The Glass Castle Essay Example for Free

The Glass Castle Essay The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is an extremely shocking novel in that even it weren’t true the events in the story would still be shocking, but the fact that it is true makes it that much more disturbing. In the book Jeannette is on more than one occasion, a victim of sexual abuse. Although there is one event in particular that I found exceptionally troubling. And that is when Jeannette and her family are in their upper class house in Phoenix and innocently leave their doors and windows open. One night, random perverts sneak into their home and sexually assault the children. And it wouldn’t be so bad if Jeannette didn’t play it off as though it were nothing. She almost makes it seem like barely mentioning when she says that â€Å" I was awakened by someone running his hands over my private parts†(103). And the man who assaulted her had a book â€Å"with pictures of boys and girls wearing only underpants†(103). From the eyes of someone like I, who can make no connection with perverts other than the horrific news stories of rape and murder I occasionally hear about, this event is tremendously disturbing. When I read this part of the book I thought she was in mortal danger. I’ve never actually heard of someone sexually assaulting a child without it involving some sort of murder or kidnapping. It really goes to show she is familiar with perverts and wrongfully – or rightfully I’m not really sure – does not feel an extreme panic type of danger when dealing with pedophiles. This event teaches Jeannette what is really worth worrying about. After Rex and Jeannette go out she realizes this is like hunting Demon, â€Å" except the enemy was real and dangerous instead being the product of a kid’s overactive imagination. (103)† And it goes to show that a big reason why Jeannette is so mature and matures so quickly is due to the fact of her constant experience of traumatizing events and moments of extreme danger.

Islamophobia in the Media

Islamophobia in the Media The media is a means of communication which is usually made through television, radio, newspapers and other outlets that influence a wide amount of people. Moreover, the media causes moral panics of crime and fear of crime, this including the media’s role in the social construction of crime and media amplification of crime. The relationship between crime and the media has been debated historically particularly in relation to public fears about the harmful effects of the media. It is common observation that crisis such as wars, share markets, scandals often drive the public policy making process. Crisis reveals the problems and public consensus emerges that policymakers must do something about it. These crisis reveal broadcasters important role in community crisis information Saider 2006:1) choosing negative names for people or groups that powerful policymakers dislikes using positive names for describing wildly acts are part of media tricks. Numerous media campaigns are going on against Islam and Muslims. Multiple channels trying to show a rough picture of Islam to their public. At the same time muslims groups through various media are trying to convey their messages but in comparison to the global dominance of the western media their effects are somehow in vain. The media has responsibility of reporting fair and unbiased news stories. However, media are now blamed for overlooking the ethical issues when it comes to Islam. Although Islam is the fastest growing religion in the west, the west has many stereotypes and misconceptions about Islam that are due to the media, prejudice and ignorance. Islam is often looked upon the extremist terrorist fundamental religion. In contrast to what many westerners think of Islam is a peaceful religion, which does not promote any forms of uncalled violence or terrorist actions. A major factor which contributes to Islamic stereotyping in the west due to the medias selection of their words that describe Muslims. Some common name heard or seen in the news about Muslims are extremist or terrorist. These words are misleading any mainly are anti-Islamic. The media rarely use more words such as revivalist or progressive. Media reports about Muslims and Islam negatively. A great misconception that exists the truth about Jihad which means â€Å"the struggle in the path of God†. However, the media abuses the meaning of Jihad by referring to it as a war in which Muslims unreasonably kill non-believers. But the fact is that Jihad can mean a numbers of things that a Muslims does for the sake of God. The media used this kind of a definition in their reports. The media often takes the word Jihad out of context to propagate negative views on Muslims. Media using the most relevant example of the 9/11 event was to capitalise its political gain. The media depicts Islam as fundamentalism, extremist and radicalised religion. In a world were the role of the media is control; the image of reality can be manipulated by the author. The media tried to represent Muslims