Saturday, August 31, 2019
Romanticism in Friedrich’s “The Monk by the Seaâ€Â
Darkness, emotions, and mysticismâ€â€these are just some of the terms that can be used to describe Friedrich’s â€Å"The Monk by the Sea. †Produced in 1809, this oil on canvass ideally characterizes the period to which the artist belongs: the Romanticism. With its subject, color, style, and theme, the artist successfully evokes the main tenets common during the Romantic Age. Formalist and thematic analyses of the work can lead modern viewers to a better understanding of the work and the message that the artist wants to convey. Brief Background Caspar David Friedrich was a German painter born in 1774 in Greifswald, Germany. Despite poverty, the artist received formal art study from artist Johann Gottfried Quistorp, who conducted art sessions outdoors. Exposure to the local color and environment thus helped the artist master the art of landscape. His paintings, which generally reveal tenets of the Romantic Age, make him â€Å"one of the most important artists during his time. †(Vaughan, 1972, 65). Particularly, as Murray (2004, 338) notes, his landscapes direct â€Å"the viewer's gaze towards†¦ metaphysical dimension†. His seascape titled, â€Å"Monk by the Sea†won admiration even from the 15-year-old King Frederick III Wilhelm of Prussia, whose purchase in 1810 declared the artist’s work as his masterpiece. Analysis of Form A formalist analysis of the painting suggests the artist’s overall craftsmanship. Minimalism best defines the style that the artist employed in his work. Basically, the image of the monk, which appears very minimal and solitary, helps achieve emphasis on the subject. The minimalist use of a variety of colors for the whole background readily implies the contrast between darkness and light that the artist wants to portray. Specifically, the submission of darkness to light or vice versa narrows down the color and texture of the painting. This minimalism of color and structure thus allows the author to present some characteristics ideal to Romantic art. The whole image can be divided horizontally into three different parts, namely, the sky, the sea, and the land. The great expanse of the sky, which covers at least â€Å"five-sixths of the canvass†(Web Gallery of Art, n. d. ), attracts attention considering the light it sheds on the whole image. Through devoting much space to the sky, the artist achieves artistic drama, which is very typical of the Romantic Movement. Specifically, the center clouds where a rich combination of colors is applied, capture the motion of light breaking into the darkness and at the same time the darkness eating up the light. Such drama found in nature suggests some Romantic thoughts that draw out sentimentality from the audience. Depicting the sea with great darkness, Friedrich made it a point to limit this part to at least one-eights of the canvass. This allows the other images, such as the sky, the land, and the monk to take form, while it allows the purpose of showing the location of the monk at the same time. On the one hand, the element of darkness suggests the artist’s tendency to contemplate on the darkness of nature and its mystery. On the other, it also suggests the themes of death and the obscure, which other painters similarly dealt on during this time (i. e. Goya, Delaroix). The monk standing by the sea seems lost and forlorn, thus unable to see the great storm coming. In a description by Marie von Kugelgen, one of Friedrich’s followers, the lady wrote to her friend Friederike Volkmann: â€Å"A vast endless expanse of sky †¦ still, no wind, no moon, no storm – indeed a storm would have been some consolation for then one would at least see life and movement†¦ On the unending sea there is no boat, no ship, not even a sea monster, [which] make the loneliness even more desolate and horrible†(Web Gallery of Art). This clearly shows the initial attention that the work garnered from the public. Widely recognized for the great landscapes he formerly depicted, the artist must have surprised his followers with the dark portrayal of the sea coupled by the view of the monk who seems to submit himself unrelentingly to the vast rupturing sky and the deep dark sea in front of him. Nevertheless, the purchase of King Frederick III Wilhelm helped the work gain much favor it deserved. Later on, Clemens Brentano’s description of the work suggests the acceptance of the work by the public. From the horrible experience the work evoked in Kugelgen, Brentano notes the splendid, infinite loneliness of the monk by the shore (Held, 2003). This shows the public’s appreciation of the work, following its acceptance by the king. In Brentano’s critique, we may note the contemporary viewer’s appreciation of the work, despite the loneliness it presents. This also shows the ability of the viewer to relate to the monk’s experience, thus reflecting the positive attitude toward the theme of death, which other Romantic artists and writers demonstrate in their works. Further to the thematic analysis of the work, one can perceive the artist’s idea of communing with nature. The idea of the monk leaving the monastery in order to enjoy or contemplate the quietness and simplicity of nature strongly suggests a Romantic attitude. However, aside from portraying the greatness of nature, the view also shows that while the Romanticists regard nature as beautiful and powerful, they also view it with â€Å"sensuous nuance. †The dark colors of the sky and the sea imply the coming of a destructive storm. This reflects Friedrich’s attempt to break the usual concept of a beautiful sky at midday. Anticipating the great storm, the audience may feel a certain concern for the monk, some anxiety that destructs quiet contemplation. In addition, the combination of darkness and light yields the artist’s spontaneity and freedom. Since the monk is the only figure meant to appear at vertical angle, the rest of the image appears to be painted with free hand and brushstrokes that conjure at some point with a vanishing effect in the light colors of the sky. Furthermore, the solitariness of the monk asserts the Romantic idea of individualism. Using the monk as subject reveals Friedrich’s attempt to explore on the thoughts and emotions of a common man. Normally looked upon for their wisdom and strength, the image of the monk amid the darkness and light somehow distracts the idea of perfection among the religious members of the society. This characteristic adheres to the Romantic Age by the artist’s â€Å"rejection of traditional values of social structure and religion. (Worldwide Art Resources Web Site, n. d. ) Through the use of nature, the artist reveals the monk’s seeming confusion and loneliness as he casts view at the sea. Although the audience may have different perceptions of the experience that the monk undergoes, the image nevertheless suggests the imperfection in the life of a monk, the loneliness that they undergo, and the need to take part in the usual activity of nature. Centering on a single hero, the w ork portrays the individual struggle of every monk. By making the monk turn his back from the audience, the artist portrays his contemplation. More importantly, however, this portrayal makes the monk anonymous. Depicting a monk in this way makes his experienceâ€â€his struggles and lonelinessâ€â€universal in nature. It also suggests the commonness of the place, the scenery, and the emotion, to which viewers can possibly relate. Brentano’s description of the work reflects the artist’s successful attempt to make the meaning universal. According to the author, the scenery allows the viewers to relate to the scene, making one feel that â€Å"one has gone there, that one must return, that one would like to cross over†¦Ã¢â‚¬ This implies that despite the centrality of the work to the image of the monk, the audience can still relate to the contemplative experience that Friedrich depicts. The universality of the subject and the surroundings makes one long to reflect on a similar struggle the audience may have had at certain points in their lives. Another Romantic characteristic that the work reflects is the artist’s interest in the mystical aspect of life, which he portrays through the mysterious and vast skies and the dark sea. As Brentano claims, these evoke mixed feelings, â€Å"from the horror of one viewer, comes a grayness of the other†(Held, 2003, 84). Such combination of emotions that the artist draws from the audience signifies its successful portrayal of the mystical motifs in life, such as the union between darkness and light, the Apocalyptic view of the skies, and the solitude that such a view creates in everyone who witnesses it. Showing the figure of the monk amid the chaotic tendency of nature suggests the mystic relation among God’s creation. Overall, the structure and theme that Friedrich employs in his work consistently reflect valuable characteristics of Romantic art. Up to now, the darkness, emotions, and mysticism that the artist projects through his choice of subject, color combination, tone and structure still provide the modern audience with the same experience that viewers of the painting had in 1809.
