The Universal Social Problem Of Prostitution

The Universal Social Problem Of Prostitution This paper will describe and analyze the universal social problem of prostitution among minors who had not attained 18 years of age , while focusing specifically on the way this phenomenon occurs in Israel. Prostitution takes on many definitions; operationally defined, prostitution is a behavior that involves the exchange of sexual services for economic compensation in the form of drugs, money, or needed resources, for example, housing or food (Murphy, 2007;Williamson Baker, 2009 Understanding the Social and Economic Contexts). In regards to minors, Dr. Anat Gur, a psychotherapist who is an expert in dealing with sexual assault victims, claims that the above definition of prostitution is less suited to minors due to the fact that it disregards the exploitive nature of the sexual relations between the minors and the adults and lacks the equality between the parties. Using the term prostitution only obscures the fact that minors are exploited( BOOK anat). According to XXX, prostitution can be classified as human trafficking finalized towards sexual exploitation. This understanding frames the prostitution phenomenon as exploitation of persons which comprises physical and psychological violence (prostitution phenomenon). The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (VTVPA) define human trafficking is 1. the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery, (p. 8 ) or 2. sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act( any sex act on account of which anything of value is given to or received by ant person ) is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age (p 7,8). According toXXX, the VTVPA definition of human trafficking highlights that every minor, under the age of 18 who is used in commercial sex act is a trafficking victim ( domestic trafficking). On August 1996, the first world congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children was hosted by the Government of Sweden in collaboration with ECPAT, UNICEF and the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Israel was one of the 122 states that participated in the event. The congress acknowledged that commercial sexual exploitation of children ( under the age of 18) is a fundamental violation of the UN convention in regards to the rights of children a form of coercion and violence against them.Moreover they declared that commercial sexual exploitation is a new form of slavery given that children worldwide are not only affected by sexual abuse but are also systematically entrapped and sexually exploited for commercial purposes ( theme paper cece). According to the protocol that was established in the congress there are three different aspects of childrens sexual exploitation : 1. Sale of children which is an act or transaction whereby a child is transferred by any person or group of persons to another for remuneration or any other consideration. 2. Child pornography which includes any representation by any means of a child engaged in real or simulated explicit sexual activities or any representation of the sexual parts of a child for primarily sexual purposes 3. Child prostitution which is defined as the use of children in sexual activities for remuneration or other consideration (theme paper CSEC). The United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was signed by the State of Israel on 3 July 1990. According to the CRC Israel is required to take appropriate action to protect children from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, including sexual abuse by parent(s), guardian(s) or caretaker(s), from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the childs education or to be harmful to the childs health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development. States Parties undertake to protect the child from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse and therefore should take all appropriate national, bilateral and multilateral measures to prevent the inducement or coercion of a child to engage in any unlawful sexual activity, the exploitative use of children in prostitution or other unlawful sexual practices and the exploitative use of children in pornographic performances and materials (convention on the Rights of the Child, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights- .Ãâ€" Ãƒâ€" ªÃƒâ€" ¨ Ãâ€" Ãƒâ€"â„ ¢Ãƒâ€"  Ãƒâ€"ËÅ"Ãâ€" ¨Ãƒâ€"  Ãƒâ€"ËÅ"( The scope of the problem Although Israel is a party to the convention, according to the statistics collected in 2011 by counter-trafficking non-governmental organization, the Task Force on Human Trafficking (TFHT), more than 10% of the estimated prostitutes in Israel are minors. However, due to the hidden nature of the problem, lack of sufficient attention to the issue and the fact that this group is a difficult population to reach , there is no reliable estimates of the extent of the problem. Today, most of the prostitution activity is almost not on the streets but in locations that are closed such as, dating sites, chats, online forums, private apartments, saunas, clubs and more. The ministry of welfare believes that the scope of the problem is much wider, involving thousands of young people, under the age of 18, whom the social welfare agencies dont even know about. Moreover, the ministry of welfare and the Ngos who are dealing with sexually exploited youth in Israel recorded a five-fold increase in 2011 in the number of young people working as prostitutes, though it says that some of the rise can be attributed to the groups stepped-up efforts to find victims of prostitution. Another reason that is attributed to the rise is the fact that much of the activities have moved to the Internet and on-line chat rooms. According to xxx, traffickers advertise children online for sexual purposes through hundreds of Web sites, and in addition they search for victims through social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Population According to xxx, women and girls are the predominate victims of the sex industry ( yale). Within Israel, estimates reporting the gender breakdown of commercially sexually exploited youth vary; however, the most recent data indicates that 75% of minors who are involved in prostitution are women who come from all strata of society, another 20 percent are boys and the remaining 5 percent are transgender (NGO says teenage prostitution worsening in Israel- internet). Statistics released in 2011 by the Prime Ministers Office indicate that most of those working in prostitution start their careers at the age of 13 or 14 however, there are many cases in which prostitution begins at 12 or even 11. Studies have found that at least 70% of adult women who are involved in prostitution entered the commercial sex industry during their adolescent years ( how do female adolescents cope). Teenage prostitution within a socio-political-economic context Prostitution is a complex behavior which is influenced by multiple life circumstances. Researches have found that there are several categories of risk factors which influence and contribute to a teenage decision to engage in prostitution. Moreover, in order to understand the social phenomenon, it is important to understand the integration and the connection of the factors and not place much importance on any one particular factor ( anat gur, A Descriptive Study on Sexually Exploited Children). According to xxx, youth often begin practicing prostitution after experiencing severe distress, a physically, sexually and emotionally abusive environment, a bad experience of rejection and severe neglect. ( street prostitution). One of the risk factors is family influence. Dysfunctional families parental neglect, family substance abuse, family violence, low parental supervision and high levels of parental absence- contribute to motivating an adolescent to enter into prostitution.