Women in the workforce in the 1970's in comparison to today Research Paper

Women in the workforce in the 1970's in comparison to today - Research Paper Example These definitions and stereotypes have led to expected gender roles in society, most which have developed because of superficial relationships to gender. However, this issue is one which doesn’t realistically construct the identity of individuals. When looking at â€Å"Who’s in Charge Here’ with the Mary Tyler Moore show, it can be seen that gender identity is one which is based on the gender stereotypes and definitions created in society. The result is a construction of both gender and boundaries based on stereotypes, as opposed to realistic expectations. The issue of gender roles in society is one which was first seen with the 1970s show and continues to be a part of society today. Gender Roles from Moore The episode which shows the gender differences in the Mary Tyler Moore show is â€Å"Who’s in Charge Here.† The differences in gender are noted specifically with the news room that Mary is working in. The gender expectations are first divided by those who hold the power within the news room, including the new News Producer, Lou and the News Director, Murray. Within this episode, the gender roles are divided first by the divisions in which the males have more power and Mary remains in the same situation. However, it is quickly found that Mary is only holding to this role because of gender. The power positions which both men have cause Mary to not only complete her work, but also to do the work of Murray and Lou because they don’t understand the situation. By the end of the episode, it is recognized that the positions need to be reconsidered based on qualifications, as opposed to the gender expectations from the news room (Sandrich, 1972). Stereotypes of Gender The episode demonstrated by the Mary Tyler Moore Show is one which constructs identity based on gender and gives the divisions and roles based on this stereotype. This particular concept is one which hasn’t changed today and continues to be a component i n which men and women are divided. The gender differences come first from the idea of competition in which each individual divides according to the individuals who are considered the most powerful in society and create a competitive attitude toward what is occurring. These gender differences are further divided by the power which one holds in relation to the stereotypes and the competitive spirit which is supposed to be a part of the gender. This construction of stereotypes is one which is defined specifically by the patriarchal shaping of society. It has been found that the matriarchal society has the same concept of competition among women because of the environment which is created for survival. The stereotype of gender is one which becomes constructed specifically because of the social order which is in a given culture (Gneezy, Leonard, List, 1637). The stereotypes which have been created within culture are furthered by the expected places in which women and men should have. The concept of work, within the traditional role for women, is one which most were not considered as capable of doing. The main role of women in the patriarchal society was based on the stereotype of staying in the home and caring for the family while men worked in a given office. This created a position with both in society, specifically with the stereotypes and expected gender role that was in society. Family obligations is found to become secondary for men while women often have to adapt to the concept of work structures that require shifts in how one works. This particular stereotype is one which is acted among the majority of individuals in society and is referred to as gender – typing, which one debates about specific roles because of gender (Gustafson, 513). The episode with Moore shows this, specifically as Mary has difficulty deciding

Misconceptions of Buddhism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Misconceptions of Buddhism - Research Paper Example When it comes to religions, people are often guided by misconceptions and wrong beliefs. The way in which everybody understands and comprehends religious texts and traditions leads to the movement of all these misconceptions. For many years, Buddhism has suffered a number of misconceptions regarding its traditions, beliefs and practices. Among the misconceptions include the three ways of life, practices and beliefs (Nielsen, 2004). 2.0 Misconceptions of Buddhism. Buddhism is termed to be a pagan religion that involves worship of many gods rather than one accepted Christian God. There is also a misconception that Buddhists believe in reincarnation. It is termed that all Buddhists welcome suffering in their lives; they believe that when one suffers or is poor, then she/ he is regarded as a sincere Buddhist. All Buddhists in the world are to wear robes as part of their clothing. This is a misconception. Another misconception about Buddhism is that Buddhists must endure gruelling meditat ions in their entire life. Majority of people perceive that when Buddhist faithful put their hands together and bow their heads they are praying for a good fortune to come to their lives. It is stated that in America, members of ‘shin Buddhism’ are only Japanese and if not it is for Japanese- American citizens only (Tudge, 2002). Another misconception is a reflection on the appearance of a Buddhist, where a Buddha, is believed to be a Chinese monk who is a fat guy, and are always bald (shaving their heads completely), leaving no sign of any hair on their heads). All Buddhists in the world are said to be vegetarians, taking only vegetables as part of their diets. One of the wide misconceptions about Buddhism among the Buddhists is that all of them meditate more often and always, and they do so while sitting in full lotus. The Buddhists believe that all roads lead to the same mountain tops -but Buddhism is termed as the clear route to the top of the mountain (Nielsen, 200 4). Majority of people think and believe that Buddhists live in monasteries as either monks or lay people who are secluded from the rest of the people. It is believed that one must be a monk or a lay nun to get enlightened. From the strange behaviours, beliefs and dressing, a misconception has been raised that Buddhists are Idol worshippers. The respect that they give Dalai Lama leads to misconception that Dalai Lama is the head of Buddhism. The social and interaction among individuals and Buddhists have led to a misconception that Buddhism is a pessimistic religion, an illusion created, and Buddhist behaviour is a dreadful one; serious individuals who don’t wear any kind of make-up, and in most cases they do not leisure at all. The Buddhism religion is termed as one that is boring and rigid that does not allow its faithful to desire any kind of earthly thing such as engaging in sports. The last misconception is that Buddhism is a reformation or upgrade of Hinduism (Tudge, 20 02). 3.0 Reasons for and against misconceptions of Buddhism Buddhism is not a pagan religion just because Buddhists don’t concern themselves about God or gods; they put their concerns on ‘Dharma’ who is not a god or gods but the truth or reality. Their belief in reincarnation is true as the majority of the sects in Buddhism believe in reincarnation in the same way Christians do in God. The misconceptions of the Buddhism of

One Year in a Life of Crime Essay Example for Free

