My Best Friend Essay

My best friends name is Brittney Lewis. We have been friends since the ninth grade. We have a few things in common, but we’re mostly best friends because opposites attract. Brittney and I met in a Physical Science class we had together. At first we didn’t talk very much if at all, but after a while we grew on each other and stated hanging out together. Since then we have remained friends and since shared many things together like good laughs, jobs, and even some times that weren’t so good for both of us. Mostly, I’m just happy to be able to have such a great friend like her. Like I said before, Brittney and I met in a Physical Science class that we had. That class contained an abnormal group of people. There were a lot of those student types that didn’t care about school, much less class and then there were those that were class clowns who always thought they should have a minute or two to enlighten us with a joke everyday. As you can see this class was pretty out of control and there wasn’t any way to cool us down. Brittney and I sat next to each other all the time and would sit back and watch as the rest of the people in the class made fools of themselves while receiving referrals to the principal. We always laughed and played around in that class and it made us closer as friends; seeing as how we were the only two normal ones there we sort of became really good friends. Don’t get me wrong there have been many other times that she and I spent laughing our â€Å"asses† off, if not at other people or things then at us. Many of our laughs come from when we started working together at Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins. Boy, we sure have a lot of bonding memories at that job. We absolutely hated working at that dump and would strongly suggest that no one apply to work there. It all started off when I got hired in the 10th grade and Brittney and I were in History together when I told her. She immediately asked if I could get her hired and I told her I supposed I could help her since she sounded so desperate when she asked. After a few days after I mentioned to my boss that a friend of mine was seeking employment and wanted to join our staff he told me to call her and tell her she was hired. She was thrilled that I had gotten her the job. The both of us were not so thrilled to find  out what our job was going to be like. Soon after working there for a little over a year Brittney and I realized we didn’t have to slave for minimum wage when many of our friends had clean jobs and were getting paid way more than either of us. So, we decided to throw in the towel and quit. It wasn’t long until Brittney and I landed a job together getting paid way more and staying clean at a shoe and apparel store called The Underground Station. We loved our job. It was just another thing that brought the two of us even closer. Read more:  Friends in Need are Friends Indeed Some of the closest people to you, like your mom, dad, uncle, grandparents will tell you what don’t kill you will only make you stronger. During Brittney’s and my last year and a half in Savannah, before moving here, we both hit some bumpy areas in the road. At this point Brittney and I had been really good friends for about three years. Brittney was sixteen years old and I was still fifteen, about to turn sixteen. Now, sometimes, young folks, like me, get spur of the moment ideas and run with them. The idea was to get a tattoo. I knew my mom would be devastated if she found out, but I wasn’t thinking about her. Brittney already had a tattoo and wanted another one. I didn’t have any and wanted one. Together we made an appointment to go see â€Å"P†, our local tattoo artist for under age kids wanting some permanent body art. In less than thirty minutes I had deceived my mom and still knew she would be crushed if she knew what I had done. Well, eventually, my mom found out and killed me, like I knew she would. She was so heated she told me to get out of her house. Not having anywhere else to go I went to Brittney’s house where she and her mother comforted me for the next four days. My mom loves me dearly, but was very upset with me and needed some time to cool off. Like me, Brittney has been the typical teenager as well, only her â€Å"oops† was a baby; not a mistake, but a blessing, Brittney got pregnant at the end of our senior year in high school. I was there 100 percent to help her deal and prepare for what was soon to come. Brittney and I have been through so many circumstances together; some good and some bad. Together we have grown as both people and friends. Even today we remain best friends. Through all of our laughs, silly jobs,  and bad times we’ve never had a fall out or been upset with each other for anything we couldn’t get over in five minutes. Although my mom has since moved from Savannah, Brittney and her mother still go visit her in her new home and my mom still visits them as well. I couldn’t ask for a better friend to have to be there for me when I need it the most or to just call up when I’m bored. Brittney and I will remain best friends for a long time and so will our families.

