Bertolt Brecht Essays - Bertolt Brecht, Hollywood Blacklist

Bertolt Brecht In 1939, on the eve of the Nazi Holocaust, the great German playwright Bertolt Brecht wrote Mother Courage and Her Children. For the setting of his play, he chose the Thirty Years' War, the senseless 17th century European conflict that pitted Protestants against Catholics and laid waste to whole lands and peoples. Spanning the years 1618-1648, it was the most destructive war in European history until modern times. It was a war which seemingly no one wanted but which no one could stop once it had gained its brutal momentum. The play came too late to be of consequence in World War Two, but it has played to great effect on the world stage ever since, becoming Brecht's most popular work after The Threepenny Opera. Mother Courage herself has become a theatre archetype of the indomitable, irrepressible human spirit. For all its epic scope--rolling through Sweden, Poland, Saxony, Bavaria and Alsace--the play is an intensely personal journey. It centers on a woman, Mother Courage, who owns a rolling canteen wagon and who follows the war selling victuals and sundries to its troops. She is an earthy peasant, a hearty cynic who profits from slaughter, and who actually fears that peace may break out. Mother Courage knows no loyalty but to her business and to her family whom she tries to protect from the ravages of the carnage. Eventually, the war exacts its pound of flesh, its payment for her long feeding upon it. One by one, all her children become fodder for the ravenous maw of the conflict, victims of the very virtues which she has instilled in them for survival. This is a deeply human play. Mother Courage embodies the best, and worst, of all of us in similar circumstances. With a single mindedness that produces real heroism, she negotiates the wake of the war. Ruthless, fiercely selfish, clever and conniving in defense of her small moveable turf, she is completely understandable. In her bawdy humor, tenderness and rue, she is utterly human and sympathetic. In the end, like in any tragedy, it is her great will and indomitable spirit which is both her ruin and her triumph. English Essays

