Susan Faludi And Backlash Essays - Susan Faludi, Backlash

Susan Faludi and Backlash I AM NOT A BARBIE DOLL. Before you even start reading, these capital letters catch your eye. To add more, she tells us it was held up by a little girl, which plays with our emotions. Susan Faludi uses very great strategies to grab attention. Facts, strong words, emotion, and outside sources. She adds more drama to her subject. When you read the handout, you can hear the sad background music and see the pictures of suffering women. Faludi keeps interest throughout the introduction. She does not leave any spots that allow our minds to wander and think about other subjects. It is very dense, meaning that it is not just a few sentences filled in with repetition and words to drag out the paragraph. The introduction has a great set up. Faludi begins with a fact, something we cannot doubt. Then we get a little history, followed by a quote from another book. She adds another fact, one in which emotion is involved. The finish states her argument when she has our undivided attention. With this great structure, you can hear Faludi on the podium arguing her point to hundreds of audience members. The reading gives facts that cannot be argued with. "They are half (in fact, now more then half) of the national population..." Faludi lists examples and quotes that get your mind on the subject immediately. She lists things that are real like dates, events, books, and people. Susan Faludi carefully picks strong words and phrases: Feminist, capacity, fighting, independence, free, define, be forced to choose, public justice, private happiness. "...a simply worded sign hoisted by a little girl..." If she were to use less colorful words, it would lose interest and sound too informative. Arguments that are stated well with colorful words is what gets people who do not care to start showing some interest. It gets the person who began reading, and would usually end halfway through, to keep going until they reached the end; then think of how the subject affects them. Susan Faludi uses many strategies and blends them together which makes the argument very effective. They will persuade you to think about her point and see the picture from her view.

