the art that you have been exposed to as a younger person
– Complicating actions
– Evaluations
– Results/Resolutions
Discourse analysis: The Bee Tree. Name________________________
Abstract:
Orientation:
Complicating action
Evaluation
Result/Resolution
1.
1.
1.
2.
2.
2.
3.
3.
3.
4.
4.
4.
5.
5.
5.
6.
6.
6.
7.
7.
7.
8.
8.
8.
9.
9.
9.
10.
10.
10.
Coda:
Elements of a Story
The Bee Tree
Abstract – summary of the story
Orientation – background of the story: time, place, who was involved and what they were doing
Complicating Action – after the orientation, the complicating action answers the question “Then what happened?”
Evaluation – the situation of complicating action is evaluated
Result or Resolution – it answers, “What happened next?” or in the case of the final sequence, “What finally happened?”
Coda – At the end of a story, the teller often summarizes it or provides a kind of moral, relating the story to the surrounding conversation and bringing the hearers back out of the world of the story and into the present.
Name:
Institution:
Death of an Author
The proposition that the author is just a carrier of the message and should not be able to control the life of the text is advanced by Barthes’s school of thought. He argues that the reader is the “king’ so to speak, and that the death of the alleged author should not have any consequence on the interpretation of the text. Furthermore, his argument about the misleading notion of authorship is based on previous occurrences that have influenced the author. However, I disagree with this notion of the death of the author should be the end of their contribution to the evolving story or that their influence should end once they have come up with the artistic work.
The author’s influence does not end with their own physical death or literal death. Writing, painting, photography, and creative arts are highly influenced by their authors past their physical lives. The author’s life is intertwined with their surrounding and their time in history that gives some meaning to their work.
Although the interpretation of the work will vary from one person to another, the author retains a certain space in the readers mind through their style of writing. Therefore, the reader may draw their own conclusions regarding the meaning of the text but the style in which they are delivered remains as the signature of the writer. Try as we may to interpret, find hidden meaning, and conjure images of what exactly the author meant with a phrase, they maintain their hold on the reader. Consequently, the author continues to be present throughout their work even after their physical or literal death.
While proponents of the Barthes’s theory argue that cultural influences influence the interpretation of the meaning of texts consequently killing the influence of the author, most of the core words and their associated meaning rarely change. For instance, the author’s pain experienced through interpretation of their own story will remain visualized as pain regardless of the cultural differences. The cause of the pain may be interpreted differently, but pain remains constant thus maintaining the authors influence on the reader.
The deferring of the meaning of the text due to the assumption that it will change is an erroneous belief pushed by Barthes’s theorists. For instance, in his book ‘The Metamophorsis’ Franz Kafka’s story can be interpreted in numerous ways. However, the hardships experienced by Gregor due to the metamorphosis cannot be misinterpreted from the perspective of cultural changes. Suffering, torment, and pain remain the same and the authors influence will keep reappearing in the text regardless.
Barthes’s argument is that cultural influences based on time and locations have an influence on a texts meaning as interpreted by the reader which is completely different from the authors. In essence, he argues that the author is not important after the completion of the literary work thus they die, and the reader is born. However, this view seems like a simplistic assumption that does not take into consideration the universality of some words that form the basis of many works (Logie, 2013). Nonetheless, this interrelationship between culture and interpretation of meaning should not be viewed in isolation, but rather through the prism of totality of the work.
Although Barthes claims that there is no single originator or creator of literary work due to cultural influences, the perceptions and how life experiences influence many written works point s to a different direction. For instance, regardless of how Grogor’s metamorphosis is interpreted, a look at the author’s biography cannot miss the similarity between “Gregor” the character and Franz Kafka the author. His metamorphosis and transformation into a giant bug can be interpreted to represent different things. However, the events that follow cannot be interpreted otherwise. The suffering is so real in Gregor’s life that the knowledge that he represents the author makes Franz’s death in this work unimaginable.
Franz Kafka is so intertwined with ‘Gregor’ that separating the two is not possible. As a result, the views taken by the Barthes’s theorists comes out as too removed from the position of the author in telling their story, and instead engage in delinking the perspective of the story teller. As the reader is free to make their own interpretation, the author plays an important role of guiding them through a defined path of the story in order for the reader to occupy the author’s shoes as they walk the path of the story.
In telling his own personal story through Gregor, Franz Kafka chooses to express the conditions from the perspective of a man that wakes up and finds that he has changed into a giant bug. His adaptation to his new condition, relationship with his family, and relationship with his boss are expressed through the changed status. Their own reactions to his change are as well expressed from his view. Consequently, it becomes a bit difficult to imagine the suffering and torment that he undergoes through any other perspective. The pain cannot be killed simply by killing the author at the beginning (Johnston, n.d.). The authors influence is the guiding light towards understanding ‘Gregor’s’ predicaments.
Literary works without an author would be a hard sell. By knowing the author, the user of the created work takes their conceptualized view of the author when going through it. It is human nature to question, visualize, imagine, and form their own picture of events or visual images. However, this view is influenced by their perception of the author. Consequently, consciously or otherwise, we tend to desire to know the author of a work first before we use it. The little knowledge we get from the back page determines whether we will read the book or not. Therefore, this understanding of the author acts as our guide when analyzing the contents of the work. We are able to imagine their thought process, we feel their pain, we share in their joy, and experience their love.
In conclusion, although Barthes’s theorists have tried to explain how the death of the author occurs either physically or literary, the arguments are not strong enough to sway me. The role of the author does not end with their physical or literal death but their influence helps shape our perspectives on the story. Understanding the author makes their stories more believable. The theory that the role of the author ends when the work is finished and the reader is born to make their own conclusions devoid of the author’s influence is misleading and impractical. Although there cannot be universal acceptance of a single view point, authors influence our own points of view literary, and even when they are physically gone through their work.
References
Johnston, I. (n.d). The Metamorphosis and Other Stories of Franz Kafka. Retrieved from: www.munseys.com/diskfive/metam.pdf
Logie, J. (2013). Education-Teaching Methods and Curriculum, Literature. College English, 75(5), 493-512.
Contemporary Native American Drama college admission essay helpName:
Course:
Lecturer
Date:
Topic 1: Contemporary Native American Drama
Hanay Geiogamah is one of the currently popular Native American playwrights who mainly specialize in presenting Indian literary works. Additionally, Hanay is also a renowned television and film producer, artistic director, and a Professor in the School of Theater, Film, and Television at the University of California, Los Angeles. Contemporary Native American drama, similar to the drama of other American minority groups, was conceived in the cultural revolution of the late 1960s and early 1970s, owing to the achievements of the Civil Rights Movement and the stoppage of the Vietnam War became obvious to most Americans. As the perspective of a solitary dominant racial group let go its hold on the culture, the legitimacy and authority of other perspectives were taken into consideration. Drama was a potent instrument in this Cultural Revolution (Stanlake 12). In essence, the culture of Native Americans was generally uniquely dramatic and ritualistic in nature. These traditions ranged from tales and chants to contemporary fiction and poetry.
