One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest And 1984 Critical Analysis

The two texts studied, 1984 and One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, both teach the viewer essential lessons about the importance of freedom and the dangers of despotism. They do this by showing the viewer how awful life is in the absence of freedom, the constant abuse of power by authoritarian forces, and the elimination of love. The film 1984, directed by Michael Radford, is based on the highly acclaimed novel, 1984, written by George Orwell. The film follows the life of a man called Winston living in a dystopian society. Throughout the film, the viewer sees the cruel consequences Winston faces due to disobeying the oppressive governmental forces, as a result teaching the audience of the importance of freedom and the dangers of despotism.†¦show more content†¦The lack of freedom is shown in One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest when Nurse Ratched prohibits Randle and the others from watching the World Series. In order for Randle to be able to watch the World Series, he must obtain a c ertain amount of votes. At first, he does not, leaving Nurse Ratched once again feeling successful. The second time Randle asks to watch the game, he does obtain the required amount of votes, yet Nurse Ratched claims it does not count, as the requirement was not met while the group meeting was still running. Small instances like this leave people such as Randle left feeling helpless and as if they are not entitled to basic forms of enjoyment. The lesson that each of the texts attempt to show the reader is that freedom is an important aspect of life, even having the freedom to do what we view as minuscule activities, such as to choose what to watch on television. Love is believed to be having a deep affection for someone, whether that be a spouse, parent, or child. Throughout both 1984 and One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest the idea of love is diminished as much as possible. In 1984, love for anything but The Party is prohibited and sex is solely for procreational purposes. Before Winston meets Julia, he follows the Governments commands and abstains from love. However, soon after meeting her he falls in love and is quick to disobey. Eventually they areShow MoreRelatedThe Sociology Of Health And Mental Illness3181 Words   |  13 Pagesmental illness. Word count: 3,132 John Goulder! 1 ï ¿ ¼Introduction: Mental Health as Disparate Social Object Antipsychiatry was as much a cultural phenomenon as an academic or institutional one. Whilst the work of Laing (1960) and Szasz (1960) can be rooted in the Fruedo-Marxist ‘methodological individualism’ of critical theory (Rogers Pilgrim, 2010: 14), or even a broader constructionist critique of medical truth, it just as easily lends itself to a more limited historicist Libertarian reading: mental

The Secret Life of Bees Movie Review Essay - 630 Words

â€Å"The Secret Life of Bees† Movie Review â€Å"The Secret Life of Bees† is a movie that takes us through the incredible journey of a young girl named Lily Owens. She grows up with the horrible memory of the day she accidentally killed her mother. She and the family maid who has tried to fill the empty void as her mother, Rosaleen, escape the mistreatment that Lily receives from her father, T-Ray. After Rosaleen heard the news on T.V. about the Civil Rights Act being passed, she decided to take the opportunity and register to vote. As they got to town to register Rosaleen, she dumped the juice from her chew container onto men who made fun of her. She was arrested, and that is when they escaped. When Lily asks her father for†¦show more content†¦Lily wants to become a writer, and Zach a lawyer. Their relationship continues to grow, and Zach invites Lily to go to a movie with him. Lily and Zach sit with the colored people at the movie, and a mob comes and takes Zach. The Calendar Sisters are heartbroken when they hear the news. May was so sad and depressed about the whole situation that she was found underwater in the river near the house. Zach comes back soon after May’s death. He is shaken up by the experience. It takes a while for the sisters to recover after the traumatic experience. Neil, June’s boyfriend, has been asking her to marry him throughout the whole movie. Eventually she says yes! Rosaleen is accepted into the sisterly bond and she is called â€Å"July.† Lily showed August the picture of her mother and August told her that she was just like her. She came to their house, much like Lily did, and they took care of her. Lily received a few more items from August that belonged to her mother. The items she was given, which included a pin and a picture of Lily and her mother hugging, proved that Lily’s mother, Deborah, loved her. Lily continues to have better days and receives a necklac e and kiss from Zach. As Lily is adapting to life in the Calendar Sister’s home, T-Ray shows up. He figured out where she was by the location of the push pin hole in her wall from the map that once hung there. He demands that Lily come home with him after he sees her standing thereShow MoreRelatedLangston Hughes Research Paper25309 Words   |  102 Pagesat the same table with him, and a fountain clerk in St. Louis refused to serve him a soft drink. He dealt with these slights the way he would his entire life: He turned away quietly. But Langston decided that instead of running away from the color line and hating himself for being black, like his father had, he would write about the real-life experiences of black people. He was determined to write stories about Negroes, so true that people in faraway lands would read them. James Langston HughesRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pages1 1 Introduction What Is Organizational Behavior? 3 The Importance of Interpersonal Skills 4 What Managers Do 5 Management Functions 6 †¢ Management Roles 6 †¢ Management Skills 8 †¢ Effective versus Successful Managerial Activities 8 †¢ A Review of the Manager’s Job 9 Enter Organizational Behavior 10 Complementing Intuition with Systematic Study 11 Disciplines That Contribute to the OB Field 13 Psychology 14 †¢ Social Psychology 14 †¢ Sociology 14 †¢ Anthropology 14 There Are Few Absolutes inRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesPrinciples of Management, Human Resources, Strategy, and Organizational Behavior that helps you actively study and prepare material for class. Chapter-by-chapter activities, including built-in pretests and posttests, focus on what you need to learn and to review in order to succeed. Visit www.mymanagementlab.com to learn more. DEVELOPING MANAGEMENT SKILLS EIGHTH EDITION David A. Whetten BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY Kim S. Cameron UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Prentice Hall Boston Columbus Indianapolis