One Year in a Life of Crime Essay There are many contributing factors that can lead to living a life of crime, totally unaware of how self-satisfying actions can negatively affect the people around you. The show HBO’s America Undercover â€Å"One Year in a Life of Crime†, is a perfect example of how there can be many factors that will lead you down a path of self destruction. But in the end it is the relationships we have with our parents, family and friends that ultimately shape the type of person we are and affect the decisions that we make. A contributing factor is something that is partly responsible for a development or something that lead to the cause of something else. If we can identify the contributing factors to an undesirable situation that we may be in, then we can learn to avoid them in the future. Or we can even learn from other people’s mistakes. The show â€Å"One Year in a Life of Crime† could be very beneficial for a younger audience to identify contributing factors that lead you down the wrong path in life. Maybe if the thieves’ in the show could have viewed something like this at an earlier time in their life, things might have turned out different for them. Rationalizing and wishful thinking is a contributing factor that prevents the thieves’ from thinking realistically about their future. Rationalization, also known as making excuses, is a way to devise self-satisfying but incorrect reasons for ones behavior. To not see reality for what is it. We all do this from time to time but the individuals in the show seem to rationalizing everything as a way to justify the bad choices they have made. Rob rationalizes his stealing in the scene where we meet his father for the first time. Rob’s father Ed works all week long and only brings home $80, which Rob describes as peanuts. To survive, you have to make extra money, is one way Rob justifies his stealing. In his mind, if he didn’t steal, his family couldn’t survive. In many scenes we hear Rob wishing for this and wishing for that. I wish for a big business so I can make a million dollars and if only I could get some money together to buy hot dog truck. Rob is unwilling to work hard to achieve any of his goals. Fred, who is Rob’s mentor in regards to shoplifting, is even worse when it comes to rationalizing he’s behavior. He can’t believe his old lady left with their little girl after he promised to stop getting high but then couldn’t follow through with his promise. He tells an old friend he wants to stop doing drugs and stealing but it’s just too much for him to handle now that his old lady has left him. Rationalizing helps them justify their own lazy attitude towards hard work and making an honest living. The prevailing attitude towards stealing instead of working is another contributing factor that keeps the thieves’ from getting ahead in life. Easy money for little effort, such as shop-lifting, can be very attractive to some people and they will choose this life style. But the way life works is the more you put into something the more you will get out. If you’re willing to work hard and not give up, there is a good chance you will be successful in whatever you choose to do. When we look at Rob we can see he is always looking for easy money. Rob can’t believe his father works for such little money when there are other ways to make a living. He thinks his father is foolish. When Rob was working for a neighborhood mechanic he had saved over a thousand dollars but thought the job wasn’t paying enough. In his mind, the amount of time and work he needed to put-in, didn’t equal the pay he was receiving. Stealing is easier and doesn’t require a full day’s work. It’s hard to say no to easy money when there is only a small chance of getting caught and if you do get caught, then the punishment is light or non-existent. When a city does not have the resources to deal with a large volume of crime, the justice system can seem like a revolving door for the criminals. If the smaller criminals have to be overlooked because the system is swamped with major crimes, then the threat of jail time for shoplifting looses its power. Time after time we see both Fred do little jail time for his crimes. The first time me meet Fred, he’s accidentally been released from jail after only doing 60 days of a one year sentence. He’s been out of jail for one day and he’s already back to shoplifting. Four months later Fred is arrested for Grand Larceny and Vehicular Homicide. He uses an alias along with a phony I.D. to hide his extensive criminal record and ends up out of jail in just three weeks after plea-bargaining down to minor charges as a â€Å"first offender†. Fred was responsible for the death of someone and because of an overwhelmed justice system he is set free. After you get away with something like this how much of a deterrent is the law when it comes to shoplifting? Not much to Fred because just three months later he’s arrested for stealing silverware and end up in jail for six months. Of course each time we see the thieves’ stealing they are always with a friend, an accomplice, someone who thinks and acts the same way they do. Enabling is a larger contributing factor as to why our thieves live the life that they do. An enabler is a person who, through their actions, allows someone else to behave in a destructive way. Enabling/reinforcing negative behavior by lying, ignoring or covering up for someone not only allows negative behavior to continue but also slows down the process of learning to be responsible for the consequences of their actions. The most common example in the show is the relationship the thieves have with each other. Rob is mentored by Fred in the ways of shoplifting and along with their friend Mike, reinforces their life style as being just and the only way they can survive in the world. Rob’s wife Angela is the perfect example of an â€Å"enabler†. Throughout the year that the show takes place we see Angela enabling Rob to continuing stealing. All she wants is for Rob to marry her and if stealing is the only way for Rob to make money, then she will support whatever decisions he makes. At the end of the show we see Rob has become a drug addict and Angela is still with him even though she hates what Rob is doing to himself. She would rather say nothing then confront him. It’s a lot less work being an enabler then it is confronting Rob and trying to help him. Mike’s mother is another example of how enabling has a negative impact on learning to be responsible for one’s own actions. She bails Mike out of jail and losses the bail money because her son takes off. I’m guess here, but I would bet she knows where he is hiding out and her only reaction is to be indifferent to Mike decision which just cost her $750. The relationships we have with our friends and family play a strong role on how we think and the decision we make. The most important contributing factor as to why the thieves are in their situation has to do with how they were raised. The values they were taught and relationship they have with their parents. We can see Rob is in a pattern of self-destructive behavior and one of the biggest influences is his father. From the show we find out that Rob’s father is an alcoholic, would hit him and also throw out Rob’s toys. Rob even describes a scene where his father rips apart one of his favorite toys, a stuffed bunny rabbit. Here we can see why Rob might think it is ok steal. He learned from his father that if you are strong or smart enough to impose your will on someone then it is ok to take what you want. In Rob’s eyes this is how the world works. This is what his father did to him so he is repeating the same behavior when he shop-lifts. We can only guess at the relationship Fred has with his parents but we know that one of his uncles was a drug addict and Fred witness his un cle taking drugs. It’s a good possibility Fred’s family didn’t discourage drug use or educate him in regards to the negative impact drugs will have on your life. From the time we are born we start to soak in our environment. We start to learn from everything around us. How we act socially mainly comes from the observations and interactions we have with our parents. We learn how to speak, how to ask for things and how to interact with others. When we are children the most important relationship we will have is with our parents and this can greatly affect our adolescences and adulthood. Our role models in life can help shape who we will become. If we see from our parents that hard work and following the rules doesn’t get you very far then we might have an attitude that working hard isn’t the way to go. Without good role models the odd are stacked against us and some individuals will take the easy road of a thieves’ life style. We can change our behavior later in life but it can be a difficult process and most people are not even aware that a change is needed.

