Critical Approaches Paper: The Wife of Bath Essay

Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400) was an English author, poet, philosopher, courtier as well as a diplomat. Sometimes referred to as the father of English literature, the man is most famous for The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer’s major works also include the translation of Roman de la Rose; The Book of the Duchess; The House of Fame; Anelida and Arcite; The Parliament of Fowls; the translation of Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy as Boece; Troilus and Criseyde; The Legend of Good Women; and the Treatise on the Astrolabe (Geoffrey Chaucer, 2007). Being a well-rounded intellectual, Chaucer was aware of the gender stereotypes permeating his medieval society. As a matter of fact, men of the Middle Ages deeming marriage â€Å"a full great sacrament† took most seriously the woman’s promise â€Å"to honor and obey. † The slightest breach of this vow of obedience was hailed as a crying offense to both God and man. The principal vice of the medieval times was pride. Disobedience was but an offshoot of this self same vice. And so, obedience was due not only unto God and one’s parents, but, as the old phrase went, â€Å"to husbands and other benefactors and sovereigns. † Women were known to be subjected to men, and there was not as much thought poured over women’s equal right to manage affairs. Thus, we find in medieval literature instances such as the ones briefly touched on by Frederick Tupper (1968) in Types of Society in Medieval Literature: An old Parisian benedict of the fourteenth century, playing mentor to his young bride offsets Petrarch’s story of the obedient Griselda with the example of a wife rightly burned for the disobedience into which she was led by her pride – quite as CRITICAL APPROACHES PAPER: THE WIFE OF BATH Page # 2 grievous an offense this, so he tells us many times, as the fault of Eve or of Lucifer. It was during this period that Chaucer chose to represent his woman in literature – the Wife of Bath – as an extraordinary lady who believed in subjecting her men to her desires. The lady is open to express her views about a different role that women can play despite the essential gender stereotypes of medieval society. The Wife of Bath has control of her husbands’ property, presumably acquired through successive marriage settlements. She therefore has no need to make efforts to please her mates, if such efforts would have given her greater authority over her men in terms of wealth or pleasure. According to her Prologue, her first three husbands had â€Å"bad luck in bed,† for which they are chided by her. The woman would demand payment in bed, in return for which she would make payment (sexually) of the marriage debt she owed them (Nelson, 2002). Knowing that all medieval women do not behave like her when it comes to controlling their husbands’ property or getting money out of them, the Wife of Bath is asking young girls to back out of marriage altogether. Why please a man when it is more fruitful over all to please and serve God? – is her final argument on the question of marriage. The Wife of Bath says that three of her husbands were good, and two were bad. The first three were rich, old, and submissive, although she tormented them with accusations that were total lies – she confesses to the rest of the pilgrims. She accused her husband of having an affair, for example, and then launched into a tirade in which she charged him with a bewildering array of accusations. If one of her husbands got drunk, the Wife of Bath claimed that every wife was out to destroy her husband in particular. She also made her husband feel guilty this way, and so CRITICAL APPROACHES PAPER: THE WIFE OF BATH Page # 3 he gave her what she wanted. The Wife of Bath admits that she deliberately caused her husbands grief. She teased them in bed by refusing to give them full satisfaction until they had promised her money. She says that she made them work at night, in fact, to pay her marriage â€Å"dette. † What is more, the woman admits proudly that she used her verbal and sexual power to bring her husbands to total submission. In point of fact, the Wife of Bath uses the same tactic, i. e. , verbal power to bring the young knight to total submission in her Tale. She confesses in her Prologue that she failed to follow the marriage rule of â€Å"biheste is dette. † But when the young knight in her Tale is sentenced to death by King Arthur’s court for raping a defenseless young woman, his only chance to escape the penalty of execution is to find the answer to the question, ‘What do women want most? ’ The young man’s search for the answer is fruitless until he meets an old woman who promises to give him the answer if he would promise her, in return, to grant the request she makes of him. The rapist promises to keep his word, and after he has supplied Arthur’s queen with the answer that can save his life, the old woman asks him to marry her. In this case, as in the personal story of the Wife of Bath, the woman is subjecting the man unto herself by asking him to make a promise for something in return (Nelson). The Wife of Bath is knowledgeable enough to admit that more than a few Fathers of the Church, including the Apostle Paul, had proclaimed the importance of virginity. But if virginity was so critical, there would be someone still to produce virgins! Thus, she would leave virginity to the perfect, and allow herself instead to use her gifts as best as she could. Besides her use of intellect in marital affairs, undoubtedly the gift that she refers to is sexual power. She uses this power not only to enjoy her life to the full, but as an instrument to manipulate her men as well. CRITICAL APPROACHES PAPER: THE WIFE OF BATH Page # 4 Patricia Clare Ingham (2002) calls the Wife of Bath one of the most ingenious readers in the history of literature, and sees the aggressive â€Å"re-reading of scripture† on the part of the Wife of Bath as a means of displaying and resisting the medieval anti-feminist tradition or misogyny. The Wife of Bath frequently misquotes the scriptures. Scholars believe that these â€Å"misreadings† of texts were a mark of political and cultural acuity on the part of the Wife of Bath, as these bad readings give us a clearer picture of the culture of the time and the medieval gender relations (Schibanoff, 1986). The Wife of Bath’s re-readings of scripture have additionally been referred to as a â€Å"utopian group fantasy,† whereby the women would direct themselves against the anti-feminist tradition of the time, which was actually a social institution that was neither necessary nor the only face of truth of the Middle Ages. This idea of â€Å"group† or sorority was, in fact, explored by Brian W. Gastle, who wrote that although it is difficult to prove that women had gathered forces to beat the odds, there may have been a sorority of this kind that functioned outside the boundaries set by the established guilds to which working women also belonged. The Wife of Bath, as we know, is into the cloth making business (Ingham). The lady blasts clerkly writers for their biased perspectives, and in so doing, activates the literary tradition for an entirely new set of social uses, such as understanding the importance of women. Her assessment of the politics of writing is interlinked with her representation of the politics of reading. She desires the production of an entirely different kind of literature, the kind that the feminist classroom would read. Her Tale is included in this category, of course, and it is revolutionary. Still, critics worry that the Wife of Bath may be strangely affirming masculine desire through her Tale. As Lynne Dickson (1993) puts it, the Tale may really â€Å"reward the CRITICAL APPROACHES PAPER: THE WIFE OF BATH Page # 5 concession of masculine ‘maistrie’ with the very thing patriarchy wants to begin with. † The Tale is, after all, about a rapist knight who can turn magically into a dutiful husband; and about an aged lady who becomes a sweet young thing yet again; apart from an old middle-class woman, â€Å"comen of so lough a kynde,† who gains status and rule from her aristocrat husband. Most scholars have interpreted the Wife of Bath’s interest in sovereignty of wife over husband as an expression of her dissatisfaction over the rule of her nation. Sovereignty extends beyond the confines of the bourgeois household in this case, given that the Irish were concerned about sovereignty over a nation at the same time as Chaucer and his contemporaries were writing about sovereignty over a husband (Eisner, 1957). Indeed, there do appear to be political questions posed in the Wife of Bath’s Tale, especially when the recalcitrant knight objects to his marriage to the old lady, saying, â€Å"Alas, that any of my nacion/ sholde evere so foule disparaged be! † The old lady wonders aloud if the knight’s rejection comes through his subjection to the laws of the court: â€Å"Is this the lawe of Arthures hous? † she asks; â€Å"Is every knight of his so dangerous? † Only a lady of charisma, of great political insight coupled with leadership qualities, could have addressed intricacies of the political life of the nation at the time of the Wife of Bath when gender stereotypes were comprehensively controlled by the authorities, including the Church. The woman seems to know how to tackle legal terminology to boot (Ingham). She truly is remarkable for the Middle Ages, and deserves a continual round of applause from everyone today. CRITICAL APPROACHES PAPER: THE WIFE OF BATH Page # 6 References 1. Dickson, Lynne. (1993). â€Å"Deflection in the Mirror: Feminine Discourse in the Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale. † SAC, 15, 1993, p. 61-90. 2. Eisner, Sigmund. (1957). A Tale of Wonder: A Source Study of the Wife of Bath’s Tale New York: Burt Franklin. 3. Geoffrey Chaucer. (2007). Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Geoffrey_Chaucer. (24 February 2007). 4. Ingham, Patricia Clare. (2002). Pastoral Histories: Utopia, Conquest, and the Wife of Bath’s Tale. Texas Studies in Literature and Language, Vol. 44, Issue 1. 5. Nelson, Marie. (2002). Biheste Is Dette: Marriage Promises in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Papers on Language & Literature, Vol. 38, Issue 2, 2002, p. 167. 6. Schibanoff, Susan. (1986). â€Å"Taking the Gold out of Egypt: The Art of Reading as a Woman† In Gender and Reading: Essays on Readers, Texts and Contexts (Ed. Elizabeth Flynn and Patrocinio P. Schweickart). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. CRITICAL APPROACHES PAPER: THE WIFE OF BATH Page # 7 7. Tupper, Frederick. (1968). Types of Society in Medieval Literature New York: Biblo and Tannen.