Coyote Blue Chapter 12~13

CHAPTER 12 Cruelly Turn the Steel-Belted Radials of Desire Crow Country – 1973 In the six years since his vision quest Samson had endured almost daily interpretations of the vision by Pokey Medicine Wing. Again and again Samson insisted that it wasn't important, and again and again Pokey forced the boy to recall his experience on the mountain in detail. It was Pokey's responsibility as a self-proclaimed medicine man to bring meaning to the symbols in the vision. Over the years, as Pokey read new meanings, he tried to change his and Samson's lives to fit the message of the medicine dream. â€Å"Maybe Old Man Coyote was trying to tell us that we should turn our dreams into money,† Pokey said. With this interpretation, Pokey dragged Samson into a series of entrepreneurial ventures that ultimately served no purpose except to confirm to the people of Crow Country that Pokey had finally gone full-bore batshit. The first foray into the world of business was a worm ranch. Pokey presented the idea to Samson with the same blind faith with which he told Old Man Coyote stories, and Samson, like so many before him, was captivated with the idea of turning religion into money. Pokey's eyes were lit up with liquor and firelight as he spoke. â€Å"They are building that dam up on the Bighorn River. They tell us that we will prosper from all the people who will come to the reservation to fish and water-ski on the new lake. That's what they told us when they put the Custer Monument here, but whites opened stores and took all the money. This time we will get our share. We'll grow worms and sell them for fishing.† They had no lumber to build the worm beds, so Pokey and Samson went to the Rosebud Mountains and cut lodgepole pines, which they brought down by the pickup load. Through a whole summer they hauled and built until the Hunts Alones' five acres was nearly covered with empty worm beds. Pokey, convinced that their success depended on getting a jump on other prospective worm ranchers, instructed Samson to tell everyone who asked that they were building corrals to hold tiny horses that they were raising for the Little People that lived in the mountains. â€Å"It's easier to keep a secret if people think you're crazy,† Pokey said. With the beds finished, they were faced with the problem of filling them. â€Å"Worms like cow shit,† Pokey said. â€Å"We can get that for free.† Indeed, had Pokey asked any of the ranchers in the area, they would have let him haul away all the manure he needed, but because most of the ranchers were white and Pokey did not trust them, he decided, instead, that he and Samson would steal the cow pies in the dead of night. So it began: sunset, Samson and Pokey driving the old pickup into a pasture, Pokey driving slowly along while Samson followed on foot with a shovel, scooping piles into the bed of the truck, then the two of them stealing away with their reeking load to dump it in the worm beds, then out again. â€Å"The Crow have always been the best horse thieves, Samson,† Pokey said. â€Å"Old Man Coyote would be proud of the trick we have played on the ranchers.† Pokey's enthusiasm mystified Samson, who couldn't muster the same self-satisfaction at stealing something that nobody wanted. Nevertheless, after a month of pasture raids the beds were full and they drove to the bait store in Hardin to buy their breeding stock: night crawlers and red worms, five hundred each. Pokey burnt sage and sweet grass and prayed over the beds and they released the worms into the beds of manure. Then they waited. â€Å"We shouldn't disturb them until spring,† Pokey said, but many nights Samson spotted him sneaking out to one of the beds with a trowel, turning over a patch, then skulking away. One night Samson was sneaking out with his own trowel when he saw Pokey on his knees with his face pressed to a bed. He stood up when he sensed the boy behind him. â€Å"You know what I was doing?† Pokey asked. â€Å"No,† Samson said, hiding his trowel behind his back. â€Å"I was listening to the sound of money.† â€Å"You have shit on your ear, Pokey.† From that time forward they were both more careful about their nocturnal progress checks, but neither found worm one. They waited through the cold Montana winter, sure that come spring they would be waist deep in worms and money. Never mind the fact that Yellowtail Dam wouldn't be completed for two more years. After the thaw they marched to the beds together, shovels in hand, to turn over their squirming horn of plenty, but shovel after shovel turned up empty. Into the third bed they began to panic and were wildly slinging shit in the air when Harlan pulled up. â€Å"Digging for horses?† he asked. â€Å"Worms,† Pokey shouted, lifting the veil of secrecy with a single word. â€Å"Where did you get the manure?† â€Å"Around,† Pokey said. â€Å"Around where?† â€Å"The ranches on the res.† Harlan began to laugh and Samson was afraid for a moment that Pokey would brain him with the shovel. â€Å"You were trying to grow worms?† â€Å"Old Man Coyote told us to,† Samson said defensively. â€Å"We let go a thousand worms in here to breed so we could sell 'em to fishermen.† â€Å"I guess Old Man Coyote didn't tell you that cattle ranchers put a wormer in their cattle feed, huh?† â€Å"Wormer?† Pokey said. â€Å"That manure was poison to your worms. They were probably dead ten minutes after you put them in there.† Samson and Pokey looked at each other forlornly, the boy's lower lip swelling with disappointment, the man's temples throbbing with pain. Some people believe that hard work is its own reward and a job well done is a tribute to a man's character; fortunately, none of those people were around or they would have been ducking shovel blows. Pokey and Samson decided to get drunk. Harlan stayed on to coach the boy through his first hangover and run interference with Grandma, who would have skinned the two men had she known they were giving liquor to a twelve-year-old. It was the end of summer, a summer spent in sulking and speculating, before Pokey brought home the goats. He'd obtained the pair, a male and a female, from a dubious source in a Hardin bar by winning a bet that had something to do with a pineapple, a throwing knife, and a waitress named Debbie. Samson had difficulty putting the story together from Pokey's drunken ravings, but he gathered that because Debbie had survived, and the pineapple had not, Pokey had two goats on his hands. â€Å"We could breed 'em and sell 'em for meat,† Pokey said. â€Å"But I got a better idea. Them lawyers and doctors are flying into Montana from the city and paying a thousand bucks a head to shoot bighorn sheep. I say we go to the airport in Billings and wait for one of them to get off a plane, then tell 'em they can come to the res and shoot one for two – three hundred. I can be the faithful Indian guide and lead them all over hell and back, and you can take the goats up into the mountains and tie them up where they can shoot 'em.† Despite Samson's objections that even a city lawyer might know the difference between a bighorn sheep and a nanny goat, Pokey insisted that come morning they would be on the road to riches. Come morning, however, when Samson went outside to look at the goats he found them lying on their backs, legs shot stiff to the sky with rigor mortis, dead as stones. In his excitement Pokey had tied the goats next to a patch of hemlock, and the goats, perhaps sensing what was planned for them, munched their last meal and joined the ranks of Socrates. Not all of Pokey's quests for spiritual capitalism were complete failures. He and Samson made a little money with the ;authentic; Indian fry-bread taco stand they set up outside of the Custer Battlefield National Monument, until the health department objected to the presence of marmot and raccoon meat in their all-beef tacos. And they did make forty dollars selling eagle feathers to tourists (actually the feathers of two buzzards that had dined on tainted goat carcass), which they used to buy marijuana seeds that produced a respectable crop of grape-sized casaba melons. (Harlan referred to this as the magic beans incident.) And finally, while Samson was busy with school and basketball and a developing obsession with girls, Pokey turned to prostitution and made five bucks from the owner of the Hardin 7-Eleven who paid the shaman to take his sandwich sign and go stand somewhere else. Samson was fifteen by the time Pokey decided that perhaps they were not meant to turn their dreams into money. Once again he sat the boy down in the kitchen to recount the vision. â€Å"Pokey, I don't even remember much of the vision, and besides, how important could it be? I was only nine.† Samson's friend Billy Two Irons was waiting outside to drive them to a  «forty-nine » party at the Yellowtail Dam and Samson was not in the mood to be cross-examined about an event that he was trying desperately to leave behind, along with the rest of the trappings of childhood. â€Å"Do you know why the Crow never fought the white man?† Pokey asked gravely. â€Å"Oh, fuck, Pokey, not now. I've got to get going.† â€Å"Do you know why?† â€Å"No. Why?† â€Å"Because of the vision of a nine-year-old boy. That's why.† As much as Samson wanted to leave, he had spent too many years listening to the Cheyenne and Lakota call his people cowards to walk out now. â€Å"What boy?† he asked. â€Å"Our last great chief, Plenty Coups. When he was nine he went on his first fast, just like you. He cut pieces from his skin and suffered greatly. Finally, his vision came, and he saw the buffalo gone and then he saw the white man's cattle covering the plains. He saw white men everywhere, but he saw none of our people. The medicine chiefs heard his vision and said that it was a message. The Lakota and the Cheyenne had fought the white men and lost their lands. The vision meant that if we fought the white men we would lose our land and be wiped out. Our chiefs decided not to fight and the Crow survived. We are here because of the vision of a nine-year-old boy.† â€Å"That's great, Pokey,† Samson said, having gained nothing useful from the story. He was not going to quell any ridicule from non-Crows by telling them that his people had changed their way of life over a mystical vision. It was hard enough trying to live down the reputation of his crazy uncle as it was. â€Å"I have to go now.† He grabbed the drum that Pokey had made him and took off through the living room, high-stepping over his eight younger cousins, who were sprawled on the floor watching cartoons on televsion. â€Å"‘Bye, Grandma,† he tossed over his shoulder to his grandmother, who sat in a tattered easy chair among the kids, adding the final touches to a beaded belt she was making for him. In front of the Hunts Alone house a tall, acne-speckled Billy Two Irons was pouring a jug of water into the radiator of a twenty-year-old Ford Fairlane. Most of the water was draining out of the bottom of the engine onto the ground at his feet. â€Å"That thing going to make it up to Yellowtail?† Samson called. â€Å"No problem, bro,† Billy said without looking up. â€Å"I got twenty milk jugs of water in the backseat for the trip up. Coming home's downhill most of the way.† â€Å"You fix the exhaust leak?† â€Å"Yep, tomato can and a hose clamp. Works fine as long as you keep the window down.† â€Å"How about the brakes?† Samson was staring over Billy's shoulder into the greasy cavern of the engine compartment. Billy capped the radiator and slammed the hood before he answered. â€Å"You let it coast down to about ten miles an hour and throw it in reverse it'll stop on a dime.† â€Å"Then let's do it.† Samson jumped into the car. Billy threw the empty milk jug into the backseat, climbed in, and began cranking the engine. Samson looked back to the house and saw Pokey coming out the front door waving at them. â€Å"Hit it, man,† Samson said. â€Å"Let's go.† The car finally fired up just as Pokey reached the window. He shouted to be heard over the din of the damaged muffler. â€Å"You boys watch out for Enos, now.† â€Å"We will, Pokey,† Samson said as they pulled away. Then he turned to Billy Two Irons. â€Å"Is Anus working nights again?† Anus was the name they used for Enos Windtree, a fat, meanspirited half-breed BIA cop who liked nothing better than to terrorize kids partying at some remote spot on the res. Once, at a forty-nine party near Lodge Grass, Samson and Billy and nearly twenty others were drinking and singing with the drums when Samson heard a distinct, sickening series of mechanical clicks right by his ear: the sound of a twelve-gauge shell being jacked into a riot gun. When he turned to the noise Enos hit him in the chest with the butt of the gun, knocking him to the ground. Then Enos shot the lights and windshields out of two cars before sending everyone on their way. When Samson told the story, people just said he was just lucky Enos hadn't hit him in the face, or shot somebody. There were rumors that it had happened before. And people were dying on the Lakota r eservation at Pine Ridge, killed by the tribal police in what amounted to a civil war. â€Å"Enos works whenever he can find someone to fuck with,† Billy said. â€Å"I'd like to hang that fat fuck's scalp from my lodgepole.† â€Å"Oooooo, brave warrior, heap big pissed off,† Samson chided in pidgin – speaking Tonto, they called it. â€Å"You telling me you wouldn't want to see Anus's head through a rifle scope?† â€Å"Yeah, if I thought I could get away with it. But a rifle would be too quick.† For an hour and a half, between stops to add water to the radiator, they theorized on the best way to do away with Enos Windtree. When they finally arrived at the party it had been decided that Enos should have his entire body abraded with a belt sander and a two-inch hole saw slowly driven through his skull with a drill press. (Samson and Billy had just finished with their first year of shop class and were still fascinated by the macabre potential of every power tool they had used; this fascination, of course, was fed by their shop teacher, a seven-fingered white man who described in detail every accident that had mangled, mutilated, or murdered some careless shop student since the turn of the century. The teacher had been so successful in instilling respect for the tools in the boys that Billy Two Irons had taken to skipping two classes after shop to mellow out and would have had a nervous breakdown had Samson not finished building his friend's birdhouse for him.) Billy pulled the Fairlane slowly onto the dam and up to a dozen cars that were parked haphazardly on the three-hundred-foot structure. He threw the car into reverse and gunned the engine until the transmission screamed in protest and the car stopped in a jerking, squealing mechanical seizure. Samson was out of the car in an instant and a warm wind coming off the newly formed reservoir washed over him with the scent of sage. Twenty people were gathered at the rail of the dam, beating drums and singing a song of heartbreak and betrayal in Crow. Samson scanned the faces in the moonlight, recognizing and dismissing each until he spotted Ellen Black Feather, and smiled. She was wearing jeans and a T-shirt. Her long hair was blowing in a black comet tail behind her, her shirt was wrapped tight around her in the wind, and Samson noticed, to his delight, that she was braless. She saw Samson and returned his smile. It was perfect. Just as he had envisioned it on a dozen nights while he lay in the dark with his cousins sleeping around him. They would sing and drink for a while, maybe smoke a joint if somebody had one, then he and Ellen would finish the evening in the backseat of the Fairlane. He walked to Ellen and sat beside her on the rail of the dam, oblivious to the three-hundred-foot drop behind him. As he started to beat his drum and sing he looked back to the car to see Billy adding water to the radiator. It suddenly occurred to him that if he were going to enjoy the favors of Ellen Black Feather in the back of Billy's car, it would be a good idea to move the twenty jugs of water first. He excused himself with a pat on her knee and returned to the car. â€Å"Billy, help me get these jugs into the trunk.† â€Å"They're all empty, don't worry about them.† â€Å"I'm going to need the space. Just open the trunk, okay?† Billy handed him the car keys. â€Å"Hunts Alone, you are a hopeless horndog.† Samson grinned, then took the keys and ran around to the back of the car. He was loading his first armload of jugs into the trunk when he heard a car pass by and the singing abruptly stopped. Samson looked up to see the green tribal police car stopping in the middle of the partiers, some thirty yards away. â€Å"Fuck. It's Anus,† Billy said. â€Å"Let's get out of here.† â€Å"No, not yet.† Samson eased the trunk lid down and joined Billy at the front of the car. They watched Enos Windtree climb out of the car and reach back in for his nightstick. The partiers stood stock-still, as if they were standing near a rattlesnake that would strike at the first movement, but their eyes were darting around looking for possible lanes of escape. All except for Ernest Bulltail, the biggest and meanest of the group, who met Enos's gaze straight on. â€Å"This is an illegal gathering,† Enos rasped as he swaggered up to Ernest. â€Å"You all know it, and I know it. The fine is two hundred dollars, payable right now. Cough it up.† Enos punctuated his demand by driving the end of his nightstick into Ernest's solar plexus, doubling the big man over. Ernest made an effort to straighten up and Enos hit him across the face with the nightstick. One of the other men stepped forward but froze when Enos dropped his hand to the Magnum strapped to his hip. â€Å"Now for my fine,† Enos said. â€Å"Fuck you, Anus!† someone screamed, and Samson's heart sank as he realized that it was Ellen. Enos turned from Ernest and started for the girl. â€Å"I know how you're going to pay up,† Enos said to Ellen with a leer. Samson knew he had to do something, but he wasn't sure what. Billy was tugging on his sleeve, trying to get him to go, but he was fixated on Enos and Ellen. Why hadn't they brought a weapon? He moved to the back of the car and opened the trunk. â€Å"What are you doing?† Billy whispered. â€Å"Looking for a weapon.† â€Å"I don't have a gun in the car.† â€Å"This,† Samson said, holding up a tire iron. â€Å"Against a three fifty-seven? Are you nuts?† Billy grabbed the tire iron and wrenched it out of Samson's hand. Samson was almost in tears now with frustration. He looked back up the dam to see Enos, his gun at Ellen's head, putting his free hand under her shirt. Samson pushed Billy aside, then reached into the trunk and pulled out the spare tire. He began creeping up the dam, cradling the heavy spare in his arms. The others watched him, eyes wide with fear. Ten yards away from Enos he started running, the tire held out in front of him. â€Å"Enos!† Samson shouted. The fat policeman pulled away from Ellen and was bringing up his gun to fire when the tire hit him in the chest and drove him back over the railing. Samson followed, tumbling halfway over the rail before someone caught the back of his shirt and tugged him back. He didn't turn to see who it was, he just stared over the railing at the dam wall that disappeared into the darkness two hundred feet below. The others joined him at the rail and several minutes passed before the stunned silence was broken by Billy Two Irons. â€Å"I just had that spare fixed,† he said. Part 2 The Call to Action CHAPTER 13 Forget What You Know Crow Country – 1973 Of all the people who had seen Enos go over the side of the dam, only Billy Two Irons seemed to have avoided a state of stunned silence. While the others were still staring over the edge into the darkness, Billy was already formulating a plan to save his friend. â€Å"Samson, come here.† Samson looked back at Billy. He was beginning to shiver with unused adrenaline; a look of dreamy confusion had come over him. Billy put his arm around Samson's shoulders and led him away from the railing. â€Å"Look, Samson, you're going to have to run.† A moment passed and Samson did not answer until Billy jostled him. â€Å"Run?† â€Å"You have to get off the res and not come back for a long time, maybe never. Everyone here is going to think that they're going to keep this a secret, but when the cops start kicking ass, your name is going to come out. You've got to go, man.† â€Å"Where will I go?† â€Å"I don't know, but you have to. Now go get in the car. I'm going to try and raise some money.† Grateful that someone was thinking for him, and because he didn't know what else to do, Samson followed Billy's instructions. He sat in the car and watched his friend going from person to person on the dam collecting money. He closed his eyes and tried to think, but found that there was a movie running on the back of his eyelids: a slow-motion loop of a fat cop with a spare tire in his face going backward over a rail. He snapped his eyes open and stared, unblinking, until they filled with tears. A few minutes later Billy threw a handful of bills on the front seat and climbed in the car. â€Å"I told them you were going to hide out in the mountains and I was getting money for supplies. You should be able to get a long way before the cops figure out that you're not on the res. There's about a hundred bucks here.† Billy started the car and drove off the dam toward Fort Smith. â€Å"Where are we going?† Samson asked. â€Å"First we have to stop and fill up these jugs with water. I'll take you to Sheridan and you can catch a bus there. I don't trust this car to go any further. If we break down in the middle of nowhere you're fucked.† Samson was amazed at his friend's ability to think and act so quickly. Left to himself he knew he would still be staring over the dam wondering what had happened. Instead he was on his way to Wyoming. â€Å"I should go home and tell Grandma that I'm going.† â€Å"You can't. I'll tell them tomorrow. And once you're gone you can't call or write either. That's how the cops will find you.† â€Å"How do you know that?† â€Å"That's how they caught my brother,† Billy said. â€Å"He wrote a letter from New Mexico. The FBI had him in two days after that.† â€Å"But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Look, Samson, you killed a cop. I know you didn't mean to, but that won't matter. If they catch you they'll shoot you before you get a chance to tell what happened.† â€Å"But everyone saw.† â€Å"Everyone there was Crow, Samson. They won't believe a bunch of fucking Indians.† â€Å"But Enos was Crow – part Crow, anyway.† â€Å"He was an apple, only red on the outside.† Samson started to protest again but Billy shushed him. â€Å"Start thinking about where you're going to go.† â€Å"Where do you think I should go?† â€Å"I don't know. You just need to disappear. Don't tell me where you're going when you figure it out, either. I don't want to know. You could try and pass for white. With those light eyes you might pull it off. Change your name, dye your hair.† â€Å"I don't know how to be white.† â€Å"How hard can it be?† Billy said. Samson wanted to talk to someone besides Billy Two Irons, someone who didn't make as much sense: Pokey. He realized that for all his craziness, all his ravings, all his drinking and ritual mumbo jumbo, Pokey was the person he most trusted in the world. But Billy was right: going home would be a mistake. Instead he tried to imagine what Pokey would say about escaping into the white world. Well, first, Samson thought, he would never admit that there was a white world. According to Pokey there was only the world of the Crow – of family and clans and medicine and balance and Old Man Coyote. The white man was simply a disease that had put the Crow world out of balance. Samson tried to look into the future to see where he would go, what he would do, but any plans he had ever made – and there hadn't been many – were no longer valid, and the future was a thick, white fog that would allow him to see only as far as the bus station in Sheridan, Wyoming. He felt a panic rising in his chest like a scream, then it came to him: this was just a different type of Coyote Blue. He was trying to look into the future too far and it was ruining his balance. He needed to focus on right now, and eventually he would learn what he needed to know when the future got to him. What did Pokey always say? â€Å"If you are going to learn, you need to forget what you know.† â€Å"Don't use all your money for the bus ticket,† Billy said. â€Å"Once you get out of the area you can hitchhike.† â€Å"Did you learn all this when your brother got in trouble?† â€Å"Yeah, he writes me letters from prison about what he did wrong.† â€Å"He put a bomb in a BIA office. How many letters can that take?† â€Å"Not that. What he did wrong to get caught.† â€Å"Oh,† Samson said. Two hours later Samson was climbing on a bus headed for Elko, Nevada, carrying with him everything he owned: twenty-three dollars, a pocketknife, and a small buckskin bundle. He took a window seat in the back of the bus and stared out over the dark countryside, really seeing nothing, as he tried to imagine where he would end up. His fear of getting away was almost greater than his fear of being caught. At least if he were caught his fate would be in someone else's hands. After an hour or so on the road Samson sensed that the bus was slowing down. He looked around for a reaction from the other passengers, but except for an old lady in the front who was engrossed in a romance novel, they were all asleep. The driver downshifted and Samson felt the big diesel at his back roar as the bus pulled into the passing lane. Out his window he saw the back of a long, powder-blue car. As the bus moved up Samson watched the big car glide below him, seeming to go on forever. He saw the back of the driver's head, then his face. It was the fat salesman from his vision. Samson twisted in his seat, trying to get a better look as they passed. The salesman seemed to see him through the blackout windows of the bus and raised a bottle of Coke as if toasting Samson. â€Å"Did you see that?† Samson cried to the old lady. â€Å"Did you see that car?† The old lady turned to him and shook her head, and a cowboy in the next seat groaned. â€Å"Did you see who was in that car?† Samson asked the bus driver, who snickered and shook his head. The cowboy in the next seat was awake now and he pushed his hat from over his eyes. â€Å"Well, son, now that you got me wetting myself in suspense, who was in the car?† â€Å"It was the salesman,† Samson said. The cowboy stared at him for a second in angry disbelief, then pushed his hat back over his eyes and slid back down in his seat. â€Å"I hate fucking Mexicans,† he said.

