The Orchard and Nineteen Eighty-Four Essay Example

The Orchard and Nineteen Eighty-Four Essay The Orchard and Nineteen Eighty-Four both describe cultures that encourage us to see ourselves as others see us. Consider the political implications of seeing and being seen in Nineteen Eight-Four and The Orchard, focussing on one passage or scene from each book, and one relevant image or written text you collect from print media. The Orchard, Nineteen Eighty-Four and Dougs Story, all describe cultures that have both subservant characters as well as dominant ones; creating an unequal society. The political figures affect how the individuals see themselves; through many techniques including creating institutions, generating propaganda, having constant surveillance and interpellation of genders. I endeavour to examine each of these tools on their success to affect their victims and influence the society. Nineteen-Eighty Four is a dramatic novel which examines Orwells speculation of a possible future under a communist-dominated regime. It eliminates freewill there will be no thought, as we understand it now. Orthodoxy means not thinking-not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness.1 The political implications of seeing and being seen in 1984 is that due to constant surveillance and brainwashing, someones perception of reality can be altered, so that they truly believe they are living in utopian society, which is actually dystopic. Through habit and not knowing any better, individuals copy each other: as a satisfied conformist who does not have emotions except their love of Big Brother. We will write a custom essay sample on The Orchard and Nineteen Eighty-Four specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Orchard and Nineteen Eighty-Four specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Orchard and Nineteen Eighty-Four specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Nineteen-Eighty Four does describe a culture that encourages us to see ourselves as others see us This is Big Brothers powerful role as the watcher, that everyone one will match each other; as a modelled citizen representing Big Brothers ideology. Victims reflect what everyone else is doing eg yelling during Two Minutes Hate2; otherwise they are punished eg. the stretch exercises, when Winston is reprimanded by the instructor for not touching his toes properly, he is aware of being seen, so touches his toes3, showing that surveillance works from fear, as he does what he was told. During this he realises that he must remain inscrutable for a single flicker of his eyes will give him away this was called facecrime4. Winston believes his worst enemy was his nervous system, at any moment the tension inside you was liable to translate itself into some visible symptom.5 As Winston is a different individual. Winston final reformation pg. 310-311, shows the success of seeing and being seen as a method of controlling people. After torture and rehabilitation, Winston ultimately betrays himself and extinguishes all his dignity. We meet him at the Chestnut cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, where he is now a perfected robot Big Brother has cured. Winston sees himself as Big Brother wishes, he now has no individual identity; revealed in the simile his soul white as snow 6lacking its previous impurities and originality. Big Brother is symbolised as white and Winston is black, the last humanist7 or enemy of Big Brother black horde8, expressed in the extended metaphor of the chess game; in which Winston subconsciously cannot defeat the black, he keeps getting distracted could not settle down to the serious study of the chess problem9. This is because he is now brainwashed to believe in no chess game has black ever won.10 Evidently showing, that Winston is still subconsciously fighting the battle against Big Broth er. This is symbolic to the whole book of Winston struggle to be black. Propaganda is shown through vivid imagery on pg 310 Triumphant phrases complete demoralisationcontrol of whole of Africagreatest victory in human history victory, victory, victory, with all truths being pushed into victims minds. Revealing how political implications are used by Big Brother to manipulate its population. This was Winston previous political job at The Ministry of Truth to update files to get them to comply with Big Brothers beliefs Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.11 With the victory over the Eurasian army12; Winston expresses that he now feels healed13, he was now in a blissful dream14, a meaningless, dead and empty body of cells nothing mattered.15 In the last paragraph, Winston creates pathos through emotive words and repetition of O, where he expresses how foolish it was to resist. It had taken him forty years to see himself as a conformist needless misunderstanding. He should not have been so stubborn and self-willed as an exile of Big Brother16. Who can be symbolised as his father, it is not enough to obey Big Brother you must love him17, an allusion to the stereotypical role of the father: all-knowing, who teaches, protects, educates, p rovides, and punishes. This is also evidenced in The Chestnut Cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ with an allusion to the nursery-rhyme symbolising that Winston is now a child-like being with a lost soul as his priorities and beliefs were crushed into thin air. He is just another cog in the wheel of the machine which is Big Brother. The Orchard describes a patriarchal society, which encourages women to see themselves as others see them. Throughout history, many political movements18 have taken place over the mind/body split by Berger19. Including the Feminists, who argue that women have been made objects, designed to flatter men by advertising sex appeal20. They believe women are restricted to conform to this stereotypical image21. This is evidenced in old paintings where the dominant male is the creator who paints women only as the surveyed object. Although in The Orchard Artemisia Gentileschis self-portraits, went against these traditions; she became subject and object, process and image, the creator and the art itself22. Proving she believed she wasnt alive to be just an object of mens desire, but to be her true self without hegemonic discourses.

Kyoto Protocol essays

Kyoto Protocol essays There is a consensus among the scientific community that increases in greenhouse gas emissions will affect climate. Considerable uncertainty, however, exists with regard to the magnitude of the effect, its timing, and its regional pattern. In addition, there is great uncertainty about changes in climate variability and regional impacts (Ha-Duong et al.,). In order to understand the underlying principles of potential climatic change, we must discuss what the greenhouse effect is, the nature of the gases to be controlled, and the effects this will have on the climate, if the controls are implemented. We will also look at human activities that may contribute to increased atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases and their effects on climate change. Then, we will look at the impacts that global warming may have on Earths climate and consider possible immediate and long-term solutions. Finally, international cooperation for the control of greenhouse gas emissions will be addressed, wit h particular attention given to the most recent convention, the Kyoto Protocol. The greenhouse effect is the natural phenomenon that contributes to the Earths annual temperature having a global mean value of approximately 15C (Botkin et al., 1995). Without any greenhouse effect, the Earth would be 33C cooler than it is now (Minister of the Environment, 1994). The process involves incoming solar radiation from the sun that warms the Earth. Little of this solar radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere, as the greenhouse gases allow most sunlight to pass. The heated Earth emits longwave radiation back to the atmosphere, in which the greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapour, are absorbed. These gases act like a blanket for the Earth, trapping more heat than light (Botkin et al., 1995). Does this mean that the measurably increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere over the last century will cause...