Patriarchal Societies the Historical Evidence Free Essays

Joelle Davis John Duran John Hicks Morgan Plasse Travis Rogers Eric Thomason PATRIARCHAL SOCIETIES: THE HISTORICAL EVIDENCE AND CONTEMPORARY DIRECTION â€Å"Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings. † ? Cheris Kramarae INTRODUCTION Since the first records of complex civilizations, male dominance in human culture has molded itself into global societies and has forced women into lives of subordination and inequality. Historically, men have stood as the primary political figures and leaders, while women have been inclined to take on supportive and more household-oriented roles. We will write a custom essay sample on Patriarchal Societies: the Historical Evidence or any similar topic only for you Order Now This same structure of societies and governments has made its way into nearly every inhabited geographic area, and where has attached itself since the first immigration periods (? ). So from what root did this idealism mysteriously stem? Scientific research points that in times far preceding the birth of complex societies, Neanderthals wandered the Earth in a much different fashion. Evidence derived from fossils and uncovered leftovers seem (noun/verb disagreement: â€Å"Evidence †¦ seems†) to encourage the thought that people lived much more of an egalitarian lifestyle 30,000 years ago. Women, quite possibly, may have helped to hunt as well as nurse children, while men at times may have stayed behind to harvest crops. Though males were the primary hunters, the flexibility that may have been cast on gender roles is polar opposite to what would develop as humans became more advanced. There is a lot of argument and confusion on the topic of patriarchal origins, and what may have happened between this time of suspected weak gender roles and the time of male dominance. Whether or not the answer will ever be clear, its (usage: its or it’s) important to understand how long it has taken for our orld to considered (infinitive) women to be equal. In our nation itself, there was a time in which when an 18 year old boy with no political experience and little to no real world knowledge could stand next to a wise, middle aged, female professional and cast a vote, while she could not. This did not come to an end until 1920, approximately 3,600 years after the creation of th e first set of societal laws in Babylonian times. As we will discuss, patriarchal systems of family and societal life led from early Mesopotamia to all regions of the world over thousands of years. Though present today in almost every nation, the extent of patriarchal influences have diminished (noun/verb) over time and the freedom and rights of women have become more evident. THE ORIGINS OF PATRIARCHAL SOCIETIES The first evidence of patriarchal societies lies as far back in time as the emergence of man’s first complex societies around 3,000 BC. Cities in the West Asian land of Mesopotamia, such as Ur and Uruk of the Sumer region, existed as what are considered the oldest settlements, and were built with the first sophisticated infrastructures and governing domains. The first concepts of patriarchies developed in these cities, and became tightly woven into the structure of future cultures. One of the first sets of law to govern the people of Mesopotamia was written during the era of Babylonia, which began around 2000 BC. Famously known as Hammurabi’s code, the stone-scribed document listed policies and regulations for its people to abide by. These heavily included the rights of women, which were undeniably much more constricted than those of men. The women of Mesopotamia had certain rights, which included the right to buy and sell goods, own property, and work outside of the house. However, the power of men to exist above and over them made these rights appear to be measly and minuscule. Husbands were able to sell their wives into slavery and legally commit adultery and have multiple wives. If women were to cheat on their husbands, they could be ordered to death as their punishment. Politically, men were the primary (if not, only) figures influencing all decisions made, including the development and direction of the city-states. Judging by the example given in Hammurabi’s Code (if a proper noun here, then why not in the few sentences preceding this one? , it is needless to say that that (? ) males controlled the cities of Mesopotamia, and thus, the world’s earlier settlements. The ideas and concepts of patriarchies would grow from this age and wrap around the foundations of nearly every society for millenniums to come. Please acknowledge all ideas you have borrowed from secondary sources and have paraphrased and/or summarized with parenthetical ci tations. PATRIARCHY IN GREECE Some of (? ) most complex societies in our early history came about from between 650 BC – 100 AD along the Mediterranean sea. At the start of this time, Greek society was blooming into one of the most unprecedented cultural beauties, rich with visual, art, drama, mythology, and dramatic literature. In 510 BC, Athens became the site of the first democratic government, paving the way for citizen-oriented governments to come. In this democracy, all men over the age of 18 were granted the right to vote on political issues, which is something that was extremely new in those times. The rights of the common male may have been leaning towards equality, but women still faced subordination to men. In fact, the lack of rights to women across Greek land were solidified (noun/verb) by law. This varied throughout the country, more extreme or less emphasized among different city-states. For instance, in Sparta women were highly respected and able to speak for themselves, yet the land was still run primarily by the male-run military. Athenian women, however, had few rights and were typically confined to their homes. Their husbands were in total control as heads of households, and lead the direction of family’s daily lives. Thus, it is clearly evident that democratic Greece was still heavily influenced by patriarchal philosophies. The word â€Å"patriarch† refers to the male leader of a family and comes from the Greek word â€Å"patriarches. †(The Free Resource) End punctuation follows the parenthetical citation. Ancient Greece was an agricultural society in its founding. Societies that are agricultural are typically patriarchal in the context that the male in the family, whether it is father, husband, or brother, made (shift in verb tense) the key cultural, religious, and financial decisions within the family and community sector (The Free Resource). Ancient Greece followed for the most part in that same context. The system of patriarchy was developed in Greece in roughly the 4th and 5th century B. C. E. Shortly following its establishment, women’s rights and privileges were on the rapid decline. Greek women were not allowed to participate in politics. â€Å"According to legend, the goddess Athena won by just one female vote, the right to name the city Athens. Because of this initiative by a woman, as a punishment, all future generations of women would not be allowed to participate in politics â€Å"(The Free Resource). These kinds of legends and religious beliefs further suppressed and in societal terms it appeared to be justified. Some of the information in this paragraph is redundant. Consider combining this paragraph with the one preceding it. Although woman for (? ) inferior in terms of politics, they were vital and powerful in relation to artisan families and influence behind her husband. â€Å"Socrates spent so much time teaching in the marketplace because of his wife Xantippe’s sharp tongue when he was at home. † (Guisepi, Robert) If you are using MLA style, then delete the comma and first name. A woman with a strong personality behind a man that was firmly rooted in a political forum, such as the Senate, could have large political influence but very much in an indirect format. But in law and culture, women were held inferior. Even the activities of free women were daily put into question and were not respected highly in societal terms. â€Å"The raping of a free woman, though a crime, was a lesser offense than seducing her, since seduction meant winning her affections away from her duties. † (Guisepi, Robert) Even infant females were regarded in a substandard way. Families that were over burdened with children would often resort to infanticide and discard the female infants. The woman’s father usually arranged marriages. Divorce was legal for men but woman had to go to court and were frequently unsuccessful. Adultery was common with men but woman could be divorced or severely punished if caught (Guisepi, Robert). What is the controlling idea in this paragraph? The only Greek society that was vaguely different was Sparta. Education was also extended to girls. Both sexes exercised naked. Women however (comma error) could not compete by the Olympic rules, while Spartan men were very successful (Cartledge, Paul). When their husbands were at war or out of the home, women assumed control and made the necessary choice that her husband would have made. Women could negotiate with their husbands to bring their lovers into the home so they could be monitored (Cartledge, Paul). The way Sparta is portrayed in movies, as being very equal, is rather false. Spartan society exhibited many of the same classic patriarchal beliefs as the rest of Greece did. Does this sentence contradict the topic sentence? PATRIARCHY IN CHINA Patriarchal structures of society have been prominent in Chinese culture since around 1000 BC. Texts dating back 200 BC refer to men being masters of the outside world with women being masters of the home. Immediate families existed (? ) not only focused on parents and offspring, but grandparents, living relatives, and even the spirits of descendants. The senior males of these families demanded respect from all subordinates, including their wives. Women were legally subordinate to men and were usually frowned upon at birth due to the fact that they would one day just become an asset of another family after years of being raised. A common phrase from that time which stayed with China until the end of the imperial period was, â€Å"the three subordinations and the four virtues† being, â€Å"a woman was to be subordinate to her father in youth, her husband in maturity, and her son in old age. (Natalie Bennett)† Punctuate with commas to setoff appositives—for example, â€Å"A common phrase from that time, which stayed with China until the end of the imperial period, was †¦. Also, is â€Å"imperial period† a proper noun? While generally thought of as a more western term, patriarchy has also historically been a heavy influence in Asia, particularly within China (Should we move this to the start of this subtopic? Yes! Organization. ). Men in China have historically held political power, being ruled b y an emperor until 1912. The title of emperor was passed from father to son in each dynasty with the empress holding very limited power. On top of this the emperor and many other upper class men had multiple wives as a symbol of their wealth while women could not have more than on (? husband. The average women were generally considered failures if they grew up without finding a husband or work as a slave; most people in China considered a woman’s job to be a subservient wife (BBC). To make matters worse, during the Song dynasty, around 1000 AD, the custom of foot binding quickly spread among high class families, eventually spreading all across China. Foot binding entails wrapping a young girls (possessive) feet painfully tight which prevents further growth; leading to â€Å"beautiful feet and causing their movements more feminine and dainty† (Nancy Miles) but also causing lifelong disability. Up to 50% of women during the nineteenth century had bound feet; for upper class women it was upward of 95%. Even after it was banned in 1912 many families continued to do it in fear that they may hurt their daughter’s (plural and possessive) chances for good marriage (Louisa Lim). This practice of foot binding even further limited the power of women in Chinese society and in turn helped fuel the patriarchy during the empire. Punctuate with a semi-colon to link independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction; to connect independent clauses separated by a conjunctive adverb; and in a series with internal punctuation. With a transitional signal, you can combine these two paragraphs. There is the more contemporary issue of the country’s one-child policy, leading to many forced sex-selective abortions (awkward). Most parents in China value a male child over a female child, believing sons have more social and economic value so when forced to choose to keep a child they more often keep males. This had (? ) lead to a huge skew in the gender ratios; for every 100 females there are 119 males (Graeme Russle). Post-imperial China has, thankfully, seen (don’t split the verb) large improvements for women’s rights. Women have made a strong push into the economic (? ) and job market, holding the highest percentages of women employed in Asia (BBC). Although the patriarchy in China has been constantly getting smaller in the 20th and 21st century effects of it are still everywhere and change comes slowly, with people fighting for every inch they can get. PATRIARCHY IN INDIA In other parts of Asia, societies dug the foundations of patriarchies far deeper than preceding civilizations. Between 1000 BC and 300 BC, the Vedic empire of East India flourished in rich culture and strong religious elements. However, the extremely strict and conservative laws of the land were particularly harsh on female citizens. The villages, which were administered by men, saw that women were kept from religious and social activities. Political councils were governed primarily by the head of households which were always men, and if all males of the important families died, the family was thus excluded from political activity. Families were led by the oldest male, who also claimed ownership of all family possessions. Women were often wed through arranged marriages right before puberty (to promote virginity at marriage), and were unable to remarry even if their husband (plural) passed away. In rare situations, women would perform sati, a practice in which women would cremate themselves live on their husbands (possessive and plural) funeral pyre. According to the Vedic people, the manners in which the rights of women were regulated so severely were thought to be for their own good. The idea was that if they â€Å"performed [them] with grace and devotion, they might expect a better status in their next incarnation† (74, Judge and Langdon I don’t believe any style formats parenthetical citations in this way). In comparison to its existence in Mesopotamian societies, the concepts of patriarchal societies in India became more influential in daily life than ever witnessed before and would remain even into the modern day. One way to combine this paragraph with the one below is to revise the topic sentence. For example, Patriarchy in India is represented in the caste system and has its roots in the Hindu religion. Since then and still to this day, the representation of patriarchy in India is the caste system. The caste system is defined as, (delete the comma) â€Å"an elaborately stratified social hierarchy distinguishing India’s social structure from any other nation† (1). A person is born into their his/her caste, will shun those from another caste, and never move up in the system in their lifetime. As you go down the hierarchy of the caste system, a person’s â€Å"pureness† diminishes. Women suffered from the bias outlook that women were polluted simply because of the body functions unique to women. Avoid second person pronouns. This view of women automatically placed them below the men of their caste (1). Aside from the caste system, Patriarchy also has roots in the Hindu religion, which is the dominant religion in India. It is believed that aspects of the female principle must be neutralized by the male principle (3). If the female principle is not neutralized, it will result in a violent and destructive behavior. Also, women are believed to have a far greater and uncontrollable sexual appetite than men. It was feared that women would istract men from their religious duties, so men would have to control women in order to control their lust (3). This belief was viewed as justification for male dominance over women. Both the caste system and Hinduism laid the groundwork allowing Patriarchy to flourish in Indian culture. In modern Indian culture, women are gaining more independence from the traditional systems that allowed Patriarchy to function. The Constitution of India, which came into effect on January 26th, 1950, assured its people â€Å"justice, equality, and liberty† (4). In section III, under Article 15, it explicitly lists that â€Å"The state shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them† (4) Although, before modern laws were written to establish equality, women had a low status in Indian society. After getting married, the Bride’s (capitalization) family was expected to pay large amounts of money to the Groom’s family and was then expected to live with the Groom’s family. Basically, the Bride would have to buy into the family. PATRIARCHY IN THE MIDDLE EAST In the present day Middle East, governing laws have primarily been focused around Islamic religion since its foundations. This legal code, known as Shari’Ah, is based on moral and spiritual ideals, and â€Å"prescribes the pathway to paradise† (Judge and Langdon, 274). The Shari’Ah was completed between 7-9 CE and is still implemented in the legal systems of some Middle Eastern countries today. Combine these two paragraphs. Some of the concepts included in the Shari’ah clearly state the gender roles of men and women in early Islamic society, usually putting women in a place of subordination that is justified as being for their own protection. Men are required to treat their women with honor and respect. The insistence that women be veiled in public and spend much of their lives sequestered in their homes [†¦ ] are designed in part to promote honor and respect for women† (Judge and Langdon, 274). Additionally, men were (shift in tense) allowed to practice polygamy, as long as he â€Å"treats them equally in terms of financial