Pluralistic Spirituality In Canadian Drama English Literature Essay free essay sample

Sang Kim s A Dream Called Laundry and Tomson Highway s The Rez Sisters portion a common subject in the manner they question and complicate the spiritualty of their characters. Each drama centres around nominally Christian characters who owe their Christian religion to a bequest of colonialism-British colonisation of Canada in the instance of The Rez Sisters and general European missional work in East Asia in the instance of A Dream Called Laundry. Both plays, nevertheless, turn to how this imposed Christian individuality has affected these characters, and they delve into the interplay between the witting spiritualty and lingering autochthonal faith. The consequence in both instances is a unusual and fantastic syncretism that plays out on the phase, a Dionysian spiritualty where the theater itself becomes the sacred infinite. In this essay, I will research spiritualty as presented in these two dramas, comparing and contrasting how this subject is presented with respects to syncretism and the spiritualty of the theater. We will write a custom essay sample on Pluralistic Spirituality In Canadian Drama English Literature Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Sisters Soo and Grace are both self-identified Christians in A Dream Called Laundry although both were born in Korea during the period of Nipponese business. Of the three adult females that make up the nucleus dramatis personae of this drama, it is merely Soo s girl Sally that self-identifies as non-Christian-she appears to be unbelieving or agnostic-which is interesting as she is otherwise the most Westernized of the three. Decorate tends to be more overtly Christian in her preoccupations and duologue than Soo is, but both adult females take their religion earnestly. Even Sally s evident deficiency of religion makes sense within her Westernized surroundings ; she represents in her manner the secularized, rationalist Western civilization that has superseded Christianity in much of the Western universe. Both Soo and Grace, nevertheless, show a more complicated spiritualty that typical attachment to the Christian religion and have each brought something profoundly personal to their re ligious lives. Grace s spiritualty, for illustration, is to a great extent influenced by her equivocal mental status and, so, her madness for deficiency of a better word constructs her Christianity such that it has more in common with the enraptured traditions of Orphism than mainstream Christianity tends to acknowledge. This spiritualty is possibly best demonstrated in Grace s soliloquy that begins with her viing in an fanciful spelling bee. Having been given the word, mysophobia-defined therein as the fright of being contaminated by soil ( Kim, 31 ) -she expounds on her doctrine. Grace s Christianity is ab initio mysophobic in nature, demonstrated by the belief that the faith can be used to sublimate oneself from contamination by soil . Grace lists possible contaminations: Wash pails. Outhouses. Vomit with balls of bacon in it. Masturbation. Menstruation. Dried seeds. Crusted underwear ( Kim, 32 ) ; which, as can be seen, go progressively sexualized as the list continues. The redress to thi s sexual taint is seen as Christian baptism, a religious rinsing off of the crud. This can be seen in a ulterior exchange between Soo and Grace: SOO: Dirty head. That s all you think. Sexual activity. That s why no good adult male want you at church. You be entirely everlastingly. GRACE: I ll be pure after I m baptized. Person will desire me so. ( Kim, 83 ) Christianity, so, is seen as a ritual purification against crud, particularly in the instance of sexual taint. This position of the faith will bind in thematically with the flood tide of the drama, but it does non to the full represent Grace s spiritualty. Grace besides brings an enraptured component to her spiritualty, one that is implied to be due to her mental status but that can be found in ancestors to Christianity such as the Orphic tradition. See this transition, where she explains her principle for acquiring baptized: GRACE: aˆÂ ¦ Why am I acquiring baptized? Is nt it obvious? To rinse away the wickednesss so that my psyche can be saved. Sins ca nt be washed off with soap the manner soiled wash can. Merely blood from the Lamb of God can make that. ( Kim, 33 ) Here the purification facets of baptism are denied in favor of the ritualistic. Soap and H2O can non sublimate the taint, merely blood forfeit, martyrdom and enraptured imagination can make so. And blood in this sense is a repeating image throughout the drama, from menses blood meaning sexual martyrdom in the comfort cantonment ( Kim, 22 ) to blood as index of national individuality. Soo makes a relevant remark on blood, stating Sally that Japs ever be same. Inside blood. Not pure ( Kim, 30 ) . This contrasts with the flashback where Hiro and Soo have the undermentioned exchange: HIRO: I care about who you are on the interior. Your psyche. And a psyche does nt hold a nationality. SOO: My psyche is Korean. Yours is Nipponese. They re different. HIRO: We are all the same under the tegument. ( Kim, 47-8 ) Soo argues that souls or blood , the cardinal inside substance, are non the same, that different people are contaminated while others are pure. While this is clearly a chauvinistic, racist construct, it has its footing in this enraptured Christian worldview, where the blood forfeit of the sufferer is the true beginning of purification and one either has it or does non. Much of the drama, so, embodies this enraptured, Dionysian construct of martyrdom and metempsychosis. Structurally and thematically, there is a strong connexion between this work and Grecian calamity. The chorus of Masked Figures continually chant a mantra of taint throughout Soo s martyrdom. The flashback construction creates a kind of fugue feel to the drama that is all of a sudden literalized in the concluding reveal, where it becomes clear that Sally and Dennis are metaphysically re-enacting their parents relationship with a quasi-incestuous turn that seems like something right out of Grecian calamity ( Kim, 116-7 ) . The universe is revealed in this turn to non be a simple topographic point of purification rites but a topographic point contaminated by soil, where the damned live out their martyrdoms once more and once more, go throughing their taint on to the following coevals. Grace sums this up neatly with her contemplations on the nature of Hell: GRACE: Maybe it s all in our caputs and non someplace out at that place like the manner Heaven isaˆÂ ¦ Or possibly Hell does nt be at all until the minute you do something awful. Like when you murder person or take the Lord s name in vain-aˆÂ ¦ Or wish bad things to go on to othersaˆÂ ¦ Possibly this is Hell where we are now and that we create a worse