Coca-Cola Company

Strategic planning determines where an organization is going over the next year or more, how it's going to get there and how it'll know if it got there or not. The focus of a strategic plan is usually on the entire organization, while the focus of a business plan is usually on a particular product, service or program. There are a variety of perspectives, models and approaches used in strategic planning. The way that a strategic plan is developed depends on the nature of the organization's leadership, culture of the organization, complexity of the organization's environment, size of the organization and expertise of planners. Coca-Cola Company My organisation is ‘Coca-Cola’ and my organisation make strategic plans by their mission statement: ‘To refresh the world – in mind, body and spirit, To inspire moments of optimism – through our brands and actions, To create value and make a difference everywhere we engage’, their value statement: ‘Our shared values that we are guided by are: Leadership, Passion, Integrity, Accountability, Collaboration, Innovation and Quality’, their aims and objectives: The aim and objective of Coca-Cola Enterprises is ‘to be the best beverage sales and customer service company’. To them ‘best' means being the number one or second brand in every category in which they compete, being their customers most valued supplier and establishing a winning and inclusive culture corporate values and aims – meeting stakeholders expectations. Their organisational structure ensures that all the people of the same skills are grouped together; the main advantage of this type of management is that it allows the members of the team to share any information more freely across boundaries which would otherwise have existed. This type of organisational structure is called a matrix structure and it primarily helps Coca Cola company to achieve their aims and objectives because they’re able to cross section information from different departments of the company, so for example if they’re not selling their beverages so well then they can communicate with the managers to either take them off stock or reduce the price for a bit whilst more customers are attracted to it. This can be attained by their structure. Today, the intelligent organisation recognises that its own future well-being is, to a certain extent, dependent on the well-being of the communities within which it operates at a local, national and global level. It is important that investments which take place in the community, in terms of education, the environment, training, art and cultural institutions and many other causes are carefully thought through throughout the company. Decisions related to corporate citizenship are rather more difficult than the traditional business decisions which managers are used to making. Clear aims and objectives need to be established which fit well with an organisation's corporate values and aims. The intelligent organisation today takes these issues seriously and seeks to design careful, flexible, comprehensive strategies to guide their decisions. Organisations such as The Coca-Cola Company therefore have established strategies for corporate citizenship. Coca-Cola's strategy recognises that the well-being of communities is inextricably linked to the well-being of the business environment. A healthy business climate cannot co-exist for long with an ailing social environment. Strengthening both is therefore a goal for Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola is planning to increase international distribution and target international consumers with Japanese customers by maintaining a consistent strategy overseas, this structure helps the business to achieve their overall purpose and aims by making them more popular throughout more countries and promote them. This then makes more people aware of them and so a lot of their products are sold out more recently. Their organisational structure also helps them to achieve their purpose and aims as the structure allows all the employees to communicate with each other and so allows them to come out with more ideas as a whole group. Marks and Spencer’s company Marks and Spencer’s is my other organisation and the structure of the organisation and the strategic planning helps each business including the Marks and Spencer’s business organisations achieve their overall purpose and aims. There are many ways in which the business organisations do to accomplish this: their vision statement- ‘Our Vision’: To be the standard against which all others are measured. Their mission statement- ‘Our Mission’: To make aspirational quality accessible to all. Their value’s statement- ‘Our Values’: Quality, value, service, innovation and trust. Whether we're working at home or abroad, within our own stores or in partnership with our franchisees, our Vision, Mission and Values remain the same. Ensuring we meet our customers' needs with appealing, superior quality products at attractive prices’ and their aim’s and objectives- ‘Our aims and objectives’: To make money for the shareholders, and improve profit margins wherever possible. They do this by- Designing appealing products for its customers, innovating products and selling at prices that their customers are prepared to pay. The organisational structure for Marks and Spencer’s displays the hierarchy design, which shows how the people included rank from most important to least important. This type of structure is a functional structure and is useful for relatively large companies. Employees within the functional structure are differentiated to perform a specialized set of tasks. This helps Marks and Spencer’s to achieve their aims and objectives as for instance the marketing department would only be staffed with marketers responsible for the marketing of the Masks and Spencer’s products. The structure also helps this company to achieve it’s aims and objectives because as a result it does end up making money for the shareholders and can improve profit margins wherever possible by knowing who’s in charge of who, and who are the most important people for the job, which can make the decisions if needed to either reduce stock or raise stock as they’d be experienced. They have a commitment called ‘Plan A' which is all about environmental issues within the business. Things like, not sending waste to landfill and cutting carbon emissions. Although this is a good thing, it is mainly to improve its image and again, encourage people to shop with them. ‘We launched Plan A in January 2007, setting out 100 commitments to achieve in 5 years. We've now extended Plan A to 180 commitments to achieve by 2015, with the ultimate goal of becoming the world's most sustainable major retailer’. This is Marks and Spencer’s strategic planning and they will achieve this by working with their customers and suppliers to combat climate change, reduce waste, use sustainable raw materials, trade ethically, and help their customers to lead healthier lifestyles Marks and Spencer’s are currently providing their customers with food and cloth services and they are aiming to continue investing in and grow with providing service to their retail business. They are now introducing new clothing items for all ages and gender. This will help them meet their long term objective of growing and investigating within the UK retails. The cascading of goals and objectives should be motiving the entire workforce. The employees have to work together to implement the strategy and objectives and this also includes supporting organisations and to achieve a greater cascading of goals and objectives the organisations must try to enforce balance among its customer relationship, financial aspect and having better objectives to focus on the growth outlook.

Beowulf vs. Modern Society

Beowulf and the modern American life in modern society and the world of Beowulf have similarities. Is it possible for a technology-oriented world like us to have something in common with the world that has never heard even about electricity? This technology truly separates us from our previous civilization. What is the difference between our ideas of today and the idea of ​​ancient culture? Although it may not look like this, there are actually many similarities between our world and Beowulf's world. Beowulf is a classic epic depicting his behavior of bringing justice and peace to the Northern European community by eroding Beowulf's heroism and eradicating Glendell. The original manuscript (700-1000 A.D.) And Modern Film (2005) show significant differences between character's features and explanations, important quotes, location descriptions, motivations, presence of roles and occurring events I am clarifying. So, this modern adaptation, Beowulf and Grendel, ancient tex t Modern works deal directly with the difference between Beowulf and modern heroes. JRR Tolkien is known for writing Lord of the Rings, but he is also a Beowulf scholar. Like Beowulf he wrote a very similar role in his epic. Boromir is a proud, proud, powerful warrior, like Beowulf. His greatest wish is to fight for his people. However, in the world of Lord of the Rings, Beowulf's values ​​have led to destruction. Boromir wishes to use One Ring as a weapon against the enemy, as Beowulf did. But such power aspirations will erode Boromir, even in good fights. He was destroyed by the ring. Humble Frodo Bagkins is the hero of this story. Frodo is a contemporary hero because he rejects power and fame and is satisfied with becoming an ordinary person. As Turkien's society has nuclear weapons, in his story, like Medieval Beowulf, it brought disastrous results. Beowulf is not suitable for the modern world Heroes like Superman have much in common with Beowulf even after more th an a few centuries. Today's superheroes can behave like medieval Beowulf. However, many modern heroes use their wisdom rather than the power like Beowulf like Batman. Even modern heroes with much in common with Beowulf are different because they are social heroes of different value from the world that produced Beowulf, so it is different. JRR Beowulf scholar Tolkien solved the difference between Beowulf and Lord of the Rings' modern hero directly. Modern heroes like Luke Skywalker and Frodo Baggins are heroic because they reject power and refuse to fight. Beowulf 's echo is still heard, but the modern world has its own hero type reflecting modern priorities.

Compare and contrast Meyer and Stowers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Compare and contrast Meyer and Stowers - Essay Example In the essay, the worm at the Core of the Apple, there is a provision of an excellent concise statement and defense of the majority position. According to Stowers, gentiles and Jews play different essential roles in the constitution of ethnicity. He states in Paul’s world that it is difficult to distinguish between ethnicity from religion. This is because they are not ethnic groups but a constitution of Paul’s most central religious distinctions. According to him, Gentiles are ethnic-religious other of the Jews just as the Barbarian is ethnic-religious other of Greeks. However, Wayne Meeks describes the gentiles as a non-Jewish group of people who have the opportunity of getting preaching from Paul.According to him, there are many controversies as to why Paul is preaching to Non-Jews. This proves that Wayne does not view the Gentiles as a constituent group of the Jews, a different perspective from the one of Stowers. In all the texts, the writers have proven that there were differences among the communities in the time of Paul reaching. It is elaborated that the gentiles were viewed as a lesser group when compared to the Jews, but Paul used his preaching techniques to show that they were equal. Although the Jews have an expectation that Paul is supposed to administer to them, they are disappointed because his mission is to all people including the gentiles.According to Romans 5:12-20, Paul explains that one man’s actions can bring significant effects to many others.

