Comparison of Protagonists in “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” and “Greenleaf” Essay

A comparison of protagonists in Flannery O’Conner’s â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard To Find† and â€Å"Greenleaf† In both his works of fiction, â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard To Find† and â€Å"Greenleaf†, Flannery O’Conner paints a rather grim picture. The protagonists in both the short stories share several common traits. In the story, â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard To Find†, the Grandmother, who remains unnamed throughout, is a vile woman, who is also selfish and a complete hypocrite. Yet, she continues to judge other people for what she perceives to be their shortcomings. She is a woman who has seen hardships, and just the fact that she got through them, makes her feel morally superior to others. She feels she is a ‘lady’ which makes her better than the rest. She lacks the will and the ability to introspect and spends her time passing judgement on others. Her hypocrisy is highlighted in the fact that she spends most of her time passing judgement on others even though she claims her conscious to be her guiding force. A glaring example of her selfishness is when she is afraid for her own life, but claims that her conscience would not allow her to take her family in the same direction as that taken by the criminal referred to as ‘the Misfit’. She passes judgement on her daughter-in-law for not taking her children to a place that she personally thinks would be beneficial for them. To further add insult to injury, she compares her daughter-in-law’s face to a cabbage. The Grandmother has an opinion on everything and feels that her way of doing things is the only way to do them. She chastises another character from the story, John Wesley, for what she thinks is inappropriate amount of respect for his home state. At any opportunity, she makes it her business to judge other people and remark at the lack of their goodness, without evidently having any of her own. She gives little attention to her own behavior, convinced that being a lady is the only virtue, and she, by dressing as one is the only lady and therefore is the only one who harbors any virtues at all. This lack of self awareness, and a tendency to dissociate herself from everything happening around her, to take a morally condescending stance, is a recurrent theme of her character. Though she is critical of everyone and  everything that other people do, she continues to turn a blind eye to her own failings and shortcomings, believing herself to be above any character or personality flaws. She continuously talks about her conscience, citing it when it can get her her own way, while completely ignoring it when it comes in the way of what she wants. She sneaks Pitty Sing into the car and continues to lie to the children. If she made a mistake, she chooses not to reveal her and blame others for it. Even at the end of the story, when the family encounters the Misfit, and he systematically murders everyone – including the children that the Grandmother harps on initially, she never for once begs him to spare their lives. Instead, when the criminal finally turns his weapon towards her, she begs him and entreats him to spare her, citing the fact that she was a lady and therefore above the rest of the family that had been so mercilessly murdered in front of her. Despite her overactive conscience, which had just witnessed the murder of her family, she entreats the Misfit to join her world telling him that she believed him to be a good man. Despite the heartlessness that the Misfit had just displayed, the Grandmother is sure of her moral code and that it would mean something to him. In fact, she even extends it to him, trying to make him see that he was a good man, albeit a misunderstood one. Unfortunately for her, though he does agree with her, he does not see this as a reason to let her go. Throughout this traumatic event, the Grandmother continues to be the conceited person that she started out to be in the story. It is only in her final moments, when she is just a blink away from death, does she realize her folly and admits that she is flawed like everyone else that she had criticized all her life. She finally sees the error of her ways and learns the truth about herself, only it is too late for her realization to be any good to her. As he r last dying words, she admits to the Misfit that he was like one of her own children, finally showing the ability to feel compassion. Her last moment alive is also her moment of truth, one where she realizes who she is and understands others. This crucial moment of her life is immediately followed by her tragic death. In Greenleaf, the author directs a similar protagonist. The protagonist, an elderly lady in this one too, is Mrs. May – the proprietor of a farm. She is a conceited woman who believes that her farm is profitable and sustaining  only because of her efforts, discarding the efforts put in by the rest of the family and the farm help. Her rise from penury to the success of her farm makes her oblivious to the fact that she had help. Instead, she sees this as an opportunity to put on airs and tell the world of her prowess in business. She brags about herself being penniless and inexperienced when she first came about the rundown farm, and takes great pride in the fact that the farm is now successful. She not only forgets the contribution of the farm help, but blames them of being against her. She even goes on to the extent of blaming the elements of being against her. So engrossed is she in her own success that she forgets that it is only the elements of nature that allow the farm to be successful. She also forget the help of Mr. Greenleaf, who stood by her and toiled with her to make her farm successful and profitable. It was only after Mr. Greenleaf had answered her ad for help that she had been able to set up a dairy for herself. Though the story does not rally on the particular contributions of Mr. Greenleaf, it does suggest that the farm was only established upon his arrival and therefore it can be inferred that he was instrumental in its success. She, with her half baked knowledge in farming, and her lack of experience, is certainly not a good farm keeper or a farm manager. It is only the experience and the wisdom of Mr. Greenleaf that continues to make her farm successful and profitable. Her good fortune has been because of the arrival of a farmhand who is not only knowledgable, but also hard working. This is something that she ignores through the course of the story. She places a lot of value on her own perceived virtues, in this case her efforts to pull the farm togeth er. On the other hand, she complains about Mr. Greenleaf to everyone who would turn an ear to her. Most of her blessings are undeserved, but she fails to recognize it and is certainly not graceful in her rejection of Mr. Greenleaf’s contributions. As the story continues to build, Mrs. May’s resentment towards Mr. Greenleaf increases. She is ultimately brought down and killed by a bull, who she wants to control. While Mr. Greenleaf views the bull as an unstoppable force of nature, Mrs. May sees it as an intruder on her property and something that she should be able to control, because of her position and her perceived abilities. In refusing to succumb to the forces beyond her  control, she invites her own end. The bull finally attacks her and she is impaled by its horn. A similar character theme to that of the Grandmother, Mrs. May cannot see the grace present in those that she believes to be socially her inferiors. Like the Grandmother, it is Mrs. May’s blind pride, and her inability to turn her eye inwards, that leads to the conflict between herself and those around her – in this case Mr. Greenleaf. She thought too highly of herself, and was pretentiously self righteous. As in most of her works, O’Conner gives her protagonists the characteristics of self righteousness, blind pride, tactlessness and conceit. Both the Grandmother and Mrs. May believe themselves to be ladies, and therefore above reproach. They both feel that if they feel, dress and behave the part, they can be ladies, who are in fact revered people of the society. They attach too much importance to their own selves and to their perceived social standing. Though they do not choose to act like ladies, they still believe themselves to be it. They both feel that if t hey continue to behave like respectable people of the society, they would be appropriate rewarded with good graces. Both of them have little patience or compassion. Another similarity between the two characters is that though both of them continue to be conceited and hypocrites, they do understand their own follies during their dying moments. In the story ‘Greenleaf’ Mrs. May is impaled by a bull’s horn and as she is lying there, dying of her grievous injuries, she chooses to confess something to the bull. Her dying words are spoken in the bull’s ears. What these words were, we will never know because the narrator does not choose to do so. One can only imagine that when she does face the moment of truth, Mrs. May, like the Grandmother, chooses to finally acknowledge the error of her ways. Another unfortunate similarity between the two protagonists is that none of them were able to admit their folly to the people they had wronged. While in â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard To Find†, the Grandmother realizes her mistake only after the remainder of her family has been murdered, Mrs. May dies alone without having the chance to apologize for her behavior and her errors to  their primary recepient, Mr. Greenleaf. In both the cases, self realization came too late, only when the women were moment’s away from death. The realization of their errors is quickly followed by their deaths in both the stories, giving them no opportunity to correct themselves or make amends to the people they had wronged by their actions. Though it is not apparent in O’Conner’s style of narration, it seems that the protagonists of both the stories were undeserving of the attention, affection and blessings that they received in their life. Why the two choose to be the way they are or act the way they do, remains a mystery. Both of them are elderly women, but their youth is not discussed in the story, so one can only assume that the two had seen tough times which hardened them emotionally. Their insistence on being morally superior by virtue of being ‘ladies’ may have something to do with some experiences in their youth or their earlier life, of which there is no mention in either of the stories. At the end of each of the story, the principal characters, who remain smug and conceited throughout the narration, are shocked out of their self righteousness into humaneness. Unfortunately, the realization of their total inadequacy in the eyes of the supreme being, or God, comes too late – in their dying moments.