However, the extensive ignorance of the dramatic origins of Native American cultures together with printed word conditions has prevented a significant number of readers of Native American materials. Plays of Native American drama origins are regularly dramatized. Particularly, Hanay mostly employs the combination of traditions and times while integrating native songs, rhythms, songs, together with words, and even moods when arranging and structuring modern drama. The results of this approach comprise of highly informative and interesting performances.
One of his conventionally dramatic plays is one titled Body Indian. The play is categorized into five scenes that unfold in a single room and take place in a day. Each of the five scenes surrounds the mugging of bobby by his friends. Bobby is a Native American character in the play who engages in drunkenness on a regular basis. Hanay is able to employ sight and sound effects at the scenes that are quite effective at unifying the play. The sound and sight effects at the end of each scene heighten the generally naturalistic mood that climaxes with horror in the end with Bobby slumping forward in his traditional chair. Although the play lacks much character definition with the dialogue appearing to be forced, particularly when it is employed for expository purposes, there is a high level of skill that is employed in terms of its creation. Some of its outstanding features include the Native American dialects that sound truly authentic and its repetitious stage rituals as well as gestures that are perfectly ritualistic. Moreover, the repetitious stage rituals and gestures culminate in each scene with the seeking out of Bobby’s person, which is actually a perversion of an ancient ritual. This ends up creating a striking dramatic impact.
The short play portrays a group of Indians residing beyond the reservation specifically in Oklahoma. The group engages in heavy drinking while at this time singing and dancing amicably. The group seems to be content and happy despite the degradation and poverty that characterize their lives. At the onset of the play, we find Bobby arriving with quite an amount of money and more wine. This is obviously after selling his allotment of reservation. This highlights the lifestyle of the contemporary Native Americans living off the reservations who do not seem to make credible use of their reservation (Geiogamah 21).
Another play is titled Foghorn. This play is evokes Arthur Kopit’s Indians with its grating theatricality together with its deep satirical thrusts. One particular trait of Foghorn’s script is that it is one to be performed as opposed to be read. Moreover, the satire that is contained in the play engages the audience’s critical abilities. A number of the play’s vignettes are able to combine pathos and humor quite movingly results in a highly impactful play. Additionally, the juxtaposition of both non-traditional and traditional features creates a striking effect.
The third play, 49, seems to be most striking. In this play, the playwright is able to integrate the sights and sounds of the past, which convincingly and fully rise against the habitually gloomy present and lastly prevail over that present as the characters in the end are able to re-discover the potency of their tribal origins. The play also contains a considerable amount of poetry, especially charismatic Nightwalker’s speeches together with the combination of the past and present, which are accomplished in an artistic manner. This play stands as Hanay’s best example of the potency and vivacity of Native American origins.
Drama is considered an integral aspect of Native American traditions. Observing Indian tribes conduct rituals clearly reveals the level of intensity in which oral tradition has been integrated with a wide range of art forms. The apposite ritual of song and dance evolves into a fused oneness in the endeavor to attain the preferred outcome. Whereas there has been a scarcity of written works by American Indians that clearly capture the drama of the rituals of the past, it is highly expected that an Indian of the modern times would arise and who is knowledgeable and capable enough to record the life space experience of Native Americans.
Works Cited
Geiogamah, Hanay. New Native American Drama: Three Plays. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1980. Print.
Stanlake, Christy. Native American Drama: A Critical Perspective. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2009. Print.
Writer’s choice essay helpResearch on ERP
Ahmed Geog best essay helpAhmed Geog
Name:
Institution:
Ahmed Geog
Question 1
Difference between Policies of both Import-Substitution Industrialization and Neoliberalism
A country’s economic trends have a far reaching impact on the country’s population. The policies that are laid down by a country, will determine the prospects of its success economically. Economic policies determine the lifestyle of the people in any one given country. They are critical in determining the income trends of the people and in the long-run, this affects their life style. Therefore, such policies should be geared towards ensuring that their long-term effect is ensuring that the life-style of the citizens of that country is improved and not the vice-versa. Good policies will ensure that there is economic growth compared to poorly formulated policies.
In Latin America, the government over the years implemented two important policies that brought about profound effects to its population. The two policies were Import-Substitution Industrialization and Neoliberalism. Import-substitution industrialization is an economic policy that is geared towards alleviating dependency on imports from foreign countries. The policy advocates that a country should concentrate on producing industrial goods locally instead of depending on importation of such goods. The long-term objective of this policy is to reduce foreign-dependency by a country being self-sufficient by creating a market that is internal (Silva, 2007). The government can achieve this by measures such as imposing high taxes on imports while subsidizing production of industrial products by local industries.
On the other hand, Neoliberalism is a development policy that advocates for the liberalization of economic activities. It advocates for the policies in the economy that encourage privatization, free-market, de-regulation, and withdrawal of government involvement in the economic activities so as to enhance private sector participation in the economy. In Neoliberalism, there is a free play in the market and the factors of supply together with demand take play even in international trade. In international trade, Neoliberalism encourages importation of goods and exportation.
Effects of both Import-Substitution Industrialization and Neoliberalism Policies on Urban Areas
Import-substitution industrialization had profound effects on the urban areas. Some of the effects of its policies were common in Latin American. During its era, there was over-reliance on local production of goods by local industries. Most industries manufactured locally and the products were meant for local consumption. This led to an increased dependency on local labor. This was brought about by the fact that there were restrictions in regard to labor’s geographical mobility (Silva, 2007). Most industries were located in major towns due to the presence of developed infrastructure that was necessary to enhance transportation of raw-materials to industries and finished goods to consumers and availability of social amenities.
Since industries were located in urban areas, people moved to those towns to seek jobs in the up-coming industries that offered better pay compared to working in the agricultural sector. Movement to urban areas was also fuelled by the perception that urban lifestyle was modern. This phenomenon led to an increase in population in the urban areas. Consequently, there was urban growth in most towns of the country. As time went by, people continued moving to urban areas until there were no more jobs in the industries (Tosics, 2004). This had a detrimental effect in that it led to many people being jobless while living in the towns. Due to lack of jobs, which they expected in the industries, many people begun working in the informal sectors of the economy.
During the Import-substitution Industrialization period, there was an increased strain on the infrastructure such as housing, jobs, and schools. This was brought about by the increased rural-urban migration leading to over urbanization in cities. Over time, the growth of urban areas led to the emergency of secondary cities. On the other hand, strain in the necessary infrastructure, led to squatter settlements. This was brought about by the fact that majority of the people lacked proper housing, since the population in the major cities had grown huge (Tosics, 2004). At the same time, most of these people could not afford to pay for decent housing, since they did not have any formal employment that could provide enough money to pay for their rent.
Import substitution Industrialization, was faced with many challenges. It was evident that the country could not be wholly independent. The government lacked enough funding to take care of its production in the industries. This led to the government seeking loans from international sources such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. In the long-run, this led to a debt crisis. This was brought about by the fact that the country through its economic activities internally, could not be in a position to repay the loans that it had acquired. The local market for the goods that were produced could not gather enough money to service the loans (Silva, 2007). This is what led to the adoption of the liberalism and later on the Neoliberalism policies in the economy.
