Wednesday, January 29, 2020
A Description of Cultural Patterns Essay Example for Free
A Description of Cultural Patterns Essay Cultural patterns are described as the preferred set of responses to different life situations. According to Kluckhohn and Strodbeckââ¬â¢s description of cultural patterns there are 5 dimensions or elements that address the manner in which a culture orients itself to activities, social relations, the self, the world and the passage of time. In the following reflection I will identify each one of these dimensions with the cultural patterns shown in my country. Starting with the activity orientation, which defines how the people of a culture view human actions and the expression of self through activities, we can identify the Puerto Rican culture as a ââ¬Å"becomingâ⬠one. A ââ¬Å"becomingâ⬠orientation refers to people who are predisposed to think of ways to change themselves as a means of changing the world. Although I do not fully agree on this identifying the Puerto Rican culture, I do agree on other views that the ââ¬Å"becomingâ⬠cultures have toward work and play. For example Puerto Ricans do not have a ââ¬Å"clear-cutâ⬠separation between work and their social lives. Often you can go into an office and find employees chatting with each other, talking with relatives over the phone or talking about their private lives in a business meeting. The Puerto Rican culture is more relaxed in terms of work compared to the Mexican, Colombian or European American culture, we specifically work for a means to an end and appreciate every second of our leisure time. The social relations dimension describes how the people in a culture organize themselves and refer to one another. In Puerto Rico the degree of importance we place on formality has changed through the years as different generations modify the way we address people. For example teenagers often refer to their elders as ââ¬Å"youâ⬠instead of ââ¬Å"sirâ⬠or they will say to someone who is serving them ââ¬Å"give meâ⬠instead of ââ¬Å"may I haveâ⬠. The Puerto Rican culture generally does not give much importance to tittles, as they believe that relationships best develop when those involved can address informally to one another. Another thing that cultural patterns prescribe are the social interactions people have between them. In the Puerto Rican culture we have African heritage so itââ¬â¢s no surprise when both our cultures prefer indirectness in conversations with other people of our country but do not require an intermediary to do so. Generally, people in Puerto Rico will ââ¬Å"sugar coatâ⬠demands or favors in conversations as a way to ask for something but in a indirect approach so the person wonââ¬â¢t perceive us as rude or ill mannered. The self-orientation of cultural patterns describes how peopleââ¬â¢s identities are formed, whether the culture views the self as changeable, what motivates individual actions, and the kinds people who are valued and respected. Puerto Ricans can easily associate with each other, as our individual self-definition is very similar. On the contrary of the European American culture, Puerto Ricans make decisions for their children based on traditions, values and what they believe to be best for them. Although individuals make their own decisions as they mature and grow up when we evaluate from a group perspective it can be said that there is a heightened sense of interdependence and what happens to the group happens to the person. An example of this can be shown in cultural linguistic tendencies, as individuals modify their usual language others do so as well; also the fact that when national catastrophes occur everyone feels identified with the loss or the pain of the others. Because Puerto Rico is such a small island it is almost predictable that individuals can associate their identity with others from the same country even if there is a social status, age, town etc. aspect that differs between them. One of the most interesting dimensions is the world orientation, which tells people how to allocate themselves in relation to the spiritual world, nature and other living things. As we know Puerto Rico has different heritages because of the cultures that have influenced us trough the colonizing process, so it is not strange that our spirituality relates mostly to the European American beliefs. The general belief in our culture is that human beings can prevent, postpone or overcome natural events such as earthquakes by making buildings stronger, finding cures for illnesses and prolonging the time of death of a sick person. As technology constantly ââ¬Å"improvesâ⬠individuals believe they have the power to control nature instead of nature controlling them. Despite the fact that we are most influenced by this belief we still have the Latino influence which leads us to believe that we will be measured by our actions in the spiritual world where our souls will rest. The final approach of these cultural patterns is the time orientation, which can be defined as the way individuals conceptualize time. The cultural frame to which the Puerto Ricans relate is the Latino; even though we do not think time is endless we donââ¬â¢t take time as seriously. That is the reason why people are constantly late for everything, from a birthday party to work and even to Sunday mass. Time is mostly seen as ongoing and useful to maintain order, but not of the utmost importance. Analyzing these cultural patterns one can have a more accurate sense of how culture determines the identity of a country and how things like the importance of work and social time can influence so deeply the way a whole culture behaves. Also it gives you the opportunity to compare and contrast with other countries and learn how other people can have a completely different share of values and see life in such a contrasting way. Most importantly I believe that by studying these cultural patterns one can be more sensible to other peopleââ¬â¢s needs and have more respect for their culture instead of wanting to impose ours.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
STAR: :: essays papers
STAR: One such study is called Tennesseeââ¬â¢s Student Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) Project. This study was made in an effort to find out the best number of students for one teacher to teach. ââ¬Å"STAR was a large-scale, four-year, longitudinal, experimental study of reduced class sizeâ⬠(Reduce Class Size Now, 2003 p. 1). This project kept track of 11,600 Tennessee students in 76 schools (Small Class Size, 1999). This study found out a lot of ways that small classes are beneficial. STAR ââ¬Å"reported in 1997 that students placed in classes of 13 to 17 children, throughout their K-3 years, outperformed students in standard classes of 22 to 25â⬠(Small Class Size, 1999). It was found that if students are placed in smaller classrooms from kindergarten to third grade, they will perform better than students in regular sized classrooms. This is true if the students return to a regular sized classroom for forth grade as well (Small Class Size, 1999). The study found that as long as the student spent a full three years in a small classroom, the advantages would be seen. It has also been reported by STAR that the students in the smaller classes were 6 ââ¬â 14 months ahead of the students in regular size classrooms. This large gap shows that it is much easier for students to comprehend information in smaller classrooms. A few other benefits from small classes were found, for example, students in small classrooms are 7% more likely to graduate on time. It was also found that students in small classrooms are 4% less likely to drop out of high school (Small Class Size, 1999). Over all, this study showed that ââ¬Å"lowering class size substantially improved student achievement and was especially effective for poor childrenâ⬠(Small Class Size: Education Reform that works, 2003 p. 1). With all these positive effects shown by reducing class size, class size reduction should be strongly considered. North Carolina Lab Schools: Tennesseeââ¬â¢s Student Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) Project is not the only study that has been conducted on the issue of class size. North Carolina has also conducted a study on this issue. North Carolina established three lab schools for the purpose of providing smaller classes (Harman, 2002). Classes for kindergarten thru second grade range from 14 ââ¬â 21 students and for third grade thru fifth grade students, the class size ranged from 11 ââ¬â 22.
