Native Americans- Minority Role Essay example -- essays research paper

Thesis Since the arrival of the Europeans in 1492 the Native American has systematically been dehumanized, decivilized and redefined into terms that typify a subordinate or minority role, restricted life opportunities persist today as a result. I. Introduction-Majority/Minority group relations- the role of power II. Historical Overview A. Native American life before contact with the White man. B. Early contact, efforts at peaceful co-existence. C. Conflict and its consequences for Native Americans III. The continuing role of power A. Control techniques used by the majority group B. Native American life today, SES, housing, education, etc. Power and Minority Group Position: The Case of Native Americans Majority/Minority group relations can be illustrated by studying the role of power and how it is distributed between groups. The majority, or group that wields the most power, directly affects the circumstances for the minority. In most cases power struggle leads to racial and ethnic inequality. This scenario describes the case of the Native Americans. Since the arrival of the Europeans in 1492 the Native American has systematically been dehumanized, decivilized and redefined into terms that typify a subordinate or minority role, restricted life opportunities persist today as a result (Farley, 2000). When European settlers arrived on American shores to settle a New World, around 7 million Native Americans had been settled in the wilderness north of present-day Mexico for some time. It is believed that the first Native Americans arrived during the last Ice Age, approximately 20,000 - 30,000 years ago, by crossing the Bering Strait from northeastern Siberia into Alaska. Over thousands of years, â€Å"spiritual kin-based communities† had survived by living off the land and bartering goods. Their diversity was reflected by their societies, which ranged from small, mobile bands of hunter-gatherers in the Great Basin to temple-mound builders in the Southeast (DiBacco, 1995). The encounter of early explorers with the people of the Americas would ultimately set in motion the destruction of long existing Native American life and culture. Engrained into the minds of the Europeans were prejudiced images and stereotypes of the Native Americans, which we struggle still today to eradica... ...ypes. Even still, today’s 2.1 million Native Americans have proved their resilience by surviving oppression in a world dominated by other races and cultures. Unlike other minorities who have fought for equal rights in American society, Native Americans have fought to retain their land and cultures and have avoided assimilation, at a hefty cost. Works Cited Bataille, Gretchen. The Pretend Indians: Images of Native Americans in the Movies. Iowa State University, Ames: 1980 Berkhofer, Robert F. The White Man's Indian. Alfred A. Knopf Publishers, New York, 1978. DiBacco, Thomas V., Lorna C. Mason, and Christian G. Appy. History of The United States. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995. Keohane, Sonja. â€Å"The Reservation Boarding School System in the United States, 1870-1928.† http://www.twofrog.com. 3/19/2005 Jordan,Winthrop D. and Leon F. Litwack. The United States. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1991. Todd, Lewis Paul and Merta Curti. Triumph of the American Nation. Orlando: Harcourt Brace Joranovich, Inc., 1986. Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States. New York: Harper-Collins, 1980. Farley, John. Majority-Minority Relations. New Jersey: Prentice Hall,2000.

Norse Culture

Norse Culture: A Closer Look| | | Julianne N. Cantu| Intercultural CommunicationsDr. ThibodeauxMarch 7, 2013| From the beginning of civilization, culture has played a crucial role at shaping every society. Culture allows for all that is special about a group of people to be taken into account and be recognized. Norse culture has long been a popular subject in modern societies. Some of the most important characteristics that make Norse culture so unique are their people, their language, their literature, their religion, and their funeral practices.Like most societies, the Norse had a surprisingly lax social hierarchy. The Norse hierarchy was set to where there was a possibility for upward mobility. Individuals in Norse society were not doomed to live out their days in a particular social status, but were free to move from class to class. There were three set social classes in Norse society. Most Norsemen belonged to the middle class known as karls. Karls were the landowners, the farme rs; the smiths (blacksmiths, locksmiths, etc. ), etc (Haywood, 2000).The highest level in the social hierarchy was known as the jarls, or the nobility. These people lived in extravagant houses and halls and lived refined lives. The jarls used their money, wealth, followers, ships, and estates distinguish them from the rest of society. The lowest class of the social hierarchy was known as the pr? ll. This class included slaves and people who were known as bondsmen. If a person, from any class, could not pay their debts, they would become a bondsman and work for another man until his debts were repaid (Guy, 1998).The Scandinavians, during the Viking Age, spoke Old Norse. This language was sometimes referred to as â€Å"Danish Tongue (Page, 1987). † Icelandic, Danish, and Norwegian languages are all descended of Old Norse. There were many different