Criminal Justice: the Right Job for You

I am going to be talking about 3 key social issues contributing to the need for criminal justice practitioners and providing examples for each issue. I will also be explaining the role of the criminal justice professional in serving individual and societal needs. Lastly I will explain how key social issues impact the role of the criminal justice professional and provide 2-3 examples to support my position. One key social issue contributing to the need for criminal justice practitioners is prison crowding. Prison overcrowding is one of America's most serious criminal justice issues. The problem is because of insufficient jail and prison space, for which the solution is to build more jail and prison facilities. According to a 2008 study by the Pew Center on the States, the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with one in 100 Americans under the supervision of the criminal justice system. Mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes are a key factor in the high rate of incarceration. Another key issue contributing to the need for criminal justice practitioners is immigration. Immigration raises three significant, controversial issues in criminal justice. The first is the time and resources necessary to deport immigrants, whether they are documented or undocumented, and who have been convicted of crimes. The second is whether and to what extent local law enforcement resources should be used locating and removing undocumented immigrants. The third issue is the extent to which law enforcement emphasis should be on persons who transport and employ undocumented immigrants, rather than on the immigrants themselves. A major issue contributing to the need for criminal justice practitioners is poverty. You can read also  Justice System Position Paper The severity of poverty often goes hand in hand with the amount of crimes committed. Money is often reinvested from the open market to the black market to bring about high yet risky return in urban areas. Risks such as these are even higher when this activity is controlled by violent mob-type organizations and gangs, whose existences are structured around capitalizing on the poverty of others. Realistic and reachable role models are far and few between, if any exist at all, which causes the children of those who live in these areas to look up to more unsavory figures who are living the high life through low living. While living in poverty some people resort to crime to support their habits (drugs and/or alcohol) and/or support their families. Because of this crime rates go up, the amount of people incarcerated goes up, and the tax dollars go up to keep the prisons and jails running. The role of criminal justice professionals in serving individual and societal needs is very broad. There are many positions in the criminal justice field in many different areas with different tasks and responsibilities. Criminal justice professionals spend a lot of time resolving conflicts and negotiating with various parties inside and outside their organizations. They handle complaints, settle disputes, and resolve grievances and conflicts, usually by negotiating with several parties. Sometimes they perform this task in conjunction with another one, evaluating information to determine compliance, which requires them to review relevant information and use their individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards. Criminal Justice professionals oversee safety, gather information and documentation, provide testimony, and they are expected to regularly provide information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates to support their positions. One key social issue that impacts the role of criminal justice professionals is requiring more correctional officers or detention officers due to overcrowding. Yet there are more inmates in jails and prisons and there are not enough correctional officers or detention officers to staff the prisons and jails. In return the staff are overworked with mandatory overtime and compensated with extra days off instead of overtime pay. Immigration is another key social issue that impacts the role of criminal justice professionals. There is a continuous battle about controlling the border of Mexico and how to control it. There is much violence at the border from illegal immigrants and drug cartels. Border Patrol Agents lives are put at risk every day trying to protect the border because of this violence. There are many social issues contributing to the need for criminal justice practitioners and there always will be. The need will increase with time as will crime because of these social issues. There will always be a place in society for the criminal justice practitioner.

Analysis of Bartleby, the scrivener Essay

The narrator’s initial self-characterization is important to the story. He is a â€Å"safe† man, one who takes few risks and tries above all to conform. The most pragmatic concerns of financial security and ease of life are his priorities. He has made himself perfectly at home in the modern economy: he works as a lawyer dealing with rich men’s legal documents. He is therefore an opposite or complement to Bartleby in many ways. He is also ill suited to be entrusted with the salvation of another. â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener† is one of the first great stories of corporate discontent. The emptiness of modern business life is an important theme. The description of the office is incredibly bleak: on one side, the windows open onto a light shaft, and on the other, the windows look out onto a brick wall. The landscape of Wall Street is completely unnatural, and one is cut off from nature and almost all living things. At night, this isolation also includes the absence of people. The work environment is sterile and cheerless. Yet most adapt to it, with varying degrees of success. Though the narrator is a successful man, he is a victim, in some ways, of progress. He has lost the post he occupied during the central events of the story, as the position was deemed redundant and eliminated. The modern economy includes constant and unfeeling change, which comes at a cost. Doubling is a recurring theme in â€Å"Bartleby.† Bartleby is a phantom double of our narrator, and the parallels between them will be further explored later. Nippers and Turkey are doubles of each other. Nippers is useless in the morning and productive in the afternoon, while Turkey is drunk in the afternoon and productive in the morning. Nippers’ ambition mirrors Turkey’s resignation to his place and the sad uneventfulness of his career, the difference coming about because of their respective ages. Nippers cherishes ambitions of being more than a mere scrivener, while the elderly Turkey must plead with the narrator to consider his age when evaluating his productivity. Their vices are also parallel, in terms of being appropriate vices for each man’s respective age. Alcoholism is a vice that develops with time. Ambition arguably is most volatile in a man’s youth. These two characters are obviously not fleshed out; they are caricatures of different personalities found in the business world, and their silliness is stretched beyond the point of believable realism. They provide valuable comic relief in what is otherwise a somber and upsetting  tale. From the beginning, the description of Bartleby is striking. He is a person who seems already dead: he is described alternately as one would describe a corpse or as one would describe a ghost. Pale from indoors work, motionless, without any expression or evidence of human passion in him at all, he is a man already beaten. Even his famous statement of non-compliance, â€Å"I would prefer not to,† is an act of exhaustion rather than active defiance. His success at getting away with his uncooperativeness comes from his very passivity, which seems to cast a spell over the narrator. It is not â€Å"I will not† but â€Å"I would prefer not,† emphasizing that Bartleby is acting out of emotional response rather than some philosophical or ethical choice. Bartleby will detach from the world in stages, beginning with this first statement. With each time he reiterates the statement, he is renouncing one more piece of the world and its duties. The final renunciation will be of living itself, characteristically arrived at indirectly by the preference not to eat. The scenes in which the narrator asks the advice of his employees are always comical in tone. Each man reacts according to the dictates of the time of day: if it is morning, Nippers is fiery and Turkey benign, and if it is afternoon, Turkey is belligerent and Nippers calm. Their predictable reactions underscore their status as symbols or types rather than realistic characters. They also serve as the clowns of the story. Bartleby and the narrator are more real, but both of them also have powerful allegorical roles. Note that these two share an office room, just as Nippers and Turkey do. Increasingly, Bartleby is described in ghostly terms, and a perceptive reader will soon realize that the ghost is in some ways the narrator’s phantom double. Note how often we see Bartleby as phantom, as when the narrator roars his name until he appears: â€Å"Like a very ghost, agreeably to the the laws of magical invocation, at the third summons, he appeared at the entrance of his hermitage† (19). Later, we learn that Bartleby haunts the building. Like a ghost, he lives in the office when no one else is there, when Wall Street is a desert, a landscape both completely unnatural and forlornly empty. The narrator senses that there are parallels between himself and the scrivener, and Bartleby’s gloom infects him: â€Å"Before, I had never experienced aught but a not unpleasing sadness. The bond of a common humanity now drew me irresistibly to gloom. A fraternal melancholy! For both I and Bartleby were sons of Adam† (23). Bartleby’s  plight draws the narrator into depths of feeling that he did not know he was capable of. Part of Bartleby’s power over the narrator is that he somehow sees Bartleby as a part of himself. He, too, has been forced to adapt to the business world. But while he has adapted and gone through the consequent numbing (previous unable to feel more than a â€Å"not unpleasing sadness†), Bartleby has been bludgeoned to exhaustion. Nothing pleases him about this world. The narrator, at different times, wants to help Bartleby. But we have been warned that the narrator is a safe man who thinks the easiest path is also the best. His pity for Bartleby turns to revulsion (see the passage from pp. 24-25, above). The narrator’s plight works through the themes of responsibility and compassion. His obligations, in one sense, are nothing. But as far as Bartleby is a living, suffering being, and that both men are â€Å"sons of Adam,† the narrator arguably should do all that he can. To what extent is the narrator supposed to help the melancholic scrivener? Has he failed as a human being if he has done any less than all he can? After asserting that after a certain point, pity becomes revulsion, he defends the transformation: â€Å"They err who would assert that invariably this is owing to the inherent selfishness of the human heart. It rather proceeds from a certain hopelessness of remedying excessive and organic ill† (24-25). Yet the narrator goes on to describe the transformation as defensive. Although he denies the charge that the pity-to-revulsion change is due to selfishness, his explanation of the motives behind it seem like little more than a selfishness that is philosophically justified. At work here is what Toni Morrison (an admirer of Melville) would call a shortage of love. Ironically, on the day his pity turns to revulsion, the narrator was on his way to Church. The narrator never does make it to Church that day, and the symbolism is obvious. Though he was on his way to see a celebrity preacher, religion’s highest ideals do not win a place in the narrator’s heart: Melville, as he does in many of his works, is taking a small jab at religion and its inability to change men meaningfully for the better. The narrator will try to help Bartleby return home, but we will see that there are limits to what he feels he can do. The office space of the modern business world undergoes some interesting conceptualizations in this section. At first, the narrator calls our attention to the desolateness of the office and of Wall Street: â€Å"Of a Sunday, Wall Street is deserted as Petra; and every night of  every day it is an emptiness† (23). There are parallels between Bartleby’s experience of the workplace at night and his experience of the workplace in general share a similarity: he sees something that no one else sees. The desolation of Wall Street is part of Bartleby’s essential perception of it. The literal desolation at night is paralleled by the spiritual desolation during the day. Bartleby sees both, and through him the narrator gets some sense of them. The narrator also makes an interesting move by describing the office as a site of savagery. He cites the example of a recent Wall Street murder, and explains why an office can be conducive to otherwise unthinkable acts: â€Å"Often it had occurred to me in my ponderings upon the subject, that had that altercation taken place in the public street, or at a private residence, it would not have terminated as it did. It was the circumstance of being alone in a solitary office, up stairs, of a building entirely unhallowed by humanizing domestic associations . . .† (33-34). The office, a site of modern economic systems and progress, becomes a space like the jungle island in The Lord of the Flies. Something about the space is dehumanizing, and makes murder possible. Finally, the narrator’s resolve to help Bartleby weakens, and it’s because of his work. Apparently, the modern office also makes possible the neglect of another human being. The narrator is certainly not an exception among humans for his choices: he puts up with more from Bartleby than anyone else does. But in the end, he makes choices that amount to abandonment of Bartleby. If his action is something any human would do, then the abandonment of Bartleby is a comment on humanity. The ghostly descriptions of Bartleby are now extended to the narrator. He describes going up the stairs to his old office as â€Å"going upstairs to my old haunt† (42). The language is part of the expansion of Bartleby’s ghostly characteristics to the narrator and later, to all of humanity. We see that Bartleby does not want to do anything; living itself tires him. In this way, â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener† is more than just a didactic tract on the economic world of Melville’s day. The conditions of life are not easily changed, and the depictions of office sterility and isolation in a large, unnatural world seem equally applicable today. Bartleby is a creature unable to adapt to this world, because he is too honest about what appeals to him. Nothing in life excites him. When the narrator tries to suggest different occupations to Bartleby, the scrivener’s response is always the same: â€Å"I would prefer not to.† The narrator’s offer to have Bartleby stay at his own home seems initially generous, but this belated offer of hospitality comes from a fear of scandal: a lawyer has threatened to publish the case in the papers. Yet one of the accomplishments of the story is that our narrator is basically a decent man. His abandonment of Bartleby is in no way exceptional, nor are we meant to see the narrator as more cruel or uncaring than the rest of humanity. If he fails Bartleby, we also must concede that most of us would fail him as well. Several times in the story, we are made to question Bartleby’s sanity. Ginger Nut gleefully suggests that Bartleby is insane: â€Å"I think, sir, he’s a little loony† (16). The narrator also apparently shares the opinion, as he confides to the grub-man that Bartleby is â€Å"a little deranged† (44). But Bartleby, whatever his problems may be, is fully aware of the world around him. When the narrator greets Bartleby in prison, he’s condescending to him, speaking to him in the way that one condescends to the mad: â€Å"And see, it is not so sad a place as one might think. Look, there is the sky, and here is the grass.† Bartleby’s reply is concise and curt: â€Å"I know where I am† (43). He is aware of the world. Notice also that there is a double meaning in the exchange. Both Bartleby and the narrator could be referring to the world itself. Bartleby is asserting that he can see the world around him clearly, and he apparently finds nothing to excite him. Environment has been important so far to the story, and Melville’s concise and powerful description of the prison yard continues the trend. Death imagery is abundant. The description comes not during the first visit, but right before the narrator finds Bartleby’s death. He describes the character of the masonry as â€Å"Egyptian,† and mentions the â€Å"soft imprisoned turf† growing underfoot. â€Å"The heart of the eternal pyramids, it seemed, wherein, by some strange magic, through the clefts, grass-seed, dropped by birds, had sprung† (45). For people of Melville’s day, even more so than now, â€Å"Egyptian† character would recall death, as the Egyptian civilization was known mostly through its funerary objects and elaborate burial practices. Incidentally, the Halls of Justice are called â€Å"The Tombs.† The image of the turf is ambiguous. Is it an image of hope, or of imprisonment? â€Å"The heart of the eternal pyramids† is a pretty phrase, but the pyramids, it must be remembered, were tombs. Death itself is the only constant. The image of birds dropping seeds, which grow in spite of the hostile environment, is  lyrical and powerful. But is the grass a metaphor for hope, and life’s persistence, the possibility of survival and beauty in a harsh environment? Or does the phrase â€Å"imprisoned turf† dominate the image? The grass then becomes battered, trapped life, with no hope of escaping the â€Å"Egyptian character† of the Tombs. Mortality is not a theme here in the usual sense. Bartleby chooses his death, detaching from life in stages and sliding towards an inevitable end. The real death is more than an event in time: death is diffuse, a spiritual gloom pervading the empty Wall Street landscape, the imposing stonework of the prison, and the Dead Letter Office where Bartleby supposedly worked. Living is not the opposite of death, but a condition continually assaulted and permeated by it. The final rumor is haunting and dark. We learn also that Bartleby lost the Dead Letter Office job due to an administration change. The doubling continues: remember that the narrator lost his position due to bureaucratic change as well. Here, the doubling is expanded. Bartleby is a phantom double not only for the narrator, but for all of humanity. The Dead Letter Office is a place of supreme gloom, where evidence of human mortality and the futility of our best intentions would have been unavoidable. The narrator, a man who adapts to this life, who thrives in the world that exhausted Bartleby, cannot help but be moved by Bartleby’s vision. The tone of his final statement (â€Å"Ah, Bartleby! Ah, humanity!†) is of a sadness mixed with resignation, a pained sigh rather than a shriek of anger. He has failed to help even one man. He can do nothing to alter the human condition.