Monday, January 13, 2020
Shoehorn Sonata Speech + Related Text
At age 15, you are thrown into a war, fighting for your life and your will to live is slowly diminishing. Are you scared? Probably, but you know that if you show fear, everyone will see you as being weak. This is what the main protagonists of both the play, Shoe Horn Sonata by John Mistro and the movie, Hunger Games directed by Gary Ross endured. Together with photographs, cinematic techniques and symbols, these texts represent the devastation of war, the bonds of friendship forged during a war and their respective will to survive.Friendship is defined as a relationship between friends. In Shoe Horn Sonata, when Sheila and Bridie first meet, it seems unlikely that they will ever be friends. They are complete polar opposites. Sheila cynical statement ââ¬ËPeople always get on when theyââ¬â¢re tossed in together. Iââ¬â¢d hardly call that friendship. ââ¬â¢, reinforces that Bridie and Sheila initially formed a friendship out of desperation to survive, not because there was mut ual affection for each other. Bitter tone is utilised to convey Sheliaââ¬â¢s survival instincts are prioritised over tender friendship.Additionally the alliteration of tossed in together reflects how people in war have no choice of their companions, that it pushes them together in survival. Similarly in the Hunger Games , the friendships that Katniss makes with both Rue and are forged out of necessity and need rather than sentiment. Rue and Katniss team up as they both have valuable skills assets that the other would like to utilise to their advantage such as when Rue manages to take a weapon unnoticed using the trees. In many ways, an alliance with Rue is an alliance to District 11 which Katniss can use to her benefit.Peter and Katniss act as if they are lovers in a ploy for the audience as a means to survive as seen when Katniss receives a note from Haymitch asking ââ¬ËYou call that a kiss? ââ¬â¢. The sarcastic tone makes Katniss realise that the ploy will be futile as if Haymitch is doubtful then others will be too. Both texts show that although they may not have been friends in normal circumstances, war has pushed them together and this has attributed to them surviving. Symbols are also used in both texts to represent the protagonistsââ¬â¢ hope and survival.For example, the shoehorn in Shoe Horn Sonata is first seen when the girls are in the water and Bridie uses it to wake Sheila up and prevent her from drowning. In this scene, it a metaphorical and representative an object of survival and the will to live. As the play goes on, the shoehorn symbolises family for Bridie and sacrifice for Sheila but in the end it unites the girls and demonstrates that not only did they survive the war, they survived the effects of the war as well. Caramel is another symbol of survival.It was the only luxury the girls had during the camp and ââ¬Ëit had to last till the end of the warââ¬â¢. The caramel was even important enough that it was written into the g irlsââ¬â¢ wills. This conveys to the audience that the girls clung to the hope that they would eventually be released from the prison camp. On the other hand, in Hunger Games, the mockingbird pin was not only Katnissââ¬â¢s link to her district, but a symbol of her love for her father as well as her survival. The pin is a representation of a creature with a spirit of her own.By breaking free of the Capitolââ¬â¢s control this show that the Capitol does not have complete control of the districts. Katniss, like the mockingjay, has escaped from the Capitolââ¬â¢s clutches which is why the pin symbolises her survival and spirit. The photographs shown during interview in Shoe Horn Sonata support the dialogue and give the audience a visual representation of what the girls went through during the camp. In scene 7, you see visuals of what the prisoners looked like during the camp. They are emaciated, haggard and impoverish.The effects of the imprisonment of the innocent is clearly highlighted during these photographs. The stark black and white photos depicting the harrowing effects of mistreatment of innocents evokes sympathy towards the prisoners from the viewer and loathing for their captors. In contrast, within the Hunger Games, the film is seen as whirs and jolts with sharply edited scenes intercutting from perspective to perspective which represents Katnissââ¬â¢s inner turmoil and her agitation which accompanies those new changes.Her life is unpredictable and this is shown as the camera shakes around representing the sudden changes in her life and well as extreme long shots used to give the audience a general impression of the places she goes. Little detail can be seen in these scenes which corresponds to the insignificance of these places to Katniss. The audience witnesses the consequences of these changes but to everyone else, they are unable to see this because of the defensive stoic mask she wears.In conclusion, the protagonists in Shoe Horn Sonat a and the Hunger Games have survived horrors unimaginable to us and through distinctively visual techniques such as , photographs, cinematic techniques and symbols, we are able to grasp a small idea of what they have endured on their journey. Therefore, thus despite common circumstances being the catalyst for friendship in times of war, strife and horror they are able to triumph over their circumstances because of the sustenance that this unexpected friendship provides them.
