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

Autobiography - Essay Example This lack of parental supervision and guidance led me to fall into the wrong crowd. Although I was constantly bounced within the foster and educational system, I managed to keep my optimism about my future intact. Little did everyone at the community high school and mainstream high schools that I attended know that what they thought were behavioral issues such as acting as the class clown and rudeness towards authority were actually the methods by which I was trying to express my creativity. Having discovered my talent for music and writing helped ease the conflicts within my life and give me a direction. My talents did not go unnoticed in our town as I often find myself invited to perform my original compositions at local hotspots where I am always warmly welcomed and embraced by the audience. I even became a local celebrity in my own right when I was invited to perform at the Senior Center as my performance together with the choral group that I am a member of was covered by and reported by the local paper. All my experiences in life have led me to understand the importance of education and its direct effect on my life and on the life of those around me. I will be the first generation graduate in my family and I hope that my accomplishment over the adversities of life will serve as an inspiration to those around me. I want them to see me as an example of how it is never too late to take charge of your life and accomplish anything that you want to and gain recognition for it. I am looking forward to attending college either at a local or out of town university where I can learn all about the business world alongside the development of my love for music. I believe that business and music can make beautiful music together as a musician such as I must have the knowledge and skill to promote my talents as a business and invest the earnings that I make from my engagements in order to keep me financially secure in the

Music Through the Centuries Essay Example for Free

Music Through the Centuries Essay The period between 1400 and 1600 is called the Renaissance period. Also known as the period of rebirth, this period brought out the inventions that made a great impact on the lives of people up to the present. The critical and ambitious minds of inventors allow the invention of clock, gunpowder and eyeglasses. Consequently, certain aspects of music also changed. Polyphonic and imitation among voices became rampant. The vocals, whose main purpose is to bring forth emotion and meaning in music, were greatly utilized and some pieces of church songs were intended for a capella performance. With these, the Renaissnce period acquired the name Golden Age of A Capella Music. The impact on music was so vast that families for musical instruments develop. Harmony gained significant attention to the composers who favored blending over contrasting. At the same time, texture became richer because bass was registered for the first time. Some of the famous composers in this era included Josquin Des Prez and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. If given the chance to choose a musical composition in this period, I will choose the Ave Maria by Josquin Des Prez. The song is very relaxing and soothing. It has a great combination of overlapping and alternating high and low notes. Vocals are good and an atmosphere of peace and lightness is exemplified as one listens to this music. After the Renaissance comes the Baroque period (1600-1750), which is characterized by splendid, glamorous and lavish effects on arts, science and music. The canopy of the altar of St. Peters Basilica was constructed and a number of natural laws were found such as the laws of pressure by Robert Boyle. Modes, which were rampant during the Renaissance and Medieval period, were replaced with major and minor tonalities. Basso continuo was greatly accepted and used, as well as the doctrine of affection, which allows the composers to express their feelings freely in music. Composers during this period realized that counterpoint, free use of dissonance, imitative polyphony and homophobic method are essential in their field of artistry. They showed emphasis on volume, texture and pace in music and frequent usage of basic triads and inversions. At the same time, the composers began to explore the inner ability of music to express human spirits and to depict natural phenomena. Opera also flourished because of the Italians desire to recapture the Greek drama where music played an important part. Solo vocalists and the style of homophony were utilzed to help the listeners focus on the melody of the song. Orchestra also began to take shape as string intruments such as violin became dominant. Famous composers that popularized this grandiose style of music included Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldo, and George Frideric Handel. To name one of the great muscial compositions in this era, I would prefer Cantata 80 of Bach. This song is festive-like with good transition of high notes and low notes. The song brings a warm and welcoming aura. This song expresses a high level of emotion as well as a great evidence of how good and hard it is to compose a piece of music. After the Baroque period comes the Classical period (1750-1825). During this period, the first edition of Encyclopedia Brittancia was released. The first vaccination was made and the electric battery was invented by Volta. Compared to Baroque music, Classical music has less complicated texture but has far more variety and contrast because of the use of words such as pitch, tempo, mood, and timbre. Melody is shorter than the Baroque music but with clear-cut phrases and cadences. Functional harmony was retained but tended to focus on slow rhytmic harmony. Metric pulses were present but were not emphasized. Moreover, occasional pauses