James Baldwin’s Visions Of America and Richard Rodriguez’s Hunger of Me

James Baldwin’s Visions Of America and Richard Rodriguez’s Hunger of Memory  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Many immigrant and minority narratives concentrate their efforts on the positive side of the American dream. These particular stories narrate a person's struggle and rise through the ranks of the Am6rican hierarchy focusing on the opportunities that seem to abound in this country. While these stories are well and good. they do seem to soft peddle the flip side of this country's attitude toward the immigrant and minority. America is a land of milk and honey and opportunity, but unfortunately most new officiates or unwilling participants in the American culture face an American nightmare that leaves its effects on the individuals, families and cultures for generations to come. America has its own deeply seated prejudices and stereotypes of people from outside its walI5 and these prejudices force some immigrants and minorities either to abandon former cultural ties in order to assimilate or to strap on the baldric of equality that changes their lives forever. Two authors, in particular, will help explore this idea that an immigrant or minority experiencing the trauma of bigotry must in some way attempt to reconcile their own cultural heritage with the demands of a new society that objects to their very cultural difference. James Baldwin and Richard Rodriguez experienced this type of immigrant and minority angst regarding their own ties to their cultural and racial backgrounds. Baldwin struggled with the desire to be a writer, not just a black writer, amidst the chaos and protests of the 1960's political movement and Richard Rodriguez battled between the pull of assimilation and the success it promised and his own feelings of familial betrayal... ...d, for their very words echo the sounds of their communities' cries for equal and peaceful co-existence. However, as both Baldwin and Rodriguez recognize and proclaim there will always be a need for their type of experiences because it is only through the loss of their cultural identity that they realized the precious gift it is. Works Cited Baldwin, James. "No Name In The Street". Visions Of America. Ed. Wesley Brown and Amy Ling. Persea 116oks: New York, 1993. 284-290. Harris, Trudier. New Essays On Go Tell It On The Mountain. Ed. Trudier Harris. Cambridge UP: New York, 1996. 1-28. Leeming, David. James Baldwin: A Biography . Alfred A. Knopf. New York, 1994. Porter, Horace. Stealing The Fire. Weslayan UP: Middletown, 1989. Rodriguez, Richard. Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez: An Autobiographv. Bantam: New York, 1983.   

Plath’s Daddy Essay: Father and Husband as Vampires -- Plath Daddy Ess

Father and Husband as Vampires in Plath’s Daddy   Ã‚   The poem "Daddy" by Sylvia Plath concludes with the symbolic scene of the speaker killing her vampire father.   On an obvious level this represents Plath's struggle to deal with the haunting influence of her own father who died when she was a little girl.   However, as Mary G. DeJong points out, "Now that Plath's work is better known, ‘Daddy' is generally recognized as more than a confession of her personal feelings towards her father" (34-35).   In the context of the poem the scene's symbolism becomes ambiguous because mixed in with descriptions of the poet's father are clear references to her husband, who left her for another woman as "Daddy" was being written.   The problem for the reader is to figure out what Plath is saying about the connection between the figures of father and husband by tying them together in her poem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A clue lies in the final image she uses, the vampire.   In today's movies and books vampires are portrayed as humans who have gained immortality and power in exchange for the need for blood and avoidance of sunlight and crosses.   However, Plath wrote her poem in 1962, and since then our culture's image of the vampire has changed drastically.   Historically, people who were transformed into vampires were no longer the same human beings.   Instead, they became monsters who retained only the physical appearance of their former selves.   Our interpretation of the poem is affected if we assume that when Plath wrote about a vampire she had in mind the older conception of a monster which took over the body of a now dead human.   With this image in mind we will tend to look for ways the duality of father and husband in the poem correspond to the vampire's dual i... ...the memory of her father's equally painful though unintentional abandonment.   Despite the mixing of father and husband in the antagonist of "Daddy" it is obvious which man Sylvia Plath is addressing with the poem's last line, written during the breakup of her marriage and three months before her suicide: "Daddy, daddy, you bastard, I'm through" (80). Works Cited Cam, Heather.   " ‘Daddy': Sylvia Plath's Debt to Anne Sexton."   American Literature 59   (1987): 429-32. DeJong, Mary G.   "Sylvia Plath and Sheila Ballantyne's Imaginary Crimes."   Studies in   American Fiction 16 (1988): 27-38. Ramazani, Jahan. " ‘Daddy I Have Had to Kill You': Plath, Rage, and the Modern Elegy."  Ã‚   Publications of the Modern Language Association of America 108 (1993): 1142-56. Srivastava, K.G.   "Plath's Daddy."   The Explicator 50 (1992): 126-28.               