Sunday, January 5, 2020
Themes Of Pans Labyrinth - 946 Words
External and Internal Conflicts In Ofeliaââ¬â¢s World Guillermo Del Toroââ¬â¢s Panââ¬â¢s Labyrinth tells the story of Ofelia who experiences magical encounters in this fantasy. One night, a fairy leads her into a hidden labyrinth where she meets a faun who tells her that she is a lost princess. He assigns her three dangerous tasks to prove herself and to claim immortality alongside her father. Meanwhile, her step-father, the captain of a merciless, violent army in fascist Spain attempts to stop a guerrilla uprising. Ofelia struggles to meet the demands of the faun before time runs out. Through this quest, she interacts with creatures and challenges that create a monstrous environment. Director, Guillermo Del Toro was born and grew up inâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦The film grossed $80 million worldwide despite the $18 million budget. Respectively, the film has been nominated and awarded awards since its release in 2006. Panââ¬â¢s Labyrinth has won a total of three Oscars for best makeup and hair, best cinematography and best art direction (Davies, Shaw, Tierney 173). The film, despite its distinct genre and language, describes the struggles of Spain and the effects war has on its population. Guillermo Del Toroââ¬â¢s Panââ¬â¢s Labyrinth utilizes both oral and visual conventions to emphasize the monstrous characteristics in Ofeliaââ¬â¢s environment that harm her mentality, leading to her ââ¬Å"deathâ⬠. For the context of this paper, a monster is ââ¬Å"something extraordinary or unnatural, any imaginary creature that is large, ugly, and frighteningâ⬠(OED). A faun is described as,ââ¬Å"one of a class of rural deities; at first represented like men with horns and the tail of a goat, afterwards with goats legs like the Satyrs, to whom they were assimilated in lustful characterâ⬠(OED). Another important term is a labyrinth. A labyrinth is defined as ââ¬Å" a structure formed by paths bordered by high hedges, typically as a feature in a gardenâ⬠(OED). Ofeliaââ¬â¢s magical world is inhabited by monsters. The first task the faun assigns Ofelia requires her to meet an ugly creature. This ugly creature is a huge frog, covered in slime who is surrounded by and feeds off of bugs. The frogââ¬â¢s skin is rough and a shadeShow MoreRelatedThe Theme of Obedience in Pans Labyrinth1553 Words à |à 7 PagesEl Laberinto del Fauno Obedience is a recurrent theme in El Laberinto del Fauno, discuss at least two examples and what they represent. In El Laberinto del Fauno, Guillermo del Toro uses the theme of obedience to illustrate and condemn two repressive components of fascism: patriarchy and the coercion of free will. This essay will look at two examples of obedience in the film which reveal the abhorrent nature of these aspects of fascism and the importance of resisting them. These are, respectivelyRead MoreDystopian Themes In Pans Labyrinth By Guillermo Del Toro949 Words à |à 4 Pages The movie Panââ¬â¢s Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro shares similar dystopian themes with Suzanne Collinsââ¬â¢s book The Hunger Games through the collective use of the power struggle trope. Sub-themes of risk-taking and disobedience, struggle for control of resources, and lack of mercy by powerful leaders make up the conflicts between protagonists and antagonists in both works. These commonalities between the two works point towards a utopia that can be described as a society where people are in controlRead MorePans Labyrinth Film Analysis Essay1208 Words à |à 5 PagesVanessa Salfen 6/29/2012 Visual Analysis Panââ¬â¢s Labyrinth: A Visual Analysis Panââ¬â¢s Labyrinth, originally titled El laberinto del fauno, was published in 2006 by the Spanish director Guillermo del Toro. The story is set in the year 1944, in the country-side of a post-Civil War Spain. A young and imaginative girl named Ofelia, played by Ivana Baquero, travels with her pregnant mother, Carmen Vidal, who is very ill; in order to meet and live with her stepfather, a cruel and sadistic man named CapitanRead MorePans Labyrinth775 Words à |à 4 Pages* Panââ¬â¢s Labyrinth: A Depiction of Post-Civil War Spain * The film ââ¬Å"Panââ¬â¢s Labyrinthâ⬠is a cinematic masterpiece of 2006, directed and written by Guillermo del Toro. Although the film is considered partly within the fantasy genre, several of the themes within the film reflect certain historical realities of post-civil war Spain. Themes of reality versus fantasy, gender roles, and children and war are developed within the film. Panââ¬â¢s Labyrinth takes place during the Francoist period of 1944Read MoreA Compare and Contrast of Horror and Science Fiction/Fantasy Genres1777 Words à |à 7 Pagessimilar as they have at several occasions been blended together, but their basic, common theme serves different meanings about humans. I shall compare and contrast these two genres and focus on both classic films and modern films. From the Horror genre perspective I shall discuss Psycho (1960) and The Mist (2007), while in the Science Fiction/Fantasy genre I will examine 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Panââ¬â¢s Labyrinth (2006), and Serenity (2005). Although the Science Fiction/Fantasy genre and the HorrorRead MorePans Labyrinth Film Analysis1347 Words à |à 6 Pagesseems to coincide with an unsettling environment. For instance, Panââ¬â¢s