12 Reaction Essay Topics on Social Stratification

12 Reaction Essay Topics on Social Stratification If you are writing a reaction paper on the topic of social stratification, consider the facts listed below: Social stratification refers to the categorization of people based upon occupation, income, wealth, social status, and power derived from social and political means. Stratification is the relative social position of people within different categories, different social units, or different geographic regions. In modern society the use of social stratification has distinguished people into one of three classes. The first is the upper-class, followed by the middle class, followed by the lower class. All three of these classes are subdivided further into the upper part of the upper class, the lower part of the upper class, the upper part of the middle class, the lower part of the middle class, the upper part of the lower class, and the lower part of the lower class. In addition to this Western society divides people socially on the basis of kinship. The categorization of people based on social standing ranges from complex categories state-based societies all the way to tribal societies based upon classes of nobility and peasants.   Historically hunter-gatherer societies were not socially stratified but rather, stratification started with agriculture when social exchange became commonplace. The structures which create social stratification come from inequalities between individuals and the degree of social inequality is what determines the stratum.   The greater social complexity there is for a particular society, the more social strata exists. Social stratification has been used within social science to describe the relative position of an individual or a group of people within a social group, within a specific category, within a geographical region, or within a social unit. The word derives from Latin and refers to the categorization of people based on socioeconomic tiers.   The divide between different people is based upon aspects such as income, occupation, power, social status, and wealth. The concept of social stratification has been interpreted differently within the social sciences. Within the field of Sociology those who support Action Theory suggest that social stratification can be found in all developed societies but those who support dominance hierarchy state that it is necessary in a developed Society in order to maintain stability and order. Conflict theories like that of Marxism focus on the inaccessibility of resources and therefore the complete lack of social Mobility which can be found in any society divided on strata. Sociological theorists have criticized modern strata, particularly the socio-economic divide, between the wealthy and lower classes, with a great deal of emphasis placed on the diminishing middle class and the ability of the wealthy to hold political power used to exploiting the laboring classes. Some sociologists maintain that social order and stability in Western societies is regulated by Universal values. These values are not necessarily identical with a consensus but they are the foundation which serves to ignite social conflict throughout history. In fact, societies with larger middle classes have more educated workforces and have more technology-based economies. Some proponents of Dependency Theory state that globalization has influenced the status of third-world individuals. There are four key principles which underlie social stratification. The first principle is that social stratification is defined as the property of a society and not individuals in a society. The second is that such stratification can be reproduced from one generation to the next. The third underlying principle is that social stratification can be found in each society but it differs based on time and place to some degree.   The fourth underlying principle is that social stratification does not simply cover quantitative inequality with regard to wealth but also quantitative beliefs and different attitudes about social status. Social stratification is not found only in complex societies even though all complex societies do have some proponents and features of stratification. In more complex societies the total amount of valued goods is not distributed equally. Instead, those families to our privilege will enjoy a higher amount of valued resources, power, and income. In some cases the term stratification system refers to the social relationships observed in such inequalities. The key components to a stratification system include a social process which defines those goods which have value and desire, create the rules for allocating those goods two different positions among the division of labor, and social mobility exist as a link between individuals and different positions they assume. Social Mobility refers to the movement of social groups, people, or individuals between different strata. This movement can take place within one generation or it can take place between two or more generations. Social mobility is intended to classify various systems of social stratification. Systems which are allow for more mobility between the different strata with value placed upon the achieved status of each individual. Societies which have mobility within a single generation are considered to be the most open of social systems with the highest level of flexibility. Systems which have limited or no mobility even across two or more generations are considered closed stratification systems. In India, for example, the caste system places individuals within a particular social strata from birth and do not allow mobility across multiple generations. There are different theories of stratification historically speaking. Karl Marx founded Marxist theory which divides the economy into two main sections and follows the relationship between the employer and the employee. This theory focuses on how social class is determined by the relationship an individual has to production. Another theory of stratification was created by Max Weber. Max Weber was influenced by the ideas of Karl Marx but rejected communism as it related to social stratification. He is well-known for his three component theory of stratification which divides people into four main social classes including the upper class, white collar workers, the petite bourgeoisie, and the working class.   This particular theory is the one which most closely resembles modern Western class structure. We hope you enjoyed these facts on social stratification for a reaction paper. Take a look at our 10 selected sub-topics on the subject as well as instructive guide that will provide a high value to you. References: Behtoui, Alireza. Social Capital And Stratification Of Young People.  SI  1.1 (2013): 46. Web. Birkelund, Gunn Elisabeth. Welfare States And Social Inequality: Key Issues In Contemporary Cross-National Research On Social Stratification And Mobility.  Research in Social Stratification and Mobility  24.4 (2006): 333-351. Web. Bottero, Wendy.  Stratification. London: Routledge, 2005. Print. Chan, Kwok B et al.  Social Stratification In Chinese Societies. Leiden: Brill, 2009. Print. Esping-Andersen, Gà ¸sta. UNTYING THE GORDIAN KNOT OF SOCIAL INHERITANCE. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility  21 (2004): 115-138. Web. Littlejohn, James.  Social Stratification. London: Allen and Unwin, 1972. Print. Owen, Carol.  Social Stratification. London: Routledge K. Paul, 1968. Print. Schubert, Frank and Rolf Becker. Social Inequality Of Reading Literacy.  Research in Social Stratification and Mobility  28.1 (2010): 109-133. Web. Woelfel, Joseph and Monica Murero. SPACES AND NETWORKS: CONCEPTS FOR SOCIAL STRATIFICATION.  Research in Social Stratification and Mobility  22 (2004): 57-71. Web.

