Voices of wisdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Voices of wisdom - Essay Example There are many ways in which law can be unjust. It can prohibit conduct, which should be allowed. It can allow the conduct that must be allowed. It may be applied or enforced unfairly. Examples of unjust law are discussed in detail as hereunder. The chapter seven of the United States’ constitution allows the government to sanction racial discrimination. A person cannot attempt to defend the allegation, if the defense is required, that racial discrimination is not just. The selection of racial discrimination laws as practically unjust refers to the related experiences common law countries, for instance, when the indigenous populations are treated with respect to legalized racial discrimination and slavery subjugation. In addition, some laws also attempt to undermine some institution position of common law courts. For instance, chapters eight and nine of the constitution, examine various examples of this law. Many judges responded to these laws and failed to permit the integrity of their courts be handled in this manner. In these discussions, some basic common laws, which operate by, judicial decisions to maintain the relationship of the constitution on government organs? Furthermore, justice and law can be two different concepts. The latter must contain the basic support of the previous. When this does not happen, many people feel the need to go against the legal structure, resulting in a lack of faithfulness in all laws. One of the examples could be the time when people rebel against legal rights, which have moved against a greater sense of justice, for instance, the social institution against discriminatory laws in America (Garry, 2000). Some laws are unjust to extent that is justifiable to disobey them and even to go against the government, which established them. This shows how the America came in being. There are many examples of unjust laws seen in the text. Many Americans took the assumption of imperfect laws as they were established in the constit ution. This implied that the wrong had trumped what was right. Indeed, many argue that with no notion of good law used to fight evil laws, as many people know that it would never evolve. It is the duty of the free men and women to rise and fight the unjust laws since the imperfect laws attack the people’s liberty. First, the declaration and the United States constitution protect life, property and liberty. Yet many people believe that this is the serious threat to all these. This decision is lawless. Extremely lawless! This is because many lawyers who were in black robes of which one was purported to be conservative. These men used to issue improper decisions. This made the people to be stunned. Currently, the Supreme Court, the ruling institution made to protect the people from the tyranny decided to follow the constitution made. The court claimed to protect the peoples’ rights, but it was unjust to the people. This made the people work hard so as to elect a new presi dent. Many famous legal expositors stated clearly and explicitly that imperfect law is not binding to consider. Many laws are contrary to human good and they are not to all. This implies that if a law is not applied to all, then this is unjust. All people should be equal before the law and, therefore, not discriminated. The unjust laws force many judges to choose between

Causes and Effects in Zeitoun Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Causes and Effects in Zeitoun - Essay Example Zeitoun, as Abdulrahman is addressed in the novel, remains in the city during the storm away from his family. His experience at sea gives him an insight into his present and he knows he has been chosen for this task. The Hurricane Katrina in particular plays a vital role as it affects the lives of many characters especially Zeitoun’s. Being away from family Zeitoun struggles in the sunken city with his canoe helping people out of the mess the storm had caused and checking on his properties. Kathy meanwhile is under great pressure from her relatives who show no respect for her religious practices such as her â€Å"hijab† and urge her to have pork. Without Zeitoun she is all alone with her children in what may seem to be a hurricane, much greater than Katrina. Zeitoun continues working hard making himself available as much as he could, feeding abandoned dogs and helping the others in need. He feels that this is a task that God has deliberately put him in so he should give it his best shot. If the storm did not occur, he would have been united with his family trying to cope with their personal issues. The hurricane brought with it a test for the people of New Orleans and exposed the brutalities of the government. Kathy manages to escape from her relatives and goes to live with her Muslim friends in Phoenix with her children. Kathy and Zeitoun talk to each other through a phone connection that is still working in one of their properties. The calls suddenly stop to Kathy’s surprise and she does not hear from her husband for many days thinking he has died. Then she learns that Zeitoun and three of his friends have been arrested. Unfortunately they were accused of being terrorists. Zeitoun receives this favor from the government for helping people in the hard time during the hurricane and the brutality which follows leaves the readers to wonder what wrong Zeitoun had done to deserve such a treatment. â€Å"The country he had left thirty years ago had been a realistic place. There were political realities there, then and now, that precluded blind faith†¦ always, would work out fairly and equitably. But he had come to believe such things in the United States. Things had worked out. Difficulties had been overcome. He had worked hard and achieved success. The machinery of government functioned. †¦--the policy, the military, the prisons--that was meant to protect people like him was devouring anyone who got close.† (Egger 2010) The politics and nature seem to be working so closely in the novel that one wonders if both were part of the same plot. The hurricane and the war on terror coincided in the United States so much so that both took the lives of the innocents some way or the other. Zeitoun is forced to stay in a Guantanamo-style jail behind a bus station where he is suspected and informed by the guards that he is a terrorist; a piece of information that he himself is surprised to hear. On being returned to hi s family he looks like â€Å"a sad old man† who has lost nearly twenty pounds of weight. Zeitoun still believes that God had His way of testing him (Egger 2010). The test seems to be a two-way deal. It did not only test a random Syrian painting contractor who lived in New Orleans, it also tested the nation’s ability to protect its own people. The story of Zeitoun spells the sorry state of affairs that the nation was undergoing. What remains a mystery

