Monday, September 30, 2019

Assignment on Cell Phone Essay

â€Å"Watson, come here: I want you.† This was the first message ever transmitted from one place to another, through a device called Telephone. Alexander Graham bell the American genius along with his assistant Thomas Watson invented this machine in 1876. It was March 10, 1876, an important day for the human civilization when this great machine was invented and it was the first step towards developing the means of communication. Since then we have come across a long way. Various means were added to the means of communication. Today, telephone is a part of our everyday life. Besides telephone, mobile phones are playing a great role to communicate massages from one place to another. It has become an integral part of life in all over the world. Today, telecommunication is one the major part of life. Nowadays, phone is not only using for making calls, among many other functions it’s used for text messaging, multimedia messaging and also even to connect us to the internet. Due to its various functionality it has a greater impact not only in the economy as well as in the society. Bangladesh is talking like never before. The phenomenal growth of the telecom industry over the last two decades has considerable changed the way people interact. The impact is seen among all spheres of people in Bangladesh. But the most significant impact is seen among the young users of cell phone. Telecommunications allows better access to services that enhance a society’s health and wellbeing such as healthcare and social services. Amongst the many implications of research is that poor and rural populations benefit most from mobile telephony because they are least likely to have alternatives. In view of this, the cross subsidies in Bangladesh from mobile to fixed users, from the poor to the rich, are especially damaging. There are a number of ways that mobile services can promote cohesion in families and society. For example, a cheap mobile service allows families and communities to remain as a coherent unit when family members are away for long periods. In cases where a family member is abroad either temporarily or permanently it allows the family unit to remain intact as well as generating inbound international call revenues. Due to intense competition among the operators, every company is trying to provide cheap call rate which is benefiting the users. Young people are benefitting most in this regard since they lack income sources. A cheap mobile service keeps them in touch with families and relatives thus strengthening social bodings. But every coin has two faces. The telecommunication companies in our country have been inclined towards introducing new and alternative packages for young people like Djuice & Bondhu by Grameenphone, Desh by Banglalink, Shorol by Robi and many more. The question arises why companies are so aggressively coming up with such packages without the social mobilization to check the mindset of youth. How they are facilitating their users by such packages which offer lower call rate at midnight. Except on very urgent occasions ordinarily no one would like to talk after midnight. In our youth segment the majority is student community that is spell bounded by these packages. They are losing their essence of their studies. They are derailing and deviating themselves. They are getting away for their goals, destinies and motives. Their minds are becoming stagnant and static. Creativity and innovation is blocked by the consistent telephonic conversations spread over the whole of night. They are losing their interest towards the interactions and sociality. Alienation is increasing within small community or groups of people. In home young hardly get time to spend with their parents. In one room of hostels all four members are strangers to one another. They never try to tie up the relation because they don’t have a pinch of time. By talking whole night with opposite sex, they are getting psychologically weak and pressured. There are more other physical disorders also experiencing by the youth due to spending the precious time which is needed for compulsory rest, relaxation, relief and mental health. Due to spending whole nights over phone the absenteeism is skyrocketing in every profession. They are going far and far away from the hold of families. They tell lies and have false communication with their parents thus seriously jeopardizing the social relationship. They are deceiving the decisions, trust and expectations of their parents. They are traveling towards the lone parent family system in which one is not accountable to anyone and he is the only decision maker. Suck kind of behavior is leading towards the social fragmentation and terrible decline of moral values in which respect is core one. Even their mental approach is revolving around sexual satisfaction. Other emotions and sentiments are pushed oblivion, they are forgetting that there are so many matters that need their kind attention. Which are making them socially challenged. The mobile companies have every right to work out innovative packages offering greater value of money to their customers. But they should not making profits by compromising on the interest of young generation. Youth spend a huge amount of money on mobile cellular services annually. Major amounts of their disposable income are going to the mobile telecom companies. In the name of competition companies are aggressively promoting their offerings without considering the welfare of the youth. Therefore, we all have to realize the worth and well being of our youth.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Compare the characters and beliefs of Lenin and Stalin Essay

