Langston Hughes Essay -- essays research papers

Langston Hughes is a key figure in the vision of the American dream. In his writings his African-American perspective gives an accurate vision of what the American dream means to a less fortunate minority. His poetry is very loud and emotional in conveying his idea of the African-American dream. Most of his poetry either states how the black man is being surpressed or is a wish, a plea for equality. He does not want the black man to be better than everyone else, but just to be treated equal. Able to meet their dream with the same level of success and failure as everyone else. This is most simply stated in Hughes poem I Dream a World. Hughes begins the poem by stating:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “I Dream a World where man   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  No other man will scorn,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Where love will bless the earth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  And peace its paths adorn'; (World Lines 1-4) Here Hughes is stating very generally and unspecific how he wishes for peace and love. Something that everyone would like but will probably never come true. This statement is an excellent attention getter. It tells about a dream that everyone would like without singling out any group of people to blame for the dream not coming true. Then as the poem goes on he gets more and more specific. Hughes then goes on to dream that everyone “Will know sweet freedoms way,/Where greed no longer sa...

What Is the Relationship Between Social Change and Changes in Space and Time?

What is the relationship between social change and changes in space and time? Illustrate with examples drawn from at least two of : changes in cities, changes in media, changes in intimacy. In looking at the relationship between social change and changes in space and time. We first require understanding of what social change is. Sociologists from every school of thought agree that social change is inevitable within our society. Social change is a highly diverse debate that has been analysed by theorist’s looking at the effects of social change on society. Anything that is socially constructed can be altered. Little changes are triggered by larger changes taking place. Urban life changed and progressed toward an industrial society. Space and time has been reordered. The working day was determined by the seasons, and by the amount of daylight there was. This however has changed, and the working day is now structured around clock time. Space within the home has changed. With family units not as large as previously had been and the availability of better housing conditions, families do not spend the same time together. In looking at some of the theories that have been documented with regards to changes in media and changes in intimacy we begin to acquire an understanding of how sociological change has had an impact. The new media phenomenon holds a lot of potential for benefiting society. â€Å"Belonging to a digital culture binds people more strongly than the territorial adhesives of geography† (Mackay pg. 123) Many who are not able to use conventional methods of communication are given an outlet whereby they can. Many are unable to visit places of interest to them and ICTs host many features allowing people to view and learn about places they would in most cases not be able to physically visit. â€Å"Internet communities – which are seen as binding people together in some sort of common culture in which imagined realities are shared† ( Hugh Mackay pg. 159) The new ICTs can also be contested in that with having no physical contact can leave individuals feeling alone, isolated from others and could produce a desire for the physical presence of others. Together, today’s networks constitute a new form of society† (Hugh Mackay pg. 141). Internet does not alienate between creed, colour, ethnicity or disability and therefore it can be suggested that this multicultural society brings with it a form of social structure and community without any prejudice. There is no stigma attached to it. Castelles views the new technological devices of our society as the beginning of a rev olutionary change. Globally the new forms of media have transformed the ways of communication and the availability of information. Timeless time and the space of flows† (Hugh Mackay pg. 141). By this he means that with new technology being made available there is no longer a need or reason for waiting time to exist. Everything is instantaneous, and can be acquired at the touch of a button. Snail mail has been replaced with e-mail. We are able to access many things at any time of the day or night. Also there is no physical space taken up. Cyberspace allows the exchange of all forms of information without the requirement of physical documentation. If the nineteenth century was the age of the telegraph and telephony, and the twenty – first century becomes that of biotechnology, it is not necessarily the case that the intervening era of late modernity is to be conceived as the ‘information age’† (Golding pg. 129) Golding does not agree with Castells view that there is a revolutionary change taking place due to the development of ICTs. His view is that social changes throughout the years are due to evolutionary developments. â€Å"Brief history of the electric telegraph shows that significant reordering of time and space began long before the internet† (Mackay pg. 142). He suggests that communication with others via e-mail hosts the same enthusiastic doctrine as is held by those wishing to write in the conventional way. Also the enthusiasm held by the introduction of ICTs was just the same as had been with the invention of the semaphore telegraphs. â€Å"In the future, it is claimed, ICTs will unlock the door to a society of unlimited resources. The plentitude of the information economy will end deprivation and need. † (Golding, pg. 130). Golding does not foresee this happening as the use for