Which trade theories can help us understand the distribution of car Essay

Which trade theories can help us understand the distribution of car production in the world economy - Essay Example Some of the characteristics of the automobile industry can be described as under. †¢ Automobile industry is highly capital and labour intensive. †¢ There are hundreds and thousands of components, which are outsourced from other ancillary industries. †¢ The big auto manufacturers do manufacture some of the parts but they cannot produce each and every part. They have to rely on other suppliers, which can give assured and quality supply consistently. †¢ Replacement of the parts is a huge and lucrative market. (The Industry Handbook: Automobiles) Current Economic Scenario World demand of the cars is now coming from the rapidly growing developing economies. The countries like China, India, and Brazil are growing at the average rate of 7-8 percent. China is registering even double digit growth rate for last several years. Such a high rate of growth creates a huge demand for automobiles in those markets. Automobile market is now driven through these new markets while the demand in the old traditional market of U.S. and Europe is more or less stagnating. (The Wall Street Journal- Auto Sales 2010) It will be pertinent to note that in 1960, companies like GM, Ford, and Chrysler sold almost 90% of the cars in the US market; currently their market share is about 47%. It can be deduced that most cars that Americans bought were not manufactured by the big three. (Manzi 2008)

The Death penalty versus Life Without Parole Research Proposal

The Death penalty versus Life Without Parole - Research Proposal Example Such people argue that life sentence without parole is far better than death penalty since death penalty is immoral and highly expensive compared to other means of punishment. In my opinion, capital punishment is not suitable for a civilized society like America and I would like to research this topic further in order to help my readers to better understand why life sentencing without parole is better than capital punishment. â€Å"If we execute a person, what is the difference between us and the criminal who has committed the horrifying crime of killing another individual?†(10 Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment). The criminal justice system normally give capital punishment to the criminals for taking the life of innocent people, citing the reasons that nobody has the right to take the life of others. However, by giving capital punishment, the criminal justice system is also repeating the same mistake done by the criminal. â€Å"According to a study by the Indiana Criminal L aw Study Commission released in 2002, executions cost the state 38 percent more than the costs of keeping an inmate incarcerated for life† (Capital Punishment - The Costs of Capital Punishment). Capital punishment is highly expensive because of the complexities in the trial procedures in such cases.

Differences Between Jealousy Of Men Than For Women

Differences Between Jealousy Of Men Than For Women Research is growing to find if there is a difference among men and women when perceiving jealousy. Specifically emotional reactions to a romantic partners infidelity, with men being more upset by a partners sexual infidelity and women being more upset by a partners emotional infidelity (Bailey, Gaulin, Agyei, and Gladue, 1994; Buss, Larsen, Weston, and Semmekoth, 1992; Buunk, Angleitner, Oubaid, and Buss, 1996). However, there is an ongoing discussion as how best to interpret these gender differences, with theorists falling largely into one of the groups: 1) those that view jealousy as an evolved sexual adaptive solution of paternal uncertainty and 2) those who view jealousy as a general social cognition emotion. The main difference in the groups is that those in the first groups focus is on distal explanations of jealousy while those in the second groups focus on proximal explanations of jealousy. In addition, the groups differ in their apprehension of how the mind works, with those in the first group adopting a modular view (Toobey and Cosmides,1992) and those in the second group adopting a general processor view. Theorists in the first group share the conjecture that jealousy is an entity that evolved to explain the specific problem of mate preservation (Daly, Wilson, and Weghorst, 1982). They proclaim that different jealousy responses evolved as a consequence of the fact that ancestral men and women faced unique reproductive challenges. Due to concealed fertilization, men could never be certain that they were genetically related to any children born to their mate. This paternity uncertainty was the greatest reproductive challenge faced by ancestral men. Consequently, selection pressures favored ancestral men who responded with jealousy to signals of a partners sexual infidelity because by doing so they decreased their likelihood of being cuckolded. Women should be less upset than men to signals of a partners sexual infidelity because ancestral women did not face the problem of cuckoldry. However, ancestral women faced a unique reproductive challenge not shared by ancestral men, in that they had to eat a very high calorie diet to meet the energy demands associated with pregnancy and lactation. Consequently, selection pressures favored ancestral women who responded with jealousy to signals of a mates diversion of resources because by doing so they increased the likelihood that they would have the caloric intake sufficient to maintain a healthy pregnancy and an adequate production of breast milk. Buss et al. (1992) argue that the single most consistent indicator to ancestral women that they were in danger of losing a partners resources was if their partner was developing an emotional attachment to another woman, because this emotional attachment signaled his willingness to invest resources in this other woman and her offspring. This theory uses the support from the study that found the sex difference in jealousy evolved through anger or acts of aggressive displayed by men who were evoked by jealous tendencies (Daly and Wilson, 1988), men also use violence to control the sexual behavior of their partner (Daly and Wilson, 1988). In a critical report the findings showed that, when forced to decide if a romantic partners sexual infidelity or emotional infidelity upset them more, women were found to choose emotional infidelity over sexual infidelity, in contrast men found sexual infidelity to be more upsetting (Buss, Larsen, Weston, and Semmelroth, 1992). The results found by this study have been