From Poland to USA Essay Example for Free

From Poland to USA Essay Life, for me, has always been about taking risks in order to fulfill our dreams. Sometimes, we are required to face the difficult challenges in order to succeed in life. Originally, I am from Poland, and five years ago, I decided to move to the United States to fulfill my dreams. Moving to the United States was a very big leap from my end. My determination to succeed in life has been my driving force for survival in a country away from mine. My dream of acquiring a degree from an American college was now within reach. All I needed was a little bit of luck, and a handful of determination. The first few years I spent in the United States was a struggle. I had to learn a new language and adapt a new culture. I found myself adjusting to a new environment, where I was able to appreciate the new things that surrounded me. Living a life in New York was something out of the extraordinary. To fend for myself, I took on odd jobs, from being a waitress, to a cashier, and a paralegal for different employers. Although I was living a comfortable life, I was not contented with what I had. I wanted to enhance myself by continuing my education. I wanted so much to be a successful career woman. Although I had acquired a Masters degree in Sociology, I still wanted to pursue a Masters degree in Public Administration. I have always been ambitious and determined to achieve my goals. A new degree will help me enhance my knowledge about things, and eventually help me to be of service to the United States. New York City faces many issues that require the implementation of new policies. With the education provided to me, I may be able to face such and do the necessary changes for the betterment of society. The knowledge I have acquired from studying Sociology has given me a well rounded education in liberal arts, that may be used to my advantage in my future careers. Having a fulfilling career definitely means a lot to me. The education that this university will give me will help me become a more diverse individual. In addition to this, I may be able to integrate my Polish culture with that of the Americans, that may be used to my advantage in further job opportunities.

Interventions for Smoking Cessation

Interventions for Smoking Cessation Introduction Health literacy is the â€Å"capacity to obtain, communicate, process, and understand basic health information and services to make appropriate health decisions† (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). Smoking is a common addictive behavior and is bad for health status in many ways. According to World Health Organization (2014) tobacco kills nearly six million people per year. Therefore, it is important to promote people’s health literacy of smoking through effective intervention to improve health condition. Brief intervention is an effective method to deliver suitable information and increase the motivation of clients to change the substance use (Substance abuse and mental health service, 2014). Nurses can make good use of brief intervention to improve the health literacy among clients with resultant better health outcomes. This essay will firstly describe the potential health impacts of smoking on individual in Australia and globally. Secondly, it will use a case to analyze the smoking through stage of change model and discuss three approaches to change the behavior. Thirdly, it will choose the most sustainable strategy to provide health literacy to the client. Lastly, I will discuss how changing a singles person’s behavior can contribute to global health. Overview of smoking Cigarette contains more than 7,000 chemical substances and most of them are harmful to our body. Once inhaled into the lung, these chemical compounds will be carried to all the tissues of our body through blood (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). Smoking will impair the normal growth and function of the cells and result in cancer tumor growth. Research showed that smoking can cause many kinds of cancers in our body such as larynx, lung, mouth, nose, and throat cancer (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010). For the cardiovascular system, smoking will damage our blood vessels with plaque formation and produce thicker vessel walls and narrower lumen. Therefore, smoking is a major risk factor for stroke and coronary heart disease (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010). Smoking also causes damage to the respiratory system, especially the airway and alveoli. The research showed that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease including emphysema and ch ronic bronchitis are most commonly related to smoking. In addition, smoking will also affect the fertility and immune system and increase the chance to have type 2 diabetes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). Last but not least, secondhand smoke causes adverse effects such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases to the peers, family and community. In conclusion, smoking might impact the whole body and result in serious health problem. According to World Health Organization (2014), smoking is related to more than 6 million people’s death; 5 million die directly due to tobacco use and 600,000 people die from exposure to secondhand smoke. In Australia, around 3.1 million people (19.5%) are current smokers aged over 18 years old and among them 20.4% male and 16.3% female are daily smokers (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011). Smoking was responsible for 20% of cancer death in Australia and around 45,000 hospitalisations in New South Wales were related to smoking (Cancer Council NSW, 2013). In addition, nearly 600,000 people (3.6%) reported at risk of having heart disease