Economic Ramifications of Stringent Tort Laws

Economic Ramifications of Stringent Tort Laws Part 1. Executive SummaryWe look at the progressive stringent interpretation of tort laws. We observe the starvation of the economic engines and commanding heights of the economy. This effect is all the more evident in tobacco, pharmaceutical and automobile industries in the US. This has resulted in stifled innovation and risk averse behavior on the part of industries in these sectors. We draw parallels from history, where we look at the evolution of tort law, with the beginning of the industrial revolution, and how it has maintained a harmony between the capitalist, the worker and the consumer. The history in this field had gone through the successive processes of integration and disintegration, and at this point it was going through a process of reintegration along new lines. The conflict between the justice culture and the market culture underlies our tort wars.The precarious balance between the capitalist, worker and consumer is currently being threatened by excessive damages awa rded by courts in various cases.Strawberry TortAdditionally, courts fail to take into account the resources available at the disposal of the defendant, while awarding damages; resulting in large-scale bankruptcies. This could lead to a vicious cycle of bankruptcies of industrial and financial institutions, resulting in economic catastrophe. We specifically study the impact of these fallouts on the medical insurance industry.We see a breakdown of law in this case, and propose that law has overstepped its boundaries and threatens to destroy the very society it seeks to protect. Unless this situation is urgently rectified, we predict a breakdown of free market capitalism and its benefits of freedom of expression and action.Part 2. Introduction?The life of the law has not been logic: it has been experience?The objective of the project is to look at the Economic Ramifications of the circumvention...

Explore the importance of the WTO for international business Essay

Explore the importance of the WTO for international business - Essay Example The World Trade Organization (WTO) is a modern international association constructed as an enduring body. It is meant to perform the role of a regulator in the scopes of exchange in goods, exchange in services, external investment, and academic property among others. This essay will present the importance of the WTO for international business. WTO and its importance for international business During the late 1990s, a lot of the disputes over globalization concentrated on the World Trade Organization. The WTO was started in 1995 to ease international trade and solve disputes between countries. Geneva was its headquarters, and it had 135 member countries by 1999, majority was developing countries. According to Simmons (2005: 45) the organization helps the developing nations’ interests by easing trade development, providing a system for settling quarrels, reinforcing the integrity of trade changes, and endorsing clear trade systems that lower operation costs. After it was started , the WTO turned out to be a lightning pole for disagreement over globalization (The WTO after Cancun, 2003: 98). The WTO is a compassionate United Nations of Commerce, with enough implementation powers to support countries work out their dissimilarities (Bates, 2007: 76). However to some the WTO is a terrorizing, trade controlled world management of trade in which the statutory body and the law court operate separate the analysis of anyone who is not a regime leader or business lawyer (Morrison, 2009: 67). From this perspective, the organization's influence to arbitrate trade quarrels also provides it the power to dominate national laws, as well as environmental safeties. In that, it entails the independence of its member countries (Correa, 2000: 44). The Doha was the modern trade negotiations between the WTO members (Laeven, 2000: 78). Its purpose was to attain major improvement of the worldwide trading method through the institution of lower tariffs, free services, and trade faci litation. It is also recognized as semi-officially, and the Doha Development Agenda as a central objective is to advance the trading outlooks of developing states (EUROPA-Rapid-Press, 2006). More on Doha is going to be covered later on in the essay. The World Trade Organization was developed because of negations between parties in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) formed at the end of the Second World War. The GATT was developed in 1947 to govern the post-second world war (Caroline, 2004:77). The International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United Nations, and World Bank were also developed in the years of 1944-1945, as the international leaders believed that the international institutions were capable of assisting the economic and social disasters during that time. The institutions would also prevent the global climate from worsening to the point of conflict (Caroline, 2004:77).The organization of the WTO is governed by its supreme authority, and the Legislative Conferenc e, which constitutes of all the WTO members. They meet at least twice a year and can make decisions on all issues concerning the joint trade treaties (Biadgleng, 2008: 45). The task of WTO in worldwide trade as specified in the Agreement incorporates: Aiding the application, administer allowance and procedure and promoting the objectives of the accord creating it and other Mutual Trade Unions and specifying the framework for the application

Critical Analysis of Tourism Websites Assignment

Critical Analysis of Tourism Websites - Assignment Example With that said, I found the official tourist website for Greece and took a look around. The website is mediocre and the web designer must have used a strange layout code because mousing around causes weird changes to the layout. The header has four tabs: Home, Site Map, Newsletter Subscribe, and Contact. The homepage itself offers additional tabs: Greece (which expands to include links to History, Civilisation[sic], Geography, General Info, and Before You Travel), Explore (which expands to include links to Destinations, Culture, Sea, Nature, and Religion), Enjoy (which expands to include links to Activities, Leisure, Touring, and Gastronomy), Specials (which expands to include links to You in Greece, Downloads, and Newsletters), and GNTO (which expands to include links to About Us, Business Newsletter, Links, and Competitions). There is so much information, at first the website can seem a bit daunting. There are all kinds of related links, a plethora of historical information, most w ith links to outside websites that offer tourist trips, and an events calendar (though it didn’t seem to be functioning on the several visits I made to the website). Most notably, the website offers a large column of social networks that they hope you â€Å"like† them on—which seemed distracting, actually. I came to the site to learn more about Greece, not worry about their Google +1 or Twitter status. The website does include some photos of Greece and its monuments, though I was severely disappointed in quality, number, and size. Essentially, this website looked like they took their â€Å"Travel Greece† brochures and turned them into a website. Nothing special, too many choices that lead to the same places, and a distracting layout that makes choosing a tab to visit next confusing. Most frustrating, is that getting into the culture of Greece is nearly impossible, simply from the lack of visual evidence. Over and over I second-guessed this choice as the m ain tourism website for Greece, but GTNO stands for Greek National Tourism Organisation[sic], which is supervised by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Overall, if I hadn’t seen Greece in movies and literature previously, I wouldn’t want to visit there if this were the only site available. The lack of visual evidence is frustrating, and though they offer a large amount of historical information about the cities and monuments, the information is not, ironically, very informative. At just about every opportunity, the website links you away from the main site to give the real information. From this tourism website, I’ve gotten a sick feeling about Greece. I’ll keep it as my destination because I believe the country is far more beautiful than the tourist site lets on, but I was highly disappointed because it seems—at least it should be this way—that the main tourism site’s only function is to attract tourists and visitors to their landm arks. Nightmare Excursion: Israel Sure, it may be the fount of the world’s oldest and most prominent holy site; but it’s guaranteed to be wrought with civil war and unfathomable dangers to the average tourist. With that said, I took a gander at Israel’s official tourism site which bears the promise, â€Å"Israel: Come find the Israel in You.† The Ministry of Tourism’s site is actually quite impressive, not at all what I expected. Obviously, their website wouldn’t be openly promoting their thousand-year-old holy wars, but the aesthetic was far more pleasing than imagined.