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

The Atlantic bluefin tuna is one of the largest and fastest fish in the world. Atlantic tuna are built for speed; they can reach speeds up to 50 mph. Atlantic tuna have very large appetite, the average size of an Atlantic tuna is 6. 5 feet and they usually weigh around 550 pounds. The largest Atlantic bluefin tuna ever caught was caught in Nova Scotia and weighed 1,496 pounds. Atlantic tuna are a gray and silver colour on their underside and then a dark blueish colour on the topside, this helps them with camouflage because from under them it looks like they are part of the sky and the dark blue from a top view makes them look like part of the dark water. Atlantic bluefin tuna is also very delicious, so tuna have been affected by over-fishing and that has lowered the population to drop critically low. Tuna positively affects humans because we use them for food and sport, tuna are huge and you don’t need a lot of them to have a large amount of meat and that’s one of the main reasons humans like to eat tuna. Atlantic tuna have been eaten by humans for along time, but in the 1970s the demand for tuna went up so commercial fishing operations found a new way to catch them. The way fishing industries caught fish was with fleets of giant ships with huge nets to catch large amounts of fish; this act of over-fishing almost caused this species of fish to go extinct. Atlantic tuna are also affected by many other problems, such as acidification and ocean debris. Tuna are affected by acidification because smaller animals that tuna rely on as food die because of acidification. If there is not enough food for tuna to eat then bigger predators that rely on tuna as food will starve, ways we can stop this from happening include; banning offshore drilling and conserving energy. Atlantic tuna are affected by ocean debris because when commercial fishing boats drop their nets in the ocean sometimes when they are done with the net they will just leave it in the ocean, this results in many ocean animals (such as tuna) to be caught in the net and die. It is now more important than ever for people to do what the politicians failed to do – stop consuming bluefin tuna,† Dr. Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean Atlantic bluefin tuna are mainly found in the western Atlantic, but they are also found around Newfoundland and the Gulf of Mexico. Tuna usually live in the open ocean, but they can be seen jumping out of the water catching small fish. Tuna mostly live in groups; schools of tuna can be found feeding, just hanging out or migrating thousands of miles across the Atlantic. Atlantic tuna faces many problems such as the ones I previously wrote about, but if we want to put a stop to those problems we need to find a solution. One of the things we can do is make fishing seasons, if the government was to make a certain time when it was okay to fish for tuna and then once the season was over fishermen couldn’t fish for tuna anymore. I think that that is a pretty good plan but we would have to do more than that, for example they could ban tuna fishing for a year or a designated time duration and then check to see if the tuna population increases. Ocean debris and Acidification is also a problem, the way to stop that is not very hard, people just need to take the initiative to stop dumping harmful chemicals, non-organic waste material, ect. â€Å"After overwhelming scientific justification and growing political support in past months – with backing from the majority of catch quota holders on both sides of the Atlantic – it is scandalous that governments did not even get the chance to engage in meaningful debate about the international trade ban proposal for Atlantic bluefin tuna,† –Dr. Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean

How to Stop Drug Trafficking in Our Country

The paper is to open people eyes about drug trafficking in our country. Where do you think the drugs are coming in from? Some say from Cuba. Others say from Mexico. I believe that the majority of drugs come from Mexico. It is okay to say that we cannot track down where all of the drugs are coming from but we can try to prevent our children, the next generation, from having access to these drugs. I would like to talk about legal drugs that are in our children’s schools. Even if we can stop illegal drugs from entering into our schools, legal drugs can also be use to get high (American Psychological Association (http://www. apa. org/) In the past, there were organizations, mostly in Mexico, that were involved in cultivating marijuana and opium. Over the past decade, however, Mexican drug organizations secured a particular position in drugs like cocaine market that was formerly dominated by Colombian drug lords, and opened the doors for Mexican groups to dominate the drug trafficking market. Not only Mexican, but African Americans, Cubans and other cultures who want to make some extra cash in the drug selling business. In the late 1980s, Mexican traffickers were middlemen for the Colombian cartels. Traffickers would receive shipments of cocaine in northern Mexico, smuggle the drugs across the border, and leave stashes in specified locations where Colombian distributers would retrieve the cocaine and transport it to destinations across the U. S. In 1989, traffickers who were annoyed at delinquent service payments from Colombian suppliers retained shipments of cocaine in extortion until payments were made. During the same year, in a stroke of good fortune for U. S. law enforcement, a massive stockpile of these shipments amounting to over forty thousand pounds of cocaine was discovered in an industrial warehouse in the vicinity of Los Angeles, California. This pivotal event forced the hand of the Colombian drug barons and led to a business arrangement that presently gives the Mexican traffickers as much as half of all the cocaine that they ransport (United Nations activities). In Texas the Mexican traffickers kidnapped people who live on the border line that mean between Mexican and U. S. The drug traffickers look for people who were or are on spring break or vacations in Mexican. They use young foreigners to get the drugs here. According to Sonia Perez, the flood of drugs and money have intensified, first with security crackd owns in the U. S. after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and later with Mexico's assault on organized crime beginning in 2006. (2009). Also according to Ms Perez, authorities mark the worst crime waves with the arrival of the Zetas cartel in Central America in 2008, about the same time Mexican cartels started to pay their collaborators on the ground in drugs instead of cash – creating a boom in local drug sales and violent street crime. (2009) As you can see, this paper is beginning to sound like it is pointing at foreign people smuggling drugs. Although foreigners are trying to survive financially illegally, they do not know where these drugs go to. Some will probably go to the schools to sell to children and teenagers all around the US. In conclusion, it is important to prevent drugs, illegally and legal, from our children to use illegally. Our children are our future and we need to find ways to help our children succeed in life without the use and selling of legal and illegal drugs. In the U. S. children are exposed to illegal drugs by family and a good friend or hanging out with a lot of friends. Some kids start to smoking by age 14 years old they think it cool but not. Kids and teens continue to smoke and some are trying chewing tobacco. Many young people pick up these bad habits in one year. Right now you see a man or woman smoking they started when they were kids. So it's important to make sure kids understand the dangers of tobacco use. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States, and can cause cancer, heart disease, and lung disease. Chewing tobacco (smokeless or spit tobacco) can lead to nicotine addiction, oral cancer, gum disease, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks. (Kids Health 2011) Teenagers trying drugs in order to fit in. hey are trying real bad to be accepted by their peers. The teen sees drugs being used at a party or among a common group of friend. Teens between the ages of 13 and 17 have tried alcohol. Some teens and young people tried use of cocaine for the first time. Some kids may lead to criminal penalty in addition to possible physical social and psychological harm both strongly depending on local jurisdiction. In conclusion, Unite d States is working with Canada, Mexico and Colombia in the border protection to stop drug from coming in the United States. References Retrieved on April 2, 2011 at www.apa.org Sonia Perez, Associated Press (2009) Retrieved on April 2, 2011 at www.ksat.com/news/27378488/detail.html Parquets search J. Blum retrieved on April 2, 2011 at www.mctinfoservices.com Kids Health Retrieved (1995-2011) at www.kids health.org /parent/positive/positive/talk/smoking.html