Dissertation-Methodology Part Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Dissertation-Methodology Part - Essay Example Data collection methods and tools utilized for analysis are also discussed. With the positivistic paradigm, the emphasis is on using measurement to find out the relationships between facts and causes of the phenomenon. This is â€Å"an essential element of the research process under this paradigm† (Collis & Hussey, 2003, p. 57). This approach is useful when there is a need to conduct statistical analysis (Collis & Hussey, 2003, p. 56). A positivistic approach will be used and the researcher will be independent, will not be influenced by the subject of research, and will take â€Å"the role of an objective analyst† (Saunders & Lewis & Thornhill, 2000, p. 85). The major reason for this method as a choice for the study is because, quantitative researchers focus on the measurement and analysis of facts and causes. According to Denzin & Lincoln (cited in Silverman 2005), â€Å"qualitative investigators think they can get closer to the actor’s perspective through detailed interviewing and observation† (p. 10). With qualitative researchers, the emphasis is on the close relationship between the subject of research and the researcher where the value is in the social reality and the meaning of the social event or phenomenon. The qualitative approach relies on the quality and depth of data and does not focus on the â€Å"measured (if measured at all) in terms of quantity, amount, intensity, or frequency † (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000, p. 8). In addition, as Waters (2001) explains, the quantitative approach is based on â€Å"simplified representations of reality where real features are depicted by symbols† (p. 8). The main benefits of choosing a quantitative approach to this research are as discussed below. Firstly, this method allows stating of the research problem in very specific and clear terms. Also there is a clear possibility to follow the original research objectives that have been set down and to arrive at more conclusive conclusions. Also this

Water Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Water Crisis - Essay Example o global warming have caused major changes in precipitation globally which has affected the average amount of rainfall in several countries (National Resources Defense Council, 2010). All the above factors are collectively responsible for water constraints across the world. The natural water resources are being constantly depleted due to a combination of several factors such as increased demand, climatic changes and pollution. Rivers and aquifers which are a major source of clean water are being drained constantly. There is increasing withdrawal of water from groundwater, lakes, streams and manmade structures such as dams and water released from other reservoirs. With the annual population growth at 80 million people a year and projection figures indicating an addition of 3 billion people to the world population by the year 2050, the demand for clean and fresh water will see a manifold increase. Reports suggest that a majority of the population growth will occur in developing regions which are already facing water shortage. In addition, advances in science and technology have increased the use of renewable energy resources worldwide. There has been a huge increase in the generation of electricity from hydroelectric power. Other new innovations such as generation of nuclear energy and use fossil fuels for energy purposes have also affected water quantity and quality (The United Nations World Water Report, n.d). Apart from energy production water is also being used for agriculture which utilizes nearly 70% of freshwater withdrawals. The increase in world population has raised the demand for food. Subsequent rise in agricultural practices are using copious quantities of freshwater for growing crops and maintaining plants and trees (The United Nations World Water Report, n.d). Another reason which has posed serious constraints on water supply is the changes observed by scientists in the precipitation rates. This is likely to have a major negative impact on the amount

Conscientious Objection Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Conscientious Objection - Research Paper Example he patient in this case is not guilty in any way, but since the doctor who has attended to him/her performs abortions, then Rogers will not attend to him. The other issue is the fact that he is the only pharmacists available at the hospital and thus patients may be stranded. According to the state’s law, Rogers has all rights to act according to his religious, moral and ethical convictions as this does not call for civil, criminal and disciplinary action (Grady, 2006). The hospital cannot therefore fire him. It is the legal right of every patient to be attended to considering in a community hospital (Morrison & Monagle, 2009). It also may be that the patient is in pain and really needs the medication, but because of the religion conviction of Rodgers, he she cannot get the medication. In my view, any decision should be to the advantage of the patient. I would advise the hospitals management to get another pharmacist to work alongside Rodgers. This is because Rodgers has the right not to remit his services to patients coming from doctors who do abortion due to his religious conviction. It is therefore best to get a partner pharmacist in order to serve the interests of the patients and at the same time keep Rogers as they can’t fire