During the time of Neoliberalism, there was increased unemployment in the urban areas. This was due to the privatization of many economic activities. This is because many industries wanted to cut on the costs of production so as to increase the marginal profits. Therefore, privatization led to lay-offs with the aim of cutting costs that were related to labor. Similarly, due to the liberalism of the markets, there was an inflow of labor from foreign countries as multi-national corporations started to venture in the local scene. The labor from outside the country meant that the citizens’ jobs were at stake. Consequently, this led to an increase in the number of people who became jobless.
In the era of neoliberalism, much economic development like in the Import Substitution Industrialization era was concentrated in major cities and coastal towns. This was brought about by the fact that most multi-national corporations concentrated on the up-grading of infrastructure in these areas so as to help them transport the out-put from their industries and raw-materials coming to those industries. Similarly, some developed countries made direct foreign investments that led to the growth of the economic activities in the country (Tosics, 2004). The concentration of infrastructural development in urban areas led to urban primacy of those areas/towns/cities.
From the foregoing, it is evident that Import substitution Industrialization and Neoliberalism had many implications to the people. The impact was much felt in the process of urbanization and rural-urban migration. Industrialization led to many people moving from rural areas to seek greener pastures in the industries. The increase in the population in urban areas, led to the straining of the infrastructure. With time, there grew informal settlements in the urban towns. Lack of employment in the industries, led to the increased cases of moral decadence since people were pushed to do odd things to meet their needs in the urban areas. The advantage of liberalization of economies was increased infrastructural development.
Question 2
What is meant by sustainable development, both culturally and environmentally?
Since time immemorial, there has been a debate world –over regarding issues of sustainable development. The major argument in the area of development sustainability has been in regard to maintaining the environment and the culture of a people. Sustainable development is the process of achieving the development needs of people while at the same time maintaining the environment, in which the processes take place, for the benefit of the future generations. Since the society depends on the natural resources available in the environment, the present generation has to ensure that the resources are well used so as they are not depleted and that they are available for usage in the future. Most of the projects that are carried out by people, in one way or another, lead to endangering the cultural and environmental sustainability. Infrastructural developments, for instance, lead to the loss of cultural resources. Most of these projects are in conflict to the environment and the culture of the community that surrounds areas where such projects are taking place. The goal of sustainable development has been threatened over time by a number of issues. Such issues include:
Expansion of Export Economy
Since the inception of the neoliberalism, there has been increased inter-dependency among various nations in the world. Many countries have concentrated in the production of goods and services that they are good at for exportation purposes. Due to this inter-dependence, nations have exploited the natural resources reserves over time, with the aim of producing goods to be exported in anticipation for foreign exchange. The development of industries, for instance, has led to the exploration and mining of oil reserves (Portes & Hoffman, 2003). Being a non-renewable natural resource, depletion poses a threat to developmental sustainability. At the same time most of the natural resources used as inputs in the production process are acquired from the environment. This poses a threat to the sustainability of the environment.
Similarly, the growths of industries that produce goods for export are a threat to the environment, in that they produce high levels of carbon dioxide. This gas is very dangerous in the ecosystem. It poses danger to the environment in which other resources are thriving. In addition, these industries produce effluents that are disposed to the environment, threatening the existence of natural vegetation and in the long-run making the environment non-sustainable.
On the other hand, the immigration of foreigners into a country is a threat to the culture of that country. Most of these foreigners come with their culture. Since some of the people they work along with are indigenous, the latter are bound to imitate the culture of the foreigners. This will have a detrimental impact of eroding the culture of the indigenous people (Portes, & Hoffman, 2003). If the cultural practices of a people are eroded by imitating foreign culture, the development sustainability of that culture is at stake.
Tourism
For a long time, tourism has had a profound impact on the sustainability of development. Tourism involves people from foreign countries visiting another country. The presence of these “strangers” has critical influence, both to the culture and the environment, in which they are visiting. For a place to be a tourist attraction, there are amenities that must be present in that place. These include tourist resorts, amusement parks, and other amenities. All these facilities are built in the local country and involve the cutting down of trees. This is done at the expense of nesting places for birds and other animals.
In addition to this, as the locals interact with the tourists, especially in mass tourism, there is a high probability of these locals changing their culture so as to suit the culture of the American tourists that they perceive as being superior compared to the local culture. In the long-run, the imitation of the foreign cultures will lead to erosion of the indigenous culture. Similarly, transnational tourism has the impact of cultural interactions. The interaction of cultures leads to blending of a variety of cultures; hence, threatening the local culture.
On the other hand, the positive impact of tourists to the local culture is that they may encourage a resurrection of culture that, otherwise, may have been lost. For instance, when tourists tour a country, they get fascinated by folk songs sung by the natives (Portes, & Hoffman, 2003). Song and dance is a very pertinent component of culture. Since the locals are motivated by money from the tourists, they may make more efforts to preserve their folk so as to use it to earn a living as they entertain tourists. Over time, this is important in maintaining the culture of those people.
Drug Production
Drug trafficking has had a profound impact on the communities. Money amassed from the trade in illegal drugs is used to fund illegal activities that pose a threat to security. Consumption of illegal drugs has a negative impact on the morals of the people consuming them. When morals decay, they affect the inter-relationship among people and in the long-run affecting the culture of a people.
Does gradual transition away from neoliberalism improve or deter the region’s sustainability efforts? Why?
The region’s gradual transition from neoliberalism can play an important role in ensuring that the sustainability efforts are successful. This is because all the challenges that the process of sustainability face emanate from the policies of neoliberalism; mostly, the presence of tourists affects the culture of a people. The reason why these tourists have the liberty to visit the other countries is because such countries are in dire need of funds so as to fund their financial requirements and meet the cost of imports. If these countries were self-sufficient, the tourists could not have been welcome. This could have played a key role in ensuring that the culture of that community is upheld. At the same time, neoliberalism, has led to countries competing unfavorably, especially when they lack adequate resources (Portes, & Hoffman, 2003). This has led to these countries exploiting all their resources in the environment. Consequently, this has a negative impact in the process of ensuring sustainability in the environment.
In conclusion, it is evident that the development sustainability is influenced by several factors that are foreign to the country. These challenges should be addressed in amicable manner if any country wants to attain its developmental sustainability agenda. Issues that bring a negative impact to the environment should be addressed so as to ensure that the environment is sustained so as to meet the future needs. The impact of tourists on the culture of a people can be addressed through means that do not encourage dependency on the tourists. People should be encouraged that their culture is not inferior as they believe; therefore, they should stop mimicking the culture from tourists.
References
Silva, E. (2007). The Import-Substitution Model Chile in Comparative Perspective. Latin American Perspectives, 34(3), 67-90.
Tosics, I. (2004). European urban development: Sustainability and the role of housing. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 19(1), 67-90.
Portes, A., & Hoffman, K. (2003). Latin American class structures: Their composition and change during the neoliberal era. Latin American Research Review, 41-82.