Race in a Southern Community

Race in a Southern Community North Little Rock is ranked number six in the population density among all the cities in Arkansas. This city was founded as Argenta in 1866, but it was incorporated in 1901 under the name North Little Rock. The population of this city in the 2000 census was approximately 60,500 people inclusive of about 25,000 households and 16,000 families. This community is made up of people from different cultural backgrounds though the whites’ population is the majority at around 63%, followed by the blacks at around 34%.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Race in a Southern Community specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The other ethnic communities in this city include Native Americans at around 0.4%, 0.6% being Asians and 0.03% being the pacific Islanders. 1.18% of this community is made up of the other races which include minority races such as the Hispanic and Latino (Pitts, 2002). The government of this city is head ed by a mayor together with eight other aldermen serving to a maximum of four years period. In many discussions on racism, the most famous races are usually the whites and blacks. The main difference between these two races is their skin color though their cultures also differ a great deal. Blacks for example are known to be rowdy though this is more of a stereotype than a fact. Other elements that bring about differences between whites and blacks are their entertainment industries. Music done and listened to by blacks is generally hip-hop which contrasts with the soft classical music preferred by the whites. Their preference in terms of movies also differs a lot with the whites preferring the romantic movies while the blacks are mostly inclined to thrillers and action movies. The existence of these two ethnic communities in the same region has always been a problem especially where the whites are dominant. They are known to discriminate against the blacks asserting that they are cr iminals and they typically work towards eliminating them in their neighborhoods. This has however never worked particularly after bills against blacks’ discrimination were passed in parliament, and this tendency was now being treated an offense against the law chargeable in court. Just like in any other region in America in the 1950’s the Arkansas state, was thoroughly dominated by cases of racial discrimination against the black community. They were being referred to as the colored people who were never allowed access to most of the social amenities including the learning institutions. A movement was formed dubbed National Association for the Advancement of Colored people and the main aim of this movement was to attempt to terminate the discrimination especially in the learning institutions (Egelman, 2002).Advertising Looking for research paper on ethnicity studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It w as believed that the black people would always remain servants if they were never given the opportunity to obtain higher education and become professionals. The court however, came up with a conclusion that there was nothing wrong with there being independent schools as long as they were equal. This movement however, did not agree with the ruling stating that blacks, and whites schools had never been equal, and they would never be. The information provided by the movement to the court was proof enough that these schools were not equal and therefore, the previous judgment was overruled, and the separate schools policy was declared unconstitutional. The state of Arkansas was one of the states that refused to abide by the new rulings of abolishing the independent schools policy. A good example of this is that of a student who had been admitted to a previously white’s only school and ended up facing unbearable humiliation on the first day. She had enrolled at the Little Rock Cent ral High School, and when she went on the reporting date, she happened to be the only black on site. On her arrival, the people who were at the entrance moved away as she approached and they began shouting insults at her. There were guards on site whom she thought would protect her in case the crowd turned violent but she was wrong about that. She was forced to leave the school neighborhood for her safety as she realized the extent of racial discrimination in this community was way beyond what she had thought. This is just an example of the severity of racial discrimination in North Little Rock city. The municipality leaders made up of the mayor and the aldermen are also highly affected by racial discrimination issues. A good example of this is whereby the governor once hired guards to prevent blacks from accessing a school’s premises. The fact that there are different joints in town for whites and the colored is enough indication that the leaders are in the front line in pro moting racial discrimination. There are shops for whites and for blacks and as expected those for the whites have an advantage over the blacks. When it comes to the payment of government dues such as taxes, complains have been raised that blacks are charged more than the whites especially in investments (Pitts, 2002). When it comes to the elections, the whites stand a better chance of winning owing to their great numbers and so the black contestants have never gotten the chance to acquire positions in the government. This explains why the battles against black discrimination are always lost.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Race in a Southern Community specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The whites however are usually treated in a different way. They are given all the privileges denied to the blacks including well- kept facilities and more investment opportunities. They freely attend the best schools in the cit y and as a result end up taking up the best professional jobs. This is owed to the fact that the leaders of the city are largely whites. The joints allowed for the whites in the city are more in number compared to those allowed to the blacks. These facilities are also well kept and stocked in a way that the whites are able to access whatever services and products at their own convenience. Their stores for example are located in the largest malls in the city while those for the blacks are located in the outskirts of the city. The products are also sold at lower prices in the most of the white’s stores and this discrimination issue is blamed on the local government because they are never take any action against this despite the fact that they are in a position to do so. The texts used in the study of race and ethnicity mostly address the blacks’ discrimination owing to the fact that this has been the most recognized category of people who have suffered this ordeal. An ex ample of such texts is the Racial and ethnic groups by Richard T. Schaefer. This book presents the different races in the city of North Little Rock which includes the whites as the dominating population followed closely by the African Americans. Others include Native Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and other races in the world. The text however concentrates more on the blacks/whites relationships in relation to racial discrimination (Schaefer, 2006). It brings out the challenges brought about by racial discrimination in the local government, the service groups, and clubs as well as in schools. According to the text, this problem has been persistent for a long time and this has resulted in an almost permanent hatred between the whites and the blacks communities. Most of the texts and manuals that are published however contain little information on the blacks and the challenges they face as a result of racial discrimination. This is mainly due to the fact that such information always ra ises eye brows especially in the international community. To prevent this therefore, the local government of North Little Rock city prevents much publication of the levels of discrimination in the city. Some black writers have however tried to publicize this whole issue and one of such successful attempts was by Daisy Bates who was at that time the president of NAACP in Arkansas. She wrote a book titled The Long Shadow of Little Rock and this was aimed at bringing up the issue of how the blacks suffered under the segregation policies. This book showed how the students were treated in the schools and the leader’s utterances concerning this problem. One of the local government leaders was heard saying â€Å"blood will run in the streets if Negro pupils continue with their attempts to enter central high school† (Schaefer, 2006). The leaders attempted to stop the publication of such books but since they are constitutionally permitted, they writer was protected by the const itution.Advertising Looking for research paper on ethnicity studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The local media in the North Little Rock city have also been affected by racial issues a great deal. The media is biased in producing its reports in the sense that the black community is only mentioned in relation to crimes and other bad things in the city such as drug trafficking and other forms of hooliganism. The whites on the other hand are mostly displayed as being the victims of crimes committed by the blacks. This therefore brings about the idea that blacks are the bad people in the society and they fall victims to police harassment. Young people walking on the streets in the evening are most likely to be arrested if they are blacks with the assumption that they are about to commit some sort of crimes. This is owe to the portrait had been painted by media concerning the black youths. As a result of this harassment, these people automatically turn into criminals alleging that they had better be harassed for what they have done rather than suffer innocently. At the end of the d ay, they believe they have nothing much to lose compared to what they have already been stripped of, that is their dignity. In most parts of the United States, the leadership positions are dominated by the whites and so racial discrimination against the blacks seems inevitable. These people are usually mean to the point of preventing the other races from developing and obtaining relevant positions in the leadership circle. This is why despite the many years of campaigning, racial discrimination still remains a big problem. Rules are passed and implemented in writing but when it comes to practicing, things are different. People are not in a position to incorporate non -discriminatory policies because they even do not know how to handle them. The blacks for example are used to being discriminated against such that they do not believe whites can treat them well without any ulterior motives. The result of this therefore is that both parties are not able to embrace a non- discriminatory society even when it is created. It therefore proves difficult to fully represent the interests of the minority groups because of the whites’ supremacy. From the text, it is notable that the main concept in relation to race is that of discrimination. In most cases, the term race is usually followed closely by discrimination and this is an indication that different races in the United States have never been able to coexist without there being some sort of discrimination, whether direct or indirect. This is therefore considered as an issue that will never be fully settled though the government is trying its best to reduce the magnitude of the same. In the study of racial discrimination, the relationship between the whites and blacks features most of the discussions owing to the fact that these people have been in a constant conflict since the days of the slave trade to date. This explains why these two ethnic communities have always been important in the study of racial discrim ination. Reference List Egelman, W. (2002). Understanding racial and ethnic groups: Critical thinking and analysis. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Pitts, P. (2002). Anti-Racism Leadership: The strategic response to Neo-Racism. Little Rock Nine Remembered, 10(3), 23-28. Schaefer, R. T. (2006). Racial and ethnic groups. Upper saddle River, NJ: Prentice hall.

