How coherent a work is Herodotus' Histories Essay

How coherent a work is Herodotus' Histories - Essay Example s fragmented and digressing into fable and even those who were prepared to step outside the confines of the thinking of their own era, were often not prepared to make more than small concessions about the possible motives, expertise and literary devices found in The Histories. More recent research , however, suggests that, if understood within the intellectual climate of their time, The Histories reveal themselves as the multi-faceted work of a highly intuitive and progressive thinker, who used the past and the present, to record and draw parallels with the complexity of his own time, and who used a plethora of tools at his disposal to inform of the consequences of reliving the past - these were definitely not the rather clumsy, ‘anachrostic’ efforts of an ancient teller of tall stories (De Jong, I. J. F., 2003). Viewed with an appreciation of 5th century philosophy, science, epic heritage, political currents and literary know-how, The Histories is a historical record of high intellectual quality and significance, largely coherent in its aims and with considerable unity, once literary structures and devices have been understood in their ancient context. Although there is perhaps still much to be discovered, evidenced by the considerable amount of research that is continuing to offer new possibilities of understanding this important text. This on-going curiosity is now extending into a much broader field of inquiry and includes research into the uses of language, narration, moral, ethical and judicial concepts, as well as general themes, although the focus of the research has shifted and is no longer done to establish coherence, but aims instead to demonstrate the multiplicity of creative devices that Herodotus had at his disposal. Interest in The Histories has continued throughout the ages and the critiques of Thucydides and Aristotle were followed by others, classical scholars of the first few centuries CE and again, after the so-called dark ages. Given the

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The novel, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, is written by Rebecca Skloot. This novel provides a real story regarding research using human tissue without patient’s consent. It gives the background of Henrietta Lacks and the achievements HeLa cells established to point out how fallacious it is for doctors to take the cells without asking. Through the unique pattern and devices, Skloot expresses her sympathy for the right of consent of medical research. This novel illustrates Skloot’s footsteps that uncover the truth behind Henrietta Lacks, whose cells are â€Å"immortal†, which launched a medical revolution. Skloot introduces her obsession with Henrietta Lacks by saying â€Å"I’ve spent years staring at that photo, wondering [†¦] growing in laboratories now than there ever were in her body† [Skloot 2]. As one of the chapters quotes, â€Å"Henrietta Lacks was born Loretta Pleasant in Roanoke, Virginia, on August 1, 1920.† [Skloot 18]. She went to Johns Hopkins Hospital claiming that she has a knot inside her womb, but the doctors did not take any action. After her son Joe was born, she goes to the hospital and starts radium treatment. The doctors start taking the cervical cancerous tissue without Henrietta’s knowledge, and surprisingly, the cells do not die in the culture dish as normal cells did. George Gey , the doctor that starts to send the â€Å"immortal† cells to his colle agues for the purpose of researching, creates the first immortalized human cell line that help save a large number of people’s lives. After the Lackses realize that Henrietta’s cells have been sold without their consent, they did not start taking actions because of their lack of knowledge. Skloot begins to be involved into the Lacks family members’ lives, especially Henriett... ...use HeLa cells. As a result, Skloot draws vivid pictures for the detailed description to express her compassion toward the family. Skloot creates the correct atmosphere to make the reader feel sympathy for the Lackses throughout this novel. For this novel’s validity, she incorporates different types of statistics, including newspaper articles, personal journal, documents, etc. as shown in the following passage, â€Å"the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects, [†¦] govern most tissue research† [Skloot 317]. Skloot also interviews Henrietta’s relatives, Johns Hopkins Hospital’s doctors, and other people that have knowledge of Henrietta Lacks that are necessary to write this novel. As the reader slowly reads through this novel, they would feel the sympathy. Therefore, this novel composes passion that Skloot wants to merge into the scientific world and reality.