as terrorists posing a threat to security of countries. The way the media writes about Muslims being terrorists and the way they portray them on TV, documentaries and many others it raises many questions for policy-makers and for general public like, what the cause of global terrorism is, whether all the Muslims are terrorists including children, women and why all Muslim people hate British people and many others. These types of questions create public panic around the Muslim communities and terrorist threats. However, a research by Whitaker (2002) suggested that Muslims are intolerant, violent and cruel. It also suggested that Muslims are reported mainly when they cause a t rouble though negative stories that often come from other countries. They obviously have some effect on readers perceptions of Muslims in Britain. By doing so they try to justify the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. This led to the emergence of Islamophobia. However, little effort has been made to respond to their negative campaigns. On the contrary the act of terrorist groups who kill people especially western hostages help their media to show that they are collectively victims of terrorism. The medias poor representations of Islam are due to poor language translations, the absence of developed news agencies which interactional networks and native reporters and biased reporting by reporters. The public is often misinformed about the Muslims through the images on television, radio, comic stories in newspapers which promote strong message to the public. Reporters often say Muslims are terrorist. This becomes the common image to the general persons that all the Muslims are terrorists (Edwards Saids book, covering Islam 1997). The representation of muslims in the media relate to the lack of acceptances of differences. Media creates moral panics around terrorist threat. As one scholar said the war on terrorism is a war of images and the most effective images are those of terrorists victims. But other side we see discrimination associated with Islamophobia. This represents that the muslims are threat to security. Negative coverage of muslims has led to the production of anti-Islamic films like â€Å"Fitna† by Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders. After 9/11 attacks most experts has talked about security issues but everyone sees to forget the other causes of attacks such as social and political. In Iraq war economic, social and political causes were forgotten. The representations on muslims in the media has to change. To improve the image of Islam and muslims it requires a strong effort from muslim communities. These efforts should include a comprehensive process of reforms. Muslims will never be able t o improve their image in the world if they fail to appear as a nation of culture and civilisation. Some other alternatives should be undertaken to educate other people about Islam, peace and tolerance and to clarify the incorrect views of Islam held by some people. Dr. Mona Amer, a psychologist conducted a research about the mental health of Muslims and Arab Americans in 2006, it shows us that after 9/11 attacks many Muslims and Arabs suffer from anxiety, depression and even post-traumatic stress disorder. Although the majority of participants in the study reported feeling safe to extremely safe to pre 9/11, more than 82% reported feeling unsafe post 9/11. Dr Amer noted that feeling unsafe is a predictor of post traumatic stress disorder. However this study ended up as a target of hate and discrimination after Dr. Amer research was reported in USA Today. Dr. Amer received death threats from strangers this also was mentioned in an article â€Å"Muslims in America, post 9/11†, by Rebecca Clay whose research shows that the negative attitude towards Muslims has not decreased. Muslims receive constant negative messages through media about their religion and culture. Clearly it shows that Muslims often treated really badly even though its been 13 years of 9/11 attacks. On the other hand, sometimes the media seems to be biased against Muslim communities. When the media distorts the image of Islam and Muslims, the general public tend to believe it because the media is a major source of information that the public gets about Islam and Muslims. Whereas, it can be argued that Muslims in Britain and across the western sphere, have voiced their worries about the way Islam is portrayed in the media. Aside from the action in accuracies and negativity prevented in media discourse they feel that people and their perceptions of faith and beliefs are adversely affected by such representation. Ahmed, (1992) conducted a study which highlighted that the way some people see Islam and Muslims through media is one of the factors potentially contributing to social discrimination and disadvantage amongst Muslim minorities. A report by the Guardian suggested that Muslim people in western media is typically stereotypical and negative. The report also suggested that the way the media talks and writes about Muslims would not be acceptable