Harrison Bergeron Essay Example for Free

Harrison Bergeron Essay Kurt Vonneguts short story â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† is about a futuristic society where beauty is destroyed to create equality. It centers around the highest official, appropriately named, the General Handicapper. His only role to to seek out and find to people who are skilled, pretty, or good at sports and forced them to hide away these talents through masks and waits. It is through basic literary elements that Vonnegut creates and develops the theme that general conformity leads to the deformation of humanity. The short story begins in the future, The year was 2081† and Vonnegut immediately puts out the benefits of this futuristic society, stating â€Å"everybody was finally equal† and not just equal â€Å"before God† but in â€Å"every way† possible (Vonnegut, 1968, p. 7). Vonneguts description foreshadows what is to come in the novel and certainly this forced equality can only lead to a dangerous and potentially deadly ending. Conformity and the effects of uniformity is a common theme in the bulk of science fiction literature and Vonneguts short stories are no different. However, in â€Å"Harrison Bergergon† not just the theme of uniformity is explore but also the stripping away of humanity. This short story, the government forces everyone to be equal nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. (Vonnegut, 1968, p. 7). Government agents force people who are beautiful to wear ugly masks and people who are thin are forced to carry around weights. The goal of all this control is to make sure that everyone has the same handicaps, the same features, and the same feelings. Even odder is that smart people were forced to wear radios which interfered with there brain functional creating a human society where everyone was equally stupid. By eliminating the the issues, which modern society still deals with, of racism, sexism, and discrimination based on looks, Vonneguts future society should be healthy and happy because everyone is the same. However, in the pursuit of equality the loss of humanity took place. Humanity is based on the idea of independence and individualism. The featured protagonist of this short story and namesake is Harrison Bergeron. He is a bright and friendly boy who has the most hated qualities in his society. He is intelligent, handsome, tall, and strong. Due to Harrisions features he is required to do several things to compensate for all his good quality. He is subject to radio noises which stops his concentration and focus. He has to carry hundreds of pounds of extra weight. He also have to wear sun glasses which gives him a head and he has to undergo surgery fort o make him ugly. While awaiting his surgery he escapes and takes over a news station. On air he takes off his handicaps and is revealed to society. When enters the station he is looks like a walking junk yard, required to wear a red rubber ball for a nose, keep his eyebrows shaved off, and cover his even white teeth with black caps at snaggle-tooth random ( Vonnegut, 1968, p. 21). He also meets up with a ballerina and she too casts off her imposed disabilities. When the couple dances they shrug off the law of gravity and the laws of motion as well, leaping to kiss the thirty-foot ceiling until finally they remained suspended in air inches below the ceiling, and they kissed each other for a long, long time. It is then that Glampers enters with her shotgun† (Vonnegut, 1968, p.  22). Unfortunately both are killed by the General Handicapper. As a sub plot his parents are watching the news station but once everything is said and done they can not remember what has happened due their forced handicaps. Irony is another literary device that Vonnegut uses in this short story. Vonnegut comments on the look-ism which is apparent in American society. Vonnegut even appears cynical about what passes as average in America. Hazel had a perfectly average intelligence, which meant she couldnt think about anything except in short bursts (Vonnegut, 1968, p. 20). The observation on the ballerinas continues the undercutting humor: They werent really very goodno better than anybody else would have been, anyway (Vonnegut, 1968, p. 20). Heavy irony emerges in the plodding Hazels missing the point, as when she sympathizes with the stuttering announcer for trying real hard to do his best or suggests George might remove some of his weights in the evenings. Compounding the irony she says, I think Id make a good Handicapper General. Good as anybody else, said George. The range of sounds and the comic brutality of their effect provides another source of comedy. One of Georges winces prompts Hazel to ask the cause. Sounded like somebody hitting a milk bottle with a hammer, he replies. Another sounds like a twenty-one gun salute that leaves George white and trembling and leaves two of the ballerinas on the floor clutching their temples. The final one is a riveting gun. GeeI could tell that one was a doozy, said Hazel. You can say that again, said George. Gee said HazelI could tell that one was a doozy. (Vonnegut, 1968, p. 41) Hazels stupid behavior and mindset symbolizes the dumbing down of America. In addition the television is equally symbolic. When this book was written, the television was now found in every home throughout the country. It became the way that people communicated and received news. Reading, literature, and human interaction decreased and was replaced by the mindless chatter of television shows and governmentally run news broadcasts. Hazels aversion to the old days when she could be made to feel like something the cat dragged in (Vonnegut, 1968, p. 22) obviously is not very persuasive The narration in â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† is also interesting. This is because the narration is third person, as if person is looking back on the events that just happened. Third person omnipresent is an interesting choice for narration because it allows the reader into the minds of all characters. For example Vonnegut reminds the readers, in third person narration Nobody can be in any way superior to anybody else, as guaranteed by the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of the agents of the United States Handicapper General (Vonnegut, 1968, p. 20). In particular, the motivations of each character which inspire their actions and words. â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† is a very unique short story because Vonnegut manipulates basic literary elements and creates a satire of American ideals and societal norms. Vonnegut is able too, in a tongue and cheek manner, show how the government can create a society which lacks humanity. A government that is left uncontrolled can exert such great power that it can destroy what makes human unique creatures on this planet. In doing so, people become mindless and vulnerable to the governmental propaganda that tells the citizens of a society that these rules are for their own good.

