“I Want a Wife” By Judy Brady Essay

Judy Brady is a freelance writer, writing topics mainly relating to the roles of women in society. Judy wrote the piece I Want a Wife right after the second wave of the feminist movement in the United States. The purpose of the movement was to have the right to vote and have the same equal rights as male citizens. Judy’s essay appeared in MS. Magazine in 1971. She used feminist humor to persuade her readers to look objectively at a man’s expectations of what a wife is and should be. Brady’s intended audience was women and men of that time period. Not only does she write to married couples, but people in general. I believe she is trying to get out to the public that these stereotypes of roles for women are wrong and should end! Judy writes in her article about the many demands of being a wife. According to Judy, a wife is also a worker, homemaker, mother, provider, and a sexual partner. She stresses that the roles of women are unfair to the roles of men. And she illustrates this by telling you all the roles. I want a wife who will cook, clean, take care of the children, and my sexual needs all while providing for our family so I can selfishly pursue my dreams (442). She is stirring up emotions for the reader in hopes that this will persuade you to take action. She is clearly telling women to stop and think about their life. You don’t have to act this way, it clearly isn’t fair and needs to stop! Cespedes2 Judy wants people to get angry and take a stand; I believe those are her intentions when writing such an emotional piece. Her argument is clear and to the point. She uses the quote â€Å"I belong to the classification of people know as wives. I am a wife, not altogether incidentally I am a mother† (441). She uses this to show readers that she is creditable and has knowledge in this subject. She is an activist and has experience in knowing the roles herself which create a strong piece for her argument. I believe she is also telling women, its okay to be a wife, but take a look at your life and make sure your husband isn’t demanding and expecting too much from you as his wife. She ends her argument with a very emotional statement â€Å"My god, who wouldn’t want a wife† (443). The article is really inspiring and gets you thinking. Women have so many roles and are overlooked in so many ways, or just expected to do act this way because of society. I am very thankful for Judy Brady being such a strong activist for us. I am also a wife and mother and it’s great to be living in a time where I am seen equally in our relationship. There are no gender related roles in our marriage; we chip in equally where it is needed. So for me Judy’s simple words are extremely effective in changing many opinions of what a wife should be.

Dell Case Study

Running head: DELL COMPUTER CORPORATION Improving the Dell Computer Corporation Heather Mueller Corporate Communications Section One Improving the Dell Computer Corporation The key issues presented in the â€Å"Dell Computer Corporation† case study is that Dell needs to align its’ identity with its’ image, and stop relying heavily on technology (Dell Case Study P. 58). Increased dependence on technology, along with a gap between image and identity, can cause complications for a company if they are not attended to. AnalysisCorporate communication must be â€Å"closely linked to a company’s overall vision and strategy,† (Argenti, 2007, p. 12) and if not, it can cause constituencies to view the company negatively. The Chief Operating Officer of Sony â€Å"criticized Dell’s lack of spending on research and development,† therefore, Sony’s image of Dell does not align with Dell’s identity. A company’s image is the  "corporation as seen through the eyes of its constituencies, [and] an organization can have different images with different constituencies† (Argenti, 2007, p. 58).This differs from an identity, because an identity â€Å"consists of a company’s defining attributes,† and should not very from one constituency to another (Argenti, 2007, p. 58). Many of Dell’s constituencies view Dell in a very positive light, and see Dell as an excellent example of how a company should function and communicate with its constituencies. Dell has a well-founded identity called â€Å"The Soul of Dell† which is its’ corporate philosophy that â€Å"defines the kind of company it is and aspires to become† and shows Dell’s commitment to direct accountability (Argenti, 2007, p. 9). However, â€Å"identity building and maintenance requires the ability to conduct research,† and if Dell does not clearly communicate that ability with it’s constitue ncies, Sony will continue to be discontented with Dell’s identity (Argenti, 2007, p. 50). The founder of Dell Computers, Michael Dell, created an â€Å"e-mail based culture† at the company as the primary work environment (Argenti, 2007, p. 62). E-mail can be effective because it allows subordinates to easily communicate with senior management and is an efficient mean of communication across time zones (Argenti, 2007, p. 2). This is important because subordinates can â€Å"get the company’s strategy directly from those at the top of the organization† (Argenti, 2007, p. 12). E-mail also helps to create a productive climate in which â€Å"managers and employees communicate effectively and support each other† (O'Hair et al. , 2008, p. 181). However, Dell’s â€Å"increasing dependence on technology-mediated communication creates an environment that may discourage relational development† (O'Hair et al. , 2008, p. 179).Nearly all communicati on takes place digitally because â€Å"face-to-face communication has given way to a strictly electronic communication network. † (O'Hair et al. , 2008, p. 189). Without face-to-face communication, personal relationships within the company may begin to fail, which decreases productivity, and increases isolation and emotional detachment from the company’s identity as well as other employees. If the upper management at Dell does not improve the ways it communicates internally and externally, the company will not continue to grow, thrive or flourish in the changing corporate environment.If Dell can modify and adapt its’ behavior in a positive way, its constituencies will become aware of Dell’s excellent communications, and this well-built structure will transcend through the company so employees will learn to communicate efficiently as well. Solutions The upper management at Dell needs to make personal and public communication more important within their str ategy for maintaining their core identity as â€Å"The Soul of Dell. Dell already has a strong relations with constituencies because employees and management â€Å"allow for unique working relationships that transcend the ‘us and them’,† so the constituencies feel valued (Argenti, 2007, p. 62). However, a company can always improve its communication with constituencies because communication is an ongoing â€Å"process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior† (Communication, 2009, par. ). In order to improve its communications, the upper management at Dell can work more closely with the marketing communications department and create a stronger corporate mission. With today’s quick changing environment, â€Å"a clear-cut corporate mission can not only keep employees aligned with what the company is striving to be, but also can act as a source of stability for consumers weary of the constant change surrounding them. (Argenti, 2007, p. 12). The marketing communications department â€Å"coordinates and manages publicity relations to products and deals with activities relating to customers,† and could compose ways to strengthen the corporate mission (Argenti, 2007, p. 53). If more focus was put on marketing communications and a stronger corporate mission was created, then employees can better understand the fundamental reasons for the company’s existence.The employees would be able to clearly demonstrate and publicize each way they illustrate the company’s identity and pursue the continuing purpose of achieving the corporate mission. When a company gets more involved in â€Å"quasi-political activities with constituencies [that] claim to represent a firm’s customers,† the company would then be able to control how its constituencies view them, and how the company evaluates its’ identity compared to the constituencies perce ived image.The American Decency Association (ADA) successfully maintained and illustrated its identity involving the need to prevent images of violence and adult content from being promoted by family orientated companies and businesses (ADA, 2008, par. 1). They successfully â€Å"lobbied for companies including Kellogg’s, Lowe’s, Tyson Foods, and S. C. Johnson to stop buying additional advertising space on U. S. television shows† with unnecessary violence and adult content such as ABC’s Desperate Housewives and FX Nip/Tuck (Argenti, 2007, p. 53).The marketing communication team of the ADA ensured that family orientated products and brand promotions were sending the right messages to children. The company stayed true to its corporate mission and never strayed from its foundation of values and beliefs, so that its constituencies would not be anxious of the constantly changing environment that surrounded the media. E-mail constantly causes information overlo ad for employees in a company if it is the main source of communication, and this informal communication process often isolates employees and does not allow them to interact. Spending over 5 hours a day staring at a computer screen increases the risk of depression, insomnia and other mental health problems† as well (O'Hair et al. , 2008, p. 189). This can be solved with increased face-to-face communications through meetings, team building activities, and company outings. If the upper management put more of a emphasis on internal communications, then â€Å"the employees would be more engaged, productive, loyal,† and happy, and the strength of company relationships will increase (Argenti, 2007, p. 54). ConclusionThe course of actions that Dell should pursue is working closer with the marketing communications department to create a stronger corporate mission, and to increase face-to-face communications within the company. With increased and improved personal and public com munication, Dell will be able to align its image with its identity, and will be able to strengthen relationships to prove themselves as a successful company with a consistent strategy, in the endlessly changing work environment. References ADA. (2008, September 28). ABC/Disney's desperate housewives.In American decency association. Retrieved February 9, 2009, from http://www. americandecency. org/main. php? f=updates_new/2008/September/09. 28a. 08 Argenti, P. A. (2007). Corporate communication (4th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Communication. (2009). In Merriam-Webster. Retrieved February 10, 2009, from http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/communication O'Hair, D. , Friedrich, G. W. , & Dixon, L. D. (2008). Work relationships. In Strategic communication in businesses and the professions (6th ed. , pp. 178-205). Boston: Pearson education.

