Narrative Argument About Education Essay Example for Free

Narrative Argument About Education Essay Reading the web is not the same as reading in the book or magazine or even newspaper. The information that you read from the internet may not stick with you as long as it would if you were to read a book, newspaper, magazine, or journal. This can’t be a hundred percent accurate for everyone, but according to most people that I have questioned, the information that they read from the web/internet doesn’t stick with them as long as it does when they read an actual book, newspaper, or magazine. Personal computers can be empowering tools in a way of learning about technology, but in my opinion they do no good for learning when it comes to critical thinking skills and gaining accurate information for yourself. Most of the web pages that are out there are not even filled with accurate information. If there is no context on the web for the research you are looking up, then neither is there any history for it. Nothing online has been indexed before 1980, so therefore; the information is not completely accurate and gainful knowledge. According to Judith Levine, most of the data her students net are like trash fish, and by that I feel like she means that the information that they get is worthless and will not help them in any way. I would have to say that I can agree with her statement because as a web surfer myself I don’t see how it helps me. Yes, it does give me certain education in the information that I am surfing about, but it does and will not help me as much as it would if I were to read a book about that very same subject. I can gain more knowledge and keep it memorized with a book much easier than I can surfing the web. Judith talks about her students not being able to concentrate when she asks them to organize their impressions into coherent stories, and I find that to be due to the lack of critical thinking skills from not reading books anymore and using this computer technology for all of their research and surfing articles. I feel like students don’t get the full education of the subject that they need when they shortcut it by using the web for their papers. I agree with Judith’s statement about the diagnosis of an epidemic attention deficit disorder. It can be caused by the casual clicking and pointing that has come to stand in for intellectual inquiry. Technology may empower, but when will the power of it be used? Students don’t read anymore and so their critical thinking skills are not as great as they could be if they would just read instead. They should be reading books like literature, history, poetry, and politics so they can be listening to people who know what they are talking about. Otherwise, the information they get will be of no use to them. â€Å"The search engines that retrieve more than 100,000 links or none at all, they will be awkward at discerning meaning, or discerning at all† (Paragraph 14). After reading the story of Judith Levine’s argument about using the web for research papers versus reading books, I can feel like I totally agree with her on every aspect. â€Å"Because reading makes you use your brain. While reading you would be forced to reason out many things which are unfamiliar to you. Reading improves your vocabulary: Remember in elementary school when you learned how to infer the meaning of one word by reading the context of the other words in the sentence? You get the same benefit from book reading. While reading books, especially challenging ones, you will find yourself exposed to many new words you wouldn’t be otherwise.† â€Å"Reading also improves concentration and focus. It requires you to focus on what you are reading for long periods. Unlike magazines, internet posts or e-mails that might contain small chunks of information, books tell the whole story. Since you must concentrate in order to read, like a muscle, you will get better at concentration†Ã‚   Just like Judith talked about in her argument, she feels like the etiology of attention deficit disorder is due to the fact that students these days are not reading books anymore, but are only surfing the web which doesn’t help the brain to focus and concentrate. When students surf the web for answers there is no way of them being able to know if any particular fact is accurate or not. But when they read books it gives them better information that is sure to be accurate. So, when Judith Levine argues the point that she feels reading books, magazines, newspapers and etc. â€Å"are better that surfing the web, I would have to agree with her because it help us in our comprehension, practices our fluency, and many others. But nowadays, because reading books is boring and you have to read for almost a week or month, students today are so lazy to that and they always have the speech of, it’s a waste of time† â€Å"Using Computer is widely practice today’s generation. It is almost needed in the society. You can also be called an illiterate when you don’t know how to use it, because even a 7 years old kid can use the computer. Computers are easy to use, reliable, fast, and consume a short period of time† I believe that is why in the beginning of Judith’s argument she quoted Bill Gates statement after he bestowed a $200 million gift to America’s public libraries so they could hook up to the internet and I understand why he would feel the way he does about computers because of how popular they are in today’s society, but in my opinion I feel that they are not as empowering as people seem to think that they are. They will not give you the education and critical thinking skills that you need like books will do for you. So, therefore; I would have to agree with her argument towards Bill Gates decision and statement.

