Dove and Hawk View of Iraq War Essay -- essays research papers fc

Hawk and Dove Views of the Iraq War On March 18, 2003 the United States invaded Iraq. (The Washington Post) The War with Iraq is a very divisive issue around the world. Turn on any news show and you will see a daily debate on the pros and cons of going to war. Because of the situations that have occurred between the United States and Iraq, very different views and perceptions have developed. Much debate on the justification of the United States for being in Iraq, let alone overthrowing its â€Å"government†, has been presented from both sides – the Hawks and the Doves. My perception sees it like this. There are basically two different views of this war, one view being that of a Hawk and the other view being that of a Dove. The ideology of the Hawk symbolizing strength, sternness, and the notion of seeing what it wants and taking it and the Dove which normally symbolizes peach, love, and harmony, to me seems to be a perfect fit for icons of these two views. Hawks idealistically are mostly republican/conservative in the political scheme of things. The United States and the world had a duty to disarm a rogue nation like Iraq. Saddam Hussein was a tyrant that had demonstrated a complete disregard for human life and needed to be brought to justice. The people of Iraq are an oppressed people, and the world has a duty to help these people. The oil reserves of the region are necessary to the world’s economy. The WORLD not just the United States. An element like Saddam and his regime threatens the oil reserves of the entire region. The practice of appeasement only fosters even bigger tyrants. Saddam had continuously reneged on promises made to disarm any weapons and follow UN resolutions made. The removal of Saddam Hussein and his regime would uphold previous UN resolutions and give the body some credibility. By removing Saddam from power, the world of the future is safer from terrorist attacks. Rush Limbaugh is a very famous journalist and radio personality. He is noted for his Republican/conservative, somewhat brass ways of bringing to light topics with such Debatable justifications. Limbaugh denounces those who are urging restraint against force on Baghdad. "Everybody and their uncle is begging us not to go into Iraq – the Europeans, the West Germans, the Saudis," Limbaugh said. "While everybody wants regime change, they don't have the guts to... ... to be one common denominator between these very different points of view and that is neither side of this issue has EVER stated that they wanted or strived for the goal of going to war. This is called the â€Å"human factor†. No matter which side of the fence you are on here neither side still believes in the morals of a nation and its people, know the differences between right and wrong and have a love for human life. The Hawk’s believe enough is enough and that the U.S. must stand up and end this madness of putting our country in harms way. The Dove’s believe this to but believe there is a better way of obtaining this goal and that is by peaceful talks and compromises coinciding with mutual agreement of the entire world. Whether a person is a Hawkish or Dovish, in the end it probably comes down to their values, their knowledge of the issues, their social upbringings, their politics, and maybe their religion or lack thereof. Works Cited Balz, Dan and Jim VandeHie. Dean Stands By His Objections to Iraq War. The Washington Post. 16 Dec 2003. . Kovacs, Joe. Rush Limbaugh: Blast Iraq on 9-11. World Net Daily. Aug 2002. .

The R-word and Racist Native American Sports Team Logos Essay

Racial epithets have long existed and plagued our society, Native Americans throughout the country consider the R-word a racial, derogatory slur along the same lines of other hurtful, slanderous, and offensive ethnic insults including the N-word among African-Americans, the K-word for the Jewish and the W-word amongst Latinos. Above all, the portrayal of stereotypical Indian images is common in American popular culture (i.e. Jeep Cherokee, Land O’Lakes butter). Moreover, the use of Indian logos or mascots at both the professional and high school level in sports has become increasingly controversial. Thus, the removal of Native American mascots from sports teams is necessary to fight the injustice of the negative connotations and stereotypes that are typical in the depiction of Indians. Our society must become aware of how very racist the word â€Å"redskin† is and how very derogatory the portrayal of the Native American is in so many commercial and sporting events. Interestingly, Merriam-Webster’s definition defines â€Å"Redskin† as a very offensive slang used as a disparaging term for a Native American and should be avoided. The fact that many Americans are not aware of the definition of the term â€Å"redskin† or are blind to see into believing that this term means strong, brave, and courageous gives them a false sense of understanding to the true testament of the word â€Å"redskin† that is heavily misunderstood and overlooked in today’s society. First, by considering the term â€Å"Redskin† has for centuries been used to belittle and humiliate an entire people. The meaning originated in colonial times when traders and local government paid for skins. There was a certain price paid for various animal skins. On that list was the term â€Å"Red-skin,† which referred to bloody scalps of American Indians resulting from a Native American crossing the path of a bounty hunter. Most of the affected tribes were Penobscots, Passamaquoddy, Wampanoag, Mashpee Wampanoag and others along the New England coastal line. The reason they were paid for these scalps, the colonists were working to remove the American Indian presence and take over their land. Furthermore, the original name was a European one used to describe Algonquins who painted their face with bright red ocher and bloodroot, consequently making their  face red with war paint. In addition, red is the most common color used by Native Americans in painting their skin. According to Dress Clothing of the Plains Indians by Ronal P. Koch, â€Å"Red is generally accepted as being one of the colors most easily available to and most used by Indians for decorative and ceremonial purposes.