( factors that are related to prostitution).Researchers have shown that most of the teenagers who engage in prostitution ran away from home, often to escape from their abusive environments and from family situations that were intolerable( gur 32, pg 34). According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, up to 77% of teens involved with prostitution report running away from home at least once before turning to prostitution (Flowers, 2001-prostitution teen, more than a )Others are thrown aw ay from home, those youth who are forced to leave home or who are not actively sought after when they do leave home. Thus, many of these youth become homeless, who have no stable place of residence, where they can feel secure and safe. They live on the streets in states of extreme detachment, risk and distress are more prone to engage in delinquent behaviors and increase their chance of being exploited and recruited into prostitution ( yale) . Early childhood sexual abuse is another risk factor . It includes being raped, being touched sexually, being forced to touch another sexually, being exposed to or forced to participate in pornography,and being forced to have sex with another person. The most common perpetrator of early childhood sexual abuse is a father or another male family member, although abuse by teachers, child care workers, family friends, religious leaders, and neighbors has been reported (Watts Zimmerman, 2002 in street prostitution). Researches have found that more than 90% of women who are engaged in prostitution were sexually abused earlier in childhood.(street prostitution) Dr. Anat gur, a psychotherapist who is an expert in dealing with sexual assault victims, claims that from her clinical experience all women who are prostitutes have been sexually abused. The sexual abuse damages self perception, leaving the adolescent vulnerable to negative outcomes due to the psychological and emotional problems caused by the abuse and therefore unable to defend against exploitation ( street prostitution). Another factor is economic hardship- Many of these youth are likely to come from low socio-economic backgrounds, thus having experienced poverty and have been involved with the child welfare system (yale). A child whose family is living in extreme poverty and who is needed by his or her family to make money is also at an increased risk . (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 2002). Moreover, the consumer society and the shift in values and on the other hand the worsening in the economic situation, pushes children to an easy solution like selling their bodies in order to consume goods (ecpatwc) It is important to indicate that the assumption is that poverty alone does not cause teenagers to engage in prostitution. It is the combination between poverty, and other factors that manifests the phenomenon ( gur 40- 59). Delinquency and school problems is another risk factor of teenage prostitution. Prostituted youth were reported of having been engaged in a variety of acts of delinquency including drug use ,gang involvement and violent behavior. One of the central questions in the literature is what came first: the use of drugs or prostitution. Several studies have found that the use of drugs preceded the prostitution. For many women, prostitution is the main mean to fund their drugs. According to xxx, as the age of the woman who begins to use drugs is younger, the greater the danger of engaging in prostitution.( book 35 ). In addition children who have been expelled from school or are no longer interested in pursuing an education are at a high risk for becoming involved in prostitution (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 2002). This might be due to the fact that they feel less bonded to the social system and may develop feelings of alienation, frustration, and lowered self-esteem after experiencing failure and rejection( factors that are related to prostitution). The last factor is the relationship with the pimp. The girls who run away from home are usually very vulnerable, hurt, seek for attention and company. The pimps take advantage of the situation and by grooming, giving gifts and compliments and offering her the love and attention that she never received at home, gains the girls initial loyalty and trust( yale, gur, domestic). In order to understand how the different risk factors are interrelated and contribute to the phenomenon of teen prostitution in the context of Israel, it is important to place the problem within a socio-political-economic framework. In order for a phenomenon to exist and flourish, there must be a demand for it. According to xxx, the reason that commercial sexual exploitation of children worldwide exist is due to the fact that countries, where this social phenomenon exist, maintain a culture of tolerance that supports sex trafficking markets ( domestic minor sex). Prostitution is perceived by society as despicable, immoral and dirty. Teenagers, girls and boys, who engage in prostitution, are seen as offenders or delinquents, due to their illegal activities, and not as victims who are dealing with abuse and despair and are being sexually exploited and socially compartmentalized(yale). With no attempt to reduce demand, there is a constant incentive for criminal bodies to provide the supply(Gili Varon, Task Force onHuman Trafficking). According to the report of the Knessets research and information center (2011), to date, the responsible ministries of Israel have not presented any unique plan to deal with minors who are prone to commercial sexual exploitation. Specifically, the ministry of welfare has no special department or unit which is in charge of dealing with youth who are engaged in prostitution. Moreover the report indicates that in the past ten years there was not enough public interest in this phenomenon which affected on the law enforc ement efforts to address the problem. Many cases were closed by the police and the clients were not punished, due to lack of evidence or lack of public interest ( Knessets research and information center report). On the one hand, society pushes the teen prostitution phenomenon to the social margins and on the other hand the society uses and exploits this vulnerable population.. Israel, that signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), fails to allocate resources to deal with a social problem, that is becoming bigger every year but on the other hand does not have the tolerance and indifference to explicitly acknowledge the coercive nature of prostitution and the fact that the minors who engage in prostitution are victims to an exploitive industry. The absence of policy implementation regarding the treatment of youth involved in prostitution by law enforcement and child protective services in addition to the fact that there are inadequacy of services available for youth inv olved in prostitution contributes to the preservation and maintenance of the problem. Values and teenage prostitution Reasons that try to explain why sexual violence occurs and is tolerated, encouraged and commercialized are complex however, they are always built on the mirage of distorted values, inequality and self interest (Ecpat iii). When addressing the social problem of teen prostitution, there is a universal agreement that commercial sexual exploitation of children ( under the age of 18) is a fundamental violation of the UN convention in regards to the rights of children) Israeli report). Prostitution has been viewed as a moral or ethical problem which is unacceptable per societal values however; society seldom pays attention to the age of those involved ( domestic minor sex). There has been a debate whether to view youth who are involved in prostitution as criminals or as victims of abuse (Ayre Barrett, 2000-Ãâ€" ªÃƒâ€"-Ãâ€"†). The way society defines the problem stems from the competing perceptions , which are rooted in societies values, of the youth as victims under the control of adults or other circumstances or as criminals who make a willing choice to commit a crime (U.S. Department of Justice, 2004Ãâ€" ªÃƒâ€"-Ãâ€"†). Throughout