Month: October 2019
Microeconomics is the Study of Consumer Behavior
Microeconomics is the study of consumer behavior, which entails what the consumer would buy. In healthcare this a vital aspect of improving patient health. Electronic Healthcare Records (EHR), are records that ensure patient information electronically, such as test results, check-ups, and medications. Microeconomics and EHR's tend to stand together since EHR's are open and it gives the patient access to their records. While EHR's are a tool to give the patient access to their records, most medical facilities allow the patient to book appointments check their up to date vitals, if the patient must give vitals daily, and speak with their physicians on misunderstandings. This option gives the patient control over their health.
The study of microeconomics has changed the demeanor of healthcare, with rapidly improving patient care. Microeconomics is a synonym for convenient. I say that because it is the study of consumer behavior, and within the health care field, convenience is vital. Convenience is anything that makes one task easier. As previously stated EHR's are the newest and most effective way of making the doctor and patient relationship more convenient. Now with EHR's, there comes a risk of privacy breaching. HITECH ACT also known as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act.
This act anticipated the expansion in the exchange of electronic protected health information (ePHI) between doctors, hospitals, and other entities that store ePHI for the sole reason of cutting down on the cost of healthcare by sharing (Compliancy Group, 2018) The usage of EHR'S has evolved rapidly over time. With multiple tech companies such as 3M who put together the first EHR, HELP, Health Evaluation through Logical Processing. In 1968 Harvard released COSTAR, Computer Stored Ambulatory Record, it was used within the Massachusetts General Hospital. The United States government has been using EHR's since the 1970s with its implementation of Vista which stored Veterans data. Since the government uses its resources well, it branched off and gave the public a version of their VistA and released CPRS, Computerized Patient Record System.
While many tech companies and healthcare facilities were collaborating on new EHRs there were several problems that needed to be adjusted. The cost of this technology, a common terminology that can be used throughout the healthcare industry, and lastly, security. Most of these problems will be solved with the HITECH Act that was passed by Barrack Obama in 2009. This act reformed the nature of the relationships among health care professionals, organizations, patients, and payors by focusing on the implementation and use of health information technology. It puts prominence on privacy and security, including expanded application and enforcement (Howard Burde, 2011`). Here is how HITECH has helped with the previous three problems that affected the EHR process (cost of technology, common terminology, and security).
The HITECH Act has different stages before one can officially use certified and qualified EHRs. Stage one is where common terminology comes into effect. The EHRs should be set up to where the physician can read the patient's information. Stage two and three are intertwined with each other since both is about improvement on patient care. The second stage is disease management clinical decision support, medication management support for patient access to their health information, transitions in care, quality measurement and research, and bi-directional communication with public health agencies (Howard Burde, 2011`).
This part of the stage is focused on being able to exchange patient information just in case the patient decides to see another physician or is sent to a specialist. Stage three address improvements in quality, safety, and efficiency, focusing on decision support for national high priority conditions, patient access to self-management tools, access to comprehensive patient data, and improving population health outcomes (Howard Burde, 2011`). For security purposes, the HITECH Act protects the HIPAA Act. To summarize the HIPAA Act it gives the patient protection over their records.
In other words, it protects the patient data, so no one can have the ability to steal any information. Now with more information about the HITECH ACT and EHRs how does this technology affect the consumers, insurers, and hospital systems? The consumers are who the hospitals are targeting, so they abide by what the consumer wants, and consumers have wanted access to their health records without having to call and place an order to eventually go pick up the health record. Also, I remember this moment quite vividly, have you ever had a conversation with your doctor and after you two are done, you are lost and stuck with more questions than previously? Well, EHRs have taken care of that problem, now you can access your information from your phone and google all of the terms you may not understand. This gives the consumer more control over their health. HITECH AND EHR's benefit the insurer, by having access to billing information, cuts down on human error.
Hospital systems have to be up to date and able to have multiple functions. The multiple functions are for the different units of the hospital such as cardio, radiology, and even the warehouse of the hospital. All information must be protected, and the warehouse information is just as important as patient information. In conclusion, HITECH/EHR's are vital to hospitals, insurers, and lastly consumers. Throughout the paper, different topics were brought up such as the key elements, discussed how the government played a part in executing the HITECH ACT and the importance of EHR's and how they have improved throughout time, The HITECH ACT was put into place by Barrack Obama in 2009.
Electronic Health Records (EHR) have improved drastically during their timeframe and is still improving. Electronic health records are very vital to the healthcare system since it enlightened the HIPAA act, which protects patient records. The HITECH Act was just a security measure for the HIPAA Act and to enforce the usage of Electronic Health Records. Works Cited Compliancy Group . (2018). What is the HITECH Act? Retrieved from compliancy group: https://compliancy-group.com/what-is-the-hitech-act/ Howard Burde, J. (2011`). THE HITECH ACT: An Overview. AMA Journal of Ethics, 1.
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Unemployment Rate Refers
Unemployment rate refers to the percentage of people in a nation with the total labor force but unable to secure jobs. In most cases, people are considered unemployed if they currently are not able to get jobs despite the fact that they are willing and able to work. This limits most people in acquiring their human wants effectively, because they are not able to afford them. Unemployment has been a major tragedy in USA and other western countries the governments of these nations have tried to address this issue in various ways to ensure that people are able to secure jobs to in private and public sectors.
In USA unemployment rate has emerged in a situation where the economy has grown slowly, the economy begins to contraction or recessionary. This makes the sales of various products to declines which in turn leads to the decline of business and a slow growth rate of GDP. It has also been discovered that unemployment in the USA other countries unemployment occurs due to the instability of the state due to the fluctuation of its currencies and changes in the economy in general. When the GDP of the country is affected in most cases it creates unemployment in the country this can also lead to an economic slowdown.
The recession of the economy has also been the major causes of unemployment in the USA this is because during this business cycle there is a lot of contraction in the business. In this because during this period many businesses do not operate well which leads to unemployment for the citizens of the country. If this condition of recession is prolonged it may cause a sharp decline in economic activities leading to a depression that in turn lead to lack of jobs to many people who are in the age bracket of seeking employment.
Labor participation rate refers to the population that is in the action in the job industry. This includes the section of people who are active between the age of 16-64. This contains the major section of the population that is able to work and earn for their living participatory. Labor participatory in the USA has not been so effective this is because of inadequate opportunities that are available in the job market. This may lead to the labor to as the section of working population in the age group of 16-64 in the economy currently employed or seeking employment. People who are still undergoing studies, housewives, and persons above the age of 64 are not reckoned in the labor force.
The unemployment rate is usually used as the economic metrics to gauge the health of the U.S. job market. On the hand, the participation rate measures the percentage of Americans people who are in the labor force. The unemployment rate measures the percentage within the labor force that's currently without a job. In the USA the labor participator rate is low comparing to the population that is in the county this leads to unemployment in the country.
Governments in most cases strive to ensure that there is a high labor participatory rate in the country.
Labor participatory has been taken seriously in the USA, people have been advised to be involved in the job market so that they ensure reduced cases of unemployment in the country. This can be done both in public and private sectors. The rate of labor participatory in the market determines the level of unemployment. For instance, when the rate of labor participatory in the job market is high there are low cases of unemployment hence the government sensitizes people in the involvement of labor task forces to reduce the cases of unemployment. Reduced unemployment may contribute to the growth of the GDP of the county.
In this case study the published unemployment rate actually misleads vis-a-vis economic conditions because it tries to give various ways of encountering with unemployment which is not addressing the issue in the right way this has a continuous long-term effect in the country because the issue of unemployment affect the whole country due to the fact that it tampers with the GDP of the nation. Unemployment has got also the negative effect on the economic prosperity of the nation this is because when many people are unemployed they involve in social misfit activities such as theft this may affect the country negatively.
References
Gwartney, J.D., Stroup, R. L., Sobel, R. S., & Macpherson, D.A. (2014). Macroeconomics: private and public choice (15th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Guilford, G. (2018, June 7). Americans need to stop obsessing over the unemployment rate. Retrieved from https://qz.com/1297561/the-dazzling-us-unemployment-rate-is-blinding-americans-to-a-much-darker-reality/
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The Handmaid’s Tale: Novel about Totalitarian Government
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is a novel that about a totalitarian government in the Republic of Gilead that takes over the United States because the United States was experiencing low levels of reproduction. Gilead is led by the power of males. Women are oppressed and have no power or say in things. The sole purpose of many females is to reproduce. The novel is told through the eyes of Offred. Offred is a handmaid like many others who are there to reproduce for those of the upper class who are having trouble reproducing on their own. Offred is in the control of the commander and his wife Serena Joy. Serena Joy is an advocate for traditional values and roles. Before Offred was a handmaid, she lived a life that did not necessarily reenact traditional values and roles. Every month, when Offred is in the right stage of her menstrual cycle, she must have sex with the commander while his wife Serena is in the room. Offred like many other women have very restricted freedom and rights. Very seldom is Offred able to leave the house. Offred is constantly watched by the police force of Gilead. Throughout the novel, we can understand women, gender, and sexuality.
In Gilead, women are broken into five main categories: wives, handmaids, aunts, marthas, and econowives. Wives are upper-class women who are married to men who hold power within Gilead. Wives wear blue dresses to indicate the meaning of virgin Mary. Handmaids are those who are fertile and able to reproduce. Handmaid's are used for one purpose and one purpose only, their body. Handmaid's are oppressed in many ways within society. Women are not allowed to vote, read, or write. The idea is that women are not to become independent or become rebellious to the state or men. Handmaid's wear red to indicate their fertility. Red symbolizes menstrual blood and is seen for the color of sin. Aunts are those who train handmaid's. Aunts are to keep the order of the handmaid's and are instilled to use force when needed. Aunts wear brown. Marthas are older women who are not married and are infertile. Marthas make great servants to the upper-class because they carry on many of the domestic roles such as cleaning and cooking. Marthas wear green.
Lastly, econowives are those who are married to men who are lower in rank. Econowives do everything such as child bearing, domestic duties, and give comfort to their spouses. Econowives wear blue, red, brown, and green because they do everything. Although these women have different roles within society, at the end of the day, they all share the same burden. Women are restricted to their home and perform the same domestic duties. Ordinary, said Aunt Lydia, is what you are used to. This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after a time it will. It will become ordinary (33). With Gilead being a totalitarian government with strict rules, people forget that there is a possibility of a different life. Instead, people confine to the strict rules of the government and accept what is happening as a new normal. In Gilead, women are not diverse. Women are not powerful, heroes, courageous, intelligent, and brave. Although women could be all those things, they are only seen for one purpose and that is it. Women accept that they have no voice or power within society. Women accept their domestic roles and choose to abide by the rules of society.
