Web Du Bois and Double Consciousness

W. E. B. Du Bois: Double-Consciousness Ashanti Johnson SOC101 Lestine Shedrick October 18, 2011 W. E. B. Du Bois (1968-1963) was a huge contributor to sociology through the eyes and experience of an African-American scholar (Vissing, 2011). Du Bois was an author, activist and student of Black sociology. In his 1897 article, Strivings of the Negro People†, Du Bois introduced the term â€Å"double-consciousness†, a concept I believe to be just as relevant in today’s African-American communities. Double consciousness refers to what Du Bois considered an absence of â€Å"true self consciousness† (Du Bois, 1897) amongst Africans in America. In place of that absence, lies a dual awareness- awareness of one’s self combined with an awareness of how others perceive you. Is being an American a contradiction to Black identity, even in contemporary society? In his 1903 book, ‘The Souls of Black Folk’, Du /bois gives an analysis of African-Americans and double-consciousness, that Black people are caught between separate self conceptions, as an American and as an African. â€Å"The negro ever feels his two-ness, an American, a negro, two souls, two warring ideals and one dark body whose dogged strength keeps it from being torn asunder† (Du Bois, 1903). Du Bois broke his concept of double-consciousness down into three manifestations: First, the power of White stereotypes on Black life and thought. Second, racism and the exclusion of Black Americans from mainstream American society. Lastly, Du Bois points out the internal conflict between being of African descent and being an American. What is the power and influence of White stereotypes on the everyday lives of African-Americans today, in the 21st century? We live in a society that, many could argue, is saturated with Black culture. Commercial television, film and radio are largely influenced by African-American language, imagery and music. Examples of what used to be considered African-American youth vernacular, have seeped into mainstream culture. Words and phrases such as â€Å"bling† and â€Å"you go boy† are not Black slang, but American slang. The continued commercial inclusion of African-American images, language and music, does not eliminate double-consciousness- it may, in fact, magnify it. The stereotypes and images of Black people in America have evolved since Du Bois coined his term in 1897, but even the ever-changing understanding of Black culture leaves most African-Americans trapped in a conflict of who they are versus who they are believed to be in the eyes of America. On one hand, Africans are credited with inventing many genres of sound, dance, art and athletic styles. Although there are many groundbreaking contributions in math, medicine and science, Africans are not â€Å"popular† for these attributes. Because of this, many African-American parents keep their children from concentrating on such areas of strength as dance, music or sports in order to keep them away from a stereotypical field of study. Double-consciousness will have a talented athlete fore-go a sports career so that they are not considered â€Å"just another ball player†. When we think of Black Americans being excluded from mainstream American society, we consider the generations leading to the civil rights movement. Today, our President is an African-American, so surely this issue is no longer relevant. Racism cannot flourish in contemporary America, right? According to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, racism is â€Å"a belief that some races are by nature superior to others† and the â€Å"discrimination based on such beliefs† (Webster, 2011). We now live in an anti-racism society. It is frowned upon to act or react in any way that could be construed as racist. Our society has laws in place which make racist actions in the workplace, school or even in public- illegal. The conflict of double-consciousness still exists in this modern, anti-racist America. Perhaps even more frustrating for today’s African-American, is living with the reality of racial tension in a society refusing to admit that such tension still exists. Du Bois spoke of internal conflict as being the most significant manifestation of double-consciousness. There is an inner conflict between being of both American and African lineage. African-Americans are a special group of immigrants who did not choose America as their new home. It was slavery that brought the African to America for generations of forced labor. The knowledge that most of the African culture, language, history and experience, was lost to American Africans after the slave trade, helps fuel the inner conflict. Where should the African-American feel his strongest connection? Africa? America? In conclusion, double-consciousness impacts the African-American today just as it did in the early 1900’s. W. E. B. Du Bois described his concept as â€Å"a world which yields no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world† (Du Bois, 1903). Today’s politically correct society tends to use the word â€Å"color blind†, intended to show an acceptance for all people, regardless of race or color. Today, the double-conscious African-American must continue the search for his conscious identity in a society which has gone from color-racist to color-blind in a matter of a few decades. References Du Bois, W. E. B. (1897, August). Strivings of the negro people. The Atlantic, Du Bois, W. E. B. (1903). The souls of black folk. Chicago: McClurg and Company. racism. 2011. In Merriam-Webster. com. Retrieved October 18, 2011, from http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/racism Vissing, Y. (2011). An introduction to sociology. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education