A Comparison and Contrast of Herman Melville’s

Herman Melville’s â€Å"Bartleby, Scrivener† (1853) and Franz Kafka’s â€Å"A Hunger Artist† (1924) are short stories that deal with the complexities of man in the social setting. Melville is most well known for his novel Moby Dick while Kafka was virtually unknown during his lifetime and has no published novels but has since gained recognition for his short stories, including â€Å"Metamorphoses† (1915).It would be interesting to note how a comparison of these two similar stories will reveal the personality of the writer. This paper will provide a brief synopsis of the stories and will then be analyzed for points of comparison and contrast.Synopsesâ€Å"Bartleby, Scrivener†Melville’s tale deals primarily with a particular scrivener, also know as a law-copier or in modern usage a petition writer as set in this story. The scrivener, Bartleby is an unaccountable man as described by the narrator whom at the time of the events that took pl ace a Master in Chancery.Bartleby is at first industrious in scrivener work, although he steadfastly refused to do any other activity and appeared not to eat or do anything but his work, and even seemed to live in the office. The narrator describes his feelings of astonishment, sympathy and subsequent acceptance of this eccentricity because his other employees also had their vagaries.As the story progresses, however, Bartleby’s behavior becomes stranger; he stops working but refuses to leave and eventually drives his employer from his office. Bartleby remains in the building even after being booted out of the room and is eventually arrested for vagrancy. The narrator is conscience-stricken and strives to do all he can for Bartleby, who soon after dies in prison. (Melville, 1994)â€Å"The Hunger Artist†The story begins with a statement of decline in interest in hunger artists. It is told from a third person point of view and sketches a history of the popularity of hunge r artists and the process of the art. It muses upon the intentions of those who subscribe to the spectacle, and the personal views and feelings of one particular artist, dwelling upon his frustration of having his work ended prematurely, a maximum of 40 days per each fasting period, in the interest of profit.The hunger artist knew he could last longer and yearned to find out to what extent, but was not allowed.The story describes how interest in the activity seemed suddenly to cease and rather than pursuing his previous modus operandi, the hunger artist preferred to break away from his manager and hire himself out to the circus, where he was placed in a cage near the menagerie, and was all but forgotten. At last he was able to indulge in his wish. Just before he died, he revealed that he fasted not to make himself famous but because there was no food he enjoyed. (Kafka, 1924)AnalysisThe two stories considered have distinct parallels, most notable the title characters. Both Bartleby and the hunger artist are distinguished by a sense of hopelessness and searching. The characters, the former silently, the other in self-revelation, express their need to find a place to belong.They clearly do not fit in accepted society. Bartleby because of his very ascetism, lack of interpersonal relations and history is almost a ghost, an enigma that even the most kindly of intentions could not draw out. He repulsed any kind of contact, perhaps because he was speculated to have been engaged in activity, that of a dead letter clerk, that dealt with the rejected and discarded. He clearly considered himself beyond salvation.The hunger artist, because of his search for the unattainable, is unable to enjoy the material pleasures of life and live a normal life. He deprived himself of life because he saw no point in continuing with it, reserving the pleasure of knowledge of how far he could take his artistry as his last stand against life.The stories are clearly macabre, elucidating the grimness of life of no purpose and no connection. They deal with the reality that man is essentially a creature of society, and failure of interaction results in strange and appalling consequences.The style of the writing is the most notable contrast of the two stories. Melville deals with the subject in a humorous fashion, drawing a smile, even a laugh with his description of his characters and the circumstances until the very end, which makes the horror of what has become of Bartleby all the more stark.Kafka adopted a gloomy tone from the start, indicating a grim end in the very first sentence of the story. The reader knows the hunger artist is doomed to a life of obscurity at the very least. The twist at the end, when the artist reveals the cause of his compunction for self-destruction, illustrates the writer’s own dissatisfaction with life.

