The BRICS are more effective in todays economic environment than the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund ran by the United States Essay Example for Free

The BRICS are more effective in todays economic environment than the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund ran by the United States Essay Over the last few decades, the resilience and ability of the BRIC countries to withstand economic, social and political forces that have brought down big economies is exciting and worth noting.BRIC is a label that defines Brazil, Russia, India and China which according to demographics and recent economic performance have been identified as the countries to watch when it comes to economic development in the 21st century. The BRIC countries are set apart by their strong economic policies and largely by their demographics that is a large indicator of a countrys economic potential. Together, the four countries with the late addition of South Africa have a population of 2.8 billion people who are estimated to be at least 40% of the world population. The four are also believed to occupy a quarter of the land surface across three continents CITATION Glo15 l 2057 (Global Sherpa, 2015). Through the monetary fund, some regulations and guidelines have been established to guide the BRICS in their development agenda. The regulations are known as the Washington consensus and contain ten major areas the Bretton Woods institutions thought would spur economic growth in developing countries and encourage free trade. Over the years, the IMF and the World Bank have been key players in the development sector. The two institutions have often been used as a political tool to coerce the beneficiaries to play according to their rules. With the recent formation of the BRICS Bank in July of 2014, the two institutions’ influence on developing countries is set reduce. Developing countries, who have a similar agenda of future economic growth inclusivity and relevance, are know preferring the BRICS Bank. The bank offers loans without strings attached except loyalty, guarantee of participation and payment in the long-term development agenda. China, which is the largest contributor to the bank, has not imposed itself on members as commonly seen in IMF and Word Banks help. The aims of the Bretton Woods institutions, though hidden in the disguise of empowerment, are mainly operated as a business for profit. Between 2002 and 2008, BRICS managed to increase their GDP from 16% to 22%. Opening up their borders to foreign trade and have seen the countries expand outwards to have a presence in overseas markets. China of the four has seen great expansion in Africa where statistics in the last decade shows that China has been outdoing the Bretton Woods institutions in grants and loans advanced to other developing countries. The BRICS has seen growth in imports and growth in GDP despite economic ups and downs. Through their collaboration, BRICS have seen tremendous infrastructural development in technology and engineering.BRICS have developed tailor-made solutions for their problems unlike depending on solutions imposed by a third party. Developing countries feel more appreciated and included in their developmental agenda. The countries have together increased their spending on research and development leading to a 7% growth in research expenditure CITATION Glo15 l 2057 (Global Sherpa, 2015)Given that they possess a large labour population, high concentration of natural resources and a large population offering a big market, the BRICS are set for a more dominant role in economic growth. Being owners of capital and input, the Brics integration and corporation is setting the world towards a paradigm shift where developing countries are no longer onlookers but participants in the development agenda. These few achievements, over only five years, are more than what the Bretton Woods institutions achieved over the same time when they were formed. Hence, the conclusion that the BRICS are doing better than the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank References   Global Sherpa. (2015, January 07). bric-countries-brics. Retrieved from Global Sherpa: Retrieved from http://www.globalsherpa.org/bric-countries-brics Source document

Current Education System Impact on Creativity

Current Education System Impact on Creativity Abstract This paper discusses how the current system education in Latin America kills creativity. The paper explains that standard test need to be reorganized and how the system would improve. Then it will show how free time is important for each student to have better knowledge. Finally, you will find how is the methodology of the system to reflect on the path we are following. Also along the paper there are some comments to solve the problem because that problem is affecting childhood. Keywords: Current educational system, creativity, students , methodology, childhood. The current education system kills creativity Does every person have the same opportunities in the current education system? The answer is clear No. Nowadays the current education system is based on a few important subjects such as maths, science and language but it does not focus on people who like to dance or sing. In the article The case for disruption in Latin Americans classrooms (Segan, 2016), Susan says that many schools in Latin America continue to use antiquated models for education. For many years education system in those developing countries has not had a great change, even though humans are developing every moment; our cars improved, our computers improved, and our engines improved. However, in the article Inteligencias Mà ºltiples: La teorà ­a en la prà ¡ctica. (Howard), Gardner suggest that we have been used this education system since industrial revolution. In those days this system worked because the world necessities only consisted on memorizing or following instructions. This education system uses those old techniques such as memorization but in todays world skills such as creativity, imagination, and innovation are needed. Gardner also suggests that there is more than only one intelligence so why does education system only focus on some of them? We have different ways to learn, create, and innovate so we cannot keep on using this system. Each person is different and unique so the system cannot judge us equal. Also, the world has changed since the industrial revolution and our necessities have changed too. Now we have many people without work because the system does not prepare them for new labour requirements because the world need more people who can solve problems. On top of that the current educational system believes that some subjects are more important than others such as math and dance but nothing farther than the truth because a dancer can create and innovate with his/her body. However we sometimes think that a mathematic or a logic person only has theoretical knowledge and c annot apply that kind of knowledge in real life, but that is not true in all cases. However the current system education guides us to think in a unique way. For those reasons by me there are 3 issues with the current system education that kills creativity. Standard test are not suitable for all students First of all, standardized tests are one of the biggest problems in the education system. In the article Inteligencias Mà ºltiples: La teorà ­a en la prà ¡ctica. (Howard) , the author says that there are several different intelligent. Based on this information in my view standard test is not a good way to evaluate a students progress. Standardized test are based on questions to benefit certain people with specific skills. For example, in Ecuador there is an exam called ENES which benefit people who have logical and linguistic intelligence. However, people who do not have those skills cannot pass this exam so they believe that they are not able to study anything. Those exams are created to benefit specific skills such as the ability to calculate math problems or create and solve equations. However, in the article The case for disruption in Latin Americans classrooms (20 May 2016), Susan Segal says that the way students learn and what they need to learn is rapidly changing so the ma in problem is Can a unique exam apply to everyone? According to Gardner there are different intelligent, skills and necessities so those kinds of exams do not work because each person has different skills and necessities. By the contrast this kind of test judges everyone as equals. Another issue is that a test takes a lot of time to be answered and is exhausting for students. People who control educational system should change test methodology and try to make them less stressful. With this in mind if tests were more practical, students would increase their knowledge faster and they would develop new important abilities. For example, with a test is difficult to value the real awareness. By the contrast by creating projects would be better to evaluate each student. By creating projects students develop skills such as to resolve real problems, create new ideas or improve leadership. In science, we dont begin by knowing the answer-we value the process ¨ (Ossola, 2014). That shows us that sometimes we need to move our hands to learn better. If we do not make the process we will have knowledge but we would not be able to apply that knowledge in the real world. One solution for this problem would be to decrease the number of tests and increase the number of pro jects but tests could be more practical because now there are a lot of tests that only exploit our ability to memorize. At the present