To What Extent Can Violent Video Games Be Said to Explain Violent Essay

To What Extent Can Violent Video Games Be Said to Explain Violent Behaviour in Teenagers - Essay Example Many parents and educators allege that this obsession with violent video games that grips so many teenagers is a direct cause of violent behaviour in teenagers. A closer examination of the facts about video games and teenage behaviour reveals, however, that this is a very dubious claim, since it is very difficult to prove any causal link between video game playing and violent behaviour in teenagers. The main argument in favour of a link between violent video games and teenage behaviour is that, like violent films on television and in the cinema, they can affect the development of a young person’s personality in an adverse way. Several well respected American medical associations such as the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Medical Association issued a joint statement in year 2000 saying that there is a causal connection between media violence and aggressive behaviour , but that it is a complex effect (Gentile et al., 2004, p. 19). In the United Kingdom there is a strict classification system in place that is intended to prevent the most violent games from getting into the hands of people under eighteen years of age. This system is not always effective, since the majority of parents do not monitor the titles that their teenage children buy, and they often have very little knowledge about what these games actually contain. Clearly the authorities in most countries are convinced that violent video games can cause harm, and they take steps to minimize this harm. These measures do not, however, amount to real hard evidence that links video games with violent behaviour. Media in general contain vast amounts of material ranging from innocuous cartoons and slapstick violence to sick and criminal content that clearly should not be available to teenagers. Young people are exposed to multiple sources of images and texts on the television, in print material and on the internet every day, and so it is difficult to prove that video games are the root cause of any violent behaviour. Any amount of other sources could influence teenagers, and so it seems unreasonable to pinpoint video games as a cause of violent behaviour. They are perhaps an easy target because they are well regulated, and their popularity can be measured through sales and feedback to the providers. They may also arouse deep suspicion in technophobe adults who cannot keep up with the skills of young people in their care. For all of these reasons, it seems likely that the perceived effect of playing video games is exaggerated, and that their relative novelty in the entertainment landscape has attracted undue attention to the particular contribution that they make. It can be argued that evidence for the influence of video games is to be found in statements of young people themselves. There are many cases where teenagers enter the criminal justice system because they are acc used of some act of violence. In such a situation they can state that they were influenced by a certain game title. Examples such as the â€Å"Grand Theft Auto† series are often mentioned in this connection, because this kind of first person action game involves street crime and aggression towards fictional characters. Violent youth offenders are often

Aboriginals and the Fur Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Aboriginals and the Fur Trade - Essay Example After mixing with the invaders an indigenous culture was created. The Canadian aboriginals survived mostly on the fur trade with the Europeans that enabled them to get iron tools like knives to facilitate hunting and household activities. The ‘made beaver’ was the principal used by the aboriginals in trading since they preferred to bargain over prices. Fur trade in Canada led to the establishment of the oldest industry, Hudson Bay industry, as well as economic exploration of Canada which, in a way, exposed the aboriginal’s way of life to the rest of the civilized world. Some interesting accounts have been written about the history of the aboriginals before 1900 which revolve around their way of life, culture, and even administration. Hearn Samuel, in his journey from Wales in Hudson’s bay to the Northern Ocean in search of copper, accompanies us throughout the journey concerning life of the aboriginals in 1769-1774. Samuel Hearne, born in 1745 and died in 1 792, was an explorer and a naturalist. He undertook three journeys in search of copper and a North West passage. In 1969, his guides were aboriginal Indian home-guards. This journey through the Indians’ land with the participation of Indians as guides highlights some aspects of the Indians way of life. Aspects of Indians way of life: Hearn’s journey in the 18th century taught him a lot about adaptation. He had to adapt to the Indians way of life during his journeys in an experiential way. He learnt that travel was only possible by following buffalo’s migration routes and habits since they were the only source of food available. Hearn’s expedition takes us through various aspects of the aboriginal Indians life in North America, describing how they survived with their rudimentary knowledge and technology. The aboriginal Indians could learn the behavior of animals, for example, migration, and this enabled them to travel without fasting since they hunted anim als like buffaloes, caribou and musk-oxen. Lack of fire made the aboriginal Indians' eating raw musk-oxen a habit, also adopted by Samuel Hearn in order to survive during the snow period when making fire was impossible.1 The Indians small canoes could only be used to cross rivers. This made them (and Hearn too) walk for long distances during their traveling. The Indians were very much used to such exercises. During the third journey when they found copper in July 1771, the Indians who were eager to join their waiting wives turned back. They increased their pace, and this made Herne, who was not accustomed to walking such long distances on foot, lose his toe nails. This is one amazing aspect of life that can be found among the aboriginal Indians: they were used to walking long distances and in harsh conditions. The aboriginal Indians who were traders in fur could undertake such juorneys in order to exchange their wares with others, and they had learnt the seasonal movements of animal s which were their sources of food when traveling.2 The aboriginals' ability to survive inland, as highlighted by Hearn, was due to their knowledge of seasonal animal migrations, use of furs as clothing and their ability to withstand harsh conditions, for instance, fasting a lot or eating raw meat. The aboriginals' rudimentary technology and lack of canoes made trade impossible inland3. This made Samuel Hearn advise the London committee to introduce more posts, which were to involve the natives in an extended usage of canoes in order to be able to advance trade inland. The aboriginal Indians were very vital for the success of trade in Europe. Trade had suffered a lot in September 1873 after the arrest of Hearn. The reason for

Religious visit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

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Image Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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CORE COMPETENCIES PAPER Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

CORE COMPETENCIES PAPER - Dissertation Example (Holmes) Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" (Winslow, 1920). It focuses on improving health of communities, groups of people and preventing from diseases. It may include curing from diseases, finding ways to prevent from them, making people aware of the diseases and taking measures to contribute to healthy lifestyles. There can be many reasons for different diseases. Some are sexually transmitted diseases like HIV AIDS, many are infectious like small pox, and few are caused due to lack of providing medicines at early stage of life like polio, whereas some are caused by environmental hazards. Environmental Health Hazards At every interaction with the environment, we are in contact with numerous health hazards that are caused by different pollutants and harmful substances. What we feed to our enviro nment is given back to us in the form of diseases and other health hazards. Environmental hazards are caused by chemical waste from industries, harmful substances used in these industries, land degeneration, ozone depletion, nuclear issues, over population, harmful substance used at our homes, poor sanitation, and emission of harmful gases such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Domestic and hazardous waste cause serious diseases. These wastes are divided into two categories: municipal waste by domestic activities & industrial waste by industrial activities. Municipal waste causes problem for ordinary human being if it is not disposed off in the right way. Industrial waste can cause damage to the workers in the industry as well as common man. Water contamination again causes water-borne diseases that might lead to morbidity and mortality. Clean drinking water is rare in the world. Most people do not enjoy clean water and have to quench their thirst with contaminated and polluted water. This is a very increasing concern of environmental health in entire world. Another way of causing environment related health problems is the air toxicants. Huge amounts of carbon Dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide in our air are harmful for our health. A large part of air pollutants is caused by the emissions from automobiles. Besides these, in our everyday life we see consumer products full of harmful substances. Lead is one example. Lead is present in many consumer products especially paint. The manufacturers of these products put such harmful substances without realizing the high level of human interaction with these products. (Nweke & William, 2009) Children come into direct contact with environmental toxicants such as lead, methyl mercury, tobacco and other pollutants. These pollutants enter children’s bodies via placental transfer during fetal growth, inhalation of dust, breast milk and other dietary sources during early childhood. (Landrigan et al, 19 98) One of the threats from these environmental hazards is asthma in children. It is more common in children because they have smaller airways. Asthma Asthma causes the airways

