Tuesday, December 24, 2019

The Minimum Wage Must Benefit Millions Of American Workers

Aurguing essay Aodhan Bower LA period 1 3/22/15 In 1938, after many years of debate and firm opposition from the supreme court, the United States enacted the Fair Labor Standards Act, which set a 25 cent minimum wage, and a 40 hour work week for many professions, but nowadays, the minimum wage has fallen well behind the cost of living and fallen behind inflation. Forcing states to have minimum wages based on their cost of living, would put billions more dollars into the economy and significantly boost the salary of millions of people. It’s hard to talk about minimum wage without somebody saying that raising it will ruin the economy, but this is a myth, raising the minimum wage would benefit millions of American workers. according to a†¦show more content†¦In general States should have regularly increasing minimum wages based on their cost of living. But the government should mandate a federal minimum wage as well to make sure the wages are high enough, because almost everybody wants a higher minimum wage. while a measly few people still believe raising the minimum wage would damage the economy and lose jobs â€Å"a new york times poll found that 70% of american adults were in favor of an increase to 10.10.† but some people argue that this is just the uninformed population who assume that more money is better, but a survey by University of Chicago asked economists about a raise to nine dollars an hour, and forty-seven percent were in favor while just eleven percent said it was a bad idea, s o despite people arguing that economists don t believe in an increase and that they know what harm it will do, while time and time again the very same economists try to remind the public that a wage increase would, in fact, boost the economy. For people saying that it will kill small businesses, Tom Perez, a government official says, â€Å"fortunately, many businesses are turning

