Stratification Theory Essays

Stratification Theory Essays Stratification Theory Paper Stratification Theory Paper Max Weber Socia Stratification So, while the above quotation may be a rather hackneyed phrase (to me and countless long-suffering sociology examiners, if not to you, since youre probably encountering It for the first time), it does sensitive us to a couple of major ideas (my advice here is to remember these ideas and forget about trying to sneak the quotation into your exam). That Weber addressed many of the same concerns addressed by Marx. That Weber came to substantially different conclusions to those interpreted by Marx. While this should come as no great surprise if youve been studying sociology for some time (and I would suggest that its probably a good idea to have gained some experience In handling sociological ideas and concepts before you attempt to tackle he concept of social stratification In any depth) sociologists frequently Interpret evidence In radically different ways It should alert you to the fact that there are a number of clear differences between the ideas, arguments and conclusions put forward by Weber and Marx in relation to social stratification. The task of these Notes, therefore, is to help you understand and evaluate both Weepers ideas and their relationship to Marxist ideas. Before we continue any further however, It might be useful to note that, for theoretical purposes, Ive classified Weber as a Conflict Theorist, for three good seasons: A. Firstly, because that is my interpretation of his general sociology. B. Secondly, because he talks In terms of the way In which social structures condition unman Detonator. Deer recognizes ten way In wanly structural relations denotable at the level of social class, status and power affect human behavior and consciousness and his interpretation of this relationship makes him, I would suggest, rather different to Interactions sociologists. C. Although Weber puts more emphasis than most structuralism sociologists on the importance of human consciousness and subjectivity, he does not make this the coco of his research. On the contrary, like most Conflict theorists, Weber analyses the nature of human consciousness within a structural context he may have come to different conclusions to Marxist Conflict theorists, but he appears to have more in common with the latter (in terms of his central sociological concerns) than with Interactions perspectives. However, since the whole perspective question is such a significant one in relation to A-level sociology, this might be a good place to note a number of points raised by Mary Maynard (Sociological Theory) in relation to the whole idea of sociological respective A. How Social Stratification Is Defined. Unlike Marx, Weepers analysis of social stratification was not rooted in or linked to any attempt to formulate a general historical analysis of social development. While, in common with Marx, Weber argued that class stratification had a clear and important economic dimension, he believed that two other related dimensions of stratification, namely: a. Status and b. Party (or political power) needed to be included if a full analysis and understanding of the rich social variety of different forms of social stratification was to be obtained. Thus, as has been suggested above, in order to understand the relative significance of Weepers three dimensions of stratification: a. Class b. Status and c. Party we need initially to know how they are both defined and inter-related and, in order to do this we need to further understand that all three dimensions are, for Weber, rooted in the concept of power. If you are unsure about how Weber (and others) have defined and used the concept of power then it would be useful to work your way through the Notes on Concepts ere In ten Power Ana Politics section AT ten course Detour you go any Turner since the following assumes you have a basic understanding of Weepers use of the concept of power). Central to Weepers analysis of social stratification in all its forms was the idea that we need to understand two basic things: Firstly, how societies are organized in hierarchical systems of domination and subordination (in terms of both individual and collective hierarchies). Secondly, the significance of power in the determination of social relationships based upon domination and subordination. In this respect, there are two basic dimensions to the concept of power that we need to understand: a. The possession of power: According to Weber, the ability to possess power derives from the individuals ability to control various social resources. These resources can be anything and everything and might include things like: Land, Capital, Social respect, Physical strength, Intellectual knowledge, In basic terms, the definition off social resource is simply something that is both socially desirable and in some sense limited (that is, it can be possessed by some but not others). As I hope you will appreciate, this concept of social resource is both: 1 . Extremely flexible (almost anything can qualify as a social resource) and 2. Liable to vary in time (for example, at different points in the historical development of a society) and space (for example, between different societies / cultures). Activity Give examples of social resources that have varied in their significance in both time and space. For example: Time In our society in the asses, ownership of a television was a form of power since it conferred status upon owners of this social resource. Nowadays, because television ownership is not limited, no such status is given to ownership of this resource. Space In our collects, meal doctors are generally well-pal Ana nave Nell status This is not true of all societies (the old Soviet union being a good example). B. The exercising of power: The ability to exercise power takes a number of different forms, but all involve the idea that it means the ability to get your own way with others, regardless of their ability to resist you. In terms of understanding the relationship between power and social stratification, Weber theorized the various ways in which societies are organized in hierarchical systems of domination and subordination using the following major concepts: 1 . Class Power (Class): This was theorized by Weber on the basis of unequal access to material sources. For example, if I possess something that you want (or, better still from my point of view, need) then this makes me potentially more powerful than you. I am in a dominant position and you are in a subordinate position because I control access to a desired social resource. A classic illustration here is the relationship between an employer and employee. Explain this relationship on the basis of control of resources / power. 