Category: Wedding

Feminism as the theory is based on the discussion of many points among which it is possible to determine the issues of sexuality and femininity. These concepts are closely associated with the gender questions.

The sexual expression is traditionally discussed as the male prerogative, and femininity is considered as an absolute quality which should be characteristic for each woman. The theory of feminism rejects the mentioned ideas, and there are a lot of examples that these statements are not reasonable.

In her novel A Member of the Wedding, Carson McCullers discusses many points connected with the womans development, including the issues of sexuality and femininity.

McCullers approaches to presenting the aspects of the main character Frankies development and awareness of herself as a woman depend on rejecting the traditional vision of the problem, and they can be discussed as rather feministic and provocative in their nature.

Young Frankie can be characterized as a tomboyish girl who begins to discover her femininity and sexuality. Frankie begins to pay attention to a feeling that she had never heard named before (McCullers 98).

It is possible to speak about Frankies inner conflict when she discovers her feelings for her cousin and his bride, and when she struggles with her femininity as well with her tomboyishness. On the one hand, Frankie should act according to the social visions of the gender roles.

On the other hand, the girl experiences some unfamiliar and strange feelings. Free states that young Frankies lack of knowledge about the existence of homosexuality contributes to her confusion, isolation, and perception of herself as grotesque-ironic (Free 438).

That is why, Frankies feelings are the real challenge, and they cannot be explained with references to the traditional social visions of the fact.

Frankie feels confused when it is necessary to speak about her emotions because they can be discussed as opposite to the appropriate views on the womans sexuality. Thus, Frankie is confused when Berenice pays attention to her jealousy which can be seen from the color in [her] eye (McCullers 4).

Furthermore, Frankie does not like strange and queer conversations about love or about a thing known and not spoken (McCullers 100). The problem is in the fact women cannot experience some specific feelings in relation to the definite stereotypes developed in the society.

These feelings are often hidden and not named that is why Frankie even thinks about herself as being a freak who has some wild and forbidden feelings.

The main character of the novel tries to find some features in her inner world which can connect her with the other people. This search is caused by Frankies feelings that the world is somehow separate from herself (McCullers 24).

According to Free, the universalized loneliness which is experienced by Frankie can be combined with the issues of homosexuality or androgyny which are rather challengeable for the young girl (Free 428).

If the traditional publics views on the problem can be different and often negative, the theory of feminism concentrates on these issues as the significant ones for understanding the womens identity and their role in the society.

The story of Frankie depicted in A Member of the Wedding can be discussed as the female authors provocative vision of such typical problems as the adolescents development which is based on the development of the girls sexuality.

Such notions as homosexuality, androgyny, femininity, and masculinity are also connected with the issue, and their indirect discussion with the help of depicting Frankies personality accentuates the feministic approach to the problems presentation.

Works Cited

Free, Melissa. Relegation and Rebellion: The Queer, the Grotesque, and the Silent in the Fiction of Carson McCullers. Studies in the Novel 40.4 (2009): 426-446. Print.

McCullers, Carson. A Member of the Wedding. USA: Mariner Books, 2004. Print.

Hinduism is among the oldest religions which adhere to wedding traditions in the world. Marriage is considered sacred, and its texts date back to 300B.C (The Knot, 2008). Many Hindu traditions have lasted for an extended period, and marriage institutes them all. The Hindu customs, practices, and rituals are crucial to couples and their family members (The Knot, 2008). Therefore, it is essential to understand different ceremonies that incorporate a Hindu union.

The core value of Hinduism is the Vedas which are the spiritual rituals in the culture of Indians. Life is divided into four different stages: studentship, householder, retirement, and self-realization (The Knot, 2008). Marriage is considered a sacrament or a samskara where an individual transitions from studentship to a householder. This ceremony is the primary foundation of the remaining stages. Therefore, three-quarters of an individuals life is dependent on marriage success.

A traditional Hindu wedding occurs in three days, although some people shorten the events involved. The Knot (2008) explains that Ganesh pooja is the first occasion, and it involves the coming together of family members. The sangeet happens on the second day, similar to the mehndi ceremony, and is attended by many guests. The third day forms the occasions climax because it incorporates the primary wedding ceremony and the reception (The Knot, 2008). The grooms and brides families are actively involved in the traditional Hindu marriage. This ceremony celebrates the two households unity and the sacred love shared by the two individuals.