Homosexuality In Dead Dreams Of Monochrome Men

Homosexuality In Dead Dreams Of Monochrome Men In this essay I am going to look at the work Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men (Dead Dreams) by Lloyd Newson, performed by the Physical Theatre Company DV8. I will focus on the way homosexuality is represented within the piece. I will then look at the work of the playwright Oscar Wilde (1854 -1900) and the painter Francis Bacon (1909 -1992) in order to examine how homosexuality was represented within their art and make comparisons with Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men. I will try to show how the representation of homosexuality within art at different times reflects the prevailing attitudes towards homosexuality of the time. I will examine how each artist used their creativity to put forward ideas and messages about their personal experience of homosexuality, and the extent to which this was influenced by the society in which they lived. Although these artists lived in different eras I believe they shared a similar attitude to the pain, suffering and frustration that homosexuals were forced to feel when existing within a society which regarded their natural sexual orientation with prejudice and lack of understanding. Homosexuality was a criminal offence in the UK until 1967. Before this date homosexuals could be imprisoned gay males had to risk various punishments from society for their behaviour which was not condoned by the establishment. Because of this many homosexuals experienced conflict: either to not follow their natural sexual desires and live a lie, of follow them and risk exposure as a criminal and perhaps even prison. This forced homosexuals into a world of guilt and secrecy which is still resounding within homosexual culture today. Even though attitudes towards homosexuality can be said to me more liberal today, for many people homosexuals are still strongly associated with unnatural acts and perversion not just on an individual basis but also be institutions such as the Catholic Church. 2 Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men In 1986, Lloyd Newson formed the Physical Theatre Company DV8 and he is the main choreographer of DV8s work. Newson is renowned for exploring and attacking the forbidden in an attempt to challenge societys views of various issues and, in particular, homosexuality. Newson addresses the distance created by mainstream or straight society which pushes homosexuals to the fringes. (Hutera, 83, 2008) Newson has placed his sexualized politics into the body of his works. (Reynolds, 2009, online) Interestingly, before Newson made his way into the art world with DV8, he trained as a therapist. Perhaps in his therapeutic work he was able to identify with the struggles of the other minorities who experienced prejudice that he would have encountered: people who experienced great personal problems or behavioural addiction problems which may have made them feel like outsiders. Newson is obviously a highly political person who does not shy away from pushing the boundaries to achieve his artistic and political objectives. DV8 Physical Theatres work is about taking risks, aesthetically and physically, about breaking down the barriers between dance, theatre and personal politics and, above all, communicating ideas and feelings clearly and unpretentiously. It is determined to be radical yet accessible, and to take its work to as wide an audience as possible. (DV8, 2010, online) Originally premiered as a stage piece on 5th October 1988, Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men was the first stage piece by DV8 to be reworked and transformed for film (in 1990). My impressions of the piece are based on this film, directed by David Hinton, rather than the stage performance. Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men is divided into ten different pieces, involving a cast of four male dancers, (including Lloyd Newson himself), conveying the alienation of homosexual males and the deionisation of homosexual thirsts. (Hutera, 83, 2008) The work is said to be inspired by the serial killer Dennis Nielsen, a man sentenced to life imprisonment in 1983 after murdering fifteen male homosexuals. Newsons decision to use Dennis Nielsen within this piece could be regarded as surprising as Nielsen could be seen to represent the seediest, most violent and sadistic aspects of homosexuality rather than its more acceptable face. For me this shows Newsons honesty in not backing away from difficult issues. However while violence is always imminent in this work, the choreographer and director also focus on the unexpected tenderness of four men who are too desperate to control their needs to suppress their fear, (Ney, 2001, online) Through the choices made in terms of movement, camera, music and set in Dead Dreams, the fear suggested is of the sexual desire between the four dancers, who are battling with themselves and those around them. Newson is suggesting that homosexuals feel a need to try and suppress their desire, because of the harsh world they live in. Although homosexuality is treated far more openly within U.K. society than ever before, it is still tinged with danger and fear, perhaps echoing its past and the impact that prohibition and prejudice still have on homosexual culture. Newson made known that the production loved to assault middle England prejudices and use shock as a major tactic. (Brown, 2003, online) Newson was one of the first artists, not just in dance but across all art, to not feel the need to try and hide or tone down the homosexuality in his work. Newson was not afraid to use real male bodies, show you the real skin on skin contact and let you know that homosexuality is what you were being witness to. The use of camera in Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men brings the audience face to face with the gay relationships between dancers. Throughout the piece the camera zooms in on close-ups of skin to skin contact. For example a duet in the second piece blind shows us a moment where two dancers are stood one in front of the other. The dancer behind reaches around the dancers body in front and lifts his t-shirt (a popular item of clothing among gays) to cover his head. Using his hands he then slowly and lightly explores the surface of his skin around his abdominal and pectoral area. At the culmination of this, the camera slowly zooms onto the dancers stomach and all we can see is this hand to stomach contact. The use of close up by the camera gives us no choice but to be confronted with this idea of intimacy between the dancers, emphasising the importance of this imagery to the piece, and the overall work. Suddenly the hand slaps the stomach and the piece finishes. The slap communicates to me a feeling of forbidden, that the touching between the two is wrong. Whilst we are shown the close up camera shot of the hand to stomach contact, there are short snaps of another dancer who is positioned to the side of the duet. This dancer is crouched tensely over with this body, with his mouth pushed wide open, every limb, and finger to neck is stiff and contracted. The dancer appears anguished and frustrated. The fact that we are unable to hear any scream which you feel he is desperately trying to project, communicates that he may be a symbolic reference to the silent frustration felt by many