topographic point out at that place to do usage experience better about ourselves. Like watching those hungering black babes on Television with flies in their eyes. ( Kim, 37-8 ) This self-manifested snake pit of ageless return seems to break represent the existence of A Dream Called Laundry than does the naA?ve baptismal Christianity that Grace and Soo apparently adhere to. Tomson Highway s The Rez Sisters has a similar attack to spiritualty in that it takes a figure of outward Christian reserve adult females and exposes an enraptured, pre-Christian nucleus at the bosom of their beliefs. The Rez Sisters is, nevertheless, more expressly satirical in its attack to this in that the minutia of reserve life itself takes on this profound spiritualism. The looking decision of this drama is that the old ways neer die but simply change the linguistic communication of belief to suit alteration. A existent universe analogy can be seen in the syncretistic beliefs of certain Andean peoples that have maintained traditional belief under the veneer of devotedness to Catholic saints. The reserve of The Rez Sisters is depicted as one where traditional patterns and linguistic communication have about been wholly superseded by Western civilization. Pelajia describes the state of affairs as follows: PELAJIA: And the old narratives, the old linguistic communication. Almost all goneaˆÂ ¦ was a clip Nanabush and Windigo and everyone here could rattle away in Indian fast as Bingo Betty could put her lotto french friess down on a hot dark. ( Highway, 5 ) aˆÂ ¦ PELAJIA: Everyone here s brainsick. No occupations. Nothing to make purchase imbibe and sleep together each other s married womans and hubbies and bury about our Nanabush. ( Highway, 6 ) Autochthonal linguistic communication has been lost, as has the traditional mythology and spiritualty. In its topographic point, the economic world of their community has fostered a religious idling that is expressed chiefly through imbibing, extra-marital personal businesss and, comically, lotto. Indeed, lotto in The Rez Sisters takes on a expansive spiritual significance with its ain fables and Gods that serve as a satirical replacing for the old ways. Bingo Betty, for illustration, is a legendary lotto participant who one time played 27 cards in one posing and allegedly accrued huge wealth. Still though, lingering at the peripheral of the first act of the drama is the traditional spirit Nanabush, reduced to looking to his followings in the pretense of a sea gull and having maltreatment from them. Marie-Adele confronts the bird, teasing it in Ojibwe as follows ( taken from provided interlingual rendition ) : MARIE-ADELE: Travel off! You stinking thing. Do nt coming messing about here for nil. Travel off! Neee. Who the snake pit do you believe you are, the Holy Spirit? Travel off! Hey, but he wo nt wing off, this seagull bird. He merely sits at that place. And tickers me. Watch me. ( Highway, 19 ) This scene is an interesting counterpoint to Pelajia earlier averments about the reserve. Marie-Adele clearly does non accept the old narratives since she fails to acknowledge Nanabush as anything more than a bird. Yet she speaks to Nanabush in the old linguistic communication, demoing that the traditions are non entirely disregarded. Her usage of the Christian term Holy Spirit to depict this non-Christian spirit creates a spread in intending that will go cardinal to spiritualty in the drama. The secret plan of the drama centres around a group of adult females from the reserve going to Toronto to vie in the Biggest Bingo in the World , an event that plays out like a pilgrims journey to the new order. The Biggest Bingo represents a Utopian vision of a perfect universe. It represents both a financial Eden with its $ 500 000 expansive award ( Highway, 54 ) but, as the adult females become more beguiled, it becomes the agencies to the perfect life in every respect. Victory in the Biggest Bingo is tantamount to paradise on Earth in the heads of the reserve adult females. One of the adult females even enthuses that all the Indians in the universe will be at that place [ at Biggest Bingo ] ! ( Highway, 69 ) , farther cementing this even as a kind of Mecca to this reserve faith. Biggest Bingo itself is depicted with a showmanship reminiscent of a resurgence or evangelical service. It is presided over by a magnetic Bingo Master, who is priest and prophesier of this unusual faith, and is described as the most beautiful adult male in the universe [ who ] comes running up the Centre aisle, cordless microphone in manus, dressed to kill: dress suits, rhinestones, and all. The full theater is now the lotto castle. We are in: Toronto! ! ! ! ( Highway, 100 ) in the phase waies. The Bingo Master sells the event as if it has deep religious significance for the participants, as he says: BINGO MASTER: Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, you will be witness to events of such elephantine proportions, such cataclysmal branchings, such masterly and brilliant manifestations that your heads will stagger, your eyes will nicitate, and your Black Marias will palpitate unpredictably. ( ibid. ) In these footings, the lotto game has a cosmic significance, good beyond that of a typical game. It represents a possible Eden on Earth, though it is one based in the entropy of the game. The nature of this Eden, this pot of money, is so that merely one individual can win it while every other contestant will needfully lose. Earlier in the drama, all the adult females engaged in a cacophonic unit of ammunition of covering duologue where they insulted one another in every possible mode ( Highway, 44-6 ) . The Biggest Bingo is a repeat of that in religious linguistic communication ; this satirical Western secular pseudo-religion overpowers the old ways by spliting the people against themselves as happens in a competitory game. The transmutation of the game into an reverberation of Christianity is complete at the flood tide of Biggest Bingo. The phase is ceremonially transformed in the undermentioned phase way into a distorted mirror of Christian religion: The house visible radiations go out. And the lone visible radiations now are the lotto balls resiling about in the lotto machine an eery, phantasmagoric kind of glow lotto with a retribution on centerstage, behind the Bingo Master, where a long lotto tabular array has as if by magic appeared with Zhaboonigan at the tabular array s centre slaming a rood Veronique has brought along for good fortune. The scene is lit so that it looks like The Last Supper. ( Highway, 102 ) Christian and Bingo iconography become one in this absurd tableaux but there is a 3rd angle to this imagination when it is revealed that the Bingo Master is Nanabush himself. Nanabush becomes a figure of Death and takes Marie-Adele to the hereafter stand foring a concluding victory of the traditional ways over both the Christian tradition and the satirical Bingo invention. The concluding message is that there is a permanency underneath the games of opportunity that make up life, and that things stay the same even when they undergo superficial alterations. Both The Rez Sisters and A Dream Called Laundry demonstrate syncretistic spiritualties as people s beliefs adapt to outside influence yet still retain the deeply personal, alone elements that define these characters. In the instance of A Dream Called Laundry, this took the signifier of a mixture of Christian, Korean and theatrical traditions and in The Rez Sisters, it was represented through a synthesis of Christianity, traditional Native beliefs and the representation of Western civilization in the signifier of Bingo. Befiting the Canadian tradition, these spiritualties are alone concepts of pluralist elements.

