An analysis of Danish culture and tradition

An analysis of Danish culture and tradition My great, great grandfather, Paul Christian Lautrup, a single, caucasian man of 35, migrated from Denmark to the United States. He came from a wealthy family originating in the Danish culture and was educated to become an architect. He was expected to continue in the occupation that his nuclear family had persuaded him to train for in order to be kept in the family will. If he were to move away and not pursue the career that had been expected of him, he would be removed from the family will and lose all his inheritance. Against his familys wishes, he chose to leave Denmark to escape their career demands and to pursue his own interest. He moved to the United States in 1880 to follow his dream of becoming an actor. He made Washington DC his home, where he met his wife Delia whom he had 6 sons with. Unfortunately, he did not succeed in becoming an actor and settled for becoming an architect in the US. This is rather ironic, because he ended up moving away from Denmark and losing all his inheritance only to become an architect in another land. (Lautrup, Paul). Denmark is a small nation nestled within the Scandinavian countries located on the European continent. Denmark, also known as the Kingdom of Denmark, has a tiny population of roughly 5.3 million citizens with only a 69km land border that is shared with Germany; this is the only land connection that Denmark has with Europe through its only peninsula and largest region, called Jutland. Also, Denmarks main realm has 5 major islands, which support most of Denmarks population, accompanied by 406 minor islands. Only around 90 of the 406 minor islands of Denmark are known to be inhabited. Also, Greenland and the Faroe Islands are part of the Kingdom of Denmark. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) They are both located in the Atlantic Ocean and considered to be autonomous regions within the Kingdom of Denmark; both have very small populations under 100,000 citizens. Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark and is the nations largest city. Copenhagen is also the biggest and most modern city in all of Scandinavia. Scandinavia includes the countries of Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Over 70% of Denmarks population lives in an urban environment, while most of the population consists of people of Danish ethnicity, although there are a growing number of immigrants from Asian and African nations. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) The North Sea is to the west of Denmark and the Baltic Sea is to its east. Denmark is separated by its northern, neighboring, Scandinavian nations of Norway and Sweden by the Kattegat and Skagerrak straits. Sweden, the second closest neighbor to the Danes is cut off from Denmark by only 5km of water named the Oresund strait. Denmarks climate is humid and chilly during the winter, with an average temperature of 34 degrees F and during the drier, summer months, the temperature averages 72 degrees F. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) Denmark has gently rolling hills with fertile soil that are at a close range to sea level with no true mountains throughout the nation. There are many lakes, rivers, streams and moors, which create an ideal environment for agricultural prospects. There are no extreme changes in climate due to the Gulf Stream that flows up from the south over Denmarks western borders. Since the land is accessible to the sea, it is a prominent supplier to the ship industry is Northern Europe. Denmark has no point on its land that is more than an hours drive from the sea. There are numerous bays and inlets, which creates gainful opportunity for their prosperous shipping industries. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) Some especially important Danish landmarks include: The Tivoli Park, the most popular amusement park in Denmark, Fredericksborg Castle, and The Royal Theater. Hans Christian Andersen, known for his fairytales with relatable moral teachings and Karen Blixen, known for short tales and life memoir are among many famous writers of Danish literature. Soccer is Denmarks national sport, but sailing, cycling and rowing are also Danish favorites. The national language is Danish, although, many Danes can speak English and/or German at least on elementary levels. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) The Krone is the source of Denmarks monetary exchange and the Euro has not yet been accepted, due to the nations suspicions that switching over to the Euro will have a detrimental effect on their beloved social welfare system, which the citizens of Denmark take great comfort in. Denmark maintains the oldest continual monarchy in Europe and the second oldest in the world. Queen Margrethe II is the current Queen and head of the constitutional monarchy in Denmark. She is only the second queen to rule the monarchy throughout the entire history of Denmark. The Danish community is very proud of their form of government, their royal family and their Dannebrog, which is their national flag. Danes are not a people who are easily insulted, but one way to offend them would be to criticize anything concerning their Dannebrog, royal family or form of government. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) The subsistence strategy relied upon most in Denmark today is information. Higher education, the promotion of environmentally green solutions, literature and the fine arts are all very important to the Danish people. (Bendure, Glena, and Ned Friary) Over 77.3% of the jobs held by Danes are part of the information subsistence strategy through service-related jobs. (CIA The World Factbook) Since education is paid for by the heavy taxes the Danish people submit to, it is financially obtainable for anyone with high enough scores to continue their education into any of Denmarks universities. There are 5 universities for the citizens to choose from which include: Copenhagen, Roskilde, Odense, Aaloborg and Arhus Universities. Queene Margrethe II and her son, Crowned Prince Frederik are graduates of the elite Arhus University. Danes also have the option of continuing their education by attending community colleges or vocational technical schools. Some of the occupations that Danes are going to school for include: maritime studies, nursing, physicists, architects, social services, literature, history, religion, photography, teaching or various other information service occupations. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) These jobs all rely on technology and tools such as computers, cameras, high-tech printers, internet connections, satellites, sterilized medical equipment, body-image scanners, reference texts, cell phones, writing utensils, specialized uniforms and printers are just a few examples of the many advanced tools that are necessary for these various fields of information subsistence strategies. For example, a teacher would use tools such as a blackboard, a computer projector, chalk, erasers, videos, books and printers in order to relay information to teach her class a particular subject. Of course, these types of tools and technology are used all over the nation in rural and urban areas, but perhaps slightly more in the densely populated regions. Division of labor can be divided up in a number of ways in regards to the information subsistence strategy. For example, a dean of a college may oversee that the college professors are following the guidelines for teaching classes from the code of ethics in their employee handbooks. The professors oversee the progress of skills and information learned by his/her students. The students attempt to maintain good grades in their class by completing all their schoolwork to the best of their ability. Division of labor usually depends on the socioeconomic status and education acquired. However, in Danish society, social caste or social status does not create an obstacle in regards to whom can do what type of career. The citizens have a silent understanding amongst one another that every individual within the nation is important and should not be treated differently whether the citizen is a doctor or a trash man. The opportunity to pursue an information career is equally welcome to men and women; gender does not hinder occupational roles in Danish society. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) The second most important subsistence strategy amongst Danish society is industrialism in which some 20.2% of the population is employed. (CIA The World Factbook) Some examples of the products manufactured are ships, boats, ceramics, silverware, furniture, chemicals, paper, fish products, dairy products, canned ham, electronics, textiles, concrete, marine engines, radio and communication equipment, toys, glass, pharmaceuticals, agriculture/forestry machinery, electrical products and diesel engines. Most of the industrial facilities that produce these Danish goods are located in more urbanized areas throughout the country. Many of these products require special skills used by laborers that have been trained at either a vocational school or through a type of apprenticeship training program paid for by the Danish government. Particular tools and equipment are necessary for creating these products that can include: pulleys, compressors, mixers, castes, hammers, nails, scissors, ovens, k ilns, saws, test tubes, Bunsen burners, beakers, glue, electrical wiring, assembling machines, counting machines, computers, charts, slicing equipment, turbines, converters, nets, sails, anchors, food processors, milking machines and generators. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) For instance, if a plant is producing paper products, large, metal rollers, would need to be used in order to press the paper into the desired thickness. Also, mixers would be used to stir and prepare the paper pulp in order to pour it into the appropriate screening containers. A specialized machine would be necessary to wrap the finished paper product for distribution and sale. Distribution of labor depends on experience, skill level and seniority of the workers involved in the particular industry. Owners of factories and heads of departments oversee the quality and efficiency of production, which is reported from the supervisors. Supervisors organize, direct and monitor manual labor workers in their duties. Manual labor workers attempt to create products at a company-desired rate and quality, while not bearing the responsibility of their overseeing their co-workers. The third of the most important subsistence strategies used in Denmark consists of agriculture. The main products grown in The Kingdom of Denmark include: sugar beets, barely and wheat, grains, rapeseed, fruits, vegetables and flowers. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) Agriculture is most commonly practiced by only 2.5% of the population and is normally achieved in rural areas of the country. (CIA The World Factbook) Training apprenticeship programs and information passed down through family generations are used to teach agricultural methods. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) Some technologies used for agriculture include items such as combines, separating machinery, generators, irrigation systems, planting machinery, tractors, plows, fertilizing distributors, storage units and computers for analyzing crop quantity and quality. Irrigation systems are used to water the large expanse of crops, plows are used to till the land for preparation of planting seeds and computers are used to keep record of seasonal harvest yields and perhaps even profit margins. There are over 60,000 family-owned farms in Denmark (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) and the division of labor is shared by the family and or corporation that own the farms along with the hired employees who are used for cleaning and fixing equipment, sorting crops, running machinery, irrigation and maintaining the health of the crops. The family or corporation of the agricultural operation oversees the employees or hires a supervisor(s) to ensure that the agricultural laborers are working efficiently. The supervisors or owners of a farm may calculate the quantity of crop and the value it yields per season. The agricultural land owners or supervisors also may keep track of the laborers improvement or lack of effort on the job. The farm laborers will tend to any manual labor that the agricultural operation needs completed while only having to be responsible for their individual production. The division of labor in agriculture is based mostly on skill, seniority and ownership. The fourth most important subsistence strategy in Denmark is pastoralism of which is included in the 2.5% of the nations population that maintains a career in agriculture. (CIA The World Factbook) The animal goods raised and produced in the Kingdom of Denmark include: canned ham, butter, cheese, fish oil, fish meal and milk through the use of fish hatcheries and typically family-owned farms. As in the agricultural subsistence strategy, pastoralism is either passed down through families or learned through an apprenticeship training program. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) Some tools used for pastoralism include: fences, watering/feeding troughs, barns, herding rods, milking machines, slaughtering equipment, medical tools, labels, hoof clippers, lead ropes, halters, hoses, generators, heaters and computers. Fences are used to keep the livestock confined to a desired location, animals are put in barns to protect them from predators and the occasional harsh outdoor elements and heaters may be used in the barns to keep a sustained temperature that is more suitable for the livestocks health. As in the agricultural subsistence strategy in Denmark, the division of labor amongst workers in pastoralism is based on skill level, seniority and ownership. For example, the owner of a herd of swine may hire a supervisor or herd manager in order to keep track of the manual laborers and also the efficiency of herd quality, health and maintenance. The owner of the swine operation may calculate yearly profits, upkeep costs and decide what to pay employees based on their skill levels. The employees without management skills, the hired hands or basic herd tenders will be responsible only for the safety, feeding and order of their set group of livestock that they are to have authority over. Denmark has a centralized political organization and maintains a constitutional monarchy as a political model. A constitutional monarchy can only be led by offspring of the current king or queen after he or she is deceased. It is a requirement for the king or queen of Denmark to be a member of the national church. A single-chamber parliamentary runs hand-in-hand with the constitutional monarchy. The prime minister, currently known as Lars Lokke Rasmussen, leads Denmarks political organization with the indirect support of all 179 parliament members and direct assistance from the cabinet ministers who lead numerous political departments throughout the nation. Voting age in Denmark is 18 and all parliament members are elected for a term of 4 years, unless state minister forces a new election before the 4 years is completed. It is the duty of the members of parliament to come to consensus on decisions to enact or not enact new legislation and the duty of the prime minister to carry the d ecision to action, however new legislation cannot be enacted fully until Queen Margrethe II writes her finalizing signature on it. There are typically around 12 political parties that make up the single-chamber parliamentary system of the Danes. The top 2 of these major political parties consist of Social Democrats and Liberals-a right-of-centre part. Social Democrats seem to be the most popular considering the fact that they are tied heavily to the belief that all Danish citizens should be granted security by maintaining the comforts of social-welfare programs, but of course, these are safety features only made possible by very high taxes to the Danish people. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) The royal constitutional monarchy headed by Queen Margrethe II has control of the executive powers, while legislative powers are for the most part, granted to the parliament and judicial powers are carried out by the courts of Denmark. Denmarks military branches include: a home guard, an air force, a navy and a national rescue corps. Military members are usually enlisted for 4 months to a year of service. During war times, the Danish military acquires 58,000 members, but during peace times, there are roughly fifteen thousand participating members. The Danish military ranks are usually based on mandatory enrollment in order to be ready when an emergency arises. Denmarks police force has about 10,000 law enforcement officers who are known for their more civilized, calmer approaches to domestic disputes by using advanced communication skills and maintaining close, positive relationships with the overall communities they work in. (HOG, ERLING, and HELLE JOHANNESSEN) One form of internal political control in Denmark is the enforcement of laws through the judiciary court systems. Although, crime in Denmark is very low and it is not normal for a Dane to even consider breaking the basic laws of the land. An example of externalized political control would be the decision of the Danish Parliament to not accept the Euro as Denmarks new currency, even though Denmark is a member of the European Union. Internalized political responsibilities of Denmarks parliament involve the maintenance of social welfare programs that protect all Danish citizens regardless of socioeconomic status. The externalized responsibility of the parliament consists of maintaining peaceful political connections with the European Union and other nations in regards to preserving a secure way of life for its citizens and also keeping a cohesive relationship with national allies for added protection. After all, Denmark is a very small nation and it would be beneficial to preserve as mu ch peace with as many nations as possible. (Bendure, Glena, and Ned Friary) The economic system of Denmark is based on negative reciprocity due to the use of capitalism throughout the nation. Capitalism is used by the Danes to generate profit through sales of products from private businesses and corporations to customers. Redistribution is also used throughout the Danish culture in the form of health care and educational needs. Danish pay high taxes that allow them to enjoy the freedoms of free health care and education of any type. This allows the Danish citizens to give and take as they need, for example, all citizens are taxed regardless of how much income they generate, but it is possible that not all of them will use the free education opportunities or the free health care services during their lifetimes. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) Market exchange is also used through capitalism in Denmark in regards to having the freedom to set up a private business and gain profit from it without limit, which is a prime example of capitalistic market exchange. Denmark uses both socialism and capitalism, but the predominant economic system would have to be capitalism. This is true, because Danes are free to pursue their own interests through careers that will allow them to generate profit without limit to the individual. Although, socialism is prevalent in the way Denmark controls and maintains social welfare for the citizens in order to provide free and easily accessible, equal-quality health care and education to all Danish citizens regardless of social or economic status, gender, religion or ethnicity. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) The primary economic sector, which involves extraction of resources form the land, also known as mainly agriculture in Denmark, makes up 2.5% Danish employment. (CIA The World Factbook) A few of Denmarks exports consist of canned ham, butter, cheeses, beer and processed fish products of which are brought forth through agriculture, pastoralism and industry. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) The nations secondary economic sector, which involves processing of goods, also known as industry makes up 20.2% of the Danish workforce. (CIA The World Factbook) Denmark manufactures machinery, chemicals, furniture, electronics of which are exported all over the world. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) The tertiary economic sector, which involves services, makes up 77.3% of the working Danish population. (CIA The World Factbook) A few of Denmarks popular service industry jobs are found in the fields of architecture, nursing, teaching, physics, environmental science, literature and social sciences. Denmark enjoys the highest Gross Domestic Product in Europe and maintains one of the highest standards of living for its citizens compared to all nations in the world. Unemployment is very low and over half the country is employed with the reassurance that health care and education will not be a challenge to pay for. Denmark relies heavily on the income from its exports and puts a great deal of value on maintaining its social welfare programs. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) Denmarks most common religious organization is Evangelical Lutheran, of which over 90% of Danish citizens belong to. Evangelical Lutheran is a denomination that is part of a national church, supported by the state called the Danish Peoples Church. Only about 5% of Danish people actually attend church weekly; most Danes only participate in church services during important religious holidays such as Christmas or Easter. Evangelical Lutheranism is a monotheistic religion, which means that they worship only one god. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) Other religious organizations that exist in Denmark consist of Catholicism, Judaism and Islam, which also practice monotheism. Also, a small percentage practice forms of religious organizations such as Buddhism, Sikhism and Hinduism, which promote polytheism, the worship of many gods. It is ironic that the overall Danish society does not have a strong faith in the god or gods of their religious choice, yet at birth most of the country is automatically enrolled as a member of the national church, also known as the Danish Peoples Church. Their enrollment is expected unless they belong to a religion other than Evangelical Lutheran. It is a requirement that the current king or queen of Denmark be a member of the Evangelical Lutheran religious organization. (HOG, ERLING, and HELLE JOHANNESSEN) Danish churches are typically located in close proximity to all Danish towns and are encompassed by graveyards. Evangelical Lutheran religious organizations have sermons and worship in churches on Sundays. Their ceremonies include a minister, a servant, an organist and a cantor. Evangelical Lutheran important ritualistic ceremonies include: weddings, confirmations, funerals and baptisms. It is expected that most Danish churches have fairly low attendance rates during Sunday services. (HOG, ERLING, and HELLE JOHANNESSEN) Throughout the Danish social organization, monogamy, the practice of marriage to single spouse, is the most accepted and nationally predominant form of union. Marriage is important in regards to the most common form of religion in Denmark, Evangelical Lutheranism, yet because Danes are not known for being highly involved in the practices of their religious organizations, there is a loose view on marriage and when it should be chosen, if at all. It is common for a Dane to cohabitate for years, have offspring and not be married until many years after. Therefore, it is not uncommon for Danish households to have illegitimate children born outside of wedlock. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) If Danes do decide to marry, it is usually not until they are in their very late twenties or early thirties. Danes do not participate in arranged marriages, an event where parents choose a marriage partner for offspring, instead, single Danes choose their own marriage partners through the anthropological term love match. Endogamy, marriage created within ones own organized cultural group, is practiced in Denmark as well as exogamy, marriage outside ones own organized cultural group. Most often, Danes marry other Danes of their own ethnicity, yet those who choose to marry outside of Denmark or ones ethnicity is not condemned within the Danish societal organization. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) Post-marital residence, pertaining to where a bride and groom reside after their marriage ceremony, only pertains to the Danish societal organization in the sense that marriage partners typically practice neolocal forms. A neolocal form of post-marital residence can be defined as the event of taking residence in a home that is set apart from the married couples families. Other forms of post-marital residence, such as patrilocal, the act of a married couple living close to or with the married males family of his father, or matrilocal, the practice of both marriage partners residing with or in close proximity to the married females family of her mother, are not commonly practiced. Marriage in modern Denmark societal organization, is not required, nor is it a high priority. (HOG, ERLING, and HELLE JOHANNESSEN) Therefore, post-marital residence is not of great importance, It is only on a neolocal sense, considering that Danes learn to be very independent at a very early age, while maintaining a close-knit family on an emotional level. The most important family type for Danes is the nuclear families containing dependent children, a wife and a husband. Even though the idea of marriage in the Danish societal organization is very loose and laid-back, out of all couples living together in Denmark, most of them are in fact married. Extended family, consisting of aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and other individuals with marriage or blood relating them, are also important, but not as high a priority as the nuclear family. Most Danish nuclear families are small, having two or less dependant offspring. Privacy is valued greatly by Danes, especially when it comes to the nuclear familys home. It is rare for a Danish family to invite a guest to their home whom they have not known for a great while . (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) Each of the nuclear family members generally has their own private room in the home along with the rooms for meeting, such as the kitchen and larger family rooms. In Denmarks societal organization, descent is traced by using a lineage, which is used by connecting all ancestors back to a single, original ancestor. Descent in Denmark is traced in this way, because last names are important links to ancestry. Although last names are taken from the male within a married couple, patrilineal descent, tracing only by acknowledging male individuals as ancestors, is not used, because all genders are included when tracing Danish ancestry. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) When referring to kin, relatives connected by marriage or blood, Danish citizens value ties with both the mothers and the fathers side of the family, which is called bilateral kinship. Bilateral kinship is important for Danes, because both nuclear and extended family, regardless of mother or fathers side, builds a cohesive unit of strength emotionally, sometimes financially and offers support that is not commonly expected outside of family ties. National polls and summaries do not generally include information in regards to socio-economic classes, instead Denmarks citizens are divided up into 5 social layers. These social layers consist of subcategories within each layer. (HOG, ERLING, and HELLE JOHANNESSEN) The first social layer consists of corporate owners, employees of the educational system and anyone that has over 50 workers. The second social layer involves academically professional owners of businesses, agricultural owners with at least 4 employees and corporate owners that have over 6 workers. The third social layer includes small business owners, individuals with employment that calls for special skills and agricultural owners with a limit of 3 workers. The fourth social layer is made up of employees containing academic training, owners of small plots of land and experienced employees. The fifth social layer consists of employees with no special skills or experience. (HOG, ERLING, and HELLE JOHANNESSEN) Denmark, as a social organization, is very tolerant of other peoples ways of perceiving life and is considered to be outgoing and well-educated. Danes are very accepting of homosexual marriage and equality of the sexes. Denmark was the first European nation to allow for legal gay marriages within its borders offering homosexuals the majority of rights granted to straight married couples. Danes are very conscientious when it comes to preserving a clean, toxic-free environment. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) A recent news article summarizes a protest put on by Greenpeace activists at the Environment Ministry in Denmark. This article was used for this research paper, because Danes are very involved in environmental policies in regards to keeping the planet as clean and sustainable as possible. The article was personally interesting, because Denmark is one of the most environmentally conscious nations on the planet and I was curious to see how they react to the disposing of harmful waste products. The Greenpeace activists were protesting the transport of a poisonous pollutant called HCB from an Australian company named Orica. The Kommunekemi in Nyborg, Denmark is one of a small number of companies in the world that is able to incinerate the hazardous carcinogen, HCB. The Greenpeace activists argued that hazardous waste materials should be incinerated closer to the point to which they are processed. This is just one of many examples of the Danish cultures desire for a cleaner and greener pl anet. (Greenpeace Goes Aloft to Protest Transport from Down Under) Danes are also known to love their most famous amusement park, Tivoli. This amusement