Literature Review Saudi Stock Market Research Paper - 1

Literature Review Saudi Stock Market - Research Paper Example In most cases, this volatility is caused by unavoidable risks. It is therefore not surprising that any investor would want to anticipate the amount of unavoidable risks they are exposed to. As such, the Saudi Arabian stock market has been of great interest to economic researchers. Factors that affect volatility will also be referred to as market influencers in this paper. Studying market influencers will promote the market as a viable opportunity to external investors and globalize the securities for better market performance. This means market stability (Ibp Usa & USA International Business Publications, 2005). Despite being exposed to major turbulent and market-moving events, the Saudi Arabian stock market has shown tremendous improvements. A reflection of this can be seen in the share price movements and the flourishing economy. The peak of this performance was in February 2006, but this was affected by the severe global and economic downturn in the late 2008. Another factor that fuelled this backdrop was the unprecedented unrest in the Middle East during almost the same period. The market has however shown improvements in the past several years to become one of the best in the region. In an attempt to study the market stability and progression of the Saudi Arabian stock market, several researches were done. While some research has focused on the quantitative and qualitative data, others have focused on external influences and comparisons made against stock markets in a bid to explain the performance of the Saudi Arabian stock market. Stock market indexes of specific companies in that country are used for purposes of this study. Consequential studies have unearthed that the Saudi Arabian stock market has distinct and clear cut differences with other markets. Firstly, the shares are traded through commercial banks. Secondly is the absence of bourse makers and thirdly is the liquid characteristic of the market (Mohamed, 2010). Both