The Sociological Perspectives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Sociological Perspectives - Essay Example The functionalist perspective views the world as a set of groups that coexist based on mutual need and cooperation. It is through this means that society is able to reach and maintain equilibrium. Durkheim, Comte, and Spencer pioneered this sociological perspective, but Robert Merton elaborated on the theory. He viewed societal consequences as being manifest, latent, and latent dysfunctional. Manifest functions are the positive and intended outcome of a group on society. Latent functions are the unintended consequences that help society maintain order. The latent dysfunctions are unintended negative results that continually upset and shape society. Our family was lower middle class and as such we filled the role of working in the factories and the mills. In return society provided us with adequate income and substantial opportunities. In doing so, our social class fulfilled its function and was rewarded by other groups in society through peaceful coexistence Karl Marx, the most well known conflict theorist, viewed the world as groups that were competing for the available resources. He generally defined conflict in terms of wealth and saw it as two classes; the bourgeoisie (capitalists) and the proletariat (workers).

Sourcing and supply chain strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Sourcing and supply chain strategy - Essay Example Often, strategies that have been already tested in practice are preferred, as they can ensure the limitation of risks involved. Similar approaches are used in modern organizations when having to manage organizational sources. In this case, two different concepts appear: the sourcing strategy and the supply chain strategy. The above two frameworks, even if they seem identical, they refer to different organizational needs. Of course, as all organizational strategies, the outsourcing strategy and the supply chain strategy have a common target: to provide to the organization a competitive advantage towards its rivals (Weele 2009). The relationship between the sourcing strategy and the supply strategy is explored in this study. Reference is made to the elements of these strategies, their requirements and their key processes. Particular emphasis is given on the parts of supply chain strategy, since the particular strategy is extensively used in modern organizations, having the power to sig nificantly support organizational growth. At this point the following issue should be highlighted: the literature published in the particular field promotes different approaches for explaining the role and the structure of the outsourcing strategy and the supply chain strategy. ... Then, the processes of each of the above strategy would be analysed using appropriate theories and examples so that the value and the implications of both these strategies to be made clear. 2.1.1 Sourcing strategy The sourcing strategy, as the supply chain strategy, focuses on specific organizational needs. Patel (2005) note that ‘the sourcing strategy defines who will fulfil various parts of the objectives as defined by the business strategy’ (Patel 2005, p.43). At the next level, ‘the activity to which the above objectives are related can be a project or a process’ (Patel 2005, p.43). Thus, the role of outsourcing with modern organizations is quite specific: to respond to the needs of particular organizational initiatives, other internal or external, which have to be developed within a short or a long period of time. From a similar point of view, Philippart et al. (2005) noted that the outsourcing strategy is used when having ‘to identify the strateg ies which will be used for sourcing the appropriate products and services’ (Philippart 2005, p.118). The potential role of outsourcing as one of the key business strategies is made clear through the following example: IBM and Dell, key competitors in the global electronics industry, have significantly decreased their costs by using outsourcing in regard ‘to their key commodities, such as memories and hard disks’ (Philippart et al 2005, p.118). In other words, if it is appropriately planned, outsourcing can help to the improvement of cost control in modern organizations, supporting the standardization of organizational performance. In 2010, Walmart introduced a new sourcing strategy based on the following

Strategic Management Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Strategic Management Accounting - Essay Example operator of the largest civilian fleet of the world and accordingly employs more than 6, 26,764 staffs in order to ensure successful running of the widely dispersed network (Crew and Brennan, 2015). The paper will explore the organizational structure, different constituents of product and capital markets for the purpose of understanding interaction between both the markets. The main reason behind USPS to maintain their long established and well maintained postal services is the steady internal structure of the organization. The present structure of the organization is designed in such a manner that ensures coordination and conformation of three distinct organizational responsibilities such as: formulating strategic directions, coordinating and carrying out routine operations and providing necessary support for managing other internal functions (Carbaugh and Tenerelli, 2011). The headquarters are delegated to fundamental responsibilities such as strategy determination and formulation of organizational objectives. For monitoring and controlling the daily operations, the organization has assigned Chief Operating Officers (COO) (Baligh, 2006). However, among all such units, decision making and delegation of responsibilities are maintained by the departments residing in the headquarters. This shows a relatively bureaucratic organizational structure. As a result of operating since 1970s, evolution of multiple cross functional departments further complicated the systems of the organization. Therefore, the organizational structure of USPS may be transformed into a functional structure where individual departments will be able to make decisions in order to speed up the pace of service (Carbaugh and Tenerelli, 2011). Such organizational structure will contribute towards minimizing the complexities among departments and accelerating the postal services in the United States (Baligh, 2006). Considering products and services provided by the United States Postal Service, the