and other chronic conditions due to using tobacco products (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2013). Smoking is a common unhealthy behavior not only in Australia but all over the world and contributes to many diseases and death. Incident of smoking Mr. C is a 55 year old man who comes from Taiwan and works as an accountant in a computer company. He had a history of smoking around 30 years since graduated from senior high school. He usually smokes 10-12 cigarettes a day. Mr. C has the medical history of type 2 diabetes. He believes that smoking can help him release the stress and anxiety. He really enjoys the moment of smoking and states that smoking can stimulate thinking. However, Mr. C developed productive cough recently and had shortness of breath when climbing the stairs. He went to see a general practitioner and the physician informed him that the productive cough and shortness of breath are related to smoking. Therefore, the general practitioner gave Mr. C a handbook about the information of smoking and suggested him to quit smoking. After seeing the general practitioner, Mr. C read through the handbook and tried to search the internet for relevant information. He also discussed with his family and all of his family suppo rted him to quit smoking. Mr. C hesitated about stopping smoking. Because he thought that smoking was a good method for him to relieve the stress and serve as a social skill to maintain the relationship with friends and colleagues. In addition, he also considers that to quit smoking will be a long process and takes a lot of time to give up smoking and will incur a lot of physical discomfort. Mr. C is now feeling ambivalent about quitting smoking but he wants the symptoms such as productive cough and shortness of breath to go away. Therefore, he still considers smoking to be an enjoyable hobbit and cannot really give up smoking. Stage of change model Stage of change model (Transtheoretical model) is a theory of behavior change which was developed by Prochaska and DiClemente. It contains 5 stages of changes: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance (Australia government Department of health, 2004; Prochaska, DiClemente Norcross, 1992, p. 1103). Stage of change model is a good method to assess the readiness of clients to change the additive behavior such as smoking (Mallin, 2002, p. 1107). According to Prochaska, DiClemente and Norcross (1992, p.1103), contemplation is the stage that clients are aware the adverse effects due to the behavior and consider to change, however have not determined to establish a plan of action. In this incident, Mr. C has some physical discomfort such as productive cough and shortness of breath during the activity. Therefore, Mr. C went to a general practitioner for the assessment and found out that smoking was the root cause of the symptoms. Mr. C started to search the infor mation about smoking and also discussed with his family. However, Mr. C did not make a promise to quit smoking. Due to these features, Mr. C is at the stage of contemplation. Another concept of the contemplation stage is that patient is ambivalent about the advantage and disadvantage of the behavior (Prochaska, DiClemente Norcross, 1992, p. 1103). The client realizes the behavior will be harmful to the health condition but still considers the behavior to be with value (Australia government Department of health, 2004). In this case, Mr. C states that smoking is a good method for him to relieve the stress and a social tool to maintain the relationship with friends and colleagues. He did not want to give up this 30 years hobbit. However, Mr. C also wanted to improve the symptoms. Mr. C is hesitated in making the decision to quit smoking. Therefore, it is obvious that Mr. C is at the stage of contemplation. Multiple approaches to change smoking Motivational interviewing is a counseling technique which can assist clients to increase the motivation to change the addictive behavior (Miller, 2010, p. 247; Ridner, Cloud, Ostapchuk, Myers, Jorayeva Ling, 2014, p. 314). Clients can be explored and their ambivalence could be resolved about quitting smoking through motivational interviewing (Lai, Cahill, Qin Tang, 2010). The four principles of motivational interviewing are expression of empathy, develop discrepancy, roll with resistance and support self-efficacy (Miller, 2010, p. 248). During the motivational interviewing, nurses can understand the ambivalent feelings of the clients, the difficulties of changing and discuss the advantage and disadvantage of quitting smoking with clients. In addition, it might enhance the client’s desire to change. Nurses might use the reflective listening, open-ended questions, affirmation and summarization techniques to understand the clients’ position and have good communication (M iller, 2010, p. 249; New South Wales Department of Health, 2005). A research (Ridner, Cloud, Myers, Jorayeva Ling, 2014) found out that after the motivational interviewing, the patients smoked less cigarettes, had a higher score of self-efficacy and lower nicotine dependence. Soria, Legido, Escolano, Lopez Yeste and Montoya (2006) pointed out that motivational interviewing group has higher success rate compared to anti-smoking advice group. In addition, the article also showed that motivational interviewing could help clients move to the next stage of change model. The above evidence showed that motivational interviewing is an effective brief intervention to increase the motivation of clients to seek the health information of smoking and its treatment, and therefore, increase the willingness of quitting. 