Distance Education Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Distance Education - Research Paper Example It is therefore a vital concept that serves the interest of the people of all categories, both full time and part time students, who may also be engaged in other aspects of life such as working, or even domestic responsibilities, thus they may not be able to attend to a classroom setting. The change in the social, economic and technological conditions have brought about the need for educational advancement, considering that the more the society advances in the technological, social and economic spheres, the higher the demand for educational attainment and advancement. Therefore, the concept â€Å"is emerging as an increasingly important component of higher education† (Bradford, 1999). It has opened an opportunity that can be exploited by those who have always had the desire to advance their education, but were limited by the traditional concept of attending classrooms. This opportunity is even more crucial to the disabled people, who are well served through Distance Education, as opposed to attending physical classrooms, which proves a great challenge for them (Barnard-Brak, Paton, & Sulak, n.d.). Additionally, Distance Education has made it possible for â€Å"Adults who work full time, family people, and people from remote countries all over the world† to access education, while they â€Å"would otherwise never even dream of it† (Bozorgmanesh, 2011). Despite all these benefits as provided by Distance Education, there are numerous challenges that are associated with this modern concept. Therefore, this discussion seeks to critically assess the concept of Distance Education, with a focus on advancing the argument that Distance Education is not an effective mode of Education acquisition. Discussion First, the mode of offering instructions highly determines how effective learning will be for students. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that technology, the means through which Distance Education is offered, can replace the instructional offering made by the teachers in a classroom setting. For example, the stakeholders and the teachers of Eagle County, CO, school district opposed â€Å"replacing face-to-face instructors with a digital option they argued would not be as rich or as meaningful† (Quillen, 2012). It is easier for teachers issuing direct instructions to the students, to assess whether students are clearly understanding the instructions given, since the absorption of instructions is not only assessable through the performance of a student in a test, but also through the observable behavior of such a student. While learning in a classroom setting offers an opportunity for the teacher to assess how well the students have internalized the instructions, the concept of Distance Education does not provide such a valuable opportunity, since the instructional offering through Distance Education is limited to online communications and conversations, which are not as effective and convenient as face-to-face instructi ons (Bradford, 1999). Distance Education could be beneficial due to its budget efficiency possibilities, where an institution can effectively reduce the number of staff and still reach the same number of students as would happen with a large number of teachers in a classroom setting (Mayadas, Bourne, & Bacsich, 2009). However, the issue is that the quality of the education obtained by the large number of studen

LinkedIn Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

LinkedIn - Essay Example It is expected that by the year of 2015, that the majority of the individuals within the workforce of United States will represent those who are younger than 35 years old and in other nations such as Asian nations, the workforce population will represent even a younger generation. LinkedIn needs to change its strategy and needs to target the younger portion of thee workforce and implement ideas that will help promote younger generations in the corporate world. Another weakness in LinkedIn is that there is a major percentage of the population that are recognized as temporary workers, or blue collar employees who have low level of skills and do not have a college level or university level degree attached to their names. LinkedIn needs to focus on these individuals and provide them with assistance that can help them promote themselves promotionally. They can help them by keeping the current system of information sharing and adding the features of profile and picture sharing to enhance c hances of employment for this side of the workforce. Sundberg, Jorgen. "Global LinkedIn Demographics and Statistics January 2012 [Slides]." The Undercover Recruiter. N.p., 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 9 Dec. 2012.

Cover story Essay Example for Free

Cover story Essay To investigate what level of obedience participants would show when an authority figure told them to administer electric shocks to another person. Participants: Obtained from advertisements + direct mailing. Self selected or volunteer sample. Â  40 males: 20-50 yrs old from New Haven area in the United Stated of America. Â  Job ranges Included: postal clerks, HS teachers, salesmen, labourers, engineers, etc. Â  Education: one had not finished HS to some who a have degree + qualification in various subjects. Paid: $4.50 regardless of what happened after and before they arrived. This is called COERCIAN. Method and Design: Â  Method: Lab experiment. Â  Observer observed participants for signs of tension/nervousness: sweat, tremble, biting of lips, nervous laughter I. V. /D. V. Â  I. V. There was NO I. V. D. V. Level of obedience; how far theyd go with the voltage to shock the learner. Procedure: LEARNER TASK Â  The teacher (participant) was asked to read a series of word pairs to the learner (confederate), and then read the 1st word of the pair along with the 4 other terms. Learner (confederate) had to indicate which 1 of the 4 terms was originally paired with the 1st word. SHOCK GENERATOR The shock generator perceived to be real professionally made + model printed. There were 30 switches labelled from 15 to 450 volts. 15 volt different between each switch. Â  Labels to describe intensity from slight shock (weakest) to xxx (strongest). Teachers (ppts) were given a 45 volts shock to convince them that the shocks were real. Teacher was told to give shock for every wrong answer while moving a shock level higher on shock generator. Teacher had to read out the voltage to the learner each time they were about to give a shock. Â  If the teacher asked for advice/wanted to stop, experimenter used 4 prods. Example: please continue, this experiment requires that you continue. Controls: Standardised deception. Cover story. Â  Slips of paper drawn (pre-determined teacher). Â  Learner strapped. Standardised prods used by experimenter. Results: (overall %) 65% of ppts continued to shock until 450 volts. Only 35% stopped before. Â  22. 5% stopped at 300 volts. Â  Many showed signed of nervousness and extreme tension. Â  14 displayed nervous laughter; 3 had uncontrollable seizures. Conclusion: Very high rate of obedience 65%. Milgram explained this as being so high because its a strong part of human society. Â  Milgram said: Many situational factors which lead to high rate of obedience.