1: Compare the characters and beliefs of Lenin and Stalin. Both Lenin and Stalin had similar characters, they were very ambitious in terms of politician as they always aimed to achive more and more, they would do everything whatà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s in their power to be much more powerful than they were already, this power would give them pore strengh within their posts. This ambition could be determined. Along their lives they had always someone hanging around them to take advantage of any possible opportunity to get nearer and nearer of becoming their most dilligent and efficient workers. Lenin and Stalin had colleagues and followers rather than friends. A clear example which justifies this fact is that Stalin itself was always beside Lenin in order to become his successor. We can argue that both of them gave entirely to politics no matter for what they were fighting for, if it was beneficial or not to Russia, but at the same time it is to say that if someone who suggested their capability or qualities as a leader they would have serious problems. Overall they were both very humourless. Evidence which proves my idea is that almost everyone did whay ever they wanted them to do, their supporters were committed to do what both Lenin and Stalin told them to do, if they didnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t obey their orders they could be involved in serious problems with them. Not only they could be punished severely but they also used the terror, especially Stalin. No one could even disagree with them, everyone had to demonstrate that they were doing the correct things at all times. They stopped others to express themselves and their personal opinions. Generally people who opposed them were arrested, and perhaps send to prison. Lenin and Stalin, have demonstrated that they were intolerant, evident information to support this fact is the stubborn mind they were constructed of, and all was to be done immediately and whenever they wished to, not only they were possed by an intolerant character they were also very ruthless, especially Stalin who changed radically and became a ruthless politician. Despite the fact that Stalin reveal and developed much more this à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ quality,à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ we can prove this statement as reliable information due to their ruthless methods and terror to stay in power. However they did not lack ability or at least thatà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s what they showed us. One of the key points which allowed them to stay in power apart from having clear ideas since they were the leaders was their excellent leadership qualities. The strong leadership helped the Soviet Union to win the Second world War. Despite all these similarities they obviously had clear differences. Stalin showed to be personally ambitious, whereas Lenin didnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t reach up to that extend, Lenin was modest and not personally ambitious. Stalin was both. Evidence which proves that Stalin was in fact too ambitious, is when he aimed to have the entire control over everything and everyone, he wanted to control peopleà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s minds. The power was one thing with which Stalin gave his most to achieve it. We can also spot out, Stalinà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s rudeness, I can back up this information from the fact that Stalin in a state of anger had the à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ bravenessà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ of insulting Leninà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s wife, or at least thatà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s what Lenin said. Although Lenin could also insult someone in a state of anger he had demonstrated to be a little less rude. Lenin was regarded as having excellent qualities as a speaker. Stalin sometimes showed to obey this quality, but at the same time he was not an intellectual or an inspiring speaker such as Lenin. The difference is that Lenin did reflect this quality fully, he showed more co-ordination. A nother difference to add to this list is that Lenin proved to be a very good speaker, evidence for this is when he made that speech demanding for various conditions, later it became known as the April Theses. Lenin argued that there should be a second revolution ( socialist revolution ), but obviously determined. Stalin lacked of patience, loyalty, politness and he wasnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t consirate towards anyone except himself, although Lenin did obey some of this points he wasnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t rude and demonstrated in various ways that he had some manners, or at least he didnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t go insulting other peopleà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s wifes and he also was a loyal man. As part of Leninà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s character we may say that he was a modest man, although Stalin didinà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t lack this à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½qualityà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ he was in less proportions a modest man. It was Stalin more than Lenin who had organised and expanded the Communist Party so that it could rule this empire. The result was a cruel distatorship which moulded the careers of all the future leaders of the Soviet Union. In terms of beliefs, this section could divide in two parts. In first place the common beliefs they had and in second place in what they disagreed. The similarities these two figures had were in first place the use of terror that Stalin and Lenin employed as a political weapon in different circumstances: Lenin resorted to terror when the Bolshevik regime was fighting for survival, but at the same time of Stalinà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s purges there was no major internal thereat to the regime. Both of them believed in Communism, Socialism and in Revolution. Evidence which proves this believe of revolution was when for example Lenin argued that there should be a second revolution due to that demanding speech he made, known as the April Theses. Stalin and Lenin seemed to have not much confident in the Russians because thay unbelieved that the russians could build a Communist State in the USSR without the help of the people from outside. Another clear similarity between Lenin and Stalin is that they only believed in themselfs, they didnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t put up with oppositon and refused to work with the people. Generally, they knew how to support opposition.Adding to this that they were prepared to see people die in order to stay in power, I can back up this information from the fact that Stalin introduced the collectivisation policy, without taking in account what people thought about this idea. The differences these two figures had were: At all time Lenin showed that his actions and principles were the principles of the people, totally different from Stalin who in most times showed that he only aimed to obtain his own benefits. I can back up this information from the fact that he had no consideration at the time of introducing the collectivisation policy which ended with thousands of peopleà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s lives, and this was not all, he knew from the start that many peasants opposed the idea, but he didnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t care. Another clear difference is that Lenin was committed to one-party rule, but, unlike Stalin, he did not ( and did not seek to ) exercise a personal dictatorship. Lenin had good political judgement, whereas Stalin couldnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t see much further from his ambitious aim of becoming more powerful without caring about the Russians, he did everything which was in his power to meet his proposals. Lenin had ideals which he never fully abandned, Stalin could change his mind very quickly. Lenin strongly believed that the revolutionaries had to be rock hard. Lenin believed strongly in the NEP, whereas Stalin only said to outmanoevre his opponents. Afterwards, Stalin later abandoned the NEP. 2: Assess the impact that Lenin had on Russia and the Russian people. For the Russian people we must say that Lenin took the right path when he decided to introduce the NEP. He introduced the NEP in order to improve the economic situation in Russia. Otherwise the Communists would not be able to survive. Lenin said that the NEP would give the Soviet Union a à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ breathing spaceà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ to get back on his feet. The Nepmen set up restaurants and made enormous amounts of money. The majority realised that these measures were needed to revive industry and get more food production, therefore the shortages of food would be temporaly stopped until they would recover completely, so food would be no more rationed. The NEP brought: Grain requisitioning was stopped and no longer would grain be taken from the peasants by force, which was excellent. Information which proves the grain increase is that in 1913 the cattle production was os 58.9 millions and in 1925 it was recordered of 62.1 millions, taking in account that in 1922 it was of 45.8 million. From 1925 the Kulaks could hire people to work for them. Also, private trde and traders were allowed (NEP men.)Lenin called the heavy industry and transport the à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½commanding heights of the economyà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. Businessmen could take advantage of the situation because they could set up small, privetely own factories and workshops. Furtheremore, a new currency was introduced backed by gold. The NEP lasted until 1928 and Russia generally became more prosperous. Undoubtedly the NEP played a big role in improving the general economic situation. Living conditions in Russia had enormously improved in the past two years. Evidenci which proves the success of the Nep because it was estimated that upward of 250,000 private traders have migrated to Moscow since the NEP was introduced. The NEP leaded to an increase of harvests and food production, foreign trade did also see an increase. In general the workers were happier because bonuses and wages increase therefore they were becoming richer. reduced inflation and working conditons were better off. Due to the NEP the relationship between the government and the peasants improved. Adding to this the improvement in transport because it was helped by the import of a thousand locomotives from Sweden and Germany. The population in general felt more prosperous. Another positive aspect Lenin did during his rule was the Labour Law he introduced. This entitled eight-hour day this meant that workers had much more freedon in concentrating in their personal lives and they were able to spent more time with their families. Workers could have two weeks paid holiday each year. They also had insurance benefits such as sich pay, unemployment was also paid in order to allow workers continue feeding their respectives families, furthermore there was old age pensions. This Law did in fact benefit all the workers who some of them saw this as a motivation, and all carried out their taks efficiently and obediently. Without this Law workers would have had to suffer much more than some of them did,before this Law was introduced workers had a lot of economic problems and many workers and their respectives families died because they had no money to pay for food. This Law was a firmly evidence that demonstrated that Lenin did also thought about the workers future. Despite all these good things Lenin did also brought pain for the Russian people. Action which proves this information is the War Communism which later lead to the Civil War. The real question is why? Lenin was to run the government and to organise food and industrial production in the Red – area. It was mainly introduced because it was crucial to keep the Red Army supplied, so to keep this, Lenin adopted the policy of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½War Communism.à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ We could consider a few aspects of War Communism. In first place, all factories with more tham ten workers were nationalised – government controlled it, furtheremore the Vesenkha decided what each industry produced. The government imposed his authority and had all the workres under his control. In factories there was military discipline including the death penalty for strikers. Another important aspect is that the unemployed people joined the à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Labour Armies.à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Peasants had to give their surplus food to the government and they could not sell a profit, and private trading was banned. The government allowed money to lose its value through inflation, abolished rents, railway fares, postal charges and many other payments. It is to say that the peopleà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s response was quite negative. Inside the Communist Party, a group called the Workerà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s Opposition called for the trade unions to be given back the freedom they had lost under War Communism. The sailors who had always been the stongest supporters of the revolution, so their discontent with the Communists rule that they put forward a series of demands. War Communism lead to: Civil War. The 30 May 1918,the Communists found themselves under attack. They only controlled a small part of Russia and their enemies were determined that they should not remain in power for long. This was the beginning of a vicious civil war which was to tear Russia apart. The struggle was between the Reds (Bolsheviks or Communists)and the Whites(opponents of the Bolsheviks – nobles, democrats, Mensheviks and Socialist.) The reds only aim was to stay in power so that they could build the new Socialist Society. Th whites aim was to defeat the Bolsheviks. The Whites had the advantage of support from foreign powers suh as Britain, France, Japan and the USA, along with several other countries. Their governments did not want to see Bolshevism spread out in Europe. By the end of 1918 the Civil War was not going well for the Reds, they suffered a series of defeats.It was in the middle of 1919 that the real test came, by this time the Reds began to succeed. 1919 was decisive. Despite the fact that the Reds were not going well since the Civil War started they won it. Partly because they controlled Moscow, Petrograd and other major industrial cities. People saw them as defending Russiaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s national interest against the foreign powers which were supporting the Whites AND the Whites ha no single leader nor a set unified aims other than the defeat of the Bolsheviks. In general both sides were in guilty of atrocities. With both War Communism and the Civil War,brought loads of pain to the Russians. War Communism lead to many major problems. In the towns Lenin put in his own managers, and strict discipline was imposed on the workers. Trade Unions were not allowed, and workers were prevented from leaving the cities. Furtheremore, food was rationed and people could only get a ration card if they were working. The only other possible way of getting food was through the illegal Black Market.In the countryside there was adesperate need of getting food for the workers, since the peasants were unwilling to sell their grain for money which had no value. Many peasants decided to produce less grain, because they thought it would simply be taken away. So the situation got worse. Overall this was a shedow of thr Red terror. People opposing the government were arrested and shot withour trial or sent to labour camps. Many workers and peasants began to think that the workerà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s state was worse than the government of the Tsar which they had been so pleased to get rid of. Despite the fact that Russia had been affected with both negative and positive actions which Lenin did, we have to analyse the consequences (bad and good) Lenin provoked to Russia. In first place, I will analyse the bad things he brought for Russia. War Communism lead to a disatrous results. By 1921, the economy of Russia was in ruins. In dustrial production had fallen disastrously under War Communism. The cities were in chaos. Adding to this that agirculture also collapsed. Grain requestioning had led to low harvests which at the same time led to famine. Evidence which proves that industrial output felled was that in 1913 there was 29 millions of tons of coal and by 1921 it had fallen to 9 million tons or even electicity which by 1913 there was 2039 million kWH and by 1921 therewas just 520 million kWH. Even more a massive international aid corporation was mounted. Lenin had promised to end the War. And he did. But at what cost? Yes, Lenin got his peace but his poor judgement and obsession with ending the War lead to a very harsh treaty, the treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Leninà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s theory was to obtain peace at any price, this was an idea which Lenin took too far. Lenin sent Trotsky to meet the Germans to negotiate a peace treaty. Trotsky walked out of the talks because the Germans demanded too much territory. He said there would be à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½no peace, no war.à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ However,Lenin sent him back, because he was sure that the Bolsheviks would stay in power only if the war could be ended quickly. The result was a harsh Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918.Lenin would do everuthing whatà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s in his power to achieve his proposals. Russia suffered a lot since the treaty was signed because due to this treaty Russia lost: 62 million people, which meant one-sixth of the population,which at the same time meant a loss in general production which would then lead to famine. Russia also lost 27% of farm land, some of the best in Russia. It also meant a 26% of railways and a 74% of iron ore and coal. This treaty only brought more pain to the russian country, so thins went even worse. This reflects Lenin political ambition to aim more amd more in order to meet his proposals. Things went so wrong that Lenin now had the sailors who had been their supporters at all times were now going against them. This was mainly because Lenin established a dictatorship therefore the sailors were now opposing them. They said that à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½life under the yoke of the Communists dictatorship has become more terrible than death.à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ As we all know the Red Kronatadters had been strong supporters of the Bolsheviks during the 1917 Revolution. By 1921 things changed, these were not the same men. After anlaysing the negative side that Lenin adopted towards the country, we have to say the positive aspects he toook in order to make Russia a developed country in all terms. We have to say that the NEP was one thing he did correctly. With the NEP Russia generally became more prosperous, the NEP played a very important role in improving the general economic situation. Apart from all the industrial, agricultural benefits this lead to, one of the main important things was electrification. Electrification was one step forward. Lenin was enthusiastic with the idea of technological innovation and saw electric power as the key to modernising the Soviet Union. He gave a great network of power station which would provide the power for modern large-scale industry. Lenin believed electric power would change things so much that he said that.à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Soviet power plus electrification equals Communism.à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Another very important aspect of the NEP was the foreign trade, the NEP encouraged foreign countries, which had refused to trade with Soviet Russia before 1921. Western countries hoped that the move back to private trade and profit – capitalism – meant the failure of Communists ideas. An Anglo – Soviet trade agreement in 1921 marked the beginning of increased trade with the West which gave a great boost to the Soviet economy. There were exchanges of Western industrial goods for the Russians oil and similar products. Thse were some examples which back up the idea that the NEP had been successful. Lenin demonstrated with the April Theses that he would sopport the Bolsheviks for ever. Lenin changed the whole course of the revolution. The Germans were pleased to see him, hoping that he could cause trouble for the Russian government. They gave him money and put him in a special sealed train which the destinaton was Petrograd. The Germans were right. Lenin did cause a stir and he did make trouble. The first thing Lenin did when he arrived was a speech demanding four main issues. He said that there should be no co – operation with the Provisional Government. Lenin demanded that war should be ended immediately. Furtheremore the land should be given to the peasants, and the final point, Lenin had been clear enough to understand his demands, that the Soviets should take power. These points in Leninà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s speech were later written up as the April Theses, in which Lenin argued there should be a second revolution. Lenin died in January 1924, aged 53. Lenin had been in poor health since an assasination attempt in 1918. In 1922 Lenin suffered the first of a series of strokes and from that time onwards it was clear that he was dying. He could work but his role became less and less influential. After Leninà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s death, a à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Lenincultà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ developed in Soviet Russia. His image was everywhere, in statues, plaques and posters. Petrograd was renamed Leningrad in his honour. Some loyal Communists in the 1920à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s even christened their newborn daughters à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Ninelà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½- Lenin spelt backwards. Leninà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s body was not buried but was put on a display in a specially built MAUSOLEUM. The à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Lenin cultà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ survived for as long as Soviet Russia itself. Later in the 1940à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s a biography of Lenin called him à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½the greatest genious of all times and of all nations, master of all the treasures of human knowledge.à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ This acts revealed the complete love and admiration the Russians felt towards him. Despite all the bad things he did he was considered as a superior human being. 3: Assess the impact that Stalin had on Russia and the Russian people. For the country, Stalin introduced the collectivisation policy, which was a great disater. Agriculture was still backwars. Most farms were small, because of the way land had been shared out after the Revolution. The idea was that they worked together and share everything, including what the farm produced. Some of the produce would be sold to the state at a lowprice and , in return, the state would provide agricultural machinery such as tractors, and help the peasants to farm more efficiently. Most of the peasants opposed the ideas because thay werenà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t sure of having enough bread to eat. With they other system they were sure that they wonà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t starve because they kept all what they prodUced and they didnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t had to share with anyone. Peasants like the feeling of independance. Knowing all this Stalin didnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t even bother to analyse the situation before taking a decision. He knew from the strart that many peasants oppose the idea of collectivisation, but he didnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t care. The evidence that shows this error are the disastrous results. Factories were making very few goods for sale in the shops. Things were expensive an had to be rationed. There was a lot of discontent within the Russian inhabitants. Furtheremore there was a strict code of labour discipline and tough punishments. Central planning was not very efficient, some of the goods produced were almost unusable because they had been turned out so quickly by untrained workers. In general collectivisation was a huge mistake. In order to prove that Stalin was too selfish and ambtitious, it is to say that he used force, terror and persuassion to achieve his proposals. One sign of terror were the purges, the omly aim of this purges was to get rid of all the people who might oppose him, particularly the Bolsheviks who had been important in the past. Stalinà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s method was to accuse them for the murders of the people, such as Kirivà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s deathe who Stalin accused Kamenev and Ziniviev. Afterwards they were put on a trial, in view of the world, which were called the à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½show trials,à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½which were broadcast on radio. Getting confessions was imporatant. Confessions showed that the state and Stalin were right – a conspiracy did exist. Denouncing was a good way of accusing people. Denounciations usually led to arrest nd torture. Under torture, people often made confessions implicating others, who would then be arrested in their return. Once more the purges were a symbol of Stalinà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s cruelty and evilness with what he was characterised. This symbol represents the panic and terror he introduced in the russians and that he would obtain the whole control of eveything and everyone no matter at what cost, or who had to die in response. Stalin was prepared to see people die. The purges tooj away thousands of deaths. Evenmore, Stalin got rid of some of the Soviet Unionà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s best brains, such as Bukharin, who Stalin considered as a threat. He also got rid of the best thinkers, writers, artists who could have produced brilliant work in many fields. If all these deaths wouldnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t have been carried out, probably Russia hadnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t had to confront so many problems. We can know focus on the some of the positive things Stalin gave Russia. First of all, Stalin managed to turn Russia into a powerful nation, modern industrial in 30 years. Despite all the problems there had been with the collectivisation policy, Stalin was able to recover Russia from economic, industrial and agricultural dilemmas. Stalin also gave Russia some hopes, with the industrial policy. Stalin ended the NEP and began a series of Five Year Plans. These plans were highly ambitious. Since the aim was to make Russia powerful, the Plans concentrated on heavy industry, like in iron and steel, hydroelectricity and coal – mining. The second Plan was to develop transport. Thousands of dirty traks were turned into metaled rocks. New waterawys and airports, these airports allowed to travel the length and Breadth of the country. This second Plan gave industry top priority. It is to mention that communications became important to link cities and industrial centres. The third Plan ran 3 years, when Russia entered the Second World War,at the same time ended with the German invasion in 1941. Stalin reintroduced single managers to run the state enterprises and factories. The ides of work was left behind. Managers which did well were highly rewarded. Magnitogorsk built in the Urals and Western Siberis, were rich in minerals. To encourage people, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Stakhanovitesà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ gave honours and extra rations. This policy of industrialisation saved Russia in the Second World War. For the Russians we have also to analyse both negative and positive things Stalin brought. In terms of bad points, he introduced the terror and fear within the Russiaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s inhabitants. One way of making the russians suffer was through the workers therefore their respective families would also suffer their problems. Stalin kept wages low, and were usually used as incentives. Wages were usually paid according to how much was produced. Skilled workers could get up four times the wages of their unskilled comrades, which was an unfair thing to do. Stain also punished the workers. Not all people responded to propaganda campaigns, and measures were introduced to deal with slackers. The fear of being accused of sabotage and sent to labour camps encouraged workers to carry out their tasks obediently. There was also a strict code of discipline with tough punishments such as absenteeism. Another important aspect to consider was the idea Stalin had in case that things werenà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t wrong, he would in return blame the workers.The labour camps knwn as Gulags, were at the centre of Stalinà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s programme of terror. People feared being sent to them almost as much as being shot. Few survived the harsh conditions there which meant distroyed families. The conditions were severe in extreme. The Gulags took the peasants accused of being kulaks or who resisted collectivisation and the workers accused of sabotage and à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½wrecking,à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ which was common by those days. These people were often used as forced labour to clear ground for industrial towns or for big projects. Things werenà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t so wrong that after the purges began, the labour camps were filled up with political prisioners. There were also womanà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s and childrenà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s camps. Education laws one problem the Russians had to suffer. Education was strictly controlled. Old forms of discipline and examinations had been abolished. This created unruly, poorly educated puplis. One way it had been reflected Stalinà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s importance was through education. As history was particularly important, as the 1930à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s went on, it was rewritten to suit Stalin. Whatà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s more significant is the simple issue that Stalin had a book. Due to the strict control some of the childrens remaind unskilled and without too much knowledge, thismeant that in a future those children would find it dificult to find a job. Employment was a very important matter, and if you were unemplyed you would hardly find one which suited to their ability. In the positive aspects there was two main issues, the industrial policy and the living standards began to rise. The government put a lot of resources into building and health service. This favoured the peole and even les people were left without shelter. Housing was not a problem any more, and in general the population was happy of having somewhere to live. The industrial policy was what Russia needed to recover well from the collectivisation policy. This was in general a great success and brought hopes within the Russians. Weà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve also got to spot out that there were advances in medicine, which meant that heakth care was being supervised in detail and therefore the death rate decreased due to those advances, which also led to a general happiness so it was a good way of keeping people healthy. A field in which Stalin seemed a bit interested was in the leisure activity. Sport and fitness were encouraged to improve the general health of men and women. Trade unions and collective farms played a big role in providing clubs,sports facilities, film shows, festivals and general entertainment. If we sum all these aspects we may see that ,although, Stalin didnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t worry about the Russian, we must admit that he showed to be worried about them, and introduced many leisure innovations, this would keep the Russians happy, and for a while they wouldnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t protest. Coming from Stalin this was a great success and improvement. 4: Who do you think was the more important figure in Russian history, Lenin or Stalin? Explain your answer. Before judging who had the better impact, if that means the most important, we have to make an overall view and see who gave Russia the best facilities and needs and who caused the less impact for both Russia and the Russian people. I canà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t make a precise overview of who was the most important because I didnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t lived in those days, and I think that you can never make a judgement of a person reliying your opinion in some information. The information we have nowadays about these two figures isnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t enogh to determine who was the most important of the two, but having the information we have previously seen, I will try to create a fair judgement of both Lenin and Stalin. So we canà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t be at all harsh at the time of analysing each of them. We only have to be a bit realistic and give your sincere opinion of both of them, and come to a fair conclusion with the information provided. In a way we have enough information of who and what things they separat ely did wrong along their lives, as politicians and leaders of Russia. If more important means who had the better impact, it is to say that both Lenin and Stalin were prepared to see millions of Russians suffer and die for their ideals. Basing my opinion on the facts, the information provides, we can come to the conclusion that Stalin was a violent man and his policy of solving problems was through terror, fear and violence. If the suspicions of the people who thought that Stalin was the intellectual murderer of the people who opposed him, and sometimes the direct murderer, is true, I would personally think that Stalin had a twisted mind. In terms of good things, I think that both Lenin and Stalin did more or less the same for their country, although, the industrial policy of Stalin had been one of the most important issue. Historians have given different interpretations of Leninà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s rule of Russia between 1917 and 1924. Often, these are connected with the political views of the historians. Soviet and Marxists historians have praised Leninà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s achievements as the founder of the Soviet state; for them, he could do no wrong. Historians in the West have mixed views. Some have seen him as a tyrant who seized power for his own ends and inflicted terrible suffering on th Russian people. A clear evidence that may show to who did the Russians adore and appreciate most, is just the one issue that after Leninà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s death Petrograd was remaned Leningrad. So, despite the fact that Lenin also did things wrong, the people had demonstrated the opposite thing. Whereas the historians only have one opinion of Stalin, they believe he carried with the work of Lenin, and that he took things further. I personally think that Lenin brought more hopes to the Russians but at the same time they were very close together of doing the same things, it was balanced. Or if the most important means the who had the negative impact, I seriously think that they were very similar in a way. But when we look and compare these two figures I have to say that Stalin got rid of opponents and some of the bests brains at the time, such as Bukharin, who was a clear opponent of Stalin. In the negative side of Stalin it reflects that he used more violent methods. If we look at the negative side of Lenin, it shows that he did also used terror and fear policies in order to meet their proposals. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Every ingredient of what has become known as Stalinism save one – murdering fellow Communists – he (Stalin) had learned from Lenin, and that includes the two actions for which he is most severely condemned: Collectivisation and mass terror. Stalinà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s megalomania†¦ and his other odious personal qualities should not obscure the fact that his ideology and modus operandi were Leninà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s. A man of meagre education, he had no other source of ideas.à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Leninà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s theoretical views on the role of the Communist Party opened the way to Stalinism. The views in question arose out of Marxà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s assumption that between the overthrow of Capitalism by the revolution and the emergence of a socialist society, there would have to be a transitional period characterised by the à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½dictatorship of the proletariat.à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Lenin adapted Marxà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s teaching, and said that during this transitional period, dictatorial power would not be exercised by the proletariat as such but rather by an elite or à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½vanguardà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ party – the Bolshevik – acting on behalf of the proletariat. Lenin not only preached violence, but as Soviet Russiaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s head of government practised it as well – in its most extreme forms. Colleagues who were squeamish about the use of terror were mocked. Lenin, argues Pipes, set a personal example of cruelty, and thus bears responsability for the culture of brutality which grew up within the Communist ranks. He points out that the machinery of repression used by Stalin in the 1930s – the secret police, concentration camps and so on – had been put into place by Lenin before 1924. He dismisses the claim of Khrushchev and others that circumstances left Lenin with no alternative but to adopt repressive methods, pointing out, among other things, that the Cheka was formed before, not after, the emergence of organised opposition to the Bolsheviks. Lenin, he maintains, created an apparatus of terror not because he was forced to, but because he was a totalitarian dictator who believed that the Communist Party had the right à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½to subject to itself all the organised life without exception.à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Generally both of them were more or less the same. Overall Lenin caused a major impact in Russia because he changed from Capitalism to Socialism, which was a very big change. I donà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t think that Stalin was the one who impact in a greater proportions Russiaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s life because he basically harmed a lot more the image of Russia, and was hated much more than Lenin. So I can conclude this assigment by saying that although Lenin caused the major impact, in my opinion, Stalin did also contribute in leaving the country of Russia in one contry marked by the events and cicumstances this leadership left behind, adding to this the unsolving problems both Lenin and Stalin left behind after they finished with such a big responsability. STALIN:MAN OR MONSTER? 1: Study sources A, B and C. Do these sources give a similar or different impressions of Stalin? Explain your answer. Source A gives the real image of what Stalinà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s results had been due to his policies. This source reflects how ambitious and cruel Stalin had reached to be, in order to achieve his proposed aims. Stalinà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s main aim was to have control of everyone and everything, no matter how many lives heà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ sacrified if the final result was beneficial for him. This source is a clear example of what Stalinà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s feelings were after his policies had finished.My impression is that Stalin was proud of what he had achieved, he was a man who didnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t mind what problems he had caused to Russia with his policies. Stalin brought to the Russian people a lot of disaster as aconsequence of his unconsciencious thoughts and his selfishness. This source shows Stalin as evil, cruel and like a murderer proud of what he has done, so therefore a monster. Stalin is shown as an arrogant man really proud of his masterpiece and what he had achieved so far. Stalin killed millions of people and he considers it a wonder compared with the pyramid of Egypt. I also deduce from this source that he had blood thirsty and that heà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s evilness and cruelty didinà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t let him see what was really happening in Russia. It also reflects that he doesnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t feel guilty for all those deaths, who in many cases could have been avoided if Stalin had opened his eyes. Evidence which proves this cruelty with what Stalin was characterised, with the purges he intriduced in 1934. I think that Source A as we may see, shows Stalinà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s policies of terror. The two methods Stalin used to encourage people to do what he wanted were the force and persuassion. Sources B and and C are what we call false propaganda. 2: Study source D Does this source provide any useful information about Stalin? Explain your answer.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Power and Dependency