Culture and Disease Essay

Malaria is one of the diseases that are responsible for the highest mortality and morbidity rates in Africa especially among children (World Bank, 2009). In fact, it is one of the greatest public health concerns in Africa and most of the health programs are aimed at prevention and treatment of the disease (World Bank, 2009). This disease is common among Africans compared to other ethnic groups due to economic, cultural, economic and social factors. In a bid to fight this scourge, Africans have been using several methods to control the spread of malaria and the methods have included both the modern and traditional approaches. Malaria is an infectious disease which is usually caused by a parasite that is known as plasmodium. These parasites are protozoan in nature and they are of several species which include Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale, and Plasmodium vivax (Sherman, 1998). Among these species, the most serious and fatal species to human beings is P. falciparum. The plasmodium is transmitted to humans by the female anopheles mosquitoes and its lifecycle involves two hosts which are the human host and a mosquito vector (Sherman, 1998). In the lifecycle of the plasmodium it forms sporozoites which are found in the gut of the female mosquito (Russel & Wolfe, 2008). The female mosquito transmits the sporozoites to human beings through a bite. These sporozoites move into the human liver where they enter the liver cells and mature into a schizont which contains numerous merozoites (Russel & Wolfe, 2008). These merozoites are released into bloodstream where they invade the red cells thereby forming schizonts with numerous merozoites. These are released from the red blood cells into bloodstream where they invade more red cells. As the red cells are bursting to release the merozoites, toxic compounds are released which causes the fever and the clinical symptoms that are associated with malaria (Russel & Wolfe, 2008). In the bloodstream, some of the merozoites differentiate into the male and female gametes which are taken up by the mosquito from the infected person and these two fertilize each other in the gut of the mosquito and they develop into sporozoites (Russel & Wolfe, 2008). These are transmitted to another human being through a bite by the mosquito. Though the principal mode of malaria transmission is by mosquito bites, there are other methods that can transmit the malarial parasite. One of these is blood transfusion following existence of dormant plasmodium parasites in the donor’s blood. This can make the transfused person to suffer from a febrile illness and for these reasons in areas where malaria is endemic a full course of chloroquine is administered to potential recipients of blood (Kakkilaya, 2006). Another mode of transmission is transmission from mother to child among pregnant women. These parasites pass to the child through the placenta especially if the mother has no immunity (Kakkilaya, 2006). The last mode of transmission is through needle stick injury which can be either accidental as happens among healthcare providers or intentional as happens among drug addicts who share needles (Kakkilaya, 2006). There are several factors that make Africans vulnerable to malaria and one of these are the environmental factors which contribute to spread of the disease. To begin with, malaria is a climate related disease where it is mostly found in the tropic and subtropic regions. The climate in Africa particularly the annual mean temperature is mostly within the tolerance limit of the plasmodium species and this makes the parasite to thrive thus rendering the populations living in this area vulnerable (Leary, 2008). Another environmental factor is weather disturbances in Africa which influences the breeding sites of the vectors thereby increasing the transmission potential of malaria (Leary, 2008). These weather disturbances occur in the form of prolonged droughts and heavy rains. There are several social and cultural factors that make Africans vulnerable to malaria disease. One of these is increased human population in Africa and this has led to swamp reclamation and deforestation in a bid to find more land for settlement. The effect of these activities has been the creation of puddles which provides good breeding sites for the mosquitoes which in turn transmit malaria (Leary, 2008). When the vegetation is removed, what happens is that the temperatures increase and this aids in malaria transmission. Another factor is self medication where many people in Africa buy drugs over the counter and treat themselves at home (Leary, 2008). This has led to development of drug resistant strains of plasmodium necessitating continuous replacement of anti-malarial drugs. This has made the populations in Africa susceptible to the disease since instead of dealing with the problem the populations create more problems by creating drug resistant strains of plasmodium. In addition, many people treat themselves with anti-malarial drugs that have already been ruled as ineffective thereby putting themselves at risk of developing serious and complicated malaria (Leary, 2008). Another factor is lack of knowledge on the disease among both the communities and the public health officials. A study done in 2004 showed that in East Africa people are required by the Public Health Act to clear the bushes around their houses as a way of preventing the spread of yellow fever yet studies have shown that clearing of bushes creates favorable breeding conditions for malaria (Leary, 2008). This increases the vulnerability of Africans to malaria disease since effective measures are not taken to prevent spread of malaria. Economic factors also increase