How to write an environmental science essay

How to write an environmental science essay Environmental science is an idiom, which has come to encompass a wide range of scientific disciplines in order to provide an integrated, quantitative, and interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental systems [Coupland 1997]. Although the environment has been studied for as long as there has been science, the recent interest in putting the pieces of understanding together to study environmental systems has come alive as a substantive, active field of scientific investigation starting during the 1960’s and 1970’s. This has been driven by the need for a large multi-disciplined subject to analyse complex environmental problems, the arrival of substantive environmental laws requiring specific environmental protocols of investigation and growing public awareness of a need for action in addressing environmental problems. In order to write an environmental studies essay these disciplines need to be brought together to fully appreciate the many interactions among the physical, chemical and biological components. Environmental studies is a very diverse subject matter and essays should try to deal with the issues in relation to human activities, economics, law and social science when answering the question at hand. When writing an environmental studies essay it is important to recognise that different titles suggest fundamentally different strategic approaches to essay writing. Jones et al, 1999, outlines this point by suggesting that essays can be split between non-critical (or descriptive) essays, which are more related to the chronology or uncontested ‘facts’ of an event, and critical essays, which requires the development of an argument through the piece. When writing science-based essays it will be this approach that lends itself more readily to the subject matter. It may be helpful to distinguish between ‘weakly’ and ‘strongly’ critical approaches in order to ensure that the essay presents the complete argument, and that the arguments are well balanced [Thomson 1996]. Weakly critical writing may involve evaluating alternative points of view, especially for the soundness of their reasoning and the legitimacy of their conclusions [Jones 1999]. It may well also involve developing your own arguments, and advancing your own conclusions; and may sometimes involve making personal ‘value judgments’. Strongly critical writing involves recognised the problematic and contestable character of knowledge claims. Here the writer needs to look at the presence of underlying values and assumptions (including those embodied in competing paradigms, discourses, rationalities and ethical principles [Thomson 1996]). In this case the writing is able to show critical awareness of your own, as well as other’s arguments, and it is this style that is more appropriate when trying to balance the array of arguments, over the various disciplines, that an environmental science essay would present. The basic structure on an essay has three main components: the introduction, the body and the conclusion. Each one of these parts serves to provide form and function in the communication of clear ideas, and each has a specific role to play that, when fully realised, allows for a continuous dialogue of logic, argument and erudition. The first element to address is the introduction, a vital invitation that should capture the reader’s attention and draw focus to the title of the piece. The introduction presents the aims, scope and procedure of the essay [Bell 1993], and should outline any limits you propose to place upon your discussion, to justify the particular focus you have chosen and clarify the particular perspective or orientation the essay will take. The introduction should also seek to outline individual arguments that will follow in the main body of the essay, summarizing how each supports the argument in question. When writing any essay the writer needs to demonstrate those areas that will be looked at and the rationale behind these choices in each case. These areas or identified topics can then be discussed in more detail through the main body of the essay. The body of any environmental studies essay is where the main thrust and support for the argument should be found. As the introduction delineates the key arguments that will be raised through the essay, the main body should address each point in more detail. Each paragraph in the body of an essay has a specific function. They can generally be identified by the topic sentence, which gives purpose to the paragraph and introduces the key issue, which will be addressed within it – in this sense each paragraph is constructed around a separate idea. It is also important to try and use paragraphs as transitions from one topic to another, so that there are no intellectual breaks between points of argument and the essay flows smoothly. Without these transitions they essay would read more like an outline, bulleting points one after another. To avoid this sub-headings are used extensively in the natural and social sciences (both of which are key components of environmental studies), and is a style characterised is scientific journals, which preserves the fluidity of a piece. Figures or tables should also be used in environmental studies essays as a means to present information, which illustrates, clarifies or helps to reinforce the writer’s ideas, and should be used throughout the main body. After the body of the essay has been written, a conclusion must be drawn, which should reiterate to the reader the proven arguments and their relation to the essay title. Writing clearly and concisely through the essay will allow you to develop better scientific arguments when attempting to conclude your argument. As aforementioned, environmental studies essays can often encompass a wide variety of scientific discussions as well as more humanistic debates and the conclusion should be able to transcend each of these genres to ensure that each argument has been communicated with a consistent tone. Throughout the piece a balanced argument should be put forward, the conclusion is the writers’s opportunity to synthesise their own opinion based on the evidence put forward. REFERENCES: Bell, J (1993) Doing Your Research Project. Open University Press (2nd edition) Creme, P and Lea, MR (1997) Writing at University: A Guide for Students. Open University Press Northedge, A (1990) The Good Study Guide. Open University Press Parker, D (1994) Tackling Coursework: Assignments, Projects, Reports and Presentations (DP Publications) Thomson, A (1996) Critical Reasoning: A Practical Introduction. Routledge Jones, P, Merritt, Q and Palmer, C (1999)‘Critical thinking and interdisciplinarity in environmental higher education: the case for epistemological and values awareness’, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 23 (3), pages 349-57 Coupland, N and Coupland, J (1997) ‘Bodies, beaches and burn-times: â€Å"environmentalism† and its discursive competitors’, Discourse and Society, 8 (1), pages 7-25. Web resources: Iowa State University Environmental Science homepage.