The traditions and rituals conducted in a Hindu wedding have significant meaning. Smaller ceremonies such as the mendhi occasion kick off the festivities (The Knot, 2008). The hands and feet of the bride are decorated in unique henna designs before the ceremony begins. The occasion is held in a mandap, with a fire acting as a witness, and is placed at the center. The first official occasion is the Roka ceremony and is the initial marriage step. The grooms and brides parents unite and bless the couple by accepting the union (The Knot, 2008). Both households spend adequate time together and exchange different gifts and sweets as a sign of consent towards the marriage. The Haldi occasion, also referred to as pithi, happens on the wedding day morning. The family members of the bride and groom paint them with a rich yellow haldi paste. The Knot (2008) explains that this color signifies fertility, purity, and beauty and drives off evil eyes; therefore, the couple is blessed with good luck. The bride and groom stay home after this ceremony and are restricted from seeing each other until the wedding happens.

Some Hindu occasions start with invocating Ganesha or Lord Ganesh, the salvation and wisdom god who is believed to have an elephants head. This invocation propels Ganesha to eliminate any potential wedding challenges during the Ganesh poojan event (The Knot, 2008). The grooms party also referred to as the Vara Yatra party, arrives, and they are welcomed by significant dancing and singing from the brides guardians, friends, and family members. They are greeted with rice called Akshat, a forehead dot (tilak), a garland, and a lighted lamp plate (arati) (The Knot, 2008). The next occasion is Graha Shanti, where the nine planets are invoked to bless the couples life. The brides uncles or brothers lead her to the mandap. The brides guardians wash the couples feet with water and milk to purify them.

The hastamilap occasion involves joining the couples hands with a cotton thread to illustrate that their bond is unbreakable (The Knot, 2008). The bride and groom exchange floral garlands after the Ganesha prayer as a sign of welcoming each other to a new family. The couple sits in front of Agni, or the holy fire, as the priest recites various Holy scriptures mantras. The bride and groom perform Mangifera, where they walk four times around the fire as they pray and exchange vows of love, duty, respect, and fidelity (The Knot, 2008). Family members are also requested to make offerings into the fire. The saptapadi ritual is performed at the end of the ceremony, and the couple takes the seven vows, which seal their union forever. These vows symbolize their commitment to one another and their children in the future (The Knot, 2008). The newlyweds are requested to look at the pole star by the priest to make their union steadfast even though other people change. The womans hair is painted with red-orange powder to signify she is a wife.

In conclusion, all Hindu traditions and rituals are incorporated during a wedding ceremony. This occasion transitions a person from studentship to being a householder, which is contained in the Vedas Additionally, the ceremony unites two different families as they celebrate the love shared by the bride and groom. The traditional wedding is set for three days although some people shorten the events. The roka and haldi ceremonies, Ganesh poojan, grahashanti, kanyadan, hastamilap, dhruvadarshan, and sindoor, are among the significant events in a Hindu wedding ceremony.

Reference

The Knot. (2008). 11 Hindu wedding traditions. Web.

Wedding is one of the most significant events in the life of every young girl. Every country has its own wedding traditions which include definite customs and principles of the right preparation for the wedding. Young women in the UAE also consider wedding as the most important and pleasant event in their lives. The preparation for the wedding in the UAE is a long process, and the wedding ceremony is the great beautiful act which consists of several stages.

The first stage is the brides preparation for her wedding. It is interesting that it usually begins when the wedding date is set, and it can last during forty days. Thus, he brides preparations require a lot of time and energy. However, it is the happiest period in a womans life.

It is forbidden to see the bride during these forty days. Only the family members can see her and help to prepare for her wedding day. Traditionally, it is paid much attention to her look. Different sorts of special oils and perfumes are used to cover her body from head to toe. It is also significant to decorate the brides skin with various henna patterns. Moreover, her hair should be washed with traditional extracts of amber and jasmine in order to make it beautiful.

The members of the brides family also concentrate on the quality of the dishes which she eats because it is important to keep her purity and even perfectness. The grooms presents as pieces of jewelry and silk materials also contribute to such intentions. These presents will be used for her trousseau which is traditionally known as Alzehba.

The next stage of the wedding is the celebrations which can be held during one week or more before the wedding night. Nevertheless, modern pairs are inclined to celebrate their weddings less than one week. They listen to the traditional music, sing traditional wedding sings and dance in order to celebrate the happiest moment in their lives.

Moreover, these festivities are followed with the henna night or Laylat Al Henna during which the brides sisters, girlfriends and female guests prepare her for her first wedding night and decorate her hands and feet with henna which leaves dark red stains on her skin.