Abortion should only be used to empower women Essay

Dear Chris Christie, â€Å"The advocates of abortion on demand falsely assume two things: that women must suffer if the lives of unborn children are legally protected; and that women can only attain equality by having the legal option of destroying their innocent offspring in the womb.†(Casey). Abortion is a legal common act in almost most countries, leading to an estimate of 2 million destroyed unborn babies. Although abortion seems like an equal fair right towards women, murder isn’t an â€Å"equal right† to embrace or granted to a certain gender. As of the law, it is illegal to commit a crime of harm or death to a human being (murder). Robert Casey is trying to say that abortion shouldn’t be viewed as a positive right. Abortion officially started in the late 1800s, â€Å"women healers† in Europe and the U.S. Provided abortions and trained other women to follow along with this same act (Reproductive Health).Now, abortion is still taken action and is in some cases 100% legal without any strict rules/cases. In this case, abortion should be strictly looked after, but legal for medical emergencies. The fetus shouldn’t be harmed but available to put up for adoption. Before delving deeper into the history of abortion, it is important to simply look at the fact of its existence and participants in the United States. According to studies released in 2005 by the Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health (PRCH) and The Guttmacher Institute, there were 1.29 million abortions performed in this country. Research by the same group shows that in 1994, approximately half of all pregnancies in the United States were unintended, with only about half of those actually ending in abortion. In comparison to other countries, the U.S. accounted for three percent of worldwide abortions in 1995 (PRCH and Guttmacher). With that said, the political history of abortion has been a bit scary and the position that the Supreme Court takes on abortion 100% influences the issue. Although, with the many performances of abortion there leads to ongoing reasons for the pro choices of this action. From the point of view of many humans, decisions makeu  human’s everyday lives and gives us the right to independence. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote in the 1992 decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, â€Å"The ability of women to participate equally in the economic and social life of the Nation has been facilitated by their ability to control their reproductive lives.† (O’Connor). From this point of view, because women are now financial to equality in the U.S, having the right to control their own bodies is an improvement to the ranking of fair treatment and the act of fitting into society’s social and economic requirements. Therefore, there is an automatic option for women with the struggling fetus issues. Not only does this advantage their rights, but it puts their privacy in control. The Constitution gives a gu arantee of certain areas or zones of privacy, and that this right of privacy is broad enough to encompass a woman’s decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy (The 7-2 decision). This gives women the advantage of safe privacy, in which their business is only open to them and/or their partner. The government cannot and should not control a woman’s fetus and if so, this will Outdo the exact purpose of the 7-2 decision. Not only that but, but abortion can be a serious decision to prevent financial future conflicts. â€Å"Many couples†¦ don’t have the resources, don’t have the emotional stamina, don’t have the family support [to raise a child with disabilities]. As of the United States, 1 billion babies have been bored with a disability.† (UOP Student) .Going through the pain of raising a baby without the advantage of fair money (for medication), family support, or strong determination towards the child isn’t worth raising an offspring. In which, may lead to the option of abortion. However, there are many serious outcomes and effects that make abortion a strict case. From sources of doctors and professional professors, abortion leads to health risks involving serious amounts of pain. Doctors who perform abortions at this stage of pregnancy -a rarity, according to a 2012 Italy by the Centers for Disease control and prevention- must provide Anesthetic or analgesic to alleviate organic pain to the unborn child. It also requires doctors to tell women that Substantial medical evidence shows that a 20-week fetus may feel pain during an abortion.(USA law). Babies may come to a chance of experience of pain, resulting in an act of murder. Based on the government, murder is viewed as a crime, so abortion should be considered as an illegal practice. Not only does this affect the fetus itself, but it’ll result in health issues towards the actual human carrying the fetus.   Approximately 10 percent of women undergoing induced abortion suffer from immediate complica tions, of which one fifth was considered major. Many women who had an abortion state that they went through these types of physical and mental complications of abortion (Elliot Institute). Abortion can lead to lack of healthy mental states and may even cause serious important health risks. This will vastly impact the lives of these women in a negative way and may lead to a reduced lifespan. Lastly, the act of abortion affects a woman’s happiness. This lowers the chance of adoption rates. According to the U.S department of health and human services, â€Å"as the result of lack of women putting their children up for adoption, The number of infant US adoptions dropped from about 90,000 in 1971 to 18,000 in 2007. Around 3.6 million women were trying to adopt children as on 2002 .† (USDHHS). Due to abortion, there were and still are, fewer chances of other families with the abilities to have a child and becoming parents. The rates of women in want of children are outrageous while the rate of orphans is accurate but has drastically dropped. So far, Mothers are throwing away their opportunities of life and aren’t creating a positive perspective. In conclusion, abortion is supportive of a women’s rights and own decisions but does lead to health risks and blocking the ability of a precious treasure. Therefore, abortion needs to be strictly looked after and MOSTLY used for important serious issues. But a Woman should ALWAYS have full privilege over their bodies.    Works Cited â€Å"Abortion ProCon.org.† ProConorg Headlines. Web. 30 May 2017. â€Å"Pros and Cons of Abortion.† HealthGuidance.org. Web. 30 May 2017. â€Å"[query].† InstaGrok. Web. 30 May 2017. CONDADO, ANAKAREN. â€Å"Abortion Pros and Cons.† DiginetXpress. N.p., 15 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 May 2017.