support, sexual intercourse, household duties, and respect† (Judge and Langon, 275). What resulted from this mentality and the strict constitutional view of the Shari’ah, in other words that it cannot be changed (? , was a modernizing society with old fashioned laws. As time passed, women’s rights in the middle east that were originally written for women’s protection began to gradually put women in a position of pure inequality. An issue of debate to this day concerns the status of women in the Middle East. There is an extensive notion that the region and its people are traditional, change is unhurried and is not welcome. In accounts and popular Western perceptions, the status of women is assumed to be universally low, which may be, in all probability, due to the centrality of Islam in the lives of the people and the rules of the earth. Many writings have focused on Middle Eastern women as victims of inflexible laws, oppressive regimes, and fundamentalist engagements. Other writings tend to move too far in an opposing trend, and in overcompensation for the negative portrayal of Middle Eastern women. They try to dispute that Islam elevates women, or that Middle Eastern women actually carry â€Å"vast control†, or â€Å"restrained influence†, at least in their households. It is methodologically incomplete to tender â€Å"Islam† as the illustrative variable in strength and change. The status of women in the Middle East cannot be understood by substitute to Quran explanation, as well as not be possible for those Middle Eastern women are all persecuted, or that they are simple submissive observers of the dealings around them. The longstanding constraints on women’s mobility and freedom of action have been eroded by the process of development and growth. You’ll need to decide whether the Middle East is a proper noun or not, and be consistent. Please acknowledge your sources. This topic sentence suggests you are no longer discussing patriarchy in India. Patriarchal society is a social formation which has traditionally existed in varying forms throughout the world, women being dominated by the male society. In classic patriarchy, the senior man has say-so over everyone else in the family, including younger men, and women are focus to distinct forms of control and subordination. The goal of patriarchy roots in the household, which is also commonly linked with the reproduction of the peasantry in agrarian societies (Kandiyoti 1988). A fragment is a grammatically incomplete sentence, possessing either a subject or a predicate. Making a sentence grammatically complete means it must have a subject and predicate. The subordination of women in kinship-ordered or political societies is related to the reproduction of the family assembly or of the peasantry as well as to the sexual division of labor. There is a disposition to male dominance inherent in the relation between the peasant household, landlords, position, and in the imitation of ordered groups, wherein women are exchanged and men are the translators in what Gayle Rubin has called â€Å"the traffic in women† (Rubin 1975 use the same style throughout this paper). In a patriarchal context, women are assimilated into concepts of property. Forcing an unwanted marriage or mother to the unwanted child forced by society and religion to become obedient towards all men not just their husbands. PATRIARCHY IN THE UNITED STATES Use the tab key to indent all paragraphs. Long before the birth of the United States, ideas of patriarchies were carried westward with the migrations of the Amerinds (? ). This is assumed by researchers because gender roles were present in the first indigenous inhabitants of the West, even as far as Central and South America. Men dominated the political systems of tribes and settlements, while women raised crops and nurtured children at home. This way of assigning designated activities for both men and women was not unlike the gender roles on the opposite side of the planet. Therefore, some studies suggest that when humans migrated to what is now the Americas around 8000-5000 BC, societies were already structured to have males as lead figures while women carried out supportive roles. The standard was set for the duration of the Native Americans’ rule over the North, Central, and South America, and continued until they were dominated by European settlers. A tree with deep roots stood strong and proved very difficult to uproot. It changed over the years since then in various ways and women would eventually gain more power in society, but nonetheless it still existed when the United States became a nation. See my comment above regarding acknowledging sources. European societies based themselves upon the practices of patriarchy, so it is no surprise the first immigrants from Europe took this societal system with them. When the settlers inhabited the newly established colonies, they brought their traditional attitudes concerning the roles women should possess and their status in society with them (Sage 1). â€Å"Puritans organized their family around the unquestioned principle of patriarchy (Vandergriff 1). † â€Å"Their religion taught that family roles were part of a continuous chain of hierarchical and delegated authority descending from God (1). † The parenthetical citation follows the quotation mark. The role of each family member was important to the success of the family. Although the wife was subordinate, she could participate in public life through her husband (Sage 1). If the husband became injured she had to assume his role. This even applied to casting his vote in an election if need be (1). â€Å"Without a strong and productive wife a family would struggle to survive (1). † The father was always in charge in early New England. He had the right to intervene in the lives of his children, control their behavior, and even select their spouse (Vandergriff 1). Marriage was referred to as a contract between two unequal beings. The husband occupied the support role in which it was his responsibility to provide for the family and the wife was expected to be a servant to the husband. The wife was subordinate in the hierarchy of society but before God both men and women were considered equal (Vandergriff 1). Before marriage single women could represent themselves in court, carry out business, and even own property. Once married, however, women could only engage in business with the consent of her husband their husbands. It was believed that after marriage the legal identity of the woman became part of her husband (1). If a woman engaged in business while she was married her personal property, profits, and real estate belonged to her husband. Even if he could not be trusted with it and was not responsible, she could do nothing about it (1). Be aware of redundancies and consider how you might revise and combine this paragraph with the one above. Women were considered to be weaker than men physically, emotionally, and mentally. They were often referred to as â€Å"weaker vessels†. Women lacked the ability to legally vote and could not hold public office in colonial society (Sage 1). Although women had limited rights, many were still able to carry out business and do tasks not generally associated with the traditional roles of women. Labor was limited in the colonies so many women held jobs as midwives, teachers, printers and even doctors (1). In this aspect, the colonial period exhibited a degree of egalitarianism (Vandergriff 1). â€Å"Although women in colonial America could by no means be considered to have been held â€Å"equal† to men, they were as a rule probably as well off as women anywhere in the world, and in general probably even better off (Sage 1). † Nothing in this paragraph supports the topic sentence. During the nineteenth and the twentieth century (plural), many aspects concerning the roles of women, their rights, and their impact on society changed dramatically. In the nineteenth century women began to get out of the house and go to work in great numbers, with The majority worked in the textile industry and garment shops They often worked working many hours and in terrible atmospheres (an example of sentence combining). It was not until around 1910 that states began to pass laws limiting working hours and making working conditions more tolerable (â€Å"Women’s History in America† 1). Many jobs began to require education in order to practice the profession. This tended to limit a woman’s ability to enter careers that were considered professional. This was fairly common in the medical field. The American Medical Association was started in 1846, but and women were not permitted to join this association or men’s medical colleges, so they attended female schools (1). From 1890 to 1980 the percentage of total female doctors who were women went (diction) from five percent to seventeen percent. Women improved their statuses in other professions such as law and engineering as well (1). The teaching profession was a huge field of employment for women. More than twice as many women were teachers of elementary and high school compared to men in 1980. However, two out of every three teachers of higher education were male. Even in the present day, most working women find employment in clerical, retail, and service jobs (1). Combine simple sentences. A woman’s education seemed to always be secondary to a man’s. Towards the end of the 19th century the number of women attending secondary schools increased greatly due to the rise in female colleges and women being permitted to enroll in colleges with men. One-fifth of college students were women in 1870; by 1900 the proportion of women to men in college had grown to one-third (â€Å"Women’s History in America† 1). â€Å"Women obtained 19 percent of all undergraduate college degrees around the beginning of the 20th century. By 1984 the figure had sharply increased to 49 percent. Women also increased their numbers in graduate study. By the mid-1980s women were earning 49 percent of all master’s degrees and about 33 percent of all doctoral degrees. In 1985 about 53 percent of all college students were women (1). Numerous laws were passed in the 1900’s to benefit women and to increase equality between the sexes. In 1920, women gained the right to vote by the nineteenth amendment (proper noun) (Imbornoni 1). Women now possessed the ability to participate in elections and influence the decisions of society. Women became part of the government during this time as well. Several women served in the House of Represe ntatives and the Senate, starting in 1917 (â€Å"Women’s History in America† 1). The Food and Drug Administration approved birth control pills in 1960 (Imbornoni 1). Women now possessed more control over pregnancy. They could now choose to put off having children, while still remaining sexually active. â€Å"The Equal Pay Act of 1963 required equal wages for men and women doing equal work (â€Å"Women’s History in America† 1). † â€Å"Despite the Equal Pay Act of 1963, women in 1970 were paid about 45 percent less than men for the same jobs; in 1988, about 32 percent less. Professional women did not get the important assignments and promotions given to their male colleagues (1). † Laws could not completely halt the discrimination of women. Men have always been regarded and treated better than women in the United States. This is partly due to the long standing patriarchal beliefs and practices of our country. â€Å"The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination against women by any company with 25 or more employees (1). † In 1967, executive order 11375 made discrimination based on gender illegal (Imbornoni 1). Women now could share the same opportunities for employment as white males. The Supreme Court upheld a decision stating sex-specific help wanted ads in newspapers were illegal in 1973 (1). By 1985, every state had adopted a law allowing couples to divorce by mutual consent. California was the first state to ratify the law in 1969. (1). Women could now end marriages they no longer wished to be a part of. Roe vs. Wade (1973) gave women the right to a legal abortion and overturned previous anti-abortion laws (1). Women could now end a pregnancy on their own behalf without legal recourse. The twentieth century provided women with many rights, increased their equality in society, and moved the country farther from its traditional patriarchal beliefs. Without the great strides made in these few decades, women would still occupy the same inferior place in society as they did during the previous centuries. See my suggestion above regarding sentence combining. Patriarchy continues to be part of the United States in the present day. Almost everyone participates in patriarchy whether they wish to or not. The practice has been ingrained into so many aspects of our society; it has basically become a part of the individual. Our society contains traits of being dominated by males, male centered, and male identified. These males are frequently obsessed with power and control. Many males go along with patriarchy because it directly benefits them. Abolishing patriarchy would threaten their power and control (Smith 1). People in power, men in this case, want to keep it this way. Historically speaking, powerful positions tend to be regarded as a man’s job. Therefore, as a society we tend to expect our doctors, lawyers, government officials, CEOs, and spiritual leaders to be men as well (1). Society has in the past, and somewhat to this day, associated being a male as a quality for high level positions, and therefore has confused the position with the person in the position (1). Many make assumptions of men being more qualified than women without actually knowing the qualifications of the individual because of this practice. Maleness and masculinity are often used as a basis for comparison in society, and anything not male or masculine is considered less or abnormal. This is clearly evident according to Smith, â€Å"We see the evidence of this characteristic every day in fields like medicine and law where a male lawyer, judge or doctor is just called a lawyer, judge, or doctor, but a female holding the same position is a ‘woman lawyer’, a ‘woman judge’, a ‘woman doctor’. This is because the assumption is that someone in that position should be male. That is the ‘normal’ way of things. When someone who is not male is in one of those positions, we feel the need to identify it as ‘other’ (1). † Women still receive less pay than a man for the same job. In 2009, President Obama signed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act, which allows victims (mostly women) of pay discrimination to file a complaint within 180 days of their last paycheck. The law was named after a Goodyear employee who was paid fifteen to forty percent less than her male counterparts (Imbornoni 1). Our society is remarkably male centered. Men are associated with power so it is normal and expected of them to be in the political spotlight. Because of this association, it is hardly noticed that the news, in general, focuses on men and stories pertaining to them (Smith 1). Men are on the covers of magazines, in the news, and their stories are on television. Stories and ads are directly influenced by the gaze of men (1). Smith hits the nail on the head when he says, Block quotes of four lines or more by tabbing twice and deleting quotation marks—e. g. In women’s magazines, we see ads that feature women who are nearly naked, advertising bras or the clothes they are almost wearing. This is not because women like to look at other women but because women are being taught that they have to look a certain way in order for men to like them. Even the articles in women’s magazine are male centered as the focus on such topics as ‘ways to please him’ and †˜how to know if your man is cheating’. The male gaze, and thus male centeredness, is something that we cannot get away from. (1) As time has pressed on, women now enjoy much more freedom and potential in society presently than ever before. Women now hold many high level jobs, run companies, and are eligible to pursue careers in any field. Patriarchy has diminished greatly over the years but is still evident. It will continue to exist in America if society continues to be male centered. Men will surely hold on to their privilege and power however they can. Patriarchy in society is essentially a power struggle between the sexes. Women gaining power equates to men losing their previous level of power in society. Perhaps one day our society will be completely egalitarian. A woman has never been elected president. Maybe society needs a woman in the highest achievable position in order to reduce the influence of patriarchy. No other event or position could influence the changing of tradition and upset the power men hold in society as much as a woman being the commander and chief. CONCLUSION For thousands of years, we have lived in â€Å"a man’s world†. Since human civilizations emerged, men have been in charge, ruled the lands, and determined the paths of people to come. So many generations have lived by this belief in pure, conscious or subconscious patriarchal means, and now times are changing. Today, women are enjoying a higher level of freedom, and are stepping up to positions unheard of for women to hold a century ago. Many nations have female presidents, and women all over the world are universally striving for equality. However, change cannot occur overnight. In around a century, we have witnessed a miraculous progression of universal women’s rights coming into existence, a surge of females into a broad, professional workforce, and governmental influences being carried out by female politicians. The more aware women are of patriarchal influences in society, the more can be done to advance universal equality. Equality is essential to rid the world of the belief that a woman cannot do a man’s job or is less qualified because of her gender. You’ve done an excellent job researching this topic. You have a good thesis and support. If you decide to revise this paper and resubmit as the final paper, then consider the following: paragraph combining; consistent use of MLA style throughout, including parenthetical citations and the Works Cited page; and proofread carefully, as there are serious errors in this paper—for example, noun/verb disagreements and fragments. Grade: B- How to cite Patriarchal Societies: the Historical Evidence, Essay examples

