Is ethnicity a “natural” or “socially constructed” phenomenon free essay sample

It is commonplace to think of ethnicity as a phenomenon that belongs to the cultural domain. By its very nature, ethnicity involves ways of thinking, feeling and acting that constitute the essence of culture. That ethnic groups have unique cultural character can hardly be denied. The problem, however, is that culture does not exist in a vacuum; nor is it fixed or unchanging. On the contrary, culture is constant flux and is integrally a part of a larger social process. The mandate for social inquiry, therefore, is that ethnic patterns should not be taken at face value, but must be related to the larger social matrix in which they are embedded (Steinberg, 1989). The theoretical perspective that governs this study insists on establishing the social origins of ethnic values and trends. Without doubt, ethnicity forms consciousness and influences behavior. This paper attempts to de-mystify ethnicity and looks into what brings forth this phenomenon. Is it a natural phenomenon or a socially constructed thing? This paper maintains that it is a socially constructed phenomenon that has an interrelationship with a broad array of historical, economic, political and social factors. Historical Perspective The late 1960s witnessed an outbreak of what might be called â€Å"ethnic fever.† One after another, the nation’s racial and ethnic minorities sought to rediscover their waning ethnicity and to reaffirm their ties to the cultural past. Ethnic fever had its origins in the black community, where Black Nationalism, after a long period of quiescence, emerged with renewed force. The contagion rapidly spread to other racial minorities—Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, Asians, Native Americans—who formed a loosely organized coalition under the banner of the Third World. Eventually, ethnic fever reached the   â€Å"white ethnics†Ã¢â‚¬â€Jews, Irish, Italians, Poles and others of European ancestry. For decades, the dominant tendency among the nation’s ethnic and racial minorities had been toward integration into the economic, political and cultural mainstream. Now the pendulum seemed to be swinging back, as these groups repudiated their assimilationist tendencies. Though art, literature and politics, they sought to promote ethnic pride and solidarity, and to affirm their right to a separate identity within the framework of a pluralist nation (Steinberg, 1989). Definition of Attitudes An attitude is a tendency to respond positively or negatively to certain persons, objects or situations. Prejudice is an attitude. The word means â€Å"prejudgment.† It generally refers to the application of a previously formed judgment to some person, object or situation. It can be favorable or unfavorable. Usually prejudice comes from categorizing or stereotyping. Meanwhile, a stereotype is an oversimplified, fixed attitude or set of beliefs that is held about members of a group. Stereotypic attitudes usually do not allow for individual exceptions. Attitudes are composed of beliefs, feelings and behavior tendencies. Most psychologists agree that attitudes determine what we attend to in our environment, how we perceive the information about the object of our attention, and how we respond to that object. Thus, attitudes guide behavior (Steinberg, 1989). Development of Attitudes The development of attitudes is influenced by age and cognitive development. For example, according to Goodman (1964) and Derman-Sparks (1989), ethnic attitudes develop in the following sequence:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Phase I – awareness of ethnic differences, beginning at about age two-and-a-half to three.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Phase II – orientation toward specific ethnic-related and concepts, beginning at about age four.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Phase III – true attitudes toward various ethnic groups, beginning at about age seven This developmental sequence is probably due to the reaction of others to children’s appearance—remarks about skin color, hair and facial features alert one to the fact that people look different. Cognitive development also enters into the explanation. As children develop cognitively, they are more able to categorize differences. Experience with differences promotes more awareness. Other research has supported Goodman’s delineation of ethnic attitudes. Reviewing many studies of Anglo children’s attitudes toward other groups, Aboud (1988) analyzed that four-to seven-year old Anglo children were already aware that white is the ethnic identity favored by the society. They referred to other groups as â€Å"bad† or with negative characteristics. For example, â€Å"He is lazy because he is colored.† Many African American children felt ambivalent about being African American and were envious of Anglo children. Hispanic children followed a similar pattern. After age seven, however, children of all ethnic groups were less prejudiced toward other groups and had more positive attitudes toward their own group. Aboud explained young children’s prejudicial attitudes as due to cognitive immaturity rather than malice (Aboud, 1988). As children learn of the existence of ethnic categories, they also become aware of the evaluation attached to them. These evaluations come from the family, the peers the schools, including teachers and textbooks), and the media. Exemplifying how color attitudes can subtly be transmitted. A 1993 Caldecott Honor Book (recognition given for pictures), Seven Blind Mice, by Ed Young, is about seven blind mice, each a different and brilliant color, whose task is to identify an obje3ct. The white mouse solves the riddle and correctly identifies the object as an elephant. Many have criticized the book, complaining that the white mouse is portrayed as a â€Å"savior,† thereby perpetuating prejudicial attitudes of â€Å"white supremacy† (Jacobs Tunnell, 1996). Whether children pick up subtle messages from the media depends on their real-life experiences and interactions, especially with parents. Studies of young children show that those with the most prejudicial attitudes have parents who are authoritarian, who use strict disciplinary techniques, and who are inflexible in their attitudes toward right and wrong (Katz, 1975; Boswel Williams. 1975; Aboud, 1988). Thus, rigid parental attitudes influence similar ones in their children. Prejudicial attitudes are not only found in regard to ethnic differences but in regard to disabilities as well. In a longitudinal study of children’s attitudes toward the mentally ill, Weiss (1994) found that  Ã‚   by the time children entered kindergarten, they already had stigmatized attitudes which remained stable after being examined eight years later. (Weiss, 1994).