Teacher preparation is critical to providing successful quality math education Essay Example for Free

Teacher preparation is critical to providing successful quality math education Essay It is possible to make every student a successful student. Here success could mean different things to different students and their teachers. When the full potential of a student is realized in the chosen avocation, one can infer that success is achieved. Teaching and learning happen the best when there is perceived interest in both the teacher and the learner. Nurturing education through better teaching and learning methods can enhance the ability of a teacher for providing quality mathematics education1 (Chism,1998). Because of the inherent anxiety in math education, additional preparation in terms of understanding the psychology of the students is a critical success factor. Many times we find impediments to teaching and learning either because there is no evident interest in the teacher or the learner or both; or there is no proper supporting mechanism/ system to augment the teaching and learning. In the following paragraphs, an outline of various teaching / instructional methodologies for the teachers and learning strategies for the students are outlined for best possible outcomes for both sides of the equation. These are meant for any teaching including mathematics. Based on my own personal experiences of teaching and learning and professional research, I outlined a few of the many methodologies.   Mention is also made of the importance of overall learning environment. Teaching / Instructional Methodologies2 (New Horizons For Learning,2002) a. Action Research Action Research is a very powerful strategy for instructional improvement and provides teachers the necessary skills for solving problems specific to their classrooms and their schools. By using a five step process – question, data collection, data analysis, findings and action plan – teachers can improve their own teaching skills while improving their classroom/school outcomes3 (Reed, 2000) b. Differentiated Instruction Differentiated Instruction takes into account the various ways in which students learn as against Direct Instruction which focuses mainly on memorizing facts and skills. Differentiated Instruction on the other hand focuses on concepts, understanding, readiness and interest. c. Environment for Learning: The definition or perception of Learning Environment from a curriculum and instruction based learning is changing to an environment for successful learning which is based on a variety of emotional, intellectual, visual and spatial stimuli. Schools located in such environs as zoos, museums, culture are redefining the way learning takes place and learning environment is created. d. Accelerated Learning Accelerated learning is based on the original work of ‘Suggestology’4 (Dr. Lozanov, 1978) which included relaxation, visual arts and music for teaching foreign language students. Accelerated learning takes into account various beliefs/theories such as Learning is dual-planned; there is no single stimulus etc. The Core Elements for Accelerated Learning include Physical Environment, Music, Teacher, Positive Atmosphere and a teaching Frame. Teaching Frame in turn includes three phases – Preparation, Active and Passive. e. Teaching for Understanding: This approach seeks to get answers to the three key questions: 1. What does it mean to understand? 2. How do we teach for understanding? 3. How do we assess understanding? Using the concept of ‘throughlines’ a teacher can engage the students continuously and throughout the year on the goals set out for understanding the concepts based on a set of predefined questions. Classroom based Learning Continuum Tool The Northwest Evaluation Association launched a tool   DesCartes: A Continuum of Learning. This tool is designed for teachers and principals to simplify the task of translating assessment data into specific skills and concepts5 (Business Wire, 2004). The tool is used to map mathematics, reading, and language usage skills along a continuum of learning, and connects each skill with test score ranges and state standards for all the states Teachers can use DesCartes information for: †¢ Identification of specific skills and concepts students need †¢ Selection of materials based on the diversity of skill levels within a class, and find appropriate materials for students at the extreme ends of the learning spectrum. †¢ Creation of flexible learning groups based on students performance and †¢ Collaboration with staff to successfully meet the needs of all learners6 (Grasha, 1996). Conclusion Teaching and Learning have become very critical in not only realizing the full potential of the learners but in doing so have become necessary tools to build a productive workforce. Teaching styles6, improvements in technology and expectations of parents, society have contributed to the growth of new methods of teaching, learning and creating new Learning Environments. Hence it is important that we assess the teachers for their ability and aptitude and also assess the learner’s ability and aptitude. A match making of these two would most definitely produce successful teaching and learning outcomes. Many of the methods discussed above would definitely make it is possible for every student to become a successful student and every teacher a successful teacher.