Pramoedya ananta toer, his life and his literary achievements

Pramoedya ananta toer, his life and his literary achievements Chapter 2: Pramoedya Ananta Toer, his life and his literary achievements The account of Pramoedya Ananta Toers life and literary achievements, and the summary of his novel Bumi Manusia are mostly based on A. Teuuws book Citra Manusia Indonesia dalam Karya Sastra: Pramoedya Ananta Toer (1997:1-55), Schultz and Felters article, History, Education, and Nationalism in Pramoedya Toers Buru Quartet (2002), Dwi Elyonos unpublished dissertation of the Australian National University Harry Avelings and Willem Samuels Translations of Pramoedya Ananta Toers Novel Gadis Pantai: A Study of the factors, purposes, methods and effects of literary translation(2006:34-40), and two journal articles by GoGwilt entitled Pramoedyas Fiction and History: An Interview With Indonesian Novelist Pramoedya Ananta Toer (1996) and The Vanishing Genre of the Nyai Narrative: Reading Genealogies of English and Indonesian Modernism (2007). 2.1 The Literary Achievements of Pramoedya Ananta Toer Pramoedya Ananta Toer (6 February 1925-30 April 2006) was a leading Indonesian writer who was internationally renowned for his literary works which dwell on themes of social justice and humanity. He had written more than fifty novels, short stories, essays, social critiques and histories of which the majority have been translated into over 36 languages. He had collected more than a dozen international awards and had been frequently nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature since 1981. He was also an important figure in Indonesian literature, â€Å"an exponent of ‘universal humanism, the liberal and individualistic cultural ideology of the loose association of writers, artists and intellectuals often referred to as the ‘Gelanggang group or the ‘Angkatan 45, the generation of the revolution† (as cited in Foulcher, 2008:1). The exceptional quality of Pramoedyas novels lies in his power as a storyteller to re-create the historical scene for the present audience. In a statement by the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, Pramoedyas novels â€Å"[illuminate] with brilliant stories the historical awakening and modern experience of the Indonesian people† (as quoted in a book entitled Polemik Hadiah Magsaysay, 1997:212-13). In Pramoedyas interview with GoGwilt about the English translation of the Buru tetralogy, he emphasized the importance of historical settings in his novels as well as the complex relation between history and personal biography (GoGwilt, 1996). Considering the historical scope of his work, his novels are also regarded as a typical example of post-colonial literature in South East Asia. One particular characteristic of this literature is the actual historical setting, which describes the diverse culture and language environment and its role in creating social difference within zones of c olonial contact (cf.see Niekerk, 2003 and Errington, 2008). Pramoedya was often compared to many great authors of the Western literature Camus, Tolstoy and Gorky, to name a few. The historical scope of his novels suggests an affinity with the great historical novels of nineteenth-century Europe, particularly in the context of socialist-realism in literature, in terms of narrative style and content. The story deals with themes of universal humanism such as freedom of expression, power struggle, racism and social injustice (see Kurniawan, 1999; GoGwilt, 1996). In general, Pramoedyas novels and short stories cover four different periods, spanning the period of Singasari and Majapahit kingdoms (1300-1600) (e.g. Arok Dedesand Arus Balik), the pre-independence period under the Dutch colonial rule at the end of 19th century (e.g. Buru Quartet, The Fugitive), the the Japanese occupation period under the Japanese in Indonesia during WWII (e.g. Perawan Remaja dalam Cengkeraman Militer), and the post-independence period of Soekarnos (e.g. Corruption,The History of the Overseas Chinese in Indonesia) and Soehartos (e.g.The Girl from the Coast andA Mutes Soliloquy) regimes. The blunt criticism of the ruling government contained in some of Pramoedyas works had caused him several periods of imprisonment under different government administrations.  · Some some of the international awards conferred upon himPramodya include the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award in 1988, the Wertheim Award, in 1992, the controversial Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts in 1995, .  · the UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize in 1996 and the Chevalier de lOrdre des Arts et des Lettres Rà ©public of France in 2000. 2.2 The life of Pramoedya Ananta Toer Pramoedya Ananta Toer was born in a the small town of Blora, in the Province of Central Java, Indonesia, as the firstborn of eight siblings. His father, Mastoer, was a strong nationalist who took part in the Indonesian struggle for independence from the Dutch colonial rule and worked as a headmaster in a school under Boedi Oetomo Institute of Education, the first political native political organization in the Dutch East Indies (todays Republic of Indonesia). His mother, Oemi Saidah, was born from an aristocratic Javanese family. She was a full-time housewife who later took the role of the main breadwinner for her family when her husbands school was closed due to the oppression of the Dutch colonial government. His parents, particularly his mother, had a great influence in formulating his idealized image of the Indonesian people, which was reflected in most of his works. After spending his childhood in his home, Pramoedya went to the Radio Vocational School in Surabaya, but and had almost graduated when the Japanese invaded the city on the last day of the schools final examination period. During the Japanese occupation period he worked as a typist for the Japanese news agency Domei in Jakarta, where he met and built relations with many outstanding figures in Indonesian history. Having felt that he was treated unfairly, Pramoedya decided to escape from his work with the Japanese. In October 1945 he joined a paramilitary force known as Badan Keamanan Rakyat (BKR)in Cikampek (West Java) after the proclamation of Indonesian independence. During this time he began to write short stories and novels and also translated a several books from J.Veth, Frits van Raalte and Lode Zielens. His first major novel, Perburuan (The Fugitive), was completed during two years of captivity by the Dutch government in the Bukit Duri prison, Jakarta. During the first two decades of Indonesian independence, from the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s, Pramoedya became a renowned figure in Indonesian literature. This had broadened his social contacts especially in the world of literature and the arts. With time, these contacts contributed to his new perspective in politics and ideology. Several cultural exchanges, including trips to the Netherlands, the Soviet Union and the Peoples Republic of China, had opened his mind to the worlds political situation at that time. However, the most important event for Pramoedya at that time would be his short trip to China in 1956. This visit seemed to have sparked his interest in Marxist ideology, an apparent reason of for his decision later on to join Lekra (Peoples Cultural Insitute), a leftist organization, in 1958. From then on, Pramoedya became more active in politics. His writing style became more politically driven, as evidenced in the publication of a book which contains the correspondence he h ad with an imaginary Chinese discussing the history of the Indonesian Chinese, Hoa Kiau di Indonesia (History of the Overseas Chinese in Indonesia). It specifically criticized the governments instruction at that time which banned the Chinese minority in Indonesia to do business in rural areas, forcing them to close down their businesses or hand them over to the local natives and relocate to urban areas. This created friction between him and Soekarnos government and caused his detention at the Cipinang prison for nine months. Nonetheless, Pramoedya continued to build up his reputation as a literary and social critic, writing in various newspapers and literary journals, translating several literary works which were mostly came from Russian authors including Leo Tolstoi, Mikhail Sholokhov, Maxim Gorky, Aleksandr Kuprin and publishing a book about the history of the nationalist movements in Indonesia. In 1962-1965 he worked as an editor of Lentera, the weekly cultural edition of the lef t-wing newspaper Bintang Timur, where he published many articles on Indonesian history and literature around 1900-1920. He was also a lecturer of Indonesian language and literature at the University of Res Publica and was a founder of the Multatuli Language and Literature Academy in 1963. In October 1965 he was again put behind bars due to his association with Lekra, the cultural and literary institute affiliated with the Indonesian Communist Party as the organization which was alleged to be responsible for an attempted coup with the assassination of several senior generals of the Indonesian military. This bloody event ended Soekarnos political career and marked the transition of power to Suhartos â€Å"New Order† regime. After this incident, Pramoedyas books were banned in Indonesia and he was arrested as a political prisoner without trial in the penal colony of Buru Island from 1965-1979. During this period, he composed the first two parts of the famous Buru Quartet (Bumi Manusia/This Earth of Mankind and Anak Semua Bangsa/Child of All Nations) but did not have the opportunity to write it down. They were originally meant as a semi-biographical work of Tirto Adhie Soerjo, a nationalist figure and the founder of Sarekat Islam, the first native organization in I ndonesia. After Pramoedya was released from prison, he remained was placed under house arrest in Jakarta until 1992. During this time period he completed the last two parts of the Buru Quartet: Jejak Langkah (1985; Footsteps) and Rumah Kaca (1990; House of Glass), which instantly became best-sellers in Indonesia and gained him an international recognition. Unfortunately, ten months later these books were banned by the government as subversive materials which contained Marxist-Leninist ideology. In spite of these hardships, he continued to write other great novels such as Gadis Pantai (The Girl from the Coast) in 1982, a semi-fictional novel which portrayed his grandmothers life; Nyanyi Sunyi Seorang Bisu (A Mutes Soliloquy) in 1995, a personal biography based on the collection of letters that he wrote for to his daughter during his imprisonment in Buru, which were but was not allowed to send; and Arus Balik in 1995, a long historical novel considered by some literary critics to be his greatest literary work, which was revolved around the Tuban Kingdom, at the beginning of the Portuguese invasion of the Indonesian archipelago in the 16th century. In 1998, with the toppling of Soehartos regime and the beginning of the reformation era, the ban for on his books was eventually lifted. Pramoedya remained active as a writer until the last days of his life, when his health deteriorated due to old age and bad smoking his habit of smoking. In 2006 Pramoedya was hospitalized because of complications with diabetes, heart and lung diseases. He died on April 30, 2006 at the age of 81. 