† In recent developments, the Non-Disparagement of Native American Persons or Peoples in Trademark Registration Act of 2013 (H.R. 1278) introduced by U.S. Congressman Eni Faleomavaega of the Territory of American Samoa states that this bill would require cancellation of existing trademark registrations for trademarks using the term â€Å"redskin† in reference to Native Americans. It would also deny registration for new trademarks so using the term â€Å"redskin† would be deemed improper, the bill has begun to pick up steam and has garnered nation wide support through the backings of Native Americans and Non-Native American organizations in advocating an end to the use of the term â€Å"redskin† which constitutes a racial slur and is disparaging, derogatory, demeaning, and offensive to Native Americans. According to the United States House of Representative’s website, documented in a letter to Members of Congress, the National Congress of American Indians (NC AI) which is the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization serving tribal governments and communities recently stated: This legislation will accomplish what Native American people, nations, and organizations have tried to do in the courts for almost twenty years – end the racist epithet that has served as the [name] of Washington’s pro football franchise for far too long. The Tulsa Indian Coalition Against Racism (TICAR) asserts that the â€Å"R-word† is â€Å"hurtful and injurious to our youth, as well as the entire Native American population.† Accordingly, the Native American Finance Officers Association (NAFOA) affirms: The term has never been acceptable in the Native community and causes harm to the collective self-esteem and status of American Indians in the larger society. . . What should be viewed as a national embarrassment has somehow turned into a  celebrated namesake for a national sport? Further, the American Indian Movement West (AIM-WEST) sustains that: Our organization supports the goal of ridding the sports world of the disparaging name of the Washington pro football franchise. There is no question that this is a racist term that causes harm and injury, whether or not it is intended to do so, and must not be tolerated in decent society. As well as, the United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc. (USET) expresses: Overcoming the social challenges resulting from industry branding and media exposure has taken generations for other groups. Native communities are on a similar journey. In our work to protect and promote our sovereignty rights at all levels, existing stereotypes, bigotry, and racist views about our people often get in the way of progress. This legislation will assist Tribes in promoting an understanding of American Indian culture, positive images of Indian Country, the effects of historic trauma, and the modern-day successes and challenges Tribes face as we seek to improve the standard of living within our communities. In addition to the above organizations, there are 50 other organizations that have either pledged their support for this bill or rejected the use of the term ‘Redskin,’ among them are the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma, the Oneida Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the National Indian Youth Council, the National Indian Child Welfare Association, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, the National Indian Education Association, the National American Indian House Council as well as a long laundry list of other notable organizations. Second, the stereotypical Indian images in American pop culture known as â€Å"Tribalism,† as Ruth Hopkins, a columnist for the Indian Country Today Media Network concedes â€Å"as a mainstream trend largely based on false, stereotypical notions of who indigenous people are has become a pop culture phenomenon.† Among those are celebutantes, pop princesses and hipster  wannabes have been wearing obtrusive, exaggerated war bonnets and headdresses, wearing â€Å"war paint,† and playing dress up in Native American â€Å"inspired† costumes in record numbers. She goes on to illustrate that the perpetuation of stereotypical images of Native peoples is unacceptable and discriminatory for a plethora of reasons. (Hopkins) Clearly, Non-natives who wear American Indian costumes are pretending to be someone of another race. Those who play â€Å"dress up† by wearing an American Indian costume, headdress or war bonnet are not only failing to acknowledge the existence of over 500 recognized Native nations, each separate and distinct from one another, they are making light of centuries of suffering, oppression and massacre endured by the indigenous people of this country. Enforcing racial stereotypes of Native peoples as savages in characterless feathers and fringe also perpetuates the myth that American Indians are not active members of modern society and casts them aside to make them feel further disrespected and unworthy as a depleted and lost society. (Hopkins) Actually, not all American Indian tribes include war bonnets or headdresses as part of their traditional insignia. Of those who do, headdresses and war bonnets were worn by men, and have nothing to do with fashion or the sexual objectification of women. Hopkins expresses that â€Å"each eagle feather contained in a war bonnet is individually earned, often bestowed upon the owner through ceremony, and represents a significant event or acknowledged act of bravery, leadership, or self-sacrifice.† Much less, powerful, respected American Indian men with a history of valor who are leaders in their Tribal community specifically wear war bonnets. In other words, the only people who should be wearing war bonnets are chiefs or well respected warriors, such as Tatanka Iyotanka or Chief Sitting Bull of the Hunkpapa Lakota not these so-called reality stars such as Chloe Kardashian, or the pop star Ke$ha. It’s sad and pathetic that such an inconsiderate display would be similar to th e wearing of a war bonnet by someone who hasn’t earned it. (Hopkins) Because many people have such a limited knowledge of Indians, Native Americans are arguably, among the most misunderstood ethnic groups in the United States. Native Americans are also among the most isolated groups. What people know is limited by their sources of information and,  unfortunately, much of the information about Indians is derived from popular culture. Stereotyping is a poor substitute for getting to know individuals at a more intimate, meaningful level. By relying on stereotypes to describe Native Americans, whites come to believe that Indians are drunks, get free money from the government, and are made wealthy from casino revenue. Or they may believe that Indians are at one with nature, deeply religious, and wise in the ways of spirituality. Indeed, American mainstream media have always tended to distort Native American images. In a research conducted by Liu & Zhang on the representation of Native Americans in pop culture, â€Å"the film Dances with Wolves; the radio and TV Western, The Lone Ranger; and the novel, by Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans, are just a handful of TV shows ad movies that present negative or romanticized images of American Indians, either nasty or cruel, or subservient and short, but all disappearing.