Native Son Essays (479 words) - Native Son, , Term Papers

Native Son Richard Wright is the author of the novel, Native Son. By writing the novel, he wanted to awaken America to the realities of the relationship between blacks and whites in the controversial 1930s. When he wrote this novel, it caused many disputes among Americans. Many people thought that some of the issues Wright included in his novel were not appropriate to write about. Richard Wright believed that even the bad parts of America should be seen, though. This story takes place in Chicago, Illinois in the late 1930s. The main character is Bigger Thomas. He is a twenty year old black man who lives in a one-room apartment with his mother, sister, and brother. The part of town they live in is infested with crime, and most of the buildings are dilapidated. Bigger believes that he could never get far in life because of his being an inferior black man in a"white" world. Bigger wants to help support his family, so he decides to apply for a job as a chauffeur. He is hired by a millionaire named Henry Dalton, who allows Bigger to live in his house. Mr. Dalton and his wife, who is blind, always try to help their employees succeed in life. Everything goes well for a while until one night when Mr. Dalton's teenage daughter, Mary, gets drunk. Bigger carries Mary to her room after she falls down while climbing the stairs. While Bigger is in Mary's room, Mrs. Dalton comes to check in on her. Although Mrs. Dalton wouldn't be able to see Bigger in Mary's room, he is afraid that Mary might make a noise and Mrs. Dalton might think that he is raping her daughter. In his terror, Bigger covers Mary's face with a pillow and accidentally smothers her. When Bigger sees that he killed Mary, he freaks out, chops up her body with an ax, and hides it in the furnace downstairs. Although he acts out of fear and doesn't know what he is doing, Bigger still feels a sense of control that he's never felt before. Bigger leads everyone to believe that Mary's Communist friend, Jan, kidnapped her. Nobody suspects Bigger until one day, when the remains of her body are found in the furnace. He gets his girlfriend, Bessie, involved to help him get money and run away, but he kills her to avoid betrayal. Bigger is finally caught by the police and put on trial. During the course of the trial, he is amazed to find that Jan has forgiven him for all that he did. He can't believe that a white man actually treats him like a human being. Bigger is convicted of murder and ultimately pays with his life to learn that all humans are equal. I love this book! It shows the true story of how hard it can be to live in a prejudiced society. This novel is full of suspense and is really able to stir up controversies within oneself. I would definitely recommend this book to people.

Social class and homelessness Essays

Social class and homelessness Essays Social class and homelessness Essay Social class and homelessness Essay Essay Topic: Sociology Social class is a large category of people who are similar in income level, educational attainment, and occupational prestige. There are six different social classes, the first class, capitalist class includes the wealthiest one percent of Americans second class, and the upper middle class is composed of managers or professionals and is about fifteen percent of the United States population. Third class, the lower middle class is made up of lower level managers and semi professionals, fourth class the working class is composed of clerical and sales workers and make up thirty-two percent of the population. The fifth class, the working poor includes laborers and service workers which make up ten percent and the sixth class the underclass is composed of the unemployed and underemployed which is nine to ten percent of the population. Your position in society tends to be determined by that of your ancestors. What class youre born into usually means what you will achieve. You learn your values, ambitions, drive, and determination to succeed, and set your goals from what you learn from your family members. A third of the homeless men that Mitchell Duneier spoke to ended on the streets after not being able to find work, which then led to their use of drugs and alcohol (sidewalk 52). Because they were situated in the fifth social class, the working poor, they found no other choice but to become homeless, living on the streets. Many after faced with unemployment end up with the Fuck it mentality, which enables a person to give up an apartment and sleep on the street, cutting all ties with friends and families (61). The homeless, it seems have little to no chance of becoming housed. The police take advantage of the uneducated homeless individuals, at times ignoring the law (277). Also, the homeless are not allowed use of public bathrooms. If the homeless are not allowed to use a bathroom, the only other option is to relieve oneself on the street, a concept which many refuse to accept or acknowledge. Any society with high levels of economic inequality, racism, illiteracy, and drug dependency, and with inadequate transitions from mental hospitals and prisons to work and home, will have vast numbers of people who cannot conform to the requirements of its formal institutions (317). The men that lose employment and end up turning to drugs and alcohol eventually end up spending a period in prison and then being released to the streets (52). Without any other option they turn to living on the streets, panhandling to make a living. Family, a group which is united by ties of marriage, ancestry, or adoption and who comprise a single household and raise children, plays an important aspect in the lives of those that choose to become homeless. In Rons case, both his parents were alcoholics and when he lost his job he also turned to alcohol (47-48). Without solid family support the unemployed become drug addicts living on the streets. In Rons case his elderly aunt became that support and excuse to work towards getting off the streets. For Mudrick the birth of his granddaughter gave him a reason to work hard and survive (75). In Sidewalk the aspects of what the homeless and the working poor go through is brought to light. The street vendors try to make an honest living by selling books and magazines, which is allowed by New York City ordinances. The problems they encounter make it hard for them to succeed in any form. Their presence on the sidewalks has been a source of controversy; many store vendors protest their right to sell books on the same street as their business, many times not allowing the vendors the right to use their public bathrooms. The vendors are public characters, an institution for the village with many regular customers and residents that donate reading material. Several times throughout the book the vendors give directions to lost tourists, watch over deliveries, and help to discourage crime in the village. Even though the vendors have become apart of New York, the local government is still working to discourage street vending by passing new ordinances, which cuts down on vending space. The vendors, even though trying to make an honest living are met with un-satisfaction and rudeness from all they encounter, with the police, at times, taking advantage of their power.