Analysis of Reasons for Banning Nuclear Power

Analysis of Reasons for Banning Nuclear Power Nuclear Power Should Be Stopped In Japan Electricity is necessary for life. Most items need electricity. There are many kinds of natural resources, such as oil, coal, and fossil fuels in the world. However, there is a limit on consuming these resources. Electricity also can be produced by many methods, such as thermal power, wind power, solar power, geothermal electric power, and hydroelectric power. Each country uses different methods to get electricity. Some countries focus on cost. Other countries focus on carbon emission or damage to humans when accidents happen. In Japan, many methods are being used. There are seventeen nuclear power plants and these are helpful to generate electricity because nuclear power can produce huge amounts of electricity at once. However, nuclear power also has disadvantages. When the Tohoku earthquake occurred on March 11 2011, Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan was broken. Thus, people who live in Japan had a limit of spending electricity. Nuclear power plants should be stopped i n Japan because it creates the possibility of radioactive accidents, gives humans cancer, and pollutes air, soil, and water. The main reason for nuclear power plants to be banned in Japan is that nuclear power creates the possibility of radioactive accidents. On March 11 2011, the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami happened. Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan was broken by this earthquake. Even workers who work at the Tokyo Electric Power Company could not control nuclear power plants at that time. This accident was managed by Nuclear Regulatory Commission. They wrote a document which listed the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant as one of the most trouble-prone nuclear facilities in Japan. (Wang and Chen 2611) This shows that nuclear power plants create the possibility of radioactive accidents, and gives people fear. Therefore, this is terrible to use for electricity. Even now, many people who live around Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant cannot go back to their town. There are more than 90,000 residents, who were evacuated from areas surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. (Cuttler 1) â€Å"The total amount of released radionuclides has been estimated to be 520 PBq (excluding noble gases); for releases of 137Cs, estimations are about 12 PBq, which is about 15% of that released at Chernobyl.† (Higaki et al. 1) Radionuclides which were released from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant were spread out from Fukushima to Kanto area. Air, soil, and water were polluted directly. Although 15% of that released at Chernobyl, radioactivity which was released by nuclear power plants was higher percentage than average. â€Å"Availability of cooling water has been one of the major issues in the selection of nuclear power plant sites.†(Zhao et al. 41) When a radioactive accident happened in Japan, sea water was used for coolin g down.[1] The water which was used for cooling down was contaminated and leaked. As a result, vegetables, fish, and livestock were polluted indirectly by contaminated soil and water. This shows that radioactivity can spread out quickly. â€Å"After the Fukushima nuclear accident from the 17th March 2011 to the 31st March 2012 the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare set a provisional regulatory value of 500 Bq/kg (fresh weight basis) for radiocesium (134Cs and 137Cs) in vegetables and crops.†(Higaki et al. 1) Prefectural government and the Ministry of Health, Labour and welfare serveied food safety and reported. â€Å"Products including spinach, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, tea, milk, plumes, and fish have been found to be contaminated with cesium and iodine as far as 360 km from Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.† (Zheng, Tagami, and Uchida. 1-2) However, food which is made in near Fukushima and did not find radioactivity was criticized. For example, the north pa rt of Japan is a great place to grow rice, yet rice was not bought because rice might be contaminated. Thus, this accident gave farmers who live in the north part of Japan economic damage. Possibly, if people eat food which contains radioactivity, they are exposed to radiation. Likewise, humans were contaminated. Many people were killed by not only an earthquake but also radiation exposure. Humans absorbed radioactivity both directly and indirectly from air, soil, and food. Radioactivity causes cancer, such as leukemia. On August 6 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima. This bomb also gave humans radiation exposure. This tragedy happened 70 years ago. Nonetheless, many people who experienced this tragedy was dropped is suffering from radiation exposure. â€Å"When most or all of the human body is exposed to a single dose of more than 1 Gy of radiation, acute radiation sickness can occur† (Christodouleas et al. 2337) This means that even a small amount of radioactivity can give humans radiation sickness. Clinicians have been interested in x-ray exposure during pregnancy since the 1950s, and they reported an approximately 40% increase in the risk forms of radiation, for instance CT scan, fluoroscopy, or mammography. (Smits and Dolores 441) Radi oactivity is used for diagnosis at hospitals. The radioactivity which is used at hospitals should be safe. Nevertheless, even at hospitals, radioactivity can be dangerous. If pregnant mothers are examined by CT scans, fluoroscopy, or mammography, unborn babies may get trouble. For these reasons, radioactivity is dangerous and harmful for health. On the other hand, some people prefer to use nuclear power plants because they are ecofriendly. â€Å"World Nuclear Association and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), contend that nuclear power is a sustainable energy source that reduces carbon emissions.† (Bhasin and Aparna 1) Thermal power plants release carbon dioxide instead of radioactivity. This mean nuclear power plants can help to prevent global warming. â€Å"Energy installations, especially thermal power plants that use coal as a fuel, can influence the environment, sometimes leading even to ecological balance damage within areas where they are located, so that the energy field be considered as the main pollution source.† (Costel 1) If carbon emissions are focused, nuclear power plants are better than thermal power plants. â€Å"A large number of studies have illustrated the public concern about the adverse effects of mobile phone radiation and possible health hazards.† (Marica, Luinica and Lumi nita 561) Not only nuclear power plants, but also some electricity, such as cell phones release radioactivity. â€Å"Human populations have always been exposed to ionizing radiation from natural sources.† (Pehlivanglu and Kilincarslan 275) This means that there is radioactivity in the air already before why radiation accidents. In addition, radioactivity is used for medication, such as CT scans, and radiotherapy. Radioactivity causes cancer, whereas it is also effective to cure cancer. â€Å"The report, released by the UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) warns that the damage caused by stress and worry over radiation will likely cause much more damage than the radiation itself.†(ASIA 1) The Majority of people think that cancer risk was increased by radioactivity. However, some people think the reason cancer risks increased is not only radioactivity. People who live in Fukushima were under stress because people could not get exact information. When the earthquake happened, media, internet, phone services, and transportations were confusing. Cancer risk was increased by not only radioactivity, but also stress. Nuclear power plants can be hazardous weapons. â€Å"Fukushima is an eerie replay of the denial and controversy that began with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.† (Perrow 56) Japan is only one country that suffered an atomic bomb attack. Accordingly, Japanese people tend to already know how much radioactivity is dangerous. They also notice that they cannot control nuclear power plants if radioactive accidents were to happened. â€Å"The nuclear disaster in the Japan nuclear power plant Fukushima Daiichi has reminded the importance of proofed and reliable systems used in the active or passive mode for application in case of serious nuclear accident†. (Maar and 81) The radioactive accident that happened in Fukushima warned that nuclear power plants creates the possibility of radioactive accidents. Nuclear power plants can be ecofriendly because carbon emission is low. Nuclear power plants produced 13% of all electricity in the world in 2008. (Islam and Ahiduzzaman 26) In Japanese case, 30% of electricity was produced by nuclear power plants before happening the earthquake. (Wohns 5) Most electricity is being made by other ways in the world. However, Japan count on nuclear plants. Japan can get technology from other countries. Furthermore, Japan can use alternative energy. Alternative energy is energy generated in ways that do not deplete natural resources or harm the environment, especially by avoiding the use of fossil fuels and nuclear power. (Oxford d[2]ictionary) Examples of alternative energy are solar energy, biomass energy, wind energy, and geothermal energy. In Japan, solar energy has been becoming common. Solar panels are attached on each house roof. Solar power plants release 40 g/kWh and nuclear power plants release 30 g/kWh. (Murphy and David 522) These two amounts are lower than other power plants. One of benefits of solar power plants is that if electricity which is made by solar power plants so not use everything, the electricity can sale to power company in Japan. In my case, my house has solar panels on roof. The panels can produce electricity for whole my house. Moreover, a few of electricity can sale to power company, so my house does not buy electricity from power company. Solar power plants can replace with nuclear power plants. Some people said that cancer was caused by not only radioactivity but also stress. This opinion could be true. However, after leaking out radioactivity by accidents, such as Chernobyl, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Fukushima, cancer rate was increased. â€Å"In the Ukraine, children were born with deformities and developed cancer; today, most children there still[3] develop leukemia at an early age.† (Robertson 11) This result shows radioactivity gives humans huge impacts. It also shows children are exposed indirectly. â€Å"In pregnancy, the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) is problematic.† (Nijkeuter et al. 1857) This shows that radioactivity which is used at hospital is also can expose fetus indirectly. Aftereffects which are caused by radiotherapy are known. Although radiotherapy is effective for cancer, patients get damages, such as nausea or fallen hair. â€Å"People are always exposed to ionizing radiation, which could badly influence their health.† (Samadi , Bahman, and Nima 52) this means that radioactivity already exists in the air without radioactive accidents, but the radioactivity is not huge amounts. However, if radioactive accidents happen, radioactivity is leaked in the air. After leaking radioactivity, the amount of radioactivity should be more than the average amount which exits in the air. In conclusion, nuclear power plants can be dangerous when radioactive accidents happen because, air, soil, food, and water are contaminated by radioactivity directly and indirectly after accidents happen. Moreover, radioactivity can cause cancer. For these reason, nuclear power plants should be stopped in Japan. Works Cited ASIA. No Cancer Increase After Fukushima UN. TCE: The Chemical Engineer 876 (2014): 17. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 July 2014. Bhasin, Amit, and Aparna, Ahuja. Harnessing Nuclear Energy: Health Risks. Indian Journal Of Medical Specialities 2.1 (2011): 46-53. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 July 2014. Costel, Alic. Laurean, Marinel, Manea. Traian, Vasiu. Gheorghe, Dobrei. Environmental Impact Due To Use Of Coal In Mintia Thermal Power Plant. Revista Minelor / Mining Revue 19.1 (2013): 2-7. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 July 2014. Cuttler, Jerry M. Commentary On The Appropriate Radiation Level For Evacuations. Dose-Response 10.4 (2012): 473-479. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 July 2014. Higaki T, Higaki S, Hirota M, Hasezawa S. Radiocesium Distribution In Bamboo Shoots After The Fukushima Nuclear Accident. Plos ONE 9.5 (2014): 1-9. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 July 2014. John P. Christodouleas, M.D., M.P.H., Robert D. Forrest, C.H.P., Christopher G. Ainsley, Ph.D., Zelig Tochner, M.D., Stephen M. Hahn, M.D., and Eli Glatstein, M.D. Short-term and long term health risks of nuclear-power-plant accidents. New England journal of medicine 364.24 (2011): 2334-2341. Academic Search Complete. Web. 22 July 2014. Marica, Lucia, and Luminita Moraru. Study Regarding Electromagnetic Radiation Exposure Generated By Mobile Phone. AIP Conference Proceedings 1400.1 (2011): 560-564. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 July 2014. Maar, Tomas, and Jiri Martinec. Possibilities Of Vapour Condensation And Heat Accumulation Systems For Loca Accidents In Nuclear Power Plants. Annals Of The Faculty Of Engineering Hunedoara International Journal Of Engineering 12.2 (2014): 81-84. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 July 2014. Murphy, Patrick, and David J. Browne. Solar Energy: Competitive On Carbon Emissions?. Engineers Journal 62.9 (2008): 550-555. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 July 2014. Nijkeuter, M.,Grlrijns, J, De Roos , A, Meinders, E, and Huisman, M. Diagnosing Pulmonary Embolism In Pregnancy: Rationalizing Fetal Radiation Exposure In Radiological Procedures. Journal Of Thrombosis Haemostasis 2.10 (2004): 1857-1858. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 July 2014. Pehlivanogl, F., and S Kilincarslan. Determination Of Natural Radioactivity In Aggregates From Western Mediterranean Region. Acta Physica Polonica, A 125.2 (2014): 275-277. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 July 2014 Perrow, Charles. Nuclear Denial: From Hiroshima To Fukushima. Bulletin Of The Atomic Scientists 69.5 (2013): 56-67. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 July 2014. Robertson, Naomi. Harnessing The Power Of Radioactivity. Young Scientists Journal 4.9 (2011): 10-12. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 July 2014. Sadrul Islam, A. K. M., and M. Ahiduzzaman. Biomass Energy: Sustainable Solution For Greenhouse Gas Emission. AIP Conference Proceedings 1440.1 (2012): 23-32. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 July 2014. Samadi, Mohamad Taghi, Bahman GolzarKhojasteh, and Nima Rostampour. Indoor Natural Radiation Level In Hamadan Province, 2012. (English). Journal Of Mazandaran University Of Medical Sciences (JMUMS) 23.99 (2013): 52-59. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 July 2014. Smits, Ariel K., Heather L. Paladine, and Dolores Zegar Judkins. What Are The Risks To The Fetus Associated With Diagnostic Radiation Exposure During Pregnancy?. Journal Of Family Practice 55.5 (2006): 441-444. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 July 2014. Wang, Qiang, and Xi Chen. Regulatory Failures For Nuclear Safety – The Bad Example Of Japan – Implication For The Rest Of World. Renewable Sustainable Energy Reviews 16.5 (2012): 2610-2617. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 July 2014. Wohns, Anthony. Fukushimas Lessons For Boston: Debating The Future Of Nuclear Energy. Harvard International Review 35.3 (2014): 4-5. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 July 2014. Zhao, Haihua. Zhang, Hongbin, Sharpe, Phil, Hamanaka, Blaise, Yan, Wei., and Jeong, WoonSeong. Ice Thermal Storage Systems For Nuclear Power Plant Supplemental Cooling And Peak Power Shifting. Journal Of Energy Engineering 139.1 (2013): 41-47. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 July 2014. Zheng, Jian, Keiko Tagami, and Shigeo Uchida. Rapid Analysis Of U Isotopes In Vegetables Using ICP-MS: Application To The Emergency U Monitoring After The Nuclear Accident At TEPCOs Fukushima Dai-Ichi Power Station. Journal Of Radioanalytical Nuclear Chemistry 292.1 (2012): 171-175. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 July 2014. [1]incomplete sentence [2]capitalize [3]misspelling