my research , I found that there are many different terminologies to describe the same problem : teenage prostitution, commercial exploited teenagers, youth involved in prostitution .Each definition reflects values and beliefs. In Israel, in most of the newspaper articles I have read, the problem is defined as youth who are involved in prostitution. I believe that this definition reflects societies belief that they are criminals rather than victims. Moreover it implies that they are involved in illegal activities and therefore should bare the consequences. Another reason why society does not recognize exploited girls as victims and therefore does not progress to a better solution to the problem is related to societies social norms and values regarding girls and boys sexuality ( yale). Many western societies regard good girls as girls who need to avoid sexual intercourse ( in contrast to boys) and that if they are worthy for protection they would not accept any payment for their own exploitation ( yale 19). Moreover, society believes that if girls were truly victimized, they would quickly acquiesce to and cooperate with authorities once encountered (yale 19). This, nevertheless, ignores the coercive forces that cause girls not to trust the law enforcement and social services. Another example that demonstrates how societys values are reflected in the way teen prostitution is defined is related to societal values which accept the devaluation and objectification of girls as valid cultural expressions (Ekberg, 2004, Ãâ€" Ãƒâ€"â„ ¢Ãƒâ€"  Ãƒâ€"ËÅ"Ãâ€" ¨). Values are an integral and fundamental stone in every social structure. In a society that accepts values which view women and children, mostly girls, as economic commodities, that can be bought, sold, and sexually exploited by men, girls who are involved in prostitution are seen as criminals who are breaking the law, and men who engage with those girls are not always punished and in most cases the legal files are closed. In the International Convention for the suppression of human trafficking and exploitation of Others( 1949), it is stated that prostitution and the accompanying evil, human trafficking for prostitution are incompatible with human dignity and values of people and endanger the welfare of the individual, family and communities.( Ãâ€"Ã… ¾Ãƒâ€" Ãƒâ€"Ã… ¾Ãƒâ€" ¨ 4). Israels failure to recognize commercially exploited youth as victims who entered into prostitution, not always as a matter of choice but as an unwitting endpoint in a cycle of abuse and despair, reflect the way women and girls are viewed and devalued. Moreover, according to the Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers (1999), one of the core values that need to be embraced by social workers and are the foundation of social works unique purpose is dignity and worth of the person. Personally, I believe that Israels society , which is reflected in the social -political agenda, has a long way to go until it will be able to embrace and implement the core value of dignity and worth of the person in its policy and law enforcement. By not addressing properly this significant social phenomenon, it is a violation to the human dignity that was guaranteed in the UN Declaration on Human Rights 1949. The human dignity and self worth of the vulnerable population who are involved in prostitution needs to be restored and enhanced by ensuring that they receive the services they desperately need. Solutions to the problem in Israel ( All the information in this section is taken from the report of the Knessets research and information center (2011)), Israel lacks a central government agency responsible for identifying and treating commercial exploited youth. In 1997, one of the recommendations of the inter- ministerial committee which was established to examine the commercial exploitation of minors, was to develop and operate a unique program that would focus on commercial sexual exploitation of youth in Israel. Since then, nothing has been done. Today, Israels social services do not do active reaching out operations of youth who are involved in prostitution. The Ministry of welfare supports the funding of Ngos that are involved in reaching out activities that locate minors in the prostitution arenas, however, they operate only in two cities in Israel. The Ministry of welfare does support some services such as out of the house placements, shelters and residential homes, all of whom have waiting lists of a few months. The services that are provided are only for girls working as prostitutes but not boys or transgender youth. The Education system has an important role in preventing the phenomenon and identifying commercial sexually exploited minors. This office deals with formulating policy, developing prevention programs and treatment plans and is in charge to implement them among students, professional staff and education teams so they could identify and locate suspected abused or maltreated students as early as possible. According to the report (2011), 70% of the schools in Israel organize school activities that focus on the prevention of sexual abuse. The main organizations that treats youth ( girls and boys) who are involved in prostitution are the Ngos. There are a few Ngos that are specific for gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender (GLBT) adolescents who have been rejected and alienated because of their sexual orientation. Dror for example is designed to meet the needs of out-of-home GLBT youth in Israel, which is operated by governmental organizations. The only organization that works with all youth population( girls, boys and GLBT) and focuses, besides other activities, on youth involved in prostitution is Elem. Elem (Youth in distress in Israel) is a nonprofit child welfare organization that was founded in 1981. Their aim is to address the problems of youth at various stages of risk, assisting them in paving their way towards reintegration into the community. The staff are professional psychologists, social workers, administrative staff, and volunteers Erim Balayla ( translation- being awake at night) is a project that attempts to reach out to these youth, identify the boys and girls that are involved in prostitution and reduce the harm caused to them by their occupation (exposure to violence, addictions, mental problems). The activities take palce at various night clubs, on the street and on the internet. In addition, there is a personal rehabilitative program that its mission is to pave the way to reintegration into the communi ty. Emphasis is placed on providing them with a feeling of belonging, being accepted unconditionally and educating them for more personal responsibility. Personally I think that Erim Balayla is an effective program that not only helps to reintegrate the youth but also teaches and educates about this phenomenon. However, this vibrant project operates only in two cities in Israel, Tel-Aviv and Haifa. In the other 75 cities, the project does not exist but the phenomenon does. Solutions What solutions would you propose and why The feminist approach sees the social phenomenon of prostitution as an integral and fundamental layer of the patriarchal social structure in Israel, which includes violence and exploitation of women who are part of it. Moreover, this phenomenon serves and maintains the existing social structure, in part, due to the economic interests which are derived from the fortune that is produced from the local and global commercial sexual exploitation of women and minors. In regards to minors, experts have begun to refer to the commercial sexual abuse of children through buying, selling or trading their sexual services as domestic minor sex trafficking or DMST ( domestic minor) .According to the FBI, in the US, DMST is one of the most unobserved and under investigated form of child sexual abuse facing the American society and therefore the statistics in regards to the prevalence of this social problem are far from being accurate ( yale law).

