The True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

In Search of Goal Do you think looking forward and trying to change a bad situation into a good one for having a better life is a wrong decision? The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian is a novel written by Sherman Alexie. The novel is about Arnold Spirit; everyone calls him Junior. He is a teenage boy with a tough life who lives with his family in poverty on a Spokane Indian reservation in Wellpinit, Washington. He hates living in poverty and wants something better for himself. â€Å"I feel like I might grow up to be somebody important.An artist†(6) he claims. His living conditions are horrible; he studies in a school with a lack of resources. He considered the different aspects of moving to Reardan, he struggled about leaving the Rez. In the end Junior decided to leave the Rez and make a better life for himself. He must go somewhere else, somewhere that people have hope. In order to get a decent education he made the difficult decision to transfer to the privileged white school in the town of Reardan. Leaving the Rez for a better life had a negative impact on Junior’s relationship with Rowdy.Junior and Rowdy were friends for a long time. â€Å"He is my best human friend and he cares about me† (16), â€Å"Rowdy has protected me since we were born† (17). Rowdy was the most important person in Junior’s life. By leaving the Rez, Junior lost his friend. When Junior told Rowdy about leaving the Rez he got mad, he hauls off and punched Junior in the face and told him, â€Å"Don’t touch me, you retarded fag† (52). Rowdy was angry with Junior; he thought Junior betrayed him by making this decision.Junior was upset about what happened he felt guilty that their relationship was ruined. â€Å"I knew that my best friend had become my worst enemy†(53). In sum, Junior lost his best friend Rowdy because of the decision that he made for a better life. In addition to losing his old friend making new friends at Re ardan was hard and slow. When Junior arrived in Reardan he was scared. He didn't know what was going to happen with the other students. He was wondering what he was doing in a racist white school. Did you know that Indians are living proof that niggers fuck buffalo? I felt that Roger had kicked me in the face. That was the most racist thing I ‘d ever heard in my life† (64) He tried to protect himself when he hit Roger, and he didn’t understand why Roger didn’t try to hit him back. He was scared about the decision that he made. Arnold was the center of attention and this feeling made him uncomfortable, â€Å"They stared at me like I was Bigfoot or a UFO† (56). Most of the students rejected him, they called him names like â€Å"Chief† â€Å"Squaw Boy† â€Å"Tonto†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (64).It was the loneliest time of his life; â€Å" I just walked from class to class alone; I sat at launch alone; during PE I stood in the corner of the gym and played catch with myself† (83). He thought that he could make friends, but Reardan students didn’t want him in their school. He felt really lonely. As a result, Arnold was lost because everything in Reardan was different from the Rez; he knew that it would be hard for him to find his place in the racist school of Reardan. Although he had a lot of external problems with his new life style in Reardan, it was nothing compared to the internal conflict he suffered.Toward the end of the novel Junior was faced with an abundance of death among his family and friends. After the death of his grandmother, sister and his father’s best friend he was sad, and felt that all the bad things that happened to his friend and family were his fault. As a result he felt helpless and stupid: â€Å"I was mad at God† (171). â€Å"I was so depressed that I thought about dropping out of Reardan. I thought about going back to Wellpinit. I blamed myself for all of the death. I had cur sed my family.I had left the tribe, and had broken something inside all of us, and I was now being punished for that† (173). He carried the guilt of his sister’s death; â€Å"I had killed my sister. Well, I hadn’t killed her. But she only got married so quickly and left the Rez because I had left the Rez first. She had burned to death because I had decided that I wanted to spend my life with white people. It was all my fault† (211). He took on the burden of responsibility for the death of his sister; she was killed in an accident when she was drunk; what happened to her wasn’t Junior’s fault.As result, he was terrified of losing his father, â€Å"Please God, please don’t kill my daddy† (203). Then Junior got some guidance from his father and some words of encouragement from his mother, and Junior began to understand that he made the change in his life for the better. Junior wasn’t the reason her sister died, but he had in spired her to follow her dreams as well. The upshot of all this is that, Junior’s decision about leaving the Rez and moving to Reardan for a better education was tough.He faced lot of problems; he felt lonely because of losing his best friend, and afraid of death of his tribe and family. Although he suffered from the entire bad things that happened to him, it was the best decision that he had made for his life. â€Å"I realized that I might be a lonely Indian boy, but I was not alone in my loneliness. There were millions of other Americans who had left their birthplaces in search of a dream† (217). Work cited Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little, 2009. Print.

Euthanasia essay Essay

For several years, euthanasia has been a subject of controversy. Euthanasia is a fairly new problem for the United States and has gained a horrible reputation from negative media publicity surrounding the issue. According to a website: Euthanasia also known as mercy killing is a way of painlessly terminating one’s life with the â€Å"humane† motive of ending suffering. Euthanasia came into the public eye recently during the Terri Schiavo controversy where her husband appealed for euthanasia while Terri’s family claimed differently. This is a classical case, shedding light on the pros and cons of mercy killing. (â€Å"Pros and Cons†) Many claim the betrayal of God’s right to control the human life and state that the legalization of euthanasia is the legalization of murder. However, people that are opposed to euthanasia are thinking how the death of a terminally ill patient would affect them, not how it affects the person that is sick. If there is no other way to relieve the suffering of terminally ill patients, then the more humane option to suicide is euthanasia. Euthanasia has a purpose and should be evaluated as humanely filling a void created by our inhumane society. Terminally ill patients already feel that they are deprived of all rights. However, many adversaries are not in favor of a patient’s right to die, it may seem heartless to consider the financial burden of keeping a patient alive against the patient’s will. Smith states, â€Å"that the cost of chemotherapy is deemed an unjustified expense for the government to pay due to the limited time it would provide. However, the governm ent informed the terminally ill patient that they will gladly pay for euthanasia† (Smith). By the article stating this quote, then if a patient has already told family members that they wish to die and discontinue the burden of the patient’s family members, euthanasia should be permissible. Even criminals have a right for their last wish. A website states, â€Å"Legalizing euthanasia would help alleviate suffering of the terminally ill patients. It would be inhuman and unfair to make them endure the unbearable  pain† (â€Å"Pros and Cons†). It is the physician’s duty to fulfill the last wish of terminally ill patients. If the person’s will is rejected, one might try to commit the act of suicide. Euthanasia is often mistaken or associated with assisted suicide. Doctors now have the technology and the skills to anticipate natural death almost indefinitely. A website article states, â€Å"In an attempt to provide medical and emotional care, a doctor does and should prescribe medicines that will relieve suffering even if the medications cause side effects. Euthanasia follows the same theory of dealing with suffering in a way to help one die peacefully† (â€Å"Pros and Cons†). There is a distinctive difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide. Euthanasia is the ability to die with dignity, while assisted suicide is assisting one to commit suicide. Euthanasia happens when a physician or other healthcare provider does something, such as administering a known lethal dose of a drug with the patient’s consent. Physician-Assisted Suicide is where the terminally ill patient’s request a prescription for a fatal dose of a drug which they can administer to themselves at a time of their choosing. Ernst and Mennie had stated in an article that â€Å"both euthanasia and assisted suicide force someone else to end your life. The job of the health care professional is to maintain and enhance life, not end it† (Ernst and Mennie). However, when one thinks of the job of the health care professional it is to add quality and meaning to one’s life. In some situations, when there is a terminally ill patient that will never be able to have quality or meaning in their life wouldn’t it be the duty of the physician to suggest euthanasia so one may die with dignity. The first priority in the care of patients facing severe pain as a result of a terminal illness or chronic condition should be the relief of their pain. A website states, â€Å"Palliative care can control nearly all pain; when it can’t, doctors can administer palliative care sedation that allows the patient to die a natural death without experiencing horrible symptoms† (Erst and Mennie). Many adversaries of euthanasia have feared that the increasing technology that doctors have now might lead to the abuse of euthanasia. Most people today support the rights of terminally ill patients to end their pain through euthanasia. A website states, â€Å"In case of individuals suffering from incurable diseases or in conditions where effective treatment wouldn’t affect their quality of life; they should be given the liberty to  choose euthanasia† (â€Å"Pros and Cons†). This issue has been a personal experience for me after seeing my grandfather at death’s door for over 17 months, waking up in his feces and urine, and begging God to let him die. If euthanasia was legalized, maybe he would have had the choice to die with dignity. Terminally ill patients should have the right to choose euthanasia. There has been much controversy over euthanasia in the past several years and is likely to remain a controversial subject because of the disapproval from many religious groups and the medical profession. Religious groups as well as the medical profession agree that doctors are not required to use extraordinary measures to prolong the life of the terminally ill. The government should legalize euthanasia because it is important in protecting the structure of the United States. Euthanasia should remain a choice and should be legalized. The right to choose euthanasia should not be restricted by other’s opinions and should be based on the individual’s right to die with dignity.