and rhythmic set points were also common. On the other hand, the orchestra continued to develop with an additional section for the woodwind instruments. The same with the opera wherein piano is considered the most inportant intrument in every performance. Great importance was given on instrumental music, and sonata form was the most important design in this period. Using these styles of music, several composers became known during this period such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven. The Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart is an adorable and explicitly unique music. Listening to this music, one can feel the notes freely moving across the music sheet. It has charming and rich melodies that made this music a classical favorite not only in the past but also in the present. The joyful, skipping melody made this music enjoyable and light to hear. Classical period was succeeded by the Romantic period (1825-1900), also known as the Age of Sentimentality. It is during this time that telephone, light bulb, and radio transmissions were developed. In terms of music, there was a simultaneous development of musical extremes. Although basso continuo was totally abandoned, chromaticism flourished and textures were more developed. The virtuosity of the composers were enhanced and they put emphasis on beauty, elegance, and balance in their compostitions. Music became lyrical with dramatic contrasts in dynamics and pitch. Because this was the period for freedom of design and form, music became thematical. Programme music developed and the idea of nationalism flourished because of the need to break away from the strong influence of Germany on music. Fryderyk Franciskez Chopin and Franz Schubert were some of the famous composers in this period. The song of Erlking by Schubert is a good example of romantic music. This song is great because it is very enticing and one can feel the energy flowing through the entire piece. The continuous pulsation of notes gives this song a playful genre. It can be compared to prancing horses that can give one this feeling of excitement and curiosity. With the Classical Music declining, Modern Music became the reigning music in the 1900s. Some of the events that totally changed the history of the world are World War I and II as well as the Vietnam War. This change had a great effect on how music was viewed during this period. Modern Music focused on treating variety, continuity, and mood. Noise makers such as sirens and typewriters as well as percussion instruments became a vital part in this industry (Thinkquest, 1999). The aim to build an unusual music resulted to the employment of tongue fluttering and other special techniques. Dissonance is also preferred than consonance,which resulted to a development of fantasy-like, distant, and mystifying music. To gain an impression of imbalance, polyrhythm was employed. Some of the great composers in this era were Claude Debussy and Igor Stravinsky. The Ancient Voices of Children by George Crumb is a great example of how modern music should sound like. This work is extraordinary and mystifying. The music itself is powerful but there is a haunting effect that provokes the listeners to seek for musical images. It stirs up the emotions of the listeners through the tensions placed on the entire musical score. The musics great shimmering echoes and frequent echoing silence and passages made this song my personal favorite. References Thinkquest (1999) Characteristics of 20th Century Music. Retrieved from http://library. thinkquest. org/27927/20%20century_Characteristics. htm

Child Beauty Pageants Should Be Banned Essay -- Argumentative Essay, 2

Imagine you are at home, watching tv. Flipping through the channels, you see a preview for next week’s episode of Toddlers & Tiara’s. They show the girls dressed in frilly, sparkly attire, fake teeth, fake hair, fake tans, and makeup that could transform their faces into someone in their 20’s. These children are usually misbehaving, disobedient, overdramatic and they are between the ages of four and six. Any person could see that this lifestyle is incredibly harmful to these children not just because of what it does to their appearance, but what happens when these little girls’ minds become tainted with the thoughts of needing to be beautiful and talented in order for people to like them. They also learn that being beautiful means doing whatever it takes to make yourself look perfect, even if it means that everything about you is fake. At the same time, when these little girls are dressing up for these shows, they are being put in outfits that could b e worn by strippers. This draws attention to sex offenders and pedophiles, which could potentially end up in something tragic. Claude Knights, the director of child protection charity Kidscape, says, "We do know that predators or paedophiles continually tend to justify their interest in children by saying children are sexual beings. That children are now given a channel to become little Lolitas, to be portrayed as older, to almost become mini adults – these are all trends that give legitimacy to that kind of thinking." In the end, children’s beauty pageants are essentially harmful to both young girls safety and minds. It may not happen to some, but most of the young girls that compete in beauty pageants seem to have a bit of an attitude towards their parents and ... ...today.com/blog/food-thought/201108/child-beauty-pageants-what-are-we-teaching-our-girls>. "Child Beauty Pageant Statistics." OccupyTheory. N.p., 20 Dec. 2013. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. . Day, Elizabeth. "Living dolls: inside the world of child beauty pageants." The Observer. Guardian News and Media, 11 July 2010. Web. 21 Mar. 2014. . Image/Video Citations -http://susannemoore.wordpress.com/2011/07/30/childrens-beauty-pagents-eden-wood/ -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_7vsWF_Ox4 -http://www.soulfulspoon.com/2013/03/my-take-thursdays-how-to-recover-from.html#.U09T2yjrdSo -http://cynicalreview.wordpress.com/2010/09/09/child-beauty-pageants-harmless-fun-or-vomit-inducing-child-abuse/ -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRSUS4WZO5Q