Marx’s Theory of Class
Marx's definition of class. It's strengths and weaknesses. – Although the concept of class has a central importance in Marxist theory, Marx does not define it in a systematic form. Marx left this problem of producing a definition of the concept of social class until much later. The manuscript of the third volume of Capital breaks off at the moment when Marx was about to answer the question: ‘What constitutes a class? ‘ Even without his definition of class, one can reconstruct how the term is to be understood in his writings.In the Communist Manifesto, Marx presents us with a theory of world history as a succession of class struggles for economic and political power. The main classes of pre-capitalist societies are stated as: ‘freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman'1. But the dominant theme of Western society is the conflict between the exploiting bourgeoisie and the exploited proletariat. Thus it is the class str ucture of early capitalism, and the class struggles of this form of society, which constituted the main reference point for the Marxist theory of history.This is asserted by the Communist Manifesto's famous phrase, that ‘the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of all class struggles'2. The history of ‘civilized' society, for Marx, has been the history of different forms of class exploitation and domination. It is the form of class domination present which determines the general character of the whole social structure. For example, the growing of wheat using traditional, non-mechanical techniques is compatible with a wide range of social relations of production.A Roman citizen often owned slaves who worked his land growing wheat; a feudal lord would seize the surplus wheat grown by the serf on the lands; the early capitalist farmers began to employ landless laborers to do their manual work for a wage which was less than the total value of the product w hich they created. In each case, wheat is grown on land by the labor of men and women, but the social arrangements are totally different. There are totally different class relationships, leading to totally different forms of society: ancient, feudal, and capitalist.The one thing that unites these three arrangements is that in each case a minority class rules and takes the surplus away from the producers. Each society, says Marx, embodies class exploitation based on the relationships of production, or rather, the modes of production. The key to understanding – 2 – a given society is to discover which is the dominant mode of production within it. The basic pattern of social and political relationships can then be known. Since Marx concentrates his attention on the class structure of capitalist societies, it is only proper to follow him.As stated before, the key classes in the capitalist mode of production are the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, or capitalists and landle ss wage laborers. While Marx recognizes that there are other classes, the fundamental class division is between this pairing of the exploiter and the exploited. The bourgeoisie derive their class position from the fact that they own productive wealth. It is not their high income that makes them capitalists, but the fact that they own the means of production.For example, the inputs necessary for production – factories, machines, etc. The ability of workers to work (labor power) is in itself a marketable commodity bought for the least cost to be used at will by the capitalist. In addition, the capitalist owns the product and will always pocket the difference between the value of the labor and the value of the product – referred to by Marx as ‘surplus value' – purely by virtue of his ownership. His property rights also allow the capitalist the control of the process of production and the labor he buys.The proletariat in contrast, owns no means of production. Because of this exploitation, Marx viewed the bourgeoisie and the proletariat as locked in deep and unavoidable conflict. As capitalism expanded, the conflict would become more intense as the condition of the workers became worse. Over time, some members of the proletariat would come to understand their unfair position and would begin to communicate with each other. This would enable them to organize and overthrow the capitalist system.The revolution would pave the way for a new socialist system that would abolish private ownership of the means of production. This forms the basis of Marx's theory of class, and with further discussion, the complexities will present themselves. This two class model is not Marx's only use of the word ‘class'. He uses the term of other economic groups, and particularly of the petty or petite bourgeoisie and the peasants. These groups seem to make the neat division of the Communist Manifesto inapplicable, for these two – 3 – roups obv iously merge into bourgeoisie and the proletariat according to how many workers they employ or how much land they own. Marx even foresaw, with increased use of machinery and the increase of service industries, the advent of a new middle class. This raises two main questions. The first concerns the complications of social stratification in relation to the basic classes.In the fragment on ‘three great classes of modern society' in Capital III, Marx observes that even England, where the economic structure is ‘most highly and classically developed†¦ m]iddle and intermediate strata even here obliterate lines of demarcation everywhere'3 Even though this observation does not fit easily with the idea of an increasing polarization of bourgeois society between ‘two great classes', Cole explains how Marx: regard[ed] the blurring of class divisions as a matter of secondary importance, influential         in shaping the course of particular phases a nd incidents of the fundamental class struggle,         but incapable of altering its essential character or its ultimate outcome. And] in the long         run the forces making for polarisation were bound to come into play more and more as the         difficulties of Capitalism increased: so that the decisive class-struggle between capitalists         and proletarians could be delayed, but by no means averted or changed in its essential         character by the emergence of any new class. 4 Even so, Cole asks for a ‘critique' of Marx in light of todays circumstances, questioning the validity of this statement. The second question concerns the situation and development of two principal classes in capitalist society, bourgeoisie and proletariat.In The 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte, Marx gave this negative definition of a fully constituted class: In so far a s millions of families live under economic conditions of existence that seperate         their mode of life, their interests and their culture from those of the other classes, and put         them in hostile opposition to the latter, they form a class. In so far as there is merely a         local interconnection among these small-holding peasants, and the identity of their         interests begets no community, no national bond and no political organisation among         them, they do not form a class5 4 – In the Poverty of Philosophy, describing the emergence of the working class, Marx expressed the same idea in positive terms: Economic conditions had first transformed the mass of the people of the country into         workers. The combination of capital has created for this mass a common situation,         co mmon interests. This mass is thus already a class as against capital, but not yet for         itself. In the struggle, of which we have noted only a few phases, this mass becomes         united, and constitutes itself as a class for itself. The interests it defends becomes class         interests. 6Most Marxists have recognized, that in the case of the working class, the development of a ‘socialist' or ‘revolutionary' consciousness poses problems which require more careful and thorough study. ‘Class interest' itself is no longer conceived, as it was in general by Marx, as an objective and unambiguous ‘social fact', but rather as having a sense which is constructed through interaction and discussion out of the experiences of everyday life and the interpretations of those experiences. This is further illustrated by Bottomore's belief that an investigation into the ‘development of soci al classes' would have to attend to three problems.First, the ‘consequences for the class structure, and especially for the polarization of classes, of the rapid increase in productivity and in the size of the surplus, and the concomitant growth of the middle classes'7 Bottomore states that how Marx defined the middle class, are the individuals who ‘live from' surplus value, but also ‘assist in the realization and distribution of the surplus'. Marx foresaw the growing number of the middle class, and as a result, the declining number of working class. This would seem to strengthen the bourgeois making the transformation to a classless society more difficult.Through Marx's own analysis, Bottomore says that the transition might not occur at all; thus, resulting in a type of society unlike the socialist society emerging from capitalism. Or, transformation brought about differently, from what Marx predicted, resulting in the classless society. ‘The nature of the s ocial conflict that would then bring about the breakdown of capitalism and the creation of a socialist society remains unclear, and is not discussed by Marx. ‘8 – 5 – The second problem concerns the ‘various cultural and political influences' which are a factor in the evolution of the revolutionary class consciousness.Marx, in early writings, emphasizes positive influences for this development such as: introduction of new technology (resulting in the displacement of workers to further the revolution), the reserve army of labor, the advent of the factory (resulting in concentration of workers creating a collective situation – class consciousness)9 But also negative influences such as: ‘dominant position of ruling-class ideas, the effects of social mobility, the growth of the middle classes. '10 Bottomore then states that national or ethnic consciousness is very important; one of the powerful influences that Marx neglected.The second influence is that of the increasing social differentiation in modern societies which breaks down the working-class consciousness to strengthen the middle class. In other words, increasing the number of middle class while decreasing the number of working class; a negative influence on revolutionary class consciousness. The last problem asks what conditions are necessary beyond the abolition of classes and private property in the means of production, in order to establish what Marx referred to as socialism.Marx wrote about the advancement of science and how it could be used to abolish scarcity to meet human needs. As a result, man would be free from those labors in order to pursue their human potential. Beyond all of this, what Bottomore is implying is the further study of Marx's political theory. Concentrating on the interaction between the development of production, emergence of new human needs, development of a political consciousness, and the creation of organizations to take part in a politi cal struggle. Regrettably, this political theory, like the theory of class, can only be examined through fragments of Marx's work.Another way of looking at Marx's theory of class is how Elster attempts to define class in terms of property, exploitation, market behavior, and power. Elster claims that Marx's ‘class' is frequently defined as ‘a group of persons who stand in the same relation of property or non- property to the factors of production, that is labor-power and means of production. '11 By using this definition, the words ‘property' and ‘non-property' are too restrictive or too open. There is a – 6 – need to distinguish between property owners but then the question arises, to what degree?This is also evident when using exploitation as a basis of defining class. As Elster puts it: ‘[t]he proposal is too coarse-grained if it locates all exploiters in one class and all exploited agents in another [and] too fine grained if classes are to be distinguished in terms of the degree of exploitation†¦. ‘infinite fragmentation' of classes. '12 In terms of the third proposal, defining class in terms of market behavior, Elster states that it is not useful in the study of non-market economies. Furthermore, ‘the proposal overemphasizes actual behavior and neglects its causal grounding in the endowment structure. 13 Basically, he is referring to choice. In Marx's view, the wage laborer has no choice in who to work for and for how much. The reasoning behind this is that the capitalist (though needing workers) can employ any individual he chooses. Elster says that class is defined by what one has to do, not what one actually does. So, for example, a wage laborer decides to work in a factory just for the pure joy of doing so. This individual should be put in a different class from the wage laborer who has to work in the factory. 14 Elster's final proposal is the aspect of power in defining class.To Marx, power r elationships are built into the very structure of society, whose principal feature is the existence of opposed classes. Thus, class domination and subordination are central to Marxist conception of politics and the distribution and operation of power. Power to Marx, is class power. In other words, it is a resource that is concentrated in the hands of a particular class, which that class can use to maintain and enhance its dominant position in society, a position achieved by economic exploitation. Elster says: ‘[t]he definition of class in terms of domination and subordination is too behavioral and insufficiently structural.By this I mean that the classes of the upper and lower managers are defined only by what they actually do, not – as in the case of capitalists and workers – by what they must do by virtue of what they have. ‘ – a reference back to Elster's third proposal. What Elster reveals are some of the more obvious problems inherent in Marx's theory of class. But all of this can still be referred to in past context. Clearly, the question that needs to be – 7 – asked is: can Marx's analysis be applicable today? It is obvious that there are some serious problems in Marx's account.Revolution has occurred in nations on the verge of entry into capitalism, not in societies which are mature and ‘ripe' for change. The working class in capitalist societies has enjoyed, in the long term, a rise in the standard of living, and labor movements have won enough welfare concessions to ease many of the poor. By no means all Western societies have strong Communist parties. In addition, the growth of the middle class of managerial and professional workers appears to contradict Marx's view that divisions among those without wealth would disappear.Western economies are open to crises, but the state seems able to keep them in check. Generally, then, Marx's ideas seem to many people to have been disproved by twentieth centu ry developments. However, this is a limited view. The real issues are firstly whether Marx's general perspective on stratification was sound, and secondly, whether contemporary Western societies are still capitalists in the general basic character of their social relations. The first issue is important because Marx provides an account of stratification which is significantly different from that of many other social theorists.Very often today, sociologists see classes as merely groupings of people with similar attributes such as income, type of occupation, and so on. Marx, on the other hand, saw classes as systematically linked in a particular structure of social relationships. An explanation of inequality is given through the analysis of the mode of production. Marx points out the deeper class relations and potential conflicts below the surface of society. This strength, however, is seen as a problem by many sociologists. They argue that Marx's class analysis is too simplistic to ac count adequately for the complexity of social inequality.For them, Marx's emphasis on the ownership of productive wealth leaves us unable to explain adequately all the differences in consciousness within the mass of the population who are not capitalists. Quite clearly, the Western economies are vastly changed today in comparison with Marx's time. There is far more economic intervention by the state in most societies of the West, and state employees of one kind or another form a large part of the work force. Nationalization and the – 8 – frequent replacement of individual owner or managers by shareholders and managerial bureaucracies have both changed the structure of industry.However, it can still be argued that private ownership of the means of production is the basis of economic power and wealth, and that the labor market is still the prime determinant of wage levels. The worker is still in a subordinate position in the work place, and the incomes of workers are sti ll very low in comparison with those who control them. Other interpretations are possible: it is commonly argued, for example, that the West has a mixed economy which works in everyone's interest, but others would still consider Western economies as capitalist.This brings us back to Marx's Capital III. It is clear that there are many aspects of Marx's theory of class which are not discussed in this essay; the theory is multifaceted. One still wonders what Marx would describe in his last work. Would it have been in the same terms as he had used thirty years before? Or would he have recognized, in this gap, the vitally important changes in the class structure of the modern societies of today, and that these changes were, to some extent, different from what he anticipated to occur? This question remains unanswered.
