Native Americans in the United States and Short Story Essay

Nacirema The â€Å"Body Ritual among the Nacirema† is a short story about a native American tribe. It wasn’t until more research on my part that I realized that this tribe did not exist. In fact it is a folk tale told in Miner’s own words. In true form Miner gives hint to this short story the Nacirema culture to that of the our culture today. Nacirema is in fact spelled â€Å"American†(Culture). The Nacirema has a hero named â€Å"Notgnihsaw† spelled â€Å"Washington† backwards. There are many similarities to this story as our American culture. Out of similarities Washington is our hero. He was the first President of the United States. Legend has it that Washington â€Å"threw a silver dollar across the Potomac River†, much like the Nacirema threw their native beads across their Pa-To-Mac River. Another story has Washington chopping down a cherry tree. But did Washington actually chop the tree down? â€Å"For he could not tell a lie†. As Americans we have rituals and cultural identities Every household has its â€Å"shrine† much like the Nacirema. Not all shrines are made alike. Is the â€Å"shrine† our homes, our churches, or our bathrooms? Shrines come in all walks of life. Miner gives the perception that the working class go to work and make money. If you have very little money your home is small much like a tent. The more money you make the bigger your home is which is made of brick and mortar. He discuses a specific â€Å"charm box† built into the wall (medicine cabinet). Within this box is collection of magical potions (medicine) where all members of the tribe have faith that he/she cannot live without. â€Å"The most powerful of these are the medicine men, whose assistance must be rewarded with substantial gifts. However, the medicine men do not provide the curative potions for their clients, but decide what the ingredients should be and then write them down in an ancient and secret language. This writing is understood only by the medicine men and by the herbalists who, for another gift, provide the required charm. †(Miner) This indicates folks going to the doctor that write the prescriptions to filled by the pharmacy. Miner talks about how members bow theirs heads in front of the box much like that of washing our hands. The Catholics have a similar ritual of dipping of the fingers in the â€Å"holy water† and doing the sign of the cross(Holy water) or kneeling before entering the pew(Religion:Manners in). The Nacirema have a morbid fascination with their mouths. If it â€Å"weren’t for the rituals of the mouth, they believed their teeth would fall out, their gums bleed. † If these things would have happened they believed their lovers would disown them. † â€Å"The daily body ritual performed by everyone includes a mouth-rite. †(Miner) This is much like the flossing or brushing of our teeth. The floss or bristles on our tooth brush we use is similar to the â€Å"hogs hairs. † The â€Å"magical powders† is that of the tooth paste we brush our teeth with. Miner maintains that the Americans right of passage in ways to throw off the readers. Themes as visiting the doctor, surgical operations, and sex are talked about. I initially didn’t take this story serious in reading it. After thorough research to get a better understanding of the writing I got a eye opening. This story reminds me much of a recent short story â€Å"A Modest Proposal†. Both has similarities of rituals and tales of people. I come from a family of rituals with last names that carry on from family to family or given the middle name of your mother first name. We are all meeting the needs of our own tribes whether it be the Americans, Nacirema or Vietnamese into how each is stereotyped.

he cost associated with running Essay

Candidates should be limited on the amount of money they can spend during a campaign. The cost associated with running for public office is expensive, especially in the case of large national scale elections, but also in smaller local ones. The money factor discourages regular middle class individuals from running for office, often leaving the ballot seriously one sided. If spending limits were placed on campaigns, our government could represent the views and issues of the majority of Americans, rather than only those of the wealthy. Further, if candidates are given a spending limit, they are less likely to take money from supporters who will benefit or profit from a particular view. Candidates then are more likely to make choices based on the good of the community, state, or country, rather than what will bring in the most money. Although mandatory voting could produce both positive and negative outcomes, voting should be a requirement of all Americans. On one hand, forcing people who do not support any of the candidates on the ballot might lead to careless voting. Those citizens who have no knowledge of the people who are running or no interest in voting at all will most likely cast their votes simply to uphold the law. On the other hand however, if all people are required to vote, and they do so in an educated manner, the government could represent all people of our country, rather than only those who choose to vote. Additionally, if Americans are forced to vote, candidates will spend less money campaigning. The months leading up to election become a time of voicing views rather than persuading people to vote in the first place. The decreased spending will, once again, ease the chances of a candidate taking a particular stance on an issue due to the influence of those who donate to their campaign. Texas should not hold partisan elections whereby candidates run as a member of a given political party. In these elections, voters are more likely to vote based upon the party that they support in substitution to the views held by the candidate. In a state that is populated by a majority of Republicans such as Texas, a partisan election would limit the amount of Democratic candidates elected to office, resulting in a severely unbalanced government. Suddenly every public office would be held by a Republican. The only real race in a partisan election would be which Republican to vote for. Furthermore, a non partisan election calls attention to the views of the candidate on an individual level, rather than on the views of the political party to which they belong. Those who do not join parties, or who take a stance that is not supported by any party, are more likely to run for office in a non partisan election. These non partisan elections make holding an office more accessible to a wide variety of candidates, instead of only people who share similar views of Republicans or Democrats.