if the reference were to other minorities such as Jewish, Black and others. These studies showed that media shapes public opinion and covers reality by their censorship. It also demonstrated that TV, News, documentaries have the strongest influence on people’s views of Islam. Based on these arguments it could be argued that the way media covers terrorist attacks, the way portray the image of a Muslim who has been arrested or seen as suspected or general newspaper articles might have interpreted wrongly so it can increase the tension within Muslims and non-Muslims. Effect of these types of media Britain might feel threatened as they can believe that all the terrorist incidents happened they are all planned and conducted by Muslim people, in future they can plan othe r attacks on Britain to take revenge. Thus creating create moral panics as they misinformed the public which then result in Muslim communities being seen as terrorists and a threat to the UK. However, these reports could raise an awareness for general public to not to believe every news has been reported as the editor or author of that news coverage might have interpreted differently to exactly what happened to sell the copies of their newspapers, raise awareness of TV channels in order to make money. An internet survey of 1,360 people was carried out by global market insight, Muslims voice UK Queens University of Liverpool UK Muslims blame Islamphobia on the portrayal of their religion in media. Survey revealed that 40% Muslims blamed ant6i-Islamic feelings on Media, 74% non-Muslims blamed on 9/11 attacks. Non-Muslims are concerned about extremism, the lack of integration Muslims not being proud to be British and the lack oft tolerance by Muslims. However, the biggest threat to good Muslims and non-slip community is the misinformation on Islam in the media. The one of the most surprising media stories to come out after the years of 9/11 attack was â€Å"international Burn a Quran Day†, which was organised by Pastor Terry Joneson in Florida. This event on social media sites such as Facebook, twitter received thousands of likes and was covered greatly across the United States with Pastor was involved onto on CNN for an interview. However, muslims were rarely offered air time to express their opinions on the matters of how majority of the society is evidently anti-muslim. On the other hands, an news article by Akbar Ahmed (Burn Quran Day, an outrage to muslims, August, 20, 2010) suggests that burning a Quran has caused alarm in the muslim world and burning will have symbolic significance to the muslim world already feeling under attack by US. It also suggest that Gen.David Petraeus, the head of American forces in Afghanistan, has repeatedly expressed the need for winning the hearts of local people by treating them with dignity and r espect. So when muslims will see their holy Quran book being burned it will create riots and that will put US troops at further risk. There will be similar riots in Pakistan and Iran. It will inflame the entire Muslim world and fuel the acts of terrorism. Therefore, it can be argued that media only fuelled the hatred that Americans felt towards all muslims which then leads them to burn the Holy Quran book. Only small number of people was responsible for 9/11 so we cant blame on all muslims but due to media representations all muslims gets the blame for 9/11. An article in magazine (muslims life in united states , post 9/11 portrayal and representation, 8/12,2014) shows us that 9/11 attacks was not start of negative portrayals on Muslims in West. A paper published in 2010 by a sociology professor Nurrullah of Alberta University analyses the Hollywood series â€Å"24†. the analyses suggest that show portrays stereotypical images of muslims which led to increase in discrimination towards muslims. This paper also suggest that tensions between the West and Muslims are not new its phenomenon. Islam and Muslims are historically look down upon the west. The negative portrays of muslims in the media it began after the second world war with the development of technology. There is no doubt that negative media influence by the West after 9/11attacks were portrayed worldwide muslims and Islam in an even darker picture but 9/11 aside, the negative portrayal of muslims were already set in stone with some westerners. To conclude, in the media Muslims are often portrayed through stereotypical representations and discourses in which they have no voice. Basically the media is the main reason of enlarging the gap between west and east. It keeps on pressing on the west and filling their minds with pictures, movies, news against Muslims which arent true. Since 9/11 attacks media keep portraying Muslim in negative way such as terrorists and killer who attack innocent people without any reason and posing a threat to the security of countries. This creating a moral panic as they misinform the public by reporting that Muslims are intolerant, violent and cruel which then result in Muslim communities being seen as terrorists and a threat to the UK.