Sexuality at Different Life Stages

Sexuality at Different Life Stages Sexuality at Different Life Stages Through the different stages of our lives we experience sexuality in one way or another. In the stage of infancy we experience sexuality by the suckling our fingers to vaginal lubrication or erections. As we grow into older children we experience sexuality in the form of kissing and games such as doctor, or I will show you mine if you show me yours. In the case of Ana she is in the stage of adolescence. This is the stage when our body starts going through puberty and our sexual hormones are raging.This is also the time when we want the adults to be the most informative and answer questions that we may have without judgment. Ana is at the point in her life where she is at a fork in the road and is unsure of what she wants to do, and is feeling like she is being torn because of comments she is hearing from her mom. As much as her mom thinks that she is trying to keep her daughter. The next stage in life is adulthood. During adulthood there can be many different ways that one will experience sexuality.In the case of Tom and Susan they are both retired and although Susan is newly retired and has found interest in sex again Tom is not showing any interest. This could be a simple issue that could be taken care of with talking or even with medication. Then you can have the issue like in the case of Bill and being paralyzed which one may need to be informed of the possibilities into how he can be intimate with his partner. It is stated in Ana’s case that she is in the adolescent stage of her life and in love with her boyfriend who she has been dating for three years now.Her boyfriend is three years older and has putting pressure on her to have sex, and her mom is telling her that Ana’s boyfriend is going to take advantage of her because she is young. Ana needs to understand that what was right for her mother, or for her boyfriend may not be right for her. Ana needs to get away from the people that are in her ears and she needs to listen to what is in her heart. I do not believe in telling you Ana that I condone sex among adolescence, because I do not.Although I feel that the more informed you are about not only the possibilities that could happen from having sex, such as teen pregnancy and STD’s, the more you as an individual will be able to make an informed decision. When deciding to have sex with someone you need to stop and think about the reason you are having sex with this person. Is it because you want to or is it because you are feeling pressure from that person to have sex? You need to know what you morally believe in and be able to stand up for what you believe in.As far as your mother you need to let her know and to put her mind at ease that when you are ready to have sex with someone that you will make sure that you are having sex for all the right reasons and that you will be responsible about the decision you make. Keeping the line of communica tion open between you and your parents will help in being able to be informed about sex and the emotions that go along with it. A man can have sex with someone and not have it mean anything, but unfortunately for girls it is not the same.When a woman has sex with someone it is because she has strong feelings for that person and want to be together with that person and because she loves that person, and unfortunately that is not always the case for the person you decide to have a sexual relationship with. Tom and Susan you have both entered a stage in your life where you are at different stages sexually. Susan you are feeling sexual desire again in your stage of life whereas Tom may be at the stage where he is unsure that he may be able to perform.We all as individuals go through this in this stage of life because life takes a toll on us from our appearance being changed and looking older to maybe sexually things not working the way we want them to and this can play a big role in how we feel about ourselves mentally. As far as the way you look, all that matters is what your partner thinks of you and Tom thinks that your are more beautiful than the day he married you. As for you Tom being nervous about the possibility of things not working when you want them to can create a lot of unnecessary stress that could add to the problem of things not working.We can try one of two things, you can go home leave all your worries in my office and just enjoy each other and remind each other what you guys mean to one another, or we can look into prescribing something that will help you when you find yourselves wanting to be in that intimate moment. In the case of Bill he is at a point in his life that most adults if they are lucky will never have to go through and that is being able to be intimate with someone when you are paralyzed from the waist down. With a situation like this you as the individual going through the problem needs to know and understand the extent of your i njury.Knowing the extent of the injury would be able to let you know if you were able to achieve an erection or not. With everything that goes on between couples normally this is one more thing that can and will cause stress. There are many ways that you and your mate can find pleasure from each other you just need to be willing to think outside of the box. We as individuals go through so much as we grow and mature, that we often complicate the simple things in life instead of taking things in stride. In the cases that we went through we discussed many different ideas that can either be complicating a relationship, or making it better.

