Union and Intersection

Primary Task Response: Write at least 3 paragraphs that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas. Part I: Describe how the notion of union and intersection apply to retrieving records in databases. Give an example of 2 sets that might appear in a database to help in your description. A prominent couple is found murdered in their mansion located in an affluent neighborhood. The housekeeper found the bodies and called the police.The housekeeper tells the detectives that quite a few valuables are missing from the house: artwork, electronics, jewelry, cash etc. In the initial stages of the investigation the detectives cannot decide whether this was a robbery gone wrong or a murder the perpetrator tried to disguise into a robbery. Not wanting to miss any potential leads the police compiles a joint list of suspects: every suspect on this list is either a known robber or a known killer (or both). For the first set R={x| x has a robbery rap sheet} they access the Theft/Robbery Division database.For the second set M={y |y has a murder in his criminal record} they access the Homicide Division database. It is not uncommon that different divisions within the same police department maintain different databases. Although state and national databases do exist they are usually slow moving and most often than not they generate unmanageably long lists of suspects. The advantage of a local database consists in a much easier access and output which is oftentimes much more relevant to the investigation – in 99% of the cases the crime is perpetrated by a local suspect.Thus the initial set of suspects S is the union of R and M: S=R? M. Suppose however that S has too many suspects. Given the personnel shortage it is not feasible to investigate every name which appears in S. the police needs to find a way to narrow down this list. After re-interviewing the neighbors, it turns ou t that one of them witnessed a suspicious green Chevy van idling on a street corner close to the murdered couple’s house. The van was in a rough shape which made it unlikely to be owned by one of the local residents.The detectives have now a clue that helps them narrow down their list of suspects. They access the DMV database to extract the list of drivers who own an older model green Chevy van. In other words they retrieve the set C= { z | z owns a green Chevy van}. The investigators then compare their list of suspects S , to the names listed in C, looking for common entries. In other words they are interested in the set of prime suspects P, where P is the intersection between S and C: P=S? C. Part II :Discuss the notion of the logical â€Å"or† and the logical â€Å"and† in computer programming (coding) or flowcharts.Why is it important to know how to apply these correctly? The traditional scope of computer science was the automation of numerical operations. B ut since reasoning can be seen as a kind of computation, in principle it can be automated as well. Computers represent information using bits. A bit is a symbol with two possible values, zero and one. The word bit comes from binary digit, because zeros and ones are the digits used in binary representations of numbers Computer bit operations correspond to the logical connectives.Information is represented using bit strings, which are lists of zeros and ones. Operations on the bit strings can be used to manipulate this information. At a very basic level, the binary string approach accompanied by the operations that can be performed with these strings via the logical connectives constitute our way of translating the problem in a form the computer can â€Å"understand†. Eventually, the computer is the perfect executant so it will end up doing exactly what we told him to do – which is not always the same with what we intended to have him do.The difference between 0 and 1 ma y not seem large; however, in absolute terms is as large as the difference between true and false, or the difference between black and white. The use of 0’s and 1’s is a matter of convenience if anything else; alternatively we can work with â€Å"dinks† and â€Å"dunks† with exactly the same (logical) result. A quick example is most likely going to drive this point home. One of the places where logical connectives are used most frequently are the internet search engines. Suppose however that by a silly programming mistake a certain search engine XYZ. om reads â€Å"or† instead of â€Å"and† and vice-versa. Suppose your instructor recommended an article written by Jones and Smith on the topic of logical connectives. The instructor could not remember the authors’ first names nor the exact title of the paper but he suggested that a quick search on XYZ. com should help you locate the paper in no time. Needless to say if your search query â€Å"Jones† AND â€Å"Smith† AND â€Å"Logical† AND â€Å"connectives† is interpreted as â€Å"Jones† OR â€Å"Smith† OR â€Å"Logical† OR â€Å"connectives† the chances of locating the paper are just as great as the chances of finding thr needle in the haystack.

Pursuit of Happiness

The Pursuit of Happiness In the book, â€Å"You Learn by Living,† Eleanor Roosevelt notes: â€Å"Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product†(Roosevelt 95). When one’s specific desire is fulfilled, feelings of happiness flourish. Therefore, happiness is the ultimate goal in life for many people in today’s society because their life revolves around desire. That said, everyone’s interpretation of happiness varies. Some may believe wealth and power will bring them happiness, while others might argue that beauty and popularity will keep them happy.Whatever the recipe of happiness may be, the product is universal—they all generate feelings of pleasure and satisfaction. Temporary pleasure and satisfaction, that is. What if the word â€Å"eternal† was inserted into the definition of happiness to say that it was a state of eternal well-being and contentment? How would one sought to pursue this form of happiness? At the start of Book One of The Consolation of Philosophy, Ancius Boethius, a learned official of the Roman Empire who awaits execution for unjust accusations, desolately rests in his jail cell, writing poetry and contemplating on life with the Muses of Poetry.He is soon interrupted by Philosophy, who appears to him in the form of a lovely woman that is â€Å"full of years, yet possesses a vivid color and undiminished vigor† (Boethius 2). As a physician treating a patient would, Lady Philosophy diagnoses Boethius with a serious illness, which she says she is here to cure, unlike the Muses she calls â€Å"hysterical sluts†(Boethius 2) who is only here to take Reason away from him. When asked to â€Å"discover his wounds†, Boethius begins to moan about the loss of good fortune: his wealth, his power, his friends, and even contact with his family.He goes on to complain that he is suffering unjustly in a state of complete innocence, blaming Fortune for taking away these goods. As for Lady Philoso phy, whether or not Boethius is a â€Å"victim of Fortune† (Boethius 4), as he calls himself, is simply not important. The fact that Boethius has fallen under Fortune's spell, and forgotten three important things: his true nature, the end and purpose of things, and the means by which the world is governed (Boethius, 10), seem to be the bigger issue since they are the main causes of his illness.Throughout all five books of The Consolations of Philosophy, in her intent to cure Boethius’ disease, Lady Philosophy corrects Boethius of the errors that caused his illness–the main error being his misconception of how happiness can be achieved. When told of Boethius’ sudden reversal of fortune, rather than feeling pity and empathy, Lady Philosophy scolds Boethius for mourning over tangible and earthly things like fame, wealth, and power. These â€Å"goods†, or rather â€Å"false goods† can deceive to bring happiness, but it fails to satisfy the true, eternal soul.Wealth and power were merely gifts from Fortune that temporarily visited him by the wheel of Fortune. Moreover, Lady Philosophy is able to prove that they are in fact false goods because they were taken away from Boethius; they did not belong to Boethius. Lady Philosophy tells Boethius, â€Å"Be not overcome by your misfortunes, for the gifts of fortune are fleeting and happiness is not to be found in temporal goods†(Boethius 21). The things that are thought to make us happy, wealth, honor, and power, have no actual value or power and therefore cannot truly make someone a happy person.Lady Philosophy further explains how these false goods only evoke feelings of negativity. Wealth only leads oneself to greed and further protection of himself, honor creates jealousy, and power is meaningless because it does not last. Lady Philosophy explains: â€Å"Why, the prefecture, which was once a great power, is now but an empty name†(Boethius 23). These lesser goods, which hold less power than mankind, cannot drive one to live a happy life; only a greater good that is more powerful than man possesses that power. This leads to the next question: How is true happiness achieved?In Book Two of The Consolation of Philosophy, Lady Philosophy thoroughly explains true happiness: â€Å"If I ask you whether there is anything more precious to you than your own self, you will say no. So if you are in possession of yourself you will possess something you would never wish to lose and something Fortune could never take away†(Boethius 23). She says that happiness can't consist in things governed by chance because true happiness cannot be taken away. She goes on to explain that nothing on earth can bring true happiness—not one that is eternal.The common belief of all mankind agrees that God, the supreme of the Heavens and the Earth is the highest good. True happiness comes from the desire for the perfect itself and the perfect Good—God. The refore, one can only attain true happiness through the pursuit of God through intellectual and spiritual means. On page 23 of Book Three, Lady Philosophy says: â€Å"Only by being like God, who is the highest good, can lasting happiness come to man. † Everyone desires happiness, and happiness is identical with the good, therefore God and true happiness is of neness. She also says that the good gain their reward automatically, since by being good, they attain the good, which is happiness. Furthermore, only our spirit and intellect can lead us to the true good—the true happiness of the soul, God. As a strong believer, and child of God, it is only sensible that I agree with Lady Philosophy on her reasoning that only one higher power offers true happiness. The all-powerful Creator of humankind motivates man to live a good, virtuous life under Him, which, according to Lady Philosophy defines true happiness.Seeking God, in many ways, is parallel to seeking true happiness. Th e bible, which quotes the words of God, in many cases, teaches the man in God to strive for the higher goods that make up true happiness and, to keep away from what are the evils of false happiness in not only religious terms, but also philosophical terms. In Psalms 37:4 of the New International Bible, it says â€Å"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. † The desires that the bible verse refers to are not casual wants that nature longs for, but innermost desires that satisfy the inner soul—the true goods.The bible disfavors certain desires, in which Lady Philosophy would consider â€Å"false goods† and the Bible refers to â€Å"lusts. † These desires are often described as cravings that long to satisfy physical appetite, like food, alcohol, sex, money, and pleasure. Once man rids himself of desire, he begins to be carefree, letting the mind be emotionally free, free of worry, confident, and at inner peace, reaching a state of happiness under God. Lastly, God rules the universe for the highest good, so man works to move toward that good according to their own will to be obedient towards the highest good, God.As I have begun to discuss above, I strongly believe that living a life for a higher power, rather than oneself, creates an optimistic state of mind, resulting in a more satisfied, happier person. Research shows that that religious people are happier and less stressed. Once one understands that the world is not governed by Fortune, but by a reasonable Creator, unhappiness becomes absent because he is agreeing to Divine Providence. Giving reason to everything that happens makes life less distressful.Rather than staying in a state of despair, only a person in God understands that suffering leads to the sanity of reason and therefore, with suffering, happiness will be awarded at the end. It can also be said that the person in God is not only happy, but also virtuous because being â€Å"goodâ⠂¬  consists of being virtuous. In relation to what Lady Philosophy defines as false happiness in The Consolation of Philosophy, someone who seems to have everything that most people desire, often times, suffers from severe depression. Marilyn Monroe is a great example.She had everything that many seem to think brings happiness—beauty, wealth, fame, sex appeal, and popularity—but she ended her life in suicide. It can be further argued that happiness consisting of anything other than the one God, cannot be everlasting. While these so-called â€Å"false goods† temporally satisfies one’s self, the one real true good, the Creator, provides consolation that is eternal. In comparison to lesser goods, faith is a consistent element of happiness and good health. In explaining happiness to Boethius, Lady Philosophy says, â€Å"Why, then, O mortal men, do you seek that happiness outside, which lies within yourselves? True happiness cannot be found through the sens es. Happiness comes from within one’s soul. It is not external. It is a by-product of an inner condition. It is not simply a temporary indulgence of pleasure. If one lives only for personal happiness, he will probably never find it. As American social writer and philosopher, Eric Hoffer said, â€Å"The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness. † Getting rid of the longing for false goods, or evil desires, is the first step of achieving true happiness—one that will last forever!