Racism Or Slavery Essay -- essays research papers fc

Racism or Slavery, which came first?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Racism or slavery, neither, this essay will document the prejudice against Africans from Europeans that led into slavery and racism. Prejudice issues in a dislike for an individual or group of these individuals. This dislike can simulate from many differences that are shared, religion, culture, system of living (government and social practice), or in some cases looks.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Initially English contact with Africans did not take place primarily in a context which prejudged the Negro as a slave, at least not as a slave of Englishmen. Rather, Englishmen met Africans merely as another sort of men. Englishmen found the peoples of Africa very different form themselves. â€Å"Negroes† looked different to Englishmen; their religion was un-Christian; they seemed to be very libidinous people (Jordan, 1).† In this example Winthrop Jordan begins to target the differences that Englishmen seen and identified with from themselves and the Africans. Pointing out an area that differed, which to the Englishmen mirrored the souls and morals of the Africans, religion. Prejudice begins with difference. â€Å"For Englishmen, the most arresting characteristic of the newly discovered African was his color. Travelers rarely failed to comment upon it; indeed when describing Africans they frequently began with complexion and then moved on to dress (or, as they saw, lack of it) and manners (Jordan 1).† And entering in a river, we see a number of blacke soules, Whose likelinesse seem’d men to be, but all as blacke as coles. Their Captaine comes to me as naked as my naile, Not having witte or honestie to cover once his taile. Robert Baker Jordan and Baker begin to show the Englishmen dislike for the African choice of dress and complexion. Baker includes that African people skin tone embodies their souls, having negativity in them by nature of being black, adds having neither wit nor honesty. â€Å"Englishmen actually described Negroes as black-an exaggerated term which in itself suggest that the Negro’s complexion had powerful impact upon their perceptions (Jordan, 1).† Black- deeply stained with dirt, soiled, dirty, foul†¦Having dark or deadly purposes, malignant; pertaining to or involving death, deadly; baneful, disastrous, sinister†¦Foul, iniquitous, atrocious, horrible, wicked†¦ Indicating disgrace, censu... ...As slavery evolved as a legal status, it reflected and included as part of its essence, this same discrimination which white men had practiced against the Negro all along and before any statutes decreed it.† Degler Prejudice was present, before slavery came about, when Englishmen first encountered Africans, the differences between the two, combined with the English push to turn the world English. â€Å"As England had absorbed people of every nationality over the centuries and turned them into Englishmen, including Negroes, and seemed to be successfully moulding a New World community on the English model (Morgan, 2).† Morgan shows English outlook and attitude towards anyone not English. All non-English people are automatically inferior in some degree. A prejudice existing in a group, before control is gained, and prejudice enforced. Works Cited (1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jordan, Wintrop. â€Å"First Impressions: Libidinous Blacks,† White Over Black: American Attitudes Toward the Negro, 1550-1812, 1968, University of North Carolina Press. (2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Morgan, Edmund S., â€Å"The Paradox of Slavery and Freedom,† Journal of American History, 59, 1972, 5-29 Racism Or Slavery Essay -- essays research papers fc Racism or Slavery, which came first?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Racism or slavery, neither, this essay will document the prejudice against Africans from Europeans that led into slavery and racism. Prejudice issues in a dislike for an individual or group of these individuals. This dislike can simulate from many differences that are shared, religion, culture, system of living (government and social practice), or in some cases looks.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Initially English contact with Africans did not take place primarily in a context which prejudged the Negro as a slave, at least not as a slave of Englishmen. Rather, Englishmen met Africans merely as another sort of men. Englishmen found the peoples of Africa very different form themselves. â€Å"Negroes† looked different to Englishmen; their religion was un-Christian; they seemed to be very libidinous people (Jordan, 1).