Free Essays on Wilsons Fences (is The Recurring Theme Dependant On Racism)

Theater critic Robert Brustein has criticized Wilson’s play Fences on the grounds that, â€Å"his recurrent theme is the familiar American charge of victimization.† Brustein argues, †Wilson’s larger purpose depends on his conviction that Troy’s potential was stunted not by his own behavior but by centuries of racism.† Robert Brustein’s analysis is correct and Wilson’s play is primarily a social critique that dramatizes the effects of racism. The recurrent theme of Fences is based on racism, and Wilson’s larger purpose is to get his audience to find sympathy for a character facing a no-win scenario that has been created by centuries of racist oppression. The recurrent theme in Fences is that a black American has two choices in how to live his life. The choices are to live responsibly but have no hope for happiness, or to seek happiness while ignoring your responsibilities. There is no third option, for a black person, where they can take care of their responsibilities and pursue happiness. The reason that blacks are denied this third option is because they been victimized by centuries of racist oppression. This theme is demonstrated in the conversation between the characters Troy and Cory when they are discussing the possibility of purchasing a television. Troy says, â€Å"Two hundred and sixty-four dollars . . . cash money. While you thinking about a TV, I got to be thinking about the roof . . . and whatever else go wrong here. Now if you had two hundred dollars, what would you do . . . fix the roof or buy a TV.†(Wilson 1764) Cory suggests the option of buying a TV and somehow being able to fix the roof, â€Å"Iâ₠¬â„¢d buy a TV. Then when the roof started to leak . . . when it needed fixing . . . I’d fix it.† (Wilson1764) Troy tells Cory that it is not possible to pursue both, â€Å"Where you gonna get the money from? You done spent it for a TV. You gonna sit up and watch the water run all over your brand new T... Free Essays on Wilson's Fences (is The Recurring Theme Dependant On Racism) Free Essays on Wilson's Fences (is The Recurring Theme Dependant On Racism) Theater critic Robert Brustein has criticized Wilson’s play Fences on the grounds that, â€Å"his recurrent theme is the familiar American charge of victimization.† Brustein argues, †Wilson’s larger purpose depends on his conviction that Troy’s potential was stunted not by his own behavior but by centuries of racism.† Robert Brustein’s analysis is correct and Wilson’s play is primarily a social critique that dramatizes the effects of racism. The recurrent theme of Fences is based on racism, and Wilson’s larger purpose is to get his audience to find sympathy for a character facing a no-win scenario that has been created by centuries of racist oppression. The recurrent theme in Fences is that a black American has two choices in how to live his life. The choices are to live responsibly but have no hope for happiness, or to seek happiness while ignoring your responsibilities. There is no third option, for a black person, where they can take care of their responsibilities and pursue happiness. The reason that blacks are denied this third option is because they been victimized by centuries of racist oppression. This theme is demonstrated in the conversation between the characters Troy and Cory when they are discussing the possibility of purchasing a television. Troy says, â€Å"Two hundred and sixty-four dollars . . . cash money. While you thinking about a TV, I got to be thinking about the roof . . . and whatever else go wrong here. Now if you had two hundred dollars, what would you do . . . fix the roof or buy a TV.†(Wilson 1764) Cory suggests the option of buying a TV and somehow being able to fix the roof, â€Å"Iâ₠¬â„¢d buy a TV. Then when the roof started to leak . . . when it needed fixing . . . I’d fix it.† (Wilson1764) Troy tells Cory that it is not possible to pursue both, â€Å"Where you gonna get the money from? You done spent it for a TV. You gonna sit up and watch the water run all over your brand new T...

9 Tips for Successful Textbook Adoption

9 Tips for Successful Textbook Adoption Textbooks are vital tools within the realm of education and textbook adoption is an essential part of the process. The textbook industry is a multi-billion dollar industry.  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Textbooks are to teachers and students as a bible is to pastors and their congregations. The issue with textbooks is that they quickly become outdated as standards and content continually change. For example, the impending Common Core State Standards are resulting in a massive shift in focus amongst textbook manufacturers. To offset this, many states adopt textbooks in a five-year cycle rotating amongst the core subjects. It is essential that the people choosing the textbooks for their district choose the right textbook because they will be stuck with their choice for at least five years. The following information will guide you through the textbook adoption process on your way to choosing the right textbook for your needs. Form a Committee Many districts have curriculum directors that lead the textbook adoption process, but sometimes this process falls back on the school principal. In any case, the person put in charge of this process should put a committee of 5-7 members together to assist in the adoption process. The committee should be made up of the curriculum director, building principal, several teachers who teach the subject up for adoption, and a parent or two. The committee will be charged with finding the best textbook that meets the overall district’s needs. Obtain Samples The first duty of the committee is to solicit samples from each of the textbook vendors that have been approved by your state department. It is critical that you only select approved vendors. Textbook companies will send you a comprehensive set of samples that include both teacher and student materials across all grade levels for the subject being adopted. Be sure to have a place set aside with lots of room to store your samples. Once you have finished previewing the material, you can typically return the material back to the company at no charge. Compare Content to Standards Once the committee has received all their requested samples, they should begin to go through the scope and sequence looking for how the textbook aligns to current standards. No matter how good a textbook is if it does not align to the standards your district uses, then it becomes obsolete. This is the most crucial step in the textbook adoption process. It is also the most tedious and time-consuming step. Each member will go through each book, making comparisons, and taking notes. Finally, the entire committee will look at each individual’s comparisons and cut out any textbook that doesn’t align at that point. Teach a Lesson The teachers on the committee should pick a lesson from each perspective textbook and use that book to teach the lesson. This allows teachers to get a feel for the material, to see how it motivates their students, how their students respond, and to make comparisons about each product through the application. The teachers should make notes throughout the process highlighting things they liked and things they didn’t. These findings will be reported to the committee. Narrow It Down At this point, the committee should have a solid feel for all the different textbooks available. The committee should be able to narrow it down to their top three choices. With only three choices, the committee should be able to narrow their focus and are on their way to deciding which is the best choice for their district. Bring in Individual Sales Representatives The sales representatives are the true experts within their respective textbooks. Once you have narrowed your choices, you can invite the remaining three company’s sales representatives to give a presentation to your committee members. This presentation will allow committee members to gain more in-depth information from an expert. It also allows the committee members to ask questions that they may have about a specific textbook. This part of the process is about giving committee members more information so that they can make an informed decision. Compare Costs The bottom line is that school districts operate on a tight budget. This means that the cost of textbooks is likely already in the budget. It important that the committee knows they cost of each textbook as well as the district’s budget for these textbooks. This plays a crucial part of choosing textbooks. If the committee deems a particular textbook as the best option, but the cost of purchasing those books is $5000 over the budget, they probably should consider the next option. Compare Free Materials Every textbook company offers â€Å"free materials† if you adopt their textbook. These free materials are of course not â€Å"free† as you likely pay for them in some manner, but they are valuable to your district. Many textbooks now offer materials that can be incorporated with classroom technology such as smart boards. They often offer free workbooks for the life of the adoption. Each company puts their own spin on the free materials, so the committee needs to look at each available option in this area as well. Come to a Conclusion The final charge of the committee is to decide which textbook they should adopt. The committee will put in many hours over the course of several months and should have a clear idea of that point as to which option is their best option. The main thing is that they make the right choice because they will likely be stuck with their choice for several years to come.