dialects spoken during this time. Many scholars are able to find the differences between East Norse and West Norse. Despite these di fferences, the people during the Viking Age were able to communicate with each other without difficulty because the languages were so similar (Page, 1987). Many Viking cultures were also known to have used runes.A rune is letter or character from the runic alphabet. â€Å"Most of the runic characters consist of straight lines and the alphabet was clearly designed for etching onto wood, stone, or metal with a sharp instrument such as a knife (Page, 1995). † A different version of runes referred to as the â€Å"Younger Futhark† was established by the beginning of the Viking Age. Contrary to popular belief, Vikings did not actually wear helmets with horns on them. This depiction of Vikings warriors is a terrible misrepresentation of their culture.What a Viking wore was determined by their place in their society. If a person was a slave, they were often poorly dressed in things that amounted to rags. Free men wore things like leather boots and clothes made out of finer mat erials, like wool and different furs. Men often wore either pants or tunics, while the women would wear dress like garments that would fasten at the shoulder (Roesdahl, 2001). Only the wealthiest of the Viking society ever wore jewelry, like necklaces, pendants, brooches, and rings because it signified their elevated status to others (Jesch, 1991).Viking literature is uncommon to come by because Norse culture was typically shared through the spoken word rather than the written word. Much of the folklore about Norse culture was written later and compiled into a Edda. Edda is derives from the Old Norse term for poetry (Page, 1995). There are two different types of edda, the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda. The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems. This edda contains the most information concerning Norse mythology. The poems contained in the edda tell stories of brave hero and heroines and depict tales of different Norse legends.The Prose Edda also contains many mythological s tories. The Prose Edda, unlike the Poetic Edda, is separated into three different books;the Gylfaginning, the Skaldskaparmal, and the ? gir (Haywood, 2000). On the whole, not much is known about different pagan religious practices in the Viking Age. There is little evidence to vindicate the different pagan rituals conducted by the Vikings. Different Viking sagas were written almost 200 years ago, after the conversion to Christianity. Although there is no definitive record of pagan rituals, much is known about the many different deities worshipped by the Vikings.The most popular and powerful god to the Norse people was Thor, god of thunder and lightning. Thor was the mighty champions of the Norse gods and the people because he was the only one strong enough on his own to slay the giants, the arch nemeses of the gods. Without Thor, the other gods would have to resort to playing clever games in order to slay the giants. Thor’s weapon of choice was his mighty hammer, Mjolnir (Dub ois, 1997). Mjolnir is depicted as one of the most fearsome weapons in Norse culture, and is rumored to be capable of leveling mountains.It was written that, â€Å"[Mjolnir] would be able to strike as firmly as he wanted, whatever his aim, and the hammer would never fail, and if he threw it at something, it would never miss and never fly so far from his hand that it would not find its way back, and when he wanted, it would be so small that it could be carried inside his tunic (Orchard, 1999). † Odin was also one of the most popular gods in Norse culture. Odin was the father of all of the gods and men. He is a god of â€Å"magick, wisdom, with, and learning (Dubois, 1999). Odin has been said to possess the power of reanimating the dead in order to speak to them to gain any wisdom they may possess. Odin’s weapon of choice is his spear, Gungnir, which, supposedly, never misses its target. Odin is always depicted as only having one eye because he traded the other for a dr ink from the Well of Wisdom, where he gained an immense amount of knowledge (Page, 1995). Loki was the â€Å"trickster† of the Norse gods. It was written that he was, â€Å"handsome and fair of face, but has an evil disposition and is very changeable of mood.He excelled all men in the art of cunning, and he always cheats. He was continually involving the Aesir in great difficulties and he often helped them out by guile (Orchard, 1997). † Loki was the son of two giants and step-brother to Odin. Loki had the power of shape shifting and could even change his gender on command. As a woman, Loki gave birth to many of the terrible creatures, like Odin’s eight-legged horse, Sleipnir. When Thor was not around to help destroy the giants, Loki was often sought out by the gods in order to deploy clever tactics to take the giants down.The common misconception concerning Vikings and religion is that many believed they hated Christianity because they were pagan, and that was not the case. The Vikings believed in many different deities. They often targeted and plundered Christian monasteries, however, because they knew they were wealthy and were, often times, poorly defended. The Vikings had many different customs and beliefs when it came to death. They had specific rituals when it came to funerals, but had many different beliefs when it came to things like the soul