2. Social Power (Status): If you respect me or view me as your social superior, then I will potentially be able to exercise power over you (since you will respond positively to my instructions / commands). In this respect, social status is a social resource simply because I may have it while you may not 3. Political Power (Party): This form of power is related to the way in which the State is organized in modern social systems (involving the ability to make laws, for example). If you can influence this process of law creation then you will be in a potentially powerful position. Thus, by your ability to influence a decision-making process you possess power, even though you may not directly exercise that power personally. Political parties are the organizational means to possess power through the mechanism of the State and they include not Just formally organized parties, but any group that is organized to influence the way in which power is exercised legitimately through the machinery of the State. For example: Status groups (political organizations that exist to protect the social status of a particular group Walton society Tort example: I en Brattles Meal Escalation) Interest groups (political organizations that exist to advance the interests of a particular section of society by attempting to influence the way decisions are taken by government). Give some examples of: a. Status groups: b. Interest groups: What this means, therefore, is that if you are in a position to influence a decision- making process then you are in a position of power. By your ability to influence this process you possess power, even though you may not directly exercise power. Obvious examples here might be exercising power through your ability to influence: a. Political parties (for example, through donating money to them). B. The making of laws (for example, through ownership of the mass media, your influence with a party in government). In our political system, political parties are organized to possess power through the Achaeans of the State. As Ive suggested above, this involves not only formally organized political parties, but also any group that is organized to attempt to influence the way in which power is (legitimately) exercised through the agencies of the State (pressure groups, status groups, interest groups . One of the strengths of this approach to the understanding of social stratification is the fact that it identifies three separate but inter-dependent dimensions of stratification: namely class, status and power. Its important that you dont see these three dimensions of stratification as either / r categories (that is, an individual as either economically powerful (class) or socially powerful (status) or politically powerful (party)). In the real world each dimension tends to be very closely related to one another such that: People who are economically powerful tend also to have a relatively high standing in the community (status) and are able to use these two forms of power to influence the political process in some way (for example, attempting to influence the government into passing laws favorable to such people). Slung ten concept AT values, snow now we can apply tens concept to unreason TN allegations between class and status in our society. This separation between class, status and power was not unique to Weber, since if you think about it for a moment, we have seen that Marx was well aware of these three different forms of power. Like Weber, Marx viewed these dimensions of stratification as: a. Theoretically distinct and b. Empirically inter-dependent. What this means, in simple terms, is that we can define these dimensions separately for the sake of theoretical convenience / clarity, but it is impossible to separate them empirically in the real world of human social interaction. Where Marx tended to differ from Weber was in the basic emphasis he placed upon each of the three dimensions the economic dimension was, according to Marx, the most significant one, since possession of economic power invariably leads to the possession of status and political power. In this respect, we have already seen, in an earlier Study Pack, the way in which Marx related economic power to status and political power when he talked about the distinction between infrastructure and superstructure in society. To which of these areas, according to Marx, does each dimension of power belong? Weber was, of course, also aware of the problems involved in the personalization of these three concepts, since it is evident that: High class, High status and High power are most commonly found together in our society (it is unusual, for example, to find someone who is immensely wealthy without their also enjoying high social status and political power). However, where Weber differed from Marx was in the relative emphasis that he placed upon the significance of each dimension of stratification. As we have seen, class forms of stratification (your relationship to a means of production) tended, for Marx, to be most significant. The focus of Mars analysis tended to be on the system as a whole, rather than the individual problems of placement within that system. Weber, on the other hand, was more concerned to analyses the way in which social systems were stratified at the level of individuals / social groups the way in which, for example, people doing much the same sort of work could have quite different levels AT status Ana / or power. In this respect, we can see here two things: a. The importance of theoretical perspective. Both Marx and Weber were looking at the same things, using very similar incepts. However, their analysis and conclusions tended to differ mainly because they were concerned to explain different things. B. Marx and Weber were in many ways complimentary to each other, sociologically, in the sense that they both tell us useful things about the nature of social stratification. Marx tells us something about the general nature of social stratification (a kind of macro picture). Weber tells us something about the specific nature of social stratification (a kind of micro picture). In this respect, this difference is reflected in terms of their overall theoretical respective, whereby Mars conflict approach can be contrasted with Weepers conflict perspective on the basis that the former emphasized the importance of social structure (the way in which individual behavior is conditioned by the general structure of social relationships) while the latter emphasized the importance of social action (the ability of individuals to influence the nature of their social relationships in sociologically significant ways). Since Weepers conception of social action is important, it might be opportune here to digress slightly by outlining some f the major elements in Weepers approach to the understanding of the social world Social Action Theory: A Hibernia Perspective. Max Weber is a difficult sociologist to pigeon-hole in perspective terms (for reasons that will become clear in a moment), since he doesnt fit neatly into the usual Structuralism / Interactions dichotomy so beloved of sociology textbooks. However, in terms of this dichotomy, Weber is closer to the Conflict Structuralism perspective since it is clear that in much of his sociological analysis he focuses upon the