† In this example Winthrop Jordan begins to target the differences that Englishmen seen and identified with from themselves and the Africans. Pointing out an area that differed, which to the Englishmen mirrored the souls and morals of the Africans, religion. Prejudice begins with difference. â€Å"For Englishmen, the most arresting characteristic of the newly discovered African was his color. Travelers rarely failed to comment upon it; indeed when describing Africans they frequently began with complexion and then moved on to dress (or, as they saw, lack of it) and manners (Jordan 1).† And entering in a river, we see a number of blacke soules, Whose likelinesse seem’d men to be, but all as blacke as coles. Their Captaine comes to me as naked as my naile, Not having witte or honestie to cover once his taile. Robert Baker Jordan and Baker begin to show the Englishmen dislike for the African choice of dress and complexion. Baker includes that African people skin tone embodies their souls, having negativity in them by nature of being black, adds having neither wit nor honesty. â€Å"Englishmen actually described Negroes as black-an exaggerated term which in itself suggest that the Negro’s complexion had powerful impact upon their perceptions (Jordan, 1).† Black- deeply stained with dirt, soiled, dirty, foul†¦Having dark or deadly purposes, malignant; pertaining to or involving death, deadly; baneful, disastrous, sinister†¦Foul, iniquitous, atrocious, horrible, wicked†¦ Indicating disgrace, censu... ...As slavery evolved as a legal status, it reflected and included as part of its essence, this same discrimination which white men had practiced against the Negro all along and before any statutes decreed it.† Degler Prejudice was present, before slavery came about, when Englishmen first encountered Africans, the differences between the two, combined with the English push to turn the world English. â€Å"As England had absorbed people of every nationality over the centuries and turned them into Englishmen, including Negroes, and seemed to be successfully moulding a New World community on the English model (Morgan, 2).† Morgan shows English outlook and attitude towards anyone not English. All non-English people are automatically inferior in some degree. A prejudice existing in a group, before control is gained, and prejudice enforced. Works Cited (1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jordan, Wintrop. â€Å"First Impressions: Libidinous Blacks,† White Over Black: American Attitudes Toward the Negro, 1550-1812, 1968, University of North Carolina Press. (2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Morgan, Edmund S., â€Å"The Paradox of Slavery and Freedom,† Journal of American History, 59, 1972, 5-29

Ethical Education Essay -- The Importance of Education

Ethical Education The goal of education is to develop the highest level of mental, moral and physical ability within students. Ethics are just as important as factual knowledge and physical well-being. Sadly, public schools in this country are against ethical expression of any kind. Ethics are a threat to the school system because they may encourage a need for change in the present standard of education, which is decidedly anti-ethical. In U.S. public schools, students are processed through a well-built machine designed to perpetuate the status quo. Any ethical conflict that a student might have is treated like a malfunction in need of repair. The present school systems prefers cold self-interest to any sense of compassion and I believe that self interest is not a form of morality that children should be taught. Public school made me feel like a small and harmless individual, ranked somewhere in the middle relative to other students. On the standardized tests, I always did well on the verbal section but I had trouble with the math section. My mediocrity in mathematics cursed my chances of becoming the perfect well-balanced student that the system was looking for. I was restrained by grades because I thought that they were some profound measure of my life granted to me by the system. Of course, it is natural for an individual to have strengths and weaknesses, but the bulk of my daily life spent in that institution often left me with that feeling that I was average. Instead of being empowered by the school system, I felt a sense of helplessness to the problems of the world. How can I possibly change the world with my grade point average? What the public school didn’t tell me was that not all historical figures of great im... ...lly deny their accomplishments and cherish those who made it on their own with little regard to anyone else. What public schools need are a strong focus on the highest form of ethical behavior, which, in my opinion, is compassion. I believe that if compassion for oneÕs fellow human being were encouraged from an early age in schools then it would affect society positively. We must create an open environment where all forms of ethics can be discussed by students and the teacher must encourage respect for all forms of moral thought. If we are taught that anyone can act on their concerns and change society then I think we can improve the system. The self-esteem and moral courage of every individual must be built up so that we can achieve a higher state of humanity. Works Cited Kozol, Jonathon. The Night is Dark and I Am Far From Home. New York: Touchstone, 1990

