Comparison of Meditations in Time of Civil War

Yeats implies that ownership is futile as, with the inevitability of death, comes the inevitability that one day ownership will be lost when-as Yeats puts it-â€Å"the [master is] ride†. The fact that â€Å"mice can play' once the â€Å"masters buried† brings together a new Idea of owning-or possessing-people and the Idea that through this ownership comes a hierarchy which leads to people being treated like â€Å"mice†. The fact that they can now â€Å"play†, now that the master has gone, Implies that the master oppressed them through his ownership of them. However this section of the poem where the â€Å"mice play† is linked to a previous section which talked of dreams.They are linked through rhyme. In the previous section, which starts â€Å"Mere dreams, mere dreams! And continues until â€Å"As if some marvelous empty sea-shell flung†, has the rhyming scheme A. B. A. B. A. The fact that Yeats has also given the section, that Includes the mice playing, the same rhyming scheme, Indicates that this Is a â€Å"mere dream† and that the ownership is still present and needs to be relinquished before they can play. Walcott in particular references the idea that-through the idea that one human owns another-the humanity and the rights of the owned human can be stripped away.This links to Walkout's main theme of the slave trade. The line â€Å"some slave is rotting in this manorial lake† shows this idea the best. By describing the lake as â€Å"manorial† Walcott has linked the ownership of the lake to the death of the slave and thus Implements the owners In the Implied crime. This could lead to the desire to renounce ownership of the lake so as to escape the implementations associated with it. The line: â€Å"protecting the great house/ from guilt† shows that with ownership comes the need for pride in possessions-also shown in the Yeats poem with the â€Å"escutcheon's ours†.However, Walcott also makes reference to the idea that the mice can play once the â€Å"masters buried†. Walcott has been described by critics as a â€Å"poetry pirate† from other poets and uses them for his own purposes. This is the most obvious way Walcott challenges the idea of ownership. He takes these lines-such as â€Å"Part of the continent, piece of the main†- and uses them ironically for his own meaning. It is often ironic as the original meaning of the lines is normally the opposite of what Walcott uses them for.This contrasts to Yeats-who implied that the idea that the mice can play is a dream-as Walkout's ‘poetry piracy is an example of the mice playing. Indeed it links with the Yeats line: â€Å"And maybe the great-grandson of that house†¦ ‘s but a mouse. † Walcott, a descendant of slaves, is this mouse and-by taking ownership of lines that others own-he is playing. This shows how the shackles of ownership, set upon the slaves in Walkout's p oem, have been relinquished by the inevitability of the loss of ownership and by â€Å"the leprosy of empire. †

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Two boys who live In the same town, one being a small and often diminished boy, Owen Meany and the other Johnny Wheelwright who loses his mother early In his life. It is narrated by Johnny himself, in which he describes how Owen altered his fate in god. The whole affair begins during a little league baseball game, when Owen hits a foul ball that unfortunately strikes Johnny's Mom in the head, in turn killing her. After this event Johnny lives in different homes, however he and Owen remain good friends and together overcome many obstacles throughout their lives.Johnny tells his story to show the reader how powerful it can be to have a friend who is so inspirational and well guided, to promote his fate in god, and to show how magnificent of a person Owen Meany is. A Reason for Johnny narrating the story Is that even thought Owen kills his mother, his only link to knowing who his father Is, he still manages to remain friends with Meany. This shows how much trust and admiration Johnny ha s for Owen. Throughout the novel, Owen continues to baffle Johnny with his â€Å"God Given† knowledge.Each time Owen assists Johnny; It makes Johnny want to become closer to god as he feels his friend is blessed. For example Johnny does not wish to join the army during the Vietnam war, and Meany ensures this wont happen as he convinces Johnny that cutting of his finger will exempt him from enlisting. This is Owen watching out for his best friend. This event is connected in Johnny's reason for telling his story because if it wasn't for Owen thought of amputating his finger, he could have ended up a statistic; one of the 58 thousand dead American soldiers.Owen however showed great courage and enlisted as a usually assistance officer, were he transported dead soldiers to there families. Early on In Johnny's life Owen assures him that God will gulled him to finding out whom his father Is. Throughout Owens life he considers himself to be â€Å"Gods Instrument†, as he Is sen t messages from god such as the fact that he This strong connection with God that Owen preaches throughout his life is another reason for Johnny to share his story of growing up with Meany. Owens messages from God begin in a school play were he invasions his gravestone, as he plays a ghost.Him playing a ghost is also a hint at his foreseeable death. He believes he is destined for a heroic death. Him and Johnny begin to practice a basketball move called â€Å"The Shot†, in which Johnny lifts Owen too the hoop, and Owen dunks. This move is later used to save the lives of several young boys, and Johnny. When the two pals meet later in there lives when Owen Is on duty in Arizona guiding refugee's to living areas, a patriotic teen tries to blow up a group of refugee Vietnamese children who Johnny and Owen are escorting. The grenade lands In Owens hands.As it does, he tells Johnny that the shot was practiced for this moment and Johnny does the move and lifts Owen too a window, whil e Owen chucks the live grenade out of the window. Due to the explosion Owen is killed, however he saves the bystanders in the process. This Owens actions and that he lead him towards a heroic and mind-blowing exit. A last and final reason why Johnny tells his heart breaking story, is that before Owens funeral at there hometown of Gravesend, Johnny stops by the reverend's office to talk o him and what happens next changes Wheelwrights life forever.Owen Meany's ghost possesses the reverend, and proceeds to tell Johnny that the reverend in fact is his father. Owen also tells Johnny that the reverend prayed for the foul ball to kill his mother, and in vengeance, god has turned from the reverend. This event, shows Just how divine Owen was, but what Owens father would tell Johnny soon after would solidify everything Johnny believed. Johnny pays a visit to Mr.. Meany, and is told by him that Owen was a virgin birth, Just like Jesus Christ.It all is clear to him now, the vision of the tombs tone, the shot and now this, Owen really was a messenger of God. Johnny Wheelwright tells the magnificent story of living along side Owen Meany to reveal to you, the reader, what a blessed individual the small and dwarfed Owen Meany was. He tells his account to display how somebody can be so close and intimate with God, and how Owen truly changed his life for the better. The events that took place during Johnny's life could only have been so, if it wasn't for the God favored boy, Owen Meany.

Analysis of Goya's Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Analysis of Goya's Art - Essay Example A painting that depicts the ideologies of the time is from the â€Å"El Tres de Mayo† painted in 1814 with oil on canvas (see Appendix A). This particular painting represented the various movements of the time in terms of politics, culture, society and the philosophies of Goya. Analysis of Goya’s El Tres de Mayo The concepts that are represented in the painting of El Tres de Mayo begin with creating a narrative about the time frame and the Revolts that were occurring during the time frame in Spain. The painting is oil on canvas and is 266 x 345 centimeters. It is currently located at the Prado Museum in Spain and remains a collection that is representative of the changing culture of Spain. The date of release of the painting was in 1814 during the time of the Revolution in Spain and the Napoleonic Wars. The painting represents the subject matter of soldiers working from the political upheaval on one side of the canvas. The other canvas has the common man who is opposed to the political structure. A central man is located on the left side of the canvas with his hands in the air. Two men are lying in the left hand corner of the canvas that are dead while other men are circled around the central man who is holding his hands in the air. Some are bending over to one side while the others on the right are covering their eyes while moving up to a platform. The background behind the common men is a hill while the background behind this is a church or castle with two other buildings that are shaded into the area. The subject matter that Goya creates is one that is noted through specific techniques first. The lines that are in the subject matter create a division through the center of the canvas and build a division between light and dark. This is furthered with the light side of the canvas having the common men while the right side having the darker shades of gray and black. The techniques that Goya use don’t add in colors but instead use only shade s of white, gray and black as well as some browns. These are designed to blend into the other colors and to create lines while showing a darker subject matter that is representative of the revolts at the time. The shading that is used then moves into the division of light and dark between the two sides. This helps to accent the main subject matter of the common man while the other lines are pointing toward this as a highlight in subject material. The shading and the lines that are used are further highlighted with divisions that Goya creates through the individual subject matter of each of the men in the canvas. The lines are the main representation, specifically with the soldiers on one side. The perspective and lines remains straight with the stance of each of the soldiers while the guns are all held at a 90 degree angle. This helps to accent the organization of politics and points at how this creates the common man to become subjected to the political movements of the time. The l ines in the background of the building structures further highlight the revolts and problems that occurred at the time. The lines and divisions that are created on the side which is with lighter shades remains more chaotic and highlights the loss the men are going through. Instead of straight angles, there are rounder and more curved lines through each of the men, such as them bending over or falling. The only man who has a straighter angle is the main subject, shown by raised hands in the air. This highlights the common man and

Flexibility for 421 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Flexibility for 421 - Essay Example Changes in organisational, economic and employment conditions have brought about innovations in work systems, including flexible work policies and practises. Employees have been experiencing conflict among demands from personal, family, and social responsibilities; such conflict can significantly reduce workers’ well-being which, in turn, may influence organisational outcomes including absenteeism, performance, productivity, and turnover. Companies can effectively improve work-life balance among employees through the provision of flexible work arrangements (Schmidt and Duenas 2002). UK employees continue to feel increased stress and tension in their work environments, due to work intensification and increased work pace. These have created the need for flexible work to achieve balance between work and non-work demands (Green 2006). The application of flexible working practises enables employees to manage their workload, as well as when and where they can carry out such tasks fo r them to effectively attain stability between professional and personal activities (Lewis 2003). Flexible work practises can bring about a wide range of positive outcomes for employees. When employees are given the freedom of choice with regards to their work patterns, job satisfaction can be increased (Hyman and Summers 2004). In remote working, for instance, aside from increased employee satisfaction, there has also been an increase in worker autonomy and independence. Moreover, the use of flexible work arrangements has led to reduced levels of stress and pressure among employees. Although remote workers, such as those who work at home or make use of telecommuting, experience a decrease in stress levels, others on the contrary assert that flexible work practises can bring about further stress and ill mental health. This is in comparison with those who work onsite (Tietze and Musson 2005). Nonetheless, work flexibility has caused positive outcomes such as improvements in achieving work-life balance. Organisations have also benefited from such practises through increased productivity, enhancement of work quality, and improvement of financial performance. Decreases in absenteeism and increased employee loyalty, commitment, and retention rates are also apparent outcomes of flexible work practises (Branine 2003; Greenhaus and Powell 2006). However, it is important to understand that although work flexibility may allow employees to manage their work patterns, positive outcomes have not always been achieved. Critics assert that focusing on choice and balance suggests having control over one’s life decisions, although these have to be considered in relation to the constraints brought about by gender, norms, and organisational culture. Flexible work practises should not merely focus on achieving balance between work and family, as flexible workers may experience certain challenges due to other factors outside the work-family context (Ransome 2007). 1.1.1 Flex ible Work Practises: An Overview Flexible working arrangements have served as a means for attracting, retaining, and motivating employees. This is especially true as work environments become more demanding and intense in terms of work pace and intensity. These practises also serve to align individual goals with organisational objectives (Lambert, Kass, Piotrowski, and Vodanovich 2006). Flexible work pr

Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Business - Essay Example In simple terms, diversity can be viewed as difference. In the workplace, diversity is defined by Bell (2007) as attracting, recruiting and retaining persons from a wide talent base regardless of their religious affiliation, race, class, gender, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status and any other groupings. This ensures the organizations recruits individuals with a wide range of skills and from different economic, social and cultural backgrounds. There are often group conflicts in organizations that hinder a good working relationship and attainment of company objectives yet diversity is highly valued in organizations. The big question is, â€Å"how can diversity work for organizations?† To answer this question, this paper will compare and contrast various views from different authors regarding diversity in the workplace. The trends that have necessitated diversity will also be discussed. It will also evaluate the diversity in practice i n two organizations: HSBC and Wells Fargo. It will discuss the importance of diversity in the two companies. Some companies develop a diverse workforce to comply with laws but for other organizations, diversity is much more than just a policy as it is the key to success. Besides compliance, companies that have an inclusive workplace environment enjoy a lot of benefits which will be discussed later. The challenges facing implementation are also worth noting. Global Trends Various global demographic, economic and legislative trends have over the years necessitated the development of diversity in workplaces. According to Mor Barak (2011) there has been a workforce decline in various countries thus the need to engage immigrant workers to fill the employment gap. Italy workforce for example, is expected to decline from 60 million to 56 million by 2050 while that of Germany is expected to decline from 82 million to 69 million (P. 4). These are countries which have been known not to entert ain immigrant workers but the demographic trend forces them to. On the other hand, developing countries are faced with the problem of the youth who comprise more than half of the population (Kirton & Green, 2004). Since these economies are growing at a slow pace they cannot accommodate all those youths hence they look for jobs outside borders. Another trend is the growing number of women in the workforce and individualized migration to look for better opportunities without relying on their husbands or family (Bibard, 2011). This has changed the workforce dynamics to a great extent prompting the need to embrace diversity. Various legislations have also been emerging that press the companies to become diverse workplaces. These range from the universal declaration of human rights to the legislations on equal employment opportunity. Inclusive workplace programs have therefore, been instituted in many organizations to tap the benefits of a diverse workforce (Findler, Wind & Mor Barak, 20 07). Companies which do not know how to manage diversity in the workplace risk losing business due to high turnover, absenteeism, and low earnings. Managing diversity is not a simple task. On one hand companies need to appreciate the importance of diversity for organization success and on the other hand, diversity brings about group conflicts which can lead to disharmony and even violence in the workplace (Powell, 2004). Service companies rely so much on diverse customers thus needs to

Logic and Informal Fallacies in Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Logic and Informal Fallacies in Argument - Essay Example A leader who focuses on developing his/her own organization’s image as a socially responsible one may not operate with the motive of attaining higher profitability. But the vary image of the company that he/she has created may help the organization increase its profitability. For example Bernard Madoff was considered a successful leader because he was able to transform a stock exchange trading company called Madoff Securities that started from point zero to a company that owned assets that totaled to more than $300 million (Sun, 2010). He was a successful leader because he ensured that his company made immense profits. But he was even an unethical one because he carried out one of the Ponzi schemes to further grow his business at the expense of others. This Ponzi scheme made him a billionaire and was one of the main reasons that led to the crises of

To what extent is the employment relationship becoming more Essay

To what extent is the employment relationship becoming more individualistic - Essay Example The collective bargaining is a process in which the terms of the reference for employment would be negotiated jointly on behalf of the group of employees at the time of recruitment (Labor Law Group, 1984)). The trade unions generally represent the employees in defining the terms of reference like wages, working hours, living conditions etc. After the negotiations, a contract will be made which is legally binding on trade unions and employers. The collective bargaining is also viewed as a human right that is to be protected legally as envisaged by the Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The right to bargain collectively through freedom of association was also recognized under Item 2(a) of the International Labor Organizations Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. The collective bargaining was one of the most effective methods of employment in the earlier days which witnessed challenges due to the era of globalization and liberalization. The growth of individual thought and freedom has led to fall of trade unions and individuals started preferring direct contact with the employers. At the same time, the employers too started feeling the inconvenience of trade unions by over interference in company administration and hence they also preferred individual contracts. They give higher emphasis to the human resource development for improving the employee performance. At employee level also, the preference to bargain directly with employers has increased in the recent years due to changes brought by the globalization. Though the concepts of collectivism and individualism is well accepted under working style of organizations, there has been a growing feeling that individualism is increasing among employees day by day. Hence, it is appropriate time to study and analyze the extent to which the employment relationship is becoming

Eating disorders- anorexia and its relationship to female images in Term Paper

Eating disorders- anorexia and its relationship to female images in the media - Term Paper Example They also try to lose weight by exercising excessively (Griffin, 2012). Anorexia is not about food. It refers to an unhealthy way to keep up with emotional problems of an individual; people with this disorder always equate their body size with their self-worth (Saukko, 2008). It’s always a hard situation to ignore but with proper treatment, one can gain sense of who he or she is, get back to healthy eating habits and reverse some serious effects of the disorder. Most of the patients with Anorexia usually turn and feel hostile towards the media due to their images because the media helps in keeping and maintaining the disorders in one way or the other. The relationship between anorexia and female images in media can best be summarized in several sections; media’s role in the provision of social context with which eating disorders grow, media’s role in the etiology of anorexia symptoms, different ways that the media help the patients in maintaining and fighting the condition and the role that the media can play in helping in the prevention and the treatment of the condition (Robert-McComb, Norman & Zumwalt, n.d.). Earlier investigations on the role played by the media in the disorders associated with eating mostly focused on the losing of body weight over time of the models, media actresses and beauty contestants who were concerned about the ideals of beauty. Several studies have put to records the trend of adding body thinness in Miss America contestants, fashion models between 1950s and the 1990s and Playboy centerfolds. The same period was characterized by a significant weight increase by the Canadian and the American women that led to the ever-increasing discrepancy between the media ideal and the body size of the North American women. Both print and electronic media have played a big role in contributing to the satisfaction of the body and also disordered the eating

Final Project Milestone Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Final Project Milestone - Assignment Example This painting illustrated the difficult childhood life of an isolated, young, black, Bermudian male. Another painting, mixed media on canvas, referred to as the Trickle Down Economy, 2012, also caught my eye. This interesting art piece was a representation of plants on the ocean rocks dependent on rain and sun for their survival. This was symbolic as most Bermudians are dependent on outside sources-international business and tourism-for their survival. The most interesting art piece, apart from the ones mentioned above, was the mosaic sculpture, Frozen Time, done by Jackie Stevenson. This sculpture illustrates one of Bermuda’s exotic fish species, the parrot fish, which is the most colorful reef fish. The medium of mosaic used in this sculpture has in some way, brought to shore, the magic, the colorfulness and the inspiring nature of the fish. In her work, the Frozen Time sculptor piece, Jackie Stevenson curves out Bermuda’s famous, exotic fish, the parrot fish-red reef fish. In this art work, Jackie Stevenson uses small square pieces of glass of various colors as the sculpture’s motif. Jackie Stevenson uses white, green, blue, and clear pebbles to design the fish’s tail. ... It is worth noting that, in the sculptor, the white pebbles are dominant as opposed to the clear, green and light-blue pebbles used in designing the fish tail. The artist uses mirror-like, square piece to decorate the wing of the parrot fish. Using white, sand-like substance, Jackie Stevenson, designs the fishes mouth. This substance is tightly packed on the external surface to create a parrot-like beak just as that of a real parrot fish. It is clear that, Jackie Stevenson first curved the parrot fish using stone or concrete and later, mounts the multi-colored glass-like pieces and pebbles to illustrate the color pattern exhibited by real parrot fish. This sculpture is close to 40 cm in length just as the size of the majority of parrot fish in real life. It is amazing how Jackie Stevenson has managed to illustrate the color pattern of this magnificent, high catching fish-parrot fish. However, there are critical question that arise with regards to how the artist has mixed various colo rs (Martin & Jacobus, 2011). Around the head and the mouth of the fish, the artist uses more green, and shades of green marble-like pieces and thus making the head area more green. This can be explained by the fact that, most parrot fish species have a green colored head, and as such, Jackie Stevenson aim might have been to illustrate the most popular type of parrot fish, the green hump head parrotfish, which are known to live in reefs since they feed mostly feed on corals. As noted earlier, the choice of using tightly packed, white, sand-like substance for the design of the fish mouth is to create a parrot-like beak just as that of a real parrot fish. Jackie Stevenson uses a wooden

Using Of The Media And Its Influence On The Company Success Assignment

Using Of The Media And Its Influence On The Company Success - Assignment Example This is with the aim of trying to focus on how it can be able to retain the customers amidst the rising competition from other fashion companies that are coming up. Some vital information is shared among members where everyone is allowed to bring forward their views based on their experience but making sure there is no diversion from the set policies and procedures before being granted any rights for proposals. This is done in order to promote understanding from all parties of what they are expected to know.That is, before proposals are made, the chosen products are of quality in terms of prices and satisfaction to everyone’s need with a broader focus on customer satisfaction. This is done among all interested groups or parties who are involved in the process or when end results are obtained by mainly the manager and their employees. Meetings are held either in conferences, public hearings or could be one on one to help members get at par with what and how the organization is planning to implement its strategies. But this is done after notices in procurement or electronics are used to publicize the information. In the above matrix, males are more favored because of their population. The company targets them by trying to make sure at least a number of them get the desired outfit. This minimizes time wastage in making jeans (Grady, 2007). The company has also realized that it is important to focus on ladies wear since they go with fashion and so require various designs in order to capture a good number of customers by providing quality service to them. This will help increase the customer demand hence more sales of the company’s products. In step two, other stakeholders submit a notice which describes their policies and procedures. This includes the information that must be submitted and the criteria used to make an initial evaluation of the organization.