Teenage Depression Essay Sample free essay sample

Throughout America. the rate of teenage is increasing each twelvemonth. About 20 per centum of teens will see adolescent depression before they reach maturity. Adolescent depression can impact a adolescent regardless of gender. societal background. income degree. race. or school or other accomplishments. though adolescent misss study enduring from depression more frequently than adolescent male childs. Teenage depression is a serious subject and it is of import to understand what it is. the symptoms of teenage depression and how it can be solved. Teenage depression isn’t merely bad tempers and the occasional melancholy—it’s a serious job that impacts every facet of a teen’s life. Adolescent depression can take to drug and intoxicant maltreatment. self–loathing and self–mutilation. gestation. force. and even suicide. Depression is more than on occasion experiencing blue. sad. or down in the mopess. Depression is a strong temper affecting unhap piness. disheartenment. desperation. or hopelessness that lasts for hebdomads. We will write a custom essay sample on Teenage Depression Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page months. or even longer. Depression affects more than a person’s temper. It drains the energy. motive. and concentration a individual needs for normal activities. It interferes with the ability to notice or bask the good things in life. Of class. most teens feel unhappy at times and when you add endocrines and emphasis to the many other alterations go oning in a teen’s life. it’s easy to see why they have mood swings like loony. Often. teens with depression will hold a noticeable alteration in their thought and behaviour. They may hold no motive and even go withdrawn. shuting their sleeping room door after school and remaining in their room for hours. Teenss with depression may kip overly. hold a alteration in eating wonts. school problem and may even exhibit condemnable behaviours such as DUI or shrinkage. Those are merely a few illustrations of symptoms that may originate when looking for depression in adolescents. Even though depression affects 1000000s of adolescents. it is treatable. Though. there is no one-size-fits-all attack for adolescents who are depressed. I would state that bar is ever better than remedy. If we could forestall adolescent depression so there would be no demand to bring around a down adolescent. As a parent or grownup that recognizes the warning marks before they become terrible so you may be able to assist that adolescent prevent going down and seek aid before the depression boots in. If in fact the depression has already affected the kid so it is really improtant to seek medical aid every bit shortly as possible before it becomes excessively late. Depression is the world’s figure one psychological upset and self-destruction is the 3rd prima cause of decease amongst adolescents. It has been known for down adolescents to turn to suicide if they dont recieve the proper medical attending that is needed to handle depression. Some parents are even traveling to reding with their kids to make an unfastened forum where a adolescent feels like they can open up and portion their feelings. Teenage depression is a serious issue. but it can be helped when you know the symptoms. Depression is a existent and serious status that can derail lives and set a kid at hazard. No 1 needs to be left entirely to conflict depression. Acknowledge the marks and symptoms and you may do a difference in somone’s life.

Bioethics free essay sample

An in-depth look at the development of bioethics over the years. This paper examines bioethics by discussing the emergence of the term bioethics and the phenomena that is now referred to as bioethics. It proceeds to explore the controversies surrounding issues such as abortion, euthanasia, human research subjects, human cloning and genetic engineering. Bioethics is a term that has emerged on the American scene during the last half of the twentieth century and has become a familiar controversial term ever since. This term literally is defined as the ethics of life (DiGiacomo Shannon, 1979, p.1). This is a broad definition that consists of many realms of thinking and beliefs. In other words, what do we believe is right and wrong when it comes to the ethics of how we deal with human life? Undoubtedly, this is why bioethics has become a widespread and controversial topic in America and around the world. It is a fascinating topic, but who is to truly say what is right and wrong when it comes to human life? In a world in which subjectivity and tolerance in diverse beliefs is becoming the norm of society, some bioethical topics can become unanswerable questions. We will write a custom essay sample on Bioethics or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Though the court system of America has specific laws towards some of these issues, the law continues to change and evolve as beliefs of the people continue to change and evolve; this will be discussed in more detail as we continue.

Free Essays on Out Of The Silent Planet

The Contrast of Malacondra and Earth In Out of the Silent Planet, C. S. Lewis contrasts the utopian society, located on the imaginary planet Malacondra, with a futuristic earth. This society consists of several different species of intelligent creatures. Lewis draws many parallels between earth and Malacondra. However, earth deals with many problems that the people of Malacondra fortunately never have to. Unlike Malacondra, immorality, unemployment and lack of respect are three problems that the people of earth deal with continually. The heartaches and troubles immorality brings about on earth rip apart our society. Promiscuity hurts people in all areas of life, no matter who the offender. Families die, people lose dreams and the wounds left behind scar forever. Over sixty percent of married couples in today’s world divorce. "I do" seems to mean "I might". In Malacondra, the hross have one female. They reproduce once and relish that memory forever. Lust does not drive them on. Mere tempting attraction or the desire for temporary gratification does not stir them to leave their true love, their mate. In Out of the Silent Planet, the protagonist, Ransom, made many inquiries into the life of the hross. Many of the answers to his questions surprised him. In one situation, Ransom asked about the courting of the hross. The set finality of the pattern of the hross’ courtship and love especially surprised him. "‘When he [a hross] is young he has to look for his mate; and then he has to court her; then he begets young; then he rears them; then he remembers all this, and boils it inside him and makes it into poems and wisdom†¦I have heard of one that wanted to eat earth; there might, perhaps, be somewhere a hross likewise that wanted to have the years of love prolonged. I have not heard of it , but it might be. I have heard of something stranger. There is a poem about a hross who lived long ago†¦and last of all they say that he fell ... Free Essays on Out Of The Silent Planet Free Essays on Out Of The Silent Planet The Contrast of Malacondra and Earth In Out of the Silent Planet, C. S. Lewis contrasts the utopian society, located on the imaginary planet Malacondra, with a futuristic earth. This society consists of several different species of intelligent creatures. Lewis draws many parallels between earth and Malacondra. However, earth deals with many problems that the people of Malacondra fortunately never have to. Unlike Malacondra, immorality, unemployment and lack of respect are three problems that the people of earth deal with continually. The heartaches and troubles immorality brings about on earth rip apart our society. Promiscuity hurts people in all areas of life, no matter who the offender. Families die, people lose dreams and the wounds left behind scar forever. Over sixty percent of married couples in today’s world divorce. "I do" seems to mean "I might". In Malacondra, the hross have one female. They reproduce once and relish that memory forever. Lust does not drive them on. Mere tempting attraction or the desire for temporary gratification does not stir them to leave their true love, their mate. In Out of the Silent Planet, the protagonist, Ransom, made many inquiries into the life of the hross. Many of the answers to his questions surprised him. In one situation, Ransom asked about the courting of the hross. The set finality of the pattern of the hross’ courtship and love especially surprised him. "‘When he [a hross] is young he has to look for his mate; and then he has to court her; then he begets young; then he rears them; then he remembers all this, and boils it inside him and makes it into poems and wisdom†¦I have heard of one that wanted to eat earth; there might, perhaps, be somewhere a hross likewise that wanted to have the years of love prolonged. I have not heard of it , but it might be. I have heard of something stranger. There is a poem about a hross who lived long ago†¦and last of all they say that he fell ...