5As (ask, assess, advice, assist and arrange) is a brief intervention to increase the motivation of the patient with addictive behavior (DiClemente, Delahanty, Kofeldt, Dixon, Goldberg Lucksted, 2011, p. 261). The first step is to ask the client’s smoking behavior and obtain the basic information about the client. Secondly, the readiness and motivation of clients to quit smoking will be assessed. In this step, stages of change model is a good tool to assess the motivation of client. Then, nurses can deliver the advice to the clients about the pros and cons of health on smoking followed by provision of the effective tips for clients to quit smoking. Fourthly, assist the clients to increase the motivation about quitting smoking and encourage patient to quit smoking. Lastly, the nurses should arrange the follow-up program to provide further support (Dawson, Noller Skinner, 2013, p. 132; Scanlon, 2006, p. 25 26). A study conducted 5As intervention at the mental health community center to the patients with smoking behavior in the community. They found following the implementation of 5As, the rate of tobacco use decreased and more people quit smoking (Dixon et al., 2009). Therefore, 5As is an effective brief intervention to assist clients to quit smoking through enhancing their motivations and providing necessary support. Nurses are the most important health education provider, who delivers education to the clients. The research showed that good health education program can increase the smoking caseation rate. Health education can provide the impacts on health and lead to the change the attitude of using cigarette (Salaudeen, Musa, Akande Bolarinwa, 2011, p. 217). Internet is a very useful tool to enhance the effectiveness of health education and promotion. According to Dijk, Nooijer, Heinrich and Vries (2007, p. 122), they found out that the knowledge of tobacco cessation will be delivered better through the internet to the clients. The internet is the preferred education method of adolescents and teenagers. The interviewer indicated that the web site contains the colorful pictures and interesting animation which will increase the motivation to learn and understand information of quitting smoking and also stimulate the client to take action. Therefore, the health education delivery through the inter net is a good intervention to spread the health information and increase the health literacy of the clients. The sustainable strategy to the incident In this incident, motivational interviewing is the most sustainable brief intervention for Mr. C to improve health literacy and result in quitting smoking. Mr. C had noticed that he has some symptoms such as shortness of breath and productive cough which impact his health condition. However, he is still considering the benefits that he gets from smoking including relieve the stress and anxiety and the social tool to maintain the relationship with peers and collogues. He is ambivalence about take action to change. Therefore, nurses can use motivational interviewing to assist client to evaluate the pons and cons of quitting smoking. Encourage patient to express his idea and identify the barrier of quitting smoking. In addition, nurses can assist the client to resolve the ambivalence and difficulties which lead to higher motivation to quit smoking. In this stage, there is no apparent health problem on Mr. C, therefore, he did not seriously consider that quitting smoking is an urgent matter for him. During the motivational interviewing, the nurses can provide adverse effects on health to the patient and assist patient to image the healthier future without smoking. Thus, he may seek the related information actively. Motivational interviewing may enhance the client’s motivation to obtain the health information and make the correct decision. Therefore, motivational interviewing is an effective brief intervention which can increase the health literacy and more willing to quit smoking. Global Health Dijk, Nooijer, Heinrich and Vries (2007, p. 115) indicated that the clients have smoking behavior will easily influence others’ attitude of smoking. The smoking cessation rate is higher in the family whose member has already quit smoking. Accordingly, the concept of stop smoking can be delivered from individuals to their peers, family even the whole community. When the concept of quit smoking can be deeply installed in everyone’s thought, as a result the occurrence of smoking-related disease will be decrease. The World Health Assembly (2013) pointed out that if the tobacco cessation rate decrease 30%, it will decrease 200 million death related to smoking in 2050. In addition, secondhand smoke can also be decreased. As the result, the overall health of population in the world can be improved. Therefore a single persons behavior change can be a big contribution of the improvement of the global health. Conclusion Smoking is a common unhealthy behavior which will cause adverse effects not only to the individual but also the whole society. Therefore, it is important for nurses to use different approaches to encourage clients to quit smoking. Motivational intervention is a counseling technique which can increase the motivation of the client to take action to give up smoking. 5As is an evidence-based intervention that can help clients to quit smoking through increase willingness and provide essential support. In addition, using internet can increase the effeteness of health education delivery. The incident in this essay is at the contemplation of the stage of change models. Motivational intervention is a sustainable brief intervention for this case which can improve the health literacy and encourage him to stop smoking. The concepts of quitting smoking can delivery from individual to family, peers and community. Consequently, these approaches can improve the health literacy and result in increasi ng the tobacco cessation rate and improve the health status of global.