Breaching Exercise Essay Example for Free

Breaching Exercise Essay As a sociology student I have some experience in the field of messing with social norms. When assigned to create a breaching exercise situation I can say I felt comfortable as opposed to the first time I was instructed to break a norm. Breaching experiments obtain to study people’s responses to disruptions of generally conventional social rules or norms. I will admit I had a few weird ideas that I have always been interested but had some difficulty finding the means to conduct these experiments. I narrowed down my options and came up with one that was more realistic and decided to purposely mistake shoppers for employees in department or grocery stores. I conducted this breaching exercise in three different places over the past week. The first place I went to was Target. Everyone pretty much knows that the standard Target outfit involves a red polo, however there weren’t any red polo’s walking around that were not actual employees. I came across a middle-aged man in a red t-shirt who was looking in the bath section and simply asked him, â€Å"Excuse me, could you direct me to the electronics section?† His reaction wasn’t anything to look into; he simply just laughed and explained that he doesn’t work there. He looked down at his red shirt and thought I just made an honest mistake. I gave a shy laugh; acting embarrassed, apologized and walked away. The second place I visited to try this experiment was Walmart. I walked into Walmart with a friend and went to the gardening section. I decided to come up with a little story rather than just asking a direct question. I found a man who looked like he was in his young 20s and started rambling, explaining that I had a big project I was working on for my outdoor patio and I wanted a specific look. He let me ramble on for about a minute and a half before he cut me off by explaining he was shopping for his own patio furniture and would be no help to me. He didn’t seem to think it was as funny as the first man, however he still acted kind. Lastly I went to Harris Teeter to experiment in a grocery store. I felt that maybe the type of store I mistook a shopper for being an employee would make a difference. I was right. I felt quite bad about this situation after leaving in all honesty because I had no clue it was going to be as offensive as it was. I found a woman around the breads who looked like she was in her 50s. I asked her if she could tell me where her gluten free bread section was. She had quite the attitude when she responded explaining that just because she looks some type of way does not mean that she is an employee. I felt bad because I did not want her to think I thought she was an employee because of her appearance, I just got confused and frustrated because I couldn’t find what I was searching for. She calmed down a bit and we both apologized for the miscommunication and I quickly decided to be on my way. This experiment is definitely interesting however should come with a warning. I would never personally offend someone like this, and had I known that I would have I would have reconsidered my exercise, however I was happy with my results varying. It was good to have different results to work with and think about once it was completed. I thought about the differences between the people and the stores I visited and tried to understand where each individual I approached was coming from by their reactions.

Professional Relationships in Health and Social Care Context

Professional Relationships in Health and Social Care Context Developing and maintaining good relationships is central to improving outcomes for individuals and their families. The carers roles is to generate an atmosphere in which people feel their needs are being heard and understood. This requires truthfulness, sincerity and ability. (SCIE, 2010)Â   Whether with individuals, their families, carers or fellow professionals and colleagues, relationships should be based on openness, transparency and empathy.(SCIE, 2010) In health and social care there are many professionals and many of them having different roles. Some professionals, like pediatriacians, they knows how to treat children with diseases, there are dentist, who knows how to fill teeths, psycholist are knows about people feelings and they can help you, psychiatrist they are knows about peoples brain,and their behaviours, there are GPs who can prescribe medication if they think you are being sick, also there are social workers, carers, support workers, teachers, different doctors and terapheutic. These professionals are working in partenership with others because to be able to support and help people they must collaborate and work as a team. Good team work and appropriate communication will help to the vulnerable people,also is good because any work they do it can goes quicker and safer, because more people bring more ideas and more solution. In health and social care not everyone able to work together and these people must find the common word and work for the same purpose. Saving peoples lifes, heal them, or just heal their spirit is more than nothing, and thats why is very important to have professionals around us. In the Smart Care is very important to be professional, give the best service to the service users and everyone has to know about their roles. For example a new carer cannot give medication to a service user even if is emergency because they have not been trained, but a trained person can give. In our care we are working together with the GPs and also with the pharmacist and the closest dentist, also we are collaborate with therapeutics and psychologist because many of our service users are need professional support to be able to live their daily life, also carers are working together with the organisation and also with family members, but the most important and frequently relation are the carers because they are together each day and must support each other and concentrate to the work. Unfortunately this is not happening all the time, people are very poor in communication, they cannot explore themselves, they cannot help each other in a right way, because of the jelousy, and they are not honest with each other. The management of the Smart Care will do everything to support our staff and help them to become a good and an effective team and work in partnership with each individual. 3.2 Evaluate personal effectiveness in promoting and supporting the rights of the individual In the Smart Care is very important that everyone being trained and be professionals. Each carers and professional should know about heir roles their responsibilities. The Smart Care staff are responsible to support the service user rights and way they can do that is follow the organsiation procedures also follow the legislations. Collaborative working helps the service user rights. Human rights are the essential rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world. In the UK, these rights are contained in the Human Rights Act 1998. If a public authority breaches or doesnt respect your human rights, you can take action under the Act. The next rights are the most applicable when you obtain health or care services: the right to respect for private and family life the right not to be tortured or treated in an inhuman or degrading way the right to liberty the right to life the right not to be discriminated against. (citizens advise, 2017) The right to respect for private and family life When a service user want more privacy in a care home or when they are receive care services in their own home When a service user been placed in a care home where its difficult for them to see their family and friends When the service users are being handled roughly or are not well cared for by a home care woker. (citizens advise, 2017) The service user right not to be subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment The service user been sufferes serious mistreatment, neglect or very poor care in a hospital or a care home Theyve been restrained or private because of mental health problems or aggressive behavior Theyve not been helped to eat or drink when they are too weak to feed themselves. Also the Equlaity Act is very important because nobody not allow to anti discriminate the service user, everyone should respect the service user culture, ethnicity , se, age and should be treated fairly. (citizens advise, 2017) 3.3 Discuss ways to resolve issues encountered in professional relationships Conflict arises from differences, both large and small. It occurs when people disagree over their values, motivations, perceptions, ideas, or needs. from time to time these differences come into view unimportant, but when a conflict triggers strong feelings, a deep personal need is often at the core of the problem. These needs can be a need to feel safe and secure, a need to feel respected and valued, or a need for greater closeness and intimacy.(Helpguide.org, 2017) In our organisation all staff should work as a team and our organsiation have this method to help our staff to be able to work together and provide a quality service to our client. For example: Acknowledge and own the upset before communicating with the other party or parties. Be clear about the reason for the conflict/upset. Be clear about what happened (know and present the facts). Be accountable for what you did (or did not) do to contribute to the conflict/upset. Recognize appropriate actions you can take to resolve the conflict. Communicate and have an answerable conversation with the other party or parties concerned. (Kline, 2013) References Social Care Institute for excellence, 2010, Professional Relationship Available online at http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/nqswtool/professionalrelationships/ Accessed on 10/01/2017 Citizens Advice, 2017, Protecting your human rights when you are using health care services Available online at https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/healthcare/discrimination-in-health-and-care-services/taking-action-about-discrimination-in-health-and-care-services/protecting-your-human-rights-when-using-health-and-care-services/ Accessed on 10/01/2017 Kline M., 2013, 6 Steps for Resolving Conflict in a Professional Relationship Available online at http://blog.cupahr.org/2013/10/6-steps-for-resolving-conflict-in-a-professional-relationship/ Accessed on 10/01/2017 Helpguide.org, 2017, Conflict Resolution Skills Available online at https://www.helpguide.org/articles/relationships/conflict-resolution-skills.htm Accessed on 10/01/2017

Essays --

Alcohol should be illegal in the United States. Alcohol is scientifically proven to be depressing. Alcohol have ruined millions of families in US and around the world. Some people drink alcohol to get out of their depression but in reality they are getting more depressed just like tobacco and other drugs. It is the fifth most dangerous drug in the world. It is very easy to get hands on these days around any corner of the world. Today everywhere we go, people have social gatherings or party, in these gatherings we show class, what’s a better way to show class then open up an expensive bottle of patron or absolute vodka? Yeah see were this is going a man can’t be judged by what he drinks. But should this mean Alcohol should be illegal? Alcohol consumption can cause several problems like health, automobile accidents and crimes. Now a days, drinking alcohol is not big deal even if you are twenty one year old. Alcohol is ethanol and that cause more than sixty diseases for example cancer, anemia, cirrhosis and many more. Alcohol is central nervous system depressant that slow down ...

Igbo Government and Social Structure :: Essays Papers

Igbo Government and Social Structure Details of traditional Igbo government and social structure varied from place to place throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but its characteristic nature remained the same. The basic unit of Igbo life was the village group, and the most universal institution was the role of the family head. This was usually the oldest man of the oldest surviving generation. His role primarily involved settling family disputes, and because he controlled the channel of communication with the all-important ancestors, he commanded great respect and reverence. In some areas the government of chiefs and elders was composed of a governing age grade, in others the council of elders was made up of the oldest members of particular families. Titles played a major part in this society. There was a hierarchy of ascending titles that were to be taken in order, accompanied by an ascending scale of payments. The system acted as a simple form of social security, in that those who acquired titles paid a particular fee, and then were entitled to share in the payments of those who later acquired titles. A series of intense rituals were to be undertaken before acquiring a title, which was considered a symbol of character as well as of success. A titled man’s life was dominated by numerous religious restrictions, and it was expected that these would be strictly adhered to. A few Igbo states, such as Aboh and Onitsha, which had a tradition of origin from elsewhere, were ruled by kings, which were regarded as sacred and lived in ritual seclusion. However, the decisions taken by these kings were by no means final, they were often challenged and overruled by other titled men with whom they were required to consult. In general, h owever, kingship was an unfamiliar concept to the majority of Igbos. A political institution that was widespread but not universal was that of the age-grade. Each age-grade was responsible for specific areas of community service, and this often promoted rivalry between the groups. This was actually a valuable instrument of social control, in that in order to preserve the good name of their age-group, its members became involved in disciplining and restraining those who tended to cause trouble within the community. Secret societies were also an instrument of social control. Their members would appear at night, masked, in the guise of supernatural beings. Any offenders in the community would be denounced.