Facebook: Motives for Use and Effects on Personality

Facebook: Motives for Use and Effects on Personality The current study investigated the motives for using Facebook from the uses and gratifications perspectives and personality as predictors of Facebook addiction among the Mauritian university students. It also explored the relationship of motives and personality with attitudinal/ behavioral outcomes of the participants’ Facebook use. It was found that certain prevalent motives and extraversion trait were strongly associated with the Facebook variables studied and significantly predicted addiction to the site as expected. Relationship between Facebook and motives The study found 8 motives for Mauritian youths for using Facebook, the most popular social networking site. These motives include passing time, education, political, social interaction, entertainment, network surveillance, information seeking and relationship maintenance. Preceding studies found similar motives for using the site. For instance Dhaha et al (2014) found that entertainment, social interaction, political and education motivated Somali youths to use Facebook. Hart (2011) found that four motives for using the site among undergraduates, namely information seeking, passing time, relationship maintenance and entertainment significantly predicted amount of Facebook use, frequency of Facebook use and number of Facebook friends. Zhang et al (2011) found that network surveillance significantly predicted time spent on Facebook per day and number of Facebook friends. In this study a bivariate correlation has revealed that there was a moderate and significant positive relationship o f amount of time spent per day, number of friends and login frequency with all the motives except education and political which showed no relationship with these Facebook usage variables. The study enquired the intensity of Facebook addiction among Mauritian youths. The Facebook addiction instrument was divided into 4 dimensions namely salience, loss of control, mood modification and conflict. The results confirmed addictive tendencies among 27.2% of the sample as they rated high on overall Facebook addiction scale. It was found that the site was incorporated in their daily lives (salience), many spend more than 3 hours per day on it (38.2%), they often lose sleep due to late night logins, have a constant urge to check Facebook (loss of control), neglect responsibilities such as academic performance (conflict) and often use Facebook to reduce feelings of anxiety (mood modification). These findings corroborate with previous studies. For instance Zaremohzzabieh et al (2014) and Balakrishinan Shamim (2013) found similar outcomes of addictive behaviors towards the use of Facebook, namely salience, loss of control, mood modification, withdrawal and conflict. In terms of the relationship between Facebook motives and Facebook addiction, the study shown a significant positive correlation between Facebook addiction and the 8 motives components studied. Facebook addiction was more closely related to passing time motive followed by entertainment, social interaction and relationship maintenance. These findings are consistent with previous studies of Facebook addiction from uses gratifications perspectives. For instance Dhaha et al. (2014) and Kavitha (2013) found that entertainment, communication, passing time, social interaction and companionship were correlated with Facebook addiction. The study also investigated specific motives as predictors of Facebook addiction to test the hypotheses. The analysis of the multiple regression revealed that the four motives namely passing time, entertainment, social interaction and relationship maintenance significantly predicted Facebook addiction. Passing time motive emerged as the best predictor of Facebook addiction, followed by entertainment and relationship maintenance. These findings are supported by previous studies. For instance (Kavitha, 2013) also identified passing time as the best predictor of Facebook addiction. In the same line a systematic review that examined Facebook addiction and motives has revealed that for 14 out of 16 studies, the components explaining the majority of the variance relate to either passing time or relationship maintenance (Ryan et al, 2014). With regard to the prevalent gratification of passing time, findings seem to reflect the usual use of Facebook to occupy time when bored, to procrastinat e from other activities or task avoidance (Foregger, 2008; Sheldon, 2008). The researchers also found that entertainment (e.g. playing games) was a popular motive for engaging in Facebook appearing across 15 studies (Ryan et al, 2014). It is associated with pleasure seeking. Dhaha et al (2014) and Sofiah et al (2011) also found that entertainment, social interaction (e.g. making new friends) and communication significantly predicted Facebook addiction. These findings are consistent with those of Ryan et al, (2014) which reported that motives can be related to Facebook addiction through use that is habitual, excessive or a desire for mood modification. The findings reflect both the benefits and downside of Facebook use. The uses and gratifications of Facebook use operate to satisfy the social and psychological needs of a large number of internet users but at the same contributing to addiction to the site (Ryan et al, 2014). As the findings indicate, excessive use result in negative life outcomes such as neglecting significant activities e.g. school and significant relationships. For instance this paradox can be illustrated in terms of the Stimulation Hypothesis and Displacement Hypothesis since findings of this study have revealed that social interaction is related to Facebook addiction. The former supports the positive effects of social interaction via Facebook. It argues that online interaction complements existing social interact ion and can extend new cyber relationships to offline interaction thereby improving social relationships and relieved from loneliness (Valkenburg, 2007). But paradoxically the displacement hypothesis suggests that the time and psychic energy spent on Facebook with weak ties or virtual characters replaces real world interaction and is harming significant relationships (Valkenburg, 