Medication Administration Errors free essay sample

Administrationrsrizontal Violeneed to be considered during the time of administration. verything. Medications should always be Errors By: Amanda Sandstrom Grand Canyon University: NRS-433V April 13, 2013 Problem Statement Medication errors are one of the most common errors in healthcare. Sentinel events lead to research in determining why errors were happening and how they can be prevented. Learning why medication errors occur, and the events leading up to the error is important to understand so policies and procedures can be implemented. Nurses are play a vital role in reporting and preventing medication errors, as the nurses are the last person in the medication administration process. The Institute of Medicine reports 44,000 to 98,000 people die in hospitals annually as a result of medication errors that could have been prevented (Stetina, Groves amp; Pafford, 2005). Deaths caused by medication errors more than doubled in ten years from 2,876 in 1983 to 7,391 in 1993 (Stetina, Groves amp; Pafford, 2005). Medication errors and the complications due to them increase patient stays, costs, and patient disabilities. We will write a custom essay sample on Medication Administration Errors or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Medication administration is a complex process and an error can occur at any point within the process. Prescription, transcription, dispensing and lastly administration are all part of the process. The last process of administration is provided by the nurse who must be vigilant and ensure there were no errors within the whole process before administering the medication. Purpose and Research Questions The purpose of this study was to focus on how nurses experience making a medication error, and being involved in the process in which an error occurred, what constitutes a medication error, and what steps need to be taken after an error occur Questions sought to be answered by this study are: What constitutes a medication error? How are medication errors reported? Are the five rights of medication administration used consistently? The answers sought to these questions, and the purpose of this study was relevant to the clinical problem. The Heideggerian phenomenological method was used in this qualitative research, by conducting an eleven question interview. Literature Review The other used several quantitative studies research. The author also used a survey, and journal articles. The references are not current some of them are actually almost thirty years old. The study itself was conducted seven years ago; however current research was used to support this study. The author did not state any specific weakness, but suggests further research of a more diverse geographical population. Additionally research could be done specifically how nurses vary in their practice according to patient load, acuity, and day to day circumstances in the practice environment (Stetina, Groves amp; Pafford, 2005). The study did find adequate information regarding how and why medication errors occur. Unfortunately with medication errors being such a problem in practice there are many causes, and new systems in place for reducing them that are constantly being updated. There is an abundance of literature on this topic all researching different aspects. This study did find that though all the nurses surveyed identified the â€Å"five rights† as the process of medication administration and prevention of errors (Stetina, Groves amp; Pafford, 2005). Many nurses acknowledged not always adhering to the five rights of medication administration; this was especially evident when it came to right time. Many nurses admitted to not always giving medications at the right time, and felt this was not considered to be a medication error. Conceptual / Theoretical Framework The author did not identify a specific perspective in this study. The framework for this study was finding answers to questions regarding medication administration and how errors occur. Nurses in different practice settings were interviewed to find the answers to the questions. The study set out to explore the understanding and management of medication errors by nurses (Stetina, Groves amp; Pafford, 2005). Conclusion Since nurses administer medications they are the last ones in the medication administration process to intercept a possible error, or they can be the ones making the error. It is imperative to be diligent when passing medications. Many advances have been made with the use of bar code medication administration programs, and electronic medical records with electronic ordering. With the advances in technology many nurses have come to be dependent on these systems. Pharmacy has also become a larger part in inpatient settings and nurses in this study have also come to rely more on them to prevent incompatibility complications. Nurses must always keep their clinical reasoning skills sharp, when administering medication we must consider everything. Medications should always be reviewed with patients prior to administration; since patients know what they take and can alert the nurses to a possible error. Lab work, dosage, patient’s weight, allergies, treatments, and compatibility of intravenous medications all need to be considered during the time of administration. Although all of these tools are valuable it is imperative that we do not become dependent upon them, we must use clinical reasoning and judgment to ensure patient safety. References: Clinical reasoning can prevent mediation errors. 2012, August 22). Retrieved from http://confidenceconnected. com/connect/article/clinical_reasoning_can_prevent_medication_errors/ Hartnell, N. , Mackinnon, N. , Sketris, I. , amp; Fleming, M. (n. d. ). Identifying, understanding and overcoming barriers to medication error reporting in hospitals: A focus group study. (2012). BMJ Quality and Safety, 21(5), 361-368. Stetina, P. , Groves, M. , amp; Pafford, L. (n. d. ). Managing medica tion errors: A qualitative study. (2005). Medsurg Nursing, 14(3), 174-178.