and where the dead went when they were no longer part of this world.The Vikings had two different beliefs when it came to the soul. First, the Vikings believed that the very last breath a person took before they died was their soul escaping and moving on to become one with nature. The second was that there was a different type of soul; a â€Å"dream soul† that was able to leave the body when a person was in a state of unconsciousness like sleep. This part of the soul is forever trapped inside the body unless the body is destroyed either by decay or a sacrificial burning. Only when the body was broken down would the â€Å"dream soul† be able to make its way to the realm of the dead (Page, 1995).Vikings believed that, when a person dies, they need to be buried or burned with their belongings that will help them to succeed in their next life. People who had certain jobs, like a blacksmith, were often buried with all of their tools so that they would be able to utilize them after they had moved on to their next life. Women were often burned/buried with their jewelry and other tools for â€Å"female household activities (Orchard, 1997). † It was common among Vikings to burn the corpses, as well as their belongings, on a funeral pyre.These pyres were built to large scales because the Vikings believed that the smoke from the fire needed to be as massive as possible in order to assist the soul in reaching the afterlife. After the deceased had been gone for seven days, the Vikings would partake in funeral ale which served as a ritual drinking. The funeral al e was a way in which the families of the deceased could get together to celebrate the person’s life. It wasn’t until after the ale was drunk that issues like inheritances and transitioning of familial power were able to take place (Dubois, 1999).After a person has died, the Vikings believed that their souls partook in an adventure in order to reach the afterlife. The afterlife had many different variations in the culture, like the inside of a mountain, on the other side of the sea, in the heavens, or in the underworld (Dubois, 1999). Helgafjell, or â€Å"Holy Mountain†, is one manifestation of the Norse afterlife. If a person made their way to the holy mountain, they would live out their lives in a manner that was very similar to the one they had in the physical world. Hel, however, is the complete opposite of Helgafjell.Hel, which is ruled by a blue and black giantess named Hel, is the destination for all of those who did not die in battle, but of old age and s ickness. In Hel, the gates that adorn the entrance are heavy, as to give the idea once you enter, you will never again exit. Valhalla is another destination for those who have died. About half of those that die in battle find their way to Valhalla. The halves that were allowed to enter were to remain fit for battle so that they could participate in Ragnork. Valhalla was said to be located in the heavens in Odin’s kingdom.Valkyries, men and women who choose which soldiers die and which live, dwell in the heavens with Odin and those warriors deemed worthy to live again (Page, 1995). The other soldiers who are not chosen to live again reside in Folkvanger with the goddess Freya. The Norse raised many different kinds of domestic animals, like cattle, sheep, pigs, geese, chickens, goats, and ducks. They used their cattle, sheep, and goats in order to make dairy products like milk and cheese. They also harvested eggs from their chickens, ducks, and geese. Fish and deer were also hu nted and added to the myriad of food sources the Norse could choose from.The Norse also were accomplished farmers and were able to grow a plethora of different items, like oats, barley, flax, cabbage, leeks, horseradish, watercress, carrots, celery, peas, and a number of different herbs (Guy, 1995). The Norse were also known to keep bees and to harvest nuts. When it came to cooking their food, the Norse like their meat roasted or boiled and were particularly fond of their stews. The Vikings cured their meat, either by smoking it, bringing it, or drying it. The Vikings usually prepared flat bread for meals (like a pancake), but did produce raised bread when there was some sort of special occasion to cook for.Their drink of choice was mead. Mead is an alcoholic beverage made from honey, but they also made different kinds of beers and ales. The Viking did not grow grapes, so they were unable to partake in wine (Roesdahl, 2001). In short, it is clear that there are many different aspect s of Viking culture that makes them truly unique. It is also clear that there have been many misrepresentations of Viking culture and, because of that, many people can have skewed perceptions when it comes to their outlook concerning Vikings. References Dubois, Thomas A. Nordic Religions in the Viking Age.Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999. Print. Guy, John. Viking Life. Kent: Ticktock, 1998. Print. Haywood, John. Encyclopaedia of the Viking Age. London: Thames & Hudson, 2000. Print. Jesch, Judith. Women in the Viking Age. Haworth: Woodbridge, 1991. Print. Orchard, Andy. Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. London: Cassell, 1997. Print. Page, RI. Reading the Past: Runes. London: British Museum Press, 1987. Print. Page, RKi. Chronicles of the Vikings: Records, Memorials and Myths. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1995. Print. Roesdahl, Else. The Vikings. New York: Penguin, 2001. Print.