the vulnerability of Africans to malaria. Poverty levels in Africa are high which means that there are inadequate economic resources to invest in healthcare thereby making people vulnerable to malaria epidemics. Most of the populations here live below a dollar a day and also cases of food shortages are very common which makes obtaining food rather than malaria prevention a priority (Leary, 2008). These economic hardships also make it difficult for populations to seek good healthcare services. Most just go to the private clinics or to the local dispensaries most of which have no equipment for diagnosis thus resulting in inappropriate prescriptions (Leary, 2008). In addition, some of the medical staff found in these healthcare facilities are not qualified. The reason as to why most of the people prefer the local dispensaries is cost constraints where they cannot afford motorized transport and thus prefer to use cheap means of transport such as bicycles (Leary, 2008). Myths and cultural beliefs also make Africans vulnerable to malaria. This is particularly with regard to the cause and prevention of malaria. Some people believe that malaria is caused by witchcraft or supernatural forces and a good example is Uganda where the populations here associate convulsions which are a form of malarial complication with supernatural forces (Leary, 2008). This really makes the populations vulnerable to malaria since they cannot take measures to prevent malaria. In addition, due to such beliefs, people who have malaria are not treated with conventional medicine which is more effective but are treated using traditional medicine which is not that effective. This makes the populations susceptible to malaria epidemics since the problem is not being addressed thereby ensuring the spread of the disease and increasing mortality rates. Other people associate malaria with certain foods and a good example is populations in Tanzania who believe that malaria is due to consumption of maize meal (Leary, 2008). This belief results from the fact that maize meals in Tanzania are commonly consumed in times of food shortages which occur following too much or too little rainfall (Leary, 2008). These climatic conditions are also associated with increased cases of malaria. However, the populations associate malaria with the food they commonly eat at that time and therefore they do not eat maize meals as a way of fighting malaria (Leary, 2008). This only serves to make them more vulnerable to malaria. There are several methods that are used to control the spread of malaria. Some of these methods are aimed at lowering exposure to infectious mosquito bites and these include indoor spraying using insecticides, use of bed nets that are insecticide treated, and use of repellants (Falola & Heaton, 2007). Insecticides are used to reduce the number of adult mosquitoes while materials such as repellants repel mosquitoes away from an individual thereby curbing the spread of the disease. Another method involves treatment of the disease using drugs. Though drug resistance has been a great problem in fighting malaria, drugs have proven to be effective in suppressing the parasite within the host thus preventing further spread of the disease (Falola & Heaton, 2007). Other treatment methods involve interfering with the breeding sites of mosquitoes and these include draining of stagnant water and spraying of breeding sites with insecticides. Apart from these methods of preventing the spread of malaria, the African population has its alternative methods of dealing with malaria. One of these involves use of traditional medicine. Traditional healers in Africa diagnose and treat malaria using indigenous roots, herbs, and leaves which are usually prepared and taken orally (Maslove et al. , 2009). This acts as a barrier to the fight against malaria since their diagnosis is based merely on symptoms and not diagnostic evidence which may lead to improper treatment thus further spread of malaria due to delayed treatment (Maslove et al. , 2009). Traditionally, Africans have relied on good sanitation practices such as proper disposal of garbage and draining of swamps as a way of preventing malaria and up to date their method remains effective and aids the fight against malaria (Falola & Heaton, 2007). However, this approach ignores mosquitoes as the vectors involved in the spread of malaria thereby hampering the fight against malaria (Falola & Heaton, 2007). Though Africans have taken steps to address malaria, a lot still remains to be done. There is a great need for education on the causes of malaria as by understanding the causes of malaria preventive and treatment strategies can be effectively implemented. There is also the need to educate the African traditional healers on malaria so that they can use better approaches in the treatment of malaria. References Falola, T. & Heaton, M. M. (2007). HIV/AIDS, illness and African well-being. New York, NY: Rochester Press. Kakkilaya, B. S. (2006). Transmission of malaria. Retrieved 23 August, 2010 from http://www. malariasite. com/malaria/Transmission. htm Leary, N. (2008). Climate change and vulnerability. USA: Earthscan. Maslove et al. (2009). Barriers to the effective treatment and prevention of malaria in Africa: A systematic review of qualitative studies. BMC International Human Rights, 9(29), 2321- 2337. Russel, P. J. & Wolfe, S. L. (2008). Biology volume 2: The dynamic science, volume 2. Belmont, CA: Thomson Publishers. Sherman, I. W. (1998). Malaria: Parasite biology, pathogenesis, and protection. Washington, DC: ASM Press. World bank. (2009). Intensifying the fight against malaria: The world bank’s booster program for malaria control in Africa. Washington, DC: World Bank.

