A People’s History of the United States essay

A People’s History of the United States essay A People’s History of the United States essay A People’s History of the United States essayFirst of all, I would like to state my viewpoint on what I have learnt about the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. It has surely been a great discovery and a turning point in the history of the United States. I should admit that during the course I had learnt a number of things that I was not aware of before. The most impressive for me was to learn about the treatment of native population of America by the Spaniards. Howard Zinn stated that, â€Å"in the year 1495, they went on a great slave raid, rounded up fifteen hundred Arawak men, women, and children, put them in pens guarded by Spaniards and dogs, then picked the five hundred best specimens to load onto ships† (6). In fact, it was so frustrating to learn how evil and bloody the treatment of the native people of the New World by Spaniards was. I wonder if these were the first signs of slavery that would later become customary for the South of America. Was all this for the sake of gold, treasures and prosperity? It seems like it was indeed so. Zinn writes, â€Å"many slaves died in captivity† (6). I was really surprised to learn how great the number of the slaves who died for nothing was. So I think that although Spaniards wanted to bring Christian religion to the New World, they failed to follow the basic principles of the Bible.I was also so much surprised of what I learnt during this semester about slave marriages. I think not many people nowadays know â€Å"how high was the incidence of marriage among slave men and women, and how stable these marriages were† (Zinn 161). What I’ve learnt is that slave marriages were characterized with â€Å"unusual fidelity† (Zinn 161). Howard Zinn gave a great number of interesting and surprising examples of how married slave couples were devoted to each other and how they loved their children, so that even the separation from children could not destroy this affection. Mor eover, Zinn states that, â€Å"this family solidarity carried into the twentieth century† (162). All this is so unlike what we have today, as families being sacred social institutions more and more often lose their true meaning and value and we can see that more and more couples nowadays face conflicts and lack of loyalty or even get divorced.I have also learnt much about the social classes within the United States and it was new for me to learn that different classes have not only different educational opportunities, but also different attitudes to studying. In fact, it appears that children from low-income families tend to achieve more success in educational sphere than those coming from well-to-do families. Loewen states that â€Å"teachers are often surprised and even distressed when poor children excel† (198). Personally I think that in modern days more and more teachers stand for the equality of opportunities and quality of education disregarding the social class a child belongs to. Reading of Loewen’s study made me think that the poorer a child is the more he or she relies only on his or her own efforts in order to succeed in the future and that is why poor children try to achieve the best possible results in education so as to get a good job and become a more or less qualified worker.To conclude, all of the readings I studied during the semester were of much value to me. And although Loewen states that, â€Å"history is the only field in which the more courses [high school] students take, the stupider they become† (2), I consider that the history course I went through enriched my knowledge of history and other related issues with much valuable and simply interesting information.

Food Inс. Essays

Food InÃ' . Essays Food InÃ' . Essay Food InÃ' . Essay Discussion Questions Watch the film and answer the following questions: 1. If animals should have certain rights, do you think those rights also apply to animals we raise for food, like chickens or pigs? Are there any rights that these farm animals should have? If so, what are they? One animal does not have greater importance over another, such as one human is not more life worthy than another. In this case to say certain animals should have rights whereas others should not is wrong. So yes a dog and a chicken should have rights and the same rights. The more difficult question is what exactly these rights should be. It is reasonable to try to prevent the most obvious cases of gratuitous suffering or torture of animals, but beyond that, non-human animals yes deserve to be given â€Å"rights†, but cannot simply be granted. The animals are treated like scum, kept in the dark with no concept of an outside world. Some rights they should be graced with are the right to the outdoors, and the right to roam. 2. How do you think farm animals should be treated? How do your ideas compare to what you saw in the film? It seems as if each industry in the film has the power to define cruelty. : This is as ridiculous as giving a burglar the power to determine their punishment. Why these industries are not charged with aggravated cruelty to animals is something I cannot understand. Is it not the same to kick a dog or kick a chicken with the same anger? 3. Richard Lobb of the National Chicken Council says in the film, â€Å"In a way, we’re not producing chickens, we’re producing food. † What does this statement mean? Do you agree or disagree with it? How might this perspective affect the way that chickens are raised? 4. Many of us were surprised to learn that corn is so prevalent in our foods. Why o you think we were so surprised? Of course people are surprised to find out corn is so prevalent because the problem is it’s not even just in foods! When there is some kind of soy or corn in batteries, diapers, Motrin, charcoal, etc. you know there is a big problem. 5. Do you think the government and food producers have kept it a secret? Why don’t more people know this fact? This unfortunately is not something you can blame on the food producers; it’s simply the consumers fault for not looking at the ingredients on a food label. I believe people do not know the facts due to ignorance and laziness. Bottom line is if people realize what is in their food they will have to make a change which is usually not cost effective and more time consuming which these days is very undesirable. 6. Food labels actually do list corn-based ingredients, but not always in a recognizable way. How do you feel about ingredients being included in your diet without your knowledge? If you have a question about something, isn’t it common knowledge to ask about it. Google these days tells you everything you want to know and more so people can easily read the ingredients and research a word unknown to them.