What Makes A Teacher - 1132 Words

Anyone can ask someone why they want to be a teacher. The answer could be very simple. They would answer something along the lines of they enjoy working with children. However, there is a variety of different of occupations that give someone the opportunity to work with children, but what truly attracted me to Early Childhood Education? Anyone can say that children are super cute, or goofy. Of course that is benefit, that is not what attracted me to this field. When I look at a child I see so much more. I notice how observant they are; they are full of curiosity. A majority would say a child enjoys learning, even if it is the simplest things. Children are carefree, the only thing they worry about is who stole their crayons. Growing up, I†¦show more content†¦All the creativity that comes with being a teacher is not the same as it used to be in my opinion. It is my goal to make students want to love to learn because, they are full of curiosity. The littlest things can amaze them and inspire them. However, how you teach is what makes it stick. Not many can say they remember the pointless story times or drawing competitions. I remember the hands on activities and the guest speakers. As a teacher there are a variety of different opportunities to make learning fun for children. In high school, I never thought I would consider being a teacher. I enjoyed working with children, but never thought I would consider teaching as an occupation. Then I thought of things differently. I was an assistant dance teacher in high school. But, what did I truly love about the job? I did enjoy working with children, but what I enjoyed the most is teaching them and watching them grow. It wasn’t just the children that made me smile, it was watching them improve and teaching them. But, watching them learn something new for the first time does not only put a smile on their face, it puts a smile on mine which is truly rewarding. In Carol Garboden Murray’s Article, she emphasized how rewarding her job is. â€Å"I’ve learned that being an early childhood educator is the most misunderstood, dynamic, complicated, and rewarding work imaginable.† Overall, that is theShow MoreRelatedWhat Makes A Teacher?846 Words   |  4 Pages(Google, 2016.) Google gives a v ery obvious definition to the question What is a teacher? However, those of us who have had an experience with teachers know they re much more than someone who instructs. They are mentors, encouragers and educators. Each of these are far more in depth than an instructor. Everyone has, or will have, a person who becomes a mentor in their life. Whether it s a sibling, a teammate or a teacher, a mentor has a way of impacting our lives so that they aren t ever forgottenRead More Teachers Make It What It Is1012 Words   |  5 PagesTeachers Make It What It Is Inclusion is the integration of the students with special educational needs into the regular education setting. This idea has been spreading across the country where children are no longer being separated due to their needs. But how does this make the teachers feel? One might think that popular opinion would be that it makes it less difficult for them to teach and they do now get to spend the time that they would want to with the â€Å"normal† students, and some do. ButRead MoreWhat Makes A Good Teacher?847 Words   |  4 Pagesqualities of her teachers and few negative qualities. Today that is no longer the case. The majority of Wethersfield teachers fail to maintain children’s attention and provide an entertaining classroom. Many teachers do not accommodate their teaching to the way the brain requires learning. There are some teachers however, who do display traits of excellent teaching similar to Rafe Esquith. These teachers take into account everything that weâ₠¬â„¢ve learned is required of a good teacher. One of my favoriteRead MoreEssay on What Makes an Effective Teacher?1296 Words   |  6 Pagesacademic and life achievements, their teachers play a large role. A teacher’s ability to relate to their students, and teach them to achieve both socially and academically contributes to how effective they are. What does it mean to be an effective teacher? Overall there seems to be an emphasis on teacher effectiveness related to how well their students are performing on standardized testing. As teachers we know there is more to being an effective teacher then just teaching our students basedRead MoreWhat makes a good teacher? Essay994 Words   |  4 Pagesmy opinion, a good teacher should be one who puts her heart into teaching. This is because only by doing so will the students feel their passion and hard work. When a teacher strives hard for the students, students will put in their effort as well. If a teacher dislikes her job, goes to classes in a bad mood, her teaching would also be affected and students would not be able to enjoy lessons as well. Another point that makes a good teacher would be his/her patience. Teachers should not get upsetRead MoreWhat Makes Me An Outstanding Teacher?783 Words   |  4 Pagesthe truth is, it’s not me, there is something bigger at stake here, something larger driving this machine. That thing is Purpose, Purpose in fact is what makes me an outstanding teacher. I am purposed to be at my school, in my room, with my students and we have a calling to fulfill, we all understand this and that too makes me an outstanding teacher. The rewards I find in teaching are tantamount, just today a student said to me â€Å"I used to hate Social Studies but now I love it† eight days in and they’reRead MoreWhat Makes An Effective Teacher Effective?858 Words   |  4 PagesEducation 2000 What Makes an Effective Teacher Effective â€Å"When educating the minds of our youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts,† This quote by the Dalai Lama truly shows what a teacher must do to be effective. It takes a very special person to be a teacher, teachers work with the leaders of tomorrow. There are many basic things as well that teachers must do to be highly effective according to the Utah Effective Teaching Standards. First a teacher must be understandingRead MoreWhat Makes a Good Teacher Essay example1526 Words   |  7 Pagessince then there have been many changes and advances in the field of education. These changes include everything from how to treat students in the classroom, to what to teach students, and which students were deemed fit to be educated. Another area, in which this profession has undertaken growth and development, is the qualities that teacher need to possess in order for them to become more effective in the education of their students. In this paper I will discuss the qualities t hat are necessary forRead MoreWhat Makes An Ideal Candidate For Teacher Fellows?826 Words   |  4 Pages 2. What makes your instructor an ideal candidate for Teacher Fellows? Please describe the training, skills, attitude, effort or systems that make this person an effective educator and leader. I believe there a several contributing factors that matter most in teaching youth, and one of them is getting the right person to teach. We have found an effective and engaging teacher for our students when we hired Jeanne to teach our Healthcare Bridge program. Her background as a chiropractic physicianRead MoreWhat Makes Elementary School Teachers Special Essay1344 Words   |  6 PagesA hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in the bank...but the world may be a better place because I made a difference in the life of a child.† –Forest Witcraft (Professor of Denison University and Boy Scout administrator) There are not many people that are able to say this. However, the profession of being an elementary school teacher gives the teacher the satisfaction of being able to have one of the most emotionally

Housing Loans Are Available For Low Income Group Of People...

Housing grants loans are available for low income group of people. These are financial aids that are provided by the government to help needy people get the advantage of financial assistance from the government. These grants help people make their homes safe and comfortable so that they can live with their families in a better living condition. There are direct loans that are available with the help of government so that people in rural areas are able to remove the health and safety hazards. There are different types of loans and grants available for people to help them have a good home. If you are interested and need some home repair or improvement, you will have to find the right grant that is most suitable and relevant to your needs. Look for them on Internet and visit only government website so that you get complete and legitimate information regarding all the grants that are available and accessible to you. You can also look for loans that are provided by the government and are either low interest loans or sometimes no interest loans also depending on your financial condition and some other factors as well. Housing grants loans are not only available by the government but also through various private and non-profit organizations. You can search for as many grants as you want and apply for those that are suitable and for which you qualify. Qualifying factors are different for different grants and you should take care of these points, as they are very important. Some ofShow MoreRelatedNew Opportunities And Safe Loan Standards For Home Ownership1323 Words   |  6 Pagesof many American’s dream. Making this dream a reality requires hard work, perseverance, and an understanding of the housing market and loan options. It also requires a confidence in the economy and job market that many people justifiably do not have after a devastating housing crash. However, as our nation recovers from this crisis, we look ahead to new opportunities and safe loan st andards for home ownership. â€Å"Like a boomerang,† a Sarasota Herald Tribune article describes â€Å"†¦recession-battered [boomerangRead MoreEssay On Rural Housing Grants715 Words   |  3 PagesDo You Qualify for Rural Housing Repair Homes and Grants? There are basically three loan programs available to home buyers looking to buy a property in a rural area. These programs are (1) Single Family Housing Guaranteed, (2) Single Family Housing Direct, and (3) the Multi-Family Housing. The programs are designed to allow eligible applicants to buy or repair homes in rural areas. All the loans fall under the United States Housing and Urban Development umbrella, otherwise known as HUD. HoweverRead MoreCurrent Economic Conditions Of The Usa Is Characterized By Slow Growth And Deteriorating Household Net Worth1095 Words   |  5 Pagessobering challenges to latent homeowners with low incomes, incomes shrinking and rent inflation have been experienced by renter households since the economic recession, and there has been a rise in the number of renters among the severely housing cost-burdened. [1] The price of houses is not within reach for many families because they do not have sufficient cash for down payment and closing costs. Moreover, they cannot pay down debts; their credit scores are low, and they have higher borrowing costs. Read MoreThe Financial Crisis Of 20081689 Words   |  7 Pagesdomestic product is up. People have