replicated and used the same forced choice method. Although the studies have been supported, there have been studies have reported the opposite results. Theorists in the second group direct their focus on the social cognition and are not limited to romantic partners. Such as, one could feel jealousy over a sibling receiving more affection from the parent or a coworker receiving more praise from a boss. Harris (2003) disputes that jealousy is trigged by the initial feeling a threat to a relationship but that the exact nature and extent of the emotional reaction is determined by the cognitive assessment of the threat. Using this perspective, sex differences can be determined by the cognitive assessments about threats to a romantic relationship. According to Salovey and Rodin, their domain hypothesis suggests that people will have greater feeling of jealousy of individuals that they see to be more superior to them in domains that are highly relevant (1984). A partners attraction to a rival not only points towards a potential of a relationship but also represents a threat to self-esteem, because a partners choice of a rival suggests his/ her superiority. Further research of social cognitive perspective suggests sex differences in jealousy are consequences of differences in logical inferences men and women conclude about the extent sexual infidelity implies the emotional infidelity or how emotional infidelity implies sexual infidelity. This idea is supported by research conduct by Harris and Christenfeld (1996) and DeSteno and Salovey (1996) that people perceive men are more likely than women to have sexual infidelity when there is a lack of an emotional attachment but think that men are less likely than women to form an emotional attachment in a nonsexual relationship. The research includes that these assumptions are what contribute people to believe that a womans sexual infidelity signifies her emotional infidelity while a mans emotional infidelity signifies his sexual infidelity. Consequently, the gender difference as to which type of infidelity is worse is based on a gender difference as to which type of infideli ty implies the occurrence of the other. The purpose of this study is to examine further the role of those who view jealousy as a general social cognition emotion as a proximal explanation for gender differences in jealousy. This study will combine both approaches presented above, but will change the person that the partners imagined infidelity occurs. If jealousy is a domain specific response designed to prevent cuckoldry for men and prevent resource diversion for women, then the person who the partner commits the infidelity should have no impact on jealousy. In contrast, if jealousy is a general emotional reaction to threatened relations based on social cognition then the person the partner commits infidelity should have an impact on jealousy. Methods Participants Participants will be roughly 200 women and 200 men enrolled at Central Washington University. The selection will be random. The demographics of Central Washington University include 10,282 first-time degree seeking students. 7556 White, non-Hispanic, 805 Hispanic, 642 Asian or Pacific Islander, 416 Race/ethnicity unknown, 349 Black, non-Hispanic, 286 American Indian or Alaska Native, and 228 Nonresident aliens. 4,555 men and 4,650 women. All these students are enrolled full-time. This information was gathered from the Central Washington University site for academic year 2009. Materials Following a method described by DeSteno, Bartlett, Braverman, Salovey (2003), participants rated on a 7-point Likert-type scale how much they felt each of six emotions (angry, jealous, calm, threatened, relieved, and hurt) in response to each scenario in the first test procedure. For the second test the forced-choice measure will be used and is similar to those used in previous research investigating sex differences in jealousy resulting from sexual and emotional infidelity (Buss et al., 1992; Buunk et al., 1996; DeSteno Salovey, 1996). Individuals were asked to indicate which of the following two events would cause them more distress: (a) finding out that ones partner had passionate sexual intercourse with another person or (b) finding out that ones partner had formed a deep emotional attachment to another person. Participants will also complete two versions of this scale that will ask for their responses to the same instances of sexual and emotional infidelity, respectively. On this measure, participants were presented with specific statements to which they responded using a 7-point scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree), with the middle point indicating neither agreement nor disagreement. Procedure Participants will report in small groups of no more than twenty to an assigned room, once groups are in their assigned room, they will be informed that the study of the relation between personal character and habits that occur in the context of a romantic relationship. Similar to the procedure used by Buss, Larsen, Westen, and Semmelroth (1992), participants will be instructed to, Please think of a serious committed romantic relationship that you currently have, have had in the past, or would like to have in the future. Next the participants will be asked to imagine four separate scenarios in which this partner is unfaithful. The scenarios will describe either sexual infidelity, Imagine your partner enjoying sexual intercourse with someone else, or emotional infidelity, Imagine you partner falling in love with someone else. The wording in the scenarios will be modeled after items used by Pietrzak Laird, Stevens, and Thompson (2002). To measure more than the type of infidelity the per son with whom the partner committing an infidelity will be manipulated. Participants will be asked to imagine their partner falling in love with a close friend or falling in love with your boss. Equally, participants will be asked to imagine their partner enjoying sexual intercourse with a close friend or enjoying sexual intercourse with their boss. The next test will be presented to participants with two forced choice problem in which they will have to select one of two infidelity scenarios as more upsetting. In one problem, participants will have to choose between their partners emotional infidelity with an unknown person and their partners sexual infidelity with an unknown person. In the next present problem, participants will have to choose between their partners emotional infidelity with someone that is known (such as, friend, coworker, etc.) and their partners sexual infidelity with someone that is known.