Free College Admissions Essays: Responding to Future Challenges :: College Admissions Essays

Responding to Future Challenges    As the world grows so do our challenges. Not only are our problems growing in number but they are also growing in complexity. There is scarcely a day that goes by when I don't hear about some new problem that will soon threaten us all. While some of these problems such as El Nino, earthquakes, and other natural disasters cannot be stopped -- there are other challenges such as the spread of racial hatred, rising risk of disease spread, and the growing levels of civil unrest throughout much of the world which threaten many lives everyday. Most of the future's challenges will only be made possible if all people, regardless of race, color, or nationality, attempt to work together for a stronger world. There are many ways in which I believe that I can help society meet this future challenge of coming together as a united world.    While I was an exchange student, I saw the world from a different point of view. For the first time, I realized that the people of the world have so many similarities in comparison to the few and insignificant differences. To make the people of the world unite would merely take time in convincing people of the world that we are all in pursuit of the same basic goals. All that it would take to show that this could be done is two different cultures to unite and then the rest of the world what can come by the strength all gain by coming together.    I believe that I can help in solving some of the barriers that hold us back from completing the task that we all desire which is unity. I served as a miniature version of a diplomat when I was an exchange student. I helped people in another country see that we all have common goals and I also helped sever the bonds to racial hatred by providing them insight into the American way of thinking and they did likewise for me. I have done everything to help sever these ancient bonds and will continue to do so in the future as I feel I am called to do.    Many suffer problems on a much less grandiose scale. Although these problems may not seem to be as big as world peace or global warming, they are however present.

Role of Project Manager

NICMAR ASSIGNMENT ON â€Å"ROLE OF PROJECT MANAGERS† SUBMITTED BY: JHA PRAVIN KUMAR JOSHI SOURABH MALANI GOVIND 221071 221074 221094 GUIDED BY: Prof. T. K. GANGULI ACM 22-SECTION 2 NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH, PUNE ROLE OF PROJECT MANAGERS Page 1 NICMAR INDEX Contents 1. Introduction 2. Role of Project Manager 2. 1 Planning 2. 2 Organizing 2. 3 Controlling 2. 4 Leading 2. 5 Communicating 2. 6 Cognitive functions 2. 7 Self management functions 2. 8 Motivational and personal development functions 2. 9 Customer awareness functions 2. 0 Organizational savvy functions 2. 11 Project Manager’s Unofficial Job Duties 3. Conclusion Page no. 3 5 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 9 9 9 10 ROLE OF PROJECT MANAGERS Page 2 NICMAR 1. Introduction 1. 1 Project A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to achieve a particular aim. At the most basic level, a project is actually the response to a need, the solution to a problem. Further it is a solution that promises a bene fit especially financial benefit. The fundamental purpose for most projects is to either make money or save money, hence projects should be financially justifiable. A project is temporary in nature; that means that it has a specific start and finish. A project consists of a well defined collection of small jobs and ordinarily culminates in the creation of an end product or products. A project is a unique, one time undertaking; it will never again be done exactly the same way, by the same people, and within the same environment. There will always be some uncertainty associated with the project. This uncertainty represents risks to your ability to make definitive plans and predict outcomes with high level of confidence. All projects consume resources in the form of time, money, materials and labour. 1. 2 Project Management Project management is the application of knowledge, skill, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirement. The project management process calls for the creation of a small organizational (project team), which is often a microcosm of larger organization. Once the team has produced desired outcome, the process then calls for the decommissioning of that small organizational structure. The project form of organization allows the manager to be responsive to: †¢ †¢ †¢ The client and the environment Identify and correct problems at an early date Make timely decisions about trade-offs between conflicting project goals ROLE OF PROJECT MANAGERS Page 3 NICMAR †¢ Ensure that managers of the separate tasks that comprise the project do not optimize the performance of their individual tasks at the expense of the total project- that is, that they do not suboptimize. 1. 