Section B: The Power-Dependency Relationship In order to understand power, one must understand that it comes from dependency. Power and dependence have a causal relationship in that power creates dependence and vice versa. In addition, power and dependence are positively correlated because the degree of power A has over B is equal to the degree of dependence A has on B (Molm, 1990). Therefore, the more power A has over B, the more dependent B will be on A. â€Å"Dependence increases when the resource [one controls] is important, scarce, and non-substitutable (Robbins & Judge, 2013)†.To illustrate this point, consider the following: 1. Importance – If A places great value on a resource B controls, then A’s dependence on B increases. For example in the given scenario, Employee 1 places great value on receiving a large bonus that will be used to go on a much needed vacation. Since the bonus depends on the performance review rating given by the manager, Employee 1’s dependence on the manager increases. This can also be demonstrated in Employee 3’s case. The sales team places high importance on increasing sales. Employee 3 used referent power to convince the team to try the new idea and was selected to lead the team.The sales team is now dependent on Employee 3 to be their leader and generate increased sales. 2. Scarcity – If A has sole control over a resource that B considers valuable or important then B will be solely dependent on A. For instance, Employee 2 is the only CPA in the company and as a result is the only employee able to prepare financial statements. CPA’s are scarce in the company therefore the accounting manager’s dependence on Employee 2 increases. The manager is solely dependent on Employee 2 to complete this vital task for the company.Another example can be seen in Employee 1’s case. Employee 1’s manager has sole control over the performance review rating which means that he or she is solely dependent on the manager. 3. Non-Substitutability – The less alternatives there are for a resource which A controls and B requires, the more B will be dependent on A for that resource. The Accounting Manager over Employee 2 has Legitimate Power to approve the shortened workweek and that power cannot be substituted by any other employee in the company. As a result, Employee 2 is solely dependent on the manager to approve the schedule.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Assesment 2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Assesment 2 - Coursework Example In a market economy the price system automatically acts as a rationing instrument. With the help of the diagram given above we can easily explain the determination of market price and at the given demand and supply functions and the system will not allow either of the agents to exploit other. The horizontal and vertical axes measure quantity and price respectively. D is the market demand curve showing the one to one correspondence between price and market demand. S is the market supply curve that reflects the producers’ behaviour. S is nothing but the one to one correspondence between market price and supply of it. Equilibrium is achieved at point E where market demand equals market supply. The equilibrium level of price is OP* and quantity is OQ*. Now we consider that producers want to exploit the consumers by charging higher price. What will be the impact$2 Let’s consider that the producer charges new price OP**. At that price level the producers will be willing to supply OQ** amount of output while the consumers are willing to purchase OQd amount of the product. Hence at price OP** the market will face excess demand to the extent AB. This excess demand would cause a downward pressure on price as the producers have the unsold stock in the hand. Price fall would be followed by contraction in supply (movement from B to E) and extension in demand (movement from A to E). This process is continued unless the previous equilibrium is achieved. Here automatic adjustment of price will control the quantity in the market. To answer the aforesaid question we need to know what wealth is. Generally wealth can be defined as something that can generate income or can satisfy human wants. Wealth must be measurable tangible, transferable and scarce in nature. When the goods are produced through the production process it adds to the stock of wealth of the nation. As good is measurable, tangible