Criminal law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Criminal law - Essay Example an existing legal rule; in this context, actions which are not characterized by the law as crimes cannot be punished, c) the offender need to have the ability of critical thinking – in the sense that an imputation of guilt can take place; for people who do not have aesthesis, i.e. those who lack of objectivism cannot be punished for an action which is characterized by the law as offence; however, it is possible that the guardians of these persons are considered as having the responsibility for the actions of the offenders, d) the intention of the offender to commit the crime is also a necessary requirement for the existence of crime as a punitive behaviour.3 At the next level, the following clarifications need to be made: crime has both an active and a passive form; it can be expressed through a specific activity or it can refer to the failure of taking the measures required for the avoidance of an offence. Furthermore, a problem may exists when an offence involves in more than one countries which have evaluated the specific action differently: the law of one of these countries characterizes the action as crime while the law of the other country states that the specific action does not meet the requirements of a crime; usually, the law of the country where the specific action took place is applied; so, no conflict of law is developed. Moreover, it is possible that an action does not constitute a crime at the time point of its development but it is later characterized as a crime – with a new legal rule. This problem is usually addressed by the limitation of retrospective laws – usually laws of such type are avoided in the a rea of criminal law. In accordance with the issues discussed above, criminal actions can be committed by individuals – persons; organizations of various types can be considered as legal entities in regard to a series of activities but they cannot be held liable for criminal offences – however, it is still possible for crimes to be

Texas Education Budget Cuts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Texas Education Budget Cuts - Essay Example The expression describes an act of desperation; a deal with the devil done to provide short-term relief that merely forestalls a now-guaranteed disastrous long-term consequence, for it turns temporary hunger pangs into inevitable starvation. To eat the next year’s seeds is to fail to invest in the future. It is myopic generational theft that insidiously steals from tomorrow by mortgaging the future. Such is the same with Texas’ ill-conceived plan to cut public school budgets. We’ve all heard the mantra that the future is high-tech and in Texas, even traditionally low-tech industries like oil exploration have gone high-tech. According to Southwest Economy: The history of Texas lies in cattle and oil. But increasingly, the future of the state is becoming linked with the ever-evolving high-tech industry. High-tech employment has grown more than twice as fast in Texas as it has in the nation during the 1990s...The high-tech expansion has had an indirect impact on the state's economy by keeping other industries humming [...] One of the best examples of the indirect effects is the impact on the state's construction and real estate industries.

Module 5 BHS427 Health Care Finance (AUG2014-1) Capital Budgeting Essay

Module 5 BHS427 Health Care Finance (AUG2014-1) Capital Budgeting (CASE) - Essay Example is referred to as the time it takes a firm to recover its initial cash expenditure from the cash inflow it gets from a certain project or investment. Academics usually advocate the NPV method followed by IRR measure. The payback period method serves as a supplementary tool to decision making. The payback period is quite attractive, but its shortcomings make it less practically relevant. Its shortcomings include; the lack of consideration of the time value of money that can influence wrong decision-making and, it also ignores any cash flows which accrue after the payback period. Despite its shortcomings, the payback period method is still used by firms in appraising capital budgeting decisions (Avery, 2011). The continual use of the payback period by firms and managers implies that there is value realized from its results. Thus, considering a constant growth rate of cash flows the payback period can be calculated by using two main factors of cash flow. The factors are â€Å"the ratio (I) of the initial outlay to the next period projected cash flow, and the projected cash flow growth rate (g)† (Avery, 2011., p.1). Therefore, if the payback period is negatively associated to g and positively related to the ratio I, the management is at a better position to evaluate the expenses and gains of a certain project. Money time value can be adjusted via the discounted cash flows. This approach suggests that there is an expected constant growth in cash flows; choosing the value of g depends on existing knowledge of the activity and foresight of a firm. The ratio I will be the initial investment divided by 1. The cash flow is also assumed to be growing â€Å"at a constant rate of g percent per period.† Thus from calculations the payback period (T) is directly proportional to I, and inversely proportional to g. That is; a high value of I imply a high initial investment cost as compared to the projected first period cash flow. Hence, an investor will take a longer time to

Influence of the development of low carbon infrastructure in future Essay - 1

Influence of the development of low carbon infrastructure in future - Essay Example s carbon emissions would mean that certain tradeoffs must be made between meeting the societal needs the way they were traditionally met, and achieving the new objective. In this respect, the Civil engineering profession has a role to play in developing structures that will be productive at the same rate as the traditional and current structures, may it be in terms of energy, safety or economic production, but which reduces the carbon emission to the lowest level possible. Carbon emission is an occurrence that is associated with every stage of the civil engineers project development work, starting from the design face, all the way to the construction, usage, maintenance and the dismantling of the infrastructure (ICE, 2011:7). Thus, the role of the civil engineers in the development of low carbon infrastructure must start right from the design face, until the structure is completed and put in use. Thus, these are the several ways through which the civil engineers can influence the dev elopment of low carbon infrastructure: The application of more carbon intensive technology during the construction face is one of the ways through which the civil engineers can contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions by the structure in its lifetime. This is because; the use of more carbon intensive means that there will be significantly reduced usage of carbon during the phase of usage of the infrastructure that has been developed (ICE, 2011:3). Therefore, considering the fact that the time span utilized in the development of an infrastructure is too short compared to the life time use of the infrastructure, it follows that the use of more carbon intensive during construction will help to reduce the overall future emission of the structure during its prolonged lifetime (ICE, 2011:4). Therefore, the greatest influence of the civil engineers in the development of the low carbon infrastructure can be realized at the project appraisal stage, which will help the civil engineer

Marty King Essay Example for Free

Marty King Essay Erik Erikson had numerous contributions to the field of psychology; many of which involved his developmental theory. Erikson has been compared to Sigmund Freud; as both men believed that humans develop in stages. Erikson however, believed Freud to be misguided, as Erikson believed that developmental process is one which occurs throughout one’s lifespan; whereas Freud believed that a human’s personality developed by the age of five (Chen, 2007). Erikson published numerous books on human development; as well as issues including the generation gap, changing sexual roles and racial tensions. This quantitative research paper however, discusses Erikson’s eight stages of development and how each stage correlates with symptoms of borderline personality disorder. Each of Erikson’s eight developmental stages consists of certain elements (crises), which if not resolved will result in negative outcomes. The researcher believes that when crises are not resolved within Erikson’s developmental stages, it predisposes individuals to borderline personality disorder. In order to prove this hypothesis, the researcher will conduct quantitative research on the causes and symptoms of borderline personality disorder and the negative outcomes of Erikson’s eight developmental stages; the phenomenological research will then be compared. Borderline personality disorder has been widely studied over the past several decades; however, there is limited research on what childhood (birth to age eighteen) attributes contribute to the onset of BPD. Approximately two percent (up to ten million) of adults in the U. S. are diagnosed with BPD; accounting for twenty percent of psychiatric hospitalizations (NIMH, 2008); many cases of BPD go undiagnosed. Genetic factors have been primarily studied in the past as the biological cause of BPD; however recent research shows that forty to seventy-one percent of BPD patients were sexually abused as children (NIMH, 2008), approximately seventy-three percent report physical abuse and emotional abuse and neglect are also commonly reported in BPD cases. These statistics indicate that there is reason to believe that childhood trauma could significantly predispose a person to BPD. While research as to the possible causes of BPD has been conducted, the researcher proposes that a quantitative study be conducted in order to collect phenomenological data from various studies, for comparison to Erikson’s eight stages of development. The reason for this strategy is that by comparing the results of numerous studies, the researcher can produce â€Å"the bigger picture†, of what predisposes individuals to BPD; thus increasing the probability of successful recovery. The researcher chose Erikson’s eight developmental stages as model for comparison because the eight crises depicted in this model demonstrate the traumas indicated in many BPD cases. When the eight crises are not resolved, the results correlate with BPD symptoms. The researcher aims to prove that individuals who do not resolve the eight negative crises of Erikson’s developmental model; thus suffering some form of childhood trauma, are predisposed to BPD as adults. As mentioned previously, the information proving this hypothesis can be used to improve treatment options for BDP patients. The researcher for this study would like to see a reduction in hospitalization as a treatment for BPD patients; and instead implement alternative methods, such as assisting patients through Erikson’s eight stages. Assisting patients through the eight stages will allow them to re-learn emotional skills and abilities; such as coping skills. The researcher’s professional background in BPD clinical work has allowed significant insight into the difficulties of BPD treatment. Due to the immense amount of physical and emotional energy needed to work with BPD patients; many professionals tend to provide affirmation of the history of failure and poor coping skills by treating the patient with sympathy instead of empathy. The researcher believes that understanding the reasoning behind BPD patient behavior will improve the patient’s ability to improve poor coping skills. This change in professional behavior will reduce the feelings of being burnt out and tired because the professional will be able to support the success of the patient instead of doing the work for them. Currently, there is an attitudinal barrier between the professional and the patient which results in a failure to understand the condition of BPD. The researcher hopes to promote an understanding of BPD patient behavior; behaviors which many clinical professionals find exasperating. In increasing understanding of the development of BPD behaviors, clinicians will be better equipped to work with patients in an inclusive partnership rather than feeling they are exceeding appropriate boundaries. Literature Review Erikson’s Eights Stages of Development The â€Å"Eight Stages of Development†, the process of socialization, were developed by Erik Erikson in 1956 (Child Institute Center, n. d. ). Erikson had extensive experience in psychotherapy; including children and teens of all social classes. Erikson believed that each stage presented a â€Å"psychosocial crisis† in which an individual must experience, learn and resolve in order to successfully manage the next step. Erikson’s eight stages are represented in Figure 1. The eight stages are based on the â€Å"interaction of three different systems: the Somatic system, the ego system, and the societal system† (Keenan, p. 22, 2002). The somatic system refers to the biological processes of human functioning. The ego system are the central thinking and reasoning processes (2002); and the societal system is the process an individual goes through as he becomes integrated into his society. Erikson believed that the eight stages occurred in order and each stage represented a crisis which had to be resolved by the individual. Whether the crisis was completed successfully or not would be the deciding factor on how successful the next stage would be. If the crisis was not mastered, then the individual would be ill prepared to deal with the next stage of development; this trend would continue throughout all the stages. Erikson did believe that the eight stages were relevant throughout life and that he linked a crisis to each stage because that is when the crisis was most salient (Cohen, 2007). Oral-Sensory Stage. In this first stage (trust/mistrust), the first year of life is defined as the time for building trust; this is accomplished by the infant learning trust through the parent or caregiver’s actions and responses to the infant’s needs. Feeding is the focal point of Erikson’s first stage; when the child cries for food, the parent will feed and comfort the infant. If the child is neglected, he will learn to be mistrustful. Erikson also believed if trust was not established in the first stage, the child could become â€Å"frustrated, withdrawn, suspicious, and will lack self-confidence† (Sharkey, 1997). Muscular-Anal Stage. The second stage (autonomy/doubt) consists of ages one through two years old. During this stage the child is face with the development of self-control which is accomplished by a supportive atmosphere. If basic trust was not developed in stage one, the child will have difficulty in establishing self control in stage two, resulting in a lack of self-esteem (Sharkey, 1997). If the parent is too controlling, or does not provide enough structure the child can become doubtful of himself and the environment around him.