Furthermore, it is impossible to imagine the bride in UAE who does not use the Arabian Kohl or eyeliners. The usage of black eyeliners is also can be considered as a definite tradition which is popular for many years. This substance is usually taken from a black stone known as Al Athmad and is used to accentuate the beauty of womens eyes. The henna night is the last period before the brides wedding night.

It is also important that men and women who are the guests at the wedding usually celebrate separately according to the Muslim traditions. In spite of the fact all the wedding traditions depend on general Islamic religious principles, the approaches to the ceremony can be different in various Muslim countries. For instance, weddings in Egypt can differ from weddings in Africa or India because of following definite customs.

We can conclude that wedding can be considered as one of the most important events in the womens life in UAE. It is necessary to remember that all the peculiarities of the wedding in UAE depend on strict following definite Islamic traditions and customs.

The wedding industry in terms of customer budget, customer base and demographic, trends in spending, and channels for purchasing

According to the case study, the wedding industry has changed significantly since the recession in 2008, and its revenues fell by 4.1% compared to the year 2010; in 2007, the industrys revenues were whopping $63.2 billion. The reduction in spending on weddings was because couples preferred simpler and less costly weddings, and thus, while in 2007 the average number of weddings was more than 2,180,000 and they cost $25,000, in 2012 this number declined to 2,080,000, and the average price of weddings also fell to $10,000 (Whitler, Farris, & Thompson, 2015).

Furthermore, with the new trend of DIY-weddings, which perfectly fits the small-to-moderate budget of millennial couples, the overall budgeting of weddings continues to decline slightly (Schmidt, 2017). Such shifts in the wedding industry can also be explained by the fact that the average age of brides and grooms is rising: for example, in 2011 it was approximately 27 for women and 29 for men (Whitler et al., 2015).

The customer base and their demographics change too, and this is happening not only due to the rising average age of future brides and grooms. Millennials (generations Y and Z) prefer cohabitation before the wedding, which is the first reason behind their delay. The second reason is the financial instability of many couples, as some of them are still pursuing their degrees or working part-time jobs. The trend for low-cost and DIY weddings ensured that couples spent most of their money on flowers, decorations, and entertainment, as well as some specific trends such as the cupcake craze (Whitler et al., 2015).

However, couples do not spend less on wedding gowns, as the average spending per gown grew despite the decline in purchased units. The channels for purchasing changed, too. While there is data that brides find wedding agencies using offline methods such as word-of-mouth and recommendations from friends and relatives, generation Z preferred digital tools, including websites and applications. Davids Bridal aim was to utilize the website to improve customer relationships and eventually create a purchaser out of a user.

The decision making process of a millennial bride-to-be for purchasing a wedding gown

The case study indicates that the way brides purchased wedding gowns also transformed: as they were working full time outside their homes, there were not many opportunities for them to choose the dream wedding gown the old-fashioned way, i.e., by looking for it in a bridal salon. The millennial bride used new technologies as sources for information (this way of collecting data specifically applied to the generation Z brides).

However, due to economic instability, millennial brides also considered other sources, for example, renting or borrowing, as well as purchasing used gowns (Whitler et al., 2015). These purchases could be conducted both through in-person verbal channels (e.g., friends and family) and online (via eBay and similar websites). Online text-based sources such as wedding websites were also used, together with bridal magazines (although the latter were not as popular). At last, wedding shows and social networks were also used to seek for the perfect gown (see Figure 1):

As can be seen, internet-based sources (online, text-based ones) were mostly preferred to other channels.

Available services

The DB website provides various services for future brides, including the catalog of dresses, where the user can adjust price, color, size, the length of the skirt (long, short, high low), the silhouette of the dress, etc. Additionally, there are posts and articles about wedding and bridesmaids dresses, and a quiz (based on personal questions) that will help the bride choose the perfect wedding dress just for her.

On Facebook, the moderator helps users find dresses posted in the community; the information about major sales is also posted there (as well as on Twitter). The Instagram account contains photos of various wedding and bridesmaids dresses, suits, tuxedos, etc. with the price tag as well.

The website also can create a Pinterest folder for users who have completed the quiz. At last, the DB application helps users to find a suitable wedding dress for their body shape, pick favorites, and even make appointments with the stylist or other wedding professionals in the nearest DB store. In my opinion, the website and the companys Instagram account are the most used sources for the wedding by future brides, as the former provides various services and articles about how the wedding should be prepared, while the latter is a quick way for brides to pick a dress and find out its price without using the websites plentiful catalog.