Ethical Decision Making in Criminal Justice Assignment

Ethical Decision Making in Criminal Justice - Assignment Example This clearly illustrates how far ethics encroach into personal desires. To start with, it is unethical to lie in the questionnaire. However, in the event that the prospective police officer lies and does not get discovered, there still will be implications on the officer’s operations. One of the ways in which this event would affect the police officer’s operation is through the initiation of a chain of events geared at covering up the past. The police officer will always be afraid that one day the truth may be discovered leading to a tougher consequence; maybe get dismissed and a jail term on top of it all. This greatly impedes on the police officer’s execution of duties due to the fear of getting discovered as well as a guilty conscience(Prenzler, 2009).   Telling the truth would have been the ethical thing to do for the police officer. This would have been the first step towards acceptance of past mistakes and indicating the will to forge ahead with no burden at all. Telling the truth serves as an indicator of how committed he is to upholding ethics in the new workplace. By telling the truth, the police officer will be free of any guilt and will also earn more credibility from the officers to whom he is required to report. This implies that the officer has more to gain than lose by telling the truth, which would in turn may be used as a basis to clear his name from the past mess. The decision must be based on personal discretion and possible results of the due process (Pollock, 2012). It would make no sense to reveal details of one’s involvement in a past mischief and leave the details of those that were party to it. It is obvious that there are agencies that will follow up the revealed details to confirm their validity and truthfulness. This means that the friend’s involvement will be discovered. In the event that, the friend’s details were left out, it would appear

Should the animals be used for scientific research Is it humanly Essay - 1

Should the animals be used for scientific research Is it humanly - Essay Example My claim is based on the fact that I am a person of high moral standing and as a specialist in bio-medicine I understand the challenge of using human beings for certain tests. I believe that animals have rights which should be respected much like human rights should. This in effect means that I am against the use or misuse of animals in some ways. Since the issue of animal experimentation is an issue of great concern, my audience comprises politicians, medical experts, animal rights activists, those who view animals as an exploitable resource, and those who have no idea about the subject. It is believed that each year over 50 million animals are used for research world wide. Some people have argued that this goes against animal rights as testing causes pain to the animals. However, this claim is in whole a generalization. One only needs to consider the developments that have been achieved in medicine today to realize how important animal testing is to human kind. Modern societies have developed regulations that govern the use of animals for experimentation. One such regulation is Britain’s Cruelty to Animals Act (1876). Some of the requirements are concerned with the minimization of pain and other unsuitable effects to the animal being used for a test. Claude Bernard (125), the prince of vivesectors himself stated that animal testing is exclusively for the â€Å"hygiene† and â€Å"toxicology† of man. Many people have claimed that animals have their moral rights. For example, Tom Regan believes that animals have self consciousness, desires and beliefs and are therefore beings. These beings have inherent value and therefore rights that must be respected (Singer 346). However, Regan also states that to save human lives, killing animals is allowed. Animal testing is carried out as a measure to preserve or protect the human being from harm. This is more clearly understood by asking; how many