Human Growth and Development Research Paper Essay

Abstract The following research paper will be written on schizophrenia. I will discuss what schizophrenia is. I will discuss the history behind this chronic disease. Also, who is affected by it? In addition, how common it is in some people. And, I will talk about the different types. Furthermore, I will discuss the causes of schizophrenia. If schizophrenia is hereditary? And the different types of symptoms. Also, how it is diagnosed. Lastly, I will talk over the treatment for people with schizophrenia. What is Schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental illness. It is considered one of the psychotic mental disorders and is described by symptoms of thought, behavior, and social problems. The thought problems associated with schizophrenia are described as psychosis, in that the person’s thinking is completely out of touch with reality at times. An example of this would be, the sufferer of this disease may hear voices or see people that are not actually present or feel lik e bugs are crawling on their skin when there are none. The individual with this disorder may also have disorganized speech, behavior, physically rigid, significantly decreased feelings, and delusions, which are ideas about themselves or others that have no basis in reality (for example, the individual might experience paranoia, in that he or she thinks others are plotting against them when they are not). What is the history of schizophrenia? The term schizophrenia has only been in use since 1911. The word â€Å"schizophrenia† is less than 100 years old. Soon before that, it was deemed a separate mental illness in 1887 by Emil Kraepelin. Despite the fact that it is a more recent known disease, it has been described throughout written history. Ancient Egyptian, Hindu, Chinese, Greek, and Roman writings described symptoms similar to the symptoms of schizophrenia. During medieval times, schizophrenia, like other illnesses, was often viewed as evidence of the sufferer being possessed by spirits or evil powers. The film â€Å"A Beautiful Mind† depicts the life of a man named John Nash, a noted scientist, and his struggles with paranoid schizophrenia. In history, all people who were considered â€Å"abnormal,† whether due to mental illness, mental retardation, or physical deformities, were treated the same. Early theories  invented that mental disorders were caused by â€Å"evil possession† of the body, and the appropriate treatment was then get rid of these demons, through various means, reaching from innocuous treatments, such as exposing the patient to certain types of music, to dangerous and sometimes deadly means, such as releasing the evil spirits by drilling holes in the patient’s skull. 1996-2014 MedicineNet. 1996-2009. Schizophrenia.com. Who is affected, and who is it most common in? Schizophrenia affects about 1% of the population, corresponding to more than 2 million people in the United States and 100,000-200,000 newly diagnosed people every year. Other statistics about schizophrenia include that it affects men about one and a half times more commonly than women and that 50% of people in hospital psychiatric care have schizophrenia. Diagnosis is usually in people aged 17-35 years with the illness appearing earlier in men (in the late teens or early 20s) than in women (who are affected in the 20s to early 30s). Although there have been fewer studies on schizophrenia in children compared to adults, researchers are finding that children as young as 6 years old can be found to have all the symptoms of their adult counterparts and continue to have those symptoms into adulthood. 1996-2014 MedicineNet. What are the different types of Schizophrenia? There are five different types of schizophrenia, each based on the kind of symptoms the person has at the time of assessment. Firstly, there is paranoid schizophrenia. In this type the individual is preoccupied with one or more delusions or many auditory hallucinations but does not have symptoms of disorganized schizophrenia. On the other hand, disorganized schizophrenia is when the prominent symptoms are disorganized speech and behavior, as well as flat or inappropriate affect. The person does not have enough symptoms to be characterized as suffering from catatonic schizophrenia. On that note, catatonic schizophrenia is when the person with this type of schizophrenia primarily has at least two of the following symptoms: difficulty moving, resistance to moving, excessive movement, abnormal movements, and/or repeating what others say or do. Also, there is undifferentiated