Language Usage in the Catcher in the Rye Essay Example For Students

Language Usage in the Catcher in the Rye Essay The passage of adolescence has long served as the central theme for many novels, but The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, has captured the energy of this period of life by dramatizing Holden Caulfields somewhat obscene language and emotional reactions. The Catcher in the Rye deals with an intelligent yet confused teenage boy struggling to see the genuineness in society. During his experiences, Holden tends to use easy, natural, but controversial language to help get his point across in an effective manner. As a result, the themes and messages Salinger attempts to get across appear more natural and believable, as if one was talking to Holden himself. Although seemingly inappropriate for society, the language used in throughout the novel is very appropriate for the character. At the time of the novel through today, Holdens speech rings true to the colloquial speech of teenagers, which includes both simple description and cursing. For example, Holden says, Quite amusing and all. (Pg. 83), referring to the taxi driver. This oversimplifies the taxi driver, implying that Holden does not necessarily want to praise or demean the man. Also, Holden states that he will not tell his whole goddamn autobiography or anything. (Pg. 1), which indicates Holdens hostility right from the start of the novel. The reader can easily pick up on Holdens stubbornness and views simply from his language, which can help in defining the character. Holden tends to use choice phrases to end his sentences, such as and all and or anything throughout the novel. Using these phrases, it can be said that these speech patterns are character traits since not everyone u ses them. Also, Holden tend to use the phrase if you want to know the truth at the conclusion of many of his sentences. He feels compelled to verify his statements and prove that he is not lying, which may indicate a lot of his character. Because Holden failed out of a lot of schools and does not have any close friendships, he attempts to solidify some form of communication by verifying to the readers that he is, in fact, telling the truth. The speech patterns help individualize Holden and made his speech seem more authentic while making his dialogue conform to the contemporary society of the 1940s. The setting and theme in The Catcher in the Rye revolve around a teenage viewpoint. Therefore, non-grammatical and profane language is again appropriate in the monologues and dialogues throughout the novel. During this time period, teenagers first start to rebel against authority figures and express themselves more freely. Holdens language reflects upon these newfound values in that he curses and rarely uses proper English. At the time of the novel until today, light cursing is considered contemporary and even somewhat acceptable in society. Holden seems to find it as an outlet to release his frustration, seeing as his experiences change, his language does as well. When he is enraged and caught up in the current situation, sunuvabitch and bastard find their way into his vocabulary quite frequently. However, when he simply addresses the readers as the narrator, Holden rarely slips into this extreme form of swearing. Salinger conducted these speech patterns so the reader can tell the e xtent and quality of Holdens anger, offering further insight into his character without lengthy word descriptions, in order to help identify which types of situations make him the angriest. As a whole, the vernacular speech we see from Holden Caulfield is very necessary in order for Salinger to present his ideas in an efficient manner. With his speech mannerisms, the reader is able to define Holden as a character much more easily than had the novel been written in proper English. The reader can identify where Holden feels compelled to curse in certain situations and how these circumstances affect him emotionally. Holden can be identified as a character who is unsure of himself, noting the constant using of if you want to know the truth, yet puts on a cocky front, making him as phony as the characters he discriminates against. The Catcher in the Rye, however, depends on this language, for the novel would not be as effective without it. Readers would not be able to identify Holdens ch aracter very quickly, if at all, in that they would not see which situations upset Holden more than others. Also, the teenage perspective of the story would be lost, in that teenagers tend to use their choice phrases and light cursing. This would eventually turn the book into a mundane piece of literature that would not be half as interesting to read as it is currently, even though it is somewhat controversial.Throughout the novel, some controversial language takes place and some argue as to whether or not it is really necessary. The language, though, is extremely necessary in order for The Catcher in the Rye to be as effective and get its point across. The language, non-grammatical and obscene, is appropriate for the time and the theme of the novel, not to mention the main character. Despite past and present disputes over whether or not this language should be presented, all can agree that Holdens language defines him as a character and the situations that he encounters. .ud387588cd344d6ad1f02d9914f73f6c5 , .ud387588cd344d6ad1f02d9914f73f6c5 .postImageUrl , .ud387588cd344d6ad1f02d9914f73f6c5 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ud387588cd344d6ad1f02d9914f73f6c5 , .ud387588cd344d6ad1f02d9914f73f6c5:hover , .ud387588cd344d6ad1f02d9914f73f6c5:visited , .ud387588cd344d6ad1f02d9914f73f6c5:active { border:0!important; } .ud387588cd344d6ad1f02d9914f73f6c5 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ud387588cd344d6ad1f02d9914f73f6c5 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ud387588cd344d6ad1f02d9914f73f6c5:active , .ud387588cd344d6ad1f02d9914f73f6c5:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ud387588cd344d6ad1f02d9914f73f6c5 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ud387588cd344d6ad1f02d9914f73f6c5 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ud387588cd344d6ad1f02d9914f73f6c5 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ud387588cd344d6ad1f02d9914f73f6c5 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ud387588cd344d6ad1f02d9914f73f6c5:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ud387588cd344d6ad1f02d9914f73f6c5 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ud387588cd344d6ad1f02d9914f73f6c5 .ud387588cd344d6ad1f02d9914f73f6c5-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ud387588cd344d6ad1f02d9914f73f6c5:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Division of Hearts Reaction Paper EssayBibliography:

Old Man In The Sea Essays (611 words) - Fisheries, Ichthyology

Old Man In The Sea Book Report on Old Man and the Sea Title: Old Man in the Sea Author: Ernest Hemmingway Publication: Simon and Schuster, Inc. in New York, NY. Theme: It doesn't matter if you succeed as long as you try and enjoyed the attempt. Also even if you don't succeed, its only important if you have the will to try again. If you have the will to try again good things will happen. Santiago supported this theme because for eighty-four days straight he hadn't caught one fish but day after day he would go out and try again and finally one day he caught the biggest and most beautiful fish he could dream of. He succeeded but the fish ended up getting eaten by sharks. Santiago was devastated but decided to keep on fishing. Place Setting: This book takes place in Cuba and the ocean. Time Setting: This book takes place in the early nineteen forties Point of View: This book was told in third person omniscient. I believe Hemmingway picked this point of view is because this he can show the characters emotions better and distinguish different characteristics. Main Characters: Santiago- The main character, an old very experienced Cuban fisherman. Despite his age he had young eyes and great determination to catch the marlin. Santiago endured a lot of pain trying to catch the marlin but wit his determination he never let go and caught the fish. Marlin the Marlin- Was an eighteen foot and beautiful fish. The fish eventually kind of became Santiago's brother. The marlin demonstrated great skill and strength for three days before being caught. Manolin- A young boy, who admired and learned to fish from Santiago. The boy cared for Santiago and refused to let him ever fish alone again. Plot: Santiago had gone eighty-four days without catching a single fish, and Manolin's family had refused to let Manolin, a young boy, fish with his friend Santiago because they believed he had bad luck. The night before Santiago was going to fish, Manolin and him talked about Baseball, which they both loved. The next day Santiago set off to try to catch some fish. Santiago ended up catching the biggest, most beautiful he could have dreamed of. Santiago couldn't reel the huge marlin in. The fish continued to swim and didn't lose much energy. Santiago spent three days and finally was able to catch the marlin. Santiago's hands were bruised, his back was extremely sore, and was acting strangely, talking and arguing to himself. Santiago hooked the fish next to the boat and headed back to the village. A couple of sharks had come up and tore apart part of the fish but still half of it was left. Then when he got near the village and group of sharks had come and attacked the boat and even wi th all Santiago's effort the sharks were able to destroy and eat the whole fish. After the trip home Santiago was exhausted but was considered a hero when people measured the size of the bones. Manolin was worried for the man a promised him he would always fish with him from then on. Evaluation: I didn't really like the book for two reasons. First I thought it was boring just to read half of the back having him chase a fish. I'm not really interested in fishing so it kind of got me bored. Secondly, when I did get excited at the end the sharks ate the finish and it made for a bad ending. If the ending were different I would have enjoyed this book more. In conclusion I would not recommend this book Bibliography Weiss, Mike Book Reports