Despite the seemingly overwhelming support from users on Facebook (more than one million likes and followers), the presence in this social network seems relatively moderate, as regular posts are liked by the minority of followers. Nevertheless, there are constant referrals and tags in the comment sections, which contribute to the promotion of the company among future brides and grooms.

The provided information, wedding services, advice, and active support of users in social networks and on the website indicate that DB might be among the most visited and quoted companys websites in the wedding industry because compared to The Knot, it only has fewer followers on Instagram, but DBs presence is valued by users on all other social networks. Users actively tag each other in comments sections on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, thus increasing the traffic and attracting more unique users to the companys services and encouraging others to come back to DB.

The approaches used to establish customer relationships

To establish customer relationships, Huth advocated for creating a website for brides that would help develop a more customized relationship with them. To do this, DB filled the website with useful information about the wedding (plans, tips, advice, etc.), and also created an interactive tool where users could try on various outfits, as well as post product reviews (DB were the first ones in the industry who provided this opportunity to customers).

E-mail newsletters were also used to keep contact with former and potential customers. Brides were also encouraged to share their positive stories, which helped the company battle negative reviews that were also present, although to a smaller degree (Whitler et al., 2015). A potential opportunity for the company would be a partnership with a large vendor (such as The Knot) or another company. First, this would help increase the customers base by attracting loyal customers to the newly established partnership from both sides. Second, such a partnership could attract other influential players in the industry, which would eventually be more profitable than expensive ad campaigns.

References

Laudon, K. C., & Traver, C. G. (2014). E-commerce. New York, NY: Pearson.

Schmidt, S. (2017). The wedding industry in 2017 and beyond. Web.

Whitler, K., Farris, P., & Thompson, S. (2015). Davids Bridal: Customer relationship management in the digital age. Web.

Around the year 2019, we had been invited to a wedding ceremony of my brother’s friends wedding ceremony and it was a Zulu tribe they slightly differ from us in terms of distinction to variants in the way they did things, When the groom`s family get to the bride`s home, they`ll have to give the representatives of the bride pulamolomo (money taken out ) in order to start talking. They`ll also have to bring a drink like a whisky or brandy for them which we don`t do in our culture.

We arrived early at the groom`s household and they welcomed us warmly. Everyone in that neighborhood was once sporting stylish everyday Zulu attires which made them look extraordinary being one thing. They bought two cows and a goat for the wedding which were slaughtered and eaten on the day of the ceremony which showed me that the Zulu nation is bigger than ours. The family of the groom opened the ceremony by means of welcoming their new daughter, with the bride`s father additionally saying some words, as a sign that he approves of the union.

The bride`s family bought a grass mat, blankets for the women, beer pots for the men, as nicely as some portions of furniture and brooms, which are given out to pals at the wedding thru the bridesmaids and sisters of the bride. The bride sits on a grass mat and refrains from talking or looking out at every individual out of respect, while her bridesmaids hand out the gifts. The wedding ceremony visitors lay on the grass mats, before being covered with a blanket by a household member from the bride`s side. They then sing and dance as a sign of holding close to the gifts. Older ladies are referred to as first, followed by the groom`s sisters, and ultimately the men. The groom is the final man or woman to be called, the wedding was such a great experience as it was the first wedding where they still value their tradition more.

In conclusion, according to me, I will say that weddings are not valued anymore as nowadays marriages do not last like the ones of our parents nowadays the people who get married don`t obey the rules they are given they bring up theirs, they actually do not Respect marriages and that will affect young youth into not considering getting married due to the high rate of divorce.

Reference

1. Sithole, Y J.(2022) History about a wedding.Interviewed by Simon Sithole

The issue of masculinity discussed from the perspective of sexual abstinence before marriage is a controversial topic, especially in the US. However, by examining the viewpoints and reasoning of these men, one can understand gender more comprehensively and develop a framework that describes different types of masculinity. This paper aims to examine the implications of the article After the Wedding Night: Sexual Abstinence and Masculinities over the Life Course and discuss its findings as well as their application for the future and present.

Sexual purity prior to marriage is generally considered to be an issue that concerns females. In the article After the Wedding Night: Sexual Abstinence and Masculinities over the Life Course the author Diefendorf (2015) argues that in the US, men who adhere to abstinence challenge the conventional views of masculinity. The change in the perception of masculinity displayed by these men is discussed by the author, which is an essential implication for understanding the views of these individuals and its transformation.