Unit 1 Discussion Board Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Unit 1 Discussion Board - Essay Example Based on recent statistics, for instance, the national health care expenditure amounted to $1,299.5 billion. (Patel, Rushefsky & McFarlane 2005, p. 7) However, the situation today is far from the ideal and that many criticisms were voiced in regard to the decline of the entire public health system. Despite the current extensive coverage by the federal government in many aspects of health care, many programs have failed (such as the short-lived Clinton health care reform) and the national health care performance continues to deteriorate. The argument is that financing is not the problematic area; instead, the problems include the unbalanced appropriation of the funds as well as the inefficient public health infrastructure brought about by organizational turmoil and fractionalized interest. These dilemmas are consequences of a politicized health care system, wherein politicians decide populist policies in order to be elected. According to a report made by the Institute of Medicine in 1988, many health departments suffer problems of health care delivery, financing and quality of personal health services. It cited that public health services have fallen into disarray while the ability of the public health system to take effective actions to deal with continuing and emerging public health threats is questionable. A later report – one that has been published in 2002 - concluded that not a great deal has changed since the previous report, stressing that public health law at all levels of government is outdated and internally inconsistent creating inefficiency and lack of coordination. These developments underscore the role that the political system in the US plays in the public health system of the nation. To illustrate: Instead of prioritizing the goals and objectives of an existing health care program, new directions and policies would be introduced because the tide of public opinion as reflected in the polls

Oskar Schindler Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Oskar Schindler - Essay Example Oskar Schindler is known to have saved the lives of around a thousand Jews at the time of the Holocaust. What follows is a detailed account of Mr. Schindler (Crowe, 2004). The Life of Oskar Schindler Many people believe that Oskar Schindler was a true hero, at a time when the Jews were brutally murdered; Oskar Schindler actually saved the lives of 1000 Jews. What is most remarkable is the fact that he himself was a Jew ant that too one belonging to the Nazi party. For someone to have the courage to do that speaks volumes about his character. Oskar Schindler owned three factories, out of which only one employed Jewish forced laborers. In 1944, Emalia (the factory that employed Jewish laborers) was at its peak and had employed 1700 workers out of which 1000 were Jews. During the time of the torture, the Emalia workers were also subject to brutal treatment at the Plaszow concentration camp, however, whenever possible Schindler intervened to see that the treatment at the camp was as less severe as possible. Moreover, Schindler also gave refuge to his employees at the Emalia along with approximately 450 other Jews so that they were able to evade the torture and brutal murders at Plaszow (Bulow, 2009).