Retribution Theology

God delivered the children of Israel out of the Egyptian’s abusive hands and gave them the Ten Commandments. These rules were given to live by and form an everlasting relationship with their God. But, if they failed to keep their end of the bargain, God would have to punish them. Retribution theology is the belief that those who are obedient to God are called righteous and will be blessed, while those that are disobedient are wicked and will be cursed (Tullock 2006). From the beginning of Exodus and beyond the Babylonian Exile, retribution theology was prevalent in the lives of Israel. The Old Testament writings reiterate God’s faithfulness towards Israel. â€Å"The Old Testament indicates that God’s law was specially revealed to Israel in the context of His redeeming and delivering His people from bondage,† (Bahnsen 1980). But before Moses, God established an unconditional covenant with Abram when he obeyed Him. God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and told him that his descendants would possess the land of Canaan forever. â€Å"I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. † (Genesis 12:2, NRSV). These descendants became known as Israel and after 500 years of being God’s chosen people, they became the slaves of the Egyptians. Since God is faithful and Israel was His people, He had to remove them from the oppression of Pharaoh. In a theophany, God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and commissioned him to deliver the children of Israel. Once God freed them and provided them an escape route, under the leadership of Moses, He endowed them with the law and His blessings. â€Å"Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. (Exodus 19:5, NRSV). After freeing them, God provided them with the means for remaining freed and receiving His provisions. In spite of their deliverance, the Israelites’ problems did not end with their exodus from Egypt. They suffered many trials and tribulations, but from the hand of the God who had promised to bless them (Deffinbaugh 1976). Because of their murmuring, com plaining, and unbelief, God allowed Israel to walk around in the wilderness for forty years. This was literally only a three day journey. In addition, God never intended for Israel to have to fight their way into the Promised Land; He wanted them to have faith and obey Him. Again, because of their disobedience, God allowed them to suffer the consequences of sin. God called Israel to be righteous before Him. Righteousness was what the people were to be and to do because of God. It meant to be in the right relationship with God, and to act accordingly in the world based on that moral relationship. He blessed Israel out of His love and cursed out of His righteousness or holiness (Deffinbaugh 1976). To be righteous was to have the teaching of God in one’s heart, to know and to understand the things of God. While the term could be used to describe ethical actions in the world, the primary focus of righteousness was toward God, what the people were in relation to God. Righteousness was the people’s relationship to God based on the fact, that â€Å"I am your God. † Therefore, God felt that He had every right to curse them when they were disobedient to His covenant. The first commandment God gave Israel was to have no other gods before Him because He was the one true God. Clearly, God knew and acknowledged that there were other gods or objects the people in that time worshipped. But He had proven to the Hebrew people that He was their deliverer, provider, and their God. The second commandment said not to make for themselves any type of idol, that God was jealous, and that He showed mercy to those that loved Him and kept His commandments. Now, He revealed His nature and how He was to be honored. It was only right, just and honorable that they worshipped and obeyed Him. There did not seem to be any secrets or mysteries on what God expected from Israel. But, Israel just could not stop worshipping idols. They continued to worship Baal, the god of sun, rain, thunder, fertility, and agriculture despite the prophets’ warnings. Many prophets such as Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Amos, and Micah warned Israel of their wickedness and the consequences. When Israel became a nation, God’s law of righteousness did not change. He still expected them to obey His word. God’s national blessings and cursings were conditional as well. If a nation repented of its sin and turned to God, its threatened judgment could be prevented. If a nation turned from God, its promised blessings would be taken away. Many forms of divine retribution can fall on a human life which is worse than immediate death. In fact, Jeremiah made just such a complaint about the punishment inflicted on Jerusalem (Lam. 4:6, 9). One might think also of King Saul, whose last days were burdened with such mental and emotional turmoil that death itself was a kind of release. 10:30-31. No one should regard such a warning as an idle threat. God Himself has claimed the right to take vengeance and to judge His people. In saying this, the author quoted twice from Deuteronomy (32:35-36), a chapter which most vividly evokes the picture of God’s people suffering His retributive judgments (cf. esp. Deut. 32:19-27). Those familiar with this text, as well as other descriptions of God’s wrath against â€Å"His people,† agree: it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Not only did God operate in that manner of retribution theology, but Israel believed that if you obeyed the law, you would prosper. If you didn’t obey the law, you would suffer.