Dulce Et Decorum Est Essay

World War One was a time of divisions, not only between countries but between the different people within one country. In many western countries the propaganda convinced young men to enlist to portraying war as a great adventure and the German’s as an imminent enemy – The Huns. But as news came back from the Western Front and Gallipoli, there was a sense that the war was not glorious, the dirtiness, the sheer loss of life was beginning to be revealed through poems such as Dulce et Decorum Est. However, with enlistment numbers dropping, the image of a noble, adventurous war needed to be reaffirmed and this can be found in Who’s for the Game, by Jessie Pope. In this poem, Pope, affirms messages of jingoism as righteous and justified. She describes England as â€Å"up to her neck in a fight† and that the right course of action is to â€Å"grip and tackle the job unafraid† using sporting allusions to make the war seem like a game. For example, this â€Å"game† is â€Å"played†, the enemy is â€Å"tackled† as a rugby player would attack an opponent, and the entire war is just a â€Å"show†. One could take a â€Å"seat in the stand† and â€Å"be out of the fun† or â€Å"toe the line†. This sporting imagery, suddenly removes the idea of war as a bloody, dirty, nightmarish suffering and transforms it into an exciting prospect. It attacks the reader’s sense of manliness, affirming Edwardian notions that men prove themselves under fire in war and also the chivalric notion of helping your country, personified as a woman stuck in a fight and also the idea of leaving fellow soldiers behind by not joining in the fun. On the other hand, Dulce et Decorum Est, uses realism and hellish imagery to portray the war the way it is. The first line immediately strips the soldiers of all dignity, likening them to â€Å"old beggars† who had â€Å"turned†¦backs† to the enemy trenches. They were â€Å"bent double† and â€Å"cursing through sludge† and â€Å"drunk with fatigue†. The image of defeat, is portrayed through the soldiers being â€Å"deaf even to the hoots of gas shells dropping softly behind. † These men no longer see any true value in living, their hellish nightmare of â€Å"haunting flares†, â€Å"thick green light† and the mention of â€Å"the devil’s sick of sin†. Shows war to be an atrocity not fit for humanity. There is no sense of a â€Å"red crashing game† or any sense of â€Å"fun†. Suddenly, the reader wishes they did have a â€Å"seat in the stand†. Apart from the depiction of warfare, the idea of a noble death or death in war is conflicting in these two poems. Whereas, Jessie Pope omits any mention of death or suffering, Owen goes into immensely graphic, borderline gratuitous detail of the gassing of a man. He describes the man â€Å"flound’ring like a man in fire or lime† who was â€Å"drowning† in a â€Å"green sea†. The unceremonious word â€Å"flung† describes the way a corpse is disposed. The individual human has been reduced to an object, a corpse that has no real value, and is a burden. Pope, creates an image of injury in war as honourable and respectable. The idea of returning â€Å"back with a crutch† as a heroic sentiment. Of the man who took a bullet and survived. She makes it seem as though there is no real risk of going to war, there is no graphic imagery and any mention of the bad aspects of war is referred to in opposites. It won’t be a picnic† but from this the reader cannot conjure the image of war as a nightmare, as a hell the way that Owen does with his description of the â€Å"hanging face† engaging the visual senses of the reader, the sound of â€Å"blood come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs’ the smell â€Å"obscene as cancer† and one can almost taste the â€Å"vile incurable sores†, â€Å"bitter as cud† on their own â€Å"innocent tongues†. This activation of four major sense immerses the reader in the almost unbelievable scene of war. Even the soldiers in there half trance sate, march â€Å"asleep†, unable to comprehend their situation. Thus, the audience of Jessie Pope’s poem is most likely the â€Å"children ardent for some desperate glory† described in Dulce et Decorum est. Desperately glorious. Perhaps that is the best way to describe how Pope conceives war. Furthermore, the poems contrast with this idea of patriotism. The quote found on war memorials and that ends Dulce et Decorum est, is attacked in Owen’s poem whereas it is affirmed in Jessie Pope’s inspirational call to action and invocation. Wilfred Owen describes the idea of â€Å"pro patria mori† as an old lie. As untenable to anyone who has had any experience of real war. We must consider that Jessie Pope probably never visited the front line and never experience a man dying on her â€Å"guttering, choking, drowning† on his own fluids. The title of Owen’s poem is ironic, as the entirety of the poem seeks to disprove this notion. If we examine what Jessie Pope uses to make her poem such an effective example of propaganda, of making the idea of â€Å"pro patrai mori† noble, we see the anaphoric repetition of the who question. Of engaging the reader directly, of making the reader feel ashamed for not helping their â€Å"mother country†. She uses ctive verbs such as â€Å"tackle† and â€Å"grip† to add to this idea of excitement which is absent in the soldier’s poem. Which is absent in truth. In conclusion, we see the whereas Jessie Pope attempts to obscure the truth about the futility and atrocities of war, Owen, a soldier gives us a confrongtingly realistic portrayal of the death of just one man in a retreat on the western front. Whereas Jessie Pope affirms ideas of jingoism, Owen shows how the soldiers on the front line couldn’t care less. Whereas Jessie Pope inherently affirms the idea of dying in war as manly and noble, Owen shows us how unceremoniously and graphic real deaths in war are.

Creating strategy for company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Creating strategy for company - Case Study Example Acquisition-led growth strategy This is one of the major strategic issues stated in the case which was said to be suited in a widely globalizing market. Prior to digging on this issue further, let us examine first other important strategic issues. ABB tried to adapt certain capacity to be global in coverage and this resulted to its strategic move to optimize resources in order to have competitive edge in cost leadership. For instance, the company tried to improve its economies of scale and scope by specializing in the production of major product’s components around the world. Not only that, ABB also tried to come up with feasible cost saving measures such as component outsourcing and overhead cuts. Based on the idea of Levitt (1984) on globalization, the idea of ABB to go global is therefore a matter of necessity. The very reason is the fact that in globalization, there is an attempt on the part of an organization to come up with goods of the best quality and reliability yet a t the lowest price possible in order to compete. This is the very reason why ABB needs to consider two important dimensions in its structure: products and region just prior to be highly competitive in the global setting. It is implied that in order to obtain competitive advantage according to Porter (1998), the two factors that need to be taken into account are attractiveness of industries and relative competitive position. According to Porter, it is not an assurance that certain competitive advantage can be achieved if only one of these two factors is considered. In other words, certain firm aiming to reach its competitive advantage needs to be certain about the competitiveness of industries and its relative competitive position. This is also the very reason why ABB eventually needs to consider operating local. The local presence of a certain company contributes to its potential to top in the competition especially in the industry where ABB belongs. Thus, ABB finally decided to con sider an acquisition-led growth strategy, a sort of its focus competitive strategy based on Porter’s generic competitive strategies (Porter, 1998). ABB believes that with this strategy while it stays in its goal to be global, it can also increase its local presence in order to enhance its competitive advantage. However, there is basically a contradiction in this. ABB aiming to go global needs also to stand local is a form of contradiction at some point. Levitt (1984) pointed out that poor execution may be a significant problem in this situation due to the fact that what exists in the local trend may not be what is in the global setting and vice versa. This is a potential reason why ABB failed with its acquisition-led growth strategy and to some extent, the management considered having incurred bad purchases of some of its acquired companies. In this case, Porter and Levitt’s theories of competitive advantage and globalization proved to be highly significant in understa nding the success of ABB in the midst of ongoing competition in the global setting. The very proofs are specific situations just presented earlier in this section. In fact, based on these theories, ABB’s success can be significantly assessed and the reasons of its failures may be substantially explained. This proves further that the theories of Porter and Levitt are useful in formulating future strategies for various firms in both local and global context. Novel structure Another issue facing ABB is its ability

Women in Military in Europe and Asian Research Paper

Women in Military in Europe and Asian - Research Paper Example It is said that most of them starting accepting women as clerks, then it evolved to drivers, and after some years, they started to be involved in large artillery operators. Presently almost all the European countries accept their women to take part in fulltime active duty, barely with any restrictions at all. This paper looks into a few countries in Europe who accepts women in their military. Denmark While other delayed to employee their women in military force, Denmark employed women in the Danish armed forces as early as 1934 with the Women’s Army Corps, Ground Observer Corps, and Danish and Naval Corps in the year 1946 and the Women’s Air Force as at 1953. During the early1962, Danish parliament enacted a laws allowing female gender to volunteer in the basis Danish armed forces only if they failed to serve in departments requiring direct combat. However1971 saw most women enlistment as un-commissioned officers, with most military academies in the country accepting fe males in 1974(Holm 83). Based on the research findings in 1978, women were accepted in virtually all sectors of the Danish armed forces, alongside combat trials during the 1980s making use of the ability of female in combat. It however become clear in 1998, from the government who passed a law allowing women to trial military life similar to the enrolled men, though devoid of being entirely open to recruitment. Female in the Danish military were under the command of Chief Defense (Bello 136). As t the year 2009 July, the highest rank ever attained by a female gender in the Danish armed forces was Colonel, Susanne Bach Bager, Telegrafregimentet, having with it at least 5.3% (842) females serving: 503 privates; 154 officers, and 186 NCOs, exclusive of women serving as conscripts (Solaro 43). Compared to other European nations accepting female gender in their armed forces, with Denmark the basis of evaluation of females as fit for the military job is very different, that is the basic p hysical necessities for women and their male counterparts in their military forces, nonetheless the necessities are a little bit more physically demanding than just the sex of the person in service. Finland According to Commemorative Coin Program, (78) the Finnish Defense Forces, did not conscript women. but, during the 199os, women aged between 18 and 30 years, were accepted as volunteers to undertake the military service both in the Defense Forces and in the Border Guard. Women were however not given any special treatment instead they served under the same physical conditions as their men counterparts, the only expectation was that, as for the women, They were given an option to leave the forces within the first 45 without any consequences. Failure of which, they had to finish the service that took at least 6 months to one year. Thereafter the women would face the same military duty as their male counterparts. Should a woman in service at the national service experiences any metic ulous catastrophe, preventing her from competently doing her military reserve obligations, the women would be reshuffled to another civilian service, which lasted for at least one year 12(Shin 167). It was clear that virtual all the units and services both Finnish Border Guard and the country’s defense accepted females. However while in the garrison environment, women had separate rooms supplied with separate bath facilities and toilet. While in aboard ships and exercises, females were lodged with men. As an incentive, the females in the military serv

LAW OF BUSINESS LEASES Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

LAW OF BUSINESS LEASES - Term Paper Example The landlords often have to deal with the tenants who default on the lease or sub lease agreements. It is important that Mr. Ash takes early actions to collect the rent it always follows a very predictable pattern that starts with a series of late payments, that proceeds to paying only part of the rent and finally leading to complete default of the payment of the rent. When the tenants delay in making rent payment just like in the case of XYZ Ltd, Miss Beech and Mr. Cherry, the first option is the person that guaranteed Mr. Cherry payment to be approached Law of (Property Act 1925). This is the best strategy to be used if Mr. Ash needs to preserve the lease and the tenant has sufficient goods in premises that can cover the cost of the rent arrears. The right to rent distress is only available to the owner of the immediate reversion of the lease agreement that will end immediately he or she assign sells or transfer the reversionary interest to another party. The rest distraint involves the landlord seizing the goods that was pledge against the unpaid rent. This is basically a self help remedy that enables the landlord to take the goods of the tenants that are found on the leased premises as some form of security so that the rent arrears can be paid in full. Distress is a right of the landlord that was created under the common law defining the relationship of the tenant and the landlord (commercial credit Corp Ltd v. Harry D. Shields Ltd. (1980), 122 D.L.R. (3rd). It is important to note that the right to distress is the only right under which a landlord is allow ed to hold the goods of his tenants and can be applied upon nonpayment of any amount. The landlord has a right to use the rent distress instruments in case of nonpayment of any amount. According to Wallace v. Fraser (1878), 2 S.C.R. 522, the right of distress can be taken way or limited by the courts in lease if the landlord has forfeited the lease. This is because

Nursing Health Care Fair Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nursing Health Care Fair - Essay Example Owing to such attributes related to such a mission, how does the hospital management ensure attainment of the mission through incorporating both the staff and systems? The second question relates to the Hospital Rehab Project. For over a long duration, patients attending rehab programs have done so against their will leading to engagement of the same practices once these victims get through with the rehab programs. Consequently, emergencies for rehab services may be sought at any period during the day. Stoughton Hospital hours of operations for the rehab are 8.00 am – 4.00 pm on weekdays while on the weekends assumes full closure. How effective, therefore, is the rehab project in ensuring follow-up for rehab victims as well as ensuring dealing with concerns relating to emergencies? Lastly, Stoughton Hospital is accredited as a not for profit institution an indication that the focus of operations aims at delivering clinical services without concern for profits. The current heal thcare system is characterized by rising costs of health services that result from increased costs of labor among other essentials in providing sufficient health care (Kador, J. (2012). How does the hospital management ensure striking a balance between these growing demands as well as the changes within the healthcare sector with the aspect of maintaining the organization as not for profit? A focus on the job and the human resource portal indicate that Mercy Health System serves as an equal employment opportunity provider. Consequently, the organization emphasizes how such achievements are enhanced by focusing on issues related discrimination that may result or attributed to age, sex, race nation origin, as well as color among others. However, more are a times where different organizations present such detailed paper programs only on paper while the situation on the ground where the worker operates states otherwise. That