Black Masculinity Essay

What is an ethnic group? An ethnic group is a human population whose members identify with each other, usually on the basis of a presumed common genealogy or ancestry . These ethnic groups are usually united by shared cultural values, common fields of communication, or religious practices. So perhaps the theory of Black masculinity can be considered an ethnic group. There is the obvious factors of being ‘Black’ and ‘male’ that connects these members in this group; they have skin color and gender in common. Perhaps this cultural group has come together to be more then just a group who have race and gender in common. It goes beyond that and Black masculinity has members who are not ‘Black’. Perhaps this questions if history, ancestry, and genealogy are factored in when becoming a members of a group. But will these members be truly accepted in the cult of Black masculinity. Within the dominant culture African American men have developed their own sense of identity. These men have integrated themselves into American society creating a culture of their own. They have established a language, a sense of dress, and behaviors. These protocols help this group of men emphasize their ethnicity and gender. Members of this group who follow these traits are considered to be part of the cult of Black masculinity. What is happening is that white men, because of the influence of pop culture, are permeating the boundaries of the Black masculine cult. This is an experience of somewhat reverse assimilation. At first it was the assimilation of the Black man into the white man’s world and now it is as if roles are reversed. How the white men see the Black masculinity portrayed through the media and want to be part of it. Anthropologist Fredrik Barth specifies three conditions under which ethnic groups develop and define themselves: (a) a dominant culture is present with the power to maintain conditions whereby other groups of people, (b) are stereotyped, and (c) are constrained to certain roles that function complementarily in the general culture. Barth argues that ethnic distinctions are born out of conflict . The above conditions are necessary for the maintenance of ethnic distinctions. So, the maintenance of ethnic diversity requires domination by one group of the rest. Using Barth’s definition of what an ethnic group is and which boundaries are defined by these rules this paper will prove how Black masculinity conforms to these guidelines establishing them as an ethnic group within the dominant culture. This paper will also explore the difference that is expressed by black males in American culture through the use of language, dress and behavior. The cult of Black masculinity will prove that ethnic groups can create something of their own while inventing a new culture in which they can partake in and be control of. Black Masculinity â€Å"A particular type of black masculinity–one defined mainly by an urban aesthetic, a nihilistic attitude, and an aggressive posturing–has made its way into the cultural mainstream in the last two decades. † There are many contributing factors but the image of Black masculinity has come about due to the popularization of hip-hop culture and the prominence of rap music and the â€Å"videomercials† that sell it. More specifically, it is the result of the popularity of the urban â€Å"gangsta† and his embodiment in the â€Å"gangsta† rap of artists such as Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Snoop Doggy Dogg, and Tupak Shakur. Black masculinity is the attempt for black males to incorporate what the dominant culture believes to be masculine. Most studies have, however regarded Black Masculinity as an alternative to social status, rather than as an extension of it. ‘Black Macho’ has been portrayed, therefore, as differing in kind rather than degree from the wider gendered power relations within Society at large†¦ It is however; only within the context of wider power relations — and as an extension of them –that Black masculinity can be fully understood†¦ Black masculinity is then perhaps best understood as an articulated response to structural inequality, enacting and subverting dominant definitions of power and control, rather then substituting for them. Rather than a hostile and withdrawn entity [black masculinity] can be seen as a base for interaction and negotiation with wider society . These men have taken an idea which already exists according to society and incorporated what they believe is their definition of masculinity. This expression of masculinity, according to Mercer and Julien: â€Å"subjectively incorporates attributes associated with dominant definitions of manhood – such as being tough, in control, independent – in order to recuperate some degree of power or active influence over objective conditions of powerlessness created by racism. † Black masculinity embraces the stereotypical role of what a Black man typically resembles. What the dominant culture portrays: the tough guy, more body then mind. This is received as negative because they are not achieving what the ideal is, what â€Å"Whiteness† is. So would this group of men be considered an ethnic group within the American society? According to Barth an ethnic group embodies the following: â€Å"Largely biologically self-perpetuating, shares fundamental cultural values, realized in overt unity in cultural forms, makes up a field of communication and interaction, has a membership which identifies itself, and is identified by others, as constituting a category distinguishable from other categories of the same order. † Those who choose to conform to these norms of this group will reject or discriminate against others and this leads to the inclusion of this specific group. Behavior How one behaves will determine what group they will fit into. These behaviors include how one dresses, acts and talks. Black masculinity has their own sense of dress, actions and even language. Depicted through the media the Black masculine male will dress â€Å"gangster†. There stereotyped baggie jeans and big t-shirts with the jewelry and baseball caps. This reinforces the hyper-sexualized stereotyped male in society. Recently, Richard G. Major’s concept of the â€Å"cool pose† has proved an insightful term for understanding the dynamics of black masculinity as it has developed in response to unequal conditions in the modern urban environment. In a series of closely related works (listed at the end of this essay), Majors argues that black males have accepted the traditional values of masculinity but are so restricted by social and political factors that many of them have been deeply frustrated by their inability to enact these traditional masculine roles. â€Å"In brief,† Majors explains, â€Å"cool pose originated as a coping mechanism for the ‘invisibility,’ frustration, discrimination, and educational and employment inequities faced by Black males. In response to these obstacles, many of these individuals have channeled their creative talents and energies into the construction of masculine symbols and into the use of conspicuous nonverbal behaviors (e. g. , demeanors, gestures, clothing, hairstyles, walks, stances and handshakes)† . Majors includes in his examples of the cool pose such diverse behaviors as the use of humor, feigned emotional detachment, and specific stylistic expressions like the black athlete’s inventive basketball dunking, football spiking, and end zone dancing, as well as black musical performers’ aggressive posing and graceful yet strenuous dancing styles. A prime ingredient of the cool pose as a compensatory form of masculinity is an exaggerated style of toughness: â€Å"Symbolic displays of toughness defend his identity and gain him respect; they can also promote camaraderie and solidarity among black males† . Unfortunately, as Majors is careful to point out, the ritualized hyper masculinity performed by many black men as a cool pose, particularly the preoccupation with enacting a tough persona is rife with the negative potential to promote dangerous lifestyles (e. g. , gang bangers, tough guys, drug dealers, street hustlers, and pimps) and to reinforce harmful stereotypes. These images illuminate the figure of the menacing Black male. He embodies images of the black heterosexual rapper, athlete, and movie star which challenge the racist depictions of black masculinity as incompetent, oversexed and uncivil, in the end a threat to middle class notions of womanhood, family and nation . Perhaps with these embodiments this is why Black masculinity is its own ethnic group. They were unable to assimilate into the dominant culture because they were seen as a hyper sexualized threat to white women. This left these men to create something of their own, through dress, language and action. This group uses language as another expression of social difference. African American Vernacular English is the language that is used to communicate, it is also known as Black English, Black Vernacular, or Black English Vernacular. Black English is also known as Ebonics, a combination of â€Å"ebony† and â€Å"phonics†, this language is spoken by many Blacks in the United States and around the world. Black masculinity has accepted Ebonics as their language because it is something that is unique to the African American culture. The problem with this form of communication is that it is not widely accepted within the dominant society. The children who are raised by men who are part of this cult of Black masculinity are told to speak differently because the form of communication that they have learned is not acceptable. This is a miscommunication and some parties tried to get Ebonics recognized as a language and to be taught in the school systems. This law was not passed but it was interpreted and they are now teaching the children how to translate African American Vernacular English into American Standard English. Jackson sees language as â€Å"badges and emblems of identity can be seen as a kind of message, the successful transmission, reception, and decoding of which necessary to the interaction is taking place. † This is why Black masculinity is as strong as it is because it embraces their own language and through this they are able to maintain relationships with others in this group of men. Such as the word â€Å"Nigga†, if this word were used by someone outside of this cultural group then they would be considered racist but through music and use within the group it is considered to be a term used to identify each other. It would be seen as odd if someone who did not embody Black masculinity started speaking in African American Vernacular English because they may not have the ancestry which allows them to embody Black Masculinity and their language. Boundaries To form a cultural boundary it is presumed that the borders would be between different homelands, ethnicities, religions or language groups. In the case of Black masculinity the majority are situated all over North America and the rest of the world. With such a diverse spread it would be hard to place physical borders on this group. â€Å"Ethnic groups are not merely or necessarily based on the occupation of exclusive territories; and the different ways in which they are maintained, not only by once-and-for-all recruitment but by continual expression and validation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In saying this, those who partake in the cult of Black masculinity erect borders through communication such as language and body language. Those who do not respond to these actions are not considered to be part Black male society. There is certain protocol which will be followed within the group and if this is not followed then there is the identification of an outsider who is trying to break through the borders. The problem with Black masculinity and the exclusivity of this culture is that it is widely available in pop culture. It would be easy for someone who is not part of this ethnic group to study the mass media and learn the traits which define Black masculinity. Black masculinity is based on ascription how people identify their culture and how they identify themselves within this culture. Their boundaries are socially constructed. Ethnic groups share common culture which includes shared religion, language, style of dress, housing, shared customs; attitudes, beliefs and most have the same perception of a common past. As discussed earlier this group embraces a shared common culture which separates them from the dominant culture. They have created themselves due to a particular historical circumstance and in this case it is colonization and the invasion of the White man. The identity of Black masculinity is reliant on how individuals embrace it, constrained by it; act on it and through this Black masculinity will have a separate identity as an ethnic group. To separate themselves they have must be able to distinguish them from the dominant culture by â€Å"creating appearance of cultural discontinuity†. Black masculinity has done this by assuming roles such as the gangster rapper, the black athlete or movie star. By creating these identities they are constructing a boundary between â€Å"us† and â€Å"them†. Overtime groups tend to become culturally more homogenous. This endangers the boundary and makes it harder to maintain but in order to preserve its distinct identity these boundaries need to be maintained by the group. Boundary maintenance serves to isolate the group from alternative value systems (according to which its members may find themselves ranked differently), preserves the group’s existing internal power structure, and provides a potential source of political power for the group through solidarity and numbers . Black masculinity is a strong force in the media and to follow what their cultural beliefs are would be easy. They have familiarized their culture with the dominant culture allowing anyone to be able to participate in their beliefs. This weakens their borders and makes it harder to maintain a stronghold at their borders. The only thing that would not be broken within Black masculinity is in the name. To be a true part of this ethnic group one would have to be a Black male. This is the only thing that will hold true to maintain the borders of Black masculinity. Biologically Self Perpetuating Black masculinity has become such a widely known phenomenon and even those who do not share the same ancestry seem to be able to embody traits of this group. Traditionally an ethnic group would share a common background and kin. Through the use of mass media the cult of the Black male has become highly sexualized and those who see this machismo want to be part of it. Ethnic groups are primarily endogamous and this new assimilation into their group will cause problems with this. This is a problem because it takes away from the power of what this group stands for and what they embody as the macho man. â€Å"In a social order where white beliefs form fundamental explanations of how individuals should enact their color-sex positions and associated role expectations, black males do not, regardless of their economic status or intellectual capabilities, have the cultural prerogative to take the initiative. † This quote redefines that there is a dominant culture and allowing assimilation this group is allowing the power to be taken away. As these men are portrayed as hyper sexualized in the media it introduces them to something that the dominant culture views as the ideal, this goes back to colonization and the want of what the White man has, the unattainable. â€Å"A major reason for the initial encounter was the mystique attached to the hitherto unavailable ‘the white goddess’ † . This â€Å"white goddess†, the unavailable, is the difference between the dominant culture and the Black Masculinity. Black men move between majority and minority cultures and must negotiate the racism and discrimination that accompany caste-like minority status. Frazier suggests that Black masculinity and male role identity must be viewed in these varying social and cultural contexts . Specifically, Black men are expected to conform to dominant gender role expectations (e. g. , to be successful, competitive, aggressive), as well as meeting culturally specific requirements (e. g. , cooperation, promotion of group, and survival of group) of the Black community. â€Å"certain patriarchal values such as physical strength, sexual prowess and being in control as a means of survival against the repressive and violent system of subordination to which they were subjected† . The dehumanizing aspect of this myth, a myth that Mercer claims many black men do not want demystified because it in some ways (e. g. , strength, sexual prowess) raises them above the status of white men, is that, while an emphasis on the body as brute force is a marker of the difference between male and female, it is also a key symbol in the division between nature and culture. Perhaps this is why Black masculinity came to be. It is argued that the members of the Black Power movement defined the politics of race within â€Å"metaphoric of phallic power,† which developed out of male activists’ desires to counter cultural articulations of black male inferiority , and that this is readily seen in the writings of influential figures such as Malcolm X, Huey Newton, Eldridge Clever, and Amiri Baraka. Wiegman further claims that the phallocentric perspective was also articulated through the macho, hyper masculine characters appearing in the blaxploitation films of the early 1970s. It is through Wiegman’s phallic theories about Black males that this ethnic group created the term and culture of Black masculinity. Conclusion Through Barth this paper has been able to discuss the boundaries which the ethnic group Black masculinity was able to control. They were able to create their own ethnic group in response to the dominant culture. They defined themselves through being Black males. They embodied what it meant to be. They did this by dress and action. This is recently obvious through the media and ‘gangta’ rap and perhaps with this embodiment they are able to prove that they are able to exist as a powerful force within the dominant culture. Black masculinity members are able to have their own sense of language whether it be verbal, Ebonics, of physical, â€Å"cool pose†. This is how they established members of the group and were able to communicate with each other by these means. They reinforced that the â€Å"cool pose† displays toughness and it gains him respect and from this it promotes solidarity within the group of Black males. The â€Å"cool pose† is not always a good thing. In the media the dominant society does not see the athlete but the gangster and the stereotype which is created by the dominant culture. They are seen as a threat and to keep them safe Black masculinity was created in an attempt to create values and rules of their own in order to obtain status in a dominant culture. To keep this group exclusive these Black men created a language of their own and through this they communicate and they are able to maintain a strong bond through these means of communication. Through the use of language they create borders. The borders which they created allow them to maintain who they are without being assimilated into the dominant culture. They have embraced and emphasized who they are and what they stand for. To protect this they erected borders such as similar dress/style, language, sense of history and shared customs. These aspects are unique to them but as popular culture embraced these aspects such as language and dress the borders began to break. One thing that the dominant culture could not break is their gender and race. They were African American men and no matter what the dominant culture did to try and assimilate them they had this to celebrate. This is important to maintain the strength of your borders. Black masculinity is a group of Black males who have been able to preserve that they are part of an ethnic group and they have history which needs to be respected. They are trying to sustain a culture that is slowly being integrated into the dominant culture. If this group follows what Barth has laid out in order to maintain boundaries then Black masculinity will be able to be whomever they want within the dominant culture. REFERENCES Alexander, C. The Art of Being Black. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996. Barths, F. Ethnic Groups and Boundaries. Oslo: Universitesforlaget, 1969. Frazier, E. Franklin. The Negro Family in the United States. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1939. Gray, H. â€Å"He Is a â€Å"Bad Mother*S%@! #†: Shaft and Contemporary Black Masculinity. American Quarterly. Vol. 50, No. 2, 1998. Gray, H. Cultural Politics. A Special Section:Black Masculinity and Visual Culture. Callaloo, Vol. 18, No. 2. (Spring, 1995). Jackson, J. Language Identity of The Colombian Vaupes Indians. In Baumand, R. ,Sherzer, J. , Exploration in the Ethnography of Speaking: Studies in the Socialand Cultural Foundations of Language. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1989. Majors, R. , & Bilson, J. M. Cool Pose. New York: Lexington, 1989. Mercer, K. Welcome to the Jungle: New Positions in Black Cultural Studies. New York: Routledge, 1994. Mercer, K. & Julien, I. Race, Sexual Politics and Black Masculinity: A Dossier. London: Lawerence & Wishart, 1998. Smith, A. D. The Ethnic Origins of Nations. Oxford: Blackwell, 1987. Staples, R. Black Masculinity: The Black Male’s Role in American Society. San Francisco: The Black Scholar Press, 1982. Wiegman, R. Feminism, ‘The Boyz’ and Other Matters Regarding the Male: Screening the Male: Exploring Masculinities in Hollywood Cinema. London: Routledge,1993. Wilikinson, D. Y. Expectations and Salience in White Female – African Male Self-Other Role Definitions. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1977.

