Trend and Data Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Trend and Data Analysis - Essay Example For understanding of any event or data, trends play an important and in this assignment we try to focus our attention of understanding and comprehending the information provided by the tables, facts and figures which are spread over long period of time. In the following situation we take a set of data that can be viewed over a period of time like ten years. Being a Language Arts teacher the set of data which is of particular interest is any set of data or information regarding discipline or other variants of discipline. Discipline happens to be an important aspect in judging any person and this aspect becomes of paramount importance when the scenario of schools is being looked into. If we look at data presented to us by National Center of Education Statistics we can gather some important information which can help us analyze this important aspect of public schools in United States. To understand the trends in more detailed manner we have to look the set of information in three different phases. The phases deal around the period of 1996-97, 2000 and 2003-2005. Thus such a long period of data sets could give us in-depth view of the whole situation of discipline in schools of United States. If we look at the scenario of public schools in 1996-1997 we can see that almost half of the public schools present in the country reported a minimum of one crime incident taking place in school premises. Another thing is that the trend of student absenteeism and physical conflicts among students continued to grow in upward trend if we compare the years of 1991 and 1996 signifying the fact that student indiscipline was growing among public school communities of the country. This can be bolstered by the fact that nearly sixty percent of the public schools which include both elementary and secondary schools reported the incidents of crime, violence and indiscipline. One trend we can notice by looking at the facts of levels of indiscipline and violence in these schools is that escalation pattern of the discipline problems to higher levels leading to situations like violence. It can be attributed by the fact that schools which actually reported discipline problems were facing a likelihood of experiencing quite a lot of incidents of violence and thus were more likely to have experienced incidents of crime when compared to those schools with less serious discipline problems. Another trend to be considered in the area of discipline is to view the argument from the public high schools and public elementary school's perspective (DeVoe, 2005). In this case the trends from the past decade has shown that the heads of the school regard at least one of the many discipline issues as serious in their schools so as to make sure that proper suitable action need to be taken place. This can attributed by the fact that almost forty percent of the high school principals repor ted a minimum of one serious discipline problem in their schools when compared to middle and elementary schools which reported around eighteen and eight percent respectively. Another trend which made impact in the public schools is increase of student bullying. As per the data of indicator of school crime, safety and discipline statistics, nearly thirty percent of the public schools reported weekly student bullying (Kauffman, 2002). Interesting analysis which crops up after

Portugal Essay Example for Free

Portugal Essay 1.0   Introduction This presentation provides an overview of geographical, historical and cultural aspects of the Portugal. This follows discusses on food patterns and food habits among the Portuguese, their typical meals and food etiquette, frequencies of dining and food taboos that do exist. Therapeutic effects of food eaten including wine and home or traditional remedies used that involve both food and herbs are keenly analyzed. Lastly, the major public holidays in Portugal are outlined and their associated meals that are served. 2.0   Geographical overview Portugal is situated at Southwest Europe; it is one of the westernmost countries in Europe. It borders Atlantic Oceans to the west and south. To the north and east it neighbors Spain. Portugal country covers an area of approximately 92,391 square kilometers. The land surface occupies approximately 91,951 squares kilometers with about ten million people. Portugal experiences maritime temperate type of climate. Its northern parts are cool and rainy while in the southern parts are warmer and little drier. Generally, it is one of the warmest European countries. The Portugal mainland is divided by river Tagus which is the main river in the country. It has a mountainous terrain to the north of Tagus River and gently rolling plains in the south (Lovel, 2008). 3.0   History and culture Portuguese is the official language used in the country. Also Mirandese language is used but locally. Portugal derived its name partly from Roman name ‘Cale’ and the city Porto.   