Gender plays an important role within the society of Gilead. Men are the only ones with a voice and power. Men are the only ones who can hold jobs and have status within society. The only job of a women is to please her husband or to reproduce. I used to think of my body as an instrument, of pleasure, or a means of transportation, or an implement for the accomplishment of my will . . . Now the flesh arranges itself differently. I'm a cloud, congealed around a central object, the shape of a pear, which is hard and more real than I am and glows red within its translucent wrapping (73).
Women are dehumanized within the society of Gilead. Offred use to be proud of her body. Offred use to enjoy her body and the things it was able to bring her or do for her. Now, unfortunately, Offred no longer enjoys her body as it no longer serves the same purpose as it used to before she went under the regime of Gilead. Offred has accepted the fact that she no longer servers a purpose other than her body. She is now a cloud where people see right through her. The only purpose her body has is to hold the life of a child in her womb. We can see the importance of gender within Gilead. Men are the light of Gilead. Women would be nothing without the man that stand beside them. Men are in power and women are obedient to their masters.
In Gilead, women are taught and brainwashed to believe that any negative thing that happens in relation to sex is their own fault. Women who are infertile of suffer from a miscarriage do not have a disease, instead, they are full of sin. A woman who is raped is not offered sympathy. Janine, a handmaid told her story of being gang raped at the age of 14. Janine learned quickly that she needed to bury and hide the pain she felt from that. But whose fault was it? Aunt Helena says, holding up one plump finger. Her fault, her fault, her fault, we chant in unison. Who led them on? Aunt Helena beams, pleased with us. She did. She did. She did. Why did God allow such a terrible thing to happen? Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson (72). A woman who is raped is instilled to believe that it was her fault. Being a victim is not an option. In turn, women are to believe that they were raped for god to teach them some sort of a lesson. Additionally, the women are not to show empathy to other women because society wants the women to turn on each other. There are no relationships. Women have no sexuality in Gilead. Women have no lust or love towards men or anymore. Women learn to have no empathy. Women are stripped of their dignity and must come to terms with the fact that their sole purpose within this society is to please men.
The Handmaid's Tale givens insight into women, gender, and sexuality. The society of Gilead is very similar to the societal norms that were experienced in past. Women were confined to the home and had little to no rights. Women could not vote, own property, and their voices were not heard. Men were in powerful positions. Men could vote, hold jobs, and have voice and opinions. In Gilead, men and women are ranked within society and are given more opportunities based on their social class. Women are to be seen rather than heard. The duties of women are to care for the home, children, and their husbands. The sole purpose of a women is to reproduce and to be a slave to their state and husband. Women are stripped of their identity, dignity, and image. Gilead carries on the traditional views of women that were seen in our society. Women within Gilead have accepted the societal norms. Women in Gilead help to enforce the societal norms. The Handmaid's Tale paints a very strict idea of women, gender, and sexuality.
Today, in society, women, gender, and sexuality have many different meanings. Today, when we think of women, we think of strong, independent, brave, intelligent and much more. Women were and always have been amazing, but it is because we broke out of societal norms that people have come to realize that women are more than they get credit for. In the past, gender defined who someone was like in Gilead. However, today, gender is not a way to define someone and their status in the world. Sexuality was not something women in Gilead could experience because they were stripped of their identity and emotion. Today, women have identity and are not taught to ignore their feelings. Gilead shows how life was before today. Gilead also shows how easily we could slip back into traditional norms. It is important that women continue to fight for their rights. It is important for women to stand their ground and prove that they are more than what society believes they are worth.
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Issue of Freedom in King’s i have a Dream
Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream"
In I Have a Dream (1963), Martin Luther King Jr. justifies the importance of African Americans' civil rights in the United States where many white citizens of the free nation criticize and oppress people who are not the same color as they are. King's purpose is portraying to his audience, with great confidence, that there will be great opportunities for the future generations, both black and white, because of the actions they took at that time. Throughout the speech, he adopts an optimistic tone in order to unite people and stand for his cause, saying all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing (42).
Martin Luther starts his famous speech by stating the fact that blacks are not free and are still being treated unjustly a hundred years after the civil war is over. He appeals to their sense of unity by stating that the community of black people are on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity (3) and that one hundred years later, the life of the negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation (3). He reflects on his and the audience's history in this time in order to emphasize that nothing has changed, the negro still is not free (3). This contemplation upon history conveys a sympathetic tone for his fellow brothers and sisters about how their race has overcome so many obstacles and hardships. Emphasizing one hundred years later, King uses anaphora to portray that after a whole century of freedom, negro lives in a country where they are dramatized in a shameful condition (3).
He then shifts to addressing the idea that blacks have been denied liberty and that their current situation is urgent and can only be solved through the delivery of justice. He then uses the metaphor, we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check (4), to compare a check to their equal civil rights and that America has given the negro people a bad check (4). He refuses that the bank of justice is bankrupt (5) in order to ignite his audience's confidence in their nationalistic plans to unite all people and stating that Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick-sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood (6). This gain in moral support conveys a forthright tone that tells the black people that there is change that needs to happen and that it needs to happen now. Martin Luther uses a metaphor relating their situation to a bank so that the audience will understand his ideas as well as further simplify the topic.
Next, King says that there is nothing to feel bad about trying to gain your rights. Furthermore, he states that whites and blacks' freedom is interconnected, and there is no turning back from the issue. He then urges them to always march ahead (11) portraying their strength and loyalty to one another and that their communities are not alone. He illustrates to them a sense of unity, not just with the negro community, but also with their white brothers so they realize their destiny is tied up with our destiny (9). With the reinforcement of white brothers, King portrays a vibrant tone for all supporters of equal rights and how they should stand strong together and never quit to the enemy. To exemplify his main point, he uses the connection to the reader's pathos. He uses emotion by making a reference to religion to join people together and create a sense of unity.
The speaker then shifts to the question that most people ask them about their civil rights, When will you be satisfied? and presents the answer to the question that they will never be justified with the current situation that they have. He appeals to their urgency of change by stating that we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream (13). He asks them to help him and his fellow brethren back to their cities where the ghettos and slums are, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed (14). Martin Luther King once again uses anaphora as in the first section saying, we can never to further illustrate how they cannot stay at the situation where our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating, For Whites Only' (13).
Rounding up, he says his hopes and dreams for the future of the United States, how it will affect the youth, and how they will treat each other. He appeals to their hope and dreams for their future illustrating that, one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood (18). He continues to state that he dreams of bringing black and white people together without criticism and tension. King uses a pleasant tone to reassure his audience that they want to live with white people in harmony not drive them away. Multiple ethics as well as emotional ties is used to connect more with the audience by making himself credible while also including emotion to make him more believable and trustworthy.
Finally, he shares his dream, with confidence that for every hill, mountain, and slope, freedom should be heard all across the vast country and that everybody should be hearing it. All people of different race and different religions. King proclaims that freedom should ring from every corner of the country appealing to their relationship with one another regardless of race and religion. King concludes his speech with an inspiring and influential tone to guarantee his audience that they will continue to assimilate the boundaries of segregation. He also uses anaphora and pathos to highlight the fact that most of their struggles have gone behind them and the future is glistening with freedom. In Kings' conclusion, he says, Free at Last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last! (44)
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Influence of Martin Luther King Jr on Americans
Martin Luther King Jr's speech I Have A Dream was performed in 1963 at the march on Washington. In this speech Dr. King would take advantage of pathos. He shows that through the power in his rhetoric he can make a difference. King uses many metaphors as a vehicle to deliver an appeal to the emotions of the audience. His demonstration of pathos helps the audience better embrace the concepts and the purpose of the speech. It also amplifies the struggles of black Americans and he uses this to show the pain of his people because he wants a change to made. Dr. King uses repetition, urgency, and inclusiveness to get his message across.
King's speech was all for using metaphors in order to appeal to the audiences emotions. He was talking about the Emancipation Proclamation and said This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. He is very descriptive and gives a profound voice to those that don't have one. With these somber words he can pull the audience in his favor. His words touch you within and bring an energy for change. He wants everyone to be on board with him, but his target audience is black people. Those that feel the same pains and struggles he does because he knows that deep down each and everyone of them had a dream like his, but not everyone can speak it into existence. That is what made him such a good speaker. His rhetoric, influence, and relatability was truly a treasure for America.
Dr. King uses repetition in this speech to further drive the point home. He did this to put a sense of urgency into his audience so that they would act now instead of later. He says things such as I have a dream today and Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. King is calling for action for men and women to express their freedom of speech. In his speech he says now a lot to signify that he wants things changed immediately. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves, King says ... the life of the negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. His speech provides a plethora of metaphors of racism, segregation, injustice and more. All of these constant metaphors are to hammer in the message of his speech. He knew that this would make the audience sad, but it would also make them determined. Determined to put a stop to the injustices that Dr. King proclaims.
He also provided the subject of inclusiveness in his speech. Although his target audience was black people he did not want that to discourage anybody from joining his cause. He wants members of all peoples from all nations to walk hand in hand in harmony. Maybe the most famous line from King's speech was I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. This resonated with the crowd as it was a sentiment shared among them. He calls for America to live up to the creed We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal. He wants racial harmony and justice. He wants a world where no one is excluded because of their appearance. He really appeals to pathos throughout the entire speech looking back at atrocities and remembering the struggles of their ancestors. It is through this rhetoric that he continuously calls for a change to be made as soon as possible.
It's worth noting that his target audience is the audience he best appeals too. He relates to black people because they can put themselves in his shoes. When he references oppression and segregation they are the ones who truly understand the harsh realities of being black in America. From this he can guarantee himself an audience of black people. King was also very spiritual in his speech. He was a pastor for Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church from 1954 to 1960 and this showed in his speech. King says ...the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This gives king the chance to target a more religious audience. People who are religious don't judge based upon color and are more likely to accept King's message. King finds a way to talk about all of the pain and sorrows, but still lead the audience to believe there is hope and freedom is near. Through god King can get his message of equality to nearly every American. This is why his rhetoric was so effective. He shows that even through harsh struggles the glory of god will always prevail. He says With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. King is willing to make sacrifices for his cause and he wants everyone to come together. He shows complete dedication to his cause and leads by example. This makes the audience more likely to believe Dr. King and his ideas. He is most interested in appealing to this type of audience because they are the ones who are going to stand up to racial injustice they will be the ones who fight for equality. If King didn't rally around these people they wouldn't have the courage or bravery to stand with the minority.