† For instance, the fabricated Indian images on TV and in the Hollywood films influence the identity formation of individual Native Americans. Consequently, Hollywood and TV have created simulated Indians and have played and replayed these images so many times that the Indian viewers take them as real. These romantic and stoic characters hardly speak in the films; nor do they get heard. Especially, Liu & Zhang point out the discrepancies that in Hollywood films and TV plays, Indians ar e paid to die, to fall off the horse, to confirm the â€Å"Vanishing Noble Savage† stereotype, so endings are important. Further propagating that these stereotypical images can be seen in the â€Å"westerns† movies and even in some cartoons such as Peter Pan. Moreover, other stereotypical images showed them with painted faces smoking peace pipes, dancing around a totem pole (at times with a captive tied to it), sending up smoke signals, wearing feathered head pieces, scalping the heads of their enemies and constantly chanting the word â€Å"um† promotes a damaging misconception and negative inferences towards Native Americans. With regards to discrimination, when the highly popular Twilight series received the Hollywood treatment, Taylor Lautner played the Native American character Jacob Black and his casting became steeped in controversy. As Dow points out that â€Å"Lautner’s presence seemed out of sync with Hollywood’s recent pro-Indian stance. Lautner claimed to have discovered his Indian  ancestry after being cast. Actions like this show film producers’ hesitance to hire an actor in spite of the character’s ethnicity. Rick Mora, an actor who resides in California, who plays a Native American in T wilight disagrees with the casting of Taylor: â€Å"There is plenty of Native talent in town (Hollywood) to play that role.† Furthermore, she yields that the movie could be â€Å"applauded for representing Natives as more than simply a dying race, instead appearing onscreen as people with their own unique personalities.† For some younger viewers this may be their first contact with Native American culture, so acknowledging Indians as Americans on screen was an achievement on the part of Hollywood. In addition, the summer release of X-men Origins: Wolverine in 2009 and the highly popular character Silver Fox made her first onscreen appearance in the movie series. In the original comics, Silver Fox is described as a Native Canadian Black Foot. The character is to be played by Caucasian actress Lynn Collins, and the decision to cast a white actress has upset many fans of the comics. Hollywood producers have also decided to change her name to the more American-sounding Kayla Silverfox. Clearly, not only does Hollywood still find it difficult to include a Native American in a blockbuster, but also they e ven refuse to leave the traditional ethnic names intact. (Dow) Whereas names, images, and mascots that symbolize Native Americans are used extensively in the United States, particularly in sports and advertising. In sports there are the Washington Redskins football team, the Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians baseball teams, and the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team. Fans of the Atlanta Braves use the â€Å"tomahawk chop† accompanied by a chant to intimidate visiting teams, while the Cleveland Indians use the mascot Chief Wahoo and the University of Illinois uses the mascot Chief Illiniwek. As a result, Native Americans across the country have been protesting the use of their symbols and heritage in sports arenas for over a decade. Most particular in the realm of professional sports, these protests have not generated significant changes in attitudes and practices. As an illustration, Hatfield designates that logos used by the Washington football team and the Cleveland and Atlanta baseball teams are offensive for many reasons, as are the logos formerly used by Dartmouth College and the University of Illinois. (They are no longer used because the NCAA banned teams with racist names and ma scots from post-season play.) He implies that  these logos appropriate the identities of Native Americans, many of whose languages and cultures have been destroyed by Euro-Americans. They take sacred religious symbols from Native American cultures – eagle feathers, face paint, and peace pipes – belittle them, and exploit them for the commercial and entertainment purposes of Americans. And they perpetuate outdated, demeaning stereotypes of Native Americans that make it difficult for Native Americans to represent themselves as part of contemporary American society.  Be that as it may, these logos reduce Native Americans to savages, to defeated enemies who have been â€Å"erased† from today’s world. Indian mascots objectify and commercialize Native Americans and their cultures. Cigar store Indians were used as advertisements to sell tobacco. Urban Outfitters used Navajo patterns to sell clothes, at least until lawyers representing the Navajo Nation filed suit against them and won an i njunction forcing them to stop. (Hatfield) Other nicknames of professional and college teams, such as Indians, Braves, Chiefs, and Seminoles may not in themselves be offensive. However, the portrayal of these words is often very demeaning. For example, the 1995 World Series, the Cleveland Indians and the Atlanta Braves, with Chief Wahoo as the mascot for the Cleveland team and the â€Å"tomahawk chop† exemplified by fans of the Atlanta team, portrayed Native Americans in an extremely degrading manner. Suzan Shown Harjo, Director of the Morning Star Institute, says that this portrayal of Native Americans is â€Å"racist, derogatory, demeaning, pejorative, offensive and ignorant at best.† On the other hand, Dr. Cornel Pewewardy, a visiting scholar in the Department of Education at Cameron University, has written extensively about the struggle of unlearning ‘Indian Stereotypes’ for both Native Americans and non-Native Americans as learned from the demeaning public portrayal of the American Indian through mascots, the movie, Pocahontas, and the â€Å"tomahawk chop.