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With every story there is a plot and within that plot characters whom we can relate and identify with. In Chimanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah, the main characters are a female, Ifemelu, and a male, Obinze, who are both from Nigeria. Throughout the novel we follow these two characters, their travels abroad, and ultimately back to Nigeria. Both characters have their own struggles but I feel that there is a difference in how Ifemelu and Obinze are represented. Obinze, in my opinion, gets proper representation while Ifemelu’s character seems more conflicted. In Americanah Ifemelu, and other females, are represented as a dependent on her circumstances and the men around them.
Get original essayThe prime and first example of females in our novel being represented in the form of dependence is Ifemelu’s Aunty Uju. Aunty Uju appears to have the perfect lifestyle as a doctor in Nigeria, living in a nice home, with nice belongings, and socializes with the higher social classes in Nigeria. Aunty Uju carries on a relationship with a character referred to as “The General”. The General is a married man and Aunty Uju is his mistress. One could argue that Aunty Uju is a doctor in Nigeria, so not all of her success comes from The General.
However, even Aunty Uju gives this credit to The General, “The hospital has no doctor vacancy, but The General made them create one for me” (93). This goes to show that even her occupation was dependent on her relationship with The General. She gets most of the nice things that we see early in the novel from The General. She even goes to say to Ifemelu, “You know, we live in an ass-licking economy. The biggest problem in this country is not corruption. The problem is that there are many qualified people who are not where they are supposed to be because they won’t lick anybody’s ass, or they don’t know which ass to lick or they don’t know how to lick an ass. I’m lucky to be licking the right ass” (93).
I found this pretty funny, but true, and it only emphasizes her dependence on The General. Once The General dies we see Aunty Uju’s world turned around almost instantly. Aunty Uju is forced out of her home and flees the country to the United States where she can start a new life with her son, Dike. When Ifemelu arrives to America she finds that Aunty Uju’s lifestyle is completely opposite of what it used to be. She is working three jobs, taking exams to become a doctor again, and her living conditions are poor compared to that in Nigeria. Aunty Uju is in a place of desperation working three jobs, paying the bills, so when Ifemelu arrives she uses Ifemelu to watch Dike during the day to save her babysitting expenses.
Aunty Uju meets a man, Bartholomew. Ifemelu feels that Aunty Uju is outside his social class, but Aunty Uju is in such a state of desperation that she ends up in a relationship with his where she moves to Massachusetts with him. She ends up staying in a relationship with him until she realizes that she no longer needs Bartholomew, and that she was in fact paying some his bills. If I had to sum up Aunty Uju in one sentence it would be, in her own words, “You do what you have to do if you want to succeed” (146). We can see that Ifemelu does indeed do what she has to do following the advice from Aunty Uju.
Our main character, Ifemelu, is not without flaws but I feel that her life events are dependent upon her circumstances and the other characters around her. It is hard to identify with what Ifemelu truly values. Throughout our novel Ifemelu has a relationship with three men: Obinze, Curt, and Blaine. Her character seems to change with two of the three people she dates and in between these men based on her circumstances. Ifemelu seems like a strong character up until the point where she is in America and has to pay for her college debt and rent. She has a hard time finding a job and has to resort to “massaging” a coach.
This is the first point at which we see Ifemelu break from her normal character and do something that we did not see coming. After being pressured for money she goes to the coach where she, “placed her hand between his legs, she had curled and moved her fingers” (190). From this we can imply that she gave the coach a hand-job. Following this she is really conflicted with herself and everyone around her. It is at this point she stops contacting Obinze goes through a state of depression. I felt that Ifemelu compromised on her values and molded to the circumstances to do what needed to be done, like Aunty Uju had told her.
Following her state of depression, she runs into Blaine on a train. She is attracted to him but loses contact with him because Blaine is in a relationship and ignores her calls. Ifemelu meets Curt, a rich white man, who is Kimberly’s cousin. Initially Ifemelu was not even attracted to him, the text states, “She began to like him because he liked her” (237). I find this shallow, but we see Ifemelu change in her relationship with Curt. Good things started to happen to her, Curt’s positive attitude seemed to bleed over into her life. Like Aunty Uju’s situation, Curt was able to get Ifemelu a job through his dad’s relations with public relations.
This shows her dependence on Curt and her good fortunes are dependent on another character. Ifemelu ended up sabotaging her relationship with him but she even states that she, “stumbled around, trying to remember the person she was before Curt… She no longer knew who she had been then, what she disliked, wanted” (370). I think the following sentences are extremely important because it shows that Ifemelu herself states that her identity was built off of those around her. She gets into a relationship with Blaine after meeting him at a social event. Her identity starts to shift and she got a gym pass, starting letting him read and recommend changes to her blogs, she even changed her diet based on Blaine’s beliefs. Blaine was more of a man of action where Ifemelu was more of a woman of words.
Blaine believed in standing for what you believe in. Ifemelu lied to Blaine and didn’t show up to a protest. Once Blaine found out that she was at a lunch instead of the protest they had an argument which ended up being the demise of their relationship. I feel that Ifemelu lacks a moral compass. She doesn’t get that lying to your partner is a big deal. This changes the passion in their relationship. I feel that Blaine’s passion for President Obama gave something for Ifemelu to be interested in, and kept their relationship alive based off this shared interest.
Once she graduated Princeton she broke off her relationship and moved back to Nigeria. As a reader it becomes hard to identify with Ifemelu because it seems she lies very easily to keep people interested. When Pyrie offers to host Ifemelu a wedding Ifemelu responds, “Thank you, but I thing Blaine will prefer a governor-free event” (492). I don’t understand why Ifemelu cannot just identify with herself, and constantly needs a man involved in her life. Obinze seems to be the only character she can be transparent with; it is as if they are operating on the same frequency.
When she finally meets Obinze they are a week into seeing each other again before they start having a relationship. Their relationship hits a friction point when Obinze goes to Abuja alone so he can think things over. At this point Ifemelu calls him a “fucking coward” and breaks contact with him. It isn’t until Obinze confesses to his wife and friends his intentions with Ifemelu and informs Ifemelu of everything that she finally accepts him back into her life. This is where the end of the novel leaves us but it goes to show that she is mainly a character of circumstance and of the relationship with the men in her life.
Throughout Americana we see Ifemelu and other female characters represented by circumstance or on the men they are in relationships with. Aunty Uju is the prime example of the female’s dependence, in this novel, on men and a victim of circumstance. Ifemelu follows suit with Aunty Uju in her relationship with Curt putting her dependence on a man. She doesn’t appear to have any true feelings for Curt or Blaine during their relationships but we see that she loses her identity with those relationships. It isn’t until she comes back to Nigeria that she starts doing things for herself and taking a stance for her character.
With the lead in of “a priest and a rabbi” it's hard not to anticipate a punchline with a least a little prejudice. Keeping the Faith explores the role of multiculturalism in the contemporary urban setting of New York. On the other hand, the movie relies on stereotypes and tropes fairly heavily. Although it seems that the movie is attempting a degree of irony in this reliance, at times it comes off as half-baked. This idea translates to the movie’s depiction of Judaism, which is obscured behind its notion of faith. Keeping the Faith suggests that even in the exclusive world of Conservative Judaism, there is room for progress.