park is located in Copenhagen and is the most popular attraction in Denmark. The park was built in 1914 and maintains a dà ©cor and cuisine that is based on the historical, traditional Danish culture of the time the park first opened. Some Danes pay the parks entry cost just to eat at a few of the thirty-seven restaurants within the park. The park has roller coasters, games, gardens and various amusements and entertainment. (Copenhagen, Denmark) Danish people are in love with the concept of social gatherings combined with eating and the two almost always go hand-in-hand. It is customary for a Danish household to always have tea, chocolates, pastries and cheese just in case guests arrive unexpectedly. Their meals often consist of three or more courses and it is considered a crime to oneself to not savor and take time to enjoy ones meal. Danes love rich, whole foods of which often include broiled or marinated fish, thick and creamy cheeses, hearty breads, substantial gravies and delectable deserts. Hot tea is often served with milk and honey and it is customary to leave the last bit of food in a main communal dish when eating. This is a symbolic action of politeness to show that nobody is selfish or rushed during the meal. The Danish culture is known for being one of the happiest cultures on earth. They are generally friendly, warm and open to communication with strangers. Recently, Denmark has incorporated many American concepts, products, stores and fast-food conveniences into their societal organization. Unfortunately, they are also gaining a few of the health problems that are associated with the introduction of American culture into their nation. However, despite the Danes cultural borrowing, they still have a strong sense of uniqueness through a proud society that shows compassion for its citizens and welcomes visitors. (Waldron, Julie)

A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams Essay -- A Streetcar Na

ENGLISH ESSAY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the play A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams uses his brilliant writing to bring life to his characters in the story. I will be composing a character sketch on Stanley, one of the main actors in the play. I will focus on evaluating Stanley's ever changing character traits in the role he plays. They consist of different moods that he demonstrates during the play: his aggressiveness, his love for Stella and also his rudeness and cruelty towards Blanche.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Let's begin by talking about the way Stanley's aggressiveness affects the climax of the play. During scene three, while the boys were playing poker, Blanche and Stella come into the kitchen and, as a result, disrupt the games. This got Stanley very angry and violent . For this reason he got up and began attacking Stella. Here is a passage from that scene: ' Men: Take it easy, Stanley, easy fellow,--Let's all--. Stella: You lay your hands on me and I'll—'(57) This just proves what I was saying about one of Stanley's moods. His violence and the fact that he looses control of his actions is one characteristic which I didn't particularly like at all about Stanley. Here's another passage in Scene 10 that really show's how mean Stanley really is. This scene depicts when Stanley gets into a fight with Blanche. The scene concludes on a sour note when Blanche breaks a bottle top on the table and try's to hurt Stanley . Stanley says: 'Oh! S...

Hiv/Aids Dbq

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) are conditions in the human body that cause failure in the immune system leading to life threatening infections and tumors. HIV was first discovered 30 years ago on June 5th, 1981 in a group of young gay men. HIV began to spread through the entire population of people. Since then over 60 million people have been infected with HIV and more than 25 million have died form an AIDS related causes (www. emedicinehealth. com). HIV/AIDS is a big issue, because it’s affecting a large portion of today’s population. Creating a public health plan will help people who have HIV/AIDS, and ones at risk of being infected. With about 40,000 people becoming HIV positive each year, the financial costs for HIV/AIDS continue to increase (www. medicalnewstoday. com). Many individual are not covered by health insurance so they can’t afford the treatment needed(Document 3). For every HIV infection prevented, $355,000 is saved in the costs of providing lifelong HIV care and treatment (www. avert. org). Fundraising is a good way to raise money for HIV/AIDS. Having more HIV/AIDS walks throughout the United States, to raise money and make people aware of the effects it has on the population today would be a good way to raise money, and get people involved. Another good way to raise money would be to hold a telethon on nation television. Distributing flyers, postcards or door knob hangers will educate local residents about what they can do to help. This money will be used to help people with HIV/AIDS to pay for not only their medical bills and therapy, but their education as well. Most people who are putting themselves at risks of being infected with HIV/AIDS don’t know what it is, or how you can catch it. Some of the cancers and infections people can get from HIV/AIDS are Salmonellosis, Tuberculosis, and Lymphomas (Document 2). The low amount of publicity is one of the main reasons why people don’t know about HIV/AIDS. The first time there was ever publicity on this topic was on July 3, 1981 when New York Times published a news story on AIDS (timeline). There should be more advertisement informing people on how they can become infected, and how it is effecting people. Creating a campaign with eye-catching posters and billboards to be used as an educational platform is a good way to inform younger people. News articles posted online or in newspapers will help as well. An individual can become HIV positive by having sexual intercourse with an infected partner, injecting drugs using a needle that has been used by an HIV positive person, or a newborn can catch the virus form the mother during pregnancy, the birthing process, or through breastfeeding (Document 1). Most people don’t know how serious HIV/AIDS are, because they are not well educated on this topic. Every eight seconds someone dies from AIDS (A Closer Walk). Providing young people with basic AIDS education enables them to protect themselves from becoming infected. Peer education would be a great way to inform people on this topic. Peer education is when a group is given information by someone who is a member of the same community, and who has already been trained in the subject. It is proven that people are strongly influenced by the attitudes and actions of others their age. Testing is a very important part of HIV/AIDS. Most people continue to spread it because they don’t know they have it. In the United States, it is likely that 20% of HIV-positive individuals are unaware of their infection. ( www. emedicinehealth. com). It is impossible to tell if an individual is HIV positive just by looking at them (Document 5). The first HIV test licensed by the United States Food and Drug Administration detects antibodies to HIV in 1985(timeline). Testing should be a mandatory thing for all sexually active people. When a yearly physical is performed, HIV/AIDS and other STD’s testing should be done. If someone doesn’t go to the doctor for a yearly physical, most places will test for HIV and AIDS for little or no cost, without knowing any personal information. It is important to get tested, so that the virus doesn’t get spread to anyone else. Of all the countries in the world, America is home to the largest number of people living with HIV (www. vert. org ). Tens of thousands of people are newly infected with HIV in America every year. Creating new ideas for fundraising, publicity, education, and testing, will help lower this number, because people will be aware of the effects HIV and AIDS can cause. Rabbi David Saperstein once said, â€Å"AIDS destroys families, decimates communities and, particularly in the poorest areas of the world, threatens to destabilize the social, cultural, and economic fabric of e ntire nations†¦ â€Å"