2007). Similarly (Sheldon et al, 2011) found that spending a lot of time on Facebook correlated with both high levels of feeling connected to other people and with high levels of disconnection. Moreover Facebook addiction is found to be with associated depression, anxiety disorders, aggressive tendencies and decreased productivity (Rosen et al, 2014) Relationship between Facebook and personality This study analyzed the attitudinal and behavioral outcomes of the respondents’ Facebook use from a personality trait approach involving extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and narcissism. The study also posits that certain of these personality traits predict Facebook addiction. Results indicate that extraversion significantly and positively correlated with amount of time spent on Facebook per day, login frequency, number of friends and Facebook addiction. Regression analysis has revealed that extraversion significantly predicts Facebook addiction. These findings are in line with other studies. For instance Amichai-Hamburger et al (2010) and Kosinski et al 2013 found that Extroversion was positively related with amount of time spend on Facebook and number of friends. Wilson et al (2010) reported that extraversion was related to higher levels of Facebook use and predicts addictive tendencies to the site. The researchersâ⠂¬â„¢ findings suggest that extroverts are over reliant on SNSs as they require a higher level of stimulation and a large social network. In the same line the current study found that there was a positive significant correlation between extraversion and social interaction motive consistent with the rich-get-richer approach which claims that extraverts gain more benefits through SNSs as they can enlarge their social relationships (Kuss Griffiths, 2011). This is to contrast with Moore McElroy, (2012) who found that those who score low on extraversion i.e. introverts positively correlated with Facebook use to stay in touch with friends. With respect to narcissism this study found that narcissism significantly and positively correlated with amount of time spent on Facebook per day, login frequency, number of friends and Facebook addiction. Carpenter et al (2012) and Rosen (2014) also found that users who score high on narcissism spend a lot of time on Facebook; they depict addictive symptoms to the site and have many Facebook friends. Moreover the current study revealed there was a high and positive significant correlation of narcissism with the frequency of posting updates and changing profile pictures. Similarly Alloway et al (2014) found that frequency of posting status updates was related to narcissism. Individuals scoring high on narcissism are more active on social network sites as these sites represent an opportunity to present themselves in a self-promoting way which is in line with their ideal self by frequently posting glorifying pictures and updates about them (C. S. Andreassen, et al, 2012). On the other hand this study revealed that conscientiousness was negatively related to amount of time spent on Facebook and login frequency and low scores on conscientiousness predicted Facebook addiction. These findings are consistent with Wilson et al (2010) which showed low scores on conscientiousness was related to higher levels of SNSs use and significantly predicted addictive tendencies to SNSs. It was hypothesized that unconscientious young adults exhibit addictive tendencies towards the use of SNSs as they lack self-discipline and tend to use these sites as way of procrastinating (Wilson et al 2010). However these findings differ from that of Marcus et al (2006) who found that conscientiousness was positively related to self-monitoring and presentation, suggesting that those who rated high on conscientiousness engage on social-networking sites to gain social appreciation. Alternatively this study found there was no relationship of openness to experience with amount time spends per day, number of friends and login frequency. Openness to experience did not predict Facebook addiction. These findings are supported by Wilson et al (2010) which also revealed that openness trait has no impact on SNSs use. The researchers believe that this is due to the fact that Facebook is no longer being a new creation and thus has lost some of its appeal for those with openness characteristic who are keen to experience newer activities (Wilson et al, 2010). However this study’s finding do not link with those of Ross et al (2009) which showed that higher levels of openness to experience was associated with greater online sociability. Conversely this study found that there was no relationship between openness to experience and social interaction motive for using Facebook. This study revealed that there was no relationship of agreeableness personality trait with amount of time spends per day on Facebook, how often participants login to Facebook, number of Facebook friends and Facebook addiction. These results correspond with those of Wilson et al (2010) which showed that the agreeableness trait has no influence on SNS use. This is also in line with Duff (2012) which found that there was no significant relationship between agreeableness and frequency of Facebook use. Neuroticism was negatively related to amount of time spend on Facebook per day, login frequency and Facebook addiction. These results indicate that participants scoring low on neuroticism spend more time on Facebook and depict addictive tendencies to the site. Conversely high scores on neuroticism is associated with less time spend on Facebook. These findings are in contrast with those of Wilson et al (2010) who found that neuroticism was not associated with addictive tendencies to SNS. Likewise Duff (20..) found that neuroticism was not related to frequency of Facebook use. The current findings do not link also with other studies which reported that high scores on neuroticism was positively associated with social media use where it was assumed that neurotics use social media as a way of seeking support. Moreover another plausible reason reported for this positive relationship was that online social networks give those who are high on neuroticism more time for scrutiny before acting unlike face-to-face interactions (C. S. Andreassen, et al, 