Hippies and the Revolution of a Culture Essay

â€Å"Tune In, Turn On, and Drop Out† was the motto of the hippie movement, a significant countercultural phenomenon in the 1960s and early 1970s that grew partially out of young America’s growing disillusionment with U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Hippies were mainly white teenagers and young adults who shared a hatred and distrust towards traditional middle-class values and authority. They rejected political and social orthodoxies but embraced aspects of Eastern religions, particularly Buddhism. Many hippies also saw hallucinogenic drugs, such as marijuana and LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), as the key to escaping the ties of society and expanding their individual consciousness. The immediate precursor to the hippies was the so-called Beat Generation of the late 1950s, including the poet Allen Ginsberg, who became a hippie hero. But where the coolly intellectual, black-clad beats tended to keep a low profile and stay out of politics, the hippies were known as much for their political outspokenness as for their long hair and colorful psychedelic clothing. Their opposition to the Vietnam War became one of the most significant aspects of the growing antiwar movement throughout the latter half of the 1960s. To express their protests, and to â€Å"turn on† others, the hippies used art, street theater and particularly music. Folk music and psychedelic rock-the Beatles album Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was a prime example-were both crucial aspects of hippie culture. This culture reached its peak in the summer of 1967, when a concert in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park kicked off the start of the so-called â€Å"Summer of Love.† The event introduced the music and aesthetic of the hippies to a wider audience and inspired thousands of young people around the country to head to San Francisco, some wearing flowers in their hair, a reference to Scott McKenzie’s version of the John Phillips song â€Å"San Francisco,† a ubiquitous hit and a kind of hippie theme song. In 1969, more than 500,000 people attended the Woodstock Music and Art Festival in Bethel, New York, an event that for many epitomized the best aspects of the hippie movement. There was a dark side to hippie culture, however, and it went beyond the panicked disapproval expressed by conservatives about the â€Å"immorality† of the hippie way of life. A Time magazine article in 1967 quoted San Francisco’s public health director as saying that the city was paying $35,000 per month for treatment for drug abuse for the city’s 10,000 hippies. To Joan Didion, who wrote about her time in San Francisco for her acclaimed 1968 essay â€Å"Slouching Towards Bethlehem,† the hippies were â€Å"missing children† who were the most conclusive proof that â€Å"the center was not holding† in American society. To the hippies, their behavior was the one truly authentic reaction to the oppressive forces of consumerism, imperialism and militarism embodied by America in the 1960s. By the mid-1970s, the hippie movement was on the wane, though many aspects of its culture-particularly music and fashion-had worked their way into mainstream society. The fraught atmosphere of the 1960s that had created the hippie counterculture no longer existed, particularly after the Vietnam War ended, and with the advent of punk and disco music the earnest hippies were often seen as ridiculous. Still, their ideals of peace, love and community became the enduring legacy of the hippie movement, and even today there are a few â€Å"neo-hippies† to be found on college campuses and communes across the country and around the world. The Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive was a large-scale series of battles launched by the Vietnamese Communists (or Viet Cong) against American and South Vietnamese troops during the Vietnam War that resulted in both a military failure and a psychological victory for the Communists. The multi-part campaign was known as Tet because it was scheduled to start on January 31, 1968, the Vietnamese New Year holiday known as Tet. As a diversionary tactic, North Vietnamese units attacked the Marine base at Khe Sahn shortly before Tet and approximately 50,000 U.S. and South Vietnamese forces were involved in defending the base and other sites nearby. Subsequently, the Americans and South Vietnamese were surprised by the Tet Offensive, in which over 100 cities and towns and several dozen airfields and bases throughout South Vietnam were attacked. However, the U.S. and its ally quickly fought back and the Viet Cong, who suffered massive casualties, were unable to hold most of the captured territory for long. In the United States, people were stunned by the intensity and widespread nature of the attacks. Graphic images of the fighting were shown on American television and for the first time, criticism of the war mounted on a national scale. General William Westmoreland, commander of U.S. military operations in Vietnam, requested over 200,000 more troops, believing it would be possible for the U.S. to finally wipe out the enemy in their weakened condition. However, President Lyndon B. Johnsons new defense secretary, Clark Clifford, convinced the president to reject Westmorelands request and in March 1968, Johnson stated that the United States was committed to a de-escalation of the conflict. Johnson also announced he would not seek a second term as president. The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese launched additional Tet campaigns in May and August of that same year. American combat units finally withdrew from Vietnam in 1973 and South Vietnam fell to North Vietnam in 1975. Vietnam War Protests Opposition to American involvement in the Vietnam War began slowly but grew steadily throughout the second half of the 1960s, eventually becoming the largest and most powerful anti-war movement in American history. By the time U.S. planes began regular bombings of North Vietnam in February 1965, liberal public opinion had begun to question the government’s assertion that it was fighting a democratic war to liberate the South Vietnamese people from Communist aggression. The anti-war movement then began in earnest, mostly on college campuses, as members of the leftist organization Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) began organizing â€Å"teach-ins† to express their opposition to the way in which it was being conducted. Though the vast majority of the American population still supported the administration policy in Vietnam, a small