Islam and Islamic Fundamentalism Essay

the lingering fear of terrorist attacks and threats to US homeland security. Indeed, the prejudice against Muslims and Islam adherents has become more pervasive in a post-9/11 America, where the racial stereotyping of Muslims as terrorists or suicide bombers endanger not only those who are cast in such a negative light but also those whose paranoia renders them insensitive and unable to fully grasp the roots of the conflicts based on faith. In his analysis of the roots of Islamic fundamentalism, Hashemi (2004) asserts that there is nothing particularly Islamic about Islamic fundamentalism. Instead, Islamic or any other form of religious fundamentalism for that matter should be examined not from the context of the religious ideology per se but from the social, political, and economic factors that shape and continue to affect the history and current events in Muslim societies. Indeed, Hashemi points to the ongoing social transformation and transition of Islamic societies from the traditional to modern that have been characterized by growing restlessness among the lower ranks of society especially with the connivance between the elite and foreign interests. To be able to understand how and why Islamic fundamentalism thrives and flourishes in a world that is supposedly dominantly democratic therefore requires an examination not only of the inherent characteristics of Islam as a religion and the entire cultural and economic spheres of Muslim life but also the influence of foreign policies of powerful nations on the development of these countries. It also entails an examination of the role of gender and class in the creation of socially acceptable standards for religious adherence and how attitudes and preconceived notions of religiosity affect the individual and collective decision to engage in hostile and violent religious activities. Thus, while religious fundamentalism may superficially appear to be the product of Islam’s teaching, Hashemi argues that it is the general tendency of extremists to take things literally; referring to the latter’s justification of violent actions as the â€Å"holy war† or jihad. Likewise, the rapid urbanization and modernization of these societies owing to the intervention of highly-industrialized economies and the subsequent imposition of foreign development paradigms on their own culture and way of life promotes the feeling of being threatened by the West’s tendency to homogenize cultures, ideologies, and economies, which give rise to the perceived need to defend Islam and the Muslim world in general. It could be, as Hashemi posits, that many individuals in the Muslim countries are attracted to the highly messianic premise of fundamentalist beliefs especially at a time when most of these countries are under attack from neo-liberal interests and the developed world is keen on its pursuit of strategic business interests in these regions. In the end, the motivations and driving force of Islamic Fundamentalism, as Hashemi says, may be likened to the very same social forces that have sparked the conflicts, upheavals, and revolutions at the eve of the birth of every new social order. Only this time, these forces happen to be bonded by their common allegiance to the Islamic faith and their pursuit for self-determination.