ICTs will always require manufactured upgrades and money being spent to ensure the running of them. The only form of media that he views as having ‘consistently high penetration’ (Golding pg. 130) is television. The cultural imperialism thesis looks at the media expanding throughout the world. It is generally assuming that the exportation of different cultures from West to East is not beneficial within society. Schiller denotes that this approach is pessimistic. â€Å"Cultural exports not only restrict other countries’ development of their own production industries, but also, quite insidiously, manipulate and shape cultural values. (Mackay pg. 145). He does not believe that any good can come from knowledge being shared in this way. There is in his view, an adverse effect on different cultures generated by this method. Negroponti is optimistic about the introduction of the media sources. Internet allows us to have access to anything at any time of night or day. Everything in his view will flourish. He sees those entering the sector will grow and get better with time as the creation of new technologies advances through time. It has become easier to communicate with each other regardless of location. There has been an increase in dating sites which can be accessed at any time and by anyone. There has been a transformation from traditional conventional ideologies about what is termed intimacy. Due to media there are many more public arenas for the discussion of both personal and public relationships. â€Å"Cyberspace offers the possibility of the increased development of personal relationships in an apparent disembodied space† (Woodward pg. 191). There are fewer secrets held within the boundaries of relationships. This generates a freedom of self in a way whereby people can decide their identity. It can be suggested that this manner of communication allows those within society to talk openly about their lives as the information given is received by a faceless audience. This however does not always prove to be a beneficial factor as there is a threat of undesirable people choosing to become part of a society they would not ordinarily live within the realms of. There is no threat as to ones true identity, no questions require truthful answers. Intimate relationships were at one time kept secret from the public domain what went on behind closed doors stayed there. â€Å"Selling – point is the minutiae of the daily lives and personal relationships of the rich and famous†( Woodward pg. 186). Magazines make the most profit when they are selling stories about celebrities and the scandals associated with them . Giddens â€Å"transformation of intimacy† (Woodward pg. 201) shows that there has been a change socially within the realms of intimacy. He looks upon marriages as only being beneficial to the participating partners for as long as they gain fulfilment from it. He sees an increase in equality within marriages. â€Å"Relationships between women and men which aspire to the pure relationship are more equal, with men as well as women being concerned with the emotional quality of the relationship and being prepared to make investment in this form of intimacy† (Woodward pg. 201)Another factor suggested by Giddens is what he denotes as â€Å"Plastic sexuality† Women can decide if they want to reproduce and by what method they want to reproduce by. They are free to enter into sexual relationships without the threat of becoming pregnant. â€Å"This search for personal satisfaction through intimate relationships leads to greater reflexivity. † (Woodward pg 202. ) Giddens does not however, document accounts of those within ethnic minorities, or make reference to relationships whereby intimacy is achieved without closeness for example with the use of prostitution, thus not holding true to his assumptions on pure relationships. Intimacy can be between friends, it does not always involve partners having a sexual relationship. Lynn Jamieson believes that inequalities still remain within society. As she states â€Å"There are significant disjuncture between public and private stories about personal relations, especially in the context of the more optimistic variants of idealized discourses of transforming intimacies. (Woodward pg 203. ) Unlike Giddens she does not see equality within partnerships. Material circumstances account for much of the unhappiness that exists. Divorce rates are still high and in the majority of cases are instigated by the women. Another factor that challenges Giddens theory is that she suggests domestic violence is still concurrent and therefore shows the depths to which inequalities lie. In conclusion, we can see that social change has altered the organization of society. â€Å"Changes in the boundaries between public and private space. These boundaries are not fixed in time and space but are continually being redrawn and transgressed† (Woodward pg. 186). People adapt to changes and accustom themselves to their presence. From looking at the changes within space and time we can see how there has been a move from rural to industrialised society to the developing technology. We as a nation are aware of what is happening globally and it is easy to contact and communicate with others worldwide. We can acquire information about almost anything that interests us. There are no longer boundaries or space that can stop interaction with others. Time is no longer a barrier. Although there lies many debates and questions regarding social change the only thing that can be agreed upon is that there will always be changes within our society. Reference: Hugh Mackay cited in â€Å"Social Change† edited by Tim Jordan and Steve Pile, Open University Press, Milton Keynes 2002 Kath Woodward cited in â€Å"Social Change† edited by Tim Jordan and Steve Pile, Open University Press, Milton Keynes 2002 Lynn Jamieson, @From â€Å"the family† to sex and intimacy (1998) cited in â€Å"Social Change† edited by Tim Jordan and Steve Pile, Open University Press, Milton Keynes 2002 Word Count: 1550 approx