Challenges In A Teenage Marriage Young People Essay

Challenges In A Teenage Marriage Young People Essay In announcing on Monday that her daughter Bristol was five months pregnant, Sarah Palin, John McCains choice for a running mate, added a quick qualification that might, in another era, have eliminated the potential for embarrassment: The 17-year-old girl was to be married to the 18-year-old father of the baby. (Kershaw, 2008) He would be the gentleman, she would be the lady, and with the backing of a strong family they would do what was expected of them. Since Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin announced her daughter is pregnant, teen marriage and teen pregnancy have been hot topics among parents. But it is teenage marriage today, not teenage pregnancy that is the rarity. Why am I writing paper on such a topic? Well I will tell you why. I chose to write my paper on teen marriages because I am very interested in how the teens get themselves early into the institution of marriage and face problems later. Im also interested in why they divorce at such an early time in their marriage. The age and the reason of marrying today have changed dramatically over the years. Many young people today are starting to get married at a very young ages and they are doing it all for wrong reasons. Young generations today rush into marriage without even understanding what they are getting into. Marriage is a lifetime commitment which the teenagers dont take seriously. Todays teenagers dont believe in the name of trust, faith and love. Teenage marriage has become a challenge in the todays era. Instead of just talking about how much fun it will be to live together, talk about the aspects of daily life that wont be so much fun, and how you will deal with that. Some teens want to get married because they feel that it will give them more control over their partner to crush a lot of jealousy issues. One should understand that marriage is a partnership, its not about control. Various reasons leading to teen marriage would be pregnancy, freedom, ensuring relationship, religion, living in together, etc. As a consequence of which, teen marriage serves to be a problem when a couple has disagreements over money, over children and also physical or mental abuse. Todays youngsters are married young, but their marriage doesnt last as long. For example, my friends, Mehraze and his ex wife Khushnaz, married at the age of 17, but they are divorced at the age of 19. Their marriage lasted for just 2 years after they realized that their love for each other was just a toss. According to me, they should not have thought of marriage at that age and that time of their life. Both of them were busy in their own lives and both had decided their future goals. Neither of them had thought of getting married at 17. They took such a step because they thought that they were in love and should just go ahead and take an extra step to get married. I am not saying that getting married at such a young age is wrong. What I am against are the reasons which one chooses to get married. Reasons mentioned earlier are not enough. People take love as a reason for granted, on which most of the marriages are based on. But, unfortunately, its not. Oh no, theres a baby on the way. We have to get married. This is one of the topmost reasons for getting married. Teen pregnancy rate is very high in U.S. Christie Silvers wrote in her article Can a teen marriage last? that in the U.S there are 1.3 million babies born out-of-wedlock each year. Of course this doesnt include all of the babies born in a teen marriage. Overall, 71.5 pregnancies per 1000 women aged 15-19 occurred in 2006. (Facts on American Teens Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2010). Guys normally think that if they get their girlfriend pregnant, then its their responsibility to marry and take care of her, which should never be the case. If you are not ready enough to take the big step of getting married and supporting each other, the feeling of taking care of your child should not come to mind. This will only cause confusion for the child and may in turn lead the child to hate their parents. Marriage is not a solution to an unplanned pregnancy. In the book called Teens at risk, Isabel Sawhill argues that encouraging teenage parents to marry will not solve the problems associated with teen pregnancy. She grants that children fare better when their parents are married than when they are not married, but notes that teenage marriages have an extremely high failure rate. In addition, she claims that by focusing their efforts on getting teen parents to wed, government programs fail to address why teenagers get pregnant in the first place. The best way to reduce the problems associated with teenage pregnancy, according to Sawhill, is to encourage abstinence, but also to teach teens about birth control. Births to teens have increased in recent years. 10% (Ten percent) of all U.S. births are to teens. (Facts on American Teens Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2010). According to the data from the Natality Data Sets, National Vital Statistics System, Teenagers accounted for 23% of nonmarital births in 2007. Another most common reason for the teens to consider marriage is freedom. They want to get out of their parents home. Most teens do not like listening to their parents and feel they know more than their parents. Teenagers dont like the rules set by our parents. They have a feeling that parents expect a lot from them. If parents have denial for certain person, they might have their own reasons why they think that way. However, many teenagers fail to understand that their parents are really trying to help them. They think that parents are making their life miserable and not giving them enough freedom. Unfortunately, they dont understand the importance of parents. Being married is definitely not