African American vs. Caucasian Americans Essay Example for Free

African American vs. Caucasian Americans Essay At first glance some people might consider this paper to be on the racial side, however it was all written by observations made. There are many differences between African Americans and Caucasians, some people dont see the differences because of ignorance . You must read the paper with an open mind and take none of this to heart. African American and Caucasians function differently in public surroundings. When you see a young African American you usually see them in groups of four of more. However, when one of them gets into a disagreement five to ten more show up in their defense. They are a very close knit group of individuals. I have also noticed that when you see a young African American walking around they are usually singing, talking very loud or running around. Also when they are in groups they are very loud and take over the area that they occupy. On the other hand when you see Caucasians they are rarely in groups of three or more. To top it off when someone in one of their groups gets in trouble the rest of the group is nowhere to be found. Most times when you see young Caucasian people in a group they are for the most part within a normal speaking level. These two groups tend to act differently in the public due to their cultural differences. There are a number of differences between the churches of African Americans and Caucasians. At most typical African American churches there are no true sermons. The African American churches tend to do more entertaining rather than teaching. They also do a great deal of singing and dancing involved in there praising of God. They emphasize fellowship in their churches especially after church when they all gather and close the celebration with a meal together. However at a typical Caucasian church there are a few differences. To start it off when you first walk in you get a program detailing what will be happening through the service. They tend to structure the whole service around a sermon or story. The service every week is very predictable as to what will happen. The Caucasian churches are more there to teach the ways of the lord as they have interpreted it. Although not all the African American and Caucasian churches are along this line a majority of the main stream ones are.