Get original essayThe movie, through its stars, favors a melting pot dynamic of diversity over the cultural pluralism model. Whereas the cultural pluralism dynamic emphasizes a unique ethnic cultural identity, the melting pot model strives to become “Americans All”. In the past the melting pot model led to less diversity, in the modern New York setting I would argue it leads to more because the definition of what it means to be American has changed.
Through its modern acceptance of diversity and pluralism, the movie proposes a shift from heterogeneity towards homogeneity. The movie sought to highlight the melted unity through, as Norton claimed, “The idea that everyone in New York is a mutt.” (416, Baron) Essentially, by either birth (e.g. the bartender who is a Sikh Catholic Muslim with Jewish in-laws who owns an Irish Pub) or choice (e.g. Jacob’s multicultural approach to religion), everyone in New York has multiple components of identity. In contrast to previous movies which presented American culture as mosaic, this movie suggests that contemporary urban society is one willing to learn and appropriate foreign traditions.
Judaism is represented through a diverse spectrum as seen through the Jake’s synagogue. The movie presents the modern take on the persistent trend in Judaism of progress and its resistance. Although Jake embraces modern liturgy and interreligious pluralism with his community’s practice with meditation and a gospel choir, the more conservative members, led by Larry Friedman are opposed to the changes. However Jake’s progressive approach doesn’t necessarily outshine his less redeeming qualities which make up his narcissism. His acquisitional approach in his youth with his rabbi cards can be traced to his seduction of Anna despite his friendship with Brian. The film portrays Judaism as having a social code, but not a moral one.
Jewish character tropes sprinkled throughout the movie are typical: the Jewish Mothers and the Jewish American Princess. All the Jewish mothers, are concerned with their children meeting a “nice Jewish boy or girl”. Ruth, Jake’s mother, frequently pesters Jake about his love life, and even disowned her older son for marrying a Catholic girl—although she did attempt to repair the relationship. Ruth is a slightly subdued Jewish Mother because while she may be overbearing, she doesn’t appear to be habitually emotionally manipulative. Ali, Jake’s first date in the movie, is far more consistent as a Jewish American Princess; she is materialistic, selfish, and spoiled by her father. Her obsession with her physical attractiveness is apparent through her obsession with fitness tapes. Although the Jewish American Princess typically withholds sex, because Jake is her ideal mate, Ali is open with her insatiable sexual desire.
Jake doesn’t fall into one obvious Jewish stereotype, rather he has qualities of both the Nice Jewish Boy and the Jewish American Prince. His dedication and passion as a rabbi present him as admirable in many lights. Conversely, Jake is oblivious that at times unaware of others’ needs and arrogant. This synthesis of qualities makes him a more unique as a character. In the trend of modern interpretations of the Jewish man (typically a bachelor) as a multifaceted mixture of stereotypically Jewish traits from various trope character types—in a similar vein of Woody Allen in Annie Hall, albeit more indepthly explored in the latter.
Keeping the Faith presents a vision for a progressive form of Judaism which accepts multiculturalism and strays away from exclusivity. This vision is different from previous movies we have watched because it shows a progress of a community’s practice rather than the people itself. Although the movie isn’t very good, it tackles an interesting question in popular way.
Most people seek to mask themselves under a false persona when faced with the world. Criticism and truth often are too harsh for people to face and instead create false narratives about their lives in search of comfort. Katherine Mansfield introduces her character 'Miss Brill' in her essay as a woman who is forced to confront these realities.
Get original essayFrom speaking to her fur coat as if it were her “rogue” companion to creating a fictional life for herself within her imagination Miss Brill seems to the reader as if she were written as a delusional character. In reality, Miss Brill is a victim to her own charade and uses it as her mask. In the short story, “Miss Brill,” by Katherine Mansfield, Miss Brill is established as an optimistic, observant and lonely character through the author’s use of narration, dialogue and actions.
Mansfield begins with indirectly characterizing Miss Brill by the way she interacts with her fur coat. The coat itself had been worn and shabby but in Miss Brill eyes it still had youth and a liveliness to it. This fur coat the reader is introduced to at the beginning of the story ultimately signifies Miss Brill herself. Katherine Mansfield explains that like the fur coat Miss Brill’s herself is past her prime and instead of living like the youthful do she’s merely existing. The fox fur Brill pulls out of the dark box in the beginning of the story is later returned to the same box towards the end of the story. This shows a direct parallel to Miss Brill herself leaving her apartment to seek to be apart of something bigger than herself and returning back to her apartment to find herself alone.
As Miss Brill curiosity grows, she continues to observe the world around her. She pays attention to the way people interact with each other. When comparing the people seated in the stands and those in the field she points out their drastic differences. On one hand the people on the field seem to be full of energy and life while the people in the stands tended to be more extroverted. Although Miss Brill is able to make these observations she fells to reflect on the fact that she too is sitting amongst the people in the stands. Similarly, when making acute observation’s on a woman’s social status based on her hat, Miss Brill is again unable to acknowledge how she herself might appear to others.
Miss Brill continues in the story to have what seems to be a revelation on humanity. She sees the world she lives in as stage and all the people she encounters as its actors. A boy and a girl replace the older couple at the parade. She immediately romanticizes them and adds them as the heroes to her play. This is where Katherine Mansfield ultimately set up the for the climax of the story by showing her audience Miss Brill’s rational and understanding of the world. A fight begins to break out between the pair and immediately start to project their anger towards Miss Brill. The specialness Miss Brill felt about her own life was damaged by the commentary made by the boy and girl on Miss Brill’s appearance and her “fried whiting” of a coat. After this encounter with the young couple, Miss Brill finally begins to observe herself and how other’s view her. Instead of continuing to look forward to the small surprise of finding an almond in her occasional honey-cake she now views herself the way the girl and boy did which is “odd, silent, and old.” The world in which she felt so included in has now in her eyes rejected her. Miss Brill proceeds to hang up her fur coat in her closet symbolizing her locking herself away from the world in a “room like a cupboard.” The author portrays this room as dark and sad and shows a direct correlation to Miss Brill’s loneliness and sadness.
To end up, though the short story started off selling Miss Brill as a naive optimist, her character gains complexity with the events in the story. Katherine Mansfield created a character in her story that most people can relate to.
A world that she had once anticipated suddenly became the thing that made her confront her sad reality. Most people seek escaping the realities of their depressing lives that it’s not until they are alone and outcasted that they are forced to confront it.
American Sniper is Hollywood’s portrayal of U.S. Navy Seal, Chris Kyle’s life in and out of war. Kyle’s mission is to protect his comrades at all costs, and infamously became one of the most lethal snipers in American history. Throughout the film, Kyle struggles to be a good husband and father to his family back home while serving four tours in Iraq. When Chris Kyle finally returns home, he quickly realized that the things seen and done on his many tours could not be forgotten. Chris Kyle undergoes many traumatic events during his four tours on duty, and later diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder after life back home with his wife and daughter was not enough to forget the horrors of the war. PTSD is defined as being the emotional distress that occurs after an event involving actual or threatened death, serious injury, or a threat to physical integrity and that leads to avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and feelings of emotional numbness.