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Corporal punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corporal punishment - Essay Example Although corporal punishment’s aim is to impose discipline, parents, guardians and the like must carefully re-consider its effects on the child’s emotional, psychological, and physical well-being. In effect, corporal punishment is not an option in disciplining a child, but is basically a threat towards the child’s overall development. By definition, corporal punishment is the deliberate infliction of pain, intended to correct behavior or to punish (Wikipedia, 2006). Various efforts in support of this corporal punishment attest that such form of discipline must be considered as the pains an individual suffer early in life is translated into feelings of emotional wholeness. Children who underwent corporal punishment strive harder to reach greater goals in life. Proponents of this concept emphasize that fact that it is the most effective form of discipline, particularly for uncontrollable and unmanageable children. Delinquent children are uncontrollable simply because they think their parents do not care about whatever they do. At times, they think their actions are admissible due to their parents’ lack of interest. On the extreme side, their parents do dissuade them against harm’s way, but in effect these types of children are still unthreatened by their parents’ disciplining ways. As the end justifies the means, corporal punishment becomes the only viable solution to delinquent children or to those children who have uncontrollable behavior. Furthermore, it is the easiest way to impose and manage discipline. In addition, parents’ use of harder forms of physical punishment may have less impact on a child, as opposed to the use of emotional violence. There are children who view corporal punishment as a way to feel the love and respect of their parents. By means of spanking, children are able to perceive that their parents still care for them; hence they still spend time and attention through the discipline they impose. If

Acc project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Acc project - Assignment Example The firm should also consider if it is within the maximum and minimum prices implied in the industry. The price of $3.70 should be neither beyond nor below the set maximum and minimum prices. Factors that to be considered about the market campaigns are the quality of the marketing campaign, whether it will accomplish the objectives of carrying it out. The method used to carry it out. Two methods of market campaigns are through either the media or using written forms like banners and pamphlets. The duration of the marketing, campaign and lastly, effectiveness and competence of the staff used in the campaign are paramount. Alternative two was to accept an offer from an overseas customer to purchase units at a cost of $3.00 each, and this would lead to additional administration cost of $5,000. The various factors to consider are The customer loyalty, this is very crucial as it prevents the issue of bad debts and losses from the sale. Some elements to consider in this case are; whether the customer pays his debts on time, and the duration that he has been in the company, and lastly the amount of goods that he normally purchases. The customer is overseas and therefore the management should determine the cost of exporting the goods to him according to the custom duty regulations. The cost of packaging is relevant. Packaging of the goods should be using the safest method to avoid the goods being damaged during transit and in a way that the customer has

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Plays of William Shakespeare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Plays of William Shakespeare - Essay Example Everything in life had its place and every individual was expected to respect the social hierarchy. The Elizabethan age had its own unique rules about the social structures in the society and people were bound by the social rules. The main objectives of these rules were to ensure that the society followed a certain social values and that the class structured is maintained in the society. In his plays – Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, The Tempest, Richard III, and Othello Shakespeare certainly addresses the idea of an ordered society as well. In all the plays these characters both uphold and break down assumptions about the ordered world in Shakespeare’s time by conforming to the society’s values and at the same time breaking the social order. In Much Ado About Nothing, Beatrice is the slave of a pert tongue. She is extremely intellect, wild and strong. Unlike the other female characters in the play, she does not want to bow down to the patriarchal rule. In the p atriarchal society of the play, the women are governed by values of the society imposed by the men. Men in turn are governed by their expectations in their women. Male superiority and the subordination of women are seen throughout the play. This is mainly because of the fact that during that period men were considered to be superior in the society. The character of Beatrice does not conform to the typical characterization of the Elizabethan time, but it must also be kept in mind that this may be done to portray the strong characters in a farcical way. Beatrice is portrayed as a strong character who speaks her mind. Her pert tongue and her quick thinking can be seen when with her sharp reply to Benedick, â€Å"It is so indeed, he is no less than a stuffed man, but for the stuffing - well, we are all mortal" (Shakespeare). She often uses her wit and play with words to win an argument. This type of attitude and wit in a woman is rarely portrayed in Elizabethan era where women were tre ated as second class citizens. By portraying Beatrice as a witty, clever and strong character, Shakespeare breaks the social order of the women’s role in a society. In the play The Tempest, Shakespeare dissolves the society and embraces a new social order. In the play, Caliban is portrayed as the offspring’s of the devil and a witch, but at the same time he represents the creature of the earth. Throughout the play, he is referred many times as "natural man†, this is in sharp contrast to the Elizabethan social order. Like the character portrayal of Beatrice in â€Å"Much Ado about nothing† Caliban is given a place in a society which breaks the rigid social stratification. Caliban does not follow the social hierarchy by refusing to be under anyone’s control. Caliban acts on his own instincts and cannot be suppressed by Prospero as he loves his freedom. He made it very clear that he is the rightful owner of the Island, â€Å"I must eat my dinner. This island's mine, by Sycorax my mother, which thou tak'st from me. When thou cam'st first† (Shakespeare). This breaks down the social hierarchy as any land belongs to the king and cannot be claimed by people of lower status. But, then again, we also see the obvious social implications regarding the hierarchy, with the representations of Caliban’s character. In Shakespearean time, the social classification was rigid and he illustrates this rigid social structure throughout the play. He exemplifies how men of a certain

