Cultural Oppression Essay Example for Free

Cultural Oppression Essay Both African Americans and Asian Americans have suffered racial discrimination, slavery, persecution, difficulty in receiving citizenship even though their children were born in the United States and challenges in demonstrating their cultural identity. They experienced difficulty in classifying themselves as purely American because of their outward appearance. Moreover, they always tend to feel insulted that white Americans will always judge them by stereotypes, not by what they really are. African Americans have suffered dual consciousness in the United States, always struggling to receive social and economic equality, both as a Negro and an American. Although political equality has been granted to African Americans, they still suffered inequality in terms of achieving social and economic wealth. The effects of cultural oppression on African Americans have put them at high probability of suffering continued hindrances to achieve societal empowerment and affirmation. However, the richness of African cultures that place importance on collective lifestyle has helped African Americans to be accepted in the United States. Asian Americans were pressured to learn how they could assimilate themselves into different cultural society in the country. The cultural oppression suffered by Asian Americans has helped them to establish their own community in order for them to become self-sufficient. The impact of the Eastern philosophies, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, on Asian culture has helped families to become paternally oriented and hierarchical. The notable reason why some Asians have the tendency to avoid debate and discussion or to appear indecisive is because of these philosophies that teach them principles of harmony, balance and peace. This Asian culture has provided them to act in a positive way and to learn the importance of having self-knowledge about how others behave towards them. Reference Information on Specific Cultural Groups. Retrieved April 17, 2009, from http://education. byu. edu/diversity/culture. html.

Rewriting Canonical Portrayals of Women :: Good Bones Margaret Atwood Literature Essays

Rewriting Canonical Portrayals of Women In her collection of short stories, Good Bones (O. W. Toad, 1992), Margaret Atwood (1939 - ) has included Gertrude Talks Back, a piece that rewrites the famous closet scene in Shakespeare ´s Hamlet. The character of Hamlet ´s mother has posed problems of interpretation to readers, critics and performers, past and present, and has been variously or simultaneosly appraised as a symbol of female wantonness, the object of Hamlet ´s Oedipus complex, and an example of female submissiveness to the male principle (Hamlet ´s as much as Claudius ´s). Like other revisionist rewritings produced by women writers in the last few decades, Margaret Atwood ´s short story challenges received concepts of the female, and particularly the "Frailty, thy name is woman" notion that has marked so much canonical literature. Recent developments in the humanities, usually grouped under the common label of "post-structuralist theory," have contributed to making us sensitive to the politics of culture, in general, and of literature, in particular. Much thought has been given in the last few decades to how the literary canon emerges and holds its ground, and to the relations between canonical and non-canonical, between the centre and the margins. Post-colonial theorist Edward Said reminds us that "[t]he power to narrate, or to block other narratives from forming and emerging, is very important to culture and imperialism, and constitutes one of the main connections between them" (xiii). Here as in other respects, the political agendas of feminism and post-colonialism overlap; both aim at challenging the canon and at inscribing the experiences of the marginal subject (female and/or post-colonial). Revisionist rewritings are one of the strategies that can serve that purpose; I need not mention the by now many rewritings of such canonical texts as The Tempest or Robinson Crusoe. As regards the author I am concerned with here, Margaret Atwood, extensive attention has been paid to a recurrent feature of her fiction: her repeated reworking of fairy tales, most importantly the different versions of Bluebeard ´s Egg, a re-shaping which culminates in her novel The Robber Bride (1993). I would also point out how what is perhaps her most popular novel to date, The Handmaid ´s Tale (1985), thematizes the politics of reading and writing or, as Hutcheon has aptly put it, "the opposition between product and process" (139). Similar concerns are apparent in the compilation of her short stories under the title Good Bones (1992). If the constructions of womanhood and manhood occupy her in The Female Body and Making a Man, in other stories (There Was Once, Unpopular Gals, etc) it is the literary construction of womanhood that is foregrounded.