Cause and Effect of Bullying Essay

Bullying is when one individual enforces their dominance over another individual repeatedly. Bullying is a serious matter that millions of hours of research and prevention programs have been put into. Researchers try and figure out what motivates someone to be so cruel to fellow person. When a bully presents their dominance over the victim it is not always because they are arrogant or naturally evil. Sometime when someone is being a bully it is a cry for help, a self esteem boost, jealousy or a way to cope with them being a victim to bullying. When someone bullies another person they are trying to be funny or cool and impress the other people around them. As well the bully could be a victim themselves and the way they deal with their own problem is doing the same thing to someone inferior. In some cases the bully is unaware of the seriousness of their actions. The causes of bullying cause traumatic effects on the victims. Being a victim to bullying is a traumatizing event that will stay with the victim for the rest of their lives. Bullying creates insecurities to the victims and makes the victims hate certain traits about themselves that they get picked on or teased about. In reality it makes them unique. In younger ages a victims schooling can be harmed because the child would not want to go to school because that is the place where they get bullied. Bullying does not just create emotional pain to the victims but it can create psychological pain as well. Bullying can cause mental illness such as depression and give you a very low self confidence. In very serious cases of bullying the victim may encounter suicidal thoughts, attempt or suicide itself. These are all short term and during the bullying stage. This mortifying event can come back and haunt the victim and create post trauma disorder or self destructive behavior and substance abuse. Bullying is a very serious matter that affects the victims d ramatically.

Mangerial Accounting Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Mangerial Accounting Assignment - Essay Example Amount of any write-down value of inventories that can be recognized as expense for the period A further disclosure of the reversal or write down made to Net Realizable Value. The firm should also disclose the circumstance that led to such reversal Carrying Amount of inventories pledged as security for liabilities Cost of inventories recognized as expenses: This includes operating costs recognized by the nature of cost like raw materials and consumables, labour costs and other operating costs. These operating costs are classified on the basis of nature of the costs and the amount of net change in inventories for the period. (b) Sylvester Sales Limited: Gross Profit under Marginal Costing: Details Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Production Units 240,000 300,000 180,000 Sales Units 200,000 200,000 200,000 Price per Unit 26 26 26 Sales Value 5,200,000 5,200,000 5,200,000 Variable Costs: Direct Material and Labour costs 1,200,000 1,200,000 1,200,000 Variable Overheads 800,000 800,000 800,000 Total Variable Costs 2,000,000 2,000,000 2,000,000 Contribution 3,200,000 3,200,000 3,200,000 Fixed Manufacturing Costs 800,000 800,000 800,000 Gross Profit 2,400,000 2,400,000 2,400,000 Gross Profit under Absorption Costing: Details Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Production Units 240,000 300,000 180,000 Sales Units 200,000 200,000 200,000 Price per Unit 26 26 26 Sales Value 5,200,000 5,200,000 5,200,000 Direct Material and Labr Costs...Inventories include assets representing fixed assets held for sale in the ordinary course of business, assets in the production process for sale in the ordinary course of business representing the work in process and materials and supplies that are consumed in production which covers the raw materials. In the valuation of stock, the standard cost and retail methods can be adopted. The only condition prescribed under the regulation is that the method of measuring the cost should result in approximate actual cost of the inventory measured. For items that are interchangeable the regulations allows the First in First out (FIFO) method or Weighted Average Cost methods. However the regulation discontinued the measurement of inventory under Last in First out (LIFO) method. Cost of inventories recognized as expenses: This includes operating costs recognized by the nature of cost like raw materials and consumables, labour costs and other operating costs. These operating costs are classified on the basis of nature of the costs and the amount of net change in inventories for the period. The year-wise gross profit figures as indicated in the marginal costing system shows identical profits irrespective of the different production levels.