Women, Advertising, & the Ottoman Empire

In this paper, I intend to look at the issues of advertising and women in the Ottoman Empire. I will identify how advertising forms had the ability of impacting women within in the Ottoman Empire as well as how the advertising forms had a general impact on Ottoman society as a whole. I will mainly focus on the nineteenth century and twentieth century in my analysis. However, I will make reference to the conditions that preceded the context of my analysis.First, I want to elaborate on the context from which I begin my enquiry. The Ottoman Empire didn’t feel the true forces of modernization until around the nineteenth century. Some have identified the date at which the Ottoman regime faced political, financial, and social challenges associated with modernization as the 1830s. As the regime began to feel the impacts of modernization, the Sultan felt the pressures from European powers. Soon the military and the bureaucratic apparatus begin to show signs of strain. Of course, the c hallenges associated with modernization ultimately reached the society as a whole.At this time, there was a flood of mass-produced goods. Many of these goods came from different trade agreements that had recently been signed with the European states. The influx of goods and increased trade diminished the traditional guild methods of production as well as consumption throughout the Empire. At the time, the urban areas in the Empire could have been described as cosmopolitan. The major cities were a combination of minority groups, Europeans, Levantines, and a wealthy bureaucratic class who were largely accepting of European ways of living and European ideals.I mention this context in order to show how modernization had begun to affect the region. I also want to highlight how the cities within the Ottoman Empire were becoming highly diversified. In other words, the Empire was undergoing major shifts toward a more multiethnic character as well as shifts toward an acceptance of European o r â€Å"Western† ways of living. At the turn of the twentieth century, the makeup of the Ottoman Empire was a mixture between Turkish Ottomans, Armenians, Jews, Muslims, Greeks, and Europeans. Complex cultural and religious groupings such as this inherently demand a market for a diverse range of roducts. Not until the 1860s did Western companies enter the Ottoman markets. However, when the Western influences entered the Ottoman realm, a tendency toward liberal economic policies had already been instituted along with quickly advancing cultural and social developments.Many scholars refer to the entrance of, for instance, Western marketing forces, as the systematic Westernization of urban spaces within the Empire (Duben & Behar 1991). During the times between the 1870s and 1914, multinational companies were fueling the process of globalization (Jones 2005). This transition in business practice (e. g. lobalization) was thought to move from the more advanced parts of the world to less industrial areas (Wilkins 2005). Of course, the Ottoman Empire was one of the first regions to be affected by globalization. Most scholarly surveys focus on the notion that Western companies operating in the Ottoman Empire are premised on the ideas of imperialism or dependency. However, these types of analysis are lacking in the appropriate scope. To actually understand the situation of the time from a perspective that moves beyond simple readings that claim imperialistic forces were at play, it is good to look at the Ottoman consumer culture.The consumer culture was perhaps best represented in the ways companies advertised their products. It is also important to look at who the buyers of these products were and what the perception of these buyers ultimately was. In this paper, I will be focusing on marketing and advertising in order to advance an analysis of the late-Ottoman Empire as something other than a casualty of modernization. I now wish to transition to my primary topic of women and advertising in the Ottoman Empire. I suppose one could term the era I am looking at â€Å"late-Ottoman† society.Though this term is not extremely helpful for the purposes of my paper, I believe it does accurately represent a series of notions held by Ottoman scholars, and it seems helpful to at least keep in mind. However, I will primarily be looking at women insofar as consumption or the emergence of modern goods impacted women and catered to the desires of women in the Empire. Given the modern emergence I discussed earlier, women were beginning to develop expectations and images of the modern lifestyle, and this was beginning to attract them.Not surprisingly, advertising around this time focused heavily on women’s attitudes toward this attractive new lifestyle. Since I am primarily concerned with women in my analysis, I will look at publications geared toward women. From these publications and advertisements, the areas of entertainment, wealth, foo d, education, etc. , will be uncovered for their respective changes that were brought about by modernization. In terms of gender, the twentieth century marked a time of tension as it pertained to perceptions of women, especially among the Ottoman elite.This occurred alongside many of the same issues associated with modernization I mentioned earlier. However, other areas of change were being displayed by changes in women’s education and the increased spread of modern ideals in the media. As women’s education was transforming, ideas were being raised in the popular media as to the concepts of gender. Some authors and scholars from the early 1900s even debated the modernization of the Ottoman Empire in terms of the relationship between women and the Empire itself.As in other parts of the world, the common themes relating to gender—marriage, women’s proper role, divorce, motherhood—were being politicized and debated. As a response to this shift, some s cholars began to focus on the Ottoman state’s self-initiated reforms and how these reforms brought about things such as a women’s popular press. Of course, much information used in the debate about gender today is drawn from the popular images of the time, which originated from social avenues of life such as consumption.For instance, advertisements found in women’s journals showed evidence of how women were beginning to perceive, for example, roles of other upper-class women (Basci 2004). First, I think it is important to consider advertising itself in terms of its presence in the Ottoman Empire. Advertising was a brand new industry that had just come about in the early 1900s insofar as the Ottomans were concerned. Many of the first advertisements were specifically marketed to Ottoman women by merchants who were aware of their target demographic.The women depicted in these advertisements portrayed a largely unmediated image of consumers. These types of consumers were depicted as elite women who were educated to a degree (in that they read). Before the establishment of the Turkish republic, there were in excess of forty different women’s publications. Most of these women’s publications came about after 1908, when the reinstatement of the Ottoman constitution occurred. The reinstatement of the constitution, or the event that was referred to as the constitutional revolution, gave the Ottoman press and unprecedented amount of freedom.An article I referenced by Palin Basci looked at the feminist journal entitled Women’s World. This journal came about in 1913 and was in print for eight years. The journal was thought to represent a platform for discussing gender relations. Furthermore, it was believed that Women’s World was a symbol of a new type of world for Ottoman women (Cakir 1994). In fact, the publication was actually published by the Association for the Defense of Women’s Rights. For my enquiry, I want to look at this journal due to the particularly thorough amount of scholarly research that looks at this publication.Furthermore, Women’s World is believed to have been one of the most consistent and visible publications for women during the Ottoman period. The journal was also published by women. Within the journal there were editorial articles, stories, letters, translations, and advertisements. Basci argues that the advertisements in the publication, â€Å"contributed to, and were, in turn, shaped by the emergency of new avenues of power and participation for women† (Basci 2004, 37). After one year in publication, the weekly issue of Women’s World began to contain notices for goods and services that focused on a female consumer base.The types of goods being targeted to the readers were goods that would have been considered â€Å"natural† goods for the time for a female consumer. For example, these advertisements covered topics such as fashion, health, an d beauty. Additionally, the featured advertisements were created in large part to appeal to women’s awareness of self-image issues. The other types of advertisements focused on issues relating to entertainment, leisure, food, wealth, and education. The types of advertisements commonly found in Women’s World portrayed women of all standings in life.The advertisements also had the effect of portraying women who were teachers, mothers, and wives as consumers of health books, movies, delicatessens, restaurants, legal services, and maid services. The advertisements also give insight into the broader questions of the time period, such as the consumption patterns of women, and how these patterns were influenced by an internationalized market. In the following, I will mainly focus on the issue of education, and how this theme played an important role in late-Ottoman advertising and its impacts on women.Many female readers of the popular publications of the time were being subj ect to further solicitation from educational publications. Interestingly, women were targeted by magazines that covered politically and social relevant issues that pertained to the development of the Empire. Basci points out that these advertisements ranged between books on womanhood and love, to issues of national interest and liberty. As an example, Women’s World advertised the journal entitled Ictihad, which was intended for individuals who supported the ideas of free thought, â€Å"liberty from oppression,† and intellectual evolution.One interesting trend that I would like to identify here is how the publications such as Ictihad (which stands for â€Å"opinions†) acknowledged how women should be interested in live beyond the home and ought to look toward the world and its customs and issues of significance. Within the publication, tutors of German, English, and French offered their services. In addition to these language opportunities for Ottoman women, diff erent ads advertised classes in painting, photography, and music. The ads often expressed a desire in catering to both Muslim and non-Muslim women, which is also an interesting point to consider.Just prior to the emergence of these type of ads as well as following the introduction of these ads, activities such as arts, piano, and languages were becoming increasingly viewed as lady-like and sophisticated. Many of the available tutors in the advertisements were non-Muslim, which may have posed an issue in the times preceding. Of course, all of these ideas of education and gaining the skills of refinement had an effect on Ottoman society as a whole, in that it complicated the common female conventions that had existed for many years. Furthermore, the skills being taught were emphasizing Western ideas and techniques.In terms of music lessons, Western music and instruments were being used. Common religious and folk songs were being taught in introductory courses, which would have been lo oked down upon in times prior. Perhaps most importantly, the skill of mastering a European language was viewed as more socially important than being well-versed at the Arabic language or Koranic scholarship. I mention these examples to emphasize how once conservative Islamic regions were beginning to favor European ideas and skills over the historically important skills such as Islamic scholarship.Another interesting thing to note is that the tutors offering their services in Women’s publications were not only female. Some male tutors were offering their services to women, which radically disrupted the conventions of Ottoman women. For instance, most upper-class Ottoman women carried a stereotypical notion that they lived segregated lives. Furthermore, men would sometimes seek the services of women who advertised services in the women’s publications. Some Ottoman women began offering their services as domestic maids until they married.In total, I want to portray how th e Muslim women who read women’s publications around the turn of the twentieth century were exposed to and encouraged to engage with the world around them. They were encouraged to depart from their common domestic spheres and experience what the world had to offer. Of these women, as portrayed by the types of ads in the common publications, many were interested in education as well as issues relating to philosophy, war, and ethnicity. Furthermore, the actual existence of independent women’s publications symbolizes a significant shift in Ottoman society.The publications symbolize a type of woman who was clearly engaged in the social, economic, and political dimensions around her. A past emphasis on male driven advertisement targeting was now switching toward a focus on women and their relation to the larger Ottoman markets and urban lifestyles. Women were starting to manage their own money to a degree and desired to learn new languages. Also, women became actively involv ed in equipping the homes with phones and electricity. These women were also likely to attend a drama performance by themselves or have their portrait taken by a photographer listed in the women’s publications.Perhaps most importantly, the advertisements offered to Ottoman women signaled the ability for Ottoman women to take full advantage of modern conveniences. Rather than living domestic lives and concerning themselves with child-rearing, women had the time and freedom to engage in activities such as volunteering and socializing. As female socializing became more prevalent, new forms of entertainment and leisure were created. New forms of leisure included fine dining, dramatic entertainment, musical concerts, etc.What I found particularly interesting was the degree to which advertising in late-Ottoman society linked Ottoman women to European lifestyles. Ottoman women were directly exposed to European customs and European styles. Still, women were largely subjected to forms of exclusion within the Empire. For instance, even though women were engaging in a way of life that resembled the European lifestyle, Ottoman women were still given separate forms of transportation, rooms specifically for women, and women’s matinees. Still, the increased presence of women in all aspects of Ottoman life brought about questions bout instituting a new dress code. It is important to remember that women’s increased visibility and participation was not fully accepted by all. In many ways, the visibility of women led to greater scrutiny of women and greater debate over the appropriate social boundaries in the Empire. Pelin Basci also points out in her article that Ottoman modernity brought about the association of guilt and decadence with modern consumer practices. The guilt was a result of consumerism during a time in which the Empire’s military was undergoing great losses. As the Empire lost militarily, it also lost territorially.Thus, men and women within the Empire began to accuse one another of irresponsibility related to spending money on consumer goods and leisure activities. Some writers (e. g. Karaosmanolu) believed that women’s engagement with modern lifestyles marked the descent of the Ottoman Empire into corruption and moral chaos. The article by Basci points out a cartoon that I actually came across in another article on this issue. The cartoon portrays the Ottomon nation as a pure and virginal woman who becomes threatened by the gluttony and lust of European influences (Brummet 1998).Many male writers at the decline of the Empire attributed the female attraction to modern lifestyles as catastrophic to the society. However, men also blamed each other, accusing their fellow men of indulging in the lust and gluttony associated with entertainment and leisure. These men believed that leisure had ultimately distracted them from paying attention to their home and their country. By loosing focus on the home, they be lieved that they allowed women to gain too much freedom in economics and politics.Despite the accusations thrown at either side, it seems certain that advertising played a significant role in determining women’s perceptions toward modernity. Women’s publications literally offered them new and intriguing ways of experiencing life and growing personally. However, it is possible that publications such as Women’s World merely revealed a marketplace that was already largely composed of Muslim women who were contracting and offering modern services in a market that was already buzzing with competition.The dynamic between modern consumer culture and women seemed to be based on women’s economic influence as well their political influences. One example of this was the women’s boycott on Austrian goods as a response to Austria-Hungary’s annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina (Quataert 1983). In terms of the influences that motivated advertisers, it is impor tant to mention that women’s increased economic and political activities was being recognized by merchants. This led to aggressive marketing campaigns targeted directly toward women. The competition to secure the female market led to tensions between players in the markets.One of these tensions could be represented as a general tension between Muslim and non-Muslim businesses. From these religious tensions, certain religious symbols often entered ads in the women’s publications, such as the crescent and star. Other companies focused on nationalistic issues, and emphasized their pride with national issues and with women who purchase domestic products such as food and oil. Some non-Muslim companies took advantage of advertising to emphasize how money spent with Muslim companies would ultimately return to use as guns and bullets in war.In its attempts to overcome social disintegration, the environment in the Ottoman Empire fostered a milieu of economic nationalism, partic ularly among Muslims. This fact may have also led to greater ethnosocial tensions in the society (Balabanis 2001). I highlight this point to demonstrate how advertising played a role in pitting Muslims against non-Muslims. Either way, both saw a common enemy in the Western companies. Paradoxically, this enemy was also a friend of sorts. Ultimately, advertisements targeted toward women can best be seen for their propensity toward a common conflict.This conflict is the conflict between the spread of the modern lifestyle and the ads themselves, which seemed to portray contempt for the overall lack of female participation in the social life of the country. This fact seems to indicate to me that the involvement by women in the social, economic, and political spheres may have not been as pronounced as scholars seem to argue. Granted, it may have increased to a degree, but I see no evidence that this increase was substantial enough to be deemed a descent into â€Å"moral chaos. Still, it is clear that late-Ottoman advertising did seek to appeal to a new type of woman. This woman had a type of agency, and was willing to make her own choices. This was wanted to play an active role in shaping her interactions with the outside world and establishing herself as a viable consumer. It is now believed that the period between the revolution (1908) and World War I marked a time of significant female visibility. Increased visibility came alongside new platforms for women to assert themselves in issues of political and social importance.Since many issues of political and social importance were seen to relate to consumption, women were also establishing firm connections with avenues of consumption and leisure. Ultimately, advertising in the late-Ottoman Empire seemed to be united by a cohesive theme. That theme is, in my opinion, one of heightened self-awareness. As women became more aware of their political and social powers, women also became aware of the disparities between t he different classes, especially the classes of women.Works Cited Basci, Pelin. ‘The New Woman’: Fashion, Beauty, and Health in Women’s World. † International Journal of Turkish Studies 11 (2005). Brummett, Palmira. â€Å"New Woman and Old Nag: Images of Women in the Ottoman Cartoon Space. † Fatma Muge Gocek, ed. , Political Cartoons in the Middle East. Princeton: Markus Wiener Publishers, 1998. Serpil, Cak’r. Osmanl’ Kad’n Hareketi. (Ottoman Women’s Movement). Istanbul: Metis Yay’nlar’, 1994. Duben, Alan, and Cem Behar. Istanbul Households. Marriage, Family and Fertility 1880–1940. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 1991. Jones, Geoffrey. Multinationals and Global Capitalism from the Nineteenth to the Twenty-First Century. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2005. Quataert, Donald. Social Disintegration and Popular Resistance in the Ottoman Empire, 1881–1908. New York: New York University Press, 1983. Wilkins, Mira. â€Å"Multinational Enterprise to 1930. Discontinuities and Continuities. † In  Leviathans. Multinational Corporations and the New Global History, edited by Chandler Jr. , Alfred D. , and Mazlish Bruce , 45–79. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005.