3 Project Manager A project manager is usually responsible for the success or the failure of the project. They first need to define the project and then build its work plan. If the scope of the project is not very clear, or the project is executing poorly, the manager is held accountable. However, this does not mean that the manager does all the work by himself (which is practically impossible). There is an entire team under the project manager, which helps to achieve all the objectives of the project. However, if something goes wrong, the project manager is ultimately accountable. Apart from this, depending on the size and the complexity of the project, they may need to take on multiple roles. The project manager may need to assist with gathering business requirements, help to design a database management system or may prepare project documentation. They may work full time on a large project, or may work part-time on various projects of a smaller nature; or may alternatively handle various projects as well as handle other responsibilities like business analysis and business development. At times, they may have accountability but not authority. For example, he or she may be using certain resources but might not have direct control over those resources. At such times, the manager might find certain limitations over task execution, which might not take place as they might have liked. Not having direct control over the state of finances and finance allocation might cause ambiguity. Project managers use project management software, such as Microsoft Project, to organize their tasks and workforce. These software packages allow project managers to produce reports and charts in a few minutes, compared to the several hours it can take if they do not use a software package. ROLE OF PROJECT MANAGERS Page 4 NICMAR In order to be successful, the project manager must be given support and authority by senior management. 2. Role of Project Manager It is the responsibility of project manager to make sure that the customer is satisfied and the work scope is completed in a quality manner, using budget, and on time. The Project Manager has primary responsibility for providing leadership in planning, organizing and controlling the work effort to accomplish the project objectives. In other words, the project manager provides the leadership to project team to accomplish the project objective. The project manager coordinates the activities of various team members to ensure that they perform the right tasks at the proper time, as a cohesive group. The different roles of project manager are as follows: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Planning Organizing Controlling Leading Communicating Cognitive functions Self management functions Motivational and personal development functions Customer awareness functions Organizational savvy functions ROLE OF PROJECT MANAGERS Page 5 NICMAR 2. 1 Planning First, the project manager clearly defines the project objectives and reaches agreement with the customer on this objective. The manager then communicate this objective to the project team in such a manner as to create a vision of what will constitute successful accomplishment of the objective. The project manager spearheads development of a plan to achieve the project objectives. By involving the project team in developing this plan, the project manager ensures more comprehensive plan than he or she could develop alone. Furthermore, such participation gains the commitment of the team to achieve the plan. The project manager reviews the plan with the customer to gain endorsement and then sets up the project management information system-either manual or computerized-for comparing actual progress to plan progress. It’s important that this system be explained to the project team so that the team can use it properly to manage the project. 2. 2 Organizing Organizing involves securing the appropriate resources to perform the work. First, the project must decide which tasks should be done in-house and which tasks should be done by subcontractors or consultants. For tasks that will be carried out in-house, the project manager gains a commitment from the specific people who will work on the project. For tasks that will be performed by subcontractors, the project manager clearly defines the work scope and deliverables and negotiates a contract with each subcontractor. The project manager also assigns responsibility and delegates’ authority to specific individuals or subcontractors for the various tasks, with the understanding that they will e accountable for the accomplishment of their tasks within the assigned budget and schedule. For large projects involving many individuals, the project manager may designate leaders for specific group of tasks. Finally, and most important, the task of organizing involves creating an environment in which the individuals are highly motivated to work together as a project t eam. ROLE OF PROJECT MANAGERS Page 6 NICMAR 2. 