time our world is more competitive and big ideas are required to improve our world. In this way test should be related to take advantage of those skills and guide us to use them to resolve real problems. Time should be better spent Secondly, the lack of free time for students is another problem in the current education system. Time is important for every one because we can use it on different things such as relaxing, doing homework, playing or whatever we like. However, what happens if we spend too much time in classes? We do not take advantage of the hundred percentage of our time because we have exhausting classes with a long schedule. In some cases each subject is token 2 hours per day, so teachers cannot stay those schedules and neither do students. Thus students get stressed easily and cannot pay attention very well. Also students who do not like some subjects spend their time in other activities such as playing on their cell phones, chatting or joking. Hence time is not taken advantage of in classes, so schedule should benefit students and teachers. Each one works better if they are relaxed. A good example to take advantage of time is in the article, A Young Tinkerer Builds a Windmill, electrifying a nati on. (2007). Where Sarah Childress says that while William Kamkwanba quietly plowed through homework, his classmates were busy gossiping and checking their Facebook profiles. He took advantage of his time while his partners did not spend time in a good way. Also William Kamkwanba created a new project without any pressure. He was relaxed and he worked better. Also he did not spend his time in classes because he was forced to work with his hands so he worked better if he was moving his hands. Also William Kamkwanba had done his work without any teacher; he is a great example of self-preparation. A great example of this is when he built a wind will only with a book. This shows that the only limit is our imagination. He worked every minute in his project so his project could be done. Based on that the scholar system should change the schedule and exploit each ones abilities taken advantage of every minute in classes and give more free time to decrease stress. Also the system should cons ider different ways to exploit time. As we can see in Willians example creating projects is one of the best solutions because with projects we are able to think outside the box and not waste time. Time is too important because we cannot recover lost time. The current methodology no longer works Finally, the current methodology based on memorization is an impediment to learn because creative people are wasting their time. Nowadays memorization is an important base in our education system. However not all students are able to learn in this way also this way of teaching does not teach critical thinking skills. If we think on memorization, scientist comes up our mind because some people believe that they are like robots and they only memorize their books. However , in the article Scientists Are More Creative than You Might Imagine (Nov 12, 2014). Ossola Alexandra believes that scientists are like artists as well. Scientists are able to create because they need new ideas. Also projects are based on new ideas and a scientist always does projects. If a scientist only has the ability of memorize, he would fail in the science world. However the education system, which I described before, is not useful for different skills based on creativity, it focuses in creating head knowledge. S chools only teach what they need to learn they only teach facts, but sometimes they do not teach how they can apply that knowledge and students are like machines, empty machines. A student can follow instructions but the real question is, can that student think by himself. Curiosity, initiative, leadership are not used in classes and they are abilities that can help a student not only in his studies also in his life. Innovative solutions and new technologies are emerging around the world (Segal Susan, 2016). That means that there are a lot of people with good ideas. However in Latin America those techniques such as creativity, collaboration, problem-solving and others are not taken of advantage because those skills are killed in schools or high schools. The system only teaches us to follow one way. Nevertheless kids are living a different reality so they need different skills. Memorization is an antiquate technique that should be changed by techniques like leadership or adaptability initiative. To sum up In conclusion if the current education system in Latin America based on memorization and head knowledge are not useful in the world today, we should find a solution to help people with fresh ideas, innovation or creativity. Today we are judge a fish by its ability to climb that shows us that we are not creating people who can solve real problems because the education system is focused head knowledge. However, the world need more than knowledge as developing countries we should be able to pick the best of other education systems from countries with better development. Also education system is too important for each one because kids are formed in this system and they will be the future of our society. Nevertheless we are killing their abilities and we are formed robots that only have linear thinking. Is true that there are problems so we need to identify which are they and try to find a solution. Childress, S. (2007, DECEMBER 12). A Young Tinkerer Builds a Windmill. Retrieved from THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB119742696302722641 Howard, G. (n.d.). Inteligencias Mà ºltiples: La teorà ­a en prà ¡ctica. Barcelona: PAIDÓS. Ossola, A. (2014, November 12). Scientists Are More Creative Than You Might Imagen. Retrieved from the Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/11/the-creative-scientist/382633/ Sean T, F. (Director). (25 june 2013). El Sistema Educativo Finlandà ©s Subtitulado web [Motion Picture]. Segan, S. (2016, May 20). The case for disruption in Latin Americas. Retrieved from The World Economic Forum on Latin: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/05/a-case-for-disruption-in-latin-america-s-classrooms/

Portrayal Of Social Issues Faced By Women

Portrayal Of Social Issues Faced By Women The aim of this extended essay is to analyze how Patience Agbabi portrays the issues women are faced with in her poem cycle Seven Sisters from her poetry collection Transformatrix and examine the different viewpoints of the main themes presented in the seven poems from the perspective of the poet. This is done by first distinguishing three main topics in the seven poems which are: Teenage pregnancy and prostitution Adolescence and fairytale stereotypes Sexuality, sexual abuse and gender expectations These topics were then thoroughly analyzed by detailed investigation of the poems and additional external sources. With the purpose of understanding the message behind the poems more adequately, an interview with the poet, Patience Agbabi, was organized first by contacting her through www.patienceagbabi.wordpress.com and later by email. The correspondence is attached in the appendix. After an in depth research of the main topics, it was possible to conclude that Patience Agbabi portrayed the women and the social issues in a more unconventional manner by highlighting the virtuous as well as the unpleasant characteristics of the main characters. This is different for example from the media which, influenced by society, typically only presents only one point of view and thus disregards the opinions of the people who actually suffer from the social issues discussed in this essay. Introduction Patience Agbabi is a British poet born in London in 1965 to Nigerian parents. She was educated at Oxford Univeristy and published the poetry collection, named Transformatrix, in 2000. This extended essay will analyze seven sestina poems from that collection, suitably called the Seven Sisters, which are a truthful interpretation of the poets view on women and the many challenges they go through. With each of the seven women representing a different time and type of life, Patience Agbabi has given a very interesting depiction of the transformation of women through time. The issues in the poems vary a great deal. The main topics discussed are teenage pregnancy and prostitution, adolescence and fairytale stereotypes, and sexuality, sexual abuse and gender expectations. In her poems Patience Agbabi tries to break the stereotypes of women that have formed from years and years of misunderstanding and lack of interest to know the other side of the story. It is interesting to see that even th ough a feminist, the poet does not depict the women in the seven poems in an extremely positive or ideal manner; the characters are all authentic and with flaws, as it is in real life, which is exactly the reason why they are so intriguing to read. Instead of the worn out depictions of the topics in the poems, Agbabi tries to explore a different viewpoint and widen the understanding of for example transvestites, lesbians or rebellious teenagers. The poet uses one of the most difficult forms of poetry to master, the sestina, to emphasize the most important aspects in each poem. A sestina is a highly structured poem consisting of six six-line stanzas followed by its envoy. The same set of six words ends the lines of each of the stanzas, but in a different order each time  [1]  . The six repetitive word are time, girl, end, child, boy, dark each of these representing the central themes of the poems and combining the Seven Sisters together. In whole the question this essay aims to answer is: How does Patience Agbabi portray the issues women are faced with in her poem cycle Seven Sisters? Teenage pregnancy and prostitution Teenage pregnancy has been a problem throughout history, the only difference being that nowadays it is much more talked about and there are actual measures taken to relieve the situation. During the Second World War however, which is also the time frame for the first poem Martina  [2]  , the situation was much worse and the problem was ignored or denied. As described in the poem, the war had a horrific effect on people as most were living in constant fear, thinking only about the outcome of the confrontation. With the men sent to battle, the women had to provide for themselves and for many it meant getting a job and working long hours for the first time in their lives. It is to no surprise then, that some women resorted to easier ways to keep their previous lifestyle and at the same time help the war-effort. The so called victory girls or khaki-wackies provided respectable companionship for military men: they wrote letters, played cards, danced with them and eventually ended up c arrying their children as a result of imprudence.  [3]  In the poem Martina, the difference between the two manners of behaviour is described by the fact that in the time of fear and despair, when women had to work hard and food was in very short supply, the so called khaki-wackies had a much more glamorous lifestyle, at least on the outside: .. But we were weekend disciples, evacuees scared of dark nights pierced with blitzkrieg pyrotechnics, child- like, clinging to mothers skirt. She found time to party in new nylons, good-time girl growing voluptuous from man and boy, on chocolate and plum brandy. I was tomboy  [4]   In reality they were non-professional prostitutes, girls who resorted to more straight-forward measures to survive the turbulent and uncertain times. In the last three stanzas of the poem, Agbabi describes the very typical outcome of such behaviour, which was pregnancy. As the V-girls were in majority young girls raging from the age of 12 to 17, teenage pregnancy rate was for example in the United States higher in the 1940s than it is now.  [5]   . We all knew she was expecting a child. In those days we all expected the boy to marry her. But it being wartime, too soon his two-month leave came to an end. Her father threw her out into pitch-dark Novembers clutches with words No girl of mine She gave birth to a baby girl, Martina. They wanted to put the child up for adoption. .   [6]   In these lines the poet also explains the misconception people had about the lifestyle of such girls. It was expected that the soldiers would marry the girl they got pregnant, but the reality was quite different. Majority of the men had no intention to take responsibility, and even when they did walk down the aisle, the marriages usually ended when the war was over. The girls were left behind, pregnant and rejected by the society, with no other option than to resort to illegal abortion, give the child up for adoption or try to raise their newborn alone.  [7]  The women could not expect help from their families as it was considered unforgivable to have a child born out of wedlock. The media portrayed them as people who only had themselves to blame for their situation, but the poem Martina evokes rather sympathy than dismay for the character, especially with the last lines: . In time, she got married for the childs sake, a boy- next-door type; and in time I met a girl with sloe-dark eyes and loved her till the end.  [8]   Patience Agbabi herself says that: The conversational first person narrative invites the reader to identify with these women, to enjoy their spirit and wit, to empathise with them in spite of their morals.  [9]  Throughout the poem and especially in the end, the narrator is more intrigued and fascinated by the victory girl, rather than being appalled. In my opinion it reflects that in many ways the V-girls were envied for their seemingly glamorous lifestyle and their free-spirited nature, by other, more conservative, women during that time. The other poem in the collection, that has the central themes of teenage pregnancy, prostitution and also sexual abuse is Samantha  [10]  . Unlike Martina, the life of Samantha takes place at a more modern time. The poem deals mostly with prostitution, but once again it is not from the very typical viewpoint, as the womans positive characteristics are equally emphasized with her short-comings. The poem also gives more insight to one of the reasons behind prostitution and from that also teenage pregnancy. They cant see my bump in the dark. I work Stamford Hill mostly. My first time was 96. We was really broke. Boy from the local estate. Dealer. The girls put me up to it. Once I got over the taste it was childs play. Sucked him like an ice lolly in June. We call it making ends meet.   [11]   In this stanza, the prostitute is talking about why she first got started with her line of work, and as for most girls, it is usually about financial problems and a lack of education or opportunities to find a proper job. According to Claire Sterk: money, history of sexual abuse, having grown up without love from the significant adults in their lives and being enticed by a male of female friend or by peer pressure from a group of friends are the main reasons behind prostitution.  [12]  All of those are also mentioned in the poem Samantha. When comparing Samantha to Martina then their one similarity is pregnancy, what is different, is the two womens perception of the situations. In Martina, the girl is punished for her situation and considers putting the child up for adoption. In Samantha, the prostitute has a much more positive attitude towards the fact that she has a child. ..Id die if anything happened to my kid. A child keeps you sane. ..  [13]   Even though only taking place 20 to 30 years later, the outlook on the situation had transformed, and prostitutes at that time felt like they had the right and freedom of talking about their lives without shame of what others may think. What is interesting about the poem is the fact that Samantha herself does not seem to be too disturbed about the way her life has turned out, she seems foolishly hopeful that things might change for the better. The fact is however, that the reasons that first dragged the woman into prostitution are not likely to just disappear. In an interview with the Guardian journalist, Emine Saner, a long-time sex worker told Saner that she would like to be able to stop working, but does not know how else to manage financially  [14]  . The importance of this poem and also Martina is the fact that even though both women have a distorted sense of morals, the reader can not help but feel somewhat sorry for the characters and therefore enabling them to see teenage pregnancy and prostitution in a different light than usually portrayed by the media. Adolescence and fairytale stereotypes According to Patience Agbabi herself, exploring childhood moving into adolescence is one of her favourite themes. As every person has been a kid in the past and can say that puberty is a very emotional time of a persons life, it is therefore no surprise that adolescence is an interesting topic for all writers and poets. In a life of a usual teenager, adolescence is the time of first love, discovering sexuality and for most girls the realisation of the truth behind fairytale stereotypes. One of my personal favourites, Agbabis poem The Tiger  [15]  is an excellent portrayal of a rebellious teenage girl who is just on her journey of discovering what life as an adult is actually like. Majority of young girls have a huge misconception about adulthood, mainly concerning romance. Tracy loves Darren. It was girl power, 1979. He was my aerosol boy and the swelling inscription, my lifebuoy. We lasted a month.  [16]   In the poem, the young girl gets a tattoo with the name of her first love. It is a very truthful depiction of young people s understanding of love, as they think it will last forever just like the tattoo. The reality of the situation hits youngsters usually when they gain more independence and responsibilities, which also marks the end of their puberty. The Tiger shows the ordeal in an emotional and familiar way, thus making the reader feel the angst of puberty once again. In modern society, adolescence is widely discussed, as parents seem more and more clueless of what to do when their child is behaving in a rebellious matter. By giving the reader an insight to the girls point of view, Agbabi once again enables people to see the problem from a new angle. It takes an hour to obliterate girl meets boy a minute for childhood to end, and for dark blue to fade to grey, a lifetime.   [17]   With the final stanza of the poem, Agbabi emphasizes again the fact that emotions and situations that all seemed so important during years of puberty, mean very little when compared to the rest of a persons life. The second poem in Agbabis collection that also deals with the problems of fairytale stereotyping and more generally, youngsters misconception of the life ahead, is Leila  [18]  . This poem is mostly depicting the usual dream of a little girl, in her early years of adolescence, when she dreams about charming princes and extraordinary weddings. This delusion has been created by entertainment industry, as children are exposed to more and more cartoons, films and toys in a very early age. The idea behind this is to influence the children into wanting all sorts of consumer goods, but in addition these movies and toys give the young children a distorted view of life which in later years may prove to be a major obstacle on their way of living a fulfilled life. Developmental ps ychologists have long identified the fact that playing has a crucial affect on a childs development. During play children communicate with their world and internalize elements of society, such as norms, values, and adult roles. Childrens toys have a huge effect on their development of self-image and their concept of the society one of the fundamental tasks of childhood and adolescence  [19]  . It is to no surprise then, that the poet has chosen this topic as it sheds light and explains another group of women, who are suffering from some kind of social issue. dreaming all night of her shoe-shine boy, their diamond wedding, that happy end- ing. If she were a time shed be midnight, when each child paints the dark with fantasy, when girls become women, boys become men and Once upon a time becomes The End.  [20]   The last stanza of the poem is showing exactly Agbabis point that eventually all people grow up and with that they also have to grow out of fairytales. No fairytale ever shows the life of the protagonists after the happily ever after, and therefore having unrealistic expectations in ones adulthood to, for example, have a relationship that can be compared to a classical fairytale, is a dream that in reality will never come true. The two poems of adolescence and fairytale stereotypes are not only instructive for the young girls and women who are faced with the issue, but also for those who as observers may not have completely understood or recognized it as a social issue before. Sexuality, sexual abuse and gender expectations Sexuality is most definitely the most controversial and most covered topic that the poet has examined in her poem collection Seven Sisters. Patience Agbabi, being a bisexual herself, gives a very interesting and somewhat perceptive portrayal of a vast variety of different women and their sexualities. Not only does she discuss the sexualities of the women themselves, but also gender expectations amongst mothers, who also wish for their child to be of certain sex. According to researchers children are increasingly more aware of their sexuality from an early age, for example according to the research of 2004 by the Guttmacher Institute, 46% of teens in the United States between ages of 15-19 have had sex at least once  [21]  . It is to no surprise then that sexuality is such a talked about topic around the world these days. The problem with young children and their sexuality is briefly discussed in the poems Martina  [22]  and The Tiger  [23]  . In the poem The Tiger, Agbab i writes about the protagonist losing her virginity at a very young age, and thus also losing her childhood. In Martina, the main character is presumably around the age of 16, but has to grow up fast, and therefore get in touch with her sexual side, because of the war. The more controversial part of sexuality in Martina is the fact that even though the character is heterosexual, the narrator is a lesbian, as said by the poet.  [24]  Sexual orientation has a very big part to play in our sense of who we are and exactly where we belong. Even though no-one chooses their sexual orientation, there are still millions of people who are strongly against homosexuality, or bisexuality for that matter. As a close to heart topic for Agbabi, she chooses a very different angle to express her feelings about the social issue concerning sexuality. In her poem Ms de Meanour  [25]  , the narrator who is also the main character in the poem, is a drag queen and in lively fashion talks about her l ife of behaving like a woman, even though actually being a man. Time for boy meets girl in the mirror and wild child bitch with a dick from Crouch End becomes Wild West End diva with dark luscious lashes. .  [26]   In my opinion the poet is trying to draw a comparison between transvestites and gay people, as both are hiding their true personality and sexuality for the benefit and content of others. Drag queens dress and act as women, for the purpose of entertaining or performing. Homosexual people, on the other hand, need to sometimes hide their preferences from other in fear of public condemnation. In the beginning of the 21st century, violence against homosexual population was increasing, even the only wrong they have done is just have the courage to show difference from the majority  [27]  . Fortunately during the last couple of years, the situation has improved, as for example in many countries and in some states in Unites States, same-sex marriages are allowed and recognized by the government. Very closely connected with this topic, is gender expectations which is another theme in Agbabis poems. Centuries ago, it was crucial for a family to have a son, for the very obvious reason that a son is stronger and was more helpful around the house. Not only are there expectations about the gender of the child before it is born, but also after. Parents assume their children to grow up and follow the manner of behaviour that is acceptable by the society. For a heterosexual couple, who have certain expectations for their child, depending on the kids sex, it is probably quite disturbing to accept if the child turns out to be homosexual for example. The poem The Earth Mother  [28]  , is set in a fairytale time of Once upon a time, where an old woman craves for a son and is initially disappointed, when the child she had already named Boy turned out to be a girl. Old Woman named it Boy and dreamt earth, wind and fire, better times And here the tale would end if little girls could truly tame the dark and little boys were really boys, not girls. Old Woman woke and saw her baby Boy was girl and being wise, gave praise and raised this girl-child .  [29]   The poem is a fascinating approach to the subject, as the Old Woman represents most parents who wish their child to grow up a certain way they have imagined. It is also educational, as in the poem even though preliminary shocked to find out that things had not gone as planned, the Old Woman still raised the child without any complaints or regrets. In my opinion, Agbabi is trying to convince the reader that even when a child does not grow up according to certain gender expectations, it is no excuse to repel person s own flesh and blood. A more terrifying theme of sexuality in Agbabis poems is child sexual abuse, which she writes about in the poem Samantha  [30]  , where the character is a young 14 year old girl, who was raped by her step-father and consequently became a prostitute. Sexual abuse between adults and children, and moreover between siblings, is unfortunately not a passing issue in todays society. In 1994, 46% of all rape cases reported, were victims of their family members.  [31]   Pervs. Like my stepdad. I was still a child when he did it. Told her I was sleeping with boys but she walked in on us that lunchtime, and called me a whore. Jealous bitch. I left that weekend. Fourteen, and still scared of the dark.  [32]   One of the most disturbing facts about child sexual abuse is that in some occasions, the parents of the children dont believe when their child tells them about the rape or accuse the child of being seductive and asking for being raped. In those cases, the parent is usually more concerned about the relationship with the abuser than the well-being of their child. Therefore it is no surprise, that after such ordeal, these children end up running away from home and when reaching adulthood suffer from low self-esteem, sexual dysfunction, difficulties with having a healthy relationships, depression, substance abuse and so on.  [33]  The frankness of the main character in the poem, shows the reader the outcome of sexual abuse without any buffers, in its purest form which has proven to be the most efficient way to get people acknowledge the seriousness of the situation and do something about one of the most horrific problems women have to go through in their lives. Conclusion Patience Agbabi is a true-hearted feminist, who in her poem collection Seven Sisters writes about some of the most common social issues women are faced with, without taking sides. In her own words: As a feminist, when I started out as a writer there was a political pressure not to let the side down. Women were seeking equality and you had a duty as a writer to show women in the best possible light. But by this second book, I let art rather than politics lead the way.  [34]  Even though there were many bigger and smaller issues discussed in the poems, the themes that prevailed and seemed to be most close to heart for the poet, were teenage pregnancy and prostitution, adolescences and fairytale stereotypes and lastly sexuality, sexual abuse and gender expectations. The way of portraying issues that are exceedingly talked about, making them sound innovative and interesting, and in addition finding something new to teach in all of the situations is what makes the poems beautiful and absolutely worth reading. Patience Agbabi draws the reader in with writing in first person narrative and therefore lets the reader to identify with these women and the difficulties they face. Teenage pregnancy and prostitution are often discussed from the viewpoint of the general media but what a regular person does not hear often about is the other side of the story, the truth about the situation. As the poet mentioned herself, she is not trying to idealize these women or justify their behaviour and morals, but rather give the reader a change to make up their own decision about the characters. This applies to all of the themes and characters discussed in Seven Sisters. As a whole the collection serves as a quick study book for anyone interested in women their problems, their views on society and how the society views them and most importantly it allows the reader to analyse the information without any outside influence, thus coming to a conclusion that has its bases on the persons own views rather than the views of someone else. Sources Patience Agbabi Transformatrix Edinburgh: Payback Press. 