Child Abuse and Maltreatment Essay Example for Free

Child Abuse and Maltreatment Essay Child abuse is a global problem, which unfortunately happens in every society, culture and communities. The term â€Å"Child Abuse† refers to intended acts that result in physical or emotional harm to children. Child abuse covers a wide range of behavior from physical assault by parents or other adult caretakers to neglect of child’s basic need. Child abuse is a social problem that affects millions of children each year, children less than 3 years of age being the most frequent victims. (Edelman Mandle, 2010) For this article, the author chose to discuss child abuse and maltreatment in preschool age children. There are many forms of child abuse such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, emotional abuse, neglect and abandonment/ separation. In this age most common abuses are physical, sexual, emotional and negligence. As a health care provider when we are assessing a case of child abuse, we always need to check the background of the child’s family child, by checking parenting skills of caretakers, employment and education status of the parents, financial conditions at home and environment of the house (safe and clean for the child). We also need to check for any history of drug and alcohol abuse among family members, care taker’s personal limitations and certain cognitive or medical conditions (such as mental retardation or depression) of care takers, all these can effect child’s care tremendously. (Jarvis, 2011) Signs and symptoms nurses need to check for when they are assessing a preschool child for abuse are as follows: Physical Child abuse: Child has unexplained recurrent injuries, burns, fractures, bruises and bald patches. Child shows sign of fear and hesitation during physical exam (he is trying to pull himself away from examiner). Child has difficult time concentrating and shows self-destruction tendencies aggression towards others. Child is wary of adults and injuries on the body are inconsistent with the childs age and developmental phase. (Center of Child Protection and Family Support, 2012) Sexual Child Abuse: Child has unusual or excessive itching in the private areas. Genital or anal area is torn, stained or underwear has blood spots. Child’s genital or anal areas could be injured, due to bruising, swelling or infection. Child plays inappropriately with his toys and makes inappropriate drawing according to his age. Suddenly child starts thumb sucking or brings out discarded cuddly toys to play. Child also exhibits a sudden loss of appetite or on the other hand eats compulsively, he starts being isolated or  withdrawn from family/friends and becomes worried when clothing are being removed. Child frequently wets him/herself and often has nightmares. (Center of Child Protection and Family Support, 2012) Emotional Child Abuse: Parents or caretakers frequently yell, threaten or bully the child. They are ignoring the child as a form of punishment, giving him the silent treatment for his needs and also show no signs of affection and love (i.e. hugs kisses and tapping the back). Child shows severe sign of depression, extreme withdrawal or aggression towards other people. Child could be overly compliant with his caretaker orders, too well-mannered and too neat or clean. Child also displays extreme inhibition while playing. Child could have extreme attention seeking behavior or failure to thrive behavior. (Center of Child Protection and Family Support, 2012) Child Neglect: Child has poor personal hygiene, unkempt clothes and hair. Child stays constantly hungry and seems very thin compared to the peer age group. Child has many unattended physical problems or medical needs, eg dental work and glasses. Child is frequently absent from school and forgets his lunch. Child has no social relationship with other kids and shows destructive tendencies. (Center of Child Protection and Famil y Support, 2012) If children been abused by parents and care givers during infancy, toddler and preschool age. They show sign of developmental delay in displaying language, motor and social skills. Abused preschoolers respond to peers and other adults with more aggression and anger than do non-abused children. It is important for the nurse to understand certain cultural health practices that may be misidentified as child abuse. For example In Southeast Asian countries like Laos and Vietnam, people from Mien cultural beliefs in natural healing and use homemade remedies to treat most of the child disease. When a child suffers from restlessness, unremitting crying, agitation, constipation and loss of appetite, parents of the child use string of inner pulp (found in a special reed).The pulp is then dipped lightly in pork fat and lit. The flame is passed quickly over the skin above the pain site, which raises blisters on the skin or sometimes burn the skin which can easily misidentified as child abuse. To cover the blister and burn areas, they use Tiger Balm afterward. Only older person in the family can do this ritual to cure child pain. (McIntyre Silva, 1992) To report the child abuse in California State, nurse needs contact the California Department of Social services  (toll-free number is 1- 800-422-4453) or call Sacramento county Child Protective Services child abuse hotline at 916-568-6635. Any person who has knowledge of or observes a child whom he or she knows or reasonably suspects has been a victim of child abuse or neglect may report the known or suspected instance of child abuse or neglect. (California Department of social services, 2012) Description of report mechanism: Mandated reports of child abuse or neglect must include: †¢ The name, business address, and telephone number of the mandated reporter; †¢ The capacity that makes the person a mandated reporter; and †¢ The information that gave rise to the reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect and the source or sources of that information. If a report is made, the following information, if known, also must be included in the report: †¢ The child’s