Quality Assurance Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Quality Assurance - Research Paper Example Section 46.703 of the FAR spells out the criteria for use of warranties. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR 46.7) outlines that the application of warranties is not mandatory. Nevertheless, if the benefits to flow from the warranty are proportionate to the cost of the warranty, the Contracting Officer (CO) should consider placing it in the contract. FAR Subpart 46.703 demands that the CO evaluate the form and application of supplies and services, the cost, administration and enforcement, reduced requirements, and trade practices (National Archives Records Administration, 2010). The rationale for incorporating a warranty should be documented within the contract file. The CO should consider the following factors when weighing in on warranties; nature and application of supplies or services, cost, trade practice, administration and enforcement, and minimized requirements. The nature and application of the supplies or services is influenced by factors such as degree of development, state of the art, end use, complexity and function, degree of development, probable harm to the government in instances in which the item is defective, and complexities in detecting defects prior to acceptance. Warranty clause does not limit the government’s rights under the inspection clause (Subpart 46.3) regarding latent defects, fraud, or gross mistakes that are tantamount to fraud. Subpart 46.706 (warranty terms and conditions) facilitates the pricing and enforcement of warranties whereby CO should ensure that the warranties state concisely the precise nature of item and components that the contractor warrants, scope and duration of the warranty, and extent of the contractor’s warranty inclusive of contractor’s obligations to the government for violation of contract (Meagher & Rennie, 2001). Contractor obligations under warranties encompass to all defects discovered at the

The impact of our race and ethnicity on our identity Essay

The impact of our race and ethnicity on our identity - Essay Example As Peter Schuck and Rogers Smith argue, American citizenship has never been exclusively "consensual." There has always been an interpretive imbalance between John Locke's "individualistic liberalism," which has been the attributed conceptual cornerstone of the American Revolution, and the less-acknowledged influence of "Atlantic republicanism" that underlies that of an American empire. Zora Neale Hurston developed into an avid reader and an attentive listener, a fan of myth, legend, and local lore. In Eatonville, where everyone is some shade of black, Zora is no different from anyone else. The white people she meets in Eatonville differ from her only insofar as they do not live there. As Barbara Johnson points out, the Zora of Eatonville disappears in Jacksonville and becomes a colored girl. "The acquisition of color is a loss of identity," Johnson writes. Moreover, color seems not to be "fixed" but a "function of motion" from Eatonville to Jacksonville. Although Johnson is writing primarily about How It Feels to Be Colored Me, published in 1928, her comments are equally valid for Dust Tracks, since Hurston reuses, revising only slightly, many of the same passages from her earlier work. Hurston's sense of separation from her warm and safe familial life and her subsequent departure from Eatonville to Jacksonville begin a lifetime of wandering from and returning to her roots. Although Zora returns to Eatonville after her father's second marriage, she is never able to return to her mother's home; it has become simply a house. Zora's knock-down, drag-out fight with her stepmother, whom she never forgives for usurping her mother's place, emphasizes Hurston's displacement from her home and family. In one sense, however, her alienation precipitates her journey from Eatonville to Washington, D.C., and later to New York City to gain education and a better life. This journey echoes that of many Negroes who moved from the black belt of the South to the North. Hurston's journey repeats in a way the migration by slaves to gain life and freedom, followed by subsequent migrations made by Blacks to find work in northern factories and to improve life for themselves and their children. The plot development of Hurston's autobiography, then, owes much to a black tradition, going back to slave narratives and to early black autobiographies. The toll of substance use and abuse among black males, noted by social scientists since the earliest decades of this century, continues to waylay many men's struggle to effectively parent. Over a decade ago, Robert Staples explained that among black people, abuse of both drugs and alcohol are a product of an exploitative economy that offers minimum wages, little employment, and a lack of educational opportunities. Since then, the economy has become more distressing for working-class and poor black Americans, and these men's accounts seem to confirm Staples' analysis. For many black men, he argued, substance use and

Extended Disk Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Extended Disk Leadership - Essay Example Many people usually think that a leader should be a person who can be feared by his or her subjects so that they can not dare to go against the wishes or instructions given. I have just realized that this is a very wrong notion, as a leader who is feared is a threat to the organization as it is possible that the subjects will not be free to share ideas with him or her. Considering the fact that I am social, I believe that this can motivate my subjects as they would be free to tell me anything that they feel is important that I should know, as I will have created a conducive environment for their operations, which consequently motivates them to perform better. One thing that I do not always like is making all the decisions of most of the decisions in whichever group that I am part of. This is a characteristic that a good leader should possess as no one is always one hundred percent right. All the stakeholders should always be involved, as some of the workers who are normally overlooke d or even considered as lesser beings always have some good and constructive ideas that can help in the growth of an organization to a large extent. When the employees are involved in the decision-making process, they are made to feel as if they are part of the organization, which even motivates them further (Extended Disk Leadership Analysis, 2011). Therefore, this Extended Disc analysis has been of great importance to me since it has enabled me to see the qualities of a good leader that I did not know.