The Introduction To Cyber Bullying Media Essay

The Introduction To Cyber Bullying Media Essay Young people today are using the internet more than ever. They view the internet and even more so the mobile phones as positive aspects of our society. The internet and mobile phones systems are the two biggest systems of communication which play a crucial role in our daily activities and development of identities. On the other hand, these same technologies are also often used negatively. Many children are the targets of bullying via the internet or mobile phones resulting in total confusion on the part of the target. Very often, children are not able to understand that what they are going through is a form of bullying. As a result the previously safe environment of the internet is now becoming a source of confusion and anxiety. As a teenager myself, I am not immune to factors that influence everybody else in our society. I am very concerned about what is happening so I therefore wanted to look into the reasons behind cyber-bullying and who should be blamed for it. Is there any way for cyber-bullying to be stopped? The internet holds many dangers such as viruses and programming faults that could be dangerous for people but also two of the most menacing problems for young people today; child pornography and cyber-bullying. I decided to focus on the issue that tends to influence a large portion of teenagers and not solely, cyber-bullying. It seems that, now, in 2010 cyber-bullying is increasing dramatically as more and more children are becoming victims of this type of bullying, though not only children. I will research this problem in detail as it is saddening me that a system that makes information flow and communication easy, is turning into a dangerous place to be. I cant understand why such a useful system is used in so negative a way where one can cause psychological harm to others. Although cyberbullying does not pertain to the USA alone, I chose to focus on the USA is because it seems to have more documented incidents which apparently make it one of the countries with a higher percentage of cyber-bullies and victims of cyber-bullying. In fact, there has been a number of shocking incidents that caught my attention, some of which I will report in the main body. There are many countries that do deal with cyber-bullying but not to the point that the USA does. I strongly believe that if cyber-bullying reaches an end one day it will certainly start from the U.S.A. I deem that the USA covers all aspects that I am looking into so this is the reason why I chose it. In recent years many US states have started to impose laws specifically regarding cyber-bullying. Some other states support that laws imposed for traditional bullying also cover cyber-bullying. The internet provides anonymity and the chance to create a profile with a hidden identity; so how possible is it for cyber-bullying to be stopped? The truth is that this question cannot be answered easily as it is not something so simple. Being already concerned about it and seeing that more and more cyber-bullies are getting away with it, I will attempt to investigate how possible can this be. The research question which I will develop is the following: Can cyber-bullying and bullying through the internet and mobile phone systems stop? In this essay, I will look into cyber-bullying by defining what it is, report incidents and show statistics of how bad the situation in the U.S.A. is. I will also examine if blame can be attributed. Through my research I hope to reach a conclusion on whether there is a chance for cyber-bullying to be stopped. What is Cyber-Bullying Cyber-bullying has more than one definition, cyber-bullying can be defined as when the Internet, cell phones or other devices are used to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person  [1]  or as a situation when a child or teen is repeatedly tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child or teenager using text messaging, e-mail, instant messaging or any other type of digital technology.  [2]  The last definition I gave refers only to teens or children because bullying through the internet or cell-phones from adults to adults can be referred to as cyber-stalking which due to word limitation I will not go into. A cyber-bullying situation can be as simple as sending e-mails to someone that wants no further contact with you but it can also be very serious when it includes threats or sexual bullying or when a forum is created and that person is ridiculed. Cyber-bullies may post personal data of their victims at websites or forums or even pretend to be someone else in order to publish different material to the victims name that diminishes or humiliates him. The biggest percentage of the bullies use pretty much the same tactic as they send threatening messages to their victim or call them mean names. Who is a Cyber-Bully A cyber-bully is generally more of a product of his environment in which he too is abused in many ways, verbally or physically or he might even be cyber-bullied. Perhaps however, they are simple bored or completely rotten to make everyone elses life messy. Many times cyber-bullies work in groups because in that way they feel stronger but they inwardly, sometimes, do not enjoy their actions. Their main problem is that they cannot move away from their team because they feel unsafe and they have the fear that they will get cyber-bullied themselves. As it is identified by researchers, tormentors are sometimes likely to be more depressed than their victims. What should be worrying us is that cyber-bullies get a false feeling of satisfaction when they send threatening and flame e-mails to their victims because that means that they amuse themselves. The number one objective of cyber-bullies but also traditional bullies is to have power. They want to have the control of each situation. They want to be dominators and subjugate everyone. Effects of Cyber-Bullying In my mind, cyber-bullying shows the ugly face of the internet. Victims of cyber-bullying can become depressed and in extreme cases even commit suicide. We can therefore understand that the internet is dangerous and unknown to most people, capable of hurting them if they are not aware of the internet as a whole. Cyber-bullying has several negative effects on individuals or groups of people. Usually, it starts with a confused feeling on the part of the victim, feeling hurt because a person or a group of people has targeted them and insulted them for no other reason than simply to be mean. Most would ask why they are the target but perhaps even cyber-bullies do not know why. They gradually get feelings of fear or of loneliness, fear of leaving their home or fear of going to school. If the victim is being bullied continuously, his grades may drop or even show symptoms of paranoia that would make it difficult for him to communicate with people of his age or make new friends. Depression can be one of the symptoms of cyber-bullying, and I am calling them symptoms because it seems that cyber-bullying is now a disease for our society. A feeling of helplessness occurs as the victim does not know where to turn to for help. It is of course true that in serious cases of constant bullying, suicide may be part of the story. Cyber-bullying should be stopped but the question still exists, can it be stopped? Proper individual reaction I believe that the reason why the