Inflation Targeting

Inflation Targeting Free Online Research Papers In order to achieve price stability in New Zealand, the monetary policy Inflation Targeting was adopted in 1990. With the growth and success of this new strategy, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain and many other counties followed suit in the subsequent years ahead. Inflation targeting is an economic policy in which a monetary authority such as the European Central Bank publicly announces what they are going to do in regards hiring or lowering the inflation rate. They estimate a percentage such as 2 percent a year and make a target inflation rate, then attempt to move the actual inflation rate toward that rate. Through the use of interest rate changes and other monetary tools inflation targeting is possible. Although inflation targeting has many advantages, some countries for see the many disadvantages of low economic growth and too much rigidity. Many criticize the idea of inflation targeting and how there are disadvantages to this policy. An inflation target lacks the ability to send signals immediately to the public and then to the markets, therefore delaying signaling. The belief that inflation targeting imposes rigid rules on policymakers makes economics think there is too much rigidity. Low employment and the low growth in the economy is also a concern of some economists. Yet, the prime concern of inflation targeting does not solely focus on inflation and the potential for increased output fluctuations. Along side to the validity of these criticisms there are several advantages to inflation targeting. The stability between inflation and money is not the primary success of this policy. It is with the central bank increasing its accountability; the transparency of the policy associated with inflation targeting has made the central bank vastly accountable to the public and the government. The primary advantage of inflation targeting is keeping the inflation rate low. The countries that adopted inflation targeting have drastically reduced their rate of inflation and have kept it down till this day. By not focusing completely on inflation and keeping the inflation rate low, critics can see both sides of the advantages and disadvantages of inflation targeting. With over ten counties using this monetary policy of inflation targeting for now over twenty five years it is clear that advantages and disadvantages will arise and critics will have their say on what they think is best. Research Papers on Inflation TargetingThe Mechanics of Grading Grading SystemsAmerican Central Banking and OilDefinition of Export QuotasSexually Transmitted DiseasesInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesA Marketing Analysis of the Fast-Food RestaurantThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationGene One the Transition from Private to PublicBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 Europe

Module 3 Assessing a Research Study Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Module 3 Assessing a Research Study - Term Paper Example The research article uses materials that have been written, discussing the progress that has been made in the medical or healthcare sector, because of the use of EMR services and software, as a way of addressing the research question. Thus, the use of literature review is used to pursue and underscore the logical relationship between the dependent variable (return on investment analysis [ROI]) and independent variable (the emergence and use of EMR technology). 2. The sample size comprises healthcare organizations that deal in endocrinology, general surgery, orthopedics, cardiology, nephrology, podiatry, ophthalmology, urology, occupational medicine, dermatology, allergy and immunology, family practice and gastroenterology. 5. The article clearly illustrates how the returns on investments (ROI) have progressed before and after the advent or use of EMR services (reliability). This includes the presentation of actual figures, and percentages of increased productivity (validity). Two-way Analysis of Variance: it is clear that in the research, statistical data have been used to describe the manner in which a given categorical and independent variable affects different dependent variables. Indeed, the researcher, Dr. Sindhwani makes conclusion to the effect that the advent or use of EMR technology has radically increased all the aforementioned and tested elements of ROI in healthcare / medical institutions. Dr. Sindhwani as the researcher explores (remotely) the control of extraneous variables by acknowledging the place of other relatable technologies such as Smart-phones, their preponderance and an increased knack for accurate coding as factors that will spur onwards, EMR’s returns on investments. In the study, Dr. Sindhwani finds out that the use of EMR has significantly increased the tested elements of returns on investment (ROI). Particularly, Dr. Sindhwani is categorical that charting increased from 0.5 to 1 (50%

Education Management Systems Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Education Management Systems - Personal Statement Example The task assigned is primarily to man the communication systems of the ground operations of the peacekeeping unit. This being a very critical job in any military operation and any slight error here could even disrupt the planned strategy of the operations. Further, being with diverse group of people from different countries, the operational effectiveness would heavily rely on our personal traits. Though initially I was a little doubtful on the success of my initiative, the skills acquired during the younger days when I had spent weeks with the convicts and addicts in an awareness initiative might have given the openness to associate with people with different culture, language, habit and style. Though these are the traits that have helped me to bring out the best in the field of my operation, I am also aware of a lot of missing virtues in me. Being away from home for considerable period of time, absence of emotional bond with the friends and relatives is the major lacuna in me. This has led to fewer friends back home and also at work. But being with the job that I like the most, these shortcomings seldom disturbs me at the moment.