name, child’s address, present location and if applicable child’s school, grade, and class. †¢ The names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the child’s parents or guardians. †¢ The name, address, telephone number, and other relevant personal information about the person or persons who might have abused or neglected the child. (California’s Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, 2006) References: California’s Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act: Reporting Rules for Health Care Providers, (2006). Retrieved from November 27, 2012 from: http://www.teenhealthlaw.org/fileadmin/teenhealth/teenhealthrights/ca/06_CA_ChildAbuseChapter.pdf California Department of social services. (2012). Child Abuse Prevention Services. Retrieved November 27, 2012 from: http://www.childsworld.ca.gov/PG1319.htm Center For Child Protection and Support,( 2012). Retrieved November 26, 2012 from: http://www.centerchildprotection.org/report_abuse.htm Edelman, C., Mandle, C. (2010). Health Promotion Throughout the Life Span. (7th ed.). Retrieved November 26, 2012 from http://pageburstls.elsevier.com/books/9780323056625/S6/0 Jarvis, C. (2011). Physical Examination and Health Assessment (6). Retrieved November 26, 2012 from http://pageburstls.elsevier.com/books/978-1-4377-0151-7/id/B9781437701517000078_c00007 McIntyre, T., Silva, P. (1992). Beyond Behavior. Culturally Diverse Childrearing Practices: A busive or Just Different? Volume 4,

Media And Childhood Obesity

Media And Childhood Obesity Obesity is among one of the many global epidemics. Its impact affects all age groups. The attention of international and national foci has been sparked by the reported rising of prevalence of child and adolescent obesity for preventative and management action. (Bromfield, 2009). Childhood obesity is a major public health problem. A main contributing factor to childhood obesity has been identified as food advertising during childrens television programs (Udell Mehta, 2008). Media is present to inform the public and present them with arguments that support or oppose solutions to childhood obesity. Obesity affects approximately 20% of the youth in America and this number is always rising. The media can define public perceptions on issues by choosing what to present and how this information is presented. This technique is called framing and can define what problems are perceived to be important and what the causes and solutions might be. It is hypothesized that media has a negative infl uence on the obesity of children. Past research will further help investigate this problem. In an article by Harris, Bargh, and Brownell (2009), it is hypothesized that food advertising on television triggers children to automatically snack on whatever food is available. It is stated that advertisements for high calorie, low nutrient foods are common contributors to the obesity epidemic. Obesity is the fastest growing cause of disease and death in America. (Harris, Bargh, and Brownell). The trend is increasing among young people. Snacking at non-meal times occurred in 58% of food ads during childrens programming. Food advertising to children portrayed unhealthy eating behaviors with positive outcomes. An important source of priming influences is the media, including television programs and advertisements. Food and beverage advertisements convey extremely powerful food consumption cues, including images of attractive models eating, snacking at non-meal times and positive emotions linked to food consumption (Harris, Bargh, and Brownell). The messages presented in television f ood advertising have the potential to act as real world primes and lead to equivalent eating behaviors. The article predicted that food advertising that conveys snacking and fun will automatically prompt eating behavior among adults as well as children. Experiment 1 in this study proved that snacking while watching commercial TV with food advertisements for 30 min. per day would lead to a weight gain of almost 10 pounds per year. Childrens behavior was consistent with what they saw on television, thus an automatic connection between what they saw and how they reacted due to the effect of food advertisements. In Experiment 2, it was predicted that food advertising would also prime eating behavior among an adult sample, and whether effects of eating behavior are due to exposure to images. It was hypothesized that watching food advertising that promoted snacking, fun, and excitement will cause people to eat more of snack foods than advertising that has nutrition benefits. The experimen t supported the direct influence of the snack advertising on consumption. The experiments presented in this article were highly consistent with the hypothesis. Food advertising that promoted snacking, fun, happiness, and excitement contributed to increased food intake. A limitation found in this study is that real world exposure to food advertising occurs in many situations, and it is not definite that other situational factors could not have moderated the advertising effects (Harris, Bargh, and Brownell). Reactivity was minimized and external and internal validity were enhanced when the experimenters mocked TV-viewing conditions in a natural setting. Another limitation is that the specific advertising features that affected eating behaviors can not exactly be pinpointed. More research is needed to make certain that priming snacking versus nutrition benefits and not other features of the advertisements caused the effects on consumption behaviors (Harris, Bargh, and Brownell). In an article by Udell and Mehta (2008), it was hypothesized that the main causes of childhood obesity were advertisements of unhealthy foods, no physical activity, increased time in front of the television, and busy parents. Policy changes to food advertising, encouraging environments for physical activity, better environments for healthy eating and healthy eating strategies were presented as solutions (Udell Mehta). This study found one hundred and sixty-six newspaper articles published that