Prejudice In Literature Essays - Guggenheim Fellows,

Prejudice In Literature Toni Morrison's, The Bluest Eye, Alice Walker's , The Color Purple , and Richard Wright's autobiography , Black Boy , all represent prejudicy . The preceding novels show the characters were typical victims, not understading the division of power amongst races. The Bluest Eye , a heart breaking story of a little back girl living in Lorain, Ohio during the 1930's, manifest the longing of Pecola Breedlove's obsession for love. In order to achieve love she would have to deny herself of her true identity and surrender to what is thought to be beautiful and superior: little white girls "gifted" with blond hair and blue eyes. The novel procalaims the nation's love for little white girls. Sadly, Pecola wishes every night to abolish her ugliness: her blackness. If she could only become "beautiful" she would be loved , rather then become the subject of hatred ranging fom people like her mother tro her teachers to her classmates. Recounting the story of a black girl's hardship's in the world of prejudice, Alice Walker's , The Color Purple presents a moving story of love, ill-treatment, and growth. Celie, the main character, advances toward inner growth changing from a abused and submissive wife to an independent and confident black women. The story is written in Celie's journal addressed to God. This is because the only person she thinks she can trust is God I with her secrets. From Celie's journal the reader finds out about other characters in the novel such as Alfonso, Mr._____, Shug, Nettie, and Harpo. The theme of the novel is straightforward and simple. Like many of the other novels devoted to the mistreatment of blacks and black women especially. Much of the novel reflect points in the authors life. The novel is derived from Alice Walker's own personal experience, growing up in the rural south as an abused and uneducated child. Black Boy is an autobiography about Richard Wright. He was born in the rural Mississippi, the grandson of slaves. Richard Wright overcame every social obstacle including poverty, racism and limited education to achieve the regonition as the creator of America's most powerful literature. Black Boy, Richard Wright's autobiography, covers his childhood and early adulthood. It opens with four-year-old Richard's rebellion against authority. In order to occupy his time Richard accidently burns down his grandfathers house. "My idea was growing. Now I was wondering how the long fluffy curatians would look if I held the burning straws under them( pg 11)." All throughout the entire novel Richard has some type of hunger. His hunger gets him into trouble. At the time, Richard was and resentful of his mother's command of silence. After his mother determined that he was unharmed, she beat him so badly that he lost consciousness. When Richard and his brother were very young, Nathan Wright, their father, a sharecropper , abandoned the family, plunging them into poverty. Richard's constant hunger made him extremely bitter toward his father. Over the next few years, Ella, Richard's mother, would desperately attempt to feed, clothe, and shelter her children. Her long hours of work often meant leaving her children with little supervision. When Richard was six years old, he began begging drinks in a nearby saloon where the customers plied him with nickels if he would repeat various curse words and offensive phrases. When beatings didn't work helpfully with his growing obsession with alcohol, Ella engaged the babysitting services of an older black woman in the neighborhood who watched every move. Ella moved in with her sister, Maggie, and Maggie's husband, Silas Hoskins. Hoskins was the owner of a successful saloon, so there was always more than enough food to eat. Nevertheless, Richard was unable to lose the fear that his hunger would return anew, so he hoarded food all over the house. Unfortunately, the newly found stableness was not destined to last. The local whites were jealous of Hoskins's profitable business, so they murdered him and threatened to kill the rest of his family. Maggie and Ella fled with the two boys to live in another town. Maggie and Ella's combined wages proved adequate to feed and clothe Richard and his brother, but Maggie became involved with "Professor" Matthews, a wanted man. Matthews, being a wanted man gave the children valued things and a puppy.Shortly after Richard desired to sell the dog for money to sooth his hunger. The lady only having 97 cents was denied new ownership of the puppy. A week later the dog was run over and killed. Ella and the children fled to

Methods of Execution essays

Methods of Execution essays Methods of Execution One man's taking of another's life is generally seen as an unforgivable act which is punishable with death. When this is done as punishment however, it is seen as an honorary deed by removing this criminal from the world and making it a much safer place to live. With executions in mind, it is incredible what ingenious methods can be thought of by the human brain and the fact that the idea is centered around the murdering of one man does not even change how prodigious these innovations are seen to be. Many different techniques and procedures for execution are used throughout the world revealing much about a country's culture and their concern for their citizens. By far one of the most well known and publicly glamorized of all methods of execution is electrocution. Present in nine American states, it was first used in New York in 1890. When a condemned man is scheduled to be executed, he is led into the death chamber and strapped to the point of immobility into a reinforced chair with belts crossing his chest, groin, legs, and arms. Two copper electrodes, dipped in brine or treated with Eletro-Creme to increase conductivity, are attached to him, one to his leg and the other to his head. The first jolt, between five-hundred and two-thousand volts depending on the size of the prisoner, is given for 30 seconds. Smoke will begin to come out of the prisoner's leg and head and these areas may catch fire if the victim has been sweating profusely. A doctor will examine him and if he still shows life signs, more jolts of two-thousand volts are administered to finish the job (Matthews). A main reason for electrocution's original use was the thought that death was immediate. Unfortunately this is not the case. Doctors today believe that the victim feels "himself begin burned to death and suffocating since the shock cause respiratory paralysis as well as cardiac arrest. Because the energy of the shock paralyzes the muscles, he...