The Nature and Effects of the Emergence of 'Globalisation' as a Essay

The Nature and Effects of the Emergence of 'Globalisation' as a Feature of the World Economy over the Last 30 Years - Essay Example So what does globalization really mean to the overall world economies in general and what are the real reasons for the increased expansion and global integration of the financial and the general goods and service markets? The concept of globalization is not a new one, with individuals, from scholars, politicians and economists having different viewpoints as to the reasons for globalization as well as the positive and negative consequences of increased economic and industrial integration. Even during the 1960’s and 70’s multinational corporations started to shift their long term operational focus from a domestic to a global operational infrastructure (Colander, 2002).The were a lot of reasons that contributed to the paradigm shift that help drive the globalization of our manufacturing and service infrastructures as well as our financial and monetary systems. Advances in transportation methods such as cheaper air transport made it economically feasible for corporations to transport goods quite quickly and affordably. Starting in the 1980’s, the personal computer has created a revolution in the way business and individuals interact with each other and it has provided cheaper data processing and storage costs. It has increased worker productivity and operational efficiency for all businesses in general. Coupled with the advent of the internet the computer with its inherent functionality of quickly being able to share technical information, ideas and the ability for a team of individuals to be able to cooperate and share information, solutions and ideas seamlessly from different corners of the world has simply revolutionized the way we do business, especially with the wider availability of broadband services starting in the 1990’s (Emilian, Marcel, Hurduzeu, Vlad, 2011). The computer age, technological and communication advances have allowed multinational corporations and nations to expand their economies to more easily integrate themselv es to the global trade and financial markets therefore benefiting from increased economic prosperity for many previously underdeveloped economies. The increased trade has allowed unprecedented levels of economic growth for many of the countries that have successfully positioned themselves in the global arena (Imf, 2008). The ability for a company to choose to operate out of any country is a very important aspect of globalization, where an organization can choose among many nations to source its materials, manufacturing and headquarters and therefore has shifted the industrial operational structure towards one driven by efficiency and profitability instead of national barriers. The nullification of previous import tariffs and general protectionism previously played by many countries has played an important part in the globalization of economic trade by decreasing the amount of tariffs and other obstacles in the international trade of goods and services. It has become a driving factor in the advent of economic and financial globalization. The minimization of trade barriers was created with the idea of optimizing trade, financial flows and providing the maximum level of opportunity for economic benefits to the participating corporations and international economies in a bid to drive a general economic shift to a more fully integrated globalize trade

Two different Market Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Two different Market - Term Paper Example There are a number of differences in the characteristics of both market structures; the main differences are experienced in the number of sellers, product nature as well as the barriers of entrance and exit in the market. A market that is structured on the basis of perfect competition comprises several buyers and sellers, and the prices in the market are decided by the forces of demand. This means that no one controls the prices and sellers are simply price takers. In case of monopoly, there is only one single seller and the prices of goods and services are decided by the organization (Arnold, 2010, p. 494). Karachi Electronic Supply Corporation is an example of monopoly as it is the only electricity supplier in the region of Karachi. Another distinguishing characteristic of both monopoly and PC is the barrier to entry and exit. In case of PC, there are no barriers to entry or exit: anyone can enter a particular industry and can produce any particular good or service. In PC, entrance of a firm in a particular industry is dependent on demand for particular goods and services. Goods and services that are demanded more are produced more. In case of monopoly, the single firm in the market or industry is the leader, and it is very difficult for other firms to enter the market. This is because monopolies are price makers and they can reduce their prices to block other firms from entering. Secondly, firms in monopolistic markets hold some kind of competitive advantage such as technological advantage, and other firms may not be able to access those technological advancements and may fail to compete. In case of perfect competition, the goods and services sold are homogenous in nature. This means that all the firms produce a similar kind of goods and services and close substitutes of goods and services are available, which provides consumers with the benefit from choosing between several sellers of different products. In case of monopoly, there is only one seller of a pr oduct and there is lack of homogeneity. This means that the goods and services produced by a firm in monopoly cannot be produced by others, so consumers have little to choose from and have to accept the product at a particular price set by the seller. In the short run of a perfectly competitive market, the first to enter as a seller in the market enjoys more benefits as compared to those who enter later, and thus those who enter first can set higher prices and enjoy a higher amount of benefits. In the long run, an organization faces a lot of competition since there is no barrier to entry. Due to this, the profits for all the competitors decline, and those who entered first have to adjust their prices according to competitors, and their profits even decrease. As the profits continue to decline, competitors start leaving the market and look for new opportunities. In the case of monopoly, the firm may experience zero competition, but in the long run it might face the threat of new entr ants and, at that time, the firm may need to decrease its prices to block new entrants, and thus their profits may decline. Similarly in the long run, a new entrant can come up with a technological innovation and can reduce the production cost. This can give an ample amount of competition

