Roaring Twenties Essays (1585 words) - African-American Music

Roaring Twenties Do you ever find yourself wondering why the 1920s were called the Roaring Twenties? The Roaring Twenties was a celebration of youth and culture. During the 1920s, many different forms of art, music, and literature began. There were many changes that took place in the 1920s, and many people were influenced by these changes. The Roaring Twenties was a constant party because America was celebrating the victory of World War I. Many customs and values changed in the United States in the 1920s. In the 19th century right before 1920, America was a country of small towns and farms that were held together by conservative moral values and close social relationships. The middle-class rural population believed in the values of thriftiness, moderation, and respectability. Before automobiles became of importance to Americans, the small towns were very independent places. Everyone knew each other in on the streets, and for entertainment they went to church socials and county fairs. Little did America know that soon their world would be changing more than they had ever seen. In 1920 right after World War I, America changed dramatically, becoming an urban nation. An estimated 51.4 percent of Americans lived in communities with a population of 2,500 to more than one million. Between 1922 and 1929, nearly two million people left farms and towns each year. Cities were the place to be, not to get away from, said one historian. Small-town spirits began to lose control on the American mind as the cities rose to fame. Moving to a metropolitan environment was a great change for small town people. Every day living changed. The city population attended great art exhibits and museums, sports events and plays, nightclubs and movies. They began to judge fellow neighbors by their accomplishments and not by their backgrounds as they did before. The people of the city drank and gambled, shocking small town people. They considered these things sins. Each day more and more people would enter the cities making it more impersonal and frightening. The streets were now filled with strangers, where as before they were filled with friends and neighbors. Social standards, the business climate and foreign cultures were very hard to accept because of their objectives of wealth and gratification. During the Twenties, American women changed greatly from long hair and dark prudish ankle-length dresses, to short bobbed hair and bright waistless dresses. Many young Twenties women became more confident with themselves. Some began smoking cigarettes and drinking in public, which was not acceptable before and would have ruined reputations. Many rebellious women became flappers, which were liberated young women who embraced the new urban attitudes and fashions. After World War I, many Americans had money to spare and the time to enjoy it. In 1929, Americans spent $4.5 billion on entertainment, which was mostly on changing fads. By 1925, filmmaking had become the fourth largest industry in America. More than 20,000 movie houses did business nationwide. Before World War I, silent films were shown in small nickelodeons, which only cost a nickel. After the war, entrepreneurs began to build luxurious movie houses, known as picture palaces since they were plentifully decorated with velvet curtains and gilt trim. Americans delighted over the achievements of stars such as Rudolph Valentino, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, and Clara Bow. The silent film era ended in 1927 with the release of the first talking picture, The Jazz Singer. For entertainment, some Americans went to movies and plays, which was a romantic escape for couples. Before movies, most plays in America were made similar to emotional European dramas. Americans were tired of boring dramas, what they really wanted to see were exciting and romantic plays. Eugene ONeill, the first American playwright, granted their wish by winning a Nobel Prize for playwriting. American painters took care of an America of dreams and realities. Edward Hopper depicted the loneliness of American life in his paintings of empty streets, simple storefronts, and solitary people. Hopper attended the Ashcan school of painting, which was known for painting everyday realities. Georgia OKeeffe painted intense colored canvases that show the magnificence of New York. She painted dark buildings piercing into the sky, the glaring sun reflecting from windows as high as