Get original essayThe diagnosis given to Chris Kyle in American Sniper is a classic case of PTSD. In the film, Chris could undergo everyday activities until a sound, or a memory would cause his whole world to crumble around him, bringing him back to Iraq — reminding himself of who he is and what he had done. Chris Kyle’s job in Iraq included going door to door, vacating properties, and killing any man, woman, or child that got in the way of Chris’s duty. As a father, Chris was traumatized by these actions as his stay at home became more permanent. Chris became uncomfortable in his own skin, anxious about being away from the battlefield, lost in thought reliving awful war memories, and unable to focus for long periods of time. In the film, Chris is also adamantly opposed to his wife’s efforts to discuss his experiences and, in general, seems unable to relax into his old life. At home, Chris is irritable and guarded; as well as visibly disturbed when a lawnmower sounds, and disoriented when a baby cries.
Beidel, Bulik, and Stanley say Posttraumatic stress disorder begin with dangerous or traumatic events such as military combat, assault, rape, or observations of these things. Later when confronting events or situations that resemble the trauma, such as a baby crying in Chris’s case, the person may suffer an intense physiological reaction. The emergence of post-trauma stress consists of a wide range of symptoms. The trauma is now a memory, a replayed, uncontrolled memory. The trauma inconsiderately intrudes everyday consciousness and functions. Nightmares and flashbacks make sleep nearly impossible, because reminders of the trauma become more vivid while asleep. Then there’s the avoidance symptoms — efforts put forth to avoid talking about the trauma, avoid feelings related to the trauma or just numbness. Withdrawal within society or one’s home is a common symptom of PTSD. Chris often times would daydream or dose off as if he weren’t there. His wife often made comments like, “Chris, you’re here but you aren’t here”.
Chris Kyle began to see a psychiatrist that had good insight on PTSD, and aided Chris in re-connecting with the desire of his true self to regain a connection with his country and fellow soldiers. Chris was a peer supporter and did everything he could to help other soldiers who were wounded in some kind of way, mentally and physically. Chris enjoyed taking some out to a shooting range to gain some normalcy. Hollywood did an outstanding job depicting a person with PTSD. In the film, Chris Kyle was seen by a professional that diagnosed Kyle correctly according to readings, lectures, and notes. The exposure of American Sniper and the amount of lives this movie has touched since its release is uncanny. American Sniper has helped many soldiers realize that they aren’t alone on the battlefield once they get home either.
It is said that “Prejudice is a learned trait, you’re not born prejudiced; you’re taught it.” Within Shakespeare’s ‘Merchant of Venice’ and past society, religious prejudice and prejudice based on ethnicity were social beliefs and people were consciously making these choices to be discriminatory. People were taught that certain groups and races are greater, while other groups are beneath the ‘superior’ race. ‘Merchant of Venice’ added onto the bias’ towards people of Jewish faith and who have a dark complexion and gave insight to what these ethnicities experienced. This is seen through Shakespeare’s representation of the characters of Morocco and Shylock and how statements and reactions of other characters in the play were made prejudiced towards both of these characters. These social beliefs in past society continued in people’s minds, while they may not have been fully aware, but it influenced thoughts and feelings until it evolved into stereotypes and facts. Because these social beliefs continued subconsciously, modern society’s views and beliefs were influenced, the discrimination that certain ethnicities had faced before, are still very relevant now. It is now clear that, religious and racial prejudice is a problem which deteriorates one’s views and gives people the inability to recognize and embrace the differences in others, this is seen in the play through actions and remarks specifically aimed at the characters of Morocco and Shylock which was created through social beliefs, and continues subconsciously in modern society based on these religious and ethnic bias’.
Get original essayAnti-semitism is defined as, “the hostility to or prejudice against Jews.” Throughout the play, the main character, Shylock, experiences this type of hostility, but this type of prejudice existed long before the play was written. The bias’ created towards Jewish people was created during the biblical times and within the Bible, there are conversations that put Jewish people in the wrong light and made them appear to be more of an incoherent ethnicity. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved — so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last! This quote from the Bible is painting Jewish people as being evil and saying that these people will stay accursed for many more lifetimes to come. It is stating that Jewish people are the reason for the death of Jesus and many prophets, as well as celebrating the punishments and immense anguish which they will face for centuries to come hereafter. The language used has shown that the person who wrote this is Christian, or thinks of Christians as being more superior than Jewish people, and believes that Christians have “God on their side.” Christians have prolonged the cruelty that Jewish people have faced for a long time and they are considered adversaries of all of mankind. These types of passages and writings in the Bible have tremendously contributed to the way Jewish people are seen not just in past society but in modern society as well. These texts have created social beliefs which were adapted by writers such as Shakespeare, who made the character of Shylock to represent what Jewish people faced regularly.
In the play, Antonio states, “Hie thee, gentle Jew. The Hebrew will turn Christian; he grows kind.” Antonio is making a comment towards Shylock in which he is trying to say that Shylock cannot be gentle because he is a Jew. It is apparent that only Christians can be nice while Jewish people can only be rude and never gentle. This social belief has had so much of an impact on people, that Antonio is not able to recognize the fact that Shylock is not entirely evil and that he can be cordial if he wants to be, comparable to any other human. Being a specific race/ethnicity does not make someone more exceptional and throughout the play, the idea is that Christianity is the superior ethnicity. Christians believe that they’re entitled to more and they should be given higher status in terms of the way other religions treat them. An example of this is shown in the exchange between the Duke of Venice and Shylock: Make room, and let him stand before our face. — Shylock, the world thinks, and I think so too, That thou but leadest this fashion of thy malice. To the last hour of act, and then, ’tis thought, Thou wilt show thy mercy and remorse more strange, Than is thy strange apparent cruelty; And where thou now exacts the penalty, Which is a pound of this poor merchant’s flesh, Thou wilt not only lose the forfeiture But, touched with human gentleness and love, Forgive a moi’ty of the principal. From this quote one is able to decipher that the Duke of Venice is expecting Shylock to show remorse or mercy for Antonio because he is a Christian he deserves, but Shylock was never shown sympathy and compassion which he “should” be showing Antonio. So, this social belief has had a great impact on the mindset of many religions, making some ethnicities feel that they are more empowered while other ethnicities feel powerless and anemic.
These remarks that are made towards Shylock present how society functioned and its mentality towards Jewish people as a whole. The commonality within this time showed prejudice towards Jewish people based on a social belief, and the character of Shylock has experienced this ethnic bias’ the most from any character in the play because he is a Jewish person. He constantly stuck to his beliefs and views yet he was still made the antagonist of the play because of his identity. Therefore, social beliefs do have an effect on one’s actions and views whether they are subconscious or conscious, and they have caused people to lack perceiving and accepting another group’s diversity, such as Shylock who has been treated unjustly many times throughout the play. “Racism is taught in our society, it is not automatic. It is learned behaviour toward persons with dissimilar physical characteristics.” Within the play, the character of Morocco experienced racial prejudice based on his complexion based on a social belief which had existed prior to when the play had been written. In the 1600s before the play was written, people of a darker complexion were regarded as slaves which added onto the bias’ that these people are beneath the “preferable” race. There are statements within the Bible that have added to this racial bigotry within the past society. It is claimed that not only the slavery of blacks was in fulfillment of this Biblical curse, but their black skin colour is too. Thus many whites have been led to assume that blacks are inferior and that God meant for them to be the servants of whites. Many blacks became embittered by the treatment that they received as a result of this religious interpretation. Since people have a darker complexion, they are meant to be the attendants of people of a lighter complexion because it is said that this is what “God meant for them to be.”