Religion has a significant impact on the opinions of these men and their perception of marriage and sex. However, cultural implications and the pressure for reinforcing one’s masculinity has a significant impact on a person’s behavior. Therefore, it is critical to have a better understanding of the limitations that specific gender standards have to be able to change the societal perception of them.

The presented material affects both future and present situations because it provides an assessment of issues that contemporary men encounter due to their beliefs that do not correspond with the accepted social views of masculine behavior. Diefendorf (2015) states that “a shifting balance of both sacred and beastly discourses” is the primary viewpoint of the sex and gender displayed by the men in question (p. 648). All in all, an essential implication of this article is the need to view masculinity from a different perspective and account for life changes, for instance, marriage.

Thus, the concept of hybrid masculinities is a more suitable framework, which can help one understand the gender in question.

The article examined in this paper provides an understanding of the complexity that the concept of masculinity has. In accordance with Diefendorf’s (2015) findings, hegemonic masculinity, which is usually reviewed in social studies, is only one element of this matter. However, this type of masculinity has many limitations, and it can be argued that no man can display its features thoroughly.

Additionally, the findings suggest that masculinity perception is connected to one’s sexuality, which in the case of hegemonic masculinity correlates with heterosexuality. In the context of marriage, it can be argued that men who adhere to sexual abstinence may struggle with defining their desires and developing an appropriate relationship due to a lack of support, especially from specialized institutions. Moreover, the understanding of the change in men’s perception of masculinity prior to and after the marriage has an important implication for the evaluation of life transitions.

Overall, the article After the Wedding Night: Sexual Abstinence and Masculinities over the Life Course raises a question of masculinity before and after marriage in individuals who choose to avoid sex before their wedding. This paper examines the complexity of masculinity and provides implications for understanding different elements of it. Thus, the hegemonic masculinity that embodies patriarchy should be reviewed only in the context of other masculinity types to enhance the knowledge of gender relations.

Reference

Diefendorf, S. (2015). After the wedding night: Sexual abstinence and masculinities over the life course. Gender & Society, 29(5), 647–669. Web.

Introduction

Rosario Ferre’s and Bessie Head’s works are dealing with many issues of racial and gender discrimination and racialism. ‘’The youngest doll’’ by Ferre and ”Snapshot’s of the wedding” by Head is opening to the reader a sad picture of women being discriminated against by society.

Main body

Especially the story, written by Bessie Head shows us the fatal result of such an unfair attitude. In this work, the writer does not tell about love that much as it tells about how the social classes often use their power and authority, and here, how they use women just as an object. The dolls, which are being presented to her nieces on the day of their weddings are symbolizing them, being used just like a thing, a toy. The doctor had the power over the aunt by not healing her and taking the prawn out of the aunt’s leg so that he will have some income from this patient and give money for his son’s college. Bessie Head shows how from a beautiful woman, the main heroine get this scar on her life, because of a doctor’s irresponsibility towards her, because she is a woman: ”she had been very beautiful, but the prawn hidden under the long, gauzy folds of her skirt tripped her of all vanity”.

Isn’t that a crime to treat a woman, who had a normal life this way, taking away her opportunity, even her right to find a place in society, to live a life and be happy, to be independent and in control of their own life?! At the end of the story, the main heroine died, still as just a doll, showing all the inhumanity, disgrace, and injustice of this system. ‘’Then the doll lifted her eyelids, and out of the empty sockets of her eyes came the frenzied antennae of all those prawns.’’ Ferre’s work has some elements of mythical realism. It warns the reader of incorrect and sometimes deadly use of power or authority.

As for Bessie Head’s ” Snapshots of wedding”, in this story writer describes the theme of love and marriage from two women Neo, whose education comes out to be a complicated matter in the village, and Matata, who is known as a nice girl, between the villagers, but completely uneducated. Both girls are pregnant from one man – Kegoletile.

Comparing two girls we find out, that they are in full contrast to each other. Neo, ”an impossible girl with haughty arrogant ways…”, ”walked around with her nose in the air”, while Mathata ‘’was a pretty girl with black eyes like starts; she was always smiling and happy.