Tsunami Mitigation Essays

Japan and Earthquake/Tsunami Mitigation Essays Japan and Earthquake/Tsunami Mitigation Paper Japan and Earthquake/Tsunami Mitigation Paper Mitigation efforts are the most genealogical of anywhere in the world, and ensuring people are prepared for such events has been an important task since the last devastating earthquake in 1995 in the city of Kobo. These efforts include building codes, early warning systems, coastline defenses and various others. Even after a year, Japan is still reeling from this event, and one wonders If they will ever bounce back from such a blow to their landscape, their people, and their economy. The questions to be asked then are why did so many people perish In this disaster (even with the most advanced warning yester), and what can Japan do to revivalist itself with regards to physical, cultural, and economical adaptations? Japans Earthquake History The people of Japan have been recording their earthquakes since the dawn of imperialism at least 1600 years ago (Presses, 2011) and have since had various explanations for these rumblings. According to Japanese folklore, the earthquakes were caused by an enormous catfish named Amaze who was buried in the ground and subsequently would cause the quakes with the shaking of his tail (Presses, 2011). Even with the modern era, naturalists would write off earthquakes as being enmeshment for greedy people by the gods. Only until recently have investigating the real cause of these earthquakes come to fruition. Japan Lies within the Ring of Fire, an area In the Pacific Ocean subject to much cells actively, and Is situated where 4 of these great lithospheres plates (the Pacific, the Philippine, the Eurasian and the North American plate) collide and scrape past each other. Most of the earthquakes occur along Japans northern expansive coastline, and more often than not are followed by tsunamis of varying height. These earthquakes can occur in two different laces: within a plate or between plate boundaries, or inland in shallow crystal areas (Chichi and Sago 2007). The latter of the two can cause more building damage, but with the earthquake being inland, they dont usually cause a tsunami. The March 1 lath Earthquake was the 3rd Great (7. 0 or higher on the Richter scale) earthquake of the 20th century: the first was the Kant earthquake (Stanley and Irving 2001) In 1923 which killed over 130,000 people (slated as the deadliest quake in Japans history), and the second was the 1995 Kobo earthquake which took the lives of over 5,000 people (2002). Amalgamation Techniques Pre-March 1 lath Japan has certainly always been the most prepared country with regards to earthquakes, especially vials-a-vials Its past quake events . Some areas are more protected than others, mostly in the northern coastal areas of the country. Before the March 1 lath earthquake, Japan set up a Wide Area Support System that would, in the event of an earthquake, immediately dispatch emergency response teams and other important rescue teams (EERIE 2011). Also, Japan has the only Earthquake warning system in the world, using state of the art technology to warn individuals of earthquakes before they happen and prior to the March 1 lath earthquake the system had never been used before MOM 2012). This system would allow for people to mitigate themselves by quickly ducking or removing themselves from potentially harmful situations MOM 2012). The way the system works is that it sends out alerts via social media, I. E. Allophones, television, radio, and internet sites, which in turn automatically shut off any energy and industrial sites and halts transportation services such as buses and subways (Knight 2011).  Also in the event of an earthquake, special buoys are set up out in the ocean that can detect the presence of an abnormally sized wave passing by, ultimately forecasting a tsunami (Knight 2011). There are also mitigation techniques that can reduce the damage done to areas with lots of infrastructure. New buildings are being constructed with strict earthquake safety codes, and some of the older buildings are being retrofitted with some of these techniques. Structures have deeper foundations with some bases being able to move semi-independently from the rest of the structure in order to reduce resistance in he event of an earthquake (Empiric 2011). Shock absorbers are also being installed so as to allow the building to sway back and forth with the earthquake waves rather than resist and fail to hold up (Empiric 2011). All of these techniques are probably what saved many of the buildings inland that felt the shakes from the March 1 lath earthquake. This does not account for why then so many people still died. What Went Wrong? The problem for the people of the Took region in Japan that day, March 1 lath, may not have been the soaring 9. 0 magnitude of the earthquake, but rather the inability to properly forecast the height of the impending tsunami. It has been determined in fact that the cause of most of the 20,000+ deaths that day (around 90%) was actually drowning (EERIE 2011). The tsunami caused much more damage than the earthquake did, suggesting that indeed Japans earthquake mitigation efforts are in fact top of the line. What is lacking however is how Japan mitigates itself against tsunami waves, especially ones of this scale. The system that was in order before March 1 lath would try to estimate the exact size of the wave in the event on an earthquake. After a magnitude 8. Or higher earthquake struck, it was hard for the system to determine the size of the wave, and it would often drastically underestimate (Crankily 2011). The system would determine a size from the initial waves of the earthquake, but ones of 8. 