Patterns of World History Vol 1 Essay Example

Patterns of World History Vol 1 Essay Example Patterns of World History Vol 1 Essay Patterns of World History Vol 1 Essay â€Å"Humans and Ideas† Some of the most powerful ideas humans developed during early divination of 3000 BCE to 618 CE have been about techniques to improve living. New technological ideas from the invention of the wheel to the hand crank pump have transformed how millions of people live. The way technological ideas have accumulated over time and the effects they have had on society is one of the main themes of world history. Shortly before 3000 BCE, Mesopotamians invented a technological idea which ended in a writing system called cuneiform that increased communication, record keeping, and abstract thought. Through symbols written on wet clay tablets that represented objects and sounds, history could be recorded for the first time. Writing was a major expansion of the conceptual horizon of humankind that reached back to the first flaked stones, ornaments, figurines, and cave paintings in the Paleolithic (Von Sivers 44). Early metallurgists discovered that by adding tin to copper they were able to make bronze which was much harder than copper and provided a sharper cutting edge which was the start of the Bronze Age (Lecture). By 2800 BCE Sumer entered into what is described as the protoliterate period where scribes would work with pictograms and official seals but there was still no official written language (Lecture). Harappan cities were unique to the 1700’s BCE due to the meticulously planned grid-like design that included a most elaborate urban sewer system for ancient times. Remarkably straight, brick paved streets ran in north/south, east/west axes forming square blocks of public buildings, temples, and markets in convenient locations. Houses had brick-lined indoor wells and primitive toilets emptying into terra-cotta cesspits whose overflow connected to the city’s drains and sewers (Von Sivers 80). Located several miles up the Sabarmati River from the Gulf of Khambat, Lothal was a large, perhaps the chief, of all trading seaports around 1700 BCE. Lothal central structure is an enormous basin, approximately 120 feet long and 70 feet wide. The location of Lothal on the Arabian Sea indicates a link between Harappan cities and trade that would have reached Mesopotamia and possibly Egypt. Lothal was also a famous regional craft center, with micro beads used for decorative craft items and jewelry as its chief product for internal trade and export (Von Sivers 80). Around 1700 BCE, the chariot and composite bow made their entry into the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean region, transforming armies who previously relied solely on foot soldiers. Black smiths mastered the art of iron making and incorporated iron into their chariot armies, in the form of swords, helmets, and protective armor (Von Sivers 53). The Shang Dynasty used the horse to drive chariots, which transformed the Chinese warfare for transportation, which linked disparate regions of China and helped the Shang to expand. It was a featured in art and poetry and thus offered a new symbol for artist and poets to work with. It will also link China to nomadic horse people from the north and west (Von Sivers 110). The people in Meroe mined, smelted, and forged iron which they were the first to do so in sub-Saharan Africa. The craft of iron smelting evolved gradually in Hittite Anatolia during several centuries after 1500 BCE. The possible spread of iron-working sills from the Middle East to Africa has not been satisfactorily proved. Iron workers in African villages adapted iron-making to local village circumstances. The production of iron, or greater import was the knowledge f how to forge the bloom-the combination of raw iron and slag- into an iron- carbon allow that was neither too soft nor too brittle (Von Sivers 165). Chariots and bows were introduced to the Shan army between 1300-1200 BCE. Around 1200 BCE, The Olmec crafted figurines, mask of clays, and made figurines from jade and serpentine. The Olmec heads were carved from 18 ton blocks of basalt that were quarried 70 miles away from San Lorenzo. Large groups of workers shouldered beams from which the basalt blocks, weighing 18 tons on average, hung in slings. They carried these blocks to the coast and shipped them to San Lorenzo on rafts. There, sculptors fashioned the blocks into fierce-looking, helmeted heads, kneeling or sitting figures, and animal statues (Von Sivers 145). The Lydians are notable for having created in 615 BCE the first minted money in world history, coins made of silver and gold and used in trade (Von Sivers 199). The Achaemenids created an elaborate system of roads known as the royal roads around 550 BCE for communication and transportation of troops and trade. The Persian Empire in particular covered vast amounts of land, from Anatolia to Egypt and Mesopotamia, to modern day Afghanistan. The Persian Empire was both centralized and decentralized. One centralized aspect, as revealed by the roads, was the need to pay taxes and tribute to the shahinshah, the emperor. Even more revealing is the style of the Persian roads, with distance markers at regular intervals, inns and depots indicating the sophistication of the Persian infrastructure. The centralization of the empire is further revealed by the regulation that local parts of the road had to be maintained by the local governors, appointed by the emperor; thus even to the local level the emperor had influe nce (Von Sivers 200). The Achaemenids achieved their conquests with the help of lightly armed; highly mobile mounted archers as well as heavily armored, slow-moving cataphracts-horsemen with protective armor consisting of iron scales sewn on leather shirts. Quilts and iron scales protected the horses. The archers fought with composite bows and the cataphracts, with 5-foot long, iron-tipped lances for thrusting. Infantry soldiers armed with bows, arrows, shields, and