Historical Development The American Dream History Essay

Historical Development The American Dream History Essay The idea of the American dream was evident long before its coinage. However, the idea of the American dream could be traced chronologically, from the discovery of America, especially the Northern part or the Promised Land4 to the modern age. According to Robert E. Spiller, in Literary History of the United States, the idea of the American dream was associated with America. As a state of mind, America has existed long before its discovery.5 Europeans began to come up with all sorts of hopes, dreams, and aspirations for the new and largely unexplored continent. Many of these dreams focused on owing lands and establishing prosperous business and religious freedom. For them, the American dream was the dream of an Earthly Paradise. The Earthly Paradise was strongly believed to be the land of great opportunities. It was a great dream that dominated Europeans imaginations: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦from the time of the first settlement, America was seen from European eyes as a land of boundless opportunities, a place where man, after centuries of poverty, misery, and corruption could have a second chance to fulfill, in reality, his mythic yearnings for a return to paradise.6 The idea of the American dream was as old as the American continent. Europeans were influenced by the Greeks and Classics writings. During the sixteenth century, an English saint and humanist, Sir Thomas More (1478-1535) identified America with Platos Utopia. In his book Utopia (1516), More represented the idea of the heavenly paradise to an attainable paradise. In the nineteenth century, the idea of Utopia changed into an actual paradise. Because of the influence of the French and Industrial Revolutions, the earthly paradise was attainable.7 With the possibility of such a land, the American dream was an attitude of hope and spiritual faith erected to fulfill human wishes, desires, and dreams in the New World. Thousands of European immigrants had moved to the New World to fulfill the versions of the American dream. The New World was a hope of a new life away from frustration and the sense of inferiority. 8 The American dream dealt with the idea of bettering one selfs economy by which one hoped the New World would provide abundant opportunities for ones prosperity and success. The dream was of rising from poverty to fame and fortune i.e. from rags-to-riches.9 Furthermore, it was the dream of a perfect government that would provide immigrants full and equal opportunities. They would go to the New World to set up new religious and political communities, hopefully, based on their ideas.10 The idea of the American dream had developed. It represented the dream of individual success of that of the American Adam whose labors and posterity that one day would cause great change in the New World.11 According to R. W. B. Lewis, the American Adam was: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a radically new personality, the hero of the new adventure: an individual emancipated from history, happily bereft of ancestry, untouched and undefiled by the usual inheritance of family and race, an individual standing alone, self-reliant and self-propelling, ready to confront whatever awaited him with the aid of his own unique and inherent resource.12 This signified the secular dimension of the American dream, which was associated with social success. With the rise of industrialism and the growth of the economic environment and the rapid advance of science and technology in the nineteenth century, America changed from an agricultural into an industrial and a capitalistic country. The idea of the American dream was to achieve economic independence, especially to have a vocation and own a home in order to be happy. This economic development led to class distinctions and created special privileges for certain classes. It was the pursuit of money rather than of happiness. With the development of new knowledge of Darwinian Theory, American people believed in the struggle for existence and the survival of the fittest. To become wealthy, one needed to fulfill his or her dreams by all means, even if the fulfillment was by illegal ways. This dilemma corrupted the principles of freedom and equality of opportunity, and caused great doubt tow ard the American dream as a whole, and engaged more severely against other human beings. 13 A concept often brought into connection with the American dream was the symbol of Melting Pot. The idea of Melting Pot was used in the eighteenth and ninetieth centuries, the metaphor of a Crucible was used to describe the fusion of different nationalities, ethnicities, and cultures.14 It was used together with the concepts of the United States as an ideal republic and a city upon a Hill. It was a metaphor for the idealized process of immigration and colonization by which different nationalities and races were to blend into a new, virtuous community, and it was connected to Utopian vision of the emergence of an American new man.15 It was first used in American Literature, as a concept of immigrants melting into the receiving culture, was found in the writings of J. Hector John de Crevecoeur. In his Letters from an American Farmer (1782), Crevecoeur referred to the problem of the American Nationality that appeared after the Revolutionary Era and the Declaration of Independence. He wrote: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a man whose grandfather was an Englishman, whose wife was Dutch, whose son married a French woman, and whose present four sons have now four wives of different nationsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, [new in part, because of that] strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country. He is an American who, leaving behind him all his ancient prejudice and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holdsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦The Americans were once scattered all over Europe; here they are incorporated into one of the finest systems of population which has ever appeared.16 In 1908, a play by Israel Zangwill named Melting Pot, was first performed in Washington, D. C., where the immigrant protagonist declared: Understanding that America is Gods Crucible, the great Melting-Pot, where all the races of Europe are melting and re-forming! [into a new identity] Here you stand, good folk, think I, when I see them at Ellis Island, here you stand in your fifty grounds, your fifty languages, and histories, and your fifties blood hatred and rivalries. But you wont be long like that, brothers, for these are the fires of God youve come to-these are fires of God. A fig for your feuds, and Vendettas! German and French manà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ into the crucible with you all! God is making the American.17 However, the play was soon criticized as unrealistic; because melting and reforming into new American Adam appeared to be heresy that implied that all sides had to give up their culture completely to create a new one. The conflict was that many social classes and groups were excluded from the participation in the earthly life.18 Nevertheless, since the whites (Anglo-Saxon Protestants) were the predominant group in the British Colonies, other cultures and identities were perceived as inferior or even unwanted. African-Americans and Native American Indians were enslaved; Catholic Irish and Southern European immigrants were discriminated against for centureies.19 People from different cultural backgrounds often wrongly interpreted the concept of melting pot as the peaceful living together with people from other ethnic groups. But in reality, ethnic groups or minorities in America were not equal to the white people. African- Americans and Native American Indians were denied civil rights.20 Gradually, the meaning of the melting pot had changed. In response to the criticism of the concept of melting pot, Horace Kallen developed the concept of cultural pluralism in 1915. This concept incorporated that different ethnic groups could keep their cultures and that people would mutually enrich their culture. 21 Multiculturalists asserted that cultural differences within society were valuable, and should be preserved. They proposed the alternative metaphor of the mosaic or salad bowl-different cultures mixed, but remained distinct.22 The question was what, then, is the American, this new man? He is neither European nor the descendant of a European.23 The conflict was between the dreams of the white European Americans, who came to the New World to fulfill their dreams as new men, and the dreams of the other minorities, especially, the black African, who came by force. Like many other minorities, Africans were obliged to abandon their rights of sharing or participating in the American life. According to the assumption that Man was part of the universe, man had the power to improve his own nature by improving his environment through science and education.24 Merle Curti in his The Growth of American Thought affirmed mans natural rights of life, liberty, and prosperity, which were accessible to everyone without discrimination. In order to be a normal American citizen, one should naturally practice these rights. These natural rights could not be alienated from the state, and if the state did violate the natural law of the universe by alienating these rights, then man could and should resort to revolution.25 This basic fact encouraged many people in the United States of America, especially African-Americans to take action and revolt against the injustice. By the turn of the twentieth century, the American dream was described as a nightmare. In the Two World Wars, the dream had begun to lose its glitter. Americans, whites and blacks became disillusioned by the idea of making the world safe for democracy [which] had proved to be blasphemy.26 They believed that they were fighting for a better world, for a world of peace and corporation, for a real and immediate Utopia. Americans had suffered psychological and mental pressures, and the image of death made men lose stability and lose faith in the American dream of establishing a perfect world. Instead, they became neurotic, frustrated, and disappointed; Gertrude Stein described the new youth as a lost generation, because their lives became meaningless, pointless, and agonizing ones. 27 The reason behind the confrontation of dreams, was the misery and suffering caused by the crisis that happened in the first half of the twentieth century. One of the most eventual and memorable decades in American history was, the Great Depression of the 1930s that changed American life, and prepared the country for a post-war era, characterized by pessimism and despair.28 Thus, the American dream of the modern age had been shrouded by doubt and pessimism, as economics faltered and opportunities diminished. The dream became a record of unfulfilled promises and dashed hopes.29 Yet, Americans had consistently, flavored their dreams with dashed skepticism. From the very beginning, this was true, Sir Thomas More was as skeptical as any other man about the promises he entitled in Utopia. When he wrote it, he was playing with an idea.30 This showed that the American dream was first an idea. Then, it was said that the American dream had served as a justification for those who had exploited a virgin country, and it had been the chief argument of those who had tried to equalize all men before the law.31 Consequently, people came to anticipate a generous and friendly New World rather than a lavish heaven.32 The American dream was not the product of a solitary thinker, but evolved from the hearts and burdened souls of millions who came to this nation. To make their dreams come true, James Truslow Adams insisted on the principle of working together, no longer merely to build bigger, but to build better. And that referred to all citizens of the United States whether they were black or white.33 After World War II, the American dream was portrayed as a military power.34 The United States of America became the most powerful nation. The 1950s was the period of American preeminence as a military and economic power that revived the dream after the Great Depression of the 1930s. America was marked by a self-conscious sense of its place in the world. The twentieth century was the American Century, the post-war era was certainly the time when citizens of the United States began to believe that it was, in fact, their century, and that theirs was the greatest country in the world. With the Americans belief of their responsibility for winning World War II, it provided them with self-confidence about the world. 35 Frederick R. Karl characterized the period: as a time of growth, development, progress, enlightenment, and achievement of goals; as a renaissance of sort and essential to what helped turn the country into a superpower under a benign, grinning, ex-hero of a persistence. The general argument is that man and woman who experienced the depression returned from World War II to rebuild the country. This generation accordingly, is a treasure, for not only did it , revitalize the country domestically, it helped make the United States the beacon of the World, offering financial aid, food, and military muscle wherever required.36 Americans had always had a faith in the new. Critics saw the American dream as a clever political and economic marketing strategy. They wanted people to get away from selfishness, individualism, and materialism, and to return to community spirit and social responsibility.37 The meaning of the American dream had changed over the course of history. The American dream simply indicated the ability, the practice, and the participation in the society and economy, for everyone to achieve prosperity. According to the American dream, this included the opportunity for ones children to grow up and receive a good education and career without artificial barriers. It was the opportunity to make individual choice without the prior restrictions that limited people, according to their class, caste, religion, race, or ethnicity.38 1:2The African-American Experience In the United States of America, the African-Americans experience was unique. It was marked by slavery, segregation, and injustice. It made the quest for the American dream; that was of freedom, equality, and happiness, an essential pursuit.39 It is important to shed light on the African-American struggle in the United States of America. Unlike most of other minorities, the African- Americans were captured in Africa, taken from their homes and lands by force and sent to a strange new land. They were brought chained and enslaved as a result of colonialism.40 In the early colonial days, Black Africans had many opportunities to secure their freedom by escaping or buying themselves out of slavery, and once free, they had a good chance to make their success in the New World. The life of Anthony Johnson41 illustrated the possibility of the blacks early dreams, in the early period of European colonization in American North. He was known as Antonio, a Negro. Johnson was enslaved in 1621, when he was sold to the English Jamestown; he worked with Bennett family (a white family) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ who commended him for his hard labor and known servicesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ He secured his freedom, got married to a freed-slave named Mary and baptized his children. As a freeman, Johnson dreamed of establishing his own farm in Virginia, of 250 acres raising tobacco and