Legal and finance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Legal and finance - Assignment Example ed with a minimum economic wage and the number of the hours worked in the day should be compensated in the form of overtime if it surpasses the standard working hours. The government sets the minimum wage, and any private or public sector must conform to it. Payment of extra hours worked should be more than the usual working rate. These legislations are provided for by the fair labor standards act administered by the wage and hour division department in the federal system. Workers are also entitled to safety working conditions at workplaces. This law is provided for by the fed under occupational and safety health Act (OSHA). The employees should only work with a free harmful environment, and the organization should take responsibility whenever a person is injured in the cause of duty. The department monitors this by inspections of various firms and ensures that all employees are safe. The federal act also provides for family and medical leave which is unpaid. Hence, employees can always attend to cases of serious health, allow women to give birth and take care of the young ones and any other family responsibility that may befall them. Any organization that does not comply with these laws and denies employee their accessibility is subject to prosecution in a court of justice. Ways on how the salary is arrived at or determined. It should be based on duties, experience, educational investment of the employee and any other relevant factor that may require compensation. This factor prevents exploitation of the employee. However, the compensation of workers must be of market wage rate and employees should be contented with it. Since the organization is trading in a competitive market, demanding of high salaries and more benefits would do a great harm and the employee’s jobs will not be protected (Vargas & Noruzi,2011).. The organization will experience a high costs in operations that may force the firm to lay off workers, or the company may quit operations since