Latin America and the Church Essay Example for Free

Latin America and the Church Essay The Catholic Church has been regarded as one of the most powerful institutions in the world. The beginnings of its authority can be rooted in the European continent wherein the development of the Catholic religious belief took place. Nevertheless, the numerous changes that happened in the world paved the way for the Catholic Church to extend their influence. At present, Europe is no longer regarded as the center of the Roman Catholic Church in terms of the number of people who adhere to this faith because the Latin American region has long been the most Catholic continent in the world. As a result, Catholic doctrines and beliefs play a very important role in the development of the Latin American continent. The influence of the Catholic Church goes beyond the mere spiritual well being of the people because it also has a huge impact in the areas of their life. The influential role of the Catholic Church is clearly observable in the cultural, social, and even political areas of the society. Being the case, it can be said that the Catholic Church has a substantial and advantageous contribution to the Latin American society. The Catholic Church has appositive influence in the Latin American region, which can be proven by four important points. First, much of the culture of the countries within Latin America is derive from the Catholic Church. Catholicism started in Latin America during the 1500’s. The Iberian monarchs are the one responsible in propagating the Catholic faith in the Latin American region through the holy crusade that they waged in their new dominion. One of the main objectives of the Iberian monarchs in converting the Latin American people into becoming Catholics is for the Church to have a comprehensive in the society. This is related to their belief that every area of an individual’s life is related to his or her salvation. Thus, the Church established connection to every sector of the society and every part of an individual’s life. As a result, the distinction between the sacred or the secular is observable in Latin America wherein the Church plays an active role in the various areas of community life. This kind of adage is clearly exemplified in the family dynamics of most Latin American countries such as: Brazil, Chile, and Cuba. Due to the teachings of the Catholic Church, the Iberian monarchs were able to instill the value of close-family ties in Latin America. As a result, the family as the basic unit of society is given due importance. This makes the people very family oriented, which almost every individual acquires and later on pass to the succeeding generations. Moreover, the family structure in Latin America is mostly patriarchal because of the authoritative society that the Christendom has propagated (Patterson 18). It gives importance to the fact that the father is the head of the family. Having such role entails that he is the main decision-maker in the household. The male dominion or superiority is not merely confined within the four corners of their houses but rather it is also seen in work-related opportunities. Men still have control of many occupational areas especially in terms of job that are regarded to be the domain of men like politics. However, the changes in time that the Catholic Church sometimes adheres to have also revolutionized the political dynamics of Latin America. In the call of the Church for greater equality in the society, they have also supported women empowerment in terms of giving them more opportunity to develop their skills and participate in the society. This could be proven by the case of Chile wherein the country elected its first female president. President Michelle Bachelet holds the highest position in Chilean politics. This only goes to show that the Catholic Church has a substantial influence in the culture of Latin America especially with regards to its family values. Second, The Catholic Church heavily influences the social fields in Latin America especially in the realm of education. The mission of the Catholic Church that came together with the Iberian invasion of the region is focused on the creation of highly selective and academic educational foundations. The colonial territories were controlled and administered in towns and cities. The central features of these places are the schools, seminaries, and universities. During the nineteenth century, the formative influence that plays a vital role in the educational system of Latin America was that of Napoleonic France. This kind of education is characterized by hierarchical responsibility that includes national to regional to local scale of territorial administration. Each of these levels also extended in both the urban and rural sectors (Brock and Lawlor 2-3). The influence of the Catholic Church in the educational system is seen in Brazil’s public life. The Brazilian Catholic Church took part in implementing a conservative program in order to strengthen it internal hierarchy by means of providing education and other social services. In the same manner, Catholicism also has a huge impact in the educational institution of Cuba. Despite the fact that Cuba is regarded as a Communist state, which means that the government has the main and greater responsibility in making decisions and distributing the resources of the country, the Catholic Church still manage to influence the country’s education. In Cuba, the government delivers the vast majority of social services. Nevertheless, the emergence of other actors also exists and one of the most notable is the Catholic Church. This is clearly exemplified by the Caritas Cubana, a non-governmental organization that is affiliated with the Catholic Church. Caritas Cubana provides social services and distributes medications. Some of their programs are funded through the help of international non-governmental organizations. The services that they render are providing academic support for the children and others (Uriarte 62). Third, the Church is a highly structured organization in a region that is experiencing low and slow development. The Catholic Church is recognized as one of the strongest institution that is established in the world. The network of churches that adhere to the doctrines and teaching of the Roman Catholic is observable in various parts of the world and this also includes the Latin American region. The important role that the Church has in this part of the South American continent can be rooted from the very organizational strength of the Catholic Church. In relation to this, the reality that most countries in Latin America experienced and are still facing political instability make the influence of the Catholic Church greater than ever. This is mentality is due to the sentiment of the people wherein they need a strong governing body that they can hold into in times of hardships and trials. The Catholic Church emerged as the stable organization that most people can believe and lean on. The weaknesses and shortcomings of the most Latin American government to address the pressing problems of the people like threats to peace and order as well as the sustenance of basic needs like food, shelter, education and public health care. Being the case, the Catholic Church takes a bolder role in giving hope to the people especially those who are living in dire poverty. The political turmoil in the Latin American region is observable in countries like Brazil, Chile, and Cuba. In the case of Brazil, its weak government during the 1960s caused a coup d’etat and the establishment of a totalitarian state in the country. However, there was significant resistance to the ouster of the civilian government that attributed to the major split of the Brazilian Communist Party. Due to this, a number of small urban and rural guerilla groups were formed, which aim to provoke the government by creating a domestic atmosphere of repression that will force the people to rebel (Train, 1994). In the same manner, Chile also has its own set of political problems that is very evident during the Pinochet regime. Augusto Pinochet was able to obtain the seat of power in Chile through a military junta. Most of the citizens supported the coup because they want to overthrow the administration of Salvador Allende. Many people believed that the army would bring back order and then call elections. However, General Pinochet disabused them as he asserted that in order to eliminate communism democracy must be ended. He unleashed violence that has no precedent in Chile (â€Å"Augusto Pinochet†). Cuba also has its political concerns especially those that the country experience under the authority of Fidel Castro. During those times, Cuba was regarded as an isolationist country that is against its close neighbor, the United States. The situation of the country was further worsened by U. S. political and diplomatic hostility (Falcoff). In these instances, the people turn toward the Catholic Church instead of their government because the Church clearly shows organization and stability as compared with the government that usually changes political leaders due to civil unrest. Fourth, the influence of the Catholic Church has extended up to point of being politically active. The Catholic Church has the power to create popular movements because they have a huge influence in motivating the people to participate. The Church can promote the political mobilization of the poor and marginalized people society. In line with this, poor and marginalized parishioners in Latin American sometime require the help and support of their religious leaders in order to change their political an economic condition. The responsibilities as well as the reputation that the Catholic Church has in the society have prompted them to become politically active. The Church involvement in politics is not simply confined in giving advices or their stand on certain issues but rather they also established their own political parties. This is proven in the case of Brazil wherein it has Christian democratic parties that support traditional Catholic principles like hierarchy, paternalism, and corporate identity (Trejo). The Catholic Church indeed has a positive influence in the Latin American region. This is proven by the four major tenets that are discuss above that the Catholic Church contribute to the development of Latin America’s culture, social fields, citizen’s strength amidst political turmoil, and greater political participation. These only show that an individual’s religious belief has a huge role in the development of the other aspects of his or her life as well as the evolution of the society as a whole. Works Cited â€Å"Augusto Pinochet. † 2007. The Economist Newspaper and The Economist Group. 30 July 2009 http://www. economist. com/obituary/PrinterFirendly. cfm? story_id=8406905. Brock, Colin. , Lawlor, Hugh. Education in Latin America. New York: Routledge, 1985. Falcoff, Mark. â€Å"Cuba’s Future – or Futures. † 21 December 2004. American Experience. 09 March 2009. http://www. pbs. org/wgbh/amex/castro/sf viewsfalcoll. html. Patterson, Eric. Latin America’s Neo-reformation: Religion’s influence in Contemporary Politics. New York: Routledge, 2005. Train, Brian. â€Å"Urban Guerillas in Brazil. † 1994. MIT Western Hemisphere Project. 18 July 2007 http://web. mit. edu/hemisphere/events/mnm03-1m/brazil-train. shtml. Trejo, Guillermo. â€Å"Religious Competition and Popular Mobilization: Evidence from Mexico’s Regions. † 2006. 08 March 2009 http://cas. uchicago. edu /workshops/cpolit/papers/trejo. doc. Uriarte, Miren. Cuba Social Policy at the Crossroads: Maintaining Priorities, Transforming Practice. † Oxfam American Report. Boston: Oxfam America, 2002.