Congress Approval Ratings - Historic Job Approval Data

Congress Approval Ratings - Historic Job Approval Data The approval rating for Congress is abysmally low, and most Americans say they have almost zero faith it can solve our most important problems and view its leaders with severe contempt. But they  also keep re-electing the  same people to represent them in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives  year after year. How can that be? How can an institution be more unpopular than Satan, feel pressure from Americans to set term limits for themselves  yet see 90 percent of its incumbents be re-elected?   Are voters confused? Fickle? Or just unpredictable? And why are approval ratings for Congress so low? Congress Approval Ratings Its no secret that Americans loathe Congress the institution. A majority of voters routinely tell pollsters they dont believe most members of the House and Senate deserve to  be re-elected.  Americans have held the nations legislative branch in low regard for years now, the public-opinion firm Gallup wrote in 2013.   In early 2014, the  portion of people who said the nations lawmakers should win re-election sunk to a low of 17 percent in Gallups survey.  The low approval rating  followed congressional inaction over spending limits and an inability to reach compromise on a number of issues or avoid the government shutdown of 2013. Gallups historical average of Americans supporting re-election for members of Congress is  39 percent.   And yet: Members of Congress have no trouble getting re-elected. Incumbents Are Safe Despite Congress historically abysmal approval ratings, well over 90 percent of House and Senate members who seek re-election win their races on average, according to data published from the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington, D.C. Few things in life are more predictable than the chances of an incumbent member of the U.S. House of Representatives winning reelection, writes the Center for Responsive Politics.  With wide name recognition, and usually an insurmountable advantage in campaign cash, House incumbents typically have little trouble holding onto their seats. The same goes for members of the Senate. Why Our Lawmakers Keep Getting Re-Elected There are several reasons lawmakers keep getting re-elected aside from their name recognition and typically well funded campaign coffers. One of the reasons is that its easier to dislike an institution than it is a person, especially when that person is one of your neighbors. Americans can loathe the inability of the House and Senate to reach agreement on things like the national debt. But they find it more difficult to hold their lawmaker solely responsible. The popular sentiment seems to be, as The Washington Posts Chris Cillizza  once put it,  Throw the bums out. But not my bum. Times Are Changing That sentiment - Congress stinks but my representative is OK - seems to be fading, however. Pollsters at Gallup found in early 2014, for example, that a record-low portion of voters, 46 percent, said their own representative deserved re-election. The enduring unpopularity of Congress appears to have seeped into the nations 435 congressional districts, Gallup wrote. While Congress as an institution is no stranger to voter disenchantment, American voters are usually more charitable in their assessments of their own representatives in the national legislature. But even this has fallen to a new trough. Congress Approval Ratings Through History Heres a look at the Gallups organizations numbers by year. The approval ratings shown here are from the public opinion surveys conducted the latest in each year listed. 2016: 18%2015: 13%2014: 16%2013: 12%2012: 18%2011: 11%2010: 13%2009: 25%2008: 20%2007: 22%2006: 21%2005: 29%2004: 41%2003: 43%2002: 50%2001: 72%2000: 56%1999: 37%1998: 42%1997: 39%1996: 34%1995: 30%1994: 23%1993: 24%1992: 18%1991: 40%1990: 26%1989: Not Available1988: 42%1987: 42%1986:  42%1985:  Not Available1984:  Not Available1983: 33%1982: 29%1981: 38%1980: 25%1979: 19%1978: 29%1977: 35%1976: 24%1975: 28%1974: 35%

Essay on Art as Experience

Essay on Art as Experience Essay on Art as Experience Essay on Art as ExperienceThe term â€Å"art† can be defined as the conscious and effective use of individuals’ talents, such as skills and creative imagination to produce impressive aesthetic objects.   Since the development and growth of human society, individuals make attempts to enhance their live with various forms of art, e.g. architecture, painting, photography and sculpture. However, there is hardly anybody has used his/her imagination to reflect personal experience of being some form of art. Today, art reflect human experience and helps to explore spiritual subject matters. According to John Dewey, â€Å"experience occurs continuously, because the interaction of live creature and environing conditions is involved in the very process of living†(36).   The major goal of this paper is to reflect personal experience of some actions and art forms, including the experience of looking in the mirror for 15 minutes, the experience of being a painting, the exp erience of being a style of painting, the experience of a photograph and the experience of viewing oneself in advertising. Different forms of experience, e.g. the experience of being a painting, a photograph and an advertisement, reflect different feelings because of certain differences between these images. The differences between images described in personal experiences reflect various values.My experience of looking in the mirror for 15 minutes  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Studying my face in the mirror for at least fifteen minutes was not an easy task. I timed myself and managed to stare for the entire fifteen minutes. I studied myself with the same honesty as Rembrandt or Van Gogh did. I study myself candidly. For the last five minutes, I stroke several different intentional poses. My experience of looking in the mirror for 15 minutes is amazing. I see different facial expressions, which reflect my mood and my personality. When I smile, my facial expression is li ght and appealing to the audience. When I am sad, my facial expression is dark and gloomy. I can easily change my facial expression if I start thinking about something positive or negative. I can find some similarities in analysis of Rembrandt’s image, Van Gogh’s image and my own image. I have found that the experience of looking in the mirror for 15 minutes is a valuable tool to increase self-esteem because an individual has an opportunity to highly value one’s own personality.My experience of being a paintingIf I were a painting, I would be in several periods of art history, e.g. Postmodernism (1970- ) if my painting reflects positive mood, or Modernism (e.g. Abstract Expressionism, 1940-1960) if my painting reflects negative mood. These art historical periods reflect my changeable personality. Postmodernism can be