Romantic Love And Consumer Culture

Romantic Love And Consumer Culture A consumerist society is one whose economy is defined by the purchasing and spending power of consumers. Even as it is similar to capitalism, it differs in that it is not as focused on monetary power as it on happiness realized through the ownership of personal property. The initiation of a mass consumerist policy, a product of the Industrial revolution, is therefore often viewed as an effective political alternative to sustain a healthy, well balanced economy (Horowitz, 2004). Ancient Rome and Egypt are examples of early consumerist societies, even as the United States of America is representative of a contemporary successful consumer economy (Horowitz, 2004). Romantic Love is often perceived to be the final repository of the genuineness and warmth lost in a progressively technocratic and legalistic age (Stearns Knapp, 1993). Whilst to some it is symptomatic of ideologies that enslave, to others it is merely a flight from social responsibility (Stearns Knapp, 1993). Romantic love, an intimate and important part of the democratic model of American affluence has concomitantly emerged with the establishment of a mass market. It has also simultaneously adopted as it were, mechanisms of economic and symbolic denominations at work in American society (Stearns Knapp, 1993). Ideologically, capitalism is notoriously Janus like with regard to the degree that it encourages the inclusion of all social classes into the market (Teo, 2009). Whilst it has ensured a common symbolic sphere wherein the twin sets of mass media and consumption are unified, it has also intensified class conflicts and divided social classes into even smaller lifestyle groups (Teo, 2009). Even as capitalism encourages the involvement of everyone in the monetary and symbolic field of consumption, it replicates and sustains itself through the division of wealth and validity of social divisions (Teo, 2009). Capitalism, as an economic system, involve(s) the production and exchange of commodities with the aim of accumulating a surplus value, that is, profit, with some part of this profit being re-invested to maintain the conditions of future accumulation. Capitalism however is also characterized by a cultural mindset whereby exchange in relationships, that of buying and selling, have permeated most of society (Illouz, 1997, p7). Capitalism ascertains the meeting of two parties primarily on the basis of economic benefit and mutual self interest, whereby transactions are justified by analyzing their benefits on the bottom-line of the balance sheet (Illouz, 1997). Romantic love, on the other hand defines relationships between two individuals who are bound together by their capacity to realize spontaneity and empathy in an emotional relationship (Illouz, 1997). In comparing romantic love and capitalism, the former is irrational rather than rational, gratuitous rather than profit oriented, organic rather that utilitarian, private rather than public (Illouz, 1997, p 11). Romantic love therefore seems to elude the regular category, wherein capitalism has been envisaged. This essay intends to understand and analyze the manner in which romantic emotions meet the economy, culture and social organization of advanced capitalism. Discussion and Analysis Sociology, anthropology and history, until the early twentieth century, categorically believed that certain emotions were derivative of subjective, physiological and psychological experiences and not to essentially be associated with study pertaining to symbolic and collective life (Illouz, 1997). Romantic love was relegated to the sociologically awkward part of social life and not discussed in terms of class conflicts, public rituals and social relationships. Recent statistics however indicate that emotions are often influenced by the norms, language, stereotype, metaphors, symbols of culture (Illouz, 1997). Even as sociologists today are keen to establish specific relationships between culture and emotion, they seem hesitant to support the concept of distinct linkages between love and economy. It is generally believed that love, like art and religion is the site par excellence of the social world, whereas culture offers artifacts, stories, symbols and images, wherein romantic ciphers can be recapitulated and exchanged (Illouz, 1997). Many sociologists have in recent years however come to recognize that culture and economy reciprocally constitute each other. Therefore, in order to discuss the relationship between romantic love and consumer culture, it is first imperative to understand the manner in which romance, culture, and economy intersect with each other (Illouz, 1997). Romantic love became a prominent cultural phenomenon in America in the early eighteenth century. Americans, more than other citizens of Western societies, began to determine their marital choices more on the basis of emotional thought than on social or economic considerations (Robbins, 2008). The choice of a life partner was left to be decided by individuals as love was considered to be of prime importance for conjugal bliss (Robbins, 2008). Couple autonomy grew over the years with increasing college attendance resulting in relaxation of family and societal control. The appearance of an alternate social sphere of youth culture validated intimacy with the opposite sex as an important characteristic of socialization into adulthood. The modification of sexual mores alternatively affected the ways in which the youth spent their leisure time, as many of the young began to engage