Sande Society and the Sowei Mask

Sande Society and the Sowei Mask Political, Educational, and Gender Aspects of the Womens Society of the Mende The Sowei Mask of the Sande Society is a symbol for the Mende people of Sierra Leone representing the ideals of feminine beauty, but the Sande Society also plays a key role in the nurturing, livelihood, and induction of young women into adults. This mask defines a goal for young women as well as symbolizes their transition from children to adults and, the Sande are the tools behind the Sowei which shape and mold the initiates of their society into women capable of managing marriage, political power, and even spiritual secrets. The Sowei Mask itself is carved from wood carefully with close attention to detail. Each mark is made with a greater picture in mind and at the end of the process the mask will epitomize the Mendes idealities of grace, beauty, and serenity. After the carving, the mask is painted and polished to a black, glossy shine. There are many Sowei Masks, all of which possess the black, glossy shine, but each mask can differ in many areas. The Sowei Masks can possess rolls of fat on the neck, scarification patters on the face, elaborate hairstyles, raffia around neck, and many other qualities which give it the elegance that it possesses. (Cosentino 17) The particular mask on display in the Stanley Collection has two small scarification patterns in low relief on either cheek of the mask, a beautiful hairstyle with a small bird perched on top. The mask is full of curves and the light catches off the surface to accent the slight cuts made along the hair of the figure give it a life like quality wh ich complements the serenity of the masks expression. Not only does the mask represent outer beauty, but also references the beauty of a womans inner strength and character. (Becker 82) The encircling ridges of a Sowei Mask which represent rolls of fat also are part of the origin of the mask. When a Sande society member who is particularly renowned for her choreography and dancing skill she is said to dream of diving into a pool, which is the dwelling place for female spirits. As she rises from the water, the ripples of the water on the surface form the rings around the base of the mask. The often complex and always elegant hairstyles of Sowei Masks are said to have come from Sande officials falling into water and emerges with a beautiful hairstyle.(Textbook 180) In performance, the Sowei is danced by the ndoli jowui alongside a second mask, the gondei, which is the antithesis of the Sowei. The gondei is sometimes a discarded Sowei Mask which has been worn down or broken. Occasionally pieces of trash such as tin cans or shells are attached to the gondei, further separating it from the Sowei. It is only when we see both masks that we separate the beauty and grace of the Sowei further from that of the grotesque and hideous form of the gondei. By having the two masks juxtaposed, we can see the grace and elegance in which the Sowei is danced in comparison with the ugly, stumbling dance of the gondei. The performance itself occurs in the weeks before the public portion of the Sande initiation. When the Sowei emerges from the bush to dance, she is admired and greeted by the entire town. (Cosentino 16-7) When the initiates themselves are present at the dance, they wear braclets of palm leaf fibers and body nets with small iron plates. Their faces ar e smeared with animal fat giving them a more youthful appearance. (Newland 125) To the Sande the Sowei Mask as a manifest of power from the spirit world. It is for this reason that while the Sowei Mask is the integral piece to bring the power needed to invest the initiates with everything they will need to marry, the mask also can appear in other places. Smaller versions can appear on the staffs and other objects used by higher ranking members of the Sande and small figures also are common. These objects represent the medicine of the Sande and their connection with the spirits. (Textbook 180) The Sande society itself is enormous; each village usually has its own Sande society governed by a council of elders. (Ellis 200) These elders are not only in charge of initation rites into the Sande society, and thusly into adulthood, but also the birthing, education, circumcision, political aspects, and spiritual aspects of the initiates underneath them. Once puberty is reached, the initiates are taken into the bush and taught the things they need to know to become adult women. Topics such as sex, dancing, fishing, cooking, and secrete medicines are discussed and generally a clitoridectomy, a female circumcision, is performed. After the initiates complete their training, they are eligible to marry and invested with fertility (Leach 58), but are taught that jealousy for ones co-wives is greatly discouraged. Initiates are also called and described by sex-specific terms from the moment they graduate into full genderhood. Men are forbidden from the Sande bush just as the women are from the Poro, the mens secrete society, bush. It is the responsibility of the Sande elders to punish any man who takes an initiate from the bush severely. The Soweis medicine is feared and when a man is pointed out as having broken a Sande law there is a fine or some other penalty which an elder determines. (Newland 125) Elder Sande officials are still susceptible to medicines which can affect their ability to deliver children, circumcise the initiates, and other tasks which are key to their position. The Poro and Sande societies together govern Mende ideas about gender and men and womens lives. Both genders have gender-specific tasks that are used to define a persons masculinity or femininity. Each group gives access to specific male and female medicines and social and political support. Both groups also give elders of the societies access to a higher status position in the villages. This status is known as a big man or big woman. The title comes with the responsibility of caring for the political or financial assistance of others. In Mende society both