With this speech Dr. King was able to influence millions of Americans through the power of his rhetoric. On that day in 1963 King's speech would go down in history as one of the most important moments of the civil rights movement. King's speech had such an impact that it is still making changes to this day. People find their voice through King's speech to speak out against equality. King along with the touching words in his speech will never be forgotten because of the impact that they had on America and its peoples.
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Stylistic Devices in King’s Speech
This speech was delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. at the 1963 march in Washington D.C., in front of over a crowd of 250,000 people. The purpose of this speech was to talk about the struggles that African Americans have faced and his hopes of equality between everyone (History.com, 2018). King starts out his speech by using a metaphor. Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice (American Rhetoric , 2017). He is comparing the Emancipation Proclamation to a light of hope for the African Americans who have been suffering. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination (American Rhetoric , 2017).
Here he is creating a vivid picture of how cruel racial discrimination is and how it is affecting people. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day (American Rhetoric , 2017). Here he is using Parallelism by using the same group of similarly phrased ideas (Hamilton, 2015). He is stating that we will be able to do everything together with faith. King also uses repetition in his speech when he repeats Let freedom ring, I have a dream, and We can never be satisfied. When he uses repetition in his speech he is sticking it into the listeners' minds of what his main purpose is. Repetition is also a good way to emphasize a point which King does very well. Alliteration is also used in this speech. One example of alliteration is, But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt (American Rhetoric , 2017).
Onomatopoeia is a device that uses words that sounds like their meanings, such as buzz, hiss, swish, fizz, and ring. King uses this device when he uses the phrase let freedom ring. He repeats this phrase multiple times and his voice gets even louder with enthusiasm each time he repeats it. He clearly gets a positive reaction from the crowd at this point. This was a great way to create the mood and feeling of real bells ringing (Hamilton, 2015). King uses a lot of vivid words to help us picture what he is saying. For example, Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood (American Rhetoric , 2017). Here I can picture America quickly falling into a dangerous hole if we do not change our ways. I also can picture America as a strong solid rock when we come together as a hole. Another example is Justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream (American Rhetoric , 2017).
With these vivid words I can easily picture a scene in my head to match what he is saying. I do not see any weaknesses in this speech. King uses a variety of different stylistic devices which bring his speech to life. He spoke with such enthusiasm and passion, so we knew he his words were sincere. His powerful words get the audience emotionally involved (pathos). I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character (American Rhetoric , 2017). Here he is connecting to parents in the audience no matter what gender or age. All parents want the best for their children and they want the same great opportunities for their children as King does. With his tone and word choice in his speech he passed on his passion to his audience and gave them hope that equality will soon come. He kept saying we can do this together or we cannot be satisfied he made everyone feel included in his speech. I believe equality falls into Maslow's Social Needs category.
King catered to the audience's social needs in his speech which was another way he got his audience involved. Everyone wants to feel love, have companionship, and feel a sense of belonging to something. How can we do that without equality? Here is the link to the speech: https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm Bibliography American Rhetoric . (2017, November 14). Retrieved from American Rhetoric: https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm Hamilton, C. (2015). Essentials of Public Speaking. Stamford: Cengage Advantage. History.com. (2018, August 21). Retrieved from History.com: https://www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-movement/i-have-a-dream-speech
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A Question of Employee Self-Esteem
Critical Thinking Assignment on Employee Self-Esteem
Self-esteem can be defined in various ways, however, the clinical psychologists define it as a global barometer of self-evaluation involving cognitive appraisals about general self-worth and effective experiences of the self that are linked to these global appraisals (Khalek, 2016, p3). Employee self-esteem is critical in the workspace because employees' self-esteem growth impacts on productivity and profitability.
This report seeks to critically discuss issues related to employee self-esteem through looking at its importance and challenges experienced while improving personnel self-esteem. Also, the roles and responsibilities that both employers and employees must take in order to improve employee self-esteem are discussed.
The importance of Employee Self-Esteem
Phycologists refer to self-esteem as a muscle that must be developed and maintained throughout regular psychological workouts (McGrath, 2016). Therefore, it is imperative for both the employer and employee to harness the progress of self-esteem all the time. Hence, self-esteem is one of the key factors that contribute to employee's career success.
Based on the report issued by Westwood (2004), self-esteem has been a major issue for politicians, employers, and employees for decades. The report stipulated that self-esteem is important because society has become more individualized and the world of work is riskier, successes and failures are more personally felt than ever before (Westwood, 2004).
Furthermore, the study conducted by Kuster, Orth and Meier (2013) revealed that high self-esteem lead to more satisfaction and success in work and life.
The degree of importance of self-esteem varies across different industries. However, there are certain jobs or career paths that requires employees to have the right self-esteem. One of the industries that requires high self-esteem individuals is teaching industry. This is due to that fact that teachers are the nation builders for every society. If teachers are dissatisfied with their jobs then they are unable to produce excellent results, therefore, the negative ripple effects are huge (Zafar, Mubashir, Tariq, Masood, Kazmi, Zaman & Zahid, 2014). The study conducted by Zafar, et al (2014) indicated that self-esteem must not be examined in isolation. Issues such as job satisfaction, performance, salary, working conditions, promotion, supervision, and coworkers are critical factors that influence individual's self-esteem.
Challenges of Employee Self-Esteem Within the Workplace
The main challenge that companies face is managing employees with poor or low self-esteem. These employees are often a challenge not because they cannot get the job done, but if they are not motivated and lack self-esteem, they often put little effort to their work, do not come up with innovative ideas and always looking for an escape thus increasing labor turnover.
To overcome the challenge stipulated above, Paige (2018) suggests that managers must identify indications of low self-esteem in an employee, show an employee with low self-esteem that you value him/her as a person, acknowledge him/her when he/she meets and exceeds performance expectations, provide appropriate training and professional development opportunities and lastly, offer constructive balance to an employee who struggles with low self-worth.
Subjectively, another challenge is identifying the level(s) of self-esteem among employees. Most managers do not have a degree in social work or counseling. Nurturing individuals with low self-esteem can be a daunting task. Another key challenge is that self-esteem can be influenced by various factors that are beyond organization's control. These include as noted by Akgunduz (2014) past events, family members, teachers, different social groups, failure to meet work and personal goals.
Organization's role in improving Employee Self-Esteem
The pace of work can be demanding and no one stops to acknowledge the excellent performance of the employees. Therefore, to boost employees' self-esteem, performance appraisal is crucial because this allows employees to feel valued and appreciated.
Employers can use the following measures of self-esteem suggested by Khalek (2016) to gauge or establish their employees level of self-esteem (a) Rosenberg self-esteem scale which is the most popular measure of global self-esteem, (b) state and trait scale, (c) explicit and implicit scale, (d) uni and multidimensional scale. The scales listed might resolve the challenge mentioned above of identifying the level of self-esteem each employee has or have.
From an employer's perspective, the ripple effects of boosting and improving employees' self-esteem are huge. High self-esteem employees tend to increase sales and profit because they believe in themselves and the work that they do. Additionally, the employer ends up with autonomous workers who get things done without constantly asking for help and advice. Furthermore, labor turnover declines because employees that have high self-esteem are happy and in return, loyal to the company.
To overcome the challenges listed above, one of the resolutions could be to incorporate the activities or programs that talks to self-esteem within the Human Resource & Development department. Hence, Human Resource and Development have a better chance to execute programs that empower employees' confidence and self-esteem in order to do their jobs very well.
Christi (2017) suggests key factors employers can utilize to improve employee self-esteem and these range from day to day meetings as this will give a brief overview of employees' daily workflow. It will also reduce their stress about how they are going to do the work. Secondly, building trust among employees is crucial because it is a key factor to improve relationships with employees who play an important role within the organization. Thirdly, letting employees share ideas and knowledge will thrive innovation and better decision-making. Also, permitting employees to take decisions and lastly make friendly environment where you get regular feedback through instant chat or group chat that will enable you as an employer to know what your employees feel about their work (Christi, 2017).
Employee role in boosting their Self-Esteem
Investing time and energy into improving ones' self-esteem is critical. Entities want to attract the best talent in the market and having the right self-esteem as an individual can sometimes increase the chances of securing a lucrative and best job.
As an employee, people are more likely to make clear and sound decisions (with confidence) when their self-esteem is high. McGrath, (2016) suggest four strategies as to how one can boost his/her own self-esteem. First of all (a) stopping negative thinking in order to stop its impact on ones' work, health and relationships. Next (b) visualizing the ultimate objective via self-esteem bulletin board and (c) keeping record card on ones' best efforts for improving own self-esteem. Finally, (d) seeking projects that generate passion and learn new work skills so that one feels passionate about.
There are many reasons why employees may lack self-esteem at work. This may be due to not having the right skill sets to do the job, or less experience compared to other core-workers, perhaps an employee is new to the organization, the reasons are countless. Hence, Smith (2013) suggests that employees must be more assertive as this will allow them to be taken more seriously. However, employees must guard against being arrogant. Regulating and balancing feelings of confidence requires considerable self-awareness and knowledge; therefore, employees must make sure they do not lack confidence nor are they over-confident, a healthy level of confidence is recommended.
Smith (2013) further stipulates that attending career coaching is key in making sure that self-esteem is harness. Also, having confident core-workers is crucial because they are positive contributors, more productive, and make great role models. Lastly is it imperative for the employees to stay focused, identify key strengths and capitalize on them, identify weaknesses and work and them, seek encouragement, challenge themselves, and most importantly believe in themselves.
Conclusion
Organizations that place huge emphasis on employee self-esteem have more benefits compared to organizations that put less effort in improving employees' self-esteem. This paper discussed the importance of self-esteem within the workplace and the benefits of having individuals with self-esteem were highlighted.
Moreover, challenges that can hinder entities when improving employees' self-esteem were established. The discussion of roles between the employer and employee regarding self-esteem were highlighted and each party must play a certain role in order to help employees increase and maintain high self-esteem.
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The Debate over Affirmative Action
The Debate Over Affirmative Action: Is Affirmative Action justified?
Affirmative Action had its origin in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but an extreme discussion whether minorities should receive special treatments in society has emerged in recent decades. Affirmative Action more narrowly refers to preferential selection based on race, gender, or ethnicity. This paper will argue that Affirmative Action reinforces stereotypes and permanently embeds them into the country's system. Therefore, Affirmative Action is not legitimized and it even reinforces racism, which still remains a major issue in our society.
This paper has three parts. In the first, I will argue why Affirmative Action has to be seen as a reinforcement of stereotypes and racism. The second part of the paper will discuss an important objection to my argument I am presenting and offer an alternative response. In the third, I will present another important objection to my argument and offer an alternative response.