Sociology in New Zealand Essay Example

Sociology in New Zealand Essay Example Sociology in New Zealand Essay Sociology in New Zealand Essay The country of New Zealand consists of two dominant cultures: Western-influenced European culture, and the Maori culture. This paper will focus on the sociological aspects of the environment, family, and aging in respect to the Western-influenced European culture only. I say that the European culture of New Zealand is Western-influenced because beliefs and values of Western cultures are affecting those of their own society. Based on findings regarding the three sociological topics that will be covered in this paper, the environment, family, and aging, the society in New Zealand is primarily a functionalist society. I have found that in New Zealand, the culture, under the influence of the environment and family structure, fulfills the functionalist theory, while aging implements the interactionist theory. These theories show how the New Zealand culture is one of efficiency, as these topics (the environment, family, and aging) have important roles as to how the society as a whole functions. However, it is not a completely functionalist society- it is also an interactionist society as the citizens are socially aware of each other and this awareness affects their behavior. The way the people of New Zealand behave, when influenced by the environment and their family structure, folds back into society, and benefits it as a whole. These topics follow the functionalist theory originally presented by sociologists August Comte, Herbert Spencer, and Emile Durkheim. These three sociologists had slightly differing views of functionalism, but the main message remained constant: that society is comprised of interconnected parts, each of which has its own function. The parts rely on each other to function optimally, or are interdependent, and if a part fails to carry out its function, it can negatively affect the other parts. This disrupts the unification of society and causes conflict, which, from a functionalist point of view, is a symptom of disease. Inversely, when all parts fulfill their roles, then society would be in a stable, unified, â€Å"disease-free† condition. Furthermore, the society will only thrive when stable and when its citizens cooperate with its collective conscience, or accepted basic values and rules of behavior. There are a few criticisms of this theory, however. Many argue that functionalism is merely an ideal state, as it refers to society as an effectively running machine with no complications. This is not always the case, as society is almost never free of conflict. Another argument is that the functionalist theory disregards the influence of whoever creates and maintains social agreements. (Kier, 2010) With these criticisms in mind, it is safe to say that no society completely fulfills the functionalist theory. Thus, the society of New Zealand is not completely functionalist, although some aspects are, such as the environment and family. ENVIRONMENT The country of New Zealand is a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, located to the southeast of Australia. The terrain is predominantly mountainous, with some large coastal plains. Despite the fact that most of its terrain is mountainous, a majority of the New Zealand people live in urban environments that are mainly situated along the coast. That is not to say that the surrounding, non-urban environment is unimportant. Only about 13 percent of this land is used for crops, while the other 87 percent is reserved for industrial, urban, tourist, and residential purposes. The majority of the land is used to support and maintain the citizens’ way of life and their economy. The country is involved with a number of international agreements primarily regarding marine life, as New Zealand is located in the Oceania region of the world. New Zealanders, an outdoor-loving people, hold their environment in high regard. In a survey held in 2004 by the Growth and Innovation Advisory Board, 87 percent of New Zealanders consider the environment to be important. The same survey found that New Zealanders deem the quality of their natural environment to be in the top three most important aspects of New Zealand, the other two being quality of life and quality of education. (Ministry for the Environment, 2000) The main current environmental issues that the country faces are deforestation, soil erosion, and the invasion of native flora and fauna by foreign species. Another, although not as current, concern of New Zealand is marine maintenance. Some preventive and restoration measures that the government is taking include the Conversation Act 1987, which was established to promote conserving the natural and historic resources of New Zealand and laid the foundation for the development of the Department of Conservation, and the International Tropical Timber Agreement 1983, which was developed to encourage nations to establish strategies that strove for the conservation and sustainable exercise of tropical forests and their natural resources. The goal of conservation also has economic reasons. As n island nation, the land is one of the primary means to support the lives of the New Zealand citizens, so the environment is very important to the people of New Zealand. So as to keep this stable way of life, New Zealanders under their government are implementing laws to clean up their pollution and conserve what has remained untouched by industrialization and urbanization. For example, as members of the Kyoto Protocol, a contract be tween