Labyrinth by Guillermo Del Toro and Night of the Shooting Stars by Giuliani G. De Negri both focus on the idea of fiction centered around a destructive ambience. Both movi es take place in a deteriorating war zone in which the main characters manage to escape temporarily but still witness horrific event that they manifest into their own type of dream reality. Panââ¬â¢s Labyrinth takes place during the Spanish Civil War where a young OfeliaRead MoreMyth, Religion, and Violence in Panââ¬â¢s Labyrinth and Bless Me, Ultima: A Comparative Analysis1346 Words à |à 6 PagesRudolfo Anayaââ¬â¢s, Bless Me, Ultima and Guillermo del Toroââ¬â¢s, Panââ¬â¢s Labyrinth are two coming-of-age stories. Both the novel and the movie are full of events that contribute to the disillusionment of the main characterââ¬â¢s childhood idealism and the realization of the real world they live in. Both protagonists absorb themselves in a mythical world full of fantasy and each receives exposure to religious theology and trauma by the violence of men. Despite the fact that Antonio and Ofelia have differentRead MoreSelf- Sacrifice in the Movie Panà ´s Ladyrinth1361 Words à |à 5 PagesNothing can be achieved if an individual is not willing to sacrifice; this idea is presented throughout the Movie ââ¬Å"Panââ¬â¢s Labyrinthâ⬠, and is effectively represented by the two female characters, Ofelia and Mercedes. The movie develops within a feminized world between two female characters Ofelia and Mercedes, they may be different in age and life experience, however; they share many similarities in characters and relationship with Captain Vidal. Furthermore, Ofelia and Mercedes are closely connectedRead MorePans Labyrinth Essay633 Words à |à 3 PagesPans Labyrinth The director Guillero Del Torro uses many motifs and parallels in his film Pans Labyrinth. The most obvious parallel in the film is the parallel between the real world and the fantasy world of the character Ofelia. Both worlds are filled with danger. At any second in both of these worlds your life could be lost. Del Torro separates the real world from the fantasy world with many visual motifs. One of the visual motifs is the extreme differences in the color of the worldsRead MoreEssay on Spanish Cinema After the Dictatorship in 19751822 Words à |à 8 Pagesthe hands of film makers, such as Pedro Almodà ³var, Fernando Trueba and Guillermo Del Toro in the late 20th century and early 21st century. These directors have created films which dealt with themes of nationality and national history, such as Todo sobre mi madre (Pedro Almodà ³var, 1999) and Panââ¬â¢s Labyrinth (Guillermo Del Toro, 2006). Although Spanish cinema only started to develop into a distinctive style later in the 20th century due to the end of censorship and propaganda regimes, some film
Friday, December 27, 2019
Essay On Fight Club - 1846 Words
He d probably watched Fight Club one too many times growing up, both the novel and the film had a marked impact on Trent s band and indeed his public persona. It d been a rocky road for him to reach that place, and the character that he played was one born from necessity. Trent s father was a lifelong biker, and the president of a prominent outlaw MC in California. The man sold drugs, pimped out girls and did a little bit of everything and he d been a convict for much of his son s early years. As a result, Trent was forced to grow up in group homes, and abuse from his caretakers and older children hardened the boy, by the time his dad got out, he was a teenager and the two reconnected with Trent frequently getting into violentâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Much of the band s direction came from him, and he was the de facto leader of the group. There were two brothers in the group, both were Mexican-Americans and they d lived their entire lives in the L.A area just as Trent had. They were the drummer and one of the guitarists respectively. The white guy was named Jackson and he was a longtime friend of Trent s and another one of the guitarists, he was an especially liberal minded giant of a guy that stood about 6 8 and was covered head to toe in tattoos. Of everyone in the group, he was the most hardcore against any sort of racism and before blowing big, his claim to fame was being televised nationally at a riot, where he punched a Nazi sympathizer in the face quite hard. He drank like a fish, but was otherwise a sweetheart with a new family of his own, and Trent was proud to be godfather to his twins. Their bassist was Trent s cousin Reggie who had come from a family of musicians. In addition they had two more members, one was an Asian-American young man who everyone called kid and the other was a black woman who was petite but probably the most volatile in temperament which was saying something. They were there to add texture to the sound and both handled simi lar duties of sampling, keyboards, percussion and turntables. The kid s background was in Hip-Hop initially, and he d been a very popular DJ at a number of clubs before signing on, while The Female Of The Species as she liked toShow MoreRelatedFight Club Essay2874 Words à |à 12 PagesAlan Badel English 100/Major Essay #2 Professor Raymond Morris 23 October 2015 The Fight Club Aims to Free Individuals from Societyââ¬â¢s Emasculating Shackles Chuck Palahniukââ¬â¢s Fight Club is an exciting fictional novel that will hold the audience