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AS AN REINFORCEMENT OF STEREOTYPES AND RACISM
Minorities, who are given a position only dependent on the policy of Affirmative Action, usually do not meet all requirements for it, and the idea of Affirmative Action that all individuals under that race are mostly not qualified and therefore need special treatment to accomplish the position is called racism. Affirmative Action states that all individuals of a similar race are from a lower class and require extra help since it is assumed that they would not have the capacity to accomplish it on their own. By giving minorities a special treatment depending on this policy it seems like saying that they are unable to accomplish it by themselves. It puts minorities in the perspective that they can not accomplish their goals with their own capacities or diligent work. This supports stereotypes and racism and even inserts it permanently into the country's system. A race-based policy brings an undesirable stigma and minorities need to work considerably harder to prove that they have earned their position. The way how individuals are placed into boxes and separated depending on their appearance is humiliating, noxious, and simply just wrong and even worse to make it a law. Race and sex segregation remain a critical issue in our nation, yet Affirmative Action ought to be about class and helping the lower class citizen, and not about race. This society still has to master many challenges and obstacles to become a nation in which each and every individual is treated equally and with the same respect, but putting Affirmative Action permanently into the country's system goes into the wrong direction. In Steels opinion Affirmative Action causes more harm than good for minorities and underlines their inferiority. This supports that white people feel superior and reinforces racism. He states that it has the effect of "stigmatizing the already stigmatized" and legitimize it by the policy of affirmative action. There is no need for a policy, which demonstrates that minorities have the same abilities to reach specific positions and only reinforces stereotypes and therefore underlines racism. Policies and laws should not be based in racial categories and rather on class categories.
FIRST OBJECTION
Proponents claim that affirmative action is necessary to earn and sustain diversity. According to the Diversity Justification Affirmative Action is a means to increase the racial, cultural, and ethnic diversity. By exposing individuals to different believes and cultures they are becoming more open-minded and liberal. Therefore, it is important to promote diversity in workplaces and schools to reduce stereotypes and racism. Typically people, who live very separated and only surround themselves with people from their own race, base their opinion of other races and minorities on stereotypes. Proponents believe that diversity and interaction with people from different races further their understanding that everyone is equal and more or less just like themselves, which reduces stereotypes and racism. Intergroup interaction and diversity reduces prejudice under the right conditions.
However, it is ignorant to only focus on the diversity of races and skin colors like Affirmative Action does without promoting real diversity. The right conditions are not achieved and people of the same race do not automatically hold the same opinion and think alike. Real diversity is found in different interests and perspectives of unique individuals and Affirmative Action complete fails to reach that goal. Real diversity can only be achieved by letting schools and company naturally select their participants. Even though it takes time and patience, it will be more efficient in the long run.
SECOND OBJECTION
Proponents see Affirmative Action as reverse discrimination and according to the Compensation For Past Wrongs Justification as a way of re-paying minorities for past wrongs. Affirmative Action is seen as countering the wrongs of the past as an compensation for victims of racism.
However, Affirmative Action is not reverse discrimination and instead it is discrimination against non-minorities. Past discrimination against minority groups does not justify present discrimination against non-minority groups. All people should remain equal under the law and should be treated accordingly. Even Anderson claims that the burdens of unjust discrimination should not fall on anybody. The consequences of Affirmative Action affect non-minorities career paths, which results in hate against minority groups and racism.
Now I will review the course of this paper and offer a concluding thought. This paper argues that affirmative action reinforces stereotypes and therefore racism. People might think that it ensures diversity, which helps to overcome stereotypes. The diversity that affirmative action achieves is not real diversity and only focuses on skin colors instead of unique individuals. It also furthers racism by the actual discrimination of majority groups. Other policies need to be adopted, which should not focus on race and rather on class.
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Otakus are a Consumer Based Subculture
Otakus are a consumer based subculture, strictly adhering to buying the merchandise of anime, manga, and video games. This has been viewed by outsiders as reclusive behavior. They are often met with animosity and confusion. Forced to operate on the fringes of society, they develop into their own subcultures. By piggybacking of the commercialization of mediums such as anime and manga, they are able to challenge nationalistic pressures by creating a culture of escapism. This has allowed them to redefine the role of the individual in society and spread the Otaku subculture around the world.
Otaku are those who don't and can't conform: they're seen to be uncool, weird, ugly and outcast. In short, Otaku are everything the normal person ought to revile (Cloutman). In the early days of its creation Otaku was seen a pejorative term for calling someone a nerd or geek. Otakus took the word and owned it, being proud of their subculture. Otaku culture is passionate about the genre of anime, games, and manga. This expansion of the Otaku culture can be traced back to the Japanese economic miracle.
After World War II, Japan had been crippled economically. They were occupied by the US to oversee reconstruction. Because of this the Japanese citizens had a huge loss of morale. However due to the strategic positioning of Japan, as well as help from other countries. Japan quickly recovered very quickly and became the second largest economy in the world. Despite this success, it was difficult for the populous to feel a sense of nationalism since their country had suffered a total loss and committed war crimes. The country's people felt abandoned from any strong organization and this caused its society to crumble. The rapid industrialization caused by the economic boom left its workers feeling disconnected from their jobs.
They also had the fundamental rules of their society changed by a new global economy but high military sanction placed upon them. This lack of social norms and commodification of vocations led to anomie in the Japanese society. Many replaced their nationalistic pride with a growing pop culture market. This consisted of manga, anime, games, and music. These mediums painted a new world for its young men. They were able to forget about the burdens of daily life and escape into a fantasy world. They no longer had to tie themselves to weak government, instead they could feed their happiness with merchandise. They became hooked on this consumer culture, and were indoctrinated into this mercantile religion. This was the beginning of the otaku.
The escapism in the otaku movement allowed the Japanese people to create cultural capital needed to kick start their economy. Given that almost every class in Japan had encountered hardship after the war, desperately ate up some sort of distraction. The pursuit of entertainment and material goods allowed Otaku to move on from wartime recovery and create a new culture in Japan. The ability to forget the past and move forward served as resistance within the Otaku subculture. By actively seeking out refuge from their new post-war environment, male Japanese youth demonstrated their disappointment in their country for being forced to pick up the pieces of a broken country with little hope for the future. These individuals were viewed as being worker drones, existing only to achieve the goals of their country or companies platform. Therefore, by dropping out, the Otakus were able to gain a sense of identity that existed outside of being a cog in the machine.
The Mecca of Otaku culture is based out of the district of Akihabara in Tokyo. There are maid caf©s featuring waitresses who dress up and act like maids or anime characters. These are prominent attraction centers for Otaku. Akihabara also has dozens of stores specializing in anime, manga, retro video games, figurines, card games and other collectibles. While Akihabara does rely on tourism, the people who inhabits has actually created a self-sufficient bubble economy within Japan. This demonstrates on important commerce is within the Otaku subculture.
The US had heavily influenced these markets during the reconstruction and was an important trading partner that globalized Japan's economy.
Many of Japan's indigenous art forms were combined with American pop themes. They also experienced American commercialism at its finest through things like product placement. This mishmash of Eastern and Western pop culture slowly took form into their own entity. Japan had started creating their own cartoons (anime) and music (J-pop). When these hybrid art styles entered the global market they were an immediate success. Anime and J-pop were exported to the US. This was a huge economic success for the otaku culture and allowed them to flip the script on the US/Japan pop culture trade industry. This victory was larger than just otaku, but affected all of Japan. They were able to resist against the control the US had over them. Due to this, anime has become an essential icon to the Japanese identity.
Otaku culture started coming to the United States during this period of Japanese exportation. Small groups of people would watch anime with no subtitles or English dubbing and try to speculate on what the plot was. From there it picked up speed with the great works of studio Ghibli becoming very popular, such as My Neighbor Totoro. This caused anime to enter the mainstream and even be broadcast on Cartoon Network in a segment called Toonami. It was hugely popular with 90's kids in show like Pok©mon and Yu-Gi-Oh on WB's 4kids, these shows were created to sell merchandise to children, and were a massive success.
This commercialization followed anime and the otaku subculture. It eventually gained momentum amongst teenagers and young adults with the advent of action oriented shows such as Dragon Ball and Naruto. Slowly, adults started becoming more and more interested and started finding seinen (adult-themed) anime such as Neon Genesis Evangelion. The internet anime streaming websites such as Crunchyroll and manga reading sites has allowed the American fan base to be just as caught up and immersed into the anime culture as those in Japan. This has allowed the Otaku culture and anime appreciation to spread worldwide without being picked up by specific T.V networks.
After Japan's economy began to settle in the late 1990s, people began to view the Otaku subculture as a social problem. Due to the rise of the internet, Otakus activities can be completed from their room. This has perpetuated a stereotype of otaku being shut-ins. This has been seen as dysfunctional by Japanese society.
It is often associated with anti-social behavior, no sense of ambition, and a weight on society. People who show these symptoms are seen to have a predisposition for failing in school, work, or relationships. Despite this, the Nomura Research Institute classifies Otaku based off of the medium of choice they subscribe to. This means that manga Otaku are fundamentally different from anime Otaku. NRI also has classified many different archetypes of Otaku. For example, the family-oriented Otaku, does not allow his interests to surpass his duty to his family, they also tend to be "closet Otaku" (NRI). These subgroups exist because neoliberal capitalist societies tend to have a low tolerance for non-productivity. This encourages members of these subcultures to assimilate to the mainstream by getting jobs and working.
The stigma against Otaku in Japan was strengthened after the 1989 "Otaku Murderer" case. The identification of Otaku turned negative when Kaoru Kobayashi kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and murdered a seven-year-old first-grade student. Japanese journalist Akihiro ??tani suspected that Kobayashi was member of the Otaku, due to his collection anime figurines. Although Kobayashi was did not represent the larger Otaku subculture, the degree of social hostility against them increased. When this combined with the fact that anime is often rife with themes of sexual perversion, pedophilia and incest. Otaku were seen by law enforcement as possible suspects for sex crimes, and local governments called for stricter laws controlling the depiction of eroticism in Otaku materials (Whaley 135).
The prevalence of sexual themes in the media that Otaku's consume is important in understanding how Otakus interact with society. Since the typical Otaku profile is a middle to upper class single young man, their desired mediums will reflect what young men have always wanted, sex. This male dominated subculture has acted like an echo chamber for misogynistic sexual themes in anime and manga (Brett).The fact that the characters they were creating were not real allowed for a wider variety of what was legally allowed (such as the sexual objectification of children and animals). They also change certain characteristics (such as the classic large eyed anime girl) to give them more emotional appeal. This has led to the preference of these 2D mediums to real women. The inclination to begin to focus on 2D characters over human women in integral to the Otaku identity. This reinforces their rejection of society and they commodified their biological desires into marketable products of fictional characters.
