An Artists review Essay -- essays research papers

Nusrat Ahmad: Pioneer of Pakistan   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As I walked up to the future interior designer of the Ahmad family, I wondered the extent to which Nusrat Ahmad had taken her designing career. I saw Nusrat sitting on the lush green sofa in the corner of her family room, thinking that one day she would be strategically placing sofas in other people’s houses. Belonging to a Pakistani family, I wanted to question the extent of approval she received from her family and relatives and inquire about other South Asians artists in today’s community.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Just like any other Pakistani family, Nusrat’s parents always wanted their daughter to be a doctor. As she struggled through high school with her science classes in order to please her parents, she started drawing as a hobby. Sitting bored in her Biology class, she developed a habit of drawing pictures of different organs of the human body in her notebook. She had no interest in the field and she bluntly told me that â€Å"I enjoyed drawing more than physics or biology.† (Nusrat) Her parents were unaware of her art, which started to show up at her school’s art exhibitions. Even until the end of her high school career, she did not tell her parents that she was serious about her art and wanted to pursue it, and only when she started college did she tell them that she had an avid interest in that field. They disregarded the idea, thinking of it as a childish interest and still forced her into pursuing a medical career. After the end of her first year in college, she started taking an afternoon art class with a famous abstract artist in Pakistan, Mansoor Elahi, who was well known for his murals in The Parliament, the President’s house. Even though her parents did not want her studying art, they allowed her to take that class due to her incessant nagging. Nusrat studied abstract art with him for about a year and a half, â€Å"encouraged by Mr. Elahi† (Nusrat) and most of her paintings were a reflection of his ideas. These paintings were exhibited at local art exhibitions on and off. Eventually, he told her that her paintings could be sold for about three thousand dollars a piece.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the end of her particular 2 year college career, her peers granted her the title of â€Å"Nusrat daVinci,† a tradition where the juniors award a title of how an individual has been throu... ...estion as to why there are not that many Asian Americans represented in American literature is one that Nusrat could ask the same of South Asians.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I asked Nusrat about the reason behind the scarcity of Pakistanis enrolled in art school, she agreed with Amy Tan’s comment about being â€Å"rebellious in nature and enjoy[ing] the challenge of disproving assumptions†(Tan, 264) Being brought up in Pakistan has given Nusrat an insight as to why there are so many restrictions on Pakistani children in their pursuit of art. The fact that being rebellious in nature has led both these artists to rise up and do what they desired is very stereotypical of artists, yet it has proven to be beneficial for both Tan and Nusrat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nusrat’s defiant nature has enabled her to explore horizons that are not normally delved into by Pakistani women. She is one of the first female artists from Pakistan who has dared to rise up and portray her artistic skills to the world. As I got up to leave the room where we sat for the interview, I could not help but wonder if this future interior designer and architect would be willing to design my future home.

Why Sherlock Holmes Is Just as Original as C. Auguste Dupin

Why Sherlock Holmes is Just as Original as C. Auguste Dupin After reading two famous amateur detective stories by Edgar Allan Poe and two by Arthur Conan Doyle, I found myself questioning the originality of Doyle's stories as compared to Poe's stories. The stories in question are â€Å"The Purloined Letter† and â€Å"Murders in the Rue Morgue† by Poe and â€Å"The Adventure of the Speckled Band† and â€Å"A Scandal in Bohemia† by Doyle. All four of these stories had very exciting story lines and had very interesting mysterious aspects . Since the Poe stories of C.Auguste Dupin were written well before Doyle's stories of Sherlock Holmes, this leads to the question of whether or not Doyle's stories are genuinely original or if much of his stories ideas were copied from Poe. I believe that Doyle's detective stories are just as creative and original as Poe's detective stories. One of the biggest and probably most obvious similarities between the stories is tha t of the plots. In â€Å"The Purloined Letter†, Dupin is contacted by the prefect to help the police retrieve a letter that had been stolen.This letter was of great importance to a certain person and if this letter was released to the public it would reveal things that could ruin that person's reputation. The prefect knows Minister D- stole the letter. He also knows that the letter must to be very close the minister who stole it because the ability to produce the letter when needed is just as important to the minister as actually having it. The police have searched the minister's hotel room and were not able to find the letter.Dupin then goes to the minister's hotel room and easily retrieves the letter because he knows that the minister would hide it in plain sight, since he knew the police would come looking for it. Many of these aspects of Poe's story are repeated in Doyle's A Scandal in Bohemia†. In â€Å"A Scandal in Bohemia† Holmes is confronted by an import ant king to retrieve a letter and a photo of him with his ex lover that proves their relationship. If the photo was released it could hurt his reputation immensely. The king has tried many things to retrieve the letter but was unsuccessful.Holmes then goes to the woman's house and tricks her into revealing the location of the letter by faking a fire thinking that the photo would be the first thing she would grab. Because of these similarities between the two stories by Poe and Doyle it