Qualitative and Quantitative risk analysis Essay

Qualitative and Quantitative risk analysis - Essay Example It is also preferred in scenarios when the project specifics are not required by the organization. Qualitative risks are again commonly preferred over the quantitative risk analysis in areas where the risk categorization of risk is required by the organization (Garcia, 2009). Classification of the risks provides the management with the probability of risk originating in various departments is determined so as to take measures in case they occur. Qualitative analysis is preferred when the organization is small since the method is simple as the statistic can be easily analyzed as opposed to the complex analysis involved in the quantitative risk assessment with time consuming procedures (Garcia, 2009). Since it is simple, it requires little cost in the assessment which can be easily affordable to the management. Qualitative risk is used in scenes where there is no software by the organization as it does not need a specific for its analysis since the quantitative analysis must be performed by specific softwares which might be costly to the institution (Garcia,

Food Prices in Agricultural Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Food Prices in Agricultural Markets - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that Ð µhe ever-rising food prices have brought a lot of challenges to the contemporary society. Most affected by these food price increases are the poor in the society. The main effect of the rising food prices on poor consumers is the reduction in their purchasing power. A number of economic theories and models have been put forward to explain the relationship between rising food prices and their impacts on poor consumers. Engle’s law and the standard demand theory are just some of these theories explaining the effects of rising food prices on poor consumers. According to Engel’s law consumers rely on non-food expenditures if food prices go up. Because the rich spend more money on non-food items, whenever food prices rise, they have excess non-food expenditures to cut and transfer to food expenditures. The standard demand theory on the other hand focuses on the effects of income and price increase on substitute food. The ne gative impacts of food price increase on poor consumers make it imperative that governments and the international community step in to provide for the welfare of the poor. To increase the purchasing power lost due to food price increase, safety net programmes such as food-for-work and cash transfers have been implemented in many countries. Due to certain barriers to the success of safety net programmes, other strategies such as local and international financial assistance and improved accessibility to land, seeds, farm animals, loans, and technical services have been applied in some countries. Introduction World over, people are often guarded against rising food prices, a trend considered as having a number of negative influences on people’s welfare, more so the poorest in society. In fact, rising food prices has been cited as one of the main factors that push the poor into starvation. Besides, rising food prices exert a lot of downward financial pressure on the poor while th e wealthiest in the society are never affected by these food price increases (Westhoff, P. 212). Since majority of the world’s population could be described as poor, rising food prices have thus further dampened the already crisis-prone global economy. However, recent times have realized the emergence of a school of thought, which raises the question of whether food price increases are inherently negative. For instance, increased food costs have been found to be beneficial to farmers, who are the sole providers of one of the most basic human needs, food (Westhoff, P. 212). The argument according to this school of thought is that if farmers do well because of increased food prices, then others will also benefit from the increased food prices in one way or another. The second argument put forward by the school of thought that rising food prices have positive implications is that, high food prices have pushed the agricultural industry to develop genetically modified foods that n ot only resist draught and other natural calamities but also pests and diseases. Additionally, foods have been developed and grown that can survive and do well is marginally fertile areas. In other words, these foods have been quite useful to developing countries in which larger percentages of population live in abject poverty. The increasing food prices have thus made the agricultural industry rather alert in the creation of sustainable food productions, more so in developing and the under-developed countries. This paper thus explores the effects of the rising food prices on poor consumers, focusing on the welfare of this category of consumers and the possible interventions to address these effects. Theories and Models of the Effects of Rising Food Prices Because of the positive and negative effects of rising food prices on poor consumers, heated debates on the exact effects of rising food prices have ensued. Several theories and models seeking to explain the impacts of

Gendercide Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Gendercide - Assignment Example From this essay it is clear that in order to save the women from facing this type of misery, the pregnancy is terminated. This is one of the main reasons that justify gendercide. The boys are also in a better position to protect their families and fend for them as compared to girls. A family is therefore much secured if they have boys as compared to girls .   Some of the religious roles in India can only be performed by men and hence the advantage of a family having a son as compared to a daughter. The levels of discrimination of women in India is also high due cultural believes and hence more justification for a son.This paper highlights that the strength of the research is on the use of examples and comparisons between different cultures and countries with regard to the problem. However, it weaknesses is the lack of adequate statistical data to support the findings. Some of the information is also too general in the paper. The qualitative methods have mainly been used in the rese arch and this has provided a lot of useful information with regard to the topic. The research was also based on specific populations like the Indians and the Chinese. Generalizing the findings therefore affects its outcome. The research provides more information to the healthcare workers including nurses on why abortion rates are high in some communities when the women are expecting a girl. In conclusion, it is evident that gendercide can be justified by cultural and economic reasons in India.

Reviewing and evaluating financial management processes Essay

Reviewing and evaluating financial management processes - Essay Example The manager takes effective measures in controlling the budgets of the organization so that the cost does not exceed the estimated budget. The allowable cost helps in determining the allowability, reasonableness and allocability of costs for the managers. Cash management and compliance of the organization are supervised under the surveillance of the manager of the organization for better performance.Matching available resources to planned activities.The four main financial records are the trading account, the profit and loss account or the income statement, the balance sheet and the cash flow statement of a company.   These financial records provide accountability, reliability and can even be used as legal evidence while taking decisions regarding the concerned organization. The financial records are tool which can constrain the individuals from engaging in corrupt practices. Conversely, the financial records can protect an innocent of false accusations. Implementation of the recor ds management control is a must for the effective financial management process of the organization. The purpose of preparing financial performance report for the organization is to bring forth the core information which would otherwise be obscured, highlighting of significant items and relationships between them, enhancing comparability and improving the understandability of the financials of the organization.The timing of the financial report is as important to the organization as that of the financial information.... Conversely, the financial records can protect an innocent of false accusations. Implementation of the records management control is a must for the effective financial management process of the organisation.2 Answer 3 The purpose of preparing financial performance report for the organisation is to bring forth the core information which would otherwise be obscured, highlighting of significant items and relation between them, enhancing comparability and improving the understandability of the financials of the organisation. Even the stability and the riskiness of the organisation can well be determined from the financial performance report of the organisation.3 Answer 4 A person can verify the accuracy of the financial management report by4: Reviewing the financial documents in a comprehensible manner Monitor the preparation of budget of the organisation Calculate realistic funding needs and identify the appropriate sources Matching available resources to planned activities Establishing a centralized database of information Ensure that all data are consistently reported amongst subsidiaries Making executives accountable for the financial reports by personally verifying their accuracy. For example: The audited financial report of a company projected in the company’s annual report portrays the present financial condition of the company. This annual report is issued for all the stakeholders of the company who takes the decision of investment after going through the financial report of the company audited by some external auditor. Answer 5 The timing of the financial report is as important to the organisation as that of the financial information. Timing has great influence in the financial reporting of an entity which constraint the official information

Environment Hormone Mimics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Environment Hormone Mimics - Assignment Example They may result in developmental disorders such as birth defects and cancerous tumors. Scientists and medical experts have established that environmental hormone mimics cause cognitive and brain developmental problems, such as severe attention deficit disorder and learning disabilities. They can also cause physical deformations of various parts of the body such as limbs, and can cause sexual, developmental problems including the feminization of males or producing of masculine characteristics in females (Colborn, Saal & Soto, 1993). Hormones control most of the human body’s functions. They range from the maintenance of body heat, to growth and reproduction. For example, the pituitary and adrenal glands each secrete several hormones. Once released, these hormones travel to their target cells through the blood, where they bind to their receptors in a ‘lock and key’ fashion. Their binding triggers intracellular machinery, which brings about the desired response from the cell. Although hormones are quite large and complex molecules, they interact with their receptors in a rather simple way which simpler chemicals can emulate. However, only the hormone can elicit the normal response that result from binding to its receptors. The mimicking molecules only bind to the receptors, but do not trigger the desired response associated with the hormone. Thus, it prevents the hormone from binding to the receptor and elicits an undesired response. Some hormone mimics act by latching onto the hormone receptor and triggering a spurious response which may send associated body functions into overdrive. Consequently, the essential body function the hormone mediates alters in an adverse way. Ultimately, pathological states result which interfere with the life of the affected person or may even be lethal. The first of such hormone mimics to be identified had a tendency to