The word Cale used to refer the region between river Douro and Minho. Cale actually referred to the early settlers at the mouth of river Douro. The word Cale or ‘Gal’ together with the city Porto formed the county’s name Portugal. In the early times, the land of Portugal was settled by Pre-Celts and Celts. Portugal managed to gain its independence after several conquests from invading kingdoms and claimed its present border. Later it held several explorations in the world that marked the Age of Discovery. Portuguese’s zeal for exploration was because of their long shoreline that presented a favorable environment of sailing skills, needs for accessing European markets and desire to make more conquests. By the end of firth century, Portuguese had explored regions as far as coast of Africa establishing many trading stations with various kingdoms. One of the most remarkable explorations is that of Vasco da Gama when he sailed through the Cape Town en route to India in 1498. In 1500 Portugal discovered Brazil and claimed to be its territory. Portuguese conquered several Asian nations of that time and became dominant in commerce around Indian Ocean and Atlantic regions. In 1st November 1755, Portugal capital city Lisbon was severely hit by earthquake that left thousands dead and part of the city destroyed. Also, in 1807 during the Napoleon war, French troops invaded Portugal for war that was called Peninsular war or French Invasion of Portugal that lasted close to a decade when British and Portuguese formed a coalition to flush out French troops. Portuguese dominance gradually started to decline especially when Brazil showed interest for independence. Brazil was Portugal’s largest colonial territory. By close of 19th Century, Portugal had lost control over South America and sought new territories in Africa. Portuguese Colonial rule in the world came to the end after their last overseas territory Macau gained its independence in 1999. Portugal was the founding member of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) which was established by signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949 (Kyler, Brandin and Ethan, 2002). The culture   of the Portuguese traces it root to the time of   Roman and Moorish invasion .As it has been found , these invasions did left   some cultural elements   which that are seen   in archeological remains. Basically, Portuguese culture has been influenced the Latin, the Visigoth and the Muslim culture. According to the Portuguese culture family is considered to be the basic unit in the society. A kinship network tie is so knit such that two or more generations can live in the same house. Even when men and women move to the urban areas they try as much as possible to be in touch with their relatives back at home. Normally women stay at home while men move out to make for a living. Traditionally, father is the head of the house and the breadwinner and the mother takes care of the family. However, presently the role of man is not highly regarded as to that of women. Portuguese elders are highly respected. Family loyalty prevails more than any other social relationship or even business. Portuguese have high sense of formality especially when dealing with each other. However, they are traditional and conservative. Their culture is one that respects the hierarchy because both society and business is highly stratified. The conformity to hierarchical relationship is amplified by both the Catholic Church and the family structure. People have high respect of authority to a point that they look to those above them for guidance and decision making. They also regard appearance very much especially in the cities. For this reason, people strive to wear good fabrics and clothes they can afford (http://www.portugal-live.net/UK/essential/culture.html, 2008). Etiquette and customs are highly held with great care. In the first time contact, first greetings are reserved though polite, which take form of handshake accompanied with direct eye contact plus appropriate greeting of the day. After acquaintance, greeting now proceeds to be more personal where men can greet each other with hugs and handshakes while women can kiss each other on each side of the check starting with the right one. Titles includes honorific titles such as ‘Senhora or senhor’ together with the sir name. Any university degree holder is usually referred to with honorific title with ‘doutour’ or ‘douttooura’ which is the word for doctor, together with or without the surname. It is always wise to use formal case than informal until your friend suggest otherwise. The etiquette for giving gifts requires that if you are invited for a dinner please carry flowers with you and do not give thirteen flowers as the number is considered unlucky. Red flowers are not given as they are considered to be symbol of revolution. It is cultural to open gifts after they have been received. The majority of Portuguese are Christians belonging to Roman Catholic religion. But there are other groups such as Islam, Protestantism and Judaism. 