2000. Marilyn Hegarty Victory Girls, Khaki-Wackies and Patriotutes: The regulation of female sexuality during World War II New York: NYU Press. 2007. Claire Sterk Tricking And Tripping, Prostitution In The Era Of AIDS New York: Social Change Press. 2000. Ken Moore Anti-lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Bisexual Violence in 2000 New York: National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs.2001. Kluft Incest-Related Syndromes of Adult Psychopathology Washington: American Psyhiatric Press.1990. Penelope Maza Adoption Trends: 1944-1975 US Childrens Bureau.1984. Emine Saner Youre consenting to being raped for money Guardian.11th December 2007. http://www.eduqna.com/Words-Wordplay/841-1-words-4.html http://www.public.asu.edu/~kleong/adolescents%20barbie.pdf http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-ATSRH.html http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/main.aspx?dbName=DocumentViewerDocumentID=32315 Seven Sisters Unveiled FORM DICTATING CONTENT I discovered the sestina quite by accident. I was well known for being a Janis Joplin fan, the 60s rock star who lived fast and died young of a heroin overdose. I was particularly mesmerised by her rendition of Ball and Chain, a blues number she performed at the Monteray pop festival in 1967. The friend gave me a copy of a poem called You Cant Rhumboogie in a Ball and Chain (for Janis Joplin). It was written by Alice Fulton, a poet Id never heard of. The poem really captured Janis spirit and I loved it. I also loved the way the words seemed to dance around each other. Of course, what I was responding to subliminally was the form of the poem, the form known as the sestina. So what is a sestina? Like many poetic forms it has musical roots. It was invented by Arnaud Daniel (whom Dante considered the best wordsmith). The form was originally sung by the top class troubadours, those who could master the intricate form. The sestina is still seen as the most difficult form to master in modern How to Write Poetry books. Basically, you have six words which appear in a set order at the end of each line. You have six stanzas of six lines each and a final stanza of three lines. It makes more sense when you see it on the page so heres one I prepared earlier, the first one I wrote: WRITING THE SEQUENCE A poet friend from the US, Samantha Coerbell, reintroduced me to the sestina by giving me the six end words, time, girl, end, child, boy, dark. They immediately suggested to me a poem about the passing of time, adolescence, coming of age with dark undertones. I didnt analyse it too closely. One day I went to the Poetry Library in London with a couple of hours to spare. I decided to write a sestina. It was supposed to be difficult but I believed it couldnt be that hard. I managed to write something I was reasonably pleased with in that two hours. It made sense and it has a story line. I knew it was a first draft that needed more work but it was a pretty good first draft as first drafts go. Like the Alice Fulton poem, I also adhered to 10-syllable lines. Traditional English sestinas are written in iambic pentameter. I enjoyed the writing experience, using the word repetitions as a form of rhyme and thought: WHAT IF 100 people got given the same six end words. Imagine the difference in the poems theyd produce. Yet each poem would have a relationship to the next due the set repetition of the end words. Each poem would perform the same dance to a different tune. I then decided to embark on the Seven Sisters project. I gave myself a year but eventually found myself writing one sestina a month. I wanted sufficient gaps between poems so theyd be very different.

Individual & Society: Stalin ~ Hitler ~ Mussolini Essay -- Essays Pape

Individual & Society: Stalin ~ Hitler ~ Mussolini The relationship between the individual and society in Europe in the early 20th century, as it pertained to Fascism, Nazism, and Totalitarianism, was based primarily on the fact that there was no individual in the eyes of the state. Individual liberties and expressions were eliminated in order to improve the welfare of the country. Leaders taught conventional ideals and murdered enemies, so as to create one state, composed of individuals whose lives were involuntarily centered around the creation of that State. In 1922, Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the Russian Communist party, suffered the first of many strokes that would relieve him of his authority. After leading the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, Lenin had established Communism to reinstate order in the crumbling Russia and protect the rights of the oppressed proletariat. He believed that, only in a Communist society, "'the state ceases to exist,' and 'it becomes possible to speak of freedom.'"1 Lenin stood by the idea that Communism would "render the state absolutely unnecessary" because "no one in the sense of a class" would be suppressed.2 Lenin's successor, Josef Stalin, took the elimination of proletarian suppression to extremes. Stalin and Leon Trotsky-who was with Lenin in forming the Russian Revolution and led the Red Army in the Civil War of 1918-vied for leadership of the Communist party after Lenin's stroke. Although Trotsky seemed to be the inevitable successor, Stalin's status as general secretary of the Communist party gave him "control over the administrative levers of the party" and "allowed him to eliminate all rivals."3 Stalin relieved Trotsky of his authority in the Communist party and exiled him t... ...e Hall, 1996), 263. 2. Ibid., p. 264. 3. Ibid., p. 266. 4. Ibid., p. 267. 5. Ibid., p. 272. 6. Ibid. 7. Ibid., p. 279. 8. Ibid. 9. Ibid., p. 283. 10. Ibid., p. 284. 11. Donald Kagan, et al, The Western Heritage, Brief Edition, Volume II, Since 1715 (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996), 644. 12. Ibid., p. 646. 13. Perry M. Rogers, Aspects of Western Civilization: Problems and Sources in History. (Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1996), 300-301. 14. Ibid., p. 301. 15. Ibid. 16. Ibid. 17. Donald Kagan, et al, The Western Heritage, Brief Edition, Volume II, Since 1715 (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996), 653. 18. Perry M. Rogers, Aspects of Western Civilization: Problems and Sources in History. (Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1996), 316. 19. Ibid., p. 328.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy Essay example -- Biographies Presidents Papers

John Fitzgerald Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy 35th president of the United States, the youngest person ever to be elected president. He was also the first Roman Catholic president and the first president to be born in the 20th century. Kennedy was assassinated before he completed his third year as president. Therefore his achievements were limited. Nevertheless, his influence was worldwide, and his handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis may have prevented war. Young people especially liked him. No other president was so popular. He brought to the presidency an awareness of the cultural and historical traditions of the United States. Because Kennedy expressed the values of 20th-century America, his presidency was important beyond its political achievements. John Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. He was the second of nine children. Kennedy announced his candidacy early in 1960. By the time the Democratic National Convention opened in July, he had won seven primary victories. His most important had been in West Virginia, where he proved that a Roman Catholic could win in a predominantly Protestant state. When the convention opened, it appeared that Kennedy’s only serious challenge for the nomination would come from the Senate majority leader, Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas. However, Johnson was strong only among Southern delegates. Kennedy won the nomination on the first ballot and then persuaded Johnson to become his running mate. Two weeks later the Republicans nominated Vice President Richard Nixon for president and Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., who was ambassador to the United Nations and whom Kennedy had defeated for the Senate in 1952, for vice president. In the fast-paced campaign th... ...approached an underpass, two shots were fired in rapid succession. One bullet passed through the president’s neck and struck Governor Connally in the back. The other bullet struck the president in the head. Kennedy fell forward, and his car sped to Parkland Hospital. At 1:00 PM, he was pronounced dead. He had never regained consciousness. Less than two hours after the shooting, aboard the presidential plane at the Dallas airport, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the 36th president of the United States. That afternoon, Lee Harvey Oswald, who was employed in the warehouse, was arrested in a Dallas movie theater and charged with the murder. On November 24 the body of President Kennedy was carried on a horse-drawn carriage from the White House to the Rotunda of the Capitol. Hundreds of thousands of people filed past the coffin of the slain president.