U.S.A. is more concerned about cyber-bullying is the big amount of their population that is affected and the relatively big number of incidents reported that has prompted them to impose laws against it. What should the average person suggest? Ignore the bully, do not take him seriously, not answer to him and if he is at your school just ignore him once more. It is suggested that you report it to your counselor or your parents so they get the chance to help you. It is possible that cyber-bullies will be discouraged if you do not answer to them and they will move on to their next victim. Nevertheless, these suggestions would only help an individual to be saved from cyber-bullying. Furthermore, cyber-bullying will not stop but it is a good start for individuals to save themselves from resulting victims. Significance of Cyber-Bullying How real is the threat of cyber-bullying? Is it such a big issue? Opinions seem to vary. Adults mostly support the opinion that cyber-bullying, along with regular bullying, is responsible for many of the social, anxiety and depression problems kids live with since this situation mostly influences them. On the other hand, many teenagers do not agree with this claim, they support the idea that cyber-bullying is not such a problem because nothing is real on the internet and things said or done should not be taken into consideration so much. In my mind, we, teens, understand better the evolution of technology than adults and so we are not tricked by the media as their role is always to report every situation in its most dramatic way but that cannot explain the rising number of suicides among young people. I believe that anyone who claims being bullied knows nearly nothing about how to protect themselves in the digital world, even when it comes to simple computer problems. It is true that the internet does not show its real face immediately and cyber-bullying is not the only internet issue that should be worrying us. Internet is full of dark pits, full of lies that could trick anyone into confusion. My opinion is that cyber-bullying is a very big issue that is shocking our society every day but I also believe and agree that cyber-bullying is not the last thing that we should consider as a problem. People need to be educated on how to be immune to internet dangers and of how to avoid being mocked or cheated through the internet. Proof of the significance An example of a severe case of cyber-bullying took place in 2008, it shocked most people in the U.S.A. into understanding what cyber-bullying is when Megan Meier, a 13-year old girl from Missouri, committed suicide in her room. Investigators found that Megans death was the result of constant stress caused by relentless and cruel cyber-bullying. A group of people that lived in Megans neighborhood, including adults such as Lori Drews, the father of a friend of Megans who she had a fight with, and an 18-year old officer who worked for M. Drews, pretended to be a new boy in the area where Megan lived and developed a relationship with her through Myspace (a social networking site). The group had created a hoax in order to make Megan believe that she had a growing relationship with the boy. When the hoax was revealed, Megan did not have enough mental strength to deal with the humiliation of being mocked and she decided to take her life. Back then, Missouri did not have any laws against cyb er-bullying so they were not able to prosecute any of the members of the group.  [3]  Having taken this incident into consideration, Missouri has now imposed laws against cyber-bullying which I will report on next in my extended essay. Another suicide took place in Massachusetts. Phoebe Prince was a 15-year old Irish immigrant who was harassed both at school, web sites and over her cell phone. For fear of losing her few friends, she refused to change her Facebook settings or cell number. Unfortunately, the idea of her being a loser led her to kill herself.  [4]   The statistics are as shocking as the incidents. A Cyber-bullying research survey in 2008 of 2.000 middle-school students shows that around 43% of them have been victims of situations that can be defined as cyber-bullying: > Receiving an instant message that made them upset (15.8%) Having something posted on their MySpace that made them upset (14.1%). Even more alarming, a Survey of AM/MTV in September 2009 of 1,247 young people, aged 14-24, found that: 50% of youngsters in this age group have experienced digitally abusive behavior, with older teens aged 18-24 (52% vs. 47%) and females more likely to be targeted (53% vs. 42%) 45% of young people report that they see people being mean to each other on social networking sites.  [5]   The relation ship with traditional bullying There is a phrase that says: Sticks and stones can break your bones but names will never hurt you Personally, I cannot agree with that claim. Although cyber-bullying is less physical than traditional forms of bullying, it has very destructive and longer-lasting effects on individuals. It is very easy to access a computer and ruin someones mental state. Something that people ignore is that online everyone can be a bully, even a small, physically weak child that was a victim of traditional bullying. However the difference being that someone is now in the position to cause even greater damage than a big brute can cause. As British bullying victim, Emily Moor said, The internet is a sinister, silent enemy: you simply dont know where to start to tackle the problem. But faceless as a computer may be, it is every bit as threatening as a physical bully, if not more so because the audience reading these horrible messages can be enormous.  [6]  It is true that if you are bullied at school then you can just go home and end it, if you are cyber-bullied you have nowhere to go. Laws against Cyber-Bullying It is now well known that with the existence of fake profiles or profiles with hidden identities, the guilty party is hard to be traced. Lawmakers are seeking to pass new legislations on cyber-bullying because it seems that there are currently no specific laws on the books that deal directly with it. They want to address cyber-bullying with laws that would call the action of intimidation, bullying or any other actions that cause severe emotional distress illegal. Nevertheless, I was not able to find lots of information on laws against hidden identity or fake profiles but only from states like Texas and Georgia which have passed laws that deal directly against posing as someone else on the internet. What is important is that people who post fake profiles in social network sites could be charged for their unsocial behaviour.  [7]   In a respected number of U.S. states including New York, Missouri, Rhode Island and Maryland, legislation geared at penalizing cyber-bullying and digital bullying has been introduced. In 2007, at least seven states passed specific laws against bullying through the internet. For example, Dardenne Prairie of Springfield, Missouri passed a city law making online bullying a misdemeanor. Another city of Missouri, the city of St. Charles has passed a similar law. Furthermore, in Jefferson City of Missouri, state lawmakers gave final approval to a bill making cyber-bullying illegal in 2008.  [8]  It is believed by supporters that this bill will cover bullying from computers, text messages and other electronic devices. In August 2008, the California state legislature passed the first law to deal directly with cyber-bullying. The legislation was named Assembly Bill 86 2008 and the idea was that it would add provisions related to bullying committed through an electronic communication device or system and a definition of electronic communication was added for this purpose to the School/Law Enforcement Partnership program. Eventually, this law took place at January 1 of 2009. Even if it is due to the following changed that many schools are now able to confront cyberbullying, I will keep the following information in the Laws against Cyber-Bullying section. In Arkansas in 2007, they passed a law that would allow school officials to deal with cyber bullies even if a persons bullying did not take place or start on school property. After the law was imposed, the result was that school administrators gained more freedom to punish individuals that were the bullies. In Iowa, several laws have been passed that forced schools to adopt anti-cyber bullying policies which cover bullying in the school or in school property or generally at a school function or activity sponsored by the school. In New Jersey the Garden State has always maintained tough legislation against bullying, but until 2007 there werent any laws enforced which included cyber-bullying. Once again, the law gives the power to the school staff to punish people related with bullying against their fellow students. In Idaho, in 2006, its lawmakers passed a law that allowed staff of the school, especially officials, to suspend students that were using a computer or another electronic device to harass specific students. At Oregon state, they decided to look in detail at cyber-bullying and broadened its definition. Recently, the governor of Rhode Island tried to pass a bill which would take cyber-bullying offenders to court with the charge of being illegal against the states laws. Vermont, had already very strict laws against bullying and cyber-bullying but its lawmakers recently added a fine of 500 dollars for those who where offensive to other people on the internet. Vermont is considered as one of the states with the strictest legislation against this type of bullying.  [9]   School action It is important to mention that many schools are adopting policies to address cyber-bullying and that is something really important. Since cyber-bullying is mostly a problem because of the existence of the internet, many schools reduced their internet sites range so as to protect children from entering sites that could lead them to becoming the victim of a cyber-bully. Also, many schools have passed anti-bullying rules and policies which address cyber-bullying. They closely monitor students use of computers at school and have bought tracking software but without relying solely on it in order to screen out problematic online behaviors and bullying. Many educators try to educate students, teachers and different staff members about the dangers of cyber-bullying and about what should be done in order to avoid it Who should be blamed? Despite attempts at changing laws and policies and trying to implement them, what is worrying, is the fact that no law can really stop cyber-bullying while communication through the internet or cell phones provides anonymity, many fake profiles are created in order to tease or bully people in social sites like Facebook and Myspace. Really, is there anybody we can accuse or blame for this mess? Is there any way to identify the extinction of a fake profile? Our society promotes violence and that does not help to overcome this problem. Video games, television and all mass media mostly project violent incidents. Because of this children and teens become familiar with the idea of violence and they think of it as the normal. Parents on the whole are not familiar with the idea of cyber-bullying and they are not able to protect their children from being cyber-bullied. It is not really their fault as technology is developing very fast and many of them cannot keep up with it. Teens do not usua lly talk to their parents about their problems and that makes it very difficult for the parents to help their children. Many schools make the mistake of not informing students enough about it or showing them how to protect themselves. Children should have some knowledge about cyber-bullying so as to get through it without any wounds. I believe that the society as a whole is the only that can be blamed for this issue. Conclusion In conclusion although the internet and mobile phones communication systems make our lives easier and play a very important role in our activities, it is unfortunate that they have been poisoned and destroyed by being used to abuse others. The positive aspects of the internet and mobile phones cannot be questioned or enumerated however what I am mostly certain of is that the negative aspects are just as great in number and in seriousness. As a Kevin Brennan said: Cyberbullying is the unacceptable face of new technology, and we need concerted action across society to address it. Schools must play a key role, and this new guidance will help them to identify and tackle instances of cyberbullying more effectively, as well as providing practical advice and information on how to prevent it.  [10]   Cyber-bullying is on the rise and it affects almost anyone that possesses and uses a computer or a cell-phone but the idea of stopping or obstructing cyber-bullying seems to be very far. Cyber-bullying exists in schools, out of schools and everywhere and since parents are not totally controlling their childs actions in and out of school, it is very hard to follow the plans of bullies. While school violence as a whole is declining, bullying behaviors have increased by 5%.Furthermore, the last months of 2010; there were multiple suicide deaths as a result of cyber-bullying.  [11]  There are lots of reasons that could lead a person to bully another and there are even more sources of traps that could lead the bullied person to remain silent and contribute in this way to the growing problem. After much research, I no longer wonder if this whole situation could be stopped but whether it can at least decrease. It seems that there is no way for it to be stopped since most states of the U.S.A. do not have any legislations that deal directly with cyber-bullying. Even where legislation does exist it does not have the power to reduce cyber-bullying to any great amount because of the anonymity or the hidden identity that the internet provides. This could even be a great research question for another extended essay. Should the internet provide anonymity and the choice to retain your identity hidden? Existing legislation in states of the U.S. which I have mentioned have only worked in very few situations where the bully has not hidden his identity. What could make us think that legislation could stop anonymous bullies? What will always be needed to overcome such a situation is the support of adults towards children and young people that have fallen victims to the dark pits of the internet. Parents especially must not forget that. Since bullying through internet and mobile phones cannot really be stopped then the next best way to deal with it, is to make children immune to it. Children should be taught to avoid it and go on with their lives. They should be taught how to prevent bullies from using them as victims. Parents should help them build a strong personality.