schizophrenia: This is characterized by episodes of two or more of the resulting symptoms: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech or behavior, catatonic behavior, but the individual does not qualify for a diagnosis of paranoid, disorganized, or catatonic type of schizophrenia. Lastly, there is residual schizophrenia: While the full-blown  characteristic positive symptoms of schizophrenia (those that involve an excess of normal behavior, such as delusions, paranoia, or heightened sensitivity) are absent, the sufferer has a less severe form of the disorder or has only negative symptoms (symptoms characterized by a decrease in function, such as withdrawal, disinterest, and not speaking). Overall, those are all the different types of schizophrenia, there descriptions, and symptoms. 1996-2014 MedicineNet. What Are Causes of Schizophrenia? There are many causes to schizophrenia. Rather, it is the result of a complex group of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors. Genetically, schizophrenia is very similar to bipolar disorder, in the two disorders they both share a number of the same risk genes. However, the fact is that both illnesses also have some genetic factors that are unique. Environmentally, the risks of developing schizophrenia can even occur before birth. For example, the risk of schizophrenia is increased in individuals whose mother had one of certain infections during pregnancy. Difficult life circumstances during childhood, like the early loss of a parent, parental poverty, bullying, witnessing parental violence; emotional, sexual, or physical abuse; physical or emotional neglect; and insecure attachment have been associated with the development of this illness. The environment and the beings around the child as its young can decide whether or not the person suffers of that disease. 1996-2014 MedicineNet. Is Schizophrenia Hereditary? One of the most frequently asked question about schizophrenia is if it is hereditary. Like most of the other mental disorders, schizophrenia is not directly passed from one generation to another genetically, but it is known to run in families. Consequently, the risk of illness in an identical twin of a person with schizophrenia is 40%-50% and a child of a parent suffering from schizophrenia has a 10% chance of developing the illness. So, yes schizophrenia is somewhat hereditary. 1996-2014 MedicineNet. What are some signs or symptoms of schizophrenia? When it comes to symptoms there are two different categories. There are positive and negative symptoms. Positive: – Beliefs that have no basis in reality (delusions) – Hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling, or tasting things that have no basis in reality (hallucinations) – Disorganized speech – Disorganized behaviors – Catatonic behaviors Negative: – Inhibition of facial expressions – Lack of motivation/ speech 1996-2014  MedicineNet. How is schizophrenia diagnosed? There is no test that definitively indicates that someone has schizophrenia. Therefore, health care officials diagnose this disorder by gathering comprehensive medical, family, and mental-health information. Patients have a tendency to to benefit when the practitioner takes into account their client’s entire life and background. This consists of but is not restricted to the person’s gender, sexual orientation, cultural, religious and ethnic background, and socioeconomic status. The symptom sufferer might be asked to fill out a self-test that the practitioner will review if the person being appraised is able to complete it. The practitioner will also either perform a physical examination or request that the individual’s primary-care doctor perform one. The medical examination will usually include lab tests to evaluate the person’s general health and to explore whether or not the individual has a medical condition that might p roduce psychological symptoms. Also, mental-health professionals are often exploring if the individual suffers from hallucinations or delusions, depression and/or manic symptoms, anxiety, substance abuse, as well as some personality disorders and developmental disorders. As a result, some of the symptoms of schizophrenia can also occur in other mental illnesses, the mental-health screening is to determine if the individual suffers from schizoaffective disorder or other psychotic disorder, depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, or a substance-abuse or personality disorder. Any disorder that is associated with bizarre behavior, mood, or thinking, like borderline personality disorder or another psychotic disorder, as well as dissociative identity disorder, also known as multiple personality disorder, which may be particularly challenging to tell between from schizophrenia. In order to judge the person’s current emotional state, health-care providers perform a mental-status examination as well . In addition, providing treatment that is appropriate to the diagnosis, determining the presence of mental illnesses that may co-occur with schizophrenia is important in improving the life of individuals with schizophrenia. For example, people with schizophrenia are at increased risk of depression, or thoughts of suicide. 