† Being that there are 62 high schools that use the name Redskins, the term has vanished from the collegiate landscape. Accordi ng to Capital News Service, â€Å"the last two colleges that used Redskins changed the name in the late 1990s. Miami University of Ohio changed from the Redskins to RedHawks in 1997 and the Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm dropped the name in 1999. If the two universities had not changed their name by 2006, they would have been unable to play in the postseason under a NCAA policy adopted in 2005 that bans the use of Native American mascots by sports teams during its tournaments.† The postseason ban convinced colleges with mascots like Braves, Indians and Savages to become the Red Wolves, War Hawks, Mustangs or Savage Storm. In view of the fact, the CNS denotes that the policy made an exception for teams that have the consent of local Native American tribes like the Florida State University Seminoles. At the high school level, there is no single national sports organization like the NCAA to pressure schools to abandon Native American mascots. But officials in a growing number of states are taking similar steps as the NCAA to force schools to change. Wisconsin passed in 2010 the nation’s first state law banning public schools from using Native American names, mascots and logos. It left exceptions for schools that had the approval of local Native American tribes. In 2012, the Oregon State Board of Education issued a ruling banning all Native American team names, mascots and logos. Affected sc hools must comply by 2017 or risk losing state funding. Alternatively, according to Munson, â€Å"Indian† logos and nicknames create, support and maintain stereotypes of a race of people. She asserts that when one or many of society’s institutions support such cultural abuse, it constitutes institutional racism. Further, the logos, along with other societal abuses and stereotypes separate, marginalize, confuse, intimidate and harm Native American children. They create barriers to their learning throughout their school experience. Additionally, the logos teach non-Native American children that it’s all right to participate in culturally abusive behavior. Children spend a great deal of their time in school, and schools have a significant impact on their emotional, spiritual, physical and intellectual development. As long as such logos remain, both Native American and non-Native American children are learning to tolerate racism in our school. Understanding the history of Native Americans is important to understanding why this is such a controversial topic. The Native American community for 50 years has worked to banish images and names like Chief Wahoo, Washington Redskins, Kansas City Chiefs and the Atlanta Braves. It is important to remind people of the cognizant use of the symbols’ resemblance to other historic, racist images of the past. She adds that Native Americans struggled to survive in harsh situations. The support of these mascots only  brings back memories of their ancestors and the suffering and pain they went through for their children and grandchildren. The debate is about more than sports teams and what they call themselves; it is about how Americans treat one another. It is about the respect that different ethnic groups have for those different than themselves in terms of history, physical characteristics, values, and most importantly, emotions. (Munson) In essence, I have came to the conclusion that the Washington Redskins were originally known as the Newark Tornadoes and then the Boston Braves. Most accounts can agree that team owner George Preston Marshall changed the franchise name from the Boston Braves to the Boston Redskins in 1933 to recognize then coach, William â€Å"Lone Star† Dietz. Dietz, who claimed half-German, half-Sioux background, embraced what he perceived to be a Native American heritage. So, since many Native Americans are outraged about the symbolization of Native Americans in sports and advertising, and since society would not tolerate equivalent symbols of other minorities, it is clear that Native Americans are discriminated against, regardless of how others may feel about the matter–and that their civil rights are violated by such racial discrimination. These are important reasons for eradicating the use of Native American names in sports, advertising, and elsewhere. Consequently, Native American organizations such as the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) are making a strong push through legal action in a bid to force the Washington Redskins to change their name. Most notable of these cases are Pro Football vs. Harjo and Blackhorse v. Pro-Football, Inc. that have made strong efforts in the fight against the discrimination of Native Americans. Works Cited Hatfield, Dolph L. â€Å"The Stereotyping of Native Americans.† The Humanist Sept. 2000: 43. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 15 July 2013. Washington, d.c.—members of congress urge snyder and the national football league to change the washington team’s name. (2013, May 28). Retrieved from http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/as00_faleomavaega/eniredskins.html Miller, Jackson B. â€Å"Indians, Braves, And Redskins: A Performative Struggle For Control Of An Image.† Quarterly Journal Of Speech 85.2 (1999): 188. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 July 2013. Soong, Kelyn. â€Å"The Other Redskins.† . Capital News Service. Web. 15 Jul 2013. . Koch, Ronald P. Dress Clothing of the Plains Indians. University of Oklahoma Press, 1977. Examination of the design and construction of Plains Indian formal †¦ www.minnesotahumanities.org/Teachers/3-04plains.htm Hopkins, Ruth. â€Å"Indian Country Today Media Network.†Tribalism as Pop Culture Phenomenon and the Perpetuation of Offensive American Indian Stereotypes. N.p., 19 Aug 2011. Web. 14 Jul 2013. . Liu, Kedong, and Hui Zhang. Self- and Counter-Representations of Native Americans: Stereotypical Images of and New Images by Native Americans in Popular Media. Harbin Institute of Technology, China, n.d. Web. 15 Jul 2013. . Dow, Madeline. â€Å"Race, Gender, and Mass Media Blog.†Native American Portrayal in Cinema. N.p., 06 Nov 2012. Web. 14 Jul. 2013. . Munson, Barabara. Common Themes and Questions About the Use of â€Å"Indian† Logos. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jul 2013. .