2.3 Pramoedya Ananta ToersBumi Manusia Bumi Manusia was first published in 1980, a year after Pramoedyas release from Buru Island. It is the first part of a semi-biographical tetralogy of Minke, the protagonist who is modelled after RM. Tirto Adhi Soerjo, a real historical figure of the anti-colonial movements in Indonesia. The story revolves around the historical emergence of Indonesian nationalism at the turn of the century when the Dutch colonial empire ruled in the East Indies. It explores various themes of universal discourse such as the emergence of nationalism, the corruption of the legal system, gender issues, the contradiction between traditional and modern values, and the importance of language as an instrument for articulating national identity. However, there are two important aspects to be highlighted in the novel: the realistic portrayal of colonial life in Indonesia, which provides the present audiencereaders today with a historical overview of that time and the way the author manages to convey to the prese ntmodern readers the complex socio-cultural interactions among various ethnicities in the colonial period and the inherent social attitude underlying these interactions. The story is reconstructed from the historical work which had been carried out before he was imprisoned for years without trial in Buru. In the first six or seven years of imprisonment in Buru, political prisoners were not given access to any writings or articles, let alone allowed to write on a piece of paper, so Pramoedya had to recite the story to his fellow prisoners. The story is what shaped the Buru quartet: Bumi Manusia, Anak Semua Bangsa, Jejak Langkah, and Rumah Kaca. The story isdeveloped through inner conflicts of the main character, which is are caused by the contradiction between the modern values he acquired from his western education, the traditional values which came from his Javanese roots, and the harsh social reality of living under the a colonial rule which denies all of the values he was taught to believe. The novel is told in the first-person and tells the life of Minke, a young Javanese aristocrat and the only native who receives a western education in an elite school which only Europeans are allowed to attend. It is set at the end of the 19th century, during the final years of the Dutch colonial rule in Indonesia, and provides detailed illustration on the situationpicture of colonial life in Surabaya at that time. At the beginning of the novel, the main character is introduced to an exceptional native woman known as Nyai Oentosoroh, the concubine of a Dutch property owner called Herman Mellema, and to her beautiful daughter, Annelies. Over time, Nyai Oentosoroh becomes an important figure in Minkes life, his personal life mentor and spiritual mother. The story of her origin, how she was sold into concubinage by her father, her rise in position as the overseer of her masters entire estates and businesses, as well as the fate of her daughter, Annelies, forms major parts of the storyline in Bumi Manusia. Minke falls in love with Annelies, whom he eventually marries according to his native customs. However, because of the family dispute over Mellemas inheritance, Annelies had to annul her marriage to Minke by the order of the Dutch colonial court. At the end of the novel, Annelies is forced to leave her mother and her husband Minke, and go to the Netherlands to live with her legal guardian, despit e all the efforts made by Nyai Oentosoeroh and Minke to resist the decision of the Dutch courts. Socio-cultural interaction among different ethnicities (Dutch, Europeans, Indos, Chinese, and natives) in the East Indies plays an important role in the development of the story and is skilfully portrayed by Pramoedya through his inventive use of Indonesian language variations, combination of different registers and the complexity of interplay between Javanese, Old Malay, Dutch, English and Jakartan dialects. One example is given below, where Minke tries to predict tell the identity of a man who follows him covertly, based on a certain ethnic stereotype which is widespread in Indonesia: Melihat dari pemunculannya, ia bukan orang Tionghoa, juga bukan Peranakan Tionghoa, juga bukan pedagang. Kalau toh Tionghoa Peranakan boleh jadi dari kalangan terpelajar, mungkin pegawai pada kantor Majoor der Chineezen.Atau peranakan Eropa-Tionghoa yang habis berlibur dan kini kembali ke tempat pekerjaan di Surabaya [] Ia jelas bukan pedagang. Bukan begitu pakaian pedagang. Atau ia seorang jurubayar pada Borsumrij atau Geowehrij? Atau mungkin sendiri Mayor der Chineezen? Tetapi seorang mayor biasanya angkuh dan merasa setara dengan orang Eropa, tak mungkin memperhatikan diriku, bahkan takkan peduli pada Pribumi siapapun. (Bumi Manusia, 1991:146) He didnt look Chinese, or like a Mixed-Blood Chinese, nor like a merchant. Anyway, if he was a Mixed-Blood Chinese, he was probably an educated one, perhaps an employee at the office of the Majoor der Chineezen the Dutch-installed leader of the local Chinese community? Or perhaps a Mixed-Blood European-Chinese returning from holidays to his workplace in Surabaya? He was clearly not a merchant. They werent the clothes of a trader. Or perhaps he was a cashier at one of the ‘Big Five Dutch trading companies Borsumij or Geowehrij? Or perhaps he was the Majoor der Chineezen himself? But the major were always arrogant, considering themselves equals with Europeans and so wouldnt take any notice of me, or any other Native for that matter. (Bumi Manusia, Lanes translation 1991:111) Words containing socio-cultural references abound in the dialogue. However, it is very difficult to render these socio-cultural nuances into English, thus it is understandable if sometimes the English translation cannot convey completely the richness of the dialogue in the novel. One great difficulty in the translation of Bumi Manusia is how to convey to the foreign readers the inherent social attitudes embedded in these culture-specific words which operate under different socio-cultural norms and history. One example of a culturally-marked word containing an important socio-cultural reference in Bumi Manusia is the word nyai. Nyai originally refers to a respectful form of address to a Javanese woman. However, the form undergoes a considerable change of meaning when it is adapted used into Indonesian. It becomes a â€Å"euphemistic, pejorative, and disrespectful term† referring to a historical stereotype of a native concubine or mistress in a colonial Dutch East Indies househo ld and implying the inherent social attitude behind the word nyai(GoGwilt, 2007:412): Bukan hanya Mevrouw Tà ©linga atau aku, rasanya siapa pun tahu, begitulah tingkat susila keluarga nyai-nyai: rendah, jorok, tanpa kebudayaan, perhatiannya hanya pada soal-soal berahi semata. Mereka hanya keluarga pelacur, manusia tanpa pribadi, dikodratkan akan tenggelam dalam ketiadaan tanpa bekas [] Semua lapisan kehidupan menghukum keluarga nyai-nyai; juga semua bangsa: Pribumi, Eropa, Tionghoa, Arab. (Bumi Manusia, 1980:44) Not only Mrs. Telinga and I knew, but it felt as if the whole world knew, that such indeed was the moral level of the families of nyais: low, dirty, without culture, moved only by lust. They were the families of prostitutes; they were people without character, destined to sink into nothingness, leaving no trace [] All social classes had passed judgment on the nyai; also all races: Native, European, Chinese, Arab. (This Earth, 54) Interactions between Minke, Nyai Oentosoroh and other characters in the book who came from different cultural and language backgrounds are parallel to the diverse culture and language situation in modern Indonesia. The vital role of Nyai Oentosoroh in Minkes life, as the person who is mostly responsible for Minkes growing awareness ofn the oppression oppressiveof the Dutch colonial towards rule over him and his fellow countrymen, in some way, represents in some way the indispensable role of language in growing nationalism in Indonesia. The account of Nyai Oentosorohs life,her extraordinary characteristics and excellent ability in to absorbing the knowledge given by her Dutch master and using use it to climb up from the bottom to the top rank of the colonial society, may have an indirect association with the historical development of the Indonesian language and its elevated status as a national language today. In the past, Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian Language), a variant of Bazaar Ma lay, was a minority language in the East Indies. It was a language of trading and commerce, which is used throughout the Indonesian archipelago. Bazaar Malay was once considered as a language with no aesthetic values and lacking in expressiveness compared to other languages. However, its use as a trading instrument throughout the Indonesian archipelago has enhanced its flexibility in absorbing modern concepts and elaborate cultural elements from other languages and modern concepts brought by western civilisation. This is likelymight be one of the reasons why it was selected as the national language of Indonesia. Bumi Manusia,as the first part of the Buru quartet, provides an important historical account and unique perspective of colonial life at the end of the 19th century, an important period in Indonesian history, which determined the future of the Indonesian people as a free nation. As Razif Bahari argues in his book entitled Pramoedya Postcolonially,the tetralogy and its literary and social context may provide valuable insights regarding the force which drives the main character to obtain power and freedom, and could answer some of the questions regarding the construction of history, language, and gender within postcolonial literature literary studies (Bahari, 2007). It is the significance of cultural, historical, and literary aspects of Bumi Manusia which makes the study of its translation worthwhile. It gives new insights into strategies and methods employed in the translation of cross-cultural texts as well as their cultural implications; and ways to convey effectively the message of the original text to foreign readers without disturbing the story narrative flow and maintaining the target readers interest and expectations.