cornà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Eventually, his farm was burned, and he was killed, because the colonial legal system had begun to preserve the rights of the whites and deprive blacks of theirs. This period illustrated the fact the era of chattel Slavery had begun. Many Black Africans came to this land having dreams to fulfill. But, many forces spoiled these dreams. The dream of owning a land and successful business for the blacks was limited or weakened by the time and by the force of the law of the Black Codes 42 that was enacted by Virginia, in 1667. Black people had been enslaved with the change of economic conditions. The blacks were denied the opportunity to own land, because they were Negroes and by consequences aliens.43 These Codes made slavery a permanent condition inherited through the mother and defined slaves as property. Such slave Codes robbed the African-American slaves of their freedom and the power of their will. Nevertheless, freedom was always in the mind of the enslaved and how to gain that freedom was the essential question.44 In the New World; African-American slaves were forced to give up their African past and cultivated themselves to being slaves under the white master domination. They were prevented from bringing over their social relations and institutions. These slaves ate what was given to them, not what they wanted, and dressed the clothes that were given to them. In addition, these slaves were treated without any regard or consideration to physical welfare and human dignity.45 In the American South, African-American slaves were described as property. Masters learned to treat their slaves as property. Frederick Douglass, one of the most eloquent speakers against slavery in America, captured the essence of slavery in 1846: Slavery in the United States is the granting of the power by which one man exercises and enforces a right of property in the body and soul of another. The condition of slave is simply that of a brute beast. He is a piece of the master; who claims him[her] to be his property. He is spoken of, thought of, and threaten as property. His own good, his conscience, his intellect, his affection, are all set aside by the master. The will and the wishes of the master are the law of the slave. He is as much a piece of property as a horse. If he is fed, he is fed, because he is property. If he is clothed, it is with a view to the increase of his values as property.46 According to this definition of slavery, an African-American slave was the individual whose movement and activities were under the control of the Whites. Thus, he/she could not leave the controller or the employer without an explicit permission; otherwise, he/she could be punished.47 During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the use of slave labor was cheaper than indentured labor. Slavery was different from one colony to another. On the Eastern Coast and American North, the climate was not supporting extensive farming, slavery, there, tended to be farming slavery, with a few slaves living and working side by side with small farmers or craftsmen. Whereas in the South, the fertile land and warm climates made large-scale cultivation possible, plantation slavery developed. Large numbers of slaves lived and worked on far distances from their owners.48 Another reason for slavery spread was the shortage of indentured servants, which led to resort and to enslave African Americans.49 This meant slavery was essentially an economic institution from which the American nation benefited. More slave labor meant a large measure of prosperity. Many American historians believed that the growth of American economy was not because of slavery. But, Eric Williams, a Caribbean Scholar, charged that black slavery was the engine of that propelled American rise to global economic dominance. In his Capitalism and Slavery, Eric Williams maintained that early Europeans conquest and settlement of the New World depended upon the enslavement of millions of black slaves, who helped amass the capital that financed the industrial revolution. Americas economic progress, he insisted, came at the expense of the black slave, whose labor built the foundation of capitalism.50 In spite of the African-Americans participation in constructing the foundation of this nation, slavery was identified with dark skin.51 By late seventeenth century; slavery and servitude were closely identified with race. White indentured services were limited, voluntary, and had no racial components, whereas, slavery was involuntary, perpetual, and racially defined.52 Hence, indentured servants could be free and had the right to purchase their own freedom or buy completing their period of indenture. At the time of obtaining their freedom, they would pursuit their dreams of property and prosperity. While the African-American slaves did not enjoy these rights and protections.53 Instead, African-American slaves were controlled by the laws of Black Codes. On one hand, race was one of the obstacles that prevented African-Americans from achieving their dreams. On the other hand, the worst condition that African-American slaves had to live under, was the constant threat of sale.54 The African- American slaves family stability and security faced severe challenges. Masters, rather than parents, had legal authority over African-American slaves children and the possibility of forcible separation through sale hung over every family. The Southern plantation owners did not care, whether a slave to be sold off had family members, he/she had to leave behind or not. All mattered was that masters encouraged slavery. As masters questioned the humanity of such slaves, they argued that African- American slaves did not mind being sold since they lacked the ability to form stable family life.55 As for African-American women, they were included in the horrible system of slavery. They were persecuted, subjected to the worse kinds of oppression and exploitation. Not only, because being black women had to endure the horror of slavery and living in a racial and sick society. But as women, they witnessed their physical image being defamed and became the object of the white masters lust. As Black African-American, women had to endure the threat and practice of sexual exploitation, and as mothers, they witnessed their children torn from their breasts and sold into slavery.56 One of the ex-slaves, Jennie Hill explained the outlook of the Black African-Americans humanity according to the whites view point: [White] people think that slaves had no feelings, that they bore their children as animals, bear their young and that there were no heart-breaks when the children were torn from their parents or the mother taken from her brood to toil for a master in another state. But, that isnt so.57 For a white woman, providing home was an essential thing to possess. But, for an African-American woman, it was a dream. Black African-American woman had scantly the opportunity to regain her freedom and her own children.58 During slavery, Black African-American women were exploited in two main sectors of economy: in the fields (with full employment), and in the household. Black African-American women were stretched physically, emotionally, and spiritually to the utmost in the slave plantation, as they were forced to labor like men in the fields. Also they had substantial domestic roles. They raised whites children and created a decent and warm home environment for the white American family, while their dream of family unit was uncertain. 59 The Black African-American slaves had no right to live proper family unit. They had no rights which the master was obliged to respect. The master found it cheaper to overwork a slave and to replace him [or her] when died, rather take care of him [or her] when lived.60 The Black African-American slaves were deprived of living their own lives, denied the right of literacy, education, and could not retract, in inevitably distorted ways, the values, morals, and attitudes of the new civilization of which they gradually became a part.61 White Americans believed that the Black African-American slaves were brutal, barbaric, savage, who would present a real danger to the safety, prosperity, and security of the United States.62 Thus, it was in the system of slavery that the genesis of racism was to be found. According to Eric Williams, slavery was not born of racism, rather, racism was the consequence of slavery.63 White Americans fastened onto differences in physical appearance to develop the myth, that African-American slaves were subhuman and deserved to be enslaved. To enhance the Black African-America slaves inferiority, white Americans deliberately used religion to reinforce slavery as well. To support their institutions, the whites relied heavily on the Biblical story, in which Noahs curse of his son Ham (especially, the fourth son, Canaan), who said in the ninth chapter of Genesis: a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.64 This story justified the color of the Black African-American slaves. By the Nineteenth century, many historians agreed to the belief that the Black African-American slaves were the descendants of Ham was a primary justification for slavery among Southern Christians. In other words, the Bible was used to teach the Black African-American slaves a divine, God-given justification for their condition as slaves.65 Hence, white Americans became convinced of white superiority and black inferiority. It was the beginning of hatred and racial discrimination.66 White Americans taught the Black African-American slaves how to despise their African heritage, identity, and culture. They strove to include their own value system into the African-Americans outlook. They believed in Africans inferiority that paralleled self-hatred.67 In general, there were five steps in molding the character of strict discipline, a sense of his [her] inferiority, belief in the whites superiority power, acceptance of the whites standers, and finally, a deep sense of his [her] own helplessness and dependence.68 These facts emphasized the flourishing of the white American culture and completely ignoring of the Black African-American slaves culture. The Euro-Americans were the first who immigrated to the New World by their own free will in search of individual opportunity; their European culture was superior. However, the ignorance diminished the real fact of the importance of the African heritage, not only for the Black African-American slaves, but to mankind.69 For centuries, the Black African-American slaves were ignorant about their own culture and identity. They lacked knowledge, they were illiterates. They were described as people [, who] were no more capable of learning than were animals.70 This indicated that Black African-American slaves were victims and white Americans were victimizers. They were oppressed by the power of the whites. So, they were unable to find a hope to transform their life from slavery into freedom.71 1:3The Declaration of Independence We hold these truths to be self-evidence, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.72 With the setting of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, the most important document in the American history and self-perception, slavery as a moral, human, and economic system challenged the basic principles of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness, and proved to be the first great institution that tested the equality doctrine.73 The Declaration of Independence marked not only the independence of the thirteen colonies from Great Britain, it also laid the foundation of womens rights and of struggles for ending slavery: After the American colonies secured their independence from Great Britain, [the] black[s] hoped that the same leaders who had yearned for their own freedom would end slavery.74 The Declaration of Independence rested not upon particular grievances, but upon a broad base of individual liberty that could command general support throughout America.75 It served a purpose far beyond that of a public notice of separation. Its ideas inspired mass fervor for the American cause, for it instilled among ordinary folk a sense of their importance, inspiring them to struggle for personal freedom, self-government, and a dignified place in society.76 The United States of America started to shape itself as the Empire of Liberty and Prosperity, as a new entity, Black African-American slaves continued to play a significant role. Despite the continuation of violence against Black African-American slaves, who challenged the long standing tradition of racial discrimination and oppression in the South, the ex-slave and free-black people stepped forward into a new identity, a new reality, and a new sense of agency in public life. Many Black African-American slaves fought in the war of Independence, and they took to the heart assertion of the right of individual freedom that was so a part of the American Colonial and Revolutionary eras.77 Hence, the Declaration of Independence, as Jim Cullen, a historical critic thought it was not only an important document that shaped the way of Americans lives, but it à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦was born and lived the character of the American dream.78 This dream was profound, eloquent, and unequivocal expression of the dignity and worth of all human personality. In his A Struggle for Power, Theodore Draper, a historian summarized the revolutionary era as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ a struggle for power -between the power the British wanted to exercise over the Americans and the power the American wished to exercise over themselves.79 This fact suggested the most important question of Slavery. The Declaration of Independence made Americans want nothing more than freedom and to assume a separate and equal station among the power of the earth, Great Britin.80 The problem was, however, that the founding fathers (Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and George Washington, etc.,) of the nation defined freedom in terms of its opposite: Slavery. When they used the term Slavery, however, they were not referring to a peculiar institution, whereby many of the founding fathers themselves brought and sold Black African-American slaves as property. They referred to what they felt Great Britain was doing to their lives and livelihood.81 The unself-conscious comparison between freedom and slavery made other people in the United States call for their freedom as well. A British essayist, Samuel Jonson in 1775, asked, but How we [white people] hear the loudest yelp for liberty among drivers of Negroes?82 This paradoxical state made the founding fathers fear that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the attainment of their dream could encourage others to pursuit theirs.83 And this was true, because the success of the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence, gave Americans the opportunity to give legal form to their political ideals as expressed in the Declaration of Independence, and to remedy some of their grievance through state constitution. Americans were accustomed to live under written constitutions that they took them for granted.84 Therefore, the Black African-Americans experience with the American dream in the United States started with the announcement of the Declaration of Independence. Yet, the founding fathers never thought about women, slaves, and Natives as having equal rights like white Americans (Anglo-Saxon American descents), or did not even recognize them as human beings. Thus, the Declaration of Independence was not the subject to change disagreement, because its content never changed.85