3 Controlling To control the project, the project manager implements a management information system designed to track actual progress and compare it with planned progress. Such a system helps the manager distinguish between busy-ness and accomplishments. Project team members monitor the progress of their assigned tasks and regularly provide data on progress, schedule and cost. These data are supplemented by regular project review meetings. If actual progress falls behind planned progress or unexpected events occur the project manager takes immediate action. He or she obtains input and advice from team members regarding appropriate corrective actions and how to replan those parts of the project. It’s important that problems and even potential problems, be identified early and action taken. The project manager cannot take a â€Å"let’s wait and see how things works out† approach- things never works out on their own. He or she must intervene and be proactive, resolving problems before they become worse. 2. 4 Leading Project manager fosters development of a common mission and vision to the team members. He should clearly define roles, responsibilities and performance expectations for all his team members. He uses leadership style appropriately to situation or stage of team development. He should be able to foster collaboration among team members. He should provide clear direction and priorities to his team members. He should be efficient enough to remove obstacles that hamper team progress, readiness or effectiveness. He should promote team participation in problem solving and decision making as appropriate. He should pass credit on to team, and promotes their positive visibility to upper management. He should appreciate, promote and leverage the diversity within the team. 2. 5 Communicating ROLE OF PROJECT MANAGERS Page 7 NICMAR The Project Manager should be able to communicate effectively with all levels inside and outside of the organizations. He should be able to negotiate fairly and effectively with the customers/subcontractors. He should be able to bring conflicts into the open and manages it collaboratively and productively with the help of other team members. He should be able to able to influence without relying on coercive power or threats. He should be able to convey ideas and information clearly and concisely, both in writing and orally to all the team members. . 6 Cognitive functions The project manager should identify the problem and gathers information systematically and seeks input from several sources. He should then consider a broad range of issues or factors while solving these problems. For this he collects the appropriate quantity of data for the situation and discusses it with all the team members before making a decision. He then draws accurate conclusions from quantitative data and makes decisions in an unbiased, objective manner using an appropriate process. For this process of decision making he understands the concept of risk versus return and makes decision accordingly. 2. 7 Self management functions The project manager should be able to maintain focus and control when faced with ambiguity and uncertainty and should be able to show consistency among principles, values and behavior. He should be resilient and tenacious in the face of pressure, opposition, constraints, or adversity. Being the head of the project he should manage implementations effectively and should recognize as someone â€Å"who gets things done. He should continuously seek feedbacks from the team members and modify his behavior accordingly. He should take keen interest in learning and self development opportunities. 2. 8 Motivational and personal development functions Project manager should consider individual skills, values and interest of all his team members when assigning or delegating tasks to them. He should allow team ROLE OF PROJECT MANAGERS Page 8 NICMAR me mbers an appropriate amount of freedom to do the job. He should accurately access individual strength and development needs of his team members to complete the work effectively. He should continuously offer opportunities for personal and professional growth to his team members. He should arrange for training program and continuously seeks support to his team member when needed. He should pass credit on to the individuals and promote their positive visibility to upper management. He should give timely, specific and constructive feedback to all his team members. 2. 9 Customer awareness functions Project manager should be able to anticipate customer’s needs effectively and proactively strives to satisfy them. He should be able to accurately translate the customer’s verbalized wants into what they actually needs. He should be able to understand customers and their business and actively build and maintain strong customer relationships. He should understand customer’s issues, concerns and queries and try to resolve them effectively. He should actively strive to exceed customer expectations. 2. 10 Organizational savvy functions Project manager should involve the right people at the right time for a particular job. Understands, accepts and properly uses power and influence in relationships. He should build and leverage formal and informal networks to get things done. He should know the mission, structure and functions of the organizations and others. He should understand profitability and general management philosophy. He balance interests and needs of team/project with those of the broader organization. 