jobs and are paying taxes. President Obama lowered our budget deficit and promised to make healthcare more available to all. On average, America is well on its way to recovery. But what about the people that slipped through the cracks of the financial stimulus plan? These are the people that lost their jobs, and subsequently their homes. These are America’s impoverished and homeless. Homelessness now contains a bigger spectrum of people than ever before. This populationRead More4.1 Explain the Principal Sources of Finance for Property Development947 Words   |  4 Pagesneeded to begin your first project, you do need to consider your finances objectively and with a view to the economy perhaps taking a second dip. Loans from banks or family may get you happily started on your first project with repayments appearing within a comfortable affordability range – however, redundancies are common place as are drops in income. We are constantly reminded that homes can be repossessed if we cannot afford to keep up the repayments. Those gloomier aspects aside, there is aRead MoreFlorida s Economic Failure : Florida1148 Words   |  5 Pageslike the perfect place to raise a family. The state of the economy in Florida is far from perfect and many of the middle to lower income families that often relocate to Florida hoping for a better life, often struggle to main tain a place to live and a decent wage. Florida residents are struggling to maintain a basic standard of living with the housing market and low wages in this state. Often news reports suggest that the economy is getting better in Florida, but many households are strugglingRead MoreThe Note On The Banking Crisis1254 Words   |  6 Pagesbe able to loan potential homeowners money to purchase their homes. The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) was created in 1970 to buy mortgages, repackage them, and sell them to investors. With the creation of these institutions, the concept of securitization was introduced, and the dynamics of banking changed dramatically. Prior to the 1970s, bankers knew their customers, and borrowing was a simple process. When people wanted to buy a house, they applied for a loan from their localRead MoreChild Poverty : An Increasing Number Of Families1139 Words   |  5 Pagessociologist Peter Townsend in 1979 who defined poverty as; ‘In dividuals, families and groups in the population can be said to be in poverty when they lack resources to obtain the type of diet, participate in the activities and have the living conditions and amenities which are customary, or at least widely encouraged and approved, in the societies in which they belong.’ 2 Child poverty within Britain is the limited income which causes families to be unable to provide the essential resources needed toRead MoreLack Of Income Or Insufficient Education1601 Words   |  7 Pagesstudies have shown that lack of higher education is another reason family’s lack the necessary income to afford housing. In lower income families only a small percentage of individuals go on to college after high school. Those without a college degree make significantly less than those who do have one. This lack of income limits the housing they can afford. Moreover, the open waiting list for Public Housing varies from state to state. For example, there is 1 open waitlist in Alaska, 13 in Arizona,Read MoreUrbanization in Developing Countries: India1732 Words   |  7 Pagesapproach of low-income housing policy adopted by the government in the five year plans viz. the Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojana. The paper will also include the impact of this housing scheme on the improvement of slum areas. The idea of ‘slum-free cities’ has dominated the housing policies in India for long. This concept has been adopted in a prototypical manner for all cities and geographies without much compassion for the users, and consideration of the reality of the varying land and housing market conditions

Alcoholism A Serious Issue - 1311 Words

Alcoholism has become a serious issue in the United States, especially with adolescence. It seems that this epidemic is reaching children at a young age, and treatment for this disease is questionable. People turn to alcohol to escape and not feel whatever it is that they are going through. Most alcoholics drink because they cannot deal with being sober, and eventually they drink to overcome the severe mental craving for alcohol. Alcoholism destroys families, it affects everyone close to the alcoholic in a negative way, and work/school suffers. Relationships suffer due to alcoholism, and often the alcoholic loses family and friends. Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking; this†¦show more content†¦Alcoholics Anonymous’ Twelve-Steps are as follows: 1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol- that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 7. Humble asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. 10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscience contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. In working these twelve steps, people will grow spiritually without even knowing it. It changes ones perspective on the world and the people in it. Suddenly, old ideas are cast to one side, and a new set

Anonymity in crowd behaviour free essay sample