Business organization and environment of Nokia

Business organization and environment of Nokia In this assignment, our group has decided to choose Nokia, a phone manufacturing company as our example and decided to write the aspect about the business organization and environment, organization structure and technology society of Nokia. â€Å"Connecting People† is the vision of Nokia. Now, Nokia phones is also recognize as the fifth most value brand in the world. The history of Nokia doesn’t begin with the production of phones instead it began with the production of paper in 1865 where the founder of Nokia Fredrik Idestam established a paper mill in south- western Finland. Then in 1992, Nokia decided to focus the company on telecommunication. According to, John Daniel (2008) Nokia is known for producing the best phones with latest technologies and now is the largest phones manufacturing company compare to the other competitors like Sony Ericsson, Samsung, LG and others. Nokia is a leading brand in the mobile phones world. In year 2005 Nokia sold billions of mobile phone and launches it’s most popular N Series phones, and now, Nokia have 35% shares in the market. Nokia phones offer phones that are equipped with different design and functions to satisfied different customers’ needs. Business Organization and Environment As Nokia is the world wide mobile phone company. By operating such a huge company, they have their slogan that is † Connecting People† , and have three aims; Speed of Anticipation and Fulfilling Evolving Customers and Market Needs, Strong Customers Recognition and Upholding A Solid and Positive /Relationship With It’s Stakeholders. What are the Business Organization and Environment of Nokia? Environment are divided into two main categories, Internal and External Environment. Internal environment is also known as the controllable environment. Internal environment composed of the elements within the organization, including current employees, management and especially corporate cultures, which defin es employee behavior. Although some elements affect the organization as a whole, others affect only the manager. Here is some examples of Internal Environment of The Nokia company, Employees are important to the company because they are responsible for the operating cores and daily works. Nokia company should motivate them and understand their behaviour and needs properly to as to determine the ways to motivate them. If their needs have being fulfilled, so they will be able to produce good work and results to the Company. Employee should also be provided training which is related to their work to ensure they are able to achieve good performance in the Company . Because of their good performance, the production output achieved will nevertheless, help to boost the sales of Nokia mobile phone. Thus , can also achieve the Income of the company for further growth. With more Income generated, the Nokia Company can use the money to upgrade the existing machine and employed more designers a nd engineers to produce more attractive plus sophisticated and high quality phone. This can prevent the customer to choose the others mobile phone company because of limited choice and bad qualities of the phone. Other than that, with more profits, Nokia Company also can send their employees for further training and gain more experience in manufacturing and designing the mobile phone.

Human Resources in the Hotel Paris Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Resources in the Hotel Paris - Essay Example The gap is one of alignment between larger company strategy of superior service and superior customer experience, on the one hand, and how the company at present compensates its employees, which does not necessarily bring out the best out of those employees (â€Å"The Hotel Paris Case†; Freedman and Kosova 1-4). There is a disconnect between what the company hopes to achieve, which is establishing the hotel as providing superior guest services, on the one hand, and on the other hand the way the company in general just pays average wages in comparison to the industry, and in some cases pays lower than average industry wages for some of the roles. The challenge is in aligning pay levels with the crafted strategy to provide differentiated, superior hotel services to guests, in comparison to the industry level of services. This strategy is hoped to elevate company profitability and viability in the long term, but the current employee compensation strategy of paying employees just what the industry pays on average will not help the company achieve its larger goals (â€Å"The Hotel Paris Case†; Freedman and Kosova 1-4). Tied to salaries, there is a disconnect between what the company wants to achieve, superior service, and the way the current compensation strategy pays employees the same way regardless of performance. Superior service means superior employee performance, but at present employees have no motivation or reason to perform, given that pay is not tied to the way they do their work. There are no incentives in place to reward good work. Moreover, the current pay strategy does not stimulate interest from top performers in the industry to go work for Hotel Paris, because there are no incentives to work hard in order to move ahead. The current pay strategy may have encouraged mediocre employees to stay (â€Å"The Hotel Paris Case†; Freedman and Kosova 1-4). There is obviously a price to pay for superior service, and that price is employee pay that is on par or superior to what the industry pays. Superior pay may mean a compensation package that is superior, and not just necessarily based on gross financial pay.

Protection of Fundamental Rights in EU Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Protection of Fundamental Rights in EU - Essay Example In most of the European countries, these rights have already been there. Some of the erstwhile communist countries naturally did not have many civil liberties, but with the fall of Communism in Europe, these rights have been restored. What made the European union fundamental rights unique was that the rights are equal to all, disregarding the race, colour, ethnicity and nationality. The political leanings of the countries too did not matter any more. These rights have come as a gift to many of these countries, which have not seen much of fundamental rights for a long time. It also has given an additional dignity to the European Union and its citizens, an identity of their own, a distinguished existence. "Conscious of its spiritual and moral heritage, the Union is founded on the indivisible, universal values of human dignity, freedom, equality and solidarity; it is based on the principles of democracy and the rule of law. It places the individual at the heart of its activities, by establishing the citizenship of the Union and by creating an area of freedom, security and justice4". Human dignity, Right to life, Right to the integrity of the person, Prohibition of torture or inhuman treatment, Prohibition of slavery and forced labour, Right to Liberty and Security, respect for private and family life, protection of personal data, right to marry and right to found a family, freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom of expression and information, freedom of assembly and of association, freedom of the arts and sciences, right to education are just to name a few. European countries always had fundamental rights and liberties5; only they had never taken a consistent form of a group or a union. Fundamental rights have really empowered the European union citizens and to see that, there is no other better place than European Court of Justice where the citizens vociferously fight for these new rights that have become theirs now. With this, EU has tried to wipe out centuries of inner struggles, bitter wars and unending conflicts. It has also tried to wipe out the racial discrimination, and elimination like that of Jews. It is a great step in human rights, where all citizens were awarded the same enshrined rights without any prejudice or favour. There is no doubt that European Union is rather obsessed about these rights and the Court of Justice attaches tremendous importance to them. There are various reasons for this obsession. European Union is not a body with an authority; this means, it does not have a divine, inherited right to be there, like a monarchy. As it does not belong to any particular country, it also does not have a chosen right, or a right of authority. European Union itself is a created institution, created for future safeguarding of European countries, as a last resort to save Europe from inner bickering that had not only led to many wars, but two all consuming World Wars, bringing countries all over the world into its orbit. It had also witnessed an extremely bloody French Revolution, an equally unpleasant Russian revolution that led into communism and a considerable number of Eastern European countries

Northern California film history assignment Essay

Northern California film history assignment - Essay Example ory that has caused the movie industry to evolve into its current form, the opinions and findings of Trimble will emerge as most relevant and realistic. There is an element of a forgotten past behind Hollywood’s emergence as the capital of motion picture industry. The events that can reveal the historic background of this transformation date as long back to the early 1900s when the production activities began shifting from San Francisco to Los Angels in 1907. This has heralded a major change for the Northern California movie scenario apart from the changes the film industry underwent as a whole. Before that most of the production activities in the US have been centered in San Francisco Bay Area. An inquiry down the lane of history reveals that the Bay Area was a fertile hub for the early experiments, inventions, and evolution of motion pictures. Pioneers like Edward Muybridge, Edison, and Edwin Porter were involved in the process of movie making in the Bay Area. Without their contributions the motion film industry in US would not have gained its momentum. Thus one cannot overlook as irrelevant Trimble’s observation that motion pictures were invented in San Francisco. Yet, much of the print history on motion pictures has ignored San Francisco’s contribution and directed their focus on Hollywood as the cognation point of film industry. Credit doesn’t seem to have been given where it actually belongs and the flawed assumptions need to be rectified in the light of the facts available. However, if one explores the oral history in the matter the contention seems to honor Southern California’s role in giving the boost to the movie industry that made it flourish to its current status. When one examines history and the recorded facts therein, it becomes evident that San Franciscans are key players in the making of the movies and their role has been pivotal right from the embryonic stage of motion pictures’ development as an industry. It was Eadward Muybridge,