Facundo or Civilization and Barbarism by Domingo R. Sarmiento Essay

Facundo or Civilization and Barbarism by Domingo R. Sarmiento "Facundo or, Civilization and Barbarism," by Domingo F. Sarmiento is a book which talks about the many topics of government and political situations in which Argentina was involved. Mary Mann is the translator of the book and the introduction is by Ilan Stavans. The time period the story takes place in is the nineteenth century, but the book was written in 1845. The geographic areas in which the events take place are Argentina, Chile, and most of the southernmost part of South America, such as Uruguay and Paraguay. To add to the setting, the book talks about the terrain, which includes the Andes Mountains, the plains, and the forest. The principal characters in the book are Domingo F. Sarmiento, Juan Facundo Quiroga, a caudillo, and Argentina's dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas. Sarmiento's main points for writing this book were to discredit the caudillos and Rosas. Also, to show the truth about how things were in Argentina. When taking a look at this book, a person must take a look at the society and politics of the area to see how these things go hand in hand in Argentina. First of all, Rosas was the presidential dictator at the time and had the reputation of a tyrant. The Inhabitants of the land where mostly Spanish, Indian natives. Most of Argentina’s land was filled with deserted areas due to the low population, and the fact that not many people lived in Argentina's vast mountains and plain areas. This vast land was so large, that most governments could not control it, and criminals could basically do, as they wanted. Most of these criminals, gauchos, barbarians, or call them what you will overran these plains and mountains. It was the behavio... ...n good. Just like that of Facundo, when he took over Argentina and implemented his own governing and caused chaos. Both of these gauchos show you that they just strive to do what they want for themselves to make them happy and not the people of nation. The final comparisons is how one can see the liberal ideas of Sarmiento fighting against the more conservative ideas of the gaucho which were going against the civilization in Argentina. For example, Sarmiento wants to end the dictatorship and caudilloism, for these two held down the people’s individual rights and caused obstacles to the advance of civilization. The leaders in the dictatorship and caudilloism try to retain their own ideas and force them on everyone, not allowing for freedom of ideas or rights. In the end Sarmiento wins over the gauchos in Argentina and causes an advance in Argentina’s civilization.