homosexuals who feel they need to live in denial of their sexuality. There are many moments in Dead Dreams that contrast what we see on the outside of the dancers with what they are feeling on the inside. Newson has created moments which make us think there is more to the dancers than what is being portrayed on the surface, that an act is being put on. For example, in piece four I just want to be with you we have the only moment in the whole work where a dancer speaks. A man (perhaps representing Nielsen) is sat smoking, looking at us through the camera and speaking as though he were trying to chat us up in a bar. The smoke illusion and the steadiness of his voice communicate an impression of calmness. However, about five metres in the distance behind this man we see another male figure, squashed between two walls. As the dancer speaks the male behind moves in a fidgety manor within his small space, as if trying to find a position that is comfortable. As the conversation builds and the sentences become longer and more personal, the dancers movements becomes bigger and more frantic, suggesting that perhaps the dancers are actually different sides of the same person. This scene appears to be metaphoric. Newson may be trying to say that however comfortable gay men appear to be on the outside, there is still a lack of confidence inside. DV8 aims to connect the world outside with the world inside or, if you like, the personal with the political. Even though their focus is on the body in action, they use whatever means they need to achieve that connection dance, acting, circus, film, whatever. The message matters more than the medium. (2008, Roy, online) Silence is used very effectively throughout Dead Dreams. The use of silence at moments enables the audience to hear the breathing of the dancers. In Piece Four the dancers breathing speeds up as another dancer walks towards him, getting closer and closer. The breathing increases even more as that dancer then makes body contact with him, hand to his neck. By the intensity of the breathing we can sense a strong feeling of the nervousness and perhaps lack of trust he feels about the situation. This idea of trust between two dancers is bought up again later in the work, in a more symbolic and obvious way. Piece six called Falling Down involves a moment when one dancer is dropping himself from a ladder onto another dancer who is supposed to catch and break his fall. The dancer falls testing their trust, three times. First from a height of about two metres, the next as high as four metres, but then on the third drop, he is willing to fall from a height of about ten feet. The dancer beneath walks away, but the dancer drops himself anyway, perhaps suggesting that even those who you have grown used to trusting always have the capacity to let you down again echoing the Nielsen story as he first befriended his victims before killing them. Filmed in starkly lit, anguish- and muscle-enhancing black and white, Dead Dreams looks like a living George Platt Lynes photograph set in a fevered, prison like bar world, pulsating with wordless sexual narratives, twitchy erotic appetites and well-shorn, hunky men. (From Video Cover). Is this prison supposed to represent another world, homosexuality from which there is no escape? In Piece Five, Drum and Dance for the first time we see the outside of the prison. A protected barred window, through which a bright light shines through (as if suggesting a happier place) into the dark and eerie box in which the four males seem trapped. A desire to reach for this light is suggested as the three dancers each try individually to get out of the window, a teasing four metres above their heads. They soon think of using each other to help reach up to the window, and start co-operating to the point of climbing up one anothers backs to standing on shoulders. (An example of the physical skill demand in DV8s movement material). Perhaps Newson is suggesting that only if homosexuals work together can they fight prejudice and negativity? How there needs to be a strong sense of unity amongst homosexuals, based on their shared experiences of alienation and rejection. In the third piece The Pedestal Newson again seems to address the issue of denial. A male dancer is sitting on the shoulder of another male dancer. The dancer carrying the other walks non stop in a circle for about three minutes. Obviously the weight of carrying a whole males body, particularly on just one shoulder is very demanding, and so he struggles to walk around upright and soon becomes pushed to a crouch. The way the dancer fights for as long as he possibly can, could be taken to suggest the idea of a homosexual in denial. How the weight of going against what is such a natural part of you can been very hard, and will eventually crush (kill?) you. In an interview with the telegraph, Newson speaks about his beliefs and his position as a homosexual artist. He explains, I am a politician already. Battling with the politics of dance, and the politics of life. If I can carry on those battles with a loudspeaker- which you can do when you have company that gives public performances then I will. DV8 is my loudspeakerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The direct line between what we felt and what we showed we felt angry, we showed anger immediately. And it got to a point when we burned ourselves out. (Brown, 2003, online) Dead Dreams is a powerful work that draws you into the world of the homosexual and confronts you with your own prejudices. It has an integrity based on what one feels to be the gritty truth about the negative attitudes and insecurities regarding homosexuality which Newson obviously still feel permeate U.K. society today and the dangers that many homosexuals still face because of this. 3 Oscar Wilde Oscar Wilde was a successful poet and playwright who produced most of his work in the late 19th century. The Victorian society in which Wilde lived stressed the need for family values and a faithful religious way of life. Although everyone knew that homosexuality existed most pretended to not know anything about it and homosexuals were forced to live secret lives. Homosexuals came mainly from the upper and middle classes and had both the financial and social life to enable them to engage in homosexual activities. (Hilliard, 1982, online) Many were married and lived double lives and were flamboyantly dressed. During the 1880s and 90s societies attitudes towards homosexuality changed significantly. What before was thought of as sinful behaviour, views of homosexuality altered into believing it was nothing but a sickness. (Hilliard, 1982, online) However the Labouchà ¨re Amendment of the Criminal Law Act of 1885 criminalised all homosexual acts by males in private and public, and this legislation eventually led to Oscar Wilde being prosecuted. (Hilliard, 1982, online) Oscar Wilde was one of the many homosexuals who lived a double life. Wilde appeared to adhere to Victorian values by marrying and having two sons, prior to acknowledging that he was in fact a homosexual. However the pressures of living a lie eventually caught up with Wilde and when he left his wife he returned to Oxford and the company of his friends from the upper classes and began drinking heavily and living a more openly homosexual lifestyle, including a very public affair with a member of the