in novel leisure practices of the hetero-social world (Robbins, 2008). The nineteenth century saw the development of dance halls, amusement parks and movie theatres (Robbins, 2008). However, it was only after 1910 that leisure industries began to strengthen their economic power and began implementing monopolistic practices. The cultural landscape was eventually significantly restructured in the early twentieth century as inventions like the high speed printing press, telephone, phonograph, radio and photography expanded access of members of the public to mass culture. The social, cultural and economic changes altered the meaning of love, even as it became an important part of mass media and culture (Robbins, 2008). The nascent national advertising system related romance to a host of attendant values, in addition to leisure, physical attractiveness and consumption (Teo, 2009). This can be observed by the evolution of the image of the couple in the already developed industry of advertising before World War II. An assessment of advertisements depicting couples exhibits how the values associated with love have changed over time (Teo, 2009). Advertising initially depicted the image of the couple, first, with domestic products associated with the comfort of the home and second with ego expressive products associated with self enhancement and expression (Teo, 2009). Additionally, almost invariably and irrespective of the product being advertised, be it soap, shampoo, clothes, or perfume, advertisements carried illustrations of couples in close embrace and in stylish apparel. Opulence and soft eroticism were part of the new model of hot romance exploited by advertisements in their efforts to promote ma ss produced consumer goods( Teo, 2009, p 4). The commoditization of romance during this period therefore began to ambiguously incorporate romantic love into the culture of consumer capitalism. Sternberg, (1998) suggests that our lives consist in battling for legitimacy to purchase commodities. We live in an excessively commodified world with requirements that are created in the interests of the market and that can be met primarily through the market (Robbins, 2008). Illouz (1997), proposes that although the market does not control the entire spectrum of romantic relationships, most romantic practices depend on consumption, directly or indirectly, and consumerist activities have thoroughly permeated our romantic imagination(Robbins, 2008). Today, it is important to spend money to be loveable, to sport the right apparel, perfumes and hairstyles (Robbins, 2008). It is also important to have money to define romantic moments. Romantic moments are in effect similar to religious rituals, processes wherein we reiterate that the world exists essentially in the way in which we perceive it. In commodifying romance, most of these moments have come to be governed by food, drink and travel. Eva Illouz, (1997), observed that even children, who have had no prior romantic experience, mention restaurants when asked to define their concept of the constitution of romantic moments. The commodification of romance has transformed it into a ritualistic process, wherein time and space are self contained. For one to act in love, one should be able to finance and implement the rituals of love; those activities that convey the appropriate meaning to the actors, activities often labeled as romantic moments. At restaurants, The meal, unlike eating at home or at a fast food establishment, is separate from the schedules and constraints of the outside world. An intimate dinner at home becomes special only if it is aided by ritualistic attributes of a restaurant dinner, like candlelight and wine (Teo, 2009, p 4). Another commodity often associated with romantic moments is travel (Teo, 2009). Travel, akin to restaurants, requires freedom and separation from a world guided by effort, work, profit and self interest (Robbins, 2008). Travel entails travel expenses, accommodation expenses and significant contribution to the tourist trade, with the pursuit of the romantic moment thus being elaborated and defined by consumer culture. Travel, in numerous ways involves the commodification of landscape to generate ritual settings to enact the creation and development of romantic relationships (Robbins, 2008). Illouz (1997, p 34), states that Capitalist society has appropriated and destroyed both the natural landscape uncontaminated by the visible hand of capital common to tourist resorts. Travel advertising, with its consistent portrayal of pristine landscapes ironically depicts what has been ruined and made more expensive, all the while denying the presence of money and other commodities. Romantic land scapes are typically the most luxurious and pricey, primarily wild, uncontaminated, isolated and far removed from the industrial world and middle class vacationers. When people recall romantic moments, they however fail to recognize them for what they actually were, namely the commoditization of romance (Robbins, 2008) The culture of Romantic love in Australia, in the early nineteenth century, was similar to that of the United States, Britain and Canada (Teo, 2009). Love was a moral, emotional and spiritual attraction that was deemed to be an important prerequisite to courtship, with companionship and marriage as its ideal goal (Teo, 2009). Romantic Love was believed to have a morally, spiritually and ennobling uplifting effect, especially on men. It was bound up in class consciousness and the demonstration of gentlemanly or ladylike behavior. (Teo, 2009) This