viewed as a break from modernism. This art period has some features of modernism, but these features provide more positive views. The following asp ects refer to Postmodernism: the individual’s position in the context, the increased role of aesthetic pluralism and meaning of art. My painting would imply culturally, politically and socially. First, my painting would reflect cultural context because culture plays an important role in art. Cultural attitudes toward a work of art explore an individual’s personality. On the other hand, cultural identity of the nation is formed by art. Besides, my painting would imply politically because I would include some political signs or symbols to make it more appealing to political viewed of the audience. Moreover, my painting would imply socially because each element in my painting must be focused on social acceptance. Abstract Expressionism is the highest form of Modernism. I believe that my painting can have some characteristics of Abstract Expressionism, if it is presented in a negative context, e.g. individuality, creativity, unconscious style of representation, the element s of visual formalism. These characteristics are focused on creating the feeling of pure abstraction.Experience of being a style of paintingIf I were a style of painting, I would be landscape. I believe that landscape is a unique style of painting because it reflects the beauty of nature. Landscapes demonstrate poetry in nature, placing emphasis on the intimate expression of various forms of nature. In some way, these forms reflect human emotions. I would be landscape of mountains and waterfall.   I believe that the landscape I would be should include many elements of nature in order to allow the viewer to enjoy the spiritual journey of bold imagination.   Being landscape means make the views feel the beauty of nature, and developing positive emotions and feelings.Experience of being a photographIf you were a photograph, it would be romantic style of photography that provides an idealized vision of photography. It would be some peaceful location, soft light colors, some storytel ling context and impressive images. The lighting would be intense. It is known that â€Å"the intensity of the illumination within the light envelope determines how the final image will look† (Rand 94). The photograph would be impressive if some subjects need more light and can reflect light. Among the most talented photographers, Brian Smith would influence my image. Smith’s advice would help to make a really meaningful and adorable portrait. My photograph would imply culturally, politically and socially. First, it would reflect American culture. Besides, it would be meaningful from a political perspective. It would reflect some symbols of American politics to encourage the audience highly value the U.S. political system and its leaders. Moreover, my photograph would imply socially because it would be socially acceptable.Experience of viewing myself in advertisingI can honestly view myself differently from how advertising presents how I should look.   I can identify what influences me emotionally. I can not only regulate my emotions, but also understand the feelings of other people. I am influenced emotionally by inequality, injustice, violence towards women and children, and violence towards animals.   In most cases, physical events have a strong influence on what I feel emotionally. For example, I hate racism and racial discrimination. I criticize those advertisements that have some hint of racism.I can articulate what influences me in an advertisement. I can be influenced by the effectiveness of humor, beauty, strength, self-confidence, tolerance and endurance.   Advertisements have powerful effects on people. However, advertisements influence people without their full recognition that they are being influenced. I can separate what makes me feel good about myself from what advertising indicates should make me feel good about myself. Although I know that advertisement often influences people in undesirable ways, the positive advertisemen t is more effective than a negative one. I feel good about myself from positive effects of advertisements.   From a psychological point of view, my feelings are reflected in what advertising indicates should make me feel good about myself.Richard Prince’s description of the Perfect Tense in Chapter 12 does not describe me, because I fall into Thomas Frank’s counterculture rebellion.   I believe that Thomas Frank’s study play an important role in revealing the existing links between advertising and the counterculture. It has been found that the possible consequence of the counterculture would be rebellious consumer behavior. According to Thomas Frank, cultural rebellion is associated with the counterculture. Counterculture attracts attention of many people today. I feel that I am a part of all of it. I believe that I feel myself somewhere in the context of cultural jamming. Culture jamming stands for the so-called politics of representation, which involves ad vertising in the context of artistic satire. I feel that I can act as culture jamming refiguring various product images in order to raise public awareness of existing problems (environmental problems, or unequal and unjust social practices). I do not fall on the â€Å"Advertising Horizon†.Moreover, I feel capable of constructing an identity outside the parameters of the advertising market. Today the advertising market provides some parameters, which help to successfully read and value some objects, or services, or oneself.   In other words, it sets some limits on human appreciation of an object or service. These limits help to construct the so-called brand identity. I can use my personal attitudes, experience and knowledge to construct an identity that would not be a standard. My identity would not be focused on the parameters of the advertising market. I would create a new form of advertising. I can support this fact by the ability to express my own ideas and desires to ac hieve the established goals in advertising.The cultural myths of individualism (the autonomous individual) or love of technology influence my self-image to a great extent. I accept individualism as the key cultural myth. I criticize collectivism because the effects of collectivism may be negative in establishing one’s own identity. I believe that personal self-realization is the basis of one’s own self-image. Besides, love of technology may influence my self-image, making it more appealing to the audience and more effective in interpretation. I completely agree that technology influences the way we think about ourselves, as well as the way others think about ourselves. I feel myself as being a victim of bipolar thinking. In some cases, I feel that bipolar thinking is caused by complex mental processes that may lead to emotional ride of extreme highs as well as deep depressive lows.ConclusionThus, comparing my painting, photograph and advertisement, it is necessary to c onclude that there are many differences between these images. These differences reflect the values we have studied all semester because the experience of viewing myself in advertising differs from the experience of being a photograph, or a style of painting, or painting. I feel that the most important information I learned in this class is how to develop the so-called visual literacy, or the ability to â€Å"read† and interpret the images that can be found in our information society. I have found that visual arts are important cultural element that the mass media use to obtain the power of representation.

