Why you should eat breakfast

Although this research Is for everyone, It'll help us to be better students as well! Preview Main Points: First I will tell you about the stress relief benefit, then I will tell you about the concentration benefit, last I will tell you about the memory benefit. BODY Transition: Let's bite down on this exciting topic shall we? Main Point 1: As students, we have very busy lives and it can become almost Impossible to Just relax bit. A. In 2009, Dry. Schools and Dry. Smith of the Wrigley Science Institute states that chewing gum can actually relieve stress.B. Stress can be caused by all kinds of forms. When we're caught lying; when we're bout to take a test; when we're worried or even sad. C. When we are stressed, our bodies become tense. A remedy for that would be to exercise. Well, the remedy to loosen our Jaw tension is to chew gum! Dry. Shall posts In 2002 Journal of Oral Rehabilitation that muscle contraction from chewing Is a form of exercise. Chewing stimulates vague nerve In the brain, which lowers heart rate and increases relaxation. D. In addition, Dry. Chou of peoples. Org published an experiment in April 2013 that gum relieves stress not only by producing blood flow and oxygen to the brain, but also by subconsciously shifting our attention to the act of chewing. Transition: Now that our Jaws are loosened up, let's loosen our ears to listen to the next benefit: concentration! Main Point 2: Concentrating on specific things can be difficult especially when we live in such a busy world! In our generation, we have so many things to distract us from our priorities such as school. A.An experiment posted in Nutritional Neuroscience, a Journal updated in 2013 shows that the act of chewing gum increases concentration! B. This chart shows the results for 3 types of experiments based on alertness, contentedness, and calmness. Out of a possible 25 correct answers, the test results were higher when the subjects hewed gum before taking the test as opposed to not chewi ng gum. C. Another test conducted by Dry. Allen et al of Nutritional Neuroscience Journal updated in 2011 and there were fewer long responses in several tests. Transition: Now let's concentrate on advancing our memory!Main Point 3: Memorization can be a tedious task but if we study and then chew gum before having to recall all that we've memorized, we'll be able to do it faster! A. Jennifer Welsh of Live Science cites the Journal Appetite in 2011 that the SST. Lawrence University Research Team conducted an experiment on 224 undergraduates and vided them into 3 groups. The first group chewed gum before and during the test. The second group chewed gum 5 minutes before the test. It. Results showed that chewing gum before the test improved a student's performance. Ii. Within 15-20 minutes, the 5 minute gum chewers recalled 25 to 50 percent more information. That's pretty significant! ‘v. The researchers believe that the improvement in brain power was due to the chewing warming up the brain, a phenomenon they suggestively call the â€Å"mastication-induced arousal† B. Scientific American's author Amy Kraft posted March 2013 about a test conducted n 40 people. Researchers had all 40 people listen to a 30-minute recording of a sequence of numbers. It. 20 people chewed gum while the rest did not. Iii.The results showed that the gum chewers had higher accuracy rates and faster reaction times. ‘v. This is due to more oxygen flow to the brain which is responsible for attention and with more attention means more room for memorization! CONCLUSION Review Topic: I have Just gone over the three wonderful reasons why you should start chewing gum on a regular everyday! Review Main Points: First, we learned the stress-relief benefit, then we learned the incarceration benefit, last we learned the memory benefit. Lasting Thought: We have pretty busy lives! Why You Should Eat Breakfast Topic: Why you should eat breakfast everyday General Purpose: To persuade Specific Purpose: To persuade the class why it is good to eat Thesis Statement: Eating breakfast can make each day so much better. I. Introduction A. Attention Getter: How many of you have heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But still manage to walk out the house without eating breakfast. I bet you don’t forget your caffeine though, B. Reason to Listen: To understand why breakfast is so important. C.Thesis Statement: Eating breakfast can make each day so much better. D. Credibility Statement: Research E. Preview of Main Points: 1. First I will go into the benefits of breakfast 2. Second, I will explain why you should make a priority to eat breakfast everyday 3. Last, I will tell you fun facts. A. Benefits of eating breakfast a. . Skipping breakfast can actually backfire on you, and cause you to gain weight. Going without food increases the production of insulin in your body, which can cause your body to store more fat. . The longer you go without eating, the more glycogen your muscles use, and the less energy you have. c. Depending on age and gender, your body needs a minimum amount of nutritional elements, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, calories and fat, to keep organs functioning properly. Eating breakfast gives you a jump-start on meeting your nutritional requirements for the day, and also gets you on the path to making more healthy choices. (LIVESTRONG) B. Priority d.Eating breakfast will allow you to focus better and do better in school e. Allow you to carry out your day with more energy. f. When you eat breakfast it allows your portions throughout the day. People who don’t eat breakfast tend to eat more during the day. (HEALTH. ORG) C. Fun Facts g. one in ten people skips breakfast, which can severely limit their ability to learn. h. Research shows that people who eat breakfast have healthier weights than children who skip breakfast and also perform better on memory tests. health 24. com) i. Breakfast is the meal that makes champions II. Conclusion F. Preview of Main Points: 4. First I will go into the benefits of breakfast 5. Second, I will explain why you should make a priority to eat breakfast everyday 6. Last, I will tell you fun facts You have overcome many trials and tribulations to get to this day and I couldn’t be any prouder. a. Everyone should just try and eat breakfast and see the major difference it makes in your day.

Psychology Matters Essay

It is a fact that society is dealing with numerous problems at this time, which includes violence, poverty, and health issues. More and more people who engage in violent acts are being shown in the news. It does not even matter how young or old these people are because age is not a factor in committing violence. Homelessness and unemployment are also two of the most serious issues that the public have to deal with everyday of their lives. There is also the growing concern over health and medicine because having good health and long life are important to everyone. These problems can affect people’s mental well-being, especially if they experience it firsthand and are not able to receive professional help to help them recover and deal with the situation. If their mental health has proved to be unstable and affecting their behavior, they might cause harm to other people as well. Psychologists can help find solutions by conducting more studies so that they can research about the issues and how people react to them better. They can also find solutions by getting into the field and talking to people about what their concerns are and how they might be of help. Receiving recommendations from average people will greatly help the professionals handle real-life situations much better. Going into the field would also allow psychologists to learn more about certain issues and situations, which would help them become better in what they do. Not only will they be able to help their patients, but they also have the opportunity to grow personally and professionally. Indeed, there are numerous psychological issues that society faces everyday, which is why it is very comforting to know that psychologists are doing what they can to help the average person and families to handle these stressful situations. Psychologists and other health professionals should conduct further studies involving psychological issues for the benefit of society.

Oil Price and Petrochemical Manufacturing in UAE Essay

Oil Price and Petrochemical Manufacturing in UAE - Essay Example The research investigates the immediate impacts that falling oil prices pose to UAE’s economy. It explores the effects of falling oil prices on UAE’s economy. The relationship between oil production firms and petrochemical producing industries are essential to the research. The research will investigate the impacts and effects of falling oil prices on petrochemical manufacturing in UAE. The falling prices risk the survival of petrochemical manufacturing industries that also contribute to the economic stability and income of UAE. The risked survival may render some of the employees in Petrochemical sector jobless raising the level of unemployment in the country. The unemployment crisis lowers the per capita within the country reducing the country’s Gross Domestic Income (GDP) in turn. Finally, the research will draft and recommend possible solutions to the effects of falling oil prices on UAE’s economy. The International Energy Agency asserts that the fall in oil prices translates into a cut in the production of petrochemical products. The effect of this is a retard in the growth of the petrochemical industries, which are also a major contributor to the UAE’s economy. OPEC reports that a fall in oil prices slows the global growth. A decline in the oil prices increases demand for oil products at the expense of petrochemical products. The source explains the manner in which falling oil prices undermine the competitive advantage of petrochemical products. The reduced competitive advantage lowers the total sales of the products endangering the firms.

(any topic) but I choose to talk about a violence scene that happened Essay

(any topic) but I choose to talk about a violence scene that happened while I was at a place somewhere - Essay Example At the Jomo Kenyatta Airport, we were received by my father’s friend, Mr. Robert Rickaby, who works in the central part of Kenya. Mr. Rickaby is the director of USAID programs in the central part of Kenya, i.e. in Meru. From the Jomo Kenyatta Airport, we went directly to Meru, where Mr. Rickaby works. In Meru, Mr. Rickaby works at a village called Chiakariga, so we stayed at the Chiakariga village for a week before we started visiting the major tourist centres in Kenya. It was while I was at the Chiakariga village that I witnessed a bizarre incident of violence. In the central part of Kenya, as I came to learn later, the predominant religions are Christianity and the traditional African Religions (Religions of Kenya, web). Christianity and the traditional African religions, however, coexist peacefully in Kenya, although in some instances the worldview of the two religions crash. My witness of the bizarre act of violence took place on Monday, 22nd September 2013. On this day, Mr. Rickaby had taken us to Chiakariga Market to visit the people there and to have an experience of the culture of the people. In the trip to Chiakariga market, we had two tour guides, Mr. Mutegi and Mr. Mwenda, both friends of Mr. Rickaby. Shortly after arriving at the Chiakariga market, we saw a crowd of people curiously gathering somewhere. The gathering was rapidly enlarging. Out of curiosity, I asked our tour guides to take us there so that we could have a glimpse of what was happening. Our tour guides agreed to take us there but cautioned us to be wary because violence could easily erupt from the gathering. When we finally got there, I saw two men and two women; all in white robes. When we inquired from our tour guides whom the people in white robes were, our tour guides told us that the people in the white robes were pastors. The pastors were so charismatic and they were charging the crowd with good music;