men and women can become a big person or numu wa. While the Sande will protect women from exploitation, abuse, and give them political and social support, the society also produces asymmetry. The high-ranking members usually gain their position from descent, and by controlling the important knowledge of the Sande, they are able to elicit loyalty or even material goods from the initiates and their families. In this way, the Sande s ociety acts as a driving force in socio-political structures in what would otherwise be a male dominated society. With the polarized and parallel powers of the Poro and Sande societies, women are not considered inferior to men, they are only considered different. (Leach 59-60) The Sande serve as mentors for young girls becoming women, but they also serve as friends and colleagues. Every woman who is considered an adult in Mende culture has been initiated and graduated from the Sande society. The initiates they graduate with become their social system of support and the society leaders are there to protect them as well. It is in this way that we see that all Mende women are connected. In summary, the Sowei Mask demonstrates the inner and outer beauty of the perfect woman, which every initiate of the Sande society and thus every woman considered an adult, strives to attain. Not only do the Sande teach young women about life, but also provide them with a network of support for the rest of their lives. In this way, the Sowei Mask represents not only the Sande, but all adult Mende women and their unavoidable connection to each other.

Romeo and Juliet: Fate or Free Will? Essay -- Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet: Fate or Free Will? The play Romeo and Juliet was one of the most famous love tragedies ever written. This love story unfortunately had a fatal ending. Many people argue over why the lovers had died, was it over Free Will or Fate? The death of Romeo and Juliet was partially because of free will. The fact that Romeo and Juliet got married knowing that there was a bitter feud between their families, the Montague and Capulet’s. This feud brought on many problems, such as the murder of Tybalt by Romeo. Juliet knew that this might be a problem for Her and Romeo. Juliet had said: â€Å"What’s in a name†? Which explains her ill fate of being a Capulet and Romeo being a Montague. When Romeo tells his servant â€Å" Ay, mine own fortune in my misery†. This illustrates that he does not...

Shakespeare’s King Lear Essay -- essays research papers fc

Multiple Viewpoints of Shakespeare’s King Lear Shakespeare’s King Lear is a tragic about an aging King of Britain and his three daughters. When it comes time to divide his kingdom, he puts his daughters through a test to prove how much they love him. The two older daughters, Goneril and Regan, give King Lear flattering answers and therefore receive great amounts of finer land. The third and youngest daughter, Cordilia, says that she has no words to describe how much she loves her father. King Lear becomes enraged with Cordilia and disowns her and gives her no land. The rest of the play tells the story of how the two older daughters become corrupt and get greedy. King Leer is thrown out of his own house by his daughters and begins his decline into madness. This plot has lead to the development of different interpretations and versions of the play. These slants change the setting and viewpoint of the play, but not the basic plot and story line. Shakespeare sets up King Leer as a tragedy. The play is meant to be very dramatic and done with lots of emotion. This can be seen when King Leer is having his rage with the storm as well as when he finds his daughter Cordilia dead. He begins to slip in and out of madness once again. This same drama is tried to be displayed in the slant of Shakespeare’s King Lear, King of Texas. The director of King of Texas, Ulrich Edel, a director from Neuenburg am Rhein, Germany, has directed many movies, television shows, as well as television mini series since 1984. Ulrich Edel also has some experience with Shakespeare before. In 2002 he directed the television mini series on USA, Julius Caesar. Ulrich Edel selects a cast that also has some excellent credentials. Patrick Stewart plays the lead of John Leer in the movie. Patrick Stewart is famous for being Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek the Next Generation, which ran from 1987-1994. Stewart also has extensive Shakespeare experience. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966, to begin 27-year association. Patrick Stewart in supported by Marcia Gay Harden, Oscar-nominated for "Pollock†, Lauren Holly, and Julie Cox. All of these actors and actresses along with Ulrich Edel’s credentials bring good credibility to the movie. The movie itself was nominated and won some awards. Patrick Stewart was nominated for a ... ... very good job of this, however many people of the audience said it helped them relate more to King Lear after watching the movie. Although the details of the movie may not have been up to par with most, it seemed to entertain and be enjoyed by the audience. King of Texas is only one viewpoint on King Lear. This version can be taken as just a movie to entertain or a slant on Shakespeare’s King Leer. Works Cited Halio, Jay L., ed. Critical Essays on Shakespeare’s King Lear. New York: Prentice Hall International, 1996. â€Å"King of Texas.† Culture Vulture. September 21, 1998. 2 March 2005. http://www.culturevulture.net/Movies4/KingofTexas.htm â€Å"King of Texas.† IMBD. 2 March 2005. http://imdb.com/title/tt0282659/ â€Å"King of Texas.† American Western Magazine. 2 March 2005. http://www.readthewest.com/FilmTNTkingoftexas2002.html â€Å"King of Texas.† Amazon. 2 March 2005. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00007AJFY/qid=1109863409/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/104-4653801-4063160?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846#product-details Quinn, Edward G., ed. William Shakespeare’s King Lear. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1970.