Despite these stigmas against the otaku, the otaku rarely, if ever, become politically motivated. They will often meet with likeminded individuals, however this is different from the organizing required in Social Justice Youth Development (Ginwright). SJYD key features is examining institutions and how they oppress groups that the youth identify with. Otaku organize to buy and sell products. While they do have a sense of community at these meetings (e.g. Comiket) the underlying reason for gathering is commerce. Otakus do not critically examine their society or seek to undo injustices. They live in a culture of escapism through commercialism. This lack of productivity as a social movement is often looked down upon by the societies they reside in, alienating the otaku more.
It is important to note that Otaku do have a sense of community and are not just mindless consumers. They have their own vernacular and jargon when discussing anime. They are also prone to write their own manga, and occasionally will dress up as their favorite characters. This is known as cosplay and it is a very popular activity and pillar within the otaku subculture. The ability to transform into a different person is a fitting activity for a subculture of escapism. However, cosplay also brings the community together and allows these reclusive individuals to make connections.
This community has grown exponentially over the last few years. Transforming the Otaku from being a localized subculture to an international phenomenon. This seems to have been sponsored by the Japanese government and promoted by corporations in hopes of relocating the centers of global interest in commerce back to Japan. Another reason why cosplay and otaku culture has spread globally is due to a change in how the world has come to consume cultural products. Those who cosplay are no longer passive consumers, they dedicate a lot of time in effort recreating the looks of their favorite characters. This provides an intimacy with the products and the culture surrounding it.
With the outlet of cosplay and a fandom of mostly-female cast anime. Otaku were able to explore non-normative adult male roles and deviate from typical images of masculinity. The Otaku found it easier to feel an attachment to anime because it was fully illustrated. Cartoons are able to convey emotion easier and suspend the disbelief of the real world. Another thing that attracts Otaku to the anime and challenges masculinity is the un-ironic appreciation for cute things. The girls from anime are small and colorful with big eyes, and are known for their cuteness by being labeled kawaii or moe. It has also become increasingly common for male characters to appear in the show indistinguishable from the girl character.
They too, appear feminine and cute. This has worked abolish the stigma against homosexuality in Japan as well as giving Otakus a channel to feel open about gender and sexual fluidity. This again gave the Otakus a new sense of identity in the post-war era. Japan had gone through a huge societal change that was supposed to suppress open sexuality among the Japanese population. Anime and cosplay encouraged experimentation with gender in ways that opposed the mainstream and encouraged individuals to view gender as a personal expression. Adult male fans of the show often face strong stigma because they violate not only gender rules, but age norms. (Robertson 2014). They change the identity of what it means to be an adult man.
Media will often ridicule them for not only for their distinct turn from traditional gender roles, but also for not complying with what society dictates about adult behavior. By watching anime and following J-Pop idols, seek to change what society dictates a man should enjoy. The Otaku subculture will often act in the themes their chosen genre, valuing kindness and friendship as well as acceptance for others. Through this medium, man are able to express themselves in a gentler way, rather than the hyper masculine nature of most societies.
Otaku resistance is not as outright as many other subgroups. They will often just try to escape into the medium of their choice rather than hold a protest. The Otaku's subculture has been defined as a counterculture as it deviates against the traditional values of Japanese culture, but it strictly adhering the demands of globalized capitalism. They focus of materialistic gains rather than long careers. They spend their days discussing cartoons and music rather than politics. They seem to have simply stepped out of the rat race of society to seek immediate happiness than plan for the future. This is the subculture that rebuilt Japans economy and spread across the world.
Works Cited
Broinowski, Adam. Otaku: Resistance and Conformity. In/Stead Journal, University of Melbourne, www.insteadjournal.com/article/otaku-resistance-and-conformity/.
Cloutman, Violet. An Introduction to Otaku: Japan's Counterculture Heroes. Japan Tours, Tailormade Holidays & Vacations | Inside Japan Tours, 10 June 2016, www.insidejapantours.com/blog/2016/06/10/otaku-japans-counterculture-heroes/.
Epstein, Jonathon S. Youth Culture: Identity in a Postmodern World. Blackwell, 2004
Ginwright, S. and James, T. From assets to agents of change: Social justice, organizing, and youth development. New Directions for Youth Development, 2002: 27-46.
Hack, Brett. "Subculture as Social Knowledge: A Hopeful Reading of Otaku Culture." Contemporary Japan - Journal of the German Institute for Japanese Studies, Tokyo, vol. 28, no. 1, Mar. 2016, pp. 33-57.
New Market Scale Estimation for Otaku: Population of 1.72 Million with Market Scale of ??411 Billion. New Market Scale Estimation for Otaku, Nomura Research Institute, 6 Oct. 2005, nri.com/global/news/2005/051006.html.
Otaku Culture in a Connected World: An Interview with Mizuko Ito, Daisuke Okabe, Izumi Tsuji, Henry Jenkins, Apr. 2012, henryjenkins.org/blog/2012/04/otaku_culture_in_a_connected_w_1.html.
Robertson, Venetia. Of ponies and men: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and the Brony fandom. International Journal of Cultural Studies. 2014
U.S. Department of State, Japan Reconstruction, history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/japan-reconstruction.
Whaley, Ben. "Debating Otaku in Contemporary Japan: Historical Perspectives and New Horizons." Journal of Japanese Studies, vol. 44, no. 1, Winter2018, pp. 133-138.
Zappa, Marco. Otaku, Cosplay Is No Longer Just for Losers. Eastwest - Ultime News Dal Mondo - Opinioni e Approfondimenti, 2 Apr. 2015, eastwest.eu/en/opinions/next-station-ikebukuro/otaku-cosplay-is-no-longer-just-for-losers.
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William Shakespeares’s the Tempest
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Aime Cesaire Inspiration to Write “A Tempest”
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Final Shakespeare’s the Tempest V. Sophocles Oedipus Rex
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Themes of the Tempest
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White America: Understanding White Privilege
Privilege can be defined as a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group (Oxford Dictionaries). Most people learn what privilege is at a young age. For example, most kids in elementary school learned that riding the school bus is a privilege and this privilege could be taken away at any time. When people think of privilege, they tend to think of it as something that one earns, not something that is simply given to someone. White Privilege, however, is an advantage in society that white people have that is unearned and typically unacknowledged. Everyday life in America consists of a multitude of privileges that are unnoticed and overlooked because they are such a norm of society that people no longer even realize that they have these privileges, that they even exist. For the white race, the unconscious everyday routine consists of many privileges that are seen as just the way it is.
America is a society of white dominance and because of this whites ignore the fact that they have these privileges that minorities don't have. It is very easy for a white person to go through life never thinking of their own racial identity, whites tend to see themselves simply as just people. The education system, the political system, and one's family, along with other social influences in everyday life, don't teach people of America that the white race is privileged, people are often taught that the white race is the norm. Throughout history white privilege has suppressed the advancement of minorities, especially African Americans, which can still be seen to this day. Whites are unconsciously suppressing the minorities in ways such as education, jobs, housing and even this idea of achieving the American dream.
White privilege has been around since the very beginning. In the early development of North America, there was a need for cheap labor to develop the land, resulting in the enslavement of black Africans. European colonizers enslaved black Africans because they didn't know the land and looked very different from the Europeans, which would make it harder for the black Africans to escape unseen. Before this time in history, it is believed that there were no categories for race barriers such as black or white (Smedley 1997). The concept of race was born in order to achieve separation, there was a need to use something easily and readily accessible to the eye and something that is basically impossible to change, like skin color, to help this early development of North America (Soc 1001 Lecture 16, The Social Construct of Race). Creating this idea of race helped Europeans justify enslavement, they no longer had to look at blacks as being the same as them (Soc 1001 Lecture 16, The Social Construct of Race). During slavery, blacks were subjected to extreme and severe conditions such as beatings, starvation, murders, lynchings, and rape. Also, during this time a very derogatory term was being used to refer to those who were black, that term being nigger. Blacks were no longer referred to as a human but as a nigger. This term was created to further emphasize a separated of class and to help whites justify enslavement. Further separating blacks was the absence of most rights that whites had, such as being able to acquire an education, suitable housing and clothing, and paying jobs. The ability to live freely is a right in itself that blacks were denied. Even after the Thirteenth Amendment was signed abolishing slavery, whites still had a multitude of advantages. Shortly after the abolishment of slavery, The Jim Crow Laws were made to keep whites in power, resulting in once again disadvantages to those of color. Later the Civil Rights Movement took place which resulted in black having the same rights as whites, yet whites still had this advantage over minorities (Soc 1001 Lecture 16, The Social Construct of Race). Thus white privilege was born.
In contemporary America, white privilege still exists even if it's not as extreme as it used to be. Mclntosh defines white privilege as the many advantages white people enjoy, often seen as normal, and are largely unnoticed by society (Mclntosh 1989). She goes on to describe white privilege as an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools, and blank checks (Mclntosh 1989). All of these things listed are seen by whites as normal things that are available to all in American Society, ignoring the fact the minorities do not have access to these privileges. Mclntosh expresses white privilege is the ability to be surrounded by those of the same race, not being subject to constant surveillance in public, being able to conveniently shop for their cultural food and hygiene products, along with being able to go to any barber shop for a haircut with someone working there who has the knowledge to cut their hair type, and the list goes on (Mclntosh 1989)
White privilege exists in society because whites have a huge amount of advantages, mostly unacknowledged, that empower them in their daily life. These privileges create an easiness to life that other races don't have, nor will they ever have until the white race acknowledges that they have this privilege. The white race acknowledging their privilege would mean agreeing that racism still exists and then having to give up some of their power. (Soc 1001 Lecture 17, Racism & Discrimination). White people have been placed on a pedestal for a very long time, leading to stereotypes about the other races that help keep inequality alive.
White privileges exist in almost every function of everyday life from education, housing, income, employment, life expectancy, and many more (Soc 1001 Lecture 16, The Social Construct of Race). Equal education a right for all American youth, yet many Americans don't like to acknowledge the fact that schools are still very much segregated today and not only that but primarily white schools offer a much better education than primarily minority schools. (Soc 1001 Lecture 18, Sociology of education). Also, primarily minority schools tend to have police stationed in them, offering a direct route to jail at an early age, making it even harder to get jobs later on in life. This is a result of a racial stereotype that black kids tend to be more aggressive and overall bad people leading to these cops being stationed at the school (Soc 1001 Lecture 17, Racism & Discrimination). Further, because of the higher quality of education whites receive, they are more likely to attend and graduate from post-secondary education, resulting in a higher paying job. Mortgage lenders request that the race box is checked, only to discriminate, offering lower interest rates for white people. In white neighborhoods, people enjoy highly educated doctors, hospitals and clinics, while in lower class neighborhoods, (that are typically minorities), quality healthcare is unavailable or very inconvenient. This leads to a very vicious cycle that continues to keep minorities on the bottom while keeping whites on the top.