The Muslim women are in the western world Essay

The Muslim women are in the western world - Essay Example This essay is based on my own cultural background. It will explore the reasons for honour killing. There are female artists in the West who have used the idea honour killing in their works. Artist, Hayv Kahraman’s work becomes significant because it represents the state of women who are exploited and abused. Women’s position is such that they are caught between what Islam preaches and what the cultural dictates. This is because, Asian families expose their daughters to the western culture; daughters are not given the same life chances and opportunities as sons. The Muslim children are left perplexed and confused and left to cope with this form of sexism. First generation Muslim women were forced to marry at a younger age: a time when they did not realize the need for emotional, physical or economical dependence, they were married off. It is a disturbing notion that women from several so-called Islamic households are only seen as somebody’s possession, who are giv en away at the time of marriage. While sons carry on the family name, hence they are given more importance in a family structure. A prevalent backward custom practiced by most parents is to keep daughters at home who may or may not dishonor the family’s name; they are not proponent to invest in their daughters’ well-being and instead consider it a waste of money eventually women are not encouraged to pursue their aspirations. They are believed to have only three roles - to be a dutiful wife, bear children, and serve her family. Times have changed; education is making a difference for the generation of today, letting women decide their own good. However, the education system propagates the western culture which is in direct contradiction with the ways of the East. Parents are not willing to accept that their daughters and sons have equal rights according to Islam. As a result, women feel the need to abandon their own Islamic beliefs and adopt those of the west. A Muslim woman’s position is such that she is helpless and cannot escape subjugation. Honor killings are committed if a woman is seen associating with the opposite sex she is assumed to put the family name to disgrace and is sentenced to death at the hands of her own family. The height of this injustice is such that women are the only ones who bear the burn of the honor killing. This essay will explore Hayv Kahraman’s works, which is rooted in the social context of Iraq’s Islamic society. She has managed to experiment with the ide a of honor killings and incorporate it into her work. Her work shows the reality of the honor killings in a subtle way, and also questions the justification of such acts from the world outside. The isolated and hidden nature of honor killings and other such injustices against women are perpetual in patriarchal society. It is an important investigation since it helps highlight the idea of such crimes with formal and aesthetic concerns. Main Body In a traditional society, men are thought to believe that women are an â€Å"object owned by the man who assumes responsibility for her behavior and her life† [Mirza, 2005]. Women are expected to meet the demands of their father, brother or husband and should be forcefully domesticated. Since Islam gives importance to husband and their well-being, women are made to believe that their sole purpose is to fulfil the wishes of her husband or she will not enter paradise. However, the same men who live by this rule of thumb forget that the v ery same religion has given women far more important rights to remember and practice. For example, â€Å"the role of mother is given a higher status in Islam, the Prophet said that Paradise lies under a mother’s feet† [Unknown, 2007]. In Islam women have property rights and the rights to own wealth, to work, to get an education, to run a business and have the freedom to choose who to marry. However, at home, parents make justifications for the way they treat their daughters. Sons are seen as the

Rules of the Game Essay Example for Free

Rules of the Game Essay The scratchy collar symbolizes the entrapment of Waverly by her mother. Waverly’s hobby of chess is important to her and her mother â€Å"[has] a habit of standing over [her] while [she] [plots] out [her] games. † (p. 98) This habit of Waverly’s mother is a symbol of how she controls Waverly. As her mother stands over Waverly, it displays her as a dominant figure and shows that Waverly should be submissive and obedient towards her. Waverly’s mother expects her to listen to everything she says and not have any opinion towards anything. However, Waverly’s attitude towards her mother is shown to be negative and instead disagrees with her mother as she â€Å"can’t practice† properly. (p. 98) The victory of winning tournaments is not triumphant for her, but for her mother â€Å"who [wears] the triumphant grin. † (p. 97) The game of chess for Waverly is something she enjoys, but as she begins to gain fame for her talent, Waverly feels as if she is playing for her mother and to only win. Because of her mother’s entrapment, Waverly is unable to be free and break away from her mother’s grasp. The â€Å"window [encasing] a fresh sheet cake,† (p. 97) is internally framing Waverly’s new life. Before, Waverly is unaware of a game called chess and she is unknown and unpopular to those around her, but as she begins to play, her mother realizes that Waverly has talent and continues to make her play chess. The â€Å"dust-covered cakes† (p. 97) are exchanged for â€Å"fresh sheet [cakes]† (p. 97) when Waverly begins to win more and more tournaments. The â€Å"dust covered cakes† (p.97) represent Waverly’s life before she begins to play chess and after she begins to play, more people begin to notice her as a â€Å"fresh sheet cake. † Additionally, because Waverly is bringing fame to her family, her mother is proud and feels that Waverly has brought honor to the family. Because her mother wants to keep this honor, her mother forces chess upon Waverly, not as a hobby, but a job that she must do. Also, the transition of the two cakes shows that Waverly is starting a new life as a chess player and is drifting away from her old self. The relationship between Waverly and her mother is like a game of chess. In the game of chess, there are usually black and white pieces, this is parallel to their relationship. Waverly and her mother are always in some sort of disagreement as â€Å"her black men† (p. 101) and â€Å"[Waverly’s] white pieces† (p. 101) are always versing each other. The term â€Å"men† contrasts with the term â€Å"pieces† because it shows itself to be more powerful, just like Waverly’s mother and is more influencing and strong. It signifies the power that Waverly’s mother has and how she uses it to make Waverly obey her. Also, the color black is used to represent power as well. It is often associated with the enemy/villain and in Waverly’s relationship with her mother, her mother displays herself as the enemy. This is because she forces her own beliefs and values upon Waverly. When Waverly does not agree with her mother and tries to speak up about it, her â€Å"mother’s eyes [turn] into dangerous black slits,† (p. 99) which indicates that she does not want to listen to anything Waverly has to say. However, in Waverly’s situation, her â€Å"white pieces† present her to be the opposite of her mother. The color white symbolizes innocence and purity which is found in Waverly’s personality and the â€Å"pieces† are found to be weaker than the â€Å"men† as Waverly finds it difficult to overcome her mother’s dominance and power. This leads to Waverly feeling overwhelmed and unable to venture out and away from her mother. Although Waverly and her mother have their share of quarrels, they find a way to balance each other out even if they are opposites of one another.