Crowd behaviour has long been a point of interest for social psychologists. Psychologists have looked at how people exhibit different behaviours when they are part of a crowd. The anonymity of a crowd allows people to assume a mask which permits them to behave in a manner which is untypical for them. This can be demonstrated in both negative and positive roles, such as people rioting in a mob, as well as fans cheering for their football team. Both of these may not be characteristic behaviours for the individual, but have been spurred on by the collective behaviour of the crowd. Crowd behaviour can have tremendous political, social and practical ramifications, as evidenced from the enormous power mass protests can wield. Le Bon (1895) was the first person to introduce the concept of a ‘group mind’. His work came under much criticism, but it influenced social psychology in many ways, with later deindividuation theorists building on his work, as well as the social identity theory viewing crowd behaviour from another aspect. This essay aims to evaluate if anonymity in crowds is associated with a ‘loss of self’ according to all of the above perspectives. Le Bon’s (1895) paper was a groundbreaking text in discussing crowd behaviours. Le Bon did not like crowds, and viewed them as primarily regressive in nature. He believed that an individual’s rationality is lost in crowds and people act impulsively. Le Bon claimed that crowds exert enormous power over the individual and their behaviours become submerged by the ‘group mind’. This causes them to regress to an animalistic state where they experience their unconscious aggressive instincts. Le Bon argued that crowds allow members to feel anonymous, and thus less personally responsible for their actions. Le Bon named this process contagion which is the propensity of behaviours exhibited by one person and copied by the crowd. Le Bon believed that the anonymity was what allowed contagion to happen. Le Bon understood crowd behaviour from an external perspective as a crowd observer. (Dixon Mahendran 2012) Le Bon’s ideas have been criticized for their lack of empirical evidence to support his views. In particular his idea of a ‘group mind’ was difficult to comprehend, and in 1952 Festinger et al. suggested the concept of deindividuation. Deindividuation is described as a ‘sense of anonymity’ which diminishes people’s individual responsibility and allows members to behave in impulsive ways dictated by the crowd. They defined measurable points to gauge the shift in individual’s behaviours when in a crowd. Several other psychologists including Zimbardo, Deiner and Prentice-Dunn further developed this concept of deindividuation. According to them certain structural features such as anonymity, arousal, external focus and group cohesion lead to deindividuation. This creates a loss of self and diffusion of responsibility resulting in unsocial behaviours often untypical for the individual. However critics of deindividuation argue that the negative aspects of crowd behaviour are exaggerated, and it is difficult to infer crowd behaviour from an outside researcher observing the crowd rather than an individual immersed in the crowd. Additionally they point out that crowd behaviour is often more socially regulated than individual behaviours. This leads to a further perspective on crowd behaviour; the social identity theory approach developed by Tajfel and Turner (1979). According to this perspective individuals act in terms of their social identity and assume a collective self. As opposed to anonymity and reduced responsibility, social identity theory perceives crowd behaviour as more socially constrained with members acting in ways that express group norms. The crowd rather than being an anonymous group is a cause of social pride which helps form the identity of the individual. The question is whether anonymity in crowds is always associated with a loss of self. Zimbardo (1969) investigated this in a famous study where he divided a group of female students into two groups. One group wore plain clothes and name tags, and the second group wore cloaks and hoods with no name tag. The participants were required to act as teachers and administer an electric shock each time the learner made a mistake. It was found that the group wearing cloaks gave much stronger shocks than those retaining their identity. This indicates that the anonymity had increased their aggression and perhaps allowed them a loss of self. Further support for correlations of aggression and anonymity can be found from Mullen (1986). (Dixon Mahendran 2012) Mullen examined newspaper accounts of lynch mobs in the USA and found that in a larger crowd, more people were killed. At a first glance it seems like deindividuation had occurred and crowds do lend themselves to a loss of self. However in a bigger group of lynch mobs there may simply have been more aggressive people present. Additionally people may be injured by the force of the crowd as opposed to deliberate aggression. Additionally often evil unscrupulous people take advantage of the anonymity of the crowd to behave in ways they would not otherwise get away with. Additional research on anonymity and crowd behaviour by Freedman and Perlick (1979) examined contagious laughter in crowds. They found that when a larger group of people were watching a videotape of an attractive woman ‘smiling a lot and laughing’, they laughed much more than when a smaller group of people were watching. The mood and behaviour of one person was spread through the group the process Le Bon called contagion. Gergen, Gergen and Barton (1973) also researched crowd behaviour where they placed groups of mixed – gender strangers in either a well lit or darkened room. After an hour the participants in the darkened room had developed a sense of intimacy with one another. (Dixon Mahendran 2012) It seems like the anonymity of the situation had allowed