Assignment 10 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Assignment 10 - Essay Example The users feel the sense of owning the products since their emotional attachment is taken into consideration. According to Norman, positive reception of nature induces affirmative response from the public as love for nature is considered preponderance in product design. Norman argues that the beauty of nature brings delight in people thus greatly changing their moods. Closer observation of nature harmonizes an individual’s emotion (Norman 2004). Visceral or aesthetical appreciation should not be separated due to their importance in people’s lives. Beauty and excellence is very important as it strengthens the sense of belonging. There is therefore a great need of appreciating attractiveness and brilliance in products. Attachment of nature’s gorgeousness in designing products for the most part creates a center of attention. Most people, especially women are profoundly attracted to the beauty. Inclusion of beauty and excellence in designing products intensely touche s women’s emotions thus providing an excellent rationale for buying the magnificently designed products. I very much think that addition of exciting connection in products forms a key base in product design. ... I significantly agree with Don Norman’s scheme as it boosts the products’ attractiveness (Norman 2004). . Occasionally, nearly all product firms have a roll of prerequisite to meet up, and, further characteristically, they have a number of aspects to extend. Scheming and mounting to requisite and quality lists guides to not up to scratch occurrence, for the reason that an individual is no longer oriented to the perception of the customer. While making judgment on designation, anxiety for characteristics, facts, and expertise trumps customer service. This is in large since the experimental part of the design is not taken into consideration. By starting with an idea of making something, there is an automatic way in which someone unnaturally confines what he can possibly deliver. Scores of archetypes’ progressive product designers accomplish something overtly for the reason that they do not devise products. Products are regarded as necessary work of art to take in h and purchaser requirements. Critical link between the designer and the user of the products is very necessary in the modern globalization because it makes businesses gain competitive advantage thus increasing their profits and boosting the businesses that had earlier failed. Moreover, past experiences need to be appreciated, embraced, and positive action taken to shape them in order to fit the acceptable and user-friendly target. Ways in which persuasion is used differs greatly and helps in attracting people in using products. Persuasion involves personal character of the individual speaker, positioning the addressees into a definite frame of mind and confirmation. The listeners may also influence people into believing in some

Apply the approach used by Lewis and Goldin in measuring the cost of Essay

Apply the approach used by Lewis and Goldin in measuring the cost of the U.S. Civil War to evaluate the cost of some other war. In this you could deal with more a contemporary conflict - Essay Example The cost of the Civil War was measured by estimating two types of war cost that include the direct and indirect cost. The direct estimation involves the computation of the total actual expenses incurred by both sides. The indirect estimation alone could not be used to give an accurate cost of the war. Lewis and Goldin also used indirect estimation in order to overshadow the limitations of direct estimation. By using the indirect estimation, they assumed that the country would still incur some expenses in the absence of the war. The difference between the consumption stream in the absence of the war and the actual expenses is the indirect cost. The direct cost of the war to the north as estimated by Lewis and Goldin was 3,365,846 dollars (Lewis & Goldin 308), while the total indirect cost in this region for the natives was 49,950 dollars (Lewis & Goldin 317). Since the historical times, the US has been actively participating in the fight against terrorists. The contemporary US acts of war on terror include the US war in Afghanistan and Iraq. The US has been sending its troop to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq in order to eliminate terrorism. This is among the country’s strategy to end terrorism in other countries before the US is affected. The cost of this war could be computed using Lewis and Goldin method. It means that the both direct and indirect costs of the war on terror have to be calculated for the past decade. The direct costs would include the total government expenditure on the war. The indirect cost would be the cost incurred by the citizens because of the war on terror. According to researches, the direct cost of war on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq was about 4 trillion dollars (DeGraw 1). The total indirect cost includes the interest on the money was 1 trillion, the medical costs of the veteran which was 32 billion, t he foreign aid of about 74 billion dollars, pentagon spending of about 652 billion, security spending of about 401