Kegoletile had to make a choice, whom would he marry. And he chose Neo, but not because he loved her, but because she was educated. ‘’He thinks that since she is as educated as he is they will both get good jobs and be rich in no time.’’ Of course, when choosing a wife, Kegoletile has an inner conflict. He wanted to marry Mathata, but his social circumstances would not let him, because Mathata is bounded by her poverty. Yet she ‘’was completely uneducated; the only work she would ever do was that of housemaid’’. Kegoletile was literally forced to marry Neo, by the society he lived in – ‘’It was though the society itself stamped each of its individuals with its own brand of wealth and Kegoletile had not yet escaped it’’.

As we see this marriage was made not as a result of love, but as a result of selfishness, and for stepping up on a social ladder. I think marriages like this are doomed. People who are married without love will never be happy in such a marriage and this is also a big social problem nowadays.

Conclusion

Both writers were trying to get the reader to pay attention to women’s discrimination. Nowadays this question still stays open. Abuses and violence against women are pretty systematic, and relentless, though society tries not to see this huge problem. After reading these two works I underlined that women’s discrimination is a big social epidemic. And until we won’t realize it, this inner cancer will slowly destroy society’s morality and order. Such writers as Rosario Ferre and Bessie Head are trying to do their very best to show this problem to the whole world with the help of writing. Their works make people think about this problem and sometimes try to solve it.

Feminism as the theory is based on the discussion of many points among which it is possible to determine the issues of sexuality and femininity. These concepts are closely associated with the gender questions.

The sexual expression is traditionally discussed as the male prerogative, and femininity is considered as an absolute quality which should be characteristic for each woman. The theory of feminism rejects the mentioned ideas, and there are a lot of examples that these statements are not reasonable.

In her novel A Member of the Wedding, Carson McCullers discusses many points connected with the woman’s development, including the issues of sexuality and femininity.

McCullers’ approaches to presenting the aspects of the main character Frankie’s development and awareness of herself as a woman depend on rejecting the traditional vision of the problem, and they can be discussed as rather feministic and provocative in their nature.

Young Frankie can be characterized as a tomboyish girl who begins to discover her femininity and sexuality. Frankie begins to pay attention to “a feeling that she had never heard named before” (McCullers 98).

It is possible to speak about Frankie’s inner conflict when she discovers her feelings for her cousin and his bride, and when she struggles with her femininity as well with her tomboyishness. On the one hand, Frankie should act according to the social visions of the gender roles.

On the other hand, the girl experiences some unfamiliar and strange feelings. Free states that young Frankie’s “lack of knowledge about the existence of homosexuality contributes to her confusion, isolation, and perception of herself as grotesque-ironic” (Free 438).

That is why, Frankie’s feelings are the real challenge, and they cannot be explained with references to the traditional social visions of the fact.

Frankie feels confused when it is necessary to speak about her emotions because they can be discussed as opposite to the appropriate views on the woman’s sexuality. Thus, Frankie is confused when Berenice pays attention to her jealousy which can be seen “from the color in [her] eye” (McCullers 4).

Furthermore, Frankie does not like strange and “queer” conversations about love or about “a thing known and not spoken” (McCullers 100). The problem is in the fact women cannot experience some specific feelings in relation to the definite stereotypes developed in the society.

These feelings are often hidden and not named that is why Frankie even thinks about herself as being a freak who has some wild and forbidden feelings.

The main character of the novel tries to find some features in her inner world which can connect her with the other people. This search is caused by Frankie’s feelings that the world is “somehow separate from herself” (McCullers 24).

According to Free, “the universalized loneliness” which is experienced by Frankie can be combined with the issues of “homosexuality or androgyny” which are rather challengeable for the young girl (Free 428).

If the traditional public’s views on the problem can be different and often negative, the theory of feminism concentrates on these issues as the significant ones for understanding the women’s identity and their role in the society.

The story of Frankie depicted in A Member of the Wedding can be discussed as the female author’s provocative vision of such typical problems as the adolescent’s development which is based on the development of the girl’s sexuality.

Such notions as homosexuality, androgyny, femininity, and masculinity are also connected with the issue, and their indirect discussion with the help of depicting Frankie’s personality accentuates the feministic approach to the problem’s presentation.

Works Cited

Free, Melissa. “Relegation and Rebellion: The Queer, the Grotesque, and the Silent in the Fiction of Carson McCullers”. Studies in the Novel 40.4 (2009): 426-446. Print.

McCullers, Carson. A Member of the Wedding. USA: Mariner Books, 2004. Print.