about freedom. A person has a lot of responsibility including household work, paying bills, etc. and most importantly responsibility and commitment to another person. If couple argues, none can just walk away and leave home. You wont have the liberty to go in and out as you did before because other person will also be involved in his/her decisions. Some teens may also want to marry to ensure their relationship. They may feel that marriage would not lead the other person to ditch them. Well, that is not the case. The high divorce rates are sufficient enough to nullify this assumption. Figures released from the National Center for Health Statistics found nearly half of marriages in which the bride is 18 or younger end in separation or divorce within 10 years. (Chan, 2002) Eleanor H. Ayers writes in her book, Teen Marriage, that: A girl married at 17 is twice as likely to be divorced as a girl 18 or 19. If a girl waits until she is 25 the chances that her marriage will last are 4 times better. Another reason why people marry so young may be because of religious reasons. This means having sex the right way. They figure out that if they are going to have sex then they might do it the right way by getting married. This should not be the reason for getting married. Marriage should be based on how much you love each other and not expecting something from each other. Marriages dont succeed this way. Another different reason for teen marriage would be of living in together. Teen may want to live in together before marriage but their parents may not agree to the same. This reason would sometimes encourage their parents to sign the papers for their children to get married because they fear the teens will live together anyway. Tradition and cultures in some countries have also led to teen marriage. For example, the Brahmin community in India is known to practice early marriages. In this community, a girl is searched for a suitable suitor the moment she is born. The girls family negotiates for dowry and once the girl is eleven or twelve, she is forced into early marriages to perhaps a man of forty of fifty years. This trend is however on a decline with the government passing The Child Marriage Restrain Act, 1929. Some marriages work and some dont. Todays generation live their lives differently. Many marriages between the ages of 16-21 usually dont last very long. The reason is nothing but the rush for marriage without realizing the outcomes of it. For example: When teenagers under the age of 18 get married, they are just leaving their parents care and are not accustomed t taking care of themselves such as paying bills, groceries, car insurance, etc. Money is the most common which leads to divorce among young adults. Things change when one gets married. Never rush into marriage if you are not ready otherwise the worst is the future. The happiness of the marriage may not last longer when one understands and recognizes the consequences of it. The first and the main problem that shakes a teen marriage are over money. Marriage consumes money and time of both the partners. According to an old saying, Money does not buy happiness but the fact cant be ignored that tight monetary situations could create tensions between couples. Youngsters will have to set up a home of their own and bear all the costs of running the house and taking care of the family. They generally do not like to take help from their parents as they have decided to venture out on their own. It is not easy for teens to bear all the financial expenses at such an early age, as they are not so educated to earn a lot of money. As a consequence of which teen marriage turns out to be a costly affair. Also, if one person is frugal and the other is free-spending, the conflict that arises can be extremely difficult to manage. Financial problems in a teen marriage would often lead to them staying in poverty. Living in poverty would affect the future offspring of the teenage couple. The health and psychological states of the children of teen couples would be affected. It is important to think carefully before getting into an early relationship so that such monetary problems cant destroy what could otherwise be a very beautiful relationship. Unplanned pregnancy is the most common problem that the teenagers face. Teens body is not ready for pregnancy at such a young age which may be dangerous for the mother. Brides of early marriage are at an extremely high risk for fistulas and they have a higher risk of being infected with sexually transmitted diseases and at an increased risk of chronic anemia and obesity. Francis Hosein states in his article, Relationship Teen Marriages that Some teens are having sex at an early age of 12 and becoming pregnant and having kids. He further states to imagine kids having kids and they (many of them) are having difficulty in taking responsibility for raising their children. Lack of experience in bringing up children could generate ill-feelings towards each other. Having to live on their own and with no guidance from adults can cause much strain on the young couple, who have to handle children at an early age. Young women dont do very well when raising a family. The responsibility that comes in with the birth of a new life is not tolerated by the teens. How can they be responsible for their child if they are not settled in their own lives? Another problem faced by the teenagers is that of physical and mental abuse. Physical abuse in the context of dating relationships includes punching, biting, slapping, stabbing, and any other method that one person can use to physically harm another with or without the aid of a weapon. Teens at this age are not mature enough. Immaturity often becomes a cause for a broken marriage. Lack of personal maturity can make it difficult for teenagers to handle situations. They often quarrel over petty issues, and sometimes end up in an early