Argumentative essay Roman Fever By Edith Wharton

Moral Issues Related To Seven Deadly Sins - Essay Example The book is very comprehensive from the foreword to the content and yet, it appears that many people are still oblivious about these. Sin is elucidated in the forward and the sins to be tackled were likewise discussed beforehand. The stories and the beginning of the ideas behind seven deadly sins can be traced back to St. Gregory as well as his identification of the normal dangers of the soul while taking into consideration Mahatma Gandhi. It also examines the classifications and perils represented by the seven deadly sins one by one. The plot of Wharton’s short story can be compared to a house of cards. Each card has significant support to the entire structure that if one is taken out, it will lose its essence. The commencing scene where daughters, Barbara and Jenny, run off to meet young provokes Mrs. Slade’s memories of her as well as Mrs. Ansley’s romantic adventures in Rome, 25 years prior to the present scene. She tried to share how Ansley has changed physically. Her observation establishes the concealed rancor she feels towards her companion and predicts every so implicitly the incongruous ending. Edith Wharton defies the thought of knowledge as well as understanding, even a person’s private experiences. The employment of Jackie Royster’s scenic analysis to Wharton’s Roman fever represents the idea that any person just because of envy and competition never achieve an awareness of the reality of human life as well as existence. This can be seen in the story when â€Å"She wished that Jenny falls in love- with the wrong man, even; that she might have to be watched, outmaneuvered, rescued† (Wharton, p.50). This is already evidence of how evil can manipulate and poison one’s mind just because of envy.

Diversity Website Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Diversity Website - Essay Example However, learning institutions no longer solely rely on the website for information on diversity owing to the online gush of diversity information on other diversity websites. The resources available at the website are fundamental for young persons to gain crucial knowledge about diversity and learnt to co-exist with one another. By linking diversity in education to general societal contexts, it helps individuals to develop deeper insight into the importance of diversity both in learning institutions and the society in general. Despite being an important agent for diversity, the website needs improvement. In as much as it provides crucial information about impacts of diversity in higher learning institutions, the website is more of unidirectional media. There is need to integrate an active interactive tab that allows users to post their views, comments and even post questions that they perceive to be most challenging and receive instant answers to the questions. Nonetheless, Diversityweb.org still provides substantial information about diversity in learning environments through its quarterly publication, Diversity & Democracy. The quarterly publication, available in the website provides critical information for higher education and also supports leaders in developing and implementing diversity initiatives aimed at preparing students to be socially accountable individuals of the

English Intensive Writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

English Intensive Writing - Essay Example The game Call of Duty seems to be an FPS game that includes a lot of violence with a background of World War II, but it is really about the portrayal of justice and how the United States thinks that they are a righteous power. The task of visualizing World War II has recently been taken up by new media, particularly video games, which include Call of Duty. This has therefore created new social and political perspectives of the war other than what movies like Pearl Harbor or Saving Private Ryan would naturally point out to. World War II games features military combat. Nevertheless, more than this, the World War II game has somehow become a â€Å"resilient formula and an important way that the cultural memory of the war was activated for a growing segment of the population† (Allison 183). Thus, such games have somehow illustrated a justified military force where the United States acted as the savior of the world. One more quality of Call of Duty and other World War II shooter games is the fact that the player can take the role of â€Å"an American paratrooper, a British Special Forces operative, and a Russian tank commander,† thus adding an element of equality to the game, or the idea that other countries, like Great Britain and Russia, believed in America’s cause during World War II (â€Å"Exclusive First Look†). The fact that one can play more than just being an American soldier in Call of Duty somehow instills in the minds of those exposed to the game that other countries have consented to the war that America has fought long and hard. The cooperation of other countries especially powerful countries like Great Britain and Russia somehow lends to the idea that America indeed fought a worthwhile war and was therefore justified in its mission of bringing justice to the world. This makes Call of Duty similarly worthwhile, and this makes this particular shooter game highly instrumental in instilling in everyone who plays it the idea that America was the