Free College Essays - Sir Gawain and the Green Knight :: Sir Gawain Green Knight Essays

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight The poet begins his work by reminding us that the history of Britain is both ancient and glorious; Aeneas, whose deeds in the Trojan War are legendary, whose exploits in war are recorded in Virgil's Aeneid, and who is legendary for having founded the city of Rome after the Trojan War, was the ancestor of a man named Felix Brutus who founded Britain ("Britain" comes from "Brutus"). The most noble of the kings that followed Brutus was Arthur; the poet says that he intends to tell one of the wondrous tales of Arthur. One Christmas at Camelot, the king, his queen Guinevere, and the court gather for fifteen days of celebration. The best and noblest of people and activities are there: brave and famous men who compete in military games, beautiful and gracious ladies who play kissing games with the men. There is the most wonderful entertainment-dancing, feasting, singing. On New Year's Day, there is a tremendous feast at which all gather together. Arthur, young and impulsive, has a feast-day tradition, though, which has to be observed before the meal. He would not eat on such an occasion until he observed something marvelous: the telling of an amazing story, the fighting of a glorious battle, or the like. Arthur presides over the feast at the high table with Guinevere and Gawain and other famous knights as music plays and the food is brought in-so many delicacies and elaborate dishes that the poet says it would be impossible to describe them all. In the midst of the preparations for the feast, and as Arthur waits for a marvel to take place so that he can eat, a huge and terrible man bursts into the hall-a giant of a man, his chest and limbs are massive even while his proportions show him to be fit and attractive. The most shocking thing about him is that he was completely green. The poet spends most of the next three stanzas describing the Green Knight in detail; first, we learn of his clothing, trimmed in fur and embroidery, all green and gold. Then we learn that the horse he rides, the saddle, and the stirrups are all green. The man's long hair matches that of the horse, and he has a great, thick beard, also green.