Accounting Information Systems Simulation Paper Essay Example for Free

Accounting Information Systems Simulation Paper Essay Internal controls are all measures taken by an organization for the purposes of protecting its resources against waste, fraud, or inefficient use; ensuring the reliability of accounting data; securing compliance with management policies; and evaluating the performance of all employees, managers and departments within the organization. The accounting system depends upon internal control procedures to ensure the reliability of accounting data. Many internal control procedures on the other hand make use of accounting data in keeping track of assets and monitoring the performance of departments. Internal control is looked upon more and more as a solution to a variety of potential problems. The effectiveness and efficiency of operations as a technique relates to performance and profitability goals and safeguarding of resources. The Accounting Information System Simulation made me realize that there is an advantage having one person control multiple activities. The disadvantage of having the same person performing multiple activities is having in a process increases if one person has the opportunity to control more then one step of the process. This risk is even more if the person controls consecutive steps because there is no intermediary to check that the steps are not manipulated for personal gains. The separation of duties activity aims to minimize risk by separating the steps of a process in such a way that different person are recording transactions, authorizing them and maintaining custody of assets. See more: Sleep Deprivation Problem Solution Speech Essay The line draws when it comes down to what I thin is right for a company. The simulation solution was that access cards were the best solution. In the stimulation I chose to have the hand clock in machine. Having employees clocking in through the hand machine may be degrading to employees, but at the same time make sure that employees do not have other employees clocking in for them. Some of those hand clocks in machines have little cameras that take a picture every time an employee clocks in or out. Prioritization will affect Ramos International expected loss over the year if the right decision is not made. In the stimulation the effects that I chose were good but not right. The order should follow as secure cash, building, and computer network which will result in the least loss over the year. www.Investopida.comwww.wikipedia.comwww.businessweekly.com

The Differential Association Theory Criminology Essay

The Differential Association Theory Criminology Essay Theories within criminology try to explain why and how crime occurs. This is done through examining various facts that are related to the individuals criminal behaviour and the crime they commit. There are a wide range of theories which can be used to explain the causes of crime and deviant behaviour from youths. Youth crime is a major issue in society; this essay will discuss three theories, the differential association theory, the labelling theory and the rationale choice theory. The theories will discussed and how they can explain crime will also be discussed, then a comparison of the theories will be given in order to identify their strengths and weaknesses in explaining youth crime. The differential association theory is one of the most valued theories within criminology. This theory was first discovered by Edwin Sutherland (1947), he developed the differential association theory in order to explain how youths engage in acts of criminal behaviour. This theory defines criminal behaviour as learnt behaviour which is acquired through social contact with other individuals (Hollin, 2007:). This theory explains how individuals learn how to engage in criminal behaviour through their attitudes, drive and motive behind the criminal act. An individual is most likely to be involved in criminal behaviour if they spend numerous amount of time with a person who has a criminal background and believes that breaking the law is acceptable. Furthermore Sutherland (1974) identifies nine main factors that can be used to explain why a person engages in criminal behaviour. This essay will now explain the nine factors in detail. The first factor that Sutherland believes is the reason as to why an individual engages in criminal behaviour is because the behaviour is learned. Sutherland and Cressey (1960) believe that the actions of an individual are influenced by the people they associate with. It is believed that because the individual main association is with their family, as that is whom they have grown up and live with, so therefore the individual social values and norms are formulated from them. Sutherland also stated that learned behaviour is not invented, nor is it inherited The skills and techniques required for an individual to engage criminal activity are not automatically obtained from birth, or through association with criminals, instead they are acquired through a process of learning (Sutherland Cressey, 1960: 123). The second principle refutes the idea that criminal behaviour is learned through the individual witnessing deviant or criminal behaviour. Instead this believes that criminality is learned behaviour though interaction with others in the process of communication. At a very young age children are accustomed to the norms of society, they are taught the roles of both a genders by people around them. They also learn these roles by observing the male or female characteristics relating to the specific gender. For example an individual may learn about prostitution through witnessing the nonverbal responses of these others towards the activity, such as rolling the eyes or staring and through discussions with people who engage in that activity (Sutherland Cressey, 1960: 123). Also Curran (2001) stated that communication is an example of how criminals are misled into a life of crime and deviant behaviour (Curran, 2001: 143). The third principle states that individuals commit crime because they are influenced by the behaviour of intimate people such as family members and close friends. Methods of communication from television and or media are less effective in influencing the individual (Sutherland and Cressey, 1960: 123). The fourth factor from Sutherlands theory is that learning criminal behaviour involves learning specific techniques, drives, motives and rationalization. Having a primary group of people around does not necessarily mean that the individual will engage in crime, but it does mean that they have the resources into the criminal rationale. For example being around a person who is has been convicted of sexual offence, may give the individual knowledge into how to engage in the same crime, but the individual may choose not to engage in that crime because they know from their socialization of societal norms that a sexual offence is unacceptable (Sutherland and Cressey, 1960: 123). Curran (2001) believes that the specific direction of motives and attitudes is learned from definitions of legal codes such as favourable and unfavourable.The fifth factor can be noticed when considering cultures form the United Kingdom and the United States. Both countries have various cultures within them and eac h culture has different perceptions as to what is favourable and unfavourable within society and this can cause a cultural conflict. The individuals pro-criminal or anti-criminal intentions are developed based on learned conceptions of the law as either favourable or unfavourable (Sutherland Cressey, 1960:123) The most important principle within the differential association theory is the sixth principle, which is when individuals associate themselves with people that engage in criminal behaviour and believe it is acceptable. Sutherland argues that an individual becomes delinquent only when definitions favourable to violation of law exceed definitions unfavourable to violation of law (Sutherland Cressey, 1960: 123).The seventh and eight factor states that the association vary in duration, priority, frequency and intensity. (Sutherland Cressey, 1960: 123 124). For example, if a young child is raised by a drug user they will be exposed to stronger definitions of deviant behaviour and will be more to likely to engage in deviant behaviour, than a teenager who has witnesses someone taking drugs at a party.The final principle believes that even though criminal behaviour is an expression of needs and values, it cannot be explained by those needs because criminal behaviour is an expression of th e same needs and values (Sutherland Cressey,1960: 124). For example if two individuals where both motivated by a need to gain money and respect, but one person engage in criminal behaviour in order to get the money and respect. Whereas the other person engaged in conforming behaviour. So therefore the need for money and respect cannot be used as an explanation for an individual to commit crime. The second theory that will be discussed is labelling theory. This theory claims that deviance and conformity does not emerge from the individuals actions, but rather from how others respond to the actions. Marcionis and Plummer (2005) state that labelling theory highlights social response to crime and deviance. The labelling theory became dominant in the early 1960s and the late 1970s when it was used as a sociological theory of crime influential in challenging orthodox positivity criminology. The main academics in this theory were Becker and Lement. Lement (1951) first established the view of deviant, and later developed by Becker (1963). Labelling theory has become a dominant paradigm in the explanation of deviance. This theory is created by the assumption that deviant behaviour is to be not only by the violation of norms within society, but also by any behaviour which is defined as labelled or deviant. Deviance is not the act itself, but the responses other individuals give to th e act. Becker (1963) believed that social groups create deviance by making the rules whose infraction constitute deviance, and by applying those rules to particular individuals and labelling them as outsiders. He also stated that deviance is not the act that the individual commits, but the consequences of the application of others by rules and sanctions to an offender. And the deviant one is whom the label has successfully been applied to. Deviance has been distinguished into primary and secondary deviance by Lement (1951). Lement described primary deviance as little reactions from others which have little effect on an individuals self-concept and secondary deviance as people pushing the deviant individual out of the social circle, which can therefore cause the individual to seek the company of people who condone deviant behaviour. Lement (1951) further argued that instead of viewing crime as a leading to control, it may be more productive to view crime as something with control agencies structured. Secondary deviance leads Goffman (1963) to define deviant career. Goffman stated that people who acquire a stigma which is a powerful negative label which changes a persons self-concept and social identity. Criminal prosecution is one way in which an individual is labelled in a negative, rather than positive way. Scheff (1984) believes that stigmatizing people can often lead to retrospective labelling, which is the understa nding of an individuals past with the present deviance. Scheff (1984) also believes that retrospective labelling distorts an individuals life in a prejudicial way guided by stigma and this is an unfair thing to do. Stigmatizing young people may actually lead them into a deviant career. Howard Becker (1963) claimed that social groups create deviance by labelling individuals as outsiders. Through an application of infraction constitute deviance. Furthermore labelling theorys approach to deviance mainly concentrates on the social reaction to a deviant act committed by an individual as well as the interaction process that leads up to the labelling. This theory therefor suggests that too much attention has been given to criminals by criminology because criminology views criminals as types of people alongside the insufficient attention to the collection of social control responses. This therefore means that the police, law, media and public association help shape crime. This is supported by the conflict theory which shows how deviance reflects on inequalities and power. This approach may also signify that the cause of crime may be linked to inequalities of race, class and gender. The conflict theory links deviance to the power of norms and the imagery of the rich and pow erful, which the law society supports. The concept of secondary deviance, stigma and deviant career all demonstrate how individuals can incorporate the label of deviance into a lasting self-concept . Becker (1963) believes that labelling is a practical act that has made politicians aware of which rules to enforce and what behaviour they should regard as deviant. The effects upon an individual being publically labelled deviant have been examined by Becker (1963) he believes that a label is an unbiased onion, which contains an evaluation of the individual to whom it is applied. The labelling theory will be a master label in term of captivating over all other statuses the individuals are under. For example if one is labelled as a paedophile, criminal or homosexual it will be difficult for the individual to overlook these labels and see themselves in positive roles such a parent, friend, worker and neighbour. Other people will view that individual and respond to them according to the label, also they will assume that the indi vidual has the negative characteristics associated with the label. Eventually the individual will view themselves in that label because their self-concept is derived from the responses of others. This can then produce a self-fulfilling prophecy where the deviant becomes the controlling one. The third theory that will be discussed is the strain theory. Unlike the differential association and labelling, this theory believes that social structures within society can influence individuals to commit crimes. Merton (1938) suggests that there are two types of important elements of social structure. These elements are the cultural goals, the function of the goals and interests The second element is how phases of the social structure define how society can go about achieving these goals, by placing regulations and creating laws (Merton, 1938: 673). Merton (1938) demonstrates four responses to this strain. The first, conformity, Merton suggests that people who take this path subscribe to cultural goals and go about achieving these goals by using societys institutionalized means. The second path, innovation, suggests that when a person finds that an obstacle inhibits the ability to achieve the cultural goals, the person will not use institutionalized means; rather, they will emplo y other means. The third path, ritualism, describes a person that will reject the culture goals of society, but use its institutions as an avenue for advancement. The fourth, is the polar opposite of the path of conformity such that a person who is retreatist will reject cultural goals and its institutionalized means, people that take this path are people who essentially are not part of society (Tim Newburn, 2007: 176). The American dream is a popular culturally defined goal, Merton argued, which through honest-dedicated work, anyone can achieve this dream of wealth. Society defines what avenues are to be considered legitimate to achieve this goal, for example, earning a college degree and earning a high paying job would be a legitimate path as defined by our society. Since wealth in American is not distributed equally Merton (1938) argued that strain often occurs for those who are undercapitalized and do not have access to these legitimate means. (Tim Newburn, 2007:175 176). Strain theory can cause negative feelings from the outside environment. These feelings include fear, defeat and despair, the most applicable feeling that can occur is anger. Agnew (1992) emphasised that individuals become angry when they blame their negative relationships and circumstances on others (Agnew, 1992: 59). An individual is incited with anger, low inhibitions and they begin to create a desire for revenge (Agnew, 1992: 60). Agnew stated that individuals who are subjected to repetitive strain are more likely to engage in delinquent and criminal acts, this is due to the fact that the individual becomes aggressive because they are unable to cope and the negative strain may become too much for them (Agnew, 1992: 61). Overall all three theories give a good explanation of youth crime. The similarity between these theories is they all aim to give a detailed explanation as to why individuals engage in crime and deviance. Differential association theory believes that all behaviour is learned and so therefore deviant behaviour is also learned. This theory focuses on key variables such as the age of the learner, the intensity of contact with the deviant person whom they learn from and the amount of good and bad social contacts they have in their lives. Whereas the labelling theory explains deviance as a social process where individuals are able to define others as deviant. This theory emphasises on the fact that deviance is relative and the individual only becomes deviant when they are labelled. Alongside this strain theory explains deviance as the outcome of social strains within the way society is structured. Not all theories give a good explanation for tackling youth crime, the labelling theory states that the label is the route of criminal behaviour, this is not a good explanation because there is a reason an individual becomes a burglar, not because they have been labelled as one. The individual is aware that their actions are deviant and that they are breaking the law. Some academics believe that there should be more research into the labelling theory and why individuals engage in criminal behaviour. The left realist have stated that the idea of avoiding labelling in order to avoid deviance is unrealistic. Also Aker (1967) criticised the labelling theory for claiming that deviants are normal individuals who have been labelled. However the labelling theory fails to explain why some individuals are labelled and some are not. Another criticism of the labelling theory is that it is possible to reject the label. Becker (1963) claimed that once an individual is labelled and accepts the devi ant behaviour, all their other qualities become irrelevant and the label becomes their master status. However there are examples that show it is possible to reject the label. This example comes from Reiss (19610 study on young male prostitutes. Although the males engage in homosexual behaviour they regard this behaviour as work and still maintain their straight image despite working as prostitutes. This study shows that the labelling theory is open to negotiation as some individuals reject the label. Differential association theory and the strain theory can be used to tackle youth crime. The differential association accepts that criminal behaviour is evident across all social classes, and that criminal attitudes and behaviour is learned through interaction with influential groups. In order to tackle youth crime the government will need to introduce organizations that aim at using positive role models to encourage young individuals who do not have positive role models in their lifes. By doing so individuals can learn positive behaviour instead of deviant behaviour from people who engage in unacceptable behaviour. The differential theory has been criticised in Glueck (1956) article on Theory and fact in Criminology. Glueck stated that it is difficult to measure the frequency, duration, priority and intensity of an individuals association, so therefore this males it impossible to predict and measure how associations result in the learning of criminal behaviour. It could be argued th at the individual did not learn criminal behaviour from an intimate social group, because the duration, frequency, priority and intensity was not sufficient. Glueck (1956) argued that if there is no sufficiency then the theory is not falsifiable which therefore males it defective. Finally the strain theory can be used to tackle youth crime because it explains the strains with society that may influence individuals to engage in criminal activity. This theory can enable the government to improve the social structure within society, for example providing more employment and better education opportunities. Strain theory has been criticised by Cohen (1955) who stated that the theory can be accounted for some but not all deviant behaviour. Cohen also criticised Mertons theory of strain for being too individualistic in describing the adaptations to strain (Pfohl, 1994: 269).