Portia’s conversations and dialogues about Morocco and people of a darker complexion showed that she regarded herself as being the “greater” person/race. Evidence of this is found when Portia states, “A gentle riddance.—Draw the curtains, go.— Let all of his complexion choose me so.” She regards herself as being higher than the people of Morocco’s complexion and she believes that she is too remarkable to marry anyone of a dark complexion. Another example of this would be when Portia declares, “If he have the condition of a saint and the complexion of a devil, I had rather he should shrive me than wive me.” In this quote, Portia has made a comment on Morocco’s appearance claiming that even if he is a good person but he has a dark appearance, similar to that of the devil, then she would rather have had him hear her confession, her thoughts of the colour of his skin rather than have him marry her. This quote has shown that people such as Portia who are very intelligent and wise, can still show prejudice towards another group based on a social belief which has impaired the intellect of many people. So, one is able to establish that Morocco has experienced racial prejudice because of a social belief created about races that have a darker complexion before the play took place, which had influenced the mindset of many people during this time. “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
As we have seen throughout the play, characters have been making the conscious choice to be prejudice against religions and races based on social beliefs which had impaired the judgement of certain groups towards others. But how has it continued in our present day? This has happened through our subconscious mind, as we have developed over the centuries certain views have changed but as times went by the social beliefs in past society were found subconsciously within us. One may see themselves as showing impolite behaviour towards someone for no reason at all, this happens because of the way our subconscious mind works. In our modern society, much of the discrimination which characters such as Morocco and Shylock had faced are still a reality. There are stories about anti-semitism and racism towards groups which has created more of a religious and ethnic bias’. Such as how centuries of anti-semitism still exists today with several cases in Europe in which Jewish people have been attacked or some sort of hate crime took place specifically aimed at this group of people. Or how people are regarded as more beautiful than others because they possess physical characteristics such as having a lighter complexion.
In modern society, social problems such as having differences in pay and wealth amongst certain groups or ethnicities in which they receive better privilege and have a higher status, while others don’t gain the same luxury is a reality. We have seen stories from the 15th and 16th century which have been adapted into our modern culture and have had an impact on our thinking as people. So, when we see all the evidence of how our modern society functions, it is clear that these views and beliefs which continued as conscious social beliefs in the past have now been adapted subconsciously within our present-day affecting our understanding and positions on groups and ethnicities. Has there really been a change in the way our society functions or is everything always based on what the majority was in the past? This question creates controversy amongst many people who have different opinions and notions. But when one examines how religious prejudice and prejudice based on ethnicity existed in past society and modern society it is clear that the play ‘Merchant of Venice’ is still very relevant to our present day. The characters of Morocco and Shylock both experience prejudice because of social beliefs that existed long before the play had come to be. These social beliefs had affected the ideology which people had on these groups and had created stereotypes which was shown through attitudes and demeanour of people. These attitudes which people have has made it hard for one to see past race and religion and see someone’s true self. As generations progressed and human mentality evolved, these social beliefs which people took a conscious effort to show had become subconscious within people’s intellects. As it continued subconsciously in modern society it created a religious and ethnic bias’ which everyone seems to follow whether we notice it or not. What certain ethnicities faced in the past society they face today on a day-to-day basis.
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Get custom essayThe play ‘Merchant of Venice’ is important in our present society because it shows us what other ethnicities face and it gives us some insight into how other people can be treated so negatively. From the play, someone in our current civilization can be able to relate to the perceptions which other religions and races may face, so this play has a purpose in contemporary society. So, after identifying the evidence in the play, present society, and previous society it is apparent that the play is still appropriate for our modern audiences.
Family is a difficult thing to describe. Some consider only blood relatives to be family, while others consider family to be the people that you love and care about the most. No matter who you ask, family has a different meaning to everyone. For example, many of the different stories that we have read in class so far this semester portray a different meaning of family. This can be seen in The Storm, The Jilting of Granny Weatherall, and Everyday Use.
Get original essayFirst, family is an important factor in the story The Storm. Calixta, the mother, cares very much about her family, and when she realizes that there is a storm coming she gets very worried. This can be seen in the quote, “I got enough to do! An’ there’s Bobinôt with Bibi out in that storm – if he only didn’ left Freidheimer’s!” (Chopin 97). On the contrary, a bit later in the story, Calixta shows little care for her family when she has an affair with Alcèe. This can be observed by the quote, “Bobinôt and Bibi began to relax and enjoy themselves, and when the three seated themselves at table they laughed much and so loud that anyone might have heard them as far away as Laballière’s” (Chopin 99). Calixta is not even phased and goes on to have a normal evening when not even a few hours earlier she was sleeping with another man while her husband was away.
Next, we observe the meaning of family in the story The Jilting of Granny Weatherall. In this story, Granny Weatherall is on her deathbed, recounting many memories from her life. She is surrounded by her family members and is greeted by fond, loving memories of them. This is observed in the quote, “They had been so sweet when they were little. Granny wished the old days were back again with the children young and everything to be done over” (Porter 58). Despite these feelings of happiness about her family, Granny Weatherall could not help to feel regret. She imagines the family that she could have had with George, but instead he left her at the alter. She would not have had these great memories with her family if she had married George, but she can’t help but to long for what could have been. This is evident in the quote, “For sixty years she had prayed against remembering him and against losing her soul in the deep pit of hell, and now the two things were mingled in one and the thought of him was a smoky cloud from hell that moved and crept in her head when she had just gotten rid of Doctor Harry and was trying to rest a minute” (Porter 60). In her final moments, Granny Weatherall can’t help to feel unprepared for death, worrying about what could have been, instead of enjoying her time with her family that was there to support her.
Lastly, we will take a look at the aspect of family in the story Everyday Use. Maggie and her mother await the arrival of Dee, Maggie’s sister back home from college for dinner. Dee returns home and is vastly different from how she was when she left, even changing her name. Despite these changes, Maggie and her mother still accept Dee for who she is and what she wants to be. This can be observed in the quote, “If that’s what you want us to call you, we’ll call you” (Walker 73). Dee had changed her name to try to be closer to her family roots and tradition. She has a strong sense of family, but no so much in the immediate sense. She takes her sister and mother for granted, but longs to make a connection with her African heritage. This is shown in the quote, “You ought to try to make something of yourself, too, Maggie. It’s really a new day for us. But from the way you and Mama still live you’d never know it” (Walker 76). Dee is trying to see the bigger picture of her family, while ignoring the caring family that she has right in front of her.
In conclusion, many of the different stories that we have read in class so far this semester portray a different meaning of family. Whether it’s caring for your loved ones in The Storm, revisiting old memories from over the years in The Jilting of Granny Weatherall, or trying to understand your heritage in Everyday Use, each of these stories portray a different aspect or meaning of family. Those are just a few examples of what family means. One could go on for pages writing about the many different meanings of family, just from assessing the stories that we have read this semester alone. Family will always be an important aspect of everyone’s life, but it is what family means to you that makes it so special.