but outspoken liberal minority was making its voice heard by the end of 1965. This minority included many students as well as prominent artists and intellectuals and members of the hippie movement, a growing number of young people who rejected authority and embraced the drug culture. By the end of 1967, the Vietnam War was costing the U.S. some $25 billion per year, and disillusionment was beginning to reach greater sections of the taxpaying public. More casualties were reported in Vietnam every day, even as U.S. commanders demanded more troops. Under the draft system, as many as 40,000 young men were called into service each month, adding fuel to the fire of the anti-war movement. Heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali was one of the more prominent Americans who resisted the draft system, declaring himself a conscientious objector and earning a prison sentence (later overturned) and a three-year ban from boxing. On October 21, 1967, one of the most prominent anti-war demonstrations took place, as some 100,000 protesters gathered at the Lincoln Memorial; 30,000 of them continued in a march on the Pentagon later that night. After a brutal confrontation with the soldiers and U.S. Marshals protecting the building, hundreds of demonstrators were arrested. One of them was the author Norman Mailer, who chronicled the events in his The Armies famous book of the Night, published the following year to widespread acclaim. By early February 1968, a Gallup poll showed only 35 percent of the population approved of Johnson’s handling of the war and 50 percent disapproved (the rest had no opinion). Joining the anti-war demonstrations by this time were members of the organization Vietnam Veterans Against the War, many of whom were in wheelchairs and on crutches. The sight of these men on television throwing away the medals they had won during the war did much to win people over to the anti-war cause. After many New Hampshire primary voters rallied behind the anti-war Democrat Eugene McCarthy, Johnson announced that he would not seek reelection. Vice President Hubert Humphrey accepted the Democratic nomination in August in Chicago, and 10,000 anti-war demonstrators showed up outside the convention building, clashing with security forces assembled by Mayor Richard Daley. Humphrey lost the 1968 presidential election to Richard M. Nixon, who had promised in his campaign to deal with the extreme elements of the population-namely the radicals and the hippies-more effectively than Johnson had. Nixon’s war policies divided the nation still further: In December 1969, the government instituted the first U.S. draft lottery since World War II, inciting a vast amount of controversy and causing many young men to flee to Canada to avoid conscription. Tensions ran higher than ever, spurred on by mass demonstrations and incidents of official violence such those at Kent State in May 1970, when National Guard troops shot into a group of protesters demonstrating against the U.S. invasion of Cambodia, killing four students. By the time the war finally ended, after North Vietnamese troops captured Saigon in 1975, the plaintive anti-war slogan â€Å"What are we fighting for?† seemed a prophecy come true, as veterans returned home from Vietnam to find their own nation still bitterly divided. My Lai Massacre On March 16, 1968, a group of U.S. soldiers attacked the South Vietnamese village of My Lai, believed to be a Communist stronghold, and killed between 175 and 400 civilians as well as committing rape and other crimes. U.S. helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson and two crewmen, who were flying a reconnaissance mission over My Lai, saw the dead bodies and stopped to investigate. In the process, they managed to rescue a group of Vietnamese civilians from American troops. Although Thompson reported the incident to his superiors, the American public didnt learn about it until over a year later, after a former soldier named Ronald L. Ridenhour wrote letters about what happened at My Lai to President Richard Nixon and other government officials. Ridenhour had found out about the events a month after they occurred from soldiers who were there. The Army eventually launched an investigation that led to the conviction of platoon leader Lt. William L. Calley, Jr., for the murder of 22 unarmed men, women and children. In 1971, Calley was sentenced to life in prison, which was later reduced to 10 years. Ultimately, he served three years under house arrest. The My Lai massacre left many Americans further disillusioned about the Vietnam War. People were horrified that U.S. soldiers had committed atrocities against innocent civilians and were angered at the potential military cover-up, as well as the fact that Lt. Calley was the only person convicted for the murders. Music and Hippies The American music scene during the first part of the 1960s was dominated by male vocalists such as Elvis Presley, Motown artists like Diana Ross & The Supremes and folk performers such as Bob Dylan with their acoustic-based protest songs. By the mid-1960s, though, psychedelic rock had taken root as an intrinsic part of the growing hippie movement. The Flower Power generation was interested in freedom and self-expression and the kind of mind-altering experiences that could be achieved through the use of psychedelic drugs such as marijuana and LSD. Psychedelic rock, which often used electronic sound effects and was sometimes influenced by music from India, attempted to recreate and enhance the feelings resulting from hallucinogenic drug use. Groups including Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin and Big Brother & the Holding Company were pioneers of psychedelic rock. They all lived in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, which became the epicenter of the hippie scene. The Beatles were at the height of their popularity throughout the 1960s. After bursting onto the scene in their native England in 1962, the band made its first appearance on American television in 1964, on The Ed Sullivan Show, and generated a massive audience. By the second half of the decade, the band’s pop rock sound had become more experimental and psychedelic. In June 1967, the Beatles released their eighth album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band, considered one of the most important records in rock history. Many of the album’s hit songs, such as â€Å"With a Little Help From My Friends† and â€Å"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds† were allegedly filled with drug references. One non-musician who was an important part of the ’60s music scene was concert promoter Bill Graham, whose San Francisco auditorium, The Fillmore, became a major venue for psychedelic rock groups such as Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Grateful Dead and Big Brother & the Holding Company, among others. In 1968, Graham opened the Fillmore East, which became a showcase for counterculture musicians in New York City. In June 1967, the Monterey International Pop Music Festival, the first widely promoted rock fest, took place in California. Over 200,000 people attended the event, considered a highlight of San Francisco’s â€Å"Summer of Love.