Psychology in the News Essay

Adolescent has always been considered a period of experimentation and risk taking. It is a time when teenagers become extremely aware of themselves and their bodies, leading to problems with regard to body image, self-esteem and negative emotions in general. One disturbing trend in the American society is adolescent suicide. In June 2009, news item published in the San Jose Mercury news website (www. mercurynews. com) tackled the harsh reality of this grave problem surrounding the tumultuous years of the adolescent Americans. Fisher started with an account of teen suicide (Fisher 2009). After two consecutive student suicides at Gunn High School, a community forum was held to give assistance to teens bombarded with problems and in the process, avoid committing suicide (2009). During the forum held at Cubberly Community Center, the Palo Alto community tried to find the answers on how to avoid teen suicide and at the very least, find reasoning on the school’s successive suicides. Citing figures from the National Institute of Mental Health, Fisher expressed that teen suicide poses a â€Å"greater threat† to children than swine flu (Fisher 2009). She also noted the result of a one survey which estimates that 1 in 12 students had taken a shot (no pun intended) at suicide in the past year (2009). While the figures are alarming most especially to the parents, Fisher argued that no significant solutions have been placed. Community forums and counselling are the usual steps laid to alleviate this problem (2009). While there are warning signs that parents and teachers may detect, such as alcohol and drug abuse and changes in attitudes towards schools and other relationships, Fisher remarked that such signs may sometimes be hard to detect or overlooked upon, thus making it harder to prevent suicide (2009). Fisher ended by voicing out concerns over when the community would start getting serious about teen depression and suicide (2009). The news item is indeed, as the author opined, a ‘wake-up call’ on the gravity of teen depression and suicide. As a future parent, it is a cause for alarm for this author. If the current situation cannot be changed, if the number of teen depression and suicide continue to soar, it will be harder for future parents and children to get to the bottom of it. Now, the statistics are already startling, what more ten years from now? Everyone should remember that the youth is the future generation but if the future generation is constantly plagued with depression and suicide, how will they lead the nation? It is something that everyone should take seriously. The news item related to psychology on two things: first, it covers a period in the life span development of individuals, that of the adolescent. It is a time when an individual undergoes physical changes as well as personality and social development. It is a transition phase when the individual is no longer a child but not yet an adult. It covers human development, which falls under developmental psychology, the study of changes in people from birth through old age. . Second, the news item relates adolescence with a common developmental problem, which is suicide. It has been known that suicidal behavior among adolescents is linked to psychological problems such as depression, drug abuse and disruptive behavior. As such, they are directly related to the field of psychology. As aforementioned, depression is a leading cause of suicidal behavior and depression, as everyone knows, is a common mood disorder. It is important to bring to light the issue of teen depression and suicide, not only to treat it but to prevent it in the first place. As the author of the news item said, it does not take two or more suicidal incidents to take the problem seriously. Work Cited Fisher, Patty. â€Å"Teen suicide needs Attention†. San Jose Mercury News. June 2009. 3 August 2009 < http://www. mercurynews. com/ci_12523782? nclick_check=1>

August Wilson’s Fences Essay

August Wilson’s Fences The immigration of Africans to America as slaves has had a great effect to many things including literature. Despite their experiences in this foreign land, they brought with them a different culture that had not been experienced in the American society. The stories and experiences of African-Americans have seen authors write books and plays being staged with large audiences. This is due to the different but almost similar stories that these people have to tell regarding their journey to America and how difficult it was for them to fit in the society they found. Introduction In 1983, the American playwright August Wilson released a play titled Fences. The play has a setting of the 1950s and it explores the evolving African –American experience with race relations as one of the many themes depicted in this play. The play revolves around a 53-year-old man named Troy who is an African-America. He is struggling to provide for his family and although he is a baseball player his color is a barrier for him being able to join professional baseball thus receiving little money to support his family. This paper seeks to analyze the play and check on why it was given the title Fences (Wilson). Analysis of the play Fences by August Wilson As earlier stated, the play is about a man named Troy. The