Friday, August 30, 2019
Mentoring Relationships: An Analysis
Mentoring is defined as a form of teaching where one guides without leading and basically teaches by example. In essence, it’s about helping to learn how to achieve something. Mentoring can be applied to a variety of fields and specialties, including business, the academe, healthcare, and government. For this case study, the focal point of interest as to learning experiences in mentoring will be Dr. Rachel Lindsay. It can be said that Dr. Lindsay has had many different types of mentoring relationships in the course of her professional career. Currently a professor of nursing, her original intent was to be a physician. However, her first mentor became responsible for altering this course of action. This mentor is none other than her own mother, who happened to be a nurse as well. The influence her mother had played a large role in her decision to become a nurse instead, after seeing the work her mother did and eventually becoming comfortable with it. The next major mentoring relationship she had afterwards was when she became a nurse consultant to a dentist who worked with chronically ill people. Her work with the dentist allowed her to gain an intimate perspective of the lives of the chronically ill and affected. Subconsciously, her experiences laid the foundation for her even deeper concern for the welfare of others, especially after being party to the various sufferings and vulnerabilities of the patients who came while she was under the tutelage of the dentist. However, while her experiences thus far with the mentoring process had been successful and beneficial towards her overall development as an individual, there were also times when the system let her down. When given the task of having to deliver a course for nurses who work in nursing homes, Dr. Lindsay immediately discovered a problem with the course in question. Hoping to rectify the situation, she approached her dean, whom she looked up to, in the hopes of him becoming her mentor and help her revise the course to make it a better one. Unfortunately, the dean did not honor this request and only disappointed her. This became her first experience at being let down by a possible mentor in her life. This was further proven when she discussed her career plans, only to find that he was against nurses with advanced degrees. Disillusioned, Dr. Lindsay turned to a nurse practitioner only to be disappointed again; her new mentor only seemed content with discussing procedural knowledge but not abstract changes. These happenings turned out to be for the better however because it signaled her return to the hospital setting, where she would later handle staff development classes and meet another mentor in her life, Bob the HR director. Under him, she learned many new things, not just about the profession itself, but with dealing with others and outside pressures as well. It would not be long before she became satisfied enough to move on to another job. Dr. Lindsay eventually ended up in the academe, where another mentor emerged in the form of her division chair. Just like her other mentors, this one did not seem threatened or impressed that much with her degrees or experience, thus their working relationship became very good indeed. This relationship would soon be tested because of a case of plagiarism of one of Dr. Lindsay’s students, and it can be said that neither Dr. Lindsay nor the subject chair in question saw eye to eye on how best to treat the student. In summary, after all her experiences with different mentors, Dr. Lindsay’s mentoring tool kit should include the knowledge she has gained through her many years in formal education, plus the knowledge she gained through her various experiences. This, combined with the many years she spent under various mentors will help her to become the most effective mentor possible. References Gibson, S. K. (2004). Being mentored: The experience of women faculty. Journal of Career Development, 30(3), 173-188. Stewart, B., & Krueger, L. (1996). An evolutionary concept analysis of mentoring in nursing. Journal of Professional Nursing, 12, 311-321. Veenman, S., & Denessen, E. (2001). The coaching of teachers: Results of five training studies. Educational Research and Eva
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Discussion on Learning Experiment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Discussion on Learning Experiment - Essay Example However, there were certain theories that did predict that no difference would occur in the aformentioned conditions or target cues. This discussion will outline these thoeries. It will likewise discuss why Cue A in the experiment caused impairments in causal judgement about Cue B relative to the other conditions. One of the thoerists that predicted a noticeable difference between target cues E and G was Kamin. His study proposed that in a blocking experiment, if the US is changed during Stage 2 (e.g., by making it significantly stronger or weaker), then significant new learning can occur about the added element (CS2) of the Compound CS, and strong conditioned responses to CS2 will be expressed in Stage 3. The "surprising" change in the US supports formation of new associations during Stage 2, since CS2 is the "best predictor" of the surprising change in the US. However, Kamin also suggested that this will not be the case when for target cue E. He proposed a difference between the two situations which was not demonstrated in the experiment conducted. With regards to the rational behind the ability of cue A to impair causal judgement relative to target cue B, this can best be explained by refering to the associative learning theory promulgated by Rescorla and Wagner.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
LIbrary Research Assignment Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
LIbrary Assignment - Research Paper Example This post aims to analyze the informative article by Spencer in detail and analyze its contribution towards providing a better understanding of global warming issues. The author claims that global warming is a fact which cannot be ignored and which needs to be addressed properly. Author has strongly emphasized on the need of human beings to control the global warming by new technologies and prevention strategies. However, author challenges the claims of politicians and media that this issue has been settled. The basic idea of the author is not to describe global warming as just another consequence of men’s activities but rather taking the natural processes that are causing an increase in global warming (Wood, 2005). The author also aims to draw the attention of authorities and governments to the fact that punishing the use of fossil fuels and other expensive policy measures may only be adopted by wealthier countries and will remain ineffective for the poor or developing countr ies. Hence, Spencer calls for policies and interventions which will be helpful to all the countries equally and may save the Earth as a part of Earth cannot be saved by adopting policies against the disastrous effects of global warming. The author describes the concept of global warming as a fact rather than a myth. This supports the opinion that global warming exists and is controllable (to some extent) by managing the technological use, fuels and human activities. The scientific facts discussed are of great importance as the natural greenhouse effect, the natural radiative imbalances, evaporation, and precipitation and so on (Philander, 2000). The article is undoubtedly in line with the thesis statement that â€Å"global warming is a fact not myth.†The evidences provided by the writer on the scientific processes and climate change are the evidence of this statement. Moreover, the discussions on human activities that are leading to global warming
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
The Cafe Business in the Technical School Research Paper
The Cafe Business in the Technical School - Research Paper Example This results in several deductions that conclusively support the questions under study by looking at all angles affecting the college of technology. The results reflect a generalization that shows how the business is fairing in the college and thus, tastes and preferences among student and staff are deduced with ease. â€Å"The information provided indicates that students in higher levels find the cafà © a suitable joint since it saves time. The demand for the products is high among the student's fraternity. As a result, cafà © personnel needs to look for ways of attracting the freshmen and sophomores in order to increase demand.† â€Å"From the graph, many of the students did not respond to this question. In the 1-2 weeks interval, 35 students visit the cafà © while 20 of the faculty members visit in the same duration. Only 3 students visit the cafà © 5 or more times, yet none of the faculty members frequent the cafà © this number of times.†â€Å"The info rmation stipulated in the graph indicates that the cafà © needs to investigate the main reasons leading to the low number of visits to the cafà © by both staff and students in the 5 or more interval. The recommendation is to introduce products that will attract students and staff in order to increase the number of weekly visits. These will emphasis on their desired product and services in order to satisfy the customers of the cafe.† â€Å"The graph indicates that the highest number of students (113) did not respond to the question. However, those who said yes to purchase of pizza are 25 and 13 for the faculty/staff. The largest number of students (18) also do not purchase from the cafà ©, whilst the staff was 10.†â€Å"From the above information, it is evident that many participants of the survey were not ready to answer questions.Â
Monday, August 26, 2019
Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Marijuana - Essay Example The latter group has, therefore, joined efforts to advocate for legalization of the drug. This paper seeks to present a rhetoric analysis of two articles on the debate about legalization of Marijuana. While one article advocates for legalization, the other adopts a balanced approach that highlights reasons for and against legalization of the drug. The first article, ‘The top ten Reasons Marijuana Should be Legal’ is authored under a corporate organization known as AlterNet. The author, in a bid to advocate for legalization of the drug, highlights a number of reasons for the opinion. According to Alertnet, even though the drug is currently illegal, its production, trade, and consumption is still high, an indicator that the legislations are ineffective. This presents the opinion that making the drug illegal has not achieved intended objectives of controlling Marijuana’s adverse effects. Alternet, therefore, aims at informing policy-makers and the public about the cu rrent policy’s irrelevance. Contrary to the perceived disadvantages and adverse side effects of the drug, the author identifies potential legal, economic, and social benefits that are associated with legalizing the drug. Marijuana for instance can be used as medicine and is less toxic as compared to some of the legalized drugs. The author argues that it â€Å"is not a lethal drug and is safer than alcohol†(Alternet, 2). Legalizing the drug, according to the author, would also promote the growth of its parent plant as an â€Å"agricultural crop†and further social value as a source of â€Å"bio-fuel to reduce carbon emissions†and help offset national balance of trade deficit by controlling outflow of money through the drug’s importation (Alternet, 1). In this approach, Alternet appeals to the society to change its perception of the drug and to exploit, with an open mind, the potential benefits of the drug in terms of agricultural harvests, income generation, medicinal value and economic benefit of enlarged gross domestic product (Alternet, p. 1, 2). The author begins the article by illustrating the current policy’s inability to meet statutory laws’ objectives that aim at prohibiting production and use of Marijuana, and instead identify the fact that a large proportion of the American population is still locked up in abusing the drug. The author follows this argument with an outlined set of reasons that approve legalization of the commodity, and this identifies his application of logos to persuade the audience that Marijuana should be legalized. This is because the article refutes effectiveness of the current laws that have illegalized the drug and succeeds in pointing out the fact that the legalization will lead to a number of benefits that include solutions to side effects associated with the drug. The writer’s approach informs the audience that legal restriction of the drug does not achieve legislation ’s intentions and is inconsiderate of economic and social concerns that would benefit the society. As a result, the article gives rise to a reconsideration of the current legal position on the drug towards a more realistic set of laws that respect people’s freedom and promote economic benefits of investment in the drug that is not as harmful as other legalized drugs (Alternet, p. 1, 2). The next article, ‘Should marijuana be legalized under any circumstance?’