Health Education Leaflet Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Health Education Leaflet Critique - Essay Example For this purpose some of these policies are based on providing relevant information to the health care individuals, such as nurses, doctors, pharmacists etc. Various modes of promoting health services and knowledge programs have been conducted by a range of community centers and hospitals over the past few years. Although, Verbal communication between a patient and a doctor can never be substituted by any other information channel, but through various studies it has been proven that informative leaflets and brochures provide a satisfactory increase in knowledge of the patient (Harvey & Plumridge; Hawkey &Hawkey, 1989). If the content of the leaflet is relevant then it has its own advantages over verbal communication between patient and doctors. For example, it can provide information on various perspectives of a disease or a treatment regimen in one or two pages. Furthermore, a leaflet or a brochure can be kept for future reference and easily remembered by the patient, if he is able to read the content once or twice (Secker, 1997; Bernier & Yasko, 1991; Dixon, 1992). Gal & Prigat (2005) argues about it, although the affectivity of leaflets in promoting health is undeniable, a variety of these leaflets still fail to provide relevant information to the target audience. This may be because a lay man reading such professionally written leaflets is unable to grasp the content or writing style (Payne et al.,2000). In the paper, critical appraisal of a leaflet will be discussed. The chosen Leaflet will be critically evaluated in context of its design, writing style, organization, illustrations, aim or purpose, information provided, and its ethical agenda. The leaflet that is chosen for this critical appraisal is about COPD that is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. It is the most common and chronic lung disease that results in narrowing of the airway (such as bronchi or bronchioles) and damage to the lungs (Barnes & Godfrey, 2000; Stockley, 2007). There are

Sandra Kendricks, Kickin It Apparel Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sandra Kendricks, Kickin It Apparel - Coursework Example Assume that she decides to pay herself a 15 percent commission instead of the monthly salary of $3,000. Recalculate her projected monthly income statement based on this scenario. 3. Sandra suspects that she might be underestimating the amount of time needed to manufacture a dress. Sandra estimates that, on average, each dress will require three hours of direct labor at a cost of $1 O/hour. Assume that in reality it takes five hours to manufacture a single dress. Recalculate the economics of one unit and projected monthly income statement based on this scenario. A way for Sandra to increase her profits is by increasing the sales price of her merchandise. Two additional ways to increase profits is by lowering the cost of materials and direct labor costs per unit. Sandra could pay the minimum salary of $7.25 an hour instead of $10.00 an hour for direct labor. Sandra and Kickin’ It are not the same entity. The company could make money, but this does not mean that Sandra is better off running the company than working elsewhere. If the sum of Sandra’s salary and the net profit of the business are less than what Sandra was making working full time Sandra is not better off as a manager of the business. Sandra could go back to work full-time and hire a manager that makes $1,500 a month instead of the $3,000 a month she allocated for her salary. This way Sandra would have a full time salary and the business would generated under the original scenario $4,320. The pricing strategy the Kickin’ It Apparel is using is a penetration strategy. The company just got its first order and the pricing strategy used was to set the sales price low in order to gain market share. The firm seeks to satisfy its first customer in order to gain penetration into the fashion industry. Once the first deal goes through the company expects to gain recurrent business from that strategy. Upon further researching the fashion industry my assessment is that the

Explain the impacts of the decision in Williams v Roffey Bros & Essay

Explain the impacts of the decision in Williams v Roffey Bros & Nicholls (Contractors) Ltd. 1991 1 QB on the doctrine of consideration - Essay Example In order to critically asses the requirement of the proposition at hand, i.e. the impact of the case Roffey Bros & Nicholls (Contractors) Ltd. 1991 1 QB vs.Williams, we must first establish the premises of consideration under which this case fell, and then the outcome, and subsequently the impact of this case on the entire doctrine of consideration. The case was applied under the existing contractual duty that the promise owes to the promisor. In the latter case, half the crew of a ship had deserted it, and the other half had been promised extra money to carry on working till the ship reached its final destination, Bombay. Unlike the decision in Stilk v Myrick however, in this case the Court of Appeal had held that there was consideration in this case, mainly because the crew was so small that the remaining journey was more dangerous than when the contract had been formulated. The case of Williams v Roffey however, had an impact on consideration that was in some essence, groundbreaking. Before assessing this impact however, the facts of the case must be established and analyzed. Roffey was a building firm that had a contract to refurbish a block of flats, and had sub contracted the carpentry work to Williams, who had accepted the offer in return for  £20,000. Williams was however having financial problems and it became significantly obvious that he would not be able to finish the work on the due date. Roffey’s contract with the owners of the flat included a penalty clause in it, which effectively stated that if the work was not finished on the specified date then the contract would be terminated and Roffey would not be entitled to payment. In other words, it would lose out. Roffey thus approached Williams with an extra  £10,300 (and had already agreed that the original price had been far too low). It should be kept in mind, that this new agreem ent had also included new working agreements

The History Boys Essay Example for Free

The History Boys Essay What elements of Bennetts own educational experiences has he used in â€Å"the History Boys†? Bennett says that he was made fun of at school for coming to school in a suit on the day of his exams. He says he did this because he thought the exam was an occasion and he must rise to it. This show us how he felt towards his exams and probably shows how some of the boys in his book would have felt like when taking their exams. This shows how important he thinks exams are and this theme will probably reflect in the book. Bennett then goes to talk about taking his finals at oxford, this is where the boys in the book are aiming for and he has already been there and knows what it’s like to pass so he will probably talk about the emotions that he felt when he passed. Bennett talks about his Head teacher and describes him as a â€Å"snob† and as we already know that the Head teacher in the book is a snob. Bennett being from a working class family and the boys in the books being from a working class family then he will probably share his experience of feeling like a second class citizen compared to the boys from Eton or the other private schools down south. Bennett says that the â€Å"History Boys† has nothing to do with his â€Å"contemporaries† but this is hard to believe as the subject of the book is so close to his life. He could be telling the truth or trying to hide the embarrassment of whatever happens in the book. Bennett goes to chapel and says in the play that Scripps also goes to chapel this could be show the subtle differences between the boys in the play. He also talks about his teacher getting upset with his class which he also uses in the book. Bennett being a homosexual is also reflected in one of the boys in the book so Bennett’s sexuality is also in the book so it’s like the boys in the book all make up Bennett rather than just one. Bennett felt like he wasted his time at university although I doubt we will see the characters in the book reach university because the book is about the seventh term but some of the boys may end up feeling like this at the end of their school careers. Bennett fe els like a fraud for just retaining information onto a page, he may reflect this feeling onto one of the boys in the book. Bennett states that reading a book about the working class going to university often tires them out and it reflects poorly in their efforts at university and he portrays these feelings into Posner.