Comparison of Post War Poetry

Comparison of Post War Poetry Write an essay comparing John Agards, ‘In Times of Peace, and Fred DAguiars, ‘War on Terror: The post-war Caribbean Diaspora, and its attending aesthetic rise in poetics, is rooted in a celebration of paradox in the disorientation and anxiety of a conflicted cultural identity, and consequentially, the self-examination and inspection it provokes. John Agard and Fred dAguiar are no exception as both are of Guyanese origin, and both find themselves exploring the present in Britain, a present submerged in social and political turbulence to which the war in Afghanistan is inextricably linked. We find ourselves in a divided Age, wherein troubadours and poets no longer scribble from a faraway trench nor enlist at all, but instead fight in a socio-political arena against seemingly endless cavalries of disillusionment and bureaucratic control. The stanzaic Rebel-Yell is, today, battling alienation on a pseudo-home front orchestrated by vast and impersonal forces, and as a result Fred dAguiars proclamation, that â€Å"home is always elsewhere†, speaks volumes for our current c ondition. Agard and dAguiar, poets capable of fusing deep imagination with cultural and political realities, seem at once relevant voices in their potential to shed light from a paradoxical insider-and-outsider perspective. Traditionally, Agard and dAguiar have displayed firm grasps on iconoclastic satire and political criticism. Their poems, ‘In Times of Peace and ‘War on Terror, respectively, stay true to this tradition while sharing many other themes including; the psychological impact of modern warfare, dislocation, ambiguity, transience, and more. For every similarity however, there are differences, most profoundly in tone. Where ‘War on Terror is overwhelmingly elegiac with overtones of nostalgic resignation, ‘In Times of Peace seems defiant and provocative. Through these and other varied vehicles, the poems arrive with the same didactic intention of moving us into a vital awareness and inquisitiveness. Even at a first glance, the structural differences between the two poems are as striking as they are reflective, in that we are faced with the juxtaposition of dAguiars aesthetic minimalism and Agards erudite precision. In ‘War on Terror, the total exclusion of punctuation acts out the role of persistent catalyst for interpretation. The lack of direction created, while being profoundly symbolic of the convoluted war itself, also provokes an active readership in which the audience is forced into subjectively expressing the framework of the poem. This provocative absence almost constructs a dialogue between reader and poet, a poetic conversation and revelation free of political rhetoric but instead promoting personal understanding and endless possibilities for expression. Along with this understanding though, extreme ambiguity the ‘fog of war is ever-present and is only accentuated by the final non-conclusion. The fact that the last line is left open-ended leaves an after -taste of â€Å"nightmare†2 discomfort, wherein the ambiguously prosperous war remains unanswered for and closure is left unfound; thus this purposeful omission aims for a metaphorical rereading and search for answers. In contrast, John Agards deliberate inclusion of question-marks as the only punctuation lends to a more direct approach whereby he automatically denies any degree of finality or certainty, but in its place offers us the right questions. This careful placement, in conjunction with an apocalyptic ‘falling trochaic metre, draws attention to the gravity of the questions being asked, or the questions that should be asked and answered. Tension seems to rise as ‘In Times of Peace progresses along a series of internal-rhymes, with each quatrain growing closer to a complete Canzone verse a relatively archaic form traditionally reserved for the tragic, comic or elegiac in subject; and is therefore not out of place here. In this way, as the rigidity of Agards confrontation symbolises the homogenous production-lines of Capitalist war, dAguiars free-verse compliments the lack of punctuation in projecting a disquieting awareness of entropy3. Both poems display a deviant anaphora, with equally significant effects. In ‘War on Terror the repetition of â€Å"as long as†2, and more consistently, â€Å"long†2, serves both to provide changing states of time and perspective, and to emphasize the severity of the paradoxical â€Å"shorter†2 in the final stanza. The theme of Time and transience is abundant throughout, with the first and second stanzas introducing a conceit paradox that will be elaborated upon gradually until echoing indefinitely in the open-ended stanzaic non-conclusion. Before doing so however, the somewhat surrealistic inclinations of â€Å"paint behind the eyeballs†2 and plethora of functioning tropes succeed in defamiliarizing the reader from the mass-media-desensitization to ongoing war, so to give way to the abrupt and dire realities where â€Å"nightmares paint†2 Post Traumatic Stress disorders and the next generation dies for todays conflict â€Å"in their sleepâ₠¬ 2. The sense of time and relative transience is propelled by the changing metaphors and perspectives of short long, of â€Å"as long as a piece of string†2 contradicted by â€Å"no longer than a piece of string†2, of â€Å"as long as nightmares†2 juxtaposed with the evanescence of â€Å"paint†2. Mutually, ‘In Times of Peace uses the complexities of Time within the words, â€Å"begin†, â€Å"all there is†, â€Å"wilting†1, and urgent questioning of â€Å"are eyes ready†1, to create a sense of immediacy. Anaphora in Agards poem comes in the form of quantifiers and adverbs (â€Å"that†, â€Å"how†, â€Å"when†1) at the beginning of lines, enabling