Domestic Violence Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Domestic Violence Issues - Essay Example the manifestations of violence within what should be a loving relationship to fully understand the horror to which victims are subjected and the need for adequate protection to be provided by both the civil and the criminal justice systems. Perpetrators and Victims Domestic violence is conceived of primarily as a problem of men's abuse of women. Although researchers have documented abuse within same sex relationships4 and although there is evidence that, in a comparatively small number of cases, women abuse men5, the available research suggests that domestic violence is overwhelmingly directed by men against women6. The prior relationship between victims and defendants is most apparent in crimes against women. Men are more likely then women to experience violent victimization. But the nature of these events differs greatly. Women are about six times more likely than men to experience violence committed by an intimate. The prior relationship between victim and offender causes particular problems for law enforcement officials in the area of domestic violence. Domestic Violence: Literary Review Violence in the context of intimate relationships encapsulates may types of abuse: emotional/psychological, physical, sexual and economic. Such abuse can occur within married, separated and divorced relationships or among single people living together or simply dating one another. Many enduring and dysfunctional aspects contribute to the violence that occurs, so it is important to examine how abusive episodes emerge within the context of the ongoing relationship. Of all the crimes reported to the British Crime Survey in 2000, more than 1 in 20 was classified as domestic violence. Survey reports of...A. Stanko (1989), 'Policing Men's Violence: An Introduction' in J. Hanmer, J. Radford and E. A. Stanko (eds), Women, Policing and Male Violence: International Perspectives, London and New York, Routledge Cook, B., David, F. & Grant, A. 1999, Victims' Needs, Victims' Rights: Policies and programs for victims of crime in Australia, Research and Public Policy Series No. 19, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra.

Evalucation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Evalucation - Essay Example Below are the evaluation methods that are going to be employed: In order for the project to be a success, a proper understanding of the targeted public is prime. In order to understand the public a couple of data collection methods has to be involved. These will include surveys and questionnaires (Dennis 2). There will also be small groups conducting outreach programs to outsource detailed information. In the evaluation of this stage of the campaign, the use of data from the surveys and questionnaires shall be analyzed. The information on interviews collected by the outreach groups will also be analyzed. The evaluation points should be based on the opinions and attitude of the public. If the full demographic information achieved is convincing (positive attitude and opinion), then moving to the next step will be smooth and easy based on the information at hand (Dennis 4). This campaign employed giveaways, brochures, events, promotions, social media and media outreach as the tactics that would enable the creation of a strong public relation and awareness to make them register with Park on Morton student apartments. The evaluation of each or a combination of the above mentioned is pertinent as this is the point in which the campaign fails or flourishes. The best way to attract the attention of the public is through the use of Giveaways and Brochures. There will be free T-Shirts, lanyards, pens sunglasses and well-designed water bottles. To evaluate the effect of the Giveaways and Brochures, the focus will me on the way the public receives them and their attitude towards them. If this process is a success, there are a couple of things that are likely to occur: there will be an improved customer visit to Park on Morton offices for registration and inquiries. The events will be conducted in collaboration with local companies such as Bloomington Bagel Company and Kilroy’s on Kirkwood, Dunkirk and spots.