Should workers have the right to strike, and should this right be Essay

Should workers have the right to strike, and should this right be restricted in particular contexts or for particular groups of - Essay Example However, if companies adopt a stakeholder model of corporate governance, the need to strike might be averted. The stakeholder model of corporate governance becomes relevant in the issue of a strike because the structure of the philosophy of governance, when geared towards a shareholder model becomes a microcosm example of survival of the fittest. Each member of a shareholder model is serving his or her own interests because the overall corporate culture is geared towards only protecting the interests of the owners at the expense of all other considerations. Improvements in employment conditions do not occur unless they are of a benefit to the shareholder’s interests. Layoffs and terminations are made liberally with high levels of turnover when the interests of all parties are usurped by an upward flow of actions that are geared solely towards the owners. In a stakeholder model of corporate governance, all parties, including the employees, are taken into consideration when maki ng the decisions that affect the company. Everyone’s concerns and needs are addressed, and most are met, in order for all to receive the benefits of the interests of the company. The Right to Strike The U.K. ... While the Constitution has since been signed, the issues were important enough that it delayed the U.K. in agreeing to all the terms within the document. Part of the regulations that define the right to work in the UK are structures on how a strike must be approached and voted upon. Although, as pointed out by Mr. Hendy during a debate in Parliament in 2009, all governments have restrictions on the right to strike, the British government has set up structures that limit those rights to a point that the international community has voiced objections that have had to be addressed (Great Britain and Dismore 2009, p. 25). Therefore, the debate over the right to strike has been an ongoing issues within the U.K. However, the right to strike extends beyond the laws that currently and previously structured the rights of the employee to protest his or her conditions within the work place. The right to strike is the right to help define how a social group, that group defined by the workers, has the ability to designate boundaries under which they will allow themselves to be used for the purposes of commerce. The right to strike is a legal concept, but it is also a human rights concept that must be considered when there are problems within the work place that are impeding the basic human condition. According to Amnesty International (2010) the right to strike is a human’s right’s issue that can be held as a standard in regard to the level of human rights that are available within a nation. When a country cannot afford its workers the rights to organize and protest conditions that are not conducive to the welfare of their lives. Issues such as fair wages and worker safety can create problems that must be

Vascular Dementia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Vascular Dementia - Research Paper Example The patient is undergoing transient ischemic attack commonly referred to as TIA, usually, lasts for twenty-four hours. It is a neurologic dysfunction which results from blood deprivation of one or more parts of the brain. It causes blurred or loss of vision, dysarthria, aphasia and mental confusion associated with loss of memory. The formation of thrombus or clot in the blood supply and alarming rate of vasoconstriction may lead to Ischemia. The patient was diagnosed with heart disease six months previously and presently with vascular dementia which is the loss of memory caused by many minor strokes.TIA and Vascular Dementia both are associated with diseases of the heart like hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. Males aged above 55 years of age and having a family history of stroke are at a greater risk.The cause should be diagnosed by the imaging of the brain and an electrocardiogram. Sometimes surgery endarterectomy is requisite for removing the plaque, thrombus or clot from the carotid arteries. However, a stroke can occur during the procedure. In case of emergency situations, medication such as anticoagulants is given. Heparin, warfarin or the antiplatelet medication such as aspirin are prominently used. These drugs help in thinning the blood thereby minimizing the probability of thrombus formation and the travel of clot towards the brain. The patient should take care and bring a clear change in their life styles by quitting smoking, eating a healthy diet with lots of fruits, weight loss, and regular exercise.

Romeo And Juliet Film Review Essay -- essays research papers

Don’t Hang Up Philosophy –Philosophy Can Make A Movie Film: Romeo and Juliet Director: Baz Luhrmann Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio & Claire Danes Plot: Two lovers of rival, disputing families take their lives. Rating: Reviewer: Claire Ginn Welcome to Verona Beach, a sexy, violent other-world, neither future nor past, ruled by two rival families, the Montagues and the Capulets... So begins Baz Luhrmann’s production of Shakespeare's beloved play, "Romeo and Juliet," from the famous opening line of "Two Households both alike in dignity.." to the tragic end, the viewer is whisked away into the ‘depths’ of heightened realism in the world of Verona Beach. Casting includes Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo and Juliet as well as great performances by John Leguizamo (Tybalt) and, Harold Perrineau (Mercutio). Danes brings life to the character of Juliet and reaches far beyond the subservient stereotype of most Elizabethan characters with her ambition and assertion, although she sometimes sounds like a schoolgirl reading lines aloud for a teacher. DiCaprio is not quite as polished and in some scenes you may find him off-hand and whiny, however he manages to capture the depth and thoughtfulness associated with Romeo. Updated to modern Verona Beach (rather than Verona, Italy), this film has all the pop and zip one would expect from a tale of family feud, star-crossed lovers and bloodthirsty vengeance. It includes a mix of classical and religious imagery....