Seventeeth-Century Roles for Puritan Men,Women, and Children (by James Essay

Seventeeth-Century Roles for Puritan Men,Women, and Children (by James Kirby Martin et al - Essay Example of women has changed since puritan times in the area of education as women have come out of being just housewives and have followed men in the search for knowledge. Many women have proven themselves equal to if not better than men in many fields, which were thought only to be possible by men. Today, there are many women doctors, professors and even astronauts, among the many fields into which women have ventured. Though they may be weaker physically, they have proven that it is not the case mentally. They have won awards all over the world in various fields and become pillars of society in this regard. Many have even proven capable of handling domestic and educational roles most effectively. There also have changes in the highly competitive area of politics where a number of women have risen to be leaders of their nations. Leaders like Golda Meir, India Gandhi and Corazon Aquino have risen to the presidential positions in Israel, India and The Philippines respectively, where they have conquered male contender, and this shows some of the dramatic changes that have occurred to women’s roles since puritan times (Martin,

PUBLIC LAW Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

PUBLIC LAW - Case Study Example So Rob had no chance of getting a lawyer on Sunday when the courts were also closed. Even if the courts were closed on Sunday, Rob had the option of getting a lawyer on Sunday as there are lawyers who are accessible 24/7. Thus, the issue is volatile not only for Rob but also the Officer Clegg. By denying Rob his right to approach a lawyer on the same night and by coercing him into accompanying him to the police station to get back the keys Clegg had confiscated from Rob, the Officer had put his own position on par with Rob. Further, Clegg continued to keep Rob in detention the whole of Saturday night after assuring Rob that he would be released in a matter of few hours and then extending the detention up to Monday when the courts opened. Rob was charged with possession of controlled drug on Saturday night at 10.30 pm and kept in custody until Monday so that the police could take him to the court. Police officer Clegg told Rob that he did not trust Rob, and consequently he kept Rob in custody until the court decided what to do with Rob. However, the manner in which Officer Clegg took Rob into custody is debatable. At first he confiscated Rob's key ring saying it was dangerous because of its sharpened edges. At the police station, Clegg took Rob to the front desk and put him straight in a cell saying he was just going to fill in some paperwork and be back shortly. When Rob again asked for a solicitor, Clegg told him that he would not need a solicitor since that would mean waiting all night. However, early next morning at 6.00 am, Clegg tells Rob that he was being charged with possession of a controlled drug that would require him to appear before the Magistrate on Monday morning. Basically, Officer Clegg had good reason to take Rob into custody. However, the manner in which it was done raises eyebrows. Rob has been nervous. He should not have confessed to the officer that the cannabis found on the road was his. He should have stuck to his rights to consult his lawyer before saying anything and kept his mouth shut. By confessing the cannabis as his, he has given the police a bigger reason to arrest him and put him on trial (Dirga, Eric J, 2002). In the circumstances, Rob has weakened his own defense. There is no mention of the amount of cannabis he was carrying. If he has been carrying a higher amount of cannabis that is above 28 grams, he could be prosecuted on charges of trafficking drugs. "the penalties for drug crimes range from very severe to probation and classes or a treatment program. Charges are generally based upon quantity, intent to sell or distribute and other factors such as weapons possession or use, evidence of sales activity, having large amounts of money, etc. The seriousness and ultimate punishment for drug crimes normally depends upon the quantity of the drug, the classification under the drug schedule, and the purpose of the possession (for personal use or for sale)" (Robert Miller & Associates, 2010). Apparently, Rob is a known offender and Officer Clegg is obviously under the impression Rob does not deserve to be dealt with