Cultural History of Rap Essay

Public Enemy opens the track with â€Å"Cant Truss It† in a rap merge with Flavor Flav who shouts â€Å"Confusion† their voices paralleled over the heavy and energetic baselines. Even though the song speaks about slavery as rapped by Chuck D about the legacy of slavery, the opening rhymes could as well be used to describe the cultural history of rap music (Rose 272). While there is widespread perception that rap culture is nothing but a noisy and confusing genre of music that has crept into contemporary America’s culture, there are those who posit that rap is an educational tool, as a component of the hip hop culture it is a way of life, a representation of social activism and a music genre with deep social undertones that are drawn from its identifiable origins. Any discussion on the aesthetic edge of rap cannot be made unless a critical analysis is done of the sequential developments in rap music. Never even in its tutelage did rap gain the adoration of the larger populace. The obstacles it faced as it grew from its roots to achieve its present status are so many that it would be a great disservice to take a criticism leaning on the concept of aesthetic edge to disregard rap and pronounce it dead. Initially rap music was regarded as a passing fad that was nothing but a playful and ephemeral expression of black culture whose origins could be traced to the musical energies of the black urban teens. Wynston Marshalis dismissed hip hop as nothing but adolescent â€Å"ghetto minstresly† (Dyon xv). When it was realized that rap as a form of music was meant to stay longer than it had been expected, it received a novel christening that permanently fixed it as a form of music played by and for black ghetto youths. It is at this point that reactions against rap became transformed from dismissal to denigration and it was commonplace to hear attacks from both the white and black quarters. Trying to chart the origins or rap music as a form of cultural expression is very tricky because we are either forced to accept that the cultural foundation existed but only gained expression through rap or view rap as an independent cultural facet that spontaneously erupted without deep cultural roots from where it had existed way before it gained wide applause or derision. However, for the sake of charting the cultural history of rap and pinning it to what critics say about the music genre, it can be conclusively said that the first instance of rap could be traced to the revolutionary verse that was done by Gil Scott-Heron and the Last Poets. Pigmeat Markham followed next with â€Å"Here Come de Judge,† to Bessie Smith rapping along to the beats in her blues (Keyes 17; Forman & Neal 61). For the purposes of pinpointing the origins of rap, it is also prudent to cite that Rap existed in some ancient African oral traditions and consequently in contemporary African American cultural practices. Specifically, modern cultural history of rap begins in 1979, with Sugarhill Gang rapping in the song â€Å"Rapper’s Delight†. These early cases were mostly underground rap forms. Underground rap was viewed as the signal breaker and what followed next was the birth of hip hop and the beginning of the global popularity of rap music. Usually the first stage in production of rap music was the record production where the artist would place their rhythmic repetitive speech over known black music hits which were mostly R&B rhythms that were well known. This stage would later on transform with the help of advanced technical virtuosity through drum machines, instrumentation and the sampling of existing records so as to make rap a form of music that was creatively symbolic(Forman & Neal 61; Keyes 122). Despite all these changes rap was still limited to the inner city neighborhoods, especially in at its cradle; the New York City. Artists like Cold Rush Brothers, Africa Bambataa, Kurtis Blow, Busty Bee, Kool Moe Dee, Funky 4 plus 1, Grandmaster Mel and DJ Kool Herc, began actively experimenting with this new music genre as well as proclaiming its African roots (Keyes 17). Its development was thus marked by the description and analysis of the social, political and economic factors that stimulated its emergence and consequent developments. Such factors included police brutality, drug addiction, teen pregnancy coupled to a variety of cases of material deprivation. A notable case is Kurtis Blow’s lyrics in â€Å"Those are the Breaks†, and the â€Å"Message† a song merges between The Furious Five and Grandmaster Flash. These songs pictured the hues existent in the social misery as well as the stains that could be observed as profoundly reminiscent of urban catastrophe. A rendition of the â€Å"Message† was as follows; â€Å"You’ll grow up in the ghetto living second rate/ And your eyes will sing a song of deep hate/ The places you play and where you stay, / Looks like one great alleyway/ You’ll admire all the number book takers/ Thus, pimps, and pushers and the big money makers/ Drivin’ big cars, spending like a jungle sometimes/ It makes me wonder how I keep from goin’ under. † (Forman & Neal 62) This song together with Flash’s â€Å"New York, New York† became the pioneers of the social awakening that characterizes rap music in combination with musical creation, social protest and cultural expression (Forman & Neal 62). Kool Herc who was a Jamaican DJ in the Bronx is credited with revolutionizing the rhythms in rap. Herc had a unique style of deejaying where rhymes could be recited over instrumentals. In places where he was deejaying such as house parties, he would rap on the microphone while involving a variety of the in-house references. These duplicates of house parties where Herc was deejaying quickly diffused to Manhattan and Brooklyn and followers of rap music began to grow in number (Keyes 40; Adaso 1). Next stage of growth was the increment in financial fortunes from rappers. However, at the background there were still beliefs that rap was nothing but an epiphenomenol cultural activity that would with time wane off after the youth became bored or acquired a different diversion in life just like what had happened to graffiti art and break dancing. But the growth of groups such as the Run-DMC rap group entrenched rap as an independent sphere of an expression of art that increasingly took control of its destiny. Run-DMC became the progenitor of the modern form of rap that is basically a creative integration of diverse musical elements, social commentary and uncompromising cultural identification. This strong integration pushed rap into the mainstream of American culture as well as securing its future as a music genre that has a clearly identifiable tradition. The commercial and critical success that Run-DMC accomplished almost single handedly, pushed rap music into American homes by being certified gold, being featured on MTV as well as being the first rap album(Raising Hell in 1987) to go triple platinum(Keyes 67). Moreover, with the song â€Å"Proud to be Black† they intoned unabashed racial pride that was missing in those days of chronic racial discrimination. It can also be said that it was at this time in the cultural history that Run-DMC acting like a self proclaimed ambassador of rap music began to concentrate its characteristic subversive cultural didacticism to address issues of racism, classism, urban pain, and social neglect. In rap concerts, rappers engaged in ritualistic refusals to abide by the censoring of speech. The concert also acted as space for cultural resistance, loosening the strictures that Blacks were subjected to through demoralizing condemnation and tyrannizing surveillance. The latter actions by the hegemonies white ruling class only served to muffle cultural creativity and self expression. Based on these developments rap music became a strong social force fighting for their civil rights and liberties. Commercial success was instrumental in pushing rap music to the mainstream American culture on one hand but on the other, another charge was levied on rap music: that rap expressed and promoted violence. A notable personality, Tipper Gore has often retained his repeated stance that rap music only appeals to those kids who are angry, disillusioned and unloved. He posits that rap tells them that it is okay to engage in violence. To this day there is a popular perception that there exists an intimate linkage between rap music and the violence exhibited in the social arena especially by Latino and black inner city youth. However, much people may try to substantiate these claims, they are merely side shows and have nothing to do with the deep understanding of rap as a genre of music as well as a cultural and historical identity of the American people. There are countless numbers of rappers who have spoken against violence. On point is rapper KRS-One on his track titled, â€Å"Stop the Violence† in the top selling album of 1989, â€Å"Self Destruction†. In the track KRS-One raps that violence predates rap and is therefore not a characteristic of rap music. He urges a stop of black on black violence as it only erodes the social and communal fabric that had for decades debased inner cities where blacks resided across America (Forman & Neal 66). Despite the potency of the message that KRS-One put across, categorically negative images in against rap have persisted. In a nutshell, rap music is emblematic of the existence of glacial shifts in aesthetic sensibilities that have for decades progressed as blacks moved from one generation to the next with regard to the severity of economic barriers that have been at play in the movement from the ghetto life to middle or upper middle class blacks. Fortunately, these negative perceptions of rap have