School councils Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

School councils - Essay Example "The youngsters involved also learn about society and citizenship as well as developing their personal skills. " (BBC News 2005) In a separate survey by BT and the charity Childline, only 47% of the children questioned said adults listened to what they said and acted on it. (Anderson 2004) Most adults agreed it was important to listen to children, but only 57% said this happened. The effectiveness of these School Councils is not as positive as some of the media would like for us to think. There has been recent research on the School Counsils and the results are similar to the ones revealed by Anderson (2000) The research suggested a school council could make a significant contribution to the life of a school and to young people's experience of democratic processes and practices. (BBC News 21005) Setting one up did not guarantee a positive outcome, though. "As with any other learning strategy, the context in which the council operates and its processes and practices need to be supported and kept under review in order to generate positive outcomes for students and for it to have an impact on the school," said the co-author of the study, Monica Taylor. (Daniels and Ivatts) there needed to be a school-wide culture of consultation, respect for the views of students and staff, participation - and the possibility of change.

Gerontology clinician Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gerontology clinician - Essay Example Gerontologists study how older people are treated within a society and how elderly deal with the inevitable problems of aging, particularly those involving health and income. Health problems include normal losses in hearing, eyesight, and memory, and the increased likelihood of the incidence of chronic disease. These losses are gradual and proceed at different rates for each individual. In general, the health of older people today is superior to that of previous generations- a condition that is likely to improve still further as more people receive better medical care throughout their lives. In most industrial societies, the high cost of treating chronic illness has been assumed, at least partially, by national health insurance schemes. The second major problem of the elderly involves income and economic welfare. Because most old people no longer form part of the labour force, some form of income maintenance is necessary. Industrial societies generally employ systems of pensions and social security benefits partly for this purpose. In spite of this fact, however, many elderly people live below, on, or only slightly above the poverty level; these are predominantly women and members of ethnic and other minority groups for whom economic security has always been insecure. (Le Shan, 1986) The third factor is that the vast majorities of elderly men are married and live with their wives in homes of their own. In the west generally, many widowed women are able to maintain an independent one- person household. Thus, fewer than about 20 percent of the elderly live in the household of an adult child, and around only around 5 percent are in institutions such as hospitals or nursing homes. Those who live with an adult child or who are institutionalized are typically very old or have serious health problems. Although both the elderly and their children express a strong preference for independent residence, most old people live within a few hours' travel of one of their children. The fourth factor is that the Social relationships might be difficult to maintain in old age because of health limitations, the death of family members and friends, loss of workmates, and lack of suitable affordable transport. Still, many old people invest as much time and energy as possible in friendships and family, and find companionship at special centers and day clubs for senior citizens. Historically, in the past particularly, old people commanded respect, as; indeed they still do in countries such as China and Japan, and the fate of other family members. In most modern societies, however, young people are independent; they themselves choose whom they will marry, and receive public education.(Rashkis, Harold A, 1981). Elderly people themselves, however, often display high levels of morale, satisfaction with life, and feeling of self-worth, even though recently there have been increasing instances of neglect and ill-treatment of elderly people. The important variables in this are, of course, health and income. The responsibility of modern societies in this respect is to ensure that the aged have their basic needs met and that they have the resources to continue to function usefully and happily within the community. (Butler, Robert, 1975). Ageing in biology, combination of changes in an organism that appear to occur inevitably and irreversibly with the passage of time, eventually resulting in death. Among humans they include a decrease in tissue flexibility, loss of some

Employment at Will Doc Essay Example for Free

Employment at Will Doc Essay During the nineteenth century a legal rule was developed giving employer’s unfettered power to â€Å"dismiss their employees at will for good cause, for no cause or for cause morally wrong, without being thereby guilty of a legal wrong. † (Halbert, 2012, p. 49). This legal rule is commonly known as Employment-At-Will and ultimately the employer has the rights to sever the employer-employee relationship at any given time for any given reason and whether or not the employee thinks wrongful separation. It is a topic that is debated for many years and in today’s current economy and unemployment rate steadily increasing â€Å"Employment-at-will† is a doctrine that is being used more frequently as employers experience their present day lows. Employers however have to keep in mind the other that in 1960, federal civil rights laws created remedies against employers who fire workers because of their race, national origin, color, religion, sex, age, or disability (Halbert, 2012, p. 9). Later, in 1970s and 1980s, federal and state statutes include protection from retaliation for employees who report violations of environmental or workplace safety laws and those individuals are commonly known as â€Å"whistleblowers†. In essence, whistle blowers are typically long term, highly loyal employees who feel strongly that their company should do the right thing, because in the wave of scandal with major firms such as Enron and World. Com; Congress enacted corporate fraud reform legislation which provides provisions to protect those who report financial misconduct in publicly traded companies. This law is known as Sarbanes-Oxey, or SOX (Halbert, 2012, p. 50). In this assignment the scenario begins as a manager and supervisor of an accounting department, discuss the following issues related to the employment-at-will doctrine and liability of an employer based on actions and responses to the employee’s behavior and actions. Jennifer, a recent graduate, has recently been hired by your accounting firm out of college. Upon being hired, she engages in a number of different behaviors that need your attention. Describe what steps you would take to address the following scenario involving skills, competence, and abilities: †¢The employee seems to be unable to learn the computer applications that are basic to her job responsibilities, but, consistently â€Å"tells† her boss that she is â€Å"a good worker and a genius† and that he does not â€Å"appreciate her†. Even after a few months of training and support, she is unable to use the computer tools to be productive and efficient in completing the required tasks. Employers must first determine