Gender Socialization in American Social Institutions Essay Example for Free

Gender Socialization in American Social Institutions Essay Socialization refers to how people learn different cultures and learn to live with the various aspects of the cultures. For an individual, socialization provides an opportunity to gain various habits and skills that are necessary for participating and acting at various levels within the society. For the wider society, socialization enables different people to exchange moral norms, values, attitudes, social roles, languages, motives and so forth, thereby attaining a form of social and cultural stability (Sapiro, 1990). Socialization is affected by many factors, which have contributed to factors such as social stratification with particular with reference to gender among various societies. Many social theories have suggested that gender is a core cause of social stratification in the American Society (Stone, 2001; Andersen Taylor, 2005; Levinson, Cookson Sadovnik, 2002; Giddens Griffiths, 2006). Social stratification with respect to gender has been noted in many areas such as place of worship, schools, workplaces, and many other areas that involve social interactions. According to Andersen and Taylor (2005), the various methods used in interaction in different institutions lead to stratification since males usually tend to dominate the social scene, thus creating a situation whereby females have to play a second role in socialization. This paper will evaluate the methods of socialization used by people in different American educational institutions with particular reference to the role of gender in the social scene. The format of the paper will involve a brief discussion of the various aspects of socialization in the American context followed by a discussion of the methods of gender socialization in American social educational institutions. Gender socialization among Americans According to Stone (2001), the American society places a lot of importance in the role of the family as the basic social unit of the society. In fact, the evidence for this is shown by the abundance in most libraries of published materials regarding marriage and family life in the United States. The interest in family life is instigated by the fact that there are various instances of gender interaction such as those involving children; between children and their parents; between parents; and between parents and their in-laws (Stone, 2001). An obvious gender interaction that is usually less mentioned is that between any parent and mother-in–law or father-in-law of the opposite sex. The aspect of mother in law in particular has been a problem to many couples in the American society. In this context, Stone (2001) quotes Eppie Lederer who commented on the persistent problem associated with mothers-in-law by asking the question â€Å"Must we outlaw the mother in law? † The products of family life, that is children, also socialise differently depending on where they are. Andersen and Taylor (2005) note that gender socialization among children is impacted upon by peers, parents, the media, schools, religious institutions and forth. It is at the child level that various paths of gender socialization are charted. For instance, in schools girls usually get involved in communal games and like getting into groups whereas boys tend to put interest in games that are individualistic (Andersen Taylor, 2005). The same authors also note that girls play more freely when they are involved in same sex groups. On the other hand, boys tend to wield power over girls when they play with them and have a tendency to create laws of play over girls. This is perhaps what leads to men’s dominance in scenes in later life (Andersen Taylor, 2005; Stone, 2001). Methods of gender socialization in American educational and religious institutions As is the case in all societies, socialization occurs at all stages of life, not just in childhood stages. The attributes displayed by children in their early days such as gender-typed forms of games are indicator of behavior that appear later during adult life. The aspects of competitive play displayed by boys prepare them for the kind socialization environment they encounter as adults. Giddens and Griffiths (2006) note that boys engage in more aggressive socialization activities because in future they get active in activities such as sports; and the large groups they socialize with also teach them to cooperate and compete when working together later in life. Among girls, there is a slightly different approach to socialization. Andersen and Taylor (2005) note that learn in the same way as girls but they don’t tend to value the attributes such as highly as boys or men even though these attributes are no less important to them. Thus, gender socialization in various American educational institutions is based on these attributes as discussed in the following sections. Gender socialization in schools Schools in have a distinct influence on gender socialization because of the considerable amount to time children spend them (Cookson, 1990). Teachers of either sex have different expectations for boys and girls. According to research findings, boys in American schools call out answers about eight times more than girls (Andersen Taylor, 2005). This makes boys get more attention from their teachers than girls. This point is emphasized by the fact that when teachers of either sex respond to the boys they increase the boys’ level of perceived importance. Another level of socialization in schools is the kind of books used in class. The kind of messages depicted in the books usually determine the kind of socialization that children have later in life or among themselves (Levinson, Cookson Sadovnik, 2002). If a person of a certain gender is used as a central figure and is portrayed to be powerful or a genius, a mentality is developed among children that people of that gender are powerful in all dimensions. Most of the characters depicted as such are men. Gender socialization and religion Religion is one of the aspects of gender socialization that is often overlooked in the American society. Different religious groups lay emphasis on different aspects of their culture such as gender differences. For instance, most Judeo-Christian religions found in the United States put much emphasis on gender, with a common perspective that men are superior to women. In religions that embrace Orthodox Judaism, men offer prayer to God thanking him for not having made a slave of woman for them. In addition, many other religions in the United States exclude women from leadership in religious functions to signify that women hold a lower position in the society (Levinson, Cookson Sadovnik, 2002). Aside from the religions that belittle gender, socialization in Christian and Muslim faiths encourages some form of gender equity (Cookson, 1990). Thus in both churches and mosques, women constantly use what they learn based on their faiths to question racist practices and other forms of unfair treatment by men. Along this line, protestant and evangelical churches in the United States campaign for shared household roles and equal job opportunities as part of socialization between men and women (Stone, 2001). Gender socialization and the media Different forms of media such as magazines, film, television, music and many others have a lot of influence on the kind of socialization in the United States. Communication through the various forms of media is facilitated through features such as cartoons, narrations, messages in music and so forth. Men and women play different roles in the media industry and this determines show they socialize at various levels. But a common tendency is that men are usually portrayed as more powerful figure in various media by their dominance in films, sports, and many other activities. This has changed how people view various forms of media and stratified the society (particularly learning institutions) in terms of popularity of some programs. Television in the United States has been criticized for portraying unrealistic images of women and men with respect to their appearance and age (Stone, 2001). There is a common opinion that women are usually portrayed provocatively on television in dresses such as underwear, nightwear, swimsuits and so forth. Media images in social scenes such as social halls, school halls, colleges and other institutions in the United States and so on are criticized for depicting white men as exercising higher authority than white women as well as black men and black women. Many advertisements in social settings also have the same tendency of depicting the male gender as being superior to the female gender (Stone, 2001). Gender socialization and employment in educational institutions Workplaces as schools are characterized by people of either gender playing different roles. The American system of job classification us characterized by hierarchical organizations which put men and women in different job capacities. For instance, most principals in schools and superintendents of colleges are men (Andersen Taylor, 2005). This therefore creates an ill-advised notion that leaders in social institutions are always men. Conclusion It is evident that various from of gender socialization in educational institutions such as schools, colleges, churches, social halls and so forth in the United States is greatly influenced by the kind of socialization that takes place in elementary levels of education such as junior schools. In addition, the kind of behavior that boys and girls are exposed to is carried into adult life. This is shown in many organizations that disseminate knowledge such as colleges, most of which portray men as being superior to women. References Andersen, M. L. and Taylor H. F. (2005). Sociology: understanding a diverse society. New York: Cengage Learning. Cookson, L. Gender equity, social institutions and the future of fertility. Journal of Population Research, 17(1):1-14 Giddens, A Griffiths, S. (2006). Sociology. New York: Polity Levinson, D. ; Cookson, P. W. Sadovnik , A. R. (2002). Education and sociology: an encyclopedia. New York: Taylor Francis. Sapiro, V. (1990) Women in American society: an introduction to womens studies. New York: Mayfield Pub. Co. Stone, L. (2001). New directions in anthropological kinship. New York: Rowman Littlefield.