reported on restricting television food advertising to children as a solution to childhood obesity. Young children were found to be vulnerable to manipulation of these food advertisements. This study suggested that children need to be protected from high exposure to advertisements by encouraging them to eat foods with high energy and low nutrients (Udell Mehta). The article found that childhood obesity was caused by advertising of junk foods and a lack of physical activity due to the amount o f television watched. The media often links unhealthy foods with something catchy. For example, McDonalds shows viewers that if a happy meal is purchased, the child will receive a toy. This gives a misperception to children that they will be rewarded when consuming unhealthy foods. Most of the food advertising for children was for high fat content low-nutrient foods, and this was giving children the wrong idea of what is healthy. A positive correlation was found between a childs weight and the amount of time children spent on focusing their attention on media. This study emphasized the role of the media in advertising to children as a factor in childhood obesity. The articles that were analyzed were from July 1st, 2002 to July 1st, 2005, which was a time period where obesity was becoming an outbreak. The articles were 150 words or less and the main themes throughout these articles were concerning restrictions on food advertising to reduce obesity among children. Most of the results were constant with the idea that there should be restrictions on advertising. However, many articles suggested that television advertising had no effect on children and that the inactive lifestyle of a child was the main reason for their weight. The findings of this article were limited because there were only 166 articles selected and there could have been more data to support the hypothesis. The time period was also a limitation in this study because it was only within a 3 year span of time. During those years, obesity had just come to the publics attention so little was known of the actual cause. A study by Bromfield (2009) summarizes the negative physical and nonphysical outcomes for obese children compared with their non-obese peers. Obesity has been identified as a major risk factor for the development of common chronic and disabling conditions. Obese children have an increased risk of psychosocial and mental problems that can continue into adulthood. (Bromfield) Low self-esteem was presented in this article as the most common consequence of obesity. Other studies linked obesity to disordered eating, unhealthy weight control behaviors, bulimia, body esteem, and distorted body image. Obesity can become a child protection concern. Over-feeding of children by adults can be observed as producing extensive harm. Studies found that obese children with low levels of self-esteem engaged more in high-risk behaviors like smoking or alcohol consumption. (Bromfield) Research suggested that children who were overweight would encounter bullying as a consequence of their weight. It was a lso said that levels of education seem to be inversely correlated with body weight. A study in China found lower IQ scores in cases where children were severely obese compared to average weight peers. A survey was conducted for overweight children who rated their school performance and educational future lower than their non-overweight peers. Obese children often blamed their weight as a reason for having few friends and being left out from social activities. Weight bias and stigma in this article refers to weight-related attitudes that are displayed as stereotypes, stigma, rejection, and prejudice towards children because they are overweight or fat. (Bromfield) Current detrimental beliefs in the Western World include fat, ugly, awkward, overeaters, lazy, stupid, and worthless. Treatment for childhood obesity has been considered, including diet changes, exercise, surgery, medication and psychotherapeutic interventions. Parental involvement has been believed to be a main factor for t he most effective intervention. Limitations in this study could be location, as US studies dominated the UK studies. Also, even though research has shown that obese and overweight children are the targets of stigma, more evidence would be needed to understand its nature and impact and how outside factors such as age, race, weight status, and disability act as mediators or moderators (Bromfield). Media influence on childhood obesity is talked about more in research led by Harris and Bargh (2009). Investigation shows that childrens food preferences are acquired through learning processes which have long-lasting effects on diet. It was hypothesized that a specific type of food gains higher taste rating if it was advertised rather than it not being advertised. It was also predicted that there is a correlation between the time spent watching television at a young age and an unhealthy diet later on in their life. This is partially due to television advertising of food products which may influence ones perceived taste of the unhealthy food. It is debated in this article who is to blame for the overweight children: the food industry or the parents. Research has shown the crucial role of parents in early learning of food preferences, as they start to develop early in children. Peers, social institutions, the media, and culture are all considered to play a role in the spread of food p references (Harris Bargh). Children learn about their social world openly through observation of the media. Children learn while watching television that foods filled with calories and are high in fat and sugar taste great and are rewarding to eat. Food products make up the most highly advertised category on television that children watch most, 98% of the foods consisting of low nutritional value. The average child watches 15 television food ads per day, promoting unhealthy food products and thus promoting that eating fatty foods is fun, happy, and cool. (Harris Bargh) Research also shows television viewing and unhealthy