was a result of the wider spiritualization of love in addition to partaking in the nineteenth-century belief in evolution and idealism in all aspects of society, most importantly love and morality. Whilst physical attraction was crucial and lovers wrote of their desire for contact, the heart of courtship rested on the exclusive and mutual disclosure of the self (Teo, 2009). In sharing their essence with each other, it was expected that romantic love might produce great unhappiness, bitterness and despair, as well as ecstasy and a feeling of empathy and completeness. (Spurlock, 1998, p 2) Since marriage was often taken for granted and often considered the chief aim and accomplishment of romantic love, almost everything that was a part of married life could probably be understood as a characteristic of romantic love(Spurlock, 1998, ). Some lovers therefore felt that they did not essentially expect love to produce consistent happiness after getting married as they differentiated between the emotional fulfillment and physical thrill of infatuation while courting, and the steadier, more mundane serenity of married love in which bouts of boredom or apathy might well be expected in the cycles of domestic life (Teo, 2009) Whilst certain features in the conventional idea of romantic love still exist, most nations have begun to develop an increasingly American and ritualistic understanding of romantic consumerism as an important expression of love (Robbins, 2008). As exhibited in the article, Money Can Buy You Love, in the Sydney Morning Herald on 14 February 2005, Con Stavros observed that Valentines Day has become less about intimacy than the grand, expensive gesture: the jewelry, the mink coat, the impromptu hot air balloon ride Marketing has transformed Valentines Day into a festive enterprise, If you go back even a decade, people used to just exchange private cards and have some kind of romantic [dinner]. These days the gift has to be public, conspicuous people [at work] ask each other: What did you get? (Robbins, 2008, p 61) Although the process of romantic consumerism may have become more excessive in prominent ways at the beginning of the twenty-first century, the development of this occurred in unequally gendered ways in the first half of twentieth century as consumer culture across the world became Americanized (Robbins, 2008). Whilst evaluating the consumerist quotient of romantic love in the twenty first century, it is important to observe its role in the functioning of society (Zax, 2009). Romantic love, in addition to establishing basis for marriage and reproduction, contributes to feelings of solidarity and social order. Since it involves the use of commodities, Romantic love encourages people to acquire an income. It is however important to realize the commodification of romantic love has aided in debasing or trivializing the romantic bond (Zax, 2009). The need for money has reduced spontaneity and naturalness in love and inhibited those with without money to act in love. (Zax, 2009) Whilst people do feel empowered with the experience of romance, it is important to realize that commodities primarily serve as potent aids for merely the dramatization of expression and should therefore be regarded as such. Conclusions This essay aims to discuss the relationship between romantic love and consumer culture. A consumerist society is defined by the purchasing and spending power of consumers, but differs from capitalism in that it is not as focused on monetary power as it on happiness that can be achieved through ownership of personal property. Romantic Love, perceived to be a repository of genuineness, is an intimate component of modern American affluence. It has now become inextricably linked to the mass market and adopted the economic mechanisms of American society. Sociology previously advanced the theory that that certain emotions were derivative of subjective experiences and not to be associated with study of symbolic and collective life. Romantic love was thus not discussed in terms of class conflicts, public rituals and social relationships. It however became an important cultural phenomenon in the early eighteenth century, with people, especially Americans determining their marital choices on the basis of emotions than on social or economic considerations. The advertising systems also started relating romance to numerous values, in addition to leisure, physical attractiveness and consumption. Advertisement, irrespective of advertised products, started carrying illustrations of couples in close embrace. The commoditization of romance has incorporated romantic love into the culture of consumer capitalism. Romantic moments are now strongly associated with food, drink and travel and have become intensely commoditized. Whilst certain features of conventional romantic love still exist, most nations have developed an American and ritualistic understanding of romantic consumerism as an expression of love. The need for money has reduced naturalness in love and inhibited those without it to act in love. Whilst the experience of romance does empower people, it is important to understand that commodities serve mainly as aids for dramatization of expression and should be regarded as such. Romantic love certainly contributes to feelings of solidarity, involves the use of commodities, and encourages people to acquire incomes. It is however also important to realize that commoditization of romantic love debases and trivializes romantic bonding and be able to sift genuine emotion from its consumeri st manifestation.