Inter-Organizational Relationships Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Inter-Organizational Relationships - Assignment Example This proposed dissertation explores the feasible ways by which organizations with the interlocking relationships of the global economy can best respond to the challenges posed by increased business competition and complexity. It will focus on human resource management, which has assumed a new dimension because of the presence of a third party organization that can exercise control over employees of another firm. The paper will propose that in the multi-employer environment of business globalization, the best-fit or best practice objectives of HRM can be achieved by incorporating the inherent advantages of franchising in a company's HR strategies, especially in the matter of pay and reward. The present-day challenge of human resource development is to design HR practices that fit with the new business requirements or, in the words of Mohmann & Lawler (1999), to formulate practices that fit into a "dynamic, unpredictable corporation with a myriad of approaches to getting the work done." In this concern, the franchising sector provides a microcosm of the difficulties being encountered by the human resource department in working out innovative assessment systems that will demonstrate their influence over the company's bottom lines, which are profitability and shareholder value (Becker, et al., 2001). The reason is that franchise holders, especially those engaged in the sale and servicing of cars, have as many third-party partners as the existing number of automotive manufacturers who all demand a voice in deciding the franchisee's HRM practices (Swart, et al., 2002). Franchising in effect typifies the inter-organizational dependency involving human resource management and the attendant dilemma on how the HR department of a franchisee firm can implement a strategic pay-and-reward system that promotes its long-term interest without alienating its network partners. Curran & Stanworth (1983) define franchising as "a business form essentially consisting of an organization with a market-tested product or service maintaining a contractual relationship with another organization to sell the brand." In general, franchisees are self-financed and independently owned and managed small firms operating under the franchiser's brand name to produce or market goods or services according to a format specified by the franchiser. Because of the subsequent growth of this sector, the franchising outlet was later redefined as "a legally separate business entity with its own capital base, set of employees, organizational structure and specific customer relations (Stanworth & Curran, 2003)," which indicate that franchisees have become analytically independent of their franchisers. On franchising as growth sector, Floyd & Fenwick (2003) note that this business sector now accounts for over one-third of retail sales in the US and 29 percent of those in UK, thus claiming a huge proportion of the workforce of either country. The