javelins provided support for the cavalry, complementing its tank-like thrust (Von Sivers 200). The Well-Field System was an attempt to untangle the more confusing aspects of land arrangement around 500 BCE. The Zhou was the first among many dynasties to attempt to impose a uniform system of land tenure in China. Each square Li(one li is about one-third of a mile), consisting of 900 mou(each mou is approximately one-sixth of an acre) was divided into a grid of nine plots. Individual families would each work one of the eight outside plots while the middle one would be farmed in common for the taxes and rents owed the landowner or local officials (Von Sivers 117). In the 5th Century BCE, sculptors began to explore physical movement, emotion, and individual character by Greek Painting and Sculpture. Greek vase paintings and sculptures achieved a remarkable wide range, from figures exerting themselves in their chosen sports to serene models of human beauty. Greek sculptors and painters abandoned symbolism and instead, embraced realism as their style of representation in which we call today photographic representation (Von Sivers 229). Craftspeople from the Chavin de’ Hauntar around 500 BCE made beads, pendants, stone tools and leather goods, but pioneered new techniques combining the wool from llamas with cotton to create a new blended cloth. They decorated it using new methods of dyeing and painting. Goldsmiths demised new methods of soldering and alloying gold and silver to make large ornamental objects. Small objects, such as golden headbands, ear spools, beads, and pins, signified prestige and wealth. Gold artifacts found in the graves of the wealthy attest to the value residents of Chavin placed on gold (Von Sivers 144). What technical and cultural development allowed the people of the Lapita culture to spread throughout the Pacific Islands? 500 BCE-200 BCE- The Polynesian Islands were settled in part due to sail and paddle-driven canoes, which were further improved by the addition of outriggers or double hulls. These boats improvements allowed the Polynesians to sail further and reach some of the more distant islands. Cultural developments included the ability to retain elaborate, detailed mental maps of islands, ability to read wind patterns and currents, and retention of celestial information that allowed for navigation (Von Sivers ). The Silk Road was an overland trade routes that connected eastern and western Eurasia, beginning at the end of the fourth century BCE (Von Sivers 286). Mayans developed writing that was a complex combination of glyphic and syllabic script as early as 400-300 BCE. Mayan writing is a glyphic as well as a syllabic script, numbering some 800 signs. It is structurally similar to Sumerian cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphic. The glyphic part consists of pictograms, one-word images of the most essential features of what is to be depicted. Glyphs as syllables consist of one, two, or three of syllabic glyphs, or syllabaries, are pronounced as a series of syllables. Given the mixture of pictograms and syllabaries, which is potentially immense, the complexity of Mayan writing appeared for a long time to be an insuperable obstacle to any effort at deciphering (Von Sivers 182). Around 300 BCE, The Upanishadic writers, or which one hundred are known, thought that the Vedic religion had become too distracted due to the thousands of gods. The Upanishads instead sought a monist, rather that polytheistic approach, and sought for a first principle, a universal truth that did not require the worship of many different gods. The Upanishadic writers were hermits who wanted to reach unity with the universal self, which would remove them from the cycle of rebirth and redeath that characterized earthly life. Salvation in this system was moksha, escape from reincarnation. This salvation was achieved through meditation and brief aphorisms becoming a vital part of a new evolving tradition (Von Sivers 248). Around 221 BCE, the Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of the Qin, accomplished a significant part of empire and state building. These are several accomplishments of Shi Huangdi to include: building the Great Wall of China that was massive project stretching over 1400 miles to safeguard against attacks by nomadic people in the north; standardized weights, measures, and coinage; building roads, canals, irrigation, water conservancy projects; his tomb with life-sized warriors; use of conscripted labor; and the implementation of Legalism as the primary philosophy of the realm. Each of these was designed primarily to increase the centralized power of the Qin leader and his state. Babylonians were great mathematicians, who worked fractions, whole numbers and square roots as well as some of the elementary theorems of geometry (Lecture). Starting from the foundations of the Sumerians, the Babylonians made advances in arithmetic, geometry, and algebra. Buddhism, the most profound intellectual influences from India on the surrounding regions was in science and mathematics. During the period from the second century BCE until the second century CE India was an importer of scientific and mathematical concepts from the Greco-Roman and Persian spheres. Greek geometry, made its way into northern India during this time. Concepts of Indian health regimens-some involving yoga discipline-along with the vast body of Indian medicine, with its extensive knowledge of herbal remedies, also seem to have moved west. In the area of mathematics and astronomy an important synthesis of ideas took place in the developing the first Indian calendars, which were based on the lunar months, through a year consisted of six seasons and an intercalary period was inserted every 30 months to make up the difference with the solar year. The Indians then adopted the calendar of the eastern Mediterranean and southwest Asia, which had a 7 –day week, a 24-hour day, and a 365-day solar year-along with the 12 zodiacal signs of the Greco-Roman world (Von Sivers 264). The earthenware produced during the Tang dynasty 618 CE is among the most coveted in the world today. Perhaps even more impressive, by this time, too, artisans were producing a kind of â€Å"proto-porcelain† that, with increasing refinement, would be know in the succeeding centuries to the outside world as â€Å"china† (Von Sivers 284). Throughout history, humans have adapted their ideas to their environment and learned to overcome obstacles, thus paving the way for new elements of technology. Humans expressed themselves and communicated with one another in sophisticated ways through paintings, sculptures, and the decorative arts as well as writing, construction, and metals. Of more recent, humans invented writing systems that gave birth to many forms of literature. Humans have wrestled with ideas and beliefs regarding technology.