4.0   Food habits and patterns Portugal is considered to be one of the southern European countries that have Mediterranean dietary habits. This is type of the diet is a good example of nutritional habits that have evolved in North Atlantic countries. The term Mediterranean diet is not necessarily associated with idea of geographical region as such. This is because for instance Portugal is not in Mediterranean coast and yet it has the most typical Mediterranean dietary tradition among the European nations. The main characteristics of Mediterranean diet   includes,   high consumption of fruits and vegetables, widespread consumption of fish, use of olive oil in the diet and   tradition deep-frying as   a method of   cooking. These characteristics are common in different varieties of Mediterranean diet based on the role and importance of nutritional groups they play especially in Mediterranean countries.   In this diet, high consumption of vegetable and fruits provide high fiber intake practically pectin which is a soluble fiber. Besides this, plenty of fruits and vegetables provide high contents of beta-carotene, folic acid and vitamin C. Portugal is considered to have high intake of vitamin C in the European countries and the most of it comes from raw food intake. Portuguese are known to be passionate about their cuisine which is reflected by their nutritious diet. One of striking features of Portuguese food habits is use of wine. Portuguese wine is classic for its taste and quality that make them to be the best wine producers in the world. Because the country is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the south and west, fish is the main component of their diet. Fishes like caldeirada, sardines and cod together with their recipes are the main constitutes of their menu. They also make use of pork, beef, chicken and lamb in their diet. Commonly, these meats are used as add ons with sandwiches. Portuguese are also very well known because of their pastry art. There is wide used of spices such as chillli peppers, cinnamon, vanilla and saffron. It is a Portuguese habit not often to eat breakfast; instead prefer just a coffee and perhaps a bread roll. Hot meals are always preferred even during the summers (http://www.spain-recipes.com/mediterranean-diet-01.html, n.d). In Portugal there is diet transition from traditional food pattern characterized by high availability of principal carbohydrates to high consumption of protein foods. This shift in dietary pattern is prominent in urban areas which seem to be influenced by education level and urbanization. 4.1   Typical meals, frequency of dinning and food etiquette Portuguese breakfast is called pequeno-almaco in Portuguese language.   Their breakfast most of times consist of fresh bread, with butter, cheese or fruit preserves together with a strong coffee or milk.   Breakfast cereals and sweet pastries are very popular especially when eaten cold and mixed with milk, yoghurt and fruit. But more often they prefer a cup of coffee and at times a bread roll for breakfast. There are about four typical meals from meat namely: carne de porco a alentejane, leitao assado, bife de porcolde avaca, figa com arroz and feijaoada.Carne de porco a alentejane is a meal that is made up of pork with clams.Leitao assado is a type of meal that consists of roasted sucking pig while that of bife deporcolde avaca has pork or beef steak. Figado com arroz is a meal with liver and rice and for feijoada, it is a been stew with black pudding. There are various meals made of fish. Bacalhau which is a salted cod fish is very famous in the region. Also there are other popular   fish dishes such as lulas fritas which is a grilled squid,   bacalhau a bras being a cod with eggs   and potatoes , arroz de marisco, a seafood rice, pescada which is hake ,caldeirada , fish stew and lastly sardinhas assadas which is grilled sardines. Soups form part of every meal. The most popular of the soup is caldo verde which is a moderate thin potato puree and thinly chopped collard green and slice of pork sausage (chourico). In drinks, red, white and green wine forms the traditional Portuguese drink. Portuguese have three main meals in a day that is; breakfast, lunch and supper. However, in the course of the day there are numerous cups of black coffee that grace day’s work. They take breakfast early in the morning and have lunch around 1pm to 3pm. As a norm supper is eaten at around 8 pm. Everyone has to observe dinning etiquette. If one has been invited for diner he or she should not be late for more than fifteen minutes. But in a social gathering or in a party, this doesn’t apply. Dressing code is necessary. Portuguese have no much difference between business and social attire; nevertheless, one should not discus business matters in a social gathering. If by the time you turn up for an invitation you had not carried a flower, it is necessary to sent it the follow day to the hostess. Table manners are also formal in that once you get inside the dinning room you should remain standing until directed where to sit. Portuguese consider table manners to be Continental. You should hold the fork with left hand and knife with your right hand when eating. At no time should you start eating before you hear an expression from hostess saying ‘bom appettito’.   