The Society Of The Spectacle Media Essay

The Society Of The Spectacle Media Essay Society of the Spectacle written by Guy Debord and published in 1967 at the height of the Vietnam war argues that the world has been overtaken by the notion of spectacle. Debord describes what the spectacle comprises of (in several numbered paragraphs); he says that, In societies dominated by modern conditions of production, life is presented as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has receded into a representation. (#1) Debord is stating that life in the modern age has become fixated on reality as representation (i.e. by the media) real life experiences have been substituted for experiences that are digitally lived. Debord goes on to say that the spectacle presents itself simultaneously as society, itself as part of society, and as means of unification. As part of society, it is the focal point of all vision and all consciousness. But due to the very fact that this sector is separate, it is in reality the domain of delusion and false consciousnes s: the unification it achieves is nothing but an official language of universal separationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the spectacle is not a collection of images; it is a social relation between people mediated by images. (#3-4) With the rise of new media and the explosion of 24-hour news and reality television, it would seem that the existence of the spectacle becomes self-evident. Mass amounts of human beings are directed to gaze at what has become a global common culture, news and entertainment. For Debord, the spectacle is a tool of pacification and depoliticization; it is a permanent Opium war designed to force people to equate goods with commodities and to equate satisfaction with a survival that expands according to its own lawsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the spectacle distracts from the most urgent task of real life. (#44) Debord argues, our sense of reality is nothing more than an immense accumulation of spectacles. All that was once lived becomes mere representation . Debords theory of the sectacle is similar to that of Baudrillards theories which concentrate on the ideas of a hyperreality. He considered a photograph to be a replacement for the real object. The lines of reality and non-reality have become so blurred in our society that a photograph can replace the real. Like Debord Baudrillards believed we live in a mediated reality, which prefers the symbol of reality rather than the thing itself. We are constantly bombarded with images form mass media that our own lives are own reality becomes entwined with the images we see. The boundary that should exist between reality and fantasy is erased. A consequence of the age we live in. Images depicting the gruesome nature of war are constantly available on television and in newspapers and magazines; every page turned reveals a new atrocity. We have been flooded with these images for so long that they no longer have an affect on us, instead on inspiring empathy and sympathy we are more passive to them a feeling of indifference. In the mass media if there is a story about celebrities or lifestyle it would surpass gruesome photographs of war. As a society weve almost grown accustomed to these types of images, seeing them everyday. In an essay entitled Photographs of Agony John Berger also argues that society has become immune to images depicting suffering saying that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ In the last year or so, it has become normal for certain mass circulation newspapers to publish war photographs which earlier would have been suppressed as being too shocking. One might explain this development by arguing that these newspapers have to come to realise that a large section of their readers are now aware of the horrors of war and want to be shown the truth. Alternatively, one might argue that these newspapers believe that their readers have become inured to violent images and so now compete in terms of ever more violent sensationalism. (ed Wells L, The Phtotgraphy Reader, chapter 27) Berger is questioning the effectiveness of the violent or shocking war photograph arguing that maybe the public have become immune to images of horror and the newspapers are competing to show ever more horrific images in order to gain pubic attention. We look around us and see a world beyond our control. Relying on advanced technologies to conduct war and to replicate it on film and TV has diminished our ability to distinguish between reality and entertainment, turning our experience of war into a mere spectacle. In regarding the Pain of others Susan Sontag Describes societies attraction to violent imagesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Everyone knows that what slows down highway traffic going past a horrendous car crash is not only curiosity. It is also for many, the wish to see something gruesomeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ there does seem to be a modern need fro the consumption of images of suffering. And this abundant supply of imagery has dulled our senses and created a new syndrome of communal inaction, we look around us and see a world beyond our control, which is what Debord was describing in society of the spectacle. In her early book On Photography Susan Sontag writes that War and photography now seen insperableà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (pg167) and as war evolves and continues so has the photographers response to the effects of conflict. The Bulky large-format cameras of the 19th century prevented the first war photographers such as roger Fenton from capturing the action of combat instead their photographs concentrated on the aftermath of the battlefields. With the technological advancement of cameras and not needing to haul darkroom equipment with them the first world war photographer could get closer to combat and then during the 2nd world war the introduction of the 35mm camera increased the intimacy of the cameras eye, enabling photographers to become part of the action, in a way the first exponents in the 19 century could never have dreamed. During the Vietnam war photographs could now been seen within days of them being taken, the immediacy making the images relevant and challenging the inevitability of war the viewer was now looking at something which is part of the present, and which carries over to the future. For a century and a half the camera has been witness to events that have shaped and shocked the wor ld, capturing these images forever. We might now live in a world of multi channel television, 24-hour news coverage and instant his on the Internet, but it is the still image that provides the most powerful record of our history, good and bad. The still image seems to hold so much power over us, they last, television is passing and goes by quickly, photography lasts, imprinted on paper and in the mind. War and the effects of warfare have always been explored throughout history in literature, poetry, art, film and photography. Before the first world war the depiction of battles by artists were often of soldiers and generals depicted as heroes, in their uniforms adorned with medals but during the first world war when artists were sent to the front line to record the scene, what they saw there defied their imagination. It soon became clear that the traditional painting couldnt capture the full horror of warfare. The modernist painters began to look at the universal grimness of war, the harsh reality of the world and painted not what they saw but what they felt. For example the artists Paul Nash who served as a solider, portrayed the battlefield in a painting titked Menin Road in 1919, what he depicted was the aftermath of war, a barren scene of an almost alien world the surreal colours a purple blue sky the mutilated bare trees, bursts of smoke rising from the debris strewn ground and blue light filtering through the clouds completely empty apart from four lonely figures in the background. Nash wanted rob warfare of its last shred of glory and its last shine of glamour. Francisco Goyas series of etchings Disasters of War depicts the horrors of the Napoleonic invasion of Spain in 1808 during which French soldiers brutally tortured the Spanish peasants and the Spanish responded with their own acts of cruelty. The works were withdrawn and withheld from publication during Goyas lifetime because of their controversial and disturbing qualities. Susan Sontag writes of Goyas etchings in Regarding the Pain of others, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Goyas art seems a turning point in the history of moral feelings and of sorrow-as deep, as original, as demanding. With Goya a new standard for responsiveness to suffering enters art Goya was witness to these events during the war, but the etchings depict imagined scenes of the atrocities of violence where the lines between real events and imagined ones blur creating a unique reality that is complimentary yet distinct from the historical realities of war. As the viewer is not lead to believe the images are exact reproduction of ac tual events the effect is one of a sincere meditation on the terrifying potential that resides in all humans. The images dont specify who the people are-the soldiers could be French or Spanish, the dead tortured bodies could be those of civilians or soldiers giving the viewer a more open interpretation bringing images to life in a way that relate to personal experience. Goyas images are constantly being revisited looking at Francis Bacon triptych Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion 1944 the twisted screaming distorted creatures depict mans inhumanity to man and capture the fear of the future mood after the second world war and still our mood today, bacon like Goya still has a hold over our imagination, for example the Chapman brothers reconstructed the Disasters of war in 1991 using miniature plastic figurines. Painting and sculpture are clearly viewed as interpretations of the effect and consequences of war, with photography the assumptions is that images are see n as a document they appear real, even when we know photographs can be faked and subject to the photographers view of events. In On Photography Susan Sontag wroteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ War and photography now seem inseparable. In On Photography Sontag explains what she saw as the sad state of a society that lived at a more and more voyeuristic distance to the first hand experience of reality. In accordance with this Sontag describes the photographers whose personal concern was apparently with finding out and understanding, were doing no more than satisfying the human thirst for sensation and driving this to extremes by ever more sensational images, until ultimately all feeling was lost. In the book The photograph as contemporary artà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦describes the contemporary war photographerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The use of medium-and large-format cameras (as opposed to 35mm format), not normally seen at the sites of war and human disaster-not at least, since the mid-nineteenth century-has become a sign that a new breed of photographer is framing the social world in a measured and contemplative mannerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ She goes on to sayThe subject matter has been different, too; rather than being caught up in the midst of an event, or at close quarters to individual pain and suffering, photogrphers choose to represent what is left behind in the wake of such tradegies, often doing so with style that propses aqualifying pperspective. It is clear to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Contemporary war photographers have in the main taken anti-reportage stance; slowing down image making, remaining out of the hub of action, and arriving after the decisive moment to allow the viewer a mor e contemplative look at war and the effects of war. Using Photomontage Martha Rosler infiltrates our comfort zones and reveals the dangers involved in an illusionary distance often created by the mass media between war and ourselves. By using images from magazines of advertisements combined with military images of soldiers and weaponry she transforms the notion of the safety of a home into one under assault. Her intent is to project the terror and atrocity of war into the comfortable place in which we live. She employs devices that work against the seduction of advertising and consumer imagery, the process of photomontage allows her to expose the gaps between image and reality, and ultimately make the viewer aware of an out of place presence. She addresses the impact of the mass media who according to Debord make the images of horror seem mundane and remote by pointing out the implicit presence of militarism in our daily lives, by juxtaposing popular lifestyle magazine images with stark images of war. The French Photographer Sophie Ristelhuber Photographs depicts the aftermath of war they are usually un peopled with no survivors and no dead, concentrating on the spaces of war rather than its participants, the scars and burns are found on buildings and landscapes rather then the people. Her photographs of the Kuwaiti desert, entitled Fait were made shortly after the end of the first Gulf War. Many of the photographs from this series were taken from a ariel viewpoint This elevated angle creates a distorted abstract view of trenches, tank tracts, bomb craters, blazing oil wells and battlefield detritus. You have to look carefully and closely at the photographs to discover that the lines and tracts objects engulfed by the sand are the results of war scarring the landscape emphasising how vast and sprawling the effects of war can be. Sophie Ristelhueber describes the effects of scale and perspective in her work: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.The constant shift between the infinitely big and the infinitely small may disorientate the spectator. But its a good illustration of our relationship with the world: We have at our disposal modern techniques for seeing everything, apprehending everything, yet in fact we see nothing. Ristelhueber recently won the Deutsch Borse Photography prize 2010, which included set of images titled eleven blowups, a series of images of huge craters made by bombs In Beirut and Iraq, again the y describes the devastation war leaves behind both on the earth and the body. Paul Seawright photographs the traces of destruction that war leaves behind in a place The solitary places in Seawrights photographs seem to be concealing something they require the viewer to look beneath the surface of the image the isolated barren areas reveal hollows where mines have been cleared or left unexploded, or the subtle rubble of military debris strewn across the desert landscape. The quiet subtlety and blankness of the desert distances them from the spectacle associated with the medias representation of war, there is an unknown tension in the images Seawright generates a view of the futility of war. One of his photographs is almost identical to that of Fentons photograph of the Crimean war depicting empty cannon balls in a valley illustrating the fact that despite its technological advancements war is fundamentally always the same. In his book Hidden Seawright says that he hasà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ always been fascinated by the invisible, the unseen, the subject that doesnt ea sily present itself to the camera. Landlands And Bell were commissioned in 2002 by the imperial war museum to make an artwork in response to a two-week visit to Afghanistan and what they experienced there. Landlands and bells work characteristically focuses on the interconnected relationships linking people and architecture. They say: were totally surrounded by architecture. It is the most tangible record of the way we live because it describes how we relate to socially, culturally and politically. It is the most persistent of the way we live-our aspirations and beliefs. The result was among other video based works The House of Bin Laden. Presented as an interactive piece similar to a video game the viewer is in control via a joystick to explore a reconstruction of Osama Bin Ladens barren hilltop bunker. The viewer can virtually travel through a bleak set of derelict houses, surrounded by burnt-out cars and debris. Langlands and Bell took thousands of photographs of the house near Jalalabad, The eerie interactive digital exploration of Osama bin Ladens house offers an unsettling experience, and engages with the viewer in a totally new way regarding war photography. The houses surprisingly small and basic. Piles of blankets and clothes are strewn in the rooms elsewhere a single string bed is isolated in a dark corner. Outside there is a series of strangely constructed bunkers and a small mosque. Being in control of looking at the work almost feels like observing a crime scene. The buildings and grounds are absent of any human presence thought signs of people who were once there are constant, although the elusive bin Laden is nowhere to be seen, his presence can still be felt in this mesmerizing and ancient environment. It brings us disturbingly close to him, even as it emphasizes his continuing ability to evade capture. The House of Bin Laden becomes a metaphor for the elusive presence Bin Laden maintains by the very fact of his disappearance. By presenting this piece as an interactive game like simulation Langlands and Bell are actively engaging in the idea of the spectacle by using what is essentially and entertainment based media and allowing the viewer to control their viewer using a joystick, it could be argued that by combing entertainment and unreality with real life situations speaks more to a generation obsessed with mass media. They do not attempt to make the 3d environments look realistic like the photographs they took instead it looks constructed exactly as a computer game would look, angular and flat. I personally experienced this work when I saw the Turner Prize in 2004, and it is clear that their intention was for this piece to be viewed and experienced like a computer game. Violent warfare is sold as entertainment in the form of computer games whose manufactures claim to make them as realistic as possible. Thus reflecting modern societies engagement with entertainment as opposed to real life issues. There seems to be a move in contemporary war photography to a more contemplative and abstract approach, maybe this is as Debord describes because we are use to the violence and horrors the spectacle of war presented in the media, and have become almost immune and unmoved by these images. we can never experience the true horrors of war unless from first hand experience but photographers seem now to be taking the stance of the modernist painters of the first world war who painted what they felt rather than what they saw. Contemporary photographers are interpreting these events rather than documenting them, in a way that enables the viewer a more contemplative approach to the contemporary war photograph.

