ¨re's The Misanthrope The characters in Molià ¨re's The Misanthrope inhabit a world different from that of many of the playwright's other works: we are viewing the actions of people at the very top of the social ladder of 17th-century France. For example, the foppish Acaste and Clitandre, who come into Cà ©limà ¨ne's house in the second act, are marquesses, the second-highest rank one can hold in the country. They can spend most of the day with Cà ©limà ¨ne, if they so choose, for their only remaining duty at court is to attend the coucher of Louis XIV, the formal going-to-bed ceremony of the king, to which only the highest members of the court were invited to attend. The characters of The Misanthrope own estates, hold power, and are immensely wealthy. They are not the bourgeois household of Tartuffe, they are not members of the upper-middle class--they are the court. Through Alceste, the misanthrope of the title, Molià ¨re mocks and attacks the behavior of the highest level of his society. But Alceste is no Tartuffe, censuring those about him, while giving the appearance of a puritan, set apart from society. No, Alceste, himself an owner of estates, yearns to be accepted by the very society he condemns, and that was seen from the first in the costume which Molià ¨re wore when he played Alceste, a costume that represents the latest fashion--expensive, tasteful, and stylish. We do not know much about this costume from the script, other than it is adorned with green ribbons. We know what Alceste wore--at least in the first productions--from an inventory of Molià ¨re's effects, made after his death: Item, another box where one finds the costumes for the presentation of Le misanthrope consisting of breeches an... ... wearing a curved-brimmed hat, fashionable shoes, and richly embroidered, highly fashionable justaucorps. It was (and is) an Alceste as hypocritical as the society he condemns for hypocrisy, a "supremely paradoxical creature," as David Whitton has called Alceste: "a fish which cannot abide water, nor live out of water." Works Cited Dock, Stephen V. "Authentic Costuming for Tartuffe and Le misanthrope." Approaches to Teaching Molià ¨re's Tartuffe and Other Plays. Ed. James F. Gaines and Michael S. Koppisch. New York: MLA, 1995. 117-36. Lawrenson, Tom. "The Wearing o' the Green: Yet Another Look at Ôl'Homme aux Rubans Verts.'" Molià ¨re: Stage and Study. Essays in Honour of W. G. Moore. Ed. W. D. Howarth and Merlin Thomas. Oxford; Clarendon, 1973. 163-69. Whitton, David. Molià ¨re: Le Misanthrope. Glasgow: U of Glasgow French and German Publications, 1991. The Characters of Molià ¨re's The Misanthrope Essay -- Molià ¨re's Misanth The Characters of Molià ¨re's The Misanthrope The characters in Molià ¨re's The Misanthrope inhabit a world different from that of many of the playwright's other works: we are viewing the actions of people at the very top of the social ladder of 17th-century France. For example, the foppish Acaste and Clitandre, who come into Cà ©limà ¨ne's house in the second act, are marquesses, the second-highest rank one can hold in the country. They can spend most of the day with Cà ©limà ¨ne, if they so choose, for their only remaining duty at court is to attend the coucher of Louis XIV, the formal going-to-bed ceremony of the king, to which only the highest members of the court were invited to attend. The characters of The Misanthrope own estates, hold power, and are immensely wealthy. They are not the bourgeois household of Tartuffe, they are not members of the upper-middle class--they are the court. Through Alceste, the misanthrope of the title, Molià ¨re mocks and attacks the behavior of the highest level of his society. But Alceste is no Tartuffe, censuring those about him, while giving the appearance of a puritan, set apart from society. No, Alceste, himself an owner of estates, yearns to be accepted by the very society he condemns, and that was seen from the first in the costume which Molià ¨re wore when he played Alceste, a costume that represents the latest fashion--expensive, tasteful, and stylish. We do not know much about this costume from the script, other than it is adorned with green ribbons. We know what Alceste wore--at least in the first productions--from an inventory of Molià ¨re's effects, made after his death: Item, another box where one finds the costumes for the presentation of Le misanthrope consisting of breeches an... ... wearing a curved-brimmed hat, fashionable shoes, and richly embroidered, highly fashionable justaucorps. It was (and is) an Alceste as hypocritical as the society he condemns for hypocrisy, a "supremely paradoxical creature," as David Whitton has called Alceste: "a fish which cannot abide water, nor live out of water." Works Cited Dock, Stephen V. "Authentic Costuming for Tartuffe and Le misanthrope." Approaches to Teaching Molià ¨re's Tartuffe and Other Plays. Ed. James F. Gaines and Michael S. Koppisch. New York: MLA, 1995. 117-36. Lawrenson, Tom. "The Wearing o' the Green: Yet Another Look at Ôl'Homme aux Rubans Verts.'" Molià ¨re: Stage and Study. Essays in Honour of W. G. Moore. Ed. W. D. Howarth and Merlin Thomas. Oxford; Clarendon, 1973. 163-69. Whitton, David. Molià ¨re: Le Misanthrope. Glasgow: U of Glasgow French and German Publications, 1991.