The Titans and its Portrayal of Social Cognition an Example of the Topic Literature Essays by

Remember the Titans and its Portrayal of Social Cognition A story about a high school football teams journey not only through an undefeated season but also through the breaking down of barriers between black and white people, Walt Disney Pictures Remember the Titans is a perfect picture of how people view themselves and those around them through what we now can call schemas and stereotypes. Remember the Titans " produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, directed by Boaz Yakin, and released in 2000 " tells the story of the 1971 T.C. Williams High School (located in Alexandria, Virginia) football team, the Titans. The movie starts with a white football coach Bill Yoast leading an all-white football team. Because of a court-ordered integration, Yoast later learns of losing his head coach position to Herman Boone, an African-American. Need essay sample on "Remember the Titans and its Portrayal of Social Cognition" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed College Students Frequently Tell EssayLab support: I'm not in the mood to write my paper. Because I don't have the time Essay writer professionals recommend: Essaylab.Com Can Provide You With The Winning Academic Essay At first refusing Boones offer to have him as assistant head coach, Yoast later accepts upon seeing how most of his players are willing to give up their spot in the football team if he is not around. The movie unfolds with depictions of how Boone and Yoast worked hard towards uniting the white and black members of their football team. Boone and Yoast may have succeeded uniting its team, but the town was still pretty much divided. Pictures of how the townspeople react to the combination of white and black players in one team were shown all throughout the film. But with the teams winning streak, which leaves them undefeated for the whole season, the whole town came to realize that this is not about being black or white " they learn from the team that it is indeed time to accept the changes and embrace people from different races. The Titans became, for them, a symbol of unity and was instrumental in bringing the people of the town closer to each other, regardless of race. As have been mentioned the story of the Titans illustrates the way people formulate their concept of themselves and other people through schemas and stereotypes. Outlined under social cognition, the study of how people think and feel about their social world and how they interact and influence one another (Meyers, 2003), schemas and stereotypes demonstrate how situations around us bear more influence on our behavior than we are wont to believe. Because of the vast information that we are being exposed to everyday, we are in need of a system by which we collect and process data. As such, we are all built in with schema and schematic processing. Schemas are our organized beliefs and knowledge about people, objects, events, and situations (Meyers, 2003) and schematic processing is the process by which we match a schema with the data that we are handed out. This process happens quickly and instantaneously. Meyers (2003) even writes that most of the time, we are unaware that this processing of information is taking place. And with our schemas, we are able to generalize about the characteristics of a certain group of people. This general person-schema is what we call stereotypes. But schemas can also tell us something about a particular person, including ourselves. (Meyers, 2003) But schemas and schematic processing are not very accurate in that they put biases in our perceptions and memories. These biases have already been proven by a number of researches and studies done. One result of such studies is the vividness effect, which proved that the more vivid the information, the more likely we are to remember that information. The primacy effect, on the other hand, points that we are more inclined to retaining the first information that came to us. (Meyers, 2003)A couple of experiments have also proven that schemas persist even in the face of contradicting evidence. This, dubbed as the perseverance effect, applies both to the way we see other people and the way we see ourselves. All the abovementioned theories have been pictured in the Walt Disney pictures about the T.C. Williams Titans. In fact, a couple of scenes portray people " both Caucasians and African-Americans " applying schemas and stereotypes in sizing up the people around them. The first glimpse we see of this is when Boone was moving into a white community: an unseen female neighbor, presumably a Caucasian, asks her husband, Are they the movers? showing disbelief that an African-American family can actually afford to be living in a place such as theirs. When the husband realizes that Boones family is actually settling in the house in front of them, he says bitterly, It only takes one, the next time, were gonna be overrun by them. Such statement reflects animosity towards the black race and is indicative of how the white race thinks of the African-Americans " that they just run amok and is without control. Other similar scenes strengthen the films portrayal of schemas and stereotypes. The emphasis on these social psychological phenomena will be more apparent when the film takes us to the start of the integration of the black and white players of the T.C. Williams High School football team. Gerry Bertier leads the discrimination when he approached Boone prior to going to Gettysburg College for training. He says, We dont need your people in the team. This attitude is solidified when Boone asked his players to get to know a teammate of a different race until they already knew each and every team member. Here are lines from the white player Ray Budds, displaying the way he viewed the African-American player Petey Jones based on his pre-conceived schemas: Ray Budds (white): Whats your daddys name? I mean, you do have a daddy, right? . And whats he do? Wait. He does have a job, right? (Bruckheimer & Boaz, 2000) There was also this one incident that reflected schematic processing in the part of a restaurant owner. When Ronnie Sunshine Bass, a Caucasian hippie from Florida, walked in with Petey Jones in a restaurant after a Titans victory, the restaurant owner said that theyre already full when its apparent that there are still a lot of vacant tables. He shoos the players away with a demeaning, Now you all want something to eat? You can take those boys out back and pick it out from the kitchen. (Bruckheimer & Boaz, 2000) Boone was also open to these discriminations. When a Caucasian coach was asked if he is willing to work with Boone, he answered, Im not gonna do anything to help that monkey. Bad as it sounds, Negroes have been stereotyped as having no regard for their families, lazy, and self-indulgent, which was why Ray Budds asked Petey Jones those questions. And since blacks were also generally taken for animalistic and physically violent, most establishments before have refused them service. These stereotyped descriptions of them have also led whites to brand them as monkeys. But the discrimination does not only lie with the white " the blacks also tend to discriminate against the white people. When African-American students first stepped into T.C. Williams High School, we see the way the look at the white girls " sort of questioning, degrading, as if asking why such creatures can actually co-exist with them. And during training, when Blue Stanton was listening to Alan Bosleys music, he cries out, Does the term "cruel and unusual punishment" mean anything to you? " this shows how much blacks like sticking to their own kind and hate having to be forced to listen to white peoples sounds. Herman Boones daughter, Nicky Boone, also gives us a glimpse into the Negros views of the white. Seeing Sheryl Yoast, Bill Yoasts daughter, jump up and down during a football match, Carol asks, Mama, are all white girls crazy? (Bruckheimer white girls are crazy. Other scenes also illustrate how schemas can actually lead us to form concepts of ourselves. Based on his family history and his grades, Louis Lastik felt that he will never be able to go to college and will forever spend his life being a bum. This is apparent in the following lines confided to Jerry Rev Harris: Nobody from my family ever went to no college. Im white trash. I aint gonna get no C+ grades. Im just down home, no good, never-going-to-no-college white trash. (Bruckheimer & Boaz, 2000) Even with Coach Boones and Revs insistence that they are going to help him out and that he has what it takes to pull those grades up and enter college, Louis insisted that he cannot do it " a perfect example of the perseverance effect. Another scene that painted the self-schema theory is the scene where Julius Campbell visits Gerry Bertier at his house. When a police officer stopped in front of him, we see his fear and apprehension, proving that he believes the police officer is going to arrest him for something he has not done. It turned out that his fear was in vain for the officer just wanted to congratulate him for the last games job well done. Yet as much as Remember the Titans is a good illustration of the way peoples schemas let them judge others, it also disproves in part the existence of the perseverance effect. It is true that it took the players and the whole town to accept the integration of blacks and whites, they were, in time, able to do so. This led the people to admit that their stereotypes are inaccurate and accept that Caucasians and African-Americans can actually co-exist peacefully. They have come to learn that stereotypes can actually be misleading and that if they only try to get to know the other race, theyll discover that they have been wrong about their pre-conceptions. This is apparent in Coach Yoasts statement during their championship game: I hope you boys have learned as much from me this year as I've learned from you. You've taught this city how to trust the soul of a man rather than the look of him. And I guess it's about time I joined the club. (Bruckheimer & Boaz, 2000) It is true that schemas and stereotypes do affect the way we interact with other people. And although it is also true that these schemas and stereotypes persist at times, the perseverance effect can be broken down. As Remember the Titans have shown, schemas and stereotypes can cease to exist if a strong group cares to demonstrate that there is nothing to fear in breaking down life-long conceptions. REFERENCES Bruckheimer, Jerry. (Producer), & Yaki, Boaz. (Director). (2000). Remember the Titans [Motion picture]. United States: Walt Disney Pictures. Meyers, David G. (2003). Psychology (7th ed). USA: Worth Publishers.