2. 11 Project Manager’s Unofficial Job Duties The functional competencies listed above represents official duties of the typical project manager. In fact, if organization has developed a job description for project managers, it probably includes many of these functional competencies. What we won’t find in job description are the unofficial duties that Project Managers perform in the course of carrying out their mission. Let’s examine some of the key ones: ROLE OF PROJECT MANAGERS Page 9 NICMAR Babysitter: This refers to the apparent need to provide close guidance or detailed instructions to certain individuals. This situation results from any number of root causes. The target may be under qualified, lack of confidence or simply crave attention. Salesperson: There will be times when they will have to rely heavily on their ability to influence thers to sell an idea, sell themselves or perhaps sell the virtues of Project Management. Most of the selling situations will be helpful and have positive outcomes. However if he find himself spending too much time selling Project Management, they may signal deeper underline problems such as issues of trust or confidence. If most of the selling he does to his management, he is in trouble; this is a signal that l ife as a project manager may be exceptionally challenging. Teacher: This is an example of an unofficial role that actually yields positive roles. In fact, superior project managers will be able to educate and develop those they work with as they manage the project. Friend: Maintaining friendship and professional relationship with the same people is difficult. However if they can do it they will benefit greatly. An open, informal and comfortable communication linkage is much more likely to keep them supplied with more of the information they need than formal, rigorous and stiff team meetings. Finally avoid the trap of believing that he is been put in charge of a project so he has risen above his peers and friendship no longer matters. . Conclusion â€Å"The Project Manager is a key ingredient in the success of a Project. In addition to providing leadership in planning, organizing and controlling the Project, the manager should possess a set of skills that will both inspire the project team to succeed and win the confidence of the customer. Effective Project Managers have strong leadership ability, the ability to develop people , excellent communication skills, good inter personal skills, the ability to handle stress, problem solving skills and time management skills†. ROLE OF PROJECT MANAGERS Page 10

Its Time For a Gay or Lesbian Disney Hero Essay - 2646 Words

The Walt Disney Company is well-known the world over for its magical â€Å"once upon a times† and wholesome â€Å"happily ever afters.† Stories like Cinderella, Snow White, and The Little Mermaid all feature captivating tales of beautiful young women who are pure of heart seeking adventure and true love. Disney paints the picture of a strong sense of faith and love, which act as guiding forces that provide access to a lifetime of happiness. Unfortunately, these stories all lack a crucial sense of diversity in today’s emerging and multicultural world. In the realm of the Disney Princesses franchise specifically, seven of the eleven women are Caucasian. Of these princesses, Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, and Aurora all exhibit similar aspects of†¦show more content†¦It is time that Disney addressed this lack of diversity in their animated films. To do this, it is necessary that every aspect of the filmmaking process be inclusive to different identities. For the well-being of the company’s image and a more positive impact on popular culture and human development, Disney must incorporate the endless possibilities of realistic family values and individual issues into three introductory films that will open the door for more expressive, inclusive films and a more accepting environment worldwide. Although to many the Walt Disney Company may just be a fond childhood memory, Disney’s media and consumer initiatives transcend national boundaries. The Disney corporation owns or exerts influence in six movie studios (three of which are animation studios), the ABC network (which has 226 affiliated stations), ESPN, and seven other TV channels. They control 227 radio stations, as well as multiple vacation resorts, theme parks, cruise lines, and Broadway production companies. They publish books and magazines, and even maintain a secure browser via the Walt Disney Internet Group. All of this is done while holding 10 franchises that produce consumer products within the Disney Stores and elsewhere to provide families everywhere with the Disney brand in their dailyShow MoreRelatedStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesThree Ethical Decision Criteria 187 †¢ Improving Creativity in Decision Making 188 Summary and Implications for Managers 190 S A S A S A L L L Self-Assessment Library What Are My Gender Role Perceptions? 166 glOBalization! Chinese Time, North American Time 171 Myth or Science? Creative Decision Making Is a Right-Brain Activity 181 Self-Assessment Library Am I A Deliberate Decision Maker? 