Alcoholism and Public Health Law Essay

Alcohol consumption poses a threat for many public health harms. Impaired driving is one of the largest contributors to motor vehicle crashes (Burris, Grunwald, Anderson, &ump; Filippoli, 2011). In the United States each year roughly 13,400 people die and an additional 255,500 are injured in motor vehicle crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver according to Burris et al., 2011. In 2006, these crashes accounted for almost a third of all U.S. traffic-related deaths (Burris et al., 2011). Alcohol is the most commonly abused substance in the United States according to Pandrea, Happel, Amedee, Bagby, &ump; Nelson, 2010, and studies show that reducing alcohol consumption can lead to public health improvements such as decreased incidence of â€Å"liver cirrhosis, delirium tremens, male suicide, criminality, hospitalizations, alcohol-related disease mortality, workplace injuries, STDs, IPV, rape, robbery, and severe violence towards children† (Jernigan). Public heath deals with m any other issues that cause burdens to individuals and society alike such as obesity and gun use. Over the past several months, headlines in the news have been echoing â€Å"Chocolate Milk Removed from School Lunches,† and â€Å"Senate Considers Federal Tax on Soda.† While the removal of chocolate milk from school menus has actually happened in certain school districts across the country, federal tax on sodas has only been a proposal at this point. However, both echoes resounding through the news originated from escalating research that America’s twin epidemics of diabetes and obesity are due to diets high in sugar. The end result is that the actions taken to fight obesity have not been classified as either effective, uncertain, or harmful consistently through studies and research because there are too many variables like genetics, other sugar-loaded beverages and foods on the shelf, lack of exercise, abundance of video games, and the lifestyle one is accustomed that contribute to obesity as well. But even with the slightest inclination eliminating chocolate milk or federal tax on soda will eliminate sugar from obese population’s diet and thereby reduce weight, support groups and supporting research seem to load up the band wagons. Alcohol abuse is certainly an epidemic, and the domino effect of negativity it can cause in one’s life and surroundings creates a dismal forecast into the future of American public health somewhat similar to the obesity epidemic. Obesity and alcohol consumption act as a comparison between two similar, yet contradictory issues, much like public health and  public health law. High-risk drinking results in many consequences for public health and unlike obesity and soda tax, a multitude of systematic literature reviews conducted by highly-regarded scholars and published by credible organizations or peer-reviewed journals prove taxes that increase the price of alcohol effectively reduce overall alcohol consumption. Although ways to reduce alcohol consumption are not made glamorous in the news like many other trending public health epidemics, alcohol abuse is one of the few conflicts public health epidemiologists and economists have derived a bullet proof plan of action to effecti vely reduce its harmful effects. This manuscript serves as an evidence brief summarizing the problem, the law, the evidence, and the bottom line pertaining to the effect of increasing tax levels on alcohol use, and to prove why understanding public health law and policy is essential in bridging the gap between proven studies performed by public health professionals and the legislators and lobbyists who can implement the findings. Using the current state of obesity as an example was merely to cast light on the standstill alcohol abuse is undergoing, which ultimately resides in the poor connection between public health research and public health law. However, it is worth noting that other strategies exist to control alcohol abuse besides trying to impose what some may call a â€Å"sin tax,† such as comprehensive prevention programs: 1) Offer and promote social, recreational, extracurricular, and public service alcohol-free options; 2) Create a social, academic, and residential environment that supports health-p romoting norms; 3) Limit alcohol availability both on and off campus; 4) Restrict marketing and promotion of alcoholic beverages both on and off campus; and 5) Develop and enforce policies and laws at the campus, local, state and federal levels (The Demand for Alcohol: The Differential Response to Price, 2005). The elements of a comprehensive prevention program limit some of the damage caused by alcohol abuse but the epidemic flows forward. Numerous epidemiological studies have demonstrated that alcohol use disorders (AUDs) such as alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence are widespread in the general population of the United States, with approximately 8.5 percent of adults having had an AUD in 2007 (Falk, Yi, &ump; Hiller-Sturmhofel, 2008). Moreover, many people suffering from AUDs also suffer from one or more other psychiatric disorders, including other drug use disorders (DUDs), mood  disorders like major depression, anxiety disorders, or personality disorders like antisocial personality disorder (Falk et al., 2008). Falk et al., 2008, also reported the prevalence of alcohol use and AUDs is much higher among people with drug use and DUDs, respectively, than vice versa. This reflects the fact that alcohol is much more widely used than other drugs may be a gateway to the use of illegal or mo re potent drugs (Falk et al., 2008). Falk et al., 2008, reported that their results showed a dose-response relationship between the two classes of substances, with rates of drug use, weekly drug use, and DUDs increasing â€Å"monotonically with increasing levels of alcohol consumption and the presence of AUDs.