The Impact Of Outsourcing On General Electric

The Impact Of Outsourcing On General Electric The report aims to highlight the impact outsourcing has had on General Electric Company. This paper analyzed GEs decision to have multiple outsourcing partnerships. The paper also discusses the impact that outsourcing will have on US economy in general. The first part of the paper reveals how outsourcing has led GE to be a cost efficient, productive and profitable company. The findings outlined factors such as the success of GE Real Estate in Mexico. It also outlined GEs successful steps in India in order to source products, services, and intellectual talent from India for its global businesses. The next section of the paper discusses GEs decision to have multiple outsourcing partnerships. It discusses the strategies of successful multiple outsourcing and consolidated it with GEs steps of outsourcing its businesses in different countries. In the last section the report elaborates different impact will outsourcing have on US economy. It contrasted the brighter side of outsourcing such as $100 worth of work sent abroad by U.S. companies; $130 to $145 will be reinvested in the U.S. economy. It also reveals the downside as it discusses how sending jobs abroad can affect American job market. 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Background General Electric is a diversified technology, media and financial services company focused on solving some of the worlds toughest problems. With products and services ranging from aircraft engines, power generation, water processing and security technology to medical imaging, business and consumer financing, media content and industrial products, the company serve customers in more than 100 countries and employ more than 327,000 people worldwide (General Electric Company, 2008). GE is made up of four businesses, each of which includes a number of units aligned for growth. Its four global research centers attract the worlds best technical minds. With more than 3,000 researchers working toward the next breakthrough, GE is positioned to continually innovate, invent and reinvent (General Electric Company, 2008). GE was founded by Thomas A. Edison, who established Edison Electric Light Company in 1878. In 1892, a merger of Edison General Electric Company and Thomson-Houston Electric Company created General Electric Company. GE is the only company listed in the Dow Jones Industrial Index today that was also included in the original index in 1896 (General Electric Company, 2008). Through outsourcing, which is defined as the procurement of products or services from sources that are external to the organization (Lankford Parsa, 1999), GE established itself in more than 100 countries. It was one of the largest foreign investors in Japan, had an enormous presence in Europe, employed more than 20,000 in India, and was widely present in Latin America (Vietor and Veytsman, 2007). 1.2 Aims The purpose of this report is to evaluate the impact that outsourcing has had on GE. It focuses on the American Outsourcing journal by Vietor and Veytsman (2007) in order to determine the impact that outsourcing will have on the US economy in general. 1.3 Scope The report investigates how outsourcing has impact on General Electric. The paper focuses to analyze the companys decision to have multiple outsourcing partnerships. It evaluates the firms operation in Asia, India, Latin America, and Europe and how it affected the organization performance metrics, cost-efficiency, productivity and profitability. The report also analyzes the impact that outsourcing will have on the US economy. It evaluates the impact that outsourcing will have on US workplace and also how outsourcing creates value in the US economy. 1.4 Methodology The report has used various books, e-journals and websites. 1.5 Assumption It is assumed that information collected for the purpose of the report is correct and relevant. 2.0 Discussion 2.1 Outsourcing Outsourcing is a fashionable way of solving some business problems and there are numerous reports of its increasing use. Initially used primarily for information technology, a wide variety of business process is now outsourced. The use of outsourcing is becoming more sophisticated; more organizations are outsourcing responsibility for business processes (Beaumont Sohal, 2004). For services, outsourcing usually involves the transfer of operational control to the suppliers. In the current environment of right-sizing, with a renewed focus on core business activities, companies can no longer assume that all organizational services must be provided and managed internally. Competitive advantage may be gained when products or services are produced more effectively and efficiently by outside suppliers. The advantages in outsourcing can be operational, strategic, or both. Operational advantages usually provide for short-term trouble avoidance, while strategic advantages offer long-term contr ibutions in maximizing opportunities (Lankford Parsa, 1999). It is estimated that every Fortune 500 company will consider outsourcing during this decade and that 20 percent of them will enter into a contract by the end of the decade. A variety of firms already exhibit this trend. General Electric Corporation has entered into a five-year, $500 million contract with Electronic Data Systems (EDS) to handle the corporations desktop computer procurement, service, and maintenance activities (Behara et al., 1995). A recent study indicates that outsourcing operations is the trend of the future and that organization already outsourcing activities are pleased with the results. A year-long international study by Arthur Andersen and The Economist Intelligence Unit finds that 93 percent of corporations interviewed plan to outsource in the next three years. Of those that already outsource, 91 percent are satisfied with the results (Struebing, 1996). The next section of the paper will evaluate th e impact that outsourcing has had on General Electric and analyze their decision to have multiple outsourcing partnerships. 2.2 Outsourcing Impact on GE Based on transaction cost theory, when a firm has already integrated its operational functions, the decision to outsource such functions to the market should be made if it is necessary to create or protect firm value. By outsourcing tasks to specialist organizations, firms may better focus on their most value-creating activities, thereby maximizing the potential effectiveness of those activities. In addition, as outsourcing increases, costs may decline, and investment in facilities, equipment, and manpower can be reduced (Jiang, Frazier Prater, 2006). Cost efficiency remains the primary explanation for outsourcing. Firms evaluate outsourcing to determine whether current operating costs can be reduced and if saved resources can be reinvested in more competitive processes (Jiang, Frazier Prater, 2006). For example GE Mexico was GEs largest operation outside of the United States. GE worked closely with the Mexican government to make sure that their target of 6% productivity growth was met. Some of GEs businesses in Mexico were clear winners. For instance, GEs Real Estate sector was a clear winner, with over $1 billion in financing in Mexico. GE had thus become Mexicos top real estate lender. Mexicos languages Spanish and English facilitated business relationships with GE USA. Technicians from America could visit Mexico to work on system and technological improvements. Doing so in China, entailed greater expense and significant language difficulties. Even for a phone call, China was 12 hours away (Vietor and Veytsman, 2007). By carefully choosing what to outsource, the buyer is able to focus its core strength, that is, the specific talent, skills and knowledge sets that differentiate the company from its competitors and give it an advantage in the eye of customers (Simchi-Levi, Kaminsky Simchi-Levi, 2003). For instance China exhibited a synergy between customers and markets in the areas of electronics, telecommunications, transportation, and healthcare, among others. Metalwork, small appliances, and tooling were other examples of successful sectors in GE China. The manufacturing sector alone claimed only 4,000 employees. The research and development, sourcing, and distribution presence in China was substantial. The firm also successfully led in innovation. In March 2004, for example, GE became the first foreign company to announce a subsidiary in China to engage in leasing (Vietor and Veytsman, 2007). On the other hand, Nike focuses on innovation, marketing, distribution and sales, not on manufacturing (Simchi-Levi, Kaminsky Simchi-Levi, 2003). Several studies seek to explain the relationship between productivity growth and outsourcing. Abraham and Taylor (1996) find that firms contract out services with the objectives of smoothing production cycles and benefiting from specialization. Ten Raa and Wolff (2001) find a positive association between the rate of outsourcing and productivity growth. Efficient firms allocate their resources to activities for which they enjoy comparative advantage. Other activities are increasingly outsourced. Contracting out production of goods and services to a firm with competitive advantages in terms of reliability, quality and cost is emphasized by Perry (1997). The outsourcing contract-granting firms assess the productivity of their in-house service functions and only undertake outsource actions if outside producers can provide comparable services better. The cost reductions due to differences in labor costs lead to outsourcing and positive changes in labor input, and output produced is altere d by profits and productivity growth. Outsourcing not only results in a shift of labor but also exacerbates the productivity differential between outsourcing contract granting firms and outsourcing contract receiving firms (Siegel and Griliches, 1992). Contracting out allows the firm to rely on management teams in other organizations to oversee tasks at which it is at a relative disadvantage, and to increase managerial attention and resource allocation to those tasks that it does best (Jiang, Frazier Prater, 2006). For example, GE India hired a vast pool of inexpensive, educated labor. The GE Indian program for training managers was instrumental in bringing up local talent. This strategy also allowed greater remote monitoring and maintenance in India. The vast majority of employees who filled the white-collar jobs had a university-level education. The Offshore Development Centers, which pioneered the idea of software sourcing in India, was largely responsible for promoting the educ ational zeal. The John F. Welch Technology Center was the most famous example, being the first and the largest multidisciplinary research facility in India. In addition to avoiding educational orientation, the Center provided critical technology, research, and development, and financing techniques. According to the Wall Street Journal 2005, that years conglomerate plan was to spend about $600 million on computer-software development from Indian companies where the firm estimated that similar products would cost it as much as $1.2 billion in the U.S. Also General Electric was successful in sourcing products, services, and intellectual talent from India for its global businesses. (Vietor and Veytsman, 2007). Traditionally, when business is booming, the temptation is to hire more staff, expand facilities, and bring more of the business in-house, where firms hope to better control costs. However, todays knowledge- and service-based economies offer innumerable opportunities for well-run companies to increase profits through outsourcing (Quinn, 1999). For instance, more than half of GEs revenue was from outside United States. Global revenue growth for 2007 was 22% (General Electric Company, 2008). For the calendar year 2003, GE Insurance, GE Commercial Finance, and GE Energy were the businesses with the greatest revenue: $26.2 billion, $20.8 billion, and $19.0 billion, respectively. In the year 2003, GE revenues reached $134.2 billion. International revenues contributed 45% of the total (Vietor and Veytsman, 2007). When used properly, outsourcing can boost profitability in many ways, including, the use of independent contractors provides employers with the flexibility to hire help only when they need it, for only as long as they need it. Outsourcing of staffing also allows firms to avoid having to provide costly benefits. And also, payroll as salaries are a large part of a businesss costs, particularly in service industries (Jiang, Frazier Prater, 2006). For example, General Electric was successful in sourcing products, services, and intellectual talent from India for its global businesses. In the sphere of intellectual sourcing, GE India presented very low costs, offering substantial savings in comparison with English speaking countries, while retaining high quality. GE India sales and sourcing had blossomed to $0.7 billion and $2.0 billion, respectively, in 2003. The current estimates predicted at least a 20% growth for both sales and sourcing by 2005 (Vietor and Veytsman, 2007). Another impact that outsourcing has that US-based multinationals are worried more about their bottom line than their social responsibilities and consider outsourcing to be unavoidable. GE, for instance, continues to stress the importance of low-cost centers in its global strategy and growth. GE also feels that globalization could lead to a loss of jobs in low-tech industries but that it will create jobs in high-tech ones too. According to the company, by centralizing its operations and leveraging low-cost operating centers in the US states of Virginia and North Carolina as well as in India and Ireland, GE has also developed sophisticated technological tools that enhance performance by automating key processes and reducing response times and process variations (Basu,2004). 