Compare the short story “Flowers for Algernon” Essay

The differences between â€Å"Flowers for Algernon† as a short story and as a movie represent the differences between the two media. In my essay I am going to show, from the differences between the short story and the movie, the differences between the two media, coming up with the conclusion that the short story is the better medium by which to tell this story. One of the most significant differences between the short story and the movie is the developing of Charlie’s character in the story. In the book for example, is nothing said about his family, whereas in the movie is told a lot about his childhood and in the end he also sees his mother. When we see Charlie in the movie identifying himself as lonely, he becomes a more described character than he is in the book. This shows the difference that in a short story we have to develop a character ourselves, but in a movie only throughout one picture of a person we already get a description of this character we would never have got in a short story. In the movie we have seen the information about Charlie we immediately get it supported by information about his family. There are also different kinds of pathos in short story and movie. With the identification of Charlie Ms Kinnian and indirectly Algernon with the loneliness in the movie, they identify themselves as sad. This makes the movie much more pathetic than the short story, because in the short story only the identifying between Charlie and Algernon takes place, which is much less pathetic. What also support the pathos in the movie is the whole emotion around the relationship between Charlie and Ms Kinnian. This could represent the fact that a movie has to be more emotional than a short story, so that the people want to see it. But it could also show that someone who is making a movie has to bring in more pathos in his story, because he shows the story omniscient. That means he has not the chance to tell the story in diary-form and so directly out of the brain of the main character which is much more personal. With short story as diary-form you can see everything through the eyes of the diary writer. To compare the roles of the doctors, doing the operation, also brings up a big difference. In the movie there is no Dr. Nemur, who plays a big role in  the short story. In the short story Dr. Nemur represents the scientific world, which is not always human. Dr. Strauss plays the good, personal and human guy, which also cares about Charlie’s feelings and his psychology. Now in the movie there is only Dr. Strauss, who then has to represent the scientific world but also has to be the good guy. So two flat characters from the short story can be put into one character in the movie. Because Dr. Strauss is representing two characters, he becomes a grotesque person. This happens, because he has to represent a scientific society, which does not have ethics as basis but also has to represent a world of humanity and ethics, which in the short story represent Dr. Nemur. In my opinion the short story is the more successful medium by which to tell the story, because the movie creates you through a lot of emotions one specific opinion about what happens to Charlie. Whereas in the short story you have more chance to create your own opinion about the story, which is a very important thing in stories but also in your life.

Reflective statement for Women At Point Zero Essay

To what extent does the student show how his or her understanding of cultural and contextual elements was developed through the interactive oral ? I think time and place are one of the most important settings in the novel since as we know Cairo have a huge amount of unemployment as women at that time didn’t continou their education so having a secondary school certificate didn’t allow Firadus to find a decent job, after she moved from the village to Cairo which led her to prostitution. On the other some Muslims there misunderstand Islam such that her huspand Sheikh Mahmoud used to go to the mosque for every prayer but in the same time he used to beat her up just because she can eat and he cant or because she lives some food on the plate†¦ Since I come from an Arabic background , it was easy to understand how much she suffered to survive life , but it was a bit difficult to understand her mentality because Firdaus is a Muslim and she became a prostitute which is totally forbidden by Islam , at the same time prostitution is illegal in Egypt but still some police men used to go have sex with her every now and then while their actual job is to put her in prison . A connection that I have found similar to my own culture is that women at the age of 17 or 18 usually get married and stop education and that’s what happened to Firdaus. The most interesting technique used in the novel is flashback since once you start reading the book and you know she has killed a man , you really want to know what happened, why and how she killed a man and why did she spit on the picture of every man in the news paper. What I found also interesting is how she narrated her story with every man she met which led her to loathe the patriarch al society she lives in.