captive following three revolving main characters in Marla Singer, Tyler Durden, and the narrator himself as they take the reader through confusing twists and perspectives, while providing a most revealing closure. Although the title suggests an exclusiveRead MoreFight Club Essay1016 Words à |à 5 PagesFight Club David Flinchers movie, Fight Club, shows how consumerism has caused the emasculation of the modern male and reveals a tale of liberation from a corporate controlled society. Societys most common model of typical man is filthy, violent, unintelligent, immature, sexist, sex hungry, and fundamentally a caveman. In essence Tyler Durden, is the symbolic model for a man. He is strong enough to withstand from societys influences and his beliefs to remain in tact. Jack, the narratorRead MoreEssay on Fight Club1189 Words à |à 5 PagesThis movie is mainly about a narrators search for meaning and the fight to find freedom from a meaningless way of life. It setting is in suburbia, an abandoned house located in a major large city. Ed Norton, plays the nameless narrator, Brad Pitt, is Tyler Dunden, and Helena Boaham Carter is Marla Singer, the three main characters. David Fincher directs this film in 1999, which adapted it from the novel written by Chuck Palahnuik. It begins depicting Edward Norton, the narrator, working for anRead More Fight Club Essay768 Words à |à 4 PagesProblems with Adaptation, says ââ¬Å"We expect the film to duplicate exactly the experience we had seeing the play or in reading the novel. That is, of course, completely impossibleâ⬠(Boggs 672). No one told this theory to David Fincher, the director of Fight Club. Fincher stuck almost like glue to the novel. He did however, change a few events in the novel and the ending but stills successfully puts Palahniukââ¬â¢s words on screen that even made Palahniuk happy to earn his profits. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;MostRead MoreFight Club Essay1184 Words à |à 5 PagesFight Club In the book Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk, the narrator is an employee for a travelling car company, who suffers from insomnia. When he asks his doctor for medication the doctor refuses and advises him to visit a support group to witness what suffering really is. The first group the narrator attends is for testicular cancer victims. He finds an emotional release that relieves his insomnia and becomes addicted to support groups. After a flight home from a business trip, the narratorRead MoreEssay Fight Club1439 Words à |à 6 PagesChuck Palahniukââ¬â¢s Fight Club is a seductive novel which chronicles an unnamed narratorââ¬â¢s ability to cope with an emasculated, self-centered, materialistic society by creating an alter ego. Throughout the text, the theme of the emasculated modern man is presented both in the life of the narrator, and in the lives of the male characters he surrounds himself with. Through notions of absent fathers, consumerism and an innocuous/aimless e xistence, Palahniuk presents how men in modern society have lostRead MoreFight Club Essay1525 Words à |à 7 PagesFight Club ââ¬Å"The first rule about fight club is that you donââ¬â¢t talk about fight clubâ⬠(Palahniuk 87). The story of Fight Club was very nail biting; you never knew what was going to happen next. There were so many things that led up to a complete plot twist. It was amazing how closely directed and written Chuck Palahniuk and David Fincherââ¬â¢s versions were. However, the role in both that stood out to me the most was the role of Marla. Marla was the biggest influence in discovering the narratorRead MoreFight Club Essay2019 Words à |à 9 PagesIf you have watched the film Fight Club in regards to the early 1990ââ¬â¢s and itââ¬â¢s American Consumerism it has a major effect on the countries early audiences which are males between 15 and 34 primarily all white. This led to a huge problem and was considered a controversial film. A film that would impact the world and the society in which people lived in leading to a public response. The huge question towards figh t club is if the society would allow such in tolerant actions and if itââ¬â¢s possible toRead MoreFight Club and Feminism Essay2137 Words à |à 9 Pages The issue at the heart of the David Fincher film, Fight Club, is not that of manââ¬â¢s rebellion against a society of ââ¬Å"men raised by womenâ⬠. This is a film that outwardly exhibits itself as promoting the resurrection of the ââ¬Ëultra-maleââ¬â¢, surreptitiously holding women accountable for the decay of manhood. However, the underlying truth of the film is not of resisting the force of destruction that is ââ¬Ëwomanââ¬â¢, or of resisting the corruption of manhood at her hand, but of penetrating the apathy needed toRead MoreEssay on Fight Club Masculinity2504 Words à |à 11 PagesCritical Essay on Fight Club Introduction Chuck Palahniukââ¬â¢s Fight Club is the story of a man struggling to find himself. The main character, a nameless narrator, is clearly unhappy with his life. He obsessively fakes diseases and attends support group sessions as a way to deal with his hopelessness. Obsessive behaviors often lead to unfavorable events if they are interrupted (Lizardo). Just as it seems the support groups have brought him to a form of equilibrium, they are interrupted by a fellow
Thursday, December 19, 2019
Criminal Activity and Justice in the American Society...