Never rest your elbow on the table. All foods must be eaten using the provided utensils including fruit and cheese. When eating always one should keep napkin to the left of the plate and never put it on the lap and after finishing eating at least leave some food in the plate. To show that you are through one should lay the knife and fork parallel on the plate, tines facing up with handles facing to the right. In Portugal, culturally there are no food taboos. However, for those who are Catholic religion affiliates they have some religious eating habits just like any other religious Catholic country (Schwabe, 1979) 4.2   Therapeutic uses of food and Home therapies Mediterranean diet consists of high intake of vegetable that helps to lower risk of colon cancer, hyperchoresterol and aids in management of diabetes. Also there is a liberal intake of vitamin C helps to boost immune system, increase dietary iron bioavaliabity and maintenance of endothelium membranes. Beta-carotene together with vitamin C acts as antioxidants that also reduce risks of cancer. Consumption of  Ã‚   vegetable oils particularly from olive oil provides in the diet Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acid (PUFA) and Mono-Unsaturated Fatty Acid (MUFA) which help to low risks associated with cardiovascular diseases. Wine have been suggested to have potential therapeutic effects due to the presence of   components such as flavonoids and other antioxidants responsible in   reducing risks associated with   heart diseases. Generally, alcohol has minimal therapeutic effects such as small increments of High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) as well as reduction in blood coagulation. However, it should be note that there is no scientific proof that intake of wine or alcohol can replace conventional measures in cardiovascular management (http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4422, 2008) The most common traditional used herbs in Portugal include fennel (Foeniciulum vulgare) mint (Mentha spicata), pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium), rosemary (Rosmarinus) and wild thyme (Thymus serppyllum). Mint has been used for a long time as herb in Portugal for its properties in treating stomach ache, chest problems and aiding digestion in form of herbal tea. Pennyroyal which a member of mint genus has been traditional used to treat flatulence, gum strengthener, a tumor remedy and a lung cleanser. Rosemary freash or dried leaves has been used frequently in traditional Mediterranean cuisine and as well as herb. It is traditionally used for management of respiratory problems such as colds and cough. Wild Thyme in Portugal has been generally used as herbal tea and also for seasoning food. Fennel is found in temperate regions in Europe and is a perennial herb. Portuguese for a long time have been using its seeds to relax intestine and manage bloating in form of herbal tea. 4.3   Portugal major holidays and dishes Portugal major holidays includes Liberty Day on every 25th of April, Labor Day on 1st May, Christmas Day on 25th, Epiphany on 6th January and New Year celebration. The major dishes during Christmas time are rice pudding (arroz doce) and salt cod (bacalhau) with olive oil potatoes, grains and cabbage. It is commonly accompanied by array of  Ã‚   rich desserts.   Also there are varieties of fried goodies offered as sweets, rabanadas which resembles French toast, rice pudding and sobremesas which are traditional Christmas pastries. Epiphany is a Christian feast day that celebrates revelation of God in human for in the person of Jesus Christ. Families gather to eat King   cake called ‘Bolo- Rie’ which is baked. During New Year celebration a similar but slightly unique cake that consists a candied fruit decorated goody is eaten. It contains two treaties; the prize and Feve bean. Whoever gets the latter is considered responsible to bring a cake next year. Apart from in these three holidays, no special meals are taken in other holidays such as Labor and Liberty day.   However, cod dish which can be prepared up to 365 different cooking ways is the national dish which can be found during these occasions. 5.0   Conclusion Portugal lies along the Atlantic coast of Iberian Pensula south west Europe with a long stretch of coastline. Their discoveries, trade and colonialization did made them to have enriched culture. Portuguese great explorations in the world were partly due to their long time developed sailing skill coupled with the need for accessing European markets and desire to make more conquests. Portuguese culture is conservative which is characterized with strong family ties, conformity to hierarchical relationship and strict etiquette and customs that are highly held with great care. Their food habits consist of Mediterranean dietary habits that exhibit high level of therapeutic effects particularly in management of cardiovascular diseases. The main characteristics of Mediterranean diet   includes,   high consumption of fruits and vegetables, widespread consumption of fish, use of olive oil in the diet and   tradition deep-frying as   a method of   cooking. Presently, shift in the diet pattern seem to be influenced by urbanization and level of education.