continuity of the inquisition. Figurative use of grammar is likewise found in dAguiars elegy as, in the final stanza, possessive pronouns of â€Å"this†, â€Å"our† and â€Å"their†2 are wielded to illustrate identity and allegiance â €Å"this war in this time under this government†2 not only projects a feeling of detachment and sterile anonymity, but the inclusion of â€Å"under†2 proposes a deeper anomie, oppression and inhumanity. Contrastingly, â€Å"our children†2 evokes a possessive responsibility just as, â€Å"their sleep†2 exemplifies a human right to self-ownership (of fate). The theme of inhumanity, or even sub-humanity, is moreover exposed when the only alliteration, a signpost for natural fluency and regularity, can be found in the nostalgic â€Å"tamarind tree† and â€Å"child crying†2. Furthermore, the incongruous imagery of â€Å"radar† and â€Å"whale†2 is rooted in irony, subjectively interpreted as a comparison between the natural purity of the whale, and the disturbing ‘new nature of technological man. This metaphor finds its feet most dramatically in Agards commentary, where the conceit metaphor throughout is that of modern-man cha nging or devolving into something unrecognisable. Via anatomical referencing of â€Å"finger†, â€Å"skin†, â€Å"feet†, â€Å"bodies†, â€Å"hearts†, â€Å"human arms†, â€Å"ears†, and â€Å"eyes†1, Agard contemplates the long-term impact of cross-generational war on human nature4. The alliteration of â€Å"at home in heavy boots†1 brings us to question whether the nature of modern humanity is rooted and reliant on war, leading onto our â€Å"stepping over bodies†1 to draw attention to ruthless Capitalist careerism, and finally questioning how we will â€Å"cope with a bubble bath†1 and whether terminal damage has been done and the notion of ‘peace is no longer relevant, but has been reduced to obscurity, to theory and vagrant optimism. Alliteration is present again in the orality of â€Å"bullets blood†1, but as if awakening in a violent realisation the fluency is halted abruptly by the line -ending â€Å"rush†1. These dystopian visions remain central to the satirical and sceptical comparisons of index fingers with â€Å"skin†, â€Å"feet† with â€Å"foam†, â€Å"arms† with the ironic â€Å"death of weapons†, and â€Å"ears† with the romantically-natural imagery of â€Å"wings†1. Considering these interpretations, the audience can find echoes of Rousseauian6 humanism in both Agard and dAguiars outlook on an anaemic mechanised society. Within our psychological black comedy, our â€Å"Parade Sauvage†7, refuge can be found in the rarity that is the autonomous realm of poetry no social compromise is offered, no empty promise, but in their places stands a state of rare human equality and mutual exploration. John Agards ‘In Times of Peace bares the ugly reality of our ‘evolution into the modern Prometheus by veiling serious musings, of the notion of Peace as a still-tangible possibility or a faded and fellatious mirage, with a darkly comical satire. Fred dAguiars ‘War on Terror, a title made metaphorical by its origins in mass-media and governmental reasoning, reflects upon the long-term consequences of war and leaves, open-ended, the prospect of a predetermined and doomstruck fate for our next generation of children. Appendix: Notes: 1. From focus text, John Agards ‘In Times of Peace 2. From focus text, Fred dAguiars ‘War on Terror 3. The focus poems both mirror each other in a stanzaic capacity for debate, with ‘In Times of Peace separated into three thematic sections of ‘War vs. Civilian Life (first and second stanzas), ‘War vs. Love and Soul (third stanza), and ‘Traditional Nature vs. New Human Nature (fourth and fifth stanzas). Fred dAguiars ‘War on Terror can be stanzaically split into two balanced faces of paradoxical Time, ‘the Indefinite (first and second couplets) and ‘the Definite (fourth and fifth couplets). 4. â€Å"The number of former servicemen in prison or on probation or parole is now more than double the total British deployment in Afghanistan†, and an â€Å"Estimated 20,000 veterans are in the criminal justice system, with 8,500 behind bars, almost 1 in 10 of the prison population†. Travis, Alan, ‘Revealed: The Hidden Army in UK Prisons, The Guardian, 25 September 2009, p.1. 5. Roberts, Neil, A Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2001) pg. 583. 6. Rousseau, J.J, The Social Contract (London: Penguin Group, 1968). 7. Rimbaud, Arthur, Complete Works Selected Letters, Bilingual edn (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2005) pp. 314-317. Bibliography: Silkin, John, The Life of Metrical and Free Verse in Twentieth-Century Poetry (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1997). Roberts, Neil, A Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2001). Lennard, John, The Poetry Handbook, 2nd edn (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005). Rousseau, J.J, The Social Contract (London: Penguin Group, 1968). Focus Text: Approaching Poetry U67010 Module Handbook Semester 1, 2009-10: Agard, John, ‘In Times of Peace DAguiar, Fred, ‘War on Terror

Televisions Impact on Young Teens Essay -- Cause Effect Media Image E