Cultural experience Essay

In preparation for this reflection, I began by thinking about what cultural event I would most like to attend, what would work for the assignment and what would also benefit me in my personal life by actually forcing me out of my comfort zone to experience things I never have before. Because Christianity is such a huge part of my life I immediately thought I would want to do something based on another religion since I’ve never really gone out of my religious comfort zone, but for this assignment I chose to go to a gay bar. The reason I chose to do this was because I have been raised as a Christian, I grew up in a very conservative town and while I support gay rights being around gay people is still something that is foreign and a little bit uncomfortable for me. My roommate also chose to use going to the gay bar for an assignment for her human sexuality class, so while knowing that I would have my roommate going with me made me a little bit more comfortable I still knew that t his would be something that pushed me way out of my comfort zone. We both live in Elkhart, Indiana so while we were home for spring break a gay friend of my roommates offered to take us to a club called â€Å"Metro† which is an 18 plus gay bar located in Kalamazoo, Michigan which is about 45 minutes away. Before going to the gay bar I was so nervous. As mentioned before, while I support gay rights I have not necessarily ever been exposed to them and I wasn’t sure at all what to expect. The bar that we went too isn’t strictly a gay bar so there would most likely be other straight people there but I had no idea how exactly to prepare myself for the situation. Because we were going with my roommate’s friend, who is gay, I knew I would feel a little more comfortable since we weren’t just walking in completely unprepared. I was worried what people would think of me when I went, if they would assume that I was gay. I didn’t know if it was normal for gay’s to take straight  friends with them, I was worried about how people would judge me. As I began to get ready for the night I wasn’t really too worried about what to wear, I just wore something that I would normally wear to go out but mentally I was less prepared than ever. I had no idea how I was supposed to act, what if it was awkward once I got there. Before we went my roommate and I met up with her gay friend and several of his friends. His friend group contained a mix of both gay and straight men and women who would be going to the bar with us so I immediately felt more comfortable, knowing that I wouldn’t be the only straight one other than my roommate. I expected the ride there to be awkward, considering I didn’t know anyone other than my roommate and she didn’t know anyone other than the one guy and me, but instead they were all so friendly and told us not to be nervous. Because we were going on a Saturday night they explained to us that there would probably be more gay’s there than the other nights of the week/weekend but that didn’t mean they would assume we were gay, and people were usually pretty good about asking before they hit on you. After the 45 minute drive there we finally arrived and walked in. As we walked in a realized that it wasn’t any different than any other bar would be (not that I’ve been in that many since I’m only 19) full of people, d ancing, music and drinking. The inside of the building was pretty big and there was plenty of room. Almost everybody there was dancing. The people we came with were all over 21 so they all went and got drinks while my roommate and I just hung out. It was a little overwhelming at first. There were definitely a lot of gay people around, dancing together, standing at the bar flirting, and just hanging out with groups of people. Eventually we started to loosen up a little bit, while I didn’t really talk and get to know a lot of gay people I was complimented by a lot of them. During our time there we pretty much just hung out and danced in the group that we came with. A few of the people that we came with went off and danced with other people, but because I still felt a little uncomfortable and awkward we didn’t really venture to far apart from our group and go dance with anyone else or anything. I think it would have a been a very different experience if we had gone when w e were 21 and could drink at the bar, I think it would have changed the experience a little bit. We arrived at the bar at a little bit after 10 which is when the dance floor opened and stayed until around 1 in the morning. Examine The part of this experience that was the most compelling to me was almost the sense of community that I felt was just there between the gay community. Like there were a lot of groups of people there that night that didn’t even know each other, but you would never guess that by the way they acted like they had been friends for years. Even towards me and my roommate who they didn’t know, was just some straight stranger walking in and â€Å"observing† them they were so nice and accepting. They were willing to let us into their environment, knowing that we were not a part of it and I felt no judgment or anything. My fears that I had felt earlier in the day before going were put to rest, while some people were unusually friendly to me no girls really tried to hit on me, which was really relieving. As mentioned above, the most shocking thing I noticed was the community, or the way they socialized with and accepted themselves and each other. I think that at the roots of everything its amazing how well they have a grasp on who they are, and who they want others to see them. Because being gay is looked down upon in many parts of our society that makes them part of an oppressed group. Not only are gay’s an oppressed group but I also saw varying degrees of sexism. Because the gay community also includes transgender people as well. This forced me to think past my original understanding of gender. On page 318 of the book it talks about how gender is a social construct, meaning that gender is something that society defines which was really different when you read about it and see it in person. In person seeing someone who doesn’t associate with the â€Å"gender† they are born with is something that you don’t really understand until you experience it in person. Articulate Learning By attending this event I learned a lot more about the gay community than I could ever learn from a textbook. They really are a very close knit community. Their community is a lot different than what we observe in our day to day life. In normal everyday life when we see members of the gay community on the street they are treated differently, they are looked out as outcasts and they are oppressed but seeing them in this environment gave me an entirely differently outlook on them and made me respect them a lot more. The reason this matters is because I am certain that there are other people just like me who feel uncomfortable, uneasy and unsure around people that they haven’t really been around before. Because of the way I was raised I was taught to believe being gay was wrong, so I was never really around them very often so I was unexposed and uneducated about them entirely. I think it was really good for me to experience this because it made me realize that they really aren’t that different than everyone else. The most important thing I took away from this experience was that contrary to what I personally have been taught to believe, what society has forced us to think they are not horrible awful people. They are people just like me who have been oppressed and faced many challenges to get to where they’re at now and they still don’t receive the respect and benefits that they deserve in our country. I took away that it is important for me to for that very reason it is important for me to form my own beliefs and not just go off of what everyone around me has told me. References Adams, M. (2007). Introduction. In Adams M., Blumenfeld W.J., Castaà ±eda C.R., Hackman H.W., Peters M.L., & Zà ºÃƒ ±iga X., Readings for Diversity and Social Justice. New York: Routledge.