Being able to gain rights, positions, and favors just because your skin is white is white privilege. White privilege dates back from slavery and continues to thrive in America in order to suppress minorities. One needs to understand white privilege in order to understand why American society is the way it is. White privilege is the reason why you don't see many minority professionals. White privilege is the reason why it's so hard for minorities to climb up the social later. America will continue to favor whites until everyone is granted the same opportunities under the same conditions. Whites can no longer be colorblind to race, they need to start realizing these privileges and start using them to help the minorities.
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August Wilson’s Fences
August Wilson's Fences is a fascinating play that revolves around the main character, Troy Maxson. Other characters in the play include Cory Maxson, Bono, Rose Maxson, Lyons, and Gabriel. Wilson focuses the play on the family of Troy. Troy hurts people who are close to him including his family members. For instance, he fights with Cory, his son, and cheats on his wife, Rose (Wattley 51). There are numerous problems that Troy, his family, and friends face, and the problems center on fences, responsibility, and death. The fences theme, for instance, is significant in the play since it symbolizes diverse actions like keeping a person in and out. Importantly, the primary motivation of Wilson to write the play is to portray how the African Americans struggled to survive and compete with the whites in the 1950s. The use of symbols and metaphors has also made the play interesting and facilitated its easier understanding. Therefore, the paper presents a comprehensive literary analysis of Fences.
First, the introduction of the play is amazing since it captures the attention of the audience to relate the actions in the drama to the welfare of the blacks during the 1950s. The play shows economic and social problems that the African Americans faced several decades ago. For instance, the whites looked down upon the blacks as individuals of low lives who only migrated to America to seek aid. Besides, the African Americans did hectic jobs that were low paying, unlike the white who mainly worked in the offices. For instance, Troy is unhappy of doing a dirty job of collecting garbage yet he has the capability of doing more decent jobs. Wilson is trying to inform the readers that in the 1950s, the African Americans did odd jobs as the standard jobs were for the Caucasians.
The African Americans migrated from the South to North to seek for a good life, and this evident when Troy recalls his childhood experiences when he moved to the North with the father (Elam 93). The decision of Troy to ask why the blacks do not get the opportunity of driving trash trucks, make the audience realize that Troy aired the grievances of the blacks. Therefore, the author introduces the plight or welfare of African Americans so that the viewers can understand and relate the happenings to the play, hence, making the drama appeal to the emotions of the audience. Next, there is sufficient application of logos in the play through the utilization of symbols to convince the audience about the actions in the drama.
The fence, for example, symbolizes vital things in the story. First, it symbolizes the alienation or racial differences between the whites and the blacks. Wilson uses fences to show how the whites were on their side while the blacks were also secluded in their own location. Through the fence, the audience can understand that whites and the blacks could not interact easily and the only connection was through work whereby the African Americans worked as subjects. Moreover, the fence represents the affair that Troy had with Alberta without the knowledge of the family. Unknowingly, Rose requested Troy to build the fence, and the purpose of building the fence was to symbolically hold the family from breaking. However, Troy did not participate fully in building the fence, which shows that he no longer loved Rose (Wattley 19). In this case, the fence symbolizes his failure to love and take care of the family. Therefore, the use of the fence as a symbol makes the readers more engrossed in the play.Additionally, the use of metaphors in the play is plausible as it enables viewers to comprehend the activities of the characters and understand their life experiences such as failure. The metaphor that enthralls me most in the play is the baseball game. Troy uses the baseball game as a representation of his life.
He had failed in a baseball game, which was a professional league (Wilson 71). Troy's references to the baseball game show the failures he has encountered in his life including the animosity or the poor relationship between him and the family. His failure in the baseball game depicts how he has failed in life. He can only have a settled mind through interacting and having an affair with Alberta, which makes him forget the failures. Therefore, Wilson's application of the baseball and the fence as metaphor and symbol respectively connects all the actions in the play from the start to the end, thus, making the drama great. The symbols and metaphors make one realize the struggles and failures that the blacks were facing in the 1950s.
Finally, there is proper characterization in the play as each character play distinct roles that makes the drama stimulating. Rose, for example, is a critical character in Fences as she embodies a true depiction of a black woman. Her actions and deeds make the play exciting and one would never stop watching it to the end. Despite Troy having an affair with Alberta, Rose does not quit the marriage and she is determined to keep the family together (Wilson 51). The strong personality of Rose is so encouraging that anyone would yearn to have a woman of that type. Unlike in the current society where women are ready to divorce their husband without giving them time to change, Rose decides not to leave for the sake of her family.
As the play continues, Alberta dies and Troy decides to bring home her daughter, Raynell. Rose receives the daughter warmly and states that Raynell has found a mother. Hence, her decision to accept a baby who is not her own shows how strong she is. Therefore, Wilson portrays Rose in this manner to show how African American women were strong and never gave up on their families regardless of the hurdles they were facing. Upon watching Fences, I admired the traits of Rose and her determination to stand for everybody. Conclusively, in my view, Fences is an interesting play that no literature student should miss. Any person interested in knowing the use of literary elements in a play must watch Fences as it contains crucial facets such as symbolism, metaphors, and characterization. Besides, the accuracy and precision of the play amaze me a lot since all the activities and actions are actual events that occurred in the 1950s among the African Americans. Several decades ago, there were racial tensions between the blacks and whites in various societal and economic sectors including jobs, and that is evident in the play when Troy asks why the African Americans cannot drive trash tracks. The fence is symbolic of the entire drama, and it portrays seclusion of people through racial inequality. Therefore, the play is thrilling and worth watching.
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In August Wilson’s Play
In August Wilson's play, Fences, the attitude towards women is that they are incapable, unimportant, and have the same worth is objects that can be bought and sold. To contrast the fact that a male playwright wrote this, if a female were to write a version of Fences it would be more focused on the women and their feelings, hardships, and emotions rather than just focusing on the men's. From the few women that are in Fences, we can see that they both defy and typify the standard roles for women in the 1950s. The women in Fences are hard-working and will not stand for it when met with an injustice. To further the theme of sexism Fences, we can see the attitude towards women throughout the text.
They are constantly being overlooked, seen as incapable, and treated like objects. Examples of this poor treatment include the conversation on page 5 where Troy talks to his own wife like she is lesser than him. what you worried about what we getting into for? This is men talk, woman. Rose is told off and talked to like she was in Troys way and is incapable of comprehending what he is saying. Another example of miss treatment is when Troy calls for Rose like a dog and expect her to stay silent and act unbothered. you supposed to come when I call you, woman.(P.43) with Troy wants to show his ownership over Rose, he says woman at the end of his request as if it was an insult. Do you examples show how overlooked Rose's feelings are, and how she is shown ownership and that it is a woman's job to respect and serve her husband rather than their marriage being a mutual agreement. Troy says hurtful things and doesn't give roses feelings a second thought. Rose seems just as a step in Troys life that helps him get to home base'.
This is the attitude towards women instances and how their feelings are not highlighted in the text due to its focus being on the men. In contrast to men being the main focus of Fences, what if it were written by a female author? If it was, she would more focus on the women's roles in Fences and their emotions, hardships, and life in general. Evidence of this shows itself in scenes that mention women briefly, but don't show their side of the story. Early in the book, Troy told Rose that his conversation with Bono is men talk(P.5) and that she should just leave him alone. How a female author would've approached this scene is how to show how Rose must've felt after that comment was made and how incapable it must have made her feel. another example of a scene or female play right would've written better what is the scene the Troy threatens to physically harm Roos after she questioned him and expresses to him all the sacrifices she made for their relationship. Rose had every right to express how she felt about Troy doing this.
After she expressed some of her feelings, Troy decides to become physical with her and grab her Rose turns to exit the house, Troy grabs her arm. (P.71) What we don't see at this moment is the fear and betrayal that must've been running through Rose's head after her husband of 18 years decided to do what he had promised not to do when they got married, hurt her. Troy, at this moment, betrayed the trust he'd been building for 18 years and became a villain to his own wife. This scene is one of the few times we get to see how Rose is feeling in the consequences of her expressing herself to Troy.
After this encounter, Rose and Troy's relationship was never the same. Troy has a need to control everything in his life, including Rose and her emotions. He didn't like the truth that finally came out of her mouth, so he tried to control her by keeping it shut. If a female author was to re-write this scene, she would show more of Rose's internal dialogue and more of the hurt that she was feeling physically and mentally. Because how this scene is written originally, it only shows her fight or flight response and not the internal blame and conflict she was feeling inside. These thoughts are really shown in senses and or even more rarely acted upon. If they were to show more refute, it would start a conflict. Starting conflict with the man at this time, especially with your husband, was defying roles for the time and could make a woman become hurt mentally or physically. In Fences, the women more defied roles than typified them, but elements of both defying and typifying the roles are present. Evidence of this include when Troy calls Rose like a dog, and rather than staying silent and doing as she's told, She stands up for herself and says Man, hush your mouth. I ain't no dog...talk about come when you call me.(P.43) She acknowledges the poor treatment and doesn't play host to it without voicing her opinion. This defies roles at the time because women were seen as inferior to men and things that should do as men command.
Rose and many other women didn't agree with this but it was seen as normal at the time. And in this scene, Rose did what wasn't expected of women at the time and defended herself. In contrast to this, Rose also typifies the roles for women in the 1950s. Examples of this are when Gabe says I'm ready for my sandwich, Rose.(P.49) and she follows his demanding request and does as he says. In this time the roles of women were like tools used for lust, love, cooking, and cleaning. Rose in this example listens to him and makes him a sandwich without argument, as requested. That is how women were ideally expected to act in this time and Rose played host to that in this scene. These examples show how the women in Fences both defy and typify the roles of women in the 1950s and the attitude towards women during this time.
In Conclusion, even though Fences was written in 1983, It very well highlights issues faced by women in the 1950s. Even though August Wilson doesn't really give the women a second thought and mainly focuses on the men. They're constantly overlooked, hurt, and seen as unimportant. They were presented this way because of Wilson being a man and not fully understanding the women's issues, or, they were presented this way to further highlight the theme of sexism in the 1950s. The women in Fences also followed some of the roles that were set in place at that time but in contrast, also defied some roles at the same time. Fences May not have had sexism as the main theme, but it gives insight to the attitude towards women in Fences, and the attitude towards them in the 1950s.