† Jimi Hendrix and The Who made their first big U.S. performances at the festival, which also showcased performers such as Janis Joplin, Otis Redding and Ravi Shankar. John Phillips of the Mamas & the Papas, who helped organize the festival, wrote a song, intended as a fest advertisement, called â€Å"San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair).† Sung by Scott McKenzie, â€Å"San Francisco† became a Flower Power anthem.Monterey was a precursor to the Woodstock Festival, which took place in August 1969 on a 600-acre farm in Bethel, New York. An estimated half a million young people turned up for the event, which featured the key musicians of the time, including Hendrix, Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, The Who, Joan Baez, Sly and the Family Stone and Crosby, and Stills Nash & Young, among others. Woodstock later came to be viewed as one of the ultimate events of the hippie era. 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City Controversy surrounded the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City before the Games even began. Athletes were concerned about Mexico City’s high altitude and thin air. Human rights activists were outraged when the Mexican military opened fire on thousands of college students during a campus protest in Mexico City shortly before the opening of the XIX Olympiad. After the Games began, one of the most notable events was the Black Power salute by two African-American athletes during their medal ceremony. On October 16, 1968, Tommie Smith, the gold medal winner in the men’s 200-meter race, and his team member John Carlos, the bronze medalist in the same event, stepped up to the podium shoeless and wearing black socks, civil rights buttons and one black glove each. The lack of shoes and black socks were meant to symbolize poverty among African Americans. When â€Å"The Star Spangled Banner† was played, Smith and Carlos bowed their heads and each raised a fist in the air, in a gesture of protest against racism in America. Australian Peter Norman, the 200-meter silver medalist, wore a human rights badge on the podium as a sign of solidarity. International Olympic Committee President Avery Brundage, who believed the political gesture was inappropriate for the Olympic Games, an event meant to be free of politics, suspended Smith and Carlos from the U.S. Track and Field team and barred them from the Olympic Village. Back home in America, Smith and Carlos faced criticism and even death threats for their actions. However, others praised the men, both of whom went on to graduate from San Jose State, play professional football and later become track coaches. Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy, the crusading U.S. attorney general, senator from New York and presidential candidate, was instrumental in helping protect and shape civil rights law in America during the 1960s. Kennedy, born November 20, 1925, in Brookline, Massachusetts, attended Harvard University and University of Virginia Law School and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He served as U.S. attorney general during the presidential administration (1961-63) of his elder brother John F. Kennedy. As attorney general, Bobby Kennedy championed social justice causes and later helped draft the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Kennedy announced his presidential candidacy in March 1968 and spoke out against urban poverty and the Vietnam War during his short-lived campaign. In the early hours of June 5, 1968, after giving a speech to his supporters at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, Kennedy, a father of 11, was shot by Palestinian immigrant Sirhan Bishara Sirhan. Kennedy died the next day and was buried near John F. Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery. Democratic National Convention Politics turned violent when local police clashed with anti-war demonstrators and journalists at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, which took place in Chicago from August 26 to August 29. The convention, held to select a Democratic nominee for the U.S. presidency, occurred during an already tumultuous year that had seen the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, as well as growing disillusionment with the Vietnam War by many Americans. During the convention, Democrats were divided over Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy, an anti-war candidate, and Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who was associated with President Lyndon Johnson’s Vietnam War policies. In a symbolic gesture, political activist Abbie Hoffman and his fellow Yippies nominated a pig called Mr. Pigasus for commander-in-chief. Humphrey won the nomination, but would go on to lose in the general election to Republican Richard Nixon. Following the convention, Democrats instituted reforms in the nomination process which overhauled the methods for delegation selection and put greater emphasis on primaries. hicago Mayor Richard Daley, a powerful, hardheaded figure known to dislike hippies, vowed to use whatever means necessary to control the crowds of demonstrators who had threatened to shut down the convention. Daley ordered a large police presence, instituted an 11 p.m. curfew and refused to grant permits for rallies and marches. The police took an aggressive stance, attacking and clubbing protestors and journalists on a nightly basis outside the convention hall and in nearby Lincoln and Grant parks. The violence was broadcast on national television, stunning Americans and leaving a black mark on the city of Chicago. Remarkably, no one was killed. A group of protestors that included Abbie Hoffman, Tom Hayden and Black Panther Bobby Seale and became known as the â€Å"Chicago Eight,† were arrested and charged with conspiracy to incite a riot. The men, later referred to as the â€Å"Chicago Seven† when Seale was tried separately, were ultimately acquitted or had their convictions overturned.