0 or higher can often last longer as well (Crankily 2011). Because of this, they can often increase in magnitude as time goes on. The initial earthquake waves suggested that the tsunami would only be 3 meters high, but a minute later the earthquake had reached a 9. 0 magnitude and the actual size was an astonishing 10 meters (Crankily 2011). This was only discovered 20 minutes after the initial showplace, and by then it was almost too late. The evacuating process of the affected coastal cities was slow as most people were maltreatment Tanat ten wave would a De smaller (Crankily 2 ) IT ten Minimal readings had been correct, coastal areas would have had 20-40 minutes to evacuate to high ground, rather than be less concerned with this because of misinformation. Many lives could potentially have been saved, so it is a great disappointment that a mistake like this was made that day. Revitalization a Nation: Mitigation Post March lath There is no doubt that Japans morale was seriously battered after the magnitude 9. 0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Whole cities had been destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of people had been left homeless. But what measures could be taken to revivalist the country and allow for its residents to heal and not have to live in fear of history repeating itself? The question now was whether or not Japan could use this disaster as a way of making sure something of this magnitude of disaster could never reoccur. Post March 1 lath, the government has been planning ND researching different ways to provide significant warning of earthquakes and their tsunamis, and new technologies are in the process of being developed. Japan has come up with ways of using outer space and the sea floor as new areas of mitigation. The government is in talks of laying out seismograph-connected cables near plate boundaries in order to detect possible increases in seismic energy (or increased pressure in subsection zones)(2012). Along with this, they would set up devices for observation purposes near the troublesome trench so as to keep a constant eye on the area for sudden movements (2012). These techniques will counter the problem associated with the Japan Meteorological Agency with accurately measuring an earthquake higher than an 8. On the Richter scale. Along with the sea floor devices, satellites in space will also be put to good use in the event of an earthquake. The satellites will take pictures of impending tsunamis and determine their size with the birds-eye-view they will have associated with being in space (2012). To make sure communication with satellites isnt disturbed in the event of an earthquake, extra-large dishes will be employed that can converse with these titillates via cellophane networks (2012). In the event of an emergency, this will be a lot more reliable. Experts have also suggested that more building mitigation must be installed on tsunami affected coastlines. Higher sea walls might mean better protection from a tsunami, and flood gates in areas with ports could possibly reduce the chance of important waterways being destroyed (Dangler 2011). All of these mitigation efforts are however extremely expensive, and some people are wondering if it would even be of Japans best interest to bother now as catastrophic events such s the one on March 1 lath are tremendously rare. Could it be beneficial for Japan to mitigate now rather than waiting? I believe yes. Although costly now, mitigation efforts will make sure that the economic woes this disaster brought on Japan wont happen again. In the long-run, it will be beneficial. Some more natural mitigation techniques can be instated as well. There are ways to make sure tsunami waves may subside before hitting densely populated areas. Developing artificial coral reefs on tsunami affected coasts have been known to slow down waves by acting as a natural barrier. These would also help to install a refection coastal habitat for ocean creatures, and possibly revivalist any damage done to the disaster affected fishing industries. This type of mitigation is especially important in areas where communities are reclaiming land from the ocean (Stood ) Also Important Is to plant sense vegetation along coastlines sun as mangroves or sturdy trees that could also act as a barrier against tsunamis. These can also provide animals with sufficient habitats and rejuvenate ecosystems that may have been damaged along the devastated coastal areas. Individuals can help themselves as well by educating themselves on earthquakes ND tsunamis, and by making sure they know a route that they can take to higher ground in the event of such a thing. In more ideal situation, individuals could also relocate themselves more inland so as to avoid high impact areas. This isnt as easy to do however, so making an escape route plan is the best option. In some communities, people have regular evacuation drills that are organized and helpful in the event of a tsunami (EERIE 2011). In the areas that have these drills, most people were able to escape before the tsunami hit on March 1 lath (EERIE 2011). The hopes of al these ideas for continuing the safety of the affected regions is that people will accept them and realize that they can help in ensuring their own safety and those around them, but also to give them a base support of mitigation so that they dont have to do it all on their own. The Quest for a Nuclear Phase Out This would not be a paper on the events of March 1 lath if it were