A Victim of a Sexual Assault Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A Victim of a Sexual Assault - Research Paper Example It is important to understand what a sexual assault means before proceeding to the possible damages that such as crime can attract. Any type of physical contact involving sexual organs that are unwanted is sexual assault. Many people perceive sexual assault as forcible rape, not knowing that it is only a type of sexual assault. This means that there are different types of sexual assaults recognized by the law. Sexual assault may be in the form of rape, inappropriate touching, child molestation, attempted rape, groping, sexual harassment, elderly sexual assault and sexual intercourse where one party says no to or any other sexual activity that a person says no to. The concept of assault comes about if the victim of the sexual ordeal did not consent to the sexual contact that they were subjected to. However, according to Smothers, if the victim is a child or is intoxicated, he or she is not capable of giving legal consent to sexual contact. The sexual ordeal in such a case qualifies to be called a sexual assault. In fact, the law stipulates that sexual assault with a person who is intoxicated becomes sexual assault, regardless of the intoxicating substance that the assault victim was under the influence. These substances may include â€Å"date-rape† drugs, alcohol, drugs or any other intoxicating substances. It is also important to note that if a person feels or thinks that they are a victim of sexual assault by having undergone any of the above ordeals, he or she is advised by the law to inform the police immediately. Reporting is important for many reasons such as preventing the same sexual offender from assaulting others, providing psychological closure for the victim and creating certainty about the victim’

Sex education should be allowed in schools in cameroon Research Paper

Sex education should be allowed in schools in cameroon - Research Paper Example To give perspective of this difference, 67 percent of all HIV is in Africa as compared to the rest of the world (National Academy of Sciences, 2010). In Africa, Cameroon can be taken as a glaring example, where lack of sex education has caused an alarming increase in teen pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, infections and HIV. Rural areas, in particular are most affected, where sex education is not provided to children. Parents, however, are not confident of it as this education may increase curiosity in children to experiment sex at a very young age. There is a glaring link between knowledge and an informed decision. Knowledge is the prerequisite to an informed stance. Education is the primary source to induce this knowledge and sex education in Cameroon must be allowed to control the situation at hand. The paper will look in detail the factors supporting inclusion of sex education in schools and incorporate opposing point of views. Cameroon is one of the worst hit countries even in Africa to suffer from the lack of sexual awareness. Almost 5.8 percent of its population suffers from HIV, which is the highest in the West African bloc (World Health Organization, 2006, p. 22). Over time the adult HIV prevalence rates have gone up from 0.6 percent in 1990 to 5.1 percent as per statistics of 2010 (National AIDS Control Committee, 2010, p. 9). The adult rate indicates that the factors contributing to the problem must be outside the birth cycle since babies born of HIV are not included in this figure. These numbers solely represent the factors responsible for this increase over the years. Some of these factors include; multiple sexual partners, low condom use and transmission through unprotected sex. All of these factors have a fairly simple solution, that is, sex education to discourage unprotected sex and the awareness to use protection in order to avoid transmission of HIV. These measures are implemented around the globe and it is this education that keeps

Corporate Collapse - The demise of Enron Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Corporate Collapse - The demise of Enron - Essay Example The duration of the project that was expected by the company was 10 years and the company expected that it will generate huge amount of profit from this project. But the reality is opposite to what Enron forecasted and it had to bear huge loss in terms of finance and social image (Ahmed, 2012). The project was considered as the largest direct foreign investment project in India’s history but it became debacle for Enron because many countries criticized Enron for its poor performance and fake promises (Bettauer, 2009). Enron’s liquefied natural gas power plant development project stated in 1992 in Maharashtra state of India. It was supposed to fulfill India’s energy need with more than 2000 megawatts of electricity (Ahmed, 2012). But due to various issues like dispute over prices between India’s government and Enron and criticism of Indians on this project turned the venture into an example of what can go wrong when two different cultures collide in a large scale development project (Bajaj, 2010). The project became debacle for Enron because it produced no electricity and in 2001 the company got bankrupted. Enron Corporation in 1992 proclaimed that it would develop a natural gas power plant worth of $3 billion in Dabhol western state of Maharashtra, India. The project was expected to be the poster child of India’s economic liberalization but unfortunately it became the symbol of project failure and people consider it as a human rights nightmare and an economic failure. The project was subject of criticism from the beginning. The company worked hand in hand with dishonest Indian bureaucrats and politicians in order to complete the project but Indian public interest group filed charges against Enron and in 1993 Indian Reliance Company bribed Indian petroleum minister to secure the contract (Leuz, & Schrand, 2009). Due to this bribery

The Difficulties of Immigrating to the USA :: Immigration Labor Jobs Migrating Essays Papers