2012). However this study’s findings are indirectly supported by those of Marcus et al (2006), which indicated a significant negative correlation between neuroticism and self-monitoring (Duff..). Marcus et al (2006) argued that these results indicated that those higher in neuroticism show a lack of ability in changing their behavior to gain social approval from others. Thus this may indirectly explain why neurotics spend less time on Facebook. In the same line the current study has revealed that neuroticism is negatively related to social interaction implying that those who are high on neuroticism are less likely to engage in social interactions. Relationship between self-esteem and Facebook This study reported a significant negative correlation between self-esteem and amount of time spent on Facebook per day. This indicates that those who score low on self-esteem spend more time on Facebook. These findings are supported by previous studies. For instance Kalpidou et al 2011 found there was a negative correlation between self-esteem and time spent on Facebook. In the same line Mehdizadeh’s (2010) findings revealed that lower levels of self-esteem correlated with greater amount of time spent on Facebook. The current study also revealed that self-esteem was negatively related to number of friends suggesting that low self-esteem participants have more friends. These findings are consistent with Zywica Danowski’s (2008) findings which reported that low self-esteem users have many Facebook friends as they strived more to increase their Facebook popularity to compensate for inadequate offline popularity, consistent with the social compensation hypothesis. Moreover having many Facebook friends implies performing for a bigger audience which is associated with enhancing in self-esteem. Another plausible explanation for these results interlink with Ellison et al, 2007 study which stated that low self-esteem users reap more benefits from Facebook than their high self-esteem counterparts as Facebook affordances mitigate fear of rejection and enable them to enlarge their social capital in a way more rewarding for them than face to face interaction. Since low self-esteem involves poor self-perception, social anxiety and shyness, features such as wall posting, messaging, poking, tagging and display of users’ personal information encouraged low self-esteem users to improve social relationships. (Steinfield et al, 2008). Hence as Facebook is related to bounding and bridging of social capital it can be deduced that those with low self-esteem spend more time on Facebook to boost their self-esteem (Steinfield et al, 2008). Furthermore, viewing one’s own Facebook profile, editing Facebook profile and receiving positive feedback from others were found to enhance self-esteem (Gonzales Hancock 2011; Valkenburg et al, 2006). Gonzales Hancock 2011 stated that Facebook is related to self-presentation. Thus it can be said that those with low self-esteem spend more time on Facebook than those with high self-esteem in order to optimize their self-presentation such as posting information about themselves so as to gain more popularity and altogether boost their social self-esteem. The present findings indicate that low self-esteem users may be over reliant on Facebook to reap these benefits. Indeed this study has revealed a significant correlation between self-esteem and Facebook addiction. Correspondingly Denti et al (2012) also found that low self-esteem was associated with Facebook addiction. The researcher found that Women Facebook addicts with low self-esteem use Facebook more to report negative information about their lives (Denti et al 2012). However the results do not link with those of Wilson et al (2010) which indicated that there was no relationship between self-esteem and social networking sites. Correlation Between Crime and Poverty: Sociological Critique Correlation Between Crime and Poverty: Sociological Critique Introduction Jock Young once said: â€Å"At heart, the extent of crime is a political as well [1]as a behavioural matter †¦ The figures for crime †¦ are not hard facts in the sense that this is true of the height and weight of physical bodies. They are moral not physical statistics†. It is apparent from this statement that there are inherent flaws in all types of theories of crime causation whether these derive form the sociological, psychological or biological traditions. Nevertheless, crime causation theories form a significant part of modern criminology and have been used extensively to form policy and legislation. Bearing in mind the limitation of these theories, this essay will try to address the question why sociological theories of criminality suggest that social deprivation and poverty are two of the most significant factors that lead to criminality when two of the most poverty stricken groups, women and the elderly, have low rates of crime. Crime and poverty: A sociological approach There are many schools of thought that deal with crime causation. Sociological theories of crime focus on the social dimension of criminality, trying to analyse the sociological reasons that push individuals to commit crime e.g. poverty, shaming, social deprivation, fear etc. Sociology, in general is â€Å"the study of social organisation and institutions and of collective behaviour and interaction, including the individual’s relationship to the group†[2]. As early as 1893, criminologists such as Durkheim asserted that social deprivation and the division of labour in society puts disadvantaged groups in need, often leaving them with no other option but to resort to crime[3]. Very close to this analysis is the approach of Radical Criminology. This uses Marx’s ideas of capitalist society and social classes claiming that â€Å"much proletarian offending could be redefined as a form of redistributive class justice or as a sign of the possessive individualism which resided in the core values of capitalist society†[4]. Radical Criminology went a step further by arguing that individuals from working classes who resort to crime are in reality victims of a false consciousness that turns proletarian against proletarian. The ultimate goal is to preserve unequal class relations, masking the real nature of crime and repression in capitalist