nations that strives to cap the world’s carbon emissions, the New Zealand government has implemented a new carbon tax for all households and businesses. New Zealanders care about preserving and cleaning their environment because of the role the land plays in their society. They are intent on improving and sustaining their environment because they have realized, just as many other industrial countries have, that the world’s natural resources are depleting, and that if the citizens wish to maintain a comfortable, consumerist way of life, then these resources must be preserved. New environmental laws must be implemented to prevent further damage, lest citizens lose the convenience of having their own cars and other extraneous materials. Kier, 2010) Furthermore, the environment is prevalent in their lives through business, recreation and tourism- it stimulates their economy and supports their lifestyle. Moreover, the state that their country is in is what the rest of the world sees. If the country of New Zealand appears unable to manage its resources and satisfy the consumer demands of its people, it is likely to be taken less ser iously and looked down upon. The environment plays an essential role in the lives of New Zealanders, and always will- its function is timeless. It is the foundation, on which they set their behavior, and it continues to affect what they do and how they live, fulfilling functionalist theory. FAMILY As in most cultures, family is a huge aspect of life. Family, from a sociological point of view, is a social construct, and is a social unit rather than a biological unit. Family is a social construct because, over time, the definition of family has changed. In the past, family was considered â€Å"a group of people related by blood, marriage. † However, many people have family bonds with others that they have no relation to, changing the idea of family from a biological unit to a social unit. In New Zealand, the definition of family has expanded to include not only the European culture, but the Maori culture that occupies the country as well. In new Zealand, a family is taken to be â€Å"a family group, including an extended family, in which there is at least one adult member with whom a child or another adult member has a biological or legal relationship; or to whom the child or other adult member has a significant psychological attachment; or that is the child’s or other adult member’s whanau or other culturally recognised family group. (Department of Labour, 2000) These people, one’s family, support each other and teach each other accepted norms and behaviors of society. Now, there are a number of different types of families, the first being couple-only families. There are also nuclear families, stem families, and compound families. A nuclear family consists of a couple and their child(ren), or a single parent with his/her child(ren), while a stem family consists of a couple, a married child and their spouse, and their children. The last type of family, the compound, is when two families combine after a divorce. Birks amp; Hodgson, 2002) For a majority of the past century, the prevalent family type of New Zealand was the nuclear family. (Statistics New Zealand, 2007) However, over the years, the number of couple-only families has grown the fastest, outpacing the growth of nuclear families, which has become the slowest growing family type. As shown from this information, the value of starting a family with children has decreased as time continued. Statistics on changes in New Zealand’s household income (New Zealand Treasury, 2000) show that, since 1998, the gross household income has been decreasing. Because of this decline, working age citizens have been working harder than before to make enough to support themselves and be able to live comfortably, thus improving their quality of life. From this information, I have found that New Zealand citizens replaced family with work in their hierarchy of values. This could mean either of two things, the first being that family is not valued as highly as work and a steady income, and the second being that the role of a support system a family plays is assumed and stable, and thus can be put aside so that other things (work) may be addressed. All of this does not necessarily say that the New Zealand society is completely focused on work. Based on the fact that New Zealanders highly value a good quality of living, and the gross household income has been decreasing over the years, working has become one of the top values of New Zealand citizens, but it has not replaced the family or the support system it provides. Granted, this support system is small due to the fact that most families consist of couples only, but the members of the family provide support nonetheless. So instead of depending on family for a large support network, lately New Zealanders depend on family for a steady income in order to have a better quality of living. Despite the change in what New Zealanders rely on their family for, the family has a function in their lives. New Zealanders edit their behavior in correspondence to how the family carries out its role, following functionalist theory. AGING Other sociological aspects of the New Zealand culture follow different theories as well, as aging fulfills the interactionist theory. This theory claims that human beings determine their behavior by comparing themselves to those around them. George Herbert Mead is credited with this theory, as he stressed that society is maintained through our interpretation and communication of â€Å"mutually-agreed-upon† symbols. Our