not to mention the subsequent nuclear disaster that occurred as a result of the tsunami. As of right now, the 4 of the reactors at the Fuchsia nuclear plant are in stage 7 meltdown the highest a meltdown can be (Strickland 2011). After the initial earthquake, the plant automatically shut down, and emergency generators began running in order to maintain the cooling of the reactors. However, after the tsunami flooded the generator rooms, they ceased to work, and the reactors began to overheat (Strickland 2011). Subsequent to this, there have been several hydrogen explosions and related deaths. Future deaths due to overexposure to radiation have been calculated to be very high, even though a 20 km radius around the plant was evacuated (Strickland 2011). This meltdown was the largest nuclear disaster to happen since the Coherency assister in 1986, even though it was only about 1/10th the size of Coherency. Overnight, Japans opinion on their dependency on nuclear energy was changed. Why would a country so prone to devastating earthquakes rely so heavily on fragile nuclear power plants? And why hasnt Japan harnessed its abundant geothermal energy? Nuclear power makes up 19% of Japans electricity producers, and geothermal is less than 1%. First, the negatives of this safer energy must be laid out so as to see why it might not immediately be accessible. For one thing, the cost of building geothermal power plants is very high, as large areas are needed. The initial drilling into the earth is also very expensive. Geothermal power can also be a little unreliable, as forces within the earth sometimes take breaks and may not go back online for years in some cases. Considering all of these, I believe that the advantages heavily outweigh the disadvantages, especially for a country such as Japan. Geothermal plants, though expensive at first, can quickly pay themselves off with the amount of electricity that can be produced. The energy that comes out of it is much cleaner, and there are no devastating effects that this energy can have on the surrounding environment (not like nuclear). If Japan instated more geothermal plants Walt capacities AT 2 u megawatts can (Mamma Ana Slumlord 2 megawatts of energy could be produced from it alone (Toothily 2011). Considering their location on the ring of fire, Japan could easily build plants in many areas and harness the forces that are so often devastating to them as a nation. The geothermal plants that already do exist in the country were able to remain online even during the earthquake that stalled so many nuclear plants. More than 80% of Japans population has gone anti-nuclear, and are rallying in support of shutting down all nuclear plants, ND phasing it out completely. With this amount of support, the Japanese government is seriously considering this idea, and will hopefully make the switch within the next few decades. Here in Vancouver: The Wait Continues Being in Vancouver, another city in the Ring of Fire, one must consider that something as devastating as the March 1 lath earthquake could happen right here as well. Immediately after the events of that day, Vancouver went into evaluating its own situation and what mitigation could be done her to ensure that a disaster like that wont have the same effects as it did on the Japanese. Earthquake preparedness journals were abundant afterwards, with advice on what to do in the event of a large earthquake, and what items you may need to ensure that you can stay safe during and after the event. March 1 lath also made people worry if the seismic upgrades given to some of the older structures in Vancouver would be able to withstand an earthquake with a magnitude like the one in Japan. Like Japan, Vancouver could be subject to either an offshore super quake or a shallower more devastating inland quake. Are we prepared for such an occurrence? Also prevalent in the Lower Mainland are infrastructure built on sandy deltas that could liquefy in minutes in the event of an earthquake. I dont believe that our mitigation efforts are at all on par with Japan, and we would likely suffer greatly in the event of a super quake, let alone from a tsunami that could devastate Vancouver Island. We need to prepare more heavily for such an event, and ready ourselves individually so that we are not taken by surprise if and when this occurs. Japans Future Japan has in its past displayed many innovative and technologically forward efforts in the field of earthquake mitigation. This is why the potentially devastating 9. 0 earthquake on March 1 lath managed to cause much less damage than it could have without the proper mitigation already in place. What Japan had not accounted for was a 10 meter tsunami that would stand to bring down the celebration of successful earthquake mitigation with a giant wall of water. The country had not secured itself against such an event, and this is why so many thousands of people perished that day. To say that there is a silver lining in all of this seems insensitive, but true. As a result of the tsunami, the government is taking all steps necessary to cake sure that what happened on March 1 lath will be the last time devastation and loss of life is a subsequent result of a tsunami. Of course, there is no way to prevent tsunamis from happening in the first place, but there are things that can done to make sure it doesnt affect people in the same way that it did. I believe in this way that the future of Japan looks bright, and that a country this strong and supportive of its people can only move forward from here. Reference List: Presses, D 2011 Holsters earthquakes In Japan.