Individual Assignment Essay

Question 2: Define the distinctions between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources in a secondary search. Primary sources are data that has not been interpreted and are the original research performed. These sources are from the source of the information. The data given from a primary source has not been translated into information by another person. Primary sources are the source of the data given. Many books of law are primary sources. A court transcript would be a primary source for an appealed case. Jane Goodall would be a primary source about chimpanzees because of here extensive first-hand research. Secondary sources have been interpreted from primary data. This textbook is an example of a secondary source because the authors gathered the information from many primary sources. They translated that data too this secondary source. Almost all research found falls into secondary sources category. Most information on the Internet has been translated from a primary source. Tertiary sources take secondary sources and interpret them. These can be guide books, timelines, and almanacs. They have condensed primary and secondary sources to create an index. Bibliographies are also an example of a tertiary source. Question 3: What problems of secondary data quality must researchers face? How can they deal with them? There are five problems of secondary data quality: Purpose, scope, authority, audience, and format. When evaluating purpose of a secondary source a research must discover why this data exist. The researcher must also evaluate if the research is relevant to his or her research. When deciding if the information meets the purpose it is trying to achieve. The research must also determine if it is biased in the way it is presented. Authority of research tells the researcher how well the author knows the subject. For instance the researcher would not go to Jane Goodall about what type of minerals found on Mars. Also the information needs to give cites to show where it got the information. Cites also need to have an authority on the subject. The data also needs show from where it originated. Scope shows the researcher the age of information, and whether or not it has been updated. It should show the amount of information available on subject. The data should also show whether it narrows the subject or encompasses the subject totally. It should also show why information was included. The scope should also be similar to other sources. Audience shows that the information was intended. Also what experience a researcher reading the source is assumed to have. Format shows the research how easy the information was to find. The ease with which the researcher can locate relevant information for his or her research question. Also the information needs to be easily translated into useable information. Chapter 7 Discussion Questions 1, 2, and 5 Question 1: How does qualitative research differ from quantitative research? Quantitative research needs a large number of participants. This information can only be objective and measured statistically. Quantitative research is only about the numbers, data that can be measured. This data can be calculated by mathematics, to determine the needs of a larger population. Qualitative research is translating data from observing, analyzing, and interpreting data from what people say or do. The researchers can analyze a small test group of people and determine why they like the red widget better than the blue one. This research is very subjective compared to quantitative research. Qualitative tries to find the meaning behind the outcome of a decision. Question 2: How do data from qualitative research differ from quantitative research? Quantitative research data consists of number and statistics. These are hard facts with a large number of participants. This data can be measured either by counting or fitting numerical data in an equation. This data will show exactly what occurred. The red widgets out sold the blue widgets 20 to one. The data will always be measurable, and is a strait forward method of research. It gives direct answers that are easy to interpret. Qualitative research is not measurable. This is how a consumer believes about a product. The consumer may feel that the color red makes the widget look better than the color blue. There is no measurement for this type of research. Finding out what makes the red widget more pleasing to consumers is the driving force for qualitative research. This type of data is not strait forward and involves a large amount of interpretation from the researcher. Experts are needed to translate the data. Question 5: Assume you are a manufacturer of small kitchen electrics, like Hamilton Beach/Proctor Silex, and you want to determine if some innovative designs with unusual shapes and colors developed for European market could be successfully marketed in the U. S. Market. What qualitative research would you recommend, and why? I would recommend a group interview because I would want to find a group consensus for these European products. The group will give me a wider variety of praise or concern for these products. They could also give feedback about what they like and dislike about the products. The company could also find a group of people most likely to buy these products. The company could get a feeling of how the test market would feel about these products. Also the company would want to find a non-bias interviewer, so they can get the most accurate data possible. The company can take these small group interviews and analyze the data collected to make a decision on whether or not to continue with the plan to introduce these products to the U. S. market. By interviewing participants from the products test market the company can a feel for how their product will be received.