British aristocracy (Lord Alfred Douglas). Shortly after he was arrested, tried and sentenced to two years had labour for his homosexuality. (Moonstruck, online) Through his work Wilde was able to secretly convey his views, by creating a somewhat coded language which laid as a discreet undertone to his work. When you were aware of the secret messages Wilde had put into his work (which had reference to homosexuality), messages that lay deeper beneath the rich colour and beauty, the public would be witness to a whole different play. (Coren, 94, 1997) Homosexual undertones in Wildes writings, particularly in his novel, were used against him and helped send him to jail. His play The Importance of Being Earnest Wilde directly addresses the theme of dual identities. The plays two main characters are seen to be engaged in bunburying, which in the play is seen to refer to having one identity in London and another in the country. This was shown in the play as allowing them to escape Victorian social mores. This was taken by many to be a metaphor for the double life many homosexuals were living at the time. (SOURCE: MENDELSHON, DANIEL; THE TWO OSCAR WILDES, NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS, VOLUME 49, NUMBER 15  · 10 OCTOBER 2002). Some commentators have suggested that bunburying was a slang terms for homosexual sex and that earnest was often used as a code word for homosexual as in is he earnest? During his trials, Wildes own homosexual undertones in his writings, particularly in his I Wilde was also explicit in his only novel, Dorian Gray where the male writer says of his first meeting with the lead character: for the first time. I knew that I had come face to face with someone whose mere personality was so fascinating that, if I allowed it to do so, it would absorb my whole nature, my whole soul, my very art itself. This description of one man falling in love with another was felt to be shocking at the time of the books publication. Oscar Wilde was forced to hide his homosexuality behind layers of inference and disguise. He was terrified of revealing his homosexuality because he knew that he would be alienated and ostracised from the society. (Rader, online) Oscar Wilde was a prime example of how the negative attitudes towards homosexuality lead to secrecy and denial and that this can ultimately prove to be personally disastrous for the individual concerned. 4 Francis Bacon Born in Ireland in 1910, living until 1992, Francis Bacon was voted the most important living artist in the world. His influence and popularity amongst society cannot be denied as during the early twentieth century he existed as the highest selling living painter. Bacon was a painter of figures, (mainly portraits studies), often using an easel and canvas to create a roughly textured surface of oil paints. Working only from photographs, Bacon would transfer the figure he sees in this stimulus, to a figure painted on canvas. Francis Bacon was an artist who never tried to flatter the sitters he painted, but rather reflected his take on human existence. (Peppiatt 233, 2009), (Fifield, online) There is a clear theme that runs through all of Bacons works, the theme of distortion, the breaking up of the human body. For example in Bacons Portrait of Michel Leiris (1976) and Francis Bacon Self Portrait (1978). Francis Bacons homosexuality was no secret in his career. The death of Bacon at the age of 82 in 1992 stands as a significant moment, a turning point, in our understanding not only of the concept of queer, but of how artists felt able to operate if they were to be both true to themselves yet find a measure of acceptance in a society by and large hostile to homosexual expression. (1996, Cooper, online) Francis Bacon considered himself to be a queer homosexual and did not want to be known as a gay, as he did not like the word. In the old fashioned sense when queer was a term of abuse, a recognition and disapproval by society of divergent sexual tastes. There is that suggests Bacon was moved by the ideas and theories of gay liberation, but rather that the movement brought an unwelcome intrusion in what he regarded as his private life. At the time of the Stonewall riots in 1969, he was nearly 60 and his lifestyle was resolutely pre-liberationist in style and attitude. To change this would have involved great effort on his part. Going public, would not have seemed the thing to do at a time when his international reputation was well established. (1996, Cooper, online) It is obvious that Francis Bacon addresses homosexuality in his work, with paintings such as Study for Nude (1951) which involves male naked bodies intimately entwined, but he never spoke directly about it, and in particular would never speak of his personal relations that he wanted to remain completely private in attempt to not influence or detract from him being seen as an artist. The label gay was seen by many like Bacon, as a term just as abusive as Nigger. There were many liberations around during the later part of his life and represented a shift in homosexual lifestyle and its public persona. Bacon did not want to change his image and face the consequences of this from the public towards his work. Bacon produced most of his best work in the period after the Second World War, with his breakthrough piece Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion being painted in 1944. The immediate post war period was when society was very much about returning to family life and this can be seen through British and American films of the time. At this time it was very risky to divulge your homosexuality to others not only because it was illegal but also because it was not accepted. This would have led to feelings of isolation for many homosexuals. Even though society was becoming more tolerant of homosexuality, there was still great reluctance by homosexuals to trust others and discuss their sexuality, even with their families. At that time, men in this situation often referred to their doctors for help, and this occasionally led to medication or even psychiatric referrals to change their behaviour. Bacons subject matter was often autobiographical, reflecting the intimate and often anguished relationships he experienced. Despite Bacons use of distortion in his works, it is clear to see that the great predominant sex of his figures were male, and naked. When these naked figures in his works are involved in very close bodily contact, with entwined limbs where they are almost painted as one body, it is hard to not see Bacons work as greatly personal and specifically relatable to his sexuality. Yet by the late sixties Bacon had completed some of his queerest paintings. The relatively straightforward image Study from the Human Body (1949), of a naked man behind a transparent curtain is sensuous and enticing, offering a glimpse of some quiet, personal moment. An interesting choice that Bacon makes when displaying his final art pieces, is he demands that a glass cover be placed on top of his work, and with all aspects of art, everything is done for a reason. Is Bacons aim to create a reflection of the onlooker into the paintings too? Are we meant to look at ourselves and think of how we see ourselves in the painting? Bacon was probably the greatest British painter of the 20th century, and although he did not like to talk about his homosexuality directly, there is no doubt that his work brought homosexuality into the daylight and it was because of artists such as Bacon and others that the Sexual Offences Act 1967 Act which decriminalised homosexuality was passed. 