Journalism On The Internet Essay -- Media Journalism Web Cyberspace Es

Journalism on the Internet The common forms of media in today's world each have both advantages and disadvantages. The Internet has been around for an almost equal amount of time as most of them, but only recently has it become a popular way of retrieving information. The Internet takes the best of all other medium and combines them into a very unique form. The Internet is the best way to retrieve information. This combination of paper publishing, TV, radio, telephones, and mail is the future of communications. The internet has several types of journalism which can be defined into three sections. One section is online magazines, online broadcasting, and other online services. The next group is resource files and web pages. The third is discussion groups/forums and e-mail. I will investigate these areas of the net, showing the advantages and disadvantages of each in comparison to the conventional forms. In order to understand what all these topics are you must first understand what the internet is. The simple answer is that it is computers all over the globe connected together by telephone wires. It was first made by the military, "No one owns the Internet", to have a network with no centre. That way it could never be destroyed by nuclear war. Since then, universities have used it and it has evolved into what it is today. It is a library that contains mail, stories, news advertising, and just about everything else. "In a sense, freenets are a literacy movement for computer mediated communication today, as public libraries were to reading for an earlier generation." Now that the term "the net" is understood lets look at some sections of the net. An online magazine is a computer that lets users access it through the net. This computer stores one or more magazines which users can read. "PC magazine and other magazines are available on the Web" "Maclean's Magazine and Canadian Business online; and Reuters' Canadian Newsclips." This form is much better that conventional publishing, "we are using the online service to enhance the print magazine", for several reasons. It is environmentally safe, "Publish without Paper", most are free, "$50 a month on CompuServe", you can get any article from any year at the touch of a button, and you can search for key words. "Search engines make it easy pinpointing just the information you nee... ..., p. 20 Chris Carder, "Sports on the Internet a winner", Toronto Computes, November, (1995), P. 98 Chris Carder, "Sports on the Internet a winner", Toronto Computes, November, (1995), P. 98 Patrick McKenna, "Netscape's Digital Envelope For Internet Transactions", The Computer Paper, September, (1995), p. 90 Patrick McKenna, "Netscape's Digital Envelope For Internet Transactions", The Computer Paper, September, (1995), p. 90 Michael J. Miller, "Where Do I Want to Go Today", PC Magazine, March 28, (1995), P. 75 Doug Bennet, "Confessions of an online publisher", Toronto Computes, November (1995), p. 37 Michael J. Miller, "Where Do I Want to Go Today", PC Magazine, March 28, (1995), P. 75 Bill Kempthorne, "Internet, So What?", The Computer Paper, September, (1995), p. 21 Bill Kempthorne, "Internet, So What?", The Computer Paper, September, (1995), p. 21 Bill Kempthorne, "Internet, So What?", The Computer Paper, September, (1995), p. 21 Sorelle Saidman, "Online Canadian Content Expanding despite Prodigy Setback", Toronto Computes, November, (1995), p. 9 Bill Kempthorne, "Internet, So What?", The Computer Paper, September, (1995), p. 22

Vivid Images of Character and Place in the Opening Chapter To Dickens

Vivid Images of Character and Place in the Opening Chapter To Dickens' Great Expectations The opening chapter to Great Expectations introduces Pip who is the main protagonist in the story. He is an orphan and lives with his sister Mrs Joe Gargery and her husband who is a blacksmith. The story is set in the graveyard in the time of the Industrial Revolution. In the opening chapter we also see Pip being introduced to a convict who is very poor but very rude to the child. The convict threatens Pip and warns him that if he does not get any food for him, he will be in serious trouble. In the opening chapter we see Charles Dickens (the author) use a range of different language techniques that builds the readers minds about the character and the setting of the story. He uses metaphors and describing words as well as the 1st person view from Pip. The first paragraph tells the readers that the main protagonist tells the story. Pip talks about his images of the family and his views when he sees them in their tombstones. Charles Dickens make the readers feel sorry for Pip through his view on them. ' My first fancies regarding what they were like were unreasonably derived from their tombstones.' This quote shows that Pip can only remember his family through death and his childhood life was very sad. Dickens also uses an important metaphor in the same paragraph that also reflects on the sad childhood that Pip had. 'To five little stone lozenges each about one and a half foot long'. This quote causes the readers to feel more sympathised for Pip. This quote also links to the graveyard where the story is set. Before Pip meets ... ...e aware that he is violent as well as an aggressive man. The adjectives that Dickens uses on the convict also makes the readers believe that the character is well suited to being horrible. In the opening chapter Dickens has used a variety of different language devices in order to make this compelling novel. One good example is the use of the extended metaphor in the second paragraph which relates to us feeling sorry for Pip. Colour is another factor to how it is a compelling novel because it is referring to the setting as well as the convict. The exaggeration speech and repetition that the convict uses on pip to show control is also showing the different types of language that has been used. The examples of the different types of language being used has clearly shown that Dickens has made the story enthralling.

The Styles In And Around Me :: Personal Narrative Golf Language Essays

The Styles In and Around Me My senior year in high school I was playing first man for the varsity golf. That honor was bestowed on me, because I was supposedly the best man on the team. Which just happened to be true. It was an honor that I truly enjoyed. But playing first man also had its drawbacks. The one that I will speak of here is the style of speaking that I had to use while playing in a tournament. It's the sixteenth hole of an eighteen hole tournament up in Roseau. There were two guys in my group that were ahead of me in score and I needed to get a stroke back really soon if I planned on earning a medal. I hit a good drive, right down the middle about two hundred seventy yards. With a hundred and fifty yards left to the pin, I grabbed an eight iron, because I knew that I could get it there. Something went wrong and the shot drifted to the right and missed the green. On any leisure round in the summer I would have screamed out obscenities until I was blue in the face. But that would cost me penalty stro kes, since it against the rule to swear in high school golf. Instead I softly let out an "Oh no, come back", but inside I was chomping at the bit to let out a cuss word. Golf talk, to me, is the lesser extreme of that style that I have inside of me. When I am playing hockey, a totally different style emotes from me. The style that I display in hockey is the exact opposite from the on that I use when playing golf. The on ice chatter that goes on between competitors is the reason for this. Hockey is not a gentlemen's game. So using a language that is meant to intimidate your opponent is very crucial. When I am skating down the ice next to some big lug I usually say some derogatory statement about his mother. Statements like these are meant rile the opponent, get him off his game. In the game of golf, I would never even think of using this type of tactic to beat an opponent. The different style of game also lends to a different style of language. In golf, if I leave a putt short, or something like that it usually gets a "darn" or "shoot.

“Death of a Soldier” by Louisa May Alcott Essay

The excerpt â€Å"Death of a Soldier,† taken from Hospital Sketches by Louisa May Alcott features various rhetorical strategies to create an appeal to emotion. She exhibits the compassion of the nurse for John, even in the face of inevitable death; she displays the altruistic mindset of John, and adds depth to her words by using analogies. She uses these tools in order to inflict a deep emotional feeling and an understanding of how awful the situation actually was. One of the rhetorical strategies of this piece is her compassion, even when seemingly futile, for the wounded soldier. The way Alcott describes John’s situation as being completely helpless and doomed. The doctor’s words, not having â€Å"the slightest hope† for recovery, illustrate his condition. Given this information prior to her attempt to ease his pain, Alcott shows her sheer pity for the â€Å"poor lad†. â€Å"I bathed his face, brushed his bonny brown hair, set all things smooth about him.† This quote shows how much effort she put into even the slightest difference in his comfort, in hopes of inflicting a â€Å"satisfied expression† on a dying face. She â€Å"stirred the air about him with a slow wave of air and waited for him to die†. She stood by him until his breath helping him bear the agony of his inevitable and anticipated death. These examples of her charity instill feelings of understanding and pity for John. The other side of Alcott’s appeal to emotion is John’s mentality. John questions the nurse in reference to the battle: â€Å"†¦do they think it will be my last?† He is seemingly eager to return to his position and fulfill his duty. He feels loyal to his cause and indifferent to his own well-being. On his deathbed he is only momentarily worried for himself when introduced to his fate. After that brief moment he seems to feel guilty for his â€Å"cowardly† cause of death, and justifies it as he â€Å"obeyed orders†. With his last â€Å"live† breath he asks of the people present that they tell the others he did his best, as he wanted so desperately to make his friends and family proud. He sees the tragedy of his death not in death itself, but in the incapability of action, thereby preventing further altruism. His noble mentality draws the reader away from the image of a boorish, stoic, combatant, towards a kind, caring, â€Å"Virginia blac ksmith†. To strengthen the appeal of emotion, Alcott integrates analogies into her writing. She embodies a look of helplessness forced by the inevitability of his death, crossing John’s face in her words, â€Å"†¦over his face I saw a gray veil falling that no human can lift.† She shows the reader how close to death he was, and appeals to the reader with her parallel inability to help him. After he has â€Å"died†, she compares his lifeless breathing to â€Å"†¦the waves of an ebbing tide that bear unfelt against the wreck.† This pallid vision shows how although he was not physically dead, he was not really alive. With such proficient use of these rhetorical strategies, Alcott reaches the emotions of the reader. She shows the compassion of the nurse, to provide the reader with understanding of the atmosphere; she provides insight to the frame of mind of John, to show him as a person who is more than a tool of war; and she intensifies her emotional appeal with analogies, to deepen understanding for the events of the story. Ultimately Alcott amalgamates all these elements in an overwhelming effort to capture the reader’s heart.