The Metamorphosis and Waiting for Godot Analysis | Dark humour in literature

The Metamorphosis and Waiting for Godot Analysis | Dark humour in literature Many writers have significantly utilized dark humor or black humor across various genres and time. Dark humor in Metamorphosis and Waiting For Godot have not only revealed to us through its various moments, ideas and issues that appeal to an audience at that time, but it also revealed to the readers and audience the nature of its characters. Although Vladimir, Estragon, Pozzo and Lucky have been created almost like stock characters, we seem to understand through Samuel Becketts use of dark humor moments of Pathos, meaninglessness and stagnancy in their lives. Franz Kafka on the other hand creates a transformation in his main character, Gregor Samsa, by turning him into a mere insect and watching not only Samsas family but his reading audience react to it. The opening scene of Waiting For Godot is a country road setting with a single tree, and we find Estragon trying to remove his boots with both his hands. After much struggle, he says Nothing to be done as if removing his shoes was such a profound thing to be doing and therefore nothing could be done about his inability to remove his boots. A little later, as through out the play, each of them exchange dialogues that do not correspond or even connect to each other in any way. Estragon: Ah, stop blathering and help me off with this bloody thing Vladimir: handing hand from the top of Eiffel tower, among the first. We were presentable in those days. Now its too late. They wouldnt even let us up. All of these dialogues would have sent the audience into splits but they also resound with the inability of Vladimir and Estragon living a full and meaning life. Another example of black humor in this play is the part where Estragon talks about the Dead Sea and how the very thought of it made him thirsty. This creates a roar of laughter amongst the audience as Estragon talks about the Dead Sea in context to the Gospels. But, the reality is that the water form the Dead Sea will quench no thirst, as it is highly saline. This brings out Estragons naÃÆ' ¯ve character as he talks about the Dead Sea in comparison to the Gospels Estragon: The Dead Sea was pale blue. The very look of it made me thirsty. The entrance of Pozzo and Lucky on stage undoubtedly thrives on dark humor. Lucky is being led by a rope tied to his neck and pozzo says, Lets say no more. Up pig! Every time he falls, he falls asleep. Up hog! Back! Stop! Turn! These staccato instructions, almost army style, seem to evoke a laugh or at least smile amongst the audience or readers. However, the slavish Lucky seems to be put into a demeaning situation, which doesnt fail to catch the audiences attention. The return of Pozzo held by Lucky on a rope seems to create a reverse image of the earlier situation. This image brings a certain satisfaction to the audience, a laugh no doubt, and yet makes the audience aware of how fortune is fickle and can change with such a strong impact. The technique of contrast used by Beckett in Waiting For Godot is another attempt to bring out humor and reveal character. Estragons constant worry of who Godot is and when he will come and Vladimirs attempt to constantly calm his nerves, Vladimir: He said Saturday. I think. Estragon: You think. Pozzos initial arrogance and later his dependence on Lucky while he crawls onto stage are humorous ways of representing the characters. Becketts constant use of repetition of language and actions are humorous but stagnant. This is further intensified when Vladimir and Estragon have nothing to eat but a single carrot and a rotten turnip, Estragon Im hungry Vladimir: Do you want a carrot? Estragon: Is that all there is? Vladimir: I might have some turnips They seem to be holding on to their dignity later in the play when they meet Lucky and Pozzo. They do not show their hunger nor do they ask for food. But the moment Pozzo and Lucky leave the stage, Estragon picks up the eaten chicken bones, trying to get some sustenance out of it, Estragon makes a dart at the bones, picks them up and begins to gnaw on them. All these action and dialogues used by Beckett derive a sense of black humor but reveal to us simultaneously the sterile, meaningless and unfulfilled life of its characters. When Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from troubled dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous insect. The very opening lines of The Metamorphosis stated in this casual style does not fail to bring a smile to the readers. For who can wake up and find themselves transformed into an insect and not panic. Strangely, Gregor seems unaffected by this transformation, assuming life would go on with his spindly legs and squeaky voice. Kafka describes Gregor as this thing with a monstrous body and spindly legs. He has legs that dont seem to support him and neither is he aware how to use them. Kafkas humorous description of Gregor Samsa trying to get on those legs and out of the door and back to work, Groping for support, he fell down with a little cry on his numerous legs brings out a roar of laughter as he falls back on his back and cries out in a squeaky voice for help. Gregor gave a start when he heard his voiceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ irrepressible, painful squeaky The use of humor here reveals to us the helpless situation Samsa is trapped in and we as readers sympathize with this character. Later on in the book, Kafka describes how Samsas embarrassed father throws an apple at Gregors back and the apple sticks in the insects body It was an apple. Immediately, a second one flew after it. Gregor stood still in fright. Gregors serious wound, from which he suffered for over a month -since no one ventured to remove the apple, it remained in his flesh as a visible reminder. Although this seems visually funny, it draws upon the readers sympathy and empathy with Gregor. From this moment on G regor seems to deteriorate psychologically and physically and dies in a heap of dust, to be swept out and thrown into the trash by the Charwoman. At the end of The Metamorphosis Gregor Samsa is seen for the last time when he hears his sister playing the violin. He sneaks out of his room unaware that his current image not only frightened his family but also the lodgers who had come to stay as paying guests. Gregor attracted by playingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. This episode not only reveals to us almost like children playing Peek-a-boo, a child like humor, but we readers have become pained at such a transformation of Gregor. We have also unmistakably recognized that his family members have transformed too into selfish, heartless human beings who refuse to call the insect their son or brother (in the sisters case): I will not utter my brothers name in front of this monster Thus, through the examination of the two books, Waiting For Godot and The Metamorphosis, it can be concluded that it is through dark humor that the authors have brought out the respective characteristics of the individuals depicted. For example, the blunt Estragon, the clam Vladimir, the dominant Pozzo, the slavish Lucky or the tragic Samsa, all of these characteristics are brought out through the help of dark humor. We have encountered them all through humorous events, descriptions and pictures.