Essays on Jacksons Lottery: Dangers of Blind Obedience Exposed

Dangers of Blind Obedience Exposed in The Lottery      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most of us obey every day without a thought. People follow company dress code, state and federal laws and the assumed rules of courtesy. Those who do disobey are usually frowned upon or possibly even reprimanded. But has it even occurred to you that in some cases, disobedience may be the better course to choose? In her speech "Group Minds," Doris Lessing discusses these dangers of obedience, which are demonstrated in Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery."    In "The Lottery," the villagers portray Lessing's observation that "it is the hardest thing in the world to maintain an individual dissident opinion, as a member of a group" (334). The villagers also show, in a rather dramatic fashion, how being a blind follower of a group can be dangerous. As Lessing points out "the majority will continue to insist and after a period of exasperation the minority will fall into line"(334). This very sentiment is an enormous part of the inherent dangers of obeying a group.    The group behavior in "The Lottery" w...

Kite Runner Themes Essay

Ethnic Pride Baba expresses a great deal of pride and attachment to the afghan culture so the move to America fills Amir and himself with a loss of heritage and identity. The escape from the previous culture however allows Amir to escape the incident of rape upon his best friend Hassan which has left a bad taste on his childhood. In America Amir doesn’t turn away from his Middle Eastern culture, and asks Soraya’s father, the general for permission to marry her even though he spurns it slightly by talking to her privately without consent. Amir towards the end, becomes proud of his blended culture. Although he enjoys visiting Pakistan, eating the traditional food and hearing references to childhood legends, he also likes the feeling of hope and freedom he gained from America. Social Inequality From childhood, Amir recognizes the difference in social standing between himself and best friend Hassan. As a Pashtun, Amir enjoys privileges of being a higher class and his father being a successful man whereas Hassan is poor and he and his father face prejudice from people every day. Despite this, Hassan and Ali are content with their lower class life and are good natured human beings. Hosseini is trying to convey that your social standing in society does not determine what kind of person you are and if you are better than someone else. You can only truly be better than someone else morally and having saint-like characteristics. During Amir and Hassan childhood, they’re differences of social class are conveyed by living standards, Hassan being illiterate and physical appearances. These are individually important but as a whole they all convey irony in the fact that it is Hassan who is content with life and Amir who is not. Later in the novel, Hazara prejudice which is taken to the extreme as they are massacred and abused by Taliban officials, such as Assef. When Sohrab returns with Amir to America, Amir is quick to dispel any mention of class as he believes it is has influenced his and Sohrab’s life too greatly and he perhaps finally sees them as his equals which he was afraid to do so as a child(never referring to Hassan as his friend). Personal Responsibility Many of the actions of the main character stem from personal responsibility. Baba takes on the responsibility of Ali from his father, who took him in when he was a child. He lets Ali and his son work for him, offers them shelter and food; making them feel part employees and part family. Air later realises this ‘personal responsibility’ baba showed for Ali may stem from his guilt of betraying Ali and fathering Hassan. Amir feels responsible for all the bad occurrences which happened to Hassan and his father. He feels many of the events which occurred later in the novel are down to him being too cowardly to prevent Hassan being raped. Though many suffer from the Taliban’s ruthlessness, he believes the events that happened to Hassan’s family are his responsibility/fault. The feeling of responsibility is what drives Amir to return to Afghanistan, to rescue Sohrab. Rahim Khan plants this idea in Amir’s head and suggests this is the way to achieve closure and absolution for the past. After he rescues Sohrab, Amir feels responsible for the boy in a different way and wants to protect him from anymore pain; furthermore, he sees Sohrab as a way to fill the emptiness in the marriage from his and Sorayas infidelity. Identity and Self- discovery Throughout the novel the protagonist struggles to find his true purpose and find his identity through noble actions. Amir’s failure to be loyal to his friend at such a crucial moment defines this conflict. His endeavour to overcome his own weaknesses appear in confronting Assef, returning to a war torn country oppressed by the Taliban and even his carsickness whilst during with Farid. The revelation of baba later in chapter 17, allows Amir to discover who his father really was and how alike they were in terms of betraying people who loved and were loyal to the end to them. The return to Afghanistan allows Amir to find out the type of man he can become and to confront his past which he has so desperately tried to bottle up. Family, Fathers and Fatherhood Family relationships play a great part in this novel but mothers are strikingly absent. Amir and Hassan grow up without their mothers and this is exemplified through the tension of Baba’s treatment of his sons. He makes it clear he is disappointed Amir is bookish, cowardly to protect his social standing and stick up for Hassan whilst on the other hand, he never publically acknowledges Hassan as his own son- although he shows a great deal of affection to Hassan. Likewise, General Taheri is a similar traditional, highly critical father who chafes his daughter for rebellious behaviour. The theme of family is then reintroduced when Amir and Soraya are unsuccessful in starting their own- punishment perhaps for their pasts or that Amir has yet to face up to his. The adoption of the troubled Sohrab however, provides them with the attempt to begin a complete family based on love and honesty. Journey and Quest The novel is mostly based around Amirs departure from Afghanistan as a young teenager and his return as a middle aged man to the war-torn country. At the same time, it is a symbolic quest. Amir makes great sacrifices to pursue his quest to atone for past sins by rescuing his nephew Sohrab in the hands of the Taliban. Symbolised at the beginning of the novel with Amir cutting his fingers with the kite string in order to sacrifice himself for his father’s love, sacrifice plays a big theme also. Amir towards the end of the novel again, willingly cuts his fingers, to revive his spiritually wounded nephew who is suffering from depression. By the end of the novel, this significant symbol of sacrifice shows how much Amir has morally developed as he is willing to sacrifice much in order to save Sohrab from a similar fate and to protect him. The most part of the novel is Amir hiding from his past and by returning to Kabul he is taking that all important journey to have complete redemption. Political power and Abuse The events of the novel occur against the backdrop of political change, the rise of the Taliban government. Assef, Hassans rapist and bully, who becomes a high ranking Taliban officer, embodies the consequence of abuse of power and violence and oppression caused by the Taliban. Assef is a sociopath who thrives in the atmosphere of chaos. Interpersonal violence leads to the split of Hassan and Amir; on a national scale the abuse of power by communist backed soviets results in massacres and Afghanistan forces to go into exile. The abuse of power and abuse is an important reference to how the hazara’s have been treated. From humiliation at the beginning of the novel for their looks to being massacred and horrifically abused. When General Taheri demands an explanation for their adoption of Sohrab, he echoes the discrimination against this entire ethnic minority and in a sense, Baba also condones the attitude towards Hazara’s by not admitting that he fathered a Hazara son. Kites After Hassan gets raped while running his kite, Amir cannot separate kite fighting and running from his own betrayal and cowardice. Therefore, even after all of his injuries and trials on Sohrab’s behalf, it is the act of kite running that finally makes him feel redeemed. Beyond their significance to the plot, kites have multiple layers of symbolism in the story. One of these layers involves the class difference between Amir and Hassan, which largely dictates and limits their relationship. In kite fighting, one boy controls the kite while the other assists by feeding the string. Just as Hassan makes Amir’s breakfast, folds his clothes, and cleans his room, so does he cater to Amir in kite tournaments. Even though Hassan shares in the excitement of kite fighting, he does not actually have control over the kite. Hassan may help the kite â€Å"lift-and-dive,† but Amir is the one who claims a victory. Hassan may catch a cherished rival kite and hold it in his arms, but always to bring it back to Amir, to whom it then belongs. His joy is vicarious, just like his experience of wealth and privilege while living in Baba’s household. In order to free himself of selfishness and cowardice, Amir must go from being merely a kite fighter-someone who seeks glory-to a kite runner, someone who genuinely does things for others. The activity of kite fighting is violent by nature. The kites battle and so too do the children flying them. The string, which is covered in ground glass, carves deep gashes into the fliers’ hands as they try to cut each other down, and once kites fall out of the sky, the kite runners retrieve them with the same furious determination as, say, a hunting dog does a slain bird. In its violence, kite fighting represents the conflicts that rage Afghanistan nearly throughout the course of the novel. When Hosseini paints us a picture of hundreds of kites trying haphazardly and with great determination to cut each other down, he shows us also the warring factions of Afghanistan overthrowing one another. At the same time kite fighting is violent, the mere act of kite flying is innocent and speaks of freedom. Amir and Hassan do not have control over the differences between them; in fact, they are both the victims of a lie, and their relationship would have been different had they known they were brothers. Yet despite their differences and the symbolism of their respective kite-fighting roles, flying kites is an activity that brings the boys together. For a moment, they are part of a team. For many years, Amir feels as though he and Hassan are adversaries for Baba’s love. After the rape, Hassan’s very existence infuriates Amir because it reminds him of his cowardice. Despite all this, when the boys fly kites together, they are on the same team. They are more like brothers then than perhaps any other time, because the activity is somewhat mutual. It allows them to momentarily escape their differences and enjoy a shared sense of exhilaration and freedom.