Down At The Cross :: essays research papers

In â€Å"Down at the Cross†, James Baldwin stresses the idea that regardless of race or culture, people are human beings and should be treated equally. Baldwin criticizes racial issues. Baldwin talks about how whites and blacks don’t understand each other because both have insecurities, fears, and prejudices within their own culture that they can’t understand each other. Baldwin proposes the idea that â€Å"people can renew themselves at the fountain of their own lives† (54). This process of renewal means that people of any culture or color may eventually find a path to understanding and cooperating with each by searching within themselves. In â€Å"Communication in a Global Village†, Dean Barnlund believes that there is problem with communication in society because people of different cultures can’t communicate with each other. Barnlund criticizes that people tend to attach and associate with their own kind and do not want to branch out to learn and communicate with people of other cultures. Barnlund believes that in order for society to flourish and succeed, people must appreciate other cultures and realize that expanding knowledge of other cultures will contribute to a wholesome life. Barnlund would say that the appreciation, interaction, and understanding of other cultures are the processes of â€Å"renewal†. Robert Bellah believes that people isolate themselves from others. Bellah expresses how people tend to separate their â€Å"private† and â€Å"public† lives. He believes that this is a problem because if people keep their private life separate from public life, they will not lead a fulfilling life. Bellah believes that as private and public lifestyles interact with each other, together they create the essence to a nourishing and productive life. Bellah takes different subjects and describes details from their lives about how they â€Å"renewed† themselves by relating their private l ife to their public life. All of the authors portray social criticisms, identify the problems, and propose solutions that find ways of renewal for an individual’s life. Barnlund states, Access to the world view and the communicative style of other cultures may not only enlarge our own way of experiencing the world but enable us to maintain constructive relationships with societies that operate a according to a different logic than our own. (66) Barnlund believes that if people learn aspects of other cultures, people will be able to maintain associations and communications between different cultures within a society. The meaning of appreciation of other cultures is what Barnlund specifies as the survival of a global village.