African American Literature Essay

This process, wherein the reading of a text becomes a vehicle for self-realization and self-transformation is emphasized in the slave narratives of African American Literature. These narratives present us with accounts of individual self-transformation evident in the process wherein the individual writes his or her self into a being recognized by the dominant society. Within such works, the authors portray the process in which he or she overcomes the slaveholding society’s continuous attempts to deny or eradicate his or her identity. Despite of this, it is important to note that although such a process involves the creation of a referent, which is tantamount to the creation of an identity, such a process also involves the assimilation of the dominant culture’s norms. In this sense, slave narratives may be seen as depicting the conflict involved in the creation of an African American identity. The conflict is evident if one considers that the aforementioned assimilation of values involved in the creation of an African American identity stands in direct conflict to the individual’s experiences during and after slavery. African-American slave narratives, in this sense, provide a dramatic model of the textual construction and development of African-American identity. Such a process, on the other hand, mirrors the correlation between literature and politics and thereby allows us to consider the theoretical and ethical implications of a literary work. This is evident if one considers that African American slave narratives aide in the construction of an African American identity by raising issues regarding the comportment and formation of the self within an inscrutable literary form. In lieu of this, this paper opts to present an analysis of the textual, social, and political conditions that affect the creation of the African American identity. The paper is divided into three parts. The first part of the paper aims to explicate the aforementioned relation of the textual construction of identity evident within literary texts. The necessity of such is evident if one considers that the process sets the contextual background for the analysis of literary texts. The second part of the paper, on the other hand, opts to explicate the manner in which certain forms of slave narratives may aide in the creation of an African American identity. Such an explication involves the analysis of Frederick Douglass’ Narratives of the Life of Frederick Douglass as well as Harriet Jacob’s Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. The following texts will be used due to the autobiographical character of the aforementioned texts. It is important to note that the aforementioned genre provides a form of discursive control both as an authorial choice and as a privileged aesthetic and ethical discourse. This stems from the presumed unitary character of the narratives within the genre (Gilligan 89). Such a character, on the other hand, enables the promotion and presentation of a self that shares confessional discourse and an assumed interiority with an attached moral law in the examination of an individual and in the creation of the author’s individuality. In this sense, the inclusion of the aforementioned works within the genre of autobiography may be seen as political act, which mirrors the same conflicts evident in the political construction of the self that African American’s experience in the creation or formation of an identity. In this part of the paper, I will also argue that the aforementioned works enable the act of transformative recognition, which is necessary in the creation of an African American identity. The third part of the paper, on the other hand, involves the setting of the power relations that enables the conflict of identity formation amongst African Americans within the current American society. The third part of the paper thereby provides a social analysis of the aforementioned conflict in identity formation. In the last part of the paper, I will argue that such a conflict continually pervades the current American society and that the reason for such lies in the continuation of African American slavery within the 21st Century America. It is important to note that the continuation of such is enabled by the continuous perception of the African American as a slave. The continuation of slavery thereby is enabled by the continuation of the â€Å"perceived status characteristic† of the African American as a slave (Levin 227). Let us now proceed with the initial part of the paper. Due to the interconnectedness of the text and the individual, discussions of African American Literature can be placed within a theoretical and ethical arena. It becomes possible to conjoin the effects of the ethical and aesthetic character of a work in the realization of a self-identity and political identity in the reader. At the same time, this view allows us to posit the individual reading a text as someone whose ethical problematization necessitates a theoretical problematization. Through this, it also becomes possible for us to ask whether the predisposed reading of texts is in itself a mode of exercising power over the ethical predispositions of individuals and not necessarily a theory, which opts to pave the way for human emancipation. All of these will show that the spontaneous and habitual orientation of attention is inimical to the maintenance of reality. Therefore, the event of ascribing an identity towards one’s self is a reorientation of attention and a kind of ontological conversion, which affects the aesthetic, ethical, and political perceptions of the individual. In order for literature to be considered as a form of social practice, there are factors that need to exist. These are the writer, the reader, and the text. Spatiotemporal and material conditions may affect the relationship between the three. For example, not all authors know their readers and the meaning ascribed to a text is dependent upon the conditions within the society in which the text is located. There are other complexities in the relationship between the three. For example, by looking at the material conditions closely, we will see that writers normally write for a specific audience whose inclinations and attitudes they consider in the process of writing their stories. This leads to the creation of genres, which dictate how a particular form of literature will be read and considered. Of course, genre formation is not this simple but what I would like to emphasize here is that in the process of genre formation abstractions are being created and established within a system, which leads to the creation of a new set of categories and a new paradigm for assessing a literary text. Since writing occurs within a specific logonomic system, which constrains and determines the meaning of a text, it becomes important to consider whether what is being written and produced will not disrupt the dominant paradigm. That is why, within a patriarchal society, any form of literature that questions or presents another alternative to the normative form of existence becomes marginalized and silenced. True enough, there are instances wherein a space is provided for the existence of deviant perspectives. However, it should be noted that no dominant social discourse includes or exhausts all human practice, energy, and intention. On the contrary, it is a fact of all modes of domination that they select from and consequently exclude the full range of human practice. Therefore, when an excluded and marginalized discourse becomes incorporated or is allowed to exist within the dominant paradigm, it has already been reinterpreted to suit the dominant paradigm’s perspective. Such is the case of African American slave narratives. Acceptance of the aforementioned narratives within the literary sphere involves recognition of the African American existence as individual entities with their own ontology. It is important to note, that early slave narratives took the form of â€Å"spiritual autobiography, the providential tale, criminal confession, Indian captivity narrative, sea adventure story, and the picaresque novel† (Fisch 13). The religious character of such slave narratives accounts for the process of liberation [spiritual and then political] character of the aforementioned forms evident within the genre. Acceptance of the genre thereby involves a predetermined creation of an ontology for those who are depicted within the genre itself. Such an ontology is provided by the religious conversion associated with the narratives of the self evident within the aforementioned genre. According to Fisch, the acceptance of the genre was characterized by a form of â€Å"racial condescension that often takes the form of romantic primitivism† wherein the African American ex-slave is portrayed as a â€Å"’native people’ who were more virtuous since they were removed from the corrupting influences of society† (25). From this, we can see that African Literature faces the problems of categorization. Knowing that recognition will only be achieved when one is accepted within the dominant paradigm, there is a considerable desire to be a part of the canon. However, working with the knowledge that acceptance is tantamount to the loss of the subversive and revolutionary character of their writings; African American Literature strives for a form of recognition, which erases all forms of domination wherein the literary works from the centre, periphery, and the middle all possess equal ground. This is possible if we perceive African American Literature as a form of â€Å"minor literature†. Minor literature does not designate a specific literature but it refers to the recognition that all forms of literature have been placed in â€Å"revolutionary conditions†¦within the heart of what are called great (or established) literature† (Deleuze and Guattari 18). However, this recognition that all forms of literature once held a revolutionary position against the canon does not erase the dominance of a particular mode of perceiving texts. Drawing a boundary of what is or what is not African American Literature is a problematic exercise since the talk of African American writing aims to raise issues of difference by implying the presence and the absence of something that is not yet fully defined [African American identity]. Furthermore, the answer to the question is dependent upon the establishment of meaning in relation to the text. Within this perspective, meaning may exist in the identity apparent in the writer, the reader, or the text itself. However, there are problems with this viewpoint. If what is necessary for a text to be considered as African American Literature is the race of its writer, it becomes problematic when we consider a text written by a African American who has not yet identified himself with the struggles of the class and the race. Second, not all the texts produced by African American writers pertain to experiences of racism and slavery. Third, contrary to the constructivist’s account of the fluidity of identity, such a perspective is based upon the assumed fixity of identity of the writer.