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Literatue proposal Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Literatue - Research Proposal Example Dandyism became confined to a marginalized subset of men who were loathe to give up their subverting performance of gender and beauty; it re-emerged as a central part of society from 1830, with Balzac's Treatise of Elegant Living, and peaked towards the end of the century with such figures as Oscar Wilde. So what was British dandyism in this transitory phase from 1790 to 1830? This essay will look at Garelick's Rising Star, Cole's â€Å"The Aristocrat in the Mirror†, and the Whartons' The Wits and Beaux of Society to understand the dandy's place in early-nineteenth-century society. This proposal will briefly describe the uses of each of these texts before going on to suggest more potential sources. Rising Star: Dandyism, Gender and Performance in the Fin de Siecle was written by Rhonda K. Garelick in 1998, and focuses on the aspects of dandyism which have flourished into one of the themes of twenty-first century celebrity. In her introduction she recognizes dandies as â€Å"s exually ambiguous†(3) and â€Å"double-sex beings†(5), in a manner which implies that dandyism was threatened by the very existence of womanhood.
Saturday, August 24, 2019
The Current State of the Caribbean Is Better Explained Through Essay
The Current State of the Caribbean Is Better Explained Through Reference to Contemporary Rather Then Past Global Relations - Essay Example This report stresses that the very conspicuous feminist changes within the Caribbean would be noted in the visibility of Caribbean women in different occupational positions which were once reserved only for European people and the challenges to a transforming relationship between gender and global capitalism are also highlighted This paper makes a conclusion that globalization and its impact on the Caribbean thus seem to depend on several factors such as improved education that can highlight the particularities and specialties of the Caribbean region and bring out the features that would attract the world. Tourism would be a major reason for which businesses and industries would be willing to invest in the Caribbean and the region remains as an attractive tourist destination, making it a full blown participant in the global economy and the process of globalization. The importance of equal gender relations and the significance of comparative education have been discussed considering that women’s position in society and especially within the Caribbean society in this context could be very important in bringing out the changes in global relations. Caribbean society is changing with the changes of global economy and women’s relations may actually define how the Caribbean society projects itself to the world. The importance of education also should not be undermined as only a modern form of education within the Caribbean would help it to relate to a globalized changing and interlinked society.
Friday, August 23, 2019
Issue in my community (I live in Mecklenburg County which is in Case Study
Issue in my community (I live in Mecklenburg County which is in Charlotte, NC) - Case Study Example Unemployment occurs when people who are willing and able to work cannot find jobs appropriate to their level of expertise. This issue is highly prevalent in this community. In January 2012, the unemployment rate was 9.8%, which was less than the previous month but is still greater than the state-wide average which was 9.5%. As a result of this issue of unemployment, the citizens of Mecklenburg are forced to seek help even for basic survival. They need help even for basic necessities like food, housing, clothing etc. The unemployment rate rose from 9% in April to 9.6%in May2012 (Charlotte Business Journal, Web). This increase can has serious implications for the community as a whole. People who are unemployed look for other ways to earn income due to which the crime rate might also increase. It is really important to find the causes of this increase in unemployment in order to solve the issue completely. One of the major reasons of high unemployment is the lack of educational opportun ities for the citizens of Mecklenburg County. The leaders of the country should introduce reforms so that equal educational opportunities are given to all the citizens. Quality education is extremely important for the future of a country as the children who are educated today will be the leaders of the country tomorrow. ... Due to unemployment and illiteracy, people get involved in illegal activities and as a result, the crime rate of the country also rises. As a result of these criminal records, people find it even harder to get jobs as employers do background checks to ensure the credibility of the employee or applicant. This further increases the unemployment and affects the entire country as a whole. The people of Mecklenburg County also suffer because of lower employment opportunities available in their market. The government needs to attract foreign businesses to set up in this country which will create more employment opportunities and will benefit the citizens. This will also increase the career choices available for the youth of this country. As a result of these greater employment opportunities, the unemployed citizens will be able to will be able to support their families and the overall unemployment rates of the country would also fall. Unemployment has other disadvantages as well which affe ct the citizens as well as the entire nation as a whole. One of these is the unemployment benefits that these people would receive from the government. As a result of this, the working population would have to pay more for the rising cost of these benefits and more burdens would be placed on them. Another disadvantage is that the government might reduce its public spending such as on schools, healthcare etc. In the long run, this would result in fewer jobs and a higher unemployment rate. In economic terms, unemployed labor of Mecklenburg County is a waste of its resources as total output falls and the tax revenue also falls. The tax revenue paid for
Thursday, August 22, 2019
The World of Text of Prophecy of Ezekiel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2
The World of Text of Prophecy of Ezekiel - Essay Example nderstanding, the reader can come to the appreciation of the fact that it is at least potentially likely that the prophecies that were at alluded to within the book of Ezekiel, specifically chapter 38, had not yet come to pass at the time that revelation itself was written by the apostle John. It is the hope of this particular student that such an exegesis will provide the reader with a more accurate and informed understanding of the overall relevance that Ezekiel 38 has to the prophetic understanding that is represented throughout the Old and New Testaments. As has been previously discussed, the large majority of topics discussed within the book of Ezekiel are predicated upon future events and prophetic understanding of the way in which the experience of the Jewish people would take place. Moreover, as this book was written during a time of exile, the focus of individuals within the era in which it was written was invariably focused upon redemption and a return to their native lands.1 Not surprisingly, the chapters preceding Ezekiel chapter 38 focus upon a discussion and analysis for why the exile had taken place, the sins of previous generations, and fact that God was actively seeking to punish those individuals who had worked against is divine laws, chapter 38 references interpretation and discussion of prophetic vision that is not contingent upon an entirely optimistic future.2 As such, chapter 38, and chapter 39 for that matter, specifically references the fact that the Jewish people will face trials and extreme hardships in the com ing years. Moreover, the memory of exile and difficulties of attempting to keep a relationship with God while amongst the heathens of Babylon is engaged in such a manner as so as to warn the reader that the excitement and jubilation for a long awaited return would not descend immediately into the type of old habits or behaviors that had in fact caused the exile to take originally take place. Yet, what has been discussed thus far
Inter Textual Synthesis Essay Essay Example for Free
Inter Textual Synthesis Essay Essay Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, centers around the theme of discovering oneself. The book shows readers the world of Edna Pontellier and gives them a window into her numerous insecurities and hesitations. Throughout the book, Edna attempts to become the opposite of the stereotypical women of her time. She chooses to be herself instead of the socially acceptable role she is expected to be. Additionally, Natasha Tretheway’s poem â€Å"Domestic Work†and Bobby Coles’ poem â€Å"Finding Yourself†attack the issues of independence, relationships, and gender. These two poems in combination with The Awakening strive to challenge the status quo of women everywhere. In the 19th century, women were expected to be domestic goddesses. As a married woman, it was important to be a positive influence on her husband and children, but was still expected to address to her husband as the head of the household. These restrictions had many women, including Edna in The Awakening, feeling trapped. Some women felt the need to become their own person, as opposed to the woman they were expected to become. In the poem, â€Å"Domestic Work†, the reader is given a preview of a typical woman in the 1930’s: â€Å"She beats time on the rugs, blows dust from the broom like dandelion spores, each one a wish for something better. †(Trethewey 23-26). The poem displays the monotonous life of women in the 19th century, and how some women desired something more. Edna, from The Awakening, is included in the category of women who longed for a life beyond household chores. In both The Awakening and â€Å"Domestic Work†, independence and a woman’s relationships are subjects of choice. Edna feels that she should be able to be free and independent. She wants to make her own choices about men and decide on her own who she loves without anyone else’s opinion influencing her choice. When Edna starts to lose the feelings she once had for her husband, she falls for Robert Lebrun. In fact, Edna had no intention to marry Leonce to begin with; â€Å"Her marriage to Leonce Pontellier was purely an accident, in this respect resembling many other marriages which masquerade as the decrees of Fate†(Chopin 23). Edna desires to have freedom. Robert wants a marriage with Edna, which conflicts with what she wants. Her feelings for Robert are strong but Robert has mature feelings for Edna, eyond what she feels for him. Though Edna wishes she could say the same, her love for him is more an infatuation-not true love. â€Å"As Edna walked along the street she was thinking of Robert. She was still under the spell of her infatuation. She had tried to forget him, realizing the inutility of remembering. But the thought of him was like an obsession†(Chopin 71). In the end, Edna realizes she cannot have both independence and true love. She decides to keep Robert out of her life and ends up drowning herself because of the internal conflict she has endured. In the poem â€Å"Finding Yourself†, author Bobby Coles explains that a person has to reach inside himself/herself in order to discover who he/she is. Similarly, Edna and the woman in â€Å"Domestic Work†are enduring their own journey. In Coles’ poem, he intentionally writes without specificity of gender, therefore making the poem easily relatable to readers of any gender. Coles uses descriptive language to create an image of what it is like to go through the process of finding yourself like Edna and the woman in Domestic Work did. â€Å"When are you most comfortable? Are you being true to yourself? You are in there somewhere. Judge on your own. Listen not to others. Look in the mirror. See beyond the image†(Coles 35-41). Coles encourages readers to not be influenced by the opinions of others, and instead, judge for themselves. In each text, the idea of taking your life in your own hands is present. Each of the poems and The Awakening displays themes of gender, relationships and independence. These themes help shape the stories and give the reader a greater understanding of the messages, as well as make connections to each of the characters.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Impact of Prejudice and Discrimination in Canadian Society