Global Management and the digital Divide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Global Management and the digital Divide - Essay Example With the onset of globalization, companies are preferring crowdsourcing as a way to innovate and outsource. Starting from big companies such as Kraft Foods to sole proprietorships, organizations are accessing software platforms to gather ideas and labour from an unidentified group of people who can collectively finish a task. Crowdsourcing produces excellent results more quickly and at a relatively lower cost than in-house substitutes (CIO update, 2012). It is used in context of a variety of activities such as product development, advertising and promotion, and marketing research (Fuller, Hutter and Fries, 2012). A complimentary definition of crowdourcing has been given by Gupta and Sharma (2013) who explained that crowdsourcing is an amalgamation of two terms â€Å"crowd† and â€Å"outsourcing†. It is the act of outsourcing tasks, which are performed by contractor or a staff, to an undefined large group of people or crowd. A large number of separate individuals make a small contribution that helps to accomplish the large outcome (Kaganer, et al., 2013). Crowdsourcing is also associated with a certain degree of risk. Organizations face numerous intellectual property and confidentiality risks while carrying out a crowdsourced project. This is particularly because crowdsourcing draws from the common public. The statistical actuality is that a crowdsourced project simply could receive submissions that contain infringing material. In addition to the contravening risks are the augmented contractual compulsions and insurance coverage issues (Lieberstein, Tucker and Yankovsky, 2012). On the other hand there is digital divide which refers to the gap between households, individuals and businesses and geographic areas at dissimilar socio-economic stages with a view to both their chances to access information and communication technologies (ICTs) and their use of the Internet for a broad assortment of activities (Tavani, 2003). The following sections will in volve an in depth explanation of how crowd sourcing works. In addition to that, issues such as digital inclusion, globalisation implications, employment issues, the scope for innovation and entrepreneurial activity and the ability to access finance will be discussed. A brief discussion will also be presented regarding a crowd sourcing project that can be developed followed by a synopsis of the overall finding. 2. Concept of crowdsourcing The concept of crowdsourcing is based on the idea of dividing certain tedious tasks among a large number of individuals or obtaining other services such as getting solutions to different queries or issues through crowd-voting or fundraising by making petition to a large number of people for financial contribution. In the modern business world, the process of globalization is facilitating the process of crowdsourcing (Gassmann, Daiber and Enkel, 2011). Since with globalization, existing gaps between companies or communities are reducing virtually, ga ining the attention of a large crowd is gradually becoming more feasible, than it was five decades ago. Rapid advancement of technology is responsible for such developments. It leads to invention of better methods of communication and makes process of knowledge transfer faster. This leads to faster business development (Zupic, 2013). The most remarkable benefit of outsourcing is that it allows the

Blog Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Blog - Essay Example In every fragment of the technology zone, leaders are beleaguered to concentrate on enhancing the processes that transport IT services to their industries, conglomerates and consumers. Reducing costs, giving speedier services, and increasing the value of a company or organization are all prerequisites in the world of Information Technology nowadays. The world is revolving so fast and the innovative advancements are comparable to an avalanche of new ideas and revolutionary approaches. A fluctuating and shifting demand is expected to take place. If these demands are left unaddressed, it can bring massive disasters toward a certain company. Seen this way, a necessity to align our IT services with the growing and varying tastes and trends of the consumers is imperative in maintaining the value of an organization. According to the Bloomberg BusinessWeek (2010), in a survey conducted in about 150 IT subdivisions at middle-sized companies, â€Å"IT Leadership Exchange found that 90 per cent of CIOs expect that the IT department will be misaligned with business needs in an economic recovery†¦this will threaten the business’s long-term competitiveness†. The job of bringing IT services and business precedence into line is more than scientific in context. Nevertheless, by way of continuing dialogue with the IT officials and by aligning our business objectives, the IT Leadership Exchange "finds that an IT department can boost its effectiveness to the company by 54 per cent" (Bloomberg, 2010). We see the importance of aligning our IT service and its management with the current inclinations of the consumers as part of the business goals of the company. But how do continual improvement on IT services and its management contribute in bettering the operational and process effectiveness? Also, how does it aid an organization to achieve cost effectiveness? In dealing with these critical points, there are manifold factors to consider: the IT

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 61

Leadership - Essay Example His replacement of Ryan Graves as CEO was effective, as he has been considered to have a Steve Jobs mentality. Travis has been brash and resolute in overcoming challenges from local and federal regulators as well as established firms in the cab business that has propelled UBER to current success depicting the impact of leadership and management in the success of an organization. Having analysed importance of management in the success of UBER, fall of AERO depicts that lack of a management and leadership that is congruent with the needs of an organization results in its fall. The lack of leadership insight at AERO for changes in consumer needs, lack of innovation to meet consumer preferences and needs, and the inability of management and the leadership to anticipate changes in market conditions led to its fall. The fall of AERO is mainly due to the inability of the management to provide focus and depth in managerial decision-making and direction of the company in a dynamic business environment. Leadership in a company play a critical role in ensuring a company overcomes market challenges and provide a clear goal for the employees and lack of these leadership qualities at AERO resulted in its

Social Problems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Problems - Essay Example In this way, the competing views of societal understanding as compared to medical science can be understood as a function of how they share vastly different views on the same topic. Of course, prior to beginning an analysis of how the medical community, evidenced by this particular article, views drug addiction, it is necessary to point out that neither science nor society behave as a singular entity. What is meant by this is that although prevailing views exist within each group, neither one can be categorically defined as all believing a certain way with reference to a certain issue. In this way, the views and opinions that will be discussed within this brief analysis will be from the point of view that the author has interpreted the majority of society and the medical/scientific community to espouse these views. Obviously, this means that there are elements of both groups that do not subscribe to these prevailing theories or their derivatives. Firstly, it should be understood that the prevailing view in society is that drug use and abuse is something that afflicts â€Å"weak† individuals; or those that simply cannot â€Å"say no to drugs†. In this way, a theory develops in which society views the entire drug use/abuse dynamic in a way that simply dismisses the issue as something that can be defined by an overall lack of willpower. This lack of willpower is further illustrated, so they believe, by the fact that not only could the drug user have the moral fiber to resist the drug in the first place, they additionally cannot find within themselves the courage and perseverance to put the drug away once they are hooked on it. This failure to understand the chemical dependencies that help to define drug abuse for the tens of thousands of individuals who suffer from this on a daily basis is quite an oversight. Although

Construction Contracts in Context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Construction Contracts in Context - Essay Example Hoover‘EmUp PLC (‘Hoover’) brought out share of SkyHigh Project Limited (‘SkyHigh’) which was a middle sized contraction company. The initial designs were done by PrimeDesign Partnership (‘PrimeDesign’). Hoover had a lawyer who helped him in his projects. The lawyer usually goes through his paper to be updated with the agreements he is in. During one particular diligence exercise he noticed that Hoover had misstated some of his documents. Being a written contact it might give the opponent a good hand in case of a dispute. The statements brought him into a big problem for design defects were noticed in the building. When Hoover noticed the problem he blamed it to PrimeDesign. The use of different legal issues in construction was the only way they have to meet their claims2. A good construction contract should be able to adhere to the Legal issues related to construction. Different contractual and legal issues were noticed in the case. Legal issue discovered during the investigation of the case3. The first issue was the one that deals with contractors and subcontractors. The issue deals with matters concerning what contractors are held liable during the building process4. It states that contractors and subcontractors are liability in automobile, commercial general and worker compensation/ employers’ liability. Hoover being the employer of PrimeDesign he is protected by this law. He has the right to sue PrimeDesign and claim for compensation. He can use the advantage of this law to ensure that SkyHigh has been compensated completely or partially for the design problem which is expensive. Another issue is in term of risk of the property or the builder. Risk of property of builder section tackled accidents that may lead damage of property or bodily damage. The decisions are made based on different considerations. Location of the project, type of project, cost associated with the project, type of contract, owner’s desires

Voluntary Service at a Food Pantry on March 28, 2015 Assignment

Voluntary Service at a Food Pantry on March 28, 2015 - Assignment Example The  report outlines that "I was keen to note that the food supply did not include fruits. Evidently, the fact that the food pantry did not supply fruits translated to an imbalanced diet for the community members. Therefore, I played an active role in donating raisin fruit. The fruits I donated amounted to 8 pounds in weight (Basavanthappa, 2008). It was a real privilege for me to contribute positively to improving the health of the community members. Many of the community members who receive food supplies from the pantry are not financially stable and require the help from well-wishers. However, they deserve to have access to a balanced diet that can help in promoting their health. Therefore, when I had the opportunity of providing them with fruits, I felt privileged because I knew that my contribution was worthwhile. In addition, the experience helped me to understand the health needs of the people especially those related to nutrition. According to my observation, the food pantry seeks to supply food to the needy in the society. They give a special focus to the elderly who are unable to earn a living. However, the pantry also seeks to ensure that the needy in the society have access to food. The qualification for accessing the foods from the pantry is that one must be living or working in Highland Park. Foods are supplied in accordance with the level of need. The food pantry carries out rigorous research in an effort to ascertain the different needs of people. Therefore, the donations from churches, schools, and other well-wishers are channeled to the neediest people in the society. In my opinion, the food pantry had its priorities right because it recognized the vulnerability of the elderly as a needy group in the society. However, the food pantry also supplies foods to community members of different ages.