Free Essays on Definition of Code Hero (Hemingway)

According to Ernest Hemingway, the code hero is a man who lives correctly, following the ideals of honor, courage and endurance in a world that is sometimes chaotic, often stressful, and always painful. The code hero or heroine (like Catherine Barkley) must perform his or her work well to create a kind of personal meaning amidst the greater meaninglessness. Still, life is filled with misfortunes, and a code hero is known by how he endures those misfortunes. Ultimately, the code hero will lose in his conflict with life because he will die. But all that matters is how one faces death. In fact, one should court death, in the bull ring, on the battlefield, against big fish, because facing death teaches us how to live. Along with this, the code hero must create and follow certain rituals regarding death because those rituals help us. The bullfighter must have grace and must make his kills clean. He must face noble animals. He must put on his suit a certain way. Similarly, a fisherman shouldn't go out too far. He should respect the boundaries the fish have established for fishermen. Religion is helpful only in that it provides us with rituals. But religions are wrong when they promise life after death.... Free Essays on Definition of Code Hero (Hemingway) Free Essays on Definition of Code Hero (Hemingway) According to Ernest Hemingway, the code hero is a man who lives correctly, following the ideals of honor, courage and endurance in a world that is sometimes chaotic, often stressful, and always painful. The code hero or heroine (like Catherine Barkley) must perform his or her work well to create a kind of personal meaning amidst the greater meaninglessness. Still, life is filled with misfortunes, and a code hero is known by how he endures those misfortunes. Ultimately, the code hero will lose in his conflict with life because he will die. But all that matters is how one faces death. In fact, one should court death, in the bull ring, on the battlefield, against big fish, because facing death teaches us how to live. Along with this, the code hero must create and follow certain rituals regarding death because those rituals help us. The bullfighter must have grace and must make his kills clean. He must face noble animals. He must put on his suit a certain way. Similarly, a fisherman shouldn't go out too far. He should respect the boundaries the fish have established for fishermen. Religion is helpful only in that it provides us with rituals. But religions are wrong when they promise life after death....