eating habits are linked. Effects of television food advertising include greater recollection, preferences and requests to parents for the advertised products. Planned solutions to protect children from the unhealthy influence of television and food advertising included public service media campaigns, parent-child communication, and reductions in exposure to unhea lthy messages on television (Harris Bargh). In this article, it was predicted that preceding television exposure would be related to greater perceived taste and enjoyment of unhealthy, highly advertised foods. Parental interventions were hypothesized to moderate the unhealthy influence of television exposure on diet, which depended on how parents conveyed the message to their children. To test these predictions researchers conducted a study on college students at a private university and a state college; 90 from the public university and 116 from the private university (a total of 206 students). These participants were asked to complete a 30-min online survey of childhood memories of their parents rules and television viewing. The results were constant with the predictions of the experimenter, as perceived taste was associated with consumption. Healthy food consumption was associated with higher taste ratings for healthy foods, and lower taste ratings for unhealthy foods. From the collected data, results indicate that as predicted, healthy food consumption was correlated with higher taste ratings for healthy foods and lower taste ratings for unhealthy foods (Harris Bargh). These findings supported the hypothesis that healthy and unhealthy diets are directly related to the perceived taste of healthy and unhealthy foods. The hypothesis that the relationship between early television viewing and unhealthy eating with children and adolescents continues into early childhood proved to be true with the results. Evidence consistently supports that children who watch more television simply like the taste of unhealthy foods more, especially those which have been highly advertised. Limitations of the data include the discrepancy of self reports. Participants could exhibit self-deception or biases which could lead to results that do not accurately represent participants actual behaviors and beliefs (Harris Bargh). A survey was conducted with college students, however a student population was examined that may not be truly representative of all young adults and college students. Results represent relationships between variables and cannot determine causation. In the final article, Moore and Rideout (2007) explain the importance of marketing communication tools and how it is being used by advertisers to target children. The article discussed how food marketing is impacting children and how it may be linked to obesity. It was explained that internet, specifically, is being used as a marketing communications tool to target children. The focus of this research was on the online marketing practices by advertisers and how their practices affect children. It was hypothesized that exposure to the media, especially online advertisements, influences dietary habits among children and alters their perception on foods (Moore Rideout). The study was conducted on major food advertisers by analyzing their Web sites from the summer to the fall of 2005 and 96 brands of food were used as candidates. There were three parts to the study: the features of the site, the specifics of the brand and how it was presented on the site, and games online. Results indic ated that 85% of the brands had content on their Web site that had content for children. It was estimated that there were around 49 million views by children aged 2-11 per year on Web sites. Of those sites viewed by children, an astounding 73% of them contained one food brand while 27% contained up to 41 brands. It was also observed that of the many food brands on the Web sites, most of them advertised unhealthy foods, like candy, salty snacks, and sugary drinks. The researchers established that the advertisements online influenced childrens perceptions on what to eat. Because children spend so much time online playing games or socializing, they are constantly being exposed to persuasive food advertisements and its leading to the assumption that children are becoming obese because of the lack of physical activities and that their perceptions of food were being altered. Given the right programming, television can be a prevailing tool of entertainment and education for children. Studies have been presented in this paper that television and media has very negative influences. Television is a destructive force through images and advertisements which can influence viewers to make poor food choices or to overeat. Excessive television watching can result in inactivity which leads to weight gain and poor levels of fitness. Children are especially targets of food advertisements and have been proven to be more vulnerable than adults to their influence. Results indicate that media indeed does play a crucial role in the prevalence of obesity among children. (Bargh Brownell, 2009; Bargh Harris, 2009; Moore Rideout, 2007; Udell Mehta, 2007). Evidence shows that advertisements have a strong impact on the way children distinguish what is healthy and what is unhealthy. Also assumed in the previous studies is that advertising companies are capable of persuading children very easily to consume their products and that the amount of advertising should be limited to solve the problem of obesity in America. These articles have provided significant insight on how media influences childrens eating habits. Obesity has become a rapid growing epidemic in this country and it is vital to understand the degree of the dangers of this disease. To further investigate the relationship between the influence of media and childhood obesity, it would be helpful to directly study childrens diets and the amount of time engaged in television and internet. The first step to solving this epidemic is by attacking the problem that has likely caused it-the media.