HSA 535 Week 10 DB1 and DB2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

HSA 535 Week 10 DB1 and DB2 - Coursework Example Equipped with the knowledge, facilities and technology the U.S is able to conduct such activities with a lot of ease, within a short period of time and as a result they come up with the most appropriate measures to control the disease. Third World countries are countries that are still developing and facing a lot of challenges. Their practice of epidemiology is not as advanced as in the U.S hence delay in achieving results and implementing them. One of the ways that epidemiology can be improved in Third World countries, is by providing information and showing the importance of the need to learn. In a place like Africa, the population is rapidly changing and in order to understand the pattern of a disease it is crucial to get proper information from healthcare providers. Once a healthcare provider does not have the appropriate information from this population it is difficult to obtain the pattern of a disease. Skilled workforce in terms of information and knowledge is a great way to improve epidemiology practice in third world countries. Data collection is an important aspect of epidemiology. Efficient data collection and usage methods can improve epidemiology practice. Data collected through survey usually attracts a limited number of respondents making the research process not to be exhaustive. Inclusion of a large number of people in participating in this survey by assuring them of confidentiality in handling their response will attract more data collection. The more the data that is collected the more that the results established will have more meaning in handling the disease. I agree with Naa that the study of way of life of people from behavioral to social is important in learning how diseases spread and how to prevent the spread. Patterns of disease are easily established by putting into consideration the way of life of people. Once society is healthy, the quality of life will automatically

Google's Strategy in 2012 Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Google's Strategy in 2012 - Case Study Example This research will begin with the statement that legal actions that are against Google have mainly originated from infringement as well as other issues that are associated with copyrights. Nonetheless, the concept of privacy in the internet world is progressively becoming unmanageable and ability that Google has of recording the habits of internet users and broadcasting the information to the people on the internet has to lead to the calls for new laws that are more stringent. The external macro economic environment that Google exists in encompasses all the outside firms and forces, which have a possible interest or effect on the ability that the firm has to achieve its goals. Despite the fact that Google is an online business, macroeconomics factors greatly affect the broadcast of the company in several regions such as China, which has restricted the use of Google and in some cases unavailable. Google has enjoyed freedom from government interferences since it was established in 1998 since it does not fall under one government jurisdiction. The software that Google utilizes is proprietary and is only restricted by particular court orders in various countries. However, this might change in the days to come with the introduction of a Federal Internet Sales Tax Law in the United States. The fact that Google has already established a brand name that the users have been able to trust is one of the strengths of the associated with the company. The services offered by this company are dependable, reliable and relatively fast compared to other search engines.

Multi agency teams work Essay Example for Free

Multi agency teams work Essay Multi-agency teams work together by bringing practitioners from all different sectors and professions within childcare to provide effective and in depth way of working to support children and young people. This includes support of that child or young person’s family. Multi-agency teams work together to ensure the children and young people that require additional support have exactly the right professionals around them to achieve their maximum potential. Assessment may include: ââ€" ªParents and family ââ€" ªPediatrician ââ€" ªEducational Psychologist ââ€" ªSpecialist Teachers for Learning Support, Hearing, Vision, Sensory Impairment, Autism/Complex Communication Difficulties ââ€" ªClinical Psychologist ââ€" ªSpeech and Language Therapist ââ€" ªPhysiotherapist ââ€" ªOccupational Therapist. In addition to parents, one or more of these people may be involved, helping to gain an understanding of children’s communication strengths and needs, and how speech and language can be developed. They can also provide information, advice, guidance and training. If a child needs support from a speech therapist, a social worker, teacher and health worker, then a team of those professionals will be set up, but with the consent of the child, young person and family. Support may include: ââ€" ªSpeech and language therapist ââ€" ªEducational psychologist ââ€" ªPhysiotherapist ââ€" ªOccupational therapist ââ€" ªHealth visitor ââ€" ªSpecialist teachers for Learning Support, Hearing, Vision, Sensory Impairment and Complex communication/Autism These people with specialist knowledge and skills support the people in daily contact with the child. They try to remove barriers to achievement, agree strategies, provide training and identify, and sometimes provide, resources By working together, the team will enable children to make maximum progress and improve the quality and ease of their lives. The members of these teams will share information and support each another so that the child / young person’s needs are met as efficiently and effectively as possible. There are some circumstances where multi-agency teams work together literally in one place. There are other examples where teams may operate virtually- via email/ web cam. The role of a practitioner requires them to meet regularly to discuss the needs of the child or young person in question. This is so they can plan and carry out coordinated, targeted interventions. Development may include: ââ€" ªParents and family ââ€" ªChild minder ââ€" ªEarly Years setting staff such as playgroup leaders, nursery nurses and play/nursery assistants ââ€" ªSchool staff such as teachers, teaching assistants and lunchtime supervisors ââ€" ªConnexions staff ââ€" ªBefore after school care. These people listed above are the people who come into contact with the child in question every day. They apply their training and knowledge to the situation and know how to be good communication partners, and how to provide a good communication environment. They are the ones actively developing the child’s speech and language. They can share ideas about what does and what does not work for individual children. References Worcestershire County Council and Worcestershire. (2011). Effective multi-agency working and collaboration. Available: http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/cms/speech-language-communication/targeted-s pecialist-provision/effective-multi-agency-working.aspx. Last accessed 18/9/14.