society[5]. Irrespective of whether we adopt the sociological explanation of the Traditional or Radical Criminology, there is still a paradox that both theories seem to overlook. If crime is closely related to class, social deprivation and poverty – regardless of whether this is a construct of capitalism or simply a means to survival – there is still not an adequate explanation as to why the female and older groups that form great part of poor classes render very low criminality rates. The correlation between, crime, poverty and gender/age The two most powerful demographic features that discriminate between offenders and non-offenders but at same time provide a good explanation of criminal behaviour are gender and age. At one time there was so little criminality from female and older groups that criminologists turned their attention to it. John Hagan justified the low crime levels within female groups by saying that male groups often see crime as a source of fun and excitement, which is not often the case with female groups which are more family-oriented due to the maternity role they carry[6]. Moreover, daughters are believed to be more frequently subject to intense, continual and diffuse family control in the private and domestic environments and this gradually develops among female groups a stronger feeling of emotional sanctions than physical or custodial controls. Therefore, shaming methodologies and the withdrawn of love and affection have greater impact on female groups than incapacitation. This system does not need the intervention of the criminal justice system but of close family guidance. Finally, this close family control also encourages female groups to stay away from the â€Å"purview of agents of formal social control†[7]. Carlen’s findings reinforce this theory as he collected evidence that showed â€Å"female criminals were most likely to emerge when domestic family controls were removed altogether†[8]. With minor exceptions the crimes of the elderly have not been in the focus of criminological attention[9]. Stephens argues that older people who belong to poor classes are more concerned with survival issues and do not feel empowered to resort to crime apart from occasional petty offences. They also lack the physical and psychological motivation to commit serious crimes such as murder or robbery. However, this is not the case with older people from wealthy classes as these groups are most often characterised by power, greed. They also carry the advantage of experience. However, again, they lack the physical energy to commit violent crimes and that is why they tend to focus on financial offences. Conclusion It is apparent from the above analysis that sociological theories that use poverty and social deprivation to explain crime do not clash with the low levels of criminality within female and older groups. Male groups from poor classes render higher rates because they do not experience the same control mechanisms that female and older groups receive. When these mechanisms are lifted (e.g. because there is no close family control or because the feeling of survival is not that evident), then the risk is the same. Bibliography Box S (1983) Power, Crime and Mystification, London: Tavistock. Carlen P (1988) Women, Crime and Poverty, Milton Keynes: Open University Press. Durkheim E (1953) The Division of Labour in Society, Oxford: Oxford University Press Rock P (1997) â€Å"Sociological Theories of Crime† The Oxford Handbook of Criminology, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Haggan J (1979) â€Å"The Sexual Stratification of Social Control† 30 British Journal of Sociology. Stephens J (1976) Loners, Losers and Lovers. Seattle, Washington: University of Washington. Young J (1988) â€Å"Radical Criminology in Britain: The Emergence of a Competing Paradigm† 28 British Journal of Criminology 1 Footnotes [1] Young J (1988) â€Å"Radical Criminology in Britain: The Emergence of a Competing Paradigm† 28 British Journal of Criminology, page 175. [2] The Oxford English Dictionary [3] Durkheim E (1893) The Division of Labour in Society, later reprinted as Durkheim E (1953) The Division of Labour in Society, Oxford: Oxford University Press [4] Rock P (1997) â€Å"Sociological Theories of Crime† The Oxford Handbook of Criminology, Oxford: Oxford University Press. [5] Box S (1983) Power, Crime and Mystification, London: Tavistock. [6] Haggan J (1979) â€Å"The Sexual Stratification of Social Control† 30 British Journal of Sociology. [7] Loc cit supra note 4 page 243. [8] Carlen P (1988) Women, Crime and Poverty, Milton Keynes: Open University Press. [9] One exception is Stephens J (1976) Loners, Losers and Lovers. Seattle, Washington: University of Washington.

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin Essay -- essays research papers

'Captain Corelli’s Mandolin' S U M M A R Y It is 1941, and a young Italian officer, Captain Antonio Corelli,arrives on the beautiful Greek island of Cephallonia as part of an occupying force. He is billeted in the house of the local doctor, Iannis and his daughter Pelagia. He quickly wins the heart of Pelagia through his humour and his sensitivity, not to mention his stunning ability on the mandolin. But Pelagia is engaged to Mandras, a local fisherman who is away fighting with the Greek army. Despite her growing affection for Corelli, Pelagia continues to write to Mandras, but he does not answer. It transpires that he could not, since he is illiterate. But Pelagia takes this as a sign that their love is dead and she gives herself to Corelli. Then there is the betrayal. Everyone, it seems, in a short space of time, is betrayed. In the autumn of 1943, the Allies invade Sicily instead of the Greek islands, and, in the eyes of the islanders, betray Greece; the Italian commander, General Gandin, betrays his men, the Germans betray the Italians; perhaps Corelli even betrays Pelagia by leaving her. The full horror of war, international and then civil, comes home to all the characters, then is swept away by the tide of history. Pelagia and Corelli are apart and destined to remain so for half a lifetime. Pelagia thinks Corelli is dead, Corelli, visiting Pelagia secretly every year, thinks she is married. Then, in 1953 a new horror hits the island – the earthquake. The events ...