Racial and Ethnic Groups Essay

There are three sociological perspectives of race and ethnicity which are functionalist, conflict, and labeling perspectives. The first one I will discuss is the functionalist perspective. The functionalist perspective emphasizes how the parts of society are structured to maintain its stability. As also described in the reading the functionalist approach is an approach, if an aspect of social life does not contribute to a society’s stability or survival, it will not be passed on from one generation to the next. The functionalist perspective thinks that racial hostility is hard to be admired but the functionalist would point out that it serves some positive functions from the perspective group of the racists as described. In the dominant group there are five functions that racial beliefs have for the dominant group. As described they are the following: 1. A society that practices discrimination fails to use the resources of all individuals. Discrimination limits the search for talent and leadership to the dominant group. 2. Discrimination aggravates social problems such as poverty, delinquency, and crime and places the financial burden of alleviating these problems on the dominant group. 3. Society must invest a good deal of time and money to defend the barriers that prevent the full participation of all members. 4. Racial prejudice and discrimination undercut goodwill and friendly diplomatic relations between nations. They also negatively affect efforts to increase global trade. 5. Social change is inhibited because change may assist a subordinate group. 6. Discrimination promotes disrespect for law enforcement and for the peaceful settlement of disputes. The second perspective is the conflict perspective which is the perspective assumes that the social structure is best understood in terms of conflict or tension between competing groups. As described in the reading society is a struggle between the privileged (the dominant group) and the exploited (the subordinate group). There is competition that takes groups between groups with unequal amounts of political and economic powers. A difference is that functionalists are not necessarily in favor of inequality; their approach is helps to understand why such systems persist as described. The subordinate group is criticized for its low status. The dominant group is responsible for subordination which is often ignored. The third approach is the labeling approach. The labeling theory which is described in the reading is a concept introduced by sociologist Howard Becker, is an attempt to explain why certain people are viewed as deviant and other engaging in the same behavior are not. As said in the reading a crucial aspect of the relationship between dominant and subordinate groups is the prerogative of the dominant group to define society’s values. Minorities are believed to have the lack of ability to perform in important positions where subordinate group are locked into society’s inferior jobs. I feel that I can agree with the labeling perspective the most. The reason for this is that it still exists in today’s society. Companies are required to provide equal opportunity employment and cannot discriminate against religion, race, or age. We know that this is still not true. You see that most police officers and firefighters are still mostly men. You still see large amounts of families have stay at home mothers. Another example would believe that if a child is bad in school that it has to be his or her parents that make them that way. I believe that it truly is still an issue among individuals. Part II I choose African Americans and the creation of migration and the consequence of segregation. Migration is defined as a general term that describes any transfer of population. Segregation is described the physical separation of two groups, often imposed on a subordinate group by the dominant group. According to Wikipedia I choose The Great Migration. As described it was the movement of 2 million African American out of the Southern United States to the Midwest, Northeast, and West from 1910 to 1930. They migrated to escape racism and seek employment opportunities in industrial cities. When the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863 less than eight percent of the African American population lived in the northeastern or Midwestern U. S. As described, â€Å"Between 1910 and 1930, the African American population grew by about 40% in Northern states, mostly in the major cities. Cities such as Chicago, Detroit, New York, and Cleveland had some of the biggest increases in the early part of the century. Because changes were concentrated in cities, urban tensions rose as African Americans and new or recent European immigrants, both groups chiefly from rural societies, competed for jobs and housing with the white ethnic working class. Tensions were often most severe between ethnic Irish, defending their positions, and recent immigrants and blacks. † â€Å"African Americans moved as individuals or small family groups. There was no government assistance, but often northern industries, such as the railroads, meatpacking and stockyards, recruited people. The primary factor for migration was the racial climate and widespread violence of lynching in the South. In the North, they could find better schools and adult men could vote (joined by women after 1920). Burgeoning industries meant there were job opportunities. † (Wikipedia, 2010) This in turn caused African Americans to feel segregated and felt they had to be among other African Americans do to how they are treated. There were many fights and riots among different cultural groups due to segregation. Such as the example of African Americans who could not sit in the front of the bus because of their race. In today’s society this is ethnically not acceptable. References: Wikipedia. (2010, October 15). Wikipedia. org. Retrieved October 23, 2010, from Wikipedia: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Great_Migration_(African_American).

curriculum essay essays

curriculum essay essays Over the past few years controversy of boys and schooling has emerged as a significant national issue and vigorously debated in the media. Issues related to boys education have been raised by education systems, schools and their communities. These concerns about the experience of boys in schools have increasingly been incorporated into discussions about gender equity in education. This has occurred amongst education practitioners, academics and policy makers, in Australia and other English speaking countries. In Australia, the opening of a more comprehensive policy debate about the education of boys through the 1990s is reflected by an increased number of research initiatives, conferences, and two official inquiries The current one Boys: Getting it right, (House of Representatives, 2002) is the basis of this essay. The extent of concern in the community about this issue is reflected in the number of submissions to the inquiry, media attention and the emergence of a plethora of popular literature on the theme. The report from Boys: Getting it right: Report on the inquiry into education and Training, looks at current patterns of boys participation and achievement in school. Evidence shows that boys have consistently poorer outcomes than girls on basic literacy tests, and are less likely to complete high school. While at school, boys tend to study a narrower range of subjects and their average Year 12 scores are lower than for girls. However, it is certain groups of boys rather than all boys who are more likely to perform poorly or become disengaged with schooling. Therefore it is important to explore how we arrived at this point in the education of boys and the complex social factors that impact upon it. The inquiry has concluded the way forward for both girls and boys is to identify their common and separate educational needs and to implement a policy framework with positive strategies to address ...