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Willy Loman in an all Black Production
This summer, I would like you to play the two roles of Willy Loman in an all black production Death of a Salesman, and the role of Troy Maxson in our production of Fences. Even though the Death of a Salesman is an all black cast, Willy and the story will not be any different than the original. To master Willy, he must be played as an insecure, traveling salesman. He must always sound tired, or weary. And he has to often trail off when talking. He must move as if he is fragile, and really show that he is senile. Willy believes in the American Dream of easy wealth, or success. But, he does not achieve it sadly.
He hopes his sons fulfill will succeed where he has failed. When Willy's illusions begin to form, and he see the true realities of his life, and his mental health begins to get worse. The tension of his actions caused by his illusions create conflict, and the main message of Death of a Salesman, so acting like you are losing it upstairs is very essential. during the story, Willy had a wrong and warped view of how to be successful in society. This is best shown in a flashback where Willy talks about his sons' friend Bernard; Bernard can get the best marks in school, y'understand, but when he gets out in the business world, understand, you are going to be five times ahead of himBe liked and you will never want. He has the completely wrong idea of how to get ahead in this life. Willy cared so much about what other people thought of him that nothing else was important, including his ability to sell his products. This unfortunate mindset dug Willy a hole of debt and mistakes, impossible to get out of.
After some time has passed, Willy gets fired. Most readers would feel bad for Willy at this point but we cannot miss the fact that Willy was given several chances s to become better. His neighbor Charley offered him a job a lot. one of which immediately following Willy being fired. Charley says, I offered you a job. You can make fifty dollars a week. And I won't send you on the road. Although Willy knows he's an old man who cannot be on the road anymore, he lets his pride ruin his chance of forming a greater life for himself, and his family. Willy was constantly chasing the American Dream and if he took advantage of all the chances given to him, it could of become his reality. Willy made bad choices.
We as readers should not feel bad for him, because the only person who is held responsible for what happened is Willy himself. Despite his constant rambling, searching through his past, Willy does not achieve the self-realization typical of the tragic hero. While he does achieve a greater understanding of who he is, and the sad, yet true nature of being a salesman, he fails to realize his own failure, and his betrayal of his family during his life. He cannot grasp the understanding of who he is. Willy's failure to realize the love given to him by his own family is very crucial to the end of his story, and the play presents this as the real tragedy. Willy still does a incredibly selfless thing for his family. He took his life as a sacrifice in his attempt to leave an inheritance that would allow Biff to fulfill the American Dream.
For the second role Sam, what you would have to know about the protagonist of Fences, is that Troy is a responsible man whose ruined dreams make him believe in self-created illusions. He needs to talk like he's always slightly frustrated, and it has to seem like something is bothering him all the time. Troy begins the play by telling a story to Bono and Rose about his struggle with a Devil Character. Another example of Troy believing in illusions, is his lying to his best friend, Bono about the truth of his affair with Alberta. All of the characters that are a part of this play have what I would call a complicated relationship with Troy. His character creates the conflicts with everyone else in the play.
Troy creates conflict because he cannot accept other's choices in life when they are different then his choices.Troy disagrees with Cory's decision to play football in college, Lyons' decision to be a musicians and, Rose's habit of gambling. Obviously, Troy is the kind of person to make people do things they don't want to, just for his pleasing, or his benefit. Troy sometimes thinks back on his ruined opportunity to make it big in major-league baseball, because he was black. Although he was ruined during the prime of his athletic ability, he still manages to make a good and successful living as a garbage man, and during that time period, he did very well considering the fact he was black. The reader loses sympathy for Troy, not because of the way he sees himself, but because of the way he treats his family. His wife Rose, is loving and takes lots of pride in taking care of their entire family. However, Troy decides that his life is not enough, and too boring, and has an affair. After the truth is revealed of his affair and having a child with a different woman, he proves that no matter how good his life may be, Troy will never be happy with what he has.
While its normal to crave more, Troy has what he needs and takes it to an unhealthy level. Troy is a self centered man. While he says he wants to be a better person himself, he does not let his children, especially Cory, do the same. Cory has the skills, and a scholarship to play college football. Troy however, refuses to let him play, saying, The white man ain't gonna let you get no where with that football noway. You go on and get your book-learning so you can work yourself up in that A&P or learn how to fix cars or build houses or something, get you a trade Since Troy couldn't follow his dreams, he believes that his son shouldn't either. He ignores the fact that things are different that when he was young.
The audience could infer that jealousy plays a role too. Troy acting this way causes the audience to lose all sympathy for Troy.
When a person acquires wealth, they're considered successful. In Death of a Salesman and Fences by both characters Willy and Troy go through many challenges trying to achieve this wealth through the American Dream. These challenges not only allow the audience you're performing to identify the characters' pride but also their inconsiderate personalities. I believe it was not America holding these characters back from reaching the dream, but actually their own bad choices. Their misfortune turns them into bitter people. At first, both Willy Loman and Troy Maxson live such unhappy lives that would seem almost impossible not to feel bad for them. They're both middle-aged family men trying to better themselves and their families. However, in the lives of both men, unrealistic expectations, pride, and jealousy bring them to their end. After examination, it becomes obvious why they do not earn sympathy.
One big difference between Willy and Troy, is that Willy wants his sons to be just as successful or more successful than him, while Troy doesn't want his sons to be more successful than him without his help. However, that does not change the fact that both Willy, and Troy tell their children how to live their life, and it involves a set of unrealistically high expectations. Neither Willy Loman or Troy Maxson ever achieved what they planned to in their lives. Neither became the men they wanted to be, however if the two would've put their pride aside, fought the illusions, and better their families, not only would their lives have been better, but they would have gotten stronger sympathy from the reader. Now Sam, Although all I have written to you today is how to play these characters, I want you to realize the real life lessons that can be learned from both of their lives. Cherish what you have and don't let your pride take over.
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Troy’s Past Experiences Influence
Troy's past experiences influence his present and his family. Fences is a play written by August Wilson in the 1950s about an African American man who fails to fulfill his role as a father and husband. Troy, the protagonist of the play, is affected by his rough childhood, influencing the way he treats his family. In Fences, Wilson creates a fictional character in Troy whose envious, selfishness and arrogance illustrate a villain.
Troy Maxson has an envious behavior towards his son that created tension between them. Troy envies Cory's opportunity to play football because he thinks Cory is going to be better than him at sports. The white man ain't gonna let you get nowhere with that football noway. You go on and get your book-learning so you can work yourself up in that A&P or learn how to fix cars or build houses or something, get you a trade, Troy says to Cory refusing him to play (1.3).
Troy demands Cory to give up his dream and the chance to play football on scholarship at a college because he is jealous that he never had a chance to play like Cory. Troy's resentment of never getting to play baseball portrays him as a villain because he destroys his son's future by preventing the college recruiter visit Cory. Myles Weber, a literary critic, describes Troy's covetousness towards his son in his article Rescuing the Tragic Bully in August Wilson's Fences. Weber writes, Troy appears to be a petty tyrant made irrational by envy for his son's opportunities showing Troy's jealousy (Weber). Troy fears that Cory will achieve what he couldn't that's why he intervenes Cory's opportunity to move further in life. Troy refuses to accept the world had changed around him that's why he won't let Cory move any further with his football career.
Troy's decisions separated him from his family caused by his selfishness. Troy's confession to Rose about having an affair with Alberta reveals his selfishness. When Troy tells Rose about his infidelity, he shows no remorse or regret about his actions, She gives me a different idea a different understanding about myself. I can step out of this house and get away from the pressures and problems...(2.1). Troy betrayed Rose by cheating on her, excusing himself that Alberta was his escape from his responsibilities. He continued to see Alberta without seemed regret or sorry even after he told Rose about his affair.
Troy not considering Rose's feelings by hurting her because he did what he wanted to illustrates him as a villain. Myles Weber describes Troy as a selfish and self-interested towards the people around him. When Weber writes, Troy is exceedingly selfish toward those around him he explains how Troy doesn't want anyone else be better than him (Weber). Troy's selfishness is also shown when he tells Cory's coach that he is not allowed to play football. Troy denies Cory to do what he couldn't achieve. He refuses to support his son and denies him to . Troy portrays a villain in this situation because he didn't let Cory follow his dreams just because his didn't succeed.
Troy's confrontations with his family increased due to his arrogance. Troy's arrogance is shown when he kicked Cory out of his house. When Troy and Cory were having a confrontation, Troy responds to Cory, Turn your behind around around and walk out this yard Cause this is my house. You go on and be a man and get your own house(2.4). Troy insists Cory to leave his house and go as far as possible without caring where he would go.
Troy treats Cory the same way his father did with him creating a resentment inside Cory. After the confrontation they had, Cory lost respect towards Troy. Troy's sense of superiority destroyed his relationship with his son by pushing him away which depicts him as a villain. Myles Weber writes about Troy's arrogance and his sense of superiority in his article Rescuing the Tragic Bully in August Wilson's Fences. Weber describes Troy's haughtiness while he writes, Troy never does learn--that is his error (Weber). Troy refuses to take some else's advice and listen because he thinks he is always right. He didn't want to assume the world around him had changed and now they allow African-Americans play sports. He expects everyone to do what he says and agree with him. Troy's ignorance and arrogance distanced him from his family further away which illustrates him as a villain .
Troy's dominant behavior towards his family generates problems between them that result into an unstable family. The significance about Troy's portrayal was to show how negative actions lead to bad outcomes. Someone that have been through a tough life can affect the way he or she treats others. August Wilson writes Fences to tell readers through Troy's character that having a rough life was not an excuse for his actions. He should've learn from his past experiences and move on with his life trying to be different without repeating the same mistakes of his father.
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The Hill District of Pittsburgh
The Hill District of Pittsburgh, which was a prosperous black majority city that culminated a lot of art and music and a beautiful life, went through the urban renewal of 1960 lost all its glory and became poor community and the racial segregation and profiling took its peak causing black people to feel underserving and lived to only eat and put a roof on their heads (Gottlieb, 1996). Fences, a play written by August Wilson about a black community, can be mirrored with the life of the African American community of the Hill District of Pittsburgh in many ways.
In Fences August Wilson mentions that Tory is going through racial segregation at his work place, in the him and his friend Bono, both being African Americans, work as garbage collectors and the white people are assigned the job driving the garbage trucks. This is the same as the racial segregation that occurs with the white-collar jobs that the white people owned and the low-profile jobs that were being assigned to the people of the Hill District in the 1960's. Baseball is a game that has been shown to be of great importance in the Hills District of Pittsburgh in the 1950's. Grenlee Field was a black owned baseball stadium and home to the Pittsburgh Crawfords of the Negro League.