â€Å"U.S. policy-makers and the general public believe causes of immigration are evident: poverty, unemployment, economic stagnation and overpopulation drive people to leave their countries† (Sassen, p.14). In many cases this can be a true statement, however, during the course of study it was found there are many other factors influencing migration to the United States. Either way, migration to America can only happen in two different forms, legally or illegally. The U.S. Border Patrol effortlessly tries to contain the flow of people across state lines, but the main reason this epidemic exists stems from the policies that deter people from taking the legal route. The processes involved to becoming an elite member of the American society is costly, time consuming, frustrating and can often lead to dead ends. By performing a case study on an immigrant that is taking the legal approach, the conclusion can be drawn on why individuals slip under the citizenship radar. The Netherlands, Amsterdam, a country and city with extremely liberal laws and open policies. The visualization were Dutchmen and women walk around in wooden shoes and wear large hats, why exactly would a person travel half way across the world and land in the United States? A non-bordering country, fairly unaffected by globalization and maquiladoras. I sat down a talked with a native Dutchman and asked him many of the questions from my opening paragraph and this is what I learned. His name is Koos Van Leeuwen, he lives in the northwest valley of Phoenix, Arizona: â€Å"Kevin, did it work out for in California? With the job interview you had? Were the offers they made any good? I did not get my working permit yet. Because my boss has to give more proof that they need all the education I have had. I might be over educated. But we'll see how it works out. Question 1=what made you migrate to the united states? I was studying Theology at the University of Utrecht. At the end of my studies I wanted to travel, because that is more than likely the only time that you will have the opportunity to travel. Later on you get a job and then a home and traveling for a longer period of time becomes more and more difficult. I had a few countries I wanted to visit: Japan, Canada, Australia or

Conspicuous Consumption and Veblen

How far is Thorstein Veblen’s theory, that the main function of dress is the display of wealth, still valid? Thorstein Veblen was a sociologist and economist who came up with the term ‘conspicuous consumption. ’ He was the author of the book ‘The Theory of the Leisure Class’ published in 1899 which spoke about the working class in America. During that time the working class was visibly aspiring to the ‘leisure class. ’ The Leisure class was known to be the emerging ruling class of that time, as they would consume and constantly engage in a public display of their status. The following essay is going to explore Veblen’s theory in relation to the display of wealth through dress. I aim to show the relevance of Veblen’s concept today whilst taking into thought the changes in class, consumption and consumerism. Veblen provided a few main ideologies in which he examines the notion of ‘dress’ as an â€Å"expression of pecuniary culture† Veblen (1994:15) He stated that the idea of ‘conspicuous waste’ proved the wearer had the freedom to purchase anything they liked without so much as any economical obstacles. Currently, ‘fast fashion’ feeds the desire to overcome need, and clothes are replaced before they are worn out. The seasonality of today’s fashion is the epitome of conspicuous waste as new trends come out every season which encourages one to throw out items that have gone ‘out of fashion. ’ Trends are changing faster than ever before (Fig 1). (Tesseras : 2010) states; â€Å"textile waste at council tips now accounts for 30 per cent, compared to just seven per cent five years ago. † The thrill of watching each season’s runway shows, to the pressure of ‘joining in’ and following the trends, (Fig 2) fast fashion promotes mass production and waste. Fig 1 Fig 2 Another principle of Veblen’s, is that of ‘conspicuous leisure’ which he defined as a non-productive use of time. Examples of conspicuous leisure include taking long ’unnecessary’ vacations to exotic places which are fully motivated by a social factor (Fig 3). †Time is consumed non-productively (1) from a sense of unworthiness of productive work, and (2) as an evidence f pecuniary ability to afford a life of idleness† (Veblen 1934 : 43) These are time-consuming activities that suggest an indifference to such mundane concerns as working for a living. (Fig 4) â€Å"The leisure rendered by the wife in such cases is, of course, not a simple manifestation of idleness or indolence. It almost invariably occurs disguised under some form of work or household duties or social amenities, which prove on analysis to serve little or no ulterior end beyond showing that she does not and need not occupy herself with anything that is gainful or that is of substantial use. (Veblen 1934: 69) Figure 3 Figure 4 â€Å"Conspicuous consumption of valuable goods is a means of reputability†¦ No class of society, not even the most abjectly poor, forgoes all customary conspicuous consumption. †Ã‚   Veblen (1994 :  Chapter 4) In Veblen’s time during the late 19th century (Fig 5) and early 1900’s (Fig 6) woman’s wear was made to look as far apart from any work-wear as possible. Corsets, delicate fabrics and high heels all were worn to prove that they are entirely restricted from any laborious work and would make manual work very difficult. Affluent women crippled themselves in order to put on a convincing display of idleness, and as he put it made them â€Å"permanently and obviously unfit for work. † Veblen (1994: Chapter 7) The tight corsets and luxurious fabrics proved that they could afford to wear impractical clothing which was expensive to clean all for the sole purpose to acquire a certain level of status amongst the public. These consumers could easily fall into the ‘Nouveau Riche’ category which was an emerging class in the 19th century. Style would therefore play a key role in separating the wearer from the working class. â€Å"In addition to showing the wearer can afford to consume freely and uneconomically it can also be shown, in the same stroke, that he or she, is not under the necessity or earning of a livelihood, the evidence of social worth is enhanced to a considerable degree. Our dress, therefore, should not only be expensive, but it should also