Education and Girls Essay

This strategy is a first step to get us back on track. It acknowledges that we all need to do substantially more to help girls get into school. It reminds us of the value of education for lifting nations out of instability and providing a more promising future to their people. And regardless of whether they live in a wealthy or poor country, nothing has as much impact on a child’s future wellbeing as their mother’s level of education. We do not need complex international negotiations to help solve the problem of education. We just need to listen to governments, local communities, children, parents and teachers who know what challenges remain. And we need to provide them with enough funding to put their ideas on education into practice. To this end, we plan to spend at least ? 1. 4 billion over the next three years. This money will provide additional support to governments and more resources to strengthen international efforts to coordinate action on girls’ education. The example set by countries like Malawi, where the Minister for Education announced free schooling and immediately increased enrolment rates, shows just what can be achieved when there is a clearly defined plan of action and enough political will to implement it. In 2005, the UK will hold the Presidencies of the G8 and the EU. We will use our leadership role to make achieving gender parity in education a priority for the international community. iii Girls’ education: towards a better future for all As Meda Wagtole’s words make clear, keeping our promise on girls’ education will not just give girls better prospects; it holds the key to giving their families, communities and countries a better future as well. Rt Hon Hilary Benn, MP iv Contents Foreword iii Summary 1 1. Introduction 2 Education matters 2. Education is a right – but it is still beyond the reach of many 3 A timely strategy 4 What prevents girls from getting a quality education? 6 Educating girls is costly for families 7 Girls may face a poor and hostile school environment 9 2. Women have a weak position in society Conflict hurts girls most Tackling girls’ education on the ground 12 12 Making girls’ education affordable 15 Making schools work for all girls 17 Charities, religious and other voluntary organisations are good for girls 18 Supporting policies that work 19 Focusing international efforts on girls’ education. 21 More resources are needed 21 Donor actions in support of country-led development 22 International organisations need to work together for girls’ education 23 Civil society’s role in building global momentum and local support 5. 11 Political leadership and empowerment of women matter 4. 11 Tackling social exclusion 3. 10 24 Towards a better future for all 27 Annexes 29 Endnotes 33 v vi Summary There are still 58 million girls worldwide who are not in school. The majority of these girls live in subSaharan Africa and South and West Asia. A girl growing up in a poor family in sub-Saharan Africa has less than a one-in-four chance of getting a secondary education. The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) to get as many girls as boys into primary and secondary school by 2005 is likely to be missed in more than 75 countries. We need to make much better progress. There is growing international commitment and consensus on what can be done to improve girls’ education. This strategy sets out the action DFID will take and the leadership we will provide, with others in the international community, to ensure equality of education between men and women, boys and girls. †¢ We will work to narrow the financing gap for education. Over the next three years, DFID plans to spend more than ? 1. 4 billion of aid on education. †¢ We will work with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to strengthen its capacity to co-ordinate action on girls’ education. †¢ We will use the UK’s Presidencies of the G8 and EU and our role as co-chair of the Fast-Track Initiative (FTI) to push gender equality in education up the political agenda. †¢ We will support the efforts of governments in developing countries to produce plans that prioritise girls’ education. This will include providing financial help to those wanting to remove school fees. †¢ We will work with our development partners to increase educational opportunities for girls; civil society will be a key partner in this work. †¢ We will increase our efforts to promote awareness within the UK of girls’ education in poor countries. Educating girls helps to make communities and societies healthier, wealthier and safer, and can also help to reduce child deaths, improve maternal health and tackle the spread of HIV and AIDS. It underpins the achievement of all the other MDGs. That is why the target date was set as 2005. That is also why in 2000, at the Dakar Conference, donors promised that every country with a sound education plan would get the resources it needed to implement it. Progress has been hampered by a number of factors: a lack of international political leadership, a global funding gap of an estimated $5. 6 billion a year for education, a lack of plans and capacity within national education systems to improve the access to and quality of schooling for girls, and locally many poor families who simply cannot afford to send their children to school. This paper marks a new phase in the UK’s support to girls’ education. Now is the time to act. 1 1 Chapter One Introduction Education matters In September 2000, 188 heads of state from around the world signed the Millennium Declaration and established the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). While most goals aim to achieve significant progress in development by 2015, one goal was to be achieved by 2005 – gender parity in primary and secondary education. But, more than 75 countries are likely to miss this goal. We are falling well short of our promise. Women are at the heart of most societies. Regardless of whether they are working or not, mothers are very influential people in children’s lives. Educating girls is one of the most important investments that any country can make in its own future. Education has a profound effect on girls’ and women’s ability to claim other rights and achieve status in society, such as economic independence and political representation. As the following examples demonstrate, having an education can make an enormous difference to a woman’s chances of finding well-paid work, raising a healthy family and preventing the spread of diseases such as HIV and AIDS. †¢ †¢ 2 An educated woman is 50 per cent more likely to have her children immunised against childhood diseases. 3 †¢ †¢ An infant born to an educated woman is much more likely to survive until adulthood. In Africa, children of mothers who receive five years of primary education are 40 per cent more likely to live beyond age five. 2 †¢ A South African girl at her high school graduation. ( © Giacomo Pirozzi/Panos) Women with at least a basic education are much less likely to be poor. Providing girls with one extra year of schooling beyond the average can boost their eventual  wages by 10 to 20 per cent. 1 If we had reached the gender parity goal by 2005, more than 1 million childhood deaths could have been averted. 4 For every boy newly infected with HIV in Africa, there are between three and six girls newly infected. Yet, in high-prevalence areas such as Swaziland, two-thirds of teenage girls in school are free from HIV, while two-thirds of out-of-school girls are HIV positive. In Uganda, children who have been to secondary school are four times less likely to become HIV positive. 5 Introduction. Education is a right – but it is still beyond the reach of many For all these reasons, girls’ education has long been recognised as a human right. Past international commitments include addressing gender equality within the education system, the first step to eliminating all forms of discrimination against women (see Annex 2). This right to education is denied to 58 million girls, and a further 45 million boys, even at the primary school level. 6 More than 75 countries are likely to miss the 2005 MDG target for gender parity in primary and secondary enrolments. 7 One-third of these countries are in sub-Saharan Africa. On current trends, more than 40 per cent of all countries with data are at risk of not achieving gender parity at primary, secondary or both levels of education even by 2015. Figure 1. 1: Prospects for gender parity in primary enrolments Progress towards the target Gender parity in primary enrolments At risk of not achieving by 2015 Likely to achieve by 2015 Likely to achieve by 2005 Achieved in 2000 (20) (14) (13) (78) Source: Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2003-04. Grey shading indicates lack of data. These figures hide significant variation across continents, across countries, and across communities. †¢ There are 23 million8 girls out of school in sub-Saharan Africa, distributed across more than 40 countries. A further 22 million out-of-school girls are in South and West Asia, yet the majority of these are concentrated in just two countries: India and Pakistan. †¢ In Niger, less than one-third of all school-aged girls are enrolled in primary school. By contrast, in Rwanda more than four out of every five girls are enrolled in primary school. †¢ In Mali, the proportion of girls enrolled in primary school is around six  times higher in the city of Bamako than in the more remote areas of Mali. 3 1 Girls’ education: towards a better future for all There is an alarming difference between the numbers of girls attending primary and secondary school. The vast majority of school-aged girls in sub-Saharan Africa are not enrolled in secondary school, because the relatively high costs of secondary education are acting as a major disincentive for poorer parents. In Pakistan, the gross enrolment rate for girls in secondary education is 19 per cent. 9 In Niger, Tanzania and Chad it is only five per cent. There are exceptions to the rule, but generally in countries where girls fare poorly in primary education compared with boys, they do even worse in secondary education, as illustrated by the graph in Annex 3. Nevertheless, countries are making progress, sometimes dramatically so. †¢ In Bangladesh, equal numbers of girls and boys now enter secondary school. In 1990, there were only half as many girls as boys in secondary education. †¢ Nepal has nearly nine girls for every ten boys enrolled in primary school, compared with seven girls for every ten boys in 1990. †¢ In Kenya, over 1 million extra children have enrolled in primary school since the removal of school user fees in 2003. A timely strategy This paper is a first step to identifying – and implementing – the actions that will allow us collectively to keep the promises we made. 10 It serves as a reminder for us to speed up the work we are doing in education. Examples of our work in education include: †¢ Supporting education in Nigeria where there are 7. 3 million children of primary age out of school, of whom 62 per cent are girls. 11 The federal Ministry of Education in Nigeria is implementing an education programme with support from UNICEF and DFID to achieve gender parity and universal basic education. DFID is providing a ? 26 million grant, which will directly benefit girls as well as boys in six northern states. †¢ Allocating ? 10. 8 million to the government of Kenya initiative SPRED III (Strengthening of Primary Education), which aims to reduce the burden of the cost of primary education on parents. In the first year of this programme, enrolments increased from 5. 9 million to over 7 million and are still rising. Listening to local people has been an invaluable way of identifying the main constraints that keep girls from entering school, remaining in school, and learning effectively. Our country experience is also providing us with concrete evidence of how governments are overcoming these challenges. We are using this evidence of what works as the basis for the actions we intend to take to speed up progress on girls’ education. 4 Introduction DFID’s experience in tackling girls’ education is drawn from the 25 priority countries where our work is focused. Our education effort in these countries is aimed at supporting governments to provide education for all, particularly for girls. These 25 countries contain nearly three-quarters of all girls who do not have access to basic education as shown in Figure 1. 2. Global support for development, while on the rise, remains well below what is needed to make achieving the MDGs a reality, particularly in countries that are unable to work towards poverty reduction. International bilateral support for education amounts to about $4 billion a year, with much of this money going towards secondary and university schooling. International support for basic education is less than $1 billion a year – less than $2 a year for every school-aged child in the developing world. We need to do better. And we can do better. Figure 1. 2: Distribution of girls out of school in DFID’s 25 priority countries Outside DFID’s 25 priority countries 28% DFID’s 25 priority countries 72% India Rwanda Lesotho Cambodia Malawi Zimbabwe Zambia Vietnam South Africa Nepal Mozambique Ghana DRC, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda (separate data not available) Kenya Indonesia Bangladesh Pakistan Sudan United Republic of Tanzania Afghanistan China Ethiopia 5 2 Chapter Two. What prevents girls from getting a quality education? In many countries and communities in both the developed and the developing world, parents can take it for granted that their daughters receive a quality education. Yet in many other places around the world, providing every child with an education appears to be beyond reach. There are five main challenges we identify that make it difficult for girls to access education. These include: †¢ the cost of education – ensuring that communities, parents and children can afford schooling; †¢ poor school environments – ensuring that girls have access to a safe school environment; †¢ the weak position of women in society – ensuring that society and parents value the education of girls; †¢ conflict – ensuring that children who are excluded due to conflict have access to schooling; and †¢ social exclusion – ensuring girls are not disadvantaged on the basis of caste, ethnicity, religion or disability. These challenges are not exhaustive, but they are recurrent themes in many countries. They constitute additional hurdles girls need to overcome to benefit from quality education. As donors, we need to support countries in meeting these challenges. Ours is a supporting role, not a leading role. And our support works best if it is based on countries’ own national strategies to reduce poverty and make progress in education. In particular we need to support countries to have in place the essential elements of quality education for girls (see Box 2. 1). 6 What prevents girls from getting a quality education? Box 2. 