Elie Wiesels Relationship With God In Night English Literature Essay

Elie Wiesels Relationship With God In Night English Literature Essay What are you, my Godà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦compared to this afflicted crowd, proclaiming to You their faith, their anger, their revolt? What does your greatness mean, Lord of the Universe, in the face of all this weakness, this decomposition, and decay? (73-74) You would often hear these questions in concentration camps for Jews during the Holocaust; while fellow Jews were mercilessly killed. Elie Wiesels memoir, Night, is his personal encounter with the Holocaust as a Jew. He had an average life in a little town in Transylvania. At the age of fifteen, his life becomes full of suffering and oppressions. Wiesel and his family were moved into concentration camps, which resulted in losing his mom and sister and altering his views of religious ways and life. The most important altercation is Wiesels connection with religion because thats what gives him the courage and strength to continue to live. Initially Elie shows strong devotion, then becomes disillusioned with Gods power, and ultimately redefines the position God holds in his life. In the beginning, Elie Wiesels relationship with God in Night shows strong devotion. Wiesel made spirituality inherent to all activities and initiated the study of the Zohar, and advanced Jewish text, by himself with the help of Moche the Beadle. Wiesel wished to spend his life focused around Judaism and devoted all his free time and energy on religious studies. With Moches guidance, they would read the same pages of the Zohar over and over to extract the divine essence from it (15). Wiesel believed that religion was a basic survival need, showing that he followed his religion instinctively; just as he would any other body function. When Moche asked him why he prayed, Wiesel couldnt think of a proper answer and thought, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦strange question, why did I live, why did I breathe? (14). Wiesel maintained confidence in religion as the situation deteriorated. Wiesel and his people gave thanks to God for survival, keeping hope that God was putting them through a test of hardships what would keep them alive if they kept their faith. When they had arrived at Auschwitz, they thanked God and were able to regain their confidence because, Here was a sudden release from the terrors of the previous nights (36). Wiesel thanked God for the little things that helped him because he wanted a sense of protection and clung to the belief that God watched over them and helped them survive the challenges he faced. When Wiesels new shoes get covered in mud and are not discovered by the SS Guards, he thanked God, in an improvised prayer, for having created mud in His infinite and wonderful wisdom (47). In the next stage of Elies relationship with God in Night he becomes disillusioned with Gods power. One way Elie accomplishes this is by doubting Gods preeminence. Within the concentration camps, the Jews went through torture that caused them to question the foundation of their religion. In one conversation among them, Elie ponders his misgivings about Gods justice and sees God in a new light that brings him to fell à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I had ceased to pray. How I sympathized with Job! I did not deny Gods existence, but I doubted His absolute justice (53). As examined in the previous paragraph, Elies religion was central to his life, however this stage is marked by him turning away from God and trying to sort out all the turbulent feelings of abandonment and injustice. As Elie was confronted with the horrors of the crematorium for the first time his faith and all of the things he thought he knew were severely altered, and (f)or the first time, I felt revolt rise up in me. Why should I bles s His name? The Eternal, Lord of the Universe, the All-Powerful and Terrible, was silent. What had I to thank him for?(42). Another way that Elie expresses his disappointment in God is by rebelling against the religious teachings he has followed all his life. One point that Elie put a great amount of stress on in Night, is the fact that while in this camp he felt like God was nonexistent. As the first nightmarish night in the concentration camp unfolded, Elie as a person was changed. His beliefs became different and he was no longer able to see the world in the same light, as expressed in (n)ever shall I forget these moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust(43). As all of this ran through his mind, Elie began to resent God and the religious habits he had been following. As his life was taken apart bit by bit, God meant less and less to him. This was due to the fact that he couldnt get past the thought that God should stop this. This led him to revolt ag ainst God, and he found himself asking Why, but why should I bless him? In every fiber I rebelled(74). Ultimately, Elie redefines the position God holds in his life. Elie sees that the Holocaust highlights the evil and cruelty from everybody. Not only by the Nazis, but from the other prisoners, his fellow Jews, even himself. He feels that if the world is so awful and cruel than God either must be awful and cruel or not exist altogether. (On Yom Kippor) I no longer accepted Gods silence. As I swallowed my bowl of soup, I saw in the gesture an act of Rebellion and protest against him (pg. 76). From this, Elie feels that he is better off alone in a world without God and man. I was no longer capable of lamentation. On the contrary, I felt very strong. I was the accuser, God the accused. My eyes were open and I was alone terribly alone in a world without God and without man (pg. 75). Because Elie realizes his belief of God was always present, his habit of religion will never leave. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦In spite of myself, the words formed themselves and issued in a whisper from my lips:à ¢Ã¢â€ š ¬Ã‚ ¦May His name be blessed and magnifiedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ My heart was bursting (pg. 43). Elie prays to God subconsciously, reflecting the incompleteness of his loss of faith. Elie claims he no longer believes in God, but he, in turn, looks to God when he is doubtful of his ability to control himself. And in spite of myself, a prayer rose in my heart, to that God whom I no longer believed (pg. 97). In Night, Wiesels relationship with God experiences ups and downs, which ultimately changes his views about God. At the very beginning of the book, Wiesel shows his strong devotion to God but as he personally experiences the Holocaust, Wiesel becomes cynical of his religious beliefs. While Wiesel grows and transforms into a man, he simultaneously redefines Gods position in his life. Wiesel, being a forthright author, surfeits many examples of the mental and physical effects of people in the Holocaust and more specifically, a young boy. For this reason, Night provides a deeper understanding of the Holocaust so that with a better understanding of such a horrific event, history does not repeat itself.