Jane Eyre and Class System Essay

In Bronte’s time, the Victorian era, class system still played a huge role in society. People of a certain class would often look down on people from another class. Class was something you were born into. It was almost impossible to shift from one class to another. In the novel Jane Eyre, Bronte presents a very revolutionary character in that aspect. Charlotte Bronte is critical about the class system and tries to show that through Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre is not influenced by the social class system, because she shifts between several classes, has a strong character which enables her to ignore the traditions of the class system, and she does not judge others on their class, but rather on their character. Jane is not fixed to one class, but instead shifts between several classes. During her childhood, she is raised within the wealthy Reed’s family (Bronte 1). However, she is not considered as family, because she is an orphan. She is born into the working class and for that reason she is ill-treated by the Reed’s family (Godfrey 853). This becomes clear when John Reed addresses Jane: â€Å"you are a dependant, mamma says; you have no money; your father left you none; you ought to beg, and not live with gentlemen’s children like us† (Bronte 7). She still remains in this class position when she attends Lowood school, which is a school for orphans. At the age of eighteen, she becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall, and her position changes. Since she earns her money by teaching a pupil, her position moves upwards somewhere between the working class and the middle class (Godfrey 857). In the rich Mr Rochester she meets her future husband, but when she discovers that he is married to another woman she runs off (Bronte 379). With almost nothing, she has to beg for food which brings her position to the lower class (Bronte 431). When her uncle dies, she inherits a large amount of money, which enables her to climb up to the middle class (Bronte 500). Knowing that Mr Rochester’s wife died, she is now able to marry him since their positions are equal. Jane Eyre does not judge others on their class, but rather on their character. As is mentioned before, Jane does not belong to one particular class, but shifts between the two extremes of the class system. In the beginning Jane does not feel comfortable around superior people. This might have been a result of her childhood during which she was ill-treated. However, she quickly learns to evaluate people on their character instead of their class status. First we see how Jane feels drawn to Bessie, the maid, who is the only one during her hard childhood who cares about her: â€Å"She had a capricious and hasty temper, †¦ , still such as she was, I preferred her to any one else at Gateshead Hall† (Bronte 41). Later on we see how she establishes a close relationship with Helen Burns, who is a friend at Lowood, and also with Miss Temple, the head teacher. These examples are people from the lower or working classes. We also see that Jane criticizes Mr Brocklehurst, who belongs to a higher class, because of his wrong and hypocrite behaviour. He tells the girls at Lowood: â€Å"my mission is to mortify in these girls the lusts of the flesh, to teach them to clothe themselves with shamefacedness and sobriety, not with braided hair and costly apparel† (Bronte 86). Yet, his own wife and daughters are dressed luxurious. The most important example is of course Mr Rochester. Jane Eyre often reflects on his character, but never really on his class: â€Å"I believed he was naturally a man of better tendencies, higher principles, and purer tastes than such as circumstances had developed, education instilled, or destiny encouraged† (Bronte 193). Her love for him is based on his character and not on his class. Jane has a strong character which enables her to ignore the traditions of the social class system. In the Victorian era, women were still considered inferior to men. At a certain point during her stay at Thornfield Hall, she expresses her opinion about this: â€Å"Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as man feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do† (Bronte 146). This shows that Jane has a different view from the traditional one, namely that she thinks that women are equal to men. At a later stage in her life, when she inherits twenty thousand pounds from her uncle, she also reacts different from the traditional standards. She wants to divide the money equally with her nephew and cousins (Bronte 505). However, St John calls this â€Å"contrary to all custom† (Bronte 507), because normally someone from a lower class would keep the money for himself. So Bronte shows that she has a critical view on the social class system by presenting Jane’s revolutionary character, and letting her break through the traditions of the class system. She is not influenced by the social class system, because instead of being fixed to one class, Jane changes from one class to the other. She starts out as a working class girl being raised in a middle class environment, and shifts back and forth until she finally ends in the middle class. She also evaluates people on their character instead of their class, and her strong personality enables her to ignore the standards of the social class.

Freedom and Slavery in “Huckleberry Finn” Essay

â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn†, by Mark Twain, is a classic American novel, considered by some to be the finest example of American literature. It follows Huck and Jim, a poor Southern white boy and a runaway slave, as they travel down the Mississippi River in a quest for freedom. Sometimes regarded as a simple children’s story, â€Å"Huckleberry Finn†, while still existing on that level, also has an abundance of symbolism and meaning that’s not immediately apparent. The novel contains ideas and observations that Twain felt were significant to the culture and the people he was writing to. The primary theme of the book (most appropriate considering the time period in which it was written) is the struggle between freedom and slavery. Huckleberry Finn experiences this struggle as the adults around him attempt to â€Å"sivilize† him and force him to conform to their ideas of appropriate behavior. Witnessing their hypocrisy, their interest in being SEEN as good respectable people over actually BEING good respectable people, Huck instinctively dismisses and rebels against their teachings. He resists being molded into something that’s pleasing to others but not himself, against becoming a slave to the person everyone else wants him to be, forever prevented from expressing who he truly is. Perhaps more literally, Jim also must struggle for freedom. A slave all his life, he becomes a runaway, forced to rely on a white boy whose attitudes and ideas have been molded all his life to view blacks as inferior. He’s struggling against society, which literally attempts to enslave him as someone whose only purpose is to serve his superiors (whites), whose life means nothing more than to serve as a piece of property. Both Jim and Huck fight for their own forms of freedom when all outside forces are trying to enslave them. Both merely want to be the masters of their own lives and persons, without external control. Not only is this concept a key theme in the novel, but in the South throughout it’s history.