Supervised Image Classification Techniques

Supervised Image Classification Techniques Introduction In this chapter, a review of Web-Based GIS Technology and Satellite image classification techniques. Section 2.2 presents a review of Web-Based GIS Technology.in section 2.3 Satellite images classification techniques are reviewed.In section 2.4 presents the related work .section 2.5 presents uses of web based GIS applications in real world. Section 2.6 presents available commercial web GIS sites. Section 2.7 reviews the types of Geospatial Web Services (OGC) 2.3 Image Classification Image classification is a procedure to automatically categorize all pixels in an Image of a terrain into land cover classes. Normally, multispectral data are used to Perform the classification of the spectral pattern present within the data for each pixel is used as the numerical basis for categorization. This concept is dealt under the Broad subject, namely, Pattern Recognition. Spectral pattern recognition refers to the Family of classification procedures that utilizes this pixel-by-pixel spectral information as the basis for automated land cover classification. Spatial pattern recognition involves the categorization of image pixels on the basis of the spatial relationship with pixels surrounding them. Image classification techniques are grouped into two types, namely supervised and unsupervised[1]. The classification process may also include features, Such as, land surface elevation and the soil type that are not derived from the image. Two categories of classification are contain ed different types of techniques can be seen in fig Fig. 1 Flow Chart showing Image Classification[1] 2.3 Basic steps to apply Supervised Classification A supervised classification algorithm requires a training sample for each class, that is, a collection of data points known to have come from the class of interest. The classification is thus based on how close a point to be classified is to each training sample. We shall not attempt to define the word close other than to say that both Geometric and statistical distance measures are used in practical pattern recognition algorithms. The training samples are representative of the known classes of interest to the analyst. Classification methods that relay on use of training patterns are called supervised classification methods[1]. The three basic steps (Fig. 2) involved in a typical supervised classification procedure are as follows: Fig. 2. Basic steps supervised classification [1] (i) Training stage: The analyst identifies representative training areas and develops numerical descriptions of the spectral signatures of each land cover type of interest in the scene. (ii) The classification stag(Decision Rule)e: Each pixel in the image data set IS categorized into the land cover class it most closely resembles. If the pixel is insufficiently similar to any training data set it is usually labeled Unknown. (iii) The output stage: The results may be used in a number of different ways. Three typical forms of output products are thematic maps, tables and digital data files which become input data for GIS. The output of image classification becomes input for GIS for spatial analysis of the terrain. Fig. 2 depicts the flow of operations to be performed during image classification of remotely sensed data of an area which ultimately leads to create database as an input for GIS. Plate 6 shows the land use/ land cover color coded image, which is an output of image 2.3.1 Decision Rule in image classiffication After the signatures are defined, the pixels of the image are sorted into classes based on the signatures by use of a classification decision rule. The decision rule is a mathematical algorithm that, using data contained in the signature, performs the actual sorting of pixels into distinct class values[2]. There are a number of powerful supervised classifiers based on the statistics, which are commonly, used for various applications. A few of them are a minimum distance to means method, average distance method, parallelepiped method, maximum likelihood method, modified maximum likelihood method, Baysians method, decision tree classification, and discriminant functions. Decision Rule can be classified into two types: 1- Parametric Decision Rule: A parametric decision rule is trained by the parametric signatures. These signatures are defined by the mean vector and covariance matrix for the data file values of the pixels in the signatures. When a parametric decision rule is used, every pixel is assigned to a class since the parametric decision space is continuous[3] 2-Nonparametric Decision Rule A nonparametric decision rule is not based on statistics; therefore, it is independent of the properties of the data. If a pixel is located within the boundary of a nonparametric signature, then this decision rule assigns the pixel to the signatures class. Basically, a nonparametric decision rule determines whether or not the pixel is located inside of nonparametric signature boundary[3] . 2.3.2 supervised algorithm for image classiffication The principles and working algorithms of all these supervised classifiers are derived as follow : Parallelepiped Classification Parallelepiped classification, sometimes also known as box decision rule, or level-slice procedures, are based on the ranges of values within the training data to define regions within a multidimensional data space. The spectral values of unclassified pixels are projected into data space; those that fall within the regions defined by the training data are assigned to the appropriate categories [1]. In this method a parallelepiped-like (i.e., hyper-rectangle) subspace is defined for each class. Using the training data for each class the limits of the parallelepiped subspace can be defined either by the minimum and maximum pixel values in the given class, or by a certain number of standard deviations on either side of the mean of the training data for the given class . The pixels lying inside the parallelepipeds are tagged to this class. Figure depicts this criterion in cases of two-dimensional feature space[4]. Fig. 3. Implementation of the parallelepiped classification method for three classes using two spectral bands, after[4]. Minimum Distance Classification for supervised classification, these groups are formed by values of pixels within the training fields defined by the analyst.Each cluster can be represented by its centroid, often defined as its mean value. As unassigned pixels are considered for assignment to one of the several classes, the multidimensional distance to each cluster centroid is calculated, and the pixel is then assigned to the closest cluster. Thus the classification proceeds by always using the minimum distance from a given pixel to a cluster centroid defined by the training data as the spectral manifestation of an informational class. Minimum distance classifiers are direct in concept and in implementation but are not widely used in remote sensing work. In its simplest form, minimum distance classification is not always accurate; there is no provision for accommodating differences in variability of classes, and some classes may overlap at their edges. It is possible to devise more sophisticated versions of the basi c approach just outlined by using different distance measures and different methods of defining cluster centroids.[1] Fig. 4. Minimum distance classifier[1] The Euclidean distance is the most common distance metric used in low dimensional data sets. It is also known as the L2 norm. The Euclidean distance is the usual manner in which distance is measured in real world. In this sense, Manhattan distance tends to be more robust to noisy data. Euclidean distance = (1) Where x and y are m-dimensional vectors and denoted by x = (x1, x2, x3 xm) and y = (y1, y2, y3 ym) represent the m attribute values of two classes. [5]. While Euclidean metric is useful in low dimensions, it doesnt work well in high dimensions and for categorical variables. Mahalanobis Distance Mahalanobis Distance is similar to Minimum Distance, except that the covariance matrix is used in the equation. Mahalanobis distance is a well-known statistical distance function. Here, a measure of variability can be incorporated into the distance metric directly. Mahalanobis distance is a distance measure between two points in the space defined by two or more correlated variables. That is to say, Mahalanobis distance takes the correlations within a data set between the variable into consideration. If there are two non-correlated variables, the Mahalanobis distance between the points of the variable in a 2D scatter plot is same as Euclidean distance. In mathematical terms, the Mahalanobis distance is equal to the Euclidean distance when the covariance matrix is the unit matrix. This is exactly the case then if the two columns of the standardized data matrix are orthogonal. The Mahalanobis distance depends on the covariance matrix of the attribute and adequately accounts for the corr elations. Here, the covariance matrix is utilized to correct the effects of cross-covariance between two components of random variable[6, 7]. D=(X-Mc)T (COVc)-1(X-Mc) ( 2) where D = Mahalanobis Distance, c = a particular class, X = measurement vector of the candidate pixel Mc = mean vector of the signature of class c, Covc = covariance matrix of the pixels in the signature of class c, Covc-1 = inverse of Covc, T = transposition function[3]. Maximum Likelihood Classification In nature the classes that we classify exhibit natural variation in their spectral patterns. Further variability is added by the effects of haze, topographic shadowing, system noise, and the effects of mixed pixels. As a result, remote sensing images seldom record spectrally pure classes; more typically, they display a range of brightnesss in each band. The classification strategies considered thus far do not consider variation that may be present within spectral categories and do not address problems that arise when frequency distributions of spectral values from separate categories overlap. The maximum likelihood (ML) procedure is the most common supervised method used with remote sensing. It can be described as a statistical approach to pattern recognition where the probability of a pixel belonging to each of a predefined set of classes is calculated; hence the pixel is assigned to the class with the highest probability [4]MLC is based on the Bayesian probability formula. Bayes Classification: The MLC decision rule is based on a normalized (Gaussian) estimate of the probability density function of each class [8]. Hence, under this assumption and using the mean vector along with the covariance matrix, the distribution of a category response pattern can be completely described [9]. Given these parameters, the statistical probability of a given pixel value can be computed for being a member of a particular class. The pixel would be assigned to the class with highest probability value or be labelled unknown if the probability values are all below a threshold set by the user [10]. Let the spectral classes for an image be represented by à Ã¢â‚¬ °i, i = 1, . . . M Where, M is the total number of classes. In order to determine the class to which a pixel vector x belongs; the conditional probabilities of interest should be followed. P( à Ã¢â‚¬ °i|x), i = 1, . . . M The measurement vector x is a column of Digital Numbers (DN) values for the pixel, where its dimension depends on the number of input bands. This vector describes the pixel as a point in multispectral space with co-ordinates defined by the DNs (Figure 2-20). Fig. 4.Feature space and how a feature vector is plotted in the feature space [9] The probability p(à Ã¢â‚¬ °i |x) gives the likelihood that the correct class is à Ã¢â‚¬ °i for a pixel at position x. Classification is performed according to: x à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€  à Ã¢â‚¬ °i if p à Ã¢â‚¬ °i |x > p à Ã¢â‚¬ °j |x) for all j à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   i3 i.e., the pixel at x belongs to class à Ã¢â‚¬ °i if p(à Ã¢â‚¬ °i|x) is the largest. This general approach is called Bayes classification which works as an intuitive decision for the Maximum Likelihood Classifier method [11]. From this discussion one may ask how can the available p(x|à Ã¢â‚¬ °i) can be related from the training data set, to the desired p(à Ã¢â‚¬ °i|x) and the answer is again found in Bayes theorem [12]. From this discussion one may ask how can the available p(x|à Ã¢â‚¬ °i) can be related from the training data set, to the desired p(à Ã¢â‚¬ °i|x) and the answer is again found in Bayes theorem [12]. p (à Ã¢â‚¬ °i|x)= p (x|à Ã¢â‚¬ °i) p (à Ã¢â‚¬ °i )/p(x) 4 Where p(à Ã¢â‚¬ °i ) is the probability that class à Ã¢â‚¬ °i occurs in the image and also called a priori or prior probabilities. And p(x) is the probability of finding a pixel from any class at location x. Maximum Likelihood decision rule is based on the probability that a pixel belongs to a particular class. The basic equation assumes that these probabilities are equal for all classes, and that the input bands have normal distributions as in [13] D = ln(ac)-[0.5ln(|Covc|)]-[0.5(X-Mc)T(Cov-1)(X-Mc)] 6 Where: D = weighted distance (likelihood),c = a particular class,X = measurement vector of the candidate pixel, Mc =mean vector of the sample of class c,ac =percent probability that any candidate pixel is a member ofclass c,(Defaults to 1.0, or is entered from a priori knowledge),Covc = covariance matrix of the pixels in the sample of class c,|Covc| = determinant of Covariance (matrix algebra),Covc-1 = inverse of Covariance (matrix algebra) ln = natural logarithm function = transposition function (matrix algebra). 4- Comparison supervised classification techniques: One of the most important keys to classify land use or land cover using suitable techniques the table showed advantages and disadvantages of each techniques [3] : techniques advantage disadvantage Parallelepiped Fast and simple, calculations are made, thus cutting processing Not dependent on normal distributions. Since parallelepipeds have corners, pixels that are actually quite far, spectrally, from the mean of the signature may be classified Minimum Distance Classification Since every pixel is spectrally closer to either one sample mean or another, there are no unclassified pixels. Fastest decision rule to compute, except for parallelepiped Pixels that should be unclassified,, this problem is alleviated by thresholding out the pixels that are farthest from the means of their classes. Does not consider class variability Mahalanobis Distance Takes the variability of classes into account, unlike Minimum Distance or Parallelepiped Tends to overclassify signatures with relatively large values in the covariance matrix. Slower to compute than Parallelepiped or Minimum Distance Maximum Likelihood Most accurate of the classifiers In classification. Takes the variability of classes into account by using the covariance matrix, as does Mahalanobis Distance An extensive equation that takes a long time to compute Maximum Likelihood is parametric, meaning that it relies heavily on anormal distribution of the data in each input band 5- accuracy assessment No classification is complete until its accuracy has been assessed [10]In this context the accuracy means the level of agreement between labels assigned by the classifier and class allocation on the ground collected by the user as test data. To research valid conclusions about maps accuracy from some samples of the map the sample must be selected without bias. Failure to meet these important criteria affects the validity of any further analysis performed using the data because the resulting error matrix may over- or under- estimate the true accuracy. The sampling schemes well determine the distribution of samples across the land scape which will significantly affect accuracy assessment costs [14] When performing accuracy assessment for the whole classified image, the known reference data should be another set of data. Different from the set that is used for training the classifier .If training samples as the reference data are used then the result of the accuracy assessment only indicates how the training samples are classified, but does not indicate how the classifier performs elsewhere in scene [10]. the following are two methods commonly used to do the accuracy assessment derived from table . 1-the Error matrix Table 1.Error matrix[15] Error matrix (table1 ) is square ,with the same number of information classes that will be assessed as the row and column. Numbers in rows are the classification result and numbers in column are ref-erence data (ground truth ).in this square elements along the main diagonal are pixels that are correctly classified. Error matrix is very effective way to represent map accuracy in that individual accuracies of each category are plainly descried along with both the error of commission and error of omission. Error of commission is defined as including an area into acatogary when it does not belong to that category. Error of omission is defined as excluding that area from the catogary in which it truly does belong. Every error is an omission from correct category and commission to a wrong category. With error matrix error of omission and commission can be shown clearly and also several accuracy indexes such as overall accuracy, users accuracy and producers accuracy can be assessed .the fol lowing is detailed description about the three accuracy indexes and their calculation method overall accuracy Overall accuracy is the portion of all reference pixels, which are classified correctly (in the scene) that assignment of the classifications and of the reference classification agree).it is computed by dividing the total number of correctly classified pixels (the sum of the elements along the main diagonal) by the total number of reference pixels. According to the error matrix above the overall accuracy can be calculated as the following: OA == Overall accuracy is Avery coarse measurement. It gives no information about what classes are classified with good accuracy. producers accuracy producer accuracy estimates the probability that a pixel, which is of class I in the reference classification is correctly classified . It is estimate with the reference pixels of class I divided by the pixels where classification and reference classification agree in class I . Given the error matrix above, the producers accuracy can be calculated using the following equation: PA (class I) = Producer accuracy tells how well the classification agrees with reference classification 2.3 users accuracy Users accuracy is estimated by dividing the number of pixels of the classification results for class I with number of pixels that agree with the reference data in class I.it can be calculated as : UA(class I)= Users accuracy predicts the probability that a pixel classified as class I is actually belonging to class I. 2-kappa statistics The kappa analysis is discrete multivariate techniques used in accuracy assessment for statistically determining if one error matrix is significantly different than another (bishop).the result of performing of kappa analysis is KHAT statistics (actually ,an estimate of kappa),which is an- other measure of agreement or accuracy this measure of agreement is based on the difference between the actual agreement in the error matrix(i.e the agreement between the remotely sensed classification and the reference data as indicated by major diagonal) and the chance agreement, which is indicated by the row and column totals(i.e marginal)[16] A detailed comparison between two data sets, one with near-infrared and three visible and the other with the full 8-bands, was made to emphasize the important role of the new bands for improving the separability measurement and the final classification results [17]