Restoring Wolves to Yellowstone :: Essays Papers

Restoring Wolves to Yellowstone In his book, Never Cry Wolf, Farley Mowat tells an Inuit tale, saying that in the beginning, caribou were created for humans to hunt. However, humans â€Å"hunted only the big, fat caribou, for they had no wish to kill the weak and the small and the sick,† creating a weak population of caribou. The creator then made wolves to eat the sick, weak, and small caribou, creating a natural health and balance to the earth (124). Humans have traditionally seen wolves as a competitor and a danger, but these misconceptions can now be put to rest. Because wolves regulate the carrying capacity, preserve the health of herds, and complete the ecological cycle in a balanced system, they must be restored to Yellowstone. To understand why wolves should inhabit the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), we must first look to history. As Douglas Smith et al say, â€Å"The history of wolves in North America and the west is straightforward: we killed them† (108). This statement may sound simplified, but actual wolf extermination was thoughtless and thorough. Many wolves were removed from regions where they weren’t even threats to humans or livestock (Klinghammer 446) because wolves, like grizzlies, were perceived as competitors for land and food. Unlike grizzly bears, wolves didn’t survive in the Northern Rocky Mountains because of poisonings, shootings, and bounties for their pelts (Barker 177). These actions caused the extinction of wolves in western states, changing the ecosystems by eliminating a natural predator. The reasons for this genocide, according to David Mech, were â€Å"the possible predation by the wolf upon man. . ., competition by the wolf for man’s livestock, and the possible competition by the wolf for wild animals that man regards as game† (289). Each concern needs to be addressed to move to move arguments beyond social threats to ecological issues. The first threat, the danger of wolves to humans, is rarely known outside of fairy-tales. The only existent evidence of wolf-induced danger remains in countries with less wild prey, more protection of domesticated animals, and less protection of young children than in the U.S. (Mech 291). In Superior National Forest, which has many wolves, there have been 1909 recorded visitor days â€Å"without any incident of wolves attacking humans† (US Cong 101st 79).

All My Sons :: All My Sons by Arthur Miller

1. In the play â€Å"All My Sons,† by Arthur Miller, the word ‘father’ means the personification of goodness and infallibility to Chris Keller. There was a strong relationship between Chris and his father, Joe. Everything Joe had done in his life was for Chris. His entire factory was intended for Chris once he retired. 2. Throughout the play, there was question of Joe’s innocence in the death of twenty-one pilots, who were flying planes that had parts from Joe’s factory. Chris strongly believed that his father played no part in those deaths and that the blame lay solely on Joe’s partner, Herbert Deever. At the end of the play, Chris’ realization that his father was guilty brings about anger and then remorse, when Joe commits suicide due to his guilty conscience. Joe has done everything in his life for his sons. 3. Once his elder son Larry died in the war, Joe devoted his life to his younger son Chris. â€Å"KELLER. †¦Because what the hell did I work for? That’s only for you, Chris, the whole shootin’-match is for you.† Many businesses are handed down from generation to generation. Joe felt his role in life was to build a business that his son could take over once he got too old to run it. His love and hope for Chris blinded Joe’s ability to make a thoughtful and rational decision regarding faulty parts from his factory. This resulted in the death of the pilots’. Joe completely disregarded the lives that his parts would be affecting because all he cared about was his son. The love that Joe displayed to his son was returned in the love and respect that Chris had for his father. â€Å"GEORGE. †¦But you know him. You know in your heart Joe did it. CHRIS. Lower your voice or I’ll throw you out of here.† George Deever’s confrontati on with Chris about his father’s guilt demonstrated Chris’ belief that his father was not guilty of any crime. He refused to believe that his father played a role in shipping the defective parts to the government. This only reinforced the idea that there was a strong father son bond between Joe and Chris. 4. The moral values that were instilled in Chris blocked him from believing that his father was capable of anything else but good. These values prove to be the eventual down fall of Joe.