Management essay help onlineResearch a business and apply the topic of Management (3 topics) and translate the learned topics to real life.
Management essay helpThree Growth Strategies for Succession Planning and Sustainability of the Business
Writer’s choice a level english language essay help1. After watching Graffiti Verite 1 (shown in class), click the link below to watch the video on the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles’ project to restore the interstate murals.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1541595750/mcla-restores-la-freeway-kids
2. In one or more paragraphs answer the following questions:
• What is the difference between a mural and graffiti? What do these artists have in common? How are they different?
• What is the difference between taggers and graffiti writers? Is graffiti a crime? Why or why not?
• Using the information you learned from Chapter 2 answer these questions: Is graffiti art? Why or why not? What value does graffiti have?
• What is protest art? According to the artists in the video, is graffiti a form of protest art? Why or why not? Are murals a form of protest art? Why or why not?
• In the video, graffiti and hip hop were compared with rock and roll. Explain how this might be true.
• Both graffiti and murals use walls as their “canvas.” Is there value in artwork that can be so easily painted over or destroyed? Explain your response.
• The artist Swoon says that the billboards, advertisements, signs, logos, etc that we see on the street are a way that corporations and companies talk to us, and that with graffiti she is simply talking back. Do you agree or disagree with this idea? Why or why not?
Unpracticed Democracy essay help site:eduName:
Instructor:
Institution:
Date:
Unpracticed Democracy
Introduction
War is said to bring out the worst in human beings. Therefore, the Second World War was no exception since it brought with it “unintended” victims. The threat of war, or war itself is usually an excuse used to justify inhuman treatment of other people by claiming self defense. It plays an additional psychological part in cushioning the perpetrator against guilt by justifying their actions. However, when the injustice is perpetrated by the state against a section of its population, the psychological effects to the victims can be life. Questions begin to emerge on whether they are second rate citizens who do not deserve the protection of the constitution. Consequently, it can be argued that some citizen rights have not been applied equally to all, and that democracy is easier pronounced than practiced.
The question of what makes one American has lingered on when issues to do with minority groups come up. The forced internment of Japanese and Italian Americans during the Second World War was particularly traumatic to these groups. However, the severity in numbers of people forced to relocate varied between people of Japanese and Italian descent. Over 100,000 thousand people of Japanese-American were removed and forced to relocate from their homes, jobs, and lives in the west coast, and relocated to war camps (Gruenewald 221). To intern this numbers of innocent citizens was by any measure unwarranted.
After Japan bombed Perl Harbor on December 1942, the government of the day was pressured into relocating all Japanese-Americans from the west coast. This action was driven by prejudice, politics, unfounded fears, and sheer envy. Due to the fact that there was a large population of Americans of Japanese ancestry in the west coast, there was unfounded fear by the American public that they could sabotage the war efforts. Additionally, farmers seeking to remove their Japanese competitors lobbied using the same war sabotage rhetoric (Gruenewald 34). Furthermore, politicians seeking to gain from the push for the relocation supported the move.
The move to remove Japanese-Americans from their own homes, and put them in war camps had a profound psychological effect on the victims. The conditions in the camps were bad causing some people to die in these camps. With the constitution guaranteeing equality, this was not observed in the case of the victims of internment. There was no cause for the government to act in the way it acted, and questions would emerge on the violation of the democratic rights of this segment of American citizens.
The confusion experienced by the interned individuals regarding their sense of belonging is immense. Wondering how you can belong to a country that treats you differently due to your ancestral background may breed a sense of resentment. Prejudice has been used to classify people based on certain shared characteristics. Usually, it is used negatively to depict the group in a bad light. Consequently, the attack of Perl Harbor by the Japanese raised the chauvinistic tendencies regarding Japanese-Americans with some people questioning their patriotism (Gruenewald 108). Additionally, although the Senate voted to pay reparation and offer an official apology to the survivors of the internment, the measure cannot possibly repair the psychological damage experienced by the survivors.
Another example of the contradiction of stated democracy and its practiced version is captured by Julian Bond in his comic book concerning the Vietnam War. His comic book presented the historical perspective of a black soldier asked to go and fight in Vietnam in a simple way that is easy to comprehend. After being expelled from House of Representatives of Georgia due his statements regarding the Vietnam War, Julian Bond wrote the comic book (Bond 101). The book draws a parallel between the treatment meted on African Americans and Japanese-American and the limitation of their civil rights.
The same dilemma facing Julian Bond regarding the Vietnam War must have been the same facing the Japanese-American service men in the American uniformed services during the Second World War. He queries the main intentions of the war, and its significance to the African American civil rights movement. The war was being portrayed as a fight for democracy against communism. In fact, the part about the fight for democracy was of particular interest to Bond since he equated it to fighting and dying for an ideal in a foreign country, while the same right was denied to you in your own country. The denial to African Americans of the right to vote which is the building block to any democratic society, and in the same breadth asking them to lay their lives in defense of democracy was an oxymoron (Bond 102). Additionally, bond was particularly miffed by the high casualty numbers of African Americans that he postulated that they were foremost citizens in war but second class citizens in their home country.
Unfortunately, prejudice and bigotry are not historical happenings as they are happening today. After the terror attacks on the World Trade Centre twin towers on September 11, 2001, increased cases of religious prejudice have been witnessed in America. American Muslims have been profiled although the government has denied any official profiling policy based on religious beliefs. However, the greatest shift has happened has happened to the non Muslim American citizens. Since what is known as 9/11, Muslim Americans have faced various prejudicial actions from their fellow citizens. Citizens that claim they are defending the American constitution and way of life have been known to harass Muslims in trains as well as using derogatory words to describe them. Furthermore, Muslim women have been harassed for wearing the veil in public places. Additionally, racial profiling, especially at points of entry have increased with Muslims being a particular target (Stone). Ironically, there is no constitutional limitation on how one should dress, and the choice of religion is a legitimate right guaranteed in law.
In conclusion, rhetorical democracy seems to be more practiced than the entrenched democracy. Even at individual levels, we find ourselves preaching water and drinking wine when it comes to granting other people the democratic space envision in our constitution. We stereotype people based on the race, religion, gender, and even physical attributes. We do this without retrospect on what the implications of our actions are to the society.
Additionally, by not speaking out when the government breaks the law and infringes on individual rights, we become active participants in the wrongdoing. Although reparations were paid to the survivors of the internment, the psychological trauma associated with the action cannot be cured by money. Furthermore, although the constitution requires equality for all, some American citizens still hold the view that they are more American than others.
Works Cited
Bond, Julian. Vietnam: An anti-war comic book. 1967. Web. 14th June 2015.
<http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/sixties/HTML_docs/Exhibits/Bond/Bond_comic_page_01.html>
Gruenewald, Mary M. Looking Like the Enemy: My Story of Imprisonment in Japanese-American Internment Camps. Troutdale, Or: NewSage Press, 2005. Print.