Communication Encourages Learning Essay -- Education Teaching Papers

Communication Encourages Learning The classroom needs to be an open forum in which students and teachers are allowed and encouraged to share opinions and experiences. When this communication breaks down the learning environment also fails. I remember being in the first grade and one of the students in our class was trying to say something to the teacher. Obviously this was not a real stimulating conversation as we were only in the first grade. When the student started talking the teacher became irritated and told the student to stop talking. The student tried again to say something to the teacher, at this point the teacher went ballistic yelling and screaming for the class to be quite and not talk. This teacher proceeded to place the student in the corner to punish her, when the student again tried to say something to the teacher, the teacher tied her to her chair and ordered everyone in the room to stay silent. Observing this display had an enormous effect on all the people in that room. We as students felt that we did not have anything of value to say, and therefore should not speak up. We also learned a fear of reactions that may come by expressing what we had to say. Fortunately since this experience I have not encountered another such teacher, and have had teachers who have gone out of their way to encourage class discussion. I think it is also important for teachers to be aware of the games students are playing. My sister and I can both remember being in grade school and playing game like the farmer and the dell, in this game kids stand around in a circle and one student calls other students into the circle to be a part in the song. The problem with this is that the kids who are quite or shy tend to get left out, and ... ...icate is in the classroom, where they spend most of their time. If people can communicate with each other, and have an understanding that not everyone will agree, then they will be much more productive in life. They will be able to get their point across while at the same time hearing another point of view. This skill is imperative to survival in our growing and changing society. WORKS CITED Cheney, Lynne V. "PC: Alive and Entrenched." The Presence of Others. Comp. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruskiewicz. New York: St. Martins, 1997 112-123. Hooks, Bell. "Keeping Close to Home: Class and Education." The Presence of Others. Comp Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruskiewicz. New York: St. Martins, 1997 85-96. Rose, Mike. "Lives on the Boundary." The Presence of Others. Comp. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruskiewicz. New York: St. Martins, 1997 97-111