A wedding is a colossal event that requires proper planning and pulling off. A plan constitutes the simplest management strategy for time, money, space, and organized protocols for running the wedding event to avoid confusion. It constitutes a budget, date, wedding party, location, officiator, theme, colors, wardrobes, invitations, Rings, foods, music, vows, and others which may include big events, programs pillows, cake toppers, and flower girls baskets. This helps to avoid misappropriation during the wedding. “One aspect that must not be ignored is the reason for the ceremony” (Leigh, 2008, p 156). The ceremony falling short of the anticipated expectation can be a very stressful situation because of the money spent, nervousness, and the impression created to the people involved. This is a mistake that can easily be avoided by constituting a simple but explicit plan for a well-organized, proper wedding ceremony and reception.

The wedding ceremony is to start with the Wedding Ushers arriving about forty minutes before the ceremony. They will greet and direct the visitors to the sitting positions. The bride and family sit on the left while the groom and the bride’s family are on the right side of the church. The groom and best man are to come second to arrive at about thirty to thirty-five minutes before the start of the ceremony. He pays the organist’s fee and any other church fee. He sits at the front of the church and on the right side with the groom. The organist for the event plays the introductory; prologue music that serves as the mood setter for the arriving guests and family. Sitting arrangements for friends and bride’s family who arrive are to get seated to the left side of the church while the groom’s family and friends are to get seated to the right side of the church. “The parents sit on the first line with the groom and bride while relatives sit from the second line” (Herberlein, 2008, p 94). The Bride has to arrive at the church accompanied by the Matron of honor and the Bridesmaid moments to the start of the ceremony and stands at the entrance of the church to await her parents to pick her up for a procession for hand over to the groom. They are supposed to be the last to arrive for the ceremony. The bride’s maids assist with the hair, veil, and train just before she enters the church. The Master of ceremony recognizes the bride’s presence and starts with the statement: “Here comes the bride——-“. Processional music: The processional music starts and the audience or the congregation salutes her presence by standing. The junior wedding attendants can consist of the flower girls and boys who are the ring bearer; they enter the church and walk down the passageway to the periphery of the church.

Adult wedding attendants will comprise the bridesmaids and groomsmen who will walk down the walkway, and arm in arm; coupled. They take up their positions at the front of the ceremony before the bride enters the church with her father held hand in hand. The bride and her father enter walking to the aisle on her father’s arm followed by the train bearers, a bride’s maid, and the matron of honor. The groom and best man then from their sitting position to the chancel steps of the church and observe the bride walk slowly in their direction on the aisle with her arm on the father’s right hand. The father hands over the daughter to the groom. They shake hands and leave for their sitting position. He takes his seat to the right hand of his wife. The ceremony commences with the usual introduction to the congregation and the marriage ceremony begins. This will be followed by marriage vows. The bride’s and groom’s ring exchange session. Declaration by the Minister of the ceremony confirming them as man and wife. This is followed by the signing of the wedding register in the presence of the witnesses. The entry copy is then given to the bride for her to keep a copy. This culminates at the reception which can be the same venue or a different venue that has been arranged.

The feasibility study of Seattle shows that Seattle is the preferred place for the wedding, because of the following strengths: Availability of wedding planner’s professionals and photographers. Good spacious reception sites, Limousines are available for hire, Caterers, Officiants, florists and event decorations, calligraphers, bridal Gowns, Jewelers, entertainment bands disc Jockeys, and tuxedos. A wedding can take place at the same venue and avoid costs of travel from place to place. Seattle has all sorts of containment for superb weddings from hotels, catering clubs, mansions, museums, gardens, and restaurants to even private premises in and around Seattle. However, Weaknesses for Seattle are that while the whole ambiance is a necessity for the publicity of a very well celebrated wedding. Cost is the major issue to consider, this calls for effective management of money while time on the other hand is also a priority because the venue is hired depending on the time or duration of the event. Opportunities for Seattle are numerous from professional wedding planners, photographers to caterers and calligraphers, and all this makes Seattle a wonderful place to host your wedding ceremony. “The main threat is that you may overspend especially if you do not plan and budget appropriately in advance” (Rees, 2008, p 83).

. The layout can best be matched for bright colors and unique colors can be merged to add an extraordinary and memorable aspect of the wedding because a wedding marks a transitional period for the couple. A mixture of red, orange, and yellow can make a nice combination and also since it is a rare combination. The carpet can be red, the tables covered with orange table cloths and the flowers can be of both and any other color matching the combination. Guest and visitors can put on black suits and red shirts and tops for ladies with red scuffs and handbags.