appears that Doyle had copied his ideas from Poe who had written his story years earlier. In â€Å"Murders in the Rue Morgue†, Dupin goes to investigate a murder scene. At this scene there are many clues that would lead one to think it was a human that committed the murder.However, it was difficult to come up with a motive for that person because bags of money were still on the floor and the women that were murdered hardly ever made contact with others which makes it difficult to believe that t here is someone who would want to cause them harm. Dupin goes on to find some more clues that lead him to believe it wasn't a human that committed the crime but a sailors Ourang-Outang. Dupin then gets the sailor to come to his house and gets him to admit that it was his animal that committed the murder.Again these scenarios in Poe's story are very similar to those in Doyle's story â€Å"The Adventure of the Speckled Band†. In â€Å"The Adventure of the Speckled Band†, Holmes is consulted about a very suspicious case. A woman was killed a few years ago and before she died she had said it was the speckled band that killed her. Holmes goes to the house where she was killed to investigate. At first Holmes believes the speckled band was a group of gipsies that would hang out on their property, but after further investigating he had realized it was not gipsies but a speckled snake that the girl's father kept inside the house.Another huge similarity between the two stories t hat would imply Doyle had copied Poe's ideas is the narrator of the story. In â€Å"Murders in the Rue Morgue† and â€Å"A Scandal in Bohemia† the reader is given a lot of information by the narrator about the main character. In both stories the narrator is a close friend who lives with the detective. Also the narrator always tells the reader everything that is going on and he is also a fairly smart person but not as smart as the main character. Holmes and Dupin also have very similar detective methods.Both characters are capable of seeing things that normal people are not. They will put themselves in the suspects shoes and think as they would to discover more clues. When they discover clues they will come up with a hypothesis and then investigate it until it is proven true or more clues are revealed to them causing them to come up with a new hypothesis. They also will never tell the narrator what they are thinking or ask him for advice. They do all of their sleuthing on their own and reveal it to the narrator once they have solved the case.In both â€Å"Murders in the Rue Morgue† and â€Å"The Adventure of the Speckled Band† the detectives inform their partner what they have been thinking all along and how they solved the mystery. Even though there are all these similarities between the Dupin and Holmes stories there are also many differences that give each story their own originality. For example, â€Å"A Scandal in Bohemia† is extremely similar to â€Å"The Purloined Letter† however, at the end Dupin is successful in his endeavour whereas Holmes is not.The ending of a story is always the most important and such a drastic difference between the two stories certainly provides Doyle with a little more originality. In â€Å"Murders in the Rue Morgue† which is very similar to â€Å"The Adventure of the Speckled Band†, Dupin comes up with his hypothesis and he is correct. In â€Å"The Adventure of the Speck led Band† Holmes comes up with his hypothesis but soon realizes that he was incorrect and is forced to come up with a new hypothesis. Dupin gives off the impression that he is the perfect detective that never makes mistakes and Holmes actually makes a mistake.This huge difference between the stories makes Doyle's story very original and not so much of a copy of Poe's story. One noticeably large difference between the Dupin and Holmes stories is that of the background story of the mystery or information as to why the crime happened. In the Dupin stories the plot jumps right to the events that happened and what Dupin does to solve it. For example in â€Å"Murders in the Rue Morgue† Dupin reads about the murder in the paper and then goes to solve it. There is no background information given on the people involved in the murder.In the Holmes stories the reader is given significant amounts of background information to the characters involved in the mystery. For example in â €Å"The Adventure of the Speckled Band† the reader is given much information on the background of the victims in the murder. Being given this information the reader understands more how the victim is feeling and can become more involved in the story. This effect on the reader is something that makes the Doyle stories very original and not an exact copy of Poe's stories.The biggest difference between Dupin and Holmes would have to be their personality. Dupin is described as a loner that sits at home and spends his time thinking whereas Holmes is a very well known person to other people and is also addicted to cocaine. Dupin can be seen as a very serious person where Holmes is more of a quirky and adventurous person. This difference between Holmes and Dupin gives Holmes a much more creative and interesting character than Dupin, implying that Doyle did not rip off Poe's detective character when he was making his own.All of the similarities between Doyle's stories and Poe's stori es would lead one to believe that Sherlock Holmes was just a rip off of Dupin. Since Poe was the first author to write about a detective it seems obvious that other authors would take ideas from his stories just as Doyle did. There was most likely something that Poe had read or experienced that gave him his ideas for Dupin so it is only natural for writers to get their ideas or concepts from other places.However, because of all the original ideas and differences to the Holmes stories I believe that Doyle's detective stories are just as creative as Poe's stories. It is the main ideas of the story such as the outcome or the personality of the main character that are different which causes the stories to actually be much different. For this reason I believe that the Holmes stories are genuinely original and that Arthur Conan Doyle made significant contributions to the detective story.