The Educational Journey Essay -- Learning Schooling Teaching Papers

The Educational Journey Education is a journey through the universe. The universe is enormous and seems to have no end. If a person wants to be truly educated, he or she must spend years in school studying both important and trivial information. The material in the solar system represents the years a student spends in school. The remaining space in the universe is the endless learning one does outside of the classroom. The sun may not be in the center of the universe; however, the sun is the central core of the educational journey. The sun is where the educational journey begins. The elementary school years, kindergarten through fifth grade, are important years for the student. The elementary school grades are the years where a student should get a grasp on the basics in education, the focus being on math and developing literacy. Students are learning how to read write the alphabet, and how to connect sentences to form paragraphs. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are also being learned by the student during these years. Little time is usually spent on science and history. Recently schools have spent so much emphasis is placed on math and reading because of the California state mandated test the Stanford 9. Other states are in the same position with their own state-mandated tests. Students miss out on other important subjects in the curriculum. Teaching the subjects in the curriculum to a coeducational class may be difficult because boys and girls learn differently. Dave Thomas, who wrote an article, called "The Mind Of Man" argues that boys and girls learn differently point vehemently. He believes girls often have a difficult time in the classroom because the boys do all the talking (121). From person... ...ey. While the experiences may not always be enjoyable, the final outcome usually is. Everyone learns in a different manner, the direct path through the solar system does not work for everyone. People drop out of school everyday, but that does not by any means mean their life is over. As long as a person has goals in life, and they achieve those goals, he or she can be successful. Works Cited Rose, Mike. "Lives on the Boundary." The Presence of Others. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford And John J. Ruszkiewicz. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 105-119. Spayde, John. "Learning in the Key of Life." The Presence of Others. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 58-64. Thomas, David. "The Mind of Man." The Presence of Others. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 120-125. 7

The Ediacaran Fauna Essay -- essays research papers

Up until 1947, it was believed that the Cambrian Explosion marked the first true abundance of multicellular life. However, this was discovered to be untrue after Sir Douglas Mawson and R.C. Sprigg mistakenly came across numerous "fossil jellyfish" in the Ediacara Hills while observing what was originally believed to be sandstones belonging to the lowest strata of the Cambrian. At first, these finding were dismissed as "fortuitous inorganic markings."(AAS Biographical Memoirs.) Several years later however, other discoveries of segmented worms, worm tracks, and impressions of two other assemblages that bear no resemblance to any known organism, living or extinct, prompted the South Australian Museum and the University of Adelaide to undertake a joint investigation of the region. Further studies by M. F. Glaessner, a paleontologist at Adelaide showed that the fossils were found well below the oldest Cambrian strata and that the strata actually dated from the Precambrian era. Several thousand specimens have since been collected in the Ediacara Hills. All the fossils collected were soft-bodied animals and their tissues were strengthened by spicules-needles of calcium carbonate that functioned as their support. The Ediacaran organisms were marine animals, some crawled, some were attached to the sea floor and others would swim or just freely float. Their impressions were molded in the moving sands that washed over the mud flats and were preserved as casts in the sandstone. It is difficult to conceive how fossils of delicate soft-bodied animals could be preserved given the evidence of strong currents in the strata. However, extensive research has provided an explanation. Most of the animals settled on mud patches out of the water during calm currents. Some of these patches dried between tides and developed deep cracks. The next shifting current would then cover these cracks with a layer of sand and the lower surfaces preserved the mud in the form of perfect casts. (Glaessner 67)The nature of these soft-bodied fossils justifies the characterization of the Precambrian as the "age of the jellyfish," however the term jellyfish only refers to a number of diverse forms, which belong to the Phylum Cnideria. (Glaessner 64) Six principle forms of animals have been discovered. The first are the rounded, discoidal impressions, resembling th... ...nimals. Gregory Retallack, a paleontologist from the University of Oregon, suggests that these fossils were lichens. Retallack's argument rests on the fact that the impressions were buried five kilometers under ground. He believes the fossils should have been crushed by the weight of the overlying sediment. But Retallack observed that the fossils "were as compaction resistant as some kinds of fossil tree trunks!" Because of this, Retallack concludes that these forms weren't animals, rather lichens made up of sturdy molecules such as chitin. Further evidence of this interpretation can be found in the Ediacaran organism's growth patterns and microscopic structure. (Woodmorappe 1) Despite these controversial implications many paleontologists still believe the Ediacaran animals are in fact ancestors of the animals in the existing phyla. This controversy might not be resolved until the discovery of fossils providing more information.. (Levin 267) Charles Darwin found himself in this same situation some 150 years ago. Just as he was befuddled by the absence of the ancestors of the Cambrian anim als, we are puzzled by the absence of direct ancestors of these Ediacaran fossils.

Narrative- Amazon Woman Essay examples -- Personal Narrative Writing

Narrative- Amazon Woman I need to recover a rhythm in my heart that moves my body first and my mind second, that allows my soul to catch up with me. I need to take a sacred pause, as if I were a sun-warmed rock in the center of a rushing river. I am crouching still near a tree on a loamy ridge, my two hands spread around the trunk. I am feeling grateful for this tree that I remember because of its mossy smell and thick crevassed bark. It tells me that the beaver pond is near where one white pine shoots 100 feet up out of the tannic water, which means I am close to camp and food and sleep. I get to the pond’s edge, across from the point where my tent sits. There are no trails and the boreal forest is thick with scrub pine and dead-fall. Early afternoon sun brings out the wave of deer flies; I shake my head so that my two braids might hit the little buggers in mid-air. Undeterred, one begins to chew on my shoulder blade and prickers dig into my shins. I can see my tent across the pond, 100 yards as the crow flies, probably a mile walk around the edge. I decide to take off my clothes, leave them on this rock by the shore, swim across and come back for my things later in my canoe. Even though the whine of the deer flies’ wings beating around my head intensifies, I just stare at the water. It is only two feet deep here at the edge, but it is so dark that I cannot see the bottom. Darker shapes appear as I stare, including a large fallen pine tree which leads from the shore and disappears into the darkness. A fear takes hold of me, as it does every time I conte mplate diving into this dark water. I shake my head to loosen its grip, feel a deer fly land on the small of my back and I dive. I swim as hard as I can, my heart bang... ...Today I am smiling wide and proud of this body that carried boat and gear down to the water’s edge; that paddled against the wind across the bay to the foot of the wetland stream. The body that hoisted the laden canoe over five beaver damns, that carried boat and canoe up the trail for a mile to the secret pond; that sleeps comfortably in a tent alone out here listening to the hoot owl, and the loons and the cacophony of bullfrog music; the body that jerks upright at midnight with the sound of a buck’s snort and heavy stomp of his hoof; the body that gets up early and bushwhacks to the top of the mountain. I lie down on the warm rock at the edge of the pond and I close my eyes. My breath feels easy and light, my belly is soft and where a hard gnarled knot used to be under my sternum, a warmth spreads beyond my skin, around the blue sky and sun and back in again.