way in which the structure of peoples relationships influence (but not determine) peoples behavior. The confusion over his theoretical status largely stems from the fact that Weber concerned himself with the attempt to make sense of the rational basis of the choices of behavior made by individuals in their daily lives; that is, he attempted to analyses human behavior at an individual level within the context of a clear sense of structural constraint (the choices we make about how to behave socially are clearly contralto others). A Day ten structural relationship wanly we Don Tort Ana are Tort For Weber, therefore, society is created through social interaction (it is not something hat is naturally given) and such interaction involves the conscious behavior of thinking, reflective, individuals. People, in effect, make choices about their lives, their group memberships and so forth and these are neither pre-determined nor pre- destined. As we have seen, power was a very important concept for Weber and he used it to explain the way in which societies both change and remain relatively stable and orderly. Social change, for Weber, came about in many ways: a. Purposeful social action people thinking about the nature of society and acting purposefully to develop and change the way they live. . The unintended consequences of social actions for example, wars bring about social change in ways that may not have been intended by their participants . Economic conflicts that marry both purposeful social action and unintended outcomes. In this respect, we can see that, unlike Marx, Weber emphasized the way in which social change could come about in ways that did not simply involve class conflicts (as we see when we look at his analysis of the relationship between social change and the role of religion). In this sense, therefore, power struggles occur throughout society and, while economic power is a crucial variable in this st ruggle, it is not the only one. Powerful groups other than social classes may arise within a society from time to time and the power struggle between them may involve interests that are not specifically economic. In this respect, Hibernia sociology is sometimes seen as a pluralist perspective, in the sense that societies are invariably seen to involve a variety of different groups (a plurality), each possessing (or competing for) greater or lesser forms of power. As we have already seen, such groups may be of the class, status or party variety (or, more usually, a combination of each) The basis of each group is: Class the relationship each group has to the means of economic production, in addition to a variety of factors such as technical skills and educational qualifications that affect an individuals market situation independently of the ownership / non-ownership of property. B. Status a group that is related on the basis of a parity of esteem (a group of equals), ten Oasis Tort wanly Is a groups pattern AT consumption (or Testily). C. Party a group that is organized in some way for the taking / exercising of political power. Such groups may be class based, but they may also draw their membership from a variety of social classes. On the basis of the above, social stratification represented, for Weber, the way in which the distribution of power in any society becomes institutionalized that is, starts to assume a relatively stable pattern of social behavior that exists over a long period and the economic aspect (class) was considered to be neither more nor less important in terms of stratification than the status and party dimensions. To understand why this should be so we need to look briefly at the different sociological tauter of the concepts of class, status and party. . Economic class, for Weber, was considered to be an objective sociological / political category. That is, it was a statistical category to which people could be sociologically allocated on the basis of their market situation. While people could, of course, be conscious of belonging to a particular economic class, Weber argued that this was not assured; Just because, as sociologists, we can objectively allocate people to a particular category doesnt mean that: a. People accept that they belong to that category. For example, someone who can be classified as working class on the basis of their objective market position as a road sweeper may (subjectively) believe themselves to be middle class and this will have important social consequences for their social behavior. B. People placed into the same objective category necessarily think and act in similar ways. One major problem for Marxist is the fact that class is such a central theoretical concept in their analysis. Class is more than Just a statistical category; it is the expression of a whole set of norms, values, beliefs, interests and so forth. In this respect, to (over)simplify the situation, each class in capitalist society has its own set of class interests the proletariats interests involve taking-over the means of production and holding them in common, while the interests of the bourgeoisie are basically to prevent the proletariat doing Just that. Whereas the ruling class recognize their basic class interests, a problem arises when the proletariat do not seem to recognize their class interests when, in effect, they show no overwhelming desire to overthrow the bourgeoisie. For Marxist, the robber here is how to explain why something has not happened in the way that it should be happening / should have happened. In short, based upon the assumption that the proletariat should see it to be in their interests to throw off their exploitation Day ten Doorbells, Marxist nave to explain winy ten proletariat nave not Addenda predicted and to do this they have employed a variety of concepts (false consciousness, ideological indoctrination and so forth) to try to explain the shortfall between prediction and reality. According to Weber, on the other hand, we must avoid the trap of assuming that, cause people can be objectively assigned a particular class their failure to act in ways that further their objective class interests have to be explained in terms of such concepts as false consciousness or ideological distortions introduced through a ruling class control of various agencies of colonization (education, mass media, etc. ). People may appear to act in ways that are not in their interests for a variety of reasons and we can only understand these reasons by looking at the (subjective) dimensions of status and party. The concepts of status and party add a subjective dimension to social stratification, n terms of the fact that they allow Weber to theorize an element of conscious social organization that is related to but also separate from economic class. In this respect, we can see the basis for some of the theoretical confusion that tends to surround the pigeon-holing of Weber, in the sense that his form of conflict structuralism includes reference not simply to social structures but also to the subjective consciousness of individual social actors.