led to the development of a fierce competitive steak among rappers and hence their continual transcendence across boundaries to global markets. It is upon this developments that rap modeled the modern definition of hip hop which opines that it is a form of music comprised of emceeing and deejaying coupled with graffiti and break dancing. These are the four components of hip hop that catapulted it to its current big business nature. As this evolution progresses other components like clothing trend, lifestyle, slang and the general mindset are becoming more and more incorporated into the hip hop culture. In differentiating rap and hip hop it can be said that rap is a genre of music in the hip hop culture. Hip hop is a lifestyle complete with its own dress codes and lingo. To borrow the words of KRS-One, hip hop defines how you life while rap is definitive of what you (Adaso 1; Cheryl Keyes interview with KRS-One). Therefore, as a product of decades cross cultural integration with deep roots in the African culture, African oral tradition and consequently African American tradition, it is deeply weaved into the social fabric that pronouncing it dead based on the basis of aesthetic edge is simply parochial. First, it is prudent to understand the cultural developments of rap music because it is only in such an understanding that it becomes considerably plausible to attribute lack of aestheticity in its present forms. In context, rap music brings together so many complex social, economic, cultural and political issues. Its contradictory articulations are neither signs of losing the aesthetic edge nor signs of the absence of intellectual clarity. As stated in the beginning of this discourse, the obstacles that rap has survived to become what it is today are may and variable. Therefore, the contradictory articulations that are existent today are but common features of cultural dialogues that not unidirectional but multi directional in that they include the social, cultural and political contexts that define the everyday struggles over pleasure, resources and meanings in the environment where we live and interact(Rose 274). Rap music is a cultural expression that is a preserve of the black community since it prioritizes black voices living in the inner cities of urban America. It is highly rhythmic with a very strong storytelling component. The music is basically electronically based. These are some of the characteristic features of rap music. It is upon these tenets that rap music should be judged so as to form an opinion on its relevance. Rapping which is currently embedded on the powerful technological, industrial as well as ideological institutions usually involve the telling of long and sometimes abstract stories that are necessary in passing the information to the wider audience. Memorable phrases and rhymes that are themselves black sound bite packaged in an ever changing black slang. In essence, rap music wizards, all sounds, images, icons and ideas for recontextualization, mockery, pun and celebration. All these characteristics lie at the core of rap and are therefore definitive of it. In his book, Hip Hop Matters, Watkins, quotes David Samuels who asserts that â€Å"rap has forfeited whatever claim it may have has to particularly by acquiring a mainstream white audience whose taste increasingly determined the nature of the form. What whites wanted was not music, but black music, which as a result stopped really being either† (85). This statement confirms that rap has lost its aesthetic edge because owing to its origins that clearly defined the cultural difference between white and black music, such a divide was broken by rappers like Eminem who symbolized the first breakage of that division. The fact that Eminem rose to a celebrity status despite his white background also confirms that from the earlier days when rap was a preserve for only the black kids, rap has revolutionized and rewritten the racial and cultural history of America. This assertion can be counterbalanced by the fact that the existence and the inevitability of social change cannot be used as a reason to proclaim that rap has completely lost its aesthetic edge. Moreover, the American landscape has changed both socially, economically, politically and culturally. Days when white hegemonies and racial discrimination have gone by. There cannot be a greater explanation for the political changes than the mere fact that a Black president is occupying the white house. In introducing the book, Know What I Mean, by Dyson rapper JZ reiterates the socio-economic underpinnings that defined his life as he grew on the tough streets of Detroit. These conditions of life opened up his mind to the benefits of learning. He could have become a teacher at Baltimore to show the young kids the benefits of leaning just like Tupac had been shown that there existed a power in knowledge and understanding a people’s history (Dyson ix). He further points out that hip hop are not only Black American but American as well. It is correct in the context of cultural discourses to pinpoint forms of music that are termed as rap and are indeed not. Nas’ assertion that hip hop is dead is welcome as it denotes artistic vigilance. Moreover, Nas forms the caliber of rappers who have maintained the original style and content of rap music. As a rapper he has come into contact with a variety of musicians who are not driven by the basic nature of the rapper to use music as a form of activism against social ills. In his book, Dyson describes Nas as one of his generation who is not illiterate, destructive or materialistic, a man who read for passion, pleasure and intellectual stimulation (iv). At the core, rap music can never be called rap without an examination and acceptance of its true nature in the social fabric of America’s landscape. According to Nas, hip hop is dead is a title he used for his album because he felt that unlike in the historical past, people no longer have political voices. Speaking in an interview with MTV, he said, â€Å"When I say ‘hip-hop is dead’, basically America is dead. There is no political voice. Music is dead †¦ Our way of thinking is dead, our commerce is dead. Everything in this society has been done. It’s like a slingshot, where you throw the m- back and it starts losing speed and is about to fall down. That’s where we are as a country †¦ what I mean by ‘hip-hop is dead’ is we’re at a vulnerable state. If we don’t change, we gonna disappear like Rome. I think hip-hop could help rebuild America, once hip-hoppers own hip-hop †¦ We are our own politicians, our own government, we have something to say† (MTV. com) In another interview Nas said that he used the title as a way of engendering reaction from other artists which like he expected happened. Nas blamed the hip hop world especially those in the South for reducing the quality of rap with sub genres like snap music and crunk. Such productions were ideally an affront to Nas’ street credibility. It is aspect of street credibility that Keyes refers to as street consciousness. A critical analysis of the lyrical content as well as the social message in many of today’s rap hits confirms Nas’ assertion that hip hop is dead. The noble quest for social voice that had existed in the past has been replaced with a music genre that is solely driven towards material possession and the pleasures that accompany such acquisitions of wealth. In another interview he could not be more exact, he said that rappers were simply monkeying around and just scrambling for attention. As a counter attack to the notion that hip hop has lost its aesthetic edge, Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Lil Wayne and Kanye West scoffed at the assertions made by Nas. Specifically, Ludacris intoned that hip hop ain’t dead that it was indeed living in the South. Saying that it was the South keeping it alive, he added that hip hop is what you make it to be. Moreover, they believed that due to the booming South, saying that hip hop is dead does not make sense as the south would have been dead too(http://tbohiphop. net). According to Keyes, Rap music if a forum used by rappers to address economic and political disfranchisement of youths especially black youths, it fosters ethnic pride, displays cultural values and aesthetics. At the core rap is artists, the themes they portray and the variation of styles in the portrayal of these themes as a sure reflection of urban life and street consciousness values and aesthetics. Therefore as countries, cultures and cultural components change and socially restructure, there is going to be a continual transformation across cultures and not even rap music can escape such an onslaught. However, a dominant cultural force like rap genre can never be erased. There are core components that will forever define and differentiate rap music from other musical genres. Works Cited Dyson, E. Michael. Know What I Mean? Reflections on Hip Hop. Westview Press, 2007 Forman, M. & Neal, A. Mark. That’s the joint! the hip-hop studies reader. Routledge Press. 2004 Keyes, L. Cheryl. Rap Music and Street Consciousness. University of Illinois Press. 2004 Rose, Tricia. Voices from the Margins: Rap Music and Contemporary Cultural Production. In Popular Culture in American History. By Jim Cullen. Blackwell Publishing, 2001 Watkins, C. Samuel. Hip Hop Matters: Politics, Pop Culture, and the Struggle for the Soul of a Movement. Beacon Press, 2005 Websites Adaso, H. A Brief History of Hip-Hop and Rap. http://rap. about. com/od/rootsofraphiphop/p/RootsOfRap. htm Is Hip-Hop Dead? Luda, Big Boi Disagree With Nas. http://tbohiphop. net/is-hip-hop-dead-luda-big-boi-disagree-with-nas/18/ MTV. NAS Interview, â€Å"Hip-Hop Is Dead†. MTV. com