Family Assessment Assignment Essay

A family nursing assessment was done on the Lois G. family during three nursing visits over a period of one month. The family lives at 1234 Main St. and their home phone number is 314-987-6543. This is a lower- middle class (Friedman, Bowden & Jones E.G., 2003), African American, Baptist, single-parent, career, divorced family that is child-oriented and not geographically mobile. Lois is 45 and has three children, Carmen, a 16 year old girl, Emille and Camille, twin 9 year old girls. The mother is the sole custodial parent of the oldest child. Carmen has minimal contact with her father, Wayne, whom her mother divorced when she was 2 years old. The twins’ father, Sherman, has joint custody and shares full parental responsibilities for their care. Lois does not have a relationship with either Wayne or Sherman. The twins live with their father 3 to 4 days a week and then spend equal time with their mother. The family is in Duvall’s 5th life cycle stage. The potential task and transitions for this family are changes in roles and status; career changes; loss of parent in family of origin and changes in physical health (Friedman, et al., 2003). In addition to these developmental tasks, the family is currently facing the tasks of balancing freedom with responsibility and problems with parent-teenager communication. The family nursing diagnosis for this family is â€Å"Parental Role Conflict† and â€Å"Deficient Health Care Knowledge† which is related to the family’s current health care concerns. Lois has a master’s in education and mathematic. She is a high school math teacher and values education and good grades. Carmen is social, active, but quite. Carmen does assisted with the care and supervision of the twins, but now is involved in more school and social activities that take up most of her free time. She has a mild interest in establishing a relationship with her father and states he is attending sports activities and making same efforts to be a part of her life. She is an A student and participates in high school sports and church activities.  Camille and Emille are both very outgoing and enjoy being around their older sister and being the center of attention. Camille and Emille like living with both of their parents, but say it would be nice if they could just stay at one home and still have both parents there. Emille does very well in school, and although Camille is working at grade level, she has been struggling in some subjects. The family is very active i n their church and attends services every Sunday and bible study on Wednesdays with her sister and her family. In Lois’ family of origin, there are five children and she is the middle child. She has an older sister, an older brother and two younger brothers. Her grandparents on both side of her family are from Mississippi, but later moved to St. Louis to raise their families in better living and working conditions. Her parents are from St. Louis. Lois’ mother, Catherine, died of colon cancer when Lois was 28. Lois’ father, JC, is in the late stages of Alzheimer’s disease but is able to stay in his home because his second wife, Ms. Verdell, provides him 24 hour care. This illness has been very difficult for the family but they have a lot of faith in God and this has assisted them in dealing with his slow decline. Lois states she is very thankful that her father has the support of his wife, because she doesn’t feel she and her sister would be able to provide him the type of care he receives from her. Lois states she has a very good relationship with all of her immediate and extended family members. She is very close to her sister and sees her and her sisters’ family at least on a weekly basis, if not more often. Her three brothers, who are unmarried, live out of town but come to St. Louis to visit frequently. She is also close to her extended family on both her mother and fathers side of the family and will travel to Mississippi several times a year to visit them. Lois states that she is not aware of any health issue with her siblings although she thinks her oldest brother may have high blood pressure. She had aunts on both sides to die from cancer (unknown type) and two uncles to die from heart disease. The nuclear family has no special needs, is not experiencing any major illnesses, nor is there an immediate family member with disabilities. Lois is experiencing a lot of stress contemplating a hysterectomy this summer due to uterine fibroids and menorrhagia. Carmen has been experiencing irregular menses, but now is on birth control pills (BCP) to regulate her cycle. She however, doesn’t want to take the BCP’s. The  twins have mild to moderate eczema, which is being treated w ith a prescription topical steroid, but this is inconsistent because when the twins are with their father he doesn’t always apply the daily ointment as ordered. There is no history of surgeries, chronic or prolonged illnesses, asthma or allergies in the family. Lois states she needs more information on treatment options for her fibroids; treatment options for Carmen’s’ irregular menses and a better way to make sure the twins are using their medication for their eczema when they’re at their father’s home. Lois has lived in the St. Louis area all of her life and now she and her family live in Hazelwood MO, a middle-class, culturally diverse suburban area in St. Louis County, MO. Her home is easily assessable to highways, schools, hospitals, shopping and entertainment. She is able to easily get to her sisters’ and fathers’ homes and to church. She doesn’t have a lot of interaction with her neighbors; her community is centered more on where her family and church are located and not necessarily on where she lives. Lois lives in a nicely decorated, well maintained, three bedroom ranch home, with a fenced yard on a low traffic street. Lois and Carmen have their own bedrooms and the twins share a bedroom with twin beds. She has a finished basement that the children utilize for their recreational activities. There are several TV’s and computers in the home and each person has access to these for both leisure and school work. The family room is just off the kitchen and this is the center of family interaction. The family’s communication is didactic and usually occurs around the kitchen table at meal times. The twins review their day at school and Carmen relates what her upcoming activities are. Lois reviews their progress in school, or addresses issues specific to each child. She does have one-on-one with each child, although not every day, it is several times a week. Lois states communication with Carmen has become more difficulty over the last 6 months. Lois and Carmen have always been very close, but as the twins have required more of Lois’ attention and Carmen has gained more independence, she feels this is changing. Although Lois states that she has always been able to talk with Carmen, she now feels there are more disagreements and some lack of communication. Lois feels Carmen doesn’t show her the expected amount of respect when she is told to do something or reminded to do chores and her tone is not acceptable to Lois. Carmen talks freely with her mother  to negotiate her wants and needs or to express her feelings, but gets angry when she feels her mother is unre asonable in her expectations. She states she wishes her mother would listen more and not raise her voice and then get angry at her when she does the same. Lois states there are areas that she makes the sole decision, like home rules and behavior expectations; some areas that are negotiable, like social activities and the use of BCP’s for irregular menses; and then there are areas that Carmen makes her own decisions, like clothes and hair styles. I explained to Lois this is a normal pattern for adolescent development and that some research has shown that when the child is young they are more likely to have value agreement