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Clifton and Plath on the Feminine Identity Essay

Clifton and Plath on the Feminine Identity - Essay Example While they both appear to be in agreement on the nature of the feminine identity, their American perspectives differ vastly. Clifton, as an African-American, alludes to African themes, and brings into her poem questions about the duality within the African-American experience, and ultimately celebrates herself as a symbol of endurance. Plath's is decidedly different in its paradoxical nature. While her poem focuses on the vivacious and enigmatic legacy that she will leave behind, it is wholly centralized around her death, which creates a somewhat doomed undertone. But while both poets differ in their cultural perspectives, they both produce similar portrayals of the feminine identity as being one of strength, passion, and survival. Clifton brings many symbols to her poem that speak to the African-American, as well as the female experience. She describes herself as a "jungle girl/quick as a snake/a tree girl," (4-6). In aligning herself with such images as a jungle, a snake, and a tree-dweller, she is making a direct allusion to the African identity. Throughout American history, the image of the "African savage" was utilized as a means of persecution, keeping black-Americans under an oppressive rule by larger society. Africans were believed to be tribal jungle-dwellers, savage and uncivilized, and particularly dangerous for their lack of Christianization. Furthermore, the African religions were heavily focused on nature, spirits, demons, and magic, which made them even more frightening to white Americans, who were largely Protestant and highly hostile to Paganism and superstition. Clifton's reference to being "quick as a snake-" the snake being the Christian symbol of evil-seems to be an open embrace of the whi te-American view of the Africans as being aligned with evil and Satan-worship for their ritualistic beliefs. This embrace of a taboo culture is further emphasized in the repeated phrases: "I met me." She has met herself, meaning she has rediscovered her own identity-an identity that has long been buried under social beliefs that it was shameful, uncivilized, and even subhuman. But Clifton also brings a feminine element into her poem, calling herself a "jungle girl" and a "tree girl." Throughout western history, women have been aligned with nature, specifically with the cyclicality of nature, which is similar to the cyclicality of female fertility. Possibly even more revealing is Clifton's description of herself as being "quick as a snake." Snakes have also been ascribed to femininity as, in the Bible, it was a woman (Eve) who fell under the serpent's sway. On the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo went so far as to paint the serpent itself as having the face and torso of a woman. Thus, Clifton is rediscovering two socially repressed identities: her African identity, and her feminine identity. She goes on to write:

Monday, September 23, 2019

A personal interest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A personal interest - Essay Example However, as one grows up understanding reality and morality, one becomes able to better manage such desires. In other words, life is an effort to strike a balance between desires and reality. One BBC article named ‘A Brief History of Celebrity’ points out that thousands of years ago, the way to gain fame or to become a celebrity was through title. Another way was to become a warrior and show ones talent in wars by saving the lives of many people. Another way was the success in ancient Olympic Games. It was rather common in the ancient Rome to honor the celebrities by allowing life-long free meals, and by creating hymns praising them. Also, the famous ones got their faces imprinted on coins, thus becoming immortal (â€Å"A Brief History of Celebrity†). However, the point here is that I, like most other people in the world, want to become a celebrity, no matter what way it comes. However, the surprising thing at this juncture is the fact that I kindle this desire ev en after gaining the realization that becoming a celebrity, either in entertainment or in sports, is a near impossibility for me. This understanding and the desire to know the reason behind this longing take one back to the Structural Model proposed by Freud. According to Freud, all people are born with Id, or the pleasure principle. It is this Id that makes people look for things that make them feel good, and in search of this good, they give no attention to reality. It is this Id that makes children insist for various things without considering the viability of the demands. However, as people grow up, they develop Ego that makes them look into reality. Thus, Ego helps strike a balance between the irrational demands of Id and the realities of the situation. Lastly, there arises Superego, or, the moral principles of life. Once it is developed, it controls the actions of one by dictating what is right and what is wrong. However, the Id goes on looking for ways to feel good and happy with its ultimate selfishness. Here, I reach the realization that it might be my Id that lies in my mind that makes me nourish such wishes even though my Ego reminds me the realities. One can see Franz Kafka in ‘Letter to My Father’ pointing out how he failed to understand the benevolent acts of his father, and feared him. A look into the work proves that the writer, as he grew up, developed Ego and Superego that made him look into not only his present life, but also his past with a new insight. Again, one can see the writer acknowledging the fact that he is still in the grip of fear, and hence, is unable to explain everything. This shows the still strong impact of Id on his life as an adult. Kafka now admits that his father had always lived for the family, and as a child, Kafka enjoyed a high life ‘with complete freedom to study’ whatever he wanted. In addition, he had nothing to worry about food. Here, Kafka makes the acknowledgment that he is guilty of n ot understanding and acknowledging the good things his father had done for him. In addition, he admits that even without his father’s presence, he would still be a weak, fearful, hesitant, troubled man (Kafka, 6). Here, considering my desire to be a celebrity, I reach back the Freudian conclusion that all humans are suffering from some mental disorders. According to him, it is the strength of debilitation that decides the difference between the sane and the insane. If this concept is

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Effects of Alcohol on the Family Essay Example for Free