make plain to all observers that the wearer is not engaged in any kind of productive labour† (Veblen: 1994:105) Fig 5 Fig 6 Veblen’s most well-known principle related to his term ‘conspicuous consumption’ which describes the unnecessary purchase of services and goods which are bought for the sole focus of displaying and advertising wealth. This is done in the endeavour to maintain or attain a certain level of social status. Such goods are now collectively known as ‘Veblen goods’ which is a group of commodities. The fact that these goods are placed at such high prices is the very thing that makes them attractive to conspicuous consumers. Conspicuous consumption was certainly not limited to the western countries, in China, for example, girls in affluent families would have their feet broken and tightly bound so that they grew to have tiny â€Å"lotus† feet. These were thought to be very fashionable since the women who had them were unable to survive without the help of servants. This was a sign of wealth taken to the extreme (fig 7 Figure 7 Mass advertising was kick-started by the Americans when Paris could no longer be relied on for the latest fashions due to ban in exports in the early 1950’s. The Americans capitalised on this ban and created a new form of ‘American Fashion. ’ It was now the Americans’ turn to show the world what’s what. American images swamped the media. By the 1950’s the media had However, Elvis Presley, James Dean and Marlon Brando (Fig 8) now were coming onto the scene and headed the iconic ‘all-American’ rebellious look this decade brought about. Subcultures started to form, rebels and gangs adopted denim as a means of revolt against the want to fit the ‘mould’ the media portrayed. The Teddy Boys is a perfect example of such a subculture. The Teddy boys were largely working class men who wore clothes that had resemblances to that of the Edwardian era and would dress up for the evening. This look was strongly associated with American Rock and Roll and this look made it ok for people to start caring again for what they looked like since World War II in Britain. The look compromised of dark shades of ‘drape jackets’, waistcoats, high-waisted tight-fitting trousers exposing the wearer’s socks and velvet collars. In direct contrast to this, the upper and middle class â€Å"white collar† workers, were choosing to dress own during their leisure time, casting off the constraints of the suit they had worn to all week, resulting in a complete reversal of Veblen's â€Å"conspicuous leisure† theory, where the working classes are also rejecting the notion that just because they are involved in productive labour it does not mean they cannot dress socially above their class status. Figure 8 During t he 1970’s the Hippy movement began and as the hippies were mostly from wealthy backgrounds and middle to upper class families this was clearly yet another rebellion against Veblen’s theory. The 1980’s was the decade of ‘money loving’ and is often referred to as an excessive time of conspicuous consumption. The mentality in the 80’s was all about big money and spending (Fig 9). The economy had boomed, greed was good, women entered the boardroom with full force and it was all about power dressing. The yuppies were born due to conspicuous consumption and shopping malls began to sprout up everywhere. Figure 9 Today, there are still many examples of ‘conspicuous consumption’ and the studies on general modern consumption are so intricate, that almost all walks of life are targeted with today’s mass media. Adverts and billboards are everywhere telling the public what’s ‘cool’ and what’s not. Brands like Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Moet ; Chandon sell a lifestyle. Moet ; Chandon (Fig 10) advert states ‘Be Fabulous’ and shows two beautiful well-dressed women climbing out of an expensive car with a bottle of champagne in one woman’s hand. An advertisement like this is basically trying to show the public what status could be achieved by purchasing a bottle of Moet ; Chandon. The term ‘Keeping up with the Joneses’ comes to mind, as studies show that many consumers purchase goods just to ‘show off’ and maintain a certain status amongst their friends. Figure 10 Veblen goods aren’t just restricted to clothes as the purchase of certain magazines, purely for the status they offer. Being seen reading a magazine like Robb Report or Conde Nast’s traveller may give the impression that one can afford what is featured in the magazine. Veblen also spoke about the way dress can prove many things. The wearer can give an impression that they can spend without much thought on the price. Veblen goods are still very much around, such as designer handbags, expensive wines and thousand-dollar watches. The luxury watch is an ultimate example of a Veblen good as the consumer really buys into the allure of a higher status. Companies like Rolex, TAG Heur and Omega have all used celebrities such as Roger Federer, Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Craig in his bond suit. Even though its purpose is very practical and can help with everyday decision making. These watches are aimed a business men with a high salary who identify or would like to identify with the sports stars and actors wearing these watches at the back of TIME magazine and the like. A Louis Vuitton bag for example just wouldn’t be viewed the same without the high price tag. Today’s fast fashion and mass production also encourages conspicuous consumption. However mass production has changed the outlook on man’s life and has created a singular type of existence which can be viewed as almost humiliating and that the products are what drives man. The trends we see from designers on catwalks are translated as quickly as possible into high street stores. It is not surprising that with the emphasis on keeping up with the latest trends which ties into ‘fitting in with society’ consumption of clothes has reached an all-time high. The quality of clothes however, is less of a feature than the over-all look of the item. In the Victorian times, garments had to be made of the best lace, but with today’s technology, garments can be made to look more expensive than they really are. Keeping up-to trend with accessories such and bags and shoes is still very expensive to do. Designer’s put