Renaissance Art

World History 2 Renaissance Art â€Å"The Renaissance is studded by the names of the artists and architects, with their creations recorded as great historical events† (Arthur, 2008). The Renaissance was an epoch of great art and literature, and was a period of time when people shifted away from the ideas and traditions of the Middle Ages. Many of the most prominent educators, artists and architects were from this period. Artworks dating from the 1 5th century to the 16th century, during the Renaissance era, express ideas of individualism, imitations of classical antiquity and the understanding of proportions and realism.Michelangelo David, the self-portrait of Raphael, and Leonardo dad Vine's Mona Lisa depicts the idea of individualism. Unlike the paintings during the Middle Ages that mostly contained religious themes that glorified God, the works of these artists focused on the potential of man, and each of them had their own unique style that showed their different talents a nd capabilities. â€Å"Art in the Renaissance brought out the individual† (Scotsman, 2008). Michelangelo sculpture, David (1501-1504) shows he idea of an ideal Renaissance male.The sculpture is shaped into a physically perfect man who stands in a confident manner. This symbolizes that man's capacity for personal development is unlimited; knowledge and a broad range of abilities are within every man's reach (How To Be, 2008). A self-portrait of Raphael (1504-1506) also shows how individualism was valued during the Renaissance. Repeal's self- portrait of himself portrays the idea of â€Å"self-glorification† (Scotsman, 2008). Leonardo used many of his own novel techniques and ideas to paint Mona Lisa.The way the object's eyes were painted, the way the subject's mouth curved into a subtle smile, and the landscape behind the subject that appears to be a fictional place gave the painting it's uniqueness (The Mona Lisa, 2009). Many of the artists during the Renaissance focus ed on individuality and on painting in their own unique styles to portray the potential of human beings. Imitation of classical antiquity can be seen in renowned artworks such as Leonardo dad Vine's Vitamins Man (1490), and Repeal's The School of Athens (1509-1510). Both of artists studied the findings and observations of the Romans andGreeks, and used them as a reference to create their own works of art. The Vitamins Man was sketched by Leonardo dad Vinci in honor of the Roman architect Vitreous. Dad Vinci used Vitreous's ideas of perception and proportion to create the sketch (Vitamins Man, 2012). He read the ancient Roman texts and combined it with his actual observations of the human body. Repeal's The School of Athens is a painting that exhibited many well-educated Greek scholars and educators. Plato and Aristotle are painted right in the center of the painting with Socrates on top of the staircases The School of Athens, 2012).Many artists during the Renaissance looked back int o the works of their ancestors, combined the ideas of the past and present to create their own paintings and artwork. The proportions and realistic features that can be seen in Michelangelo The Creation of Adam (1 51 1), and Leonardo dad Vine's Vitamins Man (1490), is one of the factors that define Renaissance artwork. Both Michelangelo and Dad Vinci studied the human anatomy to produce more realistic artworks. In The Creation of Adam, God is resting on the outline of the human brain (Hall, 2013). All the figures in the painting had depth and perspective.Leonardo sketch of the Vitamins Man was carefully proportioned. The length of the outspread arms were equal to the figure's height and the length of hand is one-tenth of the height. The sketch also shows the symmetry of the human body. The artists during the Renaissance focused greatly on realism, painting all their artworks with great detail of every part of the human body. The Renaissance was a period of time when artworks shifted away from only focusing on religion to representing individualism, classical antiquity, and respective and realism.