Regions and Regionalism in Global Politics

Regions and Regionalism in Global Politics Introduction – One View The concept of Regionalism has continued to grow, we can now unite and unify regions together to improve their political and economic agreements, the overall effect of this is to strengthen and stabilize globalization. The revival of old regionalists and the creation of new ones allows us to divide a state into smaller nations, this then gives us a better picture and greater transparency. Not everyone has the same ideology, views, values and beliefs and if we were to leave a state as a whole nation it could give rise to allegations of misconduct and corruption, but unity also isn’t guaranteed if you were to split the state into smaller sections. But there is the increased likelihood of unequal parity and rising tensions as there are so many smaller states within the nation that want to be heard and they all have different views and opinions on how they would like things to be handled. It is a fine balancing act to bring together so many people with different views and needs to be handled sensitively and diplomatically. Africa – Regional Economic Organization The African Economic Community (AEC) As a regional organization the AEC wants to enhance their economic development, based on their own rules, standards and principles, but they need to be capable of making their regionalism globalized if they wish to be successful and seen as a major contender in global politics, although the AEC is pivotal part of Africa’s regional integration; global progress has been slow as continued issues in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia have made democratic consolidation and sustained communications globally very fragile. Africa’s international economic trade agreements remain steady but they are pushing for better internal integration over global integration; their governments are backing more and more regional organizations with the aim to first better the country, their democratic roots and institutions from within before branching out internationally. Africa – Regional Security Organization The Eastern Africa Standby Force By 2015 EASF aims to have finalized the operations for an integrated regional and continental security standby force that will be able to respond to a wide range of crisis within African continent. As a regional organization they have the member states best interests at heart and can work closely with them to gain a better understanding of any situation that arises. With them only being regionalized they will only respond to the African nations conflicts and issues, African leaders felt it necessary to regionalize this African organization as they felt that there were complex challenges threatening the stability and security of their continent, and they didn’t want outside nations challenging their decisions and operations and risking the security and safety of their people. Their impact on global politics is a positive move towards cohesive crisis management not only in Africa but across the other continents. This is one of many regional organizations unlike the AEC that I think should remain regional as it will work with greater effect rather than globalizing the organization and spreading its resources to thinly that they can’t do what they were conceived to do, and in retaining their regionalism it means that they don’t figure on the global political scale, but the other continents can see what they are doing and achieving and work with them to develop their own security task force. Asia – Regional Economic Organization The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) The success of the ECO is dependent on their member states, whilst the status and power of the ECO is improving their member states are struggling economically as they lack the basic and correct geographical factors like appropriate infrastructures, sustainable land, and economic factors like poor intra-regional trade agreements and the full cooperation of some regional and international organizations which they need to be able to make greater use of the resources and materials they have, and promote better regional and international relations. To allow political and economic integration of this regional organization to a global scale they need to be able to be able to show that they have good governance, improved education reform, investing in social improvements, and extensive knowledge of the economy, but the ECO has some very powerful member states, Turkmenistan possess the worlds fourth-largest reserves of natural gas and substantial oil resources (About Turkmenistan, ) and Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have gas fields and a pipe line that connects with China. Continued issues with Afghanistan and the Wests mistrust of Iran has prevented outside people investing in economically struggling areas. Political tension with nations states outside of the ECO are causing strained relations within the political field, this doesn’t necessarily have to impact on the ECO but improving those relations could lead to more members joining the ECO and forging better international relations. Asia – Regional Security Organization ASEAN Regional Forum(ARF) The ARF uses a process of official and non-official diplomacy, this make it unique as an international organization because they then have a two pronged approach to the regional political issues and the security issues and their developments. The associated members have the resources via a forum to discuss current security concerns and work together to enhance the overall security and peace within the region. This organization has a massive impact on global politics and the overall unity of the world; in participating its members have the opportunity to discuss ways to resolve situations without unwanted interference, armed or otherwise, from others, this allows for a greater chance of resolving any security issues through political dialogue and without force being used. To date no armed confrontation has occurred since the ARF was established over 30 years ago. If security issues