Anti Oppressive Theory And Practice Social Work Essay

Anti Oppressive Theory And Practice Social Work Essay Anti-oppressive theory and practice in social work seeks first to recognise oppression  in communities, societies, and cultures, and thereafter to eliminate the pressure and undo the sway of such oppression. Anti-oppressive practice is by and large understood to be an omnibus term that includes, but is not limited to, diverse practice approaches like feminist, anti-racist, critical, radical, and structural frameworks. Anti-oppressive social work stands as such for a variety of theories and practices that adopt the perspective of social justice. It should thus more appropriately be considered to be a perspective or stance toward practice rather than a practice approach. Dominelli (1998) perceives anti-oppressive social work to be a type of social work practice that searches for social barriers and structural inequalities in activities that are conducted with service users or workers. Anti-oppressive practice tries to offer more suitable, responsive and perceptive services by reacting to the needs of individuals without considering their social status. Dominelli (1998) feels that it represents a person oriented philosophy and an egalitarian system of values that is concerned with lessening the venomous results of structural inequalities upon the lives of people. It is a methodology that focuses both on processes and on outcomes and is an approach of structuring relationships between persons that strives to empower users by lessening the adverse results of hierarchy during their interaction with each other and the activities they do together. Social workers need to reinforce their abilities and attitudes for the conduct of anti-oppressive practice in many ways. Dalrymple and Burke (1995) state that social workers should obtain knowledge and understanding of their own selves, the majority social systems, different groups and cultures, and of fundamental human rights in order to effectively face issues on personal and structural levels and pursue anti-oppressive practices. This short study takes up the need of social workers to become aware of and familiar with human rights and various cultural issues, especially those relevant to their service users, in order to engage in effective anti-oppressive practice. Special emphasis is given in the study to domestic violence against women of ethnic and immigrant communities in Ireland, many of whom face physical and mental abuse in their households, even as they otherwise suffer from the discriminatory attitudes and behaviour of people of mainstream and dominant communities. Readying Social Workers for Anti-oppressive Practice Oppression is essentially entrenched in society for the maintaining of its unequal status quo. Contemporary social workers are experiencing the unique development of an anti-oppression approach that is gradually replacing long-established social work models of individual rehabilitation and self fulfilment. The verbalisation and mounting sophistication of the anti- oppression approach has been and continues to be considerably influenced by ethnic, feminist, gay and lesbian, disability, and other social movements. The need to challenge inequality is an important driver of anti-oppressive practice, even as it is important to recognise that all challenges may not be successful and furthermore be distressful for the person or group who are challenging and those who are being challenged. Anti-oppressive practice plainly draws from a social model of difference. It builds on social constructionist models of differences, racial, ethnic, gendered, and others, which are created within the conte xt of unequal social power relationships. It thus strongly argues for the development of practice that confronts, challenges, and alters unequal structures at all levels. An important dimension of challenging inequality concerns the building of self-awareness and understanding of how the social location of the social worker influences the communication between the worker and the individuals or groups who are being challenged. The practice of reflecting and thinking is intrinsic to the anti-oppressive way. Dominelli (2002, p 9) argues that knowledge of oneself helps in equipping individuals for undertaking anti-oppressive tasks. Self-knowledge, for Dominelli, is central to the range of skills required of a reflective practitioner. Social workers, to be successful in anti-oppressive practice, should be able to critically reflect on their own selves in practice and on the ways in which their biographies influence their practice relationships. The ability to critically assess the experiences of oppression of service users requires them to examine the ways in which personal, cultural and structural issues and processes fashion the difficulties that service users bring up with service agencies. An understanding of human rights and various cultural issues, experts feel, can also help them significantly in knowing their own selves, realising the impact as well as the reasons for continuance of oppression in modern day society, and in addressing such issues. Human Rights and Cultural Issues Anti-oppressive practice, with its focus on reduction of all forms of social inequality, is closely associated with the bringing about of social justice. Much of modern day oppressive activity goes against the tenets of social justice and concerns the undermining, denying or taking away of fundamental human rights of individuals or groups of people. Human rights constitute the fundamentals on which modern day society has developed in the post Second World War era. Whilst human rights have progressively developed over centuries, widespread awareness about them grew only after the 1940s in the aftermath of the holocaust atrocities and the demise of colonialism. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 by the United Nations was a step taken by the global fraternity to ensure that human rights would not be compromised in future by the actions of people, groups or states. Such rights include the right to life and property, the right of expression, the right to security from discrimination and the right to protection from physical and mental harm. Oppression nevertheless continues to occur in societies across the world, and often with the tacit of overt support of various governments that signed the UN declaration and thereafter legislated to protect human rights in their own countries. Whilst oppression and empowerment in social work practice do relate to bringing about of social justice, they do not specify minimal and fundamental requirements for human existence. This compels social workers to view individuals who have to arrange for themselves when they are denied human rights by dominant powers. Social workers who are familiar with human rights can however readily and effectively apply human rights perspectives to spot violations. They can view situations of oppression and discrimination as circumstances in which various infrastructural and legal resources can be applied for effective elimination of oppression or negation of its impact. The awareness of human rights and adoption of human rights perspectives can help social workers to frame circumstances concerning oppression into those of violations of rights, thereby making governments and citizens accountable for addressing and resolving such violations. Domestic violence, discrimination and inadequate education thus become instances of violation rather than of inadequate satisfaction of needs. Social workers with human rights perspectives can apply greater force to the challenging of unfair resource distribution, inequality and oppression. Awareness about the culture of service users and the differences that exist between the cultures of social workers and different service users can also help social workers on understanding different ways of oppression, especially so in groups like immigrants or ethnic minorities, whose cultures are vastly different from members of the dominant groups. Culture represents the integrated and distinct patterns of behaviours, including thoughts, values, beliefs, customs and actions of racial, religious, ethnic, or social groups. It is considered to be the totality of ways that is passed through generations and includes ways in which individuals with disabilities or persons from different religious or ethnic backgrounds experience their environments. With the main mission of social workers being the enhancement of well-being and helping to satisfy fundamental human needs of persons who are poor, vulnerable, and oppressed, they can improve their practice effectiveness significantly by understanding and becoming sensitive to cultural diversity and uniqueness. The acquisition of such knowledge can help social workers in understanding the essence of social diversity and oppression with regard to race, ethnic background, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation and physical or mental disability. Such knowledge and understanding can help in the achievement of cultural competence and enable them to integrate and transform their knowledge of persons and groups of people into specific attitudes and practices. Whilst the development of cultural competency is important for social workers, the diverse backgrounds of service users, especially in urban locations, make this process difficult and challenging. Oppression and Domestic Violence against Women Domestic violence against women results directly from the inequalities between men and women. It denies women their very basic human rights, i.e. the right to health and undermines the development of communities and societies. General factors like marginalisation and poverty and specific aspects like race or ethnicity, result in some women becoming more vulnerable to domestic violence. Whilst men also face domestic violence, the lower social status of women, especially in certain communities and cultures exposes them to greater risk, even as the number of incidences of domestic violence against women appears to increase at an alarming pace. Domestic Violence refers to the use of physical or emotional force or threat of physical force, including sexual violence; in close adult relationshipsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.The term domestic violence goes beyond actual physical violence. It can also involve emotional abuse; the destruction of property; isolation from friends, family and other sources of support; threats to others including children; stalking; and control over access to money, personal items, food, transportation and the telephone. Such violence causes extensive physical, emotional and mental damage to women. It prevents them from participating in society, limits their access to resources and their ability to take part in activities like work, travel and education. Apart from such adverse consequences, domestic violence against women damages the physical, emotional and mental development of children, hurts their performance in school and affects their life chances. Domestic violence also results in economic costs for the individual and for society that arise from missed work, health care costs and costs of social work assessment and intervention for women and other affected family members. Domestic violence against women is a serious problem in Ireland. A 2002 report on Sexual Abuse and Violence revealed that one woman in four in Ireland had faced some sort of sexual abuse during her lifetime and one in five had suffered sexual assault as an adult. Ireland witnessed 109 murders of women between 1996 and 2005, 72 of which occurred in their homes. All the murders were perpetrated men and 50 % of these by partners or ex-partners. Ireland has been experiencing rapid inward migration since the 1990s, a phenomenon that has made one of the most homogenous societies in the EU culturally and ethnically diverse. Whilst domestic violence occurs across race, religion and class, migrant women experiencing violence at home face additional structural barriers on account of immigration status, lack of familiarity with language and racism, which significantly hamper their options for protection and support. A 2008 study by Paula Fagan reveals that migrant women experiencing violence at home face four important barriers, namely (a) immigration legislation, (b) restrictions on usage of public funds, (c) racism from larger society and ostracism from own communities on re[ort of abuse, and (d) cultural differences with, and lack of understanding from, mainstream society, which increase their distress and vulnerability, reduce their options with regard to social security, exacerbate their fear of isolation and create barriers their seeking of assistance and protection. Fagans report reveals that the discretionary character of the countrys immigration system presents unique challenges both for women and social workers in establishing rights, entitlements and protections for migrant women experiencing abuse. With no protections yet in place for women whose status are dependent on their husbands/partners or for those restricted from social welfare payments, options for keeping women safe are severely restricted. A key finding of this report is that, while there needs to be improvements in Irelands domestic violence legislative and policy framework for all women, there are specific failures in this system for migrant women linked to immigration legislation, policy and procedures.

Theories of Reward and Motivation

Theories of Reward and Motivation Psychology, derived from ancient Greek roots â€Å"psyche† and â€Å"logos†, which means â€Å"mind† and â€Å"knowledge or study† respectively, is defined as the scientific study of behaviour and mental processes, in which the behaviour refers to anything we do (Coon Mitterer, 2012, p. 14). Psychologists uses systematic observation to gather empirical evidence to derive a scientific theory. Not until 130 years ago, when William Wundt set up a laboratory to study conscious experience in a scientific manner, that psychology started as a science (Coon Mitterer, 2012, p. 26). For thousands of years individuals have been informally observing human behaviours. Recently, many individuals claim that the theories on human behaviours and mental processes psychologists had invested much time and effort to discover are merely â€Å"common sense† (Coon Mitterer, 2012, p. 15). For instance, performance can be improved by giving rewards, is a common sense that society perceive as the truth. However, the act of enhanced performance by giving rewards to individual is confined within a small social circle, or are derived from a person’s attempt to make sense out of their physical world (Qian Guzzetti, 2000, p. 1). The higher the value of rewards, the higher the drive levels or motivation of an individual, the better the results achieved. Rewards are generally attractive to people, and hence would force them to put in effort to obtain it. This wrong â€Å"common sense† theory which still persists today, giving rewards, especially material rewards, will enhance one’s performance, is inaccurate. This theory is first rejected by Sam Glucksberg in his experiment. In Glucksberg’s (1964) research, he investigated the influence of strength of drive (motivation) on functional fixedness strength, which is defined as a type of cognitive bias that involves a tendency to see objects as only working in a particular way (Cherry, n.d.). Glucksberg seek to prove that rewards do not allow an increase in problem-solving time. In his experiment, Glucksberg set up different scenarios to compare the effect of rewards: A group of people were tested for time taken to solve problem when offered incentives, and another when incentives are not offered. These two groups were then divided into further subgroups where the subjects put into test in two other scenarios: when the solution is more straightforward and when the solution requires more thought process. This ensured that there was no biasedness in the experiment and that the increase in functional fixedness strength was only due to incr ease in drive levels. Through this experiment, it was concluded that participants used relatively longer time to solve problems requiring more thought process when given rewards. Also, in his research, Glucksberg concluded that there was no effect of rewards on an individual when the solution to the problem is straight forward. Similar timings were recorded and the difference are relatively smaller as compared to those of complex problem solving. Throughout many years, numerous researches upon this topic had been conducted and they concluded with the same observation (e.g. Bijleveld, Custers, Aarts, 2011; Hagger Chatzisarantis, 2011; Jordon, 1986; Panagopoulos, 2013). In the society, economists generally believes that incentives enhances performance (Panagopoulos, 2013, p. 266). To this day, it has been proven many times by psychological researches, which suggest the opposite to this theory. While this is true in some cases, for example, when the task is simple and only requires memory work or has a straight forward solution (Bijleveld, Custers, Aarts, 2011, p. 865), it does not work in others. Rewards function as a barrier when individuals are faced with complex problem-solving tasks. Material rewards stale an individual’s ability to solve complex problems (Glucksberg, 1964). Glucksberg (1964), concluded in his research that rewards influence drive levels and hence impair problem-solving performance. Similarly, research has also shown that monetary incentives not only does not improves one’s performance, it might cause drastic results as well (Bijleveld, Custers, Aarts, 2011). When introduced to the monetary rewards consciously, i ndividuals tend to consciously reflect on the reward, and hence thwart one’s performance (Bijleveld, Custers, Aarts, 2011). This research has refute the effectiveness of a powerful motivator – money. Several research also assess the effect of material rewards on motivation, and results turn out to be undesirable as it actually undermines it (e.g., Hagger Chatzisarantis, 2011; Jordon, 1986). Hence giving rewards does not enhance performance in many cases. The fact that giving rewards does not enhance, or might harm performance can be explained psychologically. Individuals are unable to focus on the task when given rewards. Bijleveld, Custers and Aarts (2011) indicates that consciously perceived rewards cause people to reflect on what is at stake, hence prompt people to more strongly concentrate on task stimuli and details. However, being too focussed in the task can be harmful to an individual’s performance. Enhanced concentration might interfere with thought process and hence effective performance, for example, processing of unnecessary and irrelevant ideas, hence thwart the enhancement of performance (p.866). Presence of distractions is a reason behind divided attention, which causes problem solving cannot take place effectively. This supports the consistent finding where rewards do not result in higher performance. This can also be explained by a research done by Olivers and Nieuwenhuis (2006), that such distractions from th e main problem â€Å"is due to an overinvestment of attentional resources in stimulus processing, a suboptimal processing mode that can be counteracted by manipulations promoting divided attention† (p. 364). Hence, increased focus and concentration due to higher motivation levels, can hurt performance. It is not uncommon to observe individuals being motivated by rewards. This might be the source of the theory. However, such observations are confined to a certain fixed situation in the individual’s social setting. In this kind of observation, individuals tend to avoid taking into account of situations which is inconsistent with their â€Å"findings† (Taylor Kowalski, 2004). They are easily refuted by experiments and research as they are conducted systematically and did not come from mere human observation. Various scenarios and control experiment are involved to ensure that the results have no room for disputes. Differing from the flawed â€Å"common sense† theory of human behaviour, the results which proved that rewards does not enhance performance are unchallengeable as they are supported by facts which can be tested and reiterated by professionals (Coon Mitterer, 2012). Only by involving in psychological research can one actually see a fair and non-biased p erspective of human behaviour. Reasons behind thwart performance can be explained scientifically through experiments. They are supported by the science behind human behaviour. Therefore rewards does not give, or rather impair performance. References Bijleveld, E., Custers, R., Aarts, H. (2011). Once the money is in sight: Distinctive effects of conscious and unconscious rewards on task performance. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47, 865-869. Cherry, K. (n.d.). What is Functional Fixedness in Psychology? Retrieved from Psychology Complete Guide to Psychology for Students, Educators Enthusiasts: http://psychology.about.com/od/problemsolving/f/functional-fixedness.htm Coon, D., Mitterer, J. (2012). Introduction to Psychology: Active learning through modules. Wadsworth, Ohio: Cengage Learning. Glucksberg, S. (1964). Problem solving: Response competition and the influence of drive. Psychological Reports, 15, 939-942. Hagger, M. S., Chatzisarantis, N. L. (2011). Causality orientations moderate the undermining effect of rewards on intrinsic motivation. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47, 485-489. Jordon, P. C. (1986). Effects of an extrinsic reward on intrinsic motivation: A field experiment. Academy Of Management, 29(2), 405-412. Olivers, C. N., Nieuwenhuis, S. (2006). The beneficial effects of additional task load, positive effect, and instruction on the attentional blink. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 32, 364-379. Panagopoulos, C. (2013). Extrinsic Rewards, Intrinsic Motivation and Voting. The Journal of Politics, 75(1), 266-280. Qian, G., Guzzetti, B. (2000). Conceptual change learning: A multidimentional lens. Reading Writing Quarterly, 1-3. Taylor, A., Kowalski, P. (2004). Naive psychological science: The prevalence, strength, and sources of misconceptions. The Psychological Record, 54(1), 15-25. Neo Ruo Ting