Kite Runner Essay Example for Free

Kite Runner Essay Sometimes, up in those trees, I talked Hassan into firing walnuts with his slingshot at the neighbors one-eyed German shepherd. Hassan never wanted to, but if I asked, really asked, he wouldnt deny me. Hassan never denied me anything. And he was deadly with his slingshot. Hassans father, Ali, used to catch us and get mad, or as mad as someone as gentle as Ali could ever get. He would wag his finger and wave us down from the tree. He would take the mirror and tell us what his mother had told him, that the devil shone mirrors too, shone them to distract Muslims during prayer. And he laughs while he does it, he always added, scowling at his son. Yes, Father, Hassan would mumble, looking down at his feet. But he never told on me. Never told that the mirror, like shooting walnuts at the neighbors dog, was always my idea. But we were kids who had learned to crawl together, and no history, ethnicity, society, or religion was going to change that either. I spent most of the first twelve years of my life playing with Hassan. Sometimes, my entire childhood seems like one long lazy summer day with Hassan, chasing each other between tangles of trees in my fathers yard, playing hide-and-seek, cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians, insect torture – with our crowning achievement undeniably the time we plucked the stinger off a bee and tied a string around the poor thing to yank it back every time it took flight Think of something good, Baba said in my ear. Something happy. Something good. Something happy. I let my mind wander. I let it come: Friday afternoon in Paghman. An open field of grass speckled with mulberry trees in blossom. Hassan and I stand ankle-deep in untamed grass, I am tugging on the line, the spool spinning in Hassans calloused hands, our eyes turned up to the kite in the sky. Not a word passes between us, not because we have nothing to say, but because we dont have to say anything – thats how it is between people who are each others first memories, people who have fed from the same breast. A breeze stirs the grass and Hassan lets the spool roll. The kite spins, dips, steadies. Our twin shadows dance on the rippling grass. From somewhere over the low brick wall at the other end of the field, we hear chatter and laughter and the chirping of a water fountain. And music, some thing old and familiar, I think its Ya Mowlah on rubab strings. Someone calls our names over the wall, says its time for tea and cake Next to me, Sohrab was breathing rapidly through his nose. The spool rolled in his palms, the tendons in his scarred wrists like rubab strings. Then I blinked and, for just a moment, the hands holding the spool were the chipped-nailed, calloused hands of a harelipped boy. I heard a crow cawing somewhere and I looked up. The park shimmered with snow so fresh, so dazzling white, it burned my eyes. It sprinkled soundlessly from the branches of white-clad trees. I smelled turnip qurma now. Dried mulberries. Sour oranges. Sawdust and walnuts. The muffled quiet, snow-quiet, was deafening. Then far away, across the stillness, a voice calling us home, the voice of a man who dragged his right leg Quote #1Sometimes, up in those trees, I talked Hassan into firing walnuts with his slingshot at the neighbour’s one-eyed German shepherd. Hassan never wanted to, but if I asked, really asked, he wouldnt deny me. Hassan never denied me anything. And he was deadly with his slingshot. Hassans father, Ali, used to catch us and get mad, or as mad as someone as gentle as Ali could ever get. He would wag his finger and wave us down from the tree. He would take the mirror and tell us what his mother had told him, that the devil shone mirrors too, shone them to distract Muslims during prayer. And he laughs while he does it, he always added, scowling at his son. Yes, Father, Hassan would mumble, looking down at his feet. But he never told on me. Never told that the mirror, like shooting walnuts at the neighbors dog, was always my idea. (2. 2-3)| This passage shows up early in the novel and really tells us quite a bit about Amir and Hassans friendship. Hassan protects and defends Amir and, foreshadowing later events in the novel, refuses to tell on Amir. (Hassan will later take the blame for the wad of cash and the watch. ) We should also note that Amir seems like the gang leader in this passage, getting the two boys into trouble. Does Amir control the relationship? Is this why Hassan often takes the blame for things? Does Amir ever take responsibility for anything in the novel? Quote #2Then he [Ali] would remind us that there was a brotherhood between people who had fled from the same breast, a kinship that not even time could break. Hassan and I fed from the same breasts. We took our first steps on the same lawn in the same yard. And, under the same roof, we spoke our first words. Mine was Baba. His was Amir. My name. | Theres a primal closeness between Amir and Hassan. Later, well find out the two boys have the same father, but notice how Hosseini is laying the groundwork for that revelation. The two boys might as well be brothers: they learn to walk together, they learn to speak together, and they feed from the same breast. Which brings up an interesting question: What does Rahim Khans revelation – that Amir and Hassan are half-brothers – really change? Arent the two already brothers in everything? Or does blood fundamentally change Amirs relationship with Hassan? Quote #3Ali and Baba grew up together as childhood playmates – at least until polio crippled Alis leg – just like Hassan and I grew up a generation later. Baba was always telling us about the mischief he and Ali used to cause, and Ali would shake his head and say, But, Agha sahib, tell them who was the architect of the mischief and who the poor laborer? Baba would laugh and throw his arm around Ali. But in none of his stories did Baba ever refer to Ali as his friend. (4. 2-3)| Baba and Alis friendship parallels Amir and Hassans on a number of levels. First, as this passage indicates, theres a similar pattern of leadership (and power): both Baba and Amir have dominant roles in each friendship. And, lest you forget, Baba betrays Ali much like Amir betrays Hassan. As they say, two peas in a pod. Or, maybe it would be four peas in a pod. Were not sure. Anyways, after Amir learns that Baba lied to him for years, he says: Baba and I were more alike than Id ever known. We had both betrayed the people who would have given their lives for us (18. 7). Four peas in a pod. Quote #4But we were kids who had learned to crawl together, and no history, ethnicity, society, or religion was going to change that either. I spent most of the first twelve years of my life playing with Hassan. Sometimes, my entire childhood seems like one long lazy summer day with Hassan, chasing each other between tangles of trees in my fathers yard, playing hide-and-seek, cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians, insect torture – with our crowning achievement undeniably the time we plucked the stinger off a bee and tied a string around the poor thing to yank it back every time it took flight. (4. 6)| Amir lays out the opposing argument just prior to this paragraph. In it, he says ethnicity will always define a relationship. We believe Hosseini really wants us to grapple with Amirs contradictory stances: Does Amirs friendship with Hassan ever get past history, ethnicity, society, and religion? Later, Amir will justify his cowardice in the alleyway by asking himself if he really has to defend Hassan (since Hassan is a Hazara). Does Amir ever get past his prejudices? Were really not sure about this one. Hosseini devotes the entire novel to this question. Quote 5I know, he said, breaking our embrace. Inshallah, well celebrate later. Right now, Im going to run that blue kite for you, he said. He dropped the spool and took off running, the hem of his green chapan dragging in the snow behind him. Hassan! I called. Come back with it! He was already turning the street corner, his rubber boots kicking up snow. He stopped, turned. He cupped his hands around his mouth. For you a thousand times over! he said. Then he smiled his Hassan smile and disappeared around the corner. The next time I saw him smile unabashedly like that was twenty-six years later, in a faded Polaroid photograph. (7. 52-54)| Yet again, Hassan demonstrates his loyalty and devotion to Amir. If we were to judge Amir and Hassans friendship by actions and not simply expressions of loyalty, the score would be pretty lopsided. (Of course, Amir saves Hassans son at the end of the book from a pathological pedophile so that counts for something. ) We also want to point out the irony in Hassans reply: For you a thousand times over! Amir will develop a pretty nasty case of insomnia as the guilt piles up inside him. Really, Amir returns to the alleyway thousands of times in his memory before he comes to peace with his cowardice. And so the phrase a thousand times over is colored with some pretty devastating irony. Yes, Hosseini is using irony again. Quote #6[Assef:] But before you sacrifice yourself for him, think about this: Would he do the same for you? Have you ever wondered why he never includes you in games when he has guests? Why he only plays with you when no one else is around? Ill tell you why, Hazara. Because to him, youre nothing but an ugly pet. Something he can play with when hes bored, something he can kick when hes angry. Dont ever fool yourself and think youre something more. Amir agha and I are friends, Hassan said. He looked flushed. Friends? Assef said, laughing. You pathetic fool! Someday youll wake up from your little fantasy and learn just how good of a friend he is. Now, bas! Enough of this. Give us that kite. (7. 106-108)| This is a fairly complex scene. Assef, before he assaults and rapes Hassan, asks Hassan whether he really wants to sacrifice himself for Amir. We know Amir is listening in – and watching – this exchange between Assef and Hassan. In a way, Assefs speech is not prophetic but descriptive: Amir is abandoning Hassan right now. However, we wonder if Assefs description is inaccurate. Is Assef describing his own relationship with Hazaras or Amirs with Hassan? Sure, sometimes Amir does cruel things to Hassan, but he also reads to Hassan and spends almost all his free time with Hassan. Amir may hesitate to call Hassan his friend, but perhaps thats because neither friend nor servant really describes Hassan. Brother might do the trick, but Amir has no idea at this point. Quote #7Think of something good, Baba said in my ear. Something happy. Something good. Something happy. I let my mind wander. I let it come: Friday afternoon in Paghman. An open field of grass speckled with mulberry trees in blossom. Hassan and I stand ankle-deep in untamed grass, I am tugging on the line, the spool spinning in Hassans calloused hands, our eyes turned up to the kite in the sky. Not a word passes between us, not because we have nothing to say, but because we dont have to say anything – thats how it is between people who are each others first memories, people who have fed from the same breast. A breeze stirs the grass and Hassan lets the spool roll. The kite spins, dips, steadies. Our twin shadows dance on the rippling grass. From somewhere over the low brick wall at the other end of the field, we hear chatter and laughter and the chirping of a water fountain. And music, some thing old and familiar, I think its Ya Mowlah on rubab strings. Someone calls our names over the wall, says its time for tea and cake. (10. 73-75)| You need some context for this quote. Baba and Amir are on their way to Pakistan, but theyre not traveling by taxi or bus. Theyre in the belly of an oil tanker along with dozens of other Afghans. Baba tells Amir to think of something good, something happy. So what does Amir think of? His childhood with Hassan. We believe this passage proves Amirs (brotherly) love for Hassan. Notice that Amir doesnt recall a special moment with Baba, or even his books or poetry. He thinks of Hassan. Quote #8Lying awake in bed that night, I thought of Soraya Taheris sickle-shaped birthmark, her gently hooked nose, and the way her luminous eyes had fleetingly held mine. My heart stuttered at the thought of her. (11. 104)| Soraya doesnt sound that hot here. From Hosseinis description, we picture the witch in Sleeping Beauty: her nose is hooked like a scythe, and her eyes are glowing in a potion-induced mania. However, we do think Sorayas sickle-shaped birthmark should remind you of someone else in the book. Give up? Thats right: Hassan. (Hassan has a harelip. ) Why do you think Hosseini compare these two characters through their physical features? What else do they have in common? Quote #9When we got to Kabul, I [Rahim Khan] discovered that Hassan had no intention of moving into the house. But all these rooms are empty, Hassan jan. No one is going to live in them, I said. But he would not. He said it was a matter of ihtiram, a matter of respect. He and Farzana moved their things into the hut in the backyard, where he was born. I pleaded for them to move into one of the guest bedrooms upstairs, but Hassan would hear nothing of it. What will Amir agha think? he said to me. What will he think when he comes back to Kabul after the war and finds that I have assumed his place in the house? Then, in mourning for your father, Hassan wore black for the next forty days. (16. 24-25)| You may be confused by the voice here. Its actually not Amir – Rahim Khan gets one chapter in the book. Rahim Khan recounts his trip to Hazarajat to find Hassan and bring him back to the house in Kabul. When Hassan does move back to the house with Rahim Khan, he refuses to live where Baba and Amir lived. Does Hassans refusal suggest that Hassan is only Amirs servant and the two never achieved an equal friendship? (Side question: Does Hassan sense – on some unconscious level – Babas true relationship to him? Is that why he mourns Baba for forty days? ) Quote #10Next to me, Sohrab was breathing rapidly through his nose. The spool rolled in his palms, the tendons in his scarred wrists like rubab strings. Then I blinked and, for just a moment, the hands holding the spool were the chipped-nailed, calloused hands of a harelipped boy. I heard a crow cawing somewhere and I looked up. The park shimmered with snow so fresh, so dazzling white, it burned my eyes. It sprinkled soundlessly from the branches of white-clad trees. I smelled turnip qurma now. Dried mulberries. Sour oranges. Sawdust and walnuts. The muffled quiet, snow-quiet, was deafening. Then far away, across the stillness, a voice calling us home, the voice of a man who dragged his right leg. (25. 