Compare and contrast the approaches to the learning and teaching in Essay

Compare and contrast the approaches to the learning and teaching in the early years utilised by Montessori with the EYFS - Essay Example She came to believe that with special educational treatment, their condition could be improved. Inspired by this new idea of pedagogy, she devoted herself to the teaching of defective children. Gradually, she began to realise that the methods she was using had nothing in them peculiarly limited to the instruction of the retarded. On the contrary, they contained educational principles more rational than those generally in use. She says, â€Å"This feeling, so deep as to be of the nature of an intuition, became my controlling idea. I became convinced that similar methods applied to normal children would develop and set free their personality in a marvellous and superior way.† Thus developed the Montessori Method, the educational system devised by Madame Montessori and which has undergone a process of birth, death and re-birth. In the last few years, innumerable books, magazines and newspaper articles have appeared in many parts of the world, singing the praises of Madame Montess ori. As a matter of fsct, a whole ‘Montessori Mystique’ has come into being. New theories have developed leading to new methods for pre-school education in different parts of the world. However, they are either adaptations of the Montessori Method, or deviations in some respect, yet, rooted somewhere in the Montessori Method. One such scheme operating in U.K. is the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Theory and principles: Montessori was not a theoretician in the true sense. Montessori education is based on an empirical experiment with children in concrete life situations. Madame Montessori was so struck by what she observed that she never felt the need to build up an abstract theoretical system. More important to her were not the theories but the child itself and the revelations of its spontaneous behaviour which touched her so profoundly that she devoted the rest of her life to provide him such conditions

America Exceptionalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

America Exceptionalism - Essay Example Enthusiasts of the myth of American exceptionalism need a radical change on the conception of the nation and the world around, if any efforts against racism, human right violation, and other ills are to bear fruit. The United States of America has had different descriptions in the past two centuries by some of its prominent leaders, ranging from titles like the indispensable nation, free world leader, and the best last hope of earth, the empire of liberty, and the shining city on a hill. These descriptions constitute the concept of American exceptionalism. This is an ideology that America’s political system, history, and values are unique in the universe (Jacobs). Moreover, enthusiasts of the ideology argue that the US is entitled and destined to play a positive and distinct role in the universe. The concept is an international debate among specialists and experts from all lifestyles, from law to former US government officials. Among them is Ted Bromund, a senior research fellow from Margret Thatcher Center for Freedom. Bromund advocates for the American exceptionalism ideology, mainly basing his arguments on the history of the great nation. On the other end of the debate are individuals like Harold Hongju Koh, a laws specialist and former government official in both Reagan’s and Clinton’s administrations. Koh, argues that the American exceptionalism has two facets, the good, and the bad. This paper focuses on the arguments of Koh and Bromund to assert that the American exceptionalism has both the good side and the bad side. In the article American Exceptionalism and its Enemies, Bromund strongly argues that the US is an exceptional state. Bromund begins his statement by pointing out that America has the oldest and the most capitalistic liberal democracy. He further re-asserts that it was the first nation whose foundation was on the belief of inherent human rights, also the