Warfare and its Psychological Impact Essay -- War Psychology Disorders

Warfare and its Psychological Impact Warfare causes many people to suffer from psychological problems. Many times, these problems come in the form of mental illness. According to the DSM-VI, which is the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a mental disorder is "a clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that's associated with current distress (a painful symptom) or disability (impairment in one or more important areas of functioning) or with a significantly greater risk of suffering, death, pain, disability, or an important loss of freedom. This syndrome or pattern mustn't be merely an expected, culturally sanctioned response such as grief over the death of a loved one. Whatever the cause, it must be considered a sign of a behavioral, psychological, or biological dysfunction."("Diseases") Mental disorders are diseases. However, according to the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, mental disorders are treatable diseases. Mental illnesses have been proven to be illnesses of the brain. These illnesses can often be treated with medication and psychological therapy. Depression is the leading cause of disability in the world. Some believe that depression is a weakness in character, but it is a real disease with real symptoms. More people suffer from depression than heart disease. Mental illness is a serious disease. Mental disorders are serious problems with serious effects. In war there are three main groups affected by war: soldiers, non-combatants, and society. There are negative psychological consequences caused by war, both culturally and individually, these make war more costly than we realized previously. If we take these negati... ...nd there would be a lot less psychologically injured people in the US and Vietnam today. Our newfound resistance to war will prove to provide a psychologically healthy environment for not only us, but our children as well, for they are our treasure and our future. Our children are more important than any amount of oil or gold. It is our duty to create a positive environment for children in this world. Their well-being should be our first concern. They are not responsible for the conflict, but they suffer severely. They are particularly vulnerable. (Otunnu par 2) According to The Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace and Conflict "there is no escaping the conclusion that combat, and the killing that lies at the heart of combat, is an extraordinarily traumatic and psychologically costly endeavor that profoundly impacts all who participate in it." (Grossman and Siddle par.2)

The American Dream and College Essay example -- Personal Narrative Edu

The American Dream and College My junior year of high school was filled with high emotions, stressful moments, and tension about where to apply to college and where I would be accepted and ultimately attend. At a â€Å"Making the Most out of your Sixth Semester† forum that year, the entire junior class experienced lectures from the school’s college resource counselors about how to prepare for this arduous battle of college admissions. The way Sue Biermert, who is the College Admissions Counselor at my high school, opened the forum was by asking a question to the parents that put everything into perspective: â€Å"How many of you parents feel like you are successful?† Every single hand shot up from the 500 parents in the auditorium. Of those that had their hands up, she asked, â€Å"How many of you parents received an Ivy League education?† Every hand went down. I could see friend’s mouths sit there in awe that getting an Ivy League education is not necessarily th e greatest factor at having a good life. Even though these shocked students were the ones hoping to be accepted by Yale and Harvard, they all simultaneously recognized that going to an Ivy League school is not a guarantee for success in life. The reality about American culture is that success is the result of individual experiences that suit the needs of each person, not necessarily the prestigious institution of learning that one attends. The college resource counselors that night wanted to stress one central problem that we were all going to face in the next twelve months. Invariably, they highlighted with personal stories and anecdotes that the admissions process is the most untrustworthy and unpredictable game anyone can get involved in. ... ...d reach the top. Unless there is a consensus in public opinion to challenge class reproduction, this system in our culture will grow exponentially more competitive annually. America is not what it once was, and it is an extremely arduous task to carry on a job without a college degree. While there is a rush to get married and have a family still at a young age, people still realize that you need to know where your next paycheck is coming from to support yourself. The â€Å"American Dream† is still a looming theory that people are striving to attain, and those people are the students of America that are being told from our elders that this is what it takes to reach that point. While it may be dirty politics to do what it takes it get by and be accepted, American culture has become a love for the game in order to perceive that desired image of success.