play shows how Troy is struggling to not only provide for his family but also to fit in a society in which people are judged by their skin color. The theme of race discrimination is portrayed well throughout the play. First, in the 1950s in which the play is set, people of color were seen as those who do not deserve any good thing in the society. They were associated to social crimes and ending up in jail for a crime not committed was a normal phenomenon (Wilson). However, emotional disconnect with the society they lived in and failure to secure a job so as to earn a living was greatly contributing to them ending up being involved in these social crimes. In the play, Troy is shown as a baseball player a game he had learnt and played while in prison. He had ended up in prison for an accidental murder he had committed during a robbery. From this act it is evident that due to his failure of securing a job, Troy had ended up involving himself in robbery so as to earn himself a living but this time it turned out ugly and he ended up in prison. Further, discrimination is seen at work place where some jobs could not be done by an African-American but instead they were reserved for the whites. This is seen when Troy manages to secure a job with a garbage collecting firm and he is heard asking Mr. Rand; who he refers to as the boss, why black men were not allowed to drive garbage trucks. This shows that indeed there was race discrimination at work place where African-Americans could not be bestowed with some responsibilities. The act of being denied an opportunity to drive a garbage truck can be seen as a sarcastic event. It can be viewed in the way that even if garbage collection was being seen as dirty work that could only be done by those who were seen as less fortunate in the society, the fact that driving a garbage truck was seen as â€Å"literary driving a vehicle†, an African-American would not be allowed to drive the truck since they were restricted to do so during that time (Tamura). In addition, the play shows Rose who is Troy’s wife with whom they have a son named Cory, however, Troy has a son Lyon from a previous marriage but he does not leave with him. Gabriel is Troy’s younger brother who has notable psychological damage after he suffered head injuries when he was serving as a soldier. This new development of Gabriela having served as a soldier brings contrast of sentiments of race discrimination and at the same time it can be viewed as one way in which discrimination of people of the color was being cemented. First as a contrast, this play shows how certain jobs were being reserved for whites. Soldiers were people who not only deserved respect from the society but also received a good pay. Therefore, Gabriel’s employment as a soldier, contrasts the theme of discrimination where some jobs such as a being a soldier were being reserved for those the society thought they owed respect to. However, it can be viewed differently in the sense that owing to the tasks, experiences and challenges that faced soldiers in the battle fields, African-American men were seen as the right people for the job. This follows, the understanding that most of those who served in the army died in war or if one was luck to survive they would come home having sustained severe injuries like in the case of Gabriel. This can be seen as a form of discrimination where those who were less regarded in the society were being recruited as soldiers since the society would be seen not to worry even if it lost them (Tamura). The play unfolds on a payday when Troy and his friend Bono are drinking and chatting. His son Lyon comes to him asking to be lent 10 dollars promising to refund the money soon since his girlfriend had secured a job. Troy gives him a hard time but after persuasion from his wife Rose, he finally lends his son the money. From this scenario, one can see that the family is really struggling to survive owing to Lyon’s inability to raise even 10 dollars thus leading him to borrowing from his father. This shows that African-Americans were struggling a lot so as to survive in a society where living standards were high and a society where job opportunities were rare given the much rooted racial discrimination (Wilson). Further, as the play continues, Cory tells his parents of an opportunity for a college football scholarship. Troy vehemently condemns his son’s thought of applying it and they argue. Troy does not want his son to play basket ball since he does not him to experience the racial discrimination he went through during the time he was playing baseball. The man does not back down his argument and following his experience with racial discrimination he is not ready to watch his son go through the same. As a result, Troy even approaches Cory’s coach and tells him that his son will no longer be playing football. Upon discovery of his father’s lies, Cory confronts him and they end up in a fight that causes Cory to be thrown out of the house by his father. This scenario shows the effect that racial discrimination had to Troy’s life. Following him denying his son the opportunity to play college football with an excuse of racial discrimination, one can see that indeed Troy had gone through tough time due to racial discrimination and he was protecting his son. Despite his