Mistakes and Misunderstandings

‘Mistakes and misunderstandings are painful when they occur. † nevertheless as life goes on, these occurrences turn into experience that add value to relationships and life. When asked to define what a mistake really is, one would say it is an act of misdoing or perhaps even an error of judgement. However, as the word itself suggests, such misdoings are unintentional and the doer cannot be fully blamed for his/ her inaccurate action. on the other hand, a misunderstanding maybe elucidated as an unfortunate situation where someone or something is failed to be understood correctly. Whatever said and done, it is evident that mistakes if not neutralised and misunderstandings, if not sorted out may lead to serious repercussions. A small blunder or minute misunderstanding stands a great chance of leading to immediate heartbreaks and absolute breakdown of other relationships. In the worst- case scenario, it could lead to someone's incarceration or demise. However, if neutralised or sorted out, mistakes and misunderstandings can give rise to many advantageous effects. A sorted out misunderstanding increases the bond between two people, further securing the relationship and thus adding value to it. Mistakes committed are an added experience in one's life. They further help show the right pathway to success which in the end is what really matters. Even though mistakes and misunderstandings can backfire drastically causing crucial consequences, in my opinion, they are important happenings as in the end they make a huge difference in one's life once neutralised or sorted out.

What is Cervical Cancer †Health Essay

What is Cervical Cancer – Health Essay Free Online Research Papers What is Cervical Cancer Health Essay Cervical cancer is the cancer of the cervix. â€Å"Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these cells to invade of the tissues, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion or by implantation into distant sites by â€Å"metastasis†.† (Wikipedia) The cervix is the lower narrow part of the uterus. The uterus is where a baby grows during a woman’s pregnancy. The cervix forms the pathway that opens into the vagina, which leads outside the body. Cervical cancer is a very dangerous disease that can be prevented by getting regular pap smear tests and pelvic exams. Cervical cancer develops in the lining of the cervix; this condition usually develops over time. Normal cervical cells gradually go through changes to become precancerous and then cancerous. Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is the term used to describe the changes. CIN is used to classify the degree of cell abnormality. Low-grade CIN means minimal change in the cells and high-grade CIN means there’s a greater degree of abnormality. (Yarbro) Cancer of the cervix is the second most common worldwide, next to breast cancer, and is a leading cause of cancer-related death in women in underdeveloped countries. Invasive cervical cancer is more common in women middle aged and older and in women of poor socioeconomic status, who are less likely to receive regular screening and early treatment. There is also a higher rate of incidence among African American, Hispanic, and Native American women. (Hales)The cause of cervical cancer is the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is transmitted sexually. Evidence of HPV is found in nearly 80% of cervical carcinomas. (Yarbro) Having multiple sexual partners, history of STD’s, and sexual intercourse at a young age are all sexual activities that increase risk of the HPV infection. Research Papers on What is Cervical Cancer - Health EssayPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesStandardized TestingGenetic EngineeringHip-Hop is Art19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraCapital PunishmentMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThe Fifth HorsemanResearch Process Part One

What are the implications of multiple roles for women and men

What are the implications of multiple roles for women and men Introduction Research is an integral element in any science subject where psychology is part. It entails an array of activities which must be carried out adeptly for it to be a success.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on What are the implications of multiple roles for women and men? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, since its inception, gender bias has been a contentious issue as science and research are considered to be innately associated with maleness. Gender bias in research and science is associated with various implications that affect women more as compared with men. Discussion Gender bias in research arose from the perception that science grew from activities of man. As a result, this perception is associated with the continued gender bias in the contemporary world. Harvard president Lawrence summers indicated that women, as opposed to men are less capable of being scientists and Steinke Long (1996) sho wed the proportion of male to female scientists was 2:1 (Brannon 35). An example is in the movie world where scientists are mostly male. Women on the other hand are found in the background scenes. 80% of women have secondary/ supporting roles in children’s science programming. This shows that it is widely perceived that women are less capable of becoming competent scientists in research as illustrated in the case of movies where research is essential. It was not until in the 1990s that female scientists were shown to be professionals and competent. Despite the fact that female scientists appear in some movies, they do not reveal female characteristics, rather they portray characteristics that are common to male scientists.Advertising Looking for essay on gender studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The feminine characteristic role associated with females is not revealed in movies since masculinity is inhere ntly associated with science. Therefore, science does not factor in women’s characters and feminine roles. Lack of recognition of feminine characters in science and research does not look into issues affecting women such as sexual harassment and achievements by women (Brannon 41). The main elements in science are rationality and objectivity, which are masculine values. Keller, 1985 argues that science is suggestive of maleness due to the rationale and dominance prevalent in the field (Brannon 36). It is because of this that science and research fails to recognize the positive effects that are associated with distinct feminine and masculine roles as should be the case in research. Bias in research only tends to push the females to the side as they are considered to be the weaker gender hence research will mainly focus on issues affecting the males as opposed to the females. That is why there is a need to greatly reduce bias in science and research and instead embrace both gend ers. Theories like Freud’s theory on the importance of sexual differences with regard to building personality create gender bias in science (Brannon 37). These theories are mere statements that do not have evidence to back them up. Unfortunately, they are mistaken to be the solid truth and in turn bring about bias in research. As a matter of fact, much emphasis is not placed on the validity of null hypothesis; rather, alternative hypotheses are followed more closely (Brannon 41).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on What are the implications of multiple roles for women and men? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These biases have greatly affected research in various ways. To start with, gender bias interferes with the problem to be investigated due to the influence of societal and personal values. As such researchers tend to focus on studies inclined towards men such as a study whose subject is heart disease rather than breast cancer among middle-aged populations. There are difficulties in selecting variables because of the use of incomplete, inaccurate and misleading definitions. In the case of rape for example, due to gender bias, forced sexual acts and men are excluded as victims. Gender bias is also evident when choosing a design in research since the chosen design may not be suitable for evaluation. An example is where the chosen design may provoke anxiety among women and not among men (Brannon 41). Conclusion Research and science is inherently associated with masculinity and as such, it fails to recognize the fact that women have a unique point of view and varying cognitive process that are not comparable to those of men. As a result, research should include both men and women, whereby the characteristic traits of each gender should be recognized and appropriately utilized to improve research and decrease bias. This way, women’s characteristic roles in scientific movies would be r ecognized and appropriate methodologies would be adopted in research. Work Cited Brannon, Linda. Gender: Psychological Perspectives. 5th ed. New York, NY: Pearson, 2007Advertising Looking for essay on gender studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More