Fahrenheit 451 and Salamander Reading Comprehension

Fahrenheit 451 The Hearth and the Salamander Reading Comprehension Questions 1) The country is not at peace. The country defends itself no matter what. Jets fly across the sky, meaning there is a war. 2) Captain Beatty seems to be directing Montag’s remarks at the fire station. Montag’s comments make the other firemen suspicious because he talks about how all firemen resembles a mirror image of him, and asks why don’t they prevent fires instead of burning the books. 3) The alarm at the old woman’s house is so â€Å"inconvenient† because usually before the firemen arrived at the house and the occupants had already been arrested and taken away.However, in this call, she was still at home. 4) Beatty says that none of the books agree with each other, many are lies about people who never actually lived, and it’s against the law for people to have books. 5) Montag is sick to his stomach because Mildred tells him that Clarrise’s family had mo ved away and she had got it by a car. Mildred had forgotten to tell Montag four days ago, but she couldn’t tell him if she was sure or not. 6) The ever-increasing speed of society affected books according to Beatty by people watching things on the television, short version of books, and the advancement of technology. ) The advancement in technology over books was the most important thing in society. Such as classics cut to fifteen or twenty minute shows, politics being two sentence headliner, and books being cut right to the information. 8) The objections of minority groups affected books by minority groups being offensive by certain types of literature, leading to censorship. 9) Comics, confessions, and trade journals are left for people to read. 10) Beatty made a unspoken â€Å"deal† that if Montag had handed over the books, the whole incident would be looked over.

Newspaper analysis by Marx, Durkheim or Weber`s Theories

The issue of inequality has been widely discussed in many different contexts during various periods of human history. The fate of Australian aborigines requires special attention, due to its importance in the modern Australian society. As the article â€Å"Challenge to Improve Aborigines’ Lot† suggests, Australian aborigines claim that they are discriminated against and that they do not have equal rights with other members of Australian society. They state that most of the problems which they are currently facing come from their inequality in the society.They are destined to suffer from high rates of unemployment, racism, shorter life expectancy, high mortality rates among children and many other problems. Aborigines claim that they do not have equal opportunities with other members of society, and therefore they are not able to enjoy benefits of Australian society as much as other Australians. Theory of sagacious theorist Karl Marx supports the thesis of Jim Everett, o ne of the aborigines’ leaders, concerning the importance of fighting for their rights and even establishing an autonomous state of aborigines for their benefit. Karl Marx argued in his theory that dominant class oppresses working class in the society, which leads to alienation and estrangement of the working class from the results of its work.An important thesis which supports the main idea of the article is that, according to Marx, laws have been designed to serve the interests of capitalism and the ruling class of capitalists. Therefore, the laws in Australian society have been created to serve the interests of the dominant class and oppress aborigines. As Marx claimed, capitalists are able to oppress the working class with the help of the laws which exist in the society. Every single law which regulates the relations in the society is created in order to further increase the gap between the ruling class and the working class.Working people get poorer and poorer the more th ey produce because capitalists take the surplus value which they create. Laws let capitalists obtain the profits which are originated by companies. Even though working people would probably like to change the law and be capable to benefit from the results of their own work, they are not able to do that because they do not have enough power. Aborigines would like to change the law in such a way so that they are able to get all of the benefits from the society in the same manner as the ruling class is getting them. Unfortunately, they are not able to do that because the laws in Australian society have been created to serve the interests of the ruling elite.It is possible to regard Marx’s views on law in 2 ways: from the positivist perspective, according to which law is created in order to reflect subjective interests of the capitalist class, and from the objective perspective. As the positivist approach argues, capitalists have their own subjective perceptions of the society an d thus the laws are being used in order to put their subjective views on the paper. Capitalists have their views on the ways in which they would like to see the world they live in.They do their best to ensure that the laws are adopted to regulate the society according to the most favorable pattern for them. It is also possible to interpret Marx’s views on law from the objective perspective. According to it, law also serves the interests of capitalists but it appears as the result of the objective process. Capitalists dominate in the society and therefore the trends in legislation which serve their interests are fully objective. It is understandable that legislation needs to reflect the interests of the ruling class, and therefore this process is fully objective.In the case of Australian aborigines’ inequality analysis, it is necessary to take positivist perspective on Marx’s understanding of law. Current legislation which exists in Australia was not formed as th e result of objective process. Instead, it was imposed on Australian people in order to oppress them. European colonizers arrived in Australia a few centuries ago, and it was very important for them to ensure that indigenous people in Australia followed the laws which were beneficial for the conquerors. The first steps which were taken by the colonizers included expropriation of lands originally owned by them.The following steps were both positive and negative. On one hand, colonizers offered new health and educational benefits to the aborigines, which improved their lifestyle. On the other hand, aborigines saw the oppression of their culture. For example, they were not allowed to speak their native language in many situations, and children of aborigines were taken from their families. For Australian indigenous people, their traditions were one of the most important parts of their lives, and thus they witnessed deep humiliation as the result of colonizers’ policy. Aborigines did not need Europeans to dictate them their policy in everything; they would much rather prefer to carry out decisions on their own, as they did in previous years.They wanted to participate in the legislative process in the country when it comes to their rights and duties. Unfortunately, they never got a chance for that. Australian government still considers itself much more proficient in the aborigines’ affairs than aborigines themselves, and therefore seeks to regulate their lives according to its principles and ideas.Some changes have been recently made in order to improve the situation, but they are not sufficient in this situation, as Marx would mark. ASTIC, a commission dealing with aborigines’ rights, was replaced by a more efficient advisory board, the members of which included aborigines themselves. Even though this board is obviously going to be more efficient in addressing aborigines’’ rights, it is not capable to make a radical enough change in the society. The number of problems from which Australian natives are currently suffering is literally overwhelming, and small change in legislation will not be able to minimize their effect significantly.For example, aborigines’ women are dying at a very early age, and this tendency needs to be stopped by radical methods. The expectancy of live of male aborigines is still 21 year shorter than other male Australians. According to statistics, even people in such poor countries as Bangladesh, Nepal and others have higher standards of life and much better health than Australian aborigines, despite the fact that Australia is currently considered one of the world’s wealthiest nations with good healthcare level.This evidence proves that there is a great lag between the levels of health services which are received by Australian aborigines, in comparison with other Australians. Even though some improvements in health services for Australian indigenous people have been made, according to the evidence of the article, they did not have any major positive effect on the health of the nation. Health is a very important characteristic of any nation, and without improving the healthcare system in Australia, it will be impossible to achieve any positive changes in the development of native people.The concept of â€Å"alienation†, which has been