With the world becoming an increasingly visual one through the means of technology, photographs and visual imagery have the capacity to inform mass media of current affairs all around the world. The visual causes one to consider how to perceive and respond to content like this while question the value of that image and wonder why the scene was captured in that particular moment in time. In this critical analysis, close attention will be payed towards a photograph and a series of paintings by Fernando Botero and a brief description of the film ‘Nightcrawler’ to triangulate this analysis. The essay will most certainly depict the use of space and time in quite concrete terms; an area, a context and a physical parameter. This is especially prevalent in the depictions of violence which will be the theme of this essay with discussions on these subjects alongside the assistance from writers such as Judith Butler, Ariella Azoulay and a few more inferences. As we unravel the ethics of the different mediums selected for analysis, it becomes evermore apparent that there is a hidden structure behind an image, particularly if it is of interest to political standpoints. There are regulations behind what can become public to the masses and it is this distinction between what is known but is not shown that this essay shall supplement alongside identifying how the artworks treat time and space. For all three of the mediums that will be looked at, visual photographic evidence is vital in determining the morals behind these artworks. The photograph bears the seal of the event itself and reconstructing that event requires more than just identifying what is occurring in the photograph. One needs to stop looking at the photograph and instead start watching it, analysing it, appreciating the details and context behind it which is what this essay shall reveal within the works of each of these artists. The artists and scholars that will be discussed are doing exciting things that link the image to political and social struggles, often in unexpected ways. Their work is interesting in its own right, and for the deeper questions it often raises about the fundamental concepts of photojournalism. What are evidence, access, coverage, reporting, bearing witness, and how are these practices depicted in relation to space and time?
Get original essayWhen looking at the paintings of artists Fernando Botero, he successfully depicted the ordeal of existence in the Abu Ghraib prison with the intent to criticise the conflict. Botero got his inspiration for the paintings in this exhibit from reading official reports of the terror and torture that has been going on in Iraq. In some of his paintings, the Iraqi prisoners are tied up by ropes with blood smeared across their bodies and through their tops. They are blind folded, ironically suggesting the US soldiers fearing being seen, whilst also excreting or vomiting as they encounter the physical beatings by the guards. Having been inspired by Picasso’s Guernica, Botero felt necessary to exploit these problems amongst the US military and aggravate a response from the public - he had successfully done so. In an interview with Botero, journalist Kenneth Baker states that when his work was displayed in the New York gallery for the first time, he received some hate mail stating that the works were anti-American.
Arguably, for an artist, going through the labour of painting, drawing or sculpting evokes a closer relationship to their creations. There tends to be a clearer interpretation placed by the artist with no restrictions from a higher authority because the work is their own. Here, Fernando Botero displays this power he has as a solo artist to provoke reactions in order to inform people of, not only what occurs around the world, but what it is like working for a country that is torturing a minority elsewhere. Botero’s interpretation of space is determined by the depictions of war. The torturers are absent from most of the works in which the protagonists are the victims so Botero makes full use of filling in the space on these canvases with the full bodies of the victims in the prison cells. The background is minimal and rather blank to suggest the harrowing nature of seclusion and isolation, with no means of interaction with the surrounding environment. Furthermore, he is transposing space and time within a photograph to a different kind of space and time as he takes the images that he had seen and was outraged by, and created these paintings as a result.
Framing is important when creating a specific scene. The spacial aspect of the frame informs viewers of a specific space within which something takes place - this can be misleading or can reveal more than it initially wants to. (This is particularly appreciated by Judith Butler but her work shall be touched upon later.) Also, by de-contextualising from a specific space, framing allows for a transposition into a different space and different time as the artist imagines it. Particular artists such as Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin showcase this notion of framing, but in particular, violence in a such a way that is unexpected to the viewers. They were working as a photographer duo which is typically unusual but nonetheless interesting as the ideas that are presented are collaborative. In 2008 the duo visited Afghanistan as embedded photographic journalists, not artists during the peak of the war, bearing witness to an endless montage of death and destruction - except for the fifth day, when nobody died. It was a profound pause to the chaos, which the artists compare to the calm moment of a storm. They chose to document this cathartic pause of a non-event, unravelling a six-meter roll of film to expose to the sun for 20 seconds on site. Notice how timing is very specific here. It was then stowed away and shipped from one military base to another, transported by helicopters, jeeps, and tanks, the information blank of its contents blissfully unknown. In an interview with writer Mariko Finch, the photographers mention that if they had said they were artists, they would have never received permission to go to Afghanistan. The Day Nobody Died offers a total eclipse of the standard shock imagery of warfare, instead offering a sublime abstraction of a non-moment in which the paper is rolled out on site where nothing happens, a “no mans land” if you will . The viewer has no opportunity to witness, and subsequently forget about, harrowing documentation of the artists’ trip. Instead, they are haunted by its absence. In such a typical space of violence, the viewers expect some kind of explicit,vulgar and gruesome imagery to return from the brutality of the war at hand. However, Broomberg and Chanarin go to such lengths as to retaliate to the rules and regulations of what should or should not be framed as violent after their experiences as embedded journalists. In contrast to photographs or visual imagery that vividly capture atrocities, they really challenge ones understanding of space, time, location and what we are seeing and particularly force readers to question what is it one expects to see from war. The artwork suggests this imaginary of a war; a kind of far away, unreachable space in which most viewers have never witnessed. However, when these artists come back from such a space with something to show for it, why is one outraged when presented with photographic paper? If one cannot bring back the literal and the reality of war through photographs due to the filtered process before they are revealed, will the interpretation of this alternative framing of violence be as valuable?
In an interview with writer, Rachel Somerstein, Adam Broomberg discusses the anxiety a viewer may feel surrounding images. He states that “it takes work to be troubled by words”, and since images are “aligned to nobody, and don’t pronounce their political allegiances so easily, means that they’re dangerous in a way that words are not”. They capture a moment of time by using the space, quite literally, to serve as an indicator as to the context of their situation. The silky seductive ombré of the film’s light leak nonetheless serves as a memorial tomb to the trauma of its context - and not just in its dimensions, which mirror a standard grave. Broomberg & Chanrin’s reflect and abstract a moment - and a miracle - lost to time. Somerstein continues the discussion and goes on to ask Oliver Chanarin about the failures within this particular project. He admits to failure being built into it from the start; “we failed to represent the news in any figurative sense”. They failed the viewer who had a whole range of expectation about what Chanarin and Broomberg, as the viewers proxy, might deliver from the front lines. To reiterate, it is these failures that force one to question how this work treats the categories of space and time. Why is there dissatisfaction when such a space and horrific moment in time is framed in such a way? In a moment of terror and warfare, what does one call for? Even as an artist there seems to be limitations as to how one should interpret a traumatic event so who do these frames truly belong to? Author and theorist of photography, Ariella Azoulay, discusses these kinds of questions in further detail.