Finnish Culture of Michigans Upper Peninsula

Finnish Culture of Michigan's Upper Peninsula Tourists to the remote towns of the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan may be puzzled by the many Finnish flags adorning local businesses and homes. Evidence of Finnish culture and ancestral pride is ubiquitous in Michigan, which is less surprising when taking into account that Michigan is home to more Finnish Americans than any other state, with the majority of these calling the remote Upper Peninsula home (Loukinen, 1996). In fact, this region has more than fifty times the proportion of Finnish Americans than the rest of the United States (Loukinen, 1996). The Great Finnish Emigration   Most of these Finnish settlers arrived on American soil during the â€Å"Great Finnish Immigration.† Between 1870 and 1929 an estimated 350,000 Finnish immigrants arrived in the United States, many of them settling in an area that would be come to known as the â€Å"Sauna Belt,† a region of especially high population density of Finnish Americans encompassing the northern counties of Wisconsin, the northwestern counties of Minnesota, and the central and northern counties of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (Loukinen, 1996).   But why did so many Finns choose to settle half a world away? The answer lies in the many economic opportunities available in the â€Å"Sauna Belt† that were extremely scarce in Finland, a common dream to earn enough money to buy a farm, a need to escape from Russian oppression, and the Finn’s deep cultural connection to the land. Finding Home Half a World Away Like Finland, Michigan’s many lakes are the modern day remnants of glacial activity from thousands of years ago. In addition, due to Finland and Michigan’s similar latitude and climate, these two regions have very similar ecosystems. Both areas are home to seemingly ubiquitous pine-dominated mixed forests, aspens, maples, and picturesque birches. For those living off the land, both regions are located on beautiful peninsulas with a rich fish stock and woods full of delicious berries. The forests of both Michigan and Finland are home to a plethora of birds, bears, wolves, moose, elk, and reindeer. Like Finland, Michigan experiences bitterly cold winters and mild summers. As a result of their common high latitude, both experience very long days in the summer and significantly shortened daylight hours in the winter. It is easy to imagine that many of the Finnish immigrants arriving in Michigan after such a long sea voyage must have felt like they had found a piece of home half a world away. Economic Opportunities The primary reason Finnish immigrants chose to immigrate to the US was for the job opportunities available in the mines prevalent in the Great Lakes area. Many of these Finnish immigrants were young, uneducated, unskilled men who had grown up on small rural farms but did not own land themselves (Heikkil Uschanov, 2004). By Finnish rural tradition, the eldest son inherits the family farm. As the family plot of land is generally only large enough to support one family unit; splitting the land among siblings just was not an option. Instead, the oldest son inherited the farm and paid the younger siblings a cash compensation who were then forced to find work elsewhere (Heikkil Uschanov, 2004). The Finnish people have a very deep cultural connection to the land, so many of these younger sons who were unable to inherit land were looking for some way to earn enough money to buy land to operate their own farm. Now, in this point in history, Finland was experiencing rapid population growth. This rapid population growth was not accompanied by a rapid increase in industrialization, as seen in other European countries during this time, so a widespread job shortage occurred. At the same time, American employers were actually experiencing a labor shortage. In fact, recruiters were known to come to Finland to encourage frustrated Finns to immigrate to America for work. After some of the more adventurous Finns took the leap to emigrate and sailed to America, many wrote back home describing all of the opportunities they had found there (Loukinen, 1996). Some of these letters were actually published in local newspapers, encouraging many other Finns to follow them. â€Å"Amerika Fever† was spreading like wildfire. For the young, landless sons of Finland, immigration began to seem like the most viable option. Escaping Russification The Finns met these efforts to effectively eradicate their culture and political autonomy with widespread backlash, especially when Russia mandated a conscription law that forcibly drafted Finnish men to serve in the Russian Imperial Army. Many young Finnish men of conscription age saw serving in the Russian Imperial Army as unjust, unlawful, and immoral, and chose instead to emigrate to America illegally without passports or other travel papers. Like those who ventured to America seeking work, most if not all of these Finnish draft-dodgers had intentions to eventually return to Finland.   The Mines The Finns were wholly unprepared for the work that awaited them in the iron and copper mines. Many had come from rural farming families and were inexperienced laborers. Some immigrants report being ordered to begin work the same day that they arrived in Michigan from Finland. In the mines, most of the Finns worked as â€Å"trammers,† the equivalent of a human pack mule, responsible for filling and operating wagons with the broken ore. Miners were horrendously overworked and were subjected to extremely dangerous working conditions in an era where labor laws either didn’t properly exist or were largely unenforced. In addition to being completely ill-equipped for the manual component of mining work, they were equally unprepared for the transition from the completely culturally homogenous rural Finland to a high stress working environment working side by side with other immigrants from many different cultures speaking many different languages. The Finns responded to the massive influx of other cultures by shrinking back into their own community and interacting with other racial groups with great hesitation. Finns in the Upper Peninsula Today With such a high proportion of Finnish Americans in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, it is no wonder that even today Finnish culture is so intricately intertwined with the UP. The word â€Å"Yooper† means several things to the people of Michigan. For one, a Yooper is a colloquial name for someone the Upper Peninsula (derived the acronym â€Å"UP†). Yooper is also a linguistic dialect found in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan that is heavily influenced by Finnish due to the masses of Finnish immigrants who settled in Copper Country. In the UP of Michigan it is also possible to order a â€Å"Yooper† from Little Caesars Pizza, which comes with pepperoni, sausage, and mushrooms. Another signature UP dish is the pasty, a meat turnover that kept the miners satisfied through a hard day’s work in the mine. Yet another modern reminder of the UP’s Finnish immigrant past lies in Finlandia University, a small private liberal arts college established in 1896 in the thick of Copper Country on the Keweenaw Peninsula of the UP. This University boasts a strong Finnish identity and is the only remaining university established by Finnish immigrants in North America. Whether it was for economic opportunities, an escape from political oppression, or a strong cultural connection to the land, Finnish immigrants arrived in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in droves, with most, if not all, believing that they would soon return to Finland. Generations later many of their descendants remain in this peninsula that looks eerily like their motherland; Finnish culture is still a very strong influence in the UP.