Ethics and Abortion Essay

Nicky was 18 when she started dating with James. They had unprotected premarital sex. After a few weeks, she found out that she was pregnant so she asked an advice from her doctor. She wasn’t ready for a baby yet. She still had her ambitions in life and she didn’t want to give up her social life. So she and James decided to abort the baby (â€Å"Real Life: Abortion (Nicky’s Story),† 2003). Yes, you read it right. In this time of one-night stands, premarital sex and unwanted pregnancies, abortion has become a common resort from responsibility. Abortion is the removal of an embryo or a POC (Product of Conception) from the uterus. Basically, there are two types of abortion: the spontaneous abortion and the induced abortion. Spontaneous abortion is the type that is caused by accident and/or by natural cases. It can also be caused by environmental factors. On the other hand, induced abortion is caused by human action. It is further categorized into therapeutic and elective. Therapeutic abortion is the act of removing the fetus from the uterus for reasons of safety and/or survival in the part of the mother, to preserve the mother’s health, to terminate pregnancy that would result in a child born with congenital disorders, and to selectively reduce the number of fetuses to lessen health risks regarding multiple pregnancies. Meanwhile, elective abortion is the kind of abortion performed for any other reason. There are two different but parallel theories regarding abortion—the consequential theory and the deontology theory. The consequential theory believes that an act is morally right if and only if it contributes to the common good(Williams, 1973. ). It outrightly supports abortion—may it be therapeutic or elective. In therapeutic abortion, if the mother life is at risk in having the pregnancy, then the consequential theory allows for such action. If having a baby destroys a person’s future career, then abortion is okay. Consequential theory denies that moral rightness depends solely on the anything other than the consequences (B. Hooker, 2000). Nonetheless, what makes this morally wrong is not the abortion itself but the consequences it may bring to the mother such as emotional trauma. Consequential theory ignores all morally relevant factors to the consequences as opposed to whatever the circumstances there may be(Mill, 1861). However, deontology theory asserts otherwise. Deontological ethics or duty-based ethics does not consider an act as good or evil per se but classifies the action as it is being performed or on the process of performing devoid of prejudice or pre-established ethical principles. It judges morality by evaluating the nature of the actions and the will of the person involved rather than what is achieved(Kay, 1997). It is also known as nonconsequentialism. Deontological judgment depends on the object or original nature of the act. It typically involves two important elements, prerogatives and constraints. Prerogatives deny that one should always choose the option with optimistic consequences and constraints place limitations on the actions that the person may do in order to bring about his own personal good. Thus, from the deontological parlance, abortion, because it takes away life, upsets nature’s way of creation, and denies the natural capacity of a woman to give birth, is objectively and intentionally malicious, although it could be justified in extreme cases which would merit for an exception. These two theories, in essence are different but somehow, they are compatible with each other. They do not really contradict each other, rather, they are analogous. Analogous theories are truly and essentially different but necessarily contradictory with each other in principle but they could have similar effects or conclusion per application that is why they are analogous—partly the same, partly different. In the present society, most women view abortion consequentially. They justify abortion by consequences it may cause. Let’s take Nicky’s situation as an example. Nicky believes that the abortion of their baby is right mainly because it was not yet the right time for them to have a baby. If she were to continue with her pregnancy, what would have happened? She would have lived a miserable life—not having a job or a career and tied down with a baby. What if her boyfriend James left her? Could she find another man who would readily accept her despite her past? There were lots of things to be considered—school, financial stability, and emotional stability. These and a lot more questions ran through Nicky’s mind before she decided to go with the abortion. Obviously, it is not easy to try to confuse one’s conscience. But if we look at it closely, it is a matter of rights. Women’s rights. Everybody makes mistakes. Nicky did a mistake by engaging in unprotected sexual intercourse with her boyfriend. Nevertheless, continuing the pregnancy could also be a mistake. Abortion, when we look at its consequences, is not a mistake. According to the Women’s Rights, â€Å"women have the right to bodily integrity and autonomy†. Whether or not the woman decides to resort to abortion of the fetus inside her body, it is her right to decide on that. Aside from that, women also have the right to parenthood and marriage. Women who have committed abortion should not be discriminated by the society. True, it is not such a nice image but hey, women are humans. Women have rights—equal rights—and dignity(â€Å"2006,† Human Rights Watch).

The Digital Footprint Is The Evidence Of A Technology...

A â€Å"Digital Footprint† is the evidence of a technology user’s actions. Every online activity leaves traces behind, which can be searched, referenced and used in ways as varied as the people who might do that searching. Learning and following the basic rules of Digital Citizenship minimizes the often negative impact of a broad Digital Footprint, and helps to create a productive and satisfying digital community. American students may feel as though they have a right to privacy, but in the online world, that privacy is a myth. (Brooks-Young, 2010) Anyone with basic computer skills can find ways to hack into private pages, and for students to be safe, they must be made completely aware that everything they post in any media may come back to haunt them. Forever. As educators, a top priority in a connected classroom must be to help learners understand the importance of protecting themselves. As Digital Citizens, they must learn to self-protect from people who aim to â€Å"disrupt and harm†, as noted in the 9th element of Digital Citizenship. (Ribble, 2015). The invisible nature of many of these dangerous people makes it difficult for adolescents, whose minds are not fully capable of abstract thought, to protect themselves. A 13 year old who may â€Å"overshare† in the classroom, where people are physically present, is in grave danger of exposing personal information that can be use d to hurt them, when their audience is not visible. For students who may be quiet in person, but active online,Show MoreRelatedPrivacy And Surveillance Technology Has Increased Within The Realm Of Web 2.01615 Words   |  7 PagesPrivacy and surveillance is exponentially growing, as are the social mediums that extend its reach. Defined as a close monitoring system that targets the actions of an individual, surveillance and surveillance technology has increased within the realm of Web 2.0. 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