Ideology of True Womanhood

Ideology of True Womanhood Between 1820-1830, and sometime between the Civil War, there was a lot of growth of businesses and new industries. All of this growth created a new middle class in America. Back in the nineteenth century, middle class families could survive off of the goods or services that their husband’s jobs produced without making all the money they needed to survive. The men did all of the work which helped create a vision that all men should support the family while their wives and children stayed at home.This started the public sphere, the belief that the work was a rough job, and that a man had to do everything he had to do in order to be successful. It was engulfed in violence, trouble and temptations, and women were thought of as weak and delicate by nature. Women were then put into the private sector, in their homes where she was in control of everything that happened. Everyone in the middle class families saw themselves as the backbone of society. A new i deology about the home came after opinions towards work and family arose.This new ideal, called â€Å"domesticity,† provided us with a new view of women’s duties and roles but still treated men and women as total opposites. There were four characteristics that all good and proper young women should follow: piety, purity, domesticity and submissiveness. In the nineteenth century it was believed that American women were to demonstrate a particular behavior towards religion. They thought religion was good for women and that it helped put their minds at rest. Women who weren’t religious were considered the most disgusting human characteristic.They also believed that women were not women, but instead a lower form of being if they weren’t sexually pure. Marriage was supposed to be the greatest night in a woman’s life, when her she could give her greatest gift to her husband, her virginity. From this point on, she was dependent on him. A woman must remain pure regardless of any attempt made by a man to assault her. A woman who allowed herself to be seduced by a man was either killed or had her baby taken from her. Female purity also gave them some sort of â€Å"power. Her purity was used to keep men in control of their sexual needs and desires. The biggest feminine virtue is probably submissiveness. Although men were supposed to religious, they generally weren’t. Men were also supposed to be pure, but nobody really expected it from them. But men were never supposed to be submissive. Men were the ones that did everything and made all the decisions. Women were more passive and obeyed the husbands. Women were forced to wear tight corsets that pinched her organs and caused limited mobility.True women knew their place, and they knew what qualities their husbands wanted. Finally, they believed a woman’s place was in the home. They thought of housework to be an uplifting task. Her job was to make sure the home was perfect fo r when her husband came home. It was supposed to be a relaxing place for the husband to escape from work. Women were also thought of as intellectually and physically inferior to men. They thought they woman just because woman were generally smaller than men in physical size that their stamina wasn’t good either.They believed that the brain was smaller in women than in men. They believed that because women menstruated there was a periodic illness that was inflicted on them. Women were thought of as very emotional and very delicate and that they have an unpredictable nature. It was believed that sexual feelings were very strong in men but they were absent in women. Puberty played a large role as well. This was a period when boys became strong and vigorous men, and girls became timid and weak women. â€Å"Even if you have a child two years of age, you need to go to work,† said Mitt Romney, on CNN on April 2012.He argued that the women would be better off having â€Å"the dignity of work. † This proves that there is still evidence on how people perceive women. Mitt Romney wanted women to work even if they have a two year old child and some people said it was â€Å"heartless. † He said it isn’t because he would raise the money from the state for daycare so you could provide daycare for your child while getting a job for yourself. His intentions were to increase the work requirement but a lot of people had different opinions.

Would Life Still Be Meaningful in the Absence of an Afterlife?