Power Relations in Melville’s The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

Power Relations in Melville’s The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids In the mid-nineteenth century, the United States heralded the coming of the â€Å"new industrial order.† With the advent of railroads, industrialization went into full swing. Factories and mills appeared and multiplied, and the push for economic progress became the grand narrative of the country. Still, there was a conscious effort to avoid the filth and poverty so prevalent in European factory towns. Specifically, the town of Lowell, Massachusetts, was held up as an exemplary model of industrial utopia. The mill town included beautiful landscaping and dormitories for the women workers. Indeed, it looked much like a university campus (Klein 231). Nevertheless, this idealized vision eventually gave way to the reality of human greed. The female factory workers worked long hours for little pay as their health deteriorated from the hazardous conditions (238). (Specifically, Carson’s Mill in Dalton, Massachusetts, served as the model for Melville’s short stor y [Melville 2437].) In this way, industrialization (and the subsequent desire for economic wealth) became incompatible with democratic principles. Originally, the prevailing consciousness was that industrialization would further democracy and the two would become a complimentary pair. However, the reality was that these societal changes brought economic divisions; the boundaries were drawn more clearly between the privileged class and the working class. Industrialization finally results in the separation of the classes and the subsequent dialectical tension of production and consumption. This dualistic separation is made possible through the machine, the integral element that cements the unequal distribution of power. In his moral diptych, Melville questions industrialization by exploring these class divisions and the power relations within them. Ultimately, he concludes that it results in an exploitative system that thrives on both connection and isolation. Although the two spheres are physically and emotionally separated, they depend on each other for their continuation. Melville’s â€Å"The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids† expertly shows this interrelationship between the owners of the means of production (the bachelors) and the workers (the maids), and how it finally results in the oppression of the workers. The first part of the tale illustrates the paradoxical life of the industrial class; they are gluttonous consumers and yet live out an empty existence. This wealthy class is represented in the form of bachelor lawyers.

A Study into the appeal of Hip Hop culture, focusing on Ali G

From the time of Elvis Presley and his pelvic thrusts being found offensive and un-Christian, to today's icons of hip hop culture, the most outrageous part of youth culture is what young people enjoy or find most appealing, which is normally material that is very rebellious or subversive. For today's youth, icons such British comedian Ali G are seen as appealing as well as offensive mainly by the older generation for their portrayal of hip-hop culture, which is defined as: ‘A popular culture movement originating in the USA in the 1980's, incorporating rap music, break dancing, and graffiti, and the wearing of characteristically baggy clothes' Chambers Dictionary In its main rap music and graffiti art are seen as offensive due to their unsociable aspects; graffiti art is mainly done in places where it is not welcome, and rap music has always been portrayed in a negative light. From the time of Public Enemy and NWA (Niggaz with attitude), who were the forefront and pioneers of gangster rap music, to recent rappers Xzibit, and Snoop Dogg. Gangster rap music (which is the main sub-genre of rap) represents violence as being an integral part of gangster life. The following song lyrics reflect hip hop culture: ‘The only reason you alive cos I aint said the word'- Represents the power rappers have, killing is represented as part of the gangster life. (Snoop Dogg-Lay Low)-LYRICS(year 2001 Misogyny is also represented as a feature of the gangster life. ‘I never go to clubs, I never chase a bitch'- Bitch a term used casually for females, with negative animal connotations. (Snoop Dogg-Lay Low)-LYRICS (year 2001) Rappers also promote the use of drug taking. ‘Smoke weed every day'-The use of drugs is represented as an acceptable, and sociable thing to do. (Dr.Dre-The next episode)-LYRICS (year-2000) The common use of expletives only adds to the ideology that the gangster life is one of being socially unacceptable, for example commonly used expletives include, ‘I'm a down town nigger so fuck all you niggers' (Snoop Dogg- Back up off me)-Lyrics 2001 The term nigger even though they are black could be seen as racist. Though mainly from outsiders or people who do not understand the hip hop culture, because with a twist of irony it is the derogative term given to black people by white western society, black people have taken this term and in the majority use it the sense of stating someone who is a friend. ‘U're my nigga dowg, and Eazy im still wid u' (Dr.Dre-Forget about dre)-Lyrics 2001 Thought it is still true the term can be used in a derogatory term to describe black people, the same way white people used it to decribe black people. ‘Nigga u'ze a penguin lookin' mutherfucker' (Dr.Dre-The Chronic)-Lyrics 1992 Ideologically the representations made of the gangster life are as true as can be perceived, but rappers produce an image of themselves in the mould required to sell the records, it is true that some rappers do live the life of the music they produce. Evidence can be seen in the drive-by shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur, and soon later the killing of rival rapper ‘Biggie Smalls' after there verbal assault on each other which included Tupac claiming to have had sex with his wife, and also threatening his life in a song. â€Å"You