Effects of Alcohol on the Family Essay Alcohol Dependence, also known as alcoholism, is a very widespread disabling addictive disorder, affecting 4% of Canadians. Alcoholism may start innocuously, due to the acceptability of social drinking, but over time, can lead to serious health problems, including brain, kidney and liver damage. Although alcoholics seem to be doing the most damage to themselves, they are hurting their families even more. Lesser-known, but just as serious victims of alcohol abuse are the alcoholics’ children. The negative effects start in the womb, where drinking during pregnancy often causes Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and other defects. After the baby is born, the risks continue, as the children in alcoholic families tend to lack a stable family environment and have a fairly high rate of abuse. These factors, as well as genetic predisposition, are strong precedents to the child developing alcohol abuse problems themselves. These children also tend to show more symptoms of anxiety and depression, and have lower self esteem than children from nonalcoholic families. These factors may also contribute to the likelihood of the child becoming an alcoholic. When a few drinks has turned into a few too many, a few too many times, some may start to suspect alcoholism. This is often how alcohol abuse starts, with acceptable social drinking increasing to the point where the drinker can no longer control their desire and compulsion to drink. Drinking too much alcohol over a long period changes the chemical balance in the brain linked to pleasure, causing the body to crave alcohol. Symptoms of alcoholism are frequent intoxication; drinking and continuing to drink alcohol in appropriate places and times; and often, denial of the problem. Due to the legality and availability of alcohol, it can be very difficult to quit or help another quit drinking, which can result in long-term alcohol abuse. When one has been abusing alcohol for long periods of time, it can cause a number of mental and physical problems, including, but not limited to liver damage, kidney damage, heart disease, alcoholic dementia, brain damage, and a myriad of psychological problems. Alcoholism also comes with a variety of comorbid disorders, most commonly major depressive disorder, and anxiety related disorders (Petrakis, 86). The order of the co-occurrence is not always clear; whether these disorders resulted from the alcoholism, or whether the alcoholism was triggered by the disorders varies accordingly, but regardless, the alcoholic has a much better chance of recovery if both problems are treated together. (Medline Plus) Drinking alcohol during pregnancy has been found to increase health risks to the fetus, especially after the first trimester. Any amount of alcohol may harm a developing baby, no ‘safe amount’ has yet been established; however the more alcohol consumed by an expectant mother, the higher the risks are of the baby developing Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, or FAS. FAS is a series of mental and physical defects that can develop in a fetus during pregnancy if the mother has been drinking. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence states that approximately 5000 babies are born each year with severe FAS, and another 35000 are born with milder symptoms. If an alcoholic woman’s first child has FAS, the risk of her second child having FAS as well is a daunting 70%. The range of birth defects caused by FAS can be minor to major, and are nearly always long term. The infant will be born underweight and with an alcohol dependency. A detox period will follow birth, sometimes lasting for up to several months. These babies tend to have brain and skull deformities, and can have very distinctive facial features, such as small eye openings, thin upper lips, and long, flat faces. (Dozois, and Firestone 249-262) (Davis, and Frost 100-101) As the baby grows, learning problems that will keep the child from progressing normally may become apparent. FAS can cause damage to the central nervous system, which may result in severe learning disabilities. Due to this, the child may have problems learning to walk, being able to sleep, and focusing on motor skills; and have speech problems, hearing impairment, and decreased memory recall. They may have low self-esteem, be hyperactive, and be easily angered or frustrated. Mild or severe retardation, emotional issues, the inability to bond and communicate with other children their age are common traits for a child who suffers from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. It often results in lower and overall academic performance (compared to non-FAS children), and difficulties in reading, writing, spelling, and mathematics. (Dozois, and Firestone 254) Another side effect of alcoholism in the family is the lack of a stable family environment. Alcohol has been known to negatively affect marital relationships, breaking up families, be the cause of suicide, result in unemployment and poverty, and cause or exacerbate child abuse. Over 3 times as many people report to have been previously married to an alcoholic, compared to those currently married to an alcoholic, demonstrating that relationships involving alcohol abuse are less likely to last than sober relationships. Often, if one parent is an alcoholic and the other is not, the sober partner feels that the drinking takes precedence over them and their family. This strongly affects couples with children, as they may effectively lose either parent, or end up being shuttled between them. Worse than losing a parent to divorce is the reality of losing a parent to suicide. The relationship between alcoholism and suicide is very clear, and has been well-documented. Alcohol is a depressant, and can bring on episodes of major depressive disorder. Alcohol abuse is often either self-medication for depression, or the cause of alcoholic depression. Often, alcoholic depression is a combination of the two, a vicious cycle of triggering and self-medicating that worsens one’s emotional state. This despair, combined with possible unemployment; marital, family, and financial problems; and declining health due to drinking, results in more drinking to ‘drink away’ the issues, which can push one over the edge and cause them to take their own life. (Alcoholic. ca) Even if both parents are alive and present in a child’s life, they may not always be the responsible adults and parents they are expected to be. Many severely alcoholic parents are not able to attend to and fulfill their child’s physical and emotional needs, and some may even require the child to prematurely assume the role of the parent and take care of the adult. They may be emotionally and financially supported by their children in cases where their alcoholism is too severe for them to be self-reliant and hold a steady job. If there are younger siblings, the responsibilities of parenting may fall to the oldest child, sometimes in their entirety. This role reversal is unfortunate, but all too common in families where the main caregiver is affected by substance abuse and alcoholism. This also results in the children lacking proper role models to learn from, and as teenagers, are more likely to do poorly in school, or drop out entirely and not pursue post-secondary education. Children of alcoholics have higher rates of truancy, arrest, depression, and addiction than their peers, and are usually more aggressive, obsessive, impulsive, and have lower self-esteem. (Parsons) Child abuse adds to the instability of the life of a child with alcoholic parents. While child abuse, unlike FAS, can also occur in families without alcoholic parents, 4/5 of reported cases involved substance abuse, commonly including alcohol. Alcoholism is also more prevalent among child-abusing parents than those who do not abuse their children, and is more commonly associated with child abuse than any other disorder. The abuse is not limited to physical abuse; it comes in many forms, including sexual, verbal, emotional, and psychological abuse, as well as neglect. There are many reasons and theories behind the facts, all are true to a certain degree in most situations. Some say that alcoholics are generally more violent and prone to aggression, which makes their children a convenient target. The alcohol might be making them aggressive, or they may aggressive by nature, which is exacerbated by the alcohol. Also, since alcohol and child abuse are connected, many alcoholics were abused as children themselves, and as a result, are more likely to abuse their own children. This abuse puts their children at a greater risk of alcoholism, as well as abusing their future children, perpetuating the cycle. Emotional abuse and neglect commonly occur when the inebriated parent cannot correctly assess their own priorities, emotionally (or physically) abandons their child, or does not treat them as a parent should. Regardless of the reason, child abuse results in the children doing poorly in school, having self-esteem issues, anti-social behaviour, having feelings of guilt and shame, and suffering from depression. Abused children are also much more likely to grow up to abuse their own children, and to have substance abuse issues of their own. (Widom and Hiller-Sturmhofel 52-57) Despite the obvious hope that a child with alcoholic parents will learn from their mistakes and grow up to be an addiction-free adult, the opposite is usually true. The children of alcoholics are far more likely to become a product of their environment and develop substance abuse problems, likely including, but not limited to, alcoholism. Without proper role models and examples to base themselves off of, these children tend to fall into their parents’ habits and imitate their actions. Alcoholic parents are also more likely to have raised their children in an environment where alcohol abuse was more common or more accepted than non-alcoholic parents, where they may have been influenced by their peers. Along with alcohol dependency, these children are at a much higher risk of developing other substance abuses issues and addictions, most commonly to benzodiazepines. They are also likely to suffer from symptoms of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and obsessive behaviours. Those who manage to stay sober tend to exhibit these characteristics as well. Some children of alcoholics may fall victim to the same traps as their parents, while others excel, possibly due to a desire to do better in life than their parents. (Brooke, et al 1980-1981) Alcoholism is a very tough habit to break, however anyone who desires to try has a multitude of options. There are certain medications in use that may be prescribed as part of treatment, but these usually accompany group therapy or psychotherapy, which is usually found to be the most effective. Alcoholics Anonymous, or AA, is the most common program, due to its availability, anonymity, efficacy, and affordability. It is a free international program based on the mutual support of its members, where alcoholics learn to take responsibility for their actions, and support others through their journeys. It is based on the ‘12 Steps’, which are a set of principles and beliefs that focus on admitting to mistakes and addictions, recognizing a higher power, making amends, taking responsibility, and helping others through their addictions. AA famously schools its members that alcoholism is a disease, and that it is not something that they can control. However despite all the available support, unless those who suffer from Alcohol Dependence genuinely have a wish to get better, and are willing to put the in the time and effort required, their problems often do result in lasting effects, both for themselves and others. (Alcoholic.ca) (Alcoholics Anonymous). References Alcoholics Anonymous. Alcoholics Anonymous: This is AA. Alcoholics Anonymous. Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc. , 2010. Web. 28 Nov 2010. . Alcoholics Anonymous. Alcoholics Anonymous: Is There an Alcoholic in Your Life?. Alcoholics Anonymous. Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc. , 2010. Web. 28 Nov 2010. . Medline Plus. Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse. Medline Plus. National Library of Medicine, 15 Nov 2010. Web. 26 Nov 2010. . Parsons, Tetyana. Alcoholism and Its Effect on the Family. AllPsych Online. AllPsych and Heffner Media Group Inc. , 14 Dec 2003. Web. 28 Nov 2010. . Widom, Cathy Spatz, and Susanne Hiller-Sturmhofel. Alcohol Abuse as a Risk Factor for and Consequence of Child Abuse. Alcohol research health: the journal of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. 25. 1 (2001): 52-57. Print. Alcoholic. ca. Alcoholism and Suicide. Alcoholic and Alcohol Treatment in Canada. Alcoholic. ca, 2009. Web. 29 Nov 2010. . Alcoholic. ca. Alcoholic and Alcohol Treatment. Alcoholic and Alcohol Treatment in Canada. Alcoholic. ca, 2009. Web. 29 Nov 2010. . Dozois, David, and Philip Firestone. Abnormal Psychology. 4th Ed. , Perspectives. Toronto, Canada: Pearson Education Canada, 2010. 254. Print. Brooke, S, et al. Familial Loading for Alcoholism and Offspring Behavior: Mediating and Moderating Influences. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 34. 11 (2010): 1980-1981. Web. 28 Nov 2010. . Petrakis, Ismene L, et al. Comorbidity of Alcoholism and Psychiatric Disorders: An Overview. Alcohol research health: the journal of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. 26. 2 (2002): 81-89. Print. Davis, Janet Haggerty, and Wendy Autumn Frost. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: A Challenge for the Community Health Nurse. Journal of Community Health Nursing. 1. 2 (1984): 100-101. Print.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Reviewing Social Control Theories On Individuals Criminology Essay