Stone, Brian. Why Racial Profiling at Airports is Surrender to Terrorism. Huff Post Politics. 2015. Web. 14th June 2015.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-stone/why-racial-profiling-at-a_b_6281010.html>
Collaborative Learning college essay helpCollaborative Learning
Name:
Institution:
Collaborative Learning
In my institution, it is mandatory that a student attends an academic lecture related to his or her area of study. This is after contacting a professor and setting up a date for the lecture. I attended my lecture class on the 28th of May, 2015. The title of the course was “Collaborative Learning in Adults, Higher and Community Education.” The professor discussed the following articles: Traditions of argumentation and knowing of the third kind (knowing from within) and Politics of everyday life by John Shotter. By the end of the Lecture, I had learnt much in regard to listening and notes-taking skills. Similarly I had much insight in regard to the importance of collaborative learning.
In any lecture in a learning institution, the number of students attending a lecture is critical towards their learning process. It is important that professors handle a number of students that is manageable. When a class is over-crowded, chances are higher that the professor may not deliver adequately. This is because there may be communication barriers due to the high numbers of students. Similarly, in an over-crowded class, it is cumbersome for a professor to access if he is delivering his lecture adequately. During the lecture, my experience was great. That particular lecture was attended by a total of thirteen students on that particular day. The number of learners was manageable and this made it easier for the professor to have a close relationship with us. He was in a position to know each and every one of us by name and that created a good environment. Being a manageable class, there was a mutual learning process since everyone was participating in one way or another.
During the lecture, I can confidently say that ninety percent of the material was understandable. This is because the professor portrayed mastery of the course. He lectured with high confidence and this made it possible for us to grasp the concepts. Similarly, the professor used several examples to derive his point home. Examples put more emphasis to the point and as such helped in memorizing the concepts that are taught in class. Since the class had a few students, we had an opportunity to seek clarifications from the professor whenever something he talked about was unclear. From time to time during the lecture, I asked a number of questions and the professor gave good clarifications.
In any lecture, the students must have listening and notes-taking strategies that can be helpful in the learning process. It is important that the learner does not miss on any points from the lecture. This can only be possible if the student listens carefully to the professor and at the same time takes good notes to be used later in revision work. Generally, one of the best strategies in notes-taking applicable to many students is listening to the lecture while writing down the key points. The key points can be elaborated later at the learner’s free time. This is because one may miss out on the key points if he or she concentrates on taking elaborate notes during the lecture. Similarly, if one misses on taking key notes as the lecture progresses, chances are high that he or she will forget some important aspects from the lecture. This is the strategy that I adopted during the lecture. This strategy was helpful since it enabled me to capture all the major aspects of the lecture. At the end of the lecture, I personally thanked the professor for his good lecture during that day.
After the lecture, I have continued to learn more and applied the relevant listening and notes-taking skills. Listening adequately needs greater attention to details and avoiding external distractions. To enhance my notes-taking skills, I will continue enhancing my summary writing skills that are important in making good notes to be used later.
Summary of ‘the 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions’ writing essay helpName:
Course:
Lecturer:
Date:
Summary of ‘the 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions’
Chapter 4
A number of issues are raised within the fourth Chapter in ‘the 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions’, aiming to evaluate whether the response approach after the attacks was appropriate. The focus is on the safety of the president during the 9/11 attacks. At the beginning of the chapter, questions are raised on the reason for the delayed response by president’s security team, once the second attack occurred that made it very clear that an attack on the country was on; it is an issue of concern that actions to protect the president were delayed. Because of the indecision and inaction, not only was the president’s life in danger, but also the lives of his security personal, students, and parents in the school he had visited were in danger because of the president’s presence in their institution.
The secret service failed to promptly act to guarantee the safety of the president. When the attacks happened, the vice president was immediately moved into a bunker by the secret service. This is exactly what should have been done for the president. The secret service failed in its primary mandate as they should have acted promptly with the occurrence of the attacks as it was clear that public transport aircrafts were been used to hit valuable targets. Although, there were plans to immediately move the president to a safe and secret place, the same never happened. When the president finally left the school and took off at the airport, no military air cover was requested for by the secret service, which is the expected protocol. The secret service is said to have made the right decision when it was decided that the President should not return to Washington. At the time, there were hundreds of aircrafts in the air and no one had an idea about their status, whether they had been hijacked or not. Unfortunately, although there were serious lapses that needed some quick and appropriate action, the commission of inquiry investigating the event failed to deal with most of the key issues that needed to be dealt with.
Chapter 5
Chapter 5 of ‘the 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions’ focuses on the availability of information concerning 9/11 attacks. Some claim that the government was aware of the impeding attacks, while others state that the government was completely caught unawares. The inquiry showed that all systems at the CIA showed that an attack was imminent. Intercepted messages between terrorists showed that a spectacular attack would happen. This was communicated to the president on his daily briefs, but no action was taken. Some believed that attacks would be carried out in missions and foreign areas the United States has interest in.
If the attacks were to be carried in the United States, it was believed that they would be carried out by domestic sleeper cell members, not foreigners like it actually happened. The FBI also had some more specific information on the attacks. The FBI had a list of 51 commercial airlines that it believed would be used to carry out the attacks. The attacks were made possible by structural failures, action, and in action of key personnel. Analysis of option trading shows that investors engaged in precautionary option trades illustrating the possibility of some beforehand information. The nature of investment trades showed that someone knew an attack would be carried out and aimed to profit from it.
Once again, the 9/11 Commission of Inquiry fails to answer a number of key questions concerning the availability of intelligence on the attack and the parties responsible on the attack. It fails to investigate and gather evidence whether the Al-Qaida were working alone in the planning of the attacks or had some from inside the United States. The inquiry fails to identify the investor in-put options and the amounts of profits made from the investment. The inquiry fails to investigate why many air travel plans were cancelled by senior pentagon officials and from which sources they had gotten information so as to cancel their plans.
M8A1: Critical Analysis Project: The Nutcracker cheap essay helpM8A1: Critical Analysis Project: The Nutcracker
If you crave high culture during the Christmas season, you will probably turn to two classic productions: Handel’s Messiah (a portion of which we examined in Module 5) and Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. The Nutcracker actually expands the dance art form to include much more of what we would expect in theatre than is usual in this medium. This makes the experience all the richer and provides additional clues to the story being told.
Using the outline given below, write a critical analysis of Act One, Scene One from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO6KhLDKYRk
(Minimum 250-500 words). Refer to the example at the end of Chapter 9 as a guide, but be sure to include the following expanded outline points (remember to write this in essay form not a bulleted list): Essay also needs to be in APA format.
• Genre
• Overall theme
• Story line, movement (including the basic dance steps you recognize, mime and pantomime)
• Characters
• Costuming
• Mise-en-scene (set)
• Score (musical background)
• Use of color
• Lighting techniques
You will need to do some research to obtain information about the story, as we are only viewing the first part of the production.