Impact of Prejudice and Discrimination in Canadian Society Arjun Pasricha Introduction Words like prejudice and discrimination have become common terms and they are referred often in our daily life, such as media, books, news, casual conversations, and political discussions. Prejudice and discrimination have been in focus since 1960s and these issues have been researched extensively since the last few decades. This surge of interest to understand the impact of prejudice and discrimination in Canadian society has defined the purpose for this report and the report attempts to explore and examine a complete picture of prejudice and discrimination in the contemporary Canadian society. The report is built on sociological, anthropological and psychological perspectives and aims to examine prejudice and discrimination issues that emerge in Canadian social situations because of social interactions (Eriksen, 2010). The conceptualization of prejudice and discrimination, two forms of social bias have evolved over a period of time and are acknowledged as one of the greatest societal challenges because of their dreadful negative effects on the Canadian society. Presently, there is a universal consensus among all that prejudice and discrimination are one of the serious social issues in Canada and they typically appear together, prejudice is considered as the thought, while discrimination is the action (Dovidio, 2010). According to Driedger and Palmer (2011) prejudice and discrimination is always seen to intersect each other and manifests in many forms. For example, people may have prejudices against some groups and end up engaging in a discriminating manner with them. For instance, social pressures may subject prejudices against women and marginalized population and discriminate them in employment, education, or social services (Chin, 2009). Prejudice is defined as a construction of negative preconc eived beliefs, notions, feelings, attitudes, and opinions about a group of people or individuals, that may be felt or expressed, usually because of ethnicity, religion or race (Chin, 2009). On the other hand discrimination is defined as discouraging or negative treatment towards others because of their sex, gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief and age (Dawson, 2013). The discrimination construct not only involves biased treatment , but also unacceptable and inequitable behaviour towards some individuals or some group members, that are excluded from society because of prejudice (Dovidio, 2010). Ageism and Society Ageism is considered as one of the most prevalent prejudices in the society and can be defined as the denial of basic human rights to elderly population (Gutman Spencer, 2010). Sociologists are of the view that people have stereotype prejudice view of older population in the society because of their age, which leads to discrimination. Often aging population experience prejudice in their workplace and typically society holds negative stereotypes for aging population. They commonly presume that old adults are senile, sad, lonely, incompetent, have poor physical or mental health, have conservative thinking, and rigid ideas or opinions. Employment discrimination against old age manifests in different ways, old adults who worked for the company in their younger years are pushed out as they grow older, on the other hand, companies may refrain from hiring old adults, and aging population are unable to get similar employment opportunities as younger population (Gunderson, 2003). Moreover, younger population have negative stereotype thinking that aging population have massive medical expenses and they are a drain on the Canadian system. (Edwards, 2002). Therefore, these negative stereotypes and discriminations can have detrimental effects on aging population. They feel they are being unreasonably blamed for being a burden on health care systems, the Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security. Therefore, these negative impressions of society foster discrimination against aging population (Mei, et all, 2013). It is time for all of us as individuals to increase our awareness and question our negative stereotype thinking, relook at our assumption about aging and older population. We need to take extra care to reach out to them with an open mind and treat them as valued and important contributors of our Canadian society. Employers too need to value them and make efforts to understand diverse needs of aging population. Moreover, Canadian government has a continued focus on expanding their age inclusive policies that facilitate aging population to have a choice to lead their life to the fullest. Thus, there is a great need for our society as a whole to address the societal issue of ageism. Although, change may not happen overnight, but we all can take the responsibility to collectively build an age-inclusive society. Social Anthropology Perspective on History of Immigrants Immigration to Canada led to an increase in population of diverse cultures. Immigrants were from varied economic and ethnic backgrounds. However, this led to rise in disagreements regarding aspects such as economic benefits or employment for immigrants. This report focuses on social anthropological point of view to describe impact of prejudice and discrimination on immigrants on basis of their ethnicity and culture. Historically, early Canadian immigration policies were largely discriminative Prejudice and discrimination emerged in 17th and 18th centuries in Canada between Aboriginals, and French and European colonizers. Europeans and French viewed those Aboriginals as uncivilized and uncouth. In the 19th century Canada opened its immigration policy and a number of immigrants from other origins were seen. However, Canadians shared prejudices concerning the capabilities of the immigrant groups. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, whites considered themselves superior in front of nonwhite groups and nonwhites faced a great deal of social prejudice (Driedger Palmer, 2011). In the late 1800 and early 1900, Asian immigrants faced anti-Asian sentiments in British Columbia. They were considered inferior and were discriminated because of their willingness to work for lower wages than whites. Moreover, discriminatory social practices in British Columbia made Asians refrain from voting, practicing law, or careers with civil service. Numerous attempts were made by anti-Asians to prohibit Asians from studying in public schools (Driedger Palmer, 2011). Black Canadians also were subjected to extensive patterns of discrimination in the late 1900 and early 2000s in Nova Scotia and Ontario. They were forced to study in segregated schools, faced discrimination in housing, employment and use of public services. Moreover, on various occasions they were refused to be served in hotels or restaurants. Additionally, whites expressed prejudice toward Black Canadians and saw them as backward, ill-mannered, unaware, dishonest, violent, and law breakers (Driedger Palmer, 2011). After the Second World War, in response for human concern, Canada signed the United Nations charter on Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the year 1948 and The Canadian Bill of Rights was adopted in the 1960. This brought in new tolerance policies and helped to weaken the rigid relationships of prejudice and discrimination. The shift resulted in introduction of more unbiased immigration laws and by the 1970s globalization helped in greater inflow of multicultural immigrants (Driedger Palmer, 2011). Thus immigration policies and regulations have changed, mostly to eradicate overt discrimination on the basis of immigrants’ race or culture. Today Canadians are proud of being a tolerant society, where people of all different racial, ethnic, and national backgrounds live together harmoniously (Dion, 2002). An Ethnic Diversity Survey conducted in 2003 examined the ethnic and cultural backgrounds of Canadians and concluded that 93 per cent of population had never, or rarely, encountered discrimination or prejudice because of their ethnicity or cultural attributes. Nevertheless, some new immigrants did sometimes feel discriminated in personal, economic, social, or political situations (Driedger Palmer, 2011). References Chin, J. L. (2009). The psychology of prejudice and discrimination: A revised and condensed edition. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. Dawson, C. (2013). Prejudice: Reed Business Information Ltd. Dovidio, J. F. (2010). The Sage handbook of prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination. London: SAGE. Driedger, L. , Palmer, H. (2011). Prejudice and Discrimination. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved on July 12, 2014, from http://www. thecanadianencyclopedia. ca/en/article/prejudice-and-discrimination/ Edwards, A. (2002). Its about time: A new campaign by the ontario human rights commission aims to advance rights for older citizens. Marketing Magazine, 107 (32), 12. Eriksen, T. H. (2010). Ethnicity and nationalism: Anthropological perspectives. New York; London: Pluto Press. Gunderson, M. (2003). Age discrimination in employment in canada. Contemporary Economic Policy, 21 (3), 318-328. doi: 10. 1093/cep/byg013 Gutman, G. , Spencer, C. (2010). Aging, ageism and abuse: Moving from awareness to action. San Diego: Academic Press. Mei, Z. , Fast, J. , Eales, J. (2013). Gifts of a Lifetime: The Contributions of Older Canadians. Retrieved on July 13, 2014, from http://www. rapp. ualberta. ca/~/media/rapp/Home/Documents/Gifts_of_a_Lifetime_2013Sep23. pdf Novak, M. W. , Campbell, L. D. (1993). Aging and society: A Canadian perspective. Scarborough, Ontario: Nelson Canada. Retrieved on July 12, 2014 from http://www. nelsonbrain. com/content/novak0043x_017650043x_02. 01_chapter01. pdf Lozen, J. C. Barratt, J. (2012). Revera report on ageism. Revera Inc. in partner-ship with Leger Marketing. Annotated Bibliography Chin, J. L. (2009). The psychology of prejudice and discrimination: A revised and condensed edition. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. Dawson, C. (2013). Prejudice: Reed Business Information Ltd. Dovidio, J. F. (2010). The Sage handbook of prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination. London: SAGE. Edwards, A. (2002). Its about time: A new campaign by the ontario human rights commission aims to advance rights for older citizens. Marketing Magazine, 107 (32), 12. Eriksen, T. H. (2010). Ethnicity and nationalism: Anthropological perspectives. New York; London: Pluto Press. Gunderson, M. (2003). Age discrimination in employment in canada. Contemporary Economic Policy, 21 (3), 318-328. doi: 10. 1093/cep/byg013 Gutman, G. , Spencer, C. (2010). Aging, ageism and abuse: Moving from awareness to action. San Diego: Academic Press.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Norovirus: Strategies To Improve Terminal Cleaning
Norovirus: Strategies To Improve Terminal Cleaning This paper provides comprehensive background information related to norovirus outbreak and critically evaluate the implications of the issue by expounding on the adoption of infection control measures and effective management practices to minimise risk factors associated with the epidemic followed by terminal cleaning in an orthopaedic ward. The historical background of the infection was specified when an outbreak of gastro-enteritis was detected in a school in the town of Norwalk, Ohio, USA, more than 25 years ago, and Norovirus (NV) was then recognized as a potential ailment. The virus is derived from a genus within the family Caliciviridae consisting of a diverse group of non-enveloped RNA viruses that generally lead to infection. It was previously named as Small round structured virus (SRSV) infection and Norwalk-like virus (NLV) infection and is said to cause winter vomiting although it can occur at any time of year. Substantial increase has been observed in the outbreaks of nor ovirus infection in recent years and it has been reported that the GII.4 norovirus strain has increased transmissibility and virulence resulting in excess expected mortality and morbidity rates amongst affected patients (Harris et al. 2008). Although the disease is self limiting and is considered mild but elderly and immune-compromised patients are said to be at higher risk. Lopman et al, (2003) after analysing data from norovirus outbreaks in England and Wales during 1992-2000, disagreed to acknowledge norovirus as a trivial disease and emphasized that it is one of the contributing factor to the worsening condition of the immune-compromised patients. The instigation of the infection is acute which is initially characterized by abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, nausea, and vomiting followed by myalgia, headache, malaise and a low grade fever that might transpire in up to 50% of cases (Wilson 2001). The highly contagious viral gastroenteritis is spread by person to person contact through faecal oral route furthermore, aerosols or environmental contamination followed by faecal accidents or droplet transmission through projectile vomiting is another cause of infection as it spread viruses