The nurses' responsability in the prevention of medication errors Essay - 1

The nurses' responsability in the prevention of medication errors - Essay Example egarding medical malpractices, the quality of care needs not be assumed and must at all times be considered as a crucial aspect in medical practice (Reason, 2000). The author continues to argue that medical practitioners have faced disciplinary issues, shame, and threats due to malpractices. Since nurses are major players in offering medical care, they are concerned with the health of an individual from the onset of medication till the end (Cohen, 2007). In light of this argument, it is argued that nurses play the major role of ensuring that they understand the major factors that lead to errors in the medical provision. This role of prevention of errors is crucial in the prevention of medical errors (Cohen, 2007). These errors include incorrect calculations of medical dosages, improper consultations, inexperience, and failure to adhere to the set protocols amongst others (Cohen, 2007). With these avenues of medical errors in place, the quality of medical service is then jeopardized. In this case, the nurse should play the major role of ensuring that they minimize the avenues of cropping up of medical errors as possible. A good example is that of the nurses’ conversance with the FEMA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis) that has been instrumental in alleviating chem otherapy errors (Hartranft, Sheridan-Leos, & Schulmeister, 2006). Nurses are able to come up with thoughts on how to safeguard the safety of the patient care. Despite the fact that Cohen (2007) indicates that the nurses are mostly forced by the management to cause some of these errors, they should be on the frontline to ensure that they minimize as many challenges as they can. Secondly, in the medical setting, they must have vast experimental knowledge in the concerned field (Cohen, 2007). This allows the nurses have a big picture of the entire case, always countercheck the medical history of a patient prior to making any form of conclusion (Cima, ‎2011). This means that the nurse is able to offer

The birth and rise of islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The birth and rise of islam - Essay Example God, provides the basis for a collective sense of loyalty to God that transcends race, nationality, class and even differences in religious practice. Thus, all Muslims belong to one community, the umma, irrespective of their ethnic or national background Muhammad was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, about 570 C.E. His father, ‘Abd Allah, died before Muhammad’s birth. His mother, Aminah, died when he was about six years old. At that time the Arabs practiced a form of worship of Allah that was centered in the Mecca valley, at the sacred site of the Kabah. A simple cube like building where a black meteorite was revered. As Muhammad grew up, he questioned the practices of his day. At age 25, Muhammad married Khadija, a well-to-do, 40-year-old woman. At age 40, during a retreat in the hills outside Mecca, Muhammad had his first experience of Islam. The angel Gabriel appeared to a fearful Muhammad and informed him that he was Gods chosen messenger. Gabriel also communicated to Muhammad the first revelation from God. Terrified and shaken, Muhammad went to his home. His wife became the first person to accept his message and convert to Islam. After receiving a series of additional revelations, Muhammad started preaching the new reli gion, initially to a small circle of relatives and friends, and then to the general public. The Meccans first ignored Muhammad, then ridiculed him. As more people accepted Muhammads call, the Meccans became more aggressive. After failing to sway Muhammad away from the new religion they started to persecute his less prominent followers. When this approach did not work, the opposing Meccans decided to persecute Muhammad himself. By this time, two main tribes from the city of Yathrib, about 300 km (200 mi) north of Mecca, had invited Muhammad to live there. The clan leaders invited Muhammad to Yathrib as an impartial religious authority to arbitrate disputes. In return, the leaders pledged to accept Muhammad as a prophet and thus support the new

The pianist of willesden lane Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

The pianist of willesden lane - Movie Review Example Different themes have been used to show the fear and what was going through the woman’s head during the holocaust. In life, no one is supposed to go through what the woman in the play went through. We should all try to accommodate each other’s believes and respect them (Hurwitt). The play tells a great story. It incorporates narration of the story with music that fuses well to set the mood and illustrate the exact feelings and the situation at the time. The result of this is the heart responding in kind with the theme. When the play was featured in the theater, everyone sheds a tear. The director has tried to fuse all the tales told in the story with a song. Director Hershey Felder who adapted the book and came up with the play uses music and costumes trying to reenact the mood of the writer while writing the book. These tails are deep and can appeal to any human being. The use of stage lights to further set the required mood for the play. The music only comprises of a piano. This is because in the book the author tells the tails using songs that she played on her keyboard. It gives the play a more intricate meaning because music appeals to the emotions (Hurwitt). The director of the play adds visuals to the play to further intensify the mood that he intends to portray. Since some of the visuals are a bit graphic, the director tries to blend them with the emotional music that accompanies them. The director divides the play in three parts. The first part sets up the conditions that were experienced in 1938 during the holocaust. The intention of this is to bring the attention of the audience to the mood of the play. The music that opens the play is deep and conveys a sad mood. The second part takes the play to a new high. The music and visual introduce a new dimension to the play. They bring out the emotions at the time of the holocaust. It goes deeper in bringing out the mood of the author of at the time of the holocaust (Hurwitt). Being that the p lay is centered on the story narrated by the author of the book, it was important to convey her thoughts and emotions at the time. The last part does exactly that. It brings the play to a fervent resolution. The music at this time is deep and very emotional. The visuals are intense and the play reaches its climax. The response from the audience is amazing. Everyone is full of emotion. The third part makes a passionate appeal to the emotion and humane part to never repeat the issues shown by the play. To illustrate further the theme of the play, the director uses archival photos, newsreels and file videos projected to large old golden picture frames hanging in the middle of the theater stage. The theater stage is painted midnight blue. The contrast in the colors brings out the theme of the medieval ages. The play does not portray comfort of the actor. The actor has to assume the voices of men, women and children written in the book (Hurwitt). The play comes alive in different ways. T he use of the piano music creates a more emotional attachment. The use of visuals in the play lets you tell how the situation was at the time expressed. The actors bring out the physical actions that are expressed in the play. With this, the director tells the story as it is in the book it was adopted. When I watched the play, I felt touched. I understood what the director's intentions were when he created the play. The emotional attachment to the songs and visuals in the play is strong. I think the play was a success in educating us about the holocaust and how it

How online newspaper reporting will influence the adjustment of Literature review

How online newspaper reporting will influence the adjustment of foreign policy in democratic and autocratic countries - Literature review Example There are two major aspects that may define the extent to which the media influence the foreign policy making process. First, the level of direct knowledge that the public has on the agenda of the foreign policy discussion determines the level of media influence on the formulation of foreign policy (Croteau & Hoynes, 1997:54). This is because; under circumstances where the public has a high level of knowledge in relation to the agenda, such as the existence of a foreign crisis that the public is aware of, such an agenda is likely to generate a high level of public opinion that demands that the policy formulators must pay attention to the views and feelings of the public, regarding the policy (Altschull, 1984:32). For example, where a country is to enter into a foreign trade agreement with other foreign nations relating to the exploitation of a country’s resources, the media plays the role of informing the public, which in turn raises a public opinion that demands the ear of th e policy formulators. On the hand, where the foreign policy agenda is an issue that the public has little or no direct knowledge about, the media plays the role of publicizing the issue, so that the public becomes aware of the existence of such a policy agenda, and thus raises its opinion. Secondly, the nature of the effect that the policy agenda will directly have on the people also defines the level of media influence on the foreign policy making process (Graber, 2006:937).

Leadership and Entreprenuership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Leadership and Entreprenuership - Essay Example d as â€Å"a multidimensional concept encompassing the firm’s actions relating to product-market and technological innovation, risk taking and proactiveness† (Kellermans & Eddleston, 2006). Thus an entrepreneur is a person who is prepared for new challenges, face adversities, take risk and achieve profits by identifying opportunities and utilizing the resources available. Leadership has been defined as â€Å"natural and learned ability, skill and personal characteristics to conduct interpersonal relations, which influence people to take desired actions (Eric, n.d.). Thus effective leadership requires accomplishment and influencing. Leadership requires trust and commitment of others, which they can achieve through their own behavior and integrity. Leaders create and deal with change; leadership requires vision, direction, strategies, motivation and inspiring. While both entrepreneurship and leadership have certain traits in common, not all of the leadership traits are n ecessary in an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship to a large extent relies on leadership. Jong and Hartog (2003) have reviewed various definitions of leadership and conclude that three main elements: ‘group’, ‘influence’ and ‘goal’ make a leader. These three elements are related to an entrepreneur who can influence his co-workers with the intermediate goal of enhancing their innovative behavior in order to improve the number and quality of innovations and eventually firm performance. Entrepreneurial attitude can be measured in terms of achievement, innovation, personal control, self esteem, and opportunity recognition (Lindsay, 2005). Lindsay further clarifies that innovation includes recognizing and acting upon business activities in new and unique ways. Achievement can be associated with business start-up and growth results, while self-esteem includes self-confidence. Personal control involves individual perceptions of control and influence over business affairs. Creativity is one of key

The reason why celebrities famous 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The reason why celebrities famous 1 - Essay Example Previously, fame was only achieved by those from royal families like Prince Charles. Research also point out that, talent and heroism was also a way of achieving the top visibility. Captain Sully Sullenberger is one of the famous heroes admired globally for landing a plane safely on the river. Celebrities also become famous by regularly appearing in public. Talent and skills are to the main aspects that drive their fame to such people. Study reveals that such approach is known as attributed celebrity. Some of the people who have become famous using such approach are Paris Hilton. She has neither talent nor skills, but she is famous. They use social media, magazines and TV shows to spread any information about their life and so they become famous. Others who have been on the public eye earlier engage on activities that make them increase their visibility. David Beckham is a well-known celebrity who has increased his fame by participating on programs that make them more famous. However, some have tried to take shortcut or do something extraordinary to become famous. Study talks about a 6-year-old boy who was thought to have floated on air balloon. Later he was found inside the garage, the authorities realized it was makeup case to make the family famous. In conclusion, fame or attention is that entire human race is trying to achieve at all cost. In addition, the study reveals that previous aspects such as talent and skills are not the only ways of achieving fame. People have devised other ways such as gossiping on social