Reviewing Social Control Theories On Individuals Criminology Essay 1. Based on all of the theories you have been exposed to so far in the course, choose the one theory that you think is the best at explaining crime. Compare it to at least two other theories and discuss how the theory you chose represents an improvement over the other two. Be specific and be sure to cite the empirical research to support your argument. Based on all the theories I have been exposed to in this course so far, social control theory is the best at explaining crime. Social control theory explains crime in terms of the individuals social relationships and focuses on the absence of significant relationships with conventional others and institutions (Agnew, 1992:48). The theory utilizes issues of conformity, so instead of theorizing about the motivations of criminal behavior, the social control theory ask, Why do people conform? In this theory people believe that societys ability to control social groups affects whether an adolescent turns to a life of crime or not. Social control theory comes from the learning theories which are developed from family ties or other social circles that individuals interact with so as to learn what is right and what is wrong. When these controlling influences are weak or rendered ineffective and absent, society frees the individual to deviate from legal and moral norms; therefore, crime often does occur. In particular, crime is most likely to when (1) when the adolescent is not attached to the parents, school, or other institutions; (2) parents and others fail to monitor and effectively sanction deviance; (3) the adolescents actual or anticipated investment in conventional society is minimal; and (4) the adolescent has not internalized conventional beliefs (Agnew, 1992:49). Although strain, social control, and differential association theory/social learning theory are all sociological theories, strain theory is distinguished from social control and social learning theory in its specification of (1) the type of social relationship that leads to delinquency and (2) the motivation for delinquency. Strain theory focuses explicitly on negative relationships with others: relationships in which the individual is not treated as he or she wants to be treated. Agnews developed a new theory, general strain theory that defines measurements of strain, the major types of strain, the links between strain and crime, coping strategies to strain, the determinants of delinquent or non-delinquent behavior, and policy recommendations that are based on this theory which introduced a new perspective on the original theory that was written off a few decades ago. While social control theory rests on the premise that the breakdown of society frees the individual to commit crime, strain theory is focused on the pressure that is placed on the individual to commit crime (Agnew, 1992:49). According to the strain theory, individual deviance is caused as a result of negative relationships or treatment from others; and this result in anger and frustration (Agnew, 1997a:31). Agnews strain theory was developed from the work of Durkheim and Merton and addressed many of the criticisms of the original strain theory, however; it lacked the supporting data and still had several flaws like the original strain theory. Strain theory can cause many negative feelings in an individual including defeat, despair, and fear, but the feeling that is most applicable to crime is anger. For example, an increase in strain would lead to an increase in anger, which may then lead to an increase in crime. Social control theory represents an improvement over the strain theory as it explains that if an individual has certain morals and social values that they live by and grew up believing t hat they are more likely to seek a socially acceptable way of achieving their goals and not let feelings of defeat, despair, fear, and anger lead them to respond to strain with crime. The strain theory affect creates pressure for corrective action which may lead adolescents to (1) make use of illegitimate channels of goal achievement, (2) attack or escape from the source of their adversity, and/or (3) manage their negative affect through the use of illegal drugs (Agnew, 1992:49). Social control theory, by contrast, denies that outside forces pressure the adolescent into crime but rather, the absence of significant relationships with other individuals and groups frees the adolescent to engage in delinquency in response to inner forces or situational inducements. Social learning theory (SLT) is distinguished from strain and control theory by its focus on positive relations with deviant others (Agnew, 1992:49). Social learning theory focuses on the general principles that (1) people can learn by observing the behavior of others and the outcomes of those behaviors (If people observe positive, desired outcomes in the observed behavior, they are more likely to model, imitate, and adopt the behavior themselves), (2) learning can occur without a change in behavior, and (3) cognition plays a role in learning. This theory incorporates aspects of behavioral learning (assumes that peoples environment cause people to behave in certain ways) and cognitive learning (presumes that psychological factors are important for influencing how one behaves) factors that are important for influencing how one behaves. Social learning theory outlines three stages for people to learn and model behavior include (a) attention: retention (remembering what one observed), ( b) reproduction (ability to reproduce the behavior), and (c) motivation (good reason) to want to adopt the behavior (Agnew, 1992:49). The social learning theory claims that the relationship with illegal peers will lead to a criminal lifestyle that changes the values of achieving success in a legit way. Reisss theory of personal and social control states that delinquency results when there is a relative absence of internalized norms and rules governing behavior in conformity with the norms of the social system to which legal penalties are attached (Lilly, 2007:85). One disadvantage of the social learning theory is that it does not account for what may be considered positive it focuses more on the factors perceived as negative by the learner. Social control theory represents an improvement as it seeks to direct and guide social learning toward obedience specific to an agenda outside the learners. Social learning is a change in behavior that is controlled by environmental influences ra ther than by innate or internal forces that occurs through observing the consequences of others and by determining if such behavior is worth replicating. The theory of social control emphasizes on the role of society in the control of criminal behavior and proposes social learning with the help of social control which is why I chose the theory of social control over the social learning theory. The Theory of Social Control is widely cited in criminology in addition it has also been explored by the realist philosophers and represented by Travis Hirschi, a pro-pounder of Right Realism. While no single theory can explain why everyone commits crime social control theory does look at the causations of crime from learning theories. They teach us that morals are taught in families and other social circles and that these morals keep individuals from committing crimes they are taught are wrong. The main premise of control theories is that When controls are present, crime does not occur; when controls are absent, crime often does occur (Beaver, 2010). Social control theory does give explanation by teaching us that when people hold tightly to certain morals and social values they are more likely to seek a socially acceptable way of achieving their goals. 3. During our course discussion, many of you pointed out that the criminological theories that we discussed have both strengths and limitations. This is a view that is held by many criminologists. One way to overcome this problem is to integrate theories into a single perspective. You are responsible for creating an integrated theory that incorporates elements from at least three theories. Be sure to provide a detailed analysis of this theory, including how you were able to integrate components from other theories. During certain parts of history, criminological thoughts had various ways such as criminological theories on crime causation that had been put together into a single perspective. One way to overcome this problem is to create an integrated theory that incorporates elements such as combining these great ideas expressed by the concepts of differential association theory that was developed by Edwin Sutherland, Mertons theory on deviance from his 1938 analysis of the relationship between culture, structure and anomie, and Robert Agnews general strain theory to provide a more accurate and comprehensive reasoning that some individuals commit crime but some individuals do not. Although many criminologists have viewed the criminological theories to have both strengths and limitations, it is by no means one single theory but the ideas from the three slighted altered theories that will help in providing a better explanation and understanding of criminal behavior. The first theory, differential association by Sutherland (1949:75) explains that deviant behavior is absorbed just like any other behavior through interactions with others human beings. Sutherlands differential association predicts that an individual will choose the criminal path when the balance of definitions for law-breaking (unfavorable) exceeds those for law-abiding (favorable). Ultimately, the theory focuses on how individuals learn how to become criminals, which is because of an excess of definitions favorable to breaking the laws. Along the lines of differential association this theory of criminal desire holds that every individual behavior is learned from their interaction with the environme nt (Sutherland, 1949:76). From a researchers perspective, an individual will view society differently if they are gainfully employed as opposed to unemployed, if in a supportive and loving family or abused by parents. However, individuals might respond differently to the same situation depending on how their experience predisposes them to define their current surroundings (Sutherland, 1949:77). However, the integrated theory learning process is not limited to just differential associations, as is the case with Sutherlands theory, besides acknowledging the influence of both humans and non-human (i.e. money and social gain) objects. The second theory drawn upon the present formulation is Mertons theory on deviance from his 1938 analysis of the relationship between culture, structure and anomie. Mertons theory involves the interactions and importance between different culturally defined goals what social arrangement makes them possible to achieve. According to Merton, anomie, derived from Emile Durkheim, if such cultural success is not achievable through legitimate practices than individuals will likely to illegitimate means available for reaching them. In short, overemphasis on material success (i.e. the American dream as an emphasis on the goal of monetary achievement) and lack of opportunity for such success leads to deviant acts that will be against the law. Institutional anomie theory, as published by Steven Messner and Richard Rosenfeld, proposed that the American societal pursuit of monetary success leads to anomie, or a departure from normal, sanctioned behaviors and a break from institutional social con trols (Lilly, Cullen, and Ball, 2007:90). As anomie increases, so does the level of criminal behavior used by individuals to obtain monetary success (Lilly, Cullen, and Ball, 2007:90). As such, the integrated theory provides a more accurate and comprehensive explanation on the concepts that were established by Merton by providing an adequate explanations of them, Which would include classifying each, and every one as learned phenomena. Additionally, Mertons theory is the main source of agitation, thereby leading an individual to deviant acts of crime, when these culturally defined goals of individuals are likely not to be achieved through legitimate processes.   Last, the general strain theory revised by Robert Agnew was developed from the work of Durkheim and Merton and taken from the original theory of anomie. According to the original strain theory, an increase in aspirations and a decrease in expectations should lead to an increase in delinquency; however, this was not found to be the case (Agnew, 1985:152). Also, the original strain theory predicted a concentration of delinquent behavior in the lower class, but research proved that delinquency was also common in the middle and upper classes (Agnew, 1985:152). Other variables are also neglected by this theory of strain, such as the abandonment of crime in late adolescence and the quality of family relationships (Agnew, 1985:152-153). Agnews general strain theory broadened the scope to include many more variable that were not addressed in the original strain theory as he attempted to explore strain theory for a perspective that accounted for goals other than monetary success and that cons idered an individuals position in social class, expectations for the future, and associations with criminal others (Agnew et al., 1996:683). General strain theory is a broad theory that can be applied to many different aspects of delinquency (ways of measuring strain, the different types of strain, and the link between strain and crime), however; in the integrated theory an individuals must also be taught how to cope without the help of others through involvement in social skills improvement, problem-solving training, and anger control programs which should lead to a decrease in delinquency. The integrated theory that incorporates elements would combine these ideas expressed by the concepts of differential association theory, Mertons theory on deviance from his 1938 analysis of the relationship between culture, structure and anomie, and Robert Agnews general strain theory, will explain all any types of criminal behavior, both violent non-violent. The crimes could involve economically driven crimes (theft, robbery, etc.) or white-collar crimes which each would be the direct result of a need to satisfy desires due to an inability to do so through the social means. I believe the integrated theory provides an accurate and comprehensive analysis defining delinquency with an explanation as to why some individuals commit crime where others do not. The integrate theory can be utilized to implement policies geared towards helping to lessen crime and help in providing a better explanation and understanding of criminal behavior.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Impact of HIV on Society