1 Essential elements of quality education for girls †¢ Schools – is a school within a reasonable distance; does it have proper facilities for girls; is it a safe environment and commute; is it free of violence? If not, parents are unlikely to ever send their daughter to school. †¢ Teachers – is there a teacher; are they skilled; do they have appropriate teaching materials? Is it a female teacher? Are there policies to recruit teachers from minority communities? If not, girls may not learn as much at school and drop out. †¢ Students – is she healthy enough; does she feel safe; is she free from the burden of household chores or the need to work to supplement the family income; is there a water source close by? If not, she may never have a chance to go to school. †¢ Families – does she have healthy parents who can support a family; does her family value education for girls; can her family afford the cost of schooling? If not, economic necessity may keep her at home. †¢ Societies – will the family’s and the girl’s standing in the community rise with an education; will new opportunities open up? If not, an education may not be in the family’s interest. †¢ Governments – does the government provide adequate resources to offer sufficient school places; do salaries reach the teachers; do teachers receive quality training; is the government drawing in other agencies to maximise the provision of schooling; is there a clear strategy and budget based on the specific situation faced by girls? If not, the conditions above are unlikely to be fulfilled. †¢ Donors – are donors supporting governments to provide adequate resources; do donors contribute to analysing and addressing the challenges girls face; are donors conscious of local customs and traditions; are donors prioritising the countries’ needs rather than their own agendas or existing programmes? If not, governments may simply not be in a position to provide a reasonable chance for all girls to get a quality education. Educating girls is costly for families. The education of girls is seen as economically and socially costly to parents. Costs come in four forms: tuition fees and other direct school fees; indirect fees (such as PTA fees, teachers’ levies and fees for school construction and building); indirect costs (such as transportation and uniforms); and opportunity costs (such as lost household or paid labour). These costs have a significant impact on whether and which children are educated. 7 2 Girls’ education: towards a better future for all. Educating girls can incur extra direct costs, such as special transport or chaperones for safety and ‘decency’. The price of attending school for the 211 million economically active children may be the family losing vital income. 12 An education may actually reduce girls’ marriage prospects and raise dowry payments to unaffordable levels. Investing in sons, rather than daughters, is perceived as bringing higher financial returns for families as boys are more likely to find work and be paid a higher salary. The high cost of education is the biggest deterrent to families educating their daughters. Many of the countries DFID prioritises for support have removed tuition fees or are working towards their removal. For example, there are no tuition fees in our Asia priority countries except Pakistan, and a number of Africa priority countries have recently removed school fees. In Africa, school fee removal has led to a dramatic increase in enrolments. A girl does her homework on the blackboard painted on the wall of her house in Ghana. Her older sister, with baby on her back, checks her exercise book. ( © Sven Torfinn/Panos) But it has also increased the cost of education for governments. For example, in Uganda, it is projected that there will be a 58 per cent increase in the total number of primary school students between 2002 and 2015, requiring more than double the number of teachers. Given that teachers’ salaries are the single biggest cost in education budgets, this represents a high burden. Most governments have increased both their education budget and the share that is allocated to primary education to finance these extra costs. But the challenge remains to find enough money to sustain an education of sufficient quality – while simultaneously reducing other costs that prevent children from poor families, especially girls, from enrolling. 8 What prevents girls from getting a quality education? Box 2. 2 AIDS – making the household economics worse Girls are often the first to be taken out of school to provide care for sick family members or to take responsibility for siblings when death or illness strike. 13 A sudden increase in poverty, which accompanies AIDS in the household, undermines the ability to afford school. The fear of infection through abuse or exploitation in or on the way to school particularly affects girls and may reduce attendance. Orphans seem to be at greater risk of exploitation. In the worst cases, girls may resort to prostitution to provide for themselves and the family. In Zambia, the majority of child prostitutes are orphans, as are the majority of street children in Lusaka. 14 Programmes of support are often not targeted to these most vulnerable groups. Girls may face a poor and hostile school environment A school environment that may be acceptable to boys may be hostile to girls. The physical and sexual violence against women that is common in many societies is reflected in the school environment in a number of countries. Physical abuse and abduction are not only a major violation of girls’ basic human rights, they also present a major practical constraint in getting to school. Parents feel a duty to protect their daughters and may decide to keep them at home if they feel the school is too far away. Violence against girls and women has been identified as a key barrier to girls’ education in many DFID programmes. In South Africa, DFID supports Soul City, an educational television soap opera that raises public awareness of violence against girls and women. Within developing countries, better recruitment procedures and working conditions need to be adopted to help increase the number of women teachers, who often become important role models for the young women they teach. Teachers need training to be effective in supporting girls and to intervene when violence is threatened. When teachers themselves perpetrate violence, early response systems need to be implemented to prevent such violence continuing. Alongside training to combat all forms of discrimination in the classroom, there needs to be an effective monitoring and inspection system that engages teachers, especially where there are violations of teacher authority. Governments also need more education officials and teachers who have the knowledge, understanding and status to ensure that girls have access to quality education. 15 Expertise is required to assess the problems and solutions for the education system according to the country context and real need, rather than the trends of the development agencies. 9 2 Girls’ education: towards a better future for all Women have a weak position in society Within communities, girls have to overcome many obstacles before they can realise their right to an education. DFID’s recent partnership with UNICEF to support the federal government of Nigeria will help overcome many of the problems girls have in gaining access to school and remaining there. Before girls can attend school and benefit fully from their education, a number of major social constraints have to be addressed. Girls often have limited control over their futures. Early marriage is a reality for many, where families wish for the social and economic benefits this brings. In Bangladesh and Afghanistan, more than 50 per cent of girls are married by age 18. 16 Adolescent pregnancy almost always results in girls halting their education. Girls are also more likely to drop out of school because of their domestic responsibilities, and are often discriminated against in terms of the quality of the schools they are sent to, and the costs parents are willing to pay for their education. Despite the progress being made, gender equality is likely to take generations to achieve. The UK’s own history illustrates the relationship between women’s position in society and the demands for better education for girls. One reinforces the other, but change comes slowly. Box 2. 3 Progress on gender equality in education in the UK Until the 1960s, many British girls were directed towards the commercial and technical streams in secondary school, and did not acquire qualifications for higher paying employment. Until the mid-1980s, for instance, it was still relatively unusual for girls to do well in or continue studying subjects such as mathematics or science to university level. However, the 1990s saw a sharp rise in girls’ performances at school. This has been linked to a range of factors, including families’ prioritisation of their daughters’ education, a shift in perceptions of gender linked to the women’s movements in the 1960s and 1970s, government policies on comprehensive schools, promoting further education and reform of the exam system and gender equality strategies in local education authorities and schools. Policies such as, areas in schools just for girls, strong anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies, and the promotion of science and mathematics for girls were put in place. In addition, growth in the service sector facilitated demand for girls in the labour market. Currently there is concern about why improved academic performance for girls has not translated into equality in employment opportunities and earning power. 17 10 What prevents girls from getting a quality education? Conflict hurts girls most Girls are particularly vulnerable to abuse and unequal access to schooling in fragile states. States can be fragile for a range of reasons, including conflict, lack of resources and people, high levels of corruption, and political instability. What sets these countries apart is their failure to deliver on the core functions of government, including keeping people safe, managing the economy, and delivering basic services. Violence and disease, as well as illiteracy and economic weakness, are most intensively concentrated in these areas. Of the 104 million children not in primary school globally, an estimated 37 million of them live in fragile states. Many of these children are girls. 18 Girls’ absence from school may be due to fears of violence or due to the reliance on their role as carers in the family. In Rwanda, for example, it is estimated that up to 90 per cent of child-headed households are headed by girls. 19 For girls who have been victims of violence in conflict situations, trauma can impair their ability to learn. More than 100,000 girls directly participated in conflicts in the 1990s, yet they are often invisible in demobilisation programmes. 20 Our humanitarian support and education support programmes in Rwanda have demonstrated the importance of education in promoting peace and protecting human resources in countries emerging from conflict. Our work in these environments is a reminder of the need to link education with attempts to build democracy, provide better health systems, offer social protection to the very poorest and develop multilingual and multicultural policies. Tackling social exclusion Social exclusion is an additional barrier to girls going to school. Certain groups of girls are more likely to be excluded from school on the basis of caste, ethnicity, religion or disability. In Nepal, Dalit girls are almost twice as likely to be excluded from school as higher caste girls. In Malawi, Muslim girls are more likely to be excluded than their non-Muslim counterparts. Disabled children, and among them disabled girls in particular, constitute a significant group that is denied access to education. In a recent World Bank report it is estimated that only about 1-5 per cent of all disabled children and young people attend schools in developing countries. 21 At the World Conference on Special Education Needs in Salamanca, 92 countries and 25 international organisations committed themselves to providing educational opportunities for disabled people. The challenge is to support governments to act on this commitment, and provide quality education for excluded groups. In India we have worked with the government to address social exclusion in the government of India’s SSA (Education for All) plan. 11 3 Chapter Three Tackling girls’ education on the ground As outlined in the previous chapter, countries wanting to develop and implement a policy of promoting girls’ education face a number of challenges. But for every challenge, there are examples of promising good practice that should form the basis of the way ahead. DFID will support governments to: †¢ strengthen political leadership and empower women; †¢ make girls’ education affordable; and †¢ make schools work for all girls. We will also support NGOs, religious and other voluntary organisations. This support will enable governments to develop poverty reduction strategies and education sector plans to improve girls’ access to quality education. And we will provide increased and flexible funding to support the development and implementation of national plans. 22 DFID’s bilateral funding commitments for basic education averaged at ? 150 million a year up to 2001. Since the World Education Forum at Dakar and the Millennium Summit in 2000, the UK has significantly increased its new commitments for education programmes and we will continue to do so. As a result, we expect to spend an average of ? 350 million a year on education (a total of over ? 1 billion) over the period 2005-06 to 2007-08. This would roughly double the resources going directly to education programmes in developing countries since we first adopted the MDGs. In addition to our bilateral contributions, we expect to spend ? 370 million through multilateral agencies, bringing our total funding for education over the next three years to over ? 1. 4 billion. 23 Political leadership and empowerment of women matter We will support governments in their efforts to create political leadership for women’s empowerment. We know that national leaders who speak out against gender inequality can have a significant impact. Heads of government in Oman, Morocco, China, Sri Lanka and Uganda have advocated strongly in support of girls’ education. Women leaders have been particularly effective. Ethiopia has benefited from the long-standing involvement of the Minister of Education, who has also been chair of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE). Successes in Ethiopia demonstrate the importance of local leadership, as in Yemen, Mexico, India, and Egypt. However, political leadership needs to be accompanied by demand for change at the grassroots level. Without it, new initiatives may have little support, and policy makers may divert the resources earmarked for girls to other purposes. The example in Box 3. 1 shows sustained political support to girls’ education. 12 Tackling girls’ education on the ground Box 3. 1 Supporting political leadership: the case of Yemen Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world and has high gender disparities in education. Gross enrolment rates for girls are only two-thirds as high as those for boys at primary school and only half as high at secondary school. In 2003, the Yemen government committed itself to full primary enrolment by 2015, with a special emphasis on gender equity. Girls’ education is now a central element of Yemen’s poverty reduction strategy and the Basic Education Development Strategy. Some of the factors, which made this possible include: †¢ personal commitment from prominent Yemenis, for example the first Minister for Human Rights in the 2000 government; †¢ sustained donor commitment, UNICEF’s support to the 2000 Girls’ Education Strategy being a prominent example; and †¢ the establishment of Girls’ Education Units in the Ministry of Education at central and local levels since the 1990s. This led to Yemen becoming one of the countries to receive support under the global Education for All Fast-Track Initiative. DFID has been a partner in this process, providing ? 15 million towards the government’s US$121 million Basic Education Development Project alongside the Netherlands and the World Bank. Empowering adult women – building their confidence and education levels – can have a powerful impact on enrolling more girls in schools. Evidence from countries such as Uganda, Nepal, Bangladesh and Ghana24 shows that women who participate in literacy classes are more likely to send their children to school, keep them there, and watch their progress closely. 13 3 Girls’ education: towards a better future for all Box 3. 2. Supporting women’s empowerment and demand for girls’ education in India: Mahila Samakhya in India Mahila Samakhya, a programme implemented by the government of India in several states, is concerned to transform women’s lives through education. The programme facilitates the establishment of Samoohs (women’s groups) which provide women benefits such as education, health schemes and savings and credit. A large number of Samoohs have run campaigns for girls’ education, which have increased girls’ access to education. Many Samoohs have also built Jagjagis, non-formal education centres, often.