Title: The Social Problem of Race, Poverty, Punishment Abstract Even more than 100 years back, the terrific African American scholar W. E. B. Du Bois stated, The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line (Du Bois, 1999) Racism and racial discrimination, he said, were the main troubles dealing with contemporary society. Similar can be stated about criminal activity and justice in American society today. Virtually every problem associated with criminal justice problems includes issues of race and ethnic background, consisting of arrests, sentencing, corrections, participation in criminal offense, and public reliance and self-confidence in the criminal justice system (Walker, Spohn and Delone, 2012). Some examples of this are included in the paper along with the recognition of the problem and an alternative solution. Exactly what is the social problem? In 2009 the imprisonment ratio for African American men in state and federal jails was 6.7 times more than the ratio for white men (4,749 versus 708, respectively, per 100,000). The imprisonment rate for Hispanic American men was 2.6 times higher than for white men (1,822 per 100,000). There were likewise variations in the imprisonment of white and African American females, however not as terrific when it comes to males (BJS, 2010). A 2010 Arizona law directing regional authorities to examine the migration condition of anybody they presumed to be undocumented developed a nationwide debate and aShow MoreRelatedCriminal Biology Essay2307 Words à |à 10 Pagesthe term ââ¬Ëthe race-crime debateââ¬â¢. Bowling and Philips (2002) found the ââ¬Ërace and crimeââ¬â¢ debate has largely been detached from discussion of ethnic differences in the extent and nature of victimisation and how patterns of offending and victimisation interrelate. Bowling and Philips (2002) found that until recently the ââ¬Ërace and crimeââ¬â¢ debate had been preoccupied with other issues. The first being a question to whether people from ethnic minority groups are ââ¬Ëmore likely to commit criminal offencesââ¬â¢, contraryRead MoreRace And Crime Of The Criminal Justice System6937 Words à |à 28 PagesRace and Crime For hundreds of yearsââ¬â¢ race and crime in America has been an ongoing issue. Therefore, the criminal justice topic I am going to research throughout this paper will be regarding the different races and crimes that are most commonly committed and how each different race is treated in the criminal justice system also how they are each individually affected by the American justice system. I will discuss background information of each race as well as problems and issues they are currentlyRead MoreThe Failure Of Imprisonment On The United States1876 Words à |à 8 PagesAmerican Prisons The failure of imprisonment has been one of the most noticeable features of the current crisis in criminal justice systems. At best, prisons are able to provide a form or crude retribution to those unfortunate to be apprehended. At worst, prisons are brutalizing, cannot be shown to rehabilitate or deter offenders into society. If anything, American prisons are not fulfilling their purpose. Many people wonder why we have prisons today. Glenn Loury believes rehabilitation is aRead MoreFactors Affecting The Criminal Justice System2867 Words à |à 12 Pagesand to inform readers that some of these factors are not controllable. Through intensive research, the researcher discovered that Hispanics and African Americans do not make up more than half of the population today but in the criminal justice system, they make up more than half combined. The main elements the researcher focused on were ethnicity, race, economic status, and personal life elements. Some of the personal life elements include their parentââ¬â¢s martial status and the involvement they haveRead MoreJuvenile Delinquency Is Affected By The Family Circumstances, Activities, And Gender Of The Individual2675 Words à |à 11 PagesAbstract Studies of crime seek to explore how crime and delinquency are distributed through many variables such as family circumstances, activities, and gender. This literature review aims to analyze juvenile delinquency through these variables from research done in three specific articles. It was found that some of these variables have a direct affect on the amount of juvenile delinquency while others need further research for a conclusive answer to be found. Although theses are not all of theRead MoreThe Inequality Of The United States2537 Words à |à 11 Pagesprevailed on all levels, be it the justice and legal system, or the social class. This inequality is not only the basis of discrimination, but also encourages the increase in criminalization.â⬠This report provides the understanding about income inequality in the United States, which shows the impact on the American conception of justice and the legal system. This book demonstrates about the divide by observing the connection among rising income inequality and the poverty criminalization as poor individualsRead MoreEssay about Racial Discrimination in the U.S. Justice System4775 Words à |à 20 PagesDiscrimination in the U.S. Justice System Introduction In modern-day America the issue of racial discrimination in the criminal justice system is controversial because there is substantial evidence confirming both individual and systemic biases. While there is reason to believe that there are discriminatory elements at every step of the judicial process, this treatment will investigate and attempt to elucidate such elements in two of the most critical judicial junctures, criminal apprehension and prosecutionRead MorePrison Reform Topic Paper : Prisons6604 Words à |à 27 Pagesmay seek deterrence, incapacitation, or retribution to avoid appearing too soft on criminals (Zyl Smit, 2010; Rossum, 2003). On the other hand, the regulations of the prison system may seek to opportunities to resocialize prisoners or to effect changes in the character, attitudes, or behavior of the convicted offender (Zyl Smit, 2010; Harvard Law Review, 2010). Which approach is the most effective for a society that decides to punish? What do we do about those who commit crimes? This questionsRead MoreAfrican American Juvenile Delinquency : America Essay2365 Words à |à 10 PagesAfrican American Juvenile Delinquency in America Several studies have provided data that often indicate crime rates are higher for certain ethnic groups of people in the United States. Much of this research on delinquent behavior tends to show that African Americans account for a greater proportion of the juvenile delinquents in America. With African American juveniles accounting for more than 57% of arrests for manslaughter and more than 67% of arrests for robbery, this growing national problem hasRead MoreCriminality: Criminology and Extra Y Chromosome3476 Words à |à 14 Pagessociologically defined as a form of deviant behavior from the norm and the acceptable rules of society. A more generic definition of criminality is a behavioral predisposition that disproportionately favors criminal activity. It is based on the premise that the act or acts committed by an individual violates the natural rights that are given to the person by birth and or by right. The statement ââ¬Å"Are criminals born, or made?â⬠is wide reaching and still the subject of many debates. Each year when Crime