Bonuses for senior executives in the banking sector should only be Essay

Bonuses for senior executives in the banking sector should only be paid for genuine excellence - Essay Example For example, a Sales Director will earn bonuses if turnover targets are met and exceeded (Nkomo, Fottler and McAfee, 2010: 85-93). Recent years have been characterized by an outcry against paying of bonuses to senior corporate executives. This is mainly due to malpractices by top executives to ensure they earn high salaries with little regard to how the company is performing or stockholder value. These malpractices include accounting fraud. Bonuses remain popular with firms because in today’s world of heightened competition and reduced profitability, bonuses represent a variable rather than fixed cost (Murphy, 2005: 110-117). It is also widely believed that bonuses create motivation, which leads to organizational performance. Bonuses help to attract and retain managerial talent and motivate executives to perform to the best of their abilities and prevent executive dissatisfaction. It has been argued that rather than incentivizing executives to raise shareholder returns, bonuses have been turned into rent-seeking avenues by self-interested executives. This defeats the main logic behind paying of bonuses, which is to tie executive pay closely to organizational performance (Kieff and Paredes, 2010: 44-49). At the same time, it has been argued that executive bonuses affect firms negatively. Performance-based bonuses foster individualism, business aggression and uncertainty. Bonuses create competitiveness among the executives which hurts cooperation. Bonuses encourage executives to take unreasonably high risks and make short-sighted decisions that may not be good for the firm’s long-term prospects. It is also argued that senior executives spend a great deal of time and focus on their past and expected bonuses than on the returns of shareholders. Bonuses also foster bad relations and resentment between the executive and the lower ranking staff (Marchica, 200 4: 8-15). Bonuses are rooted in two theories; the Expectancy theory and Agency

Analysing Information System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Analysing Information System - Essay Example The task at hand is to present a comprehensive requirement analysis and select the most appropriate paradigm(s) for preparing the requirement analysis. The task also aims to be an effective exercise in information gathering. This section targets at presenting various requirement analysis models present in literature. Various models will be scrutinized and the most relevant strategy chosen to proceed towards the analysis development 2. The basic idea of the behavior-oriented approach is to study the behavior, the decision-making style, and the data used by the pertinent personnel to extract information for the development of a critical information framework for the generation of requirement analysis. Background analysis is necessary to understand a particular problem, only then the designer can forward. Backward analysis helps to determine if the personnel were faced with a similar situation earlier in time. This helps to gain an insight into how similar problems had been solved in the past. The top executives are then interviewed to determine the main causes of the new problem prior to gathering of detailed information about the problem and summarizing the problem. This sort of model finds best application while developing an executive information systems or top-level decision-support system. The prime hurdles impeding in the efficiency of this model is the inability to quantify executive behavior and overlooking the needs of over-looking the needs or middle managers, supervisors, and operational personnel because they are usually the primary users of an information system. The information-oriented model approach of specifying the requirement analysis focuses primarily on the information system products that will actually be used by the supervisory and the middle level managers. Investigating the information needs of the management gives a bottom-line compared to

Compare and contrast the experiences of African Americans with those Essay

Compare and contrast the experiences of African Americans with those of women between 1800 and 1865 - Essay Example These consequent rebellions helped in making the United States country free of marginalization and slave trade. In an effort to combat these injustices, the slaves and women employed certain tactics to have their voices heard. Some of the women used conventions to bring other s of their kind together and enlighten them of their right and the need to rise for justice, the conventions involved declarations to overthrow men leadership and the chauvinism that was imposed on them. Most of these conventions were made by women who were wives to some of the influential men in the society. African American slaves used both primary and secondary sources to reach out to their counterparts, the primary sources included writing of journals and holding conventional meetings, secondary sources were the use of maps and picture diagrams to educate others on how they would help fight for their rights. The activists also got help from some of their sympathizers in the government; the women on the other hand used legal ties to their husband to take advantage of the opportunity The Seneca Falls convention of 1848 was attended more than 200 women. Its main aim was to liberalize the women in the United States, they complained of the unfulfilled promises that they had been given by the government at its formation in 1776. The convention stirred emotions amongst women in the women of Seneca Falls; it was followed by constant rebellion and conventions by women to shun the government (DBQ #10, Doc. #1). Then there was the Quaker convention of 1848 in the state of New York, it was organized by the women of New York to call for gender equality in the country, this, however, was denied by angry delegates who stormed and destroyed the meeting (Gerald, S, pp 23). They made a venue where the women would air their sentiments, which would later be thrown away like those of the Seneca convention (DBQ #10, Doc. #3). Lastly, there was a convention at the Wesleyan chapel, it was attended by two hund red and sixty delegates and of them, and there were sixty men. Most of the resolutions that were brought forward were passed except one (DBQ #10, Doc. #4), which stated that women were not able to attend the fashionable cultural spheres of those times (Elizabeth, R, pp 5). The slaves on the other hand used mostly primary sources to spread their information to their counterparts; they applied the use of documentations to arrange for meetings. Paul Cuffe, who was a slave who had bought his freedom, wrote a petition to the legislature of Massachusetts, citing his petitions as slaves not being allowed a share of the profits earned from their labor, in his petition he also complained about how slaves were not allowed to participate in the voting process (DBQ #9, Doc. #2). In 1794, Absalom Jones wrote to the slaves regarding the fugitive slave act of 1793, he urged the slaves to take it upon themselves to fight for their rights and not expect anyone else to handle their problems for thems elves (DBQ #9, Doc. #3). In 1797 prince hall made a speech in Boston to remind the slaves how they were being mistreated by their employers, it was somewhat a wakeup call to the slaves to fight for their rights (DBQ #9, Doc. #4). This was followed by constant rebellion by the slaves in Boston (Lamont, D, PP 23). The slaves also used secondary sources to communicate to the authorities and among themselves, such source included, pictures, thematic

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 129

Essay Example Du Bois believed the intellectual elite inherent in the black people should qualify them for integration into the American society. Du Bois held that the black people possessed intellectual prowess to advance and actualize racial equality while seeking assistance from the whites (White 52). Du Bois was among the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People that advocated equality and inclusion of the black people in the social, economic, educational, and political matters (White 53). In contrast, Garvey utilized black nationalization to lead the African-Americans towards racial purity and culture. Garvey used the Universal Negro Improvement Association to uplift the people of the African origin. Using the association, Garvey championed for respect for humanity regardless of race (White 92). He advocated the economic self-determination of the black people. Both Marcus Garvey and William E.B Du Bois championed for the preservation of the black cultural her itage, pan-Africanism, and economic nationalism. UNIA collaborated with the Klu Klux Klan although the latter championed for white supremacy (White 93). The Negro World, a weekly publication, highlighted the significance of race consciousness, black pride, and independence. Similarly, KKK did not support the NAACP because the movement targeted to divide the blacks and Jews while promoting the white supremacy. Although they utilized different philosophies, Garvey and Du Bois advocated the preservation of the black cultural heritage, pan-Africanism, and economic nationalism. Du Bois believed the intellectual prowess of the black should facilitate the incorporation of the race in the American society. Garvey held that racial purity and culture were significant in fostering respect for humanity. The Great Depression that started in 1929 destabilized the American society. In 1932, the Great Depression was a huge crisis in the whole nation, and a quarter of