Nursing Home Abuse Essay

Approximately 1.4 million elderly people reside in long term care facilities, such as nursing homes. The families that admit their loved ones to these long term care facilities believe that excellent care is being provided to them. Many of the residents in nursing home settings receive adequate health care, but a numerous amount of other residents are subjected to abuse and neglect. It is believed that nearly one-third of all nursing homes have residents that are subjected to abuse either by staff or other residents (Masters in Health Care). Definitions of elder abuse vary. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly what actions or inactions constitute abuse. Besides a variety of definitions, the major types of abuse that occur in nursing homes are categorized into physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, neglect, abandonment, financial or material exploitation. The solution to such nursing home abuse is rather simple. To prevent the inhumane treatment of the elderly in nursing homes, the nursing shortage needs to be addressed. The scandal of elder abuse in nursing homes appears to be new phenomena, but in reality this god forsaken crime has occurred for decades. Due to an elder’s physical and cognitive make up, they are not able to defend themselves from the heinous acts of abuse by their caregivers. Abuse in nursing homes is mainly thought of as physical aggression, but the elderly are subjected to psychological abuse also. One would think that no man or woman could commit abuse onto a helpless individual; however the issue of elderly abuse in nursing homes has been a growing problem. In 2003, there were 20,673 complaints of abuse, gross neglect, and exploitation on behalf of nursing home and â€Å"board and care† residents (American Association for Justice). By 2010 the number of elderly abuse complaints rose to a number between one million and two million (National Center on Elder Abuse). A study prepared by the staff of the Special Investigations Division of the House Government Reform Committee found that thirty percent of nursing homes in the United States (5,283 facilities) were cited for almost nine-thousand instances of abuse over a recent two year period. The common problems of the study included untreated bedsores, inadequate medical care, malnutrition, dehydration, preventable accidents, and inadequate sanitation and hygiene. These common problems can be categorized into the major types of elder abuse in nursing homes. Physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, neglect, abandonment, and financial exploitation are considered the major types of such abuse. Physical abuse is defined by the use of physical force that may result in bodily injury, physical pain, or impairment. Physical abuse may include but is not limited to such acts of violence as striking (with or without an object), hitting, beating, pushing, shoving, shaking, slapping, kicking, pinching, and burning. In addition, inappropriate use of drugs and physical restraints, force-feeding, and physical punishment of any kind also are examples of physical abuse (National Center on Elder Abuse). Nearly sixteen-percent of nursing home abuse cases involve physical abuse (Brent & Adams). An article published by ABC news interviewed Helen Love, a 75 year-old grandmother of three that was a victim of nursing home abuse. Helen told ABC, â€Å"He choked me and he went and broke my neck. He broke my wrist bones, in my hand. He put his hand over my mouth.† Two days after the interview, Helen Love died. Nursing home officials did not report her beating to a state official who was at the nursing home at the time. Ultimately, though, Love’s attacker served a year in prison. An investigation revealed that he had been fired by two previous nursing homes for aggressive behavior. A report by the Senate Select Committee on Aging found that many nursing home abuse cases are not immediately reported to law enforcement official (Robinson). In fact, a recent report indicated that one in fourteen incidents of elder abuse where not reported to the authorities (American Association of Justice). Emotional or psychological abuse is defined as the infliction of anguish, pain, or distress through verbal or nonverbal acts. Emotional/psychological abuse includes but is not limited to verbal assaults, insults, threats, intimidation, humiliation, and harassment. In addition, treating an older person like an infant; isolating an elderly person from his/her family, friends, or regular activities; giving an older person the â€Å"silent treatment† and enforced social isolation are examples of emotional/psychological abuse (National Center on Elder Abuse). Almost twenty percent of reported elder abuse cases involve emotional abuse (Brent & Adams). With emotional abuse being the most abundant, it is also the most difficult to define. Emotional abuse is purely subjective which therefore is difficult to reprimand nurses against these crimes. The other major crimes however are objective, and are more easy to identify, such as neglect. Neglect is defined as the refusal or failure to fulfill any part of a person’s obligations or duties to an elder. Neglect may also include failure of a person who has fiduciary responsibilities to provide care for an elder (e.g., pay for necessary home care services) or the failure on the part of an in-home service provider to provide necessary care (National Center on Elder Abuse). According to Brent & Adams, twelve percent of abuse cases involve caretaker neglect. Neglect typically means the refusal or failure to provide an elderly person with such life necessities as food, water, clothing, shelter, personal hygiene, medicine, comfort, personal safety, and other essentials included in an implied or agreed-upon responsibility to an elder (National Center on Elder Abuse). The Federal Bureau of Investigation published an article in May of 2012 about a case of nursing home neglect. The owner of three Georgia nursing homes, George Dayln Houser, was convicted in Atlanta of defrauding Medicare and Medicaid for $32.9 million dollars. To receive Medicare and Medicaid payments, Houser agreed to provide his residents with a safe and clean physical environment, nutritional meals, medical care, and other assistance. Houser not only failed to maintain a nursing staff sufficient to take proper care of the residents but did not pay food suppliers or providers of pharmacy and clinical laboratory services, medical waste disposal, trash disposal, and nursing supplies (FBI). Neglect, alongside physical abuse, are the most detrimental to a residents health. Not only do caregivers subject their residents to the