Archetypes In The Lottery - 1164 Words

In various stories, the authors often use literary devices to express feeling and thought and to distinguish their stories from others. At times, similar patterns can be found once critically examined instead of simply being read. In two stories, The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho and â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson, the main idea is the sacrifice of one person in a village and how other villagers are affected by it. In The Devil and Miss Prym, barmaid Chantal Prym meets â€Å"stranger† Carlos when he visits the village searching for answers. In â€Å"The Lottery†, the villagers have an annual drawing to rid of one of their own as tradition. While comparing and contrasting both stories, one can begin to see apparent types of conflict,†¦show more content†¦Thus, it was Chantal and Berta against society. In â€Å"The Lottery†, the families just went along with the tradition of drawing a piece of paper from a box and then stoning who ever drew the slip with the black spot. It was not exactly clear as to why the families kept the tradition because they did not seem to care for how it was carried out as stated, â€Å"there had been a recital of some sort, performed by the official of the lottery, a perfunctory[] tuneless chant that had been rattled off duly each year; some people believed that the official of the lottery used to stand just so when he said or sang it, others believed that he was supposed to walk among the people, but years and years ago this p[a]rt of the ritual had been allowed to lapse. There had been, also, a ritual salute, which the official of the lottery had had to use in addressing each person who came up to draw from the box, but this also had changed with time . . . ,† (Jackson 2). The families just went along with this and had no intent to change it. Perhaps individually they did not believe it was fair, but they never did anything because that was how their society was. These two patterns of conflict helped shape the effect of the stories. A major archetype that was apparent in both stories was the mentioned idea of Good versus Evil. The symbol was represented by the Chantal’s and Carlos’sShow MoreRelatedAnalysis OfThe Devil And Miss Prym And The Lottery1027 Words   |  5 PagesDevil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho and â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson are stories that talk about the sacrifice of one person in a village and how other villagers play a part in it. In The Devil and Miss Prym, barmaid Chantal Prym meets â€Å"stranger† Carlos when he visits the village looking for answers. In â€Å"The Lottery†, the villagers have an annual drawing to get rid of one of their own as tradition. Both stories have apparent types of conflict, archetypes, a certain philosophy. Coelho had two differentRead MoreThe Devil And Miss Prym By Paulo Coehlo And The Short Story The Lottery1426 Words   |  6 Pagesthe words â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† in daily speech. Whether it is to describe how one is feeling or the nature of a decision made, the practice of binary labeling becomes a habit. In the novel The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coehlo and the short story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, the villagers must choose between what they perceive as good and what is not. The issue presented in both pieces of literature is whether the good of the many is worth the sacrifice of one individual, bringing to light the questionRead MoreSummary Of The Devil And Miss Prym And Shirley Jacksons The Lottery1182 Words   |  5 PagesPaulo Coelho, writer of The Devil and Miss Prym and Shirley Jackson, writer of â€Å"The Lottery†, both reiterate the idea that a democratic government can be very dangerous if wrong propositions are voted upon by a public. L ikewise in both stories, wrong decisions are made by society, and bring conflict and chaos to a village. People are put in a life or death scenario, and little or nothing could be done because society chose to believe that doing wrong was justified morally. In The Devil andRead MoreResearch Paper on Shirley Jacksons â€Å"The Lottery†1141 Words   |  5 PagesShirley Jacksons â€Å"The Lottery† is a short story about the annual gathering of the villagers to conduct an ancient ritual. The ritual ends in the stoning of one of the residents of this small village. This murder functions under the guise of a sacrament that, at one time, served the purpose of ensuring a bountiful harvest. This original meaning, however, is lost over the years and generations of villagers. The loss of meaning has changed the nature and overall purpose of the lottery. This ritual isRead MoreLottery Essay Symbolism1249 Words   |  5 Pagesbelief. Symbolism can be used to represent an action, an idea or a person’s archetype as well. The term symbolism is the practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing in things with a symbolic meaning or character (â€Å"Symbolism†). Examples of symbolism are: an eagle repre senting freedom, a dove representing peace, and the color green can symbolize the feeling of envy. The following pieces of literature, â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson, â€Å"We Wear the Mask† by Paul Laurence, â€Å"Richard Cory†Read MoreCriticism in the Short Story The Lottery1660 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿ Criticism in The Lottery This paper will examine the short story, The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson, with the aids of lenses such as cultural criticism and feminist criticism. The story was written and published just as the twentieth century reached its middle point. The setting of the story takes place in small town America. The success of the story comes from Jacksons applied knowledge of stereotypes of things such as America, small town America, families, and women. Jackson plays on culturalRead MoreThe Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay1712 Words   |  7 Pagesinfluential to most, are also controversial to some. Her most controversial story, published in 1948 in The New Yorker, is The Lottery. The purpose for the writing of the story varies depending upon the reader, but some might say that it expresses Shirley Jacksons abysmal opinion of her fellow creatures (Coulthard 228). Whatever the purpose may be, The Lottery remains one of the most famous stories to date. Despite the controversy, readers also n otice the symbols and underlying themesRead More Anne Sexton1732 Words   |  7 Pagesfollows this pattern. First, the speaker tells four stories: one of a plumber who wins the lottery, one of a nursemaid who marries her boss’s son, a milkman who makes a fortune in real estate, and a charwoman who becomes rich after a bus she was on crashes, and she collects on insurance. The progression of these stories themselves lay cynicism into the form of the poem. The speaker starts with a story about a lottery winner, which is something lucky and could be taken as the universe helping a man strugglingRead MoreSatire/Irony in ‘the Lottery’ by Shirley Jackson2034 Words   |  9 PagesSatire/Irony in ‘The Lottery’: The Lucky Ticket The use of Satire/Irony within literature establishes situations where the unlikelihood of the occurrence of an event will happen. Jackson’s manipulation of his story, The Lottery, provides an unexpected twist to what one may seem to be a normal subject. Northrop Frye’s The Singing School, suggests that all stories are told in either one of four ways: Comedy, Romance, Tragedy or Satire/Irony (Frye 18). The use of Irony and its conventional associationsRead MoreLuisaldo Mendiola. Professor Price. Engl 1302 Nt6. Research2132 Words   |  9 PagesLuisaldo Mendiola Professor Price ENGL 1302 NT6 Research Essay April 21, 2017 Tradition and the Sheep A Critical Analysis of Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† Traditions are common part of culture and religion in the world today; almost everyone has a tradition that they follow. The traditions you practice can be new and only just have started with your generation or the generation before yours. The traditions could also have been old, spanning many generations before your generation and your parents’