Monday, December 16, 2019

Irish Roman Catholic who describes (B Devlin) her school days Free Essays

Source D is form an Irish Roman Catholic who describes (B Devlin) her school days, which implies a degree of bias because her Vice Principle â€Å"mother Benignus† had her family suffer at the hands of the British. Her view on Protestants was that they were not Irish, and she even had separate views on teaching about Irish history. This source is an adaptation form b Devlin â€Å"the price of my soul, 1969†, this date indicates that this source could be primary but yet again it could be bias. We will write a custom essay sample on Irish Roman Catholic who describes (B Devlin) her school days or any similar topic only for you Order Now This source is limited in a way but still gives us sufficient evidence to show how troubles could have broken out, because Protestants and Catholics Were divided as communities and were taught in separate methods, they were also separated so when the two meet either side would contradict each other. Therefore resulting in violence. Source E is a Protestant cartoon from the nineteenth century showing â€Å"ERIN† (Ireland) bound by ropes by a Catholic Priest. This is portraying conflict between the two religions. There is a message portrayed by the cartoon and it is that Catholicism has control of Ireland. But this could be portraying the truth, as Catholicism was the main religion in Ireland. This source is limited but it helps to show how conflict between Catholics and Protestants came about. But this could also be a Propaganda Against the Catholics to try and gain support for Protestants. Source F is a map showing the Gerrymander in Derry in 1966. It is obvious that the Protestants have deliberately placed themselves at an advantage in places where they get the most votes apart from the South Ward, where Catholics had the majority. But this source is very limited, as it cannot give more information than it already holds. Source G is of Protestant images of Catholic attacks on Protestants in 1641. This could be propaganda to recruit more men into raising an army. If any thing I think the Catholics people who are being pushed around because the Protestants have the British behind them so this makes more tension added to what is building up to be the beginning of the troubles. Source H is what some People would call primary evidence that has no bias what so ever. This is true to some extent the photograph shows a civil rights marcher clearly being struck by armed officers. However the photo is limited evidence we cannot see what is outside the perimeter of the photograph or what before or after this incident to cause the RUC officers to strike the marcher. There may be a cause for it and yet it could also be a raged attack by thee RUC officers. We also learn that the police might have attacked without provocation and there is a lot of violence in the blood of both Protestant and Catholics. This source, like others can be read two ways it can show two sides to an uncomprimised story. However it is sources like these that did infact add insult to injury, in that it was probably sold to papers and both Catholics and Protestant would be outraged reading this. One side could feel disgusted that uniformed officers are acting in this way at a peaceful civil rights march. And the other side could say that the media is quick to snap a photograph of a RUC officer beating a marcher but where is the photograph showing the cause for their attack IE violent marchers or perhaps a weapon of some sort. So really this source has not helped either side prove or gain in any way but just aggravated the situation. Source I is a photograph of a violent situation where loyalist ambush civil rights marchers at Burntollet in January 1969. This picture is not very clear and does not tell us much about the ambush. As the picture is not clear you cannot tell whether there is actual violence. This piece of evidence is primary but it could be bias. There seems to be something censored in the photograph as every one is looking in the direction direction were it is censored. This source source doesn’t really help add more tension between the two sides but it does stir a little fire I think. Source c is telling us of a man who was in a pub before the incident, where Para troopers told him â€Å"they were going to clear the Bog.† Which when added to what I have read in the â€Å"Bloody Sunday† gives an idea that they had an intention to go in and fire and they were expecting trouble. Source B tells us that as time progressed so did science and so the forensic evidence was able to change for the better, as this source tells us that a lot of evidence was changed. The Para troopers used illegal weapons. I think that this source is linking with source C to say that the Para troopers were abusing Their Powers that day. Source A: Paras in bloody Sunday evidence Storm. Source A is from a newspaper report dated Friday 17th September 1999, bloody Sunday occurred 30th January 1972. There is approximately 27 years and nine months between this event and the report. Although the report is not trying to interperate the events of Bloody Sunday it does them. The report also discusses enquiries that are going on presently about bloody Sunday, again 27 years ago. This is just one example amongst many that clearly illustrates how an event so big in history is discussed even years after it occurs. Although compared to a historical event such as the battle of Hastings, Bloody Sunday is quite recent, it is perhaps this fact that makes it hard to determine what happened that day. For example we have limited source work/ evidence or exact knowledge of the battle of Hastings but for Bloody Sunday we have plentiful, which is why I guess that it makes it harder to judge what really happened. Witnesses and evidence contradict each other through bias in their stories and the sides that they take. Photographic evidence can be read two ways as can scientific and again this will be perceived through the side that you take. It is the evidence that contradicts itself and other hard facts. It is because the evidence can be read in two ways that it has produced so many interpretations and will continue to do so throughout time. Looking at Bloody Sunday is a bit like analyzing the color red. Depending on the perceiver’s personality or current state of mind red can be viewed in many different ways. It can show passion, aggression, rage, danger, royalty, love, authority or hate. Neither of the above are correct and neither are incorrect but we can all agree that if there is an underlying emotion that we associate with something visual i.e the color red, it will be enhanced once the two meet. It is in the same way that we may view the events of Bloody Sunday. There is underlying emotions within people concerning that day and these can be brought to light by different factors. Depending on what it is that the person involved has connected as a visual stimulant different things will arouse different emotions. How to cite Irish Roman Catholic who describes (B Devlin) her school days, Papers

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Management and Organizations in Global Environment Globalization