Writer’s choice essay helpediting the following essay
Name:
Course:
Tutor:
Date:
Why Marijuana Should be Made Legal
A major debate has been going on in the states of Colorado and Washington where they will be casting the ballot to decide whether Marijuana should be made legal or not. In the state of California, the medical use of marijuana is allowed. There is however a push for the weed to be made legal for recreational use. The opponents of this move argue that if allowed, it will mostly affect the young people and keep them from having complete brain development. The question that therefore arises is whether marijuana should legal or not. This paper outlines the reason why the drug should be made legal and actually allowed for recreational use.
The first reason why marijuana should be made legal is because that will give every person the right to make a choice on what they want to use. The government says that restricting the use of marijuana is intended to protect the public from hurting themselves. However, that should be an individual’s choice to make and not the government’s job. Informing people about the dangers that they are likely to face helps them decide whether or not to make certain choices. In that case they can make a choice depending on what they feel will be good for them (Cohen). The most common argument in support of marijuana prohibition is to prevent people from hurting themselves and hurting others. The government can never take the position of being the guardian of the culture. Secondly, when the government keeps arresting the users of cannabis, they take away men and women from their jobs and their families. That means a large population of people are no longer able to take care of their families or earn. In addition, the number of those arrested every year totals to 700,000 Americans. This number is higher than the entire population of Wyoming. Having such a large number of convicts behind bars who are not earning anything is quite a loss to the economy of the country (U.S.News).
Another reason why marijuana should be legal is that the cost of preventing the use of cannabis is actually more costly than making it legal. This is because legalization of the drug will immediately reduce the law enforcement costs to the state by a very big margin. All the costs that the government spends on arrest and keeping the convicts in prison as well as prosecuting them are eliminated from the government budget. That money can do other useful work. There is also the potential of economic stimulation by the aspect of job creation and constructions. Removing marijuana from the black market will eliminate the benefit to the gangs and the cartel and place that benefit directly to the government. The fact that an individual can get the citation of marijuana after arrest means that they cannot access student loans, jobs and housing. That will be a thing of the past when marijuana is made legal. People will no longer have to fear losing their jobs or lacking appointment to certain posts (Ferner).
The decades of anti-marijuana campaigns that the electorate has been exposed to has had an adverse effect on what people know about marijuana. However, the observation is that when people are given a chance to converse and dialogue about the effects of marijuana, then they are better able to see why there is a push to make it legal. After doing this, the result is that there has been increased support for the legalization. In addition, much of the push to have the drug stay illegal is that many proponents feel the drug is much more harmful than tobacco and alcohol. Most of the studies done in the recent past have shown that marijuana is much safer than alcohol or Tobacco. Alcohol and tobacco are much more toxic, they are more addictive and they are more harmful to the body than marijuana (Ferner). The health related issues attached to alcohol are more than the issues in Cannabis. They are actually 40 times more harmful than marijuana.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention surprisingly does not have a category for the number of people who have died because of using cannabis. The center is responsible for tracking all the deaths that occur because of this. That is in a sharp contrast to the fact that the numbers of people who have died because of alcohol use and overdoes of many other drugs. There is not a single case in history of a person who has died because of using cannabis. Why then does the government keep insisting that the drug should be made illegal? If that is the case, then alcohol and cigarettes should be made illegal as well. The number of people who have died because of the use of alcohol is in then upwards of 40,000 (MLO).
Another major reasoning that used over the years to advocate for the prohibition cannabis is that its use is associated with the cases of cancer. However, to date, there is no conclusive evidence that has linked the use of cannabis to the cases of cancer. In fact, another finding concluded that the people who regularly use cannabis have lower occurrences of cancer. At the same time the prevalence of cancer is higher among the users of alcohol. There is no question of how carcinogenic tobacco can be. There is also the issue that marijuana is blamed for being addictive. However, the degree to which cannabis is addictive in comparison to either alcohol or tobacco is way less.
One of the reasons that the opponents of the legalization of marijuana argue that it may affect the young people more. However, it is important to note that marijuana is freely available to all young people and they can get it whenever they want to. This is because when the weed is sold in the back streets, no one will ask for an ID to sell it to a young person. However, when it is made legal, then they will have to produce IDs before the seller can get it off the shelves. Legalization of the drug will. Enable the state to put in place the proper legal framework for its sale and use. That will help to make illegal the underground marijuana market (Editor). When tehre is a cleasr lehgla framework that regulates it, it is easier for the government to monitor its use and application. It should also be noted that tehre are a number of groups that have come up strongly supporting the legalization of cannabis. These include a group of parents that include moms and dads. If the legaluization is that bad, why would a group of parent join the forey?
Works Cited
Cohen, Adam. “Will States Lead the Way to Legalizing Marijuana Nationwide?” Time 28 January 2013.
Editor. “The Top Ten Reasons Marijuana Should Be Legal.” Alter Net 31 August 2007.
Ferner, Matt. “Why Marijuana Should Be Legalized: ‘Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol’ Campaign Discusses Why Pot Prohibition Has Been A Failure.” Huffington Post 08 August 2012.
MLO. Why Marijuana Should Be Legal. 1999-2002. 07 March 2013 <http://www.mjlegal.org/essayspeech.html>.
U.S.News. “Should Marijuana Use Be Legalized?” U.S.News & World Report. 2013.
Writer’s choice best college essay helpwrite an analysis paper regarding a public policy issue of your choice through the lens of the separation of powers as articulated in the constitution, and as practiced in our current governance practices.
Writer’s choice online essay helpWhitman’s uses numerous extended metaphors in Song of Myself. Think of the extended metaphors in your life and show us how they relate to your day to day world
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room directed by Alex Gibney college essay helpName:
Course:
Lecturer:
Date:
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room directed by Alex Gibney
The underpinning objective in the documentary Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room directed by Alex Gibney is to investigate the Enron saga and exposes the various tactics employed by the management through carefully orchestrated schemes in stealing funds that finally led to the collapse of the great corporation. The film investigates the company’s transactions and official documents and reveals the real causes of the company’s collapse. The main focus of the documentary is the top level managers of the corporation in developing the story, which is characterized as a human tragedy. The film closely follows the actions of each of the corporation’s top managers, who form the film’s main characters in coming up with the tale of a human tragedy. The documentary reveals that each character employed distinct methods and strategies in developing the entire scandal. There are a wide variety of rhetoric strategies employed in the film in order to perpetuate its underpinning argument and convincing the audience. The documentary is based on the novel, The Smartest Guys in the Room: the Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron written by Peter Elkind and Bethany McLean (Gibney, 2005).
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room is essentially a morality saga about America’s largest ever scandal on bankruptcy. The film reveals the manner in which human greed led to the rise and eventual downfall of Enron with numerous employees, shareholders, consumers, and other stakeholders losing out in the process. Alex Gibney’s documentary also takes sideswipes at the Bush administration, which is considered to have had close relationships with the Enron top level managers, and at free market ideology.