time of playing baseball and that of his son playing football being different, Troy could hardly believe that racial discrimination could have melted away, thus, the unmoved stand exhibited by him(Wiggins & Miller). Consequently, after Cory is kicked out of the house, they no longer get along with his dad. This can be seen during the final act when Troy dies and Cory refuses to attend the funeral due to the long-standing resentment. However, after his mother’s persuasion, Cory attends the funeral to pay respect to the man who had tirelessly struggled to provide for them even if he was hard headed. The rivalry between son and father can be traced back to have been caused by racial discrimination. This is due to the fact that if Troy had not suffered through discrimination, he could not have denied his son to take the college football scholarship and as a result they could not have argued to the extent of later not setting eyes on one another. One can see the indirect effect that racial discrimination had to people’s lives (Wiggins & Miller). Further, during Troy’s burial, Cory had just come from the military training. This can be analyzed as a positive step towards fighting racial discrimination. This follows the fact that during his father’s youth days, certain jobs opportunities such as joining the military were mostly given to the whites. Therefore seeing Cory coming out of the military training it is evident that with time, racial discrimination had come to reduce thus allowing African-Americans be able to get job opportunities which earlier being people of color they could not easily get. In addition, throughout the play, Troy is shown as a man who had a different cultural influence or different socialization. First, this can be seen through his son Lyon who was from an earlier marriage. Further, in the play, Rose discovers that his husband has been having an affair with a lady called Alberta and he had made her pregnant. However, Alberta dies during childbirth and Rose accepts to adopt her daughter Raynell whose father Troy dies when she is seven years old. Being an African-American, the act of having more than one wife is not out of the norms owing to African culture with him. However, finding himself in a society where polygamy is viewed as a thing past by time, Troy could not marry Rose while still having the first wife and he could not bring Alberta as another wife thus he ended up having an affair with her other than coming to the light (Sofola).. In the African culture, to which Troy can still find some association, most communities allow polygamous marriages as this is seen as wealth as the man will have many children from these wives. Traditionally, in the African culture having more than one wife was seen as a public sign that a man had more resources that would allow him to marry as many women as he pleased. However, the culture was against adultery and a man would not be allowed to bear children outside marriage unless he would later end up marrying the lady (Sofola).. Therefore, although the African culture among the African-Americans was fading away, its influence continued to affect them for years. Consequently, Troy was a man who had been influenced by this culture but the society which he currently lived in was not in support of the culture. Therefore, this explains his act in life of having a first marriage, then marrying Rose and finally having an affair with Alberta. Troy’s case shows the effect that migration to the West had to African-Americans; it did not only give them a hard time trying to fit in a society where they were less regarded but it also eroded their cultures and presented them with a different and difficult socialization (Sofola). Having analyzed the play, one would seek to answer the question on why it was given the title â€Å"Fences†. First, the theme of racial discrimination can be seen to have portrayed the title Fences. This is seen throughout the play where lines of racial discrimination were used to deny Troy and other African-Americans job opportunities. This judgment on bases of color is a fence in itself since it prevented them from getting good money to support their families. In addition, Troy could not join professional baseball playing due to the ‘fence’ of racial discrimination. However, to Cory, his father is the fence that does not allow him to get the college football scholarship after he refused him on the grounds of racial discrimination. In addition and to the literal meaning, Rose wanted to build a fence and forced Troy to start so that she could protect what is hers in the inside and leave what belongs to the society outside the fence. Conclusion Throughout the play, racial discrimination is shown as the cause of anything that Troy’s family is going through. One can appreciate the writer’s overemphasize on this issue owing to the fact that this play is set in the 1950’s when racial discrimination was still evidently being experienced. The play assists one to understand the effect that racial discrimination had on the lives of African-Americans as well as the influence of Western culture to their socialization and culture. This play will assist in keeping the history of the experience of African-Americans in the American society and it will remain to be a crucial part of literature.