Computer Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Computer Project - Essay Example The aim of this paper is to thoroughly examine the issue of web sites, by using three in particular: Moodle, ATutor, and EduTools. By discussing the relevant issues of these three sites, we can come to a clearer and more knowledgeable understanding of the subject matter at hand. This is what will be dissertated in the following. This website is a course management system, and considers itself to be "a free, open source software package designed using sound pedagogical principles, to help educators create effective online learning communities." (Moodle, 2006). The basic information that this site tried to cover was the presenting of facts, as well as the stating of certain opinions. All the information appeared to be kept up-to-date, and although the layout was rather simple and basic, it was direct and provided the information it needed to. This site presented a balanced view of many different perspectives, while remaining to be consistent in its manner. It was extremely easy to navigate through this site; whether you had visited this site before or not, it is laid out analytically in order to coincide with easy navigation. The information on this site was in regards to the services it offers, which is online tutoring. ATutor is "an open source web-based Learning Content Management System (LCMS) designed with accessibility and adaptability in mind." (ATutor, 2006). This site offered an incredible array of information, as well as a variety of forums, projects, and discussion topics. The site was simplistic and straight forward yet detailed and full of information. The site presents the audience with a completely balanced view, especially due to the vast array of topic selection. There was even a questionnaire which was asking visitors questions in an attempt to better the site to fit people's needs. The site was incredibly easy to navigate, and flowed together impeccably. The design, the layout, and the wording were all dynamic and interesting - both incredibly important elements in a web page, because this is what will get visitors to stay and check it out. My overall opinion of this site is a positive one. I found it visibly appealing, easy to navigate through and yet at the same time indefinitely informational. In regards to how the site could be improved, I actually do not believe there is any sort of adjustment that should be made. The site discusses thoroughly about its products and services, why you should get these products and services for yourself, and on the home page alone answers any and all basic and fundamental questions about its system. Easy navigation, an overall appealing web design layout, and proper update maintenance makes this site close to impeccable. EduTools This final site was definitely my least favorite of the three. The home page is incredibly basic and drab, and there is not enough information offered. The site presented a brief summary of the facts, stating that "EduTools provides independent reviews, side-by-side comparisons, and consulting services to assist decision-making in the e-learning community." (EduTools, 2006).

Women Organizations Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Women Organizations - Term Paper Example They have gird up their loins to fight back and find success. They are no longer the victims. Women have gained courage for fighting for their rights, their dignity, identity, freedom and several other factors. And the world has realized that the weaker sex is succeeding, amid the worst crises. Women organizations that fight for women rights uphold the cause of women who are negatively privileged. Organizations supply those valuable intangible tools that encourage women to support themselves and boldly fight for their rights. Women organizations that address women issues help women rebuild their communities and secure their futures. In the United States we can find innumerable women organizations that cry for women’s rights in different spheres of life. Such organizations also exist outside the United States. Almost all countries have organizations that serve as wings for women. These organizations uplift women and make them fight off oppression, violence and poor health. In t he United States Equal Rights Advocates (ERA) is one such organization that strives to uphold the rights of women. The organization attempts to advance the civil rights of women. They have been leading the legal fight for equality of women for more than thirty years. Since 1974, the organization is fighting to gain equal rights and opportunities for women. They attempt to protect and uphold the economic opportunities for females through advocacy and litigation. The litigation initiatives of the organization have helped women achieve the rights to equal opportunity. Passing the legislation will not cannot ensure that women get their rights. Cases should be brought to make sure that rights carried in the legislation are practically enforced. Litigation takes to greater protection of rights under the law. It is a true wake up call for the legislators. United States Equal Rights Advocates is a leader among the women rights associations. The organization aims to establish a world where w omen from all walks of life get good educational and economic opportunities. Women are expected to get equal representation in management and leadership positions. The organization aims women to have employment and workplace equality. The organization strives for women rights so that they are equally treated in private, public and nonprofit sectors. ERA envision a work environment where women are not segregated or oppressed. Equal Rights Advocates attempts to eliminate all illegal discriminatory practices that block the advancement opportunities of women. Equal Rights Advocates demand equal compensation for women. Women are also expected to access all types of occupations. According to Equal Rights Advocates women should get respectful and safe treatment in all spheres of life. The organization wants employers to give women a favorable work environment where women never encounter a harassment or segregation. Work environment must also comply with the safety laws and health rules. Eq ual Rights Advocates say that women should be assisted to gain a proper balance and work life and family life. Equal Rights Advocates demands sufficient family and medical leave for women. Pregnancy protection laws, paid family leave and paid medical leave are also demanded for. The organization keeps a toll-free Advice and counseling phone number so that people get the needed legal information. People can call them for legal information and help. Equal Rights Advocates strives to expand the educational and economic opportunities of women. The organization is a protector of women rights. The organization upholds the rights of negatively privilege women. According to the Executive Director of

