The long 18th century in Britain was packed with progressive social, political, and cultural forces. The Industrial Revolution, parliamentary democracy, and the British Empire occurred. Literary expression and criticism were crucial as Britain pursued enlightenment ideas, colonial expansion, and industrialism. Period intellectuals pushed norms and studied new viewpoints on character history, society, and governing a nation as they entered their country’s changing environment. The period’s humor, theater, and novels also critiqued human nature, social values, and the problematic private-public arena. The stories of Aphra Behn, Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, and William Congreve captured the age and inspired future writing.
In “Oroonoko, or The Royal Slave,”
Oroonoko, an African prince kidnapped by European colonialists and brainwashed into blackness like other slaves, is Aphra Behn’s most nuanced denunciation. Behn depicts Oroonoko as noble, brave, and outspoken, challenging an African paradigm. For this reason, Behn unwittingly corrects slavery’s moral naivety and colonialism, making both undesirable. Freedom and dignity are intertwined, yet betrayal emerges from European and African traditions coexisting poorly and confusingly (Behn, 1688). Behn allows her audience to reflect on their own ambivalence about slavery without directly condemning them by portraying Oroonoko as the tragic victim of a brutal system and how this once-sheltered boy king becomes corrupted in his despair and behavior toward Monimia.
“The Spectator” (#11)
Joseph Addison and Richard Steele revealed the public sphere of 18th-century England, from gentlemanliness to renown. Using Mr. Spectator, Addison and Steele provide an immaculate middle-ground vision that requires studying society to form suitable ideas about public behavior and etiquette, implying oneness with a spectator who impacts people’s thoughts (Addison & Steele, 2014). In this news magazine, middle-class people value reason and civic responsibility more. Thus, teaching these ideas in “The Spectator” reflects the interests of the increasing middle class and helps create a new social system based on rationality and tolerance.
“The Way of the World,”
Thus, through the whole analysis of William Congreve, there is an omnipresent bitter reproach aimed at marriage and friendship in Restoration society, whose purpose is seen only as materialistic. By means of sharp wit and intricate plot mechanics, Congreve reveals the insincere nature as a defining feature of marriages at that time, plus his maneuverings. All the characters in this play, constantly maneuvering through a maze of money and status struggles, embody performance aspects parceled into gender and class roles (Congreve, 2015). Congreve’s irony is as entertaining as it relies on satire, which allows for reflection and remembrance of how a society led by self-interest and dissimulations got empty in ethics or morals; emptiness also conveys emotions. Through the critical yet comical look of “The Way of the World,” we have seen how complicated human relations are, as well as revealed an absurdity between society’s requirements and desires individuals want to meet.
Conclusion
The Trzaska vs. In the case of L’Oréal USA, when brought under focus through the WH Framework for Business Ethics, it reveals a jarring contrast between ethically righteous behavior and business goals. The framework illustrates the ways in which stakeholder interests, ethical principles, and corporate values intersect, sometimes controversially. It brings out the need for organizations to create a culture where ethical issues can be balanced with business reasons. This case is a lesson for businesses, carrying the message that one has to look at long-term benefits resulting from ethical behavior rather than short-term gains. The WH Framework is ultimately an important tool for organizations to use when they need to make ethical decisions, and it should be used in a way that respects both corporate virtue and social kinship.
References
Addison, J., & Steele, R. (2014). The Spectator vol. 1. Www.gutenberg.org. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/9334/9334-h/9334-h.htm#section1
Behn, A. (1688). Oroonoko Full Text – Oroonoko, or The Royal Slave – Owl Eyes. Www.owleyes.org. https://www.owleyes.org/text/oroonoko/read/oroonoko-or-the-royal-slave#root-4
Congreve, W. (2015). The Way of the World, by William Congreve. Gutenberg.org. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1292/1292-h/1292-h.htm