into the air as an indiscernible mist and especially targets the vulnerable individuals in a closed or semi-closed setting e.g. hospital wards and nursing homes. Noroviruses has the tendency to spread quiet easily and may also cause outbreaks due to contaminated food or drink as these viruses may settle on people or food present in the same room. The virus can also be widely spread due to negligence of healthcare staff to maintain hygiene or due to the c ontaminated surfaces especially commodes, toilet doors and chains, taps etc (Chadwick et al. 2000). The symptoms lasting for at least 48 hours indicate that the patient with viral gastroenteritis is considered to be potentially infectious. The symptoms may last longer in case of elderly patients and the severity of the vomiting may also result in dehydration. Test results of faeces or vomit determine the identification of viral gastroenteritis and it has been submitted that the onset of vomiting in a number of people over a period of 1-3 days indicate that the virus is continuously spreading within the setting. It has been studied by Love et al, (2002) that norovirus outbreaks can be devastating in closed or semi-closed communities as for example hospitals, nursing homes, child care centres and leisure industry settings such as hotels, restaurants and caravan camps are more susceptible to trigger the outbreak of infection. The daily routine within a closed or semi-closed setting can be seriously disrupted by the outbreaks due to relatively high attack rates as the transmission of virus is enormously swift. The outbreak of norovirus infection confers short term immunity with a rapid spread out and therefore, absolute prevention from the epidemic is unattainable however, the risk of norovirus outbreak can be mitigated by effective control measures in order to limit its impact and disruption of routine healthcare services. Every single healthcare unit shall prepare a logical series of steps followed by an outbreak plan agreed by the Infection Control Committee of the hospital or Director of Public Health, in order to recognize the risk of outbreak instantaneously and establish the effective control measures. As soon as norovirus outbreak is suspected, the outbreak control team that is usually comprised of consultant microbiologist or other medical staff members, need to take necessary initiatives to identify the extent of outbreak by coordinating the preliminary investigations and take all the necessary measures to impede the spread of infection, if the outbreak is declared (Said et al. 2 008). The most significant aspect after detecting an outbreak is effective communication that can be achieved by placing notices at the entrance to the ward, alerting the relevant and voluntary staff to take charge, distributing leaflets and educating the visitors to postpone their visits. One of the most preliminary preventive measures is stringent hand washing with water and soap followed by the use of gloves and plastic aprons by the healthcare staff while taking care of patients and finally the use of face masks when dealing with vomit or removal of exposed food. Moreover, immediate disinfection of the setting with chlorine releasing disinfectants, when contaminated with vomit or stool prevents embedding of the virus and further spread. Segregation and isolation of affected patients are useful preventive approaches however, it could be problematic due to over occupancy of the rooms and beds. On the other hand, patients might also be unwilling to move from their room to another as the isolated patients express greater dissatisfaction towards their treatment and seem to obtain less documented care however, it is crucial to keep the symptomatic people apart from asymptomatic ones. The uninfected patients could be discharged only if the patient is able to cope up with the situation in case if there is a likelihood of him/her becoming symptomatic. Closure of the entire orthopaedic ward is a wise alternative that significantly discourages the exchange of staff and patients between wards so that the probable spread of the infection to other wards can be prevented (Ayliffe et al. 2000). Exclusion of the symptomatic staff members is imperative and must not show up on work until 48 hours after normal bowel habits have returne d. The excessive admittance to the ward must also be reduced to avoid the over crowdedness and uninfected patients may be discharged to their homes provided their relatives are educated about the personal risk to themselves and also about the preventive measures so that the probable risk of infection can be minimised. As studied by Gallimore et al, (2006) norovirus can be found on a huge variety of hand-touch sites such as toilet taps, door-handles, hospital equipment, elevator and microwave buttons, switches and telephones and therefore additional efforts are anticipated from the cleaning staff during an outbreak. In order to control the outbreaks of norovirus the significance of environmental cleaning must be evidently acknowledged and specifically addressed. Cleaning does not necessarily means to clean the floors, the norovirus outbreak requires a comprehensive terminal cleaning program at least twice a day and the cleaning includes clinical equipment, floors, toilets and general surfaces (Damani 2003). Furthermore, curtains, bed covers and pillow cases should be removed and sent to the laundry, and the rest of the soft furnishings including carpets shall be either washed down or, preferably, steam-cleaned. All general cleaning agents especially those used for cleaning toilets and bathroom area s should be with a chlorine-containing disinfectant or bleach at a specified concentration which is usually 1000ppm chlorine (Horton Parker 2002). With some surfaces the use of 1000ppm chlorine is incompatible and requires correct safety measures to be taken by the cleaning team which sometimes becomes difficult due to lack of training or individual negligence however, no differences were found between disinfection with 250ppm chlorine and the use of no chlorine. Barker et al, (2004) suggested that the cleaning policies should always include the use of chlorine releasing disinfectants since detergent-based cleaning often fails to eradicate the virus from the environment. There are certain factors that significantly influence the management of the overall outbreak within a healthcare setting or an orthopaedic ward. The foremost factor that greatly affects the preventive measure is the delay in the identification of an outbreak as a result of which there could be chaos during the epidemic which could be extremely exasperating. The main reason of such a gaffe could be flawed infection control policy, inconsistent decision making, sheer negligence or simply false judgement. The administrative policy of a healthcare setting plays an important role to determine the success and failure of an organization to combat with complicated health crisis. A clear, concise and effectively documented framework enables the healthcare staff to carry out preventive and control interventions by adhering to the strict rules and regulations and thereby, mitigate the risks of mismanagement. The organizational policy provides a platform for the infection control team to carry out preliminary investigations to substantiate the outbreak and immediately take full control of the situation by integrating the early control measures as for example, segregation and isolation of affected patients and comprehensive cleaning. Regardless of the size and capacity, every closed and semi-closed setting must designate the infection control staff to manage the outbreak. The preliminary investigation should be led by the consultant microbiologist or infection control nurse or any other designated clinician to establish a tentative diagnosis and to convene an outbreak control team if norovirus is suspected (McCulloch 2001). The composition of the team may vary depending on the setting and the extent of the outbreak. The infection control team is responsible to develop a descriptive epidemiology along with environmental health investigation to quantify the extent of the outbreak with the help of survey questionnaires that additionally help to identify the outbreak in terms of an individual, place, time etc followed by which careful preventive measures are undertaken to exclude a sources of contamination. The organizational and structural policy helps the infection control team to compile and analyse data of the reported cases followed by microbiological investigations and complex analytical studies to determine possible exposures and methods of transmission (Pellowe et al. 2003). The role of senior management and decision makers of a healthcare setting is very crucial in addressing the complications raised by the norovirus outbreak within an orthopaedic ward. For an organization capital and revenue, recurring and non-recurring costs must be considered while developing an infection preventive and control policy. It is very important for a healthcare setting to assess the risk control planning process and compare it with the risk exposure costs with the cost of planned improvements to current controls (White et al. 2008). The norovirus outbreak within an orthopaedic ward demands additional staffing, training requirements capacity, cleaning equipment and several other resources. Extra staffing is required depending upon the size and capacity of the setting but usually additional drivers and substitute nurses are arranged prior to an outbreak. Furthermore, training requirements also increases as an outbreak of norovirus within an orthopaedic ward is an emergency situation where the need of highly skilled and trained healthcare staff becomes higher. The increase in resource requirements must also be considered and identified prior to draw infe ction management plan as it is quite possible that the impact in cost or resources required might outweigh the actual impact of the risk materialising on the organisation (Reason 2000). Therefore, it is essential for the policy makers to prioritize the needs and requirements of the issue and compare it with the budgetary restrictions and come up with a sensible and realistic plan that not only addresses the issue but also abide by with the fiscal arrangement of the organization. The preventive and control policy must ensure to respond to the increased demand for cleaning in the affected areas and for additional demand for cleaning supplies etc. The prioritisation of risks allows the organisation to characterise the potential health risks that require early attention on a cost and benefits basis and address them in the most effective way. Moreover, it is wise for the management to develop a partnership culture that guarantees the involvement and participation of all staff in risk ass essment so that the distribution of responsibilities is equally distributed and comprehensively understood. Staffing is yet another factor that subsequently influences the progression of preventive measures and management of infection. Increase workload can be observed followed by a norovirus outbreak within a healthcare setting as there is an incremental admission of patients and this may lead to unmanageable situation. When the workload increases it is quite obvious that the healthcare team is under extreme pressure and a lot of stress on an individual basis and therefore, it becomes vital to draw a sensible management plan to reduce traffic as it becomes very difficult for the healthcare staff to maintain absolute hygiene practices running parallel to incremental workload and visitors. The overcrowded wards shows a potential risk of accelerating the circulation of norovirus in the healthcare setting as well as a wide distribution of the virus in the environment outside a ward or hospital which is alarming. Furthermore, the spread of infection is not restricted to patients and the health care team especially those having direct contact with the patients are equally susceptible to catch the disease and hence there is a probability of shrinkage in staff members (Damani 2003). The increasing absences may lead to a difficult situation for the management as the size of the setting or the overall budgetary restrictions may result in downgrading the infection preventative and control measures. It is very important to retain highly trained staff and nurses in the ward at the time of an outbreak as the lack of trained and experienced staff may also result in the worsening of the overall development. By ensuring hygienic practices and the implementation of strict infection control measures the overall staff benefits as fewer staff members will fall ill, consequently there will be fewer costs for sick leave and the substitution of staff. Moreover, continuous care for the patients will also be guaranteed. The influential factor like