Questions: 1.What would be some of the key drawbacks or risks of living in the flat world of globalization 3.0 as Friedman describes it?2.Do you agree with Friedmans iron rule of the flat world? Explain3.Is the level of globalization uniform across the world? Explain4.Has your view on globalization changed after listening to Professor Ghemawat? Explain5.Consider where you have seen the fears that people have about globalization. Do you think these fears may subside with some data points that may suggest otherwise? Answers: 1.There are several significant risks or drawbacks of living in the flat world of globalization as described by Friedman. The first drawback is that the flat world theory could result in executives misinterpreting the trends as observed from their businesses, which can, in turn, lead to them making strategic errors that are potentially serious (Friedman 2006, p. 7). Secondly, failure to follow a strategy that is aggressively localized; for instance, multinational firms executives mostly choose to wait out when it comes to emerging markets such as India and China (Wade 2004, p.570). The executives hold on to the wrong notion of the supply and demand sides flattening and converging with markets that are to develop soon. For instance, they may hold on to the belief that the retail environment in China will quickly merge, and as a result, fail to make their investments in local distribution channels that are today more appropriate for market conditions. However, such mergers have fewer c hances of taking place within any planning horizon deemed to be reasonable. Consequently, it could lead to missed opportunities in terms of profit and result to multinationals failing to check the competitors in advance from the markets that are emerging until it is already late (Schmuckler2004). 2. I disagree with Friedmans iron rule of the flat world. Quite to the contrary, the world is quite far from flat, and particularly in numerous industries where the curvature is to be retained for a while longer. As such, executives ought to be careful not to rely on Friedmans theory that is just superficial and flawed. Alternatively, they should adopt an analytical approach for the evaluation of the flatness of their world, both presently and in the future(Jullens 2013). In his book, The World Is Flat, Friedman has for the most part gathered personal anecdotes and observations to support his thesis. As a matter of fact, Friedmans thesis on the flatteners as he calls them, are categorized into 10 different structural changes that include supply chaining, offshoring, and outsourcing. In addition, he continues to write on two trends that he considers as being significant: the addition of consumers from India and China to the international marketplace who in number are as many as 3 billion and the adoption of business processes that are more collaborative. Friedman refers to this as the triple convergence through which he indicates to flattening the world within the past three or two decades and as a result eternally changed the game rules. 3. The level of globalization is not uniform across the world. Globalisation can be defined as the ways through which different countries all over the world can be integrated through political connections, business, and trade. Presently, most, if not all countries use technologically developed systems to communicate with other countries. As a result, communication becomes critical in the movement of countries sharing a connection towards globalisation. For instance, the United States outsources several jobs and contracts to countries such as Ireland, China, Mexico, Canada, Philippines, Russia, and India. The United States outsources to such nations because they can be able to save quite a lot given that most of these nations may provide cheap labor mostly because they have no laws against minimum wages. Because of lack of such laws, the level of globalisation can be observed as being uneven (Mourdoukoutas2011). However, in the case where there would be certain goals and laws set for globalization such as the liberal exchange of services, goods, thoughts, and labor, then there would be a chance of uniformity across the world. Therefore, since this is not the case, globalization can differ depending on several variables such as investments, trade flows, labor flows, and financial flows to mention the least(Mourdoukoutas 2011). Although it may appear like we are the inhabitants of a world that knows no boundaries and as such share goods, ideas, and people can freely move from one country to the other, the level of globalization is not uniform across the world. 4. Pankaj Ghemawat on Globalization After listening to Professor Ghemawat, it is clear that the world is not as globalized as most people think, it is, in fact, semi-globalised (Ted Live 2012). Across all borders, there are varying things that happen, and that ought to be looked at both domestically and at the cross-border then taken as a total percentage(Walters 2012). According to Professor Ghemawats talk on Ted Live (2012), acknowledging the facts as they truly are, we can be able to understand that there is room for improvement in terms of additional gains. Therefore, accuracy on the critical levels of limited globalisation is essential in identifying room for the contribution of additional welfare in globalisation. 5. Considering that overstatements are very significant since they are what causes fear in people as far as globalisation is concerned, they ought to be prevented. For instance, in a case where the citizens of France think that immigrants amount to a total of 24% of their entire population yet 8% is the actual figure. Perhaps the realization of the actual figure instead of the overstated figure can help to reduce the tension on a number of the people who are seen lingering around the issues of immigration (Walters2012). Therefore, I think that the fears people have about globalization may subside with some of the data points suggesting otherwise. Professor Ghemawat gives an example of immigrants and the way they are known to foster trade between their home country and the country they have migrated to. In such a case, GDP can be expected to go as high as 10%, although it would also be overlooking the fact that a number of people think it to be more of a controversy. Taking this into consideration, each year, globalization may grow by 10% compared to the previous year, though there is an idea as well of the economy growing even faster(Upennedu 2012). Conclusion In conclusion, the level of globalization is not standardized across the world. Globalisation is the approach through which different countries all over the world are integrated through business and trade. Currently, not all countries use technologically developed systems to communicate with other countries. Bibliography Friedman, T.L., 2006.The world is flat: The globalized world in the twenty-first century(pp. 3-543). London: Penguin. Jullens, J.2013.Strategy business.[Online].[8 April 2017].Available from: https://www.strategy-business.com/article/00190?gko=403fb Mourdoukoutas, P.2011.Forbescom.[Online].[8 April 2017].Available from: https://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcome/?toURL=https://www.forbes.com/sites/panosmourdoukoutas/2011/09/10/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-side-of-globalization/ Walters , H.2012.Globalization and Globaloney: Pankaj Ghemawat at TEDGlobal 2012.June 27, 2012.Global Issues.[Online].[8 April 2017].Available from: https://blog.ted.com/globalization-and-globaloney-pankaj-ghemawat-at-tedglobal-2012/ Schmuckler, S., 2004. Benefits and Risks of Globalization: Challenges for Developing Countries. TED.2012.Ted Live.June, 17:00 Upennedu.2012.Knowledge@Wharton.[Online].[8 April 2017].Available from: https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/not-that-flat-pankaj-ghemawat-challenges-globalizations-adherents/ Wade, R.H., 2004. Is globalization reducing poverty and inequality?.World development,32(4), pp.567-589.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Mother Love In Infancy Is As Important For Mental Health As Are Vitami