Biblical Word Study

Biblical Word Study Abstract This paper develops a study of selected words from the bible. Under the counseling category, the paper examines the meaning, usage and derivatives of the words counsel, wisdom and help. Under the addiction category, the study examines the meaning, derivatives and usage of the words wine, desire and restraint.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Biblical Word Study specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The study seeks to examine the usage of the words in the old and new testaments, which are arranged in different paragraphs for every word. Biblical words related to counseling This section examines the biblical usage of the words counsel, help and wisdom. The Blue Letter Bible, a resource site that provides links to other bible versions, is used as the primary study material. Through this site, the study examines the usage of these words in the New American Standard Bible, King James Version and the New King James Version Bibles. Counsel In the bible, the word counsel is the Aramaic translation of ‘dethabar’ in the Old Testament and the Greek word ‘bouleutes’ in the New Testament. In addition, it is the translation of the Hebrew word ‘etsah’ or ‘atsa’. Usage in the Old Testament The word counsel has a number of meanings applied to it in various cases. In other cases, the word is used to mean purpose, devise, and plan or to counsel. The first appearance is in Exodus 18:19, where Jethro was advising Moses to be the people’s representative before God, taking their disputes to Him. Usage in the New Testament There are only two instances of the word counsel in the New Testament. In Zechariah 6:13, the word is used to mean perfect harmony or peace. In Ephesians 1:11, the word counsel is used to mean ‘guidance of the Lord’s plan† (New King James Version Bible, [NKJV], 2011) Wisdom The word wisdom is used to mean kno wledge, understanding or excellent ability to apply knowledge or understanding.Advertising Looking for critical writing on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Usage in the Old Testament In the Old Testament, the word is mostly used in Job, proverbs and psalms. For instance, it is used to mean human knowledge or understanding of an idea. In Exodus 35:31, it is used to mean excellent human understanding or experience with a subject. This is also similar in a number of other instances where it is used (American Standard Edition [ ASV], 1901). In job 32:13, the speaker says â€Å"we have found wisdom† while in Job 33:33, the speaker says â€Å"keep silent so that I can teach you wisdom† (King James Version [ KJV], 2000). These cases show that the word also means knowledge obtainable through learning and teaching (Tan, 2011). Usage in the New Testament The word also appears several times in t he New Testament. Like the Old Testament, the word is used to have similar meanings in the New Testament. It is used to mean knowledge, excellent experience with a subject or the right ideas that reside in humans. For instance, in Mathew 13:54, it is used describe the extraordinary knowledge expressed by Jesus as â€Å"where did this man get this wisdom and powers from?† (New American Standard Bible [NASB], 1995) Help This word appears 147 times in the NASB and is used several times in both testaments. In most cases, it is used to mean any form of aid that a person or group of persons can obtain from another person, group or God. In most cases, it is used to show God’s aid, favor, leadership or even mentorship to his people. Usage in the Old Testament In the Old Testament, the word â€Å"help† appears several types and is used to mean the role of God in sustaining his people, protecting them from bad events and enemies and guiding them through difficult times. I t first appears in Genesis 4:1 where Eve says, â€Å"I have received a child with God’s help† Usage in the New Testament In the Old Testament, the word is widely used in reference to any type of aid that a person can get from another or from God. It includes material and immaterial aid. For instance, in Luke 4:38, the word is used to mean immaterial aid given to Simon’s mother-in-law, who was suffering.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Biblical Word Study specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Biblical words related to addiction This section attempts to examine the biblical usage of the words ‘wine’, ‘desire’ and ‘restraint’. The Blue Letter Bible, a resource site that provides links to other bible versions, is used as the primary study material. Wine Wine was a type of alcoholic drink tradition in the Jewish society. In most cases, it is used together with other types of food. However, it was a highly controlled drink because of its alcohol content. In the Old Testament, wine was a common type of drink among the Israelites as well as their neighbors. For instance, in Genesis 14:18, the bible says that Melchizedek, the king of Salem brought bread and wine (NASB, 1995). It shows that wine was a major offering to the Lord. In addition, drinking wine was a form of entertainment and cerebrations (Froma, 2010). Some cases show that drinking excessive wine was considered unholy (Froma, 2010). For instance, in Judges 13:4, the people are advised, â€Å"do not drink wine or strong drink† (KJV, 2000) Usage in the New Testament In the New Testament, it appears that wine was a highly valued product. It was preserved in special wineskins. In Mathew 9:17, the bible says, â€Å"they put new wine in new wineskins and both materials are preserved† (Froma, 2010). For example, in the book of John, Jesus made wine from water and allow people to drink. Nevertheless, it is also considered as a way of destroying the righteousness.† (NKJV, 2011). In other cases, wine is used as a part of treatment given to injuries. For instance, in Luke 7:33, the bible shows how wine and oil were used to treat wounds. Desire The term desire is used to express a number of meanings in the bible. For instance, it is used to show the willingness to obtain something or physical and emotional drive to take an action of fulfills some need.Advertising Looking for critical writing on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Usage in the Old Testament The word â€Å"desire† is used several times in the Old Testament to express several meanings. A number of instances show that the word means the emotional drive to satisfy some need. The first instance is seen in Genesis 3:16 where women are advised to have a desire for their husbands. Similarly, in Genesis 39:7, Pharaoh’s wife developed a great desire for Joseph and ordered him to have sex with her. In other instances, it is used to show the non-emotional drives to achieve something. For instance, in Deuteronomy 5:21, people are required not to desire other people’s property. Usage in the New Testament The word desire is used to show emotional need to take an action or non-emotional willingness to achieve something. In some cases, ‘desire’ is condemned. For instance, in Colossians 3:5, the bible condemns â€Å"impurity, evil desire, passion and greed because they amounts to idolatry† (NASB, 1995) Restraint This wo rd appears only 4 times in the bible. It is used in both the new and old testament to express different meanings. In the Old Testament It is used in chronicles 28:19, God humbled Ahaz, the King of Israel for his unfaithfulness to the Lord and lack of restraint in Judah. Here, it is used to signify the ability to maintain harmony. This is also seen in Isaih 23:10 Usage in the New Testament It is used to show humbleness and ability to sustain harmony. For instance, in Timothy 2:15, women are advised to â€Å"continue in love and faith and restraint† Core biblical themes Counseling is seen as an important aspect of the Jewish community. God, elders, judges, prophets and priests, provided counseling. In addition, there were two types of help- material and immaterial help. Wine was an expensive but addictive product due to alcoholic content. The bible shows the negative impact of excessive drinking of wine. On the other hand, desire is both an emotional and physical passion to ach ieve something. Emotional desire is condemned in some instances for its ability to lead into sin. Summary Counseling was a part of the society. Every community had specialists who provided counseling while God provided help. Addiction was common and mostly seen in wine drinking and the desire for sexual contact. References American Standard Edition (1901). New York: Thomas Nelson and Sons. Froma, W. (2010). Biblical Facts about Wine: Is It a Sin to Drink Wine? New York: Author House. King James Version. (2000). Edinburg: Thomas Nelson Inc. New King James Version Bible. (2011). Edinburg: Thomas Nelson Inc. Tan, S. (2011). Counseling and Psychotherapy: A Christian Perspective By Siang-Yang Tan. London: Baker Academic. New American Standard Bible (1995). New York: The Lockman Foundation.