Reaction Of Walter Benjamin And The Film Shadow Magic

Reaction Response to Walter Benjamin and the film â€Å"Shadow Magic† â€Å"One might generalize by saying: the technique of reproduction detaches the reproduced object from the domain of tradition. By making many reproductions it substitutes a plurality of copies for a unique existence. And in permitting the reproduction to meet the beholder or listener in his own particular situation, it reactivates the object reproduced.† - Walter Benjamin, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (1936) Benjamin is saying that reproductions reduce the integrity of the art because the product is no longer authentic. Benjamin also speaks of â€Å"aura- a symptomatic process whose significance points beyond the realm of art.† (1936). according to him this is missing in works that have been reproduced or produced indirectly, i.e. a copy of a painting or a photograph. I think that the value of art is in the art itself and the use of it to express one’s inner goals and desires. Benjamin also speaks of the â€Å"shattering of tradition† that he believes is caused by the loss of authenticity of art in its original form. I believe that while there would have been a certain intimacy between the artist and the subject in the past. That does not exist today due to technology. We now can take thousands of photos a day, whereas 150 years ago a person may have sat for a portrait for a few hours. Reproductions while devaluing both the integrity and price of a piece of art, is a necessary price to pay for theShow MoreRelatedReview Of The Tale Of Tim Burton 2518 Words   |  11 PagesHorror Films, and several Hugo Awards (Tim Burton Awards). Besides being a director of many of Hollywood s greatest films, he is also an accomplished illustrator, painter, screenwriter, and producer. From his early days at The California Institute of Arts to his current film projects, Burton has always had an ability to transfer his perceptions into a visual medium. His visual style is often a mix of fantasy, Gothic, and horror (Tim Burton Bio AE). Timothy Walter Burton was born in the shadow of theRead MoreGp Essay Mainpoints24643 Words   |  99 Pages†¢ New media is but a neutral tool; how we use it will determine†¦ 1c. Government Censorship Govt Regulated (political-BAD): †¢ Morphs into a powerful tool to influence people’s beliefs and values †¢ Sends chills down a liberal’s spine †¢ Magic behind oligarchs’, juntas’, emperors’, authoritarians’ abilities to rally the support of the people behind them †¢ Suppress all information that may jeopardize a government’s position †¢ Devoid of all diversity †¢ Robert Mugabe: corrupt president

Offering Help in English for ESL Learners

There are a number of formulas used when offering help in English. Here are some of the most common: May I help you?Can I help you?Are you looking for something?Would you like some help?Do you need some help?What can I do for you today? After you study these constructions, take the offering help quiz to check your understanding. Construction Formula Verb Form May I help you? Use May I or Can I the base form of the verb in a statement. Are you looking for something? Use Are you looking for something OR anything in particular OR specific object Would you like some help? Use Would you like some help OR some advice OR a recommendation Do you need some help? Use Do you need some help OR some advice OR a recommendation What can I do for you today? Use What can I do for you, her, him, etc. today OR this morning, this afternoon, this evening

The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Breast Cancer - 1947 Words

3D Mammography The diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer and other non-cancerous diseases are very important in improving the quality of life for many women. The early diagnosis of the non-cancerous disease can reduce the incidence of breast cancer through effective treatment of mastopathy (fibrocystic of the breasts tissue). In the area of study, a variety of imaging modalities is implemented to assist with the diagnosis. These imaging modalities includes multi-frequency electrical impedance mammography, ultrasonic investigation, X-ray mammography and puncture biopsy. Various radiographic modalities are used in clinical settings to identify lesions that are suspicious for breast cancer, mammography is still the modality of choice for breast cancer screening. Breast sonogram is limited mainly to the diagnostic follow-up to clarify features of a potential abnormal lesion detected by the mammographic study. Patients undergoing mammography when any abnormalities detected patient ofte n have the sonographic examination of the breast to confirm the underlying conditions. Sonomammography is used to assess breast tissue such as cystic versus solid structures seen on the mammogram (Bontrager Lampignano, 2014). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) use is evolving in the field of breast cancer screening, currently, it is used in combination with mammography for high-risk patients (Siddique, 2014). 3D mammography (or tomosynthesis), is a new screening and diagnostic breast imagingShow MoreRelatedBreast Cancer Research : Diagnosis With Treatment1844 Words   |  8 PagesBreast Cancer Research Including the Diagnosis with Treatment Ellie A. Rider New Castle Career Center Health Science Education Mrs. Talbott December 2, 2014 Author Note Ellie A. Rider, Health Science Education, New Castle Career Programs. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Ellie Rider, Health Science Education, New Castle Career Programs, New Castle IN, 47362. Contact: erider2015@gmail Abstract This paper will explain to you an in depth description of an illnessRead MoreDiagnosis And Treatment Of Breast Cancer2197 Words   |  9 Pagesdiagnosed with breast cancer every year. When women get older, their chances of developing breast cancer increases. In fact, 80% of all breast cancer patients are women ages fifty and up. As the number of breast cancer patients increases year after year, identification methods and treatments are beginning to advance. Doctors and pathologists are using the highest levels of technology to treat abnormalities inside of the body. The tumor is discovered through either mammography or self-breast examinationsRead MoreHuman Epidermal Growth Factor ( Her2 )1153 Words   |  5 Pagescontrol the growth and spread of certain cancers. 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To what extent would you explain gender differences in terms of gender socialization Free Essays