SUVs: Not Just Practical Essay -- miscellaneous

SUVs: Not Just Practical Car technology is advancing quickly and unstoppably. Along with that, the concepts of some vehicles have also changed, creating new uses that consequently make them attractive for other clients. Following this tendency for more multifunctional machines, one kind of vehicle has increased its popularity as it combines the best of work vehicles and regular automobiles. Therefore, a new market has been opened for the Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs). SUVs creators have developed such a comfortable and practical interior by placing accessories, small gadgets, devices, pleasure add-ons, and many other things we could want or need. Because of that, now it is easier than ever, for a person who owns a SUV to do activities that were not considered appropriate for these vehicles not very long ago. Examples of this are how these SUVs respond to demands regarding road trips, field trips, every day usage, usage as entertainment centers, and even in family vehicle usage. For the purpose of understanding the uses presented above it is helpful to know its definition. A SUV can be described basically as a high-performance four-wheel car built on a truck chassis, an element that gives a big part of its strength and durability. Even though, according to WordIQ.com, a SUV is a type of vehicle that combines the load-hauling and passenger-carrying capacity of a station wagon or minivan with features designed for off-road driving. In more recent years, though, the term has also grown to include vehicles with similar size and style marketed as sport utility vehicles, but do not incorporate many off-road features. The SUVs is considered to be descendent of commercial and military vehicles such as Jeep and Land Rover, starters of the genre. In the last 25 years, though, and even more in the last decade, they have become popular with urban buyers. Therefore, it has to fit the demands of urban buyers, who may use the SUVs to travel long distances. One very noticeable characteristic of today’s SUVs is that they have changed in order to be more suitable for long trips in them, keeping up with the competition for that market. Since a few years ago these cars were used almost exclusively for work, the purpose for what they were created, the manufacturers were not paying too much attention on how comfortable they would be for spending a big amount of time in ... ...umerous utilities. The SUVs can provide that, and they will continue to improve in order to fulfill the need of the buyers in the next decades, which will probably search for products with even broader uses. This appears to indicate that the SUVs are slowly becoming the vehicle of the future, for they are the most likely candidates to win in one market, that, along with many others, seems to be destined to become every time more simple. Finally, what was only a type of vehicle with work purposes is now also popular in cities and with people that would not think they needed it a few years ago. Statistics are moving towards the SUVs’ taking over the automobile market: Every year a bigger number of them being bought. Still, the exterior of the SUVs has barely changed during the last few years. This lead us to the conclusion that it is the redesign of the concept and interior of this type of car, not of the exterior, what has led to this major change of the use of it, which has been reflected on its current customers. They now not only give usefulness, but also comfort. This has led to the fact that we can do more things than ever with the every time more functional â€Å"house vehicle†.

Am I Me Or Am I Someone Else? Essay -- Psychology, Personality

Who am I? What makes me who I am? My friends would probably say that it’s my genuine nature and compassion that make me who I am. They might also say that I find ways to create my identity without even trying and that I make my own path with my morals as a guide. I’d probably say it’s my dashing good looks, wit, and charm. My experiences, my parents, and my surroundings, have all contributed to establishing my identity. In Derek Parfit’s writings Reasons and Persons and â€Å"Personal Identity,† he discusses his ideas on what would matter most, personal identity or survival, and he claims that it is survival, rather than personal identity that matters. Where Parfit expresses this view, this is where I disagree. I believe that where survival is there must be personal identity. Both should go hand in hand and there is more to personal identity than psychological/bodily continuity. I believe to an extent that Parfit is right in claiming that survival i s what matters, overall it is better to be surviving than physically dead but if your personal identity is gone, doesn’t that make you dead as a person and a new person is in your place? In an article, Derek Parfit argues is that: â€Å"The real reason seems to me now this. Does personal identity just consist in bodily and psychological continuity, or is it a further fact, independent of the facts about these continuities? Our reactions to the ‘problem cases’ show, I believe, that we believe the latter. And we seem inclined to believe that this further fact is peculiarly deep and is all-or-nothing---we believe that in any describable case, it must hold completely or not at all. My main claim is the denial of this further fact† (Robinson). In Reasons and Persons, Parfit makes the claim that pe... ...ontinuous with me is what is important. For me to survive, in the way that matters to Parfit, means that it is enough for someone to inherit enough of my psychological attributes. If two or more people inherit my attributes, that is almost as good as ordinary survival. Although, I would argue that this idea of being the same person is what matters in survival/continued existence. When one is divided, they cease to be. Even though they have remnants of the past them, that doesn’t make it them. Works Cited Fumerton, Richard, and Diane Jeske. Introducing Philosophy Through Film: Key Texts, Discussion, and Film Selections [Paperback]. Print. Parfit, Derek. Personal Identity. The Philosophical Review, Vol. 80, No. 1 (Jan.,197) pp. 3-27. Robinson, John. Personal Identity and Survival. The Journal of Philosophy , Vol. 85, No. 6 (Jun., 1988), pp. 319-328

Jacks Power in Lord of the Flies Essay -- Lord of the Flies William G

Jack's Power in Lord of the Flies At the beginning we see Jack as a well-dressed choir leader, " each boy wore a square black cap with a silver badge in it." suggesting that he is civilised. We see also from this first point that he is introduced, that he has a slightly mean streak in him as he gives 'an order' to the other choir boys to "stand still", even though the heat is far too much for them. They are in fear of him as they obey his order. The boys also did as Jack said when they "raised their hands" "with dreary obedience" to vote him for chief. This mean streak also occurs when he is constantly dismissing Piggy and telling him to "shut up". When Ralph brings in rules about the conch and shelters Jack becomes defiant and would much rather be exploring or hunting. Ralph and Jack have some confrontation about the shelters and also about the rule with the conch as "Jack broke out of his gyration and stood facing Ralph". Jack thinks that the conch rule is a silly rule and when Ralph tells Jack that he is breaking the rules he simply replies with "who cares?" or "sod you!" Jack is also unsympathetic towards the littluns' and refers to them as a "useless lot of cry-babies". Jack becomes fearless and some of the other boys respect him as a good hunter because he has "been everywhere". The other boys also think that he is more fun because he just hunts and doesn't care about all the rules. The first instance when we see Jack becoming savage is when he paints his face as a disguise "like moths on a tree trunk" and starts wearing few clothes unlike the boy with the " square black cap" that we were introduced to at the start. When Jack becomes disguised he intrigues the other boys because he starts... ...Ralph has no one left they nearly kill him too, except that they are rescued. Jack's rise to power meant that he became the most fearless and fearsome character. The boys respected him for his hunting, but after the death of Simon he became even more feared by Ralph and Piggy. The resentment for Ralph that Jack carried from near enough the beginning was the fuel for Ralph's attempted death. Jack's power went straight to his head and the tribe became completely uncivilised and out of control. There were no rules and the boys did as they pleased and all though they enjoyed themselves we are left wondering what would have happened if the boys were not rescued when they were. I think we can say that Ralph would have been killed but would further separation have been on the cards? I think that perhaps Roger may have wanted more power if given the chance.