Heroification and Its Damaging Effects :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Heroification and Its Damaging Effects In the Disney movie Life-Size, actress Tyra Banks plays the role of Eve, a Barbie-like doll, who is "perfect in every way," come to life. Later in the movie, the once-very popular Eve doll's sales decrease dramatically, and the company stops the production of the Eve doll not realizing what they are doing wrong. Distressed, Banks, the "life-size" Eve doll, turns to her owner Casey and learns two valuable lessons—that perfection is boring and unrealistic, and it is okay to make mistakes. Casey tells the life-size Eve that the Eve doll is too "goody-goody" to be real, and girls need more realistic role models—heroes—with personality, inner struggles, and mistakes. Almost everyone likes heroes from Spiderman to firefighters to Dad who inspire the young and keep them motivated; however when the heroes' lives and beliefs are fabricated to fit a stereotype, these humans regress into nothing more than a boring ideal. Heroification with cognitive disson ance blind students to the reality of this world and limit their ability to view controversies objectively. Heroification is the process where details—both important and trivial—are left out or changed to fit the archetypical mold of the flawless, inhuman "heroes." This "degenerative process" makes "flesh-and-blood individuals into pious, perfect creatures without conflicts, pain, credibility, or human interest (Loewen 19)." For example, many people know of Helen Keller only as the blind, deaf girl who despite her handicaps learned to read, write, and to speak, but this is only the first twenty years of her life. Whatever happened to Keller for the next sixty-four years of her life? Keller was, in fact, a radical socialist in Massachusetts starting in the early 1900s, and was one of the most passionate and famous woman during that time rallying for the new communist nation. Keller's love for socialism did not stem from a vacuum but was rooted deep within her experiences as a disabled person, and she sympathized with other handicaps and learned that social cl ass controls not only people's opportunity but also their disabilities. But during the heroification process, the schools and the mass media omitted Keller's lifelong goal and passion to bring about radical social change because we would rather teach our young to "remain uncontroversial and one-dimensional" than to have a room full of leftists (Loewen 35).

Free Macbeth Essays: Foreshadowing the Apparitions -- GCSE Coursework

Foreshadowing the Apparitions in MacBeth One would question the credibility of the enigmatic apparitions within Macbeth's renowned Act IV, Scene i. Shakespeare gains the audience's acceptance of the three mystically summoned apparitions through methodically foreshadowing a supernatural event is about to occur. Each stance of Shakespeare's foreshadowing -- cauldron potions, Hecate, the second witch's awareness of MacBeth, and stage direction -- contributes to the believability of the apparitions' appearance in the play. The fact the witches were mixing a "poisoned (IV,i,5)" concoction upon the entrance of MacBeth implies "trouble (IV,i,10)." Three witches circling around a cauldron, throwing in items such as "baboon's blood (IV,i,37)" foreshadows something dark and mysterious will happen. Hecate, the queen of the witches, "commends (IV,i,39)" the witches for their "pains (IV,i,39)," upon entrance to the witchery drenched stage. Hecate also uses a device similar to the royal we. She implies that the entirety of the populous will benefit from the outcome of the p...

A Role of the Women Essays -- Literary Analysis, A Raisin In the Sun

The Role of a Woman In a Raisin in the Sun is a play about a family that lives on the South side of Chicago, a section of the city Hansberry once described as â€Å" a place apart†, where â€Å" each piece of our living is a protest â€Å". After the death of Walter Young (Big Walter), his wife, Lena (Mama), is the beneficiary of a $10,000 insurance policy. The money will be used to provide for the family’s future. Race, race relation and big Walter’s insurance money supply the thematic context for Hansberry’s play; but the Younger family is, essentially, searching for its place within American society. Hansberry once pointed out that even a â€Å"Negro family â€Å"has â€Å"many gradations as we see in a Raisin in the Sun the women portray the progression women have had from one generation to the next. Mama is prominent traditional black feminist role. Park stated that a very strong and pervasive female culture has survived within black communities, but its role has been disguised by negative â€Å"matriarchy† arguments of white and black men (4).The black mother situates black feminism in the place where it is ordinarily and traditionally practiced by black women; in the home. While part of the mainstream, academic feminist agenda has dermphasized mothering as an important part of women’s lives, to do so with black women would be to dismiss a traditional locus of black female power. Parks stated that in a Raisin in the Sun Niara Sudarkasa produced a body of a thropological work which presents the female – centered household as the Afrocentrically traditional form (5).Parks stated that the full bodied and strong, she is one, of those women of a certain grace and beauty who wear it so unobtrusively that it takes a while to notice †¦. Being a woman who has adju... ...e â€Å"side hustles†, the postmodern equivalent of Ruth laundry service, operated out of the home. â€Å"The black women’s role in the physical survival and is growth for her sake and her family’s sake (6). Ruth role is a house wife trying to stand by her husband side. In a Raisin in the Sun the three women plays an important part of the play. Each woman repents a different kind of generation. Mama repents the old fashion kind of women black in her days well on the other hands Beneatha repents the new women. Well is just in the middle of Mama and Beneatha so that would make Ruth a combination of both. As we see in a Raisin in the Sun the women portray the progression women have had from one generation to the next. The women in a Raisin in the Sun have a lot of new, old and in the middle kind of women that portray the progression from generation to generation.