string(32) " intelligently inferior to men\." We are living in the world with gender difference, though the difference is varied from one culture to another. Sociologists often explain gender difference in terms of the Nature and the Nurture Explanation. Nature Versus Nurture Explanation also called the Genetic versus Environmental Controversy, questions if the difference in behavior of male and female is due to their genetics (Nature) or their environment or ways of upbringing (Nurture). We will write a custom essay sample on To what extent would you explain gender differences in terms of gender socialization? or any similar topic only for you Order Now Some phenomenon of gender stereotypes is better explained by the Nature Explanation while most of them can be explained well by the Nurture Explanation. Though genetics do play a role in separating the actions and behaviors of males and females, it is only to a certain extent; most differences between the sexes are based on differential socialization of men and women. In this essay, it explains a little about the Nature Explanation but focus on the Nurture Explanation. It attempts to give validity to the nurture side by showing evidences that gender roles are a product of gender socialization. Firstly, it gives concrete examples of socialization in our daily lives. Then, the causes of gender difference and gender roles stereotypes will be examined by the Social Learning Theory and Cognitive Development Theory. At the end, the criticism of socialization and the recent change in socialization will also be stated. The Nature Explanation The Nature Explanation was proposed by Steven Goldbery. He argued that anthropological record shows that all human societies past and present have been patriarchies, that is, societies in which men dominate women. The majority of top positions and highest statuses are occupied by men rather than by women. Thus, Goldbery concluded that men are born with dominance. (Haralambos, 1995) Therefore, Biology, and hence genetics and hormones, serves as the answer to account for and give rise to masculinity1 and femininity2, for instance, men are more aggressive and competitive than female. The Nurture Explanation — Gender Socialization Is The Key Sociologists have also tried to open the door to the Nurture Explanation and prove that gender differences are the product of culture. Gender Socialization is one important field of the Nurture Explanation. Under the effect of socialization, male and female develop different personalities, aspirations and role expectation or even achievements in the society. 1) Examples of Gender Differences under Socialization Socialization is a gender-role model tried to specify the ways in which males and females are socialized to be what is considered masculine and feminine in a particular culture. (Abbott, 1992). Sociologists claim that we are under the effect of socialization through our life cycle. Some examples are given as follows: 1.1 Infant Socialization — Effect of Parents’ Upbringing Certainly, it is difficult to distinguish between a boy baby and girl baby, apart by observing their difference in biological features. When they are being brought up, they have been unconsciously under the effect of gender socialization. It is believed that parents have great influences in extending the effects of socialization in the process of nurturing their children. For instance, boys are dressed in blue and girls in pink; girls wear dresses with hearts or flowers while boys wear super hero pajamas. 1.1.1 Toys and Games The parents’ choice on toys for their children also reveals socialization. As children get older, parents reinforce gender roles by encouraging activities and choosing toys that are gender-specific. (Bryant Check, 2000) — Girls play with Barbies dolls and kitchen sets while boys with Legos, trucks and motor cars. Toys for boys tend to encourage their exploration, manipulation, invention, construction, competition and aggression whereas girls’ toys typically rate high on creativity, nurturance, and attractiveness. (Renzetti Curran, 1998) Moreover, Parents, especially fathers, tend to engage in rougher and more physical play with sons. Moreover, even for story books and cartoons, men are always typically rewarded for being smart and brave heroes like Supermen and Spidermen; Girls are usually princess with good look and being gentle, warm and kind hearted. (Renzetti Curran, 1998) 1.1.2 Emotional Expression and Altitudes Tthe parents socialize the boys by encouraging them from a very early age to express certain types of emotions but not others, like fearfulness. Research in 1974 and again in 1995 showed that parents, especially fathers, describe newborn girls as softer, finer-featured, smaller, weaker, and more delicate than boys. (Bryant Check, 2000) In addition, they think that it is natural for boys to be ill-mannered and aggressive. They consider it as â€Å"energetic†. Yet girls have to be polite, gentle and quiet. All these observed behaviors are obviously not because of genetics and are not preceded when they were babies, it is the parents who think their sons should behave in these ways, and therefore they treat them in such a way that elicits these behaviors and altitudes. 1,2 Socialization of School Education Schools reinforce traditional gender roles in many ways. Boys are socialized to be more analytical, critical and scientific-minded. This accounts for the fact that boys dominate in Science subjects like Engineering, Computer Programming and Pure Sciences. Girls are socialized to be good at language, so larger proportion of girls study in Business Administration, Literature and Fine Arts. Concerning other special subjects in secondary schools, Woodwork is only available for boys whereas Home Economics is for girls only. This also creates a gender stereotypes that men must deal with heavy works but women must be learnt to do housework. 1.3 Socialization of Mass Media — Advertisements Advertisements not only sell products, but they also sell gender stereotypes. The models and photos appeared in the advertisements in newspaper and magazines are also carefully chosen to display cultural understandings about differences between male and female (Richardson, 1988): Women are chosen for selling household products and cosmetics while men selling luxurious cars, mobile phones and high technology products. Sometimes, Many advertisements even promote the product being user-friendly by saying that â€Å"Even housewives know how to use it!