† The descriptive study by Falk et al., 2008, not only portrays the grim effects of alcohol abuse but is also just one of the many credible reviews providing prevalence estimates providing health care policymakers and treatment planners with a â€Å"comprehensive assessment of the state of the use, co-use, and co-morbidity of alcohol and other drugs in the United States.† The flow of abuse and effects unfortunately does not have a dam, and floods further along into public health. Justice, Lynn, &ump; Fiellin, 2010, have shown that past and present alcohol consumption directly influences HIV progression and survival by altering timing of, adherence, and response to medication designed to minimize levels of HIV in the body like antiretroviral treatment (ART). Alcohol use also influences patient outcomes by increasing the risk for HIV and antiretroviral associated co morbidities, including liver disease, cardiovascular and cerebral vascular disease, pulmonary disease, bone disease, and cancer (Justice et al., 2010). Those with HIV have a lower tolerance for alcohol, according to Justice et al., 2010, yet preserve intense levels of consumption as they age and the growing effects of past and current alcohol consumption is likely to increase because patients with HIV infection are expected to live 20 to 30 years with ART. Lamentably, alcohol is a terror that looms around society and affects the weak and strong alike. Strong populations mostly include college and university students, who likely do not have HIV or AUDs or DUDs while pursuing a higher education. However, 25 percent of students report academic problems caused by alcohol use according to The Demand for Alcohol: The Differential Response to Price, 2005. Students who practice high-risk drinking are at risk for a host of problems, including: 1) A decline in academic performance  due to poor grades, missed classes, and falling behind that may lead to academic probation or dropping out of school; 2) Engaging in unprotected sex; 3) Increased risk of perpetrating or being a victim of violence, including sexual assault, hazing, vandalism, and fights; 4) Health problems related to alcohol use; and 5) Injury, arrest or death due to drinking and driving, or other alcohol-related causes (The Demand for Alcohol: The Differential Response to Price, 2005). Much like concrete cracking and eventually more and more cracks ensuing, are the secondary effects alcohol abuse has on campuses. Firstly, drinking undermines the goal institutions of higher education set forth, since heavy drinking leads to a decline in academic performance. Furthermore, heavy drinking can affect the campus as a whole through reducing retention rates, increasing expenses due to damage from vandalism, and branding the institution as a party school. The â€Å"party school† image may attract students who choose to be in high-risk settings, increasing the likelihood of alcohol-related incidents on campus (The Demand for Alcohol: The Differential Response to Price, 2005). Students who do not drink may also experience negative consequences of alcohol use by their peers according to The Demand for Alcohol: The Differential Response to Price, 2005. Effects may include study or sleep interruption, taking care of a drunken friend, having an unwanted sexual advance, hav ing property damaged, and being a victim of violence including physical or sexual assault. Over three-quarters of students living on campus have experienced at least one of the negative secondary effects of alcohol use at their school (The Demand for Alcohol: The Differential Response to Price, 2005). Perhaps a creative genius health professional strategizes a prevention program that eliminates alcohol consumption, only a short duration of time will pass and the marketing departments of major breweries will promote their brand in a way to pull the public right back into the flow of intake. Or maybe no successful prevention program forms, but raising the excise taxes on alcohol is being accelerated by legislature efforts in order to reduce alcohol consumption and abuse. In this case, consistent industry political donations and lobbying aimed at keeping alcohol excise taxes from increasing are in place for these companies profiting from their unhealthy product. The primary problem this brief sought out to analyze is alcohol abuse and the extensive list of problems discussed in