Internet in our life Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Internet in our life - Research Paper Example Internet is used by people of all ages and internet happens to positively as well as negatively impact all its users. Whether an individual is being impacted in a positive or a negative manner by internet is dependent on how they use it. This writing will focus upon the various negative effects associated with the use of internet and the various solutions that can either completely diminish or restrict those negative effects. Body Psychological Impact of Internet The youth as well as the adults of the society have become too much involved in internet usage. They happen to use internet at all times. They have gained internet access on the Smartphone, computers, schools and universities. In simpler terms youth have become addicted to internet and their addiction towards internet is similar to the addiction towards drugs and alcohol. According to Young, internet addiction has been recognized as a psychological issue and this addiction is causing similar problems that are caused due to s ubstance abuse and drug abuse (Young 240). These problems include: issues with family relations, issues at work and others. One of the major concerns of internet use is the violent content that is available over the internet for free. Online internet games, movies, songs and videos are all examples of mediums that offer violent content. This content is directly in the access of children who have a habit to imitate what they observe over the internet and due to this content child tend to behave in aggressive manner in the real world. According to Anderson, when children are exposed to violent content they tend to acquire what they see and tend to behave in the same manner in the real world (Anderson 354). Social Development Impacted by Internet Internet does not only impact the psychological development of individuals, it even negatively impacts the social development of people of all ages. Excessive use of computers and internet has the ability to ruin an individual’s social relationships in the real world, although their relationships in the virtual world may strengthen. For example: children and especially the teenage population tend to create and maintain relationships in the virtual world, tend to ignore their relationships in the actual physical world and due to this their relationship with their significant others (parents and friends) tend to deteriorate (Subrahmanyam 135). Secondly, there are children and individuals who perceive that their computers are better friends to them as compared to human friends and they tend to spend more time with computers rather than peers and this deteriorates their interpersonal skills. As stated earlier in the section of psychological impact of internet of this paper, online internet games and content makes children behave in a violent manner in the real world. Due to this violent behavior their relationships with their significant others is damaged and they are seen as anti-social individuals by members of thei r society. According to Murphy, the youth that conducted the event recognized as Columbine High School Shooting Massacres were addicted to violent video games and that had promoted them to get involved in the shootings (Murphy 1). Internet and Academic Performance Computer usage and academic performance has been perceived to be positively linked with each other, but this is not always the case in all instances. Children do not only use internet for the advancement of their knowledge. They

Stem Cells Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Stem Cells - Research Paper Example Most other cells in our bodies are capable of either no replication at all, or only limited multiplication. Stem cells however can continue to replicate mitotically in an endless series of cell divisions in which a single progenitor call can give rise to populations of several million cells. 2. stem cells lack the functional characteristics of other cells in our bodies. For example the red blood cells can carry oxygen bound to the hemoglobin. The muscle cells can utilize ATP to contract and relax in response to nerve stimulation. But stem cells cannot perform any of these specialized tasks. 3. when stem cells in our bodies are subjected to the appropriate stimuli, they undergo differentiation, a process by which stem cells give rise to different end-organs and tissues. These cells which arise from the stem cells are functional in the different body processes. Thus stem cells, by differentiation along different lines give rise to all the organs and tissues in our bodies. Research into stem cells has opened gateways in biological studies that would have been deemed unbreachable just a few decades ago. The most astounding results that stem cell research have yielded are in the field of cell based therapies. The theory behind the use of stem cells in this field is that since stem cells are the progenitor calls that have given rise to all the tissues and organs in our body during our embryonic life, they can also be used to replenish the aforementioned organs and tissues should they become damaged or defective during our adult life. Theoretically, the stem cells can be used as a reservoir to supply any type of cells that become defective in our bodies. For example, in diabetics, they can be used to create a new population of beta cells which can be transplanted to the patients pancreas. They can even be used to constitute entire organs, like kidneys, liver, cornea and even the heart for purposes of transplantation. In practical use, cell based therapies have only so far been applied on a limited scale in hematological malignancies, to reconstitute the cell population after intensive chemotherapy meant to eradicate the patients own bone marrow. Their success and popularity as a mode of treatment in these illnesses is widely established. Stem cell research can also yield excessive information about the processes of cell division and differentiation that are involved in the development of the different organ systems of the embryo from the unicellular zygote. These mechanisms are of intense interest to scientists because they play key roles in diseases that are genetically inherited as well as in the development of cancers. If the defects in cell division and differentiation that give rise to certain genetically inherited traits can be identified, and the key growth or induction factors responsible for causing these defects elucidated, then perhaps these defects can be prevented or corrected in the very early stages of fetal life. If the genetic changes