Exploring Inferential Statistics and Their Discontents Essay

Exploring Inferential Statistics and Their Discontents - Essay Example fers to a linear model applied in statistical analysis; it is used in testing hypotheses, factor in estimates, known quantities and other sources of errors in statistical experiments. Thus, GLM matters since it is used in quantifying the relationship between a number of predictor variables and a dependent variable. Parametric methods or statistics refer to those methods that assume normality of a population or used after approximation by normal distribution immediately after invoking CLT (central limit theorem). On the other hand, non-parametric methods refer to general statistical techniques that do not make assumptions about normality of a population under study. In addition, these methods do not depend on the population which is being studied. Thus, they can also be referred to as distribution free methods. Compared to parametric methods, non-parametric methods are becoming more popular because statisticians or researchers are not supposed to be constrained to make assumptions on the population under study. Therefore, to compare the two methods, we consider a case of finding confidence interval on the mean. Both methods are required for this type of problem since parametric methods are deemed to be more efficient than non-parametric methods. However, difference in efficiency may not be a bi g issue but we need to decide on a method that is more efficient depending on the problem in question (Sheskin, 2000). It is crucial to pay attention to assumptions of statistical tests since a number of incorrect background assumptions will definitely result to inaccurate conclusions about a population being studied. Thus, such assumptions must be made with a lot of care. For cases of dependent variable scores that are not normally distributed, they can be transformed and use the alternative statistical of non-parametric methods in order to make equal weights on the variables. P=0.05 in statistics means the 5% probability of obtaining appropriate results from a given

Pressure Groups Necessarily Harm Democracy

Pressure Groups Necessarily Harm Democracy Pressure groups are voluntary organisations formed to advance or defend a common cause or interest. They do not strive to take office or to govern; they simply seek to express their ideas in an organised manner. There are several ways in which they try to raise awareness: from passing information to passing letters of protest, from having informal consultations to staging popular demonstrations.  [2]  Pressure groups are very diverse in terms of their agenda, what type of agenda do they actually have? Who do they seek to influence? Do they have a broad agenda? Also, their size membership is another factor which sets them apart, this portrays how successful they actually are, the bigger the pressure group the more influence they will have. Finance is another aspect which shows the mixture of pressure groups. How do they get their money? This helps determine whether a pressure group is politicised or not. Moreover, there are different types of pressure groups which completely set them apart from one another. First of all, you have sectional pressure groups; they represent a particular section of the society. They have leverage with trade unions or political parties. They go more along the corporate lever as they are considerably politicised. Cause or promotional pressure groups are ones that seek to promote the beliefs, ideas and values in which their supporters believe, but these are not ideas which are of benefit to their membership, other than in a most general sense.  [3]  They tend to put forward ideological causes to support, theyre less entrenched. You also have oppositional pressure groups that tend to oppose government policy, such as the student protests or any other protest groups. Oppositional pressure groups are likely to be more permanent. Informative pressure groups are ones that provide and gather information to make people informed about particular issued. Lastly, you have the commentator pressure groups; respected and authoritative commentators on particular areas of policy.  [4]  Theyre formed by people who have knowledge, tend to affect the government a lot as theyre institutions and academies. Similarly, youve got social movements. Pressure groups can become or be a part of a social movement; however a social movement is much broader. For example, the Greek strikes; at first it was just a protest, but once it was broadly accepted, so broadly that it then became a movement. Another distinctive example is the labour movement in the 70s. Social movements do not seek office in theory, however their goal is to influence policy, influence economic agendas or to strongly campaign or lobby for an issue. Furthermore, pressure groups can be an advantage to democracy as it introduces a form of toleration which enables us to achieve reciprocity. It exposes us to ideas that we do not necessarily agree with. Pressure groups bring forth ideas and changes which is not the norm, this enhances the idea of pluralism; it allows them to express their ideas and allow diversity, it secures independence from the community. Also, pressure groups allow power to be dispersed. For example, in the UK you have got two very powerful parties; pressure groups help to disperse their powers. Lastly, pressure groups boost participation within the democratic system. They increase participation in the democratic process on a variety of different levels. However, pressure groups can also be a bad thing for democracy. Politicization is the main argument against groups fostering democracy. Is it really okay to put forward democratic policies through an undemocratic way? It seems as if theyre sort of cartels of inte rest, a bunch of privileged groups that just benefit. Also, it burns the bridges because pressure groups seem to undermine the mandate of elections. People do not vote for a group but for a party. Elections should be clear cut. Additionally, too much division creates instability. Society has a collective goal, so if you have got individual members creating different groups, this then undermines the collective goal. Too many decision makers make it difficult to come to an overall agreement. Going back to the rational choice theory, people will act in a way to maximise their profit. They seek to promote their own self-interest. So, even though your best option is to share, you are not going to because you might lose it all. The resource mobilization model theory suggests that the entrepreneurial-organizational variant of this approach even allows for the possibility that grievances and discontent may be defined created and manipulated by political entrepreneurs and organizations.  [5]   As Mancur Olsen explains, Collective action is individually irrational. Individuals promote self-interest, not the groups interest. It is all about self-interest for the organisations, as explained by the game theory and prisoners dilemma. This suggests that collective action problems mean that pressure groups can harm democracy. As they only have their own interest, if they benefit from it, that is all what matters even if it puts others at a disadvantage. For example, $4 million lobbying campaign a football team put together seeking taxpayer spending for a football stadium to a mere $20,000 that opponents of the spending were able to raise.  [6]  ,The few who will benefit from the transfer have an easy time organizing to lobby for it, while a group as diverse and dispersed as taxpayers face what Mancur Olson called a collective action problem.  [7]  This creates instability and unfairness within the democratic process because it leads to a group being more powerful than the other because of the unequal distribution of money and resources. So the minority, a certain part of the population can have an unequal influence against the majority which creates unfairness and undermines democracy this is considered to be a collective action problems because powerful insider groups can use their insider status and power to go and pursue their own personal cause. For example, There is a danger that ministers may be prepared to accept too uncritically the advice of powerful interest groups. They may accede to the requests of those groups that can afford to present their case most effectively, even if there are substantial objections to what they propose.  [8]   On the other hand, collective action problems dont necessarily mean that pressure groups can harm democracy. As there are a variety of cases where pressure groups have actually enhanced democracy and have not resulted into any collective action problems. For example, it allows individuals to associate with one another and proclaim their views, essential rights in any democracy.  [9]  Pressure groups provide a safety valve enabling any person with a grievance to feel that he or she is able to vent their disenchantment.  [10]  This allows minorities who feel ignored to speak out and be heard. Such as, Fathers for Justice which is a pressure group that seeks for fathers rights. Another reason why pressure groups enhance democracy and do not harm it is because they limit government, groups check government power and, in the process, defend rights and freedom.  [11]  These functions are just a few of many that show pressure groups do actually enhance democracy rather than harm it. However, it is not only collective action problems that mean pressure groups harm democracy. Pressure groups have other issues which directly affect democracy. For instance, it creates political inequality. Pressure groups tend to empower the already powerful. They therefore increase rather than reduce, political inequality. This has a negative effect on democracy itself as it contradicts the whole concept of democracy and it allows those who have access to resources to impact decisions. Even though there are many factors which lead to the fact that collective action problems do mean that pressure groups harm democracy. It is not always the case, as there are also various other reasons which lead to pressure groups affecting democracy in a bad way, such as the ones I mentioned before. Nonetheless, there are also a variety of cases that suggests pressure groups enhance democracy on countless levels. It really depends on the pressure group itself and its aims, what audience its trying to reach and what it is actually trying to achieve. If theyre politicised and have a huge influence on decision making or if they just seek to promote ideological beliefs and are less entrenched. Therefore, collective action problems are just a part of a wider range of factors which result from self-interested pressure groups that are in it for their own benefits, which results into the destruction of democracy. Nevertheless, this is not necessarily always the case as pressure groups do t end to bring about positivity to democracy. In conclusion, it all depends on a pressure groups agenda, and what their intentions are.