INTEGRATED NARRATIVE DISCLOSURE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

INTEGRATED NARRATIVE DISCLOSURE - Essay Example This inevitably gives rise to a better understanding to investors and improves relationships between stakeholders. In addition, the underlying procedure needed to generate this information can also improve governance and enhance board effectiveness. A more important reason why firms embrace narrative reporting is that it is not a burden, rather an opportunity, which when used appropriately can act as a basis for developing real competitive advantage. According to Brennan, Pierce & Encarna, (2000), narrative disclosure is essential in effective communication in organizational audience, inclusive of stakeholders, shareholders, and the entire society. For instance, corporate narrative records are used to give an account of managerial decisions and actions, to notify shareholders on strategies, to institute organizational reputation and identity, to influence organizational audiences concerning the legality of a firm, to persuade shareholders on the benefits of a takeover or merger. Acco rding to the Financial Reporting Council, (FRC), the most vital disclosures for shareholders are: sporting out the most critical risks and how to manage them; an explanation of the monetary position and financial results; a blueprint of future prospects and plans; and a description of the business model. Narrative reporting plays all the right notes, though it plays all of them at the same time. From the time of the financial crisis, as anticipations have been determined by yearly reports as descriptors of models in business, opinions have come up about its potential to communicate business models. Growing regulatory complexity, uncertainty as to what audience narrative reports serve and extreme detail have all merged to create a culture that produces a deafening dissonance of â€Å"noise† on any individual attempting to read an annual report. Data overload is adversely hampering the significance of narrative reporting, a case that is quite frankly, rather annoying. The †Å"front† part of a yearly report; any financial statement that is not audited has an essential role to play in annual reports. Dissimilar from the numbers, narrative reports gives a company the opportunity to present its story in a unique way by providing a sense of a firm in a manner that cannot be achieved when using a balance sheet. Prose can disclose a company’s operating environment, strategic direction, its values, and governance structure (Sydserff & Weetman (1999), While it is not a guarantee for a narrative report to be used by the senior most investors who may probably interrogate a company, this report is extremely precious to the entire host of other stakeholders, regardless of whether they are potential shareholders, potential customers, or employees. Within this report, there should be some data that will have an impact on investment decisions. However, whilst narrative reports are viewed as a shareholder tool, it is the regulators’ needs that seem to be taking priority in their preparation. The critical challenge or problem in report preparation is the number of necessities placed on preparers, as well as the time and cost involved in developing the report. A lot of effort and time can be spent working on report sections to achieve regulatory needs that are of little significance to any person, either by giving too many details or offering nothing but neutral, regulatory-approved company-talk. The nature of some

Carl Gustav Jung and the Buddhist Mandala Essay -- Buddhism Religion P

Carl Gustav Jung and the Buddhist Mandala A one-time disciple of Sigmund Freud's, Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) is credited with contributing significantly to the burgeoning field of psychotherapy by formulating some of the first ideas regarding dream analysis, psychological complexes and archetypes (paradigmatic images or instinctive impulses to action). As part of his search for universal keys to the human psyche, Jung also studied and wrote numerous commentaries throughout his career on Eastern religious texts and practices. His reading of Buddhism however, is fundamentally faulted as evidenced by his misunderstanding and misrepresentation of mandala symbolism. Originally, Buddhist mandalas1 aide-mà ©moires that helped meditators keep focussed during long elaborate visualizations. They were two-dimensional circumscribed square floor plans that represented three-dimensional palatial constructions. Each mandala palace was equated in meditation with the psycho-spatial complex of the meditator himself, so that any Buddha or2 depicted within his projected self-construction was understood to be a personification of his own enlightenment potential. The meditator would then mentally circumambulate his own palatial self-projection and consciously identify himself with the palace's (i.e. with his own) resident bodhisattvas. After effecting this transformative deity yoga, the meditator would then dissolve the entire edifice into emptiness. He thereby constructed, transformed and dissolved his own psycho-physical complex into the empty nature of Buddhahood. According to Carl Jung however, mandalas expressed the deep-seated universal archetype of the completely whole Self which balanced and integrated its conscious and uncon... ...n Buddhist Insight Meditation." The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology 20.1 (1988): 61-69. Jung, Carl Gustav. "Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious." Collect gen Series, 1978. Originally published in 1935 as "Psychologischer Kommentar zum Bardo Thodol." Das Tibetanische Totenbuch. Russel, Elbert W. "Consciousness and the Unconscious: Eastern Meditative And Western Psychotherapeutic Approaches." The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology18.1 (1986): 51-72. Waldron, William. "A Comparison of the Alayavijnana with Freud's and Jung's Theories of the Unconscious." Annual Memoirs of the Otani University Shin Buddhist Comprehensive Research Institute 6 (1988): 109-150. Wayman, Alex. "Contributions on the Symbolism of the Mandala Palace." Etudes Tibetaines, Dedià ©es à   la Mà ©moire de Marcelle Lalou. Paris: Librairie d'Amerique et d'Orient, Adrien Maisonneuve, 1971.