The Worldliness of English in Saudi Arabia Dissertation

The Worldliness of English in Saudi Arabia - Dissertation Example Researchers who look at the spread of English as mere linguistic imperialism question the enterprise of learning and teaching of the English language. This is because, from their viewpoint, it has the cultural integrity of the non-native speaker compromised. In order for a language instructor to come into terms with the imposition of English language learning culturally is to utilize the practices of ELT that define and position English as an international language (EIL). In my point of view, the alternative perpetuates the negative impact that learning a foreign language can pose to the cultural integrity of the learner. Linguistic imperialism is a concept of linguistics involving a transfer, to other people, of a dominant language. This transfer is often associated with power demonstration. This could be military power or even economic power. Dominant cultures are often transferred together with the language. According to Brutt-Griffler (2002), the theory of linguistic imperialism has magnetized much attention among applied linguistic scholars. This has resulted in much debate especially on the shortcomings and merits of the theory. Brutt-Griffler stated linguistic imperialism denunciations to the analyses of English as the language of world domination and world capitalism. Generally, linguistic imperialism is usually viewed in the perspective of cultural imperialism.  

General nursing skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

General nursing skills - Essay Example I will also be discussing them in this assignment how important the skills I garnered will be in my future profession. The purpose of reflection is basically looking back at an event or time and analysing the emotions, feelings and other things involved at that point in time. Reflection usually involves questions such as â€Å"What went well?† and â€Å"How did I feel at that time?† Normally, reflection is done spontaneously, not based on formula. It normally occurs when feelings, emotions and thoughts about a particular event gradually surface (Atkins & Murphy 1994). However, there is no use in reflecting upon an activity if I the skills that I acquired during the activities and others that I improved upon will be going to waste. This is where the NHS framework is important. NHS knowledge and skills framework provides a comprehensive and consistent framework for review and development of a staff member. It determines and describes which knowledge and skills are important for staff to apply during at work and to deliver excellent services (Agenda for Change Project Team 2005). The NHS knowledge and skills framework has several purposes. NHS knowledge and skills framework is based on good people management. It is involved in looking at how people would like to be treated and more importantly, how they should be treated. Because of these, one of the purposes of NHS knowledge and skills framework is to check on the development of services by investing in staff members. This is done so that the service provided has good standards and it meets the needs of the public (Agenda for Change Project Team 2005). Another purpose of the NHS knowledge and skills framework is to support the learning process of the staff members, whether as a team or as an individual. It promotes effective learning and development. It aims to support the learning process of the members of the staff by letting them grow in various ways and

Critique on against gay marriage Essay Example for Free

Critique on against gay marriage Essay The modern world is experiencing transition in all aspects of life. This change is being experienced in marriage whereby some people are moving a way from the belief that marriage should only take place between people of same sex. They have gone to an extent of pushing for marriage between people of same-sex to be accorded the same treatment and recognition just like the case with the heterosexual marriage. Some people believe that marriage should be heterosexual while others believe that even homosexuals have a right to marry and live with their partners just like a husband and wife in opposite-sex marriage. This paper presents a critique in support of gay marriage. The society especially in the current state is crippling with many social problems emanating from heterosexual marriage. One of these problems is unwanted pregnancies which arise from irresponsible relationships. This is an incident which can only happen in a marriage between two people of opposite sex. Embracing same-sex marriage would offer a remedy to this problem because there is no chance of pregnancy in a marriage between gays and lesbians. This would also help in reducing the high cases of deaths and abortion which are being witnessed in the society today. Incase homosexuals decide to adopt a child, the possibility of neglect is very low as this would be a decision between two independent people. Same-sex marriage reduces the dominance by one partner which is associated with union between a man and a woman. For fear of victimization, most gays and lesbians are forced into heterosexual marriages against their will. However, they still continue to live their homosexual lives by secretly relating to other homosexuals while staying in the same-sex marriage. Therefore, accepting same-sex marriage will help reduce this unfaithfulness and promote marriage to one partner (Sullivan, A. , 2004). Since the society allows all kinds of people and groups to marry including murderers, thieves as well as marriage between people of different races. Condemning same-sex marriage is discrimination of the minority who are supposed to be protected by the constitution just like any other group. As opposed to what Bennet believes, it would not be the first time that the institution of marriage is experiencing change; Marriage between different races which are happening today never happened several years ago (Bennett, J. W. 1996). The strong position against homosexuality which is adopted by the church is an intrusion into private business. This is because marriage is a personal commitment between the two people involved in the relationship. This marriage therefore hurts no one who is not part of the relationship (Bennett, J. W. 1996). Every element of the society is transforming hence disregarding same-sex marriage is simply refusing to accept the natural changes in the institution of marriage. The acceptance of homosexuality as evident among school pupils is an indication that homosexuality is a thing of the current generation hence nature should be allowed to take its course. Bennet should not argue against adoption by gay and lesbian couples as this would be better that single parenting. The long-term repercussions of same-sex marriage talked about by those against gay marriage are baseless and coming out of fear of the unknown; accepting same-sex union would only serve to create more choices concerning marriage and people would be guided by individual choices. (Bennett, J. W. 1996). Conclusion From the accounts given above, same-sex marriage should be allowed and homosexuals do not deserve the harsh criticism and victimization that they are undergoing in the society. Legislation and rules governing marriage only needs to be adjusted to provide for same-sex union. Reference Bennett, J. W. (1996). Gay Marriage: Not a very good idea. The Washington Post. OP-ED; Pg. A19 Sullivan, A. (2004). Same-sex Marriage, Pro and Con: A Reader. New York: Vintage Books.