Free Essay - Roller Coaster of Emotions in Kate Chopins Story of an Hour :: Story Hour essays

A Roller Coaster of Emotions in A Story of An Hour      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the short story â€Å"A Story of An Hour† by Kate Chopin, the whole range of emotions are felt by the main charter Louise Mallard.   Upon learning of her husband's death she is immediately overcome by sadness.   However, once she is alone she allows herself to experience her feelings of joy at the prospect of being free from â€Å"repression."   She is no more able to staff off the feeling that was approaching her than trying to stop the waves from hitting the shore. Basically stated we are powerless over our feelings.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First, one can state that no matter how hard we try we can not keep a feeling from coming over us.   Louises' feelings come from deep within her soul. Physical exhaustion followed her first storm of grief.   At first she did not know what was coming to her.   She could not even give it a name.   When she started to recognize it, she was trying to beat it back with sheer will power. Only to find that will power is no match for the total encompassing of feelings. Once she had abandoned herself the word â€Å"free† had escaped from her lips.   She did not deliberately want it but it had come anyway.   Unmistakably, a joy over took her.   Not that she would not be sad again, but for now she was like a bird let out of the cage.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mrs. Mallard was a good example of Shakespeare's line â€Å"To Thine own self be true."   She did not allow guilt to rear it's ugly head but instead just felt her feelings.   She allowed no one to witness her self assertion.   But, it was the strongest impulse of her being.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As she was projecting spring and summer days to come, a feeling that her life would be her own again gave her a contentment that she had not felt in a long time.   No one actually knew what Mrs. Mallard had experienced behind her closed door.   Although, the human heart was meant to deal with that much pain, joy and disappointment in one day never mind one hour.   To her sister (Josephine) it would appear that she died of joy when she saw her spouse was not dead.   The truth was buried with Louise.   Tragically, what seemed to be great