suggested by Karl Marx, can also be applied to analyze the issues connected with Australian aborigines. According to Marx, in the capitalist society, people are estranged from the results of their work. They are forced to work but unfortunately they are not the ones to take advantage of the results of their work.The owners of the factories, in which employees work, are the ones benefiting from the products which are created by the workers. Marx mentioned many times that such a society is characterized by alienation because workers are unable to take advantage of the results of their own work. The society based on the concept of alienation is destined to fail because at some point the relations which have got established in it will stop working.Aborigines do not represent a working class per se, but they do represent an oppressed class which is not able to take advantage from the results of their work. If in the past Australian aborigines were able to use their results of work for their own benefit, the situation changed rapidly after the European colonization began. Indigenous people were estranged from the results of work which they had been doing for centuries. They feel alienated in the new society. As it was mentioned above, laws in the Australian society have been created to serve the interests of the colonizers, and aborigines are therefore left behind in many aspects of life.Even though the government claims that they have equal rights with all of the other members of the society, figures show that the level of life of aborigines is much lower. These people are forced to suffer from high rate of un-employment and racism, which increase their alienation to an even greater degree. Aborigines state that they are experiencing institutionalized racism in many aspects of their lives, and no steps have been taken by the government to bring it to an end. The policy of welfare is also not fit to address aborigines’ rights.Many recommendations could be given to the Australian decision-makers in order to improve the situation with aborigines in the country. Karl Marx would claim that radical change will need to take place in Australian society in order to bring it to equilibrium. In his theory, Marx argued that all of the characteristic features of the capitalist production created a solid basis for the conflicts between social classes of capitalists and workers. According to Marx, the exploitation of workers provided on all levels of production, their estrangement from the results of work all were the reasons of the inevitable changes in the future.The fact that s urplus value was obtained by the capitalist was also one of the arguments for the future change in the structure. The class of workers realized that the results of their work were taken by the capitalist even though they were the ones who actually created the value. The dialectics argues that contradictions are the driving force of progress. Once contradictions appear in some system, the system will need to undergo many changes and develop until the new level in which the synthesis of new qualities will be finally reached. Therefore, as it was correctly noticed by Marx, the phase of capitalism could not be completely over- it would just develop until its new phase socialism and the most positive features of both systems would be present in the final synthesis of the two systems. In case of Australian society, the law of dialectics would ensure that aborigines eventually occupied a decent place in the society.In order to achieve that, Karl Marx would suggest applying one of his favor ite concepts- â€Å"re-education†. All of the aborigines would have to be re-educated for them to be able to occupy all of the high-paying jobs along with other Australians. As the result of increased earnings, aborigines would be able to spend more money on healthcare and thus increase life expectancy and health of their race. Unemployment among indigenous people would rapidly decrease because more and more aborigines would be able to occupy positions in various spheres. Domestic violence and crime would wane as the result of improved education and level of life.In conclusion, it is necessary to mark that Karl Marx’s theory is very applicable for the analysis of the situation with aborigines in Australia. Even though Karl Marx did not ponder over the issues of Australian aborigines, his concepts can be very helpful in the analysis of the phenomenon and creation of recommendations to improve the level of life of aborigines.Bibliography.Altschuler, R. (2000), The Living Legacy of Marx, Durkheim and Weber: Applications and Analyses of Classical Sociological Theory by Modern Social Scientists. Gordian Knot Books, USA. Eastman Max, Marx Karl (1959). Capital, the Communist Manifesto and Other Writings. The Modern Library. Fromm, Erich 91966). Marx's Concept of Man. New York: Frederick Ungar. Giddens, Anthony (1971). Capitalism and Modern Social Theory: An Analysis of the Writings of Marx, Durkheim and Max Weber. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Kivisto, P. (2004), Illuminating Social Life: Classical and Contemporary Theory Revisited, 3rd ed., Pine Forge, Thousand Oaks. Peterson G. Paul. (1994), Karl Marx and His Vision of Salvation: The Natural Law and Private Property. Review of Social Economy. Volume: 52. Issue: 3. Ritzer, G. (1992), Classical Sociological theory. NY: McGraw Hill. Schlatter, Richard (1951). Private Property. London, UK: George Allen & Unwin. Newspaper analysis by Marx, Durkheim or Weber`s Theories Newspaper analysis by Marx, Durkheim or Weber`s Theories.The issue of inequality has been widely discussed in many different contexts during various periods of human history. The fate of Australian aborigines requires special attention, due to its importance in the modern Australian society. As the article â€Å"Challenge to Improve Aborigines’ Lot† suggests, Australian aborigines claim that they are discriminated against and that they do not have equal rights with other members of Australian society. They state that most of the problems which they are currently facing come from their inequality in the society. They are destined to suffer from high rates of unemployment, racism, shorter life expectancy, high mortality rates among children and many other problems.Aborigines claim that they do not have equal opportunities with other members of society, and therefore they are not able to enjoy benefits of Australian society as much as other Australians. Theory of sagacious theorist Karl Marx supports the thesis of Jim Everett, one of the aborigines’ leaders, concerning the importance of fighting for their rights and even establishing an autonomous state of aborigines for their benefit. Karl Marx argued in his theory that dominant class oppresses working class in the society, which leads to alienation and estrangement of the working class from the results of its work.An important thesis which supports the main idea of the article is that, according to Marx, laws have been designed to serve the interests of capitalism and the ruling class of capitalists. Therefore, the laws in Australian society have been created to serve the interests of the dominant class and oppress aborigines. As Marx claimed, capitalists are able to oppress the working class with the help of the laws which exist in the society. Every single law which regulates the relations in the society is created in order to further increase the gap between the ruling class and the worki ng class. Working people get poorer and poorer the more they produce because capitalists take the surplus value which they create.Laws let capitalists obtain the profits which are originated by companies. Even though working people would probably like to change the law and be capable to benefit from the results of their own work, they are not able to do that because they do not have enough power. Aborigines would like to change the law in such a way so that they are able to get all of the benefits from the society in the same manner as the ruling class is getting them. Unfortunately, they are not able to do that because the laws in Australian society have been created to serve the interests of the ruling elite.It is possible to regard Marx’s views on law in 2 ways: from the positivist perspective, according to which law is created in order to reflect subjective interests of the capitalist class, and from the objective perspective. As the positivist approach argues, capitalist s have their own subjective perceptions of the society and thus the laws are being used in order to put their subjective views on the paper. Capitalists have their views on the ways in which they would like to see the world they live in. They do their best to ensure that the laws are adopted to regulate the society according to the most favorable pattern for them. It is also possible to interpret Marx’s views on law from the objective perspective. According to it, law also serves the interests of capitalists but it appears as the result of the objective process. Capitalists dominate in the society and therefore the trends in legislation which serve their