The Great Gatsby Movie Adaptations

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of the great novels in American literature, but into which formats (and multimedia) forms have the novel been adapted? The answer is several. In all, there are six film versions of The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald: 1926 - The Great Gatsby Distributed by: Paramount PicturesReleased: Nov. 21, 1926Directed by: Herbert BrenonProduced by: Jesse L. Lasky and Adolph ZukorSilent movie, based on a stage adaptation written by Owen Davis. Also written by Becky Gardiner and Elizabeth MeehanStarring: Warner Baxter, Lois Wilson, and William Powell.No copies of the entire film are known to exist, but the National Archives has a trailer for the film. 1949 - The Great Gatsby Distributed by: Paramount PicturesDirected by: Elliott NugentProduced by: Richard MaibaumStarring: Alan Ladd, Betty Field, Macdonald Carey, Ruth Hussey, Barry Sullivan, Shelley Winters, and Howard Da SilvaWriters: Richard Maibaum and Cyril Hume (also the stage adaptation by Owen Davis)Music by: Robert Emmett DolanCinematography: John F. SeitzEditing by: Ellsworth Hoagland 1974 - The Great Gatsby Distributed by: Newdon Productions and Paramount PicturesRelease date: March 29, 1974Directed by: Jack Clayton (In MemoirsTennessee Williams wrote: It seems to me that quite a few of my stories, as well as my one acts, would provide interesting and profitable material for the contemporary cinema, if committed to ... such cinematic masters of direction as Jack Clayton, who made of The Great Gatsby a film that even surpassed, I think, the novel by Scott Fitzgerald.)Starring: Sam Waterston, Mia Farrow, Robert Redford, Bruce Dern, and Karen Black.Screenplay by: Francis Ford Coppola 2000 - The Great Gatsby Directed by Robert MarkowitzMade-for-TV movie.Starring: Toby Stephens, Paul Rudd, and Mira Sorvino. 2002 - G Directed by: Christopher Scott CherotModernizedStarring: Richard T. Jones, Blair Underwood, and Chenoa Maxwell 2013 - The Great Gatsby Directed by: Baz LuhrmannRelease date: May 10, 2013Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, and Tobey Maguire.

The Rhetoric of an Apology The Bill Clinton Sex Scandal...

The Rhetoric of an Apology: The Clinton Sex Scandal I ask that all Americans demonstrate in their personal and public lives... the high ethical standards that are essential to good character and to the continued success of our Nation. On August 17, 1998, exactly one year after making the statement above, President Bill Clinton prepared to deliver a speech concerning a scandal that had gripped the nation for months. It is needless to say that this was an important moment during the Clinton administration. After accusations of sexual harassment, Clinton addressed the nation and admitted to having a relationship with Monica Lewinsky. In this critical speech Clinton set out to admit to wrong-doings, provide a few reasons for his†¦show more content†¦2. The speaker is not yet desperate. Although Clinton was arguably border-line desperate, he had been acquitted of charges and simply needed to get America to forget and forgive. 3. The speaker is committed. Clinton was committed to himself, his family, and his country. 4. The audience is open to change. (Hart 41-43) Everyone is capable of forgiveness. Clinton believed that he could salvage some reputation and gain if not the forgiveness of the nation, then a t least the acceptance. Clinton interacts with his audience in this speech on several levels. Scandal in the White House In January of 1998, Monica Lewinsky filed a sworn affidavit denying sexual relations between the president and her. She also allegedly asked Linda Tripp to lie for her. Tripp wore a wire and recorded conversations between the two. Clinton then denied that the two had a relationship repeatedly and several of his aides were questioned in court as well as several of his personal bodyguards. Next, Lewinsky was given immunity in exchange for the completely true testimony. Soon afterward Clinton admitted to having an inappropriate relationship with Lewinsky and the Starr report was released. Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives and was tried by the Senate for perjury and obstruction of justice. He is later acquitted of all charges. The Rhetoric of an Apology We see several recurrent themes throughout Clintons speech. He repeatedly makes the distinction between hisShow MoreRelatedInternational Management67196 Words   |  269 Pages with reviewing and fact-checking. In addition, we would like to acknowledge the help that we received from the many reviewers from around the globe, whose feedback guided us in preparing the eighth edition of the text. These include: M. Suzanne Clinton, University of Central Oklahoma; Zhe Zhang, University of Central Florida–Orlando; Owen Sevier, University of Central Oklahoma; Jerry Haar, Florida International University–Miami; Li Weixing, University of Nebraska–Lincoln; David Turnipseed, UniversityRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pageswas integral in causing the Western hemisphere to now have its long history of European culture. He brought new technology and new religion that spread throughout the hemisphere. He sent attack dogs to maul naked Indians, seized Caribbean women as sex slaves, and disemboweled other natives who resisted conquest. Many were hanged, some were burned alive. He chopped off the hands of thousands who were slow in producing the gold he wanted. Many Arawak Indians responded by committing a series of mass

How America’s Social Structure Causes Deviance Free Essays