1996-2014 MedicineNet. What are some treatments for schizophrenia? There are a number  of helpful treatments available; medication remains the key of treatment for people with schizophrenia. These medications are often referred to as antipsychotics since they help decrease the intensity of psychotic symptoms. Many health-care professionals prescribe one of these medications, sometimes in combination of one or more other psychiatric medications, in order to maximize the benefit for the person with schizophrenia. Medications that are thought to be particularly effective in treating positive symptoms of schizophrenia include olanzapine (Zyprexa), risperidone (Risperdal), quetiapine (Seroquel), ziprasidone (Geodon), aripiprazole (Abilify), paliperidone (Invega), asenapine (Saphis), lurasidone (Latuda), and lloperidone (Fanapt). These medications are the newer collection of antipsychotic medications, also called second-generation antipsychotics. They are known for having the ability to work quickly compared too many other psychiatric medications. As a group of medications, side effects that occur most often include sleepiness, dizziness, and increased appetite. In addition to medication there are psychosocial treatments. One, Family psycho-education: In addition to educating family members about the symptoms, course, and treatment of schizophrenia, this form of treatment consists of providing family support, problem-solving skills, and access to care providers during times of crises. Secondly, there is the treatment of Social skills training: Also called illness management and recovery programming, social-skills training involve teaching clients ways to handle social situations appropriately. It often involves the person scripting (thinking through or role-playing) situations that occur in social settings in order to prepare for those situations when they actually occur. This treatment type has been found to help people with schizophrenia resist using drugs of abuse, as well as improve their relationships with health-care professionals and with people at work. Although, these are only a couple of the many options for treatment; these are some of the best. 1996-2014 MedicineNet. References: http://www.medicinenet.com/schizophrenia_pictures_slideshow/article.htmhttp://schizophrenia.com/family/sz.overview.htm http://www.medicinenet.com/schizophrenia/article.htm http://www.helpguide.org/mental/schizophrenia_symptom.htm Title Schizophrenia Authors John M. Neale, Thomas F. Oltmanns Edition illustrated Publisher John Wiley & Sons, 1980 Original from the University of California Digitized Aug 24, 2010 ISBN 0471630861, 9780471630869 Length 554 pages http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia

Boxing as a Metaphor

A film perhaps, could be considered as one of the most powerful medium in the field of communication. Creativity, per se, is a major factor in coming up with this kind of output. Not everyone is entitled that sense of creativity and at the same time, substance that would cater a â€Å"must-see† movie for all. Also, in coming up with a film, a film maker has all the means to incorporate underlying themes or messages in the film being produced.Some of the film makers have been successful in using this techniques, some, meanwhile, were not able to make their audience realize that their movies had something say beyond the denotative objects and situations in the film. Two of the films which incorporated metaphors or underlying themes on it are: Triumph of the Spirit and the Boxer and Death. The two mainly focused on the life of the protagonists with relation to boxing. Boxing was used as a form of metaphor in the said films. Triumph of the Spirit: An OverviewThe Triumph of the Spi rit was based on a true story of a boxer which took place during a Holocaust; it was released in 1989. Directed by Robert Young, it was the first ever film to be shot in the death camp of Auschwitz. Every detail was vividly shown in the film. Every detail was presented accurately—from the bread thrown into their dinner plates up to the wooden shoes that were worn by the prisoners. The movie is a true story focused on an Auschwitz concentration camp inmate named Salmo Arouch. Salmo, who was a boxing champion, was forced to be involved in a series of boxing bouts which tallied 200 win-or-die contests.