interests are fully objective. It is understandable that legislation needs to reflect the interests of the ruling class, and therefore this process is fully objective.In the case of Australian aborigines’ inequality analysis, it is necessary to take positivist perspective on Marx’s understanding of law. Current legislation which exists in Australia was not formed as the result of objective process. Instead, it was imposed on Australian people in order to oppress them. European colonizers arrived in Australia a few centuries ago, and it was very important for them to ensure that indigenous people in Australia followed the laws which were beneficial for the conquerors. The first steps which were taken by the colonizers included expropriation of lands originally owned by them. The following steps were both positive and negative. On one hand, colonizers offered new health and educational benefits to the aborigines, which improved their lifestyle.On the other hand, aborigines saw the oppression of their culture. For example, they were not allowed to speak their native language in many situations, and children of aborigines were taken from their families. For Australian indigenous people, their traditions were one of the most important parts of their lives, and thus they witnessed deep humiliati on as the result of colonizers’ policy. Aborigines did not need Europeans to dictate them their policy in everything; they would much rather prefer to carry out decisions on their own, as they did in previous years. They wanted to participate in the legislative process in the country when it comes to their rights and duties. Unfortunately, they never got a chance for that. Australian government still considers itself much more proficient in the aborigines’ affairs than aborigines themselves, and therefore seeks to regulate their lives according to its principles and ideas.Some changes have been recently made in order to improve the situation, but they are not sufficient in this situation, as Marx would mark. ASTIC, a commission dealing with aborigines’ rights, was replaced by a more efficient advisory board, the members of which included aborigines themselves. Even though this board is obviously going to be more efficient in addressing aborigines’’ rights, it is not capable to make a radical enough change in the society. The number of problems from which Australian natives are currently suffering is literally overwhelming, and small change in legislation will not be able to minimize their effect significantly.For example, aborigines’ women are dying at a very early age, and this tendency needs to be stopped by radical methods. The expectancy of live of male aborigines is still 21 year shorter than other male Australians. According to statistics, even people in such poor countries as Bangladesh, Nepal and others have higher standards of life and much better health than Australian aborigines, despite the fact that Australia is currently considered one of the world’s wealthiest nations with good healthcare level.This evidence proves that there is a great lag between the levels of health services which are received by Australian aborigines, in comparison with other Australians. Even though some improvements in healt h services for Australian indigenous people have been made, according to the evidence of the article, they did not have any major positive effect on the health of the nation. Health is a very important characteristic of any nation, and without improving the healthcare system in Australia, it will be impossible to achieve any positive changes in the development of native people.The concept of â€Å"alienation†, which has been suggested by Karl Marx, can also be applied to analyze the issues connected with Australian aborigines. According to Marx, in the capitalist society, people are estranged from the results of their work. They are forced to work but unfortunately they are not the ones to take advantage of the results of their work. The owners of the factories, in which employees work, are the ones benefiting from the products which are created by the workers. Marx mentioned many times that such a society is characterized by alienation because workers are unable to take adva ntage of the results of their own work. The society based on the concept of alienation is destined to fail because at some point the relations which have got established in it will stop working.Aborigines do not represent a working class per se, but they do represent an oppressed class which is not able to take advantage from the results of their work. If in the past Australian aborigines were able to use their results of work for their own benefit, the situation changed rapidly after the European colonization began. Indigenous people were estranged from the results of work which they had been doing for centuries. They feel alienated in the new society. As it was mentioned above, laws in the Australian society have been created to serve the interests of the colonizers, and aborigines are therefore left behind in many aspects of life. Even though the government claims that they have equal rights with all of the other members of the society, figures show that the level of life of abor igines is much lower.These people are forced to suffer from high rate of un-employment and racism, which increase their alienation to an even greater degree. Aborigines state that they are experiencing institutionalized racism in many aspects of their lives, and no steps have been taken by the government to bring it to an end. The policy of welfare is also not fit to address aborigines’ rights.Many recommendations could be given to the Australian decision-makers in order to improve the situation with aborigines in the country. Karl Marx would claim that radical change will need to take place in Australian society in order to bring it to equilibrium. In his theory, Marx argued that all of the characteristic features of the capitalist production created a solid basis for the conflicts between social classes of capitalists and workers. According to Marx, the exploitation of workers provided on all levels of production, their estrangement from the results of work all were the rea sons of the inevitable changes in the future. The fact that surplus value was obtained by the capitalist was also one of the arguments for the future change in the structure.The class of workers realized that the results of their work were taken by the capitalist even though they were the ones who actually created the value. The dialectics argues that contradictions are the driving force of progress. Once contradictions appear in some system, the system will need to undergo many changes and develop until the new level in which the synthesis of new qualities will be finally reached. Therefore, as it was correctly noticed by Marx, the phase of capitalism could not be completely over- it would just develop until its new phase socialism and the most positive features of both systems would be present in the final synthesis of the two systems. In case of Australian society, the law of dialectics would ensure that aborigines eventually occupied a decent place in the society.In order to ach ieve that, Karl Marx would suggest applying one of his favorite concepts- â€Å"re-education†. All of the aborigines would have to be re-educated for them to be able to occupy all of the high-paying jobs along with other Australians. As the result of increased earnings, aborigines would be able to spend more money on healthcare and thus increase life expectancy and health of their race. Unemployment among indigenous people would rapidly decrease because more and more aborigines would be able to occupy positions in various spheres. Domestic violence and crime would wane as the result of improved education and level of life.In conclusion, it is necessary to mark that Karl Marx’s theory is very applicable for the analysis of the situation with aborigines in Australia. Even though Karl Marx did not ponder over the issues of Australian aborigines, his concepts can be very helpful in the analysis of the phenomenon and creation of recommendations to improve the level of life of aborigines.Bibliography.Altschuler, R. (2000), The Living Legacy of Marx, Durkheim and Weber: Applications and Analyses of Classical Sociological Theory by Modern Social Scientists. Gordian Knot Books, USA. Eastman Max, Marx Karl (1959). Capital, the Communist Manifesto and Other Writings. The Modern Library. Fromm, Erich 91966). Marx's Concept of Man. New York: Frederick Ungar. Giddens, Anthony (1971). Capitalism and Modern Social Theory: An Analysis of the Writings of Marx, Durkheim and Max Weber. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Kivisto, P. (2004), Illuminating Social Life: Classical and Contemporary Theory Revisited, 3rd ed., Pine Forge, Thousand Oaks. Peterson G. Paul. (1994), Karl Marx and His Vision of Salvation: The Natural Law and Private Property. Review of Social Economy. Volume: 52. Issue: 3. Ritzer, G. (1992), Classical Sociological theory. NY: McGraw Hill. Schlatter, Richard (1951). Private Property. London, UK: George Allen & Unwin.