was this employee given adequate training, support and feedback while employed. However, feedback can include a performance management plan (PMP) where it measures an employee’s strengths, weaknesses, to the goals and expectations of the company and expectations of the position. If the action plan of re-training, possibly one on one coaching/mentoring are options for this employee and the employee is still not able to grasp the scope of her job duties; it may be a situation where in this scenario the employer can practice employment at will especially after exhausting all methods to help this employee gain as much knowledge that was assumed she was bringing to the company, the employer now may relinquish the employer-employee relationship for good, bad or for no cause at all. Further, the employer does not hold any legal liability as long as no contract was signed upon employment, however if an employee is unable to perform her job duties, the employer does not have much choice than to end employment. Describe what steps you would take to address the following scenario involving management, behavior, and performance: †¢In this scenario, an employee tends to burst into a rage when criticized and is frequently late to work as noticed by her boss and other staff members. When her boss attempts to address her behavioral issues and the company late policy, the employee’s response is that she â€Å"knows her rights and what to do† if she is wrongfully discharged. She also says she took a business law class in undergrad that taught her â€Å"everything she needs to know about exceptions to the employment-at-will doctrine and wrongful discharge in violation of public policy†. Clearly, if this employee has a tendency to have outbursts of rage when criticized this should always have a second party as a witness, along with proper documentation of all verbal reprimands, written warnings reprimands regarding the company’s late policy. We all know that when an employee is considering termination, you need to follow a defined process for best results (Kermit, 2012). There may be a valid reason for her tardiness, however, if the said employee stated she took business law classes in her undergraduate studies she should know full well employment at will outweighs wrongful termination if she was constantly late, violating company policy and warned her job could be in jeopardy, the employer can still choose to terminate employment. Maybe instead of the employee having outbursts, have her to explain the specific reasons for being late and these emotional outbursts because workplace hostility is not tolerated. Maybe the employer can offer her the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which is a support services program to help balance work and life, maybe she has child care issues or lives in a household with only one vehicle, possibly advising her to seek employment within the company with a more flexible schedule. At any rate, this employee has been warned, given support and the problem still remains, the employer must then choose to use Employment At Will doctrine to separate the employee from employment but just as an employer can separate the employee from employment, so can an employee separate themselves from the employer as well; as the definition remains the same â€Å"employment at will†. Describe what steps you would take to address the following scenario involving labor and laws: †¢The employee takes a day off from work, without management consent, for her religious holiday observance that falls on a day that is during â€Å"tax season†. The day off occurred during an incredibly busy period for the company during which the employer had notified all employees they were not allowed to take off without prior management approval. Also, there is no labor union for accountants. However, she begins talking to her co-workers during lunch breaks and sometimes during regular work hours, encouraging them to organize and form a union to â€Å"protect ourselves†. Based upon the federal civil rights laws enacted in the 1960s, there are legal liabilities for dismissal of an employee based on race, national origin, color, religion, sex, age or disability (Halbert, 2012, p. 9). However, an employee cannot take it upon themselves to grant any day off, whether or not they have acquired leave to use for the day out of work. This could be a policy violation and considered a no call any show for work because you decided to take an authorized day off. Management has already expressed â€Å"all hands on deck† for their busiest season and discouraged employees from taking any days off during this time. However, if prior notification had been communicated to the employer of her religious holiday observance, her day off may have been approved. However, she clearly not just violated a policy but disturbed the flow of production and this can cause separation from employment as well but this employee should have sought other alternatives than to authorize her own day off. Also, the employer would need to be very careful before considering termination, due to her attempts to form unions; as early adjustments to the employment –at-will doctrine was made as workers fought for the right to organize and form unions. The U. S. Supreme Court declared that an employer could not use Employment –At – Will to intimidate or coerce its employee with respect to their self -organization; which means an employee cannot be terminated as punishment for attempting to organize a union (Halbert, 2012, p. 49). This employee may have a chance to remain employed in this scenario due to the â€Å"religious holiday observance† issue, however should be reprimanded for no call no show, written up and added to her employee file so there is proper documentation if she decides to authorize her next day off as discipline action to termination can occur. Also, if the employer can also practice â€Å"The Good Faith† covenant, which can be interpreted in different ways meaning that termination must be for cause to meaning that termination cannot be made in bad faith or with malice intended (Muhl, 2001) Describe what steps you would take to address the following scenario involving policies and procedure. †¢The employee’s supervisor consistently asks her out on dates; the employee initially refuses to go out on a date with her supervisor. The employee later discusses the issue with her girlfriend who encourages her to accept his offers. During her new employee orientation, the employee was informed of the company policy which prevented employees from dating their supervisor and was given an employee handbook with the written policy. The employee and her supervisor later begin having a consensual relationship. Often times, employers have to make their employees constantly aware of certain policies and procedures within the workplace. They will have prepared documents as reminders of these internal policies involving securities, workplace violence, and sexual harassment just to name a few. These documents are required to be read and sign as acknowledgement that you fully understand and will be incompliance. In many companies fraternizing is not allowed within the workplace this information should have been advised by written policy in the company’s handbook and or during employee orientation but it is very important this type of relationship be deterred as it could result in sexual harassment case and lawsuits can be formulated. Workplace relationships are risky as they can cause unnecessary conflict and affect not only the work environment but jeopardize one’s areer. At any rate, ethics plays an important role in this scenario and must be considered before entering into any type of workplace relationship.