Inequalities in Health Care Essay

Inequalities in Health Care Essay The conditions in which people live have a profound influence on their health. Difference in health between individuals and population groups exist in all societies. For example younger age population generally have good health compared to elder population. This kind of health difference cannot be concluded as health inequality because it is natural. So the question is that when the difference in health becomes inequality? According to Graham the difference in health between population groups becomes inequality when it is linked to the inequalities in their position in society (2007: 99). World Health Organisation appointed Committee for the Social Determinates of Health (CSDH) also hold similar view as not all health inequalities are unjust or inequitable. If good health were simply unattainable, this would be unfortunate but not unjust. Where inequalities in health are avoidable, yet are not avoided, they are inequitable (2008: 14). So the differences in health between groups havin g unequal position in society become an ethical issue. Evidences of the existence of health inequality are abundant. If we consider life expectancy as an indicator, resent evidences show that there exist significant differences in health between world regions (see Appendix 1). Life expectancy at birth varies between 78.8 years in the higher income OECD countries to 46.1 years in Sub Saharan Africa. Life expectancy improvement over the period 1970-75 to 2000-05 shows that life expectancy has increased all regions in the world except the former Soviet Union countries. It can observe that the increase was not similar in all regions. Life expectancy increased almost 10 years in developing regions over that period while in Sub Saharan Africa the increase was only about 1 year. Inequalities in health not only exist between countries or regions. Even within the country health inequalities exist. A study in the Scottish city of Glasgow found that life expectancy of men in one of the most deprived area was 54 years while that most affluent area was 82 years (Hanlon, Walsh Whyte 2006, cited in CSDH 2008). Men with the lowest life expectancy in the United States of America in 1997 2001 had lower life expectancy than that of Pakistan average in 1995 2000 (CSDH 2008). Studies show that socio-economic status affects health. Differences in life expectancy at birth by social class in England and Wales from 1972 to 2005 shows that it has improved for all classes during the period 1972 -2005 (both males and females). Surprisingly the same difference in life expectancy existed in 1972 between social class was found existed still in 2005 (see Appendix 2 and 3). Even in health behaviour difference exist between socio-economic classes. Percentage males and females smoke in England and Wales during 2001-07 period shows that smoking rate is comparatively higher among lower occupational classes (see Appendix 4). Whitehall II study which investigates the health of British civil servants between the age 20 and 64 found that mortality rate is high among low occupational classes (see Appendix 5). How material conditions affect health? The Black Report published in 1980 by the expert committee into health inequality chaired by Sir Douglas Black was the first attempt to examine the relationship between economic inequality and health inequality. The main responsibilities of the committee were to bring together available information about the difference is health status among the social classes, examine the contributing factors, and to analyse the collected information for casual relationships. The committee found that there was strong relation between social class and mortality-morbidity rates. It also found that people in lower class experience worse health and working class population underutilise NHS (Morall, 2001). The committee examined four possible explanations for the inequality. The artefact explanation suggests that the class inequality in health do not really exist. They only appear to exist because of the way class is constructed. The social selection explanation argues that people who experience bad health tend to find difficult to get good job. There for they either move into or remain in lower class occupations. This means, people are in lower social class because of their poor health, rather than their class causing poor health. The behavioural/cultural explanation suggests that ill-health is due to not following a healthy life style. Lower class people are unhealthy because they smoke and drink too much, eat wrong kind of food and do not exercise. Finally the structural/material explanation view the material situation in which people live is the most important factor that determine health (Kirby, 2000). Based on the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion number of models of the determinants of health has been developed. The model by Dahlgren and Whitehead (1991) is particularly important. This model identified that individual characteristics of age, sex and genetic makeup are core determinant of health. Other influences are represented by concentric layers each of which interfaces with the other factors. They suggest that the inner circle represented by the fixed characteristics of the individual cannot be modified but outer circles can be influenced by behavioural or other life changes (see Appendix 6). There are many theories that try to explain health inequality. Behavioural and cultural explanations suggest that individual behavioural choices are responsible for health outcome. The lower the income status, the person is more likely to engage in less health promoting form of behaviour. It is also found that those with more years of schooling, and with more qualification, are found to have healthier diets, to smoke less and do more exercise (Bartley 2004). The psycho-social model argues that the health difference between people in more and less advantaged social positions cannot be explained purely by material factors (Marmot 1989). Psycho-social model focus on how feeling that arises because of inequality, domination, or subordination may directly affect biological process by altering body chemistry. This model argues that availability of social support, control and autonomy at work, the balance between home and work, the balance between efforts and rewards etc. can affect health (Bartley 2004). The materialist framework sees the objective living conditions people living in explain relation between poverty and health. Material condition of life associated with poverty lead to greater likelihood of physical problems, developmental problems, educational problems and social problems (Blane et al. 1998). Neo-materialist model explains the relationship between population health and income inequality. It looks beyond individual level and gives more attention to whole societies and how they differ. It is argued that absolute income is not the determinant rather its distribution is the matter (Wilkinson 1996; Wilkinson and Pickett 2009). Basic premise of life course approach is that persons past social experiences affect the physiology and pathology of their body. So this model argues that health in later adult life may be a result of complex combinations of circumstances taking place over time and the cumulative effects of circumstances can affect the health negatively in future (Davy Smith et al. 2002). The major purpose of the life course researchers is to see whether the difference in health between people in different groups is due to past adverse life circumstances (Bartley 2004)

Pawnbroking in the Victorian Era Essay example -- Victorian Era

Pawnbroking in the Victorian Era Pleasant Riderhood â€Å"was an unlicensed pawnbroker, keeping what was popularly called a Leaving Shop, by lending insignificant sums on insignificant articles of property deposited with her as security.† The Leaving Shop was set up by Pleasant’s mother before she died (Dickens 345). Pawning To pawn goods was an easy, legal way to get cash. The shops were maintained to help people hide their hocking habits. Many shops had the entrance at the back of the building (â€Å"Pawnbrokers†). Pawning showed how desperate people were for money because the pawning business only provided temporary relief. The pawnbroker’s â€Å"lend bank notes on ‘Goods honestly come by’ at five per cent., and which they sell if not redeemed† (Poovey 240). Employment in the Pawnbroking Business (1871) * # men=49; # women=79 * Figures also include shopkeepers and dealers (â€Å"The economy†) The Pawnbroker’s Shop The pawnbroker had â€Å"trinkets and expensive jewellery, while the more humble money-lender boldly advertises his calling, and invites observation.†Dickens described...