Binge Drinking on America’s Campuses Essay -- College Alcohol Abuse

Binge drinking is rampant on today’s colleges and university campuses. Binge drinking is defined as, five or more drinks for a man at any one time, four or more drinks for a woman (Thompson, J.J. 63). A recent survey revealed that almost half of college students engage in binge drinking, and half of those who binge drink do so regularly (McCormick, John; Kalb, Claudia 89). It is not the half that drinks responsibly that needs programs targeting them; it is the other half of students that engage in binge drinking. This paper aims to discuss both the scope of binge drinking on the campuses of America’s colleges and universities and techniques used to combat it. At the same time America has managed to keep the same percentage of its students from drinking entirely for the last five years, binge drinking has been on the rise (Thompson, J.J. 63). While 49 percent of college students binge, only 28 percent of their non-college counterparts do (McCormick, John; Kalb, Claudia 89), clearly illustrating the divide that exists between students and non-students. These figures are upsetting in that one would expect universities to be the breeding ground for new leaders and innovative thinkers in society while these figures make today’s college campuses look like nothing more than National Lampoon’s Animal House- a drunken debauchery. Consider these facts: For women, this study found that 80% of sorority house residents had binged during the last 2 weeks prior to this study compared with 58% of non-resident sorority women, and 35% of non-Greek women. As for the men, the study found that during the previous two weeks, 86% of fraternity house residents had binged compared to 71% of non-resident fraternity men and 45% for non-Greek men (Core Institute pars. 1-2). If there has ever been a clearer cut case for reformation of the Greek system, it has never been presented. This problem was tragically brought to light in 1996 with the media attention given to the death of a Louisiana State University student who died in the fraternity house from acute alcohol poisoning. Tragically, the numbers of students dying of alcohol related causes are rising steadily each year. With the ever increasing costs of higher education, one would think that students would be committed to gaining the best education possible; but a 1996 study leaves little doubt that a student’s GPA ... .../collfact.htm Colleges and Drinking. CNN Online. February 23, 1999. http://cnn.com/US/9805/02/campus.crime/index.html New Study Finds Bingeing. Core Institute. September 1, 1999. http://www.alphaomicronpi.org/Article/alcohol02.html Drugs- Indiana University. Indiana University. February 23, 1999. http://www.drugs.indiana.edu/publications/ncadi/primer/binge.htm Iowa State Daily. February 2, 1999. http://www.daily.iastate.edu/volumes/Fall95/Dec-01-95/fr3-hw.html LA Times Website. February 28, 1999. http://peele.sas.nl/lib/latimes030196.html McCormick, John; Kalb, Claudia. â€Å"Bellying Up to the Bar; binge drinking remains a major problem on many college campuses, according to a Harvard University study.† Newsweek 21 September 1998: 89. New UNC Initiave. February 28, 1999.http://www.cspinet.org/new/aluncorn.htm Thompson, J.J. â€Å"Plugging the Kegs: students benefit when colleges limit excessive drinking; alcohol abuse by college students.† US News & World Report January 1998: 63. Internet Sources Consulted Wechsler, Henry PhD. Binge Drinking on America’s College Campuses. Harvard http://archive.sph.harvard.edu/cas/Documents/monograph_2000/cas_mono_2000.pdf

Rolesof Media

INTRODUCTIONThe media plays a very constructive role in today’s society. Media play an important role in increasing of public awareness and collect the views, information and attitudes toward certain issue. Media is the most powerful tool of communication in emerging world and increased the awareness and presents the real stage of society.In this decade of Knowledge and awareness there is a huge and grand role of media, it is all around us when we watch on Television, listen to on the radio, read to the books, magazines, and newspapers, every where we want to collect some knowledge and information and a part of this media has to present a very responsible role for our society. Without the media, people in societies would be isolated, not only from the rest of the world, but also for the total formation of creditable world.WHAT IS MEDIAMedia is one of the most powerful instruments of communication. It can help to promote the right things on right time and gives a real as well a s strong aspects of the world about what is right or wrong also it also express that how can we store and distributes the views. The world is moving towards progress in every step of life. But we cannot refuse the real fact that we all are bounded directly or indirectly with the loads of social problems and issues, which are affected by the people of the people and for the people.Social issues or matters include so many types such as poverty, violence, corruption, bribery, suppression of human rights, rape, discrimination, and crime, killing in the name of honor. Today News Channels, Newspapers, radio, internet etc. help us to estimate the realities of live and focused on the every social matters with the pure and free effect, it has a chance to explore the issues of society more openly. Media refers so many links such as mass media broadcast media, print media and the web media.We know that television and radio are considered broadcast media while newspapers, magazines and journals are formatted as print media and internet news are called as the web media. The media is an important source of information through its news segments, entertainment and allows for exchange of our ideas, suggestions and views for related matters. There is huge variety of media. The media is not only an important source of news and opinions but also entertainment. Most young people usually turn on the television for movies, educational programs other entertainment programs.However, although most of us get our news through the media as many of us have little time to read books or journals, the news presented to us can be biased and one sided because news reported on websites appears most reliable and transparent though one has to be careful about the accuracy of the facts reported. However, there is still a degree of freedom in these countries' press compared to other more conservative countries. we have access to news from all around the world and readers are invited to send their vi ews and contributions