Female characters: Coursework Essay

For this coursework I am going to be explaining how writers in my chosen stories have presented their female characters. I will be investigating whether or not the females fit their typical stereotype in the nineteenth Century of being very submissive and gullible. I will also look at what sort of way they fit that stereotype within everyday life or on a long term basis. To have a range in this investigation I will concentrate on the contradicting stereotype of being independent and confident as a women not fitting in with how a typical nineteenth century woman would expect to act. Certain consequences of not acting as the stereotype are proven to not necessarily make that particular woman worse off as we see in the short stories I am looking at. Through stories I have read containing characters based on the nineteenth century women one of the ideas that was most obvious to me was that of the characters being typical nineteenth century woman at the start of the short story and then turning out to be a lot stronger then we first perceived. The first character I am going to mention which fits into this idea is Dorothea from the short story ‘The Unexpected’ by Kate Chopin. Chopin shows Dorothea to be a loving, doting wife, impatient towards her husband arriving home. She is shown to be a perfect fit for her stereotype. She is dependant on her husband and excited and desperate for his arrival home. Chopin describes it as ‘torture’ for Dorothea as she waits for her husband. This is very extreme language for the author to use to demonstrate just how Dorothea is feeling. Dorothea is commented to having ‘reached the limit of her endurance’; this suggests why the reader feels she is very reliant on her beloved as it seems she cannot cope without him. All of the above qualities I have seen in Dorothea fit into being typical of the nineteenth century. Although this is how we first see this of her she turns out to be the opposite of this stereotype upon arrival of her husband. Dorothea is perceived as being independent, powerful and confident as she realises her husband is not what he used to be before he became ill. Now, Dorothea has to make the decision of whether she still wants to be with her beloved. She chooses to leave him unexpectedly and turns out to not be at all like her stereotype describes her. At the very end of the short story Dorothea says; ‘Never! Not for all his thousands! Never, never! Not for millions!’ This shows she wants more in her life then being at her husband’s bedside while he wastes away. Dorothea wants someone she can truly love and have feelings for. It shows she is going to be independent rather then like her stereotype. She is not shallow and staying with him just for his money. Chopin’s use of repetition in the above quote shows that she wants the reader to see how needy Dorothea is for a fulfilled life and not staying with her beloved when he is as frail as he is and only for his possessions. Another short story which fits into the idea of fitting the stereotype then contradicting it is ‘Tony Kytes the Arch-Deceiver’ by Thomas Hardy. There are two characters, in my opinion that fit this idea from this short story; Unity Sallet and Hannah Jolliver. Firstly I think Hannah Jolliver fits into this idea I have came up with of fitting the stereotype then contradicting it because of her role in the short story ‘Tony Kytes the Arch-Deceiver’. Hannah is very flirtatious with Tony even though she knows that she is out of bounds as he is engaged to another woman. She is disloyal to her own sex. She toys with his emotions and is very forward about their relationship and is presented as being very independent but shows her stereotype when she is very easily pleased as Tony says; ‘I haven’t quite promised her, and I think I can get out of it, and ask you that question you speak of.’ With regards to the wedding proposal to Milly. All this is being said when all three women Tony is playing against each to her are in the wagon with each other but unaware of it. She is shown to be very gullible at the start of the story when being told of how pretty she is by Tony, this is a feature of the stereotype which we see in all the characters mentioned in this section of my coursework. Hannah is almost won over completely by Tony’s charm but then something goes wrong. The wagon crashes due to Hannah being left by herself at the reins. Tony’s secret is out, all three women find each other to be hidden in the carriage and Hannah hurts herself when she falls out. Hannah is put across to be the complete opposite to her stereotype for now at the end of the short story. Her father arrives on the scene of the accident just as Tony says; ‘I’ve asked Hannah to be mine, and she is willing, and we are going to put up the banns next-‘ But was interrupted by Hannah’s father as Hannah was hurt; ‘My daughter is not willing, sir!’ And so Tony tries to save his and Hannah’s future, failing miserably. This is where Hannah feels the need to intervene, ‘I have spirit, and I do refuse him!’ Hannah is shown to be very much the opposite of her stereotype as we saw Dorothea do when things turned out to be different towards the end of her short story. Hannah is confident and strong in her decision of rejecting Tony’s proposal. We see that Hannah is a little bit more of her stereotype then we perceive her to be following what has just happened in the story. We are made to think that this decision was only reached because of the fact that her father was there as Hannah looks back once she is leaving with her father did she really mean it? I think that she would possibly say yes was Tony to ask her again at a later date and show she isn’t as different as she is put across to be at the end of the short story. Lastly I feel Unity fits into this idea as when we first meet her Hardy represents to us as being very desperate for attention from Tony through questions about her appearance; ‘And – can you say I’m not pretty Tony? Now look at me!’ Hardy backs up this quote with a statement from Unity which shows that she is quite weak because she has to ask the question and answer it to show Tony the answer she is looking for. ‘Prettier than she?’ This further proves how needy Unity is for Tony’s wise words and how gullible she is towards them. In my opinion Tony should not be saying such things to someone when he is supposed to be engaged to Milly Richards. This makes me thinks that he is able to realise that whoever he promises things will believe him because that is what women were expected to be like in the nineteenth century. As this question is put past Tony, Milly is in fact seen ahead while Unity is in Tony’s carriage. To prove how much more of the typical stereotype Unity is Tony asks her to ‘lie down in the back part of the wagon’ to hide from his future wife and Unity agrees. This is further proof that she is very much like her stereotype. Now is where the second part of my idea comes with regards to Unity. Towards the end of this short story Unity starts to stand up for herself. Tony asks for her hand in marriage AFTER he has already asked for Hannah’s. ‘Take her leavings? Not I! I’d scorn it!’ And she walks away. This is the opposite of what Unity’s stereotype is. She is shown to be strong and confident in the decision. Hardy shows Unity to stand up for her sex and not shame herself as being second choice, which in turn, leaves it down to Milly as the final choice for Tony†¦ A second idea worth of exploration from reading the range of short stories I was given is that of the characters totally fitting their stereotype of a nineteenth century women. The main character I feel fits into this idea is Sophy out of the story ‘The Son’s Veto’ by Thomas Hardy. Like the stereotype Sophy is weak and is described as a ‘poor thing’ within the opening of this short story. We also see just how weak Sophy is through her relationship with her son, Randolph. Her son is her biggest critic. We see this where he corrects Sophy’s grammar; ‘Has, dear mother – not have!’ This is showing that Randolph is using his education to take advantage of his mother disadvantages. Randolph is always correcting his mother and is ashamed of her as she is not as well educated as she should be; this is however, due to her background. Randolph is very impolite to Sophy even though she is his mother; ‘Surely you know that by this time.’ He is the child in this relationship but seemed to dominate Sophy showing how much more like her stereotype she is, especially when she does nothing about it. She realises her role in Randolph’s life and all men; she is considered to be beneath them and not worth their company. Randolph will not associate with those who are of a lower class then him, this includes Sophy. Hardy perceives Sophy as a fragile character by not letting her stand up for herself. When Sophy tells Mr Twycott she will not be working for him anymore so she can marry Sam, her reply to Mr Twycott when he asks if she wants to marry Sam is; ‘Not much but it would be a home for me.’ This shows she does not really care who she ends up with as long as she has a roof over her head. Another useful way that Hardy presents Sophy as being her typical stereotype is when she takes drastic action by marrying Mr Twycott instead of her beloved Sam after a fight with Sam. She marries Mr Twycott more for respect then love which ‘almost amounted to veneration’. Mr Twycott knows he is marrying beneath him and will lose all the respect he has gained as said in the narrative part of the story; ‘Mr Twycott knew perfectly well that he had committed social suicide by this step’. He moves to London because of the fact he feels Sophy is beneath him. Sophy could have refuses Mr Twycott’s marriage proposal but has no power or confidence in herself to do this as she is scared of the consequences if she does not do as she is told by the males in her life. Hardy puts Sophy across as being the perfect stereotype for typical nineteenth century through this action; domination by males. The second character that I feel fits into this stereotype for being totally stereotype is