Impact of HIV on Society The human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) pandemic is one of the most serious contemporary sexual health related issue affecting the human race today. By the end of 2009, it was approximated that 34 million people were living with the HIV virus and deaths related to AIDS were about 1.8 million people. HIV/AIDS has been the worst pandemic since its discovery; having claimed over twenty five million lives by 2005 with the Sub- Saharan Africa being the most affected (Douek, Roederer Koup, 2009). This paper focuses on the impact psychosocial, cultural and economic of HIV/AIDS and its related sexual health problems on the individual as well as the community. HIV/AIDS has a huge impact on the infected individuals family unit and the community they live in. The impact is dependent on the mode in which the virus is transmitted among communities (and who it infects), the diagnosis of infection, and the community setting in which the individual and family live. Introduction Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Two strains of the virus, HIV-1 and HIV-2, have been described. AIDS is a human disease in which there is gradual failure of the bodys defence (immune) system thereby leading to severe and fatal opportunistic infections and cancers (Douek, Roederer Koup, 2009). Infection with HIV occurs through coming in contact with infected body fluids such as blood, breast milk, and sexual fluids such as pre-ejaculate, semen and vaginal fluids. The key modes of transmission are unsafe sex with infected person-both heterosexual and homosexual, contaminated items such as needles and razors, breastfeeding, and infected mothers infecting the newborn during birth. Blood and blood products screening for HIV has greatly eradicated infections transmission through infected blood and blood products transfusions. HIV eventually progresses to AIDS; the individuals mostly succumb to opportunistic infectio ns or malignancies resulting from progressive weakening of the immune system. Different individuals infected with HIV develop AIDS at different rates depending on the host, viral, and environmental factors; many develop to AIDS within ten years but in some it may be earlier or later. There is no cure for HIV/AIDS; treatment involves life-long use of a combination of anti-retroviral drugs and a cocktail of other drugs to treat any opportunistic infections (Douek, Roederer Koup, 2009). Infection with HIV usually has a huge physical, mental, social and economic impact on infected individuals, their families as well as the community in which they live. Stigmatization by other community members aggravates this impact; it hampers the prevention and management of HIV and impedes social support and disclosure of HIV status. The family units mostly affected by the HIV scourge are those of low socioeconomic status, such as drug users, asylum seekers and emigrants. The long-term impacts of living with HIV due to invention of better HIV care and management such as HAART (Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy) have also evolved and changed many social aspects such as parenthood, disclosure HIV status and long term effects of the use of HAART on the individual. Another impact of the HIV is depicted in the inequality and discrimination individuals living with HIV experience when it comes to matters such as securing or sustaining employment and vital services like life assurance . Children have been known to bear the greatest impacts of HIV especially those orphaned and those infected with HIV. The number of orphans has been on steady rise due to AIDS-related deaths of the guardians and the fact HAART is ensuring infants born with HIV can live with the virus till they reach adolescence or beyond. All these factors collectively affect the community around them both socially and economically. The Physical, Psychological and Social Impact of HIV on Individual and Families Infection with HIV/AIDS leads to numerous bodily, mental and social issues that affect the individual and impacts on their families and communities at large. In the contemporary society, the definition of a family shifts from the traditional structure of biologically related members to include socially chosen relationships, for instance, close friends, partners, and close external family relationships such as homosexual men (Green, 2011). Before the discovery of anti-retroviral drugs, infection with HIV meant death within a short period of time. However, after the invention of HAART over a decade ago, there has been a gradual decline on the number of individuals succumbing to AIDS-related diseases in Australia, Europe and the United States. Currently, families have to deal with HIV infection as a chronic disease to be coped with for the life span of the infected individuals (Zuniga, Whiteside and Ghaziani, 2008). The requirement to take complex regime of many drugs is the foremost bu rden for the HIV-infected individual; many patients suffer anxiety, frustration, depression and hopelessness especially when the drugs do not accomplish or maintain the perceived benefits expected from the treatment regime. This could be due to virus mutation and individual resistance to the drugs (Zuniga, Whiteside and Ghaziani, 2008). It is documented that even when the treatment is effective, patients have other form uncertainties and distress. The impact of the HIV treatment is further aggravated by other factors such as worry about employment, sexuality, the prospects of relationships, and the social reactions of other community members. HAART has numerous side-effects, such as cardiovascular diseases and several of which have psychosocial consequences like lipodystrophy (Zuniga, Whiteside and Ghaziani, 2008). Members of the family may also be burdened by giving care to the infected as the disease advances, and they may be distressed by the stigma often associated with HIV infection. Another impact of HIV is the stigma and discrimination against persons living with HIV/AIDS. Apart from having to endure treatment with severe side-effects, they constantly have to cope with rejection and social discrimination. People with HIV/AIDS have to put with being labelled as victims a term that implies defeat, helplessness and dependence upon help from othersÂÂ  (Matic, Lazarus Donoghoe, 2006). The forms of stigma and discrimination vary geographically. Many nations have regulations that control the travel, entry and residence of persons living with HIV/AIDS. By the end of 2010, individuals living with the virus were restricted on long stays of over three months in sixty countries and eighteen of these even applied limitations on short term residence (Stutterheim et al, 2009) In healthcare sector, the common examples of stigma and discrimination experienced are being denied access to facilities and drugs, mandatory HIV testing without individual consent, and breach of c onfidentiality over the persons status. In the workplace, stigma from employers and fellow workers include social isolation and mockery, or experience biased practices, such as dismissal or denial of employment (Stutterheim et al, 2009). Others instances include denial of entry into a country, forced eviction from residence by their families and rejection by colleagues and friends. Stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS greatly hinders efforts to successfully battle the HIV and AIDS pandemic. This fear of discrimination frequently averts individuals from seeking treatment and management of AIDS or from publicly disclosing their HIV status. On numerous occasions, the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS can extend to the family and siblings of the infected individual, creating an emotional burden on those left behind. HIV/AIDS-related stigma modifies over time as infection levels, understanding of the disease and treatment availability vary. For instance, in the Netherlands, the community response to persons with HIV/AIDS is quite positive; understanding of HAART was linked to perception of lower risk, with a positive attitude towards gay people, less fear, and a greater readiness to have personal contact with people with HIV/AIDS. However, in Eastern Europe, discrimination may be more severe, particularly of specific groups, such as gays (Stutterheim et al, 2009). Economic Impact of HIV HIV/AIDS has had the greatest negative effect on the economies of many countries all over the world. The pandemic has been devastating for many nations where it has caused deep poverty both to the individual, families and community. The magnitude of economic and demographic impact of HIV/AIDS infection in third world countries is pronounced due to the fact that it affects persons in the most economically able and productive age. Besides, it is also weighing down on the economic and health gains made in the last few decades. People with HIV/AIDS create a profound burden for public finances, especially in the sector of health. In a number of Caribbean countries, HIV/AIDS patients take up as many as a quarter of existing hospital beds (Green, 2011). The sub-Saharan Africa is the most affected with southern Africa leading with the effects of the virus. The World Bank approximation shows that gross domestic product (GDP) of South Africa reduced by twenty percent in 2010 due to the effects of the deadly virus (Salinas Haacker, 2006). Many other countries are using huge portion of their economic resources in providing treatment and care for people with HIV/AIDS. A research carried out by the University of the West Indies shows that the GDP of countries such as Trinidad and Tobago will drop by over five percent and that of Jamaica by 6.4 percent as a result of HIV/AIDS. The economic impact is poverty, a reduction in investments and savings, and rise of unemployment in vital industries such as agriculture and manufacturing (Salinas Haacker, 2006). The economic impact of HIV is greatly felt by the individual and their families. HIV/AIDS in many cases results in loss of income of the breadwinners and increase in expenditures as a result of caring for the infected. Families affected by HIV deplete their savings and assets in order to cope with increased expenditure and income shocks. Firm profits, savings and investments may reduce due to increase AIDS-related expenditure and lower labour productivity (Whiteside, 2008). According to ILO estimates, close to thirty seven million persons worldwide who are engaged in productive economic activities are HIV-positive. The mortality of these adults leaves the children as orphans and in cases where they were the sole bread winners; the children are left destitute (Green, 2011). Impact of HIV on Parenthood and Children The development of HAARTs has had an impact on pregnancy planning among people living with HIV. In the pre-HAART era, HIV-positive women were faced with their HIV status and the expected bleak outcome of death. The number AIDS-related deaths, however, has drastically gone down in women living with AIDS due to HAART; they now live longer healthier lives. Among the women in the reproductive age who are living with HIV, the decision about pregnancy is becoming an important one; this due to reduction of the risk of vertical transmission of the virus to the newborn (Noroski, 2009). Gains in prevention of mother to child transmission have led to emergence of new dimensions in the way communities view parenthood. Parenthood in HIV infected people is still eliciting many physical and social effects especially due to stigma and discrimination associated with the virus. Noroski (2009) outlines that concerns that might determine parenting decisions among people living with AIDS are the aspirati on for parenthood, religious beliefs, children one had before, the position of spouse and health care providers, and apparent spouse capacity to parent successfully. HIV/AIDS has greatly changed parenthood. Research findings shows that close to seventy percent of all HIV infected parents regarded their family planning to be over, since they did not plan bear any more children, sixteen percent were undecided, while fourteen percent had an explicit longing to have more children (Wacharasan and Homchampa, 2008). Children who are infected with HIV either during birth or later through breast milk now have a chance to survive up to adolescence owing to better treatment regimes. This means that more adolescents increasingly have to cope with the virus. Children living with HIV/AIDS have a high risk of death from opportunistic infections. The virus affects the children psychologically and leads to neurological impairment; as a result they have pronounced cognitive insufficiency or diminished cognitive abilities, have behavioural difficulties, and have a general low quality life. Children living with HIV may also experience challenges in leading a normal life due to the medication they must use regularly as well as problems that result from disclosure of their HIV status (Noroski, 2009). The other main impacts of HIV on motherhood are ethical concerns about the possible danger of spreading the virus to the newborn, the socioeconomic impact, concerns and stigma associated with bringing up a child by a parent who has a potentially fatal disease. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has greatly contributed to increase in the number of orphans universally. In Africa alone, there are over twelve million children orphaned by AIDS pandemic. The children are left destitute; at times the elder adolescents have to take up the parenting roles while majority are taken care of by their extended family members or foster parents. This long term care causes economic difficulties as financial resources are strained. The children become fully deprived of the care, guidance and protection of their parents and social problems begin to crop up. The children find themselves prematurely out of school. Statistics show that many of these children have to drop their education due to lack of resources, stigma and discrimination or simply to take up the role of premature parenting resulting from death of their parents. These effects are more pronounced especially after death of both parents. HIV/AIDS in the long term leads to numerous social impacts on the communit y such increase in crime rates, poverty, drug abuse, illiteracy, reduced productivity and eventual collapse of social system. Impact of HIV on Caregivers and Healthcare Sector The major burden of caring for the people living with AIDS rests with the family and the health care providers. In the era before anti retroviral therapy, this used to be an immensely stressing task because most of times the health of the infected patients deteriorated rapidly, they were bedridden and has to be taken care of. The advent of HAART has greatly improved the need for round the clock help since the patient can now lead a healthier life without need for much help. Important care givers are mainly the family, close friends and health workers. The major impact of HIV on the caregivers is stigma; usually referred to as secondary stigma or stigma by association. Parents of people living with HIV may be held responsible for the immoral behaviour that led to infection of their children with HIV. Wacharasan and Homchampa (2008) reported stigmatization as a primary concern for the caregivers. Rather than face stigmatization, caregivers may try to conceal their care giving activities by withdrawing from social relationships. In clinical practice, family caregivers may exacerbate demands of care giving by driving long distances to avoid community awareness of their care recipients HIV status. Some informal caregivers even avoid employing the professional home services of home health care, infusion therapy hospice, and hospice providers to avoid HIV/AIDS disclosure in their communities. Nurses working with informal caregivers fearful of status disclosure must be sensitive to the familys caregivers fear of discrimination and stigma (Wight et al, 2006). Nurses, knowledgeable of HIV friendly referral agencies with well established histories of providing confidential services can play a role in meeting the need for professional home-centred services and bringing solace to an informal caregiver fearful of HIV stigmatization. Caregivers of HIV-infected children also face stigma. Thampanichawat (2008) found primary caregivers of children with HIV infection dealt with the stigma of AIDS while managing their anxiety and fear of loss. Bore much burden of care and faced many difficulties because of limited resources. Similar studies report increased financial difficulties, problems in child care and support and compromised help-seeking due to stigma. These findings emphasize the need to develop interventions to enable caregivers to seek out and identify financial resources and child care to support and empower caregivers to deal with stigma. Health care providers also may fears stigmatization in their work with HIV-positive patients. Caregivers, both formal and informal, commonly experience stigma from their association with HIV/aids and people living with it. This stigma may influence their willingness to work with those with HIV/AIDS or make their work more difficult. Conclusion Annually, across Australia and the world, many individuals get infected with HIV; thousands living with HIV develop AIDS. The impact of contracting and living with this virus hugely challenging and depends on the society the infected person lives in. The impact may determine the effectiveness of the management program, adherence to the treatment regimen and prevention of new infections. The major challenges are to encourage HIV testing for the risk groups, encourage status disclosure, availing a timely and effective management and care to all people living with HIV/AIDS, to endeavour in developing contemporary prevention methods that consider the variable patterns of the pandemic, and to eradicate the economic, physical and psychosocial impacts of HIV infection. Policies should incorporate the needs of individuals, families and the community in order to effectively address the impact of HIV on various sectors.