Industrialization Essay -- History Historical Industrial Essays

Industrialization The Industrial Revolution began over two centuries ago and has had a major impact on every current world power. It began in a group of islands off the North West coast of Europe and has been imitated or tried by every nation looking to increase its wealth and power throughout the world. Industrialization came out of the basic ideas of capitalism because it fostered to individuals who were willing to take high risks in hopes of high returns on their investments. These investments included factories and machines that would be put to use by people to better their standard of living. These entrepreneurs would return their profits back into the expansion and improvement of their factories and machines. This method, included with the low wages being paid to the workers, would in return yield the factory owner more and more money. One element of industry that cannot be forgotten is the fact that the industry must follow the trends and tastes of the current society and if not it is inevitably going to fail. To stay ahead of the competition that is created in a society that has competing factories one must continually be seeking out new products and improving the old ones, one also must do everything they can to reduce the cost of the products to the consumer. The process of cost reduction goes back to affect the workers salary because the less an owner has to pay its employees the cheaper a product can be produced. The natural resources needed in an industrialized nation cannot be produced by one nation alone, but must rely on the imports from poorer countries that are still in the beginning stages of industrializing. Since the beginning of the British industrialization many ... ...pe us into what we are today. Notes 1. Bruland, Kristine, British Technology and European Industrialization (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989), 3. 2. Kemp, Tom. Industrialization in the Non-Western World. (New York: Longman Group Limited, 1983), 4. 3. Kemp, Industrialization in the Non-Western World, 10. 4. Kemp, 13. Bibliography Bruland, Kristine. British Technology and European Industrialization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989. Cody, David. â€Å"Child Labor,† http://65.107.211.206/victorian/history/hist8.html (22 October 2000). Kemp, Tom. Industrialization in the Non-Western World. New York: Longman Group Limited, 1983. Silverio, Felix. â€Å"Conditions of the Working Class and Child Labor,† http://www.gober.net/victorian/reports/labor.html (28 September 1999 Related Link

Environmental Inequality Essay -- Natural Disaster, Hurricane Katrina

In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina vigorously tore apart the U.S. Gulf Coast Region killing at least 1500 people, ranking at the third deadliest hurricane in United States history. Author of Survival and Death in New Orleans, Patrick Sharkey (2007), looked specifically at data on New Orleans residents that perished during Katrina in an attempt to look at the communities that were most affected by this unfortunate disaster. The storm took the largest toll on the elderly population and by African Americans, who he argued were overrepresented in comparison to whites. The toll was not only physical but mentally damaging as well, due to the overwhelming amount of loss to their homes, family members, pets, and childhood neighborhoods in which they grew up in. Evidence from Ismail White’s (2007) study entitled, Feeling the Pain of my People, concluded that African Americans felt that the federal governments lacked in response to the hurricane and was so insufficient that had the vi ctims been white, the government would have acted differently. Therefore suggested traditions of economic and racial segregation has misrepresented segments of urban neighborhoods that have been isolated from resources, political influence, and economic gain and are therefore more susceptible to disasters, like Katrina. Images of New Orleans