divorce. Lack of maturity or self confidence and trust may also lead to jealousy and anger. Jealousy becomes a sufficient reason for broken marriage. Trust is the key in any relationship. Young teen brains are still maturing and they are working through the different steps of growth. Household problems may often lead to physical abuse, which may in turn lead to an unsuccessful marriage. The next issue that they are likely to face is the problem of housing. Where are they going to live? Will they have enough money to buy or rent a house? Then the realization comes that marriage in their teens would involve the taking up of adult responsibilities and giving up the joys of youth. Teenagers lose out on fun and play by marrying early. Since they have to shoulder responsibility at an early age, they do not have time for leisure and relaxation. Emotional and psychological stress due to inexperience can create disharmony between the young couple. Handling everything on own at such an early age can be difficult and demanding. Another important problem arising out of teenage marriage is that the teens have to give up on their education after marriage. They are unable to get the time to devote for studies. They miss out on many opportunities in life on account of this. The added responsibilities of family budget deprive them of focusing on their education. Lack of education also doesnt provide teenagers with good employment opportunities. The partners would have a hard time looking for a well-paying job to support a family because of the absence of a diploma. They are not offered with high paid jobs, since their education level is low. Teenagers should take into consideration that marriage comes in with lots of responsibilities and that handling these responsibilities is not easy. Teenagers feel very grown up and decide their life on their own. They often feel marriage can strengthen their relationship and solve the problem of teenage pregnancy. It all sounds very cool, but definitely there are many problems to be faced. They would be an added burden to the society if they do not consider the implications of such an early marriage. Involving into marriage is a real adjustment and even a significant challenge for many couples. Think about yourself at 15. How much had you changed by 18? By 21? By 25? Those 10 years between 15 and 25 are so critical to learning, to development of ones self, and to life success. It is easy to see why those who attempt the giant step of marriage in the same time period may well be in for a rough road ahead. The Department of Health and Human Services is showing efforts to reduce teen pregnancies through abstinence from sex. The department initiated programs such as the abstinence education program, grants for community-based abstinence education, adolescent family life program, community coalition prevention demonstrations, and school-based prevention work groups, among others (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2002). According to Christie Silvers, teens should consider some premarital counseling. This would help them take an important decision whether they should be married or not. She also states that the prospective bride and the groom should talk to other experienced teens. This would give them insight on what consequences would their marriage have. She also suggests reading teenage books as a handy solution. Teenagers do become responsible with time. They do eventually grow and change. Some will grow apart once they are older. Some will learn that they really did not love their spouse as much as they thought they did. Some may also regret the decision of getting married. The best way to deal with this problem is to wait until you are older, mature and more established in life. One doesnt want to regret the feeling of lost teen days. One should consider all the fun things that one gets to do if one marries few years later in life. Marrying young wont make one feel what its like to live by oneself or to do things with friends that one wont do as a couple. Its not necessary that teen marriage has to fail. But getting married is not a game. As a stated fact, life is tough for married teens. So its a wise decision to be taken in the end. If you enter this phase of life slowly and know what to expect, then teen marriages can be as successful as other marriages.

A New Pollution? Essay examples -- Wireless Communication Pollution Da

A New Pollution? Abstract: Increasingly our society is being inundated with information wirelessly, through emissions of electromagnetic waves (EMF). Any room you enter is being blanketed with ever increasing amounts of, in some cases, highly powerful electromagnetic waves. These waves carry everything from cell phone traffic to wireless internet signals, to even conventional AM/FM radio signals. Although humans and animals cannot perceive most of these electromagnetic frequencies, they can affect biological organisms in many ways that scientists currently do not even understand. Even further, demand for such wireless applications is growing in terms of both signal strength and bandwidth. This leads to the important question of whether at some point the signals will become so powerful and transmitted at so high a frequency that they may begin to cause adverse symptoms in biological organisms as a result. This paper will focus on the ethical implications of developing such technologies without yet having scient ific research that demonstrates its safety for humans and animals. I chose this topic because I have always been interested in wireless internet (802.11 b/g) and wondered if it could be potentially dangerous. A New Pollution? Wireless communication usage is quickly proliferating through all facets of modern life. Although wireless communication has been around for nearly a century, its application was very limited in scope through the first 50 years of its