can be resolved through medication and without the need for conflict management then that country will have increased power within the political world as they will show that they are willing to discuss and negotiate for a peaceful solution. Positive or Negative Regionalism can segregate nations and regions, and can cause unhealthy corrupt alliances, but by allowing the unilateral presence of nation state organizations to prosper they can create a positive and productive playing field that will raise their affectivity in Global politics field. In my opinion, the ever changing and expending world of politics means that, the more regions that are integrated into regional organization then the greater the chance we have of globally and politically effecting change. The more alliances a country can have the more prospects and opportunities it will gain. I see regionalism as neither positive or negative as there are aspects to regionalism that can fall into both categories and most out way the others. International politics is a finely balanced game of whom you can win as allies and who you can succeed as enemies. Our world is constantly changing and unlikely nations are forming alliances in the hope of achieving global sustenance within the international community, only time will tell if these alliances will be able to work effectively or whether new groups will form and break away from our current international field and attempt to create their own One World Government. References About Turkmenistan. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dragonoil.com/our-operations/turkmenistan/about-turkmenistan/

Society MUST Understand how the Natural World Works Essay -- Argumenta

Society MUST Understand how the Natural World Works Except for children, few of us spend much time wondering why Nature is the way it is; where the Cosmos came from, or whether it was always here; or whether there are ultimate limits to what humans know. There are even children who want to know what a black hole looks like; why the sky is blue; how does a balloon stay up in the air; what makes the human body work; and why there is a Universe. I have many opportunities to teach children at various ages and have observed that many of these children are natural born scientists. They have inquisitive little minds filled with curiosity and wonder. Provocative and insightful questions bubble out them with enormous enthusiasm. I am often asked follow-up questions that have the potential to take up the whole day. These children have never heard of the notion of a dumb question. I find something all together different when talking to middle and high school students. A great deal of them seem to get by by memorizing facts and the joy of discovery that led to those facts has gone out of them. They have lost most of the wonder, and gained little skepticism. This particular age group's main concern is not taking up class time asking dumb questions. They are willing to accept inadequate answers and they don't ask follow-up questions. Many of them are more concerned with the placement of the hands on the clock and when the school bell is going to ring. The middle and high school classrooms are often saturated with indirect glances to judge the approval of their peers. As a graduate student, it is frightening to see the same behavior acted out in upper-level college courses. The negative glances from those who lack respect for learning defi... ..., drive to learn things and then to exchange the information with others (239). I understand the natural world to be an absolutely essential tool for any society with a hope of surviving the next century. It is of tremendous importance that we take responsibility as parents and teachers and start generating critical, curious, and imaginative students. The worlds needs and deserves a society with a basic understanding of how the natural world works. Works Cited Bishop, J. Thomas. "Enemies of Promise." In the Presence of Others: Voices That Call for Response. Second Edition. Andrea A. Lundsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. St. Martin's Press. New York, 1997. 26-261. Thomas, Lewis. "The Hazards of Science." In the Presence of Others: Voices That Call for Response. Second Edition. Andrea A. Lundsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. St. Martin's Press. New York, 1997. 239.

Compare the strategies and goals of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X during the Civil Rights Movements Essay

In the history of the American civil rights movement, two seminal figures emerge: that of the peaceful and nonviolent Martin Luther King, Jr., and the revolutionary and radical Malcolm X. From these two contrasting images, America did not know how exactly to classify the movement. On one hand, Malcolm X preached independence and a â€Å"by any means necessary† approach to achieving equality in America. And on the other, King preached a nonviolent, disobedient philosophy similar to that of Gandhi in the achievement of Indian independence earlier in the century. While most students are familiar with King as a civil rights leader, most are equally uninformed about the impact of Malcolm X in the African-American struggle for equality and freedom. And while there is much to learn from the two contrasting philosophies and approaches to change of each man, there are common threads that unite them: namely, a combined religiosity with political leadership that morphed into a demand for social and economic equality. Despite their differences, King and Malcolm X represented the same cause, and with the achievement of the movement, left a similar legacy to generations of Americans seeking change in their own time. However, from a comparative perspective, one cannot imagine a civil rights movement without the tactics King favored, or a successful movement characterized by the kind of violence and hatred advocated by Malcolm X. When one is asked to think of a comparison between two alternatives and which of the alternatives is â€Å"better†, one ought to imagine which alternative would produce the better outcome. A better outcome in any struggle for political change is one not characterized by widespread violence. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s childhood and young adulthood were exemplified by his work within the system, achieving prosperity through education and thinking, not through the violent struggle for existence like in the case of Malcolm X. In King’s â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech, he invites the listener to imagine a future in which Black children have an equal opportunity at achieving prosperity through education and hard word: an example of an equal chance not available at that time. Achieving this required nonviolent means consistent with the principles King adopted through his time studying Gandhi and civil disobedience. King called on people to be disobedient for the c ause of racial equality, whereas Malcolm X called on people to be violently forceful'†in opposition to any kind of representation of white power'†for the cause of Black power. Unlike  King, Malcolm X’s message did not convey a message of equality, but of hateful lashing out against an institution with the power to crush violent opposition. Like Gandhi, King insightfully recognized the efficacy of disobeying the system as a means of changing it. Violently attacking the system would only invite violent attacks back, and would, in the end, make the problem worse for Blacks. While Black militancy is understandable given Malcolm X’s history and his perception of the problem afflicting Blacks at the time, the better means of achieving Black rights was through nonviolence: specifically, boycotts, demonstrations, and marches. Dr. King welcomed participation from all people, including whites and other minorities, unlike Malcolm X. In historical reflections on the civil rights movement, it took both Blacks and whites (working within the white power structure) to achieve the desired outcome. For instance, white New Yorkers Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman were killed by Klansmen in Mississippi decided to investigate the burning of a Black church. Viola Gregg Liuzzo, a white mother from Michigan, was killed by Alabaman Klansmen in 1965 when she tried to help Blacks in the South (Maxwell). Thousands of whites worked for Black freedom: an ideological shift supported and encouraged by the kinds of tactics Dr. King advocated. The same cannot be said of Ma lcolm X, who famously remarked that white people were â€Å"a race of devils† (Lomax 57). What white person would be encouraged to work for civil rights given such an antagonistic remark? Although Black militancy was important in the context of the entire civil rights movement, the retaliatory tenor of Malcolm X’s message was sure to cause opposition from the establishment. The message was also profoundly collectivistic and an antithesis of the American value of individualism (McTaggart). His call for Blacks to come together created a movement for Black socialism in a kind of voluntary segregation. In a way, this defeated the purpose of the civil rights movement, and, absent of the efforts of other, less oppositional leaders, would have probably worsened the problem facing Blacks in America. Forcing the Black community to remain segregated from whites as a whole could have continued the sentiment among racist Americans that Black people are not equal to white people. Dr. King, in  contrast, unswervingly advocated for a social conscience in America: drawing attention to the inequalities he witnessed in a number of areas of society. Rather than assuming these i nequalities existed and not drawing public attention to them, Dr. King made it his role in the movement to challenge social assumptions about the place of Black people in America. Despite Malcolm X’s enormous influence on the movement, his message was not one of equality, but of retaliation for inequality. Although both Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were transformational leaders who were instrumental in raising public awareness of a problem of inequality, only King’s methods could have been successful in bringing about the desired outcome of the movement. Applied to the movement as a whole, Malcolm X’s philosophy of violent retaliation would have exacerbated the problem Blacks faced at the time, forcing the white establishment to increase oppression and segregation of the Black community. Because King’s techniques were successful in challenging the establishment, Blacks achieved a number of civil rights not previously available to them. The kind of transformation leader King represents is a rare symbol, and the inspiration he provided to Black people for change still inspires people to strive for equality and freedom. Works Cited Lomax, Louis E. When the Word is Given†¦: A Report on Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X, and the Black Muslim World. New York: Greenwood Press, 1979. Maxwell, Bill. White friends of civil rights. 20 January 2008. 27 April 2010 . McTaggart, Ursula. The Oratory of Malcolm X. February 2006. April 2010 .

How Austen creates her novel “Pride and Prejudice” Essay

Jane Austen was extremely modest about her genius, describing her work to her work to her nephew Edward as  Ã¢â‚¬Å"That little but (two inches wide) of ivory in which I work with so fine a brush as produces little effect after much labour.† Although the world of her novel â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† is confined to a small section of society comprising of country-gentry and lesser aristocracy of England in the opening of the 19th century, the novel itself shows page by page how interesting life could be, how fascinating life’s twists and turns are, how significant the trivialities are to those concerned. The range of Austen’s novel is limited by her own circumstances, her own sex, and her position in the society. But the little world she writes about, she knows inside out. She fills her little world so artfully that when we are in it we do not long for anything else and we feel its fullness as well. She practiced what she preached. â€Å"There are four families in a country village† is the very thing to work on. She sticks to what she knows and is refusing to include in her novel what does not properly belong to village life; she is an artist. Austen has an acute interest in personalities, her field is the human heart. Therefore, although she writes in the years of war between England and France while Napoleon was changing the map of Europe, in her novel we find not mention of â€Å"Britain at war.