The Sexist Prejudices Affecting Women in the House on Mango Street

The Sexist Prejudices Affecting Women in The House on Mango Street In my essay I am going to write about the Mexican gender based prejudices and stereotypes which affect the women of Esperanza’s neighborhood in Sandra Cisneros’s novel The House on Mango Street. I would like to point out the lives of the main women characters and their dealing with the prejudices in everyday occasions.Futhermore, I want to talk about Esperanza and her attitude towards the surrounding situation and also mention the historical background of the problem. From my point of view, the fact that the women come from the Mexican community has essentially influenced their lives. It has actually predetermined them in a way that the women are not able to set free for the rest of their lives. During the novel the reader gets to know some of the Mexican prejudices in relation to women which all the female characters have to face.The sexist prejudice is clear from having read few lines of the novel wher e Esperanza, the narrator, explains the meaning of her name with the connection to the Chinese signs of the zodiac, â€Å"I think this is a Chinese lie because the Chinese, like the Mexicans, don’t like their women strong† (Cisneros 10). This tells the reader one important fact. The Mexicans are proprietary towards their women and wives and they tries to take over the women’s lives. It is very difficult for the women coming from the Mexican community to live their own life themselves and to be independent of their social background.This observation is confirmed by Elizabeth Coonrod Martinez in her work on the relationships of women with men in the novels based on this phenomenon, â€Å"women characters do not initiate events in their own lives; instead they endure poverty and racism from the society at large and oppression under the men in their lives. They do not get to choose their spouses, and when they do pick a boyfriend, and get pregnant, they are conside red bad girls. They do not have choice-before or after marriage† (131). The author of the book gives a notion what the status of women in the Mexican community in the novel is.They are supposed to stay at home, preferably, â€Å"behind a rolling pin† (Cisneros 31). Moreover, many of the women are locked at home or cannot leave the house without their spouses’ permission. This fact is obvious at many times in the novel. At first, when Esperanza talks about her great-grandmother, she describes her as a woman that had spent all her life on her elbows by the window. At this point, where Esperanza describes her great-grand mother, she also says something about herself, â€Å"I don’t want to inherit her place by the window† (Cisneros 11).Later, this fact is emphasized by the story of the woman called Rafaela, whose fulfilment of the life is to sit by the window. As the narrator reports, â€Å"Rafaela, who is still young but getting old from leaning out t he window so much, gets locked indoors because her husband is afraid Rafaela will run away since she is too beautiful to look at† (Cisneros 79). The women are regarded as the property of their husbands or their fathers, never independent. In my oppinion, the situation is even made worse by the fact that the protagonists are living in the United States.The women maybe would have accepted this role if they had lived in Mexico, where they would not see any difference in other women’s lives. That is impossible for them now, to fit in the community rules that are expected to be obeyed. Instead, some women pretend to be a part of the traditional society on the one hand, but on the other, they are more American than Mexican. This is the case of Sally, a young Mexican girl from the community of Chicanos, with a strict father and brought up in a very strict, religious and tradionally Mexican family. Sally who must obey her father and accept his way of life and who wants to be an American.For a clearer explanation, her behaviour is described as follows, â€Å"and why do you always have to go straight home after school? You become a different Sally. You pull your skirt straight, you rub the blue paint off your eyelids. You don’t laugh, Sally. You look at our feet and walk fast to the house you can’t come out from† (Cisneros 82). This girl struggles with two different worlds but unfortunatelly, the vicious one for her wins. She becomes a part of the sad community of women who are locked at home and their only release is in their dreams.Sally’s fate is deteriorated due to the relationship with her father, who strikes her because she is a girl and her father wants to take over her life, â€Å"until the way Sally tells it, he just went crazy, he just forgot he was her father between the buckle and the belt. You’re not my daughter, you’re not my daughter. And then he broke into his hands† (Cisneros 93). The story a bout Sally is a typical example of the struggle. At the end, Sally gets married and her life turns out to be the same sad story. The narrator comments on this, â€Å"Except he [husband] won’t let her talk on the telephone.And he doesn’t let her look out the window. And he doesn’t like her friends, so nobody gets to visit her unless he is working. She sits at home because she is afraid to go outside without his permission† (Cisneros 102). Sally, like the rest of the women characters, ends up in this kind of relationship with her husband, even if she had the opportunity to escape from her fate, because if she had been more determined in her struggle, she would have succeed. The narration about Sally is important in the novel because it shows Esperanzas’ feelings towards the sexist and racial prejudices she lives in.Esperanza, as the narrator, gives the personal outlook on the women from her surroundings. Esperanza is the exception of all the women ch aracters in the novel. She is aware of the poor situation and even of a poorer shift from it. â€Å"Esperanza is handicapped by her Hispanic background and the family’s modest financial means† (Szadziuk 115). She observes the world around her and feels lonely in her feelings, nobody shares her thoughts, her ideas. She feels like the trees down the street and as she admits, â€Å"four who do not belong here but are here. Four raggedy excuses planted by the city† (Cisneros 74).Like a struggling tree, Esperanza copes with obstacles that would suppress her, and her inner strength will help her reach towards a better life. This young girl is the only women in the novel who is deeply determined to change her life, to set free and to be on her own. She might seem naive in her way of achieving it, â€Å"Not a flat. Not an appartment in back. Not a man’s house. Not a daddy’s. A house all my own† (Cisneros 108). Nevertheless, the escape from it will n ot be as easy as thought at first. Once is Esperanza told by her friend, â€Å"when you leave you must remember to come back for the others.A circle, understand? You will always be Esperanza. You will always be Mango Street. You can’t forget who you are† (Cisneros 105). The circle is closed and fulfilled. Even if Esperanza escapes, she will not be free of her background. In comparison with other women characters in the novel, Esperanza has the support of her family, especially the support of her mother who encourages her and her siblings to be determined and to be strong in gaining their dream. The mother’s support is based on her own life and unhappines, â€Å"shame is a bad thing, you know. It keeps you down.You want to know why I quit school? Because I didn’t have nice clothes. No clothes, but I had brains† (Cisneros 91). Mother who suffered from discrimination is now resolved to protect her children from having a similar experience. Unfortunate lly, Esperanza experiences some oppression anyway and she describes it, â€Å"Those who do not any better come into our neighborhood scared. They think we’re dangerous. They think we will attack them with shiny knives. They are stupid people who are lost and got here by mistake† (Cisneros 28). Little Esperanza learns about a hardship very early in her life.She does not understand it at first but afterwards she fully realizes what means the arrogant voice of nun who asks her where she lives. Esperanza, unaware of anything, points to her house. Just later she realizes how important for her is to escape from this social oppression and racial discrimination and longs for her own house, a house she would not be ashamed of, a house she could point to when someone aks where she lives. Futhermore, the women characters and all Mexican immigrants living in the United States in general suffer from a particular feature typical of the immigrant community.Their poor situation is mad e worse by it. That is the homesickness. This is very difficult to explain because in this case it has a historical connection to 1848 when the former Mexican lands became American property and millions of Mexican citizens suddenly lived on American territory. For an illustration of this event: Chicanos and Chicanas have always been in New Mexico, Texas, California, Colorado, Illinois and other North American states. The Gonzalezes, the Dominguezes, the Garcias, the Fernandezes have lived in these states ever since they can remember.Their great, great grandmother had a house in San Antonio, or in San Diego, or in Sante Fe, long before 1836 and 1848 when these territories became American. (Poniatowska 39) From the citation of Elena Poniatowska it is obvious that the Mexicans are not initially responsible for the problems of the Mexican community in the United States nowadays. They miss their native country so they try to compensate the sorrow for living more culturally orthodox life abroad. In the novel, the problem of homesickness is portrayed mainly in the story of Mamacita, a mother of one of the inhabitants of Mango Street.Even if she is not a one of the descendants of the immigrant family but actually a Mexican citizen, Mamacita comes to Mango Street to live with her son, who sees his future in reaching the American dream. As she does not speak English, the difference between the Mexican and the American culture is much more visible. Mamacita represents the old, initial kind of immigrants, who long for going back to their native country whereas her son presents the young, Americanized population of the Mexican community. Two different worlds which can never be united.The reader learns more about it through the eyes of Esperanza, as she reports, â€Å"She sits all day by the window and plays the Spanish radio show and sings all the homesick songs about her country in a voice that sounds like a seagull† (Cisneros 77). Mamacita is unwilling to adjust a nd wants to go back to her native Mexico even if life can be harder and poorer there. Esperanza continues, â€Å"Ay, she says, she is sad. Oh he says, Not again. Cuando, cuando, cuando? She asks. Ay, caray! We are are home. This is home. Here I am and here I stay. Speak English.Speak English. Christ† (Cisneros 78). Mamacita and her son are examples of eternal fight for the unity of two different worlds which can never link up the gap between each other. In conlusion, the racial, gender based and social prejudices in the Mexican community in the novel are very essential. In every story the reader may see the stereotypes which affect the protagonists. Each of them deals with it differently but with the same result. They are not able to set themselves free from their social background and their origin pursues them all their life.Nonetheless, some of the women characters chose this way of living from their own choice, voluntarily. Specifically, the words of Elena Poniatowska poin t this out, â€Å"To say that Mexico abandoned its people would not be false, because Mexico abandons all poor Mexicans. The poor choose the American dream and the American way of life on the other side of the border, because they don’t see a future for themselves in their own country† (Poniatowska 41). Whether the immigrants have chosen to live on the margin of society in the foreign country of own accord or not, their cultural heritage follows them all the time.Works Cited Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage, 1984. Martinez, Elizabeth Coonrod. â€Å"Crossing Gender Borders: Sexual Relations and Chicana Artistic Identity. † Melus 27. 1 (2002): 131-50. < http://lion. chadwyck. co. uk> Poniatowska, Elena. â€Å"Mexicanas and Chicanas. † Melus 21. 3 (1996): 35-42. Szadziuk, Maria. â€Å"Culture as Transition: Becoming a Woman in Bi-Ethnic Space. † Mosaic 32. 3 (1999): 109-30. < http://lion. chadwyck. co. uk>