Project Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Project Management - Research Paper Example In this, they prepare the initial timeline of the project and determine the preliminary costs of the project. Either in the conception phase, the management can establish the project user participation and the possible sources of funds. Finally, the management may decide if to continue with the project or alter (Lewis, 2007). Therefore, the initiation phase forms the most crucial stage of the project than all the other stages. It is the foundation stone laying stage that without it the progress of the project is futile. The second phase is the project-planning phase. Here, the management commences setting out the project plan. This involves reviewing of objectives and goals of the project. Besides, the management considers the strategies needed to achieve these goals and objectives (Lewis, 2007). In this, they think each activity is leading to the sequencing of activities that will open up to be the required project. In the planning phase, the management allocates time to sequencing activities and develop a risk management plan (Lewis, 2007). Either, they evaluate on the resources needed and their cost. Finally, in planning, they allocate budget to individual resources to ensure that the project will run efficiently. The third phase is the project launch or execution phase. This stage involves Performance of activities and tasks as planned. Management evaluates the overall performance to ensure that the project meets the set quality standards (Lewis, 2007). Besides, there is development individual and team skills aimed to enhance project performance. In addition, the information about the project is distributed to the stakeholders to attract the needed investors (Lewis, 2007). In this phase, also the management may select potential partners and outsource vendors. Then there is the project performance control. This is responsible for coordination of the change control across the entire project. It involves verification of the scope of the

Marketing management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Marketing management - Essay Example In UK, every other person owns a mobile. The idea of cell-based mobile radio service was formulated in the United States at Bell Labs in the early 1970s. However, the Nordic countries were the first to introduce cellular services for commercial use with the introduction of the Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) in 1981. Cellular systems began in the United States with the release of the advanced mobile phone service (AMPS) system in 1983. Since its introduction in the 80s, the phone’s place in the market developed from a minority, specialized item to an essential commodity. Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) is a globally accepted standard for digital cellular communication. GSM is the name of a standardization group established in 1982 to create a common European mobile telephone standard that would formulate specifications for a pan-European mobile cellular radio system operating at 900 MHz. It is estimated that many countries outside of Europe will join the GSM partnership. GSM service is used by over 2 bill ion people across more than 212 countries and territories. Over the last two decades there has been an advance in mobile technology with a significant reduction in the operating cost. The mobile phones’ marketability is not an overnight success but rather a systematic evolutionary development. Presently, the world is on 3rd generation on mobile system. The 1st generation system was the initial stage which was based on analog technology. The 2nd generation is categorized by the digital technology, which includes international roaming, mobile fax, voicemail and SMS. The present system provides broader bandwidth services to the users. Now they provide services and applications that are facilitated by personal computers. It is more easy and trendy to take your mobile phones on conferences than a lap-top, which was used in yesteryears. Mobile phones now come with

Fluid mechanics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Fluid mechanics - Assignment Example Introduction When a fluid undergoes motion, there are certain laws it must satisfy. Two of the basic laws pertain to the conservation laws for mass and energy. While the conservation of mass leads to Continuity Equation, conservation of energy gives us Bernoulli’s Principle. (1) Continuity Equation: the amount of fluid volume per unit time must remain constant as the fluid cannot be compressed (no density variation) and the mass flowing in to a certain area per unit time must always be same to that going out from that area in exactly the same time. Thus, leading to the important equation Q = A1 ? u1 = A2 ? u2 .....(1) where A1 and u1 are the cross-sectional area and fluid velocity respectively at the location ‘1’; and A2 and u2 are those at ‘2’ along the Venturi Tube shown below. (2) Bernoulli’s Equation: similarly, when we take into account the conservation of total energy of the water in the Tube, which happens to be one of the most fundament al conservation principles in Physics, we obtain the Bernoulli’s equation. ... ic Head† or â€Å"Pressure Head†, denoting the energy due to the fluid pressure; the 2nd term defined as â€Å"Velocity Head†, denoting the kinetic energy; and the 3rd term named as â€Å"Potential Head†, denoting potential energy, combine together to give the total energy or â€Å"Head† of the fluid in motion. Apparatus Used (1) Venturi Tube or Venturimeter (2) Stopwatch (3) Graduated Beaker 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Venturimeter or Venturi Tube Methodology Step 1: Known volume of water (10 litres in the first case) is allowed to flow in through the inlet, located at position marked as ‘1’ Step 2: when the water flows through the Venturi Tube and goes out through the valve at ‘11’, it is collected in the graduated beaker and the volume is noted down along with the total time taken to travel through the Tube. Subsequently, Q, the Volumetric Flow Rate is measured using the Eqn. (1) Step 3: simultaneously, the heights of the wat er columns in each of the 11 capillary tubes connected to the Venturimeter at 11 different locations are also observed carefully and put the relevant column in the Observation Table 1 below Step 4: the Velocity Head and Pressure Head as given by Eqn. (2) are also calculated for different fluid velocities at different locations, and the values are tabulated in Columns 6 & 8 respectively Step 5: finally, the total energy or Head of the fluid is measured just by adding the Velocity Head and the Pressure Head since the Potential Head remains unchanged Step 6: all the 5 steps mentioned above are repeated for 20 litres and 25 litres and the measurements are recorded in Tables 2 & 3 Step 7: bar diagrams are plotted for Evh, the Velocity Head, against the Tube Locations. Similarly, another graph is plotted for Esh, the Static Head, Vs the Tube

Biography of Mahatma Gandhi Essay Example for Free

Biography of Mahatma Gandhi Essay The film Gandhi released in 1982 was adopted from the biography of Mahatma Gandhi and unfolds with his fateful assassination of 30th January 1948 as a result of being the go-between on conflicting Muslims and Hindus in India and Pakistan. The film plot quickly goes back to narrating Gandhi’s early life as a practicing attorney. With the setting in South Africa, Gandhi is traveling by train and after he adamantly refusing to surrender his seat in first class coach is thrown out. He is subjected to this segregation because he is an Indian. This provokes him to organize mass protests for banning of all discriminatory acts and an end to these stereotypes in which all protesters are arrested and later released. In the film, Gandhi is propelled by religious virtues and believes all people are equal before God. The British rule had denigrated the Indians limiting their rights to the extent of not acknowledging their marriage laws. For this reason, he endeavors for the achievement of equality through protests, which strongly do not advocate for violence. Exploring on racism and other issues that border on prejudice and stereotypes, the film Gandhi delves on the anonymous group of pushing for mass actions and identified by the common clothing, which ultimately implies they are of particular class. The point of this film endeavors to present the struggles of the Indian people from a generalized perspective. In the film the people are depicted as somehow fanatical and indeed they are justified bearing in mind the kind of life they were pushed to in the context of the colonial subordination. The intense scenes in Gandhi explores on the people’s common life infused with the religious fervor through the advocacy of Gandhi. The cinematic representation in the film of Gandhi is not about presenting the historical Gandhi but the presentation of the life changing circumstances that happened in India. The character of Gandhi does not dwell in his early or private life but dramatizes the public persona that ultimately inspired the Indian people with his realistic and spiritual philosophies. The camera shots are edited to only bring the speeches, notable occasions, and homilies of Gandhi as a leader that helped the masses result to the non-violence protests without giving up even when they were imprisoned for agitating for their freedom and independence. The scenes well packaging depicts Attenborough’s cinematic exploits and the film win an awards for the best pictures. However, the film implies there are moments of Gandhi’s development in politics but does not delve deep in showing them. From the scenes of mass actions, the audience cannot fail to notice the contribution raising the social conscientization, which is imperative for the belief in emancipation. Although the film does not dramatize the transformation experience turning the historical moments in the film as just purely aesthetic, there scenes in the film that treat Indian culture and Gandhi as iconic figure. The low angle and the close-up shots magnifies Gandhi as inspirational leader while the long panning shots help show the masses united against the aggression of the British rule. The mise-en-scene further eclipses the fine details of this biographical film leading to emplotment and characterization in the film. The sounds tracks employed further contextualize film in the Indian culture as well as espousing the euphoria in the social struggle. In conclusion, film Gandhi directed by Attenborough was successful in the biographical genre in which Attenborough’s wit and intellect in depicting Mahatma Gandhi and his leadership role in the non-violent agitation of independence from the British rule. The film is a manifestation of honoring the unique resistance lead by iconic Mahatma Gandhi.