Rhetoric practice means engaging in the art of persuasion by using words. It could be done for ethical or unethical intentions. Mostly, people practice rhetoric for good purposes. Practicing rhetoric enhances the ability of a writer or speaker in informing, motivating or persuading certain audiences. Rhetoric has played a major part in western tradition. It is studied formally and practiced civically. The most appropriate definition was given by Aristotle who viewed it as part of both logic and politics. He described it as the faculty of watching keenly in any given situation, the possible mode of persuasion. Those practicing rhetoric mainly use logos pathos and logos. These three appeals are essential in rhetoric writing or speaking. Rhetoric practice was part of western education, especially in ancient Greece. People were trained to speak and write in a way, which will be convincing to the audience.
Rhetoric speakers or writers should understand that rhetoric is defined by its function. Some tend to think it is defined by medium used for communication, the topic or social location. It is not also restricted to writing or giving a speech. The practice of rhetoric can also happen through media and other forms of genre. For example, rhetoric practice can happen through music, architecture and theatre arts among others. Rhetoric practice can be done on any aspect of communication and not just politics and public discourse. It is not a necessity for rhetoric practice to have an external audience. Often, people persuade themselves through making decisions internally or via divine persuasion (Campbell, and Lloyd 33). Choice of words is the pillar of rhetoric because a speaker’s or writer’s diction, determines persuasion. Good choice of words creates a strong diction, which becomes noticeable to the audience. When audience pay attention, it becomes easy for the writer or speaker to communicate his or her message. On the other hand, poor choice of words will not be convincing to the audience. Therefore, they might not pay attention to the message of the speaker or writer. Rhetoric speakers and writers ought to use unique and quality language to keep their audiences listening or reading. Rhetoric involves forming an argument and presenting evidence to support it. For an argument to sound reasonable, the writer or speaker needs to use appropriate words.
Choice of words also shapes the tone or emotion in rhetoric. If the writer or speaker intends to create a certain emotion, he or she has to choose words to express the emotion. Persuasion also requires a certain tone from the speaker or author. Regardless of how strong an argument could be, lack of suitable tone will not be convincing enough. To acquire this tone, the writer or speaker has to choose the right words. Generally, the words used in rhetoric influence its effect on the audience. If the choice of words is wisely chosen, the audience will definitely be persuaded.
In terms of style, the film can be characterized as a generic documentary. However, the documentary lacks anything of significance to make it stand out other than the material presented that is an indication of the extensive research undertaken. The documentary lacks any form of distinctive personal style or sense of comedy in the approach of Michael Moore, no relaxingly refined visual appeals a la Ken Burns… and similarly, no reality-television sham hysterics. Moreover, the visuals employed are only comparable to MTV’s reality sitcoms. In terms of factual delivery, the documentary can be categorised in the genre of realisms as it is brutal to the truth and does not contain high levels of propaganda that are common in most 21st century documentaries (Campbell, and Lloyd 33). The director was especially effective in developing an introductory section with an interestingly creative edge. However, immediately after the opening credits, the film heavily relies on its factual content in order to create impact and drive its main points. Although there was significant temptation to focus the narration on the unethical practices of the company management and demonize them further, the director was objective in terms of handing the scandal. This is probably owing to the silent rule among fiction authors that states that, show, do not tell. This therefore implies that if a fiction author intends to communicate that a given character is immoral, the director should show the character engaging in immoral acts and not simply say that the character is immoral. In a similar manner, the documentary employs this technique in establishing the characters of Jeff Skilling and Ken Lay, the top level managers of Enron (Campbell, and Lloyd 33). The documentary shows various a significant amount of evidence where the two characters engage in epic lies. As a matter of fact, it is difficult for the audience to find a single instance where any of the two characters is telling the truth. Moreover, the documentary goes ahead to show the two characters on various occasions lying while on live recording.
Similar to most documentaries that are heavily reliant on archival video footage, the visuals of the documentary cannot be considered as effective. This is mainly because the conversion of the archival footage into high definition TV or theatrical aspect ratio ends up sectioning off people’s heads or the text at the bottom indicating the names of characters and titles. Additionally, the accompanying music employed in the documentary is also particularly effective at playing with the moods of the audience in addition to convincing them of the underpinning argument. One case in point is the song that was employed for the scene involving Lou Pai among a group of guys with spikes. The song is, Einstein on the beach, “composed and performed by Philip Glass. Lou Pai is portrayed as an individual driven mainly by money and women. The song creates a feeling of being semiconscious and in a state of daze. At first, one is able to hear a lady’s voice that seems to be telling a story followed by a group of people singing the numbers in an orderly manner while another person sings the numbers in a random manner. This song is especially effective as it makes the audience to experience the Lou’s perspective on life. In this way, the audience is able to have an objective judgement on the character in focus and consequently identify the underpinning motives behind his actions.
In conclusion, it is plausible to conclude that the rhetoric employed by the director is highly effective at convincing the audience. The director employs statistics and visual evidence in revealing the actions of the main characters and in this way, he is less reliant on the narrator in convincing the audience on the ethical issues pertaining to Enron executives. The directors are shown constantly lying while this is also supported by valid documentation. In the face of such incriminating evidence, it is rather obvious that the audience is bound to agree with the director’s position.
Works Cited
Campbell, George, and Lloyd F. Bitzer. The Philosophy of Rhetoric. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2008. Internet resource.
Gibney, Alex, Jason Kliot, Susan Motamed, Todd Wagner, Mark Cuban, Joana Vicente, Peter Coyote, Kenneth L. Lay, Jeff Skilling, Andrew S. Fastow, William S. Lerach, Gray Davis, Maryse Alberti, Alison Ellwood, Matt Hauser, and Bethany McLean. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. Los Angeles, Calif: Magnolia Home Entertainment, 2005. Film
Water Works by Cynthia Barnett essay help freeName:
Instructor:
Course:
Date:
Water Works by Cynthia Barnett
Water is among most vital commodities that support life and production. There is no life without water. Ranging from plants, animals, and human beings, every living thing requires water for subsistence. Previous researches indicate that the water reservoirs are decreasing not only in the United States but also across the entire globe. Having such researches, it prompts to question, what are the current measures to curb the problem? Winter comes, and rainwater drains back to oceans only for various societies to be stricken by water disaster in the summer (Gleick 127).Why would people living in areas like Miami and Los Angeles be very frantic to find new water sources yet millions of liters of rainwater drain into the sea annually? On daily bases, water uses are increasing, but the sources are lessening. Most of the governments are just concentrating on making the available water accessible to their citizens using pipes, putting little effort in cumulating the reserves (Rijsberman 7). On the other hand, most of the citizens are pressurizing administrations to ensure provision of clean water but doing very diminutive to protect the water reserves. As discussed by Cynthia Barnett, I would also concur with her that apart from structural changes, addition methods needs to be devised in order to curb water pollution, initiate conservation plans, and solve the adversity of water shortages.