development. For the second half of the 20th century, wireless usage ramped up with the introduction of FM/AM radio as well as UHF/VHF for television. Then, beginning in the 90's, connectivity of individuals and devices became a paramount concern within the ... ... be stopped pending conclusive safety results. It should also be noted that technologically driven market forces will resist any attempt to slow the progress being in wireless communication. Ultimately, more research involving RF and human safety is needed regardless of the course of action taken. Endnotes: 1. J. Ulcek and R. Cleveland, Jr. , Office of Engineering and Technology - Federal Communications Commission, Questions and Answers about Biological Effects and Potential Hazards of Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields , #56 4th Ed. Aug. 1999: 7, 2. Ed Hare, â€Å"The FCC's New RF-Exposure Regulations†, QST, Jan. 1997, 3. Hare, How the IEEE C95.1 Standard Was Developed 4. Hare, Maximum Permissible Exposure 5. Ulcek and Cleveland, 51

Is the Body Ownable :: Philosophy Papers

Is the Body Ownable The way Jennifer Church approaches the issue of body ownership in â€Å"Ownership and the Body†, it sounds as though that we own our bodies is a given fact, and the controversy is over what follows from this and why it is important to have a discussion of this fact. I, however, intend to argue that it is a bad move to allow for the idea of self-ownership (or any sort of ownership of subjects), that it is more likely to perpetuate problems than to solve them to think in this way, and that the belief in the possibility of body/self-ownership is rooted primarily in linguistic ambiguities (â€Å"property† vs. â€Å"properties†, different senses of â€Å"mine†, etc.). Mine We will begin with the seemingly innocuous assertion, â€Å"my body is mine†. 1[1]This is a truism only if â€Å"mine† is not construed as â€Å"being that which I own†. I do not own my mother, my boss, or my sneeze. In some cases, â€Å"mine† only means that something pertains to me, not that it necessarily belongs to me in the sense in which a product of my labour might. Surely a slave who says, â€Å"my master,† is not trying to reverse the relationship (a relationship which is, by my account, illegitimate to begin with). Now, Church does want to allow, in a sense, for me to be able to own my mother. She certainly would allow my mother, initially, to own me.2[2] One can make a claim, by her account, to some degree of ownership of another person based on the extent to which that person has become part of one’s self.3[3] Her example for this is the right that one’s close friends and relatives have to make decisions for one who is incapacitated. I do not see how the concern of close ones can be taken as a form of ownership. While we hope that it is our closest friends and family who will look out for us when we are unable to look out for ourselves, in no way are they granted the rights that one would have over property.4[4] I take ownership to include unrestricted private use of an object. Of course my definition excludes the possibility of owning a Is the Body Ownable :: Philosophy Papers Is the Body Ownable The way Jennifer Church approaches the issue of body ownership in â€Å"Ownership and the Body†, it sounds as though that we own our bodies is a given fact, and the controversy is over what follows from this and why it is important to have a discussion of this fact. I, however, intend to argue that it is a bad move to allow for the idea of self-ownership (or any sort of ownership of subjects), that it is more likely to perpetuate problems than to solve them to think in this way, and that the belief in the possibility of body/self-ownership is rooted primarily in linguistic ambiguities (â€Å"property† vs. â€Å"properties†, different senses of â€Å"mine†, etc.). Mine We will begin with the seemingly innocuous assertion, â€Å"my body is mine†. 1[1]This is a truism only if â€Å"mine† is not construed as â€Å"being that which I own†. I do not own my mother, my boss, or my sneeze. In some cases, â€Å"mine† only means that something pertains to me, not that it necessarily belongs to me in the sense in which a product of my labour might. Surely a slave who says, â€Å"my master,† is not trying to reverse the relationship (a relationship which is, by my account, illegitimate to begin with). Now, Church does want to allow, in a sense, for me to be able to own my mother. She certainly would allow my mother, initially, to own me.2[2] One can make a claim, by her account, to some degree of ownership of another person based on the extent to which that person has become part of one’s self.3[3] Her example for this is the right that one’s close friends and relatives have to make decisions for one who is incapacitated. I do not see how the concern of close ones can be taken as a form of ownership. While we hope that it is our closest friends and family who will look out for us when we are unable to look out for ourselves, in no way are they granted the rights that one would have over property.4[4] I take ownership to include unrestricted private use of an object. Of course my definition excludes the possibility of owning a

Henrik Isbens A Dolls House Essay examples -- A Dolls House Essays

Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, considers a very delicate situation experienced by a Scandinavian family in 1879. Nora Helmer, the main character and adored wife of Torvald faces a life-altering dilemma. She has to decide whether to remain with her obsessive husband in his sheltered home, playing the part of a doll, or take the initiative to leave and seek out her own individuality. There are three minor characters that have a significant impact on the final decision that Nora attains. Each one, representing some particular social aspect, is essential to the development of Nora’s character. Krogstad, Dr. Rank and Mrs. Linde have all had a long-standing relationship with the Helmer family, but neither character can provide Nora with a completely reassuring path to follow. She must discover this for herself, as they can only help to point her in another direction other than the one that Torvald has. Nils Krogstad is in fear of losing his job at the bank. He will stop at nothing in order to retain his position, as he has struggled relentlessly to get to where he is now. Krogstad was guilty of committing the same crime as that of Nora and although their motives were different, the law still regards their actions as fraudulent. In all of his ruthlessness and selfishness, Krogstad represents the desperation that Nora experience’s throughout the play as she tries to figure a way out of her desperate situation. She had gone to him in her time of need and now he has approached her in his time of despair. However, she is unable to assist him because it would mean that she would have to involve Torvald and that is the last thing she wants to happen. Thus, Krogstad retaliates by explaining to her that if he goes down, she will go with him. “But I tell you this: if I’m pitched out a second time, you are going to keep me company';(Ibsen 29). He shows no sympathy, as he doe s not hesitate to destroy the reputations of both Nora and Helmer for his own benefit and to further his own standing in society. The character of Krogstad demonstrates that although one can overcome their fault and eventually move on with life, that person will ultimately revert to other similar acts of ruthlessness later in life. Dr. Rank is also a long-time acquaintance of the Helmer’s and makes frequent visits to their household. ... ...many hardships however, she provides Nora with assurance, a sense of hope that women can make a living on their own, without a husband at their side.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the end, all three minor characters have undergone a radical change, having arrived at some other position in life. Krogstad and Mrs. Linde have become a couple, and Dr. Rank is soon to pass away. This is significant, as Nora has chosen to abandon her family to pursue her own independence and individuality. She will no longer play the part of a doll and depend on Torvald to support her and resolve all of her problems and thus, takes a giant step forward towards the development of women as their own individuals. Ibsen’s A Doll’s House explores the role of women in the late 1800’s and stresses the importance of their realization of this believed inferiority. Living in our present day society sometimes causes us to underestimate the transition that women have undergone throughout these last hundred years. However, Nora’s progression at the end of the play arouses an awareness to an awakening society recognizing the changing view of the stat us of women at that time.

Wendell Phillip Speech

Wendell Phillips, a white American abolitionist, used the power of language to his advantage to collaborate an influential speech filled with praises and moving words for the former slave, Haitian general, Toussaint-Louverture. His words reveal an unmistakable abolitionist fervor that screams to Americans to allow African Americans to serve in the military and open their eyes to the oppression of slavery. He attempts to ignite this passion through his zealous attitude, his strategic defense for Louverture, and his fluid progression of ideas. His most effective technique, however, is hidden under the surface in his use of stellar parallel structure and reference to historical allusions. These tools allow him to praise his esteemed subject while at the same time moving and influencing his audiences. Phillips speech is rich with historical allusions to the great leaders of our past- leaders who have had a significant impact on our American history. He first juxtaposes his introduction of Louverture with an input about George Washington, the great American President and military leader. This appeals to American emotions as an influential leader is followed up by a Haitian Negro. By placing the two names side by side, Phillips emphasizes a much-intended similarity between the two in terms of greatness. He makes a second juxtaposition when Oliver Cromwell, an important English political leader known for his military skill, is stated parallel to Toussaint’s. Similar to the juxtaposition to Washington, Phillips looks to dispel the mere differences between Cromwell and Toussaint and portray them as equals. A second effective mechanic used in Phillips speech is the flawless use of parallel sentence structure throughout the passage. He admires Toussaint’s action when he â€Å"forged a thunderbolt and hurled it† and follows this assertion by paralleling the Spaniards, French, and English. This structure illuminates how the Haitian successfully challenged each of these â€Å"great† European powers and came up victorious. The structure creates a build-up, each one effectively following the next. This syntax adds to the emphasis of Louverture’s great accomplishments and puts them in a light not too far-fetched from those of the great Europeans. Wendell Phillips carefully chosen diction and use of syntax frees the audience of prejudice in debating whether to allow Negroes into the military. He embodies his speech with emotion and power that pushes the idea that Toussaint should be credited along with the other renound leaders. His language moves his audience in a way that contributes to the developing abolitionist fervor that helped the North win the Civil War. He instills in them the same respect for Louverture as for Washington, the Father of their country and Cromwell, the great military leader. His words were strong enough to influence America as a whole and carried with it so much truth and emotions that people were left with only one thing to do-fight to free the ever-oppressing chains of slavery.