Mother Love In Infancy Is As Important For Mental Health As Are Vitamins And Proteins For Physical Health. (Bowlby, 1951) Discuss. During the 1930s and 1940s John Bowlby, considered one of the most influential child psychiatrics, worked at a clinic for mentally disturbed adolescents. It was in this context that, between 1936 and 1939, he conducted a research on the case history of 44 patients, among whom a few had been convicted for various minor crimes, particularly for theft. The outcome of his research revealed that that 17 of them had been separated from their mother for more than six months, before the age of five. From a later similar research on other 44 adolescents mentally disturbed but with no criminal tendency, emerged that only two had been deprived of the mother's care. Basing on these observations Bowlby concluded that maternal deprivation contributes to delinquency. His scientific publication entitled 44 Juvenile Thieves, gives an accurate explanation on how he reached his conclusion. He seems to have overlooked several other variables which could have well explained this criminal tendency, including the reasons of the separation in the first place. Despite the relevance of his research it appears that, only 40 per cent of a small sample of just 44 subjects deprived of their mother's care sometime in the childhood, had manifested deviant behaviours. Moreover, it has to be taken into account the environment in which these children were somehow reared. The pre-war economic depression could have well been a dominant factor in shaping their personality. Another relevant research was carried out by William Goldfarb during the 1940s. He studied two groups of 15 orphans in New York matched for sex, age and social background of their deceased parents. Goldfarb visited these two groups four times, at the age of three, six, eight and twelve, measuring their progress, language skills and ability to form relationships. He reported that the children adopted earlier did far better than the children who had spent more time within the orphanage walls. This practically was the kind of evidence highlighted by Bowlby in terms of early deprivation of mother's care. Again, from this longitudinal study, other conclusions can be drawn. For instance, being almost impossible to measure babies' intelligence, there is no evidence of the pre-existing capacities of these two groups sample. The fact that some of them had been chosen for adoption rather than others, could mean that they were already more intelligent or lively or inclined to form relationships easier. In opposition to Bowlby's theories there are equally relevant studies. Ann and Alan Clarke's observation on six war orphans for example, consistently challenge the point of view that early deprivation permanently affects child development. This case history sees six one-year-old children confined into a concentration camp, soon after their fathers died in World War Two. Although the conditions were severely proving, lack of food, scarce attention and not to mention that occasional strangers were rearing them, these children seemed to be fairly close to each other. They would cope with daily problems almost independently and turn to adults only when they effectively needed something. The six children eventually learned to speak with no apparent difficulty and started to form solid relationships with adults, though they remained close to each other. This form of attachment, despite of the under-stimulating rearing environment, shows that children can ?survive? without mothers. Another example of challenging theories comes from Czech researcher Jarmila Koluchova. In 1972 she reported the case of two 12-year-old twins who had suffered severe deprivation. Their mother died shortly after they were born at the age of one and they were taken to the hospital and found normal and healthy infants. The father remarried and their new stepmother turned to be cruel and insensitive towards them, inflicting severe physical punishments. Many other factors had also worsened their growing. The father was for most of the time absent from home because of his job and the economic condition of the family was far below the average low-working class's. At the age of seven the twins were finally examined and found physically and mentally retarded. Numerous scars and bruises covered their bodies and the lack of nutrition and vitamins resulted in a major bone disease. They could not walk straight and their coordination was very