with the parent, but it seems relatively uncharacteristic of families with middle and late adolescents (Edgar-Smith, 2010). Currently Carmen does not want to take BCP’s because she said it makes her feel â€Å"funny†. She isn’t able to give a broader description of the feeling and hasn’t voiced any specific physical complaint or symptom, but just states she wants to stop taking the BCP’s. Lois and Carmen had a discussion around this issue and agreed that Carmen would take the BCP’s for 6 months and then follow up with her doctor to see if continuing or stopping the BPC’s would be the best option for her. Lois is able to communicate openly with both Camille and Emille and they are responsive to the rules and expectations that Lois has laid out for the household and individually. Carmen will talk to the twins, but it’s usually to give correction or instruction, not to inquire. Lois states the twins share their own style of communication which is verbal and non-verbal when interacting with each other. With others, Camille will usually start the communication and then Emille will join in. Lois prepares all the meals and is very aware of the importance of a balanced meal plan. She makes breakfast and lunches for everyone in the morning and then cooks dinner every night. She usually cooks the meals while the girls are doing homework, watching TV or playing games. She said she needs more help at meal times. I asked her if she could assign task for each child to do so everyone would have a part in meal preparation and she said she would start a routine that involves all the children in this. Carmen is capable of independent meal preparation (but does not initiate this), so she will be the one to set up the food preparation and organize items for the twins. Lois will give specific instructions on what she wants everyone to do, so she won’t have  the entire responsibility of meal preparation for every meal every day. Lois, as the mother and only parent in the home, is the sole p ower source for decision making in the family and has reward and coercive power over the children, although she will confer with the twin’s father due to the legal agreement of joint custody. Carmen, as the oldest child, has inferred power over the twins. The twins, as the two youngest children, are on an equal power base. When asked about the closeness in the family structure, Lois feels she is closest to Carmen and Camille. Carmen is closest to her mother and Camille. Emille is closest to Camille and her father. Camille is closest to her mother and Emille. Lois doesn’t feel there is a lack of bonding with any of the children. The family exhibits the traditional middle class African-American values of strong family bonds; support from kin and friendships; flexibility in family roles; and strong religious commitment and participation. She has the middle class values of honesty, hard work, progress, achievement and respectability (Friedman, et al., 2003). Individualism and equality are valued, but she stresses respect for God, family and elders; good grades and academic achievement above all else. Health care for the children is important to her. She utilizes her health care insurance to makes sure they have all the needed physicals, immunizations, eye and dental care recommended by their pediatrician. She has delayed her own routine health and dental care and screenings to meet work or family commi tments. I explained to Lois that in a recent study a questionnaire was given at both men and women to evaluate family burdens; domestic responsibilities; the appraisal of work and family; and values involved in work-family balance. The results of this study show that, in the present economic and cultural context, assuming family burdens and domestic responsibilities increases the positive appraisal of work and family (Cantera, Cubells, Martinez & Blanch, 2009). Lois sees her family as very healthy since there are no illnesses or major health crises; but also sees how delaying her health care could directly affect the health status of the family. The children are active in sports, but Lois feels she has been neglecting herself by not getting the exercise she has been used to even though her weight remains consistent and within normal limits. The family’s diet consists of all food groups and is appropriate for each child’s growth needs. All the children are within their normal body mean index (BMI). Meal  times are structured and usually occur at home, although she will have one or two nights a month after church where the family eats out. I educated Lois regarding several studies that have invest igated the effects of diet on the growth of fibroids. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), recent findings from a study of more than 22,000 African American women showed that women who consumed milk, cheese, ice cream, or other dairy products at least once a day were less likely to develop fibroids than were women who consumed dairy less frequently (National Institute of Health, 2013). Lois states one thing she makes sure she does is get enough rest; she sleeps about 7 hours each night. If she feels she needs more rest, she goes to bed earlier. She doesn’t drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, use illicit or recreational drugs, nor do any of the children engage in any of these practices. The main stressor the family is experiencing is the parent-adolescent relationship which Lois is aware is a normal developmental task that the family will progress through. Another area of stress Lois expressed is lack of knowledge related to treatments for uterine fibroids. She was given educational material from the NIH website factsheet on uterine fibroids and current studies and treatment options. Also Lois wanted information on current treatment options for teenagers with irregular menses. Lois was given information from the PebMed website on a study to determine the effectiveness and acceptability of progestogens alone or in combination with oestrogens in the regulation of irregular menstrual bleeding. The study results state there is no consensus about which regimens are most effective and further research is needed (Hickey, M., Higham J.M., Fraser I. 2012). I encouraged her to follow up with Carmen’s doctor after the 6 month course of BCP’s and then discuss her options. Lois was also given information on treatment options for eczema (Weston, 2011). I encouraged her to have the twin’s father apply the medication to them daily and if he wasn’t able to adhere to the treatment schedule, she could have the twins apply their own ointment. The family handles stressors well; overall family adaptation is appropriate; and the family is meeting all the expected developmental task of this stage. See attachment for genogram. References Cantera, L., Cubells, M., Martà ­nez, L., & Blanch, J. (2009). Work, family, and gender: Elements for a theory of work-family balance. The Spanish Journal Of Psychology, 12(2), 641-647. Edgar-Smith, S. E. (2010). Family relational values in the parent-adolescent relationship. Counseling & Values, 54(2), 187-200 Friedman, M. M., Bowden, V.R., & Jones, E. G. (2003). Family nursing: Research, theory, and practice. (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Hickey, M., Higham J.M., Fraser I. (2012). Progestogens with or without oestrogen for irregular uterine bleeding associated with anovulation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2012, Issue 9. Art. No.: CD001895. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001895.pub3. National Institute of Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. (2013). Uterine fibroids. Retrieved from United States Government website: http://report.nih.gov/nihfactsheets/ViewFactSheet.aspx?csid=50&key=UWeston, W.L., (2011). Epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis of atopic dermatitis (e czema). http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html.