2.3 Multiple outsourcing partnerships Outsourcing refers to the concept of looking for expertise to handle certain business functions outside the existing firm. The decision-making process that management must undergo when considering outsourcing, hinges on a make or buy philosophy. More variables are brought into play when management considers outsourcing a product or service that is currently being produced internally. Many more options exist currently than there were even a decade ago. In todays business environment it is now possible to outsource virtually any aspect of the business (Embleton Wright, 1998). One of the major challenges of outsourcing is moral hazard, as evidenced where businesses do not guard themselves prior to contract against their dependency on that supplier, and where, separately, they fail to appreciate the power which transfers to the outsource supplier in respect of their own business activities. One of the accepted ways to mitigate this is multiple outsourcing. This manifests itself normally in breaking down the outsourcing activities by separate function. By choosing to work with multiple outsource suppliers, enterprises can cut costs and foster competition between vendors, while taking advantage of vendor specialization and technical expertise (McDowall, 2005). The keys to successful outsourcing fall into three categories: Strategic analysis; Selecting the providers; and Managing the relationship (Embleton Wright, 1998). Strategic analysis Cost of providing the service: It is imperative to have a clear understanding of the type and the amount of all costs associated with the function to be outsourced. Labor, resultant level of service, impact of corporate culture and real estate costs such as space, utilities taxes and insurance all need to be considered (Embleton Wright, 1998). For instance, GE Mexico was GEs largest operation outside United States. As Mexico languages are Spanish and English, it facilitated the business relationship with GE USA. Technicians from United States could visit Mexico to work on system and technological improvements. It could have been more expensive and had language difficulties if the operation was done in China (Vietor and Veytsman, 2007). Quality level of service: It is also important to Develop a clear understanding and quantification of the type and the level of service being given with the current provider, then come to a clear understanding of the type and the level of service that will be acceptable in the future (Embleton Wright, 1998). For example GE India extended their business to aircraft engines, capital services, medical systems, industrial, systems, plastics, power systems, broadcasting, and others. In 2002, revenues and orders exceeded US $1 billion for GE India. The company employed over 22,000 people in the country. It was an intelligent move for GE to outsource their business in India as India offered them a vast pool of manpower with good language skill and education. Another reason to outsource their business in India GE India offered very low cost with substantial savings in comparison with English speaking countries while retaining high quality (Vietor and Veytsman, 2007). Quantify outsourcing goals: It is important to define goals explicitly. Without measurable goals, it will be impossible to quantify current results, or to define the level of service required in the future (Embleton Wright, 1998). For instance, in Mexico GEs target of 6% productivity growth was met as they closely worked with the Mexican government. By doing so, GEs Real Estate sector became a clear winner, with over $1 billion in financing in Mexico. GE had thus become Mexicos top real estate lender (Vietor and Veytsman, 2007). Selecting the provider After the decision to outsource has been reached, it is essential that the right vendor is chosen. Typically, outsourcing is a long-term relationship, which requires the supplier and the purchaser to work closely together. Often, additional services are required and should the agreement be terminated, the organization will require the suppliers co-operation until the outsourced service is settled elsewhere. Also there are many costs associated with changing an outsourcing vendor (Embleton Wright, 1998). For example in China GE entailed $1.5 billion in investments, employment of more than 12,000, and formation of more than a dozen joint ventures. These ventures thrived in high-technology industries which included medical systems, plastics, and lighting products, and in aircraft engine maintenance facilities, training, and component manufacturing. GE China also had formed a One GE strategic and practical approach. It involved four components. There was a sourcing component, in which G E would source parts and goods from domestic producers where cost savings exceeded 10%. The other three components were focused on Chinas own swelling markets. GE planned to manufacture products for China, develop distributional channels for selling, and build up its services for both product related services such as locomotive repairs and jet engine services, and eventually GE Capitals more sophisticated financial services (Vietor and Veytsman, 2007). Managing the relationship It is suggested that managing multiple outsourcing vendors can be a strain, but industry research indicates that multi-sourcing will be the prevailing outsourcing model. This is despite a very significant minority of enterprises being dissatisfied with their outsourcing relationships which formed inadequate governance models due to being poorly developed, under budgeted and having insufficient resources. Unfortunately, managing outsourcing relationships requires a whole new set of skills, requiring staff training and setting up a new management structure. None of this can be done with an immediacy which enterprises demand (McDowall, 2005). GE for instance, operated 30 plants including joint ventures, many of which were maquiladoras. In China, GE had invested in a dozen operations, mostly in Special Economic Areas. GE sold products in China and purchased products to supply its U.S. operations. In India, GE established its position in the software sector, taking advantage of the availa bility of human capital. All these operations could not have done without proper managerial relationship with the foreign buyers and suppliers and also the governments (Vietor and Veytsman, 2007). From the discussion above it can be said that GE has maintained proper step to do multiple outsourcing. Their decision to have multiple outsourcing partnerships was a major breakthrough in their businesses. Not on only in Mexico, China and India, GE spread their businesses successfully in all over the world including Canada where they have 10,000 employees, 15 major manufacturing locations and over 150 sales and service locations. They also have businesses in Southeast Asia, Australia, Europe and Middle East (General Electric Company, 2008). The next section of the report will focus on the impact outsourcing has on US economy in general. 2.4 Impact of outsourcing on US economy The mere mention of outsourcing and its impact on the U.S. is enough to elicit strong emotions on either side of the issue. Proponents argue that relocating low skill service jobs, like those in customer service or data entry, to foreign shores is necessary to ensure the productivity and competitiveness of the U.S. economy. Detractors say American companies are betraying their own workers and destroying the middle class, all in the name of the almighty dollar. But amid the debate over whether outsourcing is good or bad for the U.S., an important point has been largely ignored: Outsourcing is as much a regional issue as it is a national concern. Certain cities and areas are hit hard, while others remain largely unscathed (Elstrom, 2007). The important thing is to make a way of determining whether the gain is worth the pain. Suppose the net benefit to America is the degree to which the average employees purchasing power increases. The benefit really depends on four factors: the proportion of consumer expenses spent on potentially outsourced goods, the decrease in prices due to outsourcing, the proportion of American jobs that can be outsourced economically, and the wages of jobs that can be outsourced relative to the jobs that cannot. In the long term, American workers will be competing with labor elsewhere, pressuring American wages. Though prices should fall, its unclear whether these benefits will compensate Americans for lower wages. On the other hand, India and China will benefit from both higher wages and falling prices. Consequently, outsourcing will likely narrow Americas standard of living lead over other countries (Gibbons, 2004). An interesting corollary benefit sometimes mentioned is the benefit to the American economy. Indias National Association of Software and Services Companies commissioned a report by Evaluserve that stated that for every $100 worth of work sent abroad by U.S. companies, $130 to $145 will be reinvested in the U.S. economy. Cost savings are said to create value in the U.S. economy, and it is sometimes claimed that offshore outsourcing makes U.S. companies more globally competitive (Braun Consulting Group, 2004). Outsourcing results in higher production and lower costs, and consumers realize the benefit in lower prices and rates for goods and services. Manufacturing jobs, which commonly receive the most focus as candidates for outsourcing, are being lost not only in America but also in other countries due to emerging technologies that eliminate the need for manual labor. Furthermore, at the same time that manufacturing jobs are moving overseas, people in the United States are taking on ma nufacturing jobs from other countries. Efforts by the government to prevent outsourcing and to extend jobless benefits would negatively impact the free market economy and result in the loss of billions of dollars, say proponents of such initiatives (The Gale Group Inc, 2007). A recent survey by the McKinsey Global Institute has shown that for every dollar spent on outsourcing to India, the US economy gains at least $1.12. For example when medical reports are sent from the US to India for analysis it directly reduces the cost of health care. The cost saving thus achieved helps fuel new business opportunities, which in turn create more employment avenues. Health care is the primary concern for Americans today. Even if white-collar jobs were outsourced it would still make the US more productive, raising wages and increasing productivity. Just like the American free trade agreement created jobs in 1990s the upcoming outsourcing expansion will have a positive effect. If the US economy goes for job protection, it is heading towards job destruction. For instance had the US protected farm jobs a century ago, 70% of the Americans today would be tilling soil instead of 3%. The more the USA does to limit the import of services the more difficult it will become to ex port. The benefit of importing services is the same as importing goods. It increases productivity. Increased trade also forces domestic producers to become more productive. Improved productivity raises the standard of living, puts downward pressure on price and gives boost to profitability and wages (Chillibreeze Solutions Ltd, 2008). Outsourcing can also affects every part of business from manufacturing through to design, software development, financial control, logistics management, customer support and sales. Outsourcing has been praised as cost-effective, efficient, productive and strategic but also condemned as evil, money-grabbing, destructive, ruthless, exploiting the poor. A good example of this has been tensions over relocating call-centres and software support from countries like the UK and the US to India. More than 230,000 jobs are bringing lost each year in America as a result of outsourcing but many economists believe that a similar number of new jobs are being created at the same time. Research shows that some of the new economic activity generated in developing countries by outsourcing will generate new demand for goods and services in the country where the jobs have moved from (e.g. America). McKinsey Global Institute estimates that for every dollar US corporations spend on outsourcing to India, 3 3c gets 33c and the US economy benefits by $1.14. This is based on several assumptions: that 69% of displaced service workers will find new jobs within a year, and will end up earning 96% of their previous wages backed up by 1979-1999 data. However older workers may be out of work far longe, especially if their education is poor. Outsourcing saves money for corporations which mean lower costs for consumers and higher dividends for pensioners who own 75% of US and UK wealth which means more money to spend on other things such as local services and that produces new jobs (Global Change Ltd, 2008). 3.0 Conclusion Outsourcing otherwise known as subcontracting is the strategic use of resources outside the company to perform tasks that are usually handled internally by the company itself. In todays competitive world, successful outsourcing is a powerful tool for companies to generate value and gain competitive edge over rivals. The paper contrasted the impact of outsourcing has had on General Electric Company. The report critically evaluated the outsourcing steps made by GE which led their business to be cost efficient, productive and profitable. The paper also analyzes GEs decision to have multiple outsourcing partnerships. It demonstrated GEs successful multiple outsourcing strategy through strategic analysis, selection of providers and managing relationships. The report concluded by analyzing the impact outsourcing will have on US economy in general. It explained how outsourcing can affect the American job market also how it can input benefit in US economy. It revealed facts such as, every $1 00 worth of work sent abroad by U.S. companies, $130 to $145 will be reinvested in the U.S. economy. References: Books Journals Abraham, K. and Taylor, T. (1996), Firms use of outside contractors: theory and evidence, Journal of Labor Economics, Vol. 14, pp. 394-424. Beaumont, N. and Sohal, A. (2004), Outsourcing in Australia, International Journal of Operations Production Management, Vol. 24 No. 7, pp. 688-700. Behara, R.S., Gundersen, D.E. and Capozzoli, E.A. (1995), Trends in information systems outsourcing, International Journal of Purchasing, Vol. 31 No. 2, pp. 46-51. Embleton, P.R. and Wright P.C. (1998), A practical guide to successful outsourcing, Empowerment in Organizations, Vol. 6 No. 3, pp. 94-106 Jiang, B., Frazier, G.V. and Prater, E.L. (2006), Outsourcing effects on firms operational performance, International Journal of Operations Production Management, Vol. 26 No. 12, pp. 1280-1300. Lankford, W.M., and Parsa, F. (1999), Outsourcing: a primer, Management Decision 37/4, pp. 310-316. Perry, C.R. (1997), Outsourcing and union power, Journal of Labor Research, Vol. 18 No. 4, pp. 521-34. Quinn, J.B. (1999), Strategic outsourcing: leveraging knowledge capabilities, Sloan Management Review, Vol. 40 No. 4. Siegel, D. and Griliches, Z. (1992), Purchased services, outsourcing, computers, and productivity in manufacturing, in Griliches, Z. (Ed.), Output Measurement in Service Sector, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, pp. 429-58. Simchi-Levi, D., Kaminsky, P. and Simchi-Levi, E. (2003), Designing Managing The Supply Chain, 2nd edn, McGraw-Hill Higher Education, p. 180 Struebing, L. (1996), Outsourcing is the answer or is it?, Quality Progress, Vol. 29 No. 3, p. 20. Ten Raa, T. and Wolff, E.N. (2001), Outsourcing of services and the productivity recovery in US manufacturing in the 1980s, Journal of Productivity Analysis, Vol. 16, pp. 149-65. Vietor R.H.K. and Veytsman, A. (2007), American Outsourcing, Harvard Business School, 9-705-037 Web Sites Basu, I. (2004), Anti-outsourcing cry unnerves corporate giants, Asia Times Online Ltd, viewed 9 October 2008, available at http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FC13Df03.html Braun Consulting Group, (2004), Offshore outsourcing: Impact on the American Workplace viewed 8 October 2008, available at http://www.braunconsulting.com/bcg/newsletters/summer2004/summer2004.html Chillibreeze Solutions Ltd, (2008), The Impact of Outsourcing on The American Economy, viewed 7 October 2008, available at http://www.chillibreeze.com/articles/The-impact-of-outsourcing-on-the-American-economy.asp#a Elstrom, P. (2007), The uneven impact of outsourcing, viewed 7 October 2008, available at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17281339/ General Electric Company, (2008), Our Company, viewed 5 October 2008, available at http://www.ge.com/company/index.html Gibbons, R. (2004), Weighing Outsourcings Impact, viewed 6 October 2008, available at http://www.fool.com/investing/small-cap/2004/09/07/weighing-outsourcings-impact.aspx Global Change Ltd. (2008), The Future of Outsourcing, viewed 8 October 2008, available at http://www.globalchange.com/outsourcing.htm McDowall, B. (2005), Multiple Outsourcing (Multisourcing), IE4C, viewed 8 October 2008, available at http://www.it-analysis.com/business/content.php?cid=7913 The Gale Group, Inc, (2007), Outsourcing Does Not Negatively Impact the American Economy, viewed 8 October 2008, available at http://socialissues.wiseto.com/Articles/FO3020630100/