State and Federal Aid Essay Example for Free

State and Federal Aid Essay There are many past and rising issues involving public school finance. The public schools system is funded through federal, state and local taxes. Each state has different formulas to distribute funding from state and local taxes. Federal funding does contribute to the rising cost of education for each state. State and local taxes is allocated to cover the majority of educational costs. Student achievement depends upon the available funding allotted to each district. This author will attempt to discuss equalization of federal, state and local funding. Also, this author will attempt to describe fair, equitable and adequate tax systems. Federal, state and local funding are all important to the funding formula for public education in Texas. A large chunk of funding for Texas schools comes from sales tax. Every item that is purchased, with the exception of food, has a sales tax added on. Ultimately, all consumers contribute to the public education system. Every other week in the news, there are stories covering the rising costs of oil and gas. Every time we fill our gas tanks, we are paying taxes that go towards local funding of education. Many districts in Texas are filled with low economic status students, and are Title I campuses. Title I campuses provide free and reduced breakfast and lunch for students. These free and reduced meals are provided each school day. Title I campuses in Texas receive federal funding for the free and reduced lunch program. Each parent, every school year, is encouraged to complete paperwork for each student to qualify for the program. Throughout the history of public education the big question has been, â€Å"How can the funding of public education be equal and equitable?† Each state receives federal funding with the intent of the federal government to provide equal and equitable education to all children. The federal funding received by each state is allocated towards the basic necessities that are needed for education. Additional funding is needed for the many resources and developmental trainings that are also needed to provide adequate education. This is when state and local funding are important and added to the equation. This is also the reason given by many school districts on the importance of increasing state and local taxes. Each year school districts receive reports on accountability from the state. With these reports school boards have decisions to make. These decisions all deal with what is needed  to improve and increase accountability. In turn, discussions of where funding should be allocated and how to generate more funding. To increase local taxes would be a source of increased funding. Then, parents as well as community members would have to vote on the decision to increase taxes. Usually, members of the community are not eager to support a vote of increased taxes. The rising cost of education is not something that general community members are concerned with. There are also parents of students in the public education system that are not aware of the increasing cost of quality education. The task of increasing the funding for public education becomes harder each school year. One alternative to increasing taxes to gain more educational funding would be to enlist the support of local and state corporations. Local corporations could be included when sponsoring extracurricular school events. These extracurricular events should not be designated to only sporting events. Corporate support should be solicited to sponsor fine arts, sporting, community as well as back to school events. Corporations could use these opportunities as advertising and a source of generating revenue. In turn, these corporations would have relative concern for the success of the district’s students. This relationship would also generate funds to support equitable and adequate public education. There have been attempts made to change the way education in Texas is funded. Previous proposals included increasing sales tax instead of including property taxes. This proposal was rejected because citizens desire more local control. While this proposal would hand over more control of public education to the state. As stated by Lavine (2007), by allowing the state to provide more funding, the link between local taxpayers and public schools would be broken. Community members have more stake in school districts when their tax monies fund local schools. A fair, equitable and adequate tax system would share the wealth of local taxes. Is it possible to have a fair distribution of funding for public education? Each year when income taxes are filed and people pay taxes on wages earned and property owned. There is a standard tax bracket that is followed to determine the amount of taxes paid by each citizen. Public education funding and our students would benefit from a similar bracket. The bracket should be utilized by the state. The districts with the higher numbers of economically disadvantaged students should receive more funding from the state. This method would provide equal  funding from the state. Local funding would allow for continued support from community members and businesses. Another alternative method of generating funds for education would be to re-establish district zones. Some may argue that in re-establishing district lines, some districts may lose funding while others would gain. The re-establishment of lines would support the equality of education that is described in No Child Left Behind. As stated by McCown (2006), consolidating smaller districts is not the problem but more financially supported, larger districts should be re-zoned. By re-establishing district lines, the wealth and funding for public education would be shared. If federal, state and local funding was equal for every district; would that be equal and fair funding for education? Conclusion Our public school system in Texas is operated through the use of federal, state and local funding. Local funding is generated from property taxes levied from commercial and public property. Educational funding from the state is generated from taxes such as oil, gas and also sales taxes. Federal funding is specifically allocated towards free and reduced breakfast and lunch programs, bilingual and special education and also technology. The education system of today requires more funding than what was needed fifty years ago. The funding generated from federal, state and local governments is not adequate enough to support the changing system of education. The idea that public education I both equitable and adequate is becoming harder to believe. There is a need to increase local funding but community members are not in support of tax increase. We need to enlist the use of alternative methods to generate funds for public education. Children of Texas depend on the public education system to provide them with opportunities to create better futures and successful citizens. Every child should have access to equitable and adequate education. As described by Thompson (1972), adult success is not the difference, but improving a child’s life for the better. References McCown, F. Scott., 2006. The Texas public education challenge Texas trilogy on public education and taxes, Center for Public Policy Priorities. Thompson, Marjorie., 1972. Paying for our schools: is there a better way, National Center for Educational Communication. Lavine, Dick, 2007. Replacing property taxes with sales taxes would be bad for Texas businesses, families and public education. Center for Public Policy Priorities.

Theme of Racial Prejudice in Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