The Morphing of Child Pornography Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research

Morphing of Child Porn      Ã‚   At issue before the Circuit Courts has been the constitutionality of the 1996 Child Pornography Prevention Act (CPPA) in which Congress sought to modernize federal law by enhancing its ability to combat child pornography in the cyberspace era(Free Speech). There is a split in the circuit courts regarding this bill, and this essay will address the discrepancy.    This piece of legislation classifies an image that "appears to be" or "conveys the impression" of a minor engaging in sexually explicit acts as "virtual" child pornography. Such images include a photograph of a real child that may be scanned, replicated and manipulated by computer to create a sexually-oriented photo, or a wholly fake child that may be generated solely by computer graphics.    Congress recognized a loophole in the child pornography law, in that technological improvements have made it possible for child pornographers to use computers to "morph" or alter innocent images of actual children to create a composite image showing them in sexually explicit poses. With this in mind Congress intended to (1) ban computer-generated images that are "virtually indistinguishable" from those of real children, (2) to protect the privacy of actual children whose innocuous images are altered to create sexually explicit images and (3) to deprive child abusers of a "criminal tool" frequently used to facilitate the sexual abuse of children.    On December 17, 1999, in Free Speech Coalition v. Reno, the Ninth Circuit struck down the law as a content-based restriction on protected speech not in furtherance of any compelling governmental interest because the prohibited images are not of actual children. According to that C... ...guage of the statute "sufficiently narrowly tailored to promote the compelling government interest in preventing harm to actual children, based on substantiated Congressional findings that virtual pornography was used to seduce actual children into sexual activity, and thus comported with free speech guarantees."    WORKS CITED: Eleventh Circuit Opinions.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.law.emory.edu/11circuit/nov99/ Free Speech Coalition v. Reno, 198 F.3d 1083 (9th Cir. 1999), United States v. Hilton, 167 F.3d 61 (1st Cir. 1999), United States v. Acheson, 195 F.3d 645 (11th Cir. 1999), and United States v. Pearl, 89 F.Supp.2d 1237 (D.Utah 2000). Holder v. Free Speech Coalition, Docket No. 00-795).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.medill.northwestern.edu/docket/features2001.html United States v Hilton  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.law.emory.edu/1circuit/july2001/00-2545.01a.html

Bureaucracy & Democracy

Democracy is a term with several meanings and this has led to a genuine misconception as to its real meaning. To some, bureaucracy is red tape, to others it is officialdom and to some it is an organizational form (Cole p25). Observation and studies on bureaucracy have been done by many academicians among them Max Weber (1864-1920). Weber wanted to find out why people in many organizations obeyed those in authority over them. Weber observed that people obeyed legitimate authority and he identified three types of legitimate authority as traditional authority, charismatic authority and rational-legal authority.It is the rational-legal form of authority that exists in most organizations today and this is the form to which Weber ascribed the term ‘bureaucracy’. Weber outlined the main features of bureaucracy as a continuous organization of functions bound by rules, specified spheres of competence, a hierarchical arrangement of offices, appointments to offices made on grounds of technical competence, the separation of officials from the ownership of the organization, official positions exist on their own right and finally rules, decisions and actions are formulated and recorded in writing (Cole p 26).Weber felt that bureaucracy was indispensable for large organizations and there is no doubt that this form organization has been adopted in one way or another virtually in all forms of enterprises the world over. Government bureaucracy: â€Å"If men were angels, no government would be necessary† James Madison and for governments bureaucracy is form of governance that is practicable.However this form of governance has critics and the views of Amy are that bureaucracy is a governance structure that is often perceived negatively by a number of people but he says that most criticisms of government bureaucracy are based more on myths than reality (Amy 2007 p1-8). Amy’s observation is that people normally associate bureaucracy to massive waste, ineff iciency, poor service, ever-growing organizations, mindless rules and realms of useless forms. For these people there is nothing good about bureaucracy as those working in such systems are considered to be lazy, hostile, overpaid, imperious and inflexible.In his arguments, Amy dismisses what he terms the four myths about bureaucracy; 1. Myth no 1: Bureaucracies are immensely wasteful. Tax payers wrongly or rightly believe that much of the tax increases are a result of wastefulness arising from bureaucracies. Government agencies are considered not only wasteful but enormously wasteful. A survey carried out revealed that Americans believe that 48 cents of every tax dollar going to bureaucracies such the Social Security Administration are wasted (Amy 2007).Amy says that investigations by the Government Accounting Office and various blue-ribbon commissions have found that waste amounts to a small fraction of that figure. 2. Myth no 2: Business is always better than bureaucracy. As per A my, there have been many empirical studies examining government bureaucracies versus business in many areas, including refuse collection, electrical utilities, public transportation, water supply systems and hospital administration. The findings have been mixed.Some studies of electric utilities have found that publicly owned ones were more efficient and charged lower prices than privately owned utilities. Several other studies found the opposite while many others found no significant difference. 3. Myth no 3: We want the government to act like a business. The main concern of the government is quality of the service not its costs unlike the business who are obsessed with the bottom-line and hence looking for the cheapest way to make a product or deliver as service.For example it will be imprudent to spend the least amount of resources in the air traffic control system or to look for the cheapest workforce to take charge of security at the airports. 4. Myth no 4: Bureaucracy is major cause of government growth. Conservatives argue that government bureaucracies have an inherent tendency to expand. However figures show that federal agencies have not been growing at an alarming rate. For example in 1970, about 2997000 civilians worked for the federal government at that time.By 2007 that figure had actually gone down to 2695000. An article in published by the Suburban Emergence Management Project (2006 home page) states that the Hurricane Katrina response by the federal, state and local governments in August-September 2005 caused some people to lose faith in the bureaucratic approach used by traditional government hierarchies to organize the provision of services to users who desperately needed them. For example, at the local level, New Orleans Mayor told the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security that he could not commandeer the dozens available school buses to evacuate people because the school boards owned buses, he had no authority over the boards and there was no agreement for the use of the buses. At the state level, the Governor delayed use of military forces to begin reconstitution of the stricken localities until she could validate her authority to rule the troops by disallowing federal National Guards in her state.At the federal level, the President, the Homeland Security Secretary and Federal Emergency Management Agency director could provide services to users of New Orleans during Katrina only at the discretion of the governor of Louisiana. Conclusion: There are areas where government bureaucracy is more effective while in other cases it is counterproductive as evidenced during the Hurricane Katrina crisis. Works cited Amy, D. J. (2007). ‘The case of Democracy, The government is Good We the People; An unapologetic Defense of vital institution’.Available at accessed on April 2, 2009. Pages 1-8 Cole, G. (2004). Management Theory and Practice, 6th Edition published, by Thomson Learning 2004. 25-28. Suburban Emergenc y Management Project (2006), ‘Government Bureaucracy and Two Newer Cultural Approaches to Provide Services Delivery to the Citizenry during Disasters’, Biot Report #411: November 07, 2006. Available at < http://www. semp. us/public/biot_reder. php? BiotID=411 > accessed on April 3, 2009.