Chinese Literature Essay Example for Free

Chinese Literature Essay 2000 by Andre Levy All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in. writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39. 48-1984. Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Levy, Andre, date [La litterature chinoise ancienne et classique. English] Chinese literature, ancient and classical / by Andre Levy ; translated by William H. Nienhauser, Jr. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 0-253-33656-2 (alk. paper) 1. Chinese literature—History and criticism. I. Nienhauser, William H. II. Title. PL2266. L48 2000 895. 109—dc21 99-34024 1 2 3 4 5 05 04 03 02 01 00. For my own early translators of French, Daniel and Susan Contents ix Preface 1 Introduction Chapter 1: Antiquity 5 I. Origins II. Let a hundred flowers bloom, Let a hundred schools of thought contend! 1. Mo zi and the Logicians 2. Legalism 3. The Fathers of Taoism III. The Confucian Classics 31 Chapter 2: Prose I. Narrative Art and Historical Records II. The Return of the Ancient Style III. The Golden Age of Trivial Literature IV. Literary Criticism Chapter 3: Poetry 61 I. The Two Sources of Ancient Poetry 1. The Songs of Chu 2. Poetry of the Han Court II. The Golden Age of Chinese Poetry 1. From Aesthetic Emotion to Metaphysical Flights 2. The Age of Maturity 3. The Late Tang III. The Triumph of Genres in Song Chapter 4: Literature of Entertainment: The Novel and Theater 105 I. Narrative Literature Written in Classical Chinese II. The Theater 1. The Opera-theater of the North 2. The Opera-theater of the South III. The Novel 1. Oral Literature 2. Stories and Novellas 3. The Long Novel or Saga Index 151 Translators Preface. I first became- interested in translating Andre Levys history of Chinese literature, La litterature chinoise ancienne et classique (Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1991), in 1996, after finding it in a bookshop in Paris. I read sections and was intrigued by Professor Levys approach, which was modeled on literary genres rather than political eras. I immediately thought about translating parts of the book for my graduate History of Chinese Literature class at the University of Wisconsin, a class in which the importance of dynastic change was also downplayed. Like many plans, this one was set aside. Last spring, however, when the panel on our fields desiderata headed by David Rolston at the 1998 Association for Asian Studies Meeting pronounced that one of the major needs was for a concise history of Chinese literature in about 125 pages (the exact length of Professor Levys original text), I revived my interest in this translation. I proposed the book to John Gallman, Director of Indiana University Press, and John approved it almost immediately-but, not before warning me that this kind of project can take much more time than the translator originally envisions. Although I respect Johns experience and knowledge in publishing, I was sure I would prove the exception. After all, what kind of trouble could a little book of 125 pages cause? I soon found out. Professor Levy had originally written a much longer manuscript, which was to be published as a supplementary volume to Odile Kaltenmark-Ghequiers La Litterature chinoise (Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1948) in the Que sais-je? (What Do I Know? ) series. This concept, however, was soon abandoned, and it Several decades ago Anne-Marie Geoghegan translated this volume as Chinese Literature (New York: Walker, 1964). x Translators Preface was decided to publish the Levy appendix as a separate volume-in 125 pages. Professor Levy was then asked to cut his manuscript by one-third. As a result, he was sometimes forced to presume in his audience certain knowledge that some readers of this book-for example, undergraduate students or interested parties with little background in Chinese literature-may not have. For this reason, working carefully with Professor Levy, I have added (or revived) a number of contextual sentences with these readers in mind. More information on many of the authors and works discussed in this history can be found in the entries in The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature (volumes 1 and 2; Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1986 and 1998). Detailed references to these entries and other relevant studies can be found in the Suggested Further Reading sections at the end of each chapter (where the abbreviated reference Indiana Companion refers to these two volumes). I also discovered that re-translating Professor Levys French translations of Chinese texts sometimes resulted in renditions that were too far from the original, even in this age of distance education. So I have translated almost all of the more than 120 excerpts of original works directly from the original Chinese, using Professor Levys French versions as a guide wherever possible. All this was done with the blessing and cooperation of the author. Indeed, among the many people who helped with this translation, I would like to especially thank Professor Andre Levy for his unflinching interest in and support of this translation. Professor Levy has read much of the English version, including all passages that I knew were problematic (there are no doubt others! ), and offered comments in a long series of letters over the past few months. Without his assistance the translation would never have been completed. Here in Madison, a trio of graduate students have helped me with questions Translators Preface xi about the Chinese texts: Mr. Cao Weiguo riftlal, Ms. Huang Shu—yuang MV and Mr. Shang Cheng I*. They saved me E, from innumerable errors and did their work with interest and high spirits. Mr. Cao also helped by pointing out problems in my interpretation of the original French. Mr. Scott W. Galer of Ricks College read the entire manuscript and offered a number of invaluable comments. My wife, Judith, was unrelenting in her demands on behalf of the general reader. The most careful reader was, however, Jane Lyle of Indiana University Press, who painstakingly copy-edited the text. If there is a literary style to this translation, it is due to her efforts. My thanks, too, to the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation which supported me in Berlin through the summer of 1997 when I first read Professor Levys text, and especially to John Gallman, who stood behind this project from the beginning. Madison, Wisconsin, 16 February 1999 (Lunar New Years Day) Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical Introduction Could one still write, as Odile Kaltenmark-Ghequier did in 1948 in the What Do I Know series Number 296, which preceded this book, that the study of Chinese literature, long neglected by the Occident, is still in its  infancy? Yes and no. There has been some spectacular progress and some foundering. At any rate, beginning at the start of the twentieth century, it was Westerners who were the first-followed by the Japanese, before the Chinese themselves-to produce histories of Chinese literature. Not that the Chinese tradition had not taken note of an evolution in literary genres, but the prestige of wen 5 signifying both literature and civilization, placed it above history-anthologies, compilations, and catalogues were preferred. Moreover, the popular side of literature-fiction, drama, and oral verse-because of its lack of seriousness or its vulgarity, was not judged dignified enough to be considered wen. Our goal is not to add a new work to an already lengthy list of histories of Chinese literature, nor to supplant the excellent summary by Odile Kaltenmark-Ghequier which had the impossible task of presenting a history of Chinese literature in about a hundred pages. Our desire would be rather to complement the list by presenting the reader with a different approach, one more concrete, less dependent on the dynastic chronology. Rather than a history, it is a picture-inevitably incompleteof Chinese literature of the past that this little book offers. Chinese high literature is based on a hard core of classical training consisting of the memorization of texts, nearly a half-million characters for every candidate who reaches the highest competitive examinations. We might see the classical art of writing as the arranging, in an appropriate and astute fashion, of lines recalled by memory, something ,Odile Kaltenmark-Ghequier, Introduction, La litterature chinoise (Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1948), p. 5; Que sais—je, no. 296. 2 Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical that came almost automatically to traditional Chinese intellectuals. The goal of these writers was not solely literary. They hoped through their writings to earn a reputation that would help them find support for their efforts to pass the imperial civil-service examinations and thereby eventually win a position at court. Although there were earlier tests leading to political advancement, the system that existed nearly until the end of the imperial period in 1911 was known as the jinshi A ± or presented scholar examination (because successful candidates were presented to the emperor), and was developed during the late seventh and early eighth centuries A. D. It required the writing of poetry and essays on themes set by the examiners. Successful candidates were then given minor positions in the bureaucracy. Thus the memorization of a huge corpus of earlier literature and the ability to compose on the spot became the major qualifications for political office through most of the period from the eighth until the early twentieth centuries. These examinations, and literature in general, were composed in a classical, standard language comparable to Latin in the West. This classical language persisted by opposing writing to speech through a sort of partial bilingualism. The strict proscription of vulgarisms, of elements of the spoken language, from the examinations has helped to maintain the purity of classical Chinese. The spoken language, also labeled vulgar, has produced some literary monuments of its own, which were recognized as such and qualified as classics only a few decades ago. The unity of the two languages, classical and vernacular, which share the same fundamental structure, is undermined by grammars that are appreciably different, and by the fact that these languages hold to diametrically opposed stylistic ideals: lapidary concision on the one hand, and eloquent vigor on the other. We conclude by pointing out that educated Chinese add to their surnames, which are always given first, a great variety of personal names, which can be disconcerting at times. The standard given name (ming Introduction 3 is often avoided out of decorum; thus Tao Qian Miff is often referred to En We will retain only the by his zi (stylename) as Tao Yuanming best known of these names, avoiding hao at (literary name or nickname), bie hao ZIJM (special or particular literary name), and shi ming (residential name) whenever possible: When other names are used, the standard ming will be  given in parentheses. The goal here is to enable the reader to form an idea of traditional Chinese literature, not to establish a history of it, which might result in a lengthy catalogue of works largely unknown today. We are compelled to sacrifice quantity to present a limited number of literary stars, and to reduce the listing of their works to allow the citation of a number of previously unpublished translations, inevitably abridged but sufficient, we hope, to evoke the content of the original. The chronological approach will be handled somewhat roughly because of the need to follow the development of the great literary genres: after the presentation of antiquity, the period in which the common culture of the educated elite was established, comes an examination of the prose genres of high classical literature, then the description of the art most esteemed by the literati, poetry. The final section treats the literature of diversion, the most discredited but nonetheless highly prized, which brings together the novel and the theater. Chapter 1. Antiquity Ancient literature, recorded by the scribes of a rapidly evolving warlike and aristocratic society, has been carefully preserved since earliest times and has become the basis of Chinese lettered culture. It is with this in mind that one must approach the evolution of literature and its role over the course of the two-thousand-year-old imperial government, which collapsed in 1911, and attempt to understand the importance (albeit increasingly limited) that ancient literature retains today. The term antiquity applied to China posed no problems until certain Marxist historians went so far as to suggest that it ended only in 1919. The indigenous tradition had placed the break around 211 B. C. , when political unification brought about the establishment of a centralized but prefectural government under the Legalists, as well as the famous burning of books opposed to the Legalist state ideology. Yet to suggest that antiquity ended so early is to minimize the contribution of Buddhism and the transformation of thought that took place between the third and seventh centuries. The hypothesis that modernity began early, in the eleventh or perhaps twelfth century in China, was developed by Naito Konan NAM 1 (1866-1934). This idea has no want of critics or of supporters. It is opposed to the accepted idea in the West, conveyed by Marxism, that China, a living fossil, has neither entered modern times nor participated in the global civilization that started with the Opium War of 1840. Nor is there unanimity concerning the periodization proposed in historical linguistics, a periodization which distinguishes Archaic Chinese of High Antiquity (from the origins of language to the third century) from Ancient Chinese of Mid-Antiquity (sixth to twelfth centuries), then Middle Chinese of the Middle Ages (thirteenth-sixteenth centuries) from Modern Chinese (seventeenth-nineteenth centuries), and Recent Chinese (18401919) from Contemporary Chinese (1920 to the present). 6 Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical. In the area of literature, the beginning of the end of antiquity could perhaps be placed in the second century A. D. Archaeology has elevated our knowledge of more ancient writings toward the beginning of the second millennium B. C. , but this archaic period, discovered recently, cannot be considered part of literary patrimony in the strictest sense. Accounts of this archaic period are traditionally divided into six eras,2 but to honor them would be to fall into the servitude of a purely chronological approach. I. Origins Since the last year of the last century, when Wang Yirong . 1. 6M (1845-1900) compiled the first collection of inscriptions written on bones and shells, the increasing number of archaeological discoveries has allowed the establishment of a corpus of nearly 50,000 inscriptions extending over the period from the fourteenth to the tenth centuries before our era. Dong Zuobin (1895-1963) proposed a periodization for them and distinguished within them the styles of different schools of scribes. Scholars have managed to decipher a third of the total of some 6,000 distinct signs, which are clearly related to the system of writing used by the Chinese today-these were certainly not primitive forms of characters. The oracular inscriptions are necessarily short-the longest known text, of a hundred or so characters, covers the scapula of an ox and extends even over the supporting bones; the shell of a southern species of the great tortoise, also used to record divination, did not offer a more extensive surface. Whether a literature existed at this ancient time seems rather doubtful, but this scriptural evidence causes one to consider whether eras are the early Chou dynasty (eleventh century-722 B. C. ), the Spring and Autumn era (722-481 B. C. ), the Warring States (481-256 B. C. ), the Chin dynasty (256-206 B. C. ), the Western or Early Han dynasty (206 B. C. -A. D. 6), and the Eastern or Latter Han dynasty (25-A. D. 220). 