In her book The Civil Contract of Photography, she covers several ares of photography and looks, in great depth, at the relations between photography and citizenship in disaster contexts. Whilst a lot of her work may not directly correlate with the themes in this essay, we can extract elements that reinforce the point about how viewers perceive warfare and how depictions of violence are framed within a given space and time. Azoulay asks this question: under what political, legal or cultural conditions does it become possible to see and show disaster that befalls those who can claim only incomplete or nonexistent citizenship? The Civil Contract of Photography is an attempt to anchor spectatorship in civic duty toward the photographed persons who haven’t stopped being “there,” in that particular moment in time. She clarifies the point that photography is no ones property. Photography in which photographs are taken on the verge of catastrophe, also is a form of relations of individuals to the power that governs them. Azoulay mentions this notion of capturing a memory of this leadership, this power as a soldier to keep. She says “they are posing for a photo being taken by another soldier, preparing a souvenir to take back home. Their action is irreversible - it is inscribed in the photograph forever.” This photograph can now travel with them into their hometown, a safe space, and remember such an event from that time in their lives. Furthermore, she previously states that “citizens are, first and foremost, governed. An emphasis on the dimension of being governed allows a rethinking of the political sphere as a space of relations between the governed, whose political duty is first and foremost or at least also a duty toward one another, rather than toward the ruling power.” This statement can be interpreted in the works of Fernando Botero and the duo, Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin. In regards to depictions of violence, everything seems to have strict rules and regulations about what can be revealed, despite the truth remaining. Another quite profound statement made by Azoulay: “The world filled up with images of horrors, and they loudly proclaimed that viewers’ eyes had grown unseeing, proceeding to unburden themselves of the responsibility to hold onto the elementary gesture of looking at what is presented to one’s gaze.” This echoes what Michael Taussig briefly writes about in his book, Zoology, Magic, and Surrealism in the War on Terror. He comments on how certain roles can cause one to behave a certain way, simply because they are transfixed by the unknown, by what is foreign to them: “…understand why the Abu Ghraib prison guards were so foolish as to photograph their actions. They were compelled to. Fascination of the abomination means you can’t stop looking precisely because it is so abhorrent, as if what you are looking at is looking back at you and has you locked in its gaze like a deer in the headlights.” In some ways, one could argue that Fernando Botero was fascinated by the graphic images he had seen from the Abu Ghraib detention centre and so he, too, was transfixed by these scenes. He was “locked in its gaze” and hence produced a series of drawings and paintings that questioned what occurs in these locations that are so physically distant from us.
When comparing the paintings of Fernando Botero with the artwork of Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin, it is clear that they each are representing warfare in different spaces at different times. It is evident that the process of how their pieces were created took serious time and consideration. Paintings take a longer time to produce something as opposed to just a click of a camera, so these are different temporalities of a creation of a particular piece. Botero’s painting from a photograph, and so the temporality transfers into the other and then there is a laborious process of creation that goes into it. On the other hand, Broomberg and Chanarin act as though it is a stunt, making soldiers carry a box, in which its content is unknown to them but soon realises they are only carrying paper. There is an outrage in both cases but it is explored in a different way. Firstly, the medium is different and so it creates a tension between the works - one (the works of Botero) is extremely explicit and there is this depiction of the violence in which the victims experience torture. The laborious process of creation for Botero when painting these figures force him to really invest in the experience that comes with transposing a given space and time. As for Broomberg and Chanarin, they do something different, they choose not to take part in providing sanitised images that are vulgar and explicit and instead provide, what seems to be, rolls of paper with nothing to really show for their trip. The irony here, however, is that the result is as good as what would have been chosen after the army filtered through what could and could not be allowed for viewing in the press.
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Get custom essayFrames of War by Judith Butler offers compelling arguments on power relations and how they are framed in regards to the critical analysis of visual imagery and visual culture. In particular, the following chapter, ‘Torture and the Ethics of Photograph: Thinking with Sontag’, further considers images through the work of Susan Sontag. Her overriding point among this essay is how viewers perceive and respond to the suffering of others when a given norm restricts our perception and hence determine whose lives are worthy of grief and whose are not. In order for photographs to evoke a “moral response”, they must not only “maintain the capacity to shock, but also appeal to our sense of moral obligation”. She goes on to further state that Susan Sontag’s view of shock and photography has become a kind of cliche and contemporary photography only seeks to “aestheticise suffering”. It is this dilemma that Sontag and Butler attempt to detangle in this chapter that causes viewers and readers to question if an artists or photographers work is based on their intent to reveal these flaws in society through a creative outlet, or simply for a personal gain. It goes a step further by causing people to evaluate how on interprets an interpretation and assess whether this interpretation is a reliable source in discovering what has or has not happened: “we are led to interpret the interpretation that has been imposed upon us, developing our analysis into a social critique of regulatory and censorious power”. Through Butler’s work and Sontag’s writing, these motifs can be extracted and found within the artworks mentioned. How can a photograph, a visual emblem of a moment in history, have such power to cause doubt in the entire process of photography, which then transposes to the medium of paint? The environment at hand here, amongst all sources looked at, deals with violent depictions of war in a specific moment. Photography seems to have served as a foundation to all of the sources and so, as a photographer, ones work is evidential proof of having been somewhere. In On Photography by Susan Sontag, in the essay titled ‘In Plato’s Cave’, she states that whilst photographs “give people an imaginary possession of a past that is unreal, they also help people to take possession of space in which they are insecure.” While Sontag uses this in the context of tourism, the same applies to the context of war and this notion of embedded journalism. As a result, it is this photographic evidence or process of capturing a frame in history, a frame in a given space at a particular time, that serves the creation of art by artists who interpret these photographs.
In many occurences, immigration often times for most cases leads to the separation of many families when fleeing their country to come to the U.S for a “better life” or for asylum. Although for the most part people believe that these immigrants that flee only have to find a way to make it across the border line/wall, that’s definitely not the only obstacle. There is border patrol agents all over for miles and miles that these immigrants die due to hunger,thirst,depression of not knowing how much longer they have to get to where they need to be or how long to hide from the in green. As many immigrants are affected by the border, in Francisco Cantu’s book “The line Becomes a River”, he gives his insight on this problem that has affected many as he become a border patrol agent himself to see the reality of how it all is, how these people have to fear the crucial laws and border patrol agents. Should fear really have to be running down human’s spine? Are we not all human? Does a border or wall really stop or fix anything other than affecting people negatively? Why do people have to suffer to gain asylum? The separation of families has got to be the worst especially when its children having to go through it.
Get original essayEvery year, hundreds of thousands of immigrants, legal and illegal, from around the world, come into the United States. These immigrants have many different motivations; some enter the U.S. hoping to get a chance at a chance at a better life; others are refugees, escaping persecution and civil wars in their home country. Many of these people believe the United States is the best place to go. There is more freedom, protection, and benefits, which are important issues with to immigrants. However, the large number of immigrants is affecting the native-born citizens of the United States. Taxpayers are forced to pay for the welfare and schooling for many of these immigrants, some of who are illegal aliens. In the article, “Family Separation May Have Hit Thousands More Migrant Children Than Reported” by Miriam Jordan. Miriam states, “The family separations were a key part of the Trump administration’s effort to deter migrant families from trying to enter the country at the Southwest border, where they have been arriving in large numbers, most of them fleeing violence and deep poverty in Central America.” Some citizens believe that immigration can be hazardous to the environment, by putting a strain on already diminishing natural resources. Others blame crime, poverty, and overpopulation on immigration. About sixty-eight million immigrants have been added to the United States since 1970, and it is estimated that 130 million people will be added over the next fifty years. The government has tried to somewhat restrict immigration but, many believe, the laws are still too lenient. Something that Cantu states,” the conventions thus called for establishment of a new international boundary commissions, which was to possess the power and authority to reposition incorrectly placed or missing moments.” Francisco, a bonafide la migra, account of what takes place at our southern border. It is genuinely heartfelt the struggle to paint a black and white picture when there is so much grey to consider. Immigration is a complex matter that has gutted the humanity we need to understand. Taking into account when this was written and what our current regime has enacted, separating families, I do shudder at what we have become as Americans. I sincerely hope we find our way back.