The dramatic structure in the form of racism Essay

The play ‘Fences’ is a thoroughgoing hit that is generally considered as his biggest success commercially. The dramatic structures of the play are evident. First, there is the use Fences: the play was not named Fences simply because of the major backdrop of building a fence in the backyard of the Maxson’s but rather; the author utilizes fences figuratively and as a literacy tool. Moreover, the relationships in the play are built and broken in the same backyard during the building process of the fence. The call to build the fence is considered as a foundation to Rose’s character whose request to build the fence posters here to the audience as loving and caring. Bono explains Rose’s character as, â€Å"Some people build fences to keep people out and other people build fences to keep people in. Rose wants to hold on to you all. She loves you.† On the other hand, Troy and Cory consider the building project as a thing for and reluctantly take part in the project. Bono further figuratively uses fences as a tool to indicate Troy’s mannerisms of cheating on his wife just are pushing Rose away just like fences serve the purpose of keeping people off. The reluctance on Troy’s part to partake in the building process of the fence illustrates a man who is unwilling to hold his family together. The end of the play shows a complete fence which similarly demonstrates the unity of a family that was previously broken. Secondly, the devil is cast by Troy in his stories and presents the devil as a character whose purpose is to frustrate his family and further the devil illustrates the struggles Troy experiences in life. For instance in scene 1:1, the author presents Troy’s tale of a long struggle with the Devil thus admonishing his thoughts as being rooted in the most absurd of ideas. Retrospectively, he tells another story where he turns a white man into the Devil. In lieu of the same use of the Devil in the play, Troy thinks of the devil not as imaginary being but gives it life by equating it to a human being in his stories. Towards the end of the play, we see Troy’s thoughts on the Devil being replicated in his bad luck in life and what curtails and degrades his dreams throughout the play he considers racism as his Devil. There is also the dramatic structure in the form of racism. In Act One, we are presented with Troy’s and Bono’s lives whose childhoods have are rounded in the tales of difficult fathers in the upbringing in Lyons. The painful memories of their live reflect on the relationship that Troy and Cory have in the play. In consideration to how Troy was treated in his childhood years, he felt and saw it fit to bestow responsibilities onto Cory at an early age, his perception of the black child was that they should strive by all means to ensure they come at the of the food chain irrespective of the conditions was being presented with. Considering the fact that Troy was discriminated upon during his baseball years, he is afraid that his son will go through the same and he cannot allow what happened to him be experienced by his son. This shows that during Troy’s time, it was difficult for a black to succeed in sport and educational activities irrespective of how successful t hey were in doing undertaking an idea to anything worthwhile. It is because of these insecurities that he moves to Cory’s football coach to prevent him from playing football so as not to secure him a sport scholarship for college. Reference Wilson , August. Fences. London: Paw Prints, 2008. Source document

Analyzing One Art by Elizabeth Bishop is an Analytical Essay of One Art by Elizabeth Bishop. It looks at the authors meaning of losing in this polygamous poem.

Analyzing One Art by Elizabeth Bishop is an Analytical Essay of One Art by Elizabeth Bishop. It looks at the authors meaning of losing in this polygamous poem. Analyzing "One Art" by Elizabeth BishopIn "One Art", by Elizabeth Bishop there is a prevalent theme of Amateur vs. Skilled, Hoard vs. Reveal. Bishop appears to be the skilled individual in the poem. In the opening lines of the poem, she informs the reader that the "art of losing isn't hard to master". Losing can be an acquired skill that one can master. According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, a "master" is one who has control over something. One who is highly skilled. It also means to overcome. When looking at these meanings we see that this poem is polygamous. She is telling the reader that you can have control over losing. She says that losing is an acquirable skill. Furthermore, she says that losing is something one can overcome and defeat, thus informing the reader that losing can be defeated.She says, "so many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that their loss is no disaster".English: Illustration for the poem "The Village Bl...One can i nterpret this as things appear to have the purpose of being lost, that their loss is no disaster, thus giving the individual control over losing because it has not caused calamity. She then begins to inform the amateur reader that they should "lose something everyday", showing herself to be an expert. If you have a daily ritual of practicing losing something, you will be able to "accept the fluster", and "the hour of badly spent".The way to master losing is to accept it. By accepting it, you alleviate yourself from the frustration of agitation, getting upset and the confusion. The "hour" it takes you to find the object will no longer be seen as one "badly spent". She then reemphasizes the first line of the first stanza. By doing so, she...