Professional Beggar Problem Essay

Introduction Police in Shanghai published a list of beggars who have been caught most often on metro trains over the past four years on 21 August 2012, sparking debates about the problem of â€Å"professional† beggars. The scorekeeper, who has been caught 308 times, is 22-year-old young man from Anhui province in perfect health, following by an 88-year-old woman with a record of 292 times[1]. Of the various problems which our country faces today, the problem of begging is one of the most acute ones. Every one of us has seen numerous kinds of beggars. Some are blind, lame or crippled, and so take to begging. Child and orphan beggars also are very common. However, others, who are physically sound before they join the begging â€Å"career† but undertake is as their profession, for it enables them to earn their living easily. The causes of begging are many, and they are very similar between inland China beggars and those in other developing countries (e.g. India, Pakistan etc.)[2]. First of all, some people, mostly the elder and the very young, are physically incapable of doing any work and have no other skills. The only way of getting food open to them is begging. They also deserve the sympathy of others. Secondly, some people take to begging due to natural disasters. Thirdly, some criminals when they come out of jails are not treated sympathetically by society. They are not given any chance to begin their life afresh. Becoming a beggar is the only way to find a shelter. On the other hand, mostly in the big cities, some people, who do not suffer from poverty and handicap, see the trade of begging flourishing and beggars earning their livelihood in a very easy way, they just enter the profession. In order to earn more sympathy, they broke their own legs or putrefied their own skin; or even worse, some kidnapped other people’s children and handicapped them. There are also illegal organizations which train children in the art of begging. One can argue that improper social rehabilitation and salvage mechanism may cause the problem in the above paragraph. But the truth is the mature Homel ess Shelter & Aid Station system in China’s big cities leaves little room for criticism. We not only provide food, water and shelter in these aid stations, we also provide job consultancy service for the health ones and train tickets to send them home. So, what is the motivation of these people (some even with a college degree) to become professional beggars? Let us compare the following two income numbers first. The average monthly income of a middle-level manager in Beijing is around US$1440 ($65 daily) before tax; the average daily income of a professional beggar who â€Å"work† on metro trains in Shanghai is US$130, and tax-free. To top it all, on 13 November 2012, a male beggar carrying a kid was spotted getting on his Audi A6 sedan after â€Å"work† in Qingdao city, east China’s Shandong province.[3] These professional beggars also refuse any kind of help from the social and private charity groups. In China’s big cities, the professional beggars seem to live a better life than ordinary working class people. Based on the evidence and arguments above, we will now use the PATH model to find out the truth beneath the problem and try to find a way (or several) to tackle this conundrum. Why does the problem of professional beggars so severe in China’s big cities? What is the motive under the career choosing? Can we help them to establish a correct value of wealth? 1. PATH-Problem: Identifying and defining the problem According to Buunk and Van Vugt (2008)’s PATH protocol in order to fully understand the root of the problem, we need to diagnose it with brainstorming and various background data. For the professional beggar problem specifically, here is what we need to know: a. What is the central problem that needs to be understood and addressed? Unlike real beggars who are unable to support themselves, professional beggars take begging as a profitable career. Their willingness to beg is the key problem lying behind the social phenomenon. (Hong Ying, Li 2000) Many news reports[4] and social policy articles (Zhi. Li 2006, Chao Li 2005, Jiaqing Zou 2003 etc) have pointed out that the low sense of dignity versus the high income the beggars get may be one of the core issues needed to be tackled in the problem. We also consider this as our central problem in our PATH model. b. Why is a particular issue perceived as a problem in the first place? The beggars’ personal unwillingness to change their career path is not only the core issue in the begging problem, it is also the root of several other detrimental social problems which we’ll illustrate later in the paragraph. If we cannot change their value, any aid and help from other people and the government will eventually end in vein. As we posted in the introduction part, even though the Homeless Shelter & Aid station mechanism is quite mature (Liulu Zhang 2009) in China’s big cities, the professional beggars still won’t accept these help. c. For whom is it a problem? We found out besides that the whole society which will be indirectly affected by this problem; there are three types of people/organizations that suffer directly from it. First, are the beggars themselves. Since they have chosen that as their career, they lost chances to be employed as full-time workers with sufficient welfare benefit and medical insurance. In china, the composition of the professional beggars is mostly the floating population, meaning they cannot get the citizenship in the cities they beg and their original places will terminate their pension supply or even their ID after certain years. Second, are the beggars’ families. Their begging behavior humiliates the whole families, even the whole village, sometimes. On practical level, since they may lose their ID after several years’ begging career in big citers, their children will miss the education opportunity due to black hukou (residence registration). Third, the governments of big cities are victims, to o. Not only because the professional beggar damaged the city image and wasted public resources, but they also rose the crime rate especially in child-kidnapping and street violence. (Xiangyu Chen, Na Li. 2011) d. What causes the problem and how do these causes affect the problem? On the larger scale, the mammonism (money worship) of the whole country is the culprit. Just as the ancient Chinese saying goes â€Å"prostitution is better than poverty† became the firm belief of the professional beggars (Daming Zhu, 2010). They witnessed the gap of wealth when they arrived at the big cities, in order to attenuate the relative deprivation, they might have tried several job and then found that begging is the easiest way, which leading to another cause. That is the laziness rooted in them. Why is that the case? In most small town people’s child memories, big cities were heavenly places filled with gold. They were never aware of our hard-working principles. From generations to generations, they enjoy their lay-back lifestyle and envy others’ wealth in the mean time. They just cannot get the simple logic of the positive relation between hardworking and wealth-gaining. However, we cannot simply blame this wrong idea to the professional beggars only; their family education and grow-up environment have a lot to do with. As the floating population, many migrant workers choose to leave their young offspring with their old parent. The lack of parent-child interaction unfortunately causes the apathy among family members. That is why when some professional beggars were interviewed; they said they feel abandoned by the family so there is no need to feel shame in their career. e.who should be convinced of the problem? Besides the professional beggars, their families and the city government we mentioned above. The citizens and the workers of the Homeless Shelter & Aid Stations are also need to be convinced of the problem. They should form the idea that their sympathy and help to the professional beggars are encouraging postures, which, in the long run, will deepen the problem. f. Whose cooperation is necessary to help solve the problem? The professional beggars themselves, their families, the workers of the aid stations, citizens with superfluous sympathy as well as the city governments. g. Can a social psychological intervention be helpful to tackle the problem at hand? Absolutely. As mentioned in previous paragraphs, the existing regulations and the help mechanisms do not work in a sufficient way. According to the law, begging is not a crime thus so as to respect their human rights the enforcing authority can only send them to the aid station. However, they will come back to pursue their begging career in big cities after the aid workers send them home again and again. Embracing a social psychological intervention will help us to figure out a solution that may tackle the core of the problem (i.e. the beggars’ willingness to give up begging voluntarily). By applying this, we aim to shift their begging behavior through rectifying their attitude and cognition towards wealth gaining. The outcome of the problem definition: Most of the professional beggars are healthy people or the self-mutilated ones who choose to be beggars. Their willingness to beg is solely based on the twisted wealthy-oriented value. (problem) Why do these self supportable people (target population) beg rather than work (behaviours) and what can we do to change their mind and live a normal life? (solution) 2. PATH-Analysis: Formulating appropriate concepts and developing theory based explanations 2.1 The outcome variables In the previous problem-definition chapter we named several variables that influence the behavior of the professional beggars. In this paragraph, we’re going into detail to put these variables into three categories: predisposing factors, reinforcing factors and enabling factors. On the larger scale, the predisposing factors the general money worship mood of the society drive these professional beggars to choose begging as a career path. Besides that, other citizens categorize the problem as separate from their own; they have no incentive to care or to help the government solving the issue. On the personal scale of the beggars, the gap of wealth they witnessed is one of the strongest drivers for begging behavior. The family pressure can be considered as the main reinforcing factor that influences the begging behavior which has a strong encourage effect. For the beggars themselves, the substitutability of their previous normal jobs will enhance their continuation of begging. Although, tremendous effort has been put into the social aid system, there is always some room to improve. If a social psychology perspective help can be added in the system, which will sure be more helpful than mere material and advising aid. 2.2 Brainstorming: Explaining â€Å"willingness to live a self-support life† For the professional beggars themselves, no trust in the welfare system, lack of work motivation and the â€Å"easy money/ quick money† that they can acquire through begging largely weaken the desire to give up. For their families, fear of poverty is the largest negative factors which influence the willingness. At the other end, the shame they feel when they get to know that their family member is a beggar might pressure these professional beggars to live a self-supported life. To the city governments, how to increase the willingness of the professional beggars to give up the career voluntarily is a thorny problem. Because on one hand, stricter regulation and laws will violate their human rights, on the other hand, the current rules and aid system do not seem to work in a productive. The governments need to find a way that can produce positive result as well as minimize the waste of public reso urces. 2.3 Provisional Explanation Based on the above analysis and brainstorming, we came out with the provisional explanation of our professional beggars’ problem which shows the graph below: On the left hand, five personal and external determinants are listed that will directly influence the willingness to live a self-support life. The environmental conditions with the outcome variable (i.e. give up career begging) is showed to the right. [pic] 2.4 Issue related approaches Several study papers written by domestic policy researcher have shown us certain possible reason for this existing phenomenon: – Instability of job position (Wei Guo, 2012). A lot of people can find a labor job, but since it is mostly not skill related and therefore they are highly replaceable. In comparison, being a professional beggar, they are at least â€Å"self-employed†. – Lack of understanding from the society (Xiangyu Chen, Na li, 2010). The society mostly fails to really understand the difficulty of professional beggar without having been in similar situation. With the idea of not being understood, professional beggars then have doubts about the readiness of social help, which negatively effects their willingness to try to start a self-dependent life. – Polarization of social wealth (D Xue-hui, 2003). As a popular theory goes, 20% of the population possess 80% of the resources, so that the rich become richer, the poor then poorer. The professional beggars in this environment face a higher likelihood to think they are lower level human being and of no use to the society. That’s why they also have only little willingness to give up the begging career. 2.5 Conceptual approaches To incorporate to the social psychological level, we try to look at this problem with some field related theories: – Emotion on decision making. One of the braches of it is Self Defense Mechanisms (Phebe Cramer 2006). SDM in simple words are psychological strategies brought into play to maintain a socially acceptable self-image. In our case, choosing the professional beggar career is a cause of shame and embarrassment. When they categorize themselves in a lower level of social life, they have doubts about the truthfulness of the society. Thinking that they are only pitied and not understood, they become closed to themselves and fail to trust in the true kindness. As consequence, they are not ready or open to accept possible help which could help them to start a independent life. – Social comparison (Naomi Ellemers, 2002). To be more specific for our case, we need to understand Relative Deprivation Theory. It refers to the discontent people feel when they compare their positions to others and realize that they have less of what they believe themselves to be entitled than those around them. Most professional beggars are not enough educated or maybe even have not been through the obligated education phase, which leaves them with no competitive skills to set food in the job market. They also don’t see themselves with any potential success in the society. Alone with this, they still need to face the unrealistic high expectation from the family. When they want to go back home, in order not to â€Å"lose face†, they will need to have enough money, which, considering their situation, is hard to earn other than being beggars. – Risk perception. Affect being a important part of the risk perception, we will here take a look at how Mood Congruence Effect (Seo et al., 2010) can influence our problem. According to this effect, if positive feeling responds to positive outcome, a prospective positive outcome will be rated as more likely. In our case, the amount of money earned is very close to the amount of a normal employee, which for the beggars is a surprisingly good income level. Combined the positive income and the happy feeling, they are more convinced about the â€Å"bright future† in the begging career, and therefore not willing to give it up. 2.6 General theory approach Expected Utility At the end it all comes to expectation: individuals expect a higher social status; families expect the children to be successful; the society expects the professional beggars to disappear. We will see a bit closer from these three aspects: – Personal: individuals leave home to try to make a career so that they can feed their family, make them proud and be useful to the society. But having a goal without having corresponding skills to actually live up to their expectation, leaves them in frustration. Being a professional beggar in this situation becomes their lifebuoy. The money they earn from it in some level creates them the illusion of having a career and it amends for the feeling of losing social status. – Family: every parent thinks that their children can be successful in the society one way or another. The money the beggars bring home is the â€Å"proof† of their success, which, when the family is not aware of the method how they earn it, is sometimes more than enough for the family to believe that their expectation has been met. – Society: the society deep down wishes that the professional beggars won’t, one day, be a problem anymore. With this in mind, people try to donate material or offer voluntary help. The material/monetary help in some way actually assures the beggars that they will be able to make a life being in the career. When the society doesn’t see the improvement of their expectation over time, they lose the motivation to keep on helping. 3. Test – final answer Before we can come to the final graph, we go through again all the possible relevant elements with 2 criterions: relevance and changeability. The same time we try to eliminate the elements with low relevance and/or low changeability, also the ones that overlap with others. – Substitutability (in a job position): it means that it’s hard for the beggars to find a stable job. It then overlaps with â€Å"easy money†, which says that the beggar career offers them the possibility to have a â€Å"job† that also earns them money easily. – Experience similarity (from the social help side): having a similar experience brings a bigger chance to actually understand the difficulties that others are facing. With appropriate understand the help can then be genuine. It therefore overlaps with â€Å"sympathy†. But then in order to understand most of the time is a issue of willingness. The society has already rated the beggars negative without seeing the actua lly reasons of the phenomenon. Some who have faced the same situation but came out being actually successful may despite the others who couldn’t. In the way, the similar experience is not so relevant to solve the problem. – Skill learning opportunities: as the quote goes, you give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, you teach a man to fish and you feed him for lifetime. Learning a practical skill is the approach which will eventually have huge impact on this issue. The opportunities are actually widely offered, but then the beggars are not willing to take them, since they think the learning then finding a job process is taking the time away from them earning easy money. So the skill learning opportunities is here not so relevant. – Awareness of manipulation: some beggars did not start the beggar career on their own intention. They might have been talked into the line of work. Those people who talked them into form this company-like group, they act like their â€Å"manager†, assign their tasks, location etc and also take profit from them. But then it’s hard to notice that they are manipulated while they are actually having income. This element is hard to be changed. – Over-valuation of material life: in the big environment money talks. Money can’t do everything but then without money nothing can be done. Generally accepted idea is that a good material life is the basis of a successful life. This element exist worldwide so that it would be really difficult to change people’s believe in it. |Determinants |Changeability |Relevance |Overlap (Y/N) | |Substitutability |+ + |+ |Y | |Experience similarity |- – |+ |Y | |Learning opportunities |+ |/ |N | |Awareness of manipulation |- – |+ |N | |Over-valuation material life |- – |+ + |Y | |Establishment of dignity |+ |+ + |N | |Disbelief in society |- |+ |N | |Easy moneys |+ + |+ |N | |Empathy/Real solicitude |+ + |+ + |N | |Family pressure |+ |+ + |N | After the eliminations, we can now here draw a final graph: As illustrated above, there are three main variables (Establishment of dignity, Empathy/Real solicitude and Readiness to accept help) hold positive relation with the â€Å"give up begging† outcome, and two negative ones (Family pressure and Easy money). [pic] We believe that â€Å"Establishment of dignity† from the personal side of the sbeggar and â€Å"Empathy/ Real solicitude† from the society/government side serves as the most important positive fact in the whole relationship. Not only because they are more initiative variables than others, but also, as shown, they get more positive determinants. 3.2 Tests With the final graph presented, now we will incorporate the social psychology theory and the real life issue together to understand the existence of the problem and eventually find out the possible solution to solve it. – Readiness to accept help. If the beggars get to earn more self-esteem, it will reduce the feeling of embarrassment or shame. Alone side they will more likely to think the society is not just pitying them but instead try to understand and help them. With these two influences, the self defense mechanisms would play a less important role. In the end they will be more ready to open themselves to the help. – Family pressure. The high expectation from family doesn’t match with the actual skills is the core reason why the beggars experience the relative deprivation. If they feel that there are no ways that they can be useful or appreciated, they will lose the willingness to improve themselves. In this case the families need to understand them too. They should not only compare the monetary income but more the skills learned and the independence of their lives, to value the individual improvement more. – Easy money. Compared to the income of a normal low skill required labor work, the money they earned being a professional beggar is rather nice. Therefore, their belief in future gain becomes a strong moderator in the relationship between easy money and the willingness to live a self-support life. The unexpected income level leads to positive emotions, with which they have more expectation towards the continuation of this career. If they think they can earn a living from it, then they won’t be willing to give up and try to start a self-supported life. PATH – Help 4. Hypothetical conclusion After trying to analyze the phenomenon, we came across some possible steps that we can take to improve the situation, among which the measures on a personal base seem to have the ability to create the biggest impact. It means a change of their way to think. Only when they believe in self value, in the genuine help from the society, can the other measures or policy do their work. To do that, truthful communications between families and individuals as well as between individuals and the society should be encouraged t to take place. The openness will improve the understanding, which eventually improves the social situation. Reference LI Hong-ying 2000. 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