to be published in the media.The term media is derived from Medium, which means carrier. Media denotes a links specifically designed to reach large viewers. The term was first used with the advent of newspapers and magazines. However, with the passage of time, the term broadened by the inventions of radio, TV, cinemas and Internet. In the world of today, media has become almost as necessary as food and clothing. It is true that media is playing an outstanding role in strengthening the society. Its responsibility is to inform, educate and entertain the people.It helps to know current situation around the world. The media has a strong social and cultural impact upon society. Because of its inherent ability to reach large number of public, it is widely used to convey message to build public opinion and awareness, it can be used to educate people with very little cost. Imagine a classroom in every city with thousands of students being taught by just one teacher. Bu t unfortunately, because of money-making approach of media and lack of interest by government, very less work is done in spreading the education.IMPORTANCE OF MEDIA IN SOCIAL AWARENESSThe media has got a vital role in molding a good society to develop our lifestyle and move it on the right path, because it always try to side with the truth and relevant factor. It is the best tool to spread awareness in the modern society either it be political, social or economic and giving us latest sight about what is happening in our world, making us aware about our rights, creating awareness against evils in our society, what new happening around us, exposing corrupt politicians and hardcore criminals by sting operations.There is correlation between media and society to share them self about the past, present and future event on need base method of the society. We know that a long time ago we see all news, views events all these things through Radio, Banner and Cinema slide show. But now a day w e have a power to see everything of the society and to share it among the people only the good approach of media. So Media and their function have been changed as because there is a competition among the Media also. Therefore apart from the service to the society they have to earn also.From this point of view several media are taking different steps to expand their business and sometimes they are deviated from the principles for which they are functioning. What society will decide for their existences and functioning is mainly depend upon the Govt. rules and regulations by limiting their scope of works in a particular field. In my opinion several sensitive international issues should not be published through Media for which tension among them increased. Otherwise media should come in front of the society with all truth.The main purpose of this studies to explain the real feature of growing techniques of information and used it to spread the social awareness. Its limitless connectivi ty and potential has open social order and system of interaction and communication which have been made a possible way to develop the communication technology and define the social situation of awareness. We can feel the impact of social networking in every step of life. Everyone wants information timely and to the point which can be possible through the help of social media. There is various types of social networking under the connectivity of media.Here we explore the FACEWOOK a social networking site, people can assess information easily through the help of this site and user can utilize these information to their personal and professional work and behavior. Social network is used to denote the huge number of blogs and intercommunication skills to provide online social networking service which can be focused and reflecting of social network or social relations among people who share interests and activities Most social network services are web based and provide means for users to interact over the internet.They interact, share and exchange resources by social networks. It promotes free flow of information and sharing of resources beyond boundaries. My point is not any of it said above. We had a nation with so much of events happening around, which but is escalated only on the whims and fancy of the people who rules us. Few of the examples are Ram Mandir issue, Lokpal Bill, 2G scam, CWG scam, Mining scam, Land Acquisition scam, Coal Gate, Delhi Rape Case, Godhra Riots, Mumbai Riots, 26/11 Mumbai Attack, Aarushi murder case, LPG subsidy, Fuel price hike etc.All of the above issues had its on relevance in political arena and accordingly had the coverage and importance across the media and discussed upon the nation till then until when it is to be fumed and exploited. Unfortunately none of the news had a chance to be there in limelight or discussions even until its natural closure of which many are due pending. Shattering fact is that even many of the above sta ted issues out of the many left out without mentioning are yet to have a judicial closure and the culprits yet to be booked and penalized.But at the brim of its flash we had all of the print and visual media, administration, intellects, social media and even stupid common man were there on the front to protest, outrage and even ready for a national cessation. Post shelf life of the issue hardly was there any movement on the same until either there is a reference by any for personal gain (other than the relative of the person involved) or on the occasion of anniversary reminder by the media who had to fill in the prime time slot. It is time for us, to do something better for our society.Any means the realism of a fact lies with the complete closure with justice delivered not only to the victim but to the society too. Until unless the limited time outrage and mongering of issue is protracted despite of what we are forced to think and react. May this sound a bit weird as we being respo nsible-sensible citizens, it is our bona fide birth right to react on anything and everything comes across. But will make a difference if it is made to prolong it despite of the shelf life tag come along with the issue.

Is terrorism a serious threat to international and national security The WritePass Journal