Use of Pharmacological Interventions in Substance Abuse Treatment Research Paper

Use of Pharmacological Interventions in Substance Abuse Treatment - Research Paper Example Pharmacological interventions in the course of substance abuse treatment involve the use of clinical drugs to help people with drug and alcohol-related problems to get over the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1999). The use of pharmacological interventions is quite effective in handling exposure to trigger cues for drug taking and drug carving. Pharmacological interventions have been widely used in the treatment of withdrawal symptoms (Cohen, Young, and McChargue, 2009). These interventions normally reduce these symptoms, thus making it easier for the patient to get over his or her addiction quickly enough. Pharmacological intervention programs often involve the use of different types of drugs whose effects can minimize the agony caused by withdrawal symptoms. Special medication which makes the patients feel like they are on the addictive drugs is administered for a certain period of time and then the administration is gradually withdrawn (Rotgers, Morgenstern and Walters, 2003). This way, the brain is able to stabilize, which in effect makes the detoxification process easier and much faster. Some of the drugs used in pharmacological interventions include naltrexone, buprenorphine or naloxone, acamprosate, methadone and LAAM, disulfiram, oxycodone, bupropion, varenicline, naltrexone, and topiramate. naltrexone is used in the intervention of alcohol and opiates related abuse. These pharmacological drugs work by blocking opiate receptors, thereby helping prevent the release of dopamine into the body. The lack of dopamine lessens cravings for opiates and alcohol. Buprenorphine also works by blocking the effects of opiates on the body system.     

Madonna Phenomenon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Madonna Phenomenon - Essay Example The Madonna phenomenon demonstrates popular culture’s ability to enable political and social contestation through Madonna as its central popular symbol where the Madonna phenomenon explores gender as performance, intersects political and cultural representation, challenges and reinscribes feminine gender categories, and inspires other women to pursue their dreams. Judith Butler asserts that gender is performed as it relates socially-produced subjects in a specific context, where Madonna literally and figuratively performs gender to connect to her primary audience. Butler explains that gender is not an attribute but a performance. Gender is part of human identity, and identity is not static or homogenous (Butler 5 qtd. in Gauntlett 106). Gender is what people do (i.e. their behaviours) and not what they truly are, according to Butler (Gauntlett 107). Madonna’s performances are performances of her identity and for her gender. Different scholars assert that Madonna performs femininity as a masquerade. E. Ann Kaplan explains the meaning of Madonna’s image to her and her audience: â€Å"[Madonnas] image usefully adopts one mask after another to expose the fact that there is no ‘essential’ self and therefore no essential feminine but only cultural constructions† (160). Indeed, Madonna’s different images show cultural constructions as present in â€Å"Material Girl.† In this song, she shows how materialism in modern society shapes femininity and masculinity. In the chorus, Madonna sings: â€Å"You know that we are living in a material world/And I am a material girl.† She is suggesting that because she lives in a material world, she has become a material girl. She talks about herself and women who have become materialistic because of the American Dream that underlines materialistic indicators of happiness and success. Guilbert notes that Madonna challenges â€Å"the consumerist form of the

Write a critical reflction and evaluation of your performance as a Essay

Write a critical reflction and evaluation of your performance as a mentor in workplace learning and assessing - Essay Example Gillespie (2005) asserts that a connected student-teacher relationship is characterized by the teacher nursing with students so that students â€Å"experience self-confirmation of their existing capacities and, prompted by the example of the clinical teacher, become aware of potential capacities† (Gillespie, 2005, p. 215). When investigating student perceptions of effective and ineffective clinical instructors, Tang, Chou, and Chiang (2005) found that students perceived that the most effective clinical instructors were those having strong interpersonal relationships with students and rated â€Å"solves problems with students† as the highest rated item within that category (p. 190). This would suggest that working together with students and role modeling professional behaviors are powerful determinants of effective teaching (Tang, Chou, & Chiang, 2005, 187-192). The term mentor is used to denote the role of a nurse, midwife, or even a health visitor who facilitates learning and assess students in the practice setting. According to Department of Health, the mentor role is to facilitate learning across pre and post registration programmes. In order to do that, the mentor must supervise, support, and guide students in institutional practice where learning happens in a clinical environment. One of the main roles is assessment where implementation of approved procedures for assessment is to be executed by the mentors. They would thus be facilitators of learning in the practice setting, where they would manage and contribute to the experience of the student nurses (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2008, 1-17). The Nursing and Midwifery Council has developed a framework to support learning and assessment in practice. This framework also defines and describes the requisite knowledge and skills that are needed to be applied in practice when they support and assess students undertaking