Ageplay

Gentry, Kristin Jennifer Cherry English 101. 04 Spring 2012 Ageplay: Emotionally Gratifying, Socially Taboo! Ageplay, or the often sexually- taboo act of role playing, where one consenting adult personifies a minor child, while the other serves as a caretaker for the â€Å"minor child†, is a highly common phenomenon that shocks and perplexes many, but serves as profound emotional fulfillment for those who participate in the lifestyle. Throughout the following pages it is my intent to explore the many facets of age play and especially dissect, with integrity, the â€Å"why† behind this unique subject matter.Overwhelmed with a wealth of information, I have broken down the subtopics, for convenience and ease in reading. I have incorporated a variety or research sources varying from books written by esteemed sexologists to personal interviews from age players right here in the community. To protect their identity some have chosen to anonymously contribute to the paper while others have allowed me to use and alias. What is this age play thing all about? Ageplay is type of role playing mostly practiced amongst the kink community.In some cases, ageplayers will limit â€Å"sceneing† or â€Å"play† to the â€Å"vanilla† world, sexless, or seemingly blase, 9-5, mundane life, but, it is far less frequent than the sexually- driven alternative. There are three common age ranges that are explored in this kink. The first is Adolescentilism, where a relationship is formed around a person who identifies as a young adult or high school aged person. Often, a â€Å"naughty school girl† fantasy falls into this category.Authors Gloria and William Brame and Jon Jacobs, educated Sexologists and experts in the BDSM arena, wrote about this in the candid, wildly-popular book: Different Loving: The World of Sexual Domination and Submission. On page 129 it reads â€Å"[in this type of ageplay] the fantasy is likely of only temporary duration. â₠¬  Paul Rulof, a lifestyle educator and conference presenter raises a good, supportive point in his writings that suggests why this might be true. On page 52 of his first book, he sheds a new perspective about this particular age range of role play.He notes the following: â€Å"The teenage years are often ones of exploration of the self-identity, interactions with others, and many different experiences. Many firsts often happen during this time: first kiss, first date and first romantic partner. † The attraction of new and exciting events is most likely short-lived once those first experiences have occurred. When prompted during an interview, â€Å"Draven†, a Bloomington-Normal based Daddy had to say this about the appeal of this age range. The naive instincts of a pre-teen appeal to the hero complex that most men possess. We like to be needed and especially when we can offer our insight about sexual discovery. I personally enjoy watching my baby girl grow emotionally and become a sweet young lady as a result of my influence. † The next age group fetish mentioned in the trio-penned â€Å"Different Loving† was the Juvenilism range. This includes littles who personify, or emotionally connect with 6-12 years of age.Punishment is a cornerstone of functionality in this age range. Littles who identify as a juvenile are typically more sensitive and require great emotional care. Most littles who have a bratty, or disobedient streak, fall into this group, thus the frequency in punishment for these preteen boys and girls. Brame, Brame and Jacobs had this to say about unique, therapeutic punishment tactics for littles in this age range, â€Å"The parent figure may ask embarrassing questions about the submissive’s personal or sexual habits.By stripping away the submissive’s privacy, the dominant exposes not only the submissive’s body but also her inner nakedness and vulnerability. In some juvenilist scenarios the dominant role plays as the erotic guide. † Surprisingly, despite the small amount of littles who fall into the pre-teen category, the Juvenilism age range is not the most popular. The last age fetish, Infantilism, or â€Å"ABDL†s (Adult Baby/Diaper Lovers), is the most commonly known age play fetish (Different Loving, p 137).This class of ageplayers is, by far, the most controversial and is what has been most depicted in the media, in documentaries, and even on reality shows since the 1980’s when a Phil Donahue episode practically turned daytime television viewers inside out with discomfort. The episode featured an adult baby, his Mommy and clips of footage showing his daily routines as an ABDL. Visions of an adult willingly soiling himself or fully relying on another adult to feed him, when he was physically capable to feed himself, shocked the studio audience, and home viewers, alike.Very young myself at the time, less than 9 years old, I had so many questions and the i mages burned into my memory, mostly from fascination and wonder. I was so very confused and yet, so afraid to ask my very judgmental and cynical grandmother why everyone was yelling at this big baby and his Mommy. I filed the images away into the back of my mind and, on occasion, when I hear stories of bigotry and discrimination surrounding ageplayers, that particular story comes flooding back to me.The controversy behind age play absolutely stuck me for over two decades. During my research for this paper I was surprised to find that two of the interviewees, a couple, not involved in the lifestyle in any way, for the Brames’ and Jacobs’ book referenced the same Donahue show in their testimonial: â€Å"We saw a [Phil] Donahue [show] about infantilism and were amazed at the outrage that some people felt about infantilists, who are engaged in something completely innocent.They enjoy being in baby clothes and get a certain amount of satisfaction from recreating their earl y childhood. Statistically, nobody knows whether it’s normal or not. The psychiatrist on the show was very clear on the fact that these people were doing nothing wrong. † (p137) The experts who scripted â€Å"Different Loving† had this to say about this controversial group of littles: â€Å"Many D&Sers ( BDSM participants) express discomfort with infantilism, as well, perhaps because it is difficult to understand why someone would wish to be as helpless as and infant. (p137) History has taught us that anger and fear are products of ignorance. I believe that this is a solid explanation for the public’s response to ABDLs in the media. The intolerance is most likely fueled, further, by the notion that most adult babies are typically of male gender, which contradicts, completely, the general standard of patriarchy in our society. Unfortunately, with minimal awareness and exposure I do not see a wave of acceptance and empathy any time soon from the greater pop ulation.Despite the negative talk about adult babies, and/or their caretakers, and the lifestyles that they lead, of the three categories, Infantilism offers one unique aspect that neither of the other two can offer. The ABDL model is the perfect erotic outlet for those that are afflicted with disabilities that affect fine and gross motor skills and mobility, as well as neurological conditions that may affect the ability to control bodily functions.In all age ranges the caretaker will make decisions and approach their relationship with their little as they would a person who is biologically the age that their little feels. This includes physical and emotional care. In my observation of a social setting, where several couples were gathered for a kinky birthday party for a local Daddy, I saw first-hand how this plays out between a top (the roleplayer of authority) and the bottom ( the role player with the least amount of obvious power), or in this case, a Daddy and his daughter.During the birthday party the little was feeling feisty and apparently a little bratty. Much like an over-stimulated, attention-seeking, sugary-cake-filled six year old would, the little aimed to be the center of attention and repeatedly was speaking over her Daddy and interrupting him as he attempted to make announcements about the food to his party guests. Excited, the little would bounce up and down in front of him in attempt to get him to listen to her not-at-all-related-to-birthday-cake story.Despite the Daddy’s firm verbal prompts to calm down and fully fueled by an adoring on-looking crowd, the little continued to be a nuisance. Finally, the Daddy grabbed the little by the arm, guided her to a nearby chair, firmly guided her bottom into the seat, bent over to her eye level and sternly ordered to her sit down, stop talking and to make no attempt to get up without his permission. It looked like a scene I have seen a million times myself as a parent and former preschool classro om assistant.The little was petite in stature and sported short, pink hair in a pixie styled haircut and natural looking make-up. It was certainly believable to the party attendees and understandably so. The little was acting like a typical child the age the same age of her inner little would act and her Daddy was acting like any loving parent would. For Bigs and littles, this relationship is not a scripted, â€Å"fairytale-esque† , theatrical experience. The bond between the pair and their interactions are easily solidified by a fascinating concept called â€Å"headspace†.Once a scene begins between a caretaker and a little, the reality and natural roles melt away and, almost like a person with multiple personalities, the emotions, thoughts, habits, preferences, and behaviors of the inner personality surfaces and the person that they function as during their vanilla life dissipates, even if for a little while. It is very much trance-like in some cases, and almost alwa ys, in sexual scenes. In order to best understand what age play is all about there are terms that one should become familiar with.These terms are pivotal to communicating with those who identify as minors or caretakers. The lifestyle breeds a whole new language of its own and knowing the lingo fosters a relatable nature when building trust amongst the kink community members. You will note new definitions and terms you have most likely not been introduced to prior to the reading of this paper. For example, the most common term is â€Å" a/the little†, referring to the person who identifies as the minor.The term â€Å"Big† is intentionally capitalized, and can refer to the little when they are functioning as their genuine, or â€Å"real life† age; it can also be used as a term to describe the caretaker, or counterpart to the little. Another popular word often heard in conversations about age play is â€Å"inner little†. This refers to the distinct feeling o f being â€Å"small†, or younger, than one’s true age, a separate entity, if you will, from who they are forced to be every day in their â€Å"adult life†. There have been great debates when it comes to phrasing the description of littles and their personal connection with their inner little.I recently surveyed a group of littles, in a discussion forum, online ( that shall not be named for the protection of the contributors), as to how they speak of their inner little. The great phrasing debate is typically split between themselves as â€Å"having a little† or â€Å"being a little†, while on a rare occasion, some will say that they â€Å"are little†. This particular description is the least common as very few people desire, or are able, to live the lifestyle 24/7. When I posed the question: â€Å"How do you refer to your relationship with your little? in a discussion forum, open only to littles, I was bombarded with an avalanche of response s. After filtering through and reading the ample list of opinions over 50% of the littles speak of ownership of their little, as if their body hosts a shell for their little to live and safely surface when the need strikes. Slightly over 25% of the all-female responders would represent their little by saying â€Å"I am a little â€Å", while the rest commented that they do not ever leave the feeling of being little therefore it is senseless to refer to it at all.Littles have preferences, much different than their Big (in this case I am referencing the vanilla person who â€Å"hosts† the inner little), in everything from hobbies, to fashion, to sleep habits, to comfort rituals, to sexual fantasies, to even how they talk, behave and relate to those around them. In most things ageplay when a debate arises, there is no consensus, as the ageplay community is still evolving. It is adaptable, based on personal preference and relationship history, to whatever extent the partners ar e comfortable with, in any facet that they so choose.There are no societal expectations with ageplay, as there are with traditional parent/child roles. There are no social norms to adhere to within the community. The world of ageplay is very pliable and the appeal is very transparent once you begin to take a close look at the logistics of ageplay. Who age plays? As someone who is rarely surprised by taboo or kinky concepts and ideas, I am generally taken back by the diversity of those involved in the ageplay community. No one is excluded from having unique sexual preferences and, certainly, no one is ever exempt from personal hurt and â€Å"baggage†.In ageplay, the egalitarian roles serve as unconventional, therapeutic tool for people from all walks of life. In my personal interviews and connections that were made with the local ageplayers I have met everyone from the college-educated, pre-med student all the way the blue collar, entry-level, fast food worker. Like profession or education level, other demographics do not limit who participates in such a lifestyle. I have met participants as young as 18 years old and as old as 72. Sexual kinks and taboos are not dictated by demographics and age play is no exception.Why age play? The beauty in this way of life is that it is customizable to individual needs. As an aspiring sex therapist I find immeasurable worth in personalizing what works for healing old hurts and sorting through hang ups with the tools you have before you. If someone is to grow from their pain and rise above it the method has to be something they believe in and trust will work. With ageplay, both partners steer the ship, so to speak, and the whole intent is to do so with their partner’s well-being in mind.The caretaker, also referred to as the â€Å"top†, â€Å"master†, â€Å"Daddy†, â€Å"Mommy†, or â€Å"Big†, depending on those involved and to what extent they interact, parents the little with loving guidance and reassurance while the little fills a need to almost â€Å"ego stroke† their Big and construct a confidence and self-esteem boost within them. There is a mutual understanding, and a simultaneous bond between the two, that buffs out the unfulfilled emotional needs of each other and brings great joy and liberation from those wounds. During an e-mail conversation with â€Å"Mr.Beck†, a local Daddy and leader in the BDSM social scene here in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois , that I have had the fortune of befriending, I discovered that the â€Å"why† is a sensitive topic that some choose not explore for themselves. In response to a question asking if he thought there was a direct link between trauma and eroticism (a personal attempt to deconstruct Sexologist Gloria Brame’s theory on the matter, stating that there is no direct link ( Different Loving, p127) he responded as follows: â€Å"I believe that every form of sexual expression exists o n a spectrum.Some people are gay with only one person. Some people are into the â€Å"lifestyle† only with younger people. So on and so on. There isn't a one size fits all with any form of sexual expression. There are littles working out issues, of course. I have been with a little who had been groped by her father but wanted to call me â€Å"Daddy† during sex. When I asked she was clear that her biological father and the â€Å"Daddy† figure of her fantasies were completely different people. I think that age play is, at the heart of it, about finding a role that makes sense and embracing it.There are â€Å"kittens† and experts are not rushing out to find out what role the family cat played in their upbringing. Those who are attempting to push age play out into the realms of the broken homes and disquieted minds are, in my opinion, wanting to push uncomfortable questions, about their own sexual landscape, out at arm’s length. † This particular Daddy is what is called a â€Å"24/7 Daddy†, or a Daddy who lives the lifestyle around the clock, at every opportunity. There aren’t many spaces where he would edit his words or interactions with his little. When questioned about his version of the â€Å"why ageplay? He seemed to be passive aggressive in his response, and evasive to a complete, personal answer. I would say that he was defensive in his wording and not at all comfortable in examining his personal motivation for entering a relationship of the age play nature. For some members of the kink community doing self-reflective exercises unveils some scary and uncomfortable truths that are too intense in nature to comprehend and deal with. This is a common issue when looking at most taboo practices. Many age players share in Mr. Beck’s mentality mentioned in his interview.The idea behind trying to understand the origin for the kink is usually â€Å"just go with it and embrace it†¦it is what it is. à ¢â‚¬  For those like myself and Paul Rulof, Chicago- based age play educator and Daddy, we believe that there is a certain, natural connection, through ageplay, to â€Å"righting the wrongs† of the past that children have no control over. Rulof speaks to this theory in his book: â€Å"Ageplay: From Diapers to Diplomas â€Å"when he wrote: â€Å"For many, ageplay is an opportunity to connect with an aspect of themselves that they have forgotten or set aside†¦some people like to explore alternate models of who they could have been with ageplay. p. 65) As a researcher of this social phenomenon I am on the fence about making a claim that 100% of ageplayers are motivated by deep, unmet, emotional need. I would still say that the majority of ageplayers are gaining a sense of control over an area in their life that they felt they lost early on, but I don’t ever care to categorize any group of people, in its entirety, and attach it to one label or judgment, no matter how concrete the evidence is proving that the label is justified.Rulof listed some of his thoughts on the reasons why people partake of this lifestyle, some sexually motivated, some not. His reasons were listed, as follows, on pages 19-34, the biggest chapter in the book: The participants get to: * Relive their childhood – â€Å"†¦ a great number of people have experienced childhoods that they look back upon as desirable or ideal times†. Paul goes on to write that adult life can be viewed as boring and mundane, whereas childhood is generally the complete opposite. Mr.Rulof paints this point as an obvious motivator for ageplaying. (p19) * Rewriting their childhood – â€Å"For littles, rewriting or re-envisioning their childhood is one reason that ageplay might be appealing. However, ageplay is not simply a reaction to one’s own childhood events. Some ageplayer’s own personal childhood or possible negative events may not influence their play mu ch at all†¦Everyone has something in their childhood that they would like to change: disappointments, lacks, incompletion and missed opportunities. (p19) I felt that the author seems to have waivered in his stance on this particular justification, however, at a closer look, and full reading of his book, his claim strongly supports that point I mentioned earlier about how subjective this lifestyle truly is. Sure! Some people do use the little part of themselves to mend the past through conscious actions as an adult while others may focus more on specific hurtful events and relationships. The third option is that ageplay benefits them in some way not at all linked to negative childhood experiences.This group of participants, I gather, based on my interviews, are the ones that are working to address something they would improve about themselves in their current phase of life, be it confidence, the ability to connect with others, building trust in intimate relationships, mastering discipline and will power issues, or just filling a need to be needed†¦which brings me to Paul’s next theory for reasoning. * Practicing Caregiving – â€Å"When caregivers play, they are able to explore the naturally ingrained caregiving traits that they have. (p23) I view this as playing â€Å"grown up house†, or maturing the favored childhood role play game to better hone in on nurturing skills in a less threatening way than what usually occurs in vanilla relationships. * Exploring Gendered Childhoods – â€Å"Especially for transgendered individuals, ageplay provides opportunities to explore childhood experiences as the gender they feel more closely associated with and different than their biological sex. † (p23) During my research I found a podcast whose subject matter is solely based on ageplay.One of the hosts, a lively and entertaining male, â€Å"scenes†, or role plays, as a female baby. Spacey, the host is one of three regular hosts of the show. He recently helped produce an episode of the podcast that completely focused on â€Å"sissies†, or male adults who roleplay as young, adolescent or baby girls. The guests on the show were two â€Å"sissies†, one of which who exercises his civil rights, even in instances of airport pat downs, to live his sissy life around the clock.The gentleman went by the name â€Å"Sissy Stephanie† and he spoke about some of the challenges he encounters living the lifestyle but felt that they emotional payoff is worth the attacks. The second guest, â€Å"Bunny†, talked about his transgendered ageplay and how his youthful, female persona serves as a mechanism to relate to others through a sweet and vulnerable personality, as his vanilla, male self struggles with connection, relatability and trust, typically. Taking Different Options – Much like rewriting your childhood, this theory talks supports the idea that there are particular details in the ageplayer’s childhood that they would like to â€Å"re-do†. Paul writes, on page 24: â€Å"For example, ‘good girls’ can be tease, tramps, or hang out with the â€Å"wrong type of guys†. He went on to offer that some littles appreciate the chance to earn praise for poor or disappointing choices from their past, or even a shot at living on the wild side and pushing boundaries that were obviously unsafe to do as children, such as actually going with the creepy neighbor who offers little kids candy. Shrinking Childhoods – This point was very interesting me, as I had never heard of such an idea about role playing as a minor, but Mr. Rulof wrote about how one might be dissatisfied with their timing of hitting developmental, social or emotional milestones in their childhood and ageplay offers them the a shot at restoring their self-image and confidence in their abilities. * Innocence – â€Å"†¦the loss of a childlike innocence and be coming jaded with the world seems to be a reoccurring theme with some ageplayers.The realization that there are not magical places, fanciful creatures, and happy endings is difficult for some to accept. The desire to regain innocence and escape adult responsibilities could factor in to a desire for ageplay. † (p25) * Relaxing and Enjoyable – Page 26 of Paul Rulof’s book highlights how ageplay encompasses the simplicity and carefree nature of childhood and how the escape from everyday adulthood is sometimes just enough reason, alone, to partake in a non-sexual form of age play. A combination of Popular Fetishes – Paul, not only an author and educator, is a creator of CAPcon, Central Illinois’ premiere ageplay convention. He has a wealth of knowledge on the subject matter and did fervent research, himself, while penning his book and the statistics he uncovered proved to be helpful in supporting this point. Page 27, in Ageplay, describes how this form of role playing is ranked 51st, out of the 100 top favored fetishes. Three of the main components that make for good role play are fetishes in themselves and were also ranked on the top 100 list.Upon reaching out to Mr. Rulof, I discovered that his statistics came from a kinky social networking site, much like Facebook; it is a hub, the high ground, for those in the kink community at large. The site listed role-play itself as the 23rd most popular fetish, followed by cuddling in 81st place and costumes barely squeezing in under the 100 mark as the 92nd most practiced kink. These items were ranked in order based upon serving as the number one kink choice for the site members. For example, Mrs.Smith may like to be spanked during intercourse but being bitten is her favorite fetish so biting would have been her vote. This supports how well age play involves three majorly ranked fetishes, out of thousands, literally, and wraps them up into one kinky, therapeutic ball of goodness. * Enhan cing Roles – â€Å"Ageplay presents a different mental framework through which you can view your partners or others. † Paul wrote for three pages examples that show how a dominant personality or a submissive personality can flourish in this type of role play.People who may not typically be drawn to this type of play just may participate because of the ability to fine-tune egalitarian roles in this medium. * Filling Psychological Needs – I am a huge fan of how the author referenced â€Å"Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs† to prove, what I personally see as the greatest motivator for role playing as a Big or little. There are essential human physical and emotional needs that human’s require fulfillment of to develop in a healthy and productive fashion. Much like ageplay, there is a parallel between the progression of human development from birth to adulthood and beyond.Many ageplayers will identify with multiple ages and, depending on their mood, re quire different things from their caregiver. Often, littles will not â€Å"morph†, for a lack of a better term, into a different age until they feel satisfied with their needs being met at their current age. In Maslow’s model, humans cannot progress or develop in the natural way without having their basic needs met at their current stage in life. * Playing with the Taboo – This idea hones in the basic human calling to be rebellious, or go against the grain, if you will.There is something engrained in us, as a society formed from hunters and gatherers ages ago, that tugs at our moral compass and prods us to be daring and bold and to break the mold of what is socially acceptable. Men especially are often deduced to a walking set of procreating DNA who lack in the ability to make ethically-upstanding choices without challenge. This set up allows all role players to abandon what is socially acceptable and what is defined as â€Å"normal† and escape to a place where it is ok to break the rules and enjoy it. Fetishes -Different from the supporting point earlier that highlighted similarly ranked fetishes, this last reason speaks to the flexibility for exploration into other, new kinks, that ageplay allows. Because of the disciplinary aspects of ageplay there are countless punishment-based fetishes that could be brought into a scene, as well breast-feeding, diapering, play date, schoolgirl, dollification, and many, many other adjacent fetishes for those who wish to dabble in new sexual discovery.Ageplay is often a starting point for kinksters who wish to slowly introduce themselves to harsher, less – nurturing-based fetishes. Though the BDSM pioneer took a seminal approach in analyzing the logic and motivation behind â€Å"sceneing† with ageplay principles, is all truly speculation and the reasoning varies for each individual. In addition to varied gains between top and bottom roles, personal needs manifest from each role play er, independently, and there rarely a clear understanding of why this is such a comforting, natural expression for anyone.The reasons for entering this lifestyle can be many and completely askew, much like rewards. The Power Exchange Book series, written by Dr. Bob Rubel, includes a book about ageplay. The Doctor shared first-hand accounts and experiences from fellow ageplayers that he interviewed during his research for the literature. The most profound and beautifully moving words were from a woman who goes by â€Å"Bethie Hope O. †. On page 70, the next to last page of the book, these words were composed what following her heart and investing in her Daddy has added to her life: I remember the first few times I visited my Daddy, looking at him or being around him, or even just talking to him on the phone felt like someone was shining a light into the world that was not there before. It was like the world was covered in clouds all the time and when he was around the clouds p arted and the sun came out and shone down on everything and I felt warm. I remember the days before my Daddy like a kind of dream, and really, that is how I lived, like I was sleepwalking. I got by, but I did not thrive. Now I feel like I truly live, like the sun is shining on me all of the time.Part of the reason for that is because I’ve learned so much about myself and I’ve found the freedom to just be me, and to do what makes me happy. Part of the reason is my Daddy and how he is with me and how he makes me feel. Part of it is how I love him and how loving someone so much makes me feel. People seem to think that it’s an unhealthy thing to have such strong attachments to just one person and maybe it is but my Daddy is my everything. He is my Daddy, my Master, My partner, my best friend, my confidant, my lover†¦I love him as if I were bore from his own body! †