Caste System as a Form of Social Stratification

Caste System as a Form of Social Stratification The caste system is one of the oldest forms of social stratification and even though it may be prohibited by the law, the political divisions continue to exist in the minds of the people leaving many oppressed. Before the caste system, India had four groups or divisions already established: the Negrito, Mongoloid, Austroloid and Dravidian. It was during the Aryan invasion around 1500 BCE when the caste system was created. The word  caste  derives from  the Portuguese  word casta  , meaning breed, race, or kind. In this system, the citizens are divided into categories or castes. Varna, the Sanskrit word for color, refers to large divisions that include various castes; the other terms include castes and subdivisions of castes sometimes called subcastes. Among the Indian terms that are sometimes translated as caste are jati, jat,  biradri, and  samaj. There are thousands of castes and subcastes in India. It follows a basic precept: All me n are created unequal. Each category or jat has a special role to play in the society as well as a unique function: this structure is a means of creating and organizing an effective society. The caste system in India is primarily associated with Hinduism but also exists among other Indian religious groups. Castes are ranked and named. Membership is achieved by birth. Castes are also endogamous groups. Marriages and relationships between members of different castes, while not actually prohibited, face strong social disapproval and the threat of ostracism or even violence. To illustrate, in a notorious case in August 2001, a Brahmin boy and a lower-caste girl were publicly hanged by members of their families in Uttar Pradesh, India for refusing to end their inter-caste relationship.  [1]   The first of the four basic Vedic books, which are considered the source of Indian wisdom, is the Rig Veda- a collection of over 1,000 hymns containing the basic mythology of the Aryan gods. The Rig Veda contains one of the most famous sections in ancient Indian literature in which the first man created, Purusa, is sacrificed in order to give rise to the four varnas. The varna of Brahmans emerged from the mouth. They are the priests and teachers, and look after the intellectual and spiritual needs of the community. They preside over knowledge and education. The varna of Kshatriyas emerged from the arms. Their responsibility is to rule and to protect members of the community. They are associated with rulers and warriors including property owners. The varna of Vaishyas emerged from the thighs. They are the merchants and traders and those who look after commerce and agriculture. The varna of Sudras emerged from the feet. They are the laborers. Castes or subcastes besides the four mentioned include such groups as the  Bhumihar  or landowners and the  Kayastha  or scribes. Some castes arose from very specific occupations, such as the  Garudi   snake charmers or the  Sonjhari, who collected gold from river beds. Each caste is believed by devout Hindus to have its own dharma, or divinely ordained code of proper conduct. Brahmans are usually expected to be nonviolent and spiritual, according to their traditional roles as vegetarian teetotaler priests. Kshatriyas are supposed to be strong, as fighters and rulers should be, with a taste for aggression, eating meat, and drinking alcohol. Vaishyas are stereotyped as adept businessmen, in accord with their traditional activities in commerce. Shudras are often described by others as tolerably pleasant. The existence of rigid ranking is supernaturally validated through the idea of rebirth according to a persons karma, the sum of an individuals deeds in this life and in past lives. After death, a persons life is judged by divine forces, and rebirth is assigned in a high or a low place, depending upon what is deserved. This supernatural sanction can never be neglected, because it brings a person to his or her position in the caste hierarchy, relevant to every transaction involving food or drink, speaking, or touching. The Rig Veda mentions how the four varnas were created but it does not mention the concept of untouchability. The idea of an Untouchable caste à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ is not in the Vedas or the law books, which list only four  varnas.  [2]  It is a part of the system that has been created by society itself. Untouchables are the fifth group. They are considered unworthy that they fall outside of the caste system. In 1950, the term Untouchable was eradicated under Indias constitution, and untouchables are now formally referred to as the Scheduled Castes. Gandhi referred to untouchables as Harijan, which means people of God. Politically active untouchables feel that this term Harijan might evoke pity rather than respect, and prefer the term Dalits, which means, oppressed. Dalits are descendants of the ancient Dravidians of India who lost their language and were subjugated due to the linguistic and socio-cultural oppression by the perpetrators of the caste system. While Dalits in Tamil Nadu speak Tamil, their brethren in other parts of India speak different Dravidian or tribal dialects or languages that arose due to mixtures of Tamil, Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic, such as Hindustani (Hindi). As an Indian is born into the caste system, they are supposed to stay with that caste until death. What a person in each of these varnas can and cant do, is prescribed in detail in the laws of Manu, written by Brahman priests at least 2,000 years ago. The laws of Manu are inscribed in Indian culture. Umashankar Tripathy, a Brahman priest, says, Manu is engraved in every Hindu  [3]   Untouchables or Dalits obviously live also by a certain set of rules. The occupations of people in caste systems are hereditary and dalits perform jobs that cause them to be considered impure and thus untouchable and for little or no pay at all.   