claim to be a player but I fucked your wife† â€Å"We gonna kill all you mutherfuckers† (Tupac-Hit em up)-Lyrics 1995 Yet in the same field you have rap stars such as ‘P Diddy' who has recently changed his image to a much softer one, and does not proclaim his relationship to the gangster life. However he was portraying a completely false image as he was brought up as a rich middle class boy, who started his career in hip hop as a music producer for ‘Biggie Smalls' Rappers do this to give them some type of authenticity, so it is believed that what they talk about is true and real, and this makes ‘the trip' a better and more real one. The difference between rap artists, and more mainstream pop artists even though you now have people who are merging them borders just look at Princess Superstar, is that rap artists produce talented work based upon their culture. Take DMX for example, his debut album ‘Its Dark and hell is hot opened at No 1 on the American music billboards. The album was given no official advertising or promotion by the record label, but due to the underground hype which was created by his sheer talent as an ‘M.C' which would most likely have been realised by his undertaking in lyrical battles with other MC's. Another example of underground hype shining through is Eminem who won came second in an olympic rap battle, and by listening to his talent Dr.Dre signed him up and now he is a hold house name selling million s of records including the smash hits such as, Stan, and The Real Slim Shady. Where as Hear'Say a manufactured pop band found fame through media construction, or whereas the winner of pop idol will also find fame in the same way. The concept by Nigel Lythgoe is an exceptionally creative one, but it would obviously not work for rap artists because of the different image they potray which is why they appeal to their target audience. It is clearly evident that some pop artists are not manufactured and work through in the regular way of having talent, a bit of luck and a gap in the market. Take the Beatles for example who were friends who started playing with each other, and then got signed up. Even though rappers are being racist their main target audience has become teenagers from white sub-urban areas in America. They target the â€Å"E† socioeconomic group but appeal to the students of the families in the â€Å"B/C† socioeconomic group, because of the rebellious and unacceptable statements they make, and the fact that they take their audience on a fantasy tour of the ghetto- a forbidden zone of killers, drug dealers, whores, pimps, and gun shootings. It could be said they allow them the offer of escapism in which they give a chance to see the â€Å"gangster world† from a safe distance Former congresswoman C. Delores Tucker and Harlem minister Calvin Butts helped to try to boycott hip hop records, but this had done nothing more than to reinforce and help target the main target audience due to the outrage it caused. They complained about the use of the Nigger word on American TV, but this sis nothing to appeal to the target audience of the music as Def Jams Co-Producer says best:- â€Å"Whatever they try to do only fuels the fire† Russel Simmons Ali G is also seen as offensive character because of his misogynistic comments, and his racial portrayal of the character Ali G played by Sacha Baron Cohen who is a Jewish, Cambridge graduate. The idea behind his shows and character is that he is a white man (who he actually he is) pretending to be from an Asian origin(he refers to an uncle Jamal, and his skin is slight tan brown), which is where the name Ali G comes from. He impersonates an ignorant misogynistic black man. He wears Tommy Hilfiger branded clothing, which from the 90's created links to hip hop culture through gangster rappers such as Snoop Dogg who wore the label, and gave the brand name a â€Å"street cred†) and Wu-wear which is another brand name clothing of the group Wu-Tang Clan who are a gangster rap group. Ali G also has a goatee which has socially become more â€Å"hip† and popular with youth culture, and the big oversized gold chain he wears around his neck. His accent is full of colloquialisms and references to urban street culture ie â€Å"skunk† â€Å"aiiggh† â€Å"innit†. There are numerous variations to the idea of his origin and who he is trying to represent, and as Sacha never gives interviews we are left guessing as to where the humour lies. He first started his comedic career, after having graduated from Cambridge, by starting a comedy club with his brother. They played two bitter Jews doing a song called ‘Shitzving' ( Yiddish for sweating) where they complained about being hot whilst stripping to their underwear. Here he is taking humour out of his own culture, which could be seen as racist, yet as it is his own culture it is not. When he does the same out of a section of British people, it is seen as racist. His big break came when he created the character Ali G reporting on â€Å"Yoof issues† for the '11 o clock show'. This was a humorous topical programme which was a hybrid of genres from interviews to â€Å"news reporting† (the word should be taken lightly) and Trigger Happy TV type spoofs on the street with the public. The show involved Ali G interviewing famous people such as The Bishop Of Corsham, and General Alexander Haig, former United States Secretary Of State. He became increasingly popular he was put on later and later until he was the last part of the show, so as to keep the audience watching until the end. He was later rewarded by been given his own show. On his own show for Channel 4, a show he engrossed viewers by interviewing semi-celebrities such as The Hamiltons at the time. This led to him being reported at the time Guardian reporting on him as â€Å"the most talked about figure in British popular culture.