It had great baseball players who were celebrated in their own time such as Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige and this was part of the great history of Pittsburgh. (Eberhardt, 2008) This same situation is depicted in the play Fences as he illustrates that Troy was a good baseball player and he played for the Negro League as well until he became old enough not to play anymore. His son Cory is also seen to be an aspiring baseball player during his time in college but unfortunately his father does not give the chance he deserved. The Hills District of Pittsburgh was well known for its great music and jazz was one of the most prosperous pieces of art the it possessed. The city produced jazz giants in its prime time like Lena Horne, Art Blakely and Errol Garner.
They played at a jazz club called Crawford Grill that was owned by a black man named Gus Greenlee. Folks gathered there for a great time and appreciating music and more so socializing with one another. In Wild Avenue Days, the Hill District was known to be the most prosperous and influential black community in America. in the play Fences, there is an illustration of the existence of music played at the Crawford Grill. Lyon, Troy's eldest son, aspires to be a musician and wants to make a name for himself by playing music and is seen to be determined so and is focusing on his goal and making it a reality. He keeps coming to his father to borrow money to support his career which he terms it to be a promising one and of the purposes of his life. So in this case we see that the play is depicting the Hill District's music history and the way jazz was the pride of the people of Pittsburgh.
After the assassination of Martin Luther King jr there was an uproar in America and this created racial tension and strife between the white and the black people. This also affected the people of Pittsburgh and soon afterwards there was the urban renewal age of the city in 1960. This caused the displacement of more than 8000 residents and 400 businesses in the area. Crime and poverty became the new form of life and this destroyed the greatness pf the city. In the play Fences by August Wilson it is shown that the locale had lost its glory and that the once rich people were overridden with poverty. Troy; I saw Josh Gibson's daughter yesterday. She walking around with raggedy shoes on her feet. This statement proves enough of the once great people of the area reduced to nothing and all their glory and wealth lost. Once more the play mirrors the situation in Pittsburgh perfectly and therefore it creates a picture of the people of Pittsburgh in mind. In other situations, the play Fences by August Wilson does not give an accurate depiction of the Hill District.
The economic situation in the Hills District back the was thriving on the production of steel with steel mills for world war 1. This increased demand for labor among men and was the source to a better life. However, the play shows that for better life people in the area were working and earning from different sources. Troy and Bono are seen to be garbage collectors and later on Troy is promoted to be a truck driver and this for him is the true definition of having a better life. There is also the fact that the people of Pittsburgh had a radio, a weekly newspaper, a college of beauty culturists and thriving art which led to Pittsburgh being known as the little Harlem' and was a mecca of art and culture. (Bodner 1900-1960 ) This is not seen in the setting where Troy and his family lived as the play was illustrated therefore its evident enough to say that the play is not a true depiction of the life of the Hill District. The play Fences gives a scenery of imprisonment in many ways such as literal ones and symbolic ones.
It is seen that the main character, Troy, is jailed once in his lifetime for 15years due to robbery, assault and a murder he wasn't sure he committed. This shapes the character's behavior and molds him into the person he would become when he grew up. During his time in prison he developed two characters that shaped his life. One was that he grew to be a good baseball player and he aspired a career because of that and continued to play even after prison but his career was cut short because of racial profiling and his age causing him to hate baseball. The second one was a shortcoming which he learnt during his time in penitentiary and that was to push people away from and not have real emotions and attachments to people. He does not love his wife and mistreats his son and everyone around him all because of the detachment he has felt during his time in prison.
This behavior is also contributed by the way his father mistreated him while growing up. The characteristic behavior shown by the main character due to his time in prison can be attributed to people who have gone through slavery. Slavery and imprisonment can be the identical and different at the same time in that convicts have a form of liberty and this is seen with Troy who becomes a good baseball player all while he is in prison and this couldn't have been possible if he was in enslavement. Slaves had owners and their every move was measured and watched making liberty a forgotten tale to them.
There is also the part of emotional detachment of the victims of slavery and imprisonment. This is seen to be of a greater similarity as the people are going through a time where freedom is much less of a subject and forming attachments might lead to heartbreaks and losses they are not ready for. This might explain the irrational behavior of Troy's father towards his women and children because he might have been a slave who has seen nothing but cruelty his whole life. Troy was taken as a prisoner because of robbery and breaking the law and in a way it can be said that he deserved it but that can't be said with slaves since they did no wrong and being enslaved is against their will and is unjust since they have no freedom until they are bought by another master but that's not the case seen with prisoners as they serve their time and gain their freedom once the given time lapses. References. Bodnar, J. E., Simon, R., & Weber, M. P. (1983). Lives of their own: Blacks, Italians, and Poles in Pittsburgh, 1900-1960 (Vol. 286). University of Illinois Press. Eberhardt, M. (2008). The low-back merger in the steel city: African American English in Pittsburgh. American speech, 83(3), 284-311. Gottlieb, P. (1996). Making Their Own Way: Southern Blacks' Migration to Pittsburgh, 1916-30 (Vol. 82). University of Illinois Press.
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Noble Mission of Foster Care System
Children thrive best when they live in safe, stable, and nurturing households. A child who is exposed to love will grow up to be happier and more engaged in life. The foster care system allows a child to be a child again, ending suffrage and trauma. However, many children in the United States lack this type of home environment, due to neglect and abuse. For children whose families are not safe shelter, a caring society will find alternative foster care placements. Opening a foster home door to child opens up opportunities and a chance at a better life.
Foster care refers to the system that provides protection for minor children who are unable to live with their biological parents. A child enters the system when they are abused, neglected, raped, incarceration and abandonment. A child who suffers from one of these causes will gain a unique set of emotional, social and academic challenges for them. They often experience grief, guilt, anger, sadness, loneliness, anxiety, low self-esteem, mental and physical health issues. (Craft)
Currently there are over 500,000 children in foster care in the United States. These children age from three months to eighteen years old. The goal of the foster care system is to provide abused and neglected children with an environment of safety, permanency, and nurturance. The foster care system provides valuable children with specific needs and trains and develops children for their future. This includes, placements in foster family homes, homes of relatives, group homes, emergency shelters, residential facilities, child care institutions, and pre-adoptive homes. A child enters the foster care system with the help of the Child Welfare. Child welfare systems typically receive and investigate reports of possible child abuse and neglect; provide services to families that need assistance in the protection and care of their children; arrange for children to live with kin or with foster families when they are not safe at home. (Child Welfare Information Gateway)
Through foster care, families become a support system to children who are waiting to be reunited with their birth parents. Foster parents give abused and neglected children a better environment. Foster parents allow these children to be children again. A foster parent gives children the opportunities they desperately deserve, such as providing them with an education is putting that child on the right track for success. For many foster children it is easy to enroll in school, the hard part is maintaining focused and obtaining the information. Mainly because they either never been to a school or they haven't been in school for such a long time. It is important that this child learns at his or her pace and is able to communicate. It may be a difficult process, but with love and support from foster parents, it is not impossible. Education is what makes up one's future, no matter where or who you come from.
A positive PK-12 education experience has the potential to be a powerful counterweight to the abuse, neglect, separation, impermanence and other barriers these vulnerable students experience. The U.S. Department of Education, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Department of Labor, as well as foster youth and practitioners, developed this Foster Care Transition Toolkit to inspire and support current and former foster youth pursuing college and career opportunities. The toolkit includes tips and resources intended to help foster youth access and navigate social, emotional, educational and skills barriers as they transition into adulthood. (U.S. Department of Education) A good education enhances a foster child's well-being, help them make more successful transitions to adulthood, and increase their chances for personal fulfillment and economic self-sufficiency. With over 500,000 school aged foster children, those who enter the school system will be treated upon their needs and development. Overtime, foster children enrolled in school will learn the basics of their everyday life. No matter how many children age out the system, there will always be resources and support for those who want it.
In 2016, more than 17,000 people aged out of the system. Depending on the state in which they live, young adults in foster care age out of the system at either 18 or 21. Essentially, aging out is the process that occurs when youth must leave the foster care system because they were never adopted and are too old to stay in care. This has become the main reason why many are against placing children in the system. By age 26, only three to four percent of youth who aged out of foster care earn a college degree. One in five of these youth will become homeless after turning 18. Only half will obtain employment by 24. Over 70 percent of female foster youth will become pregnant by 21, and one in four former foster youth will experience PTSD. (18 and On You Own) However, displacement and instability creates emotional, academic, and financial challenges for these adults so they will eventually have access to the resources they need. When a foster child who grew up with trauma, mental illnesses, and a roller coaster of emotions, leaves the system it will be the biggest challenge they will ever face.
The rate of homelessness for foster care youth is excessively high and many don't have the resources to strive for a higher education. It is estimated that 65% of foster youth will emancipate into homelessness, less than 3% will go to college and 51% will be unemployed (Children Uniting Nations). However, before they reach this point, funding from the Fostering Connections Act of 2008 and the Education Training Vouchers gives youth the option to seek out post-secondary school and independent living skills training to prepare for adulthood. Independent living postulates that youth who age out of the foster care system must possess certain skills or competencies in order to function autonomously once they are no longer in the care of the state (Antle et al. 2009, 309). When youth emancipate from the foster care system, they are expected to have social skills and independent living skills, experiences in both education and job training and have money saved (Lenz-Rashid, 2011). Youth in the foster care system will need to obtain life skills before they exit the system with the help of their social worker and their social support system. With the current Fostering Connections Act of 2008, social workers are expected to link youth with services available to them before they are discharged. This includes assisting with post-secondary schooling, extending medical insurance to age twenty-one, school stability and transportation costs provided, preparing the youth for their future.
A social worker is someone who is always there to help you through your problems. Social workers help abused and displaced children find solutions to resolve mental, behavioral, and emotional issues. Although every social worker plays a different role, they all have one job, to find a suitable home and family for a child who has been taken away from his or her biological parents. Through this process, a social worker will run background checks and perform interviews with both the child and the foster parent(s). The purpose of conducting these background checks and interviews is to make sure a foster child will actually improve from their previous home life and benefit from it. A social worker is like a second parent to these foster children, they are someone who they can trust and depend on.
The foster care system allows a child to be a child again. Giving neglected and abused children a home, showing them what love looks like, and giving them the education that they deserve. Opening a foster home door to child opens up opportunities and a chance at a better life.
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Noble Mission Of Foster Care System. (2019, Oct 30).
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