George Washimgton Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

George Washimgton - Annotated Bibliography Example Biographers identify the family home at Bridges Creek, near Potomac, in Westmoreland County as Washington’s birthplace (Thayer 7). Washington’s family had owned tobacco plantations and slaves and his father Augustine Washington had entered iron mining works. Washington was the â€Å"eldest son of Augustine Washington and his second wife, Mary Ball Washington, who were prosperous Virginia gentry of English descent (Ameslab.gov). It is a startling piece of information is that George Washington had not gained formal education and his informal education includes variety of subjects such as mathematics, the Classics, surveying, map making and the rules of civility. After the death of his father George Washington went to live with his half brother Lawrence at Mount Vernon and Lawrence treated Washington as his son. Young Washington has six siblings including Lawrence, Samuel, Elizabeth, John Augustine and Charles. Lawrence had married to the great Fairfax family in Virginia and Lawrence’s care and moral support provided inspiration to young Washington’s life. The Virginians played a prominent and influential role in Washington’s life in developing a prolific career. George Washington is widely accepted as the ‘father of his country’ and with his distinguished service as a military general contributed prolific victories for revolutionary army in independence struggle. Washington’s military service was not popularly appreciated because it lacked a series of conquests and large scale battles. Anyhow, Washington’s military career emphasised effective leadership, strategic, tactical expertise and trained. Washington’s early military life began in the French and English battle for capturing the control of the upper Ohio Valley (McJoynt). He had started his military career as a commander who led Virginian expeditions in the Western territory in 1754. After some minor