Best Essays Night. Famous Authors Will Share Their Writing Secrets

Best Essays Night. Famous Authors Will Share Their Writing Secrets Best Essays Night. Famous Authors Will Share Their Writing Secrets As a generation of the 21st century we do not always appreciate the power of a written word or the impact it had during the last century. Under certain circumstances like world wars, frequent riots, establishment of patriotic devotion, etc, which couldn`t go by unnoticed, or better to say unwritten by the hand of a master, new based-on-true-stories essays were created: James Baldwin with his stunning work "Notes of a Native Son", Norman Mailer with his philosophical essay "The White Negro", Meghan Daum with "Variations on Grief", John McPhee and his detective essay "The Search for Marvin Gardens", Joan Didion on life in California after 1960s in her essay "The White Album". Yet, was there only a historical impact on their works or was it something deeply personal that made them best in their sphere? together with its greatest and most experienced writer Lauren Gartner invite you to join them on 25 and 28 of April 2017 for the Best Essay Night! Not only finest essays will be read there, but a unique chance to discover your writing abilities will be given as well! And nevertheless Jo Ann Beard and Meghan Daum presence is still awaited to be confirmed, the evening will be filled with famous authors and their life stories of becoming successful writers of nowadays. We're going to declare favorite essays that were written by the best writers   We're going to analyze what makes them gone viral, techniques, secrets We’ll be reading and discussing papers of little-known authors    You will be able to learn what is important and what is not, what special techniques artists use when they write their essays, and what â€Å"musts† one should always keep in mind. This event is going to be fantastic and vital for people who are passionate about writing. This and much more will be revealed during our Best Essay Night. Don`t miss your chance to become one of the best! As a pleasant addition  we will provide our guests with a food court and drinks during the whole evening. The events will be held in New York City, NY and Atlanta, GA. We invite all comers to join us in New York at the Andaz Wall Street Hotel, April 25 at 7 pm and in Atlanta at the Emory Conference Center Hotel, April 28 at 7pm. There is no charge for the workshop, but you need to be registered. You can sign up for our amazing event by e-mail @gmail.com. Administrators will review all the sign ups, and you should receive a response to your e-mail with a ticket and QR code for entrance. Make sure you like our Facebook page and follow on Twitter. Can't wait to meet you!

Creative Problem Solving Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Creative Problem Solving - Coursework Example Peter indicates that he sees the practice as a strong and viable entity within the community. He acknowledges that there are some organizational issues, but he says he feels that much of that is just the nature of doing business. He does see that the business definitely needs to become more updated with accommodations, equipment, and resources. And, although he admits he’s not very technologically savvy, he knows the practice could use an upgrade in this area and doing so would greatly enhance the viability of the business, but with the practice’s current financial status he doesn’t see where the resources will come from to address any of those issues. When Dave interviews Joe and presents the same set of questions, Joe agrees with Peter that the practice could definitely use an atmospheric, equipment, and technological facelift, but unlike Peter, he feels that the company needs to just take whatever hits it incurs over the short run to make the necessary changes to improve the business for the future. When Ros is interviewed she expresses frustration at what she calls the disorganization of the practice and the lack of time and resources to address that issue. When Dave asks her to expound on what she sees as the primary source of the disorganization she says the lack of time she has to properly organize the office’s records and the lack of time available to organize better patient care. ... ewed she expresses frustration at feeling like she never knows what has taken place before she gets involved with an issue and consequently she feels that she and the practice often look unprofessional to clients. When Kath is interviewed she expresses the same frustration as Rukia as it relates to lack of information and training, but she also expresses a concern that the office’s disorganization will eventually result in a treatment and/or accounting mistake and subsequent legal vulnerability for the practice. When Anna is interviewed she expresses a concern about her inability to convince her husband to recognize a lot of the logic in Joe’s thought process for the business, but she also fears Joe’s vision isn’t completely pragmatic enough and if left to his own wishes, the business could be placed in a position of severe financial stress which could threaten to destroy all that she and her husband have worked for. She is very concerned about the family name being ruined if the business were to fail. Once Dave completes all of the interviews he takes time to compile the data into a summarization of his conversations with each staff member. Then he suggests to Peter that instead of giving feedback to just Peter and Joe, since the staff size is small and everyone has relative familiarity with one another, it will be much more productive to discuss the issues and solutions in an all staff meeting because this approach would make every member feel like they are a part of the process to resolve the problems which would make everyone a stakeholder. Peter agrees that this approach will create much more buy-in as opposed to just providing mandates to staff members. Peter arranges to close the office for a four period to have an offsite lunch meeting. Dave prepares a