string(72) " society gives a strong social reaction to those who deviate its norms\." Although many people know that deviancy is apparent in American society, few realize that it is society itself that causes deviancy. Our social structure exerts numerous pressures among people in our society to engage in non-conforming and deviant behavior to achieve the American dream. American society does this by emphasizing certain success goals, and not emphasizing the correct means to achieve these goals. We will write a custom essay sample on How America’s Social Structure Causes Deviance or any similar topic only for you Order Now In addition, deviancy is reinforced in numerous elements of American social structure through culturally defined goals, institutionalized means, societal reactions, and various forms of sanctions. Further, American society has a strong emphasis on wealth and an unreasonable demand for success. Therefore, Americans are lead to forms of innovation, deviancy, and live in a state of anomie. First, we must examine the definitions of deviance and norms. Henry defines deviance as a person who goes against the standards, expectations, and norms of their society (lecture). Further, deviancy is thought of as a personal attribute or behavior that results in social disapproval from others, or behavior that breaks the rules and norms for that society(Social Deviance 5). Norms are rules of conduct, and each norm is a statement of desirable or undesirable behavior. Examples of desirable and undesirable states of being are messages like â€Å"don’t be too fat† and â€Å"don’t be too thin† (Social Deviance 5). In addition, norms are the shared expectations and evaluations of behavior or being that the majority of society’s members agree upon. Meier states that expectations refer to how people will act or be, and evaluations are how people should act or be (Social Deviance 5). These expectations and evaluations further reinforce the standards and expectations of our society. Some sociologists previously believed that deviance was caused by biology. Sociologists once believed that deviant people were â€Å"born bad†, and that heredity, genes, and a persons body chemistry were all common denominators in deviant people. Merton contradicts this theory by noting that: With the more recent advancement of social science, this set of conceptions has undergone basic modification. For one thing, it no longer appears so obvious that man is set against society in an unceasing war between biological impulse and social restraint. For another, sociological perspectives have increasingly entered into the analysis of behavior deviating from prescribed patterns of conduct. For whatever role the biological impulses, there still remains the further question of why it is that the frequency of deviant behavior varies within different social structure and how it happens that the deviations have different shapes and pattern in different social structures. (230) Now sociologists, such as Robert K. Merton, have new insight into the theory that deviancy is caused by the society in which we live, not biology or body chemistry. This theory of deviance is also backed up by the belief that American society leads an individual to want the American dream, but does not afford them with the means to achieve them (Fanning). As members of a society obsessed with television and media, we have pressures that reinforce the popular belief that material possessions and wealth are extremely important in American society. Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that if we can locate certain groups subject to the pressures of achieving the American dream, we should expect to find high rates of deviancy in its members. In addition, some social classes do not have equal opportunity to achieve goals. Due to discrimination, members of lower classes, and certain racial and ethnic minorities, all suffer from blocked opportunities. The stress and strain that results from blocked opportunities causes the individual to question the legitimacy of traditional and institutionalized means (Fanning). In effect, these members of society begin to think of other, often illegal, ways to succeed. Furthermore, when this occurs, respect for the traditionally accepted means of achieving goals crumble, norms weaken, and society is no longer able to regulate the methods its members use to obtain success. Therefore, high crime among lower classes can be attributed to the stresses caused by American society. If a person is born into a poor family, they might be forced to work while going to high school, and may not be able to focus on school work, like other classmates. Therefore, due to life chances, they might not have the opportunity to go to college due to bad grades or unaffordability. While constantly struggling to make ends meet, they decide to commit a crime to be able to have material possessions, since they believe that they will never be able to save up to buy anything through traditional work. This new social theory states that deviancy is people simply responding normally to the social situation in which they are in. Furthermore, Merton states that â€Å"some social structures exert definite pressures upon certain persons in the society to engage in nonconforming, rather than conforming conduct† (230). In addition, deviance varies culture to culture. What we consider to be deviant is different than what other societies consider deviant. Deviant definitions also change rapidly. American society used to think that women who wore short skirts, or smoked cigarettes were deviant. Now, the same acts are not considered to still be deviant. In addition, Merton notes that â€Å"some social structures exert a definite pressure upon certain persons in society† (230). American society is a perfect example of a society that exerts unreasonable pressures, and therefore leads some of its members to deviant behavior. This social theory is proven further by Merton’s theory of social structure. In American society, Merton believes that there are two elements of social structure; culturally defined goals, and institutionalized means. Culturally defined goals are integrated into society, involving various degrees of value and significance. Culturally defined goals are what society thinks its members should strive for, such as financial success. Institutionalized means are the regulations and norms that are the acceptable way of achieving the culturally defined goal (234). An example of a culturally defined goal is a good education, and a good job. Our society gives a strong social reaction to those who deviate its norms. You read "How America’s Social Structure Causes Deviance" in category "Essay examples" Societal reactions embrace the ways in which society responds to the individuals, their acts, or suspected deviance. Forms of societal reactions are sanctions and formal sanctions. Sanctions are â€Å"punishments usually designed to control suspect or actual deviance† (Social Deviance 5). Formal sanctions are the punishments administered by the state or other form of legal authority. Examples of formal sanction are fines or imprisonment. Most often these formal sanctions have a negative stigma attached to them. Furthermore, sanctions are the ultimate measuring rod for identifying deviancy and deviant acts. An example would be a person given the formal sanction of a prison sentence being labeled a â€Å"ex-con†. Informal sanctions are sanctions from less official sources, such as family, peers and friends. Examples of informal sanctions are ridicule, peer disapproval, and criticism (Social Deviance 5). The next point to discuss is the common types of deviance that result from the pressures that American society puts on its members. Merton says that members of American society are sometimes forced to innovate to reach the goals society prescribes for them. First, goals are internalized and thought of as important, such as wanting a nice car, money, and a home. These people conform to the expectations society gives them, and therefore try to achieve the goals. The person who wants a car to be accepted in society, so they conform by going to college to get a good job, to be able to buy the car. The problem occurs when members want these things, but may not have access to them. Thus, this leads persons to have to innovate to achieve