One of the primary factors that have highly contributed to the diminishing of water reserves is water misuse and pollution. For illustration, it is not logical to have a system of clean water supplied in a living unit to be used in drinking and other activities such as flushing toilets (Barnett, 2013). Such an act can be termed as misuse of clean water reserves, which are unremittingly diminishing. Regularly, rains pour down, but most of the cities lack structural facilities that can be used in tapping and storing water. Since most of the cities are cemented, the water runs through dirty pavements, garages, and drainages collecting all sorts of dirt (Barnett, 2013). Just as cited by Barnett in her discussion, running water is a major source of water pollution. Whenever this water flows along parking lots, streets, and rooftops as opposed to sipping down into the earth, it soaks oil, toxic metals, pesticides, feces, and already used insecticides. Once this water gets into water systems such as rivers, it contaminates the rest of the water. The effects of water pollution not only make water unsafe for human use but also harm the aquatic life (Rijsberman 7). After flowing for long distances, these waters just drain into water sources such as rivers, leading to water pollution. This raises the query, is it possible to have structures that can tap rainwater and then store it for future use? Having such structures would highly aid in reducing run-off, and more essentially, storing water for imminent uses.
Despite the need to make structural changes, and initiate water projects, it does not necessary mean that billions of dollars must be used to solve water problems. Unlike most of the organizer perceptions and proposals, not all projects to reduce water pollution and conservation would spend large sums of money. For example, preventing the effects of water run-off is a conservation measure that would not require a lot of money. As supported by a research once conducted at Washington State University, having gardens along various streets trap some of the objects carried by running water (Barnett, 2013). Moreover, such gardens would allow some water to percolate into the earth as opposed to flowing, especially, along the cemented streets. Doing so would be a simple but an important water project that would not cost a lot of money.
In spite of Barnett argument that the country waterways have failed the nation, would counter with an argument that various administration have failed the waterways. Other sectors in the country have undergone massive changes, but little with water systems. Indeed, most of the waterways in the country are archaic and can no longer handle the demands of the ever-growing population (Gleick 127). Constantly, prominent groups in the water industry such as American Water Works Association and American Society of Civil Engineers have stated that the United States water systems are overused and are indeed one of the most failed infrastructures (Barnett, 2013). Such a pronouncement can support how the past administrations have not only failed the citizens but even the water systems themselves.
The effects of poor and overused waterways cannot be unheeded. Constantly, incidences of spilled sewage are registered in various states. As per reports from engineers and experts in this field, to solve the current situation in the country, large sums of money must be spent. Otherwise, it will be disastrous in the next two decades (Barnett, 2013). However, taking possible action has been limited by the amount of money some of the states have quoted to spend in dealing with water works. Most of these figures are exaggerated, and they would always be a cheaper alternative. I tend to agree with Barnett’s argument that using a different approach would save a lot of taxpayers’ money and make implementation of some of these ideas practical. A sample of a project proposed in Philadelphia can support this confab. The regional administration had planned to use about 10 billion dollars in order to create a colossal tunnel that would be used in water storage (Barnett, 2013). However, the original objectives of this project could be met by remaking pavements, restoring streams, and planting vegetation along the pavements. Surprisingly, this would cost about $1.6 billion, and thus, saving more than 75% of the original budget.
As much as people point fingers to the administration, would like to counter the argument with reasoning that people have played a major role in water crisis. Many people would have an answer about the source of the clean water pipe that runs into their house. However, have you ever thought about the end of the used water pipe that runs out of your living place? In the late nineteenth century, when a Sanitation Engineer introduced a system to have clean water pipe running into living places, used water pipe getting out of houses, and houses having warm water systems, the idea seemed like a reverie (Barnett, 2013). Nevertheless, a century later, the idea is practical not only in the United States but even in other countries in the world. However, a much as such a project is excellent, people still have issue in making differences in various water uses. There would be no any enough reason to support why people have to use clean water to flush their toilets, and run out of water the following day (Barnett, 2013). It supports how people have been too complacent. Despite the main water sources diminishing, all that people mind about is that they have a constant flow. However, consumers need to think much about what will happen after the sources get dry. Bearing in mind that a lot of water goes to waste, having necessary structures for water recycling as proposed by Barnett is necessary.
Most of the waters that are rendered waste and drained back in various disposal sites leading to pollution could be re-used in other household activities. This prompts a question whether it is realistic to do irrigation using uncontaminated water while some people are struggling even to get some to drink (Barnett, 2013). The answer to this question may have double edges. One, if the water is available, there is no harm. However, considering the fact that disposal of used water has been a major challenge facing many administrations, treating the water for reuse in the farms should be fortified (Rijsberman 9).The more the fresh water that pumped to homes, the more the water that pulled to the waste pipes. Since the demand for water is increasing as the population grows, and the waste pipes systems are not expanded, they regularly leak. Absorbent sewage pipes are not only sources of water pollution but also environmental effluence. For instance, as cited in Barnett’s article, in the year 2006, when a sewage pipe busted in Honolulu, the effects of untreated sewage were felt even miles away (Barnett, 2013). Indeed, some of the beaches were forced to close, affecting even the economy of the region. Such cataclysm has challenged many cities to re-visit their sewage systems, but key vicissitudes are yet to be done.
After facing a number of challenges, the water sector in the United States seems to be changing. For instance, Seattle was among the pioneers in America to adopt new methods of tapping and storing clean water. However, the processes are not always as simple as someone could envisage. I tend to agree with Barnett’s argument that identifying the suitable volume of water to store is a challenge. Too large volumes would result in disastrous floods, while too little volumes would mean deficiencies (Barnett, 2013). Moreover, since the weather is unpredictable, effects brought about by global warming make the matter more convoluted. As a result, the best and most appropriate approach is to make sure that people learn to make use of little water (Gleick 127). Indeed, water wastage is one of the main factors that have resulted in water shortages. Moreover, this supports the reasoning that, to solve water issues, it stretches far beyond spending billions of money. For instance, despite the Seattle City spending a lot of money in water projects, the city still suffered water shortages. Indeed, it is through this disaster that people living in this region learned about water conservation and proper utilization. In addition, a program was designed in California aimed at reducing California residents’ water usage by 20 percent (Barnett, 2013). A well-designed water recycling system may even have other benefits. Just like in California, a recycling plant also produces energy, thus, making the project worth to undertake.
To sum up, in her article Water Works, Barnett provides various possible solutions that can curb water pollution and conservation together with shortages. Since water pollution has been a major factor that has contributed to diminishing of water reserves, she proposes some possible ways of solving the issue. Some of the projected approaches are re-structuring city’s water collection systems and recycling of water before disposing. Moreover, various methods that can be used to reduce water shortages have also been discussed. Indeed, having enough clean water stretches beyond initiating multi-billion projects and making the sector private. In order to have an effective approach, it would mean educating the society the need to minimize water wastage and conserve the reserves. In conjunction with other methods, the proposed approach may be useful in solving the disaster of water shortages and associated issues.
Works Cited
Barnett, Cynthia. “Water Works.” Re-imagining infrastructure. 2013. Web. 14 June 2015.
<https://orionmagazine.org/article/water-works/>
Gleick, Peter H. “A look at twenty-first century water resources development.” Water International 25.1 (2000): 127-138. Print.
Rijsberman, Frank R. “Water scarcity: Fact or fiction?” Agricultural water management 80.1
(2006): 5-22. Print.