detail above it  causes. The problem paves the way to the law. And given the circumstances that stricter law enforcement and prevention strategies have only resolved a minute fraction of the problem, the law is the answer as it offers a glass ceiling. No federal tax increases have been implemented since 1991 and many states, although legislative efforts have been accelerating across the country, have failed to increase the tax. However, tax law in the epidemic of alcohol abuse, is the solution with most opportunity for proving effective. Burris et al., 2011, define tax law as a mechanism for reducing consumption of unhealthy products. The same news that reported the removal of chocolate milk from selected school districts has reported increased taxes on cigarettes, so it is simple to understand that both the federal government and the states have used taxes as a means of increasing the cost of products associated with health risks in the past. Taxes can be levied upon the production and or sale of alcohol and are often described as excise taxes Burris et al., 2011, have reported. According to the Federation of Tax Administrators, almost every state taxes the sale or production of beer, liquor and wine (Burris et al., 2011). Nevertheless, increasing alcohol tax is not as straightforward and effortless as simply applying the definiton of tax law to the problem and stepping away. State readiness to act on alco hol tax research findings marks the beginning of constructing the bridge that will essentially connect public health to public health law. Many key factors are subject to broad consensus among members of the Coordinating panel and other participating experts (Tremper &ump; Mosher, 2005). Components that are most important are the budget deficit or other substantial need for the state to raise taxes, the strength of the advocates/coalition that would introduce research findings, and the availability of funds that can be used for legislative advocacy. Items of decreasing importance are existence and efficacy of a lobbyist for the issue, well-positioned champion in both houses of the legislature, and the political strength of the alcohol industry and its allies. Other factors include support of the governor, permissibility of earmarking, high proportion of nondrinkers, high proportion of evangelicals and/or fundamentalists, and support of major media (Tremper &ump; Mosher, 2005). Discussion of the former findings serve as a starting point for analyzing the conclusions of specific literature reviews that increasing alcohol taxes  improves public health and that various factors affect the likelihood that research findings will influence alcohol tax policy. After the preliminary analysis, possibly the most important finding to extract is the consent among alcohol tax advocates, legislative process experts, advocates who have successfully used research findings to influence tobacco tax policy, and other interested parties in regard to state tax policy, and whether a state needs to raise taxes for financial reasons. Tremper &ump; Mosher, 2005, have stated that in practical terms reflecting political realities, if a state is not facing a budget deficit, raising alcohol taxes to achieve public health benefits is highly unlikely. Continuing strain on state budgets has a high likelihood of continuing; therefore, raising taxes is going to be on most states’ legislative agenda for the projected future. Another important finding that bodes well for alcohol tax to appear on legislative agendas is that alcohol taxes are low by several measures and in some states have not been raised for decades, which means that inflation has reduced them t o a fraction of their previous level (Tremper &ump; Mosher, 2005). For example, had the beer tax merely kept up with inflation, it would be more than three times today’s rate of $18 per barrel; the liquor tax would be more than five times its current rate of $13.50 per proof gallon (Alcohol Taxes on the Federal Front, 2005). As prices rise, the relative importance of the taxes falls, unless Congress raises them according to the website Alcohol Taxes on the Federal Front. The website further foes on to state statistics indicating beer and wine taxes have been raised only once in the past 55 years, liquor taxes only twice and as a result, tax revenues that accounted for 12 percent of the sales of alcohol in 1980 now amount to only 7 percent of total sales. The result is a de facto subsidy on drinking and extra profits for alcohol manufacturers at the expense of taxpayers (Alcohol Taxes on the Federal Front, 2005). CONCLUSION: The beer industry has long opposed raising taxes on its products, even maintaining that they should be lowered. However, lower beer taxes would only add to the deficit, cater to a prosperous industry, reward and encourage heavy drinking, and attract more young drinkers, fueling increased alcohol problems and increasing public costs. The best interests of consumers, young people, the U.S. Treasury, and the public health and safety  of America would be better served by raising, not lowering beer taxes. (Alcohol Taxes on the Federal Front, 2005)