Definition and Examples of Root Words in English

Definition and Examples of Root Words in English In English grammar and morphology, a root is a  word or word element (in other words, a morpheme) from which other words grow, usually through the addition of prefixes and suffixes. Also called a root word. In  Greek and Latin Roots  (2008), T.  Rasinski et al.  define root as a semantic unit.  This simply means that a root is a word part that means something. It is a group of letters with meaning. Etymology From the Old English, rootExamples and Observations Latin is the most common source of English root words; Greek and Old English are the two other major sources.Some  root words are  whole words and others are word parts. Some root words have become free morphemes and can be used as separate words, but others cannot. For instance, cent comes from the Latin root word centum, meaning hundred. English treats the word as a root word that can be used independently and in combination with affixes, as in century, bicentennial  and centipede. The words cosmopolitan, cosmic and microcosm come from the Greek root word kosmos, meaning universe; cosmos is also an independent root word in English. (Gail Tompkins, Rod Campbell, David Green, and Carol Smith,  Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach. Pearson Australia, 2015) Free Morphs and Bound Morphs Because a root tells us more about the meaning of a word than anything else, the first thing we ask about a complex word is often: What is its root? Often a complex word has more than one root, as in blackbird. . . .In our native and nativized vocabulary, roots can usually appear as independent words, for which reason they are called free morphs. This makes it particularly easy to find the roots of words like black-bird, re-fresh, and book-ish-ness. In Latin and Greek, roots most often do not occur as separate words: they are bound morphs, meaning they can only appear when tied to other components. For example, the root of concurrent is curr run. which is not an independent word in English or even in Latin.(Keith Denning, Brett Kessler, and William R. Leben. English Vocabulary Elements, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 2007) Roots and Lexical Categories Complex words typically consist of a root morpheme and one or more affixes. The root constitutes the core of the word and carries the major component of its meaning. Roots typically belong to a lexical category, such as noun, verb, adjective, or preposition. . . . Unlike roots, affixes do not belong to a lexical category and are always bound morphemes. For example, the affix -er is a bound morpheme that combines with a verb such as teach, giving a noun with the meaning one who teaches.(William OGrady, et al., Contemporary Linguistics: An Introduction, 4th ed. Bedford/St. Martins, 2001) Simple and Complex Words [M]orphologically simple words, which contain only a single root morpheme, may be compared to morphologically complex words which contain at least one free morpheme and any number of bound morphemes. Thus, a word like desire may be defined as a root morpheme constituting a single word. Desirable, by contrast, is complex, combining a root morpheme with the bound morpheme -able. More complex again is undesirability which comprises one root and three bound morphemes: undesireableity. Notice also how, in complex words of this sort, the spelling of the root may be altered to conform to the bound morphemes around it. Thus, desire becomes desir- while beauty will be transformed into beauti- in the formation of beautiful and of the increasingly complex beautician. (Paul Simpson, Language Through Literature: An Introduction. Routledge, 1997) Pronunciation: ROOT Also Known As: base, stem

Energy Policies of Barack Obama Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Energy Policies of Barack Obama - Essay Example This paper will throw light upon the changes which will be brought in the energy policy once Obama occupies the post of the US President. The pros and cons of the energy policy will be comprehensively presented in the paper. The efficient management of energy is very essential for any county to grow. Non renewable energy like gas, oil etc once wasted cannot be reused again, considering this it becomes extremely important to utilize energy in a best possible way. Obama has proposed a plan under which the oil consumption by the US will be reduced to 35% and he aims to achieve this by 2030. This is a very good decision in order to reduce the excessive dependency of the US on Oil. Another major step will be to "Help create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next ten years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future." (Barack Obama and Joe Biden, 21 October 2008). This is an excellent decision; the creation of new jobs will help a lot of Americans who are out of work. Within the next ten years Obama aims to save as much Oil as imported from countries like Venezuela and the countries in the Middle East. He aims at saving and wants to avoid misuse of energy wh ere ever possible.

Health Needs of Women in the United States Essay

Health Needs of Women in the United States - Essay Example Background information into the study suggests that poor oral health affects a woman’s health as well as health of the woman’s child. Focusing on factors to oral health among United States’ women of childbearing age, the study used a survey design to collect and analyze secondary data on factors to dental insurance and dental care. Results from a sample of 1071 women revealed that a significant percentage of the women, 40 percent, lack dental insurance cover. Major factors to lack of dental cover were low-level education, low income, and poor dental health. The women without dental cover were also less likely to seek dental care than those with cover. These mean that nurses who deal with population segment that is vulnerable to poor dental health should create awareness among the women on oral health and the need to dental insurance cover. The population segment consists of women with lower level education and low-income women. Policies such as mandatory or subsi dized dental insurance cover should also be put in place to promote dental health among the vunerable women (Kaylor, et. al.,