Affect of power relations on organizational change and development Essay

Affect of power relations on organizational change and development - Essay Example The consolidation exercises resorted to by the various organizations have made the companies leaner and flatter as management levels are being eliminated. Organizations are now trying to reduce bureaucracy and make the executives directly responsible and accountable for their tasks. Political as well as institutional systems play an important role in the power dynamics during any organizational change process. Some of these forces resist change due to changing dynamics while others stimulate them for the same reason (cited in Boonstra and Gravenhorst 1998). During any change process, CEO and the management along with consultants etc try to use their power to influence the process of change. At times this use of power to influence others can cause resistance while at other times it can facilitate the change process as noted by Fable and Yukl (1992) Power dynamics can be displayed openly or invisibly by the agents involved. For example, Bachrach and Baratz (1962) say that management ca n exclude participation by keeping certain decision from being open to discussions during a change process. In open display of power dynamics, managers hold meeting and discussions where they try to convince and influence others through facts, expertise or experiences. Theories of power dynamics and change management Boonstra and Gravenhorst (1998) look at power dynamics under five different perspectives. They build on the various researches that have studied the bases of power and root their first perspective on these. They say that â€Å"change in organizations is demanded by the top management and they need their position and power in order to effect change† (Boonstra and Gravenhorst 1998). In the second perspective they say that personal power is also used and thought the starting point of change is power, logical arguments and facts to support change are presented. The next two perspectives are based on the research in organization theory and management. In the fourth pe rspective, they see the role of agencies in exerting power to control processes and the various â€Å"interest groups† use power to negotiate the direction in which the change process should go. So far, the use of power was prominently observable in the various perspectives. In the fifth perspective, this is more subtle. The change agents tend to instill values, norms and perceptions through â€Å"management of meaning† and emphasize on the usefulness aspects of the desired change. The fifth perspective is about using the models developed by the organizational learning and organizational schools. They say that these models use the power of discussions and employee participation to bring about the desired change. Earlier literature on power viewed it as the ability of the change agent to influence the subjects to accept that change within a particular reference context (French and Raven 1959). Boonstra and Gravenhorst (1998) say that Bass in 1960 described two sources o f power – personal and position. In the position power, a manager has received authority to act by virtue of his position in the organization. This is the dominating power of the management and any confrontations to proposals put forward by the management are considered as resistance and hence are intolerable as per Hardy and Clegg (1996) quoted by Boonstra and Gravenhorst (1998). Bouwen (1995) describe this authoritarian model of change as â€Å"

Design Patterns Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Design Patterns - Research Paper Example This notification can encompass particular information and facts regarding the topic of the notification. However, the subject can eliminate any of the observers from the list when there is no need for a specific observer to be informed regarding these events or changes with respect to the matter they are registered with the subject. They are used when there is need maintaining constancy and reliability between connected objects while not affecting coupling characteristics of classes. For instance, these patterns can be used when an object needs to be able to inform other objects without having suppositions on the subject of those objects. Moreover, the observer pattern consists of the following elements (Osmani, 2012): Subject: This component is responsible for managing the operation related to observers, such as facilitating, eliminating, or adding observers into the list (Osmani, 2012). Observer: This component is responsible for offering an up to date interface for observers that need to be informed regarding any change (Osmani, 2012). Concrete Subject: This component is responsible for managing transmission and notifications to objects regarding changes to state. It also maintains the state of ConcreteObservers (Osmani, 2012). ConcreteObserver: This component is responsible for establishing and maintaining a reference to the ConcreteSubject. In addition, it also implements a modern interface for the observer to make sure that state is compatible with the subject (Osmani, 2012). Advantages The observer patterns allow software development teams to think effectively about the associations among various elements of software application (Osmani, 2012; Toal, 2012). These patterns also allow software engineers to recognize what application layers have straight associations which could be alternatively replaced with a set of observers and subjects. In this scenario, these patterns can be effectively employed for splitting a software application into a number of sm aller, more freely joined components with the purpose of improving code maintenance as well as competency for re-use (Osmani, 2012; Sud, 2013). These patterns are useful for establishing and maintaining a one-to-many dependency between objects (Marakana Inc., 2013). These patterns provide an excellent communication mechanism for instance, when there is a change in the state all the related objects are notified automatically (Marakana Inc., 2013) Disadvantages As discussed above, these patterns support for decoupling however by decoupling various objects, it can frequently turn out to be hard to get assurance that specific components of a software application are working as they are expected to do (Osmani, 2012; Pierry, 2013). It is believed that in these patterns subscribers are relatively unaware of the subsistence of each other as well as are sightless to the price of switching publishers. Hence, because of this dynamic association between objects, it is difficult to track the upd ate dependence (Osmani, 2012; Sud, 2013). 2. The Factory Pattern The Factory pattern is also one of the most important creational patterns, which is concerned with the concept of developing objects. However, it differentiates with other patterns of the base of a property and that is it doesn't openly require software engineers to make use of use of a constructor. On the other hand, a Factory provides software engineers