† They unconsciously convey a message to the public that women are intelligently inferior to men. You read "To what extent would you explain gender differences in terms of gender socialization?" in category "Papers" To conclude, we have been consciously and unconsciously socialized in many aspects in our daily lives. Eventually, men develop masculinity: self reliant, independent, assertive, forceful and analytical; women develop femininity: affectionate, sympathetic, sensitive to other’s need, understanding, compassionate, emotional, warm and tender. 2) Social Learning Theory and Gender Role Stereotypes Two theories have been put forward to explain gender socialization as well. They are the Social Learning Theory and the Cognitive Development. 1) Social Learning theory Mischel, Bandura and Walters have developed a theory of learning sexual identity known as Social Learning Theory. It is a behaviorlist theory that relies on reinforcement of the environment of the society and modeling explanations of behavior (Coltrane, 2001). Initially, there are few physiological or behavioral differences between males and females at birth. However, as boys and girls are treated differently and put into different learning environments by their parents, they learn the behaviours of both sexes by means of their observations. They are more likely to imitate the behaviors of his or her own sex. Eventually, they develop different needs, wants, desires, skills and temperaments and eventually give rise to masculine and feminine direction to the emotions and behaviours of men and women. Gender roles are defined â€Å"entirely social created expectation of masculine and feminine behaviour initiated and perpetuated by the institutions and values of a society† (Abbott, 1992), that is, by Socialization. Gender roles usually contain certain general characteristics. These characteristics include: i) The expectation of certain personality traits. ii) Social roles iii) Social positions and occupations In this section, it will focus on how social learning brings out gender difference in social roles and occupations. 2.1 Social learning in Social Roles Due to the traditional family structure which has been deep-rooted in people’s mind, men always take up the role of fathers and breadwinners while women are mothers and housewives. As a result, men are socialized to be assertive, independent and strong so that they can be the â€Å"pillar of the family†. On the other hand, women are socialized to be gentle, warm, tender, sensitive and dependent to fulfill her jobs of taking care of their husbands as well as nurturing their children. At the same time, since parents serve as the primary models for their young children, children learn from their parents by seeing what their parents do. Thus, socialization continues to exert its effect through generations. If the mother always does all the cooking, the implication to their children is that this is women’s work; if the father is always the one to climb on the roof and repair electrical appliances; children soon learn that this is men’s job. (Abbott, 1992) Boys and girls thus imitate their fathers and mothers respectively by acquiring the same kind of skills and developing same personality traits. Research has found out that daughters directly internalize their mothers’ attitudes because they perceive these attitudes to be realized in the practice of their mother’s daily life. (Carine, 1998). The internalization of altitude of girls is stronger than that of boys as fathers have high chance to go out for work and lowers the chances for their boys to imitate. In addition, parents may consciously or unconsciously have special expectations of their boys and girls and attempt to teach a child appropriate gender role behaviour. Research shows that the more traditional the gender role attitudes of a mother, the stronger her tendency to emphasize a daughter’s conformity, and the more traditional her daughter’s attitudes appear to be a mother’s conformist orientation substantially contributed to the extent in which daughters develop a more traditional view on gender roles. (Carine, 1998) 2,2 Gender Role Stereotypes in Occupation Gender is often attached to different social positions and occupations in several ways. This results in gender inequality in work (Haralambos, 1995): According to the Human Capital Explanation, Women are less committed to paid employment as women are generally not considered as â€Å"human capital3† by most employers. Employers believe that women, who has been socialized to be home-centred, marriage-centred and child-centre, are less committed to their work. Thus, they are often employed in the secondary labour market with lower pay, job security and promotion prospects. On the other hand, there are expected roles of men and women at work. For instance, in cultures of many countries, women are usually considered at jobs as nurses, social workers, flight attendants, domestic workers, etc because these jobs involve nurturing and sensitivity that are associated with femininity. (Abbott, 1992); by coincidence, most of the jobs associated with women rank lower in the society, thus people claim that women are being discriminated by taking up lower levels of the occupational hierarchy. For men, they are usually considered better engineers, politicians, bureaucrats as they are socialized to be more logical, rational, independent and capable. As a result, they are likely to take up professional roles in the society. Needless to say, for jobs that require excellent physical institution, like the Police Force and fire fighters, men always dominate. Women, even with accepted levels of physical institution and qualifications, are less welcomed, because female hav e been portrayed as the weaker sex. 3) Cognitive Development Theory A Cognitive Developmental Theory, advocated by Kohlbery, posits that children learn gender and gender stereotypes through their mental efforts to organize their social world. Kohlbery claimed that men and women are different and these differences constitute a central organizing principle of social life. The process is called gender polarization. The theory also views gender acquisition as a self-fulfilling prophecy. Children are active agents employing cognitive processes in understand the society and the world. Initially children understand their world by sorting objects and people into categories, one of the example is to organize information on the basis of gender categories. Children interpret and learn about gender stereotype and how to â€Å"do gender† in culturally appropriate ways in thinking and behaving. It is because as they gradually grow up, they understand that gender stereotype is central to the way the society is organized. (Coltrane. 