Advantages of Online Shopping

Advantages of online shopping: Online shopping is accessible round the clock. You can buy whatever you want even at 3 a. m. in the morning. You can choose from a wider variety of things available for you to shop which may not be available in the local brick and mortar stores. You also have the benefit to do all from the comfort of your own home. When you buy from online store you have the comfort to take your time while checking for the things of your choice, this will lead you to a simple and quick way to perform price comparison unlike the dissatisfied and hurried shopping you do in the local stores.In addition, unlike local stores, you can avail discount coupons and get a thing at a lower rate when shopping online. Besides, when shopping online you can also avoid long lines to wait in and the unnecessary contact with cranky people. If you feel uncomfortable dragging your kids for shopping, online shopping is the best way to counter that. Most of us are sometimes concerned with pri vate shopping; online shopping offers you a great platform to do so with comfort. Also, when you are buying gifts, online mode is the perfect way to send your distant friends or relatives the gift you wanted to send.When it comes to payment, you can use anyone's credit card when shopping online. A lot of us are concerned about the identity theft when hear about online shopping. Identity theft cases take place in reality in brick and mortar store itself and not online. Websites are secure these days with powerful encryption procedures that keep your identity safe and secure. Although there are a few where your information may not be secure, you can take a peaceful breathe when dealing with the vast majority of online shopping website.Consider websites that offer free shipping and this is definitely the way to go. As the price of gas is increasing, shipping and handling might be cheaper anyway. Disadvantages of online shopping: Although online shopping is 24/7 available, you cannot fe el or touch items rather can just see what is present on a webpage whereas in brick and mortar stores you can see many things at a glance and buy after you feel or touch the product. As the term suggests, online shopping is only possible through the internet, therefore, the connection speed matter a lot here.Unlike conventional stores which don't close unexpectedly, online stores incurs frequent malfunction. The most common grumble people have with online stores is regarding warranties and some sort of guarantees, which they fail to offer in most cases. Apparently, these would mean nothing if the online store went bankrupt. Similarly returns are also very much difficult on online stores than in local stores. It very normal that many online stores don't accept cash or checks, although some sites do, you still have to use the credit cards.When purchasing online, billing errors are the common things you may encounter whereas in local stores these errors are nearly impossible. The very big disadvantage an online website may have is the credit card security issue, despite the fact that how secure the website claims to be, you can not always trust them. There have been many cases where people realized that their credit card number has been stolen and has been used by others. The bottom line is, online shopping is the ultimate solution people are finding today, but conventional stores are still here to stay.

Politics of Globalization and Iran Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Politics of Globalization and Iran - Essay Example Most of the enervating problems of the modern day Iran stem from its complicated and atypical political system that aspires to harmonize the elements of an Islamic theocracy with a fledgling democracy (BBC). The anachronistic seeming Iranian polity is a strange mix of elected democratic institutions such as a president, a cabinet, and a parliament being constitutionally and unambiguously superseded by a gamut of unelected power centres such as a guardian council, an expediency council, and the armed forces, which are administered by the highly influential and theocratic Supreme Leader. It is realistically impossible for the foreign policy and the trade policy in Iran to remain uninfluenced by the aforementioned power centres. President Mahmoud Ahamadinejad who came to power in 2005 has been trying hard to refurbish and realign the Iran's economic policies with the contemporary global trends. At the same time, the world community is resorting to a series of measures like active diplom atic engagement and trade sanctions to alter the Iranian state and trade policies. Iran subscribes to a primarily industrial economy that contributes more then 45 % of its GDP and is a profitable mix of oil and gas, textiles, steel, petrochemicals and automotive manufacturing (Ilias 13). The next major stakeholder in the Iranian economy is its services sector that represents another 43 % of its GDP (Ilias 13). Though the contribution of the agriculture sector to the Iranian economy is roughly 11 %, still it happens to be the major employer, absorbing nearly 20 % of Iran's workforce (Ilias 13). Iran boasts of the world's third largest petroleum reserves and the second largest gas reserves. Though the internecine war with Iraq severely jeopardized the Iran's oil production facilities, still they account for a bulk of the Iranian export earnings and are the single most vital source of government revenue. The oil sector in Iran is the primary enticer of the foreign investment and nascent fears are cropping up that such an intense concentration of investment in this se ctor could practically stifle the other emerging sectors in this developing economy (Ilias 13). The behemoth oil and gas sector in Iran solely comes within the ambit of state administration and are managed by the state run National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). Being a potent and founding member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Iran wields a considerable influence in the world economy, courtesy its ability to stir the world oil supply and prices (Sarkis). The top importers of the Iranian oil are India, China, Italy, South Korea and Japan. Still, the greatest delimiting factor that the Iranian oil industry has to contend with is a constricting lack of access to the new technologies owing to highly constrained investments and the running US sanctions (Ilias 14). Going by the Iran's exclusive dependence on oil reserves for economic sustenance, its economy is pathetically susceptible to any unforeseen changes in the international oil prices (Ilias 14). Desp ite sitting on the mindboggling 15 % of the world gas