150)| We think this is one of the most beautiful passages in the book. Hosseini moves effortlessly between the past and present. Sohrab becomes Hassan, and the park in Fremont, California becomes a snow-quiet Kabul. The smells of Kabul mix with the smells of the New Year celebration in the park. Perhaps, at least in the space of this passage, Amir does find peace. America allowed Amir to escape his past for so many years; but, in this moment, the two homelands merge. Ali calls Amir home, and Amir doesnt seem to mind. ROAD TO AMIRS REDEMPTION THE KITE RUNNER REVISION - Top of Form zainboThreads: 1 Posts: 3 Author: Zain Mehdi | Edited by: zainbo Mar 11, 2012, 12:58pm #1| The topic of the Essay is After reading the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, do you think Amir has found redemption in things hes done. If so, please explain how I wrote this essay based on the events that took place in the novel. Each paragraph must have a quote from the book and Ive included that. I just need to see if my essay is well written, correct grammar and other little mistakes. Please and thank you. ROAD TO AMIRS REDEMPTION In a lifetime, everyone will face personal battles and guilt, some large and some small. Such as guilt over sneaking out, not doing homework, or telling your parents a little white lie. People find peace of mind through redeeming themselves, in other words, we do something that makes up for the cause of guilt. Khaled Hosseinis novel The Kite Runner revolves around betrayal and redemption. Redemption is the act of saying or being saved from sin, error or evil, which the main character Amir seems to need the most. Amir lives with the guilt he has built up over the years because of one incident from his childhood. Amirs fathers words still echo through his head A boy who wont stand up for himself becomes a man who cant stand up to anything. ? pg. 24 Although Amir destroyed the lives of many people, and he has had more than one opportunity to redeem himself of his guilt, he is not the selfish little boy he once was. How often does one stop and think, How will this affect everyone else in my life? Amir had a chance in the alley, to put Hassan first and change the path of both their lives, but he made the decision to turn around and run because it was what he thought was best for him: I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide who I was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan ? the way hed stood up for me all those times in the past ? and accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end, I ran. I ran because I was a coward. I was afraid of Assef and what he would do to me. I was afraid of getting hurt. Thats what I told myself as I turned my back to the alley, to Hassan. Thats what I made myself believe. I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba. ? pg. 77 Amirs selfish ways were a result of the lack of his fathers affection in his life. As a young boy, he was forced to deal with his fathers disinterest in him, which made him incredibly jealous of Hassan. Amir could not understand at the time, why his father adored his servants son more than his own son. As the tension increases between Amir and Hassan, Amir can no longer stand to see Hassan everyday because of what Amir had not stopped and he could not bare seeing his father showing Hassan love and not him. Hassan and his father are forced to leave their home after Amir places his watch under Hassans pillow and accuses him of stealing it. Hassan did not even deny the accusations because he had figured out what Amir was doing. Hassan knew. He knew I had betrayed him and yet he was rescuing me once again, maybe for the last time. ? pg. 111 Even after the alleged theft of the watch, Amirs father is willing to forgive Hassan, which stunned Amir, and made him see that the love his father has for Hassan is greater than he imagined. Amir did not just ruin Hassans life; he also ruined the lives of many people with his decisions after the incident in the alley. Baba lost a chance to watch his son, Hassan, grow up and also lost the chance to bring him to America so he could start a new life. Sohrab lost both his parents to war because they were still living in Afghanistan, lost his childhood to war, and tried to commit suicide as a result of Amir going back on his promise to keep him safe from orphanages. Soraya lost her right to the truth when Amir kept his past a secret even though she opened up to him about hers. It is one thing to destroy your own life with guilt, but it is a completely different issue when you destroy the lives of others. Before Amir can go on the road to redemption, Amir must realize that he cant go back and change what he has done as a child, and he must find inner peace. Although if it was not for Amirs actions as a child, Sohrab never would have needed to be saved in the first place but by saving Sohrab, the last piece of Hassans life, does make a difference. From the moment he chose to turn his back on Hassan, there were many chances where Theres a way to be good again ? pg. 238 for all his wrongdoings, but he chose not to take any of these. Sohrab was his last and only chance for redemption. I have a wife in America, a home, a career and a family. But how could I pack up and go back home when my actions may have cost Hassan a chance at those very same things? And what Rahim Khan revealed to me changed things. Made me see how my entire life, long before the winter of 1975, dating back to when that singing Hazara woman was still nursing me, had been a cycle of lies betrayals and secrets. ? pg. 238 Amir admits that he cost Hassan a chance at a good life and that he had many opportunities to change the outcome of Hassans life. But at this moment he realized he could lose everything he has built in America, but for the first time in his life, Amir did not care about only himself, he came to terms with what he had done, and he was ready to redeem himself at any cost. Amir finally became the man who stood up for himself and his sins. Throughout his childhood, Amir looked for his fathers affection and he never could get it. His father had said Im telling you, Rahim, there is something missing in that boy. ? pg. 24 Amirs father would have been proud of him at this very moment because that was all he had wanted from him. The guilt that was built over the years was finally put to rest at the safety of Sohrab. In Afghanistan when Amir stood up for Sohrab and Assef aggressively beat him up, Amir had said My body was broken? just how badly I wouldnt find out until later? but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed. ? pg. 289 which showed Amir had come to terms with what he had done as a child and was finally felt relieved. Although he was getting beat up, it did not matter anymore, he just wished he had stood up to Assef years ago, and maybe he would have earned his redemption in that alley. | | Jennyflower81Threads: Posts: 884 Author: Jennifer Reeves 85 | Mar 11, 2012, 02:17pm #2| Such as guilt over sneaking out, not doing homework, or telling your parents a little white lie. Not a full sentence. You could start this sentence with: Guilt can stem from People find peace of mind when they redeem themselves, in other words, they do something that makes up for the cause of their guilt. Amir had a chance in the alley, to put Hassan first and change the path of both their lives, but he made the decision to turn around and run because it was what he thought was best for him: I would break up this sentence into 2 sentences, because it is a bit too long, it would be easier to read if it was in 2 shorter sentences. Amirs selfish ways resulted from the lack of his fathers affection in his life. At the time, Amir could not understand why his father adored his servants son more than his own son. As the tension increases between Amir and Hassan, Amir can no longer stand to see Hassan everyday because of what Amir had not stopped and he could not bare seeing his father showing Hassan love and not him. Right here, you begin writing in present tense, when the beginning of the essay is written in past tense, be sure to stay consistent with this, it makes your paper easier to read that way. | | zainboThreads: 1 Posts: 3 Author: Zain Mehdi | | Thank you, any more updates? | | Jennyflower81Threads: Posts: 884 Author: Jennifer Reeves 85 | Mar 11, 2012, 05:04pm #4| Amir did not just ruin Hassans life; he also ruined the lives of many people with his decisions after the incident in the alley Can you be more specific about how exactly did he ruin Hassans life? This is kinda vague. Another example of a life ruined is that of Soraya- you say: Soraya lost her right to the truth when Amir kept his past a secret even though she opened up to him about hers I dont know if this is her life being ruined, although she was wronged. How did this ruin her life? Clarify this. but it is a completely different problem when you destroy the lives of others. Although if it was not for Amirs actions as a child, Sohrab never would have needed to be saved in the first place but by saving Sohrab, the last piece of Hassans life, does make a difference. This sentence is long and confusing, I would make it into 2 shorter sentences. Amir admits that he cost Hassan the chance at a good life and that he had many opportunities to change the outcome of Hassans life. At this moment, he realizes he could lose everything he has built in America, but for the first time in his life, Amir did not only care about himself, he came to terms with what he had done, and he was ready to redeem himself at any cost. | | chalumeau | | ROAD TO AMIRS REDEMPTION? During their lifetime, most people face guilt: some appropriate some inappropriate. Redemption is a way that makes up for the cause of the guilt. In Khaled Hosseinis novel, The Kite Runner, the theme revolves around betrayal and redemption. I looked up the word redemption in The Kite Runner: p. 65, All I saw was the blue kite. All I smelled was victory. Salvation. Redemption. If Baba was wrong and there was a God like they said in school, then Hed let me win. I didnt know what the other guy was playing for, maybe just bragging rights. Important quote. p 231, And from this one last chance at redemption. What is going on here? My body was broken? just how badly I wouldnt find out until later? but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed. ? pg. 289 Good quote you found. Salvation is when God saves you. Redemption may be part of salvation, but redemption also has a place separate from the Divine. After doing a wrong, a person may be redeemed by performing some act, or saying something, or fighting for (or against) someone. You know how they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder? Redemption is in the eye of the wronged party. Its why you hear phrases such as, redeemed in her eyes. You cant be redeemed without permission. Hopefully, the wronged party accuses the right person, and the right person knows what wrong was committed. Otherwise, you have a very confusing situation for all parties. One that cannot be redeemed. Ever. Try writing your essay again with the theme of redemption as the main focus. Try to answer these questions: 1) What wrongs were committed? Pick the best 3 wrongs he committed. You partially explained these. 2) What does Amir think about redemption? Why does he seek it? Usually a person feels badly about something, or the other party is making his life miserable enough to cause him to cry, ___! 3) What action or words support him receiving redemption? 4) What action or words deny him redemption? 5) At the end is he redeemed? In the eyes of the wronged party? Did the wronged party (parties) know the truth that the reader knows? Does he feel redeemed? Did he know the same truth as everyone else? For the record, Ive never read The Kite Runner. I dont have a copy of the novel either. I wanted to try to help you focus and organize your essay. Ive written many A-essays over the years. | | zainboThreads: 1 Posts: 3 Author: Zain Mehdi | Mar 12, 2012, 08:37pm #6| thanks, ill try to work on it| | Essay Forum / Literature Review /| Unanswered [this forum] / Featured / Similar| Bottom of Form Similar discussions: * Michigan Supplement. Kite Runner * The Kite Runner: A Marxist Perspective * The Kite Runner Thesis Statement * HELP! Kite Runner Essay on Father/Son relationship * Persuasive essay on The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini + The Devil in the White City * The redemption of Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities * Run after the kite common app essay * UC Essay I am a runner, track and cross-country * Developing Runners Mindset Common App Essay for Stanford * Morality and Responsibility essay (connection between Frankenstein and Blade runner) Random: MSW Essay on Parent Advocacy- Child Protective Services The discrimination theme in The Kite Runner helps explain? Discrimination The Kite Runner tackles the issue of ethnic discrimination in Afghanistan with an example of the relationship between Pashtuns and Hazaras. Babas father sets an example for him of being kind to Hazara people, even though they are historically demeaned and persecuted. He could have easily sent Ali to an orphanage after his parents death, but chose to raise him in his household. Baba does the same with Hassan, although this is complicated by the fact that Hassan is actually his son. Even in Babas house, the house of best intentions, the class barrier between the Pashtuns and Hazaras endures. Ali is as dear to Baba as a brother; he calls him family. But Ali still lives in a hut and sleeps on a mattress on the floor. He tends the garden, cooks, and cleans up after Baba, and raises Hassan to do the same. So strong is Hassans identity as a servant that even as an adult, when Baba is gone, he has no sense of entitlement. He insists on staying in the hut and doing housework. When Hassan dies defending Babas house, he does so not because he feels it belongs to him, but because he is being loyal to Baba and Amir. In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, discrimination is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. On the one hand, the Taliban do not seem to care whom they are beating, torturing, or executing. Children like Sohrab and grandmothers like Sanaubar are all susceptible to the Talibans cruelty. In this way, the Talibs discriminate against everyone but themselves. As Amir notices, Assef forces Sohrab to dance to music for his enjoyment dancing and listening to music have long been banned. Amir thinks, I guessed music wasnt sinful as long as it played to Taliban ears. On another level, the Taliban discriminate specifically against the Hazara people. They massacre the Hazaras not only in Mazar-i-Sharif, but in the region of Hazarajat and nearly anywhere else they can find them. Assef and his fellows do not see the Hazaras lives as worthwhile; they barely see them as human. Assef tells Amir, Afghanistan is like a beautiful mansion littered with garbage, and someone has to take out the garbage. Like his idol, Hitler, he feels entitled to killing those he deems unworthy of living in his land. He even relishes the term ethnic cleansing because it goes so well with his garbage metaphor. Hosseini has mentioned in interviews that his focus on discrimination in The Kite Runner angers some Afghans, who feel it is inappropriate. Like Baba, many people do not mention the Hazaras history of persecution. Perhaps these people are so uncomfortable with this topic because by having Assef appear in pre-Taliban times and emerge as a leading Talib, Hosseini shows that the Talibans persecution of the Hazaras and other Shiites is not new, but a greatly intensified outgrowth of long-held discrimination. In The Kite Runner friendship is a recurring theme, particularly in terms of how friendship is experienced between different social classes and castes. This is explored in the relationships between Baba and Amir who are Pashtun and Ali and Hassan who are Hazara. A central issue in the novel is how friendship is experienced, understood and expressed between social unequals when they have been pushed together by circumstances (Baba’s father’s adoption of Ali meant he and Baba grew up from boyhood together, followed by Amir and Hassan sharing their entire childhoods in the same house, despite their very different status within the household. ) Amir constantly reflects on the question of friendship: ‘But in none of his stories did Baba ever refer to Ali as his friend. The curious thing was, I never thought of Hassan and me as friends either. Not in the usual sense anyhow†¦Because history isn’t easy to overcome. Neither is religion. In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi’a and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing. ’ When questioned by Assef about his friendship with a Hazara Amir admits: â€Å"But he’s not my friend! † I almost blurted. â€Å"He’s my servant! † Had I really thought that? Of course I hadn’t. I hadn’t. I treated Hassan well, just like a friend, better even, more like a brother. ’ Hassan regards Amir as his friend and shows it by his unfailing loyalty which is indicative of his awareness of the unequal power in the relationship. Amir is bothered by Hassan’s unfailing loyalty and self