5 Comparisons and Contrasts Dead Dreams of Monochrome men is shot in black and white, with dim lighting, creating a set of eeriness and little distraction. Francis Bacons works have the same effect, from his use of mainly black and white and other deep shades in his work, for example Three Studies for Figures at the base of a Crucifixion (1944). Bacons figurative and portrait paintings lack strong backgrounds, and thereby bring the main focus of his works, the figures, through as the strongest and most powerful detail. For instance in Bacons famous Self-Portrait (1971) he uses just a plain black painted background. In effect the mixture of blue, red and white tones that he has used to create the face, really emphasise and draw you in to these unusual skin colours. Similarly to pieces in Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men, as an audience we cannot help but be put in the position of being face to face with the shockingly suggestive gay relations. These artists are not afraid to use the naked body in their work, and feel no need to try to cover up or tone down the intensity of their work in doing so, just because of the shocked, some maybe disgusted, reaction we may have. Although Bacon uses the naked body, through vague outlines of the figures, the use of distance and blending, the naked figures in his works are created in a way that they do not hit you as much as Newsons figures. For example in Two figures (1953), which involves two male figures lying on a bed embraced, Bacon has used vertical brushstrokes that blend the black background in with the figures heads and body. You can be pretty sure that these two figures are male, however by Bacons technique here there is a possibility that he could argue that they are not, and that it is just your interpretation. I wonder does Bacon want the society to see homosexuals firstly as human being and their sexuality second. Whereas Newson aims for society to understand that human beings cannot be separated by their sexuality? In Dead Dreams, Newsons choice of props have been used effectively in terms of representing or having symbolic meaning by being put into a very plain and simple background. The same effect exists in some of Bacons pieces. Because of his plain backgrounds which exist as a running style through his paintings, when he involves an object it stands out as significant, and it can only be being used for a good reason. In Bacons Study for Crouching Nude, an outline of what appears to be a glass-like box which stands around the figure is painted. Is this glass meant to create an enclosed space the figure is stuck in? Meant to separate us from the figure? Matched by how the figure is hunched over in front of us and positioned in a crouch, the figure almost become animalistic, monkey-like. DV8 use the same idea of an enclosed setting around their male dancers a prison which they try to escape from. It could be said that the DV8 figures push the boundaries of humanity by such challenging and original movement. Are Newson and Bacon suggesting that sex is, at its most basic level, an animal act? Maybe they believe gays that suppress their feelings about their sexuality can turn into animals? Newsom could also be suggesting a link to the reaction of society towards the Dennis Nielsen case, as many people described him as an animal. Bacon often aimed to portray the human body as meat. An example of this is in his painting George Dyer in a mirror created in 1963, where the reflection in a mirror which is painted next to Dyers face reflects a further distortion which looks like slabs of meat. Perhaps Bacon was suggesting that if you see the human body as a slab of meat you do not see it as having any feelings and this is further suggested by the violence that runs through the image, which is enhanced by Bacons use of harsh brushstrokes. I do not believe that Bacon was as interested in challenging or expressing his views on homosexuality as much as Newson, as he was never an activist. And perhaps because of his associations with queer or camp effeminate homosexuals, he did not feel the need to strive for an acknowledgement that would eventually lead to move fundamental changes in society, (such as the civil ceremonies and legal right). His association with the art establishment would also have provided him with many influential friends and he may not have felt he was in a minority or an outsider. However I do believe that they both were interested in making reference to the suffering and effects homosexuals experienced by the discrimination they receive, and strove to communicate their experiences honestly in their art. 6 Conclusions It is no surprise that both Lloyd Newsons, Francis Bacons and to some extent Oscar Wildes homosexual referenced work received objections from many members in society. For example, Margaret Thatcher, Tory Prime Minister, described Francis Bacon as that artist who paints those horrible pictures. A well known philistine Thatchers artistic interests seem to be limited to collecting pretty ceramic figurines the remark could be read as referring to both Bacons often violent style of painting and to his usual subject of the interaction between two men, which in Bacons view was neither affectionate nor relaxed but turbulent and traumatic. (1996, Cooper, online) Protests of the openness and public support of acknowledging homosexuality inside and outside of the arts have always occurred. DV8 are one of many to be the creators of art which has provoked these objectors. The Sunday Mirror gave DV8 a massive leg-up. Gay sex orgy on TV shrieked the headline for their story on the screening of Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men, prompting a flood of complaints to the TV network, angry questions in parliament by Tory MPs and a huge surge in DV8s viewing figures. (2008, Roy, online) This still exists today, only last year ago one of the dance works shown at the production of In the Spirit of Diagalev at Sadlers Wells, bought protestors both inside and outside the dance theatre, over its explicitness about sex, homosexuality and the involvement further with the Catholic Church. Conservative elements within society seemed to worry that if sexuality could be questioned then what else could? What could homosexuality lead to? Would control even break down? Although Newson has been more willing to discuss how life and work than Bacon or Wilde, they all shared a need to express their ideas without being restrained by societys reactions to their work. This took considerable bravery the bravery to create art which was so out there for its day meant risk. And without artists taking risks everything will stagnate. I SUGGEST FINISHING HERE NEW I believe that the fact all three of these artist were homosexual are of great importance to their work. I believe if they were not, these works would most likely never of been made, as I am sure it was their experiences as homosexuals, and the hitting of nerves by a harsh society, that encouraged their art. Art always has and I believe will always be a substance of the artists feelings, as what is so beautiful about art, is its ability to be an expressional form.