Divorce In The United Arab Emirates

Divorce In The United Arab Emirates Nowadays, divorce is considered as one of the most important issues that we face in our modern society where it deeply affects the social and financial structures of the country. Our religion has always considered the stability of the marriage as one of its main goals; in other words, marriage should be held in high regards. In addition, the sanctity of marriage must be protected forever unless there are problems that come across a couples life for which there is no solution beside divorce. Statistical reports show that the divorce rate is quiet high in the gulf region which proves that governments are not finding sufficient solutions for this problem. However, the United Arab Emirates governments realized the seriousness of this phenomenon on the families and society and began working on the problem especially in the recent years since divorce rates have increased radically and continue to rise; Divorce has become a vital issue as it affects the lives of families, causing pain, damages and destroying relationships. In other words divorce aftermaths are so serious that it could change your life drastically. These are some of the reasons that made me choose this sensitive topic. Why is divorce happening nowadays more commonly, even in the first years of marriage? What will happen if divorce rates continue to rise? Are there new reasons for divorce which are related to the country development? In this research paper, I will analyze this problem while searching for answers to such questions that will help to find solution in order to decrease the rate of divorce and to improve people lives. In addition, I will examine each part of this problem and the different views from the parents, the children and the family. Moreover, I will suggest some methods that may help avoid this problem. Literature Reviews: Abdualrazeq Maliki(2001) states that divorce phenomenon in the UAE society has interacting factors that may vary in their severity and impact on divorce problem. Maliki believes that some of the factors which help increased the divorce rates were changes that have taken place in the social and economic field; modernization. He Points out that modernization created a new side in our society which made a divergence between its members, especially member of a Family as husband and wife. Halim Barakat (1993) agrees with Maliki as the modernization has a deep effect in our society as he says Old patterns of marriage and divorce are being slowly replaced by new ones. Different sets of relationships are developing between family and society. He adds However, young men and women show less alienation from the family than from any other social institution, is it religious, political, or social. 2-Divorce Reasons: In our modern time statics proved that divorce is increasing year by year although the rates didnt reach the highest registered rate in the last 30 years, but in recent years it is increasing rapidly. For example, the first graph shows the total divorce rates as a percentage of marriages in Gulf countries, where United Arab Emirates has a 34.84% in 1995 which is one of the highest percentages in gulf. While in 2006 it recorded 18.88% which was a great development in almost 10 years, but unexpectedly it shoots up to 25.62% in 2007 and continues to rise in 2008 to 25.74% as the second graph shows. Such an increase made us search for eligible reason for it although the reasons may vary from every individual but the main common reasons are different background, arranged marriage and early marriage, modernization. Different Background: One of the most common causes of divorce that the people are not aware of is the different backgrounds of the married couple this is due to their belief that love can conquer all obstacles. The Emirates Economist also reported that mixed marriages (i.e., marrying a foreigner) are considered as one of the causes of high rate of divorce in the UAE ( ). In other words, people who are different in culture, economic class and religious believe, in addition to social status. The culture background is a big hurdle in every marriage and essentially ità ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s the first reason for disputes, this comes from the difference of opinion between the couple were each one think they are right because of the way their parents raised them which ultimately affected the way the behave and think, for instance, when an emarati marries a woman from Europe they would often fight about cultural matters like how she should dress, be more conservative towards strangers and many more problems arises which finally can lead only to divorce. Although the wealth of a person is usually said that its not important in front of love but the sad truth is its an important factor that can make life easy or hard, this often is present when two different person with different lifestyles marries, where one partner cant keep with the other financially satisfied and starts to complain about it which in turns will lead to many disagreements where money is involved and a situation of unrest follows. Also this difference may affect their children, for instance, If the husband came from a poor family which had to struggle for everything, and the mother came from a wealthy family, then they might have different ways that they want to raise their children. The father may want to be tougher on the children and enforce strict rules on them. This is the way he was raised by his parents. The mother may be less strict and have completely different views on how to raise children. As a result, each parent may struggle to have their own way over the children. It would turn into a fight over power. It could eventually lead to divorce(). Some may argue that parents from different background will have a good effective on their children since they get to know more than one culture. However, if the parents have a good communication they will able to avoid problems that may end with divorce. Religion plays a vital role in everyones spiritual and mental health, where faith can make a person strong to face the difficulties of life and continue to accept the challenges presented to them, this being said a couple with different religion can cause lots and lots of various problems mainly the faith of the child or even the certain necessities of a religion like wearing hijab for women, if such problem were not resolved in time the marriage would definitely collapse and a family would break with divorce. The difference in social status between the couples is a major problem which often leads to family complications where both families donà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t accept the marriage that will occur or even after marriage, where the family decides to cut all relations between the couples, this will leave the couples with a big challenge because no matter who you love nothing can beat the love of your family and losing it will make you resort to the last solution to return your family ties which is divorce. Arranged Marriage: Marriage is Early Marriage: One of the important causes of divorce in the United Arab Emirates is early marriage, which remains as one of the countrys tradition. Although the education level has risen in the UAE, but this didnt prevent the practice of early marriage in the country. However, Many researches disagree as they say Universal, early marriage is no longer the Standard it once was in Arab countries: The average age at marriage for both men and women is generally rising, and more Arab women are staying single longer or not marrying at all ( ). Its true that early marriage is on decline but it still continues to occur and contribute in raising divorce , according to boozco journal, Our society is partly responsible for the high divorce rates as a lot of couples marry quickly without any chance to know each other, so in reality they are like strangers and there is no communication between them Furthermore, early marriage can affect couples life causing divorce for many reasons such as, the lack of commun ication and experience, also lack of independence. Early marriage is one of the reasons that lead girls to leave school and start a new life in which they dont have enough responsibilities in addition to limited awareness of what marriage is and how to deal with it, which lead to miscommunication with the other partner. Many researches agree that lack of communication is the main cause of divorce, communication is the revealing of thoughts or ideas and is an important aspect of all relationships().As in our society the reason of the bad communication between the couples is that many boys and girls need to interact with the opposite sex, since their upbringing and schooling have in most instances been strictly gender segregated(boozco). Furthermore, marriage in a young age may lack the experience that is required in dealing with problems that couples may face, since these young couples dont have a lot of things to experience and learn from it before getting married. In addition, in our region many families support their married sons financially which will encourage them to depend on their parents without realizing that marriage represent independence. Also it will reduce their responsibility award their new life. In contrast other families may not help their sons with money, which will leave the new couple facing debts in a very early age. Consequently, money problems resulting from premature marriages can also cause divorce( ). Modernization: Modernization is the Transformation of a society from a rural and agrarian condition to a secular, urban, and industrial one ( ). In other words, modernization means the great development that happened suddenly to change a country from many ways. For example, the United Arab Emirates witnessed a huge improvement in many sectors such as economy, education and medication fields. Although these changes have a positive impact on the society, but it also have a harmful influence that can contribute to high divorce rates. According to ( ) Modernization and economic development have been cited as one of the factors leading to divorce in Western societies (Heaton, Cammack, Young). Similarly, the economic boom in the UAE, which is associated with rapid modernization and globalization has affected individual lifestyles and family values as well. So the impact of modernization has been proofed through the increasing numbers of families that have changed their lifestyle to have more urbane lif e than traditional one. Furthermore, this changing affects the society as it adds new reasons for divorce like women seeking independence in addition to the increase of demands of a marriage. First of all, the greatest change that occur through modernization is the female education and Conclusion: In conclusion, there are many reasons for getting divorce but the most common one is the lack of communication between the married couples; lack of communication can destroys any kind of relationships in which will impact the socity as a whole.

Narration, Metaphors, Images and Symbols in One Flew Over the Cuckoos

Narration, Metaphors, Images and Symbols in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest   Ã‚   In 1962, when One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (the Nest), was published, America was at the start of decade that would be characterized by turmoil. Involvement in Vietnam was increasing, civil rights marches were taking place in the south and a new era of sexual promiscuity and drug use was about to come into full swing. Young Americans formed a subgroup in American society that historians termed the â€Å"counterculture†. The Nest is a product of time when it was written. It is anti-authoritarian and tells the tale of a man's rebelling against the establishment. Kesey used metaphor to make a social commentary on the America of the sixties. In this paper I will deal with three issues that seem to strike out from the novel. First; is the choice that Kesey made in his decision to write the novel using first person narration. The second part of this paper will be an analysis of some of the metaphors and Kesey uses to describe America in the sixties. Finally I will speak about the some of the religious images that Kesey has put in the novel.    For the reader of the Nest, the most familiar character of the story would be Chief "Broom" Bromden, a half Indian, paranoid schizophrenic, who has been in the institution since World War two, (about 15 years). He spends his days dwelling in the clouded mind that his mental illness has produced. This illness is characterized by audio and visual hallucinations. He makes constant reference to the "fog," "the combine," and "the machine." Bromden lives in a world inhabited by people who have been implanted with machines. In part one of the novel, we read nothing but the delusions of a madman. The novel opens ... ...illan Company of Canada Limited, 1962. Klein, Maxwell. The Images and Metaphors of Flower Children. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1988. Kunz, Don. Mechanistic and Totemistic Symbolization in Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. A Casebook on Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Ed. George J. Searles. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. 1989. Pratt, John Clark. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. New York: The Viking Press. 1973. Semino, Elena, and Swindlehurst, Kate. Metaphor and Mind Style in Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Northern Light (online posting) Spring 1996. <www.northernlight.com/cgi-bin/pdserv?cbecid=6619970923010053874&ho=monsoon&po=508&cb=0> Unknown Author. Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. (online posting) <http:www.nhmccd.cc.tx.us/contracts/lrc/kc/kesey.html>   