Television's Impact on Young Teens   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With the ever growing world of mass media becoming more accessible to our children, we must realize the effect television has on the youth of today. The views and images portrayed on television go right to the heart of American youth. Young men and women are being taught that being over weight or not being skinny enough means that you are unattractive and lazy. The ideal female body which television portrays as being normal has gone from the voluptuous figure of Marilyn Monroe and Mimi VanDoren to the skinny waist and bust-line of Pamela Anderson and Brittany Spears. It has become an obsessive, unattainable goal for our young teenage women. These teens find themselves in an endless battle to try and attain figures that are only made possible through cosmetic surgery and a profession that pays you to look a certain way. Many girls who find themselves unhappy with their appearance turn to starvation, which later turns to binge eating, then to self-induced vomiting(B attegay 54).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eating disorders are far more common in the United States than in any other country. While some countries like Russia and Bosnia are struggling to find food, Americans are creating problems by consuming too much of it. Americanized countries or even any other industrialized countries with the direct influence of television are found to have considerably more problems with eating disorders. Carolyn Costin states in her book The Eating Disorder Source that western women seem to be at greater risk for developing disorders and the degree of Westernization seems to increase the risk. Costin then goes on to say that Evidence suggests that anorexia nervosa is uncommon outside the Western world and in less affluent Western countries. Furthermore, when immigrants move from less industrialized countries to more industrialized countries they are more likely to develop eating disorders. Costin is trying to say that you are at a greater risk of developing an eating order such as anorexia or bulimia in an Americanized culture because of the importance and constant reminders in forms of mass media that you should look thin, loose weight and keep the weight off. These are all things that are ongoing in our brains and degrade the self-image we behold of ourselves. Constin goes on to say: â€Å"Advertisements for taking off weight and keeping it off are fo... ... the product, but also causes insecurities of what we should look like holding the product. The consumers feed the fire of the sources flurry to put products in our faces.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Overall, media has increased its knowledge of its audience more rapidly than ever before. We are monitored by sources we would have never imagined and the problem is getting worse. With the new age of wireless internet and Cracker Jack baseball card sized phones, companies are tracking our every move. They know what we watch, who we call, where we go, and what we buy. They know what products to offer us and they know where to find more people like us so they too can be targeted.(Cantor p.32) The bottom line is that the media’s effect on us through television is much greater than we know. If they can convince us that our bodies are not slim enough, they can convince us that their products are worth buying. We need to rally for tighter standards from the Gatekeepers of television and the rest of mass media. The producers will only keep giving us more and as the audience becomes more and more desensitized we will only continue to want it until we become a warp ed society without values, morals or standards.

Evolution of Learning Ability in Fruit Flies Essay -- Biology Fly Dros

Learning & Memory in Fruit Flies Scientists have traditionally viewed learning and memory as "complex traits" in the sense that they are believed to be the net result of various different genetic and environmental factors interacting with one another. As it is not always practical or ethical to use human subjects in research, simpler "model" organisism are often used, and drosophila melanogaster (i.e. the fruit fly) is one of the most well known and well studied in the biological sciences. Abstract Two thousand fruit flies of the species Drosophilia melanogaster were maintained for six months before any experimenting began. Flies subjected to experimentation were 14 days old and were conditioned to be better learners. Petri dishes filled with pineapple juice and orange juice were used on which the flies could lay their eggs. Quinine was added to one of the juices to turn flies away from that medium. By selecting eggs from the juice that did not contain quinine, flies who had learned to avoid the juice with quinine passed on their learning ability. Subsequent generations of fruit flies did actually become "smarter" as demonstrated be their ability to more readily differentiate between the quinine medium and the regular medium as well as their ability to remember this association for a longer period of time. Methods Experimental Design Base Population All flies used in Mery & Kawecki's experiment were of the species Drosophilia melanogaster. The experimental population was derived from 2000 flies and maintained for six months before any experimenting began. All flies subjected to experimentation were 14 days old. Experimental Evolution Design Before any testing was actually con... ... the different genetics of every individual fly, but in general, it is possible to say that it did improve. This proves the point that learning is favored when environmental factors and other cues play a significant role. The experiment also showed that the learning ability to modify oviposition substrate choice has direct correlations with fitness. Single-locus large-effect mutants would be the best approach for this experiment, but the group wanted to simulate learning ability in a natural environment so they chose to use a variegated sample. References Mery, Frederic & Tadeusz J. Kawecki. "Experimental evolution of learning ability in fruit flies." Proc.Natl. Acad. Sci. 99.22 (2002): 14274-14279. Papaj, Daniel R. and Emilie C. Snell-Rood. "Memory flies sooner from flies that learn faster." Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 104.34 (2007): 13539-13540.