Should Elian Gonzalez Go Back To Cuba Or Stay In The United States? :: essays research papers

Should Elian Gonzalez go back to Cuba or stay in the United States? This seems to be the question drenching the media on a constant bases. Every newspaper, news broadcast, and magazine seem to have a story about Elian. Titles like â€Å"Elian’s Grandmothers are coming to the US†, seems kind of silly if you read the headline literally. I don’t mean to be cold but why do we care if Elian’s grandmother is coming to the US? Thousands of grandmas have come to the US everyday, but we don’t hear about them. The media has turned this dilemma into a circus. All that aside, the question and heated debate of whether or not Elian should stay still plagues us. Everyone seems to have an opinion on this subject. If you ask people casually what they think should happen, you will get very definite answers and plenty of information to back up there opinions. I have asked many colleagues and friends this question. I myself do not have the answer and do not think I am the one to judge. I have spoken to Cubans friends who say the conditions are so terrible over there that there is no way the boy should go back. They speak of old, decrepit, tiny homes with way to many people living in a single dwelling. They speak of a place that has little food and no milk for their children. I have been told of the conditions in the schools and their lack of proper facilities. These acquantenses tell me that Castro his controlling the boy’s father, monitoring his phone calls and making sure he tells everyone that he wants his boy to come home. They say he is not able to say what he really wants for fear of himself and family. For fear that Castro will take away the family’s food and shelter in Cuba. Over all, the general picture that has been painted is not pretty. The only thing not in debate is the fact that children their live a very different life from the majority of the children in the United States.On the other hand, there are the people that believe the child should be with his natural father. That where the child lives does not matter, what matters is whom the child is with. They say he has lost his mother and should not be taken away from his father.

Dropping of the Droppings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

In 1945, following the ending of World War II in Europe, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, thereby ending World War II with Japan as well. This event has been controversial to the present day. With this controversy in mind, this research will analyze several aspects of this pivotal event in world history. Why Did the United States Decide to Drop the Bombs?Essentially, the US decided to drop the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki not because of a lust for blood or an ego trip on the part of president Harry S. Truman, but simply because Japan held a mindset of victory or death. For Japan, that meant that if it was not possible to defeat the US in the war, the Japanese would kill as many American soldiers as possible. This was achieved through the massive deployment of the kamikaze, suicide warriors who would fly their aircraft into American warships, strap explosives to their bodies and tackle American soldiers, or employ any number o f other suicide techniques in order to kill US troops (Newman, 1995).Therefore, Truman chose to use the atomic bomb in an ironic way to save many more lives in the long term by using one powerful weapon to blast the Japanese into submission. Results of the Event on the United States and the World For the US, the dropping of the atomic bomb sent a powerful message to the rest of the world that this nation would not be intimidated or tolerate any aggression against it. The dropping of the atomic bomb meant years of painful physical and mental effects for the Japanese people.For the world, this pivotal event signaled the beginning of a nuclear arms race, which erupts in some ways to this day. Conclusion What is seen in the tale of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in conclusion are lessons about the price of war, the quest for healing, and the realization that nuclear war is an option that must be carefully considered, lest it become too common a solution for the problems of the world. Works Cit ed Newman, R. P. (1995). Truman and the Hiroshima Cult. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press.