Negative Effects of False Media Images :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

The Negative Effects of False Media Images      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since the birth of communication, media has been used to convey information to those willing to absorb it. Beginning with publications and simple spoken words, and soaring to new heights in the twentieth century with radio, television, and the internet, media have been made accessible to people in every aspect of their daily lives. With such a strong hold on modern society, mass media have been able to shape popular culture and often influence public opinion. However, when abused, the power of media can harm the general population. Biased media tend to make people strive to be someone else's idea of perfect while subconsciously ignoring their own goals. Stereotypes formed by the media that include thin, tanned women, and wealthy, muscular men have led to a decline in self-acceptance. The majority of media today often present the perfect body to the public, hoping that consumers will strive to achieve fitness using a certain product or idea. While this form of adv ertising may somewhat increase a product's market share, many people suffer from inner conflicts as a result of failure to achieve the body of a top athlete or fashion model. Along with emotional conflicts, those influenced by the media have encountered physical problems, including bulimia, anorexia, and the employment of harmful dietary plans. Unless reality is discerned from what is presented in certain media, some people will continue to suffer. Consumers could find the truth more easily if media offered products advertised by normal people without all the extra glamor. In addition to this, if the public could view advertising only as something to get one's attention and not a portrayal of how one should look, there would be fewer problems. Until either is accomplished, the negative effects will be felt by the vulnerable, and companies will continue to make their money. Those consumers given a false impression about a product through various forms of media are the ones who suffer most from our society's portrayal of the perfect body. After being influenced by a television commercial or a magazine pictorial, certain people in this world will purchase an item hoping that the same success shown in the medium will be had by them as well. The truth of the matter is that this hardly ever happens. Every day, ugly people wear sensual cologne, and slow runners wear Carl Lewis track shoes.

Legal Age to Drink – Should It Be Changed?

Legal Age to Drink: Should it be Changed? In this day and age with more sophisticated teens and young people abusing alcohol, the issue concerning whether or not teenagers should be able to drink at a younger age is an important topic. In the article â€Å"Perils of Prohibition† Elizabeth M. Whelan argues that alcohol should be legalized at the age of eighteen instead of twenty-one. She hopes to persuade readers, parents, and educators to support her proposal for the change by successful alcohol education.Although Whelan provides valuable examples to prove that proper alcohol education is an effective solution in reducing the problems faced with alcohol abuse among American teenagers, she does not provide enough substantial evidence to justify changing the legal drinking age to eighteen years old. In the beginning paragraphs, Whelan compares alcohol consumption with American teens and their European peers. She says, â€Å"American teens, unlike their European peers, donâ€⠄¢t learn how to drink gradually, cautiously, and in moderation† (2).This is a great example because it makes the readers think about the different cultural views of alcohol consumption among youthful drinkers globally. Though the consumption of alcohol in France, Spain, and Portugal is higher than the United States per person, the rate of alcoholism and alcohol abuse is lower (4). Whelan hopes to prove that if moderate alcohol consumption and proper awareness of the use of it is instilled in children eighteen years old and up then drinking alcohol should be okay. She compares three countries to the United States in her example.We live in a pretty big world, is it the same in other â€Å"drinking† countries? The example is fairly effective but comparing drinking habits in only three countries to the United States is not enough to persuade readers. In order to gain support for successful alcohol education being a key factor in helping the problems faced with alcohol abus e, Whelan mentions an example involving her daughter. She explained to her daughter the differences in alcohol contents and the importance of not drinking on an empty stomach (8).The strength of this example is effective because it is coming from personal experience. It’s detailed and provided by a woman whose education and occupation qualifies her to make this kind of study. This type of person often makes you want to believe him or her. However, this piece of evidence uses the hasty generalization fallacy. A single personal experience or even many is not enough to convince readers. People’s personal experiences differ greatly. And how do the readers even know if alcohol education was successful with her daughter?Her daughter may not have gotten herself into trouble recently but she’s still under the legal age of drinking and who knows what would happen once she goes off to college? Because of her daughter’s age and the fallacy used, creates a weak examp le for supporting alcohol education. Whelan continues with examples to prove that proper education is the key instead of prohibiting teenagers the right to drink until the age of twenty-one. She mentions tragic accidents that occurred at the Ivy League school her daughter Christine will be attending in the fall.A student who was nearly electrocuted when, in a drunken state, climbed on a moving train. The student survived but lost three of his limbs (10). A second incident where an intoxicated student ended up in a chimney and was found three days later dead (10). She hopes to convince readers that students do not make good choices when they drink, if they’re not educated properly. The tragedies with the sick, injured students are fair because they’re emotionally appealing to the reader but weak because she fails to provide statistical evidence as to how often injuries of this kind occur.The examples are extreme and rare ones that are unlikely to happen on a regular bas is. Whelan continues supporting her claim by mentioning a study that was done at the Harvard School of Public Health by her colleagues. What they found in their survey of college students was that they drink â€Å"early and . . . often,† frequently to the point of getting ill (1). She defends her claim by appealing to authority as evidence. And readers would not be happy knowing that students are becoming sick from irresponsible drinking – the human factor.This study is included to let people know that college students are drinking irresponsibly and becoming sick from it as a result. Not surprisingly, she failed to provide statistical evidence again. That is, evidence of how many students is involved in the survey and the diversity of people in the study. These are important factors needed to be included in the survey to make it believable and convincing to the readers. Finally, two analogies are given by Whelan in hopes of her readers to accept her case. This author c reates a weak analogy when comparing sex education to alcohol education.In an attempt to change the legal age of drinking to twenty-one, she says â€Å"we choose to teach our children about safe sex, including the benefits of teen abstinence, why not about safe drinking†? (13) The only similarity is that drinking and sex can cause unsafe or unwanted events, therefore it makes sense to be educated on both subjects. However, the similarity is not relevant enough to be considered a good analogy. Safe sex education has been taught for many years to children but it has not stopped them from having sex or preventing unwanted pregnancies.If this is the case, how would safe drinking education be convincing to the readers to change the legal age to eighteen? The second analogy which is fairly significant in dealing with the unfairness of the legal age to drink, is comparing the ability for teens to be able to drive cars, fly planes, marry, vote, pay taxes, take out loans, and risks th eir lives in the U. S armed forces to drinking. She says, â€Å"At eighteen they’re considered adults but when they want to enjoy a drink like other adults, they are â€Å"disenfranchised†Ã¢â‚¬  (5).Whelan hopes this evidence will convince readers that if eighteen year olds are given â€Å"adult† responsibilities then they shall be treated as adults in all aspects of life, including drinking alcohol in moderation. She makes a great point with the comparison but when comparing voting, paying taxes, taking out a loan, and marrying to drinking, the responsibilities don’t impair your brain in a way that drinking alcohol would. Whelan presents herself as a kind-hearted woman who is a bit upset and frustrated with the current laws regarding the legal age to drink.The example she uses explaining how she educated her daughter with regards to alcohol content shows her taking a subtle approach with allowing her daughter to drink rather than making it appear to be a bad thing if you are under the legal age. (8) She shows compassion and concern. Whelan’s tone throughout the essay is fairly tolerable, but she does show some depreciation towards the government when she compares teenagers being able to â€Å"drive cars, fly planes, marry, vote, pay taxes, take out loans, and risk their lives as members of the U. S. rmed forces but laws in all fifty say that no alcoholic beverages may be sold to anyone until that magic twenty-first birthday. † (3) When she mentions â€Å"we should make access to alcohol legal at eighteen and at the same time, we should come down much harder on alcohol abusers and drunk drivers of all ages† (12) she is genuinely concerned of the welfare of all people with regards to alcohol and safety. She eagerly wants to make a difference. And as public-health scientist with a daughter heading to college, she has professional and personal concerns in regards to the dangers of alcohol.While it is obvious that Whelan’s heart is in the right place and that alcohol abuse among teenagers is a problem, her argument suffers from lack of evidence to support changing the legal age of drinking to eighteen years old. Proper alcohol education can be helpful in terms of improving the problem but that’s it. Whelan’s article indicates a need for further study on the abuse of teenage drinking. It would be helpful to see statistical results in studies done among colleges across the nation and in all areas from rich to poor. The more valid studies the better chance finding the proper solutions to the problem.