“Iron triangle” Essay

â€Å"Iron triangle† is a term used by political scientists to describe the policy-making relationship between the legislature, the bureaucracy, and interest groups. The term iron triangle has been widely used by political scientists outside the United States and is today an accepted term in the field. In the United States, bureaucratic power is exercised in the Congress, and particularly in congressional committees and subcommittees. By aligning itself with selected constituencies, an agency may be able to affect policy outcomes directly in these committees and subcommittees. This is where an iron triangle may manifest itself. These are the powerful interests groups that influence Congressional votes in their favour and can guarantee the re-election of a member of Congress in return for supporting their programs. At another corner sit members of Congress who also seek to align themselves with a constituency for political and electoral support. These congressional members support legislation that advances the interest group’s agenda. Occupying the third corner of the triangle are bureaucrats, who are often pressured by the same powerful interest groups their agency is designated to regulate. The result is a three-way, stable alliance that is sometimes called a subgovernment because of its durability, impregnability, and power to determine policy. Consumers are often left out in the cold by this arrangement. An iron triangle can result in the passing of very narrow, pork-barrel policies that benefit a small segment of the population. The interests of the agency’s constituency (the interest groups) are met, while the needs of consumers (which may be the general public) are passed over. That public administration may result in benefiting a small segment of the public in this way may be viewed as problematic for the popular concept of democracy if the general welfare of all citizens is sacrificed for very specific interests. This is especially so if the legislation passed neglects or reverses the original purpose for which the agency was established. On the other hand, lobbyists also helped the consumer and the general public as well. Since the consumer and the general public are usually less educated, unorganized and lacks financial resources, the lobbyist and interest groups represent them in some ways. A public good is something from which everybody benefits. People cannot be excluded from enjoying the good just because they didn’t pay for it. If an interest group is successful in lobbying for laws that will improve the air quality, for example, everyone who breathes that air will benefit, whehter they paid for the lobbying effort or not. Despite the bad reputation earned by interest groups through the years there are several advantages to their existence. Interest groups help bridge the gap between the citizens and the government and enable citizens to explain their views on policies to public officials. They also help raise public awareness and inspire action on various issues. They often provide public officials with specialized and detailed information that might be difficult to obtain otherwise. This information may be useful in making policy choices. Interest groups serve as a check on public officials to make sure that they are carrying out their duties and responsibilities. Bibliography: Edward I Sidlow, Beth Henschen. America at Odds, Thomson Wadsworth, 2005. ISBN 0534647596 Gordon Adams. The Iron Triangle: The Politics of Defense Contracting, Council on Economic Priorities, New York, 1981. ISBN: 0-87-871012-4 Jack H. Knott, Gary J. Miller; Reforming Bureaucracy; Prentice-Hall; ISBN 0-13-770090-3 (1st edition, 1987) Francis E. Rourke; Bureaucracy, Politics, and Public Policy; Harpercollins; ISBN 0-673-39475-1 (3rd edition, 1984) Iron Triangle Retrieved March 06, 2007, from â€Å"http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Iron_triangle†.