Activity Based Costing (ABC) Case Study: Exxonmobil

Activity Based Costing (ABC) Case Study: Exxonmobil STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT This paper presents an assessment of the set up of an activity-based costing (ABC) for Exxon Mobil, a global oil company. The discussion in the paper is structured as follows: Setting up an activity-based costing for Exxon Mobil – This first section presents an overview of activity-based costing and focuses on how such a system could be set up for Exxon Mobil. Stages involved in designing ABC systems – The second section of the paper presents the stages involved in the set up of an activity-based costing system. Selection of cost drivers – An important factor in the set up of an activity-based costing system is the selection of the cost drivers. The third section of the paper discusses this. Calculation and Examples– The fourth section presents an example calculation for the activity-based costing for Exxon Mobil. Limitations of information from ABC systems – The fifth section of the paper presents the limitations and issues in the use of activity-based costing. Conclusion – Finally, the last section summarises the arguments presented in the paper and highlights the key points to conclude the paper. A.  SETTING UP AN ACTIVITY-BASED COSTING FOR EXXON MOBIL Activity-based costing is utilised to improve business processes through behavioural, business and accounting practices, and â€Å"focuses on costs associated with activities, but also evaluates whether those activities add value, thus providing a means of understanding how to most effectively reduce costs† (Maiga Jacobs, 2003). This paper discusses specific areas that will help ExxonMobil in setting up an activity-based costing system. It is possible to set this up for ExxonMobil to drive its performance but this will require two key principles in pursuing this approach: Commitment from senior management – Setting up the ABC system will require strong commitment from senior management as there may be challenges and questions raised by different stakeholders as this approach is pursued. Transparency in measures – In addition to commitment, setting up an ABC system will also require that the organisation be transparent in its financial and operating figures in order to achieve the most benefit from implementing such a system. B.  STAGES INVOLVED IN DESIGNING ABC SYSTEMS There are several key stages that organisations need to follow in designing ABC systems in organisations. The key stages in designing ABC systems are as follows (Allott, 2004): Determine scope and key activities performed – This stage involves the development of key objectives and activities for departments and the organisation. The challenge in this stage is to ensure that there aren’t too many activities that then render the analysis as inaccurate given the detail required. Apportion direct staff time and assess the organisations’ resources required –The management within the businesses then need to assess the resources required to work on the key activities defined in the first stage. This stage requires the evaluation of where employees spent their time, as this will be apportioned as part of the ABC system. Add other direct costs – Aside from the costs related to the staff and their time, other direct costs will also need to be included as part of the analysis and measurement. Allocate department and corporate overheads and identify the key outputs produced – The outputs for the activities determined in stage one should be defined. These outputs should be largely measurable though there could be some activities that won’t have directly measurable outputs. From this, departmental and corporate overheads can then be allocated. Split into value-adding and non-value adding activities and also assess activity-level drivers and cost-input drivers – The fourth stage is to assess the value-adding and non-value-adding activities, and also the factors that cause the activity to occur which includes both activity-level drivers and cost-input drivers. The activity-level drivers are related to the frequency of the occurrence of the activities while the cost-input drivers are related to the cost of performing the activities for the organisation. Cost drivers are particularly important in designing ABC systems and the next section discusses this concept further. Calculate unit cost – Once all the measurements and factors have been defined, it is then possible to calculate the unit cost for various output measures. This will then drive the next stage. Use findings to determine improvement opportunities – In designing and implementing an ABC system, there should be well define improvement opportunities that the organisations will target. This will be based on the findings that result from the analysis and are important, as this will drive the actions of the employees and the organisation. Thus, these improvement opportunities should be initiatives that are achievable and, at the same time, could impact the performance of the organisation significantly, if achieved. The stages defined above are the high-level key stages in designing and implementing an ABC system for organisations. C.  SELECTION OF COST DRIVERS As mentioned in the previous section on the stages of designing an ABC system, the identification of cost-input drivers is important in the proper implementation of the ABC system. This section discusses the selection of cost drivers in greater detail in the context of an ABC system. Cost drivers play an important role as the objective in identifying the cost drivers is to be able to determine how the organisations can manage and control the costs effectively and make beneficial changes to how these costs drive the organisation. The end goal then is to have lower costs for the firm and better operational and financial performance which could lead to strong competitive advantages for organisations versus the competitors in a sector. There are some principles that are important in the identification of the cost drivers for an ABC system. The selection of cost drivers is important for the following reasons: Drive performance of organisation – The ABC system can be used through the cost drivers to drive the performance of the organisation. Improve internal understanding – Having the right cost drivers selected for the ABC system will enhance the understanding of the employees of the value-adding activities and be able to focus on the activities that merit the most time. Address external concerns – Finally, some external stakeholders will need to be catered to in the selection of cost drivers. The next few paragraphs show how this is important. Aside from an internal assessment of the key cost drivers for an organisation, there are also factors that could come into play. For example, one of the factors driving the selection of cost drivers is external pressure on these cost drivers. Given the increasing focus on the environment in recent years, the pressure to control and manage the environmental costs especially in industries such as the oil sector has increased with investors concerned about potential liabilities that could impact the firm and the general public, including the government, concerned about the health consequences that may result from toxic emissions and materials (Lee, 2005). These environmental costs can be significant as seen from the following examples (Lee, 2005): W. R. Grace had charges totalling US$50 million in 1998 for environmental remediation Koch Petroleum Group spent significant amounts over the course of a few years for environmental impact and refinery pollution: circa US$7 million in 1998, circa US$$8 million in 1999, and circa US$2 million in 2000 NCH Corporation charged earnings in the amount of circa US$16 million in 2000 for environmental remediation Unocal provided provisions amounting to US$22 million in 2002 for environmental remediation and lowering earnings Overall for industries such as utilities, steel and metals, oil, paper, and chemicals, which deal with environmentally-sensitive areas, estimates place â€Å"environmental expenditures to be annual spending of over 1% of revenues† Thus, with the pressure externally to manage environmental costs, this has become a cost driver that firms such as Exxon Mobil need to include in an activity-based costing system. The key reasons for including this cost driver are as follows (Lee, 2005): Environmental issues continue to be increasingly focused on by the public and environmental groups globally Environmental decision-making is thus critical and information to be able to manage and control this factor needs to be collected by the relevant firms A proactive stance in managing environmental costs can be very beneficial for firms in these environmentally-sensitive areas particularly â€Å"in terms of risk reduction, prevention of liabilities, and the preservation of firm reputation† D.  CALCULATION AND EXAMPLE In implementing an ABC system in ExxonMobil, it is important to have an initial review of what the cost drivers for Exxon Mobil could be in terms of the design of an ABC system. Before continuing on this path, a number of assumptions have to be stated: (1) this is a high level example of a calculation for ExxonMobil as an in-depth review has not been conducted to properly do an ABC system for the organisation, (2) only quick estimates are presented given that these are based on an outside-in perspective utilising existing financial reports, (3) no specific details have been provided yet by the organisation. The focus of this analysis is only on the Upstream (Oil Gas Exploration and Production) division. A review of their summary annual report indicates that the following could be the key cost drivers that Exxon Mobil would focus on for their ABC system: 2007 Canada Outside Revenue US So. America America Worldwide Production Costs 2,275 2,206 5,852 10,333 Depn and depletion 1,493 1,256 6,159 8,908 Exploration Expenses 282 273 947 1,502 Taxes 1,347 126 8,258 9,731 Income tax 2,429 1,190 23,924 27,543 Total Costs 7,826 5,051 45,140 58,017 Number of units (mn) 232 167 1,126 1,526 Unit Costs 33.70 30.16 40.09 38.03 With re-allocation Production Costs 2,048 1,985 6,300 10,333 Depn and depletion 1,493 1,256 6,159 8,908 Exploration Expenses 254 246 1,003 1,502 Taxes 1,262 118 8,351 9,731 Income tax 2,276 1,111 24,156 27,543 Total Costs 7,332 4,716 45,969 58,017 Number of units (mn) 232 167 1,126 1,526 Unit Costs 31.57 28.16 40.83 38.03 + other central costs 8.00 8.00 12.00 10.95 (per unit) Total unit costs 39.57 36.16 52.83 48.98 Revenue per unit 52.42 49.40 55.55 54.40 Profit per unit 12.85 13.24 2.72 5.42 The above calculations are based on a number of assumptions made for the purpose of showing how using an ABC system could alter the results of the performance of the regions and allow the organisation to then make better decisions. The assumptions were made up in this scenario and it could be the other way around in that the greater costs end up in the US and Canada / South America regions. The objective in showing these calculations were to highlight the impact that activity-based costing could have in generating a deeper understanding of the costs that are incorporated in the financials of organisations. The way the costs are then broken up and allocated to different cost divisions will have an impact on these divisions and the decisions made. The important aspect to consider is that the ABC system should identify the right allocation of the costs through an understanding of the time spent by the staff including other factors that the organisation may deem important in the ABC system. E.  LIMITATIONS OF INFORMATION FROM ABC SYSTEMS The limitations of information from ABC systems can be looked at in two ways: (1) limitations in establishing and implementing the ABC systems, and (2) limitations in the use of the information resulting from the ABC systems implemented in an organisation. This section looks at both of these limitations. E.1.  Limitations in establishing and implementing the ABC systems One of the key challenges in implementing an activity-based costing system is the ability to collect the correct information for the proper use of the system. Throughout the years of the use of the ABC system, a number of limitations have come to the fore. The key limitations most often cited have been the following: Subjectivity in distribution of time. A key concern of users of the ABC system was the proper distribution of time among the key activities that employees worked on, and the subjectivity in allotting the time raised some concerns and issues in the potential reliability of the system (Journal of Accountancy, 2008). In recent years, there have been improved processes which were designed to minimise the subjectivity in the distribution of time by employees, particularly with the approach used in time-driven activity-based costing with a key benefit in simplifying the process (Lambino, 2007). However, this has not been well communicated and there is still a general concern about this issue for the ABC system. Complexity of retrieving information for the ABC system. Another factor that had hampered the use of the ABC system has been the general feeling that the retrieval of information was too complex and that the input required in order to complete the process for the ABC system was too demanding (Max, 2008). Similar to the point above, there have been further developments which have tended to minimise the complexity surrounding the retrieval of the information needed for the ABC system but this has not been accepted widely though the trend is changing. The two limitations highlighted above are the key reasons that implementation of the ABC system has been limited. In organisations where the ABC system has been implemented, the two limitations identified have affected the use of information churned out by the ABC system. This is discussed further in the next part. E.2.  Limitations in the use of information resulting from ABC systems For the organisations which have made the decision to implement the ABC system, there are still limitations in the information that need to be considered as the information is utilised in the organisations’ decision-making. The key limitations are the following: Costing not an exact science. The output from the ABC system remain as estimates and are impacted by the subjectivity of some of the inputs as described in the previous part of the this section. The use of cost averages and estimates lessens the transparency of the cost and profitability information and thus results in a key limitation in the use of the ABC system (Max, 2007). Potential misuse of information. This argument is not be construed as to be done intentionally. But where the information is not properly linked between activities and processes, the potential exists to have inaccurate results which then impact on how the information is utilised (Crance, Castellano Roehm, 2001). F.  