residents stranded throughout the city left a permanent impact towards those who followed media coverage, suggesting that the storm’s damage has been viewed at as anything but a natural disaster. â€Å"Katrina has come to be interpreted by some as a â€Å"metaphor,† for the inequality that pervades urban American, affecting poor, primarily Black segments of the urban populace most directly† (Sharkey 2007: 483). African Americans... ... a separation due to race, but in fact due to environmental justice. Therefore there is not a substantial amount of evidence to support either author’s claims. The studies lacked evidentiary support in both reports, such as the correct number of deaths and had insufficient samples that were not directly affected and could have been influenced by the media’s response or prior opinion. While examples such as the bridge incident did include racism towards New Orleans residents, it did not specify the race or ethnicity of what kind of people were forbidden to walk across the bridge to safety, but instead excluded everyone. Perhaps therefore then the issue is not simply race, but more so geological, economical, and social inequality that has led those citizens to feel that they had been the target of such a tragic disaster that has changed their way of life forever. Environmental Inequality Essay -- Natural Disaster, Hurricane Katrina In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina vigorously tore apart the U.S. Gulf Coast Region killing at least 1500 people, ranking at the third deadliest hurricane in United States history. Author of Survival and Death in New Orleans, Patrick Sharkey (2007), looked specifically at data on New Orleans residents that perished during Katrina in an attempt to look at the communities that were most affected by this unfortunate disaster. The storm took the largest toll on the elderly population and by African Americans, who he argued were overrepresented in comparison to whites. The toll was not only physical but mentally damaging as well, due to the overwhelming amount of loss to their homes, family members, pets, and childhood neighborhoods in which they grew up in. Evidence from Ismail White’s (2007) study entitled, Feeling the Pain of my People, concluded that African Americans felt that the federal governments lacked in response to the hurricane and was so insufficient that had the vi ctims been white, the government would have acted differently. Therefore suggested traditions of economic and racial segregation has misrepresented segments of urban neighborhoods that have been isolated from resources, political influence, and economic gain and are therefore more susceptible to disasters, like Katrina. Images of New Orleans residents stranded throughout the city left a permanent impact towards those who followed media coverage, suggesting that the storm’s damage has been viewed at as anything but a natural disaster. â€Å"Katrina has come to be interpreted by some as a â€Å"metaphor,† for the inequality that pervades urban American, affecting poor, primarily Black segments of the urban populace most directly† (Sharkey 2007: 483). African Americans... ... a separation due to race, but in fact due to environmental justice. Therefore there is not a substantial amount of evidence to support either author’s claims. The studies lacked evidentiary support in both reports, such as the correct number of deaths and had insufficient samples that were not directly affected and could have been influenced by the media’s response or prior opinion. While examples such as the bridge incident did include racism towards New Orleans residents, it did not specify the race or ethnicity of what kind of people were forbidden to walk across the bridge to safety, but instead excluded everyone. Perhaps therefore then the issue is not simply race, but more so geological, economical, and social inequality that has led those citizens to feel that they had been the target of such a tragic disaster that has changed their way of life forever.