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Biography of Carol Watson Essay Example

Biography of Carol Watson Essay Example Biography of Carol Watson Essay Biography of Carol Watson Essay Carols earliest memories were of living in prefab houses in Gilmerton, 1956. She was around four years old at this time, and she recalls how every night she would sit and wait for her father my grandfather coming home from work on his pedal bike at tea time. If it was a Friday, she would get her pocket money. She would get thru pence and her brother Billy would get sixpence as he was four years older. Her cousin Annie lived next door and they played together a lot and were always exchanging clothes. She and Annie were always getting into scraps. Perhaps the one that sticks out in her mind is when her mother told them not to play with the Arthur children as one of them had head lice, they asked to play and Carol said: no, my mum wont let me because you have nits in your hair. Of course they went and told their mum what Carol had said to them, and the next thing she knew her mum and Mrs. Arthur were yelling at each other over rows of washing lines in the back gardens. Later in the ye ar on a summer morning they moved into a flat. It was 10 storeys high and they moved into the 6th floor. She remembers that it had a balcony, and whenever she was hungry she yelled up to her mum who would wrap up a sandwich and throw it off the balcony for her to catch. Also if she wanted to go inside she would shout up for her mum to send the lift down. The flat had two bedrooms and under floor heating. Her brother Billy and she shared a bunk bed, she said it was a novelty at first but Billy always moved around on the top bunk and kept her awake so we took turns instead. She started school at a place called Pennywell, and soon made friends with a girl called Isobel, and Billy with Isobels brother, Graham. They lived on the 9th floor of the same set of flats. Her teacher was a woman called Miss Clarkson. She was very strict and every day she made the children place their snacks in her desk for them to re collect at the bell. One afternoon Miss Clarkson asked Carol if any were hers, she knew they werent, however they looked too good and she gave into the temptation and took the chews! Th e boy who they belonged too was upset and Carol was smacked for being dishonest. She didnt think she deserved it at the time and spent most of the day crying which displeased Miss Clarkson. A couple of years passed and they had settled into their new life though her brother Bill got into fights with Graham from upstairs, though Billy never hit him back. she said. She told her dad who then told Bill to hit him back to stop the bullying. One day Billy did hit Graham back and bloodied his nose; next thing she recalled there was a knock on the door and there was Graham with his dad, who was shouting and saying: look what Billy has done to my son Carols dad shouted on Billy and asked if this was true, and he replied yes. Her dad gave Billy a shilling and said: well done for standing up for yourself. She recalls how Grahams dad was not a happy man. Carols dad explained what Graham had been doing to Billy and said maybe hed think twice about doing it again, and then slammed the door. Billy never got any more bother from Graham after that. Carol recalls how the school she was at was an old school; they had big old desks that sat 4 people at a desk. Carol remembers how if one of them wanted something from their desk all four of had to take their arms off the desk to open the big lids. A new school was built when Carol was about eight years old. She lived in a good community and had good friends, and she really enjoyed her childhood. A few years later (1964) she moved into Craig Royston High School, and experienced being a teenager in the 60s A few of my favourite bands were The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. Its where she met her life long friend Gina Graham. By this time her brother Billy was at another High School Ainslie Park. They moved into a 5 bedroom house as she now had two younger sisters, Denise my mother and Frances. The summers now seemed longer and hotter than when she was younger. She met her first boyfriend at High School, his name was John and they were together for almost two years. She dropped out of Hig h School at 14 years old as did her boyfriend John. They broke up because he wanted to travel the world and she didnt want to leave home. She was devastated for months until she met another man called David. They started seeing each other and their relationship progressed quickly: At 16 I was pregnant she declared. Her father was old fashioned and insisted that they married although neither wanted to be. David became possessive over her and hit her if he suspected her of being with another man. He became involved in drugs and drink after her first child Mark was born and was always off his face when he got in at night, he would throw things at her and beat her until she passed out not matter how much she screamed and pleaded The more I screamed the more he hit me, I learnt very quickly to shut up. I used to wish someone would hear me and rescue me but no one ever came Carol couldnt get out of this marriage and her family had no idea what was going on. She remembers that I wasnt able to eat because I was sick with fear, I didnt know what would happen to me or Mark if I did- her weight dropped to 5 and a half stone. One day her younger sister Denise went to visit her and David. My mum said she looked completely emaciated. She was covered in bruises and tried to turn her face away. Denise was horrified and asked what was happening and Carol burst into tears and told her everything. About a week later Carol told David she was going with her sister to the station and that shed b e back shortly. In reality she was planning to run away with her son and start a new life. Unfortunately when they were going to get on the train Mark started screaming and did not want to leave, he ran off the train and they both had to go back to David. Denise cried the whole bus journey home and didnt know what to do. Denise told Billy, what had happened, and Billy went round and beat David up, he told him: if you ever touch my little sister again Ill be back round. That night when Carol got home David gave her the beating of her life, and she couldnt walk for days. Billy was worried and told his father, who then helped Carol get out of her marriage and she took full custody of her child Mark. A new life: Carol got a new house in England, far away from David, and a new job working for the Orange phone company. She regained a healthy weight and her brother Billy also moved down to England with his new wife Ina. They live in the same street now. One afternoon when she was working at Orange, a window cleaner was outside. She recognized him immediately. It was John, her first boyfriend from High School. He also recognized her and lots of hugs and tears were shared. Later on in the year they married and had a child together, he was named Keith. Revisiting the past: One evening when Carol was in Sainsburys she saw Davids sister. She came over and said hello. Carol was shocked as she had tried to forget that period of her life and she started to panic and thought that David might be there. However, Davids sister told Carol he died three years previously from a heroin overdose in a flat on his own. She felt guilty but also relieved. For once she could be completely at ease and has never been happier. She has her own family with John, a good job and family nearby.