2These Chapter 1. Antiquity 7 the Shu jing Efg (Classic of Documents), supposedly revised by Confucius but often criticized as a spurious text, was based in part on authentic texts. The presence of an early sign representing a bundle of slips of wood or bamboo confirms the existence of a primitive form of book in a very ancient era-texts were written on these slips, which were then bound together to form a fascicle. The purpose of these ancient archives, which record the motivation for the diviners speech, his identity, and sometimes the result, has been ignored. Of another nature are the inscriptions on bronze that appeared in about the eleventh century B. C. and went out of fashion in the second century B.C. They attracted the attention of amateur scholars from the eleventh century until modern times. Many collections of inscriptions on stone and bronze have been published in the intervening eras. The longest texts extend to as much as five-hundred signs, the forms of which often seem to be more archaic than those of the inscriptions on bones and shells. The most ancient inscriptions indicate nothing more than the person to whom the bronze was consecrated or a commemoration of the name of the sponsor. Toward the tenth century B. C. the texts evolved from several dozen to as many as a hundred signs and took on a commemorative character. The inspiration for these simple, solemn texts is not always easily discernible because of the obscurities of the archaisms in the language. An echo of certain pieces transmitted by the Confucian school can be seen in some texts, but their opacity has disheartened many generations of literati. II. Let a hundred flowers bloom, Let a hundred schools of thought contend! This statement by Mao Zedong, made to launch a liberalization movement that was cut short in 1957, was inspired by an exceptional period in Chinese cultural history (from the fifth to the third centuries 8 Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical B. C. ) in which there was a proliferation of schools-the hundred schools. The various masters of these schools offered philosophical, often political, discussion. The growth of these schools paralleled the rise of rival states from the time of Confucius (the Latinized version of the Chinese original, Kong Fuzi TL-T- or Master Kong, ca. 551-479 B.C. ) to the end of the Warring States period (221 B. C. ). The hundred schools came to an end with the unification of China late in the third century B. C. under the Legalist rule of the Qin dynasty (221-206 B. C. ). This era of freedom of thought and intellectual exchange never completely ceased to offer a model, albeit an unattainable model, in the search for an alternative to the oppressive ideology imposed by the centralized state. Much of what has reached us from this lost world was saved in the wake of the reconstruction of Confucian writings (a subject to which we will turn shortly). The texts of the masters of the hundred schools, on the periphery of orthodox literati culture, are of uneven quality, regardless of the philosophy they offer. Even the best, however, have not come close to dethroning the Chinese Socrates, Confucius, the first of the great thinkers, in both chronology and importance. 1. Mo Zi and the Logicians. The work known as Mo Zi (Master Mo) is a collection of the writings of a sect founded by Mo Di g, an obscure personage whom scholars have wanted to make a contemporary of Confucius. It has been hypothesized that the name Mo, ink, referred to the tattooing of  a convict in antiquity, and the given name, Di, indicates the pheasant feathers that decorated the hats of the common people. Although we can only speculate about whether Mo Zi was a convict or a commoner, he argued for a kind of bellicose pacifism toward aggressors, doing his best to promote, through a utilitarian process of reasoning, the necessity of believing in the gods and of practicing universal love without discrimination. Condemning the extravagant expense of funerals as well as the uselessness of art and music, Mo Zi Chapter 1. Antiquity 9 wrote in a style of discouraging weight. The work that has come down to us under his name (which appears to be about two-thirds of the original text) represents a direction which Chinese civilization explored without ever prizing. Mo Zis mode of argument has influenced many generations of logicians and sophists, who are known to us only in fragments, the main contribution of which has been to demonstrate in their curious way of argumentation peculiar features of the Chinese language. Hui Shi Ea is known only by the thirty-some paradoxes which the incomparable Zhuang Zi cites, without attempting to solve, as in: There is nothing beyond the Great Infinity.. . and the Small Infinity is not inside. The antinomies of reason have nourished Taoist thought, if not the other way around, as Zhuang Zi attests after the death of his friend Hui Shi: Zhuang Zi was accompanying a funeral procession. When he passed by the grave of Master Hui he turned around to say to those who were following him: A fellow from Ying had spattered the tip of his nose with a bit of plaster, like the wing of a fly. He had it removed by [his crony] the carpenter Shi, who took his ax and twirled it around. He cut it off, then heard a wind: the plaster was entirely removed without scratching his nose. The man from Ying had remained standing, impassive. When he learned of this, Yuan, the sovereign of the country of Song, summoned the carpenter Shih and said to him, Try then to do it again for Us. The carpenter responded, Your servant is capable of doing it; however, the material that he made use of died long ago. After the death of the Master, I too no longer can find the material: I no longer have anyone to talk to. (Zhuang Zi 24) Sons of the logicians and the sophists, the rhetoricians shared with the Taoists a taste for apologues. They opposed the Taoist solution of a 10 Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical detached non-action, involved as they were in diplomatic combat. Held in contempt by the Confucians for their Machiavellianism, the Zhanguo ce Vg (Intrigues of the Warring States) remains the most representative work of the genre. It was reconstructed several centuries later by Liu Xiang gj 1-(4] (77-6 B. C. ), but the authenticity of these reassembled materials seems to have been confirmed by the discovery of parallel texts in a tomb at Mawang Dui gUttg in 1973. A great variety animates these accounts, both speeches and chronicles; they are rich in dialogue, which cannot be represented by this single, although characteristic, anecdote—it is inserted without commentary into the intrigues (or slips) of the state of Chu: The King of Wei offered the King of Chu a beautiful girl who gave him great satisfaction. Knowing how much the new woman pleased him, his wife, the queen, showed her the most intense affection. She chose clothes and baubles which would please her and gave them to her; it was the same for her with rooms in the palace and bed clothes. In short, she gratified her with more attention than the king himself accorded her. He congratulated her for it: a woman serves her husband through her carnal appeal, and jealousy is her nature. Now, understanding how I love the new woman, my wife shows her more love than I—it is thus that the filial son serves his parents, that the loyal servant fulfills his duties toward his prince. As she knew that the king did not consider her jealous, the queen suggested to her rival: The king appreciates your beauty. However, he is not that fond of your nose. You would do better to hide it when he receives you. Therefore, the new one did so when she saw His Majesty. The king asked his wife why his favorite hid her nose in his presence. She responded, I know. Even if it is unpleasant, tell me! insisted the king. She does not like your odor. The brazen hussy! cried the sovereign. Her nose is to be cut off, and let no one question my order! Chapter 1. Antiquity 11 The Yan Zi chunqiu *T-*V( (Springs and Autumns of Master Yen) is another reconstruction by Liu Xiang, a collection of anecdotes about Yan Ying RV, a man of small stature but great ability who was prime minister to Duke Jing of Qi (547-490 B.C. )-the state that occupies what is now Shandong. Without cynicism, but full of shrewdness, these anecdotes do not lack appeal; some have often been selected as anthology pieces, of which this one is representative: When Master Yan was sent as an ambassador to Chu, the people of the country constructed a little gate next to the great one and invited him to enter. Yan Zi refused, declaring that it was suitable for an envoy to a country of dogs, but that it was to Chu that he had come on assignment. The chamberlain had him enter by the great gate. The King of Chu received him and said to him: Was there then no one in Qi, for them to have sent you? How can you say there is no one in Qi, when there would be darkness in our capital of Linzi if the people of the three hundred quarters spread out their sleeves, and it would rain if they shook off their perspiration-so dense is the population. But then why have you been sent? The practice in Qi is to dispatch a worthy envoy to a worthy sovereign; I am the most unworthy. . . . 2. Legalism. The diplomatic manipulations and other little anecdotes we have seen in the Yan Zi chunqiu were of little interest to the Legalists, who took their name from the idea that the hegemonic power of the state is founded on a system of implacable laws supposing the abolition of hereditary privileges-indeed a tabula rasa that rejects morals and traditions. In fact, historians associate them with all thought that privileges efficacy. From this point of view, the most ancient Legalist would be the artisan of Qis hegemony in the seventh century B. C. , Guan Zi (Master Guan). The work that was handed down under his name is a composite text and in reality contains no material prior to the third century B. C. Whether or not he should be considered a Legalist, Guan Zi 12 Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical embodies the idea that the power of the state lies in its prosperity, and this in turn depends on the circulation of goods. In sum, Guan Zi stands for a proto-mercantilism diametrically opposed to the primitive physiocraticism of Gongsun Yang (altV (also known as Shang Yang ), minister of Qin in the fourth century. Shang jun shu 1 (The 2 Book of Lord Shang), which is attributed to Gongsun Yang, gives the Legalist ideas a particularly brutal form: It is the nature of people to measure that which is advantageous to them, to seize the best, and to draw to themselves that which is profitable. The enlightened lord must take care if he wants to establish order in his country and to be able to turn the population to his advantage, for the population has at its disposal a great number of means to avoid the strictness that it fears. Within the country he must cause the people to consecrate themselves to farming; without he must cause them to be singly devoted to warfare. This is why the order of a sage sovereign consists of multiplying interdictions in order to prevent infractions and relying on force to put an end to fraud. (Shang jun shu, Suan di) Shang Yangs prose is laden with archaisms, which hardly lighten the weight of his doctrine. It is in the work of Han Fei Zi 4-T- (ca. 280-233) that Legalism found its most accomplished formulation. The book Han Fei Zi contains a commentary on the Classic of the Way and of Power of Lao Zi in which the ideal of Taoist non-action is realized by the automatism of laws. The artifice of the latter may go back to the Confucianism of Xun Zi (Master Xun, also known as Xun Qing ,Ajja, ca. 300-230 B. C. ), a school rejected by orthodox Confucianism. Xun Zi, who happens to have been the teacher of Han Fei Zi, developed the brilliant theory that human nature inclines individuals to satisfy their egoistic appetites: it was therefore bad for advanced societies of the time. The rites-culture-are necessary for socialization. Xun Zis Chapter 1. Antiquity 13 argumentation was unprecedentedly elaborate, examining every facet of a question while avoiding repetition. In a scintillating style peppered with apologues, Han Fei Zi argues that the art of governing requires techniques other than the simple manipulation of rewards and punishments. The prince is the cornerstone of a system that is supposed to ensure him of a protective impenetrableness. The state must devote itself to eliminating the useless, noxious five parasites or vermin: the scholars, rhetoricians, knights-errant, deserters, and merchants (perhaps even artisans). 3. The Fathers of Taoism. A philosophy of evasion, this school was opposed to social and political engagement. From the outset Taoism was either a means to flee society and politics or a form of consolation for those who encountered reversals in politics and society. The poetic power of its writings, which denounced limits and aphorisms of reason, explains the fascination that it continues to hold for intellectuals educated through the rationalism of the Confucians. These works, like most of the others from antiquity that were attributed to a master, in fact seem to be rather disparate texts of a school. The Dao de jing ittitg (Classic of the Way and of Power) remains the most often translated Chinese work—and the first translated, if one counts the lost translation into Sanskrit by the monk Xuanzang WM in the seventh century A. D. This series of aphorisms is attributed to Lao Zi (Master. Lao or The Old Master), whom tradition considers a contemporary of Confucius. He is said to have left this testament as he departed the Chinese world via the Xiangu Pass for the West. In their polemics against the Buddhists, the Taoists of the following millennium used this story as the basis on which to affirm that the Buddha was none other than their Chinese Lao Zi, who had been converting the barbarians of the West since his departure from China. Modern scholarship estimates that the Lao Zi could not date earlier than the third century B. C. The 1973 discoveries at Mawang Dui in Hunan confirmed what scholars had suspected for centuries: the primitive Lao Zi is reversed in respect to 14 Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical  ours: a De dao jing 1,M1# § (Classic of Power and the Way). Its style, which is greatly admired for its obscure concision, seems to owe much to the repair work of the commentator Wang Bi . T3 (226-249). Thus it is tenable that the primitive Lao Zi was a work of military strategy. Whatever it was, the text that is preferred today runs a little over 5,000 characters and is divided into 81 sections (9 x 9). The Taoist attitude toward life is expressed here in admirably striking formulae, which lend themselves to many esoteric interpretations: He who knows does not speak; he who speaks does not know (#56). Govern a great state as you would fry small fish! (#60). Practice non-action, attend to the useless, taste the flavorless. (#63) The Zhuang Zi ate, written by Zhuang Zhou 4. -B1 or Zhuang Zi (Master Zhuang), was apparently abridged at about the same time as the Lao Zi, but at the hands of the commentator Guo Xiang # -IM (d. 312), who cut it from fifty-two to thirty-three sections. Scholars cannot agree whether the seven initial sections, called the inner chapters, are from the same hand of Zhuang Zhou as the sixteen following, called the outer chapters, and the final ten miscellaneous chapters. It is in the final ten that we find a characteristic arrangement of reconstructions from the first century, works of one school attributed to one master. In fact, it is the first part which gives the most lively impression of an encounter with an animated personality whose mind is strangely vigorous and disillusioned: Our life is limited, but knowledge is without limit. To follow the limitless with that which is limited will exhaust one. To go unrelentingly after knowledge is exhausting and c.