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Business Economics Housing Finance in Australia â⬠Free Samples
Question: Discuss about thee Business Economics Housing Finance in Australia. Answer: Introduction Significantly, Sydney and Melbourne have experienced among the highest housing prices in Australia and the world .Notably, some of Australia s population considers affording decent housing in Melbourne and Australia impossible due to income disparities. The housing price is way above most Australian pay grade thereby the need for government intervention to lower the housing prices in Sydney and Melbourne for affordability purposes for most of its population. Noteworthy, the high prices are attributed to shortage in supply of decent and affordable housing facilities (Collyer, 2016) Further, some economists attribute the high housing prices to population growth triggered by the influx of immigrants into the Sydney and Melbourne. Causes of the High Housing Prices Notably, interest rate on financial credit facilities affects the financial ability of potential new owners. Low income earners are likely to apply with loans with low interest rates due to their ability to repay thereby low interest rates on credit facilities will attract many borrowers thus the demand for decent housing facilities (Holt, 2009)Typically ,high interest rates imply high repayment terms thereby attracting few borrowers(Parliamentary business Committee ,n.d). In turn, there will be less demand for housing facilities in Sydney and Melbourne thus causing significant price reduction of housing facilities in the two areas(Robb,2017 .Usually, access to credit financial facilities has enabled low and middle income earners afford decent dwellings. Predominantly, global and national economic conditions affect the prices of goods and services. Government intervention in financial regulation is necessary and inevitable to provide financial stability.However,easy accessibility to financial credit packages has enabled most households in Australia achieve decent housing facilities and better economic livelihoods Consequently, this has increased the demand for decent housing facilities in Sydney and Melbourne due to their urbanized nature ,migration is inevitable .Following the increase in demand pressure has been put on the supply side of housing facilities in Melbourne and Sydney thereby influencing high prices of dwelling places.Inevitably,theres need to meet the demand. In addition, government intervention through regulation of land use through its policies and urban planning requirement has greatly affected the construction of urban housing facilities. Primarily ,the government of Australia prohibits the use of new land for construction in urban areas of its states which in turn limits the land available for construction of housing facilities in Sydney and Melbourne(Collyer,2016)Further ,the formulation of government policies against greenfield developments has denied housing providers the opportunity to meet the growing housing demand thus encouraging high prices of houses in Sydney and Australia due to the low supply despite the growing demand. Subsequently, foreign and domestic competition between housing providers has contributed to the high pricing of houses in Sydney and Melbourne(Exfin, n.d.) .Significantly ,foreign housing providers have relocated their business to Sydney and Melbourne thereby attracting their foreign folk to these cities and charging expensive housing prices .Further ,foreign investors have threatened business for local housing providers thus the influx of competitive markets(Verrender,2015)Also ,the presence of foreign dwellers in Sydney and Melbourne has increased the demand for housing facilities between locals and foreigners thereby contributing to the high housing prices in Sydney and Melbourne. Predominantly, population growth influences the supply and demand for any commodity or service and the housing sector is no exception .Inevitably ,the growth of households and the migration of Australians and foreigners into Sydney and Melbourne has contributed to it high pricing due to the increase in demand(Koziol,2017) .Population growth has put in place pressure on the already existing demand for housing and most housing providers are unable to supply due to various reasons thus encouraging the high housing prices on the existing short supply of dwelling facilities .Usually ,people are drawn to urban areas because of the job opportunities, better infrastructure and the hope for better economic livelihoods. Further, the price increase in Sydney and Melbourne is attributed to the household size changes. Noteworthy, the dwelling facilities in these areas are averagely big and some housing developers have adopted a luxurious approach which is naturally expensive thereby propelling the high housing prices in Sydney and Melbourne. Subsequently, the housing contractors are incurring substantially high operating and construction costs which in turn is transferred to housing consumers in a bid of making a profit and meeting the supply of housing facilities in Sydney and Melbourne .Also ,the focus on big households has created pressure on the existing small housing units thus making their prices high. Regulation Subsequently, the high house pricing in Sydney and Melbourne makes necessary the intervention of government thus the involvement of the government through incorporated measures to mitigate the undesirable consequences of the expensive prices on the housing market. Negatively, the high house price has caused poverty and indecent housing for most of the population in Sydney and Melbourne. Further, high interest rates on home ownership in these two areas is also a problem for some citizens living in Sydney and Melbourne thus the dire need for government intervention. Notably, the Australian government has availed financial incentives and loans to housing providers through grants and subsidies in an effort to boost the supply of houses in Sydney and Melbourne towards housing investments. Subsequently, the supply of houses will increase due to many investors into the sector who are attracted by the grant and subsidies on housing .Equally, the grants and subsidies has encourage local and foreign investment into the Australian housing service providers thereby meeting the growing need for housing at affordable prices for both local and foreign dwellers in Sydney and Melbourne. Through the grants and subsidies, jobs have been created for locals in the construction of housing facilities thereby boosting livelihoods. Further, investment by the government into public housing facilities is likely to reduce the rate of homelessness in most parts of Australian states .The availability of public housing will reduce the demand for houses in Sydney and Melbourne in turn reducing the high housing prices Primarily ,public housing facilities are likely to be cheaper thus affordable for most Australians thereby reducing the housing shortage in the