In the article, “U.S. Continues to Separate Migrant Families Despite Rollback of Policy”, by Miriam Jordan and Caitlin Dickerson. Something that is really interesting and she states in her article is “Infants and toddlers were among the children who were put into foster homes or migrant children shelters, often hundreds or thousands of miles away from where their parents were detained. Under separate policies, the administration also made it difficult for relatives other than the children’s parents to take the children into their own homes.” As families are being detached from each other it shows how cruel the government treats migrants whether they are toddlers or adults , they may not be hurting them physically but mentally leaving them hurt knowing that they are going to be away from their loved ones from long periods of time. Something really important that Cantu states in his book is, “Some politicians in the United States think that if a mother or father is deported, this will cause the entire family to move back to Mexico”. His personal conflicts along with compelling accounts of the struggles facing immigrants attempting to cross into the US for a chance of a better life are eye opening.
For generations, people have been coming to US borders and requesting asylum. A few receive asylum, most don’t. Despite the lies Trump regularly tweets, it is NOT A CRIME to arrive at a US border and request asylum.Starting in about 2005 during the Bush administration, the numbers at the border became problematic, and Bush started ‘Project Streamline’ to handle cases faster. This program put many people in detention (not necessarily the same as jail) until their requests could be handled, but it never split up families. ‘Project Streamline’ continued under Obama, with various forms of detention, but without splitting families. A deliberate decision but the Trump administration began a new policy of splitting families who arrived at the border requesting asylum. This policy will remain in place until the political pressure from Trump’s base becomes too high. My guess is that over the next month, before the traditional August legislative break, evangelical leaders will object more and more to the policy, and Trump will find some face-saving excuse to change the policy. In the article, “Trump administration has separated hundreds of children from their migrant families since 2018” by Rick Jervis and Alan Gomez, they state that, “Separations have slowed significantly since a federal judge in San Diego ordered the administration to halt the practice in June 2018. U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw allowed separations in rare, specific circumstances, and the Trump administration has exploited those openings at a worrying clip, according to groups that work with migrants along the border.” Cantu did a great job of telling the toll this difficult job took on him, the feelings he felt for the immigrants that were just looking for a better life and the care and understanding he had for them; while still enforcing the laws of our nation. Mr. Cantu wrote about saving helpless immigrants from the treacherous desert and becoming an EMT .He cut through contemporary stereotypes to craft a beautiful and compelling story of the human condition. I came away a bit more understanding of the agents who are often driven into hardened shells by the realities of their jobs and the cold dictates of a political system where there’s little room for humanity. Cantú juxtaposes his experiences as a Border Patrol agent with his childhood & his later efforts to help a family separated by the policies he used to enforce using language that is compelling & clear. Cantú doesn’t gloss over the complexities, but with an empathetic voice explores the problems of desperation, family, human trafficking, and more to paint a picture of the realities of life in the borderlands.
In conclusion, the political rhetoric around the U.S./Mexico border is so charged that, at times, it can be hard to separate what you know from what you believe. Cantu was bold enough to try to test his assumptions about the border, attempting to gain an understanding of it firsthand, by becoming a Border Patrol agent – in many ways, a dangerous decision. The border is a war zone full of drug cartels and smugglers, and in the end, the author finds that he cannot simply observe the system – whether he’s in the field or behind a computer, he’s part of it. When an undocumented friend of Cantu’s winds up caught up in the system, the author’s perspective shifts again, to take in what it really means when a family is torn apart – by the humanitarian crisis in Mexico, by economic realities, by shifting immigration laws and policies, and by those who take advantage of those who are desperate to improve their lives and the lives of their children. This is a book that reminded me to question my assumptions, especially on the hot-button political subjects, and take a closer look. It also increased my sense of empathy for those families torn apart by immigration laws, often in desperate circumstances. This is the story of the U.S./Mexican border, but it’s the story of many other borders as well – now and in the future. U.S. immigration policy is a complicated subject. The Line is an informative, analytical read for anyone trying to understand the nitty-gritty of the complex world of those attempting to enter the U.S., written by one with both extensive experience and academic knowledge of those complexities.
As people reach the age of 18, they develop some characteristics and traits that they sometimes would never expect. Depression plays a huge factor on individuals at the age of eighteen through twenty-five, and maybe even sooner than eighteen. Emerging adulthood takes place in an individual's life from adolescence up to becoming a young adult. One of the factors that creep in as we age into adulthood is depression. Depression may affect your goals and aspirations, emotions, and it can make you sluggish. D. Depression in a young adult ruins their train of thought and they can’t truly discover themselve?. In many ways, depression can affect the cognitive, emotional, social, and physical aspect of a young adult.
Get original essayOur mental health mixed with depression messes up our ability to think right and to understand certain situations. The study shows that the stress from the transition of school to college lead to distortions cognitively, and general health among college students. The study explored the relationship between depression and cognitive distortions among college students. 125 undergraduate students (62 male and 63 female) were surveyed and related to the depression and cognitive distortions. Girls were found to be more depressed in high self-criticism compared to boys. Not only is the cognitive aspect affected but the emotional development domain.
Depression affects our emotions in a bad way and leaves to be emotionally unstable. This study talks about emotions, which are important for every college student and every emerging adult today. Students’ emotions have been neglected by higher education research. Emotions are frequent and often intense in situations at college and university. Positive emotions help open the mind and create goals and challenges. Anxiety and hopelessness are detrimental to a college students study life. Social development is also affected with depression.
Once adults and college students become depressed, their social life becomes affected. This study shows that social interactions should make you feel welcomed. The study describes the different outcomes adults receive when they have a dysfunctional social behaviour. Others may experience different outcomes when it comes to socializing. Depressed adults showed preferred sad faces and emotional words. They view social interactions negatively.
The studies provided us with depression and how it sensitizes people to social acceptance and social rejection. As being neglected socially from others, it affects an adult physically.
Being depressed affects adults physically with your body and it makes you sluggish. You may develop a disorder of not wanting to eat. The study reveals the side effects of being depressed and long-term depression.
The study covers for the social and the physical side of being depressed. It occurs mostly in a change in a person’s life. The study shows that depression can affect the brain and the heart. You may receive blood clots and risk a heart attack. Not only can depression can ruin your internal organs, but it will mess up your physique. Depression may result in you dying 25 years younger than an average person would live up to.