Is Mark Twain a Racist?

Is Mark Twain A racist? Many believe certain things about Twain's â€Å"Great American novel,† makes it a racist book, like the overuse of the word, â€Å"nigger,† and the given depiction of the black slave, Jim. However, there is a substantial amount of evidence that this book was not written out of hate, but in hope that Twain could change the ideals of skin color of the white people around him. The first and foremost question most people ask when they read the novel is, â€Å"was Mark Twain a racist? There are assumptions that because of Twain's use of edgy language and writing in the point of view of racists, that he was a racist himself. Much of the article is Twain going into detail about the type of environment and adults this young boy has been raised with, and how racism against the Chinese is commonplace. For example, the Chinese are taxed twice as much as all the other races to mine for gold. Also, when they are caught stealing from a mine, they are hung. Ho wever, when the same happens to the other races, they are only asked to leave the mining camp (Galaxy).In one part, the narrator shares, â€Å"†¦ [the boy] found out that in many districts of the vast Pacific coast, so strong is the wild, free love of justice in the hearts of the people, that whenever any secret and mysterious crime is committed, they say, â€Å"Let justice be done, though the heavens fall,† and go straightway and swing a Chinaman. † (Galaxy) The reason why Twain lists these observations is to show the city of San Francisco that it is not the boy who's at fault, because, â€Å"What had the child's education been? How should he suppose it was wrong to stone a Chinaman (Galaxy)? In fact, in one part of the article, the boy says, â€Å"†Ah, there goes a Chinaman! God will not love me if I do not stone him (Galaxy). † With this article, Twain hoped that he could allow the adult of the city to see how foolish they have been acting towards the Chinese and it was not the boy who is acting childish, but it is the men whom the young boy looked up to. This is the same scenario with the controversy surrounding, â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. † In both stories we see a young boy who lives in a society that is racist against a certain race only because they were raised that way.An example of this in, â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,† is one of the first things we hear from Huck's father and his feelings about black people who have done well in the country. He refers to an African-American college professor who wore nice clothes and was intelligent. Also, since the man was from Ohio, he was also allowed to vote. It's interesting how Huck's father says, â€Å"It was ‘lection day, and I was just about to go and vote myself if I warn't too drunk to get there†¦ (37)†.The irony in this is how Huck's father, a man who is obviously morally, financially, socially, and intellectuall y inferior to the professor he met, believes he is superior to the man because of their difference in skin colors. This confirms that Huck was raised in a racist environment, which means that things Huck says or does probably isn't out of hate, but because that's the way he's been raised in his home and society. Something very risky that Twain did to show others his position on slavery and racism was when he volunteered to help pay for one of the first black student's tuition at Yale University.In his letter do the Dean of the university explaining why he wanted to do this, he said, â€Å"We have ground the manhood out of them, and the shame is ours, not theirs, and we should pay for it (Fishkin). † This act and quote shows that Mark Twain felt personally convicted about slavery as a terrible mistake towards the black society and wanted to give something back to those affected. Therefore, with all his negative experiences with slaves and racism, why would this man write a boo k that goes against the ideals he so boldly defends?This book should not be looked at as an attack against African-Americans, but as another way Twain tried to repay the debt he felt he owed the slaves and their families (Fishkin). When the book first introduces Jim, it seems that the slave is almost superstitious to the point of idiocy. In chapter two, Jim falls asleep when looking for Tom and Huck in Mrs. Watson's yard. Tom takes Jim's hat and places it on a branch above his head, and when Jim wakes up he tells the other slaves a group of witches, â€Å"rode him all over the world, and tired him most to death, and his back was all over saddle-boils (14). Two chapters later, Jim pulls a hairball out of an ox's stomach and claims an all-knowing spirit lives inside (26). Many people find Jim's superstitions very offensive and racist because it emphasizes the idea that slaves had no hope in having a good life. Some believe that since the slaves were treated so poorly and had little c hance of escaping their sentence, they made up superstitions as a way to escape from their cruel reality. Most African-American advocates of anning Twain's novel from schools don't think their children should have to read about a time in their family's history where so much pain, suffering and dignity was lost. The fact that Twain makes Jim an extremely superstitious character, is interpreted by many as a racist action (Wolfson). However, who's to say that Jim's superstitions are not just a creative way for him to take advantage of certain things for his own personal gain? It's possible that Jim used the witch story from chapter two because he knew he'd gain popularity throughout the slave world.It even says later that slaves traveled from far places to hear Jim's witch story. As with the hairball, Jim could have just used it to get a quick â€Å"buck† from Huck, or other customers who wanted some questions answered, since Jim pretended the spirit wouldn't work unless it was paid. If Jim's superstitions are viewed in this light, he should be looked at as a very clever human being, rather than a hopeless slave, and no one with the same skin color as him should be offended (Fishkin). Another big issue people have with the book is its seemingly overuse of the word, â€Å"nigger. Throughout the book, the word is mentioned an overwhelming two hundred and fifteen times, something that many see as unnecessary, since the word comes with such a negative, degrading implication in today's world. However, there is much debate whether or not the term carried the type of negative connotation it has today, but even if people did use the name as an insult, there are still reasonable explanations as to why Mark Twain would use this word. First of all, Twain strived to make this novel as realistic as possible.If he had not used the language of his time or depicted characters the way they were in his time period, then no one would have taken his book seriously. It's poss ible that there were other names that were less offensive that he could have used, but doing so would not have been as effective in exposing the ugliness of racism as, â€Å"nigger† does. The word reinforced the book's idea that the societies of the southern United States lived in constant racism. Though it's unclear whether Shelley Fisher Fishkin supported this idea, she says in her book, A Historical Guide to Mark Twain: †¦ â€Å"nigger†] was integral to the project of presenting and indicating a racist society, whose illegitimate racial hierarchy was embodied in the use of that word, because it was central to dramatizing the failure of everyone in that society (black and white) to challenge the legitimacy of the status quo and of the word that cemented and reinforced it, and because the diction was realistic to the time and characters. (137) The relation between, Disgraceful Persecution of a Boy, and the novel at hand must also be analyzed.The young boy who sto ned the Chinese man didn't commit the crime because he hated the Chinese, he did it because that's what he was taught to do. When Huck referred to the slaves as, â€Å"niggers,† it's not out of hate that he uses the word, but because he was taught that's just what you call slaves. Another issue people have with this book is the overall depiction of the slave's intellect. In parts of the book, it's hard to even understand what Jim is trying to say because he hasn't been educated. People believe that making Jim sound intellectually inferior to every other character in the book is a racist move on Twain's part.However, when reading the novel, the reader must also realize that the author and the narrator are two different voices. The author, Twain, is an adult who is very against the idea of slavery. The narrator is a young boy who has been raised by a society who sees nothing wrong with enslaving black people. Thus, it is not Twain voicing his opinions through the thought proces ses of Huck, but it is Twain trying to portray an accurate, historical point of view from a young, white boy (Fishkin). Unfortunately, this young boy has been raised with certain biases against slaves, and Twain must honor that bias.If he doesn't then the book would be historically inaccurate. Also, one must remember that people living today were probably not Twain's target audience. Twain wanted to change problems in his generation, and in order to create a story that applied to the reader of his day, he would have to make the story as realistic as possible. Lastly, the most obvious argument is that it just wouldn't make sense to create a slave character who was as smart as the white people. If slaves were not allowed any formal education, how realistic would it be to write about a smart, literate slave?Finally, at the end of the novel, it seems Huck is thinking about running away from his home again, only because, â€Å"Aunt Sally she's going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I ca n't stand it (307). † For this quote to truly hold any meaning, the reader must realize a â€Å"sivilized† person in the societies of the southern states back then would probably have owned and mistreated slaves. Hearing Huck say that he's sick of society teaching him how to be â€Å"sivilized,† could be his way of expressing the newfound feelings he has against slavery (Fishkin).To say that, â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,† is a racist novel should be considered a ridiculous idea. Why would an anti-slavery and anti-racist man write a racist book? Twain wrote books and articles to justify his ideas to his reader, even if the ideas were absurd, like the idea of the black man being on equal ground with the white man. Though by the time the book was completed slavery was abolished and African-Americans were free, the mindsets of the southern white families did not change. These types of families were to whom Mark Twain was directing this book.He hop ed they would see the ugliness of racism and slavery, and see people past the color of their skin. One of Mark Twain's well known quotes on racism is, â€Å"One of my theories is that the hearts of men are about alike, all over the world, whatever their skin-complexions may be (Everett). † Twain probably never realized his novel about young Huck Finn would have gained so much popularity and attention so long after it's original publishing, but throughout every generation, his message of anti-racism should not be banned for its racist interpretations because it is relevant for any race, people, or community.