† In â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† soldiers like Wickham, come to Meryton to provide, in a sense, amusement for the girls. Austen thus does not impose anything harsh or unnecessary on her novel; this alludes to the artistic unity of her creation. She consciously limits herself and does not write anything beyond her experience. It may well be mentioned here that in â€Å"A Room One’s Own† Virginia Woolf pays a rich tribute to Austen by mentioning that novels like â€Å"War and Peace† could never be written by any female novelist, but certainly no Tolstoy could ever write the novels of Jane Austen. Austen deliberately and wisely limits herself to a few families and a limited number of characters in â€Å"Pride and Prejudice†. Her characters live in comfort in country houses; their lives consist of holding balls, attending parties, visiting each other’s house and thus amusing themselves. In that society even a small event is given a higher importance. Thereby a ball at the Bingleys or at the Lucases is eagerly anticipated and minutely analyzed. Austen chooses her characters from very ordinary life. Her characters range from the proud aristocrat Darcy to the dull-witted Mrs. Bennet, from the good-natured Jane to the hypocritical Miss Bingley. The men-folks in her novel do not in fact do nay work whereas the young girls are always in pursuit of good husbands. The girls have somehow managed to turn themselves into husband hunting butterflies. Distant Pembrly, Netherfield and Rosings are the upper limit, whereas Sir W Lucas and Lady Catherine Debourgh are highest in rank, the still higher estates and greater aristocracy are not mentioned in the novel, since they little effect Meryton and Derbyshire. The way Austen treats her characters is satiric. Her views of life are therefore always satiric; the passionate and tragic aspects of human life are somehow discarded. Only such characters are chosen that could be satirically treated. This satiric vision of life is a limitation on Austen’s part. Critics sometimes mention that Austen â€Å"Banished nine-tenth of life, and gave us people who never work, or fight or die, or starve or go crazy.† In the view of that above-mentioned statement we find that people in â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† engage themselves in doing nothing. Mr. Darcy apparently seems to have some work to do when he is at Pemberly, the work he does there is obviously connected with his estate. Mr. Gardiner revels in fishing only. Mr. Bennet, as we are told, takes one of his farms but only emerges from his library when he needs to settle some family affairs. Mr. Hurst’s motto of life is â€Å"High living and little thinking.† Reading has a place in family entertainment and since all the novels are heard at family gatherings, the writers take care to fill up pages fit for family consumption. In fact, Austen’s knowledge of men’s ways limited, but she knew how to use  her limitation. In â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† men come and go, and sit and chat when in front of the ladies; Austen does not pursue them into their personal world. We may see Fitz William Darcy and Bingley set off in a carriage but what they discuss is never reported if no woman is present. Despite Austen’s failure to present the many facets of men’s life, she is successful in providing an illuminating insight into some of the most significant characters like that of Darcy and Bingley. For instance, Darcy’s transmigration from a proud and snob person to a compassionate and reliable one is shown with perfect dexterity. In this novel Austen does want to compete with students of political economics, or social problems. The life and its complications that she depicts are just as what she experienced as a woman. Quite naturally her themes in this novel center the complex role of money and love in marriage. In doing so she even consciously avoids any discussion on philosophical or social issues. A simple plot concerning a few number of people is woven in this novel. That Austen has no wish to exceed the limitation of her own is quite evident when we find that urban life is excluded from the novel only because she had not much experience of it. It is mentioned casually during Jane’s visit to London. We have also observed that no black-hearted villain ever makes an appearance in Austen’s pages. The greatest villainy that ever occurs in â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† is the occasional elopement of Lydia with Wickham. Wickham indeed lacks all those negative traits of character which could have made him a person of shade like that of Alec in Hardy’s â€Å"Tess of the D’urbervilles†. Therefore, Wickham’s possibility to be the only villain in â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† ends there. Still it is no shallowness or lack of insight on Austen’s part, which leads her to restrict the exploration of human nature to the apparent social level. Austen gives us in her novel an artistic unity in which nothing is forced, nothing is excessive. A simple plot proceeds bit by bit to the only conclusion possible. Her characters act and speak in a very familiar way as we can imagine. The characters are so true to nature and so well-balanced against constructing types that as they talk along the story we begin to  think that it would not matter if there were no plot. The central figures whose union we desire grow upon us as their mistakes and recoveries reveal the fineness of their spirit. Therefore, in Austen’s world there is a welcome for the sensitive reader who will accept it as it is and will not cry out for, in the words of one critic – â€Å"The moon of passionate embraces or the lightning of sword.†