Is terrorism a serious threat to international and national security Introduction Is terrorism a serious threat to international and national security : 61). This essay then tackles the formulation presented by Ian Lustick, who maintains that the magnitude of the threat posed by terrorism appears to be much smaller than realised (Lutz, Lutz and Lustick in Jackson and Sinclair (eds.), 2012: 66). The evaluation of both arguments will be made by referring to the ways in which the War on Terror has altered the manner in which states and the international community as a whole is dealing with the phenomenon of terrorism.   Terrorism as a continuing threat to national and international security James and Brenda Lutz put forward the view that terrorism actualises the threat it poses to the viability of nation-states by referring to the way in which extremist movements, such as Fascism and Nazism, managed to topple the existing order of things in democratic countries, such as Italy and Germany. In addition, the tactics of terrorism was successfully implemented by the liberation movements that ridded Algeria, Jewish Palestine and Cyprus of French and British colonial rule (Lutz, Lutz and Lustick in Jackson and Sinclair (eds.), 2012: 61-2).   Nevertheless, the increased access to digital technologies that facilitate instantaneous communications and the wider availability of weapons of mass destruction magnify the scope of the threat posed by terrorism (Silverstone, 2007: 17). The authors also outline that the modern notion of terrorism differs from past manifestations as it can contribute to the profound alteration of the political foundations of the states that are compelled to deal with the phenomenon (Lutz, Lutz and Lustick in Jackson and Sinclair (eds.), 2012: 64). It must be underlined that enhanced magnitude of the terrorist threat impels states to commit a large amount of resources to the fight against terror and; in some cases, enter into a diplomatic framework of negotiation which might result in bestowing a modicum of legitimacy to terrorist organisations (Elshtain, 2004: 96). States are forced to respond to the threat of terrorism by recalibrating their judicial systems in a way that reflects the changed nature of the crimes committed by terrorist organisations (Napoleoni, 2004: 70). These states of affairs can in turn lead to an enhanced perception of the threat posed by extremism and inject a measure of authoritarian legalism into the democratic system of states (Lutz, Lutz and Lustick in Jackson and Sinclair (eds.), 2012: 65). The threat posed by Al-Qaeda in the context of the War on Terror exemplifies the augmented threat of terrorism. To begin with, terrorist organisations affiliated to Al-Qaeda do not abide by the international legislation regarding the conduct of war. These organisations target civilians as part of their grand political strategy, geared towards creating an environment of terror in democratic societies (Fotion, 2007: 77).   In addition, the War on Terror has resulted in the militarisation of the political discourse, by which the notion of the enemy is reformulated by including domestic ideologies that are hesitant to confront the phenomenon of terrorism. This situation has been outlined by the authors, who argue that the threat of terrorism compels states to react to extremist violence, as not doing so would eventually enhance the ability of terrorist organisations to inflict damage on the populations affected (Lutz, Lutz and Lustick in Jackson and Sinclair (eds.), 2012: 65). These arguments seem to be quite persuasive in describing not only the threats posed by terrorist organisations, but also the dangers related to the fight against the phenomenon of extremism. In order to assess the validity of these claims, they will be parried against the opposite view regarding the nature and extent of the terrorist threat. Is terrorism a continuing threat to national and international security?   Ian Lustick poses the view that even if there is an acknowledged threat of terrorism, the magnitude of the threat presented by this phenomenon is much smaller than realised (Lutz, Lutz and Lustick in Jackson and Sinclair (eds.), 2012: 66). The author maintains that the enhanced ‘perception of the threat’ has enabled the United States to articulate clear cut moral demarcations in the context of the War in Terror, in which the ‘enemy’ (Islamic extremism) is portrayed as a-moral and deemed to be extirpated. Furthermore, this stance entails that Washington claims the right use of pre-emptive tactics against terrorism, even if the threat is perceived as infinitesimally small (Crawford in Rosenthal and Barry (eds.), 2009: 41). Accordingly, preventive force has been deployed by the United States in Afghanistan (2001), of Iraq (2003), as Washington claimed that those states harboured terrorist organisations in their midst (Frum and Perle, 2004: 118). Citing the smal l occurrence of terrorist activity, the author emphasises the fact that the United States is committing a substantial amount of resources to defend itself from a threat which is relatively small in nature and magnitude (Lutz, Lutz and Lustick in Jackson and Sinclair (eds.), 2012: 67).   Lustick also highlights the fact that the response to the terrorist phenomenon, marked by a visceral attitude on the part of the authorities, might serve narrow political agendas (Lutz, Lutz and Lustick in Jackson and Sinclair (eds.), 2012: 69). In this context, it is important to underline that the War on Terror entails the possibility that the United States might utilise the fight against terrorism for the sake of ensuring that the process of globalisation remains firmly tied to the American ideations of liberal democracy, the rule of law and free market economics being spread to the wider world (Chan, 2012: 72). Lustick also underlines how the media is responsible for portraying the threat of te rrorism in an imbalanced way. To be sure, the mainstream media devotes more time to the coverage of news related to putative threats than to issues which affect citizens in a more visible manner. In addition, the author notes how ‘threat inflation’ is used as a political tool by the two parties of government in the United States, which have become accustomed to pinning the blame for the so-called pervasiveness of these threats to either the Republican or Democratic Party, as the case might be (Patterson, 2007: 38). The author argues that the augmented perception of the threat, which serves narrow political and economic interests, constitutes an additional threat to be imputed to the phenomenon of terrorism (Lutz, Lutz and Lustick in Jackson and Sinclair (eds.), 2012: 70-71). It is possible to argue that these views on the threat of terrorism relativise the claims put forward by James and Brenda Lutz. The existence of a terrorist threat has the potential to be magnified out of proportion and establish itself as an added political element to be borne in