Research Paper Abstract on Child Abuse

Research Paper Abstract on Child Abuse Research Paper Abstract on Child Abuse Child abuse is defined as a non-accidental behavior by parents, caregivers, or any other adults that is outside the norms of conduct and can cause physical or emotional harm to a child or a young person (Bromfield, 2005). There are five main types of child abuse: physical abuse emotional maltreatment neglect sexual abuse the witnessing of family violence Physical abuse is defined as a non-accidental use of physical force that can cause harm to a child. This includes: shoving, hitting, slapping, shaking, throwing, punching, kicking biting, burning, strangling and poisoning (Bromfield, 2005). It doesnt matter whether an adult had an intend to cause a child harm or not, if an action lead to harm, it is regarded as abusive anyway. Physical abuse can also depend on the age of a child and the nature of the behavior: an action which can be regarded as dangerous and potentially harmful for a child of a certain age can also be regarded as physical abuse. Emotional abuse is defined as an inappropriate verbal or symbolic act towards a child that can lead to childs problems on a psychological level. There are five main kinds of psychological maltreatment: rejecting: the adult refuses to acknowledge the childs worth and the legitimacy of the childs needs; isolating: the adult cuts the child off from normal social experiences, prevents the child from forming friendships, and makes the child believe that he or she is alone in the world; terrorizing: the adult verbally assaults the child, creates a climate of fear, bullies and frightens the child, and makes the child believe that the world is capricious and hostile; ignoring: the adult deprives the child of essential stimulation and responsiveness, stifling emotional growth and intellectual development; corrupting: the adult mis-socializes the child, stimulates the child to engage in destructive antisocial behaviour, reinforces that deviance, and makes the child unfit for normal social experience (Garbarino et al. (1986) p. 8) Another kind of abuse is neglect. It means that either parents, or caregivers do not provide children with enough care as it is expected compared with the norms of society. It consequently can affect childs physical and psychological development. Types of neglect include: physical neglect: characterized by the care givers failure to provide basic physical necessities, such as safe, clean and adequate clothing, housing, food and health care; emotional (or psychological) neglect: characterized by a lack of caregiver warmth, nurturance, encouragement and support (note that emotional neglect is sometimes considered a form of emotional maltreatment); educational neglect: characterized by a care givers failure to provide appropriate educational opportunities for the child; and, environmental neglect: characterized by the care givers failure to ensure environmental safety, opportunities and resources (Dubowitz, Pitts, Black, 2004) Sexual abuse is defined as a use of a child in any sexual activity, with or without consent, and often without childs understanding. Sexual abuse can happen within a family between family members, with an adult with no familiar relation to a child, or an adult that is in a position of power and authority over the child. Witnessing of family violence is a kind of an abuse that happens when a child is present while a family member is subjected to any kind of violence. Some researches however tend to include this type of an abuse in an emotional type of an abuse. Bibliography Bromfield, L. M. (2005). Chronic child maltreatment in an Australian Statutory child protection sample (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Deakin University, Geelong. Dubowitz, H., Pitts, S. C., Black, M. M. (2004). Measurement of three major subtypes of child neglect. Child Maltreatment,9(4), 344-356. Garbarino, J., Guttmann, E., Seeley, J. W. (1986). The psychologically battered child: Strategies for identification, assessment, and intervention. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass Inc. How to Write a Research Paper Abstract on a Social Topic: A research paper abstract is a concise summary of your research project; therefore, you should include here major highlights of your work and pointers to what you will discuss further. It is important to describe specifically your work, not your topic in general. Another tip is to keep the language of your research paper abstract neutral. Since it is a social topic, it is possible to become emotionally attached to the topic throughout research, which can show in the language of the whole paper. That kind of tone in a research paper is inadvisable. Do you need a custom research paper about  Child Abuse or abstract? Contact our research paper service to order a 100% non-plagiarized paper of high quality.