They are restricted to occupations such as landless farm workers and peasants, and forced into washing clothes, beating drums, cutting hair, cleaning latrines and sewers, working as a leatherworker (they work with animal skin which makes them unclean), street cleaners, and manual scavengers. Manual scavenging refers to disposal of human waste by hand, using only the most basic tools, typically a brush, a tin plate and a wicker basket. Scavengers also dispose of dead animals. Millions of Dalits work even as slaves. They mostly have no opportunities for better employment. Dalits live in the most congested and cramped slums in villages, towns and urban areas consisting of huts or ghettos which are damp and cramped. They live in the most insanitary conditions with no access to public health and sanitation amongst open sewers and open air toilets. There are no state sponsored public housing rights or public health rights in India. Most Dalits are forced to live in isolated areas. Even after death, grave sites are segregated. The best housing is reserved for the upper castes; the government provides separate amenities for each neighborhood, which are segregated on caste lines. Dalits are usually left with the worse of the amenities or none at all. Over 85% of Indian Dalits own no land and are dependent on landlords for work or land to rent; those that do own land may find it difficult or impossible to enforce their rights; workers rarely receive the statutory minimum wage. Furthermore, in past decades, Dalits in certain areas (especially in parts of the south) had to display extreme deference to high-status people, physically keeping their distancelest their touch or even their shadow pollute otherswearing neither shoes nor any upper body covering (even for women) in the presence of the upper castes. In northern India for example, untouchables had to use drums to let others know of their arrival. Even their shadows were considered polluted. In the south, some Brahmins ordered Untouchables to keep at least 65 feet away from them. Untouchables are shunned, insulted, banned from temples and higher caste homes, made to eat and drink from separate utensils in public places. The higher-caste people do not accept food or water from the untouchable because it would transmit the pollution permanent and inherent in the person of the untouchable. Thus, untouchables are not allowed to drink from the same wells, wear shoes in the presence of an upper caste, or drink from the same cups in tea stalls. They are not allowed to touch people from the four varnas or caste groups. They are not allowed to enter houses of the higher varnas especially in which the chula (the small earthen stove) is located.  [4]  In public occasions, they were compelled to sit at a distance from the four varnas. They are also denied education, freedom of expression, and many other rights the higher classes have. Dalit children do not have access to education due to the lack of mandatory and universal primary and secondary education in India. Even in rural areas where there may be schools, Dalit children are ostracized, oppressed and stigmatized from attending school. Thus, few Dalit children progress beyond primary education and they are often made to sit at the back of the class. Nearly 90 percent of all the poor Indians and 95 percent of all the illiterate Indians are Dalits, according to the International Dalit Conference. Dalit Children are also subjected to atrocities such as sexual abuse in rural areas, physical abuse and murder just as adult Dalits are. They have a high level of malnutrition and ill health. Some are ordained into temple prostitution as a part of religious rituals for exploitation by non-Dalit men of the village or town. Dalit women do all the back breaking work society expects Dalits to do, such as manual scavenging, farm labour, stone breaking, etc., and in addition they have to bear domestic responsibilities as mothers and wives. Dalit women suffer double discrimination as Dalits and as women. They are exposed to sexual abuse at the hands of the so called caste Hindu men and also men who work or state authorities such as the police. They are frequently raped, gang-raped, beaten and tortured or forced to walk through the streets naked as punishment as an act of reprisal against male relatives who have committed some act worthy of upper-caste vengeance. Atrocities such as rape of Dalit women in police custody, bonded labour and physical abuse are common in India. The chastity of women is strongly related to caste status. Generally, the higher ranking the caste, the more sexual control its women are expected to exhibit. Brahman brides should be virginal, faithful to one husband and celibate in widowhood. By contrast, a sweeper bride may or may not be a virgin, extramarital affair may be tolerated, and, if widowed or divorced, the woman is encouraged to remarry. For the higher castes, such control of female sexuality helps ensure purity of lineageof crucial importance to maintenance of high status. Among Muslims, too, high status is strongly correlated with female chastity. Many thousands of Dalit girls are forced into marriage to temples or local deities in south India, often before puberty, sometimes in payment of a debt. They are married to temples under the guise of the religious practice Devadasis, meaning female servant of god. They are then unable to marry and become unwilling prostitutes for upper-caste men, many eventually being sold into brothels. The  Badi  Jat is regarded as a prostitution subcaste. Women and girls are routinely trafficked into brothels. Perversely, and hypocritically, untouchability does not seem to apply to prostitution and customers are mainly men from the upper castes. If, because of any reason, there was a contact between an untouchable and a member of the Varnas, the Varna member became defiled and had to immerse or wash himself with water to be purified. In strict societies, especially among the Twice Born (the three top Varnas) the touched Twice Born also had to pass through some religious ceremonies to purify himself from the pollution. If the untouchable entered a house and touched things of a Varna member, the Varna members used to wash or clean the places where the untouchable touched and stepped. A