Analysis of Jude the Obscure Essay Example

Analysis of Jude the Obscure Essay Example Analysis of Jude the Obscure Essay Analysis of Jude the Obscure Essay Essay Topic: Literature Jude the Obscure was panned by critics upon its release towards the end of the nineteenth century. The criticism had such an effect on Hardy that he wasnt to write another novel before his death. His attack of Britains dearest institutions (marriage, the class system and higher education) had people so up in arms that the Bishop of Wakefield even burned his copy and persuaded Smiths Circulating Library to withdraw it. The story is a simple tale of a simple orphan boy in a rural district who entertains the diea of becoming a scholar in Christminster. He is tricked into marriage by a local girl, Arabella Donn, thwarting his studies, and the marriage fails. Jude plies his trade as a stonemason in Christminster, hoping that somehow hell be accepted there by being near to it. His experience of University however is notably one of exclusion from it: ironically he gets no closer than fixing the masonry of the university he longs so much to be a part of. After a few alcoholic binges to relieve his frustration, Jude eventually accepts his place in the world. He then falls in love with his cousin, Sue Bridehead and they have children. Society fails to accept their reltionship as legitimate, their children are killed in a shocking murder-suicide and the pair separate. His hopes and passions thwarted, Jude slips into a rapid decline and dies an early death. Cheery stuff! A summary does little to identify the underlying intentions of the novel. All of the characters within it are progressive for their time. Jude has his educational aspirations, Sue scorns moral orthodoxy and Arabella panders to her sexual appetite. Hardys story is set against a world where the common man wasnt persuaded to question their station in life. All of the characters are defeated in the end, but it is their struggle which is important. Judes marriage to Arabella signifies a major theme of the novel confinement particularly in relation to marriage. Jude is tricked into it and trapped because of the implications of divorce. He never fully retains his freedom, even when she leaves him, because he is still trapped by the institution of marriage. He is only free in the physical sense. Hardy later wrote that the novels message was simply that marriage should be dissolvable as soon as it becomes a cruelty so either of the parties being then essentially and morally no marriage. This caused uproar at the time but it is difficult to identify with today unless it is applied to certain religions. The section also deals a little with the manner in which a woman should act. Arabella is a sexual being and knows how to get her man. Jude sees in her something tangible and immediate, unlike his education. Woman of the time didnt act like Arabella does, neither of them follow social conventions and ultimately their relationship dissolves. This again relates back to the entrapment of marriage, as Arabella liberates herself and moves away to Australia, leaving Jude only a letter. Since the introduction of equal rights and divorce, it is hard as modern readers to identify with these issues. The passages concerning Judes education may have a little more relevance today however, particularly his dreams as a young boy, his self-teaching and large volume of work. He is at a disadvantage because of his social status and access to education. This is just as poignant today as it was then. In an age where only 7% of schools are private yet 50% of Oxford students are from them, what hope can someone on the lower echelons have of getting there? Education quality and access is distorted, poverty still exists and not enough is being done to create equality. Social class and status may largely have diluted but it still resonates. Hardys novel speaks of the frustrations at the elitist attitudes of our Oxfords and Cambridges. Life is unfair. Hardy draws us into it and we do care about the characters, which makes it all the more difficult to accept. His characters have no control over their lives, they are forced into their fates, and while things have largely changed, these issues still exist. Poor areas are now urban instead of rural but the ideas are the same. It isnt as controversial today as it was at its release, but I would say that the novel has some success in highlighting problems in society. Jude never reassures. It is a very realistic view of our world. It challenges its readers and raises important questions that should be considered. In 1895 it was ahead of its time. By the time of his death many of the social conventions Hardy criticises had disappeared. He was at the forefront. How does one define success? It certainly wasnt commercially. Critically it caused uproar and ended Hardys novel-writing career. However Hardy had a message and he got it across, elicited response and debate and change. Isnt that what writers want to achieve?