183 An Ethical Choice Whose Ethical Standards to Follow? 185 Self-Assessment Library How Creative Am I?Read MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 Pagesresources With WileyPLUS: Students achieve concept mastery in a rich, structured environment that’s available 24/7 Instructors personalize and manage their course more effectively with assessment, assignments, grade tracking, and more manage time better study smarter save money From multiple study paths, to self-assessment, to a wealth of interactive visual and audio resources, WileyPLUS gives you everything you need to personalize the teaching and learning experience.  » F i n d o u tRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagescase can be made for viewing the decades of the global scramble for colonies after 1870 as a predictable culmination of the long nineteenth century, which was ushered in by the industrial and political revolutions of the late 1700s. But at the same time, without serious attention to the processes and misguided policies that led to decades of agrarian and industrial depression from the late 1860s to the 1890s, as well as the social tensions and political rivalries that generated and were in turn

Holmium Facts - Element Atomic Number 67

Holmium is atomic number 67 with element symbol Ho. It is a rare earth metal belonging to the lanthanide series. HolmiumBasic Facts Atomic Number: 67 Symbol: Ho Atomic Weight: 164.93032 Discovery: Delafontaine 1878 or J.L. Soret 1878 (Switzerland) Electron Configuration: [Xe] 4f11 6s2 Element Classification: Rare Earth (Lanthanide) Word Origin: Holmia, the Latinized name for Stockholm, Sweden. Holmium Physical Data Density (g/cc): 8.795 Melting Point (K): 1747 Boiling Point (K): 2968 Appearance: relatively soft, malleable, lustrous, silvery metal Atomic Radius (pm): 179 Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 18.7 Covalent Radius (pm): 158 Ionic Radius: 89.4 (3e) Specific Heat (20Â °C J/g mol): 0.164 Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 301 Pauling Negativity Number: 1.23 First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 574 Oxidation States: 3 Lattice Structure: Hexagonal Lattice Constant (Ã…): 3.580 Lattice C/A Ratio: 1.570 References: Los Alamos National Laboratory (2001), Crescent Chemical Company (2001), Langes Handbook of Chemistry (1952), CRC Handbook of Chemistry Physics (18th Ed.) What is an element? Return to the Periodic Table

The Struggles of the Worn Out Arthur Millers Death of A...

From the time Arthur Miller began writing plays, till his recent death in 2005, he had never had such a well know play as Death of a Salesman. This play was first performed in the late 1940’s. It reveals the struggle of an old, worn out, salesman who is upset with the life that he has created. With the strain of his past mistakes lurking in the back of his mind, Willy cannot handle the stress and begins to have hallucinations of the past about the things he could have changed. 1.) Towards the end of Willy’s life he is beginning to realizing all the destruction not only of himself, but of his family, marriage, and job. Who is to blame for all this destruction? Society? His family? Or Willy himself? I believe the answer to that†¦show more content†¦No one made that decision of cheating other than Willy; he can’t blame it on anyone but himself. Making that decision impacted Willy for the rest of his life. Every time he left he was so vulnerable for wrongful choices. Another big reason I believed that lead Willy to have destruction was that he relied too much on his children. He expected something more than they could give him. Both of his children knew they couldn’t give their dad what he wanted, which ruined their relationship. 2.) As the play ended the state of Willy and his mindset began to change. He started to relies the type of life he had lived and the type he wanted to live. Early in his life he imagined of becoming a successful business man. â€Å"Don’t say? Tell you a secret boy. Don’t breathe it to a soul. Someday I’ll have my own business and I’ll never have to leave home anymore† (23). One who would not have to travel, have his own office, and own a really nice suit. He foreseen all the connections he would have with others in the business world and how they would all remember him from the success he would have. But that idea was far from reality. No one remembered Willy in the business world he was just another travelling worker, no big shot, someone who was soon to retire. As Willy thought about this more all he could hope for was the success of the two good-looking boys he had raised, in hope that they would be the next big thing. ButShow MoreRelatedAn alysis Of Arthur Millers Death Of Salesman 1548 Words   |  7 Pages Research paper on death of salesman Arthur Miller created stories that express the deepest meanings of struggle. Miller is the most prominent twentieth-century American playwrights. He based his works on his own life, and his observations of the American scene. Arthur Asher Miller was born 17 