these goals (Merton 233). An innovator may be a person who is unable or unwilling to go to college to get a god job, so they rob a bank to be able to buy the home and car, and therefore can fit in to societies material demands. Deviancy is also caused by the numerous contradictions and variations American society has on what avenues are thought of as acceptable ways of achieving the goals. In addition, our society also has many double standards about what is seen as acceptable. Some cheat the system, but may be thought of as being crafty, or smart. On the other hand, some equally dishonest acts have punishments, and are looked down upon by members of our society. An example of this is when a business owner price fixes. Even thought the business owner is being exploitative, he is thought of as a business genius, and intelligent. People who cheat on their taxes, or get paid under the table are dishonest and using morally wrong ways of attaining money. However, these lawbreakers are not criticized, looked down upon, or thought of as criminals. An example of this double standard is when we find an illegal act with the absence of social disapproval. Without social disapproval, an illegal act is not considered to be truly deviant (Fanning). An everyday occurrence of this discrepancy is when someone is caught speeding. The act of speeding is illegal and punished with formal sanctions, such as fines, tickets, or license suspension, but is accepted in our society. We have police officers that are paid to regulate the highways, but no negative stigma attached to the act of speeding, or the punishment given by legal authority. The demand for success in American society is overwhelming. Success has become constructed as â€Å"winning the game† rather than â€Å"winning under the rules of the game. Through the same process, tension generated by the desire to win in a poker game is relieved by a successful dealing one’s self four aces, or when shuffling the cards in a game of solitaire. Merton states that â€Å"cultural (or idiosyncratic) exaggeration of the success – goals leads men to withdraw emotional support from the rules† (232-233). On the other hand, a person who robs a bank to attain money is labeled a criminal, and given punishments. People who mug, rob, and burglarize are feared and hated in our society, but cheaters, plagiarizers, and perjurers are not. These double standards create confusion, and lead members of our society to feel as if they are without guidance or clear morals. The next argument proving how American society causes deviance is due to American society putting too much emphasis on goals, and not enough value attached the correct means to achieve these goals. Merton states that â€Å"American culture continues to be characterized by a heavy emphasis on wealth as a basic symbol of success, without a corresponding emphasis upon the legitimate avenues on which to march toward this goal† (Social Structure 235). Due to this lack of clear guidance, strong social pressure to achieve, and inadequate ways to achieve the pressures society inflicts causes members to be deviant to attain acceptable status in our society. Merton further emphasizes that: Of the types of societies that result from independent variations of cultural goals and institutionalized means, we shall primarily be concerned with the first – a society in which there is an exceptionally strong emphasis upon specific goals without corresponding emphasis upon institutional procedures. No society lacks norms governing conduct. But societies do differ in the degree in which the folkways, mores, and institutional controls are effectively integrated with the goals which stand high in the hierarchy if cultural values. The culture may be such as to lead individuals to center their emotional convictions upon the complex of culturally acclaimed ends, with far less emotional support for the prescribed methods of reaching out to these ends. As this process continues, the society becomes unstable and there develops what Durkheim called â€Å"anomie,† or normlessness. Anomie is caused by a society without clear norms, such as American society. Being without institutionalized structure, expectations, and regulations, leads people to become disorientated. Capitalist societies, such as America, are perfect examples of anomic societies. Through ruthless competition and lack of morals and values, capitalists strive for money. Therefore, our social order becomes upset and people lose their way in pursuit of wealth without real regulation. In addition, money in our society is thought of as more important than honesty, morals, family, and happiness. As Merton states â€Å"in some large measure, money has been consecrated as a value in itself, over and above its expenditure for articles of consumption and or its use for enhancement of power. â€Å"Money† is a peculiarly well adapted to become a symbol of prestige† (233). Money can buy class, power and status, all of which are highly regarded in American society. Simmel emphasizes that money is highly abstract and impersonal. However acquired, fraudulently or institutionally, money can be used to purchase the same goods and services (Illuminating Social Life 84). Therefore, it doesn’t really matter how one gets money; it just matters that one has money. The next argument as to why American society leads its members to be deviant is because our society puts a tremendous emphasis on wealth and success. Merton states that the United States has three cultural axioms. The first axiom is that everyone should strive for the American dream, which are wealth, success and independence. The second axiom states that present failure is only a slight setback; third, the only real failure is personal failure, and the withdrawal of ambition (235). This social structure puts tremendous amounts of pressure on all individuals in American society. Our society looks down upon members who do not have wealth or success. Furthermore, there is a negative attitude towards people who do not wish to achieve the â€Å"American Dream. † Some members of our society are satisfied with what they have, and do not strive for raises, promotions, or anything greater. These people are thought of as lazy, lacking ambition and work ethic, and put down in our society for simply being content with what they have. In conclusion, many people think that money will solve all of their problems, and give them happiness. On the contrary, many wealthy people are miserable, and their money has created numerous problems for them. Merton notes that when he was an observer of a community in which the common annual was in the six figures. He witnessed one victim of the American Dream saying, â€Å"in this town, I’m snubbed socially because I only get a thousand a week. That hurts† (233). Competition among neighbors, community, co-workers, and club members is overwhelming. Even after achieving monetary success, it seems as is there is no stopping point to the amount of money some strive for. Merton states that â€Å"in the American Dream there is no final stopping point. The measure of â€Å"monetary success† is conveniently indefinite and relative† (232). No matter how much money one has, it is never enough. No one can be â€Å"too rich† in America. Durkheim states that â€Å"to pursue a goal that is unattainable is to condemn ones self to a state of perpetual unhappiness. Our passions must first be