Roll of thunder hear my cry Essay Example for Free

Roll of thunder hear my cry Essay Mildred Taylor writes about lots of families, some are successful and some are not. She writes about poverty families have to endure, discipline that they inflict on their children, loyalties, love and care. She contrasts poor families and rich families very well. She writes about poverty mainly in the black families although she does mention poverty in white families but very briefly. The Logans are good disciplinarians and know when to discipline their children and when not to and when they have been promised a beating, they will get it. An example of this, is when the Logan children go to the Wallaces store. As they had been warned not to go there, they got their beating. Even if it was a little late in the coming. We should have known better. Papa never forgot anything. She writes the book in the first person from the point of view of the nine-year-old girl Cassie, who in some ways is quite mature for her age but is still learning about racism and the unfairness of life. The only thing that she is sure about, is her absolute loyalty to her family, which remains constant throughout the book. The Averys a not very successful family, are one of the poorest black families. Mr and Mrs Avery have many children and not enough money. They sharecrop on the Grangers land and as they do not have much money, they also do not have money to spend on medicine, which as a result means that Mr and Mrs Avery remain in a constant state of illness. This of course does not help matters and contributes to the lack of discipline in their childrens lives. TJ one of their sons is a perfect example of this, they should have taught him the difference between and wrong and they should have taught him respect. Taylor attributes many of his problems to weak parenting, a thought expressed by mama when she says, Its just that the boys gotten out of hand and doesnt seem like anybodys doing anything about it. When he looses his friendship with the Logan children he finds friendship in RW and Melvin Simms. They are not ideal friends and laugh at TJ behind his back. As a result of this friendship he indirectly sends the whole Avery family into turmoil. Together the three boys conspire to rob the mercantile belonging to the Barnetts. The Simms brothers managing to outwit TJ, blame the whole affair on him and thus bringing the most of the white, black hating community to the Averys house. There, they assault Mr and Mrs Avery and TJ ends up in jail. RW and Melvin Simms are the eldest of the Simms children. All the Simms share the view that white people are better then black people. The exception is Jeremy Simms who doesnt really like his siblings, he also does not share the same views that they hold and he is the outcast. He even sleeps in a tree house, to get away from his family, which proves his alienation from them. I just climbs in my tree and its like going into another world. He is friends with the Logan children and walks with them on the way to school, the only white boy to do so. For being nice to the Logans and generally liking black people he gets a beating from his sister Lillian Jean who is just like the rest of her siblings and father. Maybe because of the fact that there is no mother figure to guide them that they feel they should follow their father in every way. But whatever the reason they are quite a dysfunctional family. The Jamisons are partly to blame for TJ not finding himself killed. Mr Jamison is a lawyer and has strong family roots in the community. They have no children and are completely not racist. They are the minority who genuinely care about people. They are comfortable and they hold quite an important place in society mainly because Mr Jamison is a lawyer. They become ostracized when Mr Jamison tries his best from preventing TJ from getting murdered even at risk to his own life. we just likely to take care of ourselves a nigger lover too tonight. The Logans are successful as a family because they are very strong family unit. They are completely loyal to each other and they all love and care for each other. This love for family and holding family as a priority has been instilled in the children quite clearly. They are just about the only black family to have any type of collateral whatsoever. This is because they are the only black family to own their own land. And most other white landowners resented that. Harlan resents the fact that you wont sell it. Because of their collateral they also have a lot of independence that the others do not have. Even though the Logans are poor, they are not desperate like the Averys who can barely afford to buy their clothes. But they have had to branch out of Mississippi to get enough money to pay the bills and even then its a struggle. Papa has to work on a railroad and Uncle hammer has moved to the north where he earns a good living. Even Uncle Hammer knows and understands the values that say that family comes first. This is demonstrated when the mortgage has to paid off and Papa finds himself short of money. What goods a car? you cant raise four fine babies on it. Big Ma plays the roll of the head of the household. She adds to the stability of the environment in the home and increases the awareness of the Logan family history. She also knows each of the family members inside out. All together I think in order to have a successful family it is necessary to support, love, trust and care for the people in your family. There should be a certain loyalty and a need for one another. To be able to depend on a family member is a virtue not to be ungrateful for and in the end even Uncle Hammer showed this. He fought for what was right. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mildred Taylor section.