Arnold’s Epochs of Expansion Essay

â€Å"I am bound by my own definition of criticism: a disinterested endeavor to learn and propagate the best that is known and thought in the world;† (Leitch 824) said the Victorian poet and critic Matthew Arnold. Matthew Arnold, an English poet and critic whose work was both a representative of the Romantic ideas and of the Victorian intellectual concerns later on was the primary literary critic of his age. Arnold’s critical theories is highlighted mainly through his most important critical prose â€Å"The Function of Criticism at the Present Time† in which he examines the role of the critic in society and presents his critical concept. Arnold’s contribution to literary theory is his theories on epochs of expansion and epochs of concentration, which throughout the course of this essay will be thoroughly explained. Matthew Arnold, a Romantic poet transformed into a critic of the Romantic Age, contributes to the English critical theories, the concept of epo chs of expansion and epochs of concentration. Matthew Arnold, poet and critic was born on December 24 1822 in Laleham, Middlesex England and passed away April 15, 1888. He was considered the father of the modern criticism movement into the Objective Theory. Arnold was the eldest son of Thomas Arnold, historian and famous headmaster of Rugby, and of Mary (Penrose) Arnold. Throughout the beginning of Arnold’s life he was educated at Rugby and then at Balliol College, University of Oxford, where he graduated. Shortly after Arnold graduated he was elected to a fellowship at Oriel, and after teaching a little at Rugby he became a private secretary to the Marquis of Lansdowne. After becoming the private secretary to Lord Lansdowne, he was appointed to inspector of schools, a position he held up until 1886, two years before his death. During his term he went on a number of missions and visitation of European schools. He was impressed by some of the educational systems that he wrote several works about them as well. Arnold’s literary career can be divided into four separate periods in which the first period was in the 1850s where a large amount of his poems appeared; the second being in the 1860s in which his literary criticism and social criticism emerged; and the third being in the 1870s where his religious and educational writings surfaced; finally the fourth period being the one in the 1880s, where his second set of essays in literary criticism emerged. The fact that Arnold was born into an age that  was shifting from the Romantics into the Victorian Age gave him a perspective of both ages in which he actually wrote in both ages. Arnold began as a Romantic poet merely writing Romantic poetry and displaying the various Romantic intellectual ideas. Later on, Arnold switched into prose and began writing critical works in which Arnold became a critic of the Romantic Age and intellectual thoughts. Matthew Arnold was one of the most significant literary critics of his age. He was the Professor of Poetry at Oxford from the time of 1857 to 1867, during which he wrote his first books of criticism, including On Translating Homer (1861), Essays in Criticism (1865; Series 2, 1888), In the Study of Celtic Literature (1867), and a number of other books regarding criticism as well. In his first volume of Essays in Criticism, came Arnold’s most important critical work in the name of â€Å"The Function of Criticism at the Present Time,† in which Arnold examines the role of the critic in society and formulates the critical theory of an epoch of expansion and epoch of concentration. Arnold’s essay suggests that the critic’s role is one of a personal and social nature but the critic must maintain â€Å"disinterestedness,† according to Arnold, to produce a proper critique. Arnold wanted to lay down the rules for aesthetic art in his age; he wanted them to have rules in order to produce a great anesthetic object. Arnold also tried to establish an aesthetic realm and emphasize the role of critics. Therefore, Arnold wrote â€Å"The Function of Criticism at the Present Time,† which is an essay where he laid down his theory and where he argued for the central role of the critic in collecting and producing great literature. In Arnold’s essay â€Å"The Function of Criticism at the Present Time†, Arnold asserted that criticism is a positive and noble task. Since, Arnold began as a poet and was a poet himself he gives some emphasis to the creative abilities of the poet yet he also gives a greater emphasis to the analytical abilities of the critic. Matthew Arnold introduced the concept of poetry as a synthesizing process in which the poet synthesizes ideas and puts these ideas together to form a work of art. He also introduced the role of the critic being the analyst of those ideas. So, in other words, Arnold states that the poet collects the information and the critic saturates or divides  those ideas and by dividing and synthesizing these ideas there will be an artistic process or dialogue in which the poets will see their work analyzed and view their weak points and try to synthesize new and powerful ideas. After the poet synthesizes newer and powerful ideas the critic then will take these ideas and analyze them, divide them, break them apart and talk about the strong and weak points in them, so this is a continual process of analyzing and synthesizing. Arnold gives the poet the creative ability and the critic the analytical ability; yet, both of them are creators, one of them synthesizes and produces or creates and the other analyzes and by analyzing he introduces new ideas to the poet. The critic introduces new ideas to the poet by analysis and discovery and by seeing the objects as they are and not as they are supposed to be. Therefore, the critic and poet are both interdependent on each other and need the other to function well. Furthermore, Arnold formulated a theory in which the world of art passes through periods which are called epochs. There are two epochs: epoch of expansion and the other epoch is an epoch of concentration. Matthew Arnold defined the epoch of expansion as a period in time in which the poets come up with new ideas, ideas that are very rare. Arnold believes that only the artistic world would pass through those two epochs. According to Arnold, the epoch of expansion was seen in two very important periods, the first epoch of expansion is Periclean Athens, in which the greatest voices and works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides existed, and the second epoch of expansion is Elizabethan England, where the greatest voices and works of William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Ben Jonson flourished. Arnold states that the significance of those periods in the history of art is because they formed many new ideas that were rare at the time. Therefore, according to Arnold’s definition, an epoch of expansion involved the poet synthesizing and creating a creative work of literature from the intellectual cultural moments at the time into a great work of literature. Arnold also defines the epoch of concentration as the epochs in which the critics find the good use of the ideas introduced in the epoch of expansion and they analyze it, and by analyzing them, they come up with new ideas to  present to the poets. In other words, the epoch of expansion consists of numerous new ideas that are emerge up and many sources in these periods that when they pass, the critics look at them, break them down, analyze them and then produce new ideas. The critic’s role would be of a rational nature in which he analyzes the object or work of literature. Then after the epoch of concentration presents the new ideas to the poets, another epoch of expansion comes to life by the poets in which they synthesized and put together newer ideas from the analysis of the critics in order to present a newer epoch of expansion. Time then passes as well and the critic takes those new ideas, breaks them down again, and analyzes them to come up with fresher ideas. Furthermore, the critics and poets are working one after the other, and each epoch completes the next by displaying its features. Yet, in the epoch of concentration, the criticism produced â€Å"must maintain its independence of the practical spirit and its aim.† (Leitch 822) This quote in simpler words states that the critic should be an unbiased individual that does not let his emotions, thoughts, or any action in the country at the time to influence his analysis and that the analysis presented is based solely on the work of art presented to him. Therefore, the critic’s role â€Å"in all branches of knowledge, theology, philosophy, history, art, science [is] to see the object as in itself it really is.† (Leitch 806) The critics work later on influences the creative powers of the poet’s creativity and therefore precipitat es the â€Å"creative epochs of literature.† (Leitch 808) Arnold states that the great force of the epoch of concentration was England and the greatest voice of this epoch was Burke. The objective theorists made it their job to drift away from the Romantic values and establish their own similar to the Expressive theorists and their rebellions against the Neoclassicists. Therefore, they gave the critic a stronger role in producing great literature, which was not given by previous and older theorists and theories. Hence, Arnold aid that a critic is as important as the poet in this artistic process, which is very similar to Alexander Pope’s ideas. Arnold also stated that the critic ought to have a disinterested way of looking at the world, being natural and not subjective, but objective. Therefore, some of Matthew Arnold’s influences on his theories were of Aristotle, in the emphasis of the synthesizing process of  the poet as a creative creator. An influence of Burke in referencing that the poet is a creative force and the critic is a rational force similar to the concept of Imagination and Judgment. There is also the influence of Alexander Pope in relating that the role of criticism is a positive and noble task and that the critic is as important if not more important than the poet himself. Finally, one more influence would be that of the Pragmatic way of asserting that criticism should be a neutral task and not biased. There is no doubt that Arnold influenced numerous individuals with his critical concept that one of those influenced by Arnold is T.S. Elliot, in the manner of replacig the Romantic emphasis on spontaneity, originality, and novelty with the new focus on history, culture and tradition. Elliot also presents his critical work â€Å"The Function of Criticism† being derived from the same title Arnold used in his critical work â€Å"The Function of Criticism at the Present Time.† Arnold’s criticism also had a major impact on the work of writers such as Walter Pater, Oscar Wilde, George Eliot, Henry James, Thomas Hardy, and even George Santayana, and Wallace Stevens. Another critic influenced by Matthew Arnold is Harold Bloom, a critic who expresses a lofty disregard for Arnold. Matthew Arnold, therefore, â€Å"defines criticism as involving flexibility, openness, to new experiences, and curiosity†¦He insists, too, on the ‘free play’ of mind.† (Leitch 805) Within Arnold’s definition lies the concept of an epoch of expansion and an epoch of concentration being interdependent and related to each other. This view contributed to laying down the roles of each the poet and the critic as being the creative and rational individuals who synthesize and analyze great works of literature. Criticism might praise certain elements of literature, but must maintain dissatisfaction with the whole as long as it falls short of the â€Å"fullness of spiritual perfection.† (Leitch 822) The critic is therefore the propagator of art, culture, and society. Through the critic’s work, fresh and true ideas are observed and passed into the world in order to shape and influence the creative mind. Without criticism, the flow of creativity and progress would be detained, according to Arnold’s thoughts. In conclusion, Matthew Arnold, a Romantic poet transformed into a critic of the Romantic Age contributed highly to the Objective theorist approach to criticism. This contribution is presented through his great prose work â€Å"The Function of Criticism at the Present Time,† in which, the critical concept of an epoch of expansion and an epoch of concentration is presented. An epoch of expansion being an era, in which a poet creatively synthesizes an intellectual cultural moment into a great work of literature and the critic therefore in his epoch of concentration, analyzes this work disinterestedly and presents the weakness and strong points of this, therefore presenting fresher and newer ideas to the poet to be taken in consideration. The poet therefore, takes those ideas and applies them to the later works, which presents the interdependent relationship of both the critic and poet. This concept later on influenced a number of writers and critics and their works and contributed highly to the modern critical theory. I believe that throughout this research paper, I benefited a lot from the information researched and presented and understand Arnold’s perspective and theory to an extent that I can agree to his theory of the critic and poet being codependent on each others.

James K. Baxter

James K Baxter expresses his thoughts and judgements using natural settings of his pasts. In Baxter’s poems, Rocket Show and Wild Bees, he comments about his boyhood, nature and how it taught him in life. In the poem wild bees, Baxter talks about a situation when he and his friends go out to smoke a beehive one evening to get the honey from it. The very simple language makes it easy for the reader to understand Baxter’s thoughts and judgements. The illusion of a ‘safe Ophelia ‘shows us knowledge of the great Shakespearean tragedy. Where Ophelia, Hamlets girlfriend, went mad before drowning in a lake. Then he describes the bees as they are working in ‘passionless industry’. The language features such as similes and metaphors put him on the same level as the reader so that it becomes easier for him to understand his thoughts and feelings. Similes like wild bees as â€Å"(swift as tigers)† embodies the way bees are known as being fast and dart about. Also included in this description is a comparison to tigers which gives the reader a feeling that the bees are fierce and hazardous. Powerful and meaningful metaphors such as ‘their sentries saw us’ and the ‘wounded sky’ also captures our imagination. The wounded sky creates the impression of the red sky and that he is waiting for dark, so they can smoke the bees out. After smoking the bees out of the hive, he realizes that it was a terrible thing to do and he believes that tragedies can exist on a small scale as well. But he lifts the scale high up when he talks about the destruction of Carthage by Rome and Troy by Greece. The poem Rocket Show is about a fireworks display held on an Otago beach. In many of Baxter’s poems he describes his inner feelings using natural settings around him. The simile ‘love grows like a crocus bulb in winter’ explains that love is very tender in its early stages and is very vulnerable to damage and therefore needs to be looked after and nurtured. The poem compares a rocket and a love relationship, the words expressed in the poem implying that just as a rocket dies out after its flight, a love relationship ends its cycle, and when one cycle ends another one begins and so the cycle continues. Baxter talks how the crowd has trampled the grass under their feet and there is no space to move around. Two examples of alliteration-‘Fireworks Flare†¦ ’strident surf’- fully describe the ambience of the beach. The simile ‘like self-destroying flowers on slender stems’ is taken from nature again along with the ‘ardent showers’. Then Baxter talks about the Rosetta stone being blind whereas it was the key to understanding a lost civilisation. The last simile ‘mad as the polar moon’ sums up the fact that the human heart is unpredictable just like the polar moon and cannot be understood, as it is illogical. Overall this essay has explained the meaning of the poems Wild Bees and Rocket show it has also given allusions to some of the many language techniques such as metaphors, similes and alliteration that Baxter has used in his surroundings around him in his poems which have enabled him to recount experiences of his youth and past.