Balancing Family & Work Life Essay

I. Introduction A. Thesis Statement Attending school as an adult, and maintaining a source of employment can be a daunting task, as many adults who had to delay their college education must know. One of the most challenging aspects of adult life consists of learning how to adjust accordingly to the rigors of life at home as well as the workplace. Failure to do so can lead to a life of complete disarray, stress, illness and exhaustion. II. Body Paragraph #1 – Topic Sentence #1 Traditionally the typical age group for freshmen in college was between 18 to 19 years of age. That reality has slowly changed as more young adults are finding their way back in the classroom, while holding down a job. The information I found in P.14 of the ebrary book: Families and Work: New Directions in the Twenty-First Century, by Fredriksen-Goldsen, Karen I. states: â€Å"Of the more than 69 million American parents with children under the age of 18 (Famighetti, 1998), almost 90 percent are employed (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1998).† At the same time, there are working professionals attempting to achieve a college education in order to refine their skills, or to gain new ones. Among those working adults, young couples typically tend to have a harder time with managing the broad aspects of life, especially those who are in the early stages of their relationship, which has the potential to result in a lot of growing pains. A. Supporting evidence The information found in an article from the following website; http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-2421/T-2233web.pdf states: â€Å"Family and work settings have a built-in potential for conflict. Adults may get overwhelmed with the excessive demands that are required of them from either end of the spectrum, leaving them with the feeling of having very little time to accomplish those tasks.† Finding a balance between work and home involves finding ways of accomplishing the tasks at home as well as duties at work. Those responsibilities are often shared among couples in a healthy relationship. The equality of the shared house  chores, however, is up or debate. It has long been stated that the task of maintaining the home primarily fell on the woman’s shoulders, while the man focuses mainly on duties in the workplace. For some married couples, trying to get their husband to help with the housework typically led to domestic disputes. In recent years however, men have been getting more involved with parenting than ever before. A passage from (Giraffe 2011) states: â€Å"The recession of 2008 contributed to this arrangement because increased unemployment left more fathers available to care for their children and the reduced family income made outside childcare services unaffordable.† The traditional view of the American household should change because of an increase in the number of two-parent families entering the labor force. One of the primary services built around that change in society is the daycare system. Many of those two-parent families, as well as single parents may not have direct support from their families to take care of the children while they’re away at work. While some of the household work, such as childcare and housekeeping, has transitioned to outside providers, many working mothers cannot afford to employ these services (Giraffe, 2011). Unfortunately a big portion of their income goes to high daycare fees. III. Body Paragraph #2 – Topic Sentence #2 When the constants demands of life are far too much to bear, employees tend to feel the need to escape, and seek an alternate reality. We must look at the adverse effects that those long work hours have on the human body. Overworked individuals can suffer from work related illnesses as a result of excessive stress. Work related stress can result from extended hours due to mandatory overtime in some case. An employer’s rigid work hours which can prevent employees from tending to occasional issues at home can also be blamed for stress on the job. Employees suffering the effects of stress in the workplace tend to have bouts of absenteeism. A. Supporting evidence Absenteeism in the workplace is a major issue, with tangible and intangible costs. Although the absentee loses wages in the process, the major loss is at the expense of the employer. The ebrary book by Lynn  Tylczak, (Attacking absenteeism 1990), describes the intangible costs of absenteeism as follows: â€Å"Absentee costs are difficult to quantify. Experts estimate direct wage loses of more than $30 billion per year, and that’s just the beginning. Employers also need to consider the costs of supplementary or replacement workers. These costs include: Regular wages, overtime wages, and company benefits Supplementary benefits, such as Social Security, worker’s compensation, and unemployment compensation Administration of recruitment, selection orientation, and training Penalty costs resulting from delays.† The author (Lynn T. 1990) also gives the following explanation from the tangible cost of absenteeism: â€Å"It forces managers to deal with problems of morale, discipline, job dissatisfaction, job stress, team spirit, productivity, turnover, production quality, additional administration and overhead.† Many employers have become more cognizant of the disastrous effects of having stressful employees in the workplace. This is not only calculated in monetary losses based on productivity, but also in the valuable asset (the employee) which could potentially offset those losses. IV. Body Paragraph #3 Topic sentence # 3 Those who value their time with their families certainly appreciate the value of being away from work. This is particularly why a lot of us look forward to our vacation time. It us the opportunity to recharge our batteries and gives us the courage to return to our regular lives. Many employers have adapted to the changes in society by implementing new ways for employees to earn vacation time from work. A. Supporting evidence While some of us are comfortable being â€Å"working stiffs†, most people would rather look forward to their time away from work. An ebrary book by ANDERSON, NELS titled Work and Leisure states: â€Å"Although leisure reflects and supplements work, it is also used as a release from work. Some are of the view that unless a man has worked he cannot really enjoy leisure. They hold that while a man is working to earn a wage or salary, he also ‘earns’ leisure.† It is absolutely true that in order to fully enjoy our vacation time, we must work hard for it. That time of leisure can then be considered our reward for achieving the demands required of us in the workplace. Those who properly plan their vacation can benefit from sights  rarely seen in everyday life. Most people find it more beneficial to take their vacation in some exotic location. The topic on how to enjoy a proper vacation will vary from one employee to the next. V. Body Paragraph #4 Topic sentence # 4 Employers have devised lots of ways to keep valuable talent within their workforce, while allowing them time to accomplish their house work. Those arrangements can be profitable to the employer as well as the employee in some cases. Some of the sensible ways employers provide to employees are flextime, teleworking, and employee incentive just to name a few. A. Supporting evidence Flextime is highly valuable to employees because it allows them to have more control over the balancing act of work and home life. It also provides them the option of choosing when to complete their work. Flextime allows employees to handle personal business such as doctor appointments or school functions without having to take sick leave or vacation time. Employers’ personnel needs are met and they get employees at their best. In highly skilled positions where competition for employees is fierce and employee turnover costly, flexible schedules can also reduce attrition by making employees more content with their jobs (Giraffe, 2011). Teleworking provides some lucky employees the opportunity to work remotely. With this system employees can either work from home or in some shared work spaces. In most cases employees would prefer to work from home because it is the ideal place to work from. This reduces the work commute, and the amount stress to the employee. It takes an especially disciplined employee to work from home, because of the constant distractions from home can cause the employee’s work performance to suffer. Employers must be careful when considering the type of employees they provide that opportunity to. Through teleworking, some employees do get to achieve balance between family and work life.