Dickens A Christmas Carol and the Industrial Revolution Essay

Dickens' A Christmas Carol and the Industrial Revolution Besides being the secular story of Christmas time in an urban setting, A Christmas Carol, tells the sacred story of Christmas as well. With A Christmas Carol, Dickens initiated an ongoing creative process in the Anglo-American imagination. As a result of the Industrial Revolution and the growth and development of cities people's lives changed drastically as they moved from the life and traditions of the country into those of the city. As industrialization continued, for many people in the city living and working conditions worsened. As reports of horrible working conditions increased so did the literature of social concern for reform.. Prior to the publication of A Christmas Carol the ideas and concerns of various reform bills sparked increased debate over political and social issues. Whether or not Dickens had A Christmas Carol specifically in mind, it is clear that the Industrial Revolution was an important factor in making his Christmas story a tale for the times. Dickens was concerned about the working and living conditions during the Industrial Revolution, when the book was written. These are reflected in Ebenezer Scrooge. He is the shown as the mean and hateful owner, who could care less if his workers are well because he could always get more people. He knew this because during the Industrial Revolution there were more people than there were jobs, so people had to settle for worse conditions because that was all there was. When two men some into his shop wan... ...ooge indeed changes his ways he can in a sense "spoonge away the writing on the stone" and begin a new life. It is significant that Scrooge promises that "the Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach". This statement is indicative of several Christian statements of faith promising to live and follow the teachings of the "Three" God, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. When we first met Scrooge, we are informed, and also observe that he is cold, miserly, and bitter. However, after the visit of the Ghost of Christmas future, Scrooge changes into a generous and cheerful man. It is clear that something must have caused a man who is really nice, turn into a mean and nasty person, in this case it was the Industrial Revolution.

How does Alfieri justify his ‘love’ for Eddie Essay

Alfieri is a middle-aged lawyer who has seen his share of clients and listened to their problems as they sought his advice, a Italian-American who understands and has witnessed both countries’ interpretations of law. Having been brought up in the Sicilian way where pride and honour predominate, and being an exponent of American law he also respects how civilised American law is. Alfieri acts as the narrator of ‘A View From The Bridge’, similar in many ways to the choruses found in ancient Greek tragedies, who used to comment on the plays at regular intervals. Alfieri likewise recounts this story to us (in which he plays a part) and reflects on the actions of the characters and the obviousness of the outcome. Eddie had always lived by the Italian law but saw its helplessness when dealing with Rudolpho. Hoping that he could use American law to stop Rudolpho marrying Catherine, Eddie visits Alfieri to ask his advice and to see what could be done about Rudolpho. After meeting with Eddie, Alfieri knew what Eddie would do but ‘was so powerless to stop it. ‘ Alfieri also realizes Eddie’s shameful agenda that he tries to disguise by protesting that he is looking out for Catherine. Alfieri is aware of his limitations as a lawyer, recognizing the fact that no legal system delivers absolute justice for only God can give that. Neither is he deluded into thinking that the American legal system solves all of peoples’ personal problems. However he knows that Eddie will stop at nothing to make sure that Rudolpho does not have Catherine, and indeed that no one else has her. By being himself and disregarding what other people thought of him to get what he wanted, Alfieri grows to respect Eddie. By the end of the play Alfieri reflects on how easily Eddie could have avoided his fate. He realises that Eddie pursued his fate because although he knew that he would have to pay the price to get Catherine, he wanted her so badly he charged on, accepting what came. Alfieri says that it is better to compromise between getting what you want and what you can have. As a Sicilian-American he has ‘settled for half’ and accepted American justice as a way of life because it is safer for him to do so. Yet Eddie will not ‘settle for half’ letting himself to be known as he truly was. So what we are left with is an honourable, concerned, intelligent man sympathising with a man who turned his back on everything he knew – his wife, his way of life, his honour and his life-in the vain hope that he could keep his niece for himself. Like a hero in a modern tragedy, Eddie is a strong character who is destroyed by his weakness-Catherine. As the only character who can reflect on the play’s events objectively, Alfieri realizes that Eddie’s death must seve as a reminder to others to ‘settle for half. ‘ However his alarm stems from the fact that while this will keep you safer if you follow this code, ultimately it means compromising peoples’ hopes, desires and sense of justice.