Comparing Catrin, the Affiction of Margaret, Digging

In both â€Å"Catrin† and â€Å"The affliction of Margaret†, both poets talk about their child who is either changing or has left them. The main difference however is that â€Å"The affection of Maraget† is a narrative while â€Å"Catrin† is written as a first person perceptive. Both poems use the metaphors of chains or ropes to symbolise the relationship between the mother and the child. In â€Å"Catrin† the â€Å"red rope† is used to symbolise the mother and child’s connection. It could mean that rope itself represents their love, and how both Catrin and the mother are spiritually tied by their love. Or the rope could literally mean the umbilical cord which is physically connecting Catrin to her mother at birth, at the beginning of the poem. In other sense the rope could be used represent the conflict for power between Catrin and her mother, it could seen as a Tug of war rope. The word â€Å"red† used in this in this metaphor is ambiguous because the colour â€Å"red† could represents the love between Catrin and her mother that is still there even though Catrin grown up; or it could also represent the anger and frustration between Catrin and her mother for the fight for power. Red is also a warning colour, it could be warning about changes in their relationship, showing that there might be more trouble in the future. However in contrast the â€Å"chains† in â€Å"The affliction of Margaret† symbolise the opposite of the â€Å"rope† in â€Å"Catrin†. It represents the separation between the mother and her son. We can see that mother in poem is feeling a great amount of grief and pain. We can tell that she is in this pain when she says â€Å"thou, worse to me than dead. † This phase emphasis the mother grief, this shows that mother is in a lot pain, and that she feels excluded from the world around her. Through-out the poem you can that tell that mother has a great affection for her son, you can tell this by the repetition of the possessive pronoun â€Å"my†, which normal followed up by â€Å"son. † The repetition of the â€Å"my† emphasise the bond the mother and son have; also it could should that mother feels that it is her problem alone to face. The structure of â€Å"The affliction of Margaret† backs the point that she has in an unstable mind-set. There are 11 paragraphs with very different meanings. They are random statements with no connection between them except, the loss of her son. It looks like the mother has written the first thing that has come to her head. Because there is hardly connection between the paragraphs, it shows she is rapidly thinking of event that might have happened to her son, which highlighting the grief that she feels. In contrast, â€Å"Catrin† is much more ordered than â€Å"The affliction of Margaret†. It has two sections; the first section is the birth of Catrin and second section is an event in Catrin childhood when she wants to skate for an hour more. The ordered structure of poem could symbolise the hospital, a clean and ordered place. It could also symbolise the mother’s control over Catrin. In this poem Catrin’s mum has a lot of authority in Catrin’s life; the most when she is a baby. However we see in second paragraph, when Catrin is older that line length in the paragraph starts to vary more and the structure is more irregular. This could represent the control over Catrin depleting, showing that Catrin is getting more power in their relationship. â€Å"Digging† is a first person perspective poem about the poet breaking free from the family tradition of being a potato farmer. While â€Å"On my first sonne† another first person perspective poem which is about the poet grieving over his death son. I both of these poems the poet has great admiration for their relatives In Digging, Seamus Heaney use simple, colloquial diction through-out digging, to emphasise how easy his father did his job. â€Å"By God, the old man could handle a spade†. This quotation doesn’t only show how simple his father found his job, but also show how the poet aspire to be as talented as his father. The phase â€Å"By god†, is used to describe his describe the talent that his father has; he compares his talent to god. Also like in â€Å"The affliction of Margaret†, there is a repetition of the word â€Å"my†, it show that father and son have good relationship; it also emphasise son admiration for his father. Ben Jonson also uses simple diction in â€Å"On my first Sonne† to emphases the poet grief of losing his son. If you’re grieving, it is difficult to complex vocabulary. Also religious diction is used such â€Å"hope† and â€Å"joy†. The main why these religious word are used, is to fit in with key theme that god has taken his son way from him. However these words are also used to describe what emotions boy gave him; this show much the poet admired and loved the boy, to give him these emotions linked to god The structure of â€Å"On my first Sonne† is very short; it is only 14 lines long, the reason for this, is because the length of the poem is used to symbolise the life of Ben Jonson Jr, it was very short. In the title, the word â€Å"Sonne† is used, this word sound like the word â€Å"sonnet†, which a poem with15 lines, this poem has 14 line, so it is incomplete sonnet, like the poet’s son’s life, it incomplete, lso â€Å"Sonne† has one letter missing to Sonnet, this is other way the poet show how incomplete his son’s life was. Both in â€Å"On first Sonne† and â€Å"Digging† both feel that they done something wrong to the other family member(s). The poet in â€Å"On first Sonne† feels that he has love his boy too much, refers to his love as a â€Å"sinne†. This show that the poet trying to explain his pain, he say constantly through-out the poem, that it is sin to love too much. The poet in â€Å"digging† feels that he has broken the family tradition, but in contrast to â€Å"On first Sonne†, there is an acceptance â€Å"The squat pen rests. I’ll dig with it† This show the poet is proud of his choice of becoming poet, and says that hasn’t broken the tradition, because his is still digging. We see in all these poems that there are closes bonds between the parents and children, we also that separation or disagreement in these relationships can cause confliction and grief between the parents and the children.