Free Essays on Pioneers Of Western Civilization

Western civilization has many different pioneers that helped form the culture to what it is today. Many different civilizations such as hunters and gathers, ancient Egyptians, and Sumerians contributed to western civilization. Without these different civilizations contributing, society would not be where it is today. These civilizations of man contributed agricultural techniques, laws with authority, tools, writing, mathematics and religion. The first civilizations were hunters and gatherers who wandered the lands in desperate need of food and materials. Eventually mankind would develop methods of cultivating food, so they would not have to wander around nomadic. The first civilization to develop agricultural techniques was the Neolithic societies. By shifting to agriculture coincided with advances in stone tool technology, brought the development of greater precision. Once domestications had taken place, people could move to areas where these plants and animals did not occur naturally. The invention of pottery also enabled people to store surplus foods and liquids, and to transport them, as well as to cook agricultural products were difficult to eat. Also crops required constant care from planting to harvest, so Neolithic farmers built permanent dwellings. The farmers also built small two-man circular huts and clustered in groups around a central storage place. Later people built square and rectangular family sized hous e with individual storage places and enclosures to house livestock. Neolithic villages tended to be self-sufficient. The Ancient Egyptians brought in a culture that was unique from many others of that particular time. When people think of the Egyptian, they think of the pyramids, the sphinx, and the pharaohs. Many people do not realize the contributions the ancient Egyptians made to western civilization. They contributed through the laws and regulations, which maintained society. The Egyptian people believed that their... Free Essays on Pioneers Of Western Civilization Free Essays on Pioneers Of Western Civilization Western civilization has many different pioneers that helped form the culture to what it is today. Many different civilizations such as hunters and gathers, ancient Egyptians, and Sumerians contributed to western civilization. Without these different civilizations contributing, society would not be where it is today. These civilizations of man contributed agricultural techniques, laws with authority, tools, writing, mathematics and religion. The first civilizations were hunters and gatherers who wandered the lands in desperate need of food and materials. Eventually mankind would develop methods of cultivating food, so they would not have to wander around nomadic. The first civilization to develop agricultural techniques was the Neolithic societies. By shifting to agriculture coincided with advances in stone tool technology, brought the development of greater precision. Once domestications had taken place, people could move to areas where these plants and animals did not occur naturally. The invention of pottery also enabled people to store surplus foods and liquids, and to transport them, as well as to cook agricultural products were difficult to eat. Also crops required constant care from planting to harvest, so Neolithic farmers built permanent dwellings. The farmers also built small two-man circular huts and clustered in groups around a central storage place. Later people built square and rectangular family sized hous e with individual storage places and enclosures to house livestock. Neolithic villages tended to be self-sufficient. The Ancient Egyptians brought in a culture that was unique from many others of that particular time. When people think of the Egyptian, they think of the pyramids, the sphinx, and the pharaohs. Many people do not realize the contributions the ancient Egyptians made to western civilization. They contributed through the laws and regulations, which maintained society. The Egyptian people believed that their...

buy custom The Privacy Act of 1974 essay

buy custom The Privacy Act of 1974 essay Purpose This legislation was enacted on 31st December 1974 to establish a Code of Fair Information Practice which was meant to govern the collection, use, dissemination, and maintenance of individuals private information held by the federal government agencies in their systems of records. In these systems, information is categorized in a manner that enables its retrieval by an identifier assigned to an individual such as name or social security number. disclose the types of records they keep by publishing in the federal Registry. The act elaborates how an individual can lawfully access and amend the records of information about them; and stipulates the record keeping requirements that an agency need to fulfill. The Code of Fair Information Practices was recommended in a report that had been published by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The report emphasized on five principles: no record should be regarded as absolutely private; a person has a right to establish the informati on contained in his/her record, as well as its use; an individual should have the capacity to restrict the information use to the purpose it was intended for at the time of initial collection; individuals should be provided with mechanisms of amending erroneous information; the federal agencies dealing with individual records must prevent their misuse and ensure their reliability. Exemptions from Privacy Although the agencies are prohibited by the act from disclosing personal records without the owner's consent, several exceptions have been provided. These exceptions followed the work of Private Protection Study Commission which established that the act had been vague, and would not have met its intended purposes. It was agreed that the act should be reviewed and updated. The fundamental aims of the act were to remain relevant as more definitions were provided to upgrade it to the realities such as current information systems and technology. Among the provisions for disclosure include: Subsections j and k of this legislation provide the instances when the federal agencies can lawfully claim exemptions. The act allows for seven provisions,which permit access to individuals records and their amendment, in accordance to the requirement that the agency should only hold necessary and relevant information. These provisions are that if the data is to be used during: the investigation aimed at determining eligibility and qualification of a potential employee in military service and federal contracts, the evaluation of an enlisted man for promotion, and evaluation of individual for federal service appointments. Other exemptions are meant to facilitate the security of the President, maintain statistical records, and provide investigatory materials for the purpose of law enforcement. Effects of Private Act of 1974 on Health Care The enactment of the Private Act of 1974 introduced complex legalities and increased costs when dealing with individuals private information. Misuse or unauthorized disclosure of personal records attracts heavy penalties; a situation which reduces the chance of information sharing for the purpose of comparison. There are several critics who voice such concerns in medical publications such as Annals of Internal Medicine, and advocates for the revision to be done on the act. Researchers argue that the legislation interferes with their capacity to perform chart-based exploration as well as contact patients for prospective evaluation and follow-up. According to a survey by the University of Michigan, the legislation has resulted into a drop in the follow-up survey on patients following a heart attack from about 95% to 34%. The enactment of the act has also rapidly increased the duration of enrolling patients of semi permanent diseases such as cancer to various organisations, and increase d the recruitment costs. Furthermore, arriving at an informed consent in research studies require across-the-board details regarding the manner in which the private health information is to be kept private. These lengthy legalistic sections meant to ensure privacy end up making medical documents complex and incomprehensible to the patient who have to read, understand, and sign them (Glee et al, 2002). This follows that, the Privacy Act of 1974 is impacting negatively on quality and cost of medical researrch. Researchers insist that as much as legislations are passed to ensure privacy, quality, and comprehensive research works should not be compromised. The complexity of provisions in the Private Act of 1974 makes medical centers and physicians withhold medical information in an overly guarded manner due to uncertainty regarding their privacy responsibilities. To establish these responsibilities requires advanced practices and systems as well as an increase in staff time. These measures, however, do not guarantee full compliance as errors or omissions can still be made resulting into legal battles. The risk, coupled with reduced costs deters these physicians and private medical centers making them opt for complete withholding of medical information. This ends up depleting scientists the raw data on which to base their research works which in effect aggravates medical risks in the society. Additionally, due to the legal complexity in Europe and United States, several researchers have opted to base their work in the less developed nations. These nations have inadequate infrastructure to facilitate effective research; a factor that slo ws down progress. Furthermore, due to insufficient ethical guidelines, several research firms operate with near impunity; and this endangers the human subjects who are engaged in various experimentations. Current Application of Private Act of 1974 As amended, the Private Act of 1974 protects some individual records held by the federal government. The legislation covers the systems of records maintained and retrieved by an agency using a personal identifier, their routine uses, and how to address customer complaints. Presently, the protection offered by this legislation does not entirely cover private records that are not in the hands of the federal government, for example, bank account details, credit reports, and medical records. Some of these exemptions resulted following complaints that the act restricted quality while increasing costs of operation. However, some records in private hands are still protected under certain state and federal laws with the aim of safeguarding national interest, such as those enforced by the Federal trade Commission. Buy custom The Privacy Act of 1974 essay