Friday, November 22, 2019

How to Become a Cyber-Investigator

How to Become a Cyber-Investigator Cybercrime is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the country, and the need for computer forensics is growing right along with it. Knowledgeable computer professionals who are interested in becoming cybercrime investigators and earning a computer forensics certification have several certification and training problems from which to choose. Some are available only to law enforcement officers, while some are suitable for computer professionals new to the cybercrime field. Computer Forensics Certification Programs FBI Cyber Investigator Certification: The FBI offers a CICP certification to law enforcement first responders. Designed to reduce errors by strengthening the investigative skills specific to cybercrime, this course  increases first responders technical knowledge. The 6 hour course is available online to all federal, state and local first responders.McAfee Institute Certified Cyber Intelligence Professional: The McAfee Institutes CCIP 50-hour online and self-study class covers how to identify persons of interest, conduct timely cyber investigations and prosecute cybercriminals. Classes cover cyber investigations, mobile and digital forensics, e-commerce fraud, hacking, intelligence gathering, and legal fundamentals. This certification was developed in conjunction with the Dept. of Homeland Securitys National Cyber-Security Workforce Framework. Prerequisites: Education requirements and experience in investigations, IT, fraud, law enforcement, forensics, and other topics are listed at the website. EnCE  Certified Examiner Program: The EnCase Certified Examiner Program offers certifications for cybersecurity professionals who want to advance in their specialized fields and who have mastered Guidance Softwares computer forensics software. The certification is recognized by law enforcement agencies and corporate professionals. Prerequisites: 64 hours of authorized computer forensic training (online or classroom) or 12 months work in computer forensics.GIAC Certified Forensics Analyst: The GCFA certification deals directly with incident  scenarios, computer security and forensic investigations of networks. This is useful not only for law enforcement but for corporate incident response teams as well. There are no prerequisites for the certification, but the candidate should have a strong working knowledge of the topic before taking the 3-hour proctored exam. Topics covered in the exam are listed on the website.Q/FE Qualified Forensics Expert: Not so much a traditional certifica tion as a Cyber Security Certificate of Mastery, this Qualified Forensics Expert training from Virginia-based Security University delivers an in-depth training class with an exam and certificate at the end. The materials included prepare participants to find the cause of attack, compile evidence and handle corporate repercussions. Prerequisite: Knowledge of TCPIP protocols. IACIS  CFCE: If you are an active law enforcement officer, the International Associate of Computer Investigative Specialists offers Certified Forensic Computer Examiner. Candidates must be familiar with the IACIS core competencies required for the course, which are listed on the website. The course is intense and takes place in two phases- the peer review phase and the certification phase- over a period of weeks or months.ISFCE  Certified Computer Examiner: Youll get a full dose of the technical side of data recovery and handling, but this certification stresses the importance of following sound evidence handling and storage procedures and following sound examination procedures. Self-study materials are available on the International Society of Forensic Computer Examiners website. The CCE is earned exclusively through online courses.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Assumptions based on the influences of friends, family, and community Essay