twice born Hindu is a male member of one of the three upper castes who has completed the thread ceremony. The thread ceremony is a Hindu initiation ceremony, similar to a Christian confirmation or a Jewish  Bar Mitzvah. A thread is given to the boy and it is thereafter worn over the left shoulder or around the waist. The thread has three strands, representing the three  gunas  (qualities):  satya  (truth);   rajas  (action); and  tamas(inertia). Sudras  and Dalits are excluded from the thread ceremony and cannot become twice-born. Horrific and unbearable are just a few words that come to mind when thinking of the abuse towards Dalits. More than 160 million people in India are considered achuta or untouchable. Human rights violation against these people known as Dalits is extremely prevalent although obviously illegal. Laws have been passed to prevent the abuse of the Dalits and NGO groups have been established to protect these people. However, that doesnt limit the crimes. The enforcement of laws on both local and nationwide scale designed to protect the Dalits is lax if not nonexistent in many regions in India. Often times, especially in rural areas, where the practice of untouchability is the strongest, police officers even join in the abuse of the Dalits. Nearly 50 years later, another event gave rise to a mass of conversions by the untouchables. A man from their class became educated, and then dared to try and watch a festival that the upper class men took part in. The untouchable was soon discovered and called a dirty untouchable and then killed. When the dead mans family tried to report the murder to the police, the police turned them away because they were untouchables. Eventually the police gave in and investigated the murder, later convicting a young man, but that did not satisfy the people. They were tired of being treated so poorly, and soon decided to abandon the Hindu religion and chose a new one. Other headlines about crimes victimizing the Dalits are as follows: Dalit boy beaten to death for plucking flowers; Dalit tortured by cops for three days; Dalit witch paraded naked in Bihar; Dalit killed in lock-up at Kurnool; 7 Dalits burnt alive in caste clash; 5 Dalits lynched in Haryana; Dalit woman gang-raped, paraded naked; Police egged on mob to lynch Dalits. Fear of public humiliation, beatings, and rape keep Indias Untouchables in their place. Statistics from Indias National Crime Records Bureau indicate that in 2000 25,455 crimes were committed against Dalits.  [5]  Every hour two Dalits were assaulted; every day three Dalit women raped, two Dalits murdered, and two Dalit homes torched. Majority of crimes go unregistered, because the police, village councils, and government officials often support the caste system, which is based on the teachings of Hinduism. Many crimes go unreported due to fear of reprisal, intimidation by police, inability to pay bribes, or simply because people know that the police will do nothing. There will be no punishment for the criminals; no justice for the victimized. Amnesty estimated that only about 5 percent of attacks are registered  [6]   Hundreds of thousands of Dalits have already renounced Hinduism, generally by conversion to Buddhism or Christianity, sometimes in mass ceremonies.  Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, a Dalit leader, lawyer, and politician,  famously led several hundred thousand Dalits in converting to Buddhism, saying I was born a Hindu, but I will not die one. Conversion is not a panacea, however, and converts to other religions, especially Christianity and Islam, have suffered continued discrimination. Some converts have lost reserved occupations on the grounds that they are no longer members of scheduled castes and converts are not counted as Dalits in the Indian census. Amidst the oppression and hardships, Dalits still have social life which is expressed through dance and music. Theyre dance and music are full of fiery spirit, spontaneity and humour without the inhibitions and rigid classical structure that characterizes Hindu music and arts. Dalit songs celebrates life but laments their life conditions, while frankly exposing the realities of life, in a style full of humour and sensual zest, by using simple instruments and vocals. In modern times, Dalit poetry and writing by social and political activists have taken centre-stage amongst the educated activist community. Despite the harsh treatment that the untouchables are receiving, there have been certain attempts to help them. The elimination of untouchability became one of the main planks of the platform of all social reform movements of India. Reform movements and humanitarian acts such as those started by Buddha, Ramanuja, Ramanand, Chaitanya, Kabir, Nanak, Tukaram and others were established but they hardly had any effect on the peoples treatment on the untouchables.  [7]  The Hindu state also enacted laws to punish those who rebelled against their intolerable conditions. The social oppression of the untouchables had religious sanctions. The British listed the poorest (principally Dalit) subcastes in 1935, creating detailed lists of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. The 1948 Indian constitution, thanks to its architect  Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, reinforced this classification, for a system of affirmative action called reservation. The concept was that these measures would help the poorest to escape poverty and oppression. Reservation is an attempt by the Indian national government to redress past discrimination. The constitution reserves 22.5% of national government jobs, state legislature seats, seats in the lower house of the national parliament and higher education places for members of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Unfortunately, this policy has not been implemented in full. Less than half the national government quota had been filled in total in 1998 and less than 15% of reserved public sector jobs. An unspoken policy discriminates in favor of upper castes, particularly Brahmins. Dalit representation in university teaching posts is less than 1%. New economic forces, education and nationalist movements had different impacts on the treatment of the people on untouchables. Because of new economic forces, railways and buses were introduced, thus, bringing touchables and untouchables together. Modern industries established in India recruited their labor supply and labor market from both touchables and untouchables, who further worked at the machines in physical proximity to one another. The workers also fought together during labor strikes.  [8]  Because of education, whether liberal or technical, their economic conditions somewhat improved and different sections following different occupations began to merge, on class basis, with groups of other castes following similar occupations. The new bonds were based not on caste but on common occupation and class. This very slowly began to dissolve the mass of the untouchables into groups such as factory workers, teachers, clerks, merchants, mechanics, or manufacturers. New economic bonds between the touchables and untouchables following the same economic activity started weakening the prejudice of untouchability.  [9]  Finally, nationalist movements also contributed to the benefits received by the untouchables. For example, the Swaraj struggle demanded the democratic alliance of all castes and communities in India whose vital interests lay in the political independence of the country. The nationalist movement contributed towards the dissolution of old distinctions. The social reformers were moved by humanitarian and national considerations when they crusaded against purely social evils.  [10]   The Untouchables is a topic that touches on many sensitive issues relevant to every society; not only to the Indian society. One prevalent issue that the Untouchables have driven out is that of being an outcast. Perhaps many of us, if not all, can relate to the feeling of being unable to belong and just longing to fit in. Perhaps in high school, we tried out many roles and sought the group we most felt at home in. For the Dalits, life is high school taken to the worse extremes. From birth, they are ostracized. They are placed outside of society; and seen as less than human. They are given roles that they must play, and follow a certain set of rules for the rest of their lives, or suffer the consequences. In our society, to be treated as an outcast in this manner is simply unimaginable. It would seem as though one would go through life apart from society; apart from people. It would be as though one isnt a person at all; that one would be less than a person; less than even an animal. This sense of inequality was seen many times over history, in many different societies, and many are still relevant in todays society. Divisions were brought about by differences in gender, creed, and race, to name a few. Wars have been waged; rallies have been set into motion; and lives have been lost, with regard to all these issues. With all that has happened in our worlds history, Indias society learned nothing to deter from inequalities problems. The Dalits are maltreated and discriminated against. The maltreatment for Dalit women are even harder hit. Their people experience the never-ending cycle of poverty. The caste system was built and based on the idea that each caste or jat has a special role to play in the society but shouldnt an individual have the right to choose what role he/she will play in the society? Is the caste system the best way to achieve an organized and effective society? It is understandable that breaking away from the caste system would be difficult or something very hard to get used to. India has lived through all these years with the mentality that all men are unequal and there will always be untouchables or Dalits. It has become a part of their lives and is embedded in them. There is very little pressure for change, especially within India: it is said that the majority has an interest in perpetuating caste discrimination.  [11]  Protests by Dalits themselves are rare: for many Dalits, day-to-day survival may be a higher priority.  [12]  To quote Human Rights Watch: The solution lies in concerted international attention to assist national governments in this important and long overdue work.  [13]   If you take a look at our society, even without the caste system, you will see that this never-ending cycle of poverty is also a major problem in the Philippines, and one question still stands, that is, How can one break free from poverty? Poverty is a problem, because those experiencing it, the poor, are marginalized. They can barely afford or sometimes cannot afford basic necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter. Yes, in India, as well as the Philippines, there have been programs, laws to aid and support these people. However, it is in the implementation of these laws that fail to solve the problem. For most Western people, the single action that has the best chance of making a difference would be to raise awareness of the problem, repeatedly bringing it to the attention of individuals, politicians, media, diplomats and above all the Indian government.  [14]  The lack of will to change and unity among people (in India, as well as the Philippines) is one important problem in breaking away from poverty and making a change. Therefore, the caste system or these political divisions continue to live in the minds of many, leaving millions of untouchables or Dalits trapped in a world of oppression and poverty. Change is something much called for in the Indian society, in our society, and in many others around our world today. We can study the oppressive Dalit cases time and time again. We can feel disgusted, depressed, and down reading about them, and we can wonder, can their lives ever change? It isnt enough to read and wonder, in order for change, action is a must. In retrospect, there isnt much radical action one can take for the Dalits when still in second year college in the Philippines. However, we believe there is much we can do in the future, for our society, as well as others. In the words of Mahatma Ghandi, be the change you want to see in the world.