process. Notably ,these public housing should be made available in urban areas to due to the ever growing demand pressure attributed to migration trends into the urban areas(Dalzell,2016)Usually ,public housing is a government based initiative to accord basic housing facilities to its citizens. In addition, there are alternative ways to home ownership available in Australia .For instance, credit financial facilities such as mortgages and loans have been made accessible to most of the Australian Population (Australian Bureau of statistics,n.d.)thereby enabling low and middle income earners to own decent housing in Sydney and Melbourne.Further,housing schemes have been implemented to enable easy access to decent housing facilities. Moreover, shared home ownership has also helped part of the Australian population home owners in highly priced places like Sydney and Melbourne(Dalzell,2016)The Australian housing department has made available shared home ownership arrangement.Primarily,new owners open start loan account with the bank and are offered part ownership of with the government staking 30% ownership. However, theres an option of buying out the government and acquiring full home ownership. Notably, this shared homeownership is advantageous because it allows low and middle income earners to afford decent housing facilities despite their current financial instability thus enabling a young professional afford housing facilities in highly priced areas like Sydney and Melbourne .The option of buying out the government of Australia has favorable terms to potential home owners since they are able to afford housing and buy ought the government at their own financial convenience. Significantly, this shared home ownership arrangements has reduced the number of homeless Australians in most urban areas. Also, the implementation of grants to first home owners has greatly afford young professionals the ability of young professionals to afford decent housing facilities in Sydney and Melbourne(Office of State Revenue,2017)Applications by first home owners for the grants are submitted to the housing Department of the Australian government. Successful first home grant applications have made the dream of home ownership more realizable for most young professionals (Lusted, 2017). Through this grants, first time ownership has been made easy thereby reducing homelessness and motivating the Australian professionals to afford decent houses despite their current financial status. In addition, the availability of mortgage loans to the Australian population has been made simple and affordable thus making it easy for a young professional to be a home owner in the highly priced Sydney and Melbourne areas. Notably, mortgages have provided decent housing for most of the population despite their current financial status due to the favorable payment terms. Predominantly, mortgage is a common way of home ownership for most people in developed economies. Mortgages have enabled low and middle income earners to be home owners despite their age and current financial status. Housing mortgages facilities are available through financial institutions and housing schemes. Conclusion Notably, Australia has among the highest housing prices in the world, in Melbourne and Sydney respectively .Primarily ,the high housing prices are attributed to easy accessibility of financial credit facilities ,low interest rates on financial credit facilities ,population increase and government regulation of land usage in urban areas among other factors .The growing demand for housing facilities in Australia has encountered supply chain challenges such as government regulation ,scarcity of land and high construction costs .Inevitably ,the high housing prices has made government intervention necessary through government regulation of financial sector, provision of grants and subsidies to boost housing investment and investing into public housing facilities to afford decent housing to low and middle income earners with decent and affordable housing. Eventually, high housing prices are likely to reduce due to government policies and measures. References Australian Bureau of Statistics. (n.d.)Housing Finance, Australia, February 2017.Australian Bureau of Statistics. [Online]Available at https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/exnote/5609.0[Accessed 11 May 2017] Collyer, D. (2016). Australias housing bubble and the road to private serfdom. [Online] Prosper. Available at: https://www.prosper.org.au/2016/04/12/australias-housing-bubble-and-the-road-to-private-serfdom/ [Accessed 11 May. 2017]. Dalzell, S. (2016). Push for shared home ownership scheme in NSW to help those locked out of the market. [Online] ABC News. Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-27/calls-for-nsw-shared-home-ownership-scheme-to-be-introduced/7666232 [Accessed 11 May. 2017]. Exfin. (n.d)The purchase of Australian property by foreign residents.Exfin.[Online]Available at https://exfin.com/australian-property-firb[Accessed 11 May 2017] First Home Owner Grant (New Homes) Scheme. (2017). [Online] Office of State Revenue. Available at: https://www.osr.nsw.gov.au/grants/fhog [Accessed 11 May. 2017]. Holt, J 2009, A Summary of the Primary Causes of the Housing Bubble and the Resulting Credit Crisis: A Non-Technical Paper, Journal of Business Inquiry, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 120-125. Koziol, M.(2017)Immigrants to blame for high house prices, Businessman Dick Smith claims. The Sydney Morning Herald.[Online]Available at https://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/immigrants-to-blame-for-high-house-prices-businessman-dick-smith-claims-20170221-gui72k.html[Accessed 11 May 2017] Law, J. (2016). Housing affordability: Are foreign investors to blame for Australias high property prices. [Online] News.com. Available at: https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/buying/housing-affordability-are-foreign-investors-to-blame-for-australias-high-propertyprices/news-story/710ba2cff1932f0fb3f81ce83a07946b [Accessed 11 May. 2017]. Lusted, P.(2017)First Home Owner Grant to double for Buyers in Regional Victoria. ABC News.[Online]Available at https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-03/first-home-buyers-in-regional-victoria-to-get-a-20k-boost/8320902[Accessed 8 May 2017] Parliamentary Business Committee. (n.d.)Factors influencing the Demand For Housing. Parliamentary Business committee. [Online] Available at https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Former_Committees/hsaf/report/c04[Accessed 11 May 2017] Robb, K.(2017)Perth House bust: What can Sydney and Melbourne learn from the West? Domain. [Online]Available at https://www.domain.com.au/news/perth-house-price-bust-what-can-sydney-and-melbourne-learn-from-the-west-20170404-gvd9g0/[Accessed 11 May 2017] Verrender, I. (2016). Who's the real culprit behind soaring house prices? (Hint: it's not Chinese buyers). [Online] ABC. Available at https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-08/verrender-whos-the-real-culprit-behind-soaring-house-prices/6528710 [Accessed 11 May 2017]
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