Assumptions based on the influences of friends, family, and community - Essay Example In the tiny village of Lansquenet (in â€Å"Chocolat†) the villagers are appalled that Vianne has opened a chocolate shop and has disregard for the social expectations that Lent imposes. Rather than simply ignoring the chocolate shop and Vianne and Anouk and carrying on with their own beliefs, the town is outraged and ostracizes Vianne for not going along with their tradition of suffering and deprivation. The chocolate store is disturbing to them because they want to have fun too but don’t want to admit it. Their first reaction is to ostracize them and point to them as being bad. This makes them feel better about staying stuck. However it forces the villagers to question why they are suffering, what would actually happen if they broke tradition, where did these rules come from (not from inside) and what is life for but to enjoy, why carry the burden of the past. It takes a few stronger villagers to stand against tradition, after which the whole village feels safe to als o follow its desires. In Sula, society both dislikes and needs Bottom as a community. It needs a place to look down on, it needs people to point to and say they are bad, in order to make them feel good. They needed Sula in order to unite together over something. They could all unite in their values and point at her together to say she was bad. When she leaves, they lack a cause to unify them and it is because deep inside the people of the community are not truly fulfilled by the trappings of their own structure and tradition. However when Sula comes back they find their common mission again. The community’s stability and rigidity keep everyone stuck. In â€Å"Bet Me†, Min is very much influenced by her family upbringing. She is trapped, feeling as though she is only mediocre and that good-looking flashy people are selfish and would never give her the time of day except in passing and would soon get bored and unceremoniously abandon her. The story demonstrates how this is self-fulfilling too, in the recount of her first relationship which ends badly. Not surprisingly, when Min meets Cal, especially under the circumstances, she makes assumptions right from the beginning, and actually sets herself up for the same thing to happen again – she does not treat him right because she already believes he won’t treat her right. Had Cal not been tied into a bet, he would have not even persevered and would not have found out who Min really was. Min also would not have wasted her time on Cal but for her own need for a date to her sister’s wedding. These unusual circumstances where they were tied to each other by their own selfish needs, kept them together long enough to realize their perceptions of each other had been wrong and had been borne out of the in-bred perceptions offered by others. They start to like each other. Min learns to see beyond Cal’s good looks and finds a truly caring person. In â€Å"Sula†, the families of Nel and Sula are contrasted. Nel’s stable, rigid family of tradition and structure dictate to her what is right and wrong, and compel her to live the life of the straight and narrow. Sula has a very unconventional life with her mother and grandmother and several boarders, she is free from any conventions of society. Nel grows up in a trapped box of limits and Sula is