Austronesians

The Austronesians as Viewed by Peter Bellwood, Wilhelm Solheim II, and Zeus Salazar Prepared by Jezza Mae S. Dajac The term Austronesian contextually refers to a population group present in Southeast Asia or Oceania who speaks, or had ancestors who spoke, one of the Austronesian languages. Apart from the Polynesian people of Oceania, the Austronesian people include: Taiwanese Aborigines, the majority ethnic groups of East Timor, Indonesia and Malaysia. There had been several theories that posit the Austronesians as the origin of the Philippine population.Among the leading proponents of these ideas are Australian National University professor Peter Bellwood, American anthropologist and the most senior practitioner of archaeology in Southeast Asia Wilhelm Solheim II, and Filipino anthropologist Zeus Salazar. Their viewpoints are to be separately presented here. Bellwood's Austronesian Diffusion Theory/ Out-of-Taiwan (OOT) Hypothesis/ Mainland Origin Hypothesis Rather than believing tha t Austroloids were the ancestors of the Filipino race, Professor Bellwood argued that Austronesians were the roots of the population inhabiting most of the Asian territories today.His Out-of-Taiwan Hypothesis is based largely on linguistics and is mainly derived from American linguistic Robert Blust’ model of Austronesian diffusion, lately known as the Blust model. Bellwood incorporated archaeological data to Blust’s idea to arrive at his own theory. He posited that between 4500 BCE and 4000 BCE, developments in agricultural technology in the  Yunnan Plateau  in China  created pressures which drove certain people to migrate to  Taiwan. This is what explains the term â€Å"Out-of-Taiwan Hypothesis†.Bellwood also believed that these people either already had or began to develop a unique language of their own, which he referred to as â€Å"Proto-Austronesian†. By around 3000-3500 BCE, these groups started differentiating into three or four distinct s ubcultures, and by 2500 to 1500 BC, one of these groups began migrating southwards towards the Philippines and  Indonesia, reaching as far as  Borneo  and the  Moluccas  by 1500 BCE, forming new cultural groupings and developing unique languages.He called all the languages formed outside Taiwan â€Å"Malayo-Polynesian†. Meanwhile, the language developed in the Philippines and Indonesia was then termed â€Å"Western Malayo-Polynesian† By 1500 BC, some of these groups started migrating west, rand they reached the Madagascar  area around the 1st millennium. Still others migrated east, settling as far as  Easter Island  by the mid-13th century.This widespread movement gave the Austronesian language group the distinction of being the most widely distributed language groups in the world at that time, in terms of the geographical span of the homelands of its languages. Bellwood’s simplified theory about the origin of the Filipino race then, is that the people of the Philippines are the descendants of those cultures who remained on the Philippine islands when others moved first southwards, then eastward and westward.Solheim's Nusantao Maritime Trading and Communication Network (NMTCN) or the Island Origin Theory According to the anthropologist Wilhelm Solheim II: â€Å"I emphasize again, as I have done in many other articles, that ‘Austronesian' is a linguistic term and is the name of a super language family. It should never be used as a name for a people, genetically speaking, or a culture. To refer to people who speak an Austronesian language the phrase ‘Austronesian speaking people' should be used. This statement emphasized that the pioneers of the Austronesian-as-the-origin-of-Southeast Asians idea posits that the Austronesian is a group of languages rather that a group of people. Wilhelm Solheim's concept of the  Nusantao Maritime Trading and Communication Network  (NMTCN), while not strictly a theory regardin g the biological ancestors of modern Southeast Asians, does suggest that the patterns of cultural diffusion throughout the Asia-Pacific region are not what would be expected if such cultures were to be explained by simple migration.Where Bellwood based his analysis primarily on linguistic analysis, Solheim's approach was based on artifact findings. On the basis of a careful analysis of artifacts such as improvement of traditional lithic chopper and chopping tools, he suggests the existence of a trade and communication network that first spread in the Asia-Pacific region during its Neolithic age (and that which he referred to as the Nusantao Maritime Trading and Communication Network).For his theory, he coined the term â€Å"nusantao† which means â€Å"island people†. He also presented a different route of movement of the Austronesians from that of Bellwood’s model. According to Solheim's NMTCN theory, this trade network, consisting of both Austronesian and non-A ustronesian seafaring peoples, was responsible for the spread of cultural patterns throughout the Asia-Pacific region, not the simple migration (or movement, as Bellwood put it) proposed by the Out-of-Taiwan hypothesis.Solheim consequently came up with four geographical divisions delineating the spread of the NMTCN over time, and he called these geographical divisions â€Å"lobes. † Specifically, these were the central, northern, eastern and western lobes. The central lobe was further divided into two smaller lobes reflecting phases of cultural spread: the Early Central Lobe and the Late Central Lobe. Instead of Austronesian peoples originating from Taiwan, Solheim placed the origins of the early NMTCN peoples in the â€Å"Early Central Lobe,† which was in eastern coastal Vietnam, at around 9000 BC.He then suggests the spread of peoples around 5000 BC towards the â€Å"late central lobe†, including the Philippines, via island Southeast Asia, rather than from the north as the Taiwan theory suggests. Thus, from the Point of view of the Philippine peoples, the NMTCN is also referred to as the  Island Origin Theory. This â€Å"late central lobe† included Southern China and Taiwan, which became â€Å"the area where Austronesian became the original language family and  Malayo-Polynesian developed. In about 4000 to 3000 BC, these peoples continued spreading east through Northern Luzon to Micronesia to form the Early Eastern Lobe, carrying the Malayo-Polynesian languages with them. These languages would become part of the culture spread by the NMTCN in its expansions Malaysia and western towards Malaysia before 2000 BC, continuing along  coastal India  and Sri Lanka up to the western coast of Africa and  Madagascar; and over time, further eastward towards its easternmost borders at Easter Island.Thus, as in the case of Bellwood's theory, the Austronesian languages spread eastward and westward from the area around the Philippines. Aside from the matter of the origination of people, the difference between the two theories is that Bellwood's theory suggests a linear expansion, while Solheim's NMTCN theory suggests something more akin to concentric circles, all overlapping in the geographical area of the late central lobe which includes the Philippines. Salazar’s View of the AustronesiansZeus Salazar, like Solheim, believed that the Austronesians carried with them their culture as they spread all over Southeast Asia. However, he further posited that there are â€Å"gaps† between the technological knowledge as demonstrated by the late development of technology in the middle regions of the country. These gaps, according to Salazar, were due to the prolonged stay of the Austronesians in coastal areas of the country before penetrating to the inner regions.Nevertheless, he admits that the Austronesians were the ones responsible for culminating a great part of the Philippine culture and civilization. He once stated, â€Å"Ang pinakatiyak na migrasyon hanggang ngayon ay yaong tungo sa karagatan, ang pagsasaibayong-dagat ng mga Austronesyano, ang pinakamaagang ninuno ng mga Pilipino†¦ Sila’y nagdaan sa peninsula tungong Indonesia muna upang mapunta pagkatapos sa Pilipinas, sa Pasipiko, at sa Madagascar. ————————————————- This statement of Salazar reflected his parallel ideas to that of Solheim’s. However, he is known to focus more on studying linguistic aspects and evidences about the Austronesian’s diffusion, and he later found out that several Filipino words such as dalubhasa, balita, bahay, aso, niyog, araw, anito, karayom, mana, and apoy among others, were of Austronesian origin. ————————————————-Setting aside the fact that there ar e numerous theories about the origin of the Filipino race, with each one positing their own assumptions, it still cannot be denied that they collectively help in understanding and reconstructing our own history as they lead to further and more inquiry about our fragmented past. Whatever theory one may believe in, the important thing is that prejudices and biases are removed and instead, being scientific is employed in our search for a clearer and more solid view of the Philippine prehistory. ——————————————– 1 ]. Our Pacific Ocean, The Austronesian, http://www. ourpacificocean. com/austronesian_people/index. htm (October 2012) [ 2 ]. Claims have been made that Bellwood formulated his theory with K. C. Chang of Harvard University, specifically by M. C. Halili in the book Philippine History (Manila:Rex Bookstore, Inc. , 2004) p. 40 [ 3 ]. See Solheim’s Archaeology and Culture in Southeast Asia : Unraveling the Nusantao (Quezon City: UP Press, 2006)p. 85 [ 4 ]. Bellwood preferred using the term â€Å"movement† instead of â€Å"migration†. [ 5 ].See Solheim’s Archaeology and Culture in Southeast Asia: Unraveling the Nusantao (Quezon City: UP Press, 2006) for further elaboration. [ 6 ]. Origins of the Filipinos and Their Languages. (January 2006). [ 7 ]. See Salazar’s Kabihasnang Asyano : Isang Pangkasaysayang Introduksyon (1990) p. 94 [ 8 ]. See Solheim’s Archaeology and Culture in Southeast Asia: Unraveling the Nusantao (Quezon City: UP Press, 2006) p. 83 [ 9 ]. Ibid. [ 10 ]. Ibid. [ 11 ]. Ibid. [ 12 ]. Zeus A. Salazar, Kabihasnang Asyano : Isang Pangkasaysayang Introduksyon (1990) p. 99 [ 13 ]. Zeus A. Salazar, Ang Kasaysayan, Diwa at Lawak (Quezon: UP Press, 1974)

What Contributes to Our Perceptions of the World?