their signature touches on shoes and bags which make them more lust after. Christian Louboutin’s shoes have the signature red sole, Louis Vuitton may feature an LV and a Mulberry bag could carry their characteristic tree on the logo (Fig 10). To be seen with any of these items offers a instantaneous status that comes with it. The recession did not bring about any less ostentatious designer bags from luxury fashion houses during the recession. Joseph Nunes, a marketing professor at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business recently stated in the  Journal of Consumer Psychology (2011) â€Å"A good chunk of America loves using products to signal their status. If the recession didn't hit them, their need for status outweighed their need to follow social norms. † Figure 11 Most high fashion haute couture designers have yet to cater for a poorer crowd, and still target people with a higher income. The current obsession with what celebrities are wearing can also dictate what a large group of the public choose to wear. This is where Veblen’s theory is still very much in place. Victoria Beckham, Alexa Chung (Fig 12) and Kate Moss (Fig 13) are all very much followed by what they wear. By buying into the current ‘celebrity craze’ where being seen with a Birkin bag can greatly increase ones chances of a higher social status, one is also buying into conspicuous consumption. Magazines devote much of their features to ‘Who’s wearing what. ’ Most celebrities still choose to wear designer labels, thus making the public lust after these individual items, and save up for them just to be part of ‘the craze. This feeds into the label-hungry shopper where Burberry’s checked pattern and Gucci’s brown, red and green stripe offers a satisfaction worth shopping for. Fig 12 Fig 13 Charity shopping has presented a new outlook on inconspicuous consumption and the consumer no longer needs to spend a lot of money to look fashionable and be part of the ‘in crowd. ’ Five years ago the thought of purchasing second hand goods would be flinched at. Fashionably vintage items can be found and are lusted after in charity shops. Now you don’t have to spend money to look good which Veblen surely did not foresee. Even the media has gotten involved and magazines feature articles on how to be a ‘smart charity-shopper’, how to recycle your own clothing and the art of buying ‘classic’ pieces which will last forever. A few notable factors have changed since Veblen’s time which presents a new outlook on conspicuous consumption. In the late 1800’s when looking at the display of wealth through clothes, one would look at the wearer’s fabric quality to determine their status. Good handmade lace and beautiful tailoring was a status of wealth. Now hints that determine wealth have become less subtle with the ntroduction of labels that indicate the garment’s worth. Logo’s like Ralph Lauren’s man playing polo on a horse (Fig 14) , Lactose’s crocodile, Burberry’s knight on a horse and Hermes horse drawn carriage. Many of these logo’s feature a horse, and this might be because of their age and may hint to a previous era o r because of the fact that the ownership of a horse is a luxury in itself and is very expensive to maintain. There is much thought that goes into labels and there is always a message and reason behind them. Nike’s logo for example features a tick which means it is ‘correct. Subliminal messages such as these, feature everywhere today and there’s no doubt that Veblen would have never anticipated this. â€Å"This antagonism offers an explanation that the restless change in fashion which neither the canon of expensiveness nor that of beauty alone can account for. † (Veblen: 1994:108) Figure 14 Veblen’s theory in the modern day can be seen as somewhat of a sweeping statement and is not entirely applicable to the present day. Veblen relied on the concept that only if you were of the nouveau class would you take part in looking fashionable, thus ignoring the middle class completely. The internet, television and magazines (Fig 15) have brought fashion to a significantly larger audience where not only rich people partake in frivolous buying. Figure 15 I believe Veblen’s theory is still applicable today in some instances. However, with the introduction of mass production and the changing attitudes in class as that of which I have mentioned. Wealth is still very much shown through dress, from the use of logos and labels which hint on how much the wearer has spent on their clothes. However today with so many fake products and good imitations of these well-known labels it may be impossible to know how much the individual spent on their garment. One thing remains the same however, the item was bought for the primary purpose of being ‘seen’ and acknowledged by others, fake or not. Designers pay celebrities to endorse their products or ‘be seen’ wearing them which indicates that Veblen’s theory has stood the test of time, it is still very much the taste of the wealthy that has an impact on fashion and dictates what sells and what doesn’t. Veblen wrote that the lower classes would imitate the dress of the leisure class which as shown, is still applicable to today. Mass consumption and mass production are amongst the features that have changed since Veblen’s time. Throughout the decades since Veblen’s time there has not been as much of an emphasis on individuality and self expression through clothes as there is now, and this is where Veblen’s theory slightly loses its relevance. The movement to express oneself without considering wealth as much in a liberal society. Other factors have started to replace the display of wealth such as, religion, age, music taste and gender. This is obvious because of the large amount of subcultures found today. I have shown how Veblen’s ideologies have lost and increased in relevance through the decades. Veblen was able to show how consumption can also be a symbol of social structure and that conspicuous consumption is relational and not functional and is a conscious display of affluence and status through the consumption of these garments. Bibliography Info Books * Malcolm Barnard (1996). Fashion as Communication. First ed. London: Routledge Publishers. (p59-64) * Thorstein Veblen (2005). 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