What to Do When Asked to Give Away Your Work

What to Do When Asked to Give Away Your Work Received a little bit of feedback from last weeks post on the flip side of free, but not as much as I wouldve thought. Which tells me something . . . more people are giving it away than I thought. Twice this past weekend, I heard authors rant about how little they were making, and how their incomes had plummeted in the last few years. They were red-hot about their publishers being the culprits. While many publishers are known for inserting questionable, strangling, taking-advantage clauses in a contract, I do not hold them totally to blame. Thats too easy, and its not completely true. It is true that publishers will take advantage. Their job is to make money publishing, not be friends with authors. I dont care how much you might love your publisher, sooner or later, youll feel slighted. And theyll just keep on keeping on, not ruffled in the least. While its nice to have a great working relationship, dont make the mistake of seeing it as anything but that. The problem is that writers are accepting less and less for their work. So publishers and editors become more than happy to pay less. They lower the rates, and authors kneel and accept without negotiation. And new writers are coming in thinking thats the norm. Can you see the shifting paradigm? That goes for ebook sales, literary journals, writing for magazines, and royalties. Anyone who has started trying to publish in the last three years thinks today is the norm. And because they make nickels and dimes from sales, they treat it like the income it provides: a hob I want to go back to what FFW stands for: writers making money not writers accepting what they can get. Come on, people. Ask for more. These days you can indie publish, for goodness sake, if they dont pay you what you deserve. Readers do not understand any of this and dont care. They dont have to care, and they dont have to understand. I dont care about how much a worker makes who builds my car or stocks my grocery store. But still, readers think writers who publish are making gobs of money. We are not going to change that thought, so dont try. Our payment issue  is an internal issue, not the reading publics. I spoke to one author whose husband is a musician, where its as bad as or worse than writing. She suggests declining the offers to give away work. When someone asks for free books from you, thinking you get tons of them for free, decline and suggest a library or a bookstore that offers a loyalty discount. When an editor of a publication asks for your work for free or an embarrassing figure like 1/2 cents per word, remind them you must be compensated for your work because you practice a profession, not a hob Now . . . to the hob Writing for a hob I use this additional example when I speak to writers about earning a living: Ill be a whore to whoever will pay me for my work. I will not give it away for free. However, Id rather be a call girl than a street walker, and get paid more of what Im worth.

Legal Environment of Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Legal Environment of Business - Essay Example The court was of the opinion that the equal protection clause does not prohibit use of race in admission decisions to obtain education benefits from diversity. Barbara Grutter, a white Michigan resident, applied to the Law School in 1996 but was denied admission despite having the requisite scores, 3.8 GPA and 161 LSAT score. She filed suit against the Law School, which respondents racially discriminated against her in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. The district court held that the Law Schools racial considerations were unlawful because the interest in diversity was not compelling and, even if it were, the policy "had not narrowly tailored its use of race to further that interest." Also, the district court granted Grutters requests for relief. The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit vacated the injunction and reversed. The appellate court held that the "use of race was narrowly tailored because race was merely a potential plus factor" and the policy was consistent with Justice Powells opinion in Regents of University of California v. Bakke. The Supreme Court of the United States granted certiorari and affirmed the appellate decision. Chief Justice Rehnquist, Justice Kennedy, Justice Scalia, and Justice Thomas, all dissented with the argument that system at the university was unconstitutional, thinly veiled and against the fourth amendment act. As stated by Chief Justice Rehnquist the percentage of African American applicants closely mirrored the percentage of African American applicants that were accepted. The concern of Powell for individual consideration, which the Court adopted in Grutter’s case, is ironically with an argument against minority preference. Those opposed to minority preference maintain that American society has traditionally been extremely meritocratic, focusing on individual merit and true potential of applicants. Also, since all races must be

Same Sex Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Same Sex Marriage - Essay Example Analogous to other civil rights movements, a shift in societal norms calls to question the laws of the land, in this case the notion of marriage in legal terms. There is no denying the fact that marriage is an institution traditionally reserved for the heterosexual couples. Given the traditional legal definition of marriage, same sex couples face certain challenges. Same sex marriage is a controversial issue with staunch opposition due to deeply entrenched religious and patriarchal opinions. Those in favor of same-sex marriage have a lot at stake on this particular issue, as many financial and legal benefits are bestowed upon married couples. Pragmatically speaking, marriage ought to be an institution that allows two loving people to legally fulfill their commitment towards each other regardless of their sexual orientation. Thus, legalizing same sex marriage is beneficial not only to the individuals involved, but to the society at large. While it is the belief of many that allowing s ame-sex marriage is legalizing a practice that is against the standard of norms of the society, the truth of the matter is that same sex marriage provides an opportunity for individuals to live a fulfilling life, devoid of psychological and emotional trauma (Polikoff, 101). This does not only benefit the homosexual individuals, but the whole society, considering that such individuals will live a healthy life, which will in turn reduce the costs involved in sustaining or rehabilitating the health of such individuals whenever they suffer from stress, depression and other psychological and mental disorders, arising from their discomfort and the prejudice they face in the current society (Guillen, n.p.). There is an agreement on certain aspect of the argument against homosexual marriage, the most important being the argument that same sex marriage poses a threat of human extinction, considering that when a marriage does not produce children, then, there is the danger of the shortage or lack of a new generation to take up the responsibility of running the world (Guillen, n.p.). Nevertheless, some of the arguments against same sex marriage are just refutable, owing to the fact that they are mostly aligned towards favoring one sectional attitude of the society. The argument that same sex marriage poses the danger of human extinction is not plausible, considering that legalizing same sex marriage does not amount to making it mandatory. Therefore, individuals with a heterosexual orientation will continue with procreation, while those who do not have the prospective for having children can still be comfortable in the society (Polikoff, 104). Additionally, the recognition of same sex marriage will work towards establishing a society of equal values, where the rights of all individuals are respected, and especially the rights of the minority groups. Through the recognition and legalization of same sex m