Human digestion Essay

The salivary glands are the first to react in the digestive process, which are usually triggered by either the sight or the smell of food. Food enters the digestive tract through the mouth where the teeth, tongue, and salivary glands help moisten and break down the food within minutes. The food then becomes something called a bolus, which will travel through the pharynx, then through the esophagus, and into the stomach. As the food travels through the pharynx the epiglottis is in place to prevent food from entering the lungs. Once the bolus enters the stomach it is broken down with acid secretions. The food is partially digested within the stomach. The bolus then becomes chyme (a semiliquid food). Chyme usually leaves the stomach during a time frame of 2-6 hours. The small intestine is where most of the digestion and nutrient absorption takes place with the help of secretions from the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas. The small intestine consists of three parts: the duodenum, the jejunum, and the ileum. Anything that is not absorbed in the small intestine then enters the large intestine travelling through the sphincter. The sphincter prevents any of the remaining food from re-entering the small intestine. The large intestine is made up of two major parts: the colon and the rectum. The colon aids in the absorption of leftover water, vitamins, or minerals. Anything left over after this process is considered waste product (feces) and is then excreted from the body via the anus, which is attached to the colon. Reference Human Digestion Activity. Retrieved August 21, 2009 from http://corptrain.phoenix.edu/axia/sci241/sci241-digestivetract.html