Facebook Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Facebook - Research Paper Example ing Facebook scored a grade point lower with their weekly period of study ranging between 1 and 5 hours as compared to 11 to 15 hours by the non-users of Facebook (23). This paper looks at the arguments by these researchers, analysing the implications of networking sites on learning and compares them to counterarguments by various researchers. Indeed, Facebook does not make us dumb but rather imparts important learning skills that prevent dumbness among its users. The evaluation of the effects of social media on learning which determine dumbness in an individual has been cited by Ahn (1436) as a complex undertaking. According to this researcher, the media effects paradigm provides appropriate explanation to the dynamics involved in influencing learning. This postulates that any media or technological form would have causal relationship on some outcome, though it remains elusive to conclude on a direct causal relationship existing between technology and social outcome like learning. But the media effect paradigm has helped researchers conclude that a media tool in itself would not influence learning but rather, the learning behaviours associated with the software used or the educational program (Ractham, Kaewkitipong and Firpo 173). According to Ahn (1437), it is the features of a technology and not a technology in itself that that constrains or propagates the usage of the tool. Furthermore, behavioural practices and cultural norms influence one’s usage of technology. This offers insights in studies seeking to determine the effects of social media. This social informatics perspective implies that the social platform media would not cause outcomes like learning; the cultural and communication behaviours exhibited by its users would. Therefore, it would be important to consider the user populations involved in these social communities, the features of the social media sites and behaviours that could be likely associated with the social outcomes (Rouis, Limayem and

Research Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Research Paper - Assignment Example Furthermore, a questionnaire survey has been conducted with ten respondents in order to recognize their experiences regarding racial disparity of the US criminal justice system. Introduction In the United States (US), the legal system has been developed considerably in order to provide equal treatment to every citizen. However, in the critical fields of law such as in the criminal justice system, increased cases of racism can be observed. Although the criminal justice based regulations in the US are facially unbiased, they are imposed in such a way, which provides biased outcomes. Irrespective of deploying different acts, the US is unable to prohibit discernments based on race. For instance, in the year 1964, the US government had approved Civil Rights Act in order to forbid discernments. However, a considerable proportion of African American individuals were determined to have served certain period of time in prison. Then again, in the year 1968, the US government had passed Fair Ho using Act, yet substantial number of Blacks or Hispanics served in prison cell at that specific period of time (Weich & Angulo, 2011). Although several people believe that the US has overcome discrimination driven history, racism still creates a major impact on the organizational policies and criminal law practices. Focusing on this aspect, the paper intends to assess if the US criminal justice system is racist. Both primary and secondary researches have been conducted in order to evaluate the criminal justice system of the US. As a part of primary research, a survey has been undertaken with ten respondents in order to understand their opinions regarding the subject. Besides, different secondary sources such as textbook and literatures have been evaluated to gather an understanding related to the topic. Literature Review The criminal justice system through which lawbreakers are arrested and penalized is considered as one of the key pillars of democracy. However, in order to stay fea sible, the public must have faith in the justice system. Every phase of criminal justice system i.e. from initial investigation to prosecution, equal treatment of individuals needs to be ascertained. Yet, the US criminal justice system is far from an ideal legal structure. Several researches suggested that in the US, Blacks, Hispanics and other subgroups are mistreated through inconsistent targeting and biased treatments by law enforcement administrators. They are racially charged by discriminatory sentencing activities, resulting in the failure of equitable criminal justice legislations. Context of Racism in the US In the 17th century, racism began to rear its ugly head in different facets in the US such as in the fields of employment and justice system. In the 18th century, the conduct of racial discrimination had increased and became synonymous to the US. During 19th century, race was observed to be a subdivision of human beings that discriminate one individual from others. The g eneral concept of race surfaced in 20th century and continues to impact different legal facets of the US throughout 21st century. In most circumstances, African Americans are historically observed as inferiors across different attributes (SAGE Publications, 2013). The disparate treatment of individuals in the US justice system starts in the initial phase of the system. Police