mind in the context of the war of West against Islamic extremism (Hewitt, 2008: 88). It is now incumbent upon us to draw some conclusions pertaining to the views espoused by the author and see which ones has a higher degree of validity. Conclusion In conclusion, it is possible to argue that whilst the threat of terrorism is an important phenomenon to be reckoned with in the grand political chessboard of the twenty-first century, its magnitude might not be as extensive as purported (Halper and Clarke, 2005: 73). The radical forces of terrorism that managed to induce change in the past did so for the sake of fighting for causes which were seen by many in the international spectrum as politically legitimate, as in the case of the PLO and the IRA. Whilst people condemned the methods used by these organisations, they questioned their political motivations less stringently. At the same time, since globalisation has created a convergence of ideas, there is a reduced scope for the type terrorist attacks seen in 9/11 (Held and McGrew, 2002: 119). Lustick rightly postulates that the spectrum of the threat posed by the phenomenon of terrorism has been artificially enhanced in order to serve narrow political and economic interests. Conseq uently, it may be posited that terrorism does not threaten the foundations of international and national security in the way depicted by James and Brenda Lutz. Bibliography Bobbitt, P. (2008)  Terror and Consent-The Wars for the Twenty-First Century,  Alfred Knopf, New York, NY Chan, D. (2012)  Beyond Just War: A Virtue Ethics Approach, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke and New York, NY Crawford, N. (2009) The Slippery Slope to Preventive War in Rosenthal, J. and Barry, C. (eds.) Ethics and International Affairs: A Reader, Georgetown University Press, Washington, DC Elshtain, J. (2004)  Just War Against Terror: The Burden Of American Power In A Violent World, Basic Books, New York, NY Fotion, N. (2007)  War and Ethics: a new Just War theory, Continuum, London Frum, D. and Perle, R. (2004)  An End to Evil: How to Win the War on Terror, Random House, New York Gupta, D. (2008)  Understanding Terrorism and Political Violence, Routledge, London Halper, S. and Clarke, J. (2005)  America Alone: The Neo-Conservatives and the Global Order, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Held, D. and McGrew, A. (2002)  Globalisation/Anti-Globalisation, Polity Press, Cambridge Hewitt, H. (2008)  The War Against the West: Crucial Conversations with the Most Informed Experts About Our Enemies, Our Defenses, Our Strategy and Our Leaders in the Long War Against Islamist Extremism, Townhall Press, New York, NY Lutz, B., Lutz, J. and Lustick, I. (2012) Is terrorism a serious threat to international and national security, in R Jackson SJ Sinclair (eds.)  Contemporary Debates on Terrorism, Routledge, London Napoleoni, L. (2004)  Terror Incorporated, Penguin Books, London Patterson, E. (2007)  Just War Thinking: Morality and Pragmatism in the Struggle against Contemporary Threats, Lexington Books, Lanham, MD Silverstone, S. (2007)  Preventive War and American Democracy, Routledge, London

Richard Wright Essay Example

Richard Wright Essay Example Richard Wright Essay Richard Wright Essay Literary Distinctions through Ineradicable Scars His racial status, his poverty, the disruption of his family, and his faulty education allowed Richard Wright to grow into a novelist astonishingly different than other major American writers. Richard Wright was born on a Rucker plantation in Adams County, Mississippi. He was born on September 4, 1908 to Ella Wilson, a schoolteacher and Nathaniel Wright, a sharecropper. When Wright was about six years old, his father abandoned Ella and his two sons in a penniless condition to run off with another woman. This left Wright’s mother the difficult task of supporting herself and her children on her own, but left Wright with a humiliating kind of loss (Duffus). Soon after his father left, Wright and his mother moved to Memphis, Tennessee. His mother was forced to work as a cook in order to support the family; and during this period, Wright temporarily stayed in an orphanage. Wright’s mother became ill while living in Memphis, so the family moved to Jackson, Mississippi, and lived with Ella’s mother. His grandmother was a Seventh Day Adventist so she enrolled him in a Seventh Day Adventist school at the age of twelve. Wright went to a local public high school for a few years, but did not receive a higher-level education (Duffus). In 1925, he moved back to Memphis, Tennessee. He worked at menial jobs such as, carrying lunches for railroad workers, carrying firewood and trays for small cafes, delivering clothes for a pressing shop, sweeping floors, selling newspapers, doing chores for white families, etc. (Kinnamon, 6) He moved to Chicago in 1927 after securing employment as a postal clerk, he read other writers and studied their styles during his time off. Later in 1937, Wright moved to New York, where he began ties with Communist Party members there after getting established. He worked on the WPA Writers’ Project, and wrote the book’s essay on Harlem. Wright became the Harlem editor of the Daily Worker. Wright is considered the most esteemed spokesman for the oppressed African American in the 1930s and 1940s. Some of his several works include Black Boy, Uncle Tom’s Children, The Outsiders, Eight Men, American Hunger, and Native Son. (Duffus). His first fiction, Native Son, chronicles the effects of racism and bigotry in the life of Bigger Thomas, a young black man raised in the ghettos of Chicago. The narrator in Native Son speaks in a limited third-person voice that focuses on Bigger’s thoughts and feelings. Through this limited third-person voice, the narrator brings the reader into Bigger’s mind and situation, helping the reader gain a better insight on Bigger’s complex self. When Wright wrote Native Son, he expressed his belief that society was responsible for creating tragic characters like Bigger Thomas. Quickly, Native Son became one of the most controversial books during the 1930s. Native Son was a turning point in the evolution of black protest fiction (Moorer, 87). Richard Wright uses Fear, Flight, and Fate to explain Bigger Thomas’s inner-development through the themes of oppression, blindness, dehumanization, the illusion of freedom, and redemption. Ultimately, Wright indicates that the inner liberation will only come from within the self. THE INTELLECTUAL ENVIRONMENT: RACIST THOUGHTS Adams County was one of the most racist areas, of the most racist state in the