human fallacy is another aspect which cannot be ignored. The patients and healthcare staff are both humans and it is quite possible for an individual to deliberately refuse to follow the specified guidelines and hygiene practices or an individual may unintentionally do something which might aggravate the issue (Reason 2000). On the other hand, poor structural and utility planning may also be an aggravating factor especially where there is a lack of wash hand basins in clinical areas then the possibility of virus spread becomes inevitable (Rayfield et al. 2003). The excessive workload and pressure due to rush season especially when there is a declared epidemic within a healthcare setting, the overstretched staff sometimes become ignorant to comply with the infection preventive and control measures that lead to severe consequences. Another significant aspect is the lack of education regarding the underlying issue which significantly becomes the prime cause o f spreading virus. The unhygienic or ignorant behaviour of the patients visitors also add to the worsening of the situation. The correct approach is to educate every single individual about the norovirus and the preventive measures and every possible means of communication as for example, advertisements through television, radio programs, newspapers and magazines must all be utilized to spread the message to common people. The management of closed and semi-closed settings must also ensure to educate people by pasting posters and distributing informative materials and leaflets about the norovirus. Collective human efforts to educate each other about the underlying issue would help to minimise the risk of spreading virus and would also facilitate in maintaining cleaner and healthier environment (Reason 2000). Once the outbreak has been declared the ward should be closed to admissions and the doors of the ward should also be kept closed to avoid the irrelevant visitors. There is a need to place an approved notice on the door indicating that a suspected norovirus outbreak, or outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting within the orthopaedic ward followed by which the unnecessary traffic to the ward must be stopped. To conclude, the most integral aspect of improving the terminal cleaning of the ward is dependent upon how effectively the awareness has been created amongst the people. It is imperative to educate every individual who is particularly closer to the ward that includes, bed management, nurses, food handlers, waste management staff, cleaners, consultants, and health protection team. According to DoH (2003), daily updates must be circulated among the healthcare staff and the residents of the ward or healthcare setting during norovirus outbreaks. Education is an effective tool as the more individuals are aware of the facts the more they would adhere to preventive and control measures which subsequently result in progression of effective cleaning practices. Apart from educating people, the pragmatic approach should be adopted right after the discharge of patients followed by removing the linen on the beds and curtains to avoid any chances of left over virus attacks. The tangible surfaces s hall be cleaned with neutral detergent and water and then dried. During the terminal cleaning the beds shall not be re-made and every minute aspect shall be emphasized in order to attain a zero defect environment. Noroviruses has the tendency to survive for up to a week on cleaned beds and on clean bed linen and therefore, the terminal cleaning requires careful and thorough cleaning. An adequate amount of literature is available expounding on the infection preventive and control measures pertaining to the norovirus and there is not much difference in the recommended strategies to thwart the issue however, it is significant to realise that despite of such written about issue the prevention of the disease is still unattainable and this is because noroviruses are not visible to the naked eyes and the most critical factor i.e. human fallacy still persists and can never be prohibited. Therefore, to mitigate the spread of norovirus it is important not only to adhere with the specified pre ventive guidelines but also to increase awareness amongst the uninfected people so that the likelihood of virus spread out can be completely controlled and diminished. Barro-Gordon Model: Overview and Analysis Barro-Gordon Model: Overview and Analysis To what extent is there a disconnect between theoretical models of monetary policy, and how monetary policy is conducted in the real world? Your answer should draw on the theoretical models of monetary policy we have covered in lectures, and your knowledge of the monetary policy framework at the Bank of England (minimum 950 words, maximum 1000 words). The theories surrounding monetary policy have been radically transformed in recent decades, ultimately shaping the institutional structure and policies of central banks. The focus until recently was upon ‘a mandate, independence and accountability (Svensson, 2009) which closely reflected theoretical models, however the shifting nature of the economy with the current financial crisis has meant a greater disconnect between theory and practice. The Barro-Gordon model depicted the choices policy makers face when creating monetary policy. The incentive for policy-makers to create surprise inflation is shown below: (Taken from â€Å"The Barro Gordon model of rules vs. discretion†, Costain) This temptation of a temporary rise in employment is correlated with the pressure on governments to achieve high results before elections. The problem becomes time-inconsistent with rational expectations and a multi-period model. The optimal policy for government is positive inflation, which agents know and thus set expectations equal to. This demonstrates the optimal result of a binding rule. The rule vs. discretion debate highlighted the need to constrain government interference, resulting in increasing central bank independence and a focus upon long term horizons. However, rules cannot accommodate all possible events, and have created problems evident in the Thatcher government. The US policy between 1950-66, and 1985-2000 provides evidence that discretionary policy can produce good results. The assumptions of the distinction between only two types of central bankers and perfect control over the price level are deemed unrealistic. The granting of Central Bank independence within the UK in 1997 could be seen as a response to the impetus within theoretical literature such as Barro-Gordon to do so. Following this, the MPC was said to gain instant credibility with long-tern inflation expectations falling sharply. Empirical findings below support independent central banks ability to sustain lower inflation with no output cost. Central banks tend to follow Fischers theory of instrument independence and goal dependence. The idea of â€Å"constrained discretion†is seen in the UK with the Chancellors requirement of a remit letter if inflation strays by 1pp from target. The independence of the UKs Quantitative easing policy is seen by its status of â€Å"the business of the bank†(Mervyn King). However the democratic need for accountability is seen in the UKs allowance of a member of the treasury to sit in on meetings. Reputation and delegation are two theoretical commitment solutions to the dynamic-inconsistency problem. (Romer, 2001). Reputation plays a role in monetary policy, in a state of uncertainty such as the UK, where the image of central bankers of inflation fighting is important to establish credibility thus incentivising them to achieve targets. This issue is seen as being â€Å"near..to the hearts of real central bankers†(Blinder) and is achieved by processes such as publishing votes. Commitment solutions rely on the importance of expectations and are prominent in theory and practice of real world policy. This is reflected in the prominent role of the Bank of Englands inflation and output forecasts. However the New Keynesian Phillips Curve assumption that a rise in inflation expectations would give rise to inflation did not hold in recent times, as shown below. Rogoffs proposal of delegating monetary policy to ‘Conservative central bankers that are more inflation-averse than the general public provided the â€Å"intellectual framework for the redesign of the central banks†(Clement, 2008). It has been influential in the Bank of Englands appointment choices with the Conservative views of insiders dominating monetary policy (Spencer, 2009). The need for the ‘optimal level of conservatism explains ‘flexible inflation targets in many central banks, and the inclusion of ‘outsiders within the MPC. The use of a one-shot game and its exclusion of a disinflation possibility (Hallett, Libich Stehlik) disconnects it from reality. Although there is no such inclusion of a ‘performance contract (Walsh, 1995) within monetary policy, the theory drew attention to optimal incentive structures for central banks, which is a current focus in the financial crisis literature. The use of an inflation target which allows for output stabilisation, seen in the Svensson model (1997), is correlates with this theory and is evident in most central banks. Svensson proposes an optimal reaction function similar to the Taylor Rule, which the UKs MPC is said to follow (Spencer 2009). However due its ‘individualistic (Blinder) nature consolidated in the ‘one member one vote system, one rule could never account for the heterogeneous views within the MPC. However Harris Spencer model (2009) state that â€Å"the institutional status of Bank of England MPC members†holds more importance than differing reaction functions, The MPC contains five insiders appointed from within the bank, and four outsiders, appointed from other professions and academia. Theory correlates with practice, with insiders more likely to hold conservative views and vote as a block, when compared to outsiders. The rapid change of the economy in the recent financial crisis has led to a disconnection between theory and practice. The ‘one tool, one target approach has proved inadequate in dealing with the financial crisis. Blanchflower (2009) stipulated the exclusion of the financial sector as the reason the Central Bank was slow to realise the severity of the crisis. The effect of the financial crisis confirms the view that theory arises from events, and their unpredictability means models will always contain shortfalls. Shortfalls are also evident in healthy economies. The complete markets assumption seen in such influential models like the DSGE and the ones discussed above does not hold in a world â€Å"characterised by herding behaviour speculative bubbles†(Blanchflower, 2009). Critics cite the inclusion of fiscal policy within models as likely to alter results. In conclusion, the models I have discussed have been influential in determining the institutional structure of the bank, the type of central banker appointed and how they are done so. They have signified the importance of the role of bank incentives and expectations in forming policy. However as the recent financial crisis has shown, in such a dynamic complicated world littered with uncertainties, generalised models can never satisfy all the demands of practical monetary policy. Bibliography Books Blinder (1999), â€Å"Central Banking in Theory Practice†Romer (2001), â€Å"Advanced Macroeconomics†Articles Barro, (1977), â€Å"Unanticipated Money Growth and Unemployment in the United States†, The American Economic Review Barro, (1978), â€Å"Unanticipated Money, Output, and the Price Level in the United States†, The Journal of Political Economy Fischer (1994), How independent should a central bank be? Working Papers in Applied Economic Theory Hallett, Libich Stehlik (2007), Rogoff Revisited: The Conservative Central Banker Proposition Under Active Fiscal Policies, CAMA Working Papers Herrendorf, Berthold and Lockwood (1997), â€Å"Rogoff ´s conservative central banker restored†, Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking Spencer Harris (2009), â€Å"The Policy Choices and Reaction Functions of Bank of England MPC Members†, Southern Economic Journal Spencer (2009), Lectures Notes for Loughborough University Svensson (2009), â€Å"Optimal Inflation Targets, ‘Conservative Central Banks and Linear Inflation Contracts†, American Economic Review Walsh (1995), â€Å"Optimal Contracts for Central Bankers†, The American Economic Review Websites Bank of England, â€Å"Monetary Policy†, accessed at http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetarypolicy/overview.htm on 22/11/2009 Bank of England, â€Å"Treasury Committee enquiry into the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England†, accessed at http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/other/treasurycommittee/mpc/tsc070219.pdf on 23/11/2009 Bean , â€Å"Is there a New Consensus In Monetary Policy?†, accessed at http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/other/monetary/bean070413.pdf on 23/11/2009 Blanchflower, â€Å"The Future of Monetary Policy†accessed at http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/speeches/2009/speech382.pdf on 24/11/2009 Clements, â€Å"A Rogoff Interview†, accessed at http://www.minneapolisfed.org/publications_papers/pub_display.cfm?id=4117 on 22/11/2009 Costain, â€Å"The Barro-Gordon model of Rules vs Discretion†, accessed at http://www.econ.upf.edu/~costain/theory4/bg.pdf on 22/11/2009 on 22/11/2009 Duncan, â€Å"King rounds on Cameron for trying to interfere in Quantitative Easing†, accessed at http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-business/article-23767982-king-rounds-on-cameron-for-trying-to-interfere-in-quantitative-easing.do on 22/11/2009 Spencer Dale 2009  «Inflation targeting: Learning the lessons from the financial crisis » http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/speeches/2009/speech395.pdf Svensson (2009), â€Å"Flexible Inflation Targeting: Lessons from Financial Targeting†, accessed at http://people.su.se/~leosven/papers/090921e.pdf on 21/11/2009