Elections and Media Essay Example for Free

Elections and Media Essay The most influential part of American society is the media. Because of it, people have been witness to numerous historical events such as inaugurations, assassinations, and acts of terrorism. We would not have been informed if it had not been for the excessive coverage from the television; however, at the same time, the television has been a continuous barrier within the political world because it emphasizes materialistic items and meaningless ideas rather than the important tasks at hand that can affect an entire nation. The media has an arguable hold on the politics of this nation. As told in Source C, by Menand, many attribute Kennedys victory in the close election of 1960 to the presentation he made in two televised debates in the final months of his campaign; however, the people who listened to the debates on the radio, and did not see televised images, believed it was a draw between Nixon and Kennedy. The majority who watched the debates on the television thought that Kennedy had a crisper image than the badly postured Nixon. This evidence supports the fact that the television makes the voters focus on the image of the candidate rather than ideals and their intellectual responses to the questions at hand. In the 1960 election, the television had won the nation away from sound to images. It is not fair to other candidates because the other candidates could be better off running the country than a person who was won over by materialistic views. Television may make a candidate appear one way, but when they are in office they become two-faced, thus promoting the fact that more and more candidates are pursuing images more than issues. An example of this can bee seen in Source B, by Hart and Triece, where it states that Bill Clinton showed his boxers on MTV because he believed that was what the audience was looking for in order to support him as president. The media, mainly television, has the ability to control the way a nation can think as well as the way a nation can vote. Television is like any other form of entertainment. It has the job of telling the citizens what they want to hear, rather than being honest and telling the truth. That is why there is not one single news broadcasting station that will voice both liberal and conservative views. As told by Ted Koppel in Source F, networks influence the nation by cropping and pulling out the best parts of events in the presidential election that make their political party stand out from the rest. This is a reason why so many elections are full of slandering because each broadcast network tries to dig up information from the past or present to use against a candidate. For instance, during George Bushs election in 2000, the press dug up information about his daughters at college and their partying ways. This was a way to try and sabotage his chances of presidency, and it almost worked. The nation started to view him as an unworthy candidate, but that information had no relevance on his ability to be president. Fortunately it did not affect Bush winning the election, although it is still being seen today. The media continuously shoots down the major issues at hand and puts the focus on non-important ideas. Television has a way of being intimate with people and making them feel like they are getting valuable information, but what they do not know is that they are not getting the facts and information from direct sources, furthering the question of who can the American people trust to get accurate information. The inaccurate information can be the deciding factor between who a new voter will vote for, which in return can affect the outcome of an election or presidential term. A prime example of this can be seen in Source E, by Ranney. In this article, it states that President Lyndon Johnson was supporting the fact that the war in Vietnam could and would be won. At that time the nation believed him; however, when the news network took it upon them to see if Johnson was true to his word, they came back with the reciprocal of what Johnson stated. CBS news network reported that Vietnam was a bloody scene and there was no military victory in the future. Can you guess who the public believed? Of course the media! Basically in a single second, all of the citizens contradicted their previous beliefs, based by Johnson, and supported the facts brought in by CBS. This further upholds the idea that television and other forms of entertainment have stolen the idea of self thought and independent opinions. It somewhat contradicts freedom of speech and belief because what we are hearing is what the media itself picked out, rather than our own intelligence. Unfortunately due to this hold the television has over us, Johnson was overwhelmingly fought against, and he decided to end the army and navy bombardment in Vietnam, as well as not run for another term. The media had beaten him, and there was no way to stop it. In conclusion, all sources of entertainment, such as television, have altered the ways Americans think and view politics. The television has a power over the people by showing the bad sides of each candidate in an election rather than what good they have done for our society. By focusing on the negativity and worthless aspects of politics, television can be considered a prominent problem against politics in the United States. Once the nation wants to decide to support self-opinions, there will never be a presidential election or event that will not be decided by television.

The Process Of Learning A Musical Instrument Education Essay

The Process Of Learning A Musical Instrument Education Essay The process of learning a musical instrument has changed a lot in the recent years, and it is all thanks to the Internet. Before websites with sufficient information on how to learn have first come to picture, young adepts of the guitar arts could only count on themselves. Finding and learning their favorite song was not just a few clicks away, and using such music software as Guitar Pro was not quite an option as it simply did not exist. The main challenge was to learn the found song using only their hearing and then transcribe it. This learning process involved good aural and transcribing skills and could only be developed by transcribing new songs. At that time books were invaluable source of knowledge. Things look way different now. There are thousands of websites with a variety of materials. But which way of learning would be more beneficial to the learner? This paper will try to examine how the various ways of learning have evolved in the past couple decades and how much influence on them has Internet, and the sources it provides, had. Here are a few examples just to illustrate advantages and disadvantages of the Internet in the learning process: there are a lot of helpful resources such as DVDs, music software, backing tracks, aural tests but on the other hand the vast accessibility poses the danger of treating the Internet as a primary source of knowledge whereas its content can sometimes be misleading because a lot of online tutors lack formal teaching qualifications. Finding information doesnt require any effort and limits the learner to thoughtless consumption of unnecessary data, additionally theres no place for research which is always crucial in the learning process. The Internet also lacks the aspect of an interaction with other musicians which is vital when it comes to developing ones musicality. There are a lot more arguments for and against the Internet as a teaching resource. In my dissertation I will test and analyze these two different learning processes in order to establish how they have evolved si nce the times when Internet teaching resources didnt exist on such a vast scale up until now. INTRODUCTION In this paper, I will discuss and assess how the guitar learning process has evolved over the past 30 years. I will present, analyse and compare two different approaches to learning guitar. For the purpose of this study, the first approach will be referred to as traditional and the second one will be known as modern, e-learning or online learning. It is crucial to understand the difference between the two. The traditional approach to learning guitar mainly dominated in the pre-Internet era of 70s and 80s, when teaching resources were very limited. However, in no way did the restricted availability of teaching materials affect students willingness to explore and learn the new instrument. It was just the specific approach towards knowledge attainment that was very different to the one that we know and are used to nowadays. Therefore my main focus will be on researching the pre-Internet times, which I refer to as the classic rock era, in order to examine and assess the guitar learning methods of that period. The modern approach to learning guitar has first come to the picture with the arrival of the Internet. The Internet revolutionised and reshaped the whole guitar learning model. Unlimited teaching resources (online lessons, videos, instructional DVDs, YouTube, digital sheet music) are just a few clicks away. Students are no longer required to leave their bedrooms to be able to attain musical knowledge. With the vast availability of technologically advanced software and equipment everyone can effortlessly learn an instrument. But is the previous sentence entirely true? Is it possible to learn an instrument and develop ones musicality without interacting with other musicians? Again, I will research the area of the e-learning process in order to determine and assess what effects, if any, it has on modern musicians and to be able to answer the above questions. To briefly summarise, there are two major problems my dissertation will address: The differences between the modern instrument learning process and the one of the classic rock era; By contrasting the two above processes I will decide which one is more beneficial to the learner; Some of the research questions this paper will examine and answer are: How important is it to learn an instrument and develop ones skills and musicality by interacting and playing with other musicians (the traditional approach)? Is the solitary way of attaining knowledge with the help of modern technology and the Internet more supportive in the learning process? Does the social aspect of group learning associated with the traditional approach play an important role in the guitar learning process? To answer these questions I will conduct a sociological analysis of this matter using available books on the importance of team work in the learning process and other necessary sources. This analysis will allow me to understand how the two contrary learning methods work under various social circumstances and will help me to determine which of the studied methods is more valuable to the music student. Furthermore I will conduct a range of adequately structured and in-depth interviews with current tutors who were either educated back in the 70s or in the modern Internet era. It will shed some light on the issues I am concerned with and will help to determine the usefulness of the two tested learning methods. Some exemplary questions I might ask are: Was the lack of teaching resources a discouraging or motivating factor in the guitar learning process?, What kind of research methods did you use to obtain the essential information required for the learning? Additionally I will write a short questionnaire for the current music students, which will be inclusive of simple but interesting questions that will attract the respondents attention. The aim of this survey will be to assess young learners views on the usefulness of the Internet as a teaching tool and to determine how the online learning translates into students ability to function in the real music world. In order to illustrate the aims and objectives of my dissertation, I will answer a few simple questions: Who will benefit from my investigation? My main aim is to determine, by analysing and comparing two well-known instrument learning approaches from two different time periods, how the beginning guitar players can get the most out of guitar lessons. In what sense will they benefit? Firstly I will combine the final dissertation outcomes together, then I will apply these findings to some problems and issues the new student faces while learning an instrument. As a conclusion, I will try to work out the best approach to learning guitar by evaluating the results of my research. In what sense will my contribution add to what is already known? To address the main dissertation question (which of the two learning methods is more beneficial?), I will conduct research that is primarily based on interviews and questionnaires. After collecting and analysing all necessary data, I will compare the significance of my findings against the already existing data and establish how my study can contribute to what is already known. What are the constraints or limitations of the study? The major limitation is the fact that it is nearly impossible to find academic books with sufficient information about guitar learning methods back in the classic rock era, therefore primary data will be collected from interviews with tutors of the 70s. The following paragraph will briefly describe the content of this dissertation: The first chapter will consist of a review of what is already known and of the main problems and issues. It will cover past research and studies from relevant books and magazines. It will also summarise what other researchers have written and published around the topic of my study. Critical judgment will be used here to present my opinions on relevant issues. The second chapter will describe and evaluate methods and techniques of research used for the purpose of this paper. As mentioned before, it will mainly consist of interviews and questionnaires. The reason for using such methods will also be justified in this section. In the third section, a comparative study of two contrary guitar learning processes along with the data obtained in the previous section will be presented. Arguments and counter-arguments will also be contrasted in this chapter. In the fourth section, dissertation findings will be interpreted. The difference between my findings and those of other people will also be presented. The last chapter will consist of a summary of main findings and conclusions. Bibliography will be included. CHAPTER 1 Traditional approach vs. modern approach Traditional approach The first chapter will consist of a review of what is already known and of the main problems and issues. It will cover past research and studies from relevant books and magazines. It will also summarise what other researchers have written and published around the topic of my study. Critical judgment will be used here to present my opinions on relevant issues. There are numerous publications available on the Internet that describe advantages and disadvantages of online and traditional learning, however, its not yet been proved which of the above-mentioned learning methods is more efficient. Although there arent enough findings that would determine superiority, equivalence or non-inferiority of one approach to another, one can argue that the modern approach is not a replacement for the traditional learning process. Undoubtedly, there are countless benefits associated with e-learning; however, there are a few aspects of it that seem to be problematic when put side by side with the traditional learning. What the modern guitar learning process certainly lacks is the ability to facilitate group interactions which are the crucial part of music education. It might be possible, with other branches of knowledge, to eliminate the interactive part of learning but when it comes to music, its highly unlikely for a music student to perform well when the collaborative factor is omitted. It is commonly known that students tend to attain knowledge most effectively when they are given the opportunity to interact with other students. Such interactions among students also help to develop strong group problem solving skills. For that reason, the importance of meeting students learning peers, exchanging ideas and sharing common musical experiences can never be underestimated. In an early stage of musical education, it is always advisable to provide young students with proper guidance from tutors. Carrying out the initial study through the face-to-face approach allows creating more controlled environment for children to be taught in. Of course, it should not be assumed that the more controlled environment and guidance are not achievable through the process of online learning, but the fact, that there is very little control, which a teacher wields on a student, might suggest the superiority of the traditional learning over e-learning. Teachers guidance is there to help students explore their limitations and objectives and also increase their motivation and provide opportunities for students to share their personal learning goals and objectives. While discussing the two tested learning methods, there is another important issue that needs to be taken into consideration. In order to fully engage in any form of Internet-based learning activity, a student must absolutely have a very high motivation. Its mainly due to the fact that the link between a student and a teacher is missing in this type of learning environment. This problem does not seem to occur with the traditional learning process, where a tutors main responsibility is to encourage and reinforce effective study habits of students. Another important aspect of the face-to-face mode, rarely achievable with other learning modes, is the students ability to recognise their strengths and limitations and understand their learning goals and objectives. A further problem, the learner faces while utilising the Internet for educational purposes, is the overwhelming amount of information and knowledge available online in an instant. Accessibility of all imaginable knowledge should predominantly be regarded as an improvement but there are also some evident disadvantages associated with it. For young music students, such vast amount of knowledge and data is simply unmanageable. Indisputably, learners taking first steps in music education need to have well-developed analytical, organisational and learning resources skills in order to be able to filter through and select the right resources for learning. Obviously, the child learning an instrument is not expected to possess such complex skills, so this is why the personal guidance from a tutor or learning peers cannot be substituted with the Internet. Modern approach It is without a doubt that the overall interest in online education has grown tremendously in recent years. However, the question that needs to be asked here is how effective online learning is compared to traditional learning. There are not many findings that could unambiguously answer this question but a very recent study, published in 2009, suggests that online learners perform slightly better than students in traditional face-to-face classrooms (Church 2009). This study was conducted by SRI International for the US Department of Education. It analysed research that compared online and conventional learning at institutions of higher education between 1996 and 2008 (Means 2009). The key finding of this study, as interpreted and presented by Jodi Church (2009) in an article entitled Is online education more effective than traditional learning?, shows that students doing partial or all course work online rank, on average, in the 59th percentile, meaning better than 59% of all those who were scored; whereas students in traditional classrooms ranked in the 50th percentile. While analysing these findings, it can be rightly assumed that traditional learning is not necessarily the best way of maintaining a learning process. For that reason, e-learning models are regarded as good educational models that constantly evolve and improve, offering music students better tools and opportunities to achieve their educational goals. But how can we define a good educational model? A good educational model must be able to provide the student with satisfactory learning environment, in which they are able to think by themselves, to be creative and original, to solve problems and to interact with their surroundings in a collaborative way. With its flexibility, accessibility and convenience; e-learning seems to be the perfect way to develop these objectives (Rashty 2001). Referring to past studies on online learning David Rashty (2001) points out that students have expressed higher satisfaction from the computer-mediated learning, and rated the learning as more effective than in the traditional framework. A further analysis of the modern approach reveals a number of characteristic features of this model, which are superior to traditional learning. These are listed below: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Active learning and its main advantages (Rashty 2001): It requires the learner to be intensely involved in the learning process, which is due to the use of a computer and a physical involvement in gathering and sending information; It requires the learner to be socially and cognitively involved in the learning process, as a direct result of the need to discuss with and respond to other online learners; It enhances and magnifies the attainment of knowledge and requires the learner to be able to organise and analyse the information; It is not time-restricted, so it allows the learner enough time for developing complex concepts and digesting the information; It allows the learner to control the learning process; It allows receiving and processing information at convenient times; It requires learners responsibility and initiative in advancing in the learning process and forwarding knowledge; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Creative thinking as an important element of online learning (Rashty 2001): Online learning (OL) improves the learners ability to seek out gaps in information, to propose, examine and improve ideas and to discuss the results; OL enhances learners creativity by encouraging him/her to take risks and to commit to tasks; OL supports learners curiosity and openness to new ideas; OL enables the learner to freely express himself/herself in an environment that is free from many psychological inhabitations existing in the traditional classroom; OL enhances the learners creative thinking processes by utilising the Internets developing technology and its tools for the purpose of gaining and processing information; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Creative thinking (Rashty 2001): There are various techniques, which have been put to use in learning through the Web which encourage the development of critical thinking. Critical thinking was intended to enable a choice of information, the ability to choose among several solutions, the ability to assess the force of a given argument, and the ability to reach decisions. The critical thinking grows stronger also following use of graphics and hypertext, which refine the hierarchy and logical structure of the concepts on the Web. The process required from the student when searching for information on the Web, which includes defining the query, carrying out the search operation, examining the results and sifting and pinpointing the question, also refines the students critical thinking. Any other operation by which the student identifies main points, searches for cause and effect, finds patterns and relationships between data, creates a timetable, examines costs versus products all these are also actions which refine the students critical thinking. eLearning also includes advantages which are not found in traditional learning, such as: time for digesting the information and responding, enhanced communication among the learners, both as regards quality and as regards urgency, knowledge being acquired and transferred among the learners themselves, the ability to conduct an open discussion, where each learner gets more of an equal standing than in a face-to-face discussion, access to information and to discussion ability, responses may be made around the clock with no restrictions, a higher motivation and involvement in the process on the part of the learners. The very use of technology for learning has been found to have a positive effect on the students commitment to the learning process. Also, use of technology creates a greater commitment on the students part to learning. The following table summarizes several opinions regarding the comparison between traditional learning and eLearning: Traditional Learning eLearning Classroom Discussions The teacher usually talks more than the student The student talks at least as much as or more than the teacher Learning Process The learning is conducted with the whole class participating; there is almost no group or individual study Most of the learning process takes place in groups or by the individual student. Subject Matter The teacher conducts the lesson according to the study program and the existing curriculum The student participates in determining the subject matter; the studying is based on various sources of information, including web data banks and net-experts located by the student. Emphases in the Learning Process The students learn what and not how; the students and the teachers are busy completing the required subject matter quota; the students are not involved in inquiry-based education and in solving problems, but rather in tasks set by the teacher. The students learn how and less what; the learning includes research study which combines searching for and collecting information from web data banks and authorities on the communications network; the learning is better connected to the real world, the subject matter is richer and includes material in different formats. Motivation The students motivation is low, and the subject matter is distant from them. The students motivation is high due to the involvement in matters that are closer to them and to the use of technology. Teachers Role The teacher is the authority The teacher directs the student to the information. Location of Learning The learning takes place within the classroom and the school The learning takes place with no fixed location Lesson Structure The teacher dictates the structure of the lesson and the division of time The structure of the lesson is affected by the group dynamics.