Culture Briefing. Nicaragua Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Culture Briefing. Nicaragua - Research Paper Example As such, all systems and strategies of leadership have to address themselves to these unique attributes in order to achieve some level of meaning and efficiency. Nicaragua has gone through a troubled history with challenges on nearly all the spheres of her national life. Appropriating these challenges into opportunities is a leadership skill that entails strategy, reflection, and judgment. Nicaragua is situated in Central America on the borders of Honduras and Costa Rica to the North and South respectively. Nicaragua’s geographical positioning places it within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea surround the country to the west and east respectively. In terms of size, Nicaragua remains the largest country in Central America. Two lowlands and a highland divide the country (Gritzner, 2010). The lowlands are the Pacific lowlands and the Caribbean lowlands while the central highland situates at the center of the country. In this regard, it follows that much of the country features significant aspects of geographical features that relate to the highland and the two lowlands. Nicaragua remains one of the biologically unique countries due to its unique ecosystems, which thrive within the fertile areas of the country. The element of biodiversity features among the country’s attraction as a destination of tourism and research.In essence, some of the issues that attend to the element of diversity have to be regarded in terms of the distinguishing geographical features that separate the country into its unique aspects. It might be argued that the determination of the country’s diversity is to be determined through a vast array of features that determine the manner in which it relates to the element of diversity. In this regard, some of the issues that attend to the element of diversity have to be considered within the context of geographical uniqueness and the rich tropical climate that enables the thriving of the diverse ecosystem in the Central American country (Staten, 2010). Its vast geographical space offers unique advantages that connect within the social and environmental spheres as understood within the element of cultural diversity. The history of Nicaragua weaves together the origin, lives, and experiences of the original inhabitants and the indigenous groups of the region before bringing out the various aspe cts of life that connect with the experiences of colonialism and the struggles of the post-colonial country. The original inhabitants of Nicaragua were people who spoke the Chibcha language. They lived simple lives and practiced hunting and gathering as their mainstay. The original inhabitants lacked permanent places as they kept shifting from one region to another, within the vast countryside, in search for food and water. Conflicts between them and other indigenous group led to migrations and settlements in areas that would later define the different ethnic compositions of Nicaragua (Baracco, 2005). However, the inhabitants who made the most significant impact on the history of Nicaragua were the people of Nicarao ethnic group from whom the name Nicaragua was derived. These people later encountered the Spanish conquers who mingled with the native women leading to the mixed race of the mixed race that constitutes the dominant race of the people of Nic

Art Timeline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Art Timeline - Essay Example Created for World War I, the piece was reprinted in poster format the nature of the work part art, part advertising in which an objective was set for its use (Perman, 2008). . Fig 2 J. Howard Miller Rosie the Riveter, 1942 A powerful image for the war effort of World War II, Rosie the Riveter, also created for reprinting on multiple posters and created by Westinghouse artist J. Howard Miller, was a popular icon that supported the effort at home through the work of women as the men were soldiers across the ocean. Through this imagery, the inspiration of hard work with a purpose became a way in which to encourage women to step out of their homes and fill the positions that had been left open by their men. Although now considered somewhat controversial as feminist realize that the intent of the image was to free women temporarily, it still represents the collaborative efforts between the genders towards the war (Hall & Hall, 2006). Fig. 3 Richard Hamilton. Just what is it that makes tod ay’s home so different, so appealing?1956 Representing modern life through images that reflected Western ideals of the 1950s, this work by Richard Hamilton supports both the consumerist aesthetic and the innocence with which life was framed during that period. Through a collage piece that utilized painted aspects, the piece creates irony and amusement through a crazed, idealism that supports the consumerist aspects of the society. The piece measures 10 ? by 9 ?, so it is not very large, but it supports a great number of concepts in a very small frame. The work is iconic in that the images are representative of American life. Fig.4 Jasper Johns. Three Flags, 1958 Jasper Johns used the imagery of the flag to create a commentary on his own feelings of patriotism and the graphic nature of imagery that evokes a spirit in its interpretation. This piece is charcoal and graphite pencil on three boards, layered and overall measuring 11X16. In looking at the work, the image provides fo r propaganda that supplies a variety of emotional reactions to the pieces that he has created. The flag being a common theme in his work, he worked towards evoking a language of geometry in balance with the expressionistic values of the painting. Through both the commentary through painting theories and through the thematic explorations of the imagery of the flag, Johns evoked a sense of the American spirit within his work. Fig.5 Andy Warhol. Two Elvis, 1963. Andy Warhol memorialized some of the more important icons of his period. Created as a screenprint composition, the piece of work is 75.9X103.2 cm. This piece, titled Two Elvis, creates a powerful, yet poignant image of Elvis Presley, dressed from a movie in classic Americana Western attire. The power of the image is revealed through its graphic statement and its pathos in which the sweetness of his face is counterbalanced in the heroism that he is portraying. Tinged with the violence that is exampled by the gun that he holds, t he figure of Elvis ignites patriotism, nostalgia, and a sense of idolatry through the iconic image of the King of Rock and Roll. Fig. 6 Robert Rauschenberg. Axle, 1964 Robert Rauschenberg created art that combined objects, collage, and painting techniques to incorporate the idea of multi-media works with historically relevant imagery. This work, created using collage

Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence Essay Example for Free

Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence Essay Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence are two important and popular persuasive documents in American history. Both documents were written in 1776 about the same subject (Famighetti 512; Independence Hall Association 1999). However, as one reads the different documents one would observe the difference in tone and styles adopted by each author to express their ideas. As persuasive works both presents the current problems that they were facing, both give reasons as to why the problem was occurring and both presents a solution to the problem. The subject of both documents was Great Britain’s relationship with the American colonies. Both documents were written at a time when Great Britain was pressuring the American colonies to pay unreasonable and unfair taxes to her (Perry 431). Paine had felt that Great Britain was abusing its power while Jefferson argued that Great Britain was a tyrant. Then each author proceeded to enumerate their own reasons why they think it was so. In view of the current circumstances, both authors had felt that the colonies should free itself from Britain’s rule. In communicating his ideas, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense was written more in the direction of an editorial persuasive essay that aimed to make the people become aware of what was really going on between Britain and the American colonies. In the opening paragraph Paine clearly admit that what he was about to say may not be the general belief or views of his readers, â€Å" perhaps the sentiments contained in the following pages are not yet sufficiently fashionable to procure them general favor†( Independence Hall Association1999 ). He was merely presenting his opinion regarding a certain situation. On the other hand, Jefferson’s works was already a call to action as if the people already knew what was going on. The assumption that he was addressing to people who already knew the real situation was in the statement, â€Å"When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another† (Fameghetti 512), as if implying that certain events of which the people were aware of is now leading them to separate from Britain. In other words, Common Sense was educating the people while The Declaration of Independence was largely calling the now â€Å"educated† people to action. Thomas Paine’s discourse was merely voicing his opinions and informing the people of the real situation, his tone of voice was more of calm persuasion as if he was waking up the general American public from a long sleep of indifference and ignorance when he observes that the Americans were in â€Å"a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong† which â€Å"gives it a superficial appearance of being right†( Independence Hall Association 1999 ) . Paine then ended his document with a suggestion of what the American people should do. Jefferson on the other hand, adopted a more confident, assertive and with a sense of urgency tone in his work, with the goal of rallying more sympathizers and followers to the cause of independence and urging them to make an immediate action. This can be supported by the fact that by the time the document was conceived and read, not all Americans agreed to the separation (Perry 431). Yet Jefferson used the â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident†, using the word â€Å"we† to mean that he was assuming that all Americans was sharing his views and with this regard he was playing the role as the voice of the American people (Fameghetti 512). Unlike Paine, Jefferson ended the document not with a suggestion but with a bold announcement for the need of separation (Fameghetti 513). Moreover, the organization of both documents was different. Jefferson took a rather direct and abrupt approach in communicating his views. He immediately introduce his ideas in the beginning few paragraphs citing John Locke’s â€Å"inalienable rights† as the main basis for his argument and without much hesitation supported his view on separation by listing Britain’s faults. The theme of his works was more to justify American acts of rebellion so that other nations such as Spain and France from which they hope to gain support for their cause will not consider their revolutionary actions as illegal acts of rebellion (Maier 43). Paine, on the other hand, adopted a storytelling format in presenting his views. He took pains in providing background information about his subject (Independence Hall Association 1999). He examined every detail and favorable examples and presented them as logical explanations in support of his views of why it is better for a nation to be independent of Britain. When one examines each documents, one can conclude that in Common Sense, Paine acted as a persuasive educator, whose role was only that of a man who had the task of arousing the interest of his readers to side with his views while Jefferson acted more as an active leader of rebellion, whose main goal was to inspire the people to make immediate action in response to their belief that Great Britain should not rule over them. Works Cited Famighetti, Robert. The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1996. New Jersey: Funk and Wagnalls Corporation, 1995. Independence Hall Association. â€Å"Common Sense by Thomas Paine†. 1999. US History Organization Website. Accessed April 4, 2008 http://www. ushistory. org/paine/commonsense/singlehtml. htm Maier, Pauline. American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1997. Perry, Marvin. A History of the World. New York: Houghton and Mifflin, 1988.