When people ask about the meaning of their lives, they are more likely concerned as to what worth would their actions be on Earth if there is no specific end to the road that they travel on. Being inherently inclined to the material, Man always seeks reward for everything that we do in our lives. As children, we almost always seek to excel in class in order that we can have the persuasive power to ask our parents for the different goods that we have laid our eyes on. This is human nature, and our nature always invades into our train of thought.   â€Å"What would I get for doing this?† would be the collective question that permeates our minds if we think about the meaning of our lives. To them, the meaning of life is the material end which they believe their individual actions would entitle them to. People seek something tangible, something that can be felt, in determining the meaning of life. Some are also driven by their sufferings, their negative experiences, in questioning why they are here. They want to know to what purpose have they been born into this world, and why do they have to suffer that way. To them, the meaning of life is an answer, a reason that will explain the things that happen to them throughout their lives in this world. I believe that the question about the existence of the afterlife is detrimental to one's quest to finding meaning in his existence. Instead of finding the true value of our lives, we are now preoccupied with how we should act in order to attain the afterlife, and inevitably forget about the fact that we should be living as meaningfully as we could in this world that we have been born into. People, especially those who have found themselves in suffering and in great emotional pain, view the afterlife as a form of escape or a greener pasture that they believe awaits them if they play their cards right in their present lives. However, if we take away that notion, would life for us still be meaningful to live if there is no clear end to which we could direct our efforts to? II. The True Meaning of Life For me, life can still be meaningful despite the apparent absence, or lack of proof thereof, of the afterlife. From my point of view, the afterlife is a figurehead, a symbolic figure, perhaps created by the ancients to address man's question as to the meaning of his life. It is more of an abstract idea rather than a specific â€Å"life† by itself. I define the afterlife for its simplest meaning: â€Å"to live after we have died,† not an exact place that the supposed soul goes to after death. I believe that the idea of â€Å"going to Heaven by doing good† is made especially to cater to man's materialistic nature that everything he does should be given a reward. Obviously, man has been created with a reason. Each of us has a reason, maybe a mission, in this world that we have been born into. Unless we ascertain what that is, we obviously cannot find the meaning for our existence here on Earth. We will continue to ask ourselves why we are still here. But how can we find that answer? Perhaps, the famous adage â€Å"no man is an island† is what I'll consider the most apt and summarized answer to the question of â€Å"Why are we here?† Man exists for the sake of his fellowmen. We are made for the service of each other. That is what man should live for: the good of his fellow human beings and not himself. Every action that we take should be decided with the well-being of our fellowmen in mind, and not just ourselves. The key to finding meaning to our earthly lives is to start shedding our selfish human nature and start living for our fellows. Man's suffering in this world is brought about by his earthly desire to preserve his own self, his discontentment and his desire to hoard all good things in this world for himself. The more material things Man receives, the more he desires, and the more he feels empty because not all things in this world are achievable. Leading such life is meaningless, for there is no point in that life that man can say that his purpose in living has been fulfilled, that he has found his reason for existing. One would probably argue that the key to self-fulfillment and happiness is to achieve all that we have longed for, definitely including money. However, that is materialism, and anything material is temporary and empty. The feeling is passing, and leads to more emptiness and questions, leading to emotional suffering and discontentment. Like Epicurus said, â€Å"the wealth required by vain ideals extends to infinity.† I, for one, would not be able to find happiness even if I had the power to buy everything that this world could offer and money could buy, because there will always be something better than the ones we have. With endless supply of money perhaps, I would be able to buy those things that I could lay my eyes on. However, I still would not be satisfied because then I find something I do not have, and will then long for it again. The process will go on and on until I find that there is no end to the material wealth that the world offers. When we die, all the material things that we have worked for will not go with us to the grave. Materialism is human nature, and like I said, we should overcome human nature if we are to start finding the meaning of life. If I spend my life entertaining every material and carnal urges that I would find, I would be living in vain because in the end it will all come down to nothing. In finding the meaning of life, we should start looking beyond ourselves and start thinking of what is good for the people around us and ourselves as a whole. This constitutes morality, as one does not learn the value of morality without learning to consider what things would be good for him alone, and what things will benefit both him and the people around. When we are morally upright, we will feel a sense of peace and security. For example, an honest man will have nothing to fear from the law than a dishonest thief will. People might say that honesty is actually subjective because the law has loopholes that can be exploited and bent in ascertaining who is honest from the dishonest, but there is the basic law of morality that we are all governed by. A thief may be able to circumvent the due process of law to his favor, but for the rest of his life he will live in fear that someone will come up with some kind of evidence to implicate him. By then, his life would have been meaningless and without peace, spent in fear of the justice that he has evaded. The time allotted for him to exist in Earth would have been wasted, for instead of cherishing every moment that has been granted to him, he instead spends it in dread and apprehension. III. Conclusion The lack of proof that the afterlife exists will not deter me from finding meaning in living my own life, even if my death is the most definite end of my journey. A life of service through acts of kindness and selfless is, for me, the most meaningful life that I can possibly lead. The greatest fulfillment that I could have for myself is the feeling of peace and contentment that I can attain by being satisfied and being thankful for the things that I have, rather than wasting it trying to own the world and finding no peace in entertaining my material nature. To sum it up, the meaning of my life would be the peacefulness that I would get when I look back at my life when I am in my deathbed, knowing that I have done as little wrong as possible in the time that I have lived on Earth. It is the peace I'd feel in knowing that, in living my life, I have not stepped on anyone's rights and lives for my own gain.