CONCLUSION It is possible to implement an ABC system for ExxonMobil. A number of conclusions and follow up steps can be highlighted: High level draft of implementing was shown to be possible. Next step is to have a proper review to follow the complete stages if the organisation were keen to go ahead. Detailed process is needed to complete an ABC system implementation – ExxonMobil will need to commit to this and assign resources in order to push the effort to have the ABC system implemented. Commitment and transparency important for the implementation – It is critical to get the buy-in and support of top management and the key managers of the organisation. Through these next steps, it is possible to move into the next stage of having the ABC approach designed for ExxonMobil and implemented in the organisation. REFERENCES Allott, A. (2004), ‘Activity-based management’, New Straits Times, 3 July 2004, [online], accessed on 11 November from Global Factiva Database, http://factiva.com Crance, J., Castellano, J., Roehm, H. A. (2001), ‘SPC enhances ABC’, Industrial Management, 43(6), [online], accessed on 11 November from Global Factiva Database, http://factiva.com ExxonMobil (2007), ‘ExxonMobil: Taking on the world’s toughest challenge’, 2007 Summary Annual Report Journal of Accountancy (2008), ‘Linking Strategy to Operations’, 206 (44), [online], accessed on 11 November from Global Factiva Database, http://factiva.com Lambino, C. (2008), ‘Time-Driven activity-based costing’, Government Finance Review, 23(4), [online], accessed on 9 November from Global Factiva Database, http://factiva.com Lee, T. (2005), ‘Environmental issues and managerial accounting: The IFAC exposure draft’, Petroleum Accounting Financial Management Journal, 24(1), [online], accessed on 10 November from Global Factiva Database, http://factiva.com Maiga, A. S., Jacobs, F. A. (2003), ‘Balanced scorecard, activity-based costing and company performance: An empirical analysis’, Journal of Managerial Issues, 15(3), [online], accessed on 10 November from Global Factiva Database, http://factiva.com Max, M. (2008), ‘ABC Trends in the Banking Sector: A Practitioners Perspective’, Journal of Bank Cost Management Accounting, 21(1), [online], accessed on 10 November from Global Factiva Database, http://factiva.com Max, M. (2007), ‘Leveraging Process Documentation for Time-Driven Activity Based Costing’, Journal of Bank Cost Management Accounting, 20(3), [online], accessed on 11 November from Global Factiva Database, http://factiva.com Chronic Stress: Causes, Effects and Treatments Chronic Stress: Causes, Effects and Treatments Report on Chronic Stress Introduction Stress is an unavoidable part of life. Be it at home or the workplace, different challenges arise which ultimately lead to stress. There are various types of stress related issues, one of which is chronic stress (American Psychological Association, 2015). Chronic stress is that branch of stress when there is an overwhelming response emotionally to any situation which an individual deems to be out of his or her control. This type of stress is characterized by the release of corticosteroids in the human body, especially the endocrine system which triggers the increase of stress. Though these hormones might be beneficial for a short period of time, continuous stress inducing activities can lead to a constant release of hormones which can cause fatal side effects (Bruno, 2012). Detection of chronic stress There are various methods through which chronic stress can be detected early to ensure immediate correction. Our body begins to give us various warning signals during our daily life which can be a symptom of increased stress. It affects all the functioning of our body and makes us feel unbalanced and hypersensitive (Chandola, Brunner Marmot, 2006). If a person is suffering from chronic stress, then he or she will be easily irritated or overwhelmed by any situation (Sanders, 2014). These people will be unable to concentrate on anything for long and will constantly worry about the tasks ahead of them. Also, they will feel extremely isolated and suffer from physical strain and nausea. These symptoms can also be related to other physical or psychological problems and therefore requires a full diagnosis by a doctor to be sure (Scott, 2014). Differences and similarities with other diseases Although the physical and chemical reactions to various mental disorders can be similar, there is a vast difference between them. For example, stress is similar yet different from anxiety in many ways (The Stress Management Society, 2015). Stanford University’s associate chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences David Spiegel says that â€Å"while the line between stress and anxiety often gets blurred, there are distinct things to be aware of-including how these emotions affect the body and the root causes of each† (Holmes, 2014). The chemical reactions that occur in our body are very similar during chronic stress and anxiety. The physical reactions that occur in our body during both stress inducing and anxiety inducing causes include an increase of heartbeats, quick breathing and tightening of muscles. Yet anxiety and stress are different in various ways. He says that while we feel chronic stress we are very much aware of the causes behind it while in anxiety we usua lly do not know what exactly we are anxious about (Holmes, 2014). Another important psychological term which is often confused with chronic stress is depression. Laura J. Martin, MD and MPH, states that the causes behind both chronic stress and depression are often the same (McEwen Lasley, 2002) Any traumatic incident in our lives, such as loss of a job or the death of a loved one, can lead to both chronic stress as well as depression. In fact, it is more likely that while chronic stress is the first response to any such life-changing situation, prolonged exposure to stress can also lead to depression. â€Å"Stress, or being stressed out, leads to behaviours and patterns that in turn can lead to chronic stress burden and increase the risk of major depression,† states Bruce McEwen, PhD (McEwen Lasley, 2002). But it has also been noted that depression and chronic stress can be caused by different reasons. Most people who are resilient towards stressful activities are quite able to carry on with their lives without becoming depressed (Segerst rom Miller, 2004). Also, people tend to become depressed even though there are little or no stressful incidents in their lives. While any one incident can cause chronic stress, it requires a combination of a few stressors to become clinically depressed (McEwen Lasley, 2002). Effects of chronic stress Effect on health: Stressful activities are always around us, yet people almost always find a way to deal with the stress. If you are stressed over a huge pile of work, deadlines to meet, a conflict with your spouse or any other incident, your body always reacts in the same way (Psychiatry, 2009). The release of stress hormones in our body helps us to respond to the chronic stress until it is resolved (Sincero, 2012). But a prolonged exposure to chronic stress can lead to a continuous flow of hormones in our body which can be harmful. It disturbs all the other systems of our body and causes a rise of blood pressure levels, increased risk of heart attacks or strokes, decrease in fertility and accelerated aging (Miller, Chen Zhou, 2007). The usual physical effects of chronic stress are pain, insomnia, loss of weight and skin conditions like eczema (Sanders, 2014). Also, Dr. Richard Weinstein, a private chiropractor and a member of the American Chiropractic Association’s Council on Nutrition and the National Institute of Chiropractic Research, says that â€Å"the adrenal glands have a nasty tendency to rebound†, which means that the physical effects of chronic stress can return â€Å"if the cause of the cortisol imbalance is not addressed.† (Weinstein, 2004) Effect on behavior: Chronic stress can lead to certain changes in our behavior pattern as well. Since chronic stress is a result of a prolonged exposure to stressors, many changes can be detected in the behavior of these people (Carthage, 2013). The patients who are suffering from chronic stress reveal particular habits and behavior, such as moodiness, irritability, agitated behavior or isolation from friends and family (Helpguide.org, 2015). These people are prone to angry outbursts and impulsive decisions and are generally unhappy about everything around them. Their eating and sleep patterns also change and they develop certain unhealthy habits like drinking alcohol, biting nails or pacing. This in turn affects their social and personal lives (Weinstein, 2004). Effect on brain: According to the recent findings of the University of California, Berkeley, it has been found that due to the excess release of hormones due to chronic stress, certain permanent changes occur in the brain which results in people becoming prone to other mental diseases (Lupien et al., 2009). After conducting a series of experiments, Daniela Kaufer, UC Berkeley associate professor of integrative biology, and her colleagues, have come to the conclusion that chronic stress causes the generation of more myelin-producing cells and fewer neurons than acceptable (Weinstein, 2004). This often leads to an increase of myelin or white matter in certain parts of the brain, which can cause a disruption in the critical functions of the brain like the neuronal system (Bergland, 2014) Treatment of chronic stress At one point in our lives, everybody experiences stress due to one factor or another. Since avoiding stress is completely impossible, there are certain steps that can be taken to cope with it (Breazeale, 2012). Some of them include: Consult a proper psychologist or psychiatrist and ask him to do a full evaluation if you are experiencing overwhelming situations, suicidal thoughts, etc. Seek help from a doctor and redress any new or existing health issues. Contact your friends, family, community or organization to share emotional issues and ask for help in dealing with stressful situations. Identify any symptoms that you might be going through, such as eating or sleeping disorder, anger, depression or loneliness, and try to solve these problems. Prioritise your tasks and decide what must be completed now and what you can do later. Refuse to take up any new tasks if you feel overburdened. Make a list of what you accomplished at the end of the day. Avoid spending too much time thinking about certain issues. Indulge in regular exercises daily and plan your exercising and eating activities to make sure they are balanced. Take up certain stress reducing activities like yoga, meditation etc. (Thaker et al., 2006) Conclusion Being â€Å"stressed out†, as many people would call it, and being actually stressed, both physically and mentally, is a significant issue, as highlighted in this article by the number of intricacies involved in chronic stress (Medical News Today, 2014). Whether the symptoms of stress are recent or have been continuing for a long period of time, it is important to immediately look into the problem and discover new forms and therapies to address and solve the issue (Holmes, 2014). To seek relief from the stressors, it would be better to consult a proficient therapist and examine the causes behind the stress and how to decrease it. References American Psychological Association. (2015). Understanding chronic stress. Retrieved 10 March 2015, from http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/understanding-chronic-stress.aspx Bergland, C. (2014). Chronic Stress Can Damage Brain Structure and Connectivity. Psychology Today. Retrieved 10 March 2015, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201402/chronic-stress-can-damage-brain-structure-and-connectivity Breazeale, R. (2012). Ways To Manage Chronic Stress. Psychology Today. Retrieved 10 March 2015, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-the-face-adversity/201202/ways-manage-chronic-stress Bruno, K. (2012). The Stress-Depression Connection | Can Stress Cause Depression?. Webmd.com. Retrieved 10 March 2015, from http://www.webmd.com/depression/features/stress-depression Carthage,. (2013). 11 Behavioural symptoms of stress. Are you experiencing stress?. Coaching Positive Performance. Retrieved 10 March 2015, from http://www.coachingpositiveperformance.com/11-behavioural-symptoms-of-stress/ Chandola, T., Brunner, E., Marmot, M. (2006). Chronic stress at work and the metabolic syndrome: prospective study.Bmj,332(7540), 521-525. Helpguide.org,. (2015). Stress Symptoms, Signs, Causes: The Effects of Stress Overload and What You Can Do About It. Retrieved 10 March 2015, from http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-causes-and-effects.htm Holmes, L. (2014). The Difference Between Stress And Anxiety. The Huffington Post. Retrieved 10 March 2015, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/25/stress-anxiety-difference_n_4833172.html?ir=India Lupien, S. J., McEwen, B. S., Gunnar, M. R., Heim, C. (2009). Effects of stress throughout the lifespan on the brain, behaviour and cognition.Nature Reviews Neuroscience,10(6), 434-445. McEwen, B., Lasley, E. (2002). The end of stress as we know it. Washington, D.C.: Joseph Henry Press. Medical News Today,. (2014). What is stress? How to deal with stress. Retrieved 10 March 2015, from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/145855.php Miller, G. E., Chen, E., Zhou, E. S. (2007). If it goes up, must it come down? Chronic stress and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis in humans.Psychological bulletin,133(1), 25. Psychiatry, M. (2009). Stress Management Strategies Marks Psychiatry. Marks Psychiatry. Retrieved 10 March 2015, from http://markspsychiatry.com/stress-management-strategies/ Sanders, R. (2014). New evidence that chronic stress predisposes brain to mental illness. Newscenter.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 10 March 2015, from http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2014/02/11/chronic-stress-predisposes-brain-to-mental-illness/ Scott, E. (2014). What Are Your Stress Symptoms?. About.com Health. Retrieved 10 March 2015, from http://stress.about.com/od/understandingstress/a/stress_symptoms.htm Segerstrom, S. C., Miller, G. E. (2004). Psychological stress and the human immune system: a meta-analytic study of 30 years of inquiry.Psychological bulletin,130(4), 601. Sincero, S. (2012). Three Different Kinds of Stress Acute, Episodic and Chronic. Explorable.com. Retrieved 10 March 2015, from https://explorable.com/three-different-kinds-of-stress Thaker, P. H., Han, L. Y., Kamat, A. A., Arevalo, J. M., Takahashi, R., Lu, C., Sood, A. K. (2006). Chronic stress promotes tumor growth and angiogenesis in a mouse model of ovarian carcinoma.Nature medicine,12(8), 939-944. The Stress Management Society. (2015). Common Stressors that You can Encounter Every Day. Retrieved 10 March 2015, from http://www.stress.org.uk/stress-solutions/common-stressors.aspx Weinstein, R. (2004). The stress effect. New York: Avery.