country. Wright was subjected to racial discrimination and racial prejudice during his entire life in the United States. This is interesting because America has always been thought to be the land of freedom, where you can find happiness. However, it lacked in giving equality to African Americans. Many people wonder why most of his novels focus on social reality. Keep in mind that during his upbringing, racism was alive really live. In the early 1900s, suppression of black people was a dominant goal of Mississippi politics (Kinnamon,17). Many African Americans struggled to discover how to survive without fear in a world dominated by white men. Richard Wright’s unstable upbringing made him the novelist we admire today. A long-term irony of Wright’s life is that in spite of his belief in environmental determinism, he fulfilled his dream of success against all odds. In his essay How Bigger Was Born, Wright explains how he grew up surrounded by different types of Biggers, and that social reality determined his literary personality. (Applebee) Indeed, he was at different times in his youth an unstable child, but ultimately he became Richard Wright, and not Bigger Thomas. Fear- oppression and blindness Book One (Fear) of Native Son begins with an alarm clock ringing. We see Bigger, Vera, Buddy, and Mrs. Thomas in a small apartment in Chicago. Since the apartment only has one room, Bigger and Buddy are forced to turn around to avoid seeing his little sister and his mother getting dressed. Perhaps, the ringing alarm signifies a wakeup call, not only for Bigger, but for the readers and America as a whole about race relations in this era. Immediately, we are exposed to the unfortunate circumstances Bigger’s family live in when a huge rat runs across the floor, and Bigger is destined to wrestle the rat. During his struggle with the rat, Bigger smashes the rat’s head with a skillet, and then smashes his face with a shoe. The rat portrays fear book one is speaking about. The rat and Bigger immediately attack each other, hinting that they resemble each other and they fear themselves. In Fear, we also meet Gus, Jack, and G. H. after Bigger stands alone reflecting on the words â€Å"If You Break The Law, You Cant Win! † posted on top of campaign posters. Bigger and his friends have a tentative plan to rob a deli owned by a white man named Mr. Blum. They want to rob a white deli, because it would give them a challenge. They have always robbed black stores, because police do not focus on black-on-black crime. Here, Wright begins to develop the theme of racial oppression. We also start looking into Bigger’s thoughts and the theme of racial oppression when he tells his friend Gus that he could fly a plane if he were given the chance, but only if he had some money and were not black. Bigger complains that whites will not let blacks do anything, and he feels as if he were in prison. Bigger gets a job with the Daltons. The Daltons are a rich white family that offers Bigger a job as a chauffeur, because they feel that blacks deserve a chance. Mrs. Dalton is the blind wife of Mr. Dalton, and the mother of Mary. The Daltons portray themselves as supporters of black Americans. However, we see the reality when we learn that Mr. Dalton simultaneously benefits from keeping blacks like Bigger and his family in terrible housing by charging them high rents. On his first day of work, Bigger is a little nervous and fearful because he still sees whites as a threatening, powerful force that denies him control of his own life. On his first night on the job, Bigger secretly takes Mary and her communist boyfriend Jan to a restaurant. At the restaurant, Mary and Jan try to become close with Bigger, but Bigger is intimidated at the beginning, because no white person has ever treated him that way. Mary and Jan try to make a genuine effort in understanding racial problems in America, so they want to break the social barrier between them and Bigger. At the end of the night, they are all drunk, and Mary can’t make it to her room, so Bigger carries her. When Bigger finds himself in Mary’s oom, he knows that he has overcome the sexual separation between blacks and whites, and begins to kiss her. Bigger then feels Mrs. Dalton’s presence in the room, and is reminded of the whiteness that controls his life, leading to the accidental death of Mary. Richard Wright does not spare any of the gruesome details in Bigger’s disposal of Mary’s body. Through his disposal, we see the extreme pai n and rage that Bigger feels which would allowing him to do such thing. In Book One, Wright introduces the Fear that Bigger has obtained through oppression. We see that Bigger fears entrapment caused by the white glooming force. He is afraid that he will not be able to progress and escape his shameful circumstances because racism in Chicago will keep him down, and there is no way out. Interestingly enough, we see in Book One that oppression is caused by blindness. Mrs. Dalton is literally blind, but also metaphorically. Mrs. Daltons blindness plays a crucial role in showing the readers the vicious circle of racism in American society. Mrs. Daltons inability to see Bigger causes him to turn to violence, similar to the inability of whites to see blacks as individuals causes blacks to live their lives in fear and hatred. Mrs. Daltons blindness represents the inability of white Americans as a whole to see blacks as anything other than what the media portrays. Since they don’t see blacks as anything else than what the media portrays them to be, white intentionally or unintentionally keep them down. In Book One Bigger starts to realizes that, in a sense, even he has been blind, unable to see whites as individuals rather than a single oppressive mass. Flight- Dehumanization and illusion of freedom The opening of Book Two (Flight), opens up a new phase of Bigger’s life. Mary’s death is the key turning point in the book and in Bigger’s character. In Book One, Bigger is unable to analyze and understand his feelings or behavior. In Flight, Bigger begins to search for his new identity. Flight is an interesting book because we see Bigger’s life threatened by his actions, but he sees his life in a different point of view. His goal is to get away with the murder. Since Bigger’s goal is to get away with murder, he disguises his identity as a poor, uninformed, submissive boy. We start to see that he is manipulating his search for identity to his advantage. The Dalton’s do not suspect that Bigger is the murderer, because they don’t believe that Bigger can’t function as anything else but a chauffeur. In Flight, Bigger