Milly Richards again from the short story ‘Tony Kytes the Arch-Deceiver’ by Thomas Hardy. Milly is seen to be the perfect stereotype for the nineteenth century woman. She has the husband ready for her and is very devoted to him and is presented as being very dominated by him and his needs. She is submissive to Tony and gullible to what he says. Her behaviour around him is very much like what women in the nineteenth century were expected to be like and did what was expected of them. As the short story develops we see that Milly is of a very naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve nature as she is asked to hide from one of the other women in the story for the sake of ‘keeping the peace’ between that particular woman and Tony. Fitting the stereotype Milly agrees to do as she has been told by Tony, ‘I don’t mind, to oblige you, Tony’ Milly does not seem to mind, in my opinion, that Tony seems ashamed to be seen with her. Milly didn’t ‘care much about doing it’ and crouches down in the wagon unaware that Unity is also hidden amongst the wagon at the other end. Further into the story Milly realises that Unity is in the wagon and creeps up closer to her. And even though Tony was in the wrong of having three women aboard his wagon Milly is very defensive of him; ‘Mind what you are saying!’ This proves she is even more like her stereotype due to her protecting the male and not thinking he could do anything to harm her and thinking he is perfect. She is extremely protective of Tony and does not think that he would do such things to her resulting in her being disloyal to her own sex for not believing what Unity is saying to her. Toward the end of the story Milly is found amongst the wagon by the other two women. Tony chooses the other two women over Milly and so chooses Milly last to wed him. This is because he knows she is the typical stereotypical woman for the nineteenth century otherwise he would not have wasted his breath. Milly being the perfect stereotype says; ‘If you like, Tony. You didn’t really mean what you said to them?’ And with a quick ‘No’ from Tony things were settled and Milly believed what he had told her. Tony is actually indeed disappointed he is left with his final choice as it is not seen as a challenge to win over Milly because she is the typical stereotype. For my third and final idea in this piece of coursework I will comment on contradicting stereotypes. The stereotypes that I have chosen that are perfect for this category are out of the short stories ‘Births. Mrs Meek, of a son’ and ‘The Woman’s Rose’. Firstly I will mention the character of ‘The girl’ in the story ‘The Woman’s Rose’. The basis of the story is a rose that ‘the girl’ has and is very important to her. This rose is not mentioned very much at all in the opening of the short story but closer to the end it is clear that it is important. At the start of this story ‘the girl’ is the only woman in the village and so has her choice of men, then ‘the narrator’ comes along. I feel that ‘the girl’ is contradicting of her stereotype for the typical nineteenth century woman due to the impact she has on men in the story. Instead of being reliant on men and thinking about men all the time she is more interested in the only other woman in this story and she has much more influence on the men in this short story then they will ever have on her. The men in this story worshipped ‘the girl’ like a queen as there was no other women to worship and all the men are trying to win her over and stand out so she will ‘choose them’. ‘The girl’ had power; she was the centre of attention and stood out, what women in the nineteenth century were not expected to do. Schreiner presents ‘the girl’ as being very much what women would loved to have been like and had the power to choose their choice of men rather then having to do the running themselves. At the end of the short story ‘the girl’ goes up to ‘the narrator’ in a bid to become her friend although she has received mixed messages of whether or not to speak to her or not. ‘The girl’ gave her one of the things that was most precious to her; the rose. ‘The girl’ is not the stereotype of what a typical nineteenth century woman should be. She concentrated more on her relationship with ‘the narrator’ then she did worrying about what typical women did back in those days; getting a husband and producing children for the male in their life. ‘The girl’ wanted more for herself then that and did not depend on males but influenced them. In this short story it was more of a role reversal. I am also going to mention the only other woman that is in the short story ‘The Woman’s Rose’. She is known as ‘The narrator’. The rose in this short story is straight away put across to be very important to ‘the narrator’ in the opening paragraph which ends; ‘but no one has my rose.’ To show its importance to her. The story then goes on to explain why it is of such treasure to ‘the narrator’. When ‘the narrator’ came into the small village of which ‘the girl’ used to be the only one attention was made of ‘the narrator’ took this away from her. She started t be the centre of attention towards men and they worshipped her instead. She influenced men. This was not necessarily because she was prettier then ‘the girl’ but because she was something new for the men in the village to concentrate on. This is something that she is not aware of but has the fear that it is because she is new and not because they are truly interested in her. She is fresh meat. This made her feelings towards men feelings of hatred and regret for going to the village. ‘The narrator’ liked the power she received from coming to the village but did not have a clue what to do with it and thinks she is hated by the one thing she does not want to be hated by in the story; ‘the girl’. She wants a friendship with ‘the girl’ but does not know how to go about it as she thinks she is hated and has plenty men to keep her occupied if not distracted from thinking about it. ‘The narrator’ never looked at the girl and never had any association with ‘the girl’ as she believed this was the better way to be if she was hated. Schreiner makes ‘the narrator’ defend ‘the girl’ if she is being spoke of amongst the village to show that she does care about what is said and does want to be her friend. For doing this it pays off towards the end of the short story when the white rose is obtained as an act of friendship by ‘the girl’. ‘The narrator’ is shown to be the complete opposite of her stereotype in this short story and not at all like she is expected to be. She is shown to have other worries than that of the typical worries for women in that time normally. For the other two characters I will comment on in this idea I turn my attention towards a short story named ‘Births. Mrs Meek, of a son’. The two characters that I am going to mention are Mrs Progit and Mrs Bigby. Firstly I will talk about how I think Mrs Bigby is contradicting towards her stereotype. Near the beginning of the story Mrs Bigby is said to be able to ‘storm a town, single-handed’ and that she could ‘terrify the stoutest heart’. Mrs Bigby is almost definitely not at all like her stereotype. She is a ‘remarkable woman’. Her son-in-law is scared of her as she is a scary woman. Other women in her time were not forward enough to be scary as such and did not have the confidence to scare males in their lives. This is the complete opposite of what we saw in ‘The Son’s Veto’ and the character of Sophy. She was not so much scared of her son but the roles were in the correct places for the nineteenth century. The opposite is what we see in the relationship between Mrs Bigby and her son-in-law. Most women in the nineteenth century don’t have much of an education and Mrs Bigby boasts of this knowledge. She is the total opposite of what is expected of women in her time. She is the dominate one in the relationship between her and Mr Meek. She won’t let him see his own son and as a result of this Mr Meek is angry and frustrated; he feels shoved aside. The male in this story feels left out in the cold. With emotions running wild Mr Meek thinks his son is being killed. Mr Meek shows the qualities of a nineteenth century woman instead of Mrs Meek as is expected as she is the woman in this short story. She is possibly the best example of the contradicting stereotype along with the next character I am going to talk about; Mrs Progit. Mrs Progit is a character of copious figure which gets in the way a lot and an obstruction to other people. She completely contradicts her stereotype by being very confident in her behaviour and brings desolation and devastation into other people lives in the short story. She has taken over the house. Mrs Progit won’t let Mr Meek see his son as well as Mrs Bigby. She wants to keep the child to herself and raised a storm about the subject. She has power and alienates Maria Jane’s affections towards Mr Meek with the power she has. She pushes Mr Meek about which is not what her stereotype would do. She is supposed to be quiet and dominated by males but instead there has been a role reversal regarding Mrs Progit. She is completely confident in her own nature and does not let herself get pushed around by the male but instead gives them a taste of their own medicine. This is what women in the nineteenth century did not have the power and confidence to do because they were afraid of the consequences. In conclusion of this piece of coursework I feel I have successfully explored how different writers have presented female characters in their short stories to show different ways in which women could act in the nineteenth century and the results how they act towards other characters in the stories. I read a range of different stories that I felt would get all the different views across and only included those stories that I thought had solid evidence of different ways in which women felt they had to be like or what they wanted to be like. I think I have investigated how the writers create their characters and form the reader’s opinions of those particular characters using structure and clever writing techniques.