atrocious crimes of neglect, but they also exploit them financially and materially. Financial or material exploitation is defined as the illegal or improper use of an elder’s funds, property, or assets. Examples include, but are not limited to, cashing an elderly person’s checks without authorization or permission; forging an older person’s signature; misusing or stealing an older person’s money or possessions; coercing or deceiving an older person into signing any document; and the improper use of conservatorship, guardianship, or power of attorney (National Center on Elder Abuse). In 2009, a Chicago nursing home worker faced financial exploitation and aggravated identification theft charges for allegedly stealing $4,008 from a Illinois nursing home. The criminal remained free on bail and was fired from the Illinois nursing home. Authorities acknowledge that the criminal had a previous criminal conviction for forgery (Nursing Home Blog). The major types of nursing home abuse have a direct correlation to inadequate staffing levels. A recent statistic by the American Association for Justice, found that ninety-percent of United States nursing homes had staffing levels too low to provide sufficient care. Residents of those nursing homes falling below minimal staffing standards are much more likely to develop bedsores and experience excessive weight loss than those in other nursing homes. This is because enough staff must be available so that all residents who cannot eat by themselves receive help. Also, unless immobile elderly residents are repositioned frequently, they may develop bedsores. To add to the problem, understaffing contributes to low morale and frustration among employees, decreasing their ability to deal with residents patiently and respectfully. According to the American Association for Justice, a series of reports revealed that many nursing homes do not have enough staff to meet the levels recommended by federal officials (3.45 nursing hours per patient daily) and nursing home experts (4.55 nursing hours per patient). Insufficient hours per patient hosts all sorts of potential problems for nursing care, the most problematic being neglect. Many nursing home residents need constant nursing attention to ensure that they do not develop medical problems. In many cases, residents need to be turned, moved, or given skin assessments to avoid developing pressure ulcers or from forming deadly blood clots. John A. Fisher, Ph. D, said there have been an alarming amount of recent cases in which New York nursing homes have been found liable for elder abuse after a resident died or was injured due to inadequate care. In every case, inadequate staffing was named as a contributing factor to the cause of the abuse. With inadequate staffing being the undeniable cause of nursing home abuse, how does the projected nursing shortage effect this issue? The projected nursing shortage in the United States is expected to intensify as baby boomers age and the need for health care grows. â€Å"In the July/August 2009 Health Affairs, Dr. Peter Buerhaus and coauthors found that despite the current easing of the nursing shortage due to the recession, the U.S. nursing shortage is projected to grow to 260,000 registered nurses by 2025. A shortage of this magnitude would be twice as large as any nursing shortage experienced in this country since the mid-1960s. In the article titled The Recent Surge In Nurse Employment: Causes And Implications, the researchers point to a rapidly aging workforce as a primary contributor to the projected shortage (American Association of Colleges of Nursing).† In some instances today, nurses are forced to attend to 20 patients at a time, and that is at the lower part on the nurse- patient spectrum. Federal law requires Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing homes to have an registered nurse (RN) director of nursing (DON); an RN on duty at least 8 hours a day, 7 days a week; and a licensed nurse (RN or LPN) on duty the rest of the time. However, there are no minimum staffing levels for nurse’s aides, who provide most of the day-to-day care. Instead, nursing homes are required â€Å"to provide sufficient staff and services to attain or maintain the highest possible level of physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of each resident. (Elder Law Answers)† If a nursing home met only the federal nurse staffing requirements described above, a resident would receive 20 minutes of nurse time per day. In 2000, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reported that the preferred minimum staffing level was when nursing home residents received three hours of total staff time per day — two hours of nursing assistant time and one hour of licensed nurse time. The optimum staffing level, according to the CMS, is one hour of licensed nurse time and three hours of nursing assistant time (Elder Law Answers). Most states have standards that are higher than the federal requirements, but still fall short of the levels recommended by the CMS. According to a recent study, the key to improving nursing home staffing levels is increasing state standards. The study by Charlene Harrington, a UCSF School of Nursing professor, found that states with the highest standards for nursing staff levels are the only states where nursing homes have enough staff to prevent serious safety violations. According to the study, the act of raising the state minimum staffing ratio has a direct impact on the quality of care nursing home residents receive. With such an impact that state and federal standards have on quality of care, how can the state enforce nursing homes to follow such mandates? According to an article published by nursing home reality endorsed by Aaron Delurey, the best way to ensure that residents are receiving an ample amount of care is for state officials to introduce these three procedures: Have each state mandate an increase in the percentage of surprise inspections that must take place outside of regular business hours on weekdays. Second, require management personnel to work staggered shits all the time, not just when the state is in their building. Why require this change? When the management is out of the building the quality of care given often suffers. Third and foremost, when the state shows up for an any kind of inspection, the inspectors should immediately seize the payroll data to verify staffing levels for the 14 continuous days immediately prior to the inspection. The inspectors should also insist that while they are in the building that no additional staff can be called in. These procedures would ultimately address the nursing shortage, therefore depleting the abuse within nursing homes.