â€Å"BOXING AS A METAPHOR† PAGE#2 The contest was conceptualized by the camp’s guards as they see it as a form of entertainment. The movie was set during the Holocaust of the Second World War which can be considered as one of the darkest parts of the modern history. The movie was made in the superlative description of authenticity. The film was basically about a boxe r named Salamo (played by William Dafoe). He was a Greek Jew who was sent to Auschwitz who almost died in the hands of the Nazi who captured him. He did not die as the Nazi learned that he was a champion boxer.The Nazi captors, seeking for some sort of entertainment, set a Boxing match, wherein Salamo won. The boxing matches continued with money involved. At least once a week, the Nazi captors would gather to drink and eat and also to watch their prisoners pound one another. Salamo was stuck in a very difficult situation. He would accidentally kill his opponent during bouts, or else, he himself would die. One of the camp’s gypsy prisoners (played by Edward James Olmos) appeared to be a fixer who would engage himself in a black market mainly focused on persuasion and bribery.Later, he became involved in Salamo’s plan to save his father in the prison. Unfortunately, the name of Salamo’s father was included in the list of those who would soon disappear. And when Sa lamo asked him if there anything that he could do to save his father, he merely replied, â€Å"Nothing, unless someone can be found to take his place. † â€Å"BOXING AS A METAPHOR† PAGE#3 The next predictable scene was that Salamo offered himself to replace his father. He volunteered that his name be included in the list of those who would soon disappear instead of his father.But he never really pushed through his plan. Only a few of the detainees of the Nazi captors managed to survive the Holocaust. Of course, many of them just chose to die instead of enduring the pain of the torture that had happened. But those who did not want to die, died anyway. Salamo managed to survive the Holocaust for he won enough fights during the â€Å"boxing contests. † The title of the movie was dubbed as â€Å"The Triumph of the Spirit. † Where did the concept of triumph become evident in the film? Salamo received his own triumph in the expense of his opponents.Another flaw that could be inferred in the movie is that it never really â€Å"introduced† the other characters—not even those who had significant roles. They were not even given their respective names. Basically, Triumph of the Spirit showed the horrors that can be inferred from the Holocaust part of the Second World War. Triumph of the Spirit: Boxing as a Metaphor Although boxing was not really the focus of the film, boxing was used to convey underlying themes and messages by the film maker. Salmo was a boxer during one of the darkest stages of the modern history.The story evolved on repression and abuse that happened among the prisoners perpetuated by the Nazi. â€Å"BOXING AS A METAPHOR† PAGE#4 The understanding of the film would entail a lot of creativity and a deeper comprehension of what was really the main point of the film. Basically, the main and obvious theme of the movie was â€Å"survival of the fittest. † â€Å"Survival of the fittest† would best describe that 200 win-or-die contest. The concentration camp appeared to be a place where you have only two choices—to continue to live or to accept death.That is, if you are strong enough to beat and â€Å"kill† your fellow inmates. Boxing appeared to be a manifestation of the cruelty and brutality that happened in the concentration camp. The movie also reflected a significant part of the history where the detainees of the Nazi captors had to go through all the hardship that the circumstance had to offer. Disappointingly, the movie also portrayed an individualist theme. In order for Salamo to survive he had to â€Å"unintentionally kill† his opponents who were also his co-inmates. Those who would not win the bouts were subjected to execution.The movie also assumed that the viewers were already oriented of the basics of the Holocaust. Boxing represents the struggles that the characters had to go through. Despite the flaws that could be observed in the film, the film maker was creative enough to use boxing as a metaphor in the movie. Boxing, aside from the struggles, could also signify as a defense mechanism against the Nazi captors. Boxing was portrayed as something which could save one’s life. In the case of Salamo, boxing became his â€Å"breathing apparatus. † â€Å"BOXING AS A METAPHOR† PAGE#5If not because of boxing, he might have died and his bouts did not reach to 200. Amazing how the film maker was able to come up with a metaphor that the viewers could dwell into. In life, just like in boxing, we have to get up whenever we are punched down. We have to maximize all the means that we have for us to survive. Ironically, the opponents of Salamo perhaps signified the hardships and problems that he had during the Holocaust era. Although quite inhumane, the bouts represented his winning over the predicaments that he had to face. His knowledge about boxing—or life rather—made him survive all of these.