â€Å"How can cultural experiences shape, impact or influence out perception of the world Being exposed to other cultures and experiences opens our mind to understanding other ways of living. If you are exposed to something different from yours, your perception would change by the way your thought process Is about certain groups of people. Many things affect our point of view of the world positively and negatively, thought I think most of the time It does It negatively. In today's world we see a lot of cultures In one place (states, city, schools, Jobs, etc. But within these places there's discrimination, racism, had other bad things that make us have a differently pollen than others. Brainstorm at least five artifacts that serve as symbols for you, your life. And your culture. What do the objects reveal about you and your culture? A calculator represents my love for math. Math is a part of my family's culture and has become a part of mine. Math is perfect. It challenges the mind. I t has the power to solve real life problems. It explains real observations, and appeals to intuitions most of the time. It produces exact answers.Its abstract, yet purely objective and absolute. Its man-made, yet all the universe is modeled by math. Its incorruptible. It can create art. It can inspire creative thinking, and in that even solving problems is an art of its own. It is the way I think. When asked why I like Mathematics, I realized that it is all down to my personality. Being a composed, explicit person, I enjoy the challenge of questions with difficult to achieve answers. The ‘&' symbol represents the type of music I listen to. ‘&' is the official symbol of the band Of Mice & Men.I sites to metal, rock, screams, or alternative music and the & symbol represents some of each. A book represents my passion for reading. Its about living a thousand lives through the eyes of your protagonist, becoming so involved in their lives, learning the lessons they learn, â₠¬Å"meeting† the most interesting (nearly real) characters that continue to stay with me long after the book is read and back on the shelf. I love picking up a put and immediately being thrown Into a different reality. I view a book as another universe, where I can escape reality, a way to relax myself.A green V In a ricer represents me being vegetarian. I have been vegetarian since I was born and It lust became a part of me. I do not have to stay a vegetarian, but my parents are. So I choose to stay vegetarian. The last symbol that represents me Is a pair of glasses, Since 1st grade I have always been seen as the ‘nerd'. I always has straight AS and the teachers loved me. I am a year ahead of my grade level In math, currently taking pre calculus. This made me more of the ‘nerd' I already was. I also happen to need glasses. What Contributes to Our Perceptions of the World? By Snazzy world? Reception would change by the way your thought process is about certain group s of thought I think most of the time it does it negatively. In today's world we see a lot of cultures in one place (states, city, schools, Jobs, etc. ), but within these places there's discrimination, racism, had other bad things that make us have a differently opinion Brainstorm at least five artifacts that serve as symbols for you, your life, and your A calculator represents my love for math. Math is a part of my family's culture and picking up a put and immediately being thrown into a different reality.

Pros and Cons of Computers Essay

During this time, there are a lot of changes that has happened to our world. New discoveries and inventions were found. One of these inventions is the computer. By this machine, our way of life and thinking have drastically changed. There are advantages and disadvantages of using this machine. For example, because of computers we can store data and make stay in its original state, like pictures, documents and other things. This was not possible in the earlier time. Because of it, we can store large amounts of data and make this data available for usage at anytime we needed it (Shelly & Vermaat, 2011, para.5). Computers have made information â€Å"immortal†per se. This machine has saved a lot of time for us, it has made processing, which took us ages to finish, done in a matter of seconds. This involves computing, organizing, showing images, recording and playing audio, and showing a video (Shelly & Vermaat, 2011, para.2). All these are simplified by computer in a quick time. In addition, this machine is very durable, it rarely breaks with proper care(Shelly & Vermaat, 2011, para.3). Even if computers have good to us, but it can also bring harm to us. Like the violation of privacy, many of us save personal information on computers, but there are instances that these computers be hacked by another person, and this person will can spread your personal information or steal your identity(Shelly & Vermaat, 2011, para.9). Also there is the health risk, even if there are proper position or usage of the computer, most of us tend to disregard these memos, and because of our ignorance and prolong use of computers we experience seizures, carpal tunnel and other disorders (Shelly & Vermaat, 2011, para.8). There is also the effect on our industries. Some tend to lay off workers, because this machine can do it more consistent and accurate than the average man (Shelly & Vermaat, 2011, para.11). The computer is great invention for of us, but we must control ourselves and acknowledge the disadvantage, not only the advantage. Gary Shelly and Misty Vermaat. Advantages and Disadvantages of Computers .

An Analysis of the Influence of Music and it’s Contrasting Message on the Youth of Today

Music is a way of life, it is all around us. It can influence who you are and how you go about your daily lives. Music can manipulate the emotions in a powerful way, which can sometimes determine your mood and your conscience. Sometimes different cultures adapt different music into their lifestyle. Example, Reggae is usually listened to by the Black Caribbean Community. Their music is relaxed and optimistic, as is their lifestyle. The style of music quite often reflects the culture. Music in the 21st century can have positive and negative influences. Different types of music give off different impressions on how the youth of today should live their lives. An example of how diverse cultures can influence a music style can be found in artists such as Ms. Dynamite and 50 Cent. In this essay I will be contrasting the different messages both artists give out through what they say and how they present themselves in their videos. The image they convey is partly determined by their background. Both Ms. Dynamite and 50 Cents music were prompted by their own/previous lifestyles. They were both brought up in dominant cultures, but although it had strong influences on them the cultures themselves were very different. Ms. Dynamite aka Naomi Mclean-Dayley, was born in London in 1982, and lived on a council estate. The eldest of 11 brothers and sisters, she was raised by her primary school teacher mother whose passion for roots, reggae and soul had a profound effect on Naomi. This early part of Ms. Dynamite's journey differs from 50 Cent. 50 Cent was born Curtis Jackson and raised in Queens, New York. He grew up with his grandmother after his mother died under mysterious circumstances when he was 8, and his father left shortly after. The influence placed upon 50 Cent from theses early-life tragedies left him with a sense of insecurity and lack of self-esteem, eventually luring him into the Gangster lifestyle. When he was 12 he was used as a runner and at just 15 he owned his own gun. This all left him with an immense amount of responsibility. This was a diverse contrast compared to Ms. Dynamite. She always had that support wherever she went and whatever she did, as she states, â€Å"My life generally, I've bin lucky to have a lot of Intelligent, loving people around me who will take out five minutes to teach me things about myself without preaching at me just showing me naturally. â€Å"Niomi passed up an opportunity to study social anthropology at Sussex University in order to concentrate on music. Her first single ‘booo! ‘ hurled Ms. Dynamite into the spotlight swiftly establishing her as one of the hottest young talents to emerge from the UK Garage scene. On the contrary 50 Cent was entrenched within the gangster industry, so it wouldn't surprise anybody why he'd been shot 9 times. It was only after his first born baby he became a rap artist. Curtis' first album wasn't a success at all. It wasn't until Eminem noticed him and took interest that 50 Cents career took off. After signing a deal with ‘Shady records' he immediately went to work on his new album entitled ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin. ‘ 50 cent soared to popularity with the first single from his new album ‘In Da Club. Ms Dynamite and 50 Cent both introduce past experiences and elements of their cultures into their songs. The songs that most strongly illustrate these elements are Ms Dynamites ‘It takes more' and 50 cents ‘P. I. M. P'. The titles set the foundation of the songs, and have to be well thought out to interest and catch the attention of the audience. The song ‘It takes more' generally promotes an opposing view of the gangster lifes tyle, unlike 50 Cent, who promotes it in ‘P. I. M. P'. Even though both songs have similar themes the artists themselves express the message in very much different ways. The first twenty to thirty seconds of a video can determine what the remainder is about, and how it impacts the audience. In ‘It takes more'Ms Dynamite starts her video with a strong contrast. As she steps out of the trailer there is a background of a divine scenic beach, but as she carries on walking reality begins to kick in and the beach is replaced with strippers and run down sets. Ms Dynamite is wearing casual clothing portray the message of not flaunting yourself. This makes a statement that you don't need to be made up to feel good or be happy with yourself. That is a good approach in to setting the scene and following the message through. 50 Cent however, starts ‘P. I. M. P'by arriving straight into the master bedroom surrounded by girls in underwear. The room is large and white symbolising wealth and a type of heaven on the outside, relating to the phrase ‘don't judge a book by its cover. ‘ Compared to Ms Dynamite's video, 50 Cent gives the audience a false impression because Ms Dynamite expresses the true reality of the gangster lifestyle through her opening scenes The core of both videos is where the biggest influences are established. In ‘it takes more' the image moves from inside the car to a newspaper picture which transforms to a colour image of a man with two women in a club. The camera zooms in on a tattoo on one of the women. It changes from saying ‘Sadie' to ‘aids. ‘ The message put across in that scene is meant to enlighten you to have self-respect and not get caught up in the gangster lifestyle. A complete opposite message is put across in ‘P. I. M. P. ‘ A later scene in the video shows a man holding several dog leads with women on the ends as though he owns them. This implies his control, and lack of respect shown for women. A quote the lyrics that backs up this point is, ‘ I could care less how she performs in bed,' meaning as long as she's good in bed and making money for me, that's all I care about. The message conveyed in that incident is that women are treated no better than dogs in the organised crime business. Comparing the videos the colours illustrated are very different. In Ms. Dynamite's video there are very dull and dry colours, (such as black and grey) giving the effect of gangster life in reality. The contribution of the colour red symbolises death in that joining the lifestyle can mean you are gambling with your life. 50 Cent in P. I. M. P however, uses totally opposite colours like bright whites. This gives an impression of a heaven like environment. White can also signify his involvement in drugs, because the majority of drug colour is white. The camera angles used in both videos accentuate the ways each person wants to be perceived. Ms. Dynamite focuses the camera level with her face to portray the message of equality. In opposition to this 50 Cent uses camera angles from his feet looking upwards. This gives the message that he's bigger than everyone else, God like and worthy of adoration. The way both artists present themselves in their videos gives us an insight into the kind of message they are trying to communicate. The messages and implications of the artist's videos and lyrics are influenced by their similar early life experiences. Whereas Ms. Dynamite presents the reality of the lifestyle, 50 Cent exaggerates and embellishes it into something quite out of the ordinary. The impact both artists have on the audience differs. Ms. Dynamite promotes a social conscience and 50 Cent promotes his underground street culture, by romanticising the gangster image. He relies on people's fascination with violence and the criminal element. In conclusion my essay shows how easily influenced the youth of today can be, through the medium of music. The messages are quite often designed to be relevant to them whether their content is good or bad. I understand that music is important and we all need it as part of our lives, but we need to realise there are many other ways to be motivated and challenged concerning life issues.