Basic Prompts and Tips on College Essay Writing

Basic Prompts and Tips on College Essay Writing A set of great essay writing tips that help students write a winning college essay. A college essay is a great chance for students to show their best qualities and to convince the admission committee that they are better than other applicants. In situations, where two applicants appear equal, a compelling essay makes the difference. While reading such essays college admission officers will see that the student can write correctly and use logical arguments. The essay will also provide more information about the students personality. Tips on the Art of the College Essay Writing: There is no such thing as a ‘correct’ answer.  Universities get hundreds of responses and admission officers give students all kinds of essay topics. There is no one or several ‘correct’ answers to the same question; each college essay is individual and unique. Take your time.  Admission officers look through hundreds of essays, and it does become evident how much time the student has spent over the essay. Have fun.  Having fun in the process of the essay writing will be an advantage for you. That will probably make the application process less stressful. If students have fun writing their essays, admission committees will have fun reading them. Write about yourself.  An admission officer doesnt have a favorite type of essay. Some essays are funny, others are serious, and some are deeply personal. But favorite essays are the ones which are thoughtful and truly tell about a students personality. Five College Essay Writing Tips Writing an essay, you should keep some requirements in mind: 1. Avoid writing a general essay. Such generic essays contain too many abstractions and unsupported generalizations. They may be absolutely technically correct: very well-organized, full of complicated sentence structures and have ideal spelling, but reading them brings nothing but regret they are boring. 2. Begin with a snappy opening line. Start your essay in a compelling way. Here is a couple of winning opening lines: I change my name each time I place an order at Starbucks, I have old hands etc. 3. Pick a subject carefully. Dont use controversial and sensitive subjects. Subjects that you are not recommended to touch are politics, abortion, gun control etc. Try not to apologize or complain in your essay. 4. Find your voice. It really doesnt matter what you decide to write about. It is far more important to write from yourself; that way you will show admission officers why you are the best candidate. One more thing: the essay needs to reflect what your current personality, rather than explain who you were a long time ago. 5. Give your essay a two days rest. When youre done with your essay, put it aside for a day or two. You will probably be surprised how many changes you will want to make when you resume working with it. Best College Essay Prompts Narrative Analysis Narrative essays serve numerous purposes, but the most successful ones usually include three basic characteristics: they are well organized in time, contain a certain central point, and use specific details according to that point. Here are five typical narrative essay prompts: your first visit to a large city breakup of a friendship an experience that showed how we should be careful a significant misunderstanding a dangerous experience Description Descriptive essays need to attract significant attention to details. Whatever subject you choose, you should begin with making an observation and deciding which details are most important. Here are examples: an inspiring situation a street that leads to your home an accident scene backstage during a concert Process Analysis When you write an essay using process analysis, you should give your readers understanding whether the process has been carried out successfully or not. Here you are expected to describe the process step by step. Look at these examples: how to lose weight without losing your mind how to find the perfect roommate how to enjoy the weekend for less than $20 how to develop self-confidence how a particular accident occurred So the main thing you should really do is to gain experience in writing essays. With just a little bit of practice, you will be able to use a rich vocabulary, complicated literary constructions and various approaches to the pointed prompt, keeping in mind all the requirements of the structure. That is really an art to create an essay which will show the admission that you are the best candidate to accept. So treat it with a  proper attitude and do your best to create a masterpiece. COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY Please place your  order here  and we will jump right at it, with a guarantee that your essay will come up top quality, original and right in time!