Give Examples of social injustice

We see the social injustice against women in the novel Parvana and Newspaper article â€Å"Mukhtar Fought Back†. In the novel Parvana we were shown social injustice where eleven year old girl Parvana had to masquerade as a boy to gain access to the outside world. For much of the story her father is imprisoned leaving only her mother, older sister and two very young siblings. Most of the country is ruled by the Taliban and Taliban laws require women to cover themselves & ban girls from attending school or going out unescorted. She has rarely been outside but Parvana's disguise provides her a measure of freedom and the means to support her family. I believe that humans, female or male have desire to learn but discover that the laws are so socially restricting for females that they must resort to disguise and further risks. This is injustice not only to females but humankind. I think since the â€Å"Taliban† were corrupted in their beliefs they carried these laws on women. As there were misbelieves at higher level, people under them followed the road of injustice for e. g. some soldiers raped women who didn't cover themselves including their face. This also shows why parents in third world countries desire to have a male child because the boys provide more freedom and measures to families. Another example of social injustice against women is shown in the Newspaper article â€Å"Mukhtar Fought Back†. Mukhtar Mai was gang raped for an offence supposedly committed by her twelve years old brother Shakur. Mukhtar and her family are from the low Gujar caste and are expected to be subservient to the Mastoi. Therefore men of dominant caste Mastoi had the decision making power and resolved that to appease the honour of their caste; she must be raped in revenge for what they claimed was the rape of one of their women by Shakur. This shows that today there are societies that are based on the unfair system of caste and the justice is given on the decision made by the people of dominant caste. This also proves that the castes that are dominant have the right to speak and to even make wrong decision over the people of low caste. In reality it was a made up attempt to hide the fact that it was her brother who had been raped by men from the Mastoi caste. I think the guilt felt by the Mastoi for raping the boy lead them to exert their caste power on the weak caste and thought she is uneducated and poor, hence she will not able to take an action against them. Furthermore I believe they were over confident and they supposed if Mukhtar was raped she will also commit suicide as this is the custom. Often women were blamed even when they were the victims of rape but her sense of outrage and injustice made her refuse to commit suicide. I believe her story is not a victim's story; it's the tale of a survivor, and a fighter. I believe that the injustice she felt inside is a universal feeling of injustice, humans from all levels of civilization have natural sense of common morals and so she knew this is not right in any country or culture. I believe that in most of the third world countries often women are prohibited to do the same things as men since men are dominant. I think social awakening has to be brought up by the educated people themselves. The politicians should spend time to educate people. It is not civilized to ostricise a rape victim. I believe that on going efforts in social education would reduce the crimes committed against women in the third world countries.

The Long Campaign against Social Security

Bush has proposed allowing workers to invest some of their federal retirement taxes themselves to earn a better rate of return — a partial privatization of the 65-year-old retirement system.For such a long time the Social Security have been viewed by most conservative as a way in which the power of the government expands. The Social Security is owned by the government. It is an insurance program that runs for more than 69 years and is designed as something that compulsory collect from the public as a payroll tax.The benefits that can be derived from the insurance program are disability, retirement and survivor benefits.   The problem with the Social Security arises on 1983 when the payroll tax that a person pays sometimes exceeds the benefits that the Social Security offers. In order to compensate with such a â€Å"hoax† as people started to call it, the Social Security invested the money in the Treasury Security that are deposited as a trust fund under the Social Sec urity.Most people and politicians believe that the Trust fund does not exist anymore. Some say that it should have been invested into a private sector so people would know how the government spent the money.Since those who would benefit from the Social Security comprise a large number of voters, politicians have been extra careful when dealing with policy changes that would affect the Social Security. Since it was projected that the Social Security would face bankruptcy on the near future there have been several proposals regarding the way in which it could be run to yield more benefits in the future.Reagan in his early campaign suggested that the Social Security can be privatized. According to him, the privatization could be done by an introduction of voluntary features that would give the citizen a capability to act in accordance to their will. He further stated that he is against forcing any citizen into joining a compulsory public program regardless of the need.Nonetheless, when Regan have been a president he did not address the issue on privatization of Social Security and instead work on increasing taxes and the age of retirement to answer the possible problem in the Social Security. Regan have influenced the campaign on privatization but proved that radical changes needs long preparation and evaluation.President Bush proposed to partial privatized the Social Security in order to solve the upcoming bankruptcy.   Bush aims to give deliver the benefits of the Senior Citizens or the people who have invested in the Social Security while at the same time helping the younger generation to build their wealth through the system.Bush proposes the possibility of an individual and voluntary retirement account. President Bush’s proposal was known as progressive indexing which suggest maintaining the benefits for low income earners while slowly cutting down the benefits that high income earners receive.Works CitedThomma, Steven. Social Security Overhaul is L ong-Standing Conservative Dream. Commondreams.org. 2005.Retrieved on December 5, 2007. Retrieved from the World Wide Web: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0205-05.htm