Marketing Strategies :: essays research papers

Title:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Guidelines in Increasing the Number of Sales (applicable in any Industry; most Applicable in the Food Industry) Researcher:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  RuthLenlea B. Villela Professor:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dr. M. Pangilinan School:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Technological University of the Philippines Year:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1st Sem School Year 2004 Problem How to increase the Sales in a Local Ice Cream Parlor Summary / Findings PROBLEM ONE: NO SUNDAE DESCRIPTIONS The first problem we saw was that he was only listing the names of his sundaes, since there was no room for a description of each sundae. While this wasn't a problem for his Basic Sundaes, after all, everyone knows what's in a Pineapple Sundae, or a Hot Fudge Sundae, it was a huge problem with his Specialty Sundaes. Many of his Specialty Sundaes had fun, 'creative' names, like The Lala Palooza, The Zombie and The Razzana. Maybe Frank and his staff, and a few of his long-time customers, knew what those sundaes were, but we were certain that most of his customers didn't have a clue. Frank had assumed that his customers knew what those sundaes contained, or if they didn't, they would simply ask. People don't buy what they don't understand. And few are going to ask. They will take the path of least resistance and just buy what they are familiar with -- Pineapple Sundaes, Hot Fudge Sundaes, etc. PROBLEM TWO: NO PICTURES We've all heard that a 'picture is worth a thousand words.' Well, that saying is especially true when it comes to food. When you show pictures of desserts in restaurants, you will sell a lot more desserts. Some restaurants are even more savvy, and actually display the desserts or bring them right to your table for you to see. The bottom line -- visuals sell! Frank had never really thought about his menu system. The plain white letters on the black display boards had been his system since the day his business opened. He never considered adding pictures to his menu. Conclusion: Our experience in marketing, and our knowledge of how people buy, made it clear to us, that these two problems -- obscure sundae names with no descriptions, and no pictures of the sundaes themselves -- were making it nearly impossible for Frank's customers to order his higher-priced sundaes. Having pinpointed the problems, the solution was relatively easy. We suggested that Frank take pictures of each of his Specialty Sundaes, and have them enlarged. Frank then had two large signs made to be placed at both ends of his ordering counter, above his cashiers to make it easy for his customers to see the Specialty Sundaes and what they contained.