October 1915 in Manhattan, New York city. He was the son of Jewish immigrants from Poland. His parents had a prosperous clothing company. Unfortunately when the stock market crashed, because his familyRead MoreAnalysis Of Arthur Millers Death Of Salesman 1611 Words   |  7 PagesResearch paper on death of salesman Arthur Miller created stories that express the deepest meanings of struggle. Miller is the most prominent twentieth-century American playwrights. He based his works on his own life, and his observations of the American scene. Arthur Asher Miller was born 17 October 1915 in Manhattan, New York city. He was the son of Jewish immigrants from Poland. His parents had a prosperous clothing company. Unfortunately when the stock market crashed, because his familyRead MoreGatsby And Death Of A Salesman Analysis1003 Words   |  5 Pagesin F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman are both American men in pursuit of the American Dream which is, to acquire wealth, success, and prestige. This quest for money drives modern-day America, but behind our perpetual urge to consume and possess lays a grim motive. It is human awareness of mortality and the subsequent desire to prove we are special and somehow resistant to death t hat fuels the longing for wealth and possessions. The beliefRead MoreSummary Of Death Of A Salesman 3982 Words   |  16 Pagesâ€Å"American Literature and Corporate Culture† Professor Ritzenberg Final Paper Looking for Someone To Blame in the Mirror Arthur Miller s play â€Å"Death of a Salesman† tells the story of a salesman confronting failure in the success-driven society of America and shows the tragic trajectory that eventually leads to his suicide. It addresses a broken family, loss of identity, and a salesman s inability to accept change within himself and society. On the other hand, based on the memoir written by Jordan BelfortRead MoreThe Great Playwright s Life Story2415 Words   |  10 PagesYet even after her death, critics and reviewers continue to praise Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, recognizing it as an American classic that still speaks to society today. In his critical essay â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun’s Enduring Passion,† Amiri Baraka comments that Hansberry’s play â€Å"is about dreams†¦And how those psychological projections of human life can come into conflict like any other product of that life† (12). These dreams, as Baraka states, accurately reflect class struggle, where the â€Å"realizable

Culture of Poverty free essay sample

The belief that poverty stems from individual deficiencies is old. Religious doctrine that equated wealth with the favor of God was central to the Protestant reformation (Weber 2001) and blind, crippled, or deformed people were believed to be punished by God for either their or their parents’ sins. With the emergence of the concept of inherited intelligence in the 19th century, the eugenics movement went so far as to rationalize poverty and even sterilization for those who appeared to have limited abilities. Books like Hurrnstein and Murray’s The Bell Curve (1994) are modern uses of this explanation. Rainwater (1970:16) critically discusses individualistic theories of poverty as a â€Å"moralizing perspective† and notes that the poor are â€Å"afflicted with the mark of Cain. They are meant to suffer, indeed must suffer, because of their moral failings. They live in a deserved hell on earth. † Rainwater goes on to say that it is difficult to overestimate the extent to which this perspective (incorrectly) under-girds our visions of poverty, including the perspective of the disinherited themselves. Ironically, neo-classical economics reinforces individualistic sources of poverty. The core premise of this dominant paradigm for the study of the conditions leading to poverty is that individuals seek to maximize their own well being by making choices and investments, and that (assuming that they have perfect information) they seek to maximize their well being. When some people choose short term and low-payoff returns, economic theory holds the individual largely responsible for their individual choicesfor example to forego college education or other training that will lead to better paying jobs in the future. The economic theory that the poor lack incentives for improving their own conditions is a recurrent theme in articles that blame the welfare system’s generosity on the perpetuation of poverty. In a Cato Journal article, economists Gwartney and McCaleb argue that the years of the war on poverty actually increased poverty (adjusted for noncash transfers) among working age adults in spite of unprecedented increases in welfare expenditures. They conclude that â€Å"the application of simple economic theory† suggests that the problem lies in the war on poverty programs: They [welfare programs] have introduced a perverse incentive structure, one that penalizes self-improvement and protects individuals against the consequences of their own bad choices. (1985: 7) This and similar arguments that cast the poor as a â€Å"moral hazard† also hold that â€Å"the problem of poverty continues