The Significance of D-Day :: essays research papers

D-Day Description Before I begin I must tell you of the start of World War II. August 1939, Hitler sends a secret telegram to Joseph Stalin, the Soviet leader. In the secret telegram Hitler writes that the tension between Germany and Poland is unbearable. Stalin replies to Hitler a few days later with his word that he will not interfere with their plans. Britain and France here about this and warns Hitler that if Germany invades Poland that they are prepared to go to war. On September, 1st Germany, using blitzkrieg tactics, invades Poland. The Poles, being very unprepared, suffer the ferocity of the Germany?s attack. Two days later Britain and France declare war against the Axis. This would be the beginning of WWII. In order to tell you about D-Day, I must tell of the events that led up to it. In 1942 the British were being pressured by leaders of the United Sates to commence a massive attack against Germany across the English Channel into occupying France by the spring of 1943. Hesitantly, ?Operation Roundup? was scheduled to commence in 1943 by the British. Soon after, the British realized that the massive cross-channel attack required an extremely more abundant amount of massive forces, ships, landing craft and supplies. This changed the course for British allied forces from France to an attack against the Germans in North Africa. This would be a victory on the allies? part in May 1943. This victory delayed the battle of D-Day by a year and affected it in another way as well. Even though the German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel had lost the battle in North Africa, people still regarded him as a hero. An invasion across the English Channel was well known by the Nazis. Therefore Rommel wa s tasked with ultimate responsibility for defending Northern France, Belgium and Holland against the allies. Rommel, with pride, willingly made improvements to defence and artillery stations such as casements along the coast and attempted to predict the Allies next move. Although the Allies invasion plans were well underway, they were unsure whether a cross-channel invasion would be possible in the spring of 1943. Under Sir Frederick E Morgan?s command a planning team was assembled to study the possibilities in March 1943. By this time the Americans were becoming more impatient. By June 1943, German U-boats had been largely destroyed by Allied anti-submarine sea and air and had withdrawn from the North Atlantic.