Review Of a Lion In Winter :: essays research papers

Henry, the King of England, married Eleanor for her land; their first son died, after him, John was Henry's favorite, Richard was Eleanors favorite, but turned out to be homosexual, Geoffrey plotted against all of them with the King of France who was Richard's "friend;" Henry had an affair with Rosalyn, and Eleanor, with Richard lead a couple of civil wars against him, so Henry locked Eleanor in a tower; Henry's lover died, he bought a wife, Alice, for the son who was to be King, but had an affair with her . . . And so went life in the late 12th century. Involved in this complex arrangement there are many aspects of life during this period including: the status of women, power of the church and living conditions all of which were illustrated in The Lion in Winter. One of the most apparent things in The Lion in Winter was the role of women. At first impression they did not seem significant. Eleanor was cheated on, not an uncommon practice, and then locked in a tower to only be aloud out on holidays. Alice was bought and then became Henry's new lover, and beyond that no other women were mention. Despite all this, when looked at more closely women were important to the feudal society. A king could acquire land by conquering, or marrying the daughter who had that land in her dowry. Also in the movie Eleanor wielded more power than one would have thought, for one she and Richard had led civil wars against Henry before. Secondly because of her control of the Aquataine she exercised more power than other women of the times. Because of all this women were necessary to the feudal system, but were still not regarded as meaningful. The role of the church was influential in the movie, but not as prominent as expected. It was the church that gave the king his authority and could take it away. Henry threatened to annul his marriage with Eleanor to gain leverage to obtain the Aquatain. There was even joking about being excommunicated, again. Without the church to have marriages and settle things of that nature it probably been more chaotic than it already was. It was the church that kept reading and writing going through the Dark Ages, and also played and important role in the late 12th century. More interesting than other topics was the living conditions. Whenever reading a fairy tale, or watching a movie about castles they are always glorified as wonderful places, large and beautiful, with every luxury.

Fortinbras, Laertes and Horatio, as Foils to Hamlet Essay -- GCSE Cour

Fortinbras, Laertes and Horatio, as Foils to Hamlet  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "What a piece of work is a man!" (II, 2, 305). In his statement Prince Hamlet, in his role as the star character in William Shakespeare's Hamlet, acknowledges the complexity of man; as "infinite in faculties. . . express and admirable. . . like an angel [or] like a god. . . and yet. . . [a] quintessence of dust" (II, 2, 307) is man described. Shakespeare emphasizes the observation by casting Hamlet as "a man," exposing his strengths and weaknesses through the contrast provided by Fortinbras, Laertes and Horatio, as foils to the tragic hero.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At his first appearance, young Fortinbras is shown to be inferior to Hamlet; being "of unimproved metal, hot and full" (I, 1, 96) unreasonably "[sharking] up a list of landless resolutes" (I, 1, 98), he is in sharp contrast to the "sweet and commendable" (I, 2, 87) Hamlet introduced in the next scene. As the play develops, however, Hamlet's weakness are highlighted as Fortinbras works to earn his name, "which seems to symbolize the strong arm of the soldier" (xxvii). Fortinbras' uncomplicated, simple-minded determination towards final revenge of this father's death contrasts with Hamlet's intermittent efforts towards the same goal. The Norwegian's first appearance in the play, which does not occur until act IV, scene 4, is conveniently placed as Hamlet is on another of his "lows." Fortinbras' triumphant and majestic entry into Denmark evidences his ability to plan and act, circumventing obstacles in his plan as they arise, which contrasts with Hamlet's inability to do the same. Hamlet condemns himself and exposes one of his weaknesses -- his inability to act when required or possible -- by questioning "Wh... ... the deadly duel in the final scene. The scholar's strong code of honour and ethics, which pushes him to commit suicide at Hamlet's death, contrasts with Hamlet's lack of morals, sending his old acquaintances Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths in England and mercilessly "wringing [his mother's] heart" (III, 4, 35) during the closet scene.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By exposing and emphasizing Hamlet's many strengths and weaknesses as they appear throughout the play, Fortinbras, Laertes and Horatio act as foils to the tragic hero. Although they assist in the understanding of Hamlet, they do not completely dissect the inner workings of the main character, thus testifying to the complexity of an individual. Indeed, what a piece of work is a man!    Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Betty Bealy. Toronto: Canadian School Book Exchange, 1996.   