Sexual Orientation And Diversity In The Workforce

Sexual Orientation And Diversity In The Workforce Todays organizations are becoming increasingly diversified in many ways. With respect to sexual orientation, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) employees constitute one of the largest but least studied minority groups in the workforce. Although invisible, sexuality is at the core of each workers identity. Therefore, it poses a number of complex challenges towards organizations and their human resources department. The Dont ask dont tell (DADT) policy of the U.S. Military presents a striking example of the silence surrounding their identity on the work floor. In this paper, the impact of silencing as well as the ways in which the voice of LGBT employees and other invisible minorities can be heard is studied. Introduction Diversity Diversity includes cultural factors such as race, gender, age, color, physical ability, national origin, etc. The broader definition of diversity additionally includes religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, education, language, lifestyle, beliefs, physical appearance and economic status (Wentling and PalmaRivas, 2000). The word diversity is not contained in any report or law; instead, it grew out of academic and popular press usage. Diversity in the workforce With respect to the workplace, diversity refers to the co-existence of employees from various socio-cultural backgrounds. Every human being is unique, but at the same time, every individual shares biological as well as environmental characteristics with any group of others. In this context, diversity can be generally defined as recognition of the people who share such common traits. These traits -the characteristics that make up a whole person- both unite and divide us. In the domain of human resources (HR), however, the term diversity can represent three major working definitions: the politically correct term for employment equity/affirmative action; the recruitment and selection of ethnic groups and women; the management of individuals sharing a broad range of common traits. The first definition represents the most narrow view of diversity and is usually found in organizations without formal diversity policies or programs. The second definition reflects the reality of many diversity programs focusing on employment regulation concerns. And finally, the last definition is the broadest and generally used in organizations containing diversity programs (Grobler, Wà ¤rnich et al., 2006). Dimensions of diversity When talking about diversity, one should keep in mind the differences between primary and secondary dimensions. Primary dimensions are those human differences that are innate and that have a drastic impact on us. Age, ethnicity, race, gender, physical abilities/qualities and sexual/affectional orientation are examples of primary dimensions at the heart of individual identities. Alternatively, secondary dimensions are more changeable and can be discarded or modified during our lifetime. Such dimensions add depth and individuality to our lives. Education, geographical location, marital status, income, military experience, religion, work experience and parental status are illustrations of secondary dimensions. The primary and secondary dimensions can be represented as a circle, with the primary dimensions at the centre and the secondary dimensions surrounding them. An illustration of both groups of dimensions can be found in Figure 1(Grobler, Wà ¤rnich et al., 2006). Figure 1: Primary and secondary dimensions of diversity In any initial encounter, people identify by the primary dimensions that are most readily observed: age, gender, race and physical abilities/qualities. Since most individuals live in homogeneous communities, or at least in circumstances far less diverse than our society as a whole, their entry into the workplace may be a first encounter with a diverse population. During this kind of first encounter, phenomena such as stereotyping and prejudice might appear. Stereotyping works against peoples individuality and limits their potential. Generally, if the stereotype is that the person is not competent, then people may not perform competently. This illustrates that, to a large extent, people perform in line with the expectations placed on them. Clinging to negative stereotypes about people other than ourselves leads to prejudice, which means processing our stereotypes such that ones own sense of superiority to the members of that group is reinforced. It is the role of the appropriate institutions within a country to recognize and eradicate both stereotyping and prejudice (Grobler, Wà ¤rnich et al., 2006). Managing diversity Managing diversity can be defined as: A planned systematic and comprehensive managerial process for developing an organizational environment in which all employees, with their similarities and differences, can contribute to the strategic and competitive advantage of the organization, and where no-one is excluded on the basis of factors unrelated to productivity (Thomas, 1996). On the work floor, managing diversity presents a key issue for governments as well as private organizations. Its importance has mainly been brought about by the free movement of labor due to globalization. The fight for human rights by certain minority groups, who feel excluded from the employment sector, discloses another impulse for the current significance of diversity management. Within the context of equal opportunities in the workplace, workforce diversity again plays a major role. This equal opportunity philosophy is aimed at ensuring that organizations make the most out of the uniqueness of a diverse workforce, which might assist the organization to be more efficient and effective, rather than losing talent. Broadly, diversity management is the systematic and planned commitment by the organizations to recruit, retain, reward and promote a heterogeneous mix of employees (Grobler, Wà ¤rnich et al., 2006). Valuing diversity For organizations to fight discrimination, it is essential to value diversity. This valuing starts with recognizing the fundamental difference between valuing diversity on the one hand, and employment equity and/or affirmative action on the other. Employment equity is an officially authorized approach to workplace discrimination. For instance, it is against the law to reject a person a job or job advantage because of age, race, sexual orientation, gender or other primary characteristics. Affirmative action is a reaction to the under-use of protected groups in various job classes in which a business attempts to attract people from such groups because of their failure to do so in the past as a result of inequity. Valuing diversity surpasses both concepts and leads to management designed to reap the benefits offered by a diversified workforce (Grobler, Wà ¤rnich et al., 2006). Whereas affirmative action and employment equity are government-initiated, legally driven attempts to alter -from a quantitative standpoint- the composition of a companys workforce, valuing diversity is a company-specific, necessity-driven effort to alter -from a qualitative standpoint- the utilization of the companys workforce. In an organization that values diversity, managing diversity becomes a substitute for assimilation (Grobler, Wà ¤rnich et al., 2006). Sexual orientation Within the framework of diversity management, sexual orientation represents a non-observable or underlying type of diversity, as opposed to more visible traits such as race or gender. The reason is that gay, lesbian, and bisexual employees can choose to what extent they reveal their sexual orientation in the workplace. Lately, sexual orientation has received a growing amount of attention, including through the prohibition of employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation for both private and public employees. Another indication of this increasing attention regards the mounting number of organizations that fight against this type of discrimination. For instance, in the United States, in many large organizations, Lesbian and Gay Employee Groups are demanding the exclusion of discrimination based on sexual orientation, the provision of guidance to enhance tolerance in the work environment, and the equal treatment of significant others (e.g. relating to health care benefits ) (Van Hoye and Lievens, 2003). Parallel to the social and societal developments, there has been an increase in scientific investigation on sexual orientation in the workforce (Van Hoye and Lievens, 2003). Sexual orientation in the workforce: Literature overview Three research streams can be clearly distinguished within the literature on sexual orientation in the workplace. The first research stream studies the discrimination and minority status experienced by lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in the workplace. A second strand of studies takes the issue of coming out at work as the focal point. In fact, one of the work-related decisions that all gay, lesbian, and bisexual people face, is to what extent they unveil their sexual orientation on the work floor. The third and last research stream relates to the more specific work-related issues of gay, lesbian, and bisexual employees (as opposed to the general character of the studies belonging to the first research stream) (Van Hoye and Lievens, 2003). Within the first research stream, it was found that the majority of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people have once experienced discrimination on the work floor (Croteau, 1996). Here, the construct of heterosexism seems to play a central role. Heterosexism can be defined as an ideological system that denies, denigrates, and stigmatizes any non-heterosexual form of behavior, identity, relationship, or community (Herek, 1990). Research has demonstrated that heterosexism in the organization can lead to a decrease in perceived productivity, job contentment, organizational commitment, career dedication, and organization-based self-esteem. In addition, it can lead to an increases in perceived health problems, psychological distress, and turnover intentions among gay, lesbian, and bisexual employees (Van Hoye and Lievens, 2003). The outcome of the second research stream reveals that there are five different levels of coming out, namely acting, passing, covering, implicitly out and explicitly out (Chung, 2001). Nevertheless, other possible classifications do exist. The concealment of ones sexual orientation has negative consequences at the individual level (depressing work attitudes, low job contentment, anxiety, etc.), group level (dysfunctional communication, low work team cohesion, etc.) as well as organizational level (higher turnover and lower productivity) (Van Hoye and Lievens, 2003). To date, very few studies have taken the approach of the third research stream. An example of a scarcely studied topic within this field of research concerns the influence of the sexual orientation of job candidates on their evaluation by HR professionals. One of the motives that almost no research has specifically examined the consequences of sexual orientation on hiring decisions, is that it is very difficult to examine this issue in field settings with real candidates. Thus, although the outcomes of such studies are insightful, not enough research has been carried out so far to draw sound conclusions. For an illustration of the sexual orientation policy of the SAC company (Scottish Agricultural College), see appendix. SAC is an innovative, knowledge-based organization supporting the development of  rural communities and industries. (MOET IK NOG TOEVOEGEN) Diversity policy worldwide IEDEREEN ZN STUKJE OVER CONTINENTEN KOMT HIER The United States We first introduce the general conditions for acceptance of sexual diversity in America since these have shaped the context for coping with sexual diversity, and more specific LGBT, on the work floor . LGBT  rights are very complex in  the Americas since acceptance of the phenomenon varies widely between Canada, the United States or the Southern Americas. We will here focus on the United States (U.S.). In the U.S.,  LGBT-related laws include amongst others: government recognition of same-sex relationships,  LGBT adoption, sexual orientation and military service,  immigration equality, anti-discrimination laws, hate crime laws regarding  violence against LGBT people,  sodomy laws, anti-lesbianism  laws, and higher  ages of consent  for same-sex activities. Generally, it was not until 2003 that sexual acts between persons of the same sex became legal in the  U.S. However, many other laws are still not recognized on federal level and a wide spread amongst states co ncerning the enabling of those laws exist. We will now discuss the policy concerning LGBT discrimination in the work environment in the U.S. Legislative policy: the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) Employment discrimination  refers to discriminatory employment practices such as bias in hiring, promotion, job assignment, termination, and compensation, and various types of harassment. (Source) In general there is no common law that states that employment discrimination based on sexual orientation is wrong and discrimination against employees who are gay, or simply appear to be gay, is legal in many workplaces in the U.S. (Ragin, 2004) The first bill on the subject of sexual orientation discrimination was introduced in Congress in 1974. However it was not until 1994 that the  Employment Non-Discrimination Act  (ENDA), a proposed bill in the  United States Congress  that would prohibit  discrimination  against employees on the basis of  sexual orientation  or  gender identity  by civilian, nonreligious employers with at least 15 employees, was introduced.  [1]  It failed in 1994 and 1995, though by 1996, missed passage in the Senate by a 49-50 vote. Until 2009, every proposal in the legislative history of introducing the law failed. Furthermore, many versions of the ENDA only concerned LGB and did not include provisions that protect  transgender  people from discrimination. Currently, only twenty-two states have laws that ban sexual orientation discrimination: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampsh ire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. As a result of the limited coverage of States that enabled the law, LGBT people face serious discrimination in employment, including being fired, being denied a promotion, and experiencing harassment on the job.  [2]   Additional to the differentiation between the several states of the U.S., another distinction in employment discrimination based on sexual orientation that can be made involves the difference in coping with diversity between public and private sectors.  [3]  Extensive anti- discrimination legislation protecting public sector workers makes workers in the public sector less likely to be arbitrarily fired than workers at private companies. (Boris, 2010) As a result, the public sector in the United States is noticeably more racially diverse and gender balanced than the private sector. The more protective climate and diverse workforce in the public sector may result in LGBT individuals feeling more comfortable in openly expressing their sexual orientation at work. If this is the case, the public sector may employ more openly LGBT employees. (Boris, 2010) Attitude of employers and employees towards LGBT in the workforce Generally, American workplaces have undergone a partial revolution over the last quarter century when it comes to LGBT equality. Public attitudes toward homosexuality became more liberal during the 1970s, then increasingly conservative through the 1980s, and then more liberal since 1990. (Roberson, 2009) Today, sexual orientation diversity is a key part of workplaces in the U.S. An estimated 8.8 million gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals live in the United States. (Bell et al., 2011) While it is difficult to ascertain how many of these individuals are in the labor force, U.S. Census data reveal that more than 86% of men and women in same-sex couples are employed, and that employment probabilities for gay men and lesbians lie below those of married heterosexual men, but above those of heterosexual women (Leppel, 2009). The issue on employment discrimination based on sexual orientation has become more important for many employers, workplace diversity programs have been major initiatives in US corporations over the last several years. (Day Schoenrade, 2000) An increase in share of LGBT in the workforce since was already reported by HR managers in the eighties. (Day Schoenrade, 2000) In response, in May of 1993, the Board of the Society for Human Resource Management, the premiere national association of American human resource practitioners, passed a resolution to include sexual orientation in its statement acclaiming the value of a diverse workforce (HR News, 1993). (Day Schoenrade, 2000) However, several surveys demonstrate that LGBT on the work floor is far from an accepted concept, discriminating practices are laid out by several surveys. A first example appears from a 1990 U.S. census in where Allegretto and Arthur (2001) found that after controlling for differences associated with being married, gay men earned 2.4% less than their unmarried heterosexual counterparts. (Ragin, 2004) Another range of surveys that study behavior and acceptance concerning LGBT on the work floor is cited by Day Schoenrade (2000) A first example is a survey reported by the National Defense Research Institute in 1993, which found through several national public opinion polls that a majority of heterosexual American workers report being uncomfortable with the idea of working with homosexuals. (Day Schoenrade, 2000) When respondents were confronted with the issue of working with homosexuals, one study found that 27 percent said that they would prefer not to and 25 percent said that they would strongly object. A second example involves a survey from Wall street Journal in 1993, which found that 66 percent of surveyed CEOs reported being reluctant to include a homosexual on a management committee. Leppel (2009) proved that discrimination on the basis of sexual rientation appears to drive up the unemployment of same-sex partners relative to that of married partners. Similarly, probabilities of being out of the labor force for same-sex partners are greater than those of heterosexual men and less than those of heterosexual women. (Leppel, 2009) Several reasons were sought for these discriminating behavior against LGBT. One persisting cause in the U.S. is the existence of strong religious believes. A survey of Kansas Citians found that 47 percent felt that their religious beliefs and morality strongly conflicted with homosexuality (Day, 2011). Other issues involving a negative attitude towards LGBT in the workforce are related to heterosexism and homophobia in organizational America today. (Gedro, 2010) Human resource management and LGBT An appropriate approach of human resource management to LGBT in the workforce is urgent because the trend in American society for more and more gay men and lesbians to make their sexual orientation known since this openness may create conflicts in the workplace (Day Schoenrade, 2000) There is some evidence that human resource departments are not fully supporting this growing need. For example, a sample of human resource professionals found that even though most believe that sexual orientation must be formally addressed in the workplace, and that they would individually speak out against anti-gay acts, only 20 percent of their companies have diversity programs that specifically address gay and lesbian work issues. (Day Schoenrade, 2000) This increased openness in sexual orientation may also be a reason for an increasing experiencing of LGB employees as a symbolic threat. Although a law has been approved, many Americans still oppose gay marriage. One consequence of this is that some heterosexual employees may experience symbolic threat when faced with LGB co-workers who are out at work and wish to bring their partners to company social events. Ragin (2004) already presumed that this symbolic threat of homosexuality could increase if gay marriages would be legalized in some states, and LGB workers could bring their spouses to workplace events. (Ragin, 2004) Attitude of labor unions towards LGBT in the workforce One interesting aspect is how labor unions U.S. are reacting to the recent discussions on sexual orientation in the workforce since unions, as democratic organizations , have a social obligation to represent the interests of all of their members. (Boris, 2010) However this can cause problems when the majority interest conflict with issues of inclusion and social justice for the minority such as LGBT employees. This might lead to the exclusion of minority interests or groups within unions. It should be noted that there is a strong differentiation between the several unions in their response to this minority group. As many research has pointed out, especially structural and demographic factors help to determine an American unions level of responsiveness to sexual diversity with American unions. (Boris, 2010) Gender mattered as unions with a female majority were more likely to address the concerns of LGBT members. Other examples of factors playing a role in determining a unions response to LGBT issues are the role of individual agency on the part of union leaders, activists, and rank-and-file union members. (Boris, 2010) DADT policy in the U.S. military An example frequently cited when discussing LGBT policies in the U.S. is the issue of gay policy in the U.S. military. In 1993, new laws and regulations pertaining to homosexuals and U.S. military service came into effect reflecting a compromise in policy. This compromise, colloquially referred to as dont ask, dont tell, holds that the presence in the armed forces of persons who demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion which are the essence of military capability. (Burelli Feder, 2009) Service members are not to be asked about nor allowed to discuss their homosexuality. This compromise notwithstanding, the issue has remained politically contentious. (Burelli Feder, 2009) While the decision to remain in the closet may be a functional and adaptive reaction to a hostile work environment, it also increases the risk and stress associated with losing cont rol over the disclosure process. (Ragin, 2004) Recent progress in enabling discrimination laws In recent years, several members of Congress have expressed interest in amending dont ask, dont tell. At least one bill that would repeal the law and replace it with a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation-H.R. 1283-has been introduced in the 111th Congress. (Burelli Feder, 2009) An Act of Congress providing a mechanism to repeal Dont ask, dont tell was signed into law by President  Obama on 22 December 2010. As of February 2011, the Pentagon has started starting to dismantle DADT. Regarding the ENDA, we have to remain patient. In 2011, the U.S. Senate will reintroduce the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in the 112th congress. In the meanwhile, hundreds of companies in U.S. have enacted policies protecting their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.   As of March 2011, 433 (87 percent) of the Fortune 500 companies had implemented non-discrimination policies that include sexual orientation, and 229 (46 percent) had policies that include gender identity.  [4]   Africa The issue of workforce diversity has not been a key problem in Africa before as much as it is today. Together with globalization and the need for an increasing number of organizations to spread globally to reach customers worldwide, the concept of diversity management gained attention. Managers must recognize the need for understanding more about the diverse workforce, which is deeper than what we see at the surface level (Henry and Evans, 2007). During the 1990s, the liberalization of economies and structural adjustment policies, brought about by the Brentwood institutions, opened the doors to free market economies, especially in Africa. These free market economies have stimulated the free movement of labor as a commodity, which in turn has resulted in an increasingly diversified workforce across the continent. Further, the privatization of most of the state-owned enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa also created an open door for migration of labor from all over the world (Henry and Evans, 2007). South Africa To meet the challenges of the twenty-first century, as in many other countries, South African businesses must address the best and brightest employees. Moreover, managers should understand that they can only compete successfully if they recognize the emergence of the diversified workforce and find the means to harness its energies, talents and differences for tomorrows challenges (Grobler, Wà ¤rnich et al., 2006). The major groups providing diversity in the South African workforce are ethnic groups, women, younger workers, South Africans with disabilities and minority groups in the context of sexual orientation. With respect to the latter, it seems that at least 10% of the South African population is homosexual. This means that 10% of the men and women in the workforce, representing around one million people, are gay. However, while the workforce is increasingly diversifying, discrimination still presents an enormous problem in South Africa. In fact, research demonstrates that discrimination still exists in organizations, and that many South African workers still suffer from employment discrimination. Within the organization, its up to the HR professionals to develop and enforce policies and measures that protect the diversified workforce against illicit discrimination. To rectify the injustices of the past, the South African government has come to some actions. Amongst others, the following legislation has been introduced: the Labour Relations Act, No. 66 of 1995 (as amended); the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act, No. 108 of 1996; the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, No. 75 of 1997 (BCEA) (as amended); the Employment Equity Act, No. 55 of 1998 (EEA); the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, No. 4 of 2000; and a Code of Good Practice on the handling of sexual harassment included in the Labour Relations Act (Section 203(1)). For example, Section 9 (2) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (No. 108 of 1996) states that: The State may not unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more grounds, including age, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth (Grobler, Wà ¤rnich et al., 2006). ANDERE INTERESSANTE ZAKEN DIE NOG KUNNEN GEBRUIKT WORDEN LGBT military laws   Ã‚  Homosexuals allowed to serve in the military      Homosexuals banned from serving; repeal of policy underway   Ã‚  Homosexuals banned from serving (or homosexuality illegal)   Ã‚  Data not available References Bell, M. P., ÃÆ'-zbiligin, M. F., Beauregard, T. A., Sà ¼rgevil, O. (2011). Voice, silence, and diversity in 21st century organizations: strategies for inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender employees. HUman Resource Management, 50(1), 131 146. doi: 10.1002/hrm. Boris, M. B. (2010). Identity at work : U.S. labor union efforts to address sexual diversity through policy and practice. Advances in Industrial and Labor Relations, 17, 185-205. Elsevier. doi: 10.1108/S0742-6186(2010)0000017009. Burrelli, D. F., Feder, J. (2009). Homosexuals and the U . S . Military : Current Issues. Chung, Y. B. (2001). Work discrimination and coping strategies: Conceptual frameworks for counseling lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients. The Career Development Quarterly,50, 33-44. Croteau, J. M. (1996). Research on the work experiences of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people: An integrative review of methodology and findings. Journal of Vocational Behavior,48, 195-209. Day, N. E. (2011). US small company leadersÊ ¼ religious motivation and other-directed organizational values. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour Research, 17(4). Day, N. E., Schoenrade, P. (2000). The relationship among reported disclosure of sexual orientation, anti-discrimination policies, top management support and work attitudes of gay and lesbian employees. Personnel Review, 29(3), 346-363. doi: 10.1108/00483480010324706. Gedro, J. (2010). Lesbian presentations and representations of leadership, and the implications for HRD. Journal of European Industrial Training, 34(6), 552-564. doi: 10.1108/03090591011061220. Grobler, P., Wà ¤rnich, S., Carrell, M.R., Elbert, N.F. and Hatfield, R.D. (2006). Human Resource Management In South Africa. 3rd edition. Thomson Learning. 571p. Henry, O. and Evans, A.J. (2007). Critical review of literature on workforce diversity. African Journal of Business Management,72-76. Herek, G. M. (1990). The context of anti-gay violence: Notes on cultural and psychological heterosexism. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 5, 316-333. Hopper, J. E., Salvaggio, N. (2008). Report from SIOP diversifying diversity: moving beyond race and gender: Professional Insights. Equal Opportunities International, 27(5), 465-470. doi: 10.1108/02610150810882314. Huffman, A. H., Watrous-Rodriguez, K. M., King, E. B. (2008). Supporting a diverse workforce: what type of support is most meaningful for lesbian and gay employees? Human Resource Management, 47(2), 237-253. doi: 10.1002/hrm. Leppel, K. (2009). Labour Force Status and Sexual Orientation. Economica, 76(301), 197-207. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-0335.2007.00676.x. Ragins, B. R. (2004). Sexual orientation in the workplace : the unique work and career experiences of gay , lesbian and bisexual workers. Personnel and Human Resources Management, 23, 35-120. doi: 10.1016/S0742-7301(04)23002-X. Roberson, B. E. J. (2009). Equality for Lesbian , Gay , Bisexual , and Transgendered Employees in the Modern American Workplace Equality for Lesbian , Gay , Bisexual , and Transgendered Employees in the Modern American Workplace. Schoenrade, P., College, W. J. (2000). The relationship among reported disclosure of sexual orientation , anti-discrimination policies , top management support and work attitudes of gay and lesbian employees. Personnel Review, 29(3), 346-363. Swan, E. (2010). A testing time, full of potential?: Gender in management, histories and futures. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 25(8), 661-675. doi: 10.1108/17542411011092327. Thomas. (1996). op. cit., pp. 101-103. Van Hoye, G. and Lievens, F. (2003). The Effects of Sexual Orientation on Hirability Ratings: An Experimental Study. Journal of Business and Psycho