limited by a moral force† (Suicide 229). Since we put pressure on ourselves to reach unattainable goals, we are therefore always dissatisfied with our lives. These social pressures that are reinforced in almost every aspect of American society can further explain deviance. Merton states that: To say that the goal of monetary success is entrenched in American culture is to say that Americans are bombarded on every side by precepts which affirm the right or, often, the duty of retaining the goal even in the face of repeated frustration. Prestigeful representatives of the society reinforce the cultural emphasis. The family, the school, and the workplace- the major agencies shaping the personality structure and goal formation of America- join to provide the intensive discipline required if an individual is to retain intact a goal that remains elusively beyond reach. (233) One of the major agencies that shape young Americans morals and values is our education system. Our education system places great emphasis on grades, test scores, and grade point averages. It seems that achieving these things is more important than really learning and retaining information. Therefore, this leads to cheating on tests, bribing professors, and altering transcripts, and all of which are forms of dishonesty and deviance. Durkheim believes that once our society brings back morals and values we will begin to establish more acceptable and reinforced ways of achieving goals (Anomie 79). We must set achievable goals for ourselves and put more emphasis on attaining happiness, not monetary success. How to cite How America’s Social Structure Causes Deviance, Essay examples

The Human Dignity

Question: Write an essay about the human dignity. Answer: Introduction Human dignity is something that every human being wants to acquire each day. If an individual can earn the dignity for his or her works and develop a sense of self-respect and self-worth, physical and psychological integrity and empowerment then dignity will automatically be enhanced (Afraz, Boyden DiCarlo, 2015). In present time, human dignity is affected by various activities of people, which are not acceptable to the human society as benchmarks of dignity. In this study, the researcher has shed light on the issue regarding gender selection and gender discrimination, which has created a controversy now. The main issue is that parents in different countries are now undergoing test to determine the sex of their unborn child (Pennington et al., 2013). This very controversial topic is lessening the dignity of human that the morals and ethics of the people are declining regularly. Therefore, in this study the researcher has discussed the two perspectives of human dignity related to gender selection. Between this two perspectives one is gender discrimination and the other is the disrespecting the moral norms and values of the society. The first perspective is referring to gender discrimination that is seen in many places whether it is in social activities or in any workplace (Bharadwaj Lakdawala, 2013). The researcher has discussed another one perspective that is enforcing the speedy loss of moral values and ethics, which has created an alarming situation. Therefore, the researcher is concentrating on the matter that is now creating the more concern of the people in this sex selection case that is expressed in the discussion of this study. Discussion Perspective 1 In the study, the researcher discusses about gender discrimination among parents while undergoing pre-natal sex determination. Such behaviour is also indicative of their thinking process. It will signify the dignity of the human society that is expressed through the process of their behaviour in the cases of gender discrimination (Kelso et al., 2014). It is a devastating trend seen in developing countries, which often discriminates against girls and women before birth. More than 100 millions girls has suffered due to discrimination of gender at birth and thereby abortion of girl child at their birth. These trends of the developing countries are minimizing human dignity largely. Due to this trend, it has been found that tragically, female infants are frail due to the trauma of being abortion. The human dignity has minimized with the feeling that every girl child is inferior in the society (Dag Kullberg, 2016). It can also be found that many parents are willing to pay more to the hospitals for changing their fertilized eggs to have a baby with their desired gender. In many communities, it has been found that girls child are getting short time breastfeed than the boys child with an intension of the women to get pregnant again for boy child. The trend of gender discrimination also decease the dignity of girl child in a way of getting less education and privileges from the society. Girls in the society are being eliminated in higher extent due to denying them as the most primal of the society and restricting their rights to take birth. In this way, sex selection, abortion and choosing the gender discrimination before birth are usually threatening the very subsistence of the women in the world. The leniency of parents towards gender discrimination and sex selectivity has meant that people are not viewing gender discrimination as the one of the great violation of human right. Due to this leniency of selective birth, girls in the society are presumed to be liabilities to their families rather than assets. This is also because of the getting low privileges in educational institution and well-paid employment in the workplace. Inequality and gender discrimination is one of the major issues around the world (Fitch Anderson, 2014). Every human has the equal right to use his or her rights in the society. However, in the present scenario, it has been found that the common people of the people are using their rights in an unethical way in the society. In this 21st century, though the world has become enough advanced but still the mentality of the people in the society has not changed (Krieger, 2014). The sex discrimination still considered as one of the major issues in the society. It has been found that still the individuals are concerned during the birth of a child whether its baby boy or a baby girl. Especially the parents and their concerned families are much concerned before the birth of the child about the sex of the child. In the society discrimination are being made based on class, colour and creed. Everyone has equal right to be the part of the society. With advancement, the perception of the people h as changed drastically in the society. Human dignity is considered as the ultimate principle in the society. It has been found that freedom is being misused in order to get personal benefit. In most of the cases, it has been found that the sex-selective abortion is rapidly increasing in the global scenario. With the advancement of technology, the level of sex-selective abortion has increased in the society. Additionally, gender ratio has also drastically increased in the society (Donnelly, 2013). In most of the cases, it has been found that the governmental bodies are not taking any sort action against the hospitals and the centre that are support sex-selective abortion during pregnancy (Bharadwaj Lakdawala, 2013). As per the report, it has been found that the Chinese government has declared that due to sex selective abortion most of the women are being