2001) At the very early stage, a baby is not concerned with his or her gender identity. As the child gets older, he or she begins to develop an identity for him- or her-self and establishs a personality that reflects their masculinity or femininity. For example, boy and girl babies usually play with each other when they are very young, but they choose to play with other kids of the same sex starting form their Oedipal period (beyond age 3). Also, Boys are raised up by their mothers and they used to be under the clutches of their mothers. However, they want to be with their dad when they gradually grow up. They refuse to go shopping with their mothers anymore because they think that it is not something that a boy should do, according to their understanding about gender stereotype. If they play with children of the opposite sex, they are likely to be teased by their peers; if they act in such ways that do not match with their own sex, like boys wearing dresses and girls being aggressive and fighting with boys, their behavior will be considered as deviance and may even be condemned by the society. To conclude, in order to be considered as competent members of the society, men and must learn how to fit in appropriately as gender individuals. This is how cognitive development brings out gender differences. Criticism of Socialization Socialization is the evil for the rise of gender roles stereotypes, which may cause gender inequalities and many problems in the society. Throughout the history, all human societies have been patriarchies and androcentristic, that is, male are superior to female and male experience is the normative standard (Coltrane, 2001) Girls seem to accept a negative stereotype of their abilities. Research studies showed that even girls get better grades in the college than the boys do, they are less likely to believe that they can be more successful in a career (Abbott, 1992). Job segregation and alienation caused by gender role stereotypes greatly narrow the field of career that each sex can choose. Both men and women may be prevented form choosing certain careers that are considered as not suitable for their sex: Women find it difficult to be fire fighters and join and Police Force. Similarly, men’s chances to be secretaries, nurses and flight attendants are much reduced even they are ambitious to do so. Therefore, socialization is to blame for limiting the potential development for both sexes. Regrettably, because of so cialization, employment somehow counts on sex, but not ability. Men and women have been socialized to perform certain gender specific roles. These roles have been changing in the society at a relatively rapid pace, but the traditional value of gender role stereotypes is changing at the same rate. One vivid example is that women nowadays may earn more than their husbands do and provide for the families whereas men are forced to take up the role of doing housework and rearing children. Thus, negative consequences arise from resistance to these role changes. This imbalance of role and value change has large implications for the future of the stability of the family. The difficulty our society has with accepting these changing roles can cause strain between spouses which can ultimately lead to an increased divorce rate. Worse still, if the accepted traits of stereotypes do not match with a person’s real inclination or characteristics, this could causes stress and leads to low self-esteem of both sexes for being unable to live up to an ideal masculinity and femininity. (Reiter, 1980) High degrees of competitiveness may lead to stress and violence in men; passivity and dependence may leave women unable to support themselves in a crisis. In more serious case, the problem can be fatal: Men have long been socialized to be strong and independent. The pressure to conform to traditional roles limits the emotional expression by men and hinders them from seeking assistance even when they encounter high level of psychological stress. This can explain the increased suicidal rate of men in recent decades. Changing Gender Role of Stereotypes However, as mentioned before, socialization occurs in different ways according to the time and the particular culture. When time changes, there are also changes in the forms of socialization. Firstly, there is an obvious change in pattern of the labour force. Women are getting more education and this makes the working opportunities to them more attractive. They can become professional like lawyers, doctors, accountant, engineer, etc. Today, many important government positions and even principal officers in Hong Kong have been taken up by women. For example, the former Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs. Anson Chan, the former Secretary for Security, Mrs. Regina Ip and the Secretary for Justice, Ms. Elsie Leung are influential political figures in the society. Secondly, as women begin to marry later and are more likely to stay in the labour force longer, more employers are more confident and willing to employ female in the primary labour market which gives them higher income and promotion prospects. Lastly, because of the economic downturn, there is an increased participation in the work force. All these train women to be as competitive and capable as men in order to survive. Women are no longer expected to take up occupations at the lower level of the occupational hierarchy. In addition, there is also a slight change in the gender role in the family: Mothers have increasing power in the family, no matter in terms of finance and â€Å"administration†. Fathers are no longer as the only breed winner while mothers also contribute to the finance of the family. Similarly, housework is not considered as women’s work anymore, but it is duty shared by both fathers and mothers. Besides, mothers have a say at home on all matters and involves in important decision making. Conclusion: Strike A Good Balance To conclude, many daily examples have proved that socialization is the evil for most cases of gender difference. It portrays the expected image of male and female in one culture and also restrict their thinking, behaviour and lives in a number of ways. As given in the previous paragraph â€Å"Criticism of Socialization†, many problems may arise when stereotypes are seen as ideals for behaviour which makes people follow blindly. It seems that socialization is an inevitable evil deep rooted in our norms and values. Thus, it is important to strike a balance: we can live under the effect of socialization but we should avoid serious gender stereotypes. Only by doing so, we can build up a healthy society where gender differences and inequality can be minimized. How to cite To what extent would you explain gender differences in terms of gender socialization?, Papers