The Ethical Considerations of Genetic Screening :: Science Genes Biology Papers

Ever since Watson and Crick deciphered the biological code of life, scientists have been busy unraveling the mysteries of life. A recent development in the area of genetic research has been the Human Genome Project (HGP). The HGP is a massive international effort to map and sequence the entire human genetic code. The primary goal of this research is to link certain diseases with abnormal genes that may be possessed by certain people. This would allow researchers the ability to screen individuals for certain diseases. This has already been a success with a number of conditions. PKU is a condition that causes severe retardation in children if nothing is done to prevent it, but by genetically screening the infants, doctors are able to tell who has the disease (Davis 1990). By simply altering the diet of these children, the mental retardation effects of the disease can be prevented. In addition, diseases such as Huntington’s disease, breast cancer, and muscular dystrophy are prese ntly being screened for in humans (Jaroff, 1996). How researchers are able to screen for genes New developments have given researchers the ability to decipher the genetic code of organisms. Some of the techniques that researchers use are RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) analysis and DNA probes. RFLP analysis utilizes enzymes from bacteria that are thought to be used as defense mechanisms against invading viral DNA. The enzymes fragment foreign DNA at specific locations depending on the base sequence (Griffiths, 1996). In order to analyze an organism’s genome a researcher will add a certain restriction enzyme to DNA. This produces small restriction fragments of DNA that vary in length. Electrophoresis is then used to separate out the various fragments of DNA. This is accomplished by subjecting the fragmented DNA to an electrical charge after it has been placed onto an agarose gel plate. Due to differences in length, the DNA restriction fragments will be separated in the gel plate. Another useful tool for scientists has been the DNA probe. A DNA probe is a piece of DNA that binds to certain sequences of the hosts DNA (Devore, 1998). The probe is able to do this because the DNA strand of the probe only binds to the appropriate DNA with a complementary sequence. Scientists label the probe with florescent markers or radioactive markers so that the gene of interest can be visualized. Often probes are used in conjunction with RFLP. After the organisms genome has been fragmented and electrophoresed, an absorbent membrane is placed over the gel and the DNA bands are "blotted" onto the membrane (this technique is called Southern Blotting).

Authoritarian Methods of Control in Brave New World & V for Vendetta Essay

People should not be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people. The right to rule. What gives someone such a power you ask? Well there is a variety of different factors and qualities one must have such as strength and leadership but there is a single item that all need and that is control. Without the obedience and submission of the people governments will fail. The film â€Å"V for Vendetta† and the novel â€Å"Brave New World† both comment on the issue of misuse of technology and the control of the people. V for Vendetta is the 2006 film adaptation by the Wachowski’s of the comic book of the same name created by Alan Moore. It is set in a futuristic dystopian world in which Britain is ruled by a totalitarian-fascist party, and follows the events triggered by a masked shadowy revolutionary known only as the letter V. Brave New World is Aldous Huxley’s controversial masterpiece, published in 1932 and is about a futuristic-dys topian world where the government has outlawed free-speech and individuality and uses psychological conditioning to control the people. Now let me refocus on the theme at hand: control. The Norsefire party in V for Vendetta rises to power by offering the solution after a string of biological attacks on various establishments: a school, water plant and an underground train station. The fear inspired by these attacks was what made people give them the power to rule. The Wachowski’s have compared and likened the Norsefire party to the Nazi’s the world’s most famous fascist regime. The symbol of the Norsefire uses the same colours and a similar symbol to that of the traditional swastika. The Norsefire also had a similar rise to power as the Hitler regime. First Chancellor Sattler was seen as the saviour before revealing his true colours as a villain â€Å"fear became the tool of this government†. The Norsefire also engaged in genocide of homosexuals, Muslims, and ethnics. Rather than concentration camps those captured were placed in detention centres with the aim of testing biochemical and vir uses. The Norsefire government represents what V is rebelling against and that is oppression and the abuse of power. Similarly in Brave New World, the World State is built upon from the devastation of the Nine Year War, fear and confusion were the aid of both these governments and let them create and enforce their ideals. Both governments have destroyed and banned any material that goes against party policy. Brave New World has taken this to the extreme with all literature and arts having been destroyed since the  beginning of the World State. The tool of control used by the World State is science, children are born from laboratories and are conditioned, and their lives are predetermined to create a unified machine. The motto of the World State accurately reflects this ideology â€Å"Community, Identity, Stability†; it calls for each class to identify within their ranking and to support the community with the aim of achieving stability. Characters like John and Valorie rebel and detest the notion of conformity. John wishes to experience the world as it truly was meant to be â€Å"But I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.† He hates the protected and sheltered state of the people of the world state and their dependency on soma. â€Å"Valorie is proud of being a lesbian and was captured because of it throughout her time at the detention centre she continues to fight whilst trying to stay true to herself and her identity. She leaves a note which becomes a source of inspiration for both V and Evey as she says â€Å"it was my integrity that was important†¦we must never lose it, or sell it, or give it away. We must never let them take it from us†. By using the number of his room at the Larkhill detention centre V becomes a living symbol of Norsefire’s genocide and a motive for his vendetta beyond V’s rebellious goals, he also wishes to remind the people of Valerie’s message a bout their identity, their integrity and that they have the freedom to be themselves, no matter what anyone tells them they can or can’t be.