Ford Pinto Case Brief

Ford Pinto Case Brief There was strong competition for Ford in the American small-car market from Volkswagen and several Japanese companies in the 1960’s. To fight the competition, Ford rushed its newest car the Pinto into production in much less time than it usually required to develop a car. The regular time to produce an automobile is 43 months; Ford took 25 months. Before production however, Ford engineers discovered a major flaw in the cars design. In nearly all rear-end crash test collisions, the Pinto's fuel system would rupture extremely easily. The technology was available to make the Pinto a safer vehicle. The best method for improving the safety of the Pinto was to line the gas tank with a rubber bladder. Ford alleged that it would cost $11 per car to add any sort of gas tank fire prevention device. Lee Iacocca, who was in charge of the development of the Pinto, had specifications for the design of the car that were uncompromisable. These specifications were that â€Å"the Pinto was not to weigh an ounce over 2,000 pounds and not cost a cent over $2,000. † Any modifications, even if it did provided extra safety for the customer that brought the car closer to the Iacocca’s limits were rejected. A report was prepared for NHTSA by consultant; Eugene Trisko entitled â€Å"A National Survey of Motor Vehicle Fires. † His report indicates that the Ford Motor Company makes 24 percent of the cars on the American road, yet these cars account for 42 percent of the collision-ruptured fuel tanks. Another staggering fact that was discovered was that a large and growing number of corpses taken from burned cars involved in rear-end crashes contained no cuts, bruises or broken bones. They clearly would have survived the accident unharmed if the cars had not caught fire. There was no single event that caused all of the deaths and injuries related to Pinto’s. Ford had many opportunities to limit the damage done by the faulty design of the Pinto. Engineers bowed to pressure from superiors to keep quiet about the unsafe cars. Was it ethical for Ford to make Ford Pinto? Question No. 1 Marks 10 How Ford management used â€Å"Cost Benefit Approach† in solving the case? Is it right decisions? Question No. 2 Marks 10 What is the best ethical solution that Ford company management has to adopt? â€Å"Case Study†

Long Way Gone Study Guide Essay

1.What does Ishmael say the war is about? Ishmael says nothing about the causes of the war, or what each side was fighting for, or of the overall political and social conditions in Sierra Leone that caused the war. This was a deliberate strategy on the part of Beah, the author. He wanted to present the war through the eyes of a child. As a boy of twelve, when the war first affected him, he had no interest in politics. He had no reason to be interested—his main interest, understandably for a boy of his age, was in singing and dancing to rap music and hanging out with his friends. When the war comes to him, it is for him a battle for personal survival, not a political cause. He is also fueled by feelings of revenge—instilled into him by his army officers—against the rebels because they killed his family. Once again, these are personal feelings not political beliefs. For the reader, then, transported to a land he or she knows nothing about (for the American reader, that is), the war seems not only almost un imaginably brutal but also meaningless. It consists of one side mindlessly killing the other, and vice versa, in skirmishes in small villages. Ishmael does report Lieutenant Jabati’s speeches to his men, in which he says they are defending their country (â€Å"We kill them [the rebels] for the good and betterment of this country† [p. 123]), but such appeals to patriotism are not what inspire Ishmael. Ishmael’s ignorance of politics is again stressed when he is in Freetown during his rehabilitation and sees a convoy of cars and military vans. He is told that the new president, Tejan Kabbah, who had won an election eight months earlier is passing by. â€Å"I had never heard of this man,† Ishmael writes pointedly. This confirms the tenor of the book as a whole: Ishmael is a boy caught up in a war he knows nothing about for a cause he does not care about. 2.Why was the war fought and what course did it take? During the 1980s Sierra Leone was a one-party state governed by the All-People’s Congress (APC) party. However, this period was marked by extensive government corruption and abuse of power. Although Sierra Leone is rich in natural resources it became one of the poorest countries in the world because of mismanagement. The civil war in neighboring Liberia helped to create conditions for war in Sierra Leone because a Liberian war leader reportedly sponsored the rebel group called the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) as a way of destabilizing Sierra Leone, which at the time was a base for a United Nations peacekeeping force. The war broke out in 1991 in villages in eastern Sierra Leone that were near the Liberian border. The aim of the RUF was to seize and control the diamond sector, and in 1991 it took control of the diamond mines in the Kono district. (It is the mining area around Ishmael’s home town of Mogbwemo that the rebels seize in 1993.) In 1992 a military coup took place that established the National Provisional Ruling Council, replacing the civilian government. However, the new military government was powerless to prevent the RUF from controlling much of the country. It was the years immediately after this, from 1993 to January 1996, that Ishmael was a soldier. The war continued after Ishmael was rescued from it, as he himself found out when he went to stay with his uncle in Freetown after his rehabilitation. There had been an election in April 1996, and a civilian government had taken power, but in May 1997 there was another military coup, and the new military government known as the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) invited the RUF to participate in it. The following year, when Beah was safely in the United States, the military government was ousted and the civilian government restored. But this did not stop the violence as the AFRC and its RUF allies fought to regain power. Fighting returned to Freetown in 1999, before a peace accord was signed in July 1999. But this did not last, and the war dragged on, finally ending in January 2002, with the civilian government in charge. According to the CIA’s World Factbook, the civil war resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than two million people—about one-third of the population of Sierra Leone. 3.What is the situation in Sierra Leone today? According to the CIA’s World Factbook, Sierra Leone is gradually returning to a fully democratic government following the ravages of the civil war. There was a general election in 2007 that led to one civilian government being peacefully replaced by another. The nation has also tried to come to terms with the recent past. In 2002 the government set up a Special Court to try those responsible for war crimes during the civil war. It also set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The Special Court indicted many of those held responsible for the atrocities. Some died before they could be tried, but in June 2007, the Special Court found three men guilty of war crimes, including not only murder, terrorism, and enslavement but also the act of conscripting or enlisting children under fifteen into the armed forces. As refugees from the war are slowly returning from neighboring countries, the Sierra Leone government is trying to create jobs and end political corruption. Revenues from diamond mining have increased significantly since the end of the war. Diamonds account for about half of Sierra Leone’s exports. However, Sierra Leone, with a population estimated in 2009 as 5,132,138, remains an extremely poor country with wide disparities in how wealth is distributed. According to the World Factbook, â€Å"The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad.† 4.How widespread is the use of child soldiers? It would be comforting to think that the forced conscription of children into the armed forces during the war in Sierra Leone was an aberration, not something that can happen again in the modern world. However, that is not the case. Even in the twenty-first century, the use of child soldiers is common in armed conflicts around the world. According to Human Rights watch, an international nongovernmental organization, as of 2007, there were an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 children fighting in various wars. According to a Global Report published in 2008 by the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, at the end of 2007 children were used as soldiers in seventeen armed conflicts around the globe. The coalition noted that this was down from twenty-seven conflicts in 2004, but the downturn was more because the conflicts had ended than because child soldiers were no longer being recruited. The Global Report identified the following countries where children were recruited for paramilitaries, militias, civilian defense forces or armed groups linked to or supported by governments: Chad, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Iran, Ivory Coast, Libya, Myanmar, Peru, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Uganda. The most flagrant offender, according to the Global Report, is Myanmar, where the government uses thousands of children in its battle against rebel groups. In Uganda, tens of thousands of children have been forced into joining armies over a period of nearly twenty-five years. In some of these countries, including Uganda, girls as well as boys have been forced to become soldiers. There have in recent years been concerted international efforts to end the use of child soldiers. Sierra Leone, which has tried and convicted men responsible for recruiting child soldiers, has become a leader in this issue. The use of child soldiers has now been prohibited by international law. The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict has been ratified by 120 states. The UN Security Council has adopted resolutions calling for the establishment of a monitoring mechanism on children and armed conflict. However, these and other prohibitions are no guarantee that when new conflicts break out, child soldiers will not be recruited. 5.Is Beah’s story factually accurate? A Long Way Gone achieved popular and critical success, but questions have been raised by some regarding the factual accuracy of a number of events Beah recounts in the book. Beah writes that his village was attacked in January 1993 and after that he became a refugee from the war. Critics claim that there are school records showing that Beah was in school later than this date, and that the village was attacked in 1995, not 1993. This would mean that Beah would actually have been recruited at the age of fifteen, not thirteen as he writes in the book. This would have meant that he was only a child soldier for a few months, rather than over two years. Some critics point to the structure of the book to confirm this. They point out that most of the book deals with Beah’s wanderings as a refugee and the months he spent in rehabilitation. Only two chapters (13 and 14) cover his actual experiences as a soldier (although he does present more incidents from his military service at various points in flashbacks). Questions have also been raised about the account Beah gives of the fight between the former boy soldiers at the rehabilitation home, in which several boys were killed. There are no independent reports of such a fight ever taking place. Some believe that Beah used others’ experiences as his own and that he embellished his tale. They point to his interest in creative writing at Oberlin College and the fact that his adoptive mother was a storyteller. The suggestion is that Beah was encouraged by those around him to tell a more vivid story. Others have more charitably suggested that Beah simply got his dates mixed up, and his memory may have been unreliable because on his own admission he was high on drugs most of the time he was in military service. Beah has vehemently denied that he invented anything, however. In an article published in Publishers Weekly in 2008, Beah wrote, â€Å"Sad to say, my story is all true.†