Computer Matching Versus Privacy :: Private Personal Information Essays

Computer Matching Versus Privacy Introduction With the advent of new computer technologies, the ease with which new information can be discovered from aggregating data sources is astounding. This technique is called computer matching. When it comes to doing research this can be an incredible source of new ideas and correlations between sets of data. However, this same technique can be applied to information about individual people. Suddenly, by pulling together disparate sources of data, private information can be learned about an individual without their knowledge or consent. If the organization that is capable of computer matching is a government, it places a lot of information in the hands of a powerful entity. A question of whether the government should have this new information is a significant one. What if the government were not allowed to ask you for information that is discoverable through computer matching? Should the government be allowed to use this technique to yield the same information? This ethical dilemma is covered in this paper. Relevant information will be used from the laws in the United States and the European Union to illustrate the different perspectives on the privacy of citizens and the approaches each government takes to it. Letter of the Law or Spirit? Many countries around the world have laws on what information a government can ask from its citizens. These laws typically focus on protecting the privacy of individual citizens and preventing discrimination based upon the collected information. Computer matching could place this same information in the hands of the government. In the United States, US law prohibits the direct collection of certain information. This includes, but not limited to information about ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc1. The European Union (EU) has set guidelines for members of the union. These guidelines set strict rules for the â€Å"processing† of personal information. The EU defines processing as collection, use, storage, retrieval, transmission, destruction, and other actions2. The rules also provide provisions requiring the consent of the individual person before this â€Å"processing† can occur. It is apparent that the intentions of the laws for the United States and the EU are to protect the privacy of their citizens. However, loopholes exist in these laws that allow the governments to bend these laws. In the United States, the law prevents the government from asking for certain information, but it does not prevent it from purchasing this information or using matching techniques to discover it.