Obstacles in the Facilitation of Critical Thinking in Nursing students Research Paper

Obstacles in the Facilitation of Critical Thinking in Nursing students in Jeddah - Research Paper Example Nursing students need to be trained and exposed adequately to the critical thinking process as part of nursing syllabi and pedagogy. A literature review of the works in the area of critical thinking has thrown up many issues. This paper examines: what Is critical thinking; critical thinking as needed in the nursing profession; strategies to facilitate critical thinking; techniques that can be used by teachers to help the students identify and challenge their assumptions and barriers to critical thinking. This paper also seeks to address the various obstacles to critical thinking process being faced by a population of nursing profession students at King Abul Aziz University in Jeddah. This is done by triangulation method deploying the quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis of the collected data. Quantitative data has been collected via a structured questionnaire administered to nursing students and qualitative data is collected from smaller subgroups of both nursing students a nd faculty. The results of the analyses are used to form findings and recommendations. Enhancing critical thinking amongst student nurses is a common concern of nursing education. At least one previous study is known which ventured into probing the strategies to overcome obstacles in the facilitation of critical thinking in nursing education (Mangena & Chabeli, 2005). The findings of this study indicated that there is a need for nurse educators to model critical thinking in all aspects of nursing education. Recommendations suggested an entire paradigm shift in nursing education from the traditional teacher-centered methods to a more learner-centered approach that will facilitate critical thinking of student nurses. Drawing from this study this research project would test the hypothesis that a paradigm shift in nursing education from the traditional teacher-centered methods to a more learner-centered approach.

Sociology - Asian-Americans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sociology - Asian-Americans - Essay Example Asia's products had reached the Americans from then on until eventually it reached Europe. Since 1565, economic trade among Asian countries and the United States was already existent. America's silver reached China, as well as lacquer in its American colonies and in Spain. Crops - corn and potatoes - from the United States had been transported to China to support its growing population passing through the Manila, Philippines. The galleon trade as well inhibited a connection between China and the Philippines such that the sailors from Manila to Acapulco remained and traveled to Spain's other colonies in other parts of America. Due to this continuous access to some parts of America, Filipinos, who were the first Asian settlers in the United States, established fishing and shrimping villages in bayous near New Orleans possibly as early as 1765, when they reached Louisiana. From then on, other Asian settlers followed after the Filipinos. "South Asians settled in port cities along the Eas tern seaboard by the 1780s, followed by the Chinese shortly thereafter, and Hawaiians negotiated the coasts and camps of California and the Pacific Northwest by the 1790s." (Okihiro, 2001) Initially, men were the initial settlers in the US. ... In 1778, at the same time when Captain James Cook came across Hawaii, Chinese sailors came in and immigrated as well. They too settled and intermarried with Hawaiian women. Some of the Chinese however reached the country along with the Koreans and Japanese as laborers to work on sugar plantations in the 19th century. Although there was still a large number of Chinese and Japanese began immigrating to the U.S. in the mid 19th century and worked as laborers on the transcontinental railroad. The surge in Asian immigration in the late 19th century had caused the "yellow peril", a term used to refer to the fear in the growing number of Asians in the country. ("Asian") The increasing tumult in the immigrants' respective countries was deemed as the main cause of such event in the American history of immigration before it even had its independence. "National independence failed to sever Asia's moorings within the world system and its circuits of capital, goods, labor, and culture, and political and economic refugees and migrant laborers still accompany products from Asia to Europe and North America as they did in the past. Since 1980, the rate of growth among Asian Americans far surpassed that of other groups, including whites, African Americans, and Latinos." (Okihiro, 2001) The United States' during the time that the Asian Americans were migrating into the country, America was at the same time facing its own economic and societal struggle. Along with the United States' capital deals with its systemic crisis of declining profits, the country seek out for cheaper labor that would live up to the government's infrastructural budgets. One way out of this crisis was to recruit and hire immigrants that were composed of