to fester not because we are failing to do enough, but because we are doing too much that is counterproductive† (Gwartney and McCaleb 1985:15). Their economic model would solve poverty by assuring that the penalty of poverty was great enough that none would choose it (and welfare would be restricted to the truly disabled or otherwise unable to work). A less widely critiqued version of the individualistic theory of poverty comes from American values of individualism—the Horatio Alger myth that any individual can succeed by skills and hard work, and that motivation and persistence are all that are required to achieve success (see Asen, 2002:29-34). Self-help literature reinforces the belief that individuals fail because they do not try hard enough. Frank Bettger (1977:187-8), in the Dale Carnegie tradition, tells how he got a list of self-improvement goals on which to focus and became one of the most successful and highly paid salesmen in America. He goes on to say that anyone can succeed by an easy formulafocused goals and hard work. This is the message of hundreds of self-help books, articles, and sermons. By extension, this literature implies that those who do not succeed must face the fact that they themselves are responsible for their failure. While scientifically it is routine to dismiss the individual deficiency theory as an apology for social inequality (Fischer, et al, 1996) , it is easy to see how it is embraced in anti-poverty policy which suggests that penalties and incentives can change behavior. 2. Poverty Caused by Cultural Belief Systems that Support Sub-Cultures of Poverty The second theory of poverty roots its cause in the â€Å"Culture of Poverty†. This theory is sometimes linked with the individual theory of poverty or other theories to be introduced below, but it recently has become so widely discussed that its special features should not be minimized. This theory suggests that poverty is created by the transmission over generations of a set of beliefs, values, and skills that are socially generated but individually held. Individuals are not necessarily to blame because they are victims of their dysfunctional subculture or culture. American Sociology has long been fascinated by subcultures of immigrants and ghetto residents as well as the wealthy and powerful. Culture is socially generated and perpetuated, reflecting the interaction of individual and community. This makes the â€Å"culture of poverty† theory different from the â€Å"individual† theories that link poverty explicitly to individual abilities and motivation. Technically, the culture of poverty is a subculture of poor people in ghettos, poor regions, or social contexts where they develop a shared set of beliefs, values and norms for behavior that are separate from but embedded in the culture of the main society. Oscar Lewis was one of the main writers to define the culture of poverty as a set of beliefs and values passed from generation to generation. He writes, Once the culture of poverty has come into existence it tends to perpetuate itself. By the time slum children are six or seven they have usually absorbed the basic attitudes and values of their subculture. Thereafter they are psychologically unready to take full advantage of changing conditions or improving opportunities that may develop in their lifetime. ( Scientific American, October 1966 quoted in Ryan, 1976: 120) 8 Cultures are socialized and learned, and one of the tenants of learning theory is that rewards follow to those who learn what is intended. The culture of poverty theory explains how government antipoverty programs reward people who manipulate the policy and stay on welfare. The underlying argument of conservatives such as Charles Murray in Loosing Ground (1984) is that government welfare perpetuated poverty by permitting a cycle of â€Å"welfare dependency† where poor families develop and pass on to others the skills needed to work the system rather than to gain paying employment. The net result of this theory of poverty is summed by Asen’s (2002: 48) perceptive phrase, â€Å"From the war on poverty to the war on welfare. This theory of poverty based on perpetuation of cultural values has been fraught with controversy. No one disputes that poor people have subcultures or that the subcultures of the poor are distinctive and perhaps detrimental. The concern is over what causes and constitutes the subculture of poverty. Daniel Patrick Moynihan found the concept particularly applicable to his study of Black p overty in the early 1960s and linked Black poverty to the largely â€Å"dysfunctional† Black family found in central cities. Valentine (1968:20) criticizes E. Franklin Frazier, who with Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1965), portrayed the culture of the negro poor as an â€Å"immoral chaos brought about by the disintegration of the black folk culture under the impact of urbanization†. In other sub-cultural situations the cultural portrayal of the poor is more sympathetic. For example, many liberal scholars understand the cultural problems that Native Americans face trying to assimilate middle class value systems.