† www.theage.com/au/entertainment/2001/07/24/ffxq15u4hpc.html Thus it became obvious that his Target Audience, which are very similar to the one of the rap music, but more clearly a youth audience equally male and female of socioeconomic groups of â€Å"C,D,E†, find him funny; and those which are not directly targeted i.e. middle class older people, see him as offensive, like Andy Parfitt complained about his outrageous interview he gave on Radio 1. One of his more offensive comments in an interview with Sara Cox on Radio 1 he asked: â€Å"How come peoples on this show is allowed to say the c-word and mutherfucker but me can't say puni?† This question was obviously found offensive to some people like Andy Parfitt the Producer of the show, and Sara Cox had to give an apology on air ‘I do apologise if you've got any children in the car with you, because I know its half term in some parts of the country. I do apologise' But this would not have damaged his popularity because the target audience would expect this type of behaviour, and would appreciate it as it is so un-acceptable and rebellious. These are the type of antics and outrageous things Ali G would ask or say, and these are the reasons he got his own pilot show, and one of the reasons he is talked about so much especially in the tabloids, were they are known for focusing on famous people particularly in the leisure and entertainment industry. For example analyse the attention, and press coverage David Beckham is and was given when he changed his hair style to a Mohican which was reported in The Sun even though the news had no relevance to sport whatsoever. The reasons Ali G has so many admirers is that his humour has many angles. He is a clear parody of Black Culture, as he plays the black gangster rapper stereotype image with lots of street â€Å"cred†. He uses X-rated dancers who would easily be seen in a rap video (look at the Dr.Dre-Next Episode video), and wears the accepted hip hop culture uniform clothes which I mentioned earlier. He also has a DJ on the show playing Jungle/ hip hop tunes which are very popular within predominately black youth culture, and therefore also they can relate to them. He could also be trying to poke fun at white/Asian people who look to black youth culture, and find it appealing. He then takes this attitude and tries to imitate the culture with the clothes and the language, which can also be seen as to why Gangster rap's main TA is white people. A very famous example of white popularity of hip hop culture could be DJ Tim Westwood who has adopted a black sounding accent for his Radio1 Hip-Hop/Rap slot. These types of people are very evident in society and have even therefore been given a tag â€Å"Wiggers†. DJ Tim Westwood is also evidence of people who try to imitate or represent themselves as being gangsters to imitate their authenticity to the roots of the culture, in his case attempting to encourage people to tune into his show. Yet due to the social change of youth culture in relation to race, and the way the youth as a whole dress and talk, which is very similar regardless of race, some of the humour is aimed at the youth as a whole. His interview technique works around the ideology or questioning the structure of our society and in doing so attempts to become the voice of the youth in a sense as he is representing them, and enforces the ideology that young people know what is actually going on in the world or that they hope/wish that they do. â€Å"he questions knowledge of the past and in doing so makes the young feel smart† www.theage.com/au/entertainment/2001/07/24/ffxq15u4hpc.html He does this by breaking taboos which is evident in the question he asks Royal watcher James Whittaker: â€Å"Why was Diana knobbing that Pakistani?† This was a question after Princess Diana passed away, but at the time it was still seen as offensive due to the language he used â€Å"knobbing†. This represents a negative image of having sex, and also the comment, â€Å"that Pakistani†, suggests an alternative more sinister motive as though what is important or different in that particular Pakistani. In another interview with Sir Rhodes Boyson: â€Å"Do you fink kidz should be â€Å"caned† in school?† The joke here is not racial, but generational as under 35's would understand that he is talking about the use of drugs, yet people over this age would think he is talking about physical punishment in school. Ali G for the reasons explained above has became ever more popular as well as hip hop culture in general as well as rap music who are selling more and more records. Ali G has became so popular that he is made his own move ‘In Da house' which will be released on March 22, and he has in collaboration with Shaggy created a song called ‘Me Julie', whose video has been produced, and stays in line with Ali G the character and show women as sex objects Ali G asks Shaggy if he has any spare in reference to women, and shows mostly very sexy women who have very little clothing on. He is also represented as a ‘wigger' who takes it too far, and tells shaggy in the video ‘aren't we all' in reference to being from Jamaica where the video was shot. He also uses hand gestures which black people are predominately using. Though with this ever increasing popularity, and public awareness it would be interesting to see if he will not die out like Dennis Pennis who was caste out by the celebrities. But as far as rap music goes as well as Ali G if the music and comedy stays rebellious, and makes the young feel important it will always be popular by the youth audience, but contrary to this you have pop/rap artists such as Will Smith who created a popular album in ‘Willenium'. This was not rebellious at all but did well but this appealed to a different target audience much younger kids as it was not gangster rap music. You can now see how widespread and popular gangster rap music is getting by the fact that white people are finding fame in a predominately black art form, and the success they are receiving, such as Eminem who has stretched the genre of gangster rap music as he also talks about his problems in his own life which are not gangster related, he was the first rap artist who had a #1 album ‘The Marshell Mathers LP' at the same time as a #1 single ‘The real Slim Shady.'