References List

Herberlein, J. (2008). One Wedding Planner. Australia: Lulu.com.

Leigh, T. (2008). How to Plan Your Wedding and Save Thousands: Without Going Crazy. USA: Atlantic Publishing Company.

Rees, C. (2008). Complete Wedding Plan: A straightforward guide series.Newzealand: Straight forward Co Ltd.

Introduction

The choice of words in written text can convey a different meaning about the same topic. Furthermore, it can reveal more information about the author, for example, the audience may get a feeling of business or hatred from an author by the choice of his words. In order to prove this assertion, we shall look at two articles that reported Chelsea Clinton’s wedding on Saturday, July 31, 2010. The first article appeared on the BBC News website titled ‘Chelsea Clinton marries Marc Mezvinsky on the elite estate’, dated 1st August 2010. The second article appeared in the Mail Online and is titled ‘It’s official: Bill and Hillary Clinton ‘so happy’ as they see their daughter Chelsea marry in front of 500 guests’ and was written on the same day as the former by Laura Collins.

Analysis

From these headings, we recognize that the BBC article, apart from the wedding, also focuses on how posh the wedding is while the latter also focuses on Chelsea Clinton’s parents: Bill and Hillary Clinton. However, in contrast to her title, Collins goes on to describe how stylish the wedding, which she describes as America’s ‘Royal wedding’ of the year, was, then goes on to talk about the closing down of roads and the declaration of ‘a chunk of federal airspace’ a no-fly zone. She also describes Chelsea as ‘a bundle of nerves and her father as ‘so emotional’. She then describes the economics of the wedding such as the approximate cost of the wedding (£3.2million) and the bride’s £600,000 engagement ring (Collins, para. 19). She also lists the celebrities that attended the wedding.

The BBC article basically touches on every aspect of the wedding, from the guest celebrities, the pre-wedding party, to the couple’s religious affiliations and how they met. It also has verbal reports of Mr. Clinton before the wedding. Despite mentioning that the wedding was lavish, it does not go into minor details of the lavishness as Collins did. It only reports the presence of a few celebrities, the approximate cost of the wedding (£1.3m and £1.9m), a figure reported by Collins as £3.2m (BBC, para. 11).

Collins’ report does not give a full representation of the wedding but paints it as a very lavish activity, she seems to critiquing rather than reporting. She accompanies the text with pictures that only seem to affirm my assertion. Out of the 13 pictures that she uses, only five are of the couple, the rest are of the wedding scene, guests, the security, and the limousines. The BBC article is accompanied by three pictures, two of which are of the couple while the last one seems to be a perimeter fence. Collins’ article is easily predictable and assumes that the readers already have background information on the couple such as the fact that that the couple has been friends since childhood and that both studied at Stanford University, information that is given by the BBC.

BBC is not predictable in their article as they give so much information within their article. Despite being roughly 500 words long, it gives us so much more information than the roughly 800-word article on the Daily Mail website. For example, we get to know the pre-wedding events, the nature of Mezvinsky’s parents who have been friends with the Clintons for a long time, and that the couple both attended Stanford University and now lives in New York (BBC, para. 18). The few things we learn from Collins’ article are the prices of ‘tables and crockery’, the ‘five-tier wedding cake’, and that of the Vera Wang designed dress (Collins, para. 18, 20 & 21).

The BBC article, however, fails to use enough pictures for such an important, glamorous, and widely anticipated event, it only uses one picture of the couple during the wedding, their other picture is an old one taken in their earlier years. Its author’s main aim was to give the audience an all-around report of the wedding, to which it succeeded while Collins’ aim was to give the lavish side of the wedding and she too succeeded.

Partiality

Both stories employ dialogue, Collins’ only use of a direct quotation is when she reports on the joint statement from Bill and Hillary Clinton. Otherwise, the rest of the article is written from her outlook and subject to misinformation. BBC strives to use direct quotes and apart from the joint statement from Chelsea’s parents, Mary Steenburgen, an invited guest, and Mr. Mezvinsky are quoted. Mr. Clinton is again quoted towards the end of the story.

Laura Collins gives a biased approach towards the Clinton- Mezvinsky wedding while the BBC made an effort to give a well-balanced account of this event.

References

BBC News. Chelsea Clinton marries Marc Mezvinsky on elite estate. BBC News, 2010.

Collins, Laura. It’s official: Bill and Hillary Clinton ‘so happy’ as they see their daughter, Chelsea marry in front of 500 guests. Mail Online, 2010.