misplaced in the society. Perspective 2 The perspective 3 states that the sex selection is against the social values because the children are valuable to the society (Donnelly, 2013). Therefore, the parents those are going for sex selection are going against the social norms and dignity. At the same time, the society must limit this type of activity. According to this particular article, human dignity includes the love and respect that one individual provides to himself or herself and to the other individuals. This individual also includes children also (de Melo-Martn, 2013). Children are worthy part of the human society and it is the feeling of human dignity that shows the respect to the children by accepting them in any gender. According to perspective three, sex selection must be avoided in order to maintain human dignity (Donnelly, 2013). A person who selects between the gender of men and women shows disrespect to the opposite gender. At the same time, when a person loses his or her dignity, it is considered that the person has also lost his or her morale. On the other side, the person who fails to value the social norms and culture can be considered as an unethical person. There are many societies where the people perform sex selection for some non-medical reasons like, family balancing, religious expectations or individual autonomy. These types of activities are completely against the ethical values and have no meaning (Martin et al., 2013). Various people think that the selection of sex is very important to balance the family for setting a good and happy family relation in future. Therefore, if they can point out the gender before giving the birth of the child then they will enable to know the gender of the future member of their family (Fitch Anderson, 2014). It will be very easy for them to plan their family according to the gender. However, it has a good side that the determination of the sex of their child can enable them to know about their future child but it has a drawback that It has made the parents to kill their childs se x before their birth. The human being cannot consider this huge crime. It will be against the human dignity for the people that are not afraid of killing a little life before their birth (Martin et al., 2013). It has raised the concern of the world now that they cannot able to stop this situation to go worst. Another section of people considers this process as non-medical purpose. There are a few countries, which supports the non-medical purposes of this gender selection on the time of childbirth such as Kazakhstan (Donnelly, 2013). In this country, the rule is strictly followed that every family have to consist of a son and daughter and in this way, the balance will be maintained in every family. Therefore, the parents of that country always try to know the gender of their children before their birth, which is completely against the social norms and the moral values of the humanity and human dignity (Chapman Benn, 2013). The country therefore, supports the gender selection of the parents in the time of becoming the parents. However, it is done for the sake of balancing the family; still the families have not the right to select the gender before their birth as every child has the right to come in the world (Chapman Benn, 2013). The parents have the acceptance of their child in any condition. This cannot depend on the gender of the child (Fitch Anderson, 2014). Therefore, there is no such reason that can satisfy and justify the reason of this selection of gender. This is against the ethics of the human rights and the gender selection is proved unethical in this context (Martin et al., 2013). Therefore, it can be said that sex selection of child made the parents inhumane by nature and it will always decline the dignity of the human society (Donnelly 2013). There is another concept regarding this gender selection of children. The child is the productive autonomy of the parents that cannot be determined before. According to de Melo Martn (2013), the gender selection of child by the parents always present the declination of the norms of the society that that has been practiced from the very past. The main victim of this non-ethical practice is mainly the girl child or the women. In the society, mainly the sex selection is proved problematic for the girl child who is normally the unwanted child in the families (Chapman Benn, 2013). Therefore, it has been seen that if the sex is detected the girl child then there is a tendency to kill the child foetus (Fitch Anderson, 2014). This is due to the social norms and morals that always blame the women folk and always try to dominate the girls. Conclusion The study is focussing on the human dignity that is continuously declining in the present time. The researcher is trying to consider a case study of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) that is highlighting the issue of the gender selection by the parents regarding their childs sex. This is observed in the case study that the parents are continuously doing sex selection in the cases of their childs sex that has become a serious problem of the society. Therefore, the study has discussed the issue shedding light on the serious issue of a few people who supports the gender selection process on the behalf of the non-medical purpose. Then the study has revealed the various systems of different countries about the rules and social norms of the countries that support the unethical system of with their own logics. Although the reasons never can be considered for the sake of gender selection and cannot justify the utility of the sex selection the countries are following th is rule even in the era of literacy. Therefore, the system is the most relevant example of the declination of the human dignity, which is developed through the unjustified rules and morals of a group of people to get the opportunity to rule the society. Therefore, in concluding the study it can be said that the overall human dignity is falling down due to unethical practice such as, gender selection before birth of children. Reference List Afraz, A., Boyden, E. S., DiCarlo, J. J. (2015). Optogenetic and pharmacological suppression of spatial clusters of face neurons reveal their causal role in face gender discrimination.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,112(21), 6730-6735. Bharadwaj, P., Lakdawala, L. K. (2013). Discrimination begins in the womb: evidence of sex-selective prenatal investments.Journal of Human Resources,48(1), 71-113. Chapman, A. R., Benn, P. A. (2013). Noninvasive prenatal testing for early sex identification: A few benefits and many concerns.Perspectives in biology and medicine,56(4), 530-547 Claassens, J., Swartz, L., Hansen, L. (Eds.). (2013).Searching for Dignity: Conversations on human dignity, theology and disability. AFRICAN SUN MeDIA Dag, M., Kullberg, C. (2016). Employment officers' assessments of employment prospects for persons with physical disability: Structural discrimination on the basis of gender and country of birth.Disability Studies Quarterly,36(2). de Melo-Martn, I. (2013). Sex selection and the procreative liberty framework.Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal,23(1), 1-18 Donnelly, J. (2013).Universal human rights in theory and practice. Cornell University Press Fitch, A., Anderson, A. (2014). 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