Monday, August 19, 2019
Illusion and Fairies in Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream Essay
Illusion and Fairies in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream The main theme of love in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream is explored by four young lovers, who, for the sake of their passions, quit the civilized and rational city of Athens, and its laws, and venture into the forest, there to follow the desires of their hearts - or libidos as the case may be. In this wild and unknown wilderness, with the heat and emotion commonly brought on by a midsummer night, they give chase, start duels, profess their love and hatred and otherwise become completely confused and entangled in the realities and perceptions of their own emotions. What better opportunity for Shakespeare to introduce a world of fairies then this? Shakespeare's fairies live in this wild forest were they love, fight, play and helpfully sort the poor young lovers out before sending them off, back to their own civilized world. Like many of the other elements in this play Shakespeare gives his fairies a healthy mix of illusion and reality. The Fairies use illusion in their exploi ts and Shakespeare uses them in the Dream in such a way that one might ask: are they even real or are they themselves an illusion? Because of Shakespeare's unique portrayal of the fairy world of A Midsummer Night's Dream it is often criticized as being contrary to the popular folk beliefs of fairies at the time. The fairies in the Dream which are described as "Diminutive, pleasing and picturesque sprites" are thought to "present themselves as a new race of fairies, as different from the popular fairies of tradition as are those fairies from the fays of medieval romances" (Latham 180). It is this "diminutive" stature of the fairies that is brought up the most often by critics who b... ...audience, imploring them that if they wish not to believe what they have seen, then they might think of it as a dream as well (Epilogue). This from the mouth of their well-known and loved Robin Goodfellow only serves to convince even more. And Robin has been known as Puck ever since. Bibliography Briggs, K. M. The Anatomy of Puck. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd, 1959. Briggs, Katharine M. The Vanishing People. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd, 1978. Hunt, Leigh Day By The Fire. Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1870. Latham, Minor White Ph.D. The Elizabethan Fairies. New York: Columbia University Press, 1930. Ovid Metamorphoses. Trans. A. D. Melville, Intro and Notes E. J. Kenney. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986. Shakespeare, William "A Midsummer Night's Dream." The Norton Shakespeare: Comedies. Ed. S. Greenblatt et al. New York: Norton, 1997.
Sunday, August 18, 2019
The Myth of Equality :: Racial Relations, Politics
In his article, â€Å"The Myth of Equality†written in August 2010 in his official blog, Patrick Buchanan, an American conservative political commentator, suggests that equality will never be achievable here in America when it comes to personal skills and abilities (par. 8). He points out the inequality that is evident in the American professional sports where only those who are considered â€Å"good†are thriving (par. 6-7). Buchanan reveals that the standardize test that is given to students proves that there is a disparity in education among racial groups (par. 16). He infers that here in America, because we vary in our capabilities to perform at something, inequalities among racial groups are almost the standard and it is demonstrated in several institutions. One organization where inequality among racial groups is established is in the American professional sports system; where only those who demonstrate excellence in the sport flourish. Buchanan interprets statistics reported by columnist Walter Williams to conclude that black male athletes dominate majority of the popular sports such as the NFL and the NBA (par. 5). Furthermore, Buchanan reveals that no one complains when Hispanics and Asians who make up a good percentage of the population are not visible nor pursued after in this organization (par. 2). The enactment of standardizes testing given to students to measure their academic abilities and supposedly will close achievement gap only prove that the battle to the end achievement gap between racial groups is a failure. Buchanon elucidate statistics of the results from the national test under the â€Å"No Child Left Behind†program to infer that there is a huge gap between white students and black students (par. 19). On the same note, New Yorks state test scores reveals a large imbalance in academics between different racial groups (par. 16) For Buchanon, here in America, the notion of equality among racial group will never be attained. This is because we as an individual, whether it is academic or athletic, are all different in a great deal of way. We respond to situation differently. There is always some sort of competition that is constantly occurring and it is certainly true that only those who exhibit excellence will be superior over the rest of the population. Although Patrick Buchanan’s essay proves the notion that equality among races when it comes to academic is in fact a myth, he failed to illustrate other influences that drive America in to racial inequality.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Aztec Food and Agriculture Informative Speech Essay
Informative Speech Outline I. Introduction of cultural component: How does it reflect the culture as a whole? Food is considered to be an important part of Aztec society since the Aztecs had no type of currency for their economy. According to allabouthistory.org, the Aztecs had a barter system, basically a trading system where they used foods, primarily cacao beans to trade one another for items such as clothing, eggs, and etc. for daily use. The amount of beans traded would vary from item to item depending on its value. Central Idea: How food influences the culture. Preview Main Points: 1. Diet 2. Agriculture 3. Influence on foods today Transition to Body: II.Body Main Point #1 The Aztecs only ate two meals a day, unlike people today. Since the ancient Aztecs had no access to livestock such as cows and pigs, which were later introduced to them by the Spanish, their main diet consisted of vegetables and fruits such as corn, squash, beans, tomatoes, avocados, and etc. Though they did have domesticated turkeys, ducks, and dogs for food, they only played a minor contribution to the diet. According to foodtimeline.org, the Aztecs also hunted and ate fish, insects, iguanas, and deer but these sources were also very limited like the turkeys and dogs. The Aztecs’ number one staple food was corn, specifically a type of corn called maize. It came in various shapes, sizes and colors and was eaten by all classes of the Aztec people. Maize is so important to Aztec society that it played a large part in their mythology and religion and was considered as precious as their flesh and bones. It is like the rice in Asia and the wheat in Europe. A meal would not be called a meal unless they had corn in it. There are various ways to eat corn such as corn tortillas, tamales, corn soup also called pozole, and many other ways. One particular method of preparing maize is called nixtamalization where a salty flavor and aroma is added to maize. Apart from maize, other staple foods would be beans and squash. To help add flavor into the food, they would be mixed with tomatoes, fruits, and spices such as chilies and herbs. That way, the food would be nutritionally satisfying and there will be no need for animal protein. The Aztecs also had a very special drink made from cacao, you could say that the origin of chocolate came from the Aztecs. This chocolate drink was spicy unlike the hot chocolate we have today and was intended only for the warriors and nobles of the empire. Main Point #2 Because the lands that the Aztecs lived in were not suitable and fertile enough for farming, they had to invent new methods and use them to increase productivity of foods and crops. That led to a very special way of farming. The Aztecs invented and built Chinampas also called raised fields, which were floating agricultural gardens where they produced their crops. These Chinampas used to be swamps that were turned into highly productive fields for farming. Building Chinampas was a lot more complex than growing their crops because it uses many advanced techniques and methods never seen before during the pre-contact New World period. Other than the Chinampas, they also built irrigation systems for fields of land where water or rainfall could not reach and used fertilizers on fields that didn’t have enough nutrients. According to foodtimeline.org , a Chinampa is built by first finding a swamp/lake near a town or city. Then ditches are dug through the marshes and swamps to drain excess water from the soon to be Chinampas, these ditches will also become the canals where the Aztecs will be traveling through to get from Chinampa to Chinampa. After that, the mud and muck from the ditches and vegetation will be placed on mats, which were made from weeds and straw between the ditches where they will become long artificial islands for farming purposes. The Aztecs would then drive wooden stakes/fences down into the lake to hold the field together. Then trees would be planted in the corners of the island to help stabilize the Chinampa. Once that is done, the Chinampa will be ready to be used for farming corn, squash, beans, etc. The muck and vegetation would act as fertilizer for the crops while the mats would be piled high enough to prevent the roots of the crops from being waterlogged. Fertility is easily maintained by periodically adding more muck and fertilizer to the fields. Since these floating gardens were very productive, they always led to a surplus of crops that would be stored and used during hard times. Main Point #3: Influence on foods today The foods that the Aztecs grew and ate are still used in traditional Mexican food today. Maize, the key ingredient of ancient Aztec food also became the most important ingredient to Mexican food. Other food ingredients in the Mexican diet today would also include beans, squash, chilies and tomatoes that the Aztecs also ate. The Aztec tacos for example, were filled with acocil, a type of crayfish but now, the tacos we have are filled with beef instead. Nixtamalization, is another influence that came from the Aztecs that is still used today. According to threestonehearth.com, what nixtamalization does is that it cooks and steeps dried corn kernels in an alkaline solution then they are cooked until tender. That way, it can be mashed and be made into a dough-like substance where it can be made into tortilla, tortilla chips, tamales, and many other items. Aztec food culture also expanded into many other countries because cacao beans which were the main ingredient of chocolate were brought over to Europe thanks to the Spanish quickly became a delicacy everywhere. III.Conclusion Review Main Points: Overall, the Aztec diet consisted of mainly corn. Without corn, the meal wouldn’t be considered as a meal. Agriculture techniques was recreated with the invention of the Chinampa. With the newly invented Chinampa, Aztecs were able to dramatically increase the amount of crops they could grow unlike how they were struggling with growing crops on the unfertile lands. The Aztec food culture had inspired many countries today. Look at how chocolate, once a hot and spicy drink, was made into a global phenomenon.
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