Self awareness assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Self awareness assignment - Essay Example Oakes et a defined self-esteem as â€Å"emphasize efective self-regard . . . feeling of affection toward neself (779). Others define it as an overall judgment one makes about one’s worth as a person. But regardless how it is defined, self esteem includes affective and cognitive components. â€Å"High self esteem people feel good about themselves and think they have many positive qualities† (779). On the reverse, low self-esteem people hold ambivalent feelings toward themselves and are less certain that they have many certain positive qualities (Baumeister, Tice & Hutton, 1989 qtd in Oakes et al 779). To this, Anjala and Worthen added the specifics of body image and self image which comprises self-esteem (90) Inferring from these definitions in setting up a SMART Goal in developing my self esteem, I will initially target a 20% increase in positive self esteem, progressing to 40% in the second week, 60% in the third week and 80% increase in self-esteem the fourth week of assessing the development of my self-esteem. The SMART Goal is effective because it is grounded on reality and the parameters were conservative. It is not an overly optimistic goal that is difficult to achieve that would make one eventually abandon the plan. Rather, it is composed of step by step plan that only requires realistic efforts that could be done consistently. Inferring from the definition of Oakes et al and and Anjala, I will categorize the componenets of self esteem as internal and external. Internal are those whom Oakes said to feel good about myself and which is triggered by a positive stimuli that helps us cope positively with the challenges of life(Tariq 23). To achieve these goals I will engage in activities that are consistent with the internal and external components about self esteem. With regard to the internal factor of feeling good about myself, I will begin making more friends and spending more time with family

Violence In American Popular Culture Research Paper - 1

Violence In American Popular Culture - Research Paper Example Like many federal acts, PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) is more incumbent upon the shareholders to enforce than it is for government watch groups to enforce. In this way, the ultimate responsibility falls upon the leadership of the individual prison as a means of ensuring the prison rape is reported, minimized, and sought to be eliminated. As a function of performing this study, the authors noted that one of the shortcomings that prior research had failed to address was the role that prison wardens played in the reduction of incidence of prison rape; as such the need for the study itself to be undertaken was necessitated (Moster et al 67)). Unfortunately, the study found that there was little difference between the incidence and reporting levels of prison rape both pre and post PREA. This lack of change with regards to the level of prison rape that was measured and reported upon was surmised by the researchers to be fundamentally linked to the funding levels that prisons received. As a function of the limited sources of funding, prisons and prison wardens by extension have traditionally sought out other more important issues to be tackled. However, the issue of prison rape, as the authors argue, is perhaps the most important issue besides rehabilitation that any given prison or prison system can or should deal with. Due to the fact that prison rape is not only psychologically traumatic but the fact that it spreads diseases such as hepatitis, HIV, and a litany of others, the health and institution integrity of the system as a whole is put in jeopardy by such an oversight (Moster et al 69) With regards to the key information that has been studied thus far this semester with relation to the above topic, it is the belief of this author that the relationship that the ultimate shareholder, the prison warden, bears with relation to this issue is the one that most closely

Marketing Strategies Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Marketing Strategies Development - Essay Example The essay "Marketing Strategies Development" aims to design a competitive and successful marketing strategy for the launching of the new mark of mobile phone Leviathan. In the last two decades, there have been major changes in the broader economic environment resulting from increasing globalization, deregulation, increased the competition and specialization of industries cited in Kotler. This has lead organizations to form cooperative agreements, such as alliances, resulting in a shift from stand-alone competition to the networked rivalry. The marketing mix has its origin in the marketing of goods for consumer markets and consists of the well known 4P’s: Price, Promotion, Place, and Product and must be carefully coordinated for the greatest success. Therefore, two methods were presented through which the divisions could be segmented. I suggested segmenting the market into geographical, demographical and time segment. Through these methods, the company is better placed to meet up with its objectives. The paper calls for a value adding and marketing strategy for increasing yields to the company for the benefits of the entire business. The company expects to target not only high-yielding niche market but low-income household as well with the introduction of the new products. Key success factors within the market will be MoTecH Ltd brand of innovative quality furniture and promotional gifts, individualized customer services – tailor made custom design providing customers with what they want, when and how they want it.