them a greater sense of freedom. However the question to consider is whether this would constitute a loss of self, or a freedom from the norms dictated by society. Moreover the cues embedded within the social context seem to play an important role in demonstrating how anonymity in crowds will affect the individual. Research by Johnson and Downing (1979) proposes that anonymity leads to conformity of the groups norms. In a replication of Zimbardo (1969) they had participants dressed in either Ku-Klux Klan robes, or nurse uniforms and had them give electric shocks to the learners. Those dressed in the Ku-Klux Klan robes administered significantly higher shocks than those in the nurse’s uniforms. This suggests that each participant was conforming to the norms of their group. Hence crowd behaviour may be associated with a loss of the individual self. Recent research has shown that crowds can accomplish great feats in challenging social injustices as well as empowering communities. The crowds can become agents for social change, implying that crowds are not all about a loss of self and displays of aggression, but rather that crowds can have positive impacts. When examining behaviours of football fans it can be observed that there is an almost collective spontaneity between the groups. This behaviour is unlike contagion which expresses an irrational behaviour among the crowd. This is a crowd responding to the social norms within their ingroup, with conformity depending on how strongly they identify with their ingroup. The recent 2011 riots in England could be examined to demonstrate how crowd behaviour could be understood from different perspectives. The initial impetuous for the riots was when a peaceful demonstration about the shooting of Mark Dungan was met by riot police and a female teenager was hit as the police tried to disperse the crowd. Following this there was enormous looting and arson as well as violence in many cities in England described as a classic anti-police riot. The government responded with harsh recriminations and received analyses from scientific experts. Levine (2011) explained that in crowds people abandon their personal identity and loose all sense of individual responsibility. This is in line with both Le Bon’s group mind theory as well as the deindividuation perspective, that the group and anonymity is the cause of reduced responsibility. Reicher and Stott (Dixon Mahendran 2012) offered another explanation. They explained that there is an underlying rationality amongst crowds where the people become part of a greater cause as opposed to experiencing a loss of self. The crowd switched to social identity mode, and thus it was all about defending the injustice the police had inflicted on their community. The collective crowd felt confrontation was the only way to stand up for the perceived discrimination. In sum anonymity seems to play a role in the theory of crowd behaviours. Le Bon introduced the idea of a ‘group mind’ he believed that the anonymity of the crowd allowed contagion to occur. Later deindividuation theorists refined his theory and said that anonymity diminishes individual responsibility and gives room for people to behave in unethical ways. However social identity theory did not agree and suggested that the individual assumes a collective self and behaves in ways associated with the groups norms. From all the research it is evident that crowds are not always associated with a loss of self, as sometimes the individual shifts to become part of the collective self. It would seem like in a situation of aggression such as a riot, crowd behaviour is much more likely to cause a loss of self than in a more sociable setting such as a football game. Additionally whereas the riot may begin as group of people working for social justice, crowds lend themselves to other people joining and it may eventually becoming a group of people who experience a loss of self and the initial idealistic vision of change getting lost.

Mother Tounge free essay sample

Chinese-American, who grows up speaking Chinese and English (many different forms of English). She talks about how not being able to speak English can create some real difficulties. She tells stories about how her mother spoke, what she calls broken English, and how it affected her everyday life, as well as her daughters. At first she was ashamed of her mothers English, and that if reflected the quality of what her mother was trying to say.In this story Amy Tan ants to present her position and belief in a rational and effective way. Her purpose of Mother Tongue is to explain how the various languages that she has used with her mother were important and influential in her life. She explains that even though immigrants whose native languages are not English are unable to speak English fluently to express their thoughts and opinions, their thoughts are not unimportant and incorrect. We will write a custom essay sample on Mother Tounge or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Amy Tan wrote about her and her mothers experiences to support her point.She talks about the video to explain about mothers talk style these evidences are very effective because it makes the readers to sympathize with the author. Towards the end of the story I feel like her attitude changes, and she becomes inspired by her mother, and started writing things not in English, or Chinese per-say, but in a way that showed passion, imagery, the rhythms of her mothers speech, and the nature of her mothers thoughts. She knew she had succeeded when her mother finished reading the book and said So easy to read (p. 4).