How Does Harper Lee Develop the Theme of Racial Prejudice in the Novel â€Å"To Kill A Mockingbird†? â€Å"To Kill A Mockingbird† by Harper Lee is a novel set in the 1930s in a racially prejudice town called Maycomb County. A black man is accused of raping a white girl, and although it’s clear that he did not do it, the all white jury refuse to take a black man’s word over a white girl’s. Through the innocent eyes of an eight year old girl, the theme of racial prejudice is developed throughout the novel, although at times she is oblivious to it. In this essay I am going to discuss how Lee develops the theme of racial prejudice in the novel â€Å"To Kill A Mockingbird†. From the start of the novel, the reader gets the impression that Maycomb County hasn’t changed its views for many years. In chapter one, the narrator makes the comment, â€Å"Maycomb’s ways: closed doors meant illness and cold weather only.† The word â€Å"ways† suggests that the town is quite rigid in their habits and â€Å"closed doors meant illness and cold weather† implies that their habits are old fashioned, as only allowing closed doors in certain circumstances is rather old fashioned thinking. In addition to the town having time-honoured habits, they are also very stuck in their ways when making accusations. For example, when people’s chickens and pets were found mutilated, the culprit Crazy Addie eventually drowned himself, but people â€Å"still looked at the Radley Place, unwilling to discard their initial suspicions.† This indicates that the town’s people are stubborn in their beliefs and refuse to acknowledge the tru th if it’s not what they initially assumed. This would encourage discrimination against individuals. Maycomb County’s beliefs are provoked by the social structure in... ...ps deliberate because mockingbirds are a type of finch and this promotes the idea that Atticus sees the mockingbird of the novel (Tom Robinson) as part of the family to be protected. An example of further symbolism used in the novel is when Scout and Jem build a snowman made up of mostly mud rather than snow. He continued to add more snow and mud to it thus making the snowman change colour. This represents how irrelevant the skin colour of a person is in contrast to the beliefs of the people of Maycomb County. In conclusion, Lee uses various techniques to develop the theme of racial prejudice in the novel â€Å"To Kill A Mockingbird† such as the personalities of characters, the racist comments made by the characters, and symbolism. Lee effectively highlights racism to the reader and successfully encourages the reader to sympathise with the victims of discrimination.

Discrimination Essay

The desire towards improvements and changes is stimulated by a particular event or scenario. It motivates and inspires us to persevere and change the outcome for the better. For my part, it started in August 2002 when two teenaged transgender teenagers were brutally murdered in the District of Columbia. The murders occurred in the Southeast section of DC – an area plagued by random violence, extreme poverty, and often defeated residents. This instigated my passion for service and creating ways to fight for these peoples’ rights.It is through this that I want to express my intention to pursue a degree in public interest law. As a DC native, to some extent, I’ve been desensitized to violence. Local news stations advertise violence almost hourly. I listen to â€Å"Breaking News† having to do with multiple killings and robberies daily as a marketing tool used to increase ratings, and ultimately ad revenues. However, this case was the one that strike me the mos t because of my encounter with the victims a few hours before the incident. I had acquainted with these people during a popular event.While I made it home safely, I didn’t know that the victims were being shot multiple times; a terrible massacre and execution at the dark streets of Southeast Washington. Realizing the gravity of the issue, I went to AU’s GLBTA Resource and convinced the director to conduct a campus candle vigil to commemorate the victims. The vigil was attended by over 500 AU students and residents of the DC Maryland and Virginia areas. The culmination of the event was a speech given by Brett Pearsons – DC Police Chief of the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit.However, I felt that this action was inadequate to address the issue; I needed to be involved more. Also, my research showed that there is an alarming increase in the number of hate crimes happening in Washington D. C. This applies to individuals who identify themselves as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgender. Moreover, there is a shocking trend wherein majority of victims are people of color (black or latino), under 30, usually impoverished, and most of these crimes are not investigated as hate crimes. With these I made an important decision in my life; I wanted to take law and prosecute people who engage in such actions.With my Juris Doctorate degree I plan to practice law with the sole purpose of eradicating discrimination and violence such as this. Both inside institutions like the US Military who prescribe discrimination through legislative means and in larger society where discrimination and hate exist as a result of stereotypes, lack of education, and non-exposure. Similarly, I wish to create equal opportunities among workers in the institutional level while at the same time clamoring for the removal of societal standards that are prejudicial in nature. I can accomplish this by legal work and cases I work into.I believe attorneys can be the engineers of social chang e if each one is willing to meet the challenges; a fact I am determined to accept. In the future, I wish to participate and be associated with a federal or local government agency helping to prosecute criminals who engage in such crimes. Likewise, if possible, I wish to be contributing my efforts for a watchdog organization such the National gay & lesbian task force, Human Rights Campaign, or the ACLU I believe. These institutions are vital in the process of creating accountability and justice among these minorities within American society.Without these types of organizations, there won’t be a check and balance in the societal system which can help legitimize the actions of individuals to pursue violent acts of discrimination and prejudice. In the end, with your acceptance, I can be able to make a difference in society as well as these groups. I know that the incident in DC was no coincidence. It was my calling to be of service to these people. With this degree, I can be able to exercise the notion that â€Å"everyone is under the law†. I feel that this is my legacy; my own imprint in effecting social change.