Depression affects a person mentally, emotionally, socially, and physically. Basically everything that an adult needs to take care of since they’re constantly going through transitions in life. An adults mental state by self-criticism affects ourselves poorly, their emotions become twisted, they may feel socially rejected at times, and their physique may not be up to par. Adults need to stop allowing depression take control of their lives and take the wheel.
Once you become depressed and allow it to clog up your mind, you become mentally, emotionally, socially, and physically unstable. Depression will make you think you’re not good enough and you will feed into that.
If you value healthy skin and want to help others feel confident about their appearance, then pursuing a career as a dermatologist may be right for you. A dermatologist is a type of physician or medical doctor who diagnoses and treats patients with conditions of the hair, nails, mouth and skin. A unique aspect to this occupation is this type of doctor may perform both medical and cosmetic procedures, desiring to treat diseases as well as improve a patient’s appearance. Medical school is required as well as a residency in dermatology. The length of education is long and therefore, a dermatologist salary is usually high and continues to grow. There’s demand for this occupation and a flexible schedule is available, especially if you own your business. By reading on, you will learn more about the earning factors of a dermatologist salary, what this type of doctor does, the outlook of this occupation and education requirements for someone in this line of work.
Get original essayA salary for this type of work has a wide range. You may start out at $200,000 but could potentially get anywhere up to $300,000 or beyond. Experienced dermatologists usually make somewhere in the $300,000 to $400,000 range but could make well above $400,000 depending on a variety of factors.
It’s difficult to pinpoint an exact answer to a salary question because so many factors come into play in medical professions, including dermatologists. These factors could include the location, the skills you hold, number of hours you work, how many patients you choose to see in a day, whether or not you have a private practice, reputation, years in practice and so much more. For example, a doctor who works four days a week is going to make less than a doctor who works six days a week because of the amount of patients they will be able to see. Another example would be whether or not you own a private practice, work for a private practice or work in a hospital. A final example is location. If you’re seeking work in a metropolitan area, the pay is usually going to be higher to compensate for a higher living cost. Midwest states, however, may also have higher salaries to lure doctors in despite having to endure the cold winters. Even though there is such a wide range, there is comfort in knowing if you want to earn more, you have factors in place to play with to arrive at your desired salary, it just might include a move or a little extra work.
As mentioned above, a dermatologist is a type of physician or medical doctor who diagnoses and treats patients with conditions of the hair, nails, mouth and skin. Someone in this field is able to help patients with more than 3,000 different types of conditions, including acne, eczema, types of skin cancer and hair loss. Trained dermatologists may also be able to perform surgeries or cosmetic procedures.
A daily schedule for a dermatologist may look like meeting with a patient, gathering information about their concerns, a diagnosis and providing necessary treatment for the discovered conditions. This may include prescribing medicines or ointments, performing a biopsy or surgery and removing growths. There are many types of dermatologists, however, so tasks vary depending on the specialty. For example, a pediatric dermatologist works specifically with children and may treat conditions such as eczema, warts or birthmarks. A cosmetic dermatologist desires to help a patient with their appearance versus a disease. Finally, a veterinary dermatologist has training to treat our furry friends with a variety of skin diseases.
Many of dermatologist patients are referred to them by primary care providers, so dermatologists traditionally work as specialists in a private practice versus in a hospital or clinic and are utilized when their expertise is required. Hospitals or clinics, however, may have a dermatologist on staff if they feel it is necessary.
If you like helping people, communicate well and have a friendly attitude, you’ll most likely do great in this field. In addition, dermatologists value a healthy body, not only on the inside but the outward appearance as well. This type of occupation requires an interest in how the body works and investigative skills to solve any problems that arise. Enjoying a hands-on work experience and working well under pressure can also help you in pursuing this job, especially if you want to perform surgeries.
For dermatologists in the next 10 years, employment is expected to increase 13 percent. This growth is due to the nation’s aging and expanding population, driving the demand for dermatology services in not only the urban areas but in rural towns as well.
Many people interested in having a career in this line of work are driven to pursue it due to interest in the field but also the lucrativeness of a dermatologist salary. Several years of education, training and additional learning, however, is necessary in pursuing this type of career. You can’t earn six figures without hard work to becoming qualified.
To become a dermatologist, one must receive an undergraduate degree, attend medical school for four years and complete a residency and internship, which could take three or more years. If you make the decision to pursue a specific kind of dermatology, additional training will be required.
A bachelor’s degree is a pre-med major is the first step to becoming a dermatologist. The student may choose any major, however, as long as required courses are taken. These courses usually include Biology with labs, Chemistry with labs, Organic Chemistry with labs, Physics with labs, English and Calculus. A course or two in other areas of study are encouraged, showing the desired medical school that the student is a well-rounded individual.
Medical school is the next step after completing your undergraduate degree. Students take the same courses to study advanced sciences courses in the first couple years of their schooling. Depending on the school, the process could be traditional and take specific courses or organize their study by body system.
After the first two years of medical school, the final two years contain clinical rotations. These take place in hospitals and clinics and give the students hands-on experience in a professional setting. If specializing in a specific type of dermatology, students may take additional time, potentially in the breaks from schooling, to take part in rotations in that subspecialty.
To specialize in dermatology, students will apply to take part in a residency, which could last three years, and internships, usually lasting one year, once medical school has been completed. Aspiring dermatologists have the opportunity to work with those who are experienced. Getting licensed is also necessary.
In addition to education and experience, you can also decide to become part of a credentialed association that offers other types of certifications. There are many medical societies and the following are options to consider joining.
Founded in 1938, the American Academy of Dermatology considers itself to be the largest dermatology group in the United States with more than 2,000 members.
The American Society for Dermatology Surgery are a group of more than 6,400 members who, through clinical studies, educational opportunities, forums, mentoring programs and public awareness, strive to prevent, detect and treat skin cancer. The represented surgeons are skin surgery leaders in the profession and want to minimize life-threatening effects and situations in the surgical realm.
The ADA prides itself with having leaders who take part in researching and educating about dermatologist practices, medicine and patient care. To gain membership in this association, merits and contributions in dermatology and medicine as a whole will be looked at and you must be nominated and elected from there. Since it’s start in 1876, ADA has helped develop many other dermatologist organizations, including a few listed in this section, like the AAD and the SID, and is the first dermatological society in the United States.
As a society that values collegiality, innovation, integrity, leadership and shared beliefs within the dermatological profession, the Society for Investigative Dermatology believes it has a mission to advocate and educate others on sciences relevant to the health of skin. With the obstacle of dermatology investigative work spread out over multiple scientific journals, this society desires to develop journals to act as a single resource. In 1937, the founders saw a need to devote to not just clinical work but cutaneous investigation as well, striving to promote investigative dermatology to the respected position where other medical specialties sit.
The Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants (SDPA) was founded in 1994 and consists of people “who provide dermatologic care or have an interest in medical specialty of dermatology.” The society’s 3,400 members follow a mission that utilizes education and empowering other assistants to care for patients in the most effective ways possible.
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Get custom essayIf you think being a dermatologist is a good fit for you and you want to pursue this profession, start now by taking these necessary steps to get there. Through all of your hard work, you will reach the dermatologist salary you desire and be in a rewarding profession that values people and a healthy body. They strive to empower leaders, educate about the roles of PAs in practicing dermatology and advance in using PAs in practicing dermatology offices.