Media Critics Beavis and Butt-head :: essays research papers

According to Douglas Rushkoff’s in his article Hating What Sucks, Beavis and Butt-head are media critics, instructing viewers on how to criticize music videos. I believe the way Beavis and Butt-head go about their criticism and commentary is undermining our value system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In TV’s Anti-Families: Married . . . with Malaise, Josh Ozersky states â€Å"no one who watches TV is going to stop because they see TV criticized.† He goes on to say that we feel flattered by this criticism and continue watching television anyway. Beavis and Butt-head can be seen in the same light when they criticize music videos on MTV. â€Å"In doing so they again demonstrate for us how to watch TV in the nineties,† according to Rushkoff.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I can only interject that when we watch TV being criticized by these characters we feel a sort of power from the knowledge their criticism gives us. But is this the only thing keeping our eyes glued to the tube? Ozersky writes, â€Å"TV has never shown us TV; rather, it shows itself to us as a laughable, absurd, and harmless entity, much like the characters on its shows.† The criticism of TV doesn’t go far enough to keep us from watching it. We feel that TV is harmless and this is what keeps us going back for more.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beavis and Butt-head qualify as being dysfunctional. So is this the kind of show you would find many cultural values in? Rushkoff argues that the show â€Å"promotes viewer awareness by allowing us to witness area where the characters’ own detachment has been compromised.† He says this in reference to Beavis watching an Aerosmith music video and lighting up a cigarette when the Aerosmith singer does. In this instance the author suggests he fell for the manipulation of the media. By the same token, Rushkoff contradicts himself and his pro-Beavis argument. Perhaps it is just a red herring, but by showing that the media manipulates Beavis it isn’t a very good argument for watching TV, much less Beavis and Butt-head.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In all reality, people do watch Beavis and Butt-head and other anti-family television shows. The power we feel in the act of criticizing and the seemingly harmless antics of these shows gives us a reason to keep watching and criticizing TV despite the irony of it. Because we know TV characters have no power to change their situations in the TV world we feel we are above them and can watch TV with harmless effects.

Russian Revolution: was The Krondstat Naval Uprising A Spontaneous Ac :: essays research papers

History Revolutions - The Kronstadt Naval Uprising Word Count: 1997 On March 1, 1921, the sailors of the Kronstadt naval fortress rose up in an armed rebellion against Russia's totalitarian leadership, claiming that Bolshevik control of Russia had failed to achieve its promise of working class liberation, delivering only a 'new serfdom' and 'even greater enslavement of human beings'. The Kronstadt sailors, who had previously been regarded by Trotsky himself as the 'pride and glory' of the revolution, now held themselves in direct dissention with the state's communist rule. The rebels quickly adopted a self-drafted fifteen-point plan of political and social reforms that they vowed to fight by, aspiring to achieve a third and new 'toilers revolution'. At the time of the revolt, members of the Russian populace who sympathized with the Kronstadt sailors viewed them as revolutionaries 'fighting to restore the true soviet idea'. However, the Bolshevik government took the belief that the uprising was the result of a premeditated conspiracy on behalf of counter-revolutionary 'whiteguard agents,' and undertook extreme measures to propagate this view amongst the public. This was an issue that would later become a point of much contention between historians holding different theories over the causes of the event. This study shall seek to justify the view that the Kronstadt uprising was one of spontaneous revolt, brought on by discontent with the conditions experienced under the Bolshevik regime, and not the result of a precontrived outside 'White' influence. During the years preceding the Kronstadt rebellion, Russia was locked within a brutal period of civil war between the Bolshevik's 'red' army and the opposing scattered 'white' imperialist forces fighting for reinstatement of the old Tsarist rule. The war's great expense as a consequence of its need for resources was dealing a crushing blow to the already crippled Russian economy, and its constant skirmishes caused the disruption of transport around the nation. This, amongst other factors, prevented foodstuffs grown in rural areas from reaching the cities, causing widespread famine and mass exoduses from these areas. Petrograd, where the Kronstadt naval base was situated, suffered greatly during this period. Its remoteness from producing areas contributed to a dire food shortage and the departure over half its population, its numbers dropping from 2.5 million to just 750 000 between the years of 1917-20 due to workers emigrating to the countryside in search of food. One Soviet source likens the conditions of this time to 'fertile soil†¦for the intrigues of the counter-revolution'.

Ethical problems Essay

What is ethics?The most common way of defining â€Å"ethics†: they are norms for conduct that distinguish between or acceptable or unacceptable behavior. (http://www.apa.org/ethics/)Most people learn ethical norms at home, in school, in church, or in other social settings. Human rights: The basic rights and freedoms, to which all humans are entitled, often held to include the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equality before the law. I would like to talk to you about privacy and confidentiality. Privacy: the quality or condition of being secluded from the presence or view of others. (http://www.answers.com/topic ) Confidentiality: Containing information whose unauthorized disclosure could be injurious to either or both parties. Not all the ethical issues have clear answers; some hinge on researcher’s judgment and scruples. Need for respect. Privacy and confidentiality should be fairly self explanatory. We need to be sensible as medical practitioners and respect the need for the protection of personal privacy in data, and need to facilitate access to data for research purposes. Respect: The state of being regarded with honor or esteem. Respect has great importance in everyday life, as children we are taught (one hopes) to respect our parents, other people’s feelings and rights. Dramatic events of World War II. Respect for patients as individuals prior to, during and after the research is one of the key issues of dramatic and horrifying events of World War II and the Nuremberg military tribunals highlight the degrading and inhuman consequences of research without respect for the individual. History: When dignity was taken away from people. History has played a large factor in the way people are treated and respected in present day. One particular incident is the Nuremberg military tribunals which played a major part in how human research is viewed concerning peoples rights. This code was formed in 1947 and still plays a big roll in research today. (Genocide. First relating to the Holocaust. It was not listed as a crime in the Nuremberg court’s charter, but after pressure from Raphael Lempkin the scholar who had actually coined the term â€Å"genocide† prosecutors included it in indictments against some of the major Nazis on trial, and their closing remarks. http://iwpr.net/pdf/reporting_justice_p1_w.pdf ). This was one scenario that took away, the rights and dignity of human beings. Another example of history that has disrespected human kind, was UNIT 731, this was biological warfare research on humans by the Japanese army. It is events like these that have shaped how ethics have come about in today’s society. Making decisions that wouldn’t be damaging. How’s people’s respect and dignity protected today? What if during the course of research, an investigator notices that a person seems to have a learning disability or some other treatable condition? The decision to share this information with guardians or other services that could help shouldn’t be made lightly, since sharing information of uncertain validity may create damaging misconceptions about that person. On the other hand researchers need to know and inform participants of their legal responsibility to report abuse or neglect or any other illegal activity of which they become aware (Papalia, Olds, Feldman; Human Development p.56). Privacy questions are also raised when employers expand the depth of their searches, sometimes including psychological, polygraph and even medical record checks. The privacy of medical records is of growing concern. Our medical history contains extremely sensitive information, and access to it should therefore be limited. However insurance providers, researchers, have an interest in obtaining and using our information. Example from national nine news. There was a story on the news about how private our personal details can be? (http:/aca.ninemsn.com.au/article, Fri 07/07/06). Victorian MP Anna Bourke says there are numerous ways in which our personal information is traded. â€Å"There are cases of doctors giving out patient information to drug companies, private schools selling off old student lists, it goes on and on. Even Centerlink has been caught out passing on personal information. You don’t realize how often you give away your details†, she says. We all value our individual personal privacy, trouble is many other people put a price on it to making your personal affairs their business, information that you think is confidential now been bought and sold without your knowledge and without your consent. In one case, being investigated by the Privacy Commission, data was outsourced to and Indian Phone Company called Bricks and Click. Somehow that information ended up on the black market- the names, addresses, driver’s license numbers and even Medicare numbers of 1000 Australians. The challenge is to create policy or legislation that can balance the legitimate needs of health care and insurance providers with individual rights to privacy. The idea of privacy is ancient. The idea that medical records should be kept private is ancient, going back to Hippocratic Oath. The oath stated, â€Å"whatever, in connection with my professional practice or not in connection with it, I see or hear, in the life of men, which ought not to be spoken of abroad, I will not divulge, as reckoning that all such should be kept secret†. http://www.srcd.org/ethicalstandards.htmlThis idea has become one of the keystones of medical ethics; doctors should not reveal confidential information about their patients. However, there are certain times when it appropriate to share medical information. In today’s medical world, it is common for a person to have  multiple doctors, and to seek treatment from specialists. If medical records are not readily available to doctors, than the patient’s care ultimately suffers, as information about past treatments and conditions could be unavailable. Some questions remain though, how much information should an insurer be privy to? Should they be allowed to check and individual’s genetic record? Should they know if an individual has ever taken an HIV/AIDS test? How really available should our medical information be, and what steps should be taken to protect it? These important questions are currently unanswered. Questions:Why are there so many ethical disputes and issues in our society?How would you feel if your privacy was invaded and information spread around to people who we didn’t want to have that info?References:Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2002). Australia’s health 2002. Canberra: AIHW. Barnsteiner, J., & Prevost, S. (2002). How to implement evidence based practice. Reflections in Nursing Leadership, 28 (2), 18-21. Draper G, Turrell G, & Oldenburg B (2004). Health inequalities in Australia: Mortality. Health Inequalities Monitoring Series No 1. Canberra: Queensland University of Technology and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Hamric, A. B., Spross, J.A., Hanson, C.M., (2005) Advanced Practice Nursing. An Interactive Approach (3d ed.). Elsevier Saunders. Lynch, J. W. & Kaplan, G. (2000). Socioeconomic position. In Berkman, L.F. & Kawachi, I (Eds) Social epidemiology, (pp13-35) New York: Oxford University Press. Papalia, D.E., Wenkos Olds, S., Feldman, R., (2004) Human Development (9th ed.). Boston: McGraw Hill. Polit, D. F., Beck, C.T., & Hungler, B.P. (2001) Essentials of Nursing Research (5th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.