Mediated Communication: Connected or Disconnected? Essay

Abstract: We all seem to live and breathe social media. Sending a message and staying connected is as easy as it can get. Technology is essentially transforming traditional methods and revolutionizing the way we communicate with one another. Today, we have to stay relevant, informed, and up-to-date on the newest communication channels and incorporate them into our range of daily activities. However to build meaningful connections between people, we need to let technology enhance our communication, rather than dictate it. As new communication technological advancements become available, our temptation is also to spend less time on face-to-face interactions at the risk of losing the critical context of our message. Of course, texts, e-mails and social media can dramatically impact the speed and volume of messages, but therein also lies the danger in allowing the subtle aspects of dialogue and personality to fall by the wayside Face-to-face discussions are the foundation of human communication; once established, it allows us to build trust, clearly articulate our ideas and minimize misunderstanding. However, for many of us, face-to-face communication seems to be a dying art – replaced by text messaging, e-mails, and social media. Human communication and interactions are getting shaped by available technologies. Thus we have to ask – in today’s tech-savvy world, are we really connected or essentially disconnected? Is social media sabotaging the art of personal communication? On a crisp Friday afternoon last October, Sharon Seline exchanged text messages with her daughter who was in college. They ‘chatted’ back and forth, mom asking how things were going and daughter answering with positive statements followed by emoticons showing smiles, b-i-gï Å  smiles and hearts(/). Happiness†¦. Later that night, her daughter attempted suicide. In the days that followed, it came to light that she’d been holed up in her hostel room, crying and showing signs of depression — a completely different reality from the one that she conveyed in texts, Facebook posts and tweets . (Courtesy; Forbes magazine, April2012) As human beings, our only real method of connection is through authentic communication. Studies show that only 7%  of communication is based on the written or verbal word. A whopping 93% is based on nonverbal body language. Indeed, it’s only when we can hear a tone of voice or look into someone’s eyes that we’re able to know when â€Å"I’m fine† doesn’t mean they’re fine at all†¦or when â€Å"I’m just sad† means they’re thoroughly depressed. Flooded in technology, anyone can hide behind the text, the e-mail, the Facebook post or the tweet, projecting any image they want and creating an illusion of their choice. They can be whoever they want to be and without the ability to see or feel, their audiences are none the wiser. Every relevant metric shows that we are interacting at breakneck speed and frequency through social media. But are we really communicating? With 93% of our communication context stripped away, we are now attempting to forge relationships and make decisions based on phrases, abbreviations, snippets, emoticons which may or may not be accurate representations of the truth. This presents an unprecedented paradox. With all the powerful social technologies at our fingertips, we are more connected – and potentially more disconnected – than ever before. This is where social media gets dicey. Communication Barriers: New Dimensions Social technologies have broken the barriers of space and time, enabling us to interact 24/7 with more people all over the world. The focus is now on communication quantity rather than quality and Superficiality against authenticity? But like any revolutionary concept, it has initiated a new set of barriers and threats. It is an ironic situation where social media has the potential to make us less social; a surrogate for the real thing. For it to be a truly effective communication vehicle, communicators bear a responsibility to be genuine, accurate, and not allow it to replace human contact altogether. In the workplace, the use of electronic communication has overtaken face-to-face and voice-to-voice communication by a wide margin. This major shift has been driven by two major forces: the speed/geographic dispersion of business, and the lack of comfort with traditional interpersonal communication among a growing segment of our employee population: Gen Y and Millennials. Studies show that these generations – which will comprise more than 50% of the workforce by 2020 – would prefer to use instant messaging or other social media than stop by and talk with someone. This new communication preference is one of the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"generational gaps† plaguing organizations as employers try to manage a new set of expectations and norms in their younger employees. The majority of the world’s largest businesses are using social media with little thought as to how it can contribute to the organization’s overall strategy and that its use is destroying the integrity of face-to-face conversations and replacing it with â€Å"hidden conversations†. This is arguably true to some extent with many companies confused as to the role it should play inside the corporate framework. Further, because most business communication is now done via e-mails, texts, instant messaging, intranets, blogs, websites and other technology enabled media, minus body language, the potential for misinterpretation is growing. Rushed and stressed, people often do not take the time to consider the nuances of their writing. Conflicts explode over a tone of an e-mail, or that all-important cc: list. When someone writes a text in all capital letters, does it mean they are â€Å"shouting†? Are one- or two-word responses a sign that the person doesn’t want to engage? On the flip side, does a smiley face or an abbreviated acknowledgement of agreement really mean they are all set and aligned? Unfortunately conclusions are drawn on frighteningly little information. Getting Real In this wired world when we have only abridged words and faceless chats instead of voice, face and body expression how then do we communicate effectively and build more authentic relationships? Leaders must consider the impact on business relationships and the ability to effectively collaborate, build trust, and create employee engagement and loyalty. Susan Tardanico, leadership and communications executive coach, consultant and professional speaker and CEO of the Authentic Leadership Alliance LLC suggests certain ways for keeping communication real Suggestions for Keeping E-Communication Real †¢Address your issues. If you are drawing a conclusion about experiencing a conflict based on an electronic exchange, then pick up the phone or have a face-to-face conversation to clear things up. †¢Me first. Make an effort to check your own communications to ensure you aren’t sending an inaccurate  message. Take steps to put forth an accurate picture of reality. †¢Bridging the gap. As employees and employers, there are chances of dealing with different generations who have noticeably different communication preferences. Talk with colleagues about this aspect and ask for input on the best way to keep communication flowing through the team. †¢Stay connected. Don’t fall prey to the comfort of sitting behind closed doors and doing all your work from behind a computer screen or the hand-held device. No doubt it takes the pressure off many of the complexities of management, but this also disconnects us from face to face connections. Find a way to stay connected with colleagues; employee relationship is one of the determining factors for level of engagement and loyalty to the organization. †¢Beware of the disconnect. An eloquent and motivating online communication is easy to write. But if our words are not consistent with our actions and reality, this disconnect will harm our credibility and impede our ability to work effectively. †¢Two-way communication. Communication is essentially a two-way process. Just because you’ve fired off an e-mail or text, it doesn’t mean communication has taken place. We must pay attention to the feedback to see if our message is understood and accepted. Considering that this trend is here to stay, we need to create cultures where managers, employees and stakeholders renew their efforts to get at the real messages and issues. When colleagues spend personal time we can expect better working abilities. Correlations between face-to-face relationship-building and employee engagement and loyalty are a concept that has been proven again and again over the years. This has also been excellently explored in the concept â€Å"Management by Walking Around† in Tom Peters’ groundbreaking book In Search of Excellence. As global citizens of a technologically-enabled world we must find a way to incorporate all the amazing benefits which mediated communication has to offer while ensuring that we aren’t losing the human touch with the most significant personal and professional relationships.