Jinnah’s Vision of Pakistan and our Success to realize it Essay

There is not much debate or even concern about what was the vision of the founders of Pakistan. What type of state they had in mind when they struggled of an independent country that we call our homeland, Pakistan? In answering this question, we will assess whether or not we have been driven by that vision and how we have shaped our system of governance. The Muslim intellectuals, thinkers and social reformers that contributed to the idea of Muslims being a separate political category in India were essentially modernist, rationalist Muslims. They wanted the Muslims to acquire knowledge of new sciences and empower themselves economically and politically. Their central objective was rights of the Muslims and their share in power under the British colonial system. They understood how the world had changed, and accordingly they thought the best tools for Muslim empowerment were modernity, education, politics of rights and peaceful struggle for accommodation of their interests. Jinnah and many other leaders of the Muslim communities in the subcontinent were products of post-reissuance modern world. Unlike European modernists all varieties of nationalists in the colonial world had more difficult task of building a modern nation in a traditional, Islamic cultural climate. The question then and now for modernists is how to reconcile modernity with religion and social structures. Muslim modernists from Sir Syed Ahmad Khan to Jinnah wanted modem education, science and technology and political forms and institutions without offending religion. Jinnah’s vision of Pakistan in this respect has four salient points. We can judge where does Pakistan stand today in the light of these four ideas. 1: Constitutionalism First and foremost, Jinnah was quintessential a constitutionalist. The term and its underlying philosophy is so foreign to our rulers that they have really disabled themselves intellectually to seek guidance from him. What it really means in modern political theory is that a civilized system of governance must function within the boundaries of laws. There must be limits on the exercise of power which is primarily meant to serve national and public interest. This is one of the central themes of philosophical debates that have defined the system of state and the relations between political authority and the society during the past three hundred years or so. Jinnah had thoroughly and profoundly internalized constitutionalism at a very young age and this defined all his politics in his long career. Actually constitutionalism is what separates the pre-modern and the modern world system. It gives dignity to human beings in rooting the ideas of freedom, civil rights and social capacity to force the government to stay within the limits of laws. 2: Supremacy of law and independence of judiciary. Philosophically as well as in practical politics these are basic norms of good society and good politics. Jinnah’s political orientation and practical life were perfect reflection of these two ideas of the modern world. Let us not forget that Jinnah was one the most distinguished, outstanding and powerful defender of rule of law and independence of judiciary. These two institutions are intertwined. It would be absurd to think of rule of law without the independence of judiciary, Building one of these institutions independently is not possible. They grow together; the development of one strengthens the other. 3: Personal liberties and freedoms These constitute third important flank of Jinnah’s political ideology. His political struggle first at the platform of the Indian National Congress for home rule, independence and rights of minorities, and later on throughout the Pakistan movement was based on universal human instincts of freedoms and civil rights. It would be unconceivable in any situation that the battle for national independence could be fought without the recognizing individuals’ right to make their own choices. This is an important notion that transforms them from subjects of a colonial administration to a citizen of a modern nation state. 4: Representative Democratic Government. The ideas we have briefly mentioned above give rise to the representative government, another facet of Jinnah’s political philosophy. Such a government is in our view a defining characteristic of the modem form of authority. It answers some fundamental questions about how political power in a society like Pakistan is to be organized, and for what purposes to be exercised in modern times. Jinnah couldn’t think of any other system for Pakistan except a constitutional, democratic government. Have we succeeded in realization of Jinnah’s Vision? How do we measure up to some of these basic political principles of Jinnah today? We have mixed record at best on shaping Pakistan according to Jinnah’s ideas. We have elected governments at the moment and we had had them before. But many a times we disrupted growth of democracy. For that reason, the checks and balance system among the institutions of the state remains troubled and respect for constitutionalism weak. We have not sufficiently debated the reasons for repeated deviation from the constitutionalist principles and ‘rule of law’ tradition of our founders. We know they are too many, as no single factor can explain it sufficiently. They are essentially rooted in stubborn feudalistic culture, class character of the ruling classes and an alliance between the electoral elites and the rulers in the past. Contrarily, people at large and the rising middle classes of Pakistan and even a large section of political groups have struggled for democracy, which as a political system is manifestation of the political vision of Jinnah. Against all the problems we have today, they want democracy in substantive terms because the procedural or electoral democracy has turned the system into personalized, autocratic form. It is why it is not fully alive to the problems of the people or responsive enough to the needs of the society. In my view, we face multiple challenges of bad governance, political confrontations and terrorism because we have not shaped our state and political institutions, including the political parties, according to the modernist, liberal vision of Jinnah. In these times of rising despair and despondency, we can set Pakistan on the course of stability and development by embracing ideas and vision of Jinnah, which in nutshell are; liberal democratic state of Pakistan.