Abortion And Murder :: essays research papers fc

Abortion And Murder On January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court, in two separate decisions, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, declared that Congress and the states had to adopt a policy on abortion. Since then, abortion has been one of the most controversial issues in our country today. Every time the subject of abortion is raised, the same question always comes up: should people have the right to terminate an unborn child? The answer is no. No person should have the right to terminate an unborn child which has not yet had the chance to live, no matter what the reason is. Abortion is the termination of an alive, unborn child, which can experience pain through the process of an abortion. There is no need to have an abortion when these children could be put up for adoption instead of being Æ’Â ±aborted.Æ’Â ° Abortion is the termination of alive, unborn children. How can a person decide just when an unborn fetus becomes a person with constitutional rights. Many people disagree when a fetus becomes an actual person, but the truth is that a fetus becomes a person at the time of conception. An article entitled Æ’Â ±Pro-lofe and pro-choice? YesÆ’Â ° says that, Æ’Â ±From the moment of conception, the fetus is endowed with all the genetic information that will enable its development into a full human personÆ’Â ° (Church 108). Technology has advanced very much in the past twenty years and now with the aid of medical technology and the science of fetology, doctors can prove that a fetus is an actual person as early as thirteen weeks of growth (Meyer 62-64). These facts only help to prove that a fetus is an actual person, who deserves the chance to be born. Contrary to belief, a fetus can actually feel pain. The observation of abortions on ultrasound have been very disturbing. So disturbing, that many abortion doctors who have seen the procedure, refuse to participate in abortions again (Meyer 62-64). An article entitled Æ’Â ±Fetal positions: Making Abortion rareÆ’ Â ° reports that, Æ’Â ±Bernard Nathanson, a former director of the National Abortion Rights Action League, who performed thousands of abortions, repudiated the practice in the early 1980's after observing the apparent agony of a fetus subjected to a suction-tip abortionÆ’Â ° (Meyer 62-64). Modern neurology supports the claim that the fetus can experience pain, not just reflex. Reflexive reactions stimulate only the spinal column, but the more complex reactions that stimulate pain occur in the tiny portion of the brain called the thalamus. Abortion And Murder :: essays research papers fc Abortion And Murder On January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court, in two separate decisions, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, declared that Congress and the states had to adopt a policy on abortion. Since then, abortion has been one of the most controversial issues in our country today. Every time the subject of abortion is raised, the same question always comes up: should people have the right to terminate an unborn child? The answer is no. No person should have the right to terminate an unborn child which has not yet had the chance to live, no matter what the reason is. Abortion is the termination of an alive, unborn child, which can experience pain through the process of an abortion. There is no need to have an abortion when these children could be put up for adoption instead of being Æ’Â ±aborted.Æ’Â ° Abortion is the termination of alive, unborn children. How can a person decide just when an unborn fetus becomes a person with constitutional rights. Many people disagree when a fetus becomes an actual person, but the truth is that a fetus becomes a person at the time of conception. An article entitled Æ’Â ±Pro-lofe and pro-choice? YesÆ’Â ° says that, Æ’Â ±From the moment of conception, the fetus is endowed with all the genetic information that will enable its development into a full human personÆ’Â ° (Church 108). Technology has advanced very much in the past twenty years and now with the aid of medical technology and the science of fetology, doctors can prove that a fetus is an actual person as early as thirteen weeks of growth (Meyer 62-64). These facts only help to prove that a fetus is an actual person, who deserves the chance to be born. Contrary to belief, a fetus can actually feel pain. The observation of abortions on ultrasound have been very disturbing. So disturbing, that many abortion doctors who have seen the procedure, refuse to participate in abortions again (Meyer 62-64). An article entitled Æ’Â ±Fetal positions: Making Abortion rareÆ’ Â ° reports that, Æ’Â ±Bernard Nathanson, a former director of the National Abortion Rights Action League, who performed thousands of abortions, repudiated the practice in the early 1980's after observing the apparent agony of a fetus subjected to a suction-tip abortionÆ’Â ° (Meyer 62-64). Modern neurology supports the claim that the fetus can experience pain, not just reflex. Reflexive reactions stimulate only the spinal column, but the more complex reactions that stimulate pain occur in the tiny portion of the brain called the thalamus.