uses stereotypes for protection against whites. Earlier, in Fear we portray the alarm clock as a warning about the effects of racial oppression. This is becoming more evident. Bigger does not feel afraid to commit robbery against whites, as we saw in Fear, so he plans to collect ransom from the Daltons. This is working perfect for him, because his role-playing is leading others to believe that Jan committed the murder. Bigger begins to manipulate the anticommunist prejudices. However, this doesn’t play for long, after Jan confronts Bigger and the authorities find that Bigger is murderer of Mary Dalton. At this point, America is furious. America has been bombarding the newspapers, and news with anti-Bigger comments. Bigger is now on the run, and meets with his girlfriend Bessie at an empty apartment to hide. His girlfriend is terrified and paralyzes by fear, so Bigger sees no other option but to get her out of the way. Through Bigger’s flight, we see that his only way, ironically, of feeling complete and in control is through murder. At this point, Bigger’s innocence has been destroyed by racism, thus dehumanizing him. Wright shows Bigger’s dehumanization through the imagery of Mary’s murder. Biggers disposal of Marys body is atrocious, and Wright purposely does not spare any of the details. Wright wants to highlight the severe pain and anger Bigger feels that allows him to become insensitive and inhumane. After Mary’s murder, Bigger feels a sense of clear purpose. Even though Mary’s death was an accident, Bigger tries to convince himself that it was an intentional action, because this murder represents the ultimate rebellion against the white force that has been oppressing him. Fear supports the theme of dehumanization. Bigger Thomas is a product of the oppression in white society that has been caused and maintained through blindness. Dehumanization has caused Bigger to commit inhumane acts, but ironically, gives him an illusion on freedom. Bigger feels that Mary’s death gives him a new life, and self-control. In his eyes, he has become more human, because his life holds a purpose. Bigger feels free and in control of his life. However, this doesn’t remain for long. Fate- redemption Racism has limited Bigger’s prospects in life. The morass of racial discrimination prevented Bigger from feeling comfortable around whites. Because the environment he grew up in portrays whites as sophisticated and blacks as either subservient or savage, Bigger Thomas resented and feared all whites. He felt that the white society is an uncontrollable natural force. The one room apartment in which Bigger, his mother, sister and brother lived in was a tiny, dank, decrepit hole infested with rats owned by Mr. Dalton who was also white. All of these conditions made Bigger incapable to see (Jan, Mary, Mr. Dalton etc. ) as individuals. Bigger Thomas hid behind a wall, not allowing anyone to know and understand his actual feelings towards life and the cycle of racism in Chicago during the 1930s. The hate society brought into Bigger is an unavoidable part of his character. He doubted his own mind after being forced to be bad and live in bad conditions. Bigger tries to hide these emotions to the point where he becomes blind of his own persona. After Mary’s death, he felt empowered and relieved as though he has taken control of his own life and struck against whites. More specifically, it gave him an opportunity to truly evaluate himself in prison and figure out who he was on the inside after he had lost himself. Because he wanted to make his life mean something that he could claim for himself, he did not regret Mary’s murder. In Book Three, Bigger says â€Å"But when I think of why all the killing was, I begin to feel what I wanted, what I am†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (429). He realizes that in order to win the battle of his life on the outside, he must win the one in the inside. From there, he emerges from behind this barrier and begins to examine the world for what it really is. His new mentality gives him power to achieve victory within himself. During his first few days in prison, Bigger does not eat, drink, or talk to anyone. Jan comes to see him, and tells Bigger that he has taught him a lot about black-white relationships and offers him the help of a communist lawyer, Max. Bigger he decides to speak with Max and tells him the story of his life. Max learns about the sufferings and feelings of black people and Bigger learns about himself. He starts understanding his relationships with his family and with the world. He acknowledges his fury, his need for a future, and his wish for a meaningful life. He reconsiders his attitudes about white people, whether they are prejudiced, like Britten, or accepting, like Jan. Max is able to deeply understand Bigger’s emotions. Bigger then realizes that Max and Jan are really trying to help him. Bigger accepts his fate. When Max is leaving, he tells him to â€Å"Tell†¦. Tell mister†¦. Tell Jan hello†¦. † (430). He finally calls him by his first name. He begins to see whites as individuals rather than an intimidating mass of hate. Bigger now perceives himself and others in a way that he hasn’t before. Bigger has redeemed himself. Here, Wright indicates that the inner liberation will only come from within them. Native Son effectively portrays that in Fear, oppression leads to blindness, causing blacks and whites to reject and misunderstand each other. He then portrays in Flight (caused by fear), that oppression leads to dehumanization, causing Bigger to commit actions that gives him the illusion of freedom. Lastly, we see in Flight that his freedom is perhaps only an illusion, and that the only way to come clean and accept things for the way they are is through redemption. It is clear that redemption can only from within through understanding. In the end, Bigger sees himself equal to whites, and has looked past racism. [ 2 ]. Duffus, Matthew. Mississippi Writers Page. 26 January 1999. 12 April 2009 . 3 ]. Duffus, Matthew. Mississippi Writers Page. 26 January 1999. 12 April 2009 . [ 4 ]. Kinnamon, Keneth. The Emergence of Richard Wright. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1945. [ 5 ]. Duffus, Matthew. Mississippi Writers Page. 26 January 1999. 12 April 2009 . [ 6 ]. Kinnamon, Keneth. The Emergence of Richard Wright. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1945. [ 7 ]. Applebee, Flannery. Savannah Morning News. 29 March 2007. 16 April 2009 . [ 8 ]. Note that Double-consciousness is the actual term for the search of a Negro’s identity. This term derived from W. E. B. Dubois.