The Soprano’s Glorification Throughout time social issues

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Soprano’s Glorification Throughout time social issues The Soprano's Glorification Throughout time social issues have plagued every society. In our Modern times many social problems can be seen personified through our television sets. The most recent of these television programs to showcase these problems is through the life of Tony Soprano, in HBO's The Soprano's. David Simon brings an interesting perspective when exploring the criminal side of the American Dream, in his book Tony Soprano's America. In addition, argues The Soprano's is a metaphor for the ills of our contemporary American Life showing how we are all disillusioned, alienated, and alone. In the book, Simon explains how The Soprano's is the microcosm of America where we glorify Tony as a liar, a cheater and a bigot, but nonetheless love him.Family dysfunction is the first of the social problems personified in the book. How is it that in today's society the average couple that is married between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four has a seventy-five percent divorce rate.Soc ial Problems

Comment Etiquette

Comment Etiquette Comment Etiquette Comment Etiquette By Maeve Maddox Paul Krugman, in his capacity of Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times, recently felt the need to remind his readers to stay on topic when commenting on his posts. The admonition to stay on topic is found in every article on the subject of web comment etiquette. etiquette: the customary code of polite behavior in society; good manners. â€Å"Stay on topic† is one of the five basic rules offered by the editors at WordPress.com: 1. Be specific. 2. Don’t leave a link. 3. Stay on topic. 4. Be nice. 5. Keep it brief. In Online Community Management for Dummies, Deborah Ng offers a longer list of rules; â€Å"stay on topic† is in there, as are these two useful recommendations: Practice respectful disagreement, not personal attacks. Be brief and don’t turn every comment into your own personal blog post. In her article â€Å"Are You a Blog Hog?†, blogging coach Molly Greene gives this definition of a â€Å"blog hog†: You might be a blog hog if you hijack someone else’s blog and use your comment to toot your own horn, discuss your accomplishments ad infinitum without being asked, hog the thread, dominate the conversation vs. join it, or take it upon yourself to jump in and reply to every question or comment other visitors make. She follows this definition with specific remedies for bloghogitis. Two of her recommendations are to tailor comment length to the type of post being responded to, and to avoid turning the comment into a lengthy rewrite of what the author of the blog has already written. Although the term â€Å"blog hog† isn’t used, Leigh Alexander seems to be describing one in an article about the kinds of comment people leave: The Person Who Wants To Talk About Something Else Entirely. This individual typically devotes several paragraphs to a personal anecdote tangentially related to a sentence or two in the article. They seem oblivious to the fact that they are spiraling off into their own universe. Readers’ comments are a valuable addition to a blog. The most appreciated comments are the good-natured ones that focus on the post topic. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Idioms About Legs, Feet, and ToesTelling a Good Poem from a Bad One13 Theatrical Terms in Popular Usage