Symbolism in Their Eyes Were Watching God Essay -- Literary Analysis

In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, she utilizes an array of symbolism such as color, the store, and her husbands to solidify the overall theme of independence and individuality. Their Eyes Were Watching God is considered by many a classic American Feminist piece that emphasizes how life was for African Americans post slave era in the early 1900s. One source summarizes the story as, 1 †a woman's quest for fulfillment and liberation in a society where women are objects to be used for physical work and pleasure.† Which is why the overall theme is concurrent to independence and self. The first way the author uses symbolism to show the overall theme is with color. Numerous times in the novel Janie is wearing a different color ostentatiously depending on what is taking place. Although the message is oblique, most can find meaning behind it. Starting in the first chapter the color Blue is mentioned. â€Å" †¦ Where's dat blue satin dress she left here in?† (pg.2) This is the beginning where Janie is coming back with nothing and the towns women are gossiping about her status and appearance. Even later the author shows that she wears blue because of Tea Cake, â€Å"Wait till you see de new blue satin Tea Cake done picked out for me tuh stand up with him in.† (pg. 115) Traditionally the color blue represents 2 depth and stability. It can also symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. From early on Hurston is indicating that Janie will be some of those traits and through out the novel the reader realizes that Janie is actually loyal, stable,wise, and confident after she is introduced to Tea Cake. The next color the author uses is white. When Janie and Jody are about to build ... ...James Robert Saunders, "Womanism as the Key to Understanding Zora Neale Hurston's `Their Eyes Were Watching God' and Alice Walker's `The Color Purple'," in The Hollins Critic, Vol. XXV, No. 4, October, 1988, pp. 1-11. Reproduced by permission. 1. c.Robert E. Hemenway, in his  Zora Neale Hurston: A Literary Biography, University of Illinois Press, 1977, 371 p. 2. "Color Wheel Pro: Color Meaning." Color Wheel Pro: See Color Theory in Action! Color Wheel, 22 Jan. 2001. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. . 3. Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 51: Afro-American Writers from the Harlem Renaissance to 1940. A Bruccoli Clark Layman Book. Edited by Trudier Harris, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Gale Group, 1987. pp. 133-145. 4. Hurston, Zora Neal. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: Harper Collins, 1937. Print.

Essay on Action, Props, Costumes, and Visual Elements in Trifles

Action, Props, Costumes, and Visual Elements in Trifles Susan Glaspell’s play, Trifles, shows the importance of staging, gestures, and props to create the proper atmosphere of a play. Without the development of the proper atmosphere through directions from the author, the whole point of the play may be missed. Words definitely do not tell the whole story in Trifles - the dialog only complements the unspoken. Susan Glaspell tells us her vision of the Wright's kitchen, where the action of her play "Trifles" takes place, through stage directions. She paints a gloomy picture of this center of activity. The kitchen is described as being in disorder with unwashed pans under the sink, a dish towel left on the table, a loaf of bread outside the breadbox, and other disarray. This gives the impression of no attention having been paid to cleaning up either recently or usually. The room has faded wallpaper, an old black stove, an old iron sink with a hand pump and no curtains at the one window. The unpainted table at the center sounds old and utilitarian. The descriptions suggests a very uninviting room with no frills or anything to brighten the area. Nothing frivolous or feminine, like flowers or colorful plates are described as being in the room. The one comfort in the room is an old rocking chair. This conjures up the impression of one lonely person occasionally sitting down to shell beans or string snaps. Is she always working in this room or does she sit and look out the window next to her day dreaming of what might have been? The characters enter this room through a door at the back of the stage which goes to a shed then to the outside. The Sheriff enters first followed by the County Attorney, later described as... ...ble in the dialog. It is done through looks and gestures. For example, "Their eyes met a look of growing comprehension, of horror...... Mrs. Hale slips the box under quilt pieces". They finally carry the evidence out with them. We are left to assume that the ladies will destroy the evidence making it impossible to prove that Mrs. Wright killed her husband. The ladies make an unspoken decision that Mrs. Wright did not deserve to be punished for killing her husband. In their minds, evidence of his extreme cruelty to his wife negated her guilt. This play shows the importance of the staging, gestures, and props making the atmosphere of a play. Without the development of these things through directions from the author, the whole point of the play will be missed. The dialog in this play only complements the unspoken. Words definitely do not tell the whole story.