The Customer Service Perspective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Customer Service Perspective - Essay Example THE MOST VIABLE OPTION As the world turns into the global village melting all the cultures and blurring all the boundaries with the use of technology, competitive landscape is much tougher than ever before. Information is easily accessible to the customers, availability of substitutes has given more power to the customers and the only choice left to the suppliers is to; â€Å"delight their customers†. Thus the rule of the game is not only to meet the requirements of the customer but to step further in creating a value for the customer. Here, Niven advises that; â€Å"companies need to offer all three – innovation, outstanding customer care and flawless execution – because of today’s hyper-competitive environment. Only then can companies meet customer expectations and succeed at performance management that translates into leadership in the marketplace and customer minds.† (Niven, 2004) Customers make the most important link in the chain of success. C ompanies have to carefully identify their potential customers, segmenting the right market and targeting the potential customers serve as competitive advantages to a company. Innovation, customer care and execution along with quality offerings are required to maintain the customer base. Since now there are so many substitutes for a product that companies need to take a leap in satisfying them by providing the best customer care services. Bollen believes that customer complain is an opportunity for the company to win his trust, loyalty and long term commitment. Only if the company gauge it right and makes the customer feels that he is being valued an enduring relationship can happen. (Bollen, 2008) Bollen has related the choice of a customer to his emotional attachment in order to make companies realize that no matter... No other perspective is given more importance than the customer perspective because no matter how good your product is if you are unable to translate its need to your customer one can’t earn the desired results. After thoroughly reading various articles from the web and examples of companies using balance score card with special important to customers perspective, I felt a lot of tilt towards innovation and value proposition of the product in order to satisfy the customer. What more I would like to add is the â€Å"human factor†. Companies should divert their attention towards customer care; employees should be given a lot of important. But since it is an internet economy and a lot of transactions take place virtually all the aspects that are used to communicate or encounter with the customers should be carefully handled. Web sites and customer portals should be user friendly and incorporate all the answers to the customer. Strong emphasis should be placed on the commun ication strategy of the business. The features and benefits of a product should be translated to the customers as per their needs and wants. Usage of jargons and words customers don’t know can be trouble shooting.

What is the Attraction of Dove Ad Legacy Coursework

What is the Attraction of Dove Ad Legacy - Coursework Example By asking mothers how they felt about their bodies, and then linking their feelings, perceptions, thoughts, attitudes and general orientation towards their bodies with how their daughters, in turn, felt about their bodies, the ad makes a powerful case for urging mothers to consider what they want to leave behind for their daughters as their part of their legacy. This is a powerful emotional appeal, given the obvious importance of the daughter in the lives of women as mothers. This is probably the woman’s strongest bond with any person. The implied message is that Dove cares about how they feel about their bodies and how the women are in relationship to the most important people in their lives, their children. Bringing mother and daughter together evokes positive and very intense feelings of love and the intense feelings associated with motherhood and all that the bond implies. There is an obvious linking of all this powerful current of emotions with Dove, and how Dove wants to position itself as something that will make women feel beautiful and good about themselves and their bodies. There is the aspect too, of Dove being a part of what mothers can positively leave behind for their children as part of the mothers’ legacy to their children. The bigger legacy, of course, consists of positive vibes, happiness, being at home with one’s body, loving oneself and accepting oneself, that Dove representsÃ'Ž The key argumentation, in terms of Aristotle’s appeals, is the appeal to pathos, or the emotions. This is also an appeal to self-identity, the women’s interests relating to self (Writing Commons, 2014). As the literature on pathos suggests, and as the Dove ad demonstrates, this is a very powerful appeal. The very premise of the ad- that mothers pass on how they see and feel about themselves to the most important people in their lives, their children and their daughters-   is inherently laden with powerful emotions (Kemp et al., 2 012). The supporting ad elements, including the music, all work in concert to emphasize and enhance the appeal to pathos. This is by design. There is an attempt to on the part of the ad to appeal to the audience of the ad in the same way. In the same way that the ad elicits the emotional reaction of parents by linking the exercise to their young daughters, and saying that the daughters are affected by the mothers’ feelings about themselves, the ad also makes an appeal to the emotions as far as the audience is concerned. The buildup of the music cued to reach a crescendo towards the end is an obvious attempt to imprint a powerful and positive emotion to the hearts of the audience at the end of it, like in a movie. Moreover, the choice of adult mothers with young daughters as the participants in the ad is deliberate, as those constitute a major target market for Dove products. The appeal to the emotions work where the audience is able to identify with the characters in a   mo vie, a book, a story, and here an ad (Kemp and Kopp, 2011). The race mix of the mothers also makes sure that the different target market ethnicities are included, to make sure too that the different members of the target market are able to identify with the mothers in the ad. There is an Asian mother, an African American mother, and three Caucasian mothers.