Revealing Clothes and Show of Skin

Revealing Clothes and Show of Skin Hashtag: #MexicansProblemsAtSchool Revealing Clothes and Show of Skin There are numerous #MexicansProblemsAtSchool but the most interesting in this circumstances are not the usual funny but noisy classmates, the  inadequacy of school facilities, and others but teacher’s inappropriate physical appearance. In particular, the negative impact of a â€Å"mucho caliente† or â€Å"very hot† English teacher and obese physical education teacher on students’ learning and individual belief on the health benefits of physical education. Many will agree that teaching is an ethically challenging profession as it involves satisfying social and cultural expectations. Normally, since young people are considered the most vulnerable to the effect of power imbalances, their teacher as both professional and social model is bound to follow well-defined moral behaviors, dress code and assume a certain personality. Moreover, since people in most cultures judge a person’s morality in the way he or she behave, dress, and physical looks, teachers dress conservatively and avoiding flirty or provoking sexy looks and dresses. Many schools have dress codes for teachers in order to maintain a professional demeanor and achieve a level of classroom decorum helpful to student achievement. In reality, it can be very difficult to young male students to focus on schoolwork if their teacher is dressed seductively. In order to maintain a favorable learning atmosphere, dress codes commonly restrict wearing revealing clothes and limit the amount of skin a female teacher can show. Want to know more? Go here: Learning from Budget Books The Scientific Basis for Defining Seasons Are Plagiarism and Censorship Having Something in Common? Yasar Kemal is a Master of Word Who and What Deserve Respect Practicing What You Preach Most physical education teachers are athletic but not in Mexico. Obese physical education teachers are in fact #MexicansProblemsAtSchool that need to be addressed. Obesity, in essence, is a lack of professional development and since students’ acceptance of their teacher as a source of health information or one with admirable wellness status they can emulate; an obese physical education teacher is undoubtedly useless. Similar to dress code, teachers are expected to epitomize good health so that by examples, students will be encouraged to mimic their behavior and attitudes. How can an obese teacher promote health and well-being in school when he is unconcerned about the danger of obesity and living an unhealthy lifestyle? Similarly, since it will be difficult for students to accept that there are health benefits in physical education. A physically fit PE teacher according to study is a model that promote a positive attitude toward physical education and physical activity. This is because overweight/obese students with non-obese PE teacher are more enthusiastic about physical education, more concern about their health, and confident about the positive effect of physical activity on weight loss. It is thus important for teachers to practice what they preach and become a good model for students to emulate. There is nothing wrong with being fashionable but teaching is an ethical profession that demands self-restriction and observance of socially and culturally acceptable norms. Since teachers are expected to maintain a professional demeanor and create a learning atmosphere, distractions such as seductive clothing or looks must be avoided at all cost. Similarly, as the credibility of the source of health information is critical to the development of students’ positive attitude towards physical education and activity, a physical education teacher must be mindful of his own health and credible enough to demonstrate the health benefits of physical activity.

Reading summaries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reading summaries - Essay Example For example, it could be said that teenage mothers are actually unhealthy in different aspects. Their present condition may be attributed to unaddressed dysfunctions in their emotional lives as well as family lives. Having emotional dysfunction then makes them more vulnerable to other dysfunctions in society that culminate in their making the wrong decision. According to Lupton (2012), different classes of women interpret the expectations of society in different ways. For women who have financial support, and are not unduly worried about making good salaries, they may welcome the advice to discipline their bodies and define any strictures as health-inducing. For women who have few resources, though, encouraging a discipline-based regiment will merely seem to be yet another additional burden that they have to bear. According to Macvarish (2010), teenage mothers will have a different definition of health that is based on their experiences in life. In the absence of a real depiction of what constitutes real health, they are more likely to define health as being a state of being that is defined by luck, and not any behaviors of self-preservation maintained on an individual’s