The Possessive Apostrophe

The Possessive Apostrophe The Possessive Apostrophe The Possessive Apostrophe By Daniel Scocco Its time to talk about being possessive. Sometimes possessiveness is good, sometimes its bad. However you look at it, if youre speaking English, then you will need an apostrophe to show who owns what. The apostrophe () is one of the most used and misused English punctuation marks. No one is ever quite sure where to put it. You can use it when things are left out (contractions), but its the possessiveness that causes the most trouble. The apostrophe is all about making a statement of ownership. You belong to me. This belongs to that. In grammar speak, the apostrophe shows the possessive of nouns. There are four ways to use the apostrophe to show ownership or belonging. 1. Add apostrophe s to the end of a singular noun that does not end in s: the managers room 2. Add apostrophe s to the end of a singular noun, even if it ends in s (this practice may vary in some places): Doriss scarf 3. Add apostrophe s to the end of a plural noun that doesnt end in s the childrens bag 4. If the plural noun ends in s, just add the apostrophe my friends car Notice that possessive pronouns like yours, his, hers, ours, its and theirs are not followed by the apostrophe. Finally, if you want to play around with it, Wikipedia has a list of four phrases illustrating how the apostrophe can literally change the meaning of sentences. my sisters friends investments (I have one sister and she has one friend.) my sisters friends investments (I have many sisters and they have many friends.) my sisters friends investments (I have many sisters and they have one friend.) my sisters friends investments (I have one sister and she has many friends.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:75 Contronyms (Words with Contradictory Meanings)Peace of Mind and A Piece of One's Mind20 Clipped Forms and Their Place (If Any) in Formal Writing

Women's Liberation Coming Out of the 19th Century Research Paper

Women's Liberation Coming Out of the 19th Century - Research Paper Example that ideology to help provide a socially acceptable avenue of refuge for other young women like her who felt trapped but did not wish to become ‘fallen women.’ Beecher struggled to find comfort in her religion after her fiance was lost at sea, but was unable to relinquish her sense of self and self-will (Sklar, 1973). She moved to Hartford, Connecticut and opened up new schools designed to benefit girls and providing women with additional acceptable life options outside of marriage. Her tracts, books and lectures were intended to make her less threatening to men and women who felt True Womanhood was the only natural and right social arrangement (Sklar, 1973). Her efforts provided women with a sense of self-respect and paved the road for future female activists such as Francis Willard. Francis Willard also worked from within the cult of True Womanhodd to help bring other women into a more public sphere by focusing attention on the expected responsibilities of women within their 'natural' role within the family. According to Amy Slagell (2002), â€Å"Willard knew that by recruiting, organizing and energizing interested women to being their work of transforming the world as she believed they were called to do, women would come to a new awareness of their power so that not only would the outer world be transformed, but the women themselves as well† (23). She introduced the Home Protection argument to the Women’s Christian Temperance Union â€Å"as a wedge argument, a way to break through the walls of prejudice an ‘average woman’ would likely bear toward suffrage and women’s political work† (Slagell, 2002: 10). According to Flexner, she took a â€Å"shrewd† approach; â€Å"a series of tangential moves, in the course of which women †¦ were gradually led to understand... The Women’s Liberation Movement as we know it today emanated from two different ideological sources and continues to promote two widely different points of view. Feminist issues are multifaceted, so it is unsurprising that the approaches to remedying these issues are often contentious and inadequate. Feminists don't always agree on the recommended solutions and not all of the needs of women have been met. Women and their ever changing lives cannot be placed in specified categories nor can the answers to their specific needs be found in theories. What all feminists should recognize is that the overall goal of leveling the playing field for everyone is a never-ending effort. There are very few absolutes in attempting to find the correct answers to the human rights debate as engaged by liberal and radical feminists. Both groups claim that the opposite view subverts their common goal of gender equality. At its core, the women’s movement that was touched off by feminist thou ght more than a century ago through the modern movement of the 1960s and continuing even today has successfully addressed equality and human rights issues for women.

The Purpose and Function of Business PowerPoint Presentation

The Purpose and Function of Business - PowerPoint Presentation Example The basic factors of running a business are land, labour, capital and enterprise (or expertise). Entrepreneurs are those who work upon developing and running a business. The entrepreneurs have to use the factors of production for starting a business. Opportunity cost refers to the alternatives that we leave while buying a certain product. We buy particular bread and leave the others; the left one is called the opportunity cost. Consumers have to undergo opportunity cost because they have to make choices while buying their products and services. Three examples of features of business are: Each business has its own goals and objectives for becoming successful and profitable. To increase market share, earning higher revenues and building a large customer base, utilizing latest technology, reducing labour costs are some of the objectives of businesses. To achieve all these objectives and purpose of the business, the organizations have to plan in becoming an international business as well. Once they make an international presence, they knock on many opportunities, have the chance to invest in latest technology and ensure that business operations are running successfully with higher profit margins. Importing and exporting, licensing and franchising allow new business units to commence and also allow the products and services to reach a wide audience at the global level. There are certain factors that are increasing the demand of globalization such as advanced technology, liberalisation of cross-border trade which allows the process of trading to easen, services that help international business in becoming successful, consumer demands, competition in the global business environment, the effect of political situations (favourable in many of the countries) and other such factors. These factors impede local organisations to have an international business expansion plan and deal with all rules and regulations of each country accordingly. 1.3 The legal and