United States And The Summer Of Love History Essay

United States And The Summer Of Love History Essay The United States of America is a nation of pride, freedom, and culture. From the day the Declaration of Independence was signed, July 4, 1776, to present, 15 November 2010, numerous events have occurred that have shaped the lives, paths, and views of every citizen. The summer of 1967 in San Francisco, California was a summer that would never be lost in the eyes of the American public, and is a clear example of one of these numerous events. It was known as the Summer of Love. This summer was filled with new and different types of music, art, and literature which affected the U.S. as well as the world. This simple summer altered music within the American culture, freedom, choice, and trends in clothing, religious/life beliefs, the use of drugs, as well as the way people interacted with and treated each other. The Summer of Love was largely a part of the civil rights and antiwar movement, and as it developed it moved into the counterculture from which the Womens movement and Green move ment were developed (McCulloch). The economic markets for retailers as well as entertainers expanded drastically because there were so many new and popular trends and bands rising to the surface. San Franciscos 1967 Summer of Love had the strongest social, political, and economic impact out of all the events associated with the entire hippie movement throughout the United States, changing the people involved as well as the nation itself. The early 1960s was primarily when the hippie movement began. It mainly centered in the western part of the United States, mainly in San Francisco. The movement formed simply for the people who the behavior and values enforced by U.S. society (Home Front Turmoil: The 1960s, 288). It continued to expand greatly through multiple events during the 1960s, but the most influential event prior to the Summer of Love was known as the Human Be-In. The Human Be-In took place in San Franciscos very own Golden Gate Park just months before the infamous summer, January 14, 1967 (Layman, 322). Political liberation, ecological awareness, higher consciousness, personal empowerment, and other such ideals were what the event focused around. Various band and speakers from all around came out to promote their belief of questioning authority. Criticism and media attention was drawn after the event drew more than 20,000 celebration-craving hippies. More people began to migrate to San Francisco due to the w idespread news of what was going on (Perry, 9). For months prior to the Summer of Love, word echoed throughout the national media. Some college students who had read about the Human Be-In traveled to San Francisco during Spring Break to check things out. Others who were unable to make the trip then simply couldnt wait for the school year to be over, for the summer. Who knew that Haight-Ashbury District of San Francisco would be filled with more than 100,000 hippies only a few months later (1967: The Stuff That Myths Are Made of). The attendants consisted of mainly college and high school students, whom had just let out for summer vacation and eagerly joined in on the great movement they had been hearing about. A majority of the population whom attended the Summer of Love were part of the baby boom generation. During 1967, 20% of the United States population was made up of baby boomers between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four (Home Front Turmoil: The 1960s, 286). When the government tried to take advantage of the media and use it to prevent people from going, it simply persuaded people instead. These young adults saw an opportunity to meet up with people who shared the same ideals with them. Gain a chance to declare a new culture, and to create a new family among others of whom they were so alike. Many people purely just wanted to find freedom of both body and mind (1967: The Stuff That Myths Are Made of). A lot of changes and messages erupted from the Summer of Love, and the delivery of the changes and messages came in many forms. Potentially the strongest form of which was created was rock music. All around, the rock music scene consisted of more than just the music. It carried a new message, a new feeling, and new viewpoints. So many new bands and groups arose during this time simply because it was a time of change where people were so open-minded to the type of music and the protest-filled lyrics. Many well-known bands today were first discovered and heard at the Summer of Love. Some bands who were springing up were the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Country Joe, the Fish, and Jefferson Airplane (McCulloch). Other rock musicians whom this counterculture centered around were the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthric, and Joni Mitchell (Home Front Turmoil: The 1960s, 288 ). Before this summer, people were not nearly as open-minded, and music, especially rock, was not nearly as free. Many bands were inspired to break free from the norm and express their beliefs using their music after the album Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band was released by the Beatles. The way the Summer of Love altered music was a huge social benefit (McCulloch). Not only was music punching for a change, but clothing, fashion, trends were also hoping to break free and create whole new life. In the years before 1967, London, England had the hippest fashion, and this was mainly because thats where all the strongest music and bands were located. When the center of music switched over to America, and the hippie movement told hold of teens and young adults, the trends followed and started becoming more and more popular. The teens of this era had enough power with their spending that it created a drastic boost in the United States economy. Females were starting to embrace Mary Quant style miniskirts and mini dresses, and although they were not allowed to wear jeans and pants to school, casual bell-bottom jeans began to creep into their wardrobes. Just like today, jeans were much easier to manage and more comfortable than dresses and skirts, plus they were cheaper and people wanted to use that extra money for more important things. Bell-bottoms were simply one item of clothing that every hippie possessed. Because it sort of went against the Establishment, hippies on the west coast started to lean towards the inexpensive indie clothing. The reason people loved this new movement in clothing was because they were able to get up and put on anything they wanted. Many common things that were worn by many of the trendsetting hippies included fringe suede jackets, southwestern Native American dresses, embroidered cotton shirts, bell-bottom jeans, angel wing sleeves, and leather fringe with beads (Gregoire). A lot of people also wore flowers in their hair as a symbol of peace and rejection of U.S. militarism and the Vietnam War. Hippies got their nickname flower children from this (McCulloch). This new look among the public was eventually spread throughout America, but was first sparked in San Francisco in 1967 (Gregoire). As trends with music and clothing seemed to grow exponentially, the recreational use of drugs was strongly involved in the Summer of Love. People were trying to find new ways and eyes to see the world through, and drugs were a psychedelic option which offered a whole new route towards enlightenment. The two main drugs were cannabis (aka: marijuana, weed, pot) and LSD (aka: Lysergic acid diethylamide, acid). The public found the naturalness of cannabis and the idea that LSD could expand the amazement and wonders of nature so appealing (McCulloch). LSD was used by 10 to 30 million people including members of the top bands during this time. A lot of the lyrics and styles of music were inspired by the use of drugs which created a symbiotic relationship. It has been presumed by many individuals that the John Lennons Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds off of the Beatles album Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band refers to LSD, but Lennon in fact denies that there is any relationship (Matus). Bo th LSD and cannabis were illegal, but that definitely didnt stop anyone following the hippie movement. Soon speed (aka: amphetamines) became an epidemic. It was used as a supply for cannabis and LSD, so as the demand increased, they supply started to decrease. It altered peoples minds causing health and hygiene to deteriorate making it one of the most dangerous drugs of the time along with heroine which was used by and killed numerous musicians. The overuse and horrible effects these drugs had during the Summer of Love are reasons why these drugs are illegal today (1967: The Stuff That Myths Are Made of). During the 1960s people felt so trapped in what was going on, mainly with the war. Hippies were rejected by their families for being far from conservative. Politics became a huge role in their lives and in the movement all together. They made their beliefs and political views through musical shows, concerts, folk songs, peaceful sit-ins, and other simple things (Huber). The Summer of Love was a merely a demonstration of a political voice speaking through a peaceful way that everyone could understand. The Summer of Love occurred during a time when many historical movements were happening for the United States. One of the most prominent protests was against the war in Vietnam. Many families were losing their sons to the war because of the draft. Many believed it was unfair that they were being forced to fight for something they did not believe in. Although the United States was in fact winning the war by this point, the cruelty of the killing and the war in general were motives behind the Summer of Love. The Hippie counterculture embraced new music, clothes, psychedelic colors, and the entire anti war movement. St Francis of Assisi was one who loved the environment, animals, the sick and poor, and was against war. The Summer of Love really aimed to stress his principles. These ideals were incredibly strong, and are still carried out today by politicians who themselves contributed to the hippie movement during the 1960s and the Summer of Love in 1967 (Just a Season, but It Lives On) . Only a few years prior to the Summer of Love, Martin Luther King Jr delivered a speech, known among nearly all Americans to this day that demonstrated some of the ideals the hippies shared and long to share with others. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. Dr. King (American Rhetoric: Martin Luther King, Jr. I Have a Dream). The Hippies followed Dr. King because he was suggesting peace and unity, which was what people were searching for at the Summer of Love. It had a lot to do with politics of the war and politics in general. The United States economy was affected by many things such as the new music and trends that were sprouting out, but the economy for the West-Coast, primarily San Francisco, was affected drastically in other ways. As people poured into the city for the hippie movement, Human Be-In, and mainly the Summer of Love, there was a great boost in the economy. The amount of houses bought and rented increased largely as well as the amount of food and other essentials being purchased. While this was a great thing, there were many people who lacked money. This caused people to flood into the streets. People started begging for the things they could not afford, shelter, food, water, clothes. Crimes broke out because of the enormous amount of need people carried for things. They would try to stop traffic by jumping on car bumpers to get peoples attention. The police would have to intervene and sometimes would leave people badly injured, and sometimes have to arrest out of control hippies. More poli cemen were hired as the situation went more and more out of control which hurtful to the economy because the more hired, the more it cost (1967: The Stuff That Myths Are Made of). Drugs were another downfall for the economy. Dealers were making large sums of money, profiting off of drug-craving hippies, but they were the only ones. People were spending all their money to get more marijuana and LSD that they had no money left for food and shelter. The Summer of Love had a strong impact economically, even if it was both good and bad. The Summer of Love had its ups and downs, but altogether it upheld a bold meaning, and ended strongly. The amount of people migrating to San Francisco was continually increasing at an outstanding, nearly ridiculous rate. People started joining in on the hippie movement and the Summer of Love because it was becoming popular. The popularity of it was merely commercialism. It became a victim of commercialism which is the very thing it was trying to reject. It was now becoming possible to buy into the psychedelic lifestyle. They could no longer continue on with something that was falling into the hands of what they were protesting against (McCulloch). On October 7, 1967, they held a parade known as Death of a Hippie, symbolizing the end of the Summer of Love. People who were planning on migrating to San Francisco to join in were advised to stay home, and spread the love among the people there. Others who were already in San Francisco traveled to new places to spread the love and the hipp ie ideals. As the season came to an end, so did the Summer of Love. The Summer of Love is scarcely documented on paper and the internet compared to other events in United States History, but it is documented in every individual who was alive and had a strong memory during the time. Anything can be written down on paper, but the only way that any person can easily recall an event is if it had a strong impact upon them. I was able to locate different articles that all together gave me what I needed. It was as if each piece and each memory from every person was a puzzle piece. Socially, the Summer of Love impacted clothing and music drastically. Economically, it brought and took away great wealth from the United States. Politically, it influenced the way many politicians in our government handle situations in the present day. The innocence and the belief of goodness in people that was carried travels on today. People were encouraged to try new things and say things that would have never said before. The Summer of Love was flat-out beautiful Angela Alio to (Just a Season, but It Lives On).