Summary of the Omnivore’s Dilemma

Human  Ethology  Bulletin,  October  2007] The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals By  Michael  Pollan Penguin  Press,  New  York,  NY. 2006,  450pp. ISBN  1? 59420? 082? 3  [Hdbk. ,  $26. 95] Reviewed by William F. McKibbin and Todd K. Shackelford Florida Atlantic University, Dept. of Psychology, Davie, FL 33314 USA [E-mail: [email  protected] edu, [email  protected] edu] The  Omnivore’s  Dilemma  is  the  latest  book  by  Michael  Pollan,  best  known  for  his  previous  best? selling  work,  The  Botany  of  Desire. Here,  Pollan  has  crafted  a  well? written  and  enjoyable   exploration  of  humans’  relationship  with  food.The  book  is  written  for  a  lay  audience,  but  is   appreciable  by  all. Pollan  begins  by  focusing  on  a  seemingly  simple  question,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"What  should  we  h ave  for  dinner? †Ã‚   The  answer,  it  seems,  is  not  so  simple  for  omnivores  like  us. Pollan  guides  the  reader  by   examining  the  three  major  types  of  food  production  and  divides  the  book  into  these  three areas:   Industrial  (focusing  on  the  modern  food  industry’s  reliance  on  corn),  Pastoral  (focusing  on   organic  food  production,  both  Ã¢â‚¬Å"big†Ã‚  and  Ã¢â‚¬Å"small†Ã‚  scale),  and  Personal  (focusing  on  personally   hunting  and  gathering  one’s  food).The  first,  Industrial  section  of  the  book  demonstrates  that  nearly  everything  we  consume  in   Western  society,  particularly  in  America,  is  in  some  way  derived  from  corn. The  processed   foods  that  seem  a  staple  of  modern  living  ar e  derived  largely  (if  not  wholly)  from  corn. Even   foods  such  as  eggs,  chicken,  fish,  and  beef  are  essentially  derived  from  corn:  cows,  chickens,   and  fish  are  coerced  to  consume  a  food  that  to  them  is  highly  unnatural. If  w

Night of the Scorpion Essay

The father of post Independence Indian English verse, Nissim Ezekiel, was a Mumbai born, Indian – Jewish poet, playwright, editor and art-critic. His works are an important part of Indian literary history. His major themes are love, loneliness, creativity and human foibles. Via his works, he satirized evil practices, superstitions and ignorance of the Indian people, as he has in this poem. He made Indian English poetry digestible for the common man. He wanted simplicity of thought and language in modern poetry. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for his poetry collection – â€Å"Latter-Day Psalms.† This poem, Night of the Scorpion, is one of his most famous poems. It has been written in ‘free verse’ which means that it is highly irregular in terms of line length and does not follow any rhyming pattern. The ‘Night of the Scorpion’ captures a scene in a rural Indian village where being bitten by a scorpion was a common fear. The narrator is a young child witnessing a horrific event in his life- his own mother writhing in agony of a scorpion’s sting. Along with the anguish of the family members, the poet describes the concern for the mother by the villagers. The child describes the scorpion as the Devil Himself by using adjectives like ‘diabolic’ and also refers to it as the metaphorical ‘Evil One’. However, the poet also says that the scorpion had been forced to â€Å"crawl beneath a sack of rice† by the torrential rain and later had to â€Å"risk the rain again†. This shows a subtle feeling of pity underlying the fact that the scorpion was the Devil Incarnate. Imagery is one of the main literary devices used in this poem. â€Å"With candles and lanterns Throwing giant scorpion shadows On the sun-baked walls† This aids us to visualize the scene of Villagers searching for the scorpion outside the cottage in the steady downpour amidst the sun-baked huts. In most rural Indian villages, the entire village is like a community. Each family shares in each other’s joys and sorrows. This is evident since the poet uses the line â€Å"the peasants came like swarms of flies.† As a hyperbole, this line shows their immense numbers. It also shows that the people were more of a hindrance than a help like a ‘swarm of flies’. It also shows how, in close-knit communities, all news spreads like wildfire. The fruitless passing of time is also shown by the line, â€Å"More candles, more lanterns, more neighbours, More insects and the endless rain.† Another aspect of rural society, unfortunately, is their belief in baseless superstitions and beliefs. Having being denied proper education facilities, they remain unaware of the truth. These uneducated villagers are clueless about proper medication. In an effort to help, they pray to god to paralyze the scorpion so that, as their superstition states, the poison would also be paralyzed in the mother’s blood. The villagers also believe in the Karma philosophy. This philosophy was born in India and in certain cultures it is intertwined with the concept of reincarnation, or life after death. The villagers chant, â€Å"May the sins of you previous birth Be burned away tonight† And, â€Å"May the poison purify your flesh Of desire and your spirit of ambition† Thus, they imply that the mother’s desires and ambitions are the sins that she is paying for. Finally, the mother’s ordeal comes to an end. In a display of mother’s unconditional love, the poem ends with the mother saying, â€Å"Thank god the scorpion picked on me and spared my children†