Estimates of Taxes Paid by Undocumented Immigrants

Estimates of Taxes Paid by Undocumented Immigrants The generally-held belief that undocumented immigrants pay no income tax is generally incorrect. The fact is that many undocumented immigrants find ways to pay both federal income and payroll taxes even though they might not have a Social Security number and even if they are working illegally. According to estimates by the nonpartisan American Immigration Council, households headed by illegal immigrants paid a combined $11.2 billion in state and local taxes during 2010. Based on estimates compiled by the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, the American Immigration Council reported that the $11.2 billion in taxes paid by illegal immigrants in 2010 included $8.4 billion in sales taxes, $1.6 billion in property taxes and $1.2 billion in state personal income taxes. In spite of the fact that they lack legal status, these immigrants and their family members are adding value to the U.S. economy; not only as taxpayers, but as workers, consumers, and entrepreneurs as well, states the  American Immigration Council. Why Would an Undocumented Immigrant Pay Taxes? While it is true that many undocumented immigrants who are illegally paid â€Å"under the table,† for their work do not pay taxes on their income, many others choose to pay income tax hoping that doing so will eventually become American citizens. While evidence for this is largely anecdotal, several attempts at comprehensive immigration reform legislation over the last decade, including S.744- the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, have contained provisions listing attributes such as â€Å"good moral character† and â€Å"paying back taxes† as requirements for obtaining citizenship. Should such an immigration reform bill ever become law, undocumented immigrants could use a provable history of paying taxes as one way to show good faith and moral character.   Which States Got the Most? According to the American Immigration Council, California led all states in taxes from households headed by undocumented immigrants, at $2.7 billion in 2010. Other states gleaning significant revenue from taxes paid by illegal immigrants included Texas ($1.6 billion), Florida ($806.8 million), New York ($662.4 million), and Illinois ($499.2 million).Note: While California may have realized $2.7 billion from taxes paid by undocumented  immigrants in 2010, a 2004 report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform showed that California spends over $10.5 billion annually on the education, health care and incarceration of its illegal immigrant population. Where Did They Get These Figures? In coming up with its estimate of $11.2 billion in annual taxes paid by undocumented  immigrants, the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy say it relied on: 1) an estimate of each states unauthorized population; 2) the average family income for unauthorized immigrants, and 3) state-specific tax payments.Estimates of the undocumented  or unauthorized population of each state came from the Pew Hispanic Center and Census 2010. According to the Pew Center, an estimated 11.2 million undocumented immigrants lived in the U.S. during 2010. The average annual income for households headed by an illegal alien was estimated at $36,000, of which about 10% is sent to support family members in countries of origin. The Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) and the American Immigration Council  assume  undocumented immigrants actually pay these taxes because: Sales tax is automatic, so it is assumed that unauthorized residents would pay sales tax at similar rates to U.S. citizens and legal immigrants with similar income levels. Similar to sales tax, property taxes are hard to avoid, and unauthorized immigrants are assumed to pay the same property taxes as others with the same income level. ITEP assumes that most unauthorized immigrants are renters, and only calculates the taxes paid by renters. Income tax contributions by the unauthorized population are less comparable to other populations because many unauthorized immigrants work off the books and income taxes are not automatically withheld from their paychecks. ITEP conservatively estimates that 50 percent of unauthorized immigrants are paying income taxes. But One Big Disclaimer Looms There is no question that undocumented  immigrants do pay some taxes. As the American Immigration Council  correctly points out, sales taxes and property taxes as a component of rent are basically unavoidable, no matter a persons citizenship status. However, when the U.S. Census Bureau so emphatically states that illegal immigrants are the most difficult individuals for them to locate and count in the decennial census, any figure as elusive as the total taxes they pay must be considered a very rough estimate. In fact, the  American Immigration Council acknowledges this fact by adding the following disclaimer:Of course, it is difficult to know precisely how much these families pay in taxes because the spending and income behavior of these families is not as well documented as is the case for U.S. citizens. But these estimates represent a sensible best approximation of the taxes these families likely pay.