mutual agreement of these symbols, which are typically words, gestures, body language, and anything of the like, is what keeps our society together. Under the interactionist theory, old age (the actual number of years one has aged) is not important. What is important, is society’s definition of the word â€Å"old†, as the culture decides what that label constitutes. For example, a society considers physical, biological appearance and capability when deciding who is and is not old. In New Zealand, as in many cultures, those considered old are no longer influential contributors to society. They become burdens rather than assets. As there is no set age as to when a person is considered â€Å"old†, New Zealand society has set a timetable to inform citizens of their age status. One way of doing this is by setting a mandatory retirement age. While New Zealand does not have a mandatory retirement age, it does have a minimum age, 65 years old, which still does its job in telling whomever that they are considered old in their society. Of the elderly population, only 3-6 percent lives in nursing homes, or residential care, leaving a vast majority to live with their children and their families. (Ministry of Health, 2004) This low percentage shows that it is not customary to consign the elderly into nursing homes. Those who make up this small statistic are admitted primarily because of major factors such as sudden changes in circumstances or health (no one is capable of caring for them) and major disabilities, such as dementia. Of course, there is always the choice few that personally decides to live in residential care. This high rate of retired citizens living with their families further displays the economics of the country, as well as their value in quality of life. Previously, I had mentioned the decrease in gross household income for New Zealand families. Because of this, the authority figures of the household consider the cost of an extra person to support living in the home versus the cost of said person living in residential care. In most, if not all, cases, the notion of having their elderly live in their home wins, as it turns out to be less expensive than residential care rates. (Ministry of Health, 2004) Keeping the elderly at home rather than residential care also portrays the social value of a high quality of life. Once again, the people of New Zealand compare the quality of life in a nursing home to the quality of life at home with their families. Being surrounded by your loved ones makes life better, makes for a happier citizen, as opposed to being surrounded by the sick and independently incapable. From this, I find that, while New Zealand families are financially minded, they also put improving the quality of life for the elderly in their list of priorities. The size of the elderly population remaining at home continues to rise, while both the working age and underage populations decrease. The elderly are quickly becoming the largest, most influential group in society. Ministry of Health, 2004) As such, their demands for civil rights specifically established for their age group grows as well. This demographic shift (increase in elderly and decrease in working age population) leads to a smaller work force. Because of these results, employers are will likely need to become flexible with whom they hire, and retain older workers. As such, the New Zealand government is implementing a Positive Ageing Strategy, which promotes the value and participation of the elderly in society. (Office for Senior Citizens, 2001) Not only does this strategy look to provide for the eeds of the older age group, but it also strives to increase the opportunities in which the elderly can contribute to society. In advocating this strategy, the government hopes to put the idea of aging into a more positive light. As many people see the elderly as a burden, one of the goals of this strategy is to make said age group more self-sufficient. By engaging the elderly and providing means with which they can contribute to society, the more they are valued by the rest of society and the less dependent they are on their children- instead of being liabilities, the elderly can become assets to society once again. Not only do the demands for elderly civil rights rise, but so do demands for more specialized health services. I said before that the Positive Ageing Strategy also looks to provide for the needs of the elderly. These needs differ than those of the working age and underage groups. In light of the goal to improve the quality of life for the elderly, the government is working to satisfy the need for more specialist and support services to address conditions related to age, such as hip replacements and cataracts. (Office for Senior Citizens, 2001) New Zealand culture’s agreed definition of the word â€Å"old† provides a means to keep the society unified. This unification allows them, the citizens and the government, to agree upon social values and determine what changes need to be implemented to satisfy demands and needs of the elderly. This demonstrates how mindful of their elderly the citizens of New Zealand are. In the case of aging and the elderly, it is a social value to improve the quality of life for the elderly, and an increasing belief to look at aging with a positive attitude. In allowing the elderly to continue to contribute to society, and live with their families rather than nursing homes, the members of New Zealand society are improving and maintaining the quality of life for those in this age group. This also gives the elderly a chance to once again contribute to society, hopefully casting them in good light. Additionally, these actions have economic benefits as well. When the elderly remain a good percentage of the workforce, companies save money that would have been used to train new employees and purchase unnecessary equipment. Also, by having their elders live with them, families can save money and continue to focus on increasing their household income. Aging does play a role in society, giving it a functionalist aspect, but it mainly adheres to the interactionist theory. As per interactionism, New Zealanders determine their behavior on judgments passed based on the social definition of â€Å"old. † CONCLUSION I find that the society of New Zealand, like most societies, is a combination of perspective theories, namely the functionalist and interactionist theory from investigating these three topics. New Zealand is a functionalist society in that two social aspects, the environment and family, are important to the culture because of the functions they carry out. The interactionist theory comes into play when discussing aging in New Zealand. Age is one of the social criteria in each other that citizens are aware of, and this attentiveness influences their behavior. The environment is important to New Zealanders and affects how they behave because of its function in their society. It sustains the way they live, it provides means for a thriving economy through industry, business, and tourism. The resources with which the environment supports its inhabitants are decreasing, and the citizens are reacting in ways to save these resources. Due to the decline of the gross household income and the high value in quality of life in New Zealand, family has become not only a source of emotional support, but a source of financial support as well. As a couple-only family is the currently dominant model, the emotional support system is small, but if both members work, the financial support is relatively large. Thus, the family is important because it fulfills two roles, emotional and economic. Aging is important to New Zealand society in a number of ways. It provides a way in which the society can be unified, in setting the stage for social values and beliefs to be communally agreed upon. One such value is to improve the quality of life for the elderly, and an increasing belief to look at aging with a positive attitude. In this way, the New Zealand society shows that they are aware of their elderly. This coupled with the notion of giving the elderly a chance to once again contribute to their communities allows this age group to be seen positively, opening the gateway for the rest of the society to behave positively in response. While the country of New Zealand is functionally driven and efficient in the sense that the importance of a social aspect corresponds to how much it benefits society, it is also socially aware, as its citizens use the comparisons they have between each other to determine how to behave. The environment and family are not the only factors of New Zealand society that follow the requisites of functionalism, nor is aging the only sociological aspect that implements interactionist theory. In this sense, New Zealand society fills out aspects of both functionalist and interactionist theory.

Odyssey and Victoria Secret Model Essay

Odyssey and Victoria Secret Model Essay Odyssey and Victoria Secret Model Essay Obstacle 1: Opinions Opinions can ruin anybody’s confidence. Once, I dressed up in my new shirt, but a girl came up to me and said, â€Å"Your shirt is so ugly!’’ After that I grabbed my jacket and zipped it up tight. I really thought the shirt looked nice, but one person’s opinion destroyed the confidence I had that day. In the Odyssey, Circe told Odysseus that all his men will perish. If Odysseus told his men about Circe’s opinion about Odysseus’s men then they could have tried to live longer, learn from their mistakes and be a little more careful. Obstacle 2: Bullies Bullying is now seen worldwide and has stripped away every ounce of confidence one person might have possessed. I’ve experienced many years of being bullied and my self-esteem has evaporated. Many people can’t handle the effects of bullying so they call on a greater force to help stop it such as a god, a teacher or parents. The Odyssey has a great example of bullies like when Odysseus taunted the Cyclops while escaping. The Cyclops felt weak because he was defeated by a puny mortal. The Cyclops had to call upon his father, Poseidon, for help to destroy Odysseus and his men. Obstacle 3: Society (Media) The social media has conducted itself to make everyone believe that beauty is created with adding pounds of makeup and prancing around like a Victoria Secret Model. Cover Girl has changed its slogan to ‘’Easy, Breezy, Better’’ instead of the classic ‘’Easy, Breezy, Beautiful.’’ This is a simple example of how society is changing the way ‘beauty’ is seen and breaking down every girl and boys’ confidence including mine. In comparison to The Odyssey, Odysseus believes he has to be tough like when he saw his dead mother in the underworld. He didn’t cry because he wanted to stay strong and continue to